CH 8

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Chapter 8

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The situation that occurred earlier quickly transitioned into a state of orderliness in response to Stephen’s instructions. It was a crucial time for the most important task to be carried out in this place.

The prisoners followed behind their assigned guards, either obediently or with a sense of defiance. It appeared relatively organized, except for the new prisoners who seemed confused.

“Oh, you don’t have to follow us, rookie. Stand next to your assigned prisoner.” Stephen laughed and gestured, and I found myself walking next to the male lead.

The Tower.

‘Perhaps this is the most challenging process that prisoners experience in this place.’

It would be difficult for newbies to understand why they had to enter the Tower, why they had to go through such trials here. Even I, who knew the novel, felt this emotion.

The role was to dampen the enthusiasm of prisoners who might cause trouble due to their excessive vitality and to facilitate management by dividing them into grades. And also, it serves the purpose of regulating the number of prisoners.

The Tower had a total of 100 floors, each with different trials. And every time the leader changed, the trials would have been different. With different entrances and different guiding guards for each grade, the prisoners were scattered and in disarray.

“Hey.”

I turned my head.

Helios was standing at the very end of the line. The trembling people right in front of him were the new inmates who had arrived just before him. The exposed parts of their bodies were all red and swollen.

‘Seems like they had quite an intense initiation ceremony.’

Even though they were in such a sorry state, the male lead’s expression remained calm.

“Hey.”

Goodness, even if the male lead was different, he was still a newbie as well.

“That thing earlier, how did you do it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“A little while ago… creating a large shield.”

Ah.

“You don’t happen to be unfamiliar with Kia do you?”

“…I know.”

Well, it wouldn’t make sense for him not to know a power that nearly half of the population uses.

“I’ve seen plenty of people use their abilities, including my own knights. But I’ve never seen someone create something like that so quickly. How did you do it?”

I hesitated before attempting to provide a comfortable answer.

“Rather than satisfying curiosity, you should be more concerned about surviving.”

“…Won’t you give me an answer?”

“No, we’ve arrived at the Tower.”

Helios raised his head, and there stood a massive door—the entrance for the lowest-level prisoners.

“Start thinking about surviving.”

“….”

Of course, there was no chance that the male lead would die on the first floor. However, according to the manual, the guards were supposed to instill a reasonable amount of fear in the prisoners.

‘I know what the trial on the first floor will be like.’

Even though the trial varied with each cycle, the theme remained the same, so knowing it would be helpful. However, there were too many eyes watching for me to reveal it openly.

After pondering for a moment, I said, “Be careful not to get ripped and eaten. Especially the ‘legs’”

“….”

After all the prisoners had entered through the door, the guards moved to a waiting room via a different entrance to monitor the prisoners’ trials.

“Well then, I’ll see if you…”

Before the sentence could continue, Helios grabbed my arm. I could have easily avoided it, but I didn’t. I was curious about what this man, who suddenly had a desperate expression, would say.

“…If you survive?”

His violet eyes shined ominously like a torch in the face of darkness. After a brief silence, I leisurely opened my mouth.

“If you survive, I’ll tell you how I created that shield.”

“…”

Now will you let go?

However, his slender yet beautifully shaped hand didn’t release me.

“…Where will you be?”

“As the guard, I’ll be watching over my assigned prisoner.”

“…I see. So you’ll be watching.”

I considered whether I should pay attention to him not properly addressing me but then I realized that not a single prisoner in the place where I was had properly addressed the guards.

‘Can I really enforce something I’m not capable of?’

I shrugged my shoulders and withdrew my hand.

Thud.

The massive door finally shut close after a while, as if it had swallowed all prisoners.

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“Rookie! Is this your first time in the Tower?”

When a prisoner entered the Tower, the guards would go to the waiting room. So she had never been here before. She had seen the guards looking down at the prisoners through the windows from above before, and here, she could catch a glimpse of the prisoners inside the Tower below. She checked on Helios’ then turned her head.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cain Dust, the supervising officer in charge of the lowest level.”

Cain was a guard who had a huge body.

“You can call me Sergeant Cain.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sergeant Cain.”

