Chapter 4 Manipulation

Okay, let's begin.

But of course, we're not following that stupid tutorial.

[The gods watch intently]

"Gaga," I say just as the guard is about to leave.

"Huh? What do you want, you little shit?" The guard asks, walking back over to the cell bars and spitting on