The guard had a thick beard, and a face she hadn’t seen before. Mint hadn’t seen anyone here even though she had passed through the lowest level.

“Since it’s your first year, you’ll mainly be handling the lowest-level prisoners, so you’ll be seeing me a lot.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Was he someone who specializes in the body?

He was excessively large in size. Then, Cain stroked his beard and chuckled.

“I want to get along well with rookies. Next time we meet, you can call me brother.”

“…I’m sorry, did I mishear?”

Mint recited the words from Manual 3, Section 4 for rookies, ‘What to do when you didn’t hear what your superior said.’

“Ah, it’s okay. It’s okay. Stephen said you’re quite an odd one. So let’s practice and try calling me that way once.”

Mint pondered for a moment. Unfortunately, her ten years of life as a prisoner had turned the social norms and knowledge she had learned in Korea into a mess. Her social etiquette and social skills had faded away, making her feel like a blank slate. However, in exchange, she survived in this lawless zone, so it was a cheap price to pay.

‘So, should I him call or not?’

Mint contemplated. She was ordered to do so, so shouldn’t she call him?

Sergeant Stephen, who had been her partner, was in charge of a different level, not the lowest in the Tower. The guards she was currently with were all under the supervision of Cain.

In other words, they were all guards she had never known before, and she had no one to seek advice from.

Cain chuckled.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Call me comfortably. Let’s practice once. Now, go ahead and call me.”

He walked up to Mint with an amiable smile.

“Brother.”

“Answer me politely you rascal*.”

*TL/N: Just in case this doesn’t make sense. Mint called him brother without honorifics, so he replied this way. Let’s just say she was being impolite by doing that even though Cain urged her to.

“Yes, brother.”

“Right. Try calling me again.”

“Brother.”

“Louder.”

“Brother!”

Cain’s expression, which had been amiable, suddenly changed.

“You, rascal.”

He sneered.

“So you really did it?”

Mint saw the leg coming at her. If left that way, it would undoubtedly be an attack that would crush her throat. If she let it happen, her throat would definitely be wounded.

Mint evaded the strike with ease.

“…You dodged it?”

For a moment, a chilling silence filled the guard room.

Cain’s expression became perplexed.

“I kicked as hard as I could.”

In the form of muscle strength, Cain boasted exceptional skills among the guards in terms of physical abilities.

While his eyes widened in disbelief, Mint blinked slowly.

“Why shouldn’t I dodge it? I don’t like pain.”

Had he ever seen such an arrogant brat? Cain’s expression became incredulous.

“This brat… so arrogant as a rookie. If a senior scolds you, you should take it!”

The other Sergeants who were present were suppressing their laughter. However, when the situation turned strange, they awkwardly stiffen.

Who was this rookie…?

“Stand straight! The answer should always be yes!”

“Yes.”

“….”

Cain clenched his jaw with all his might.

“It seems like you thought you were all that because you know how to use a Kia. This place was completely different from the outside world.”

“….”

“If you dodge again, I’ll kick you out. It’s not difficult for me to kick out a rookie with my authority.”

Regardless of who recommended her, this kind of rookie needed to be awakened to reality.

That was the role of a senior guard like himself! Cain Dust thought.

Meanwhile, Mint had her own thoughts.

‘The warden told me not to cause any trouble.’

Being kicked out would be troublesome. Hence, Mint decided not to evade the incoming attack this time.

‘He didn’t tell me not to use Kia.’

Instead, she firmly applied the Kia in her body to her leg.

‘How do I strengthen my legs… Was it like this?’

Crash!

The sharp sound of legs colliding echoed, the sound was almost unbelievable.

Crack!

The result was unexpected in the eyes of the spectator. Cain laid on the ground, clutching his leg and writhing in pain.

“Crazy, what kind of…!”

It was like kicking a steel! The sensation was unmistakably steel! But how?

Among those who could use Kia, there were people who could make their bodies as hard as steel.

However, such people were undoubtedly…

‘Outside, it would be a skill achievable by imperial knights at best…!’

Cain looked up while gripping his painful leg. He swallowed hard.

“Who the hell are you?”

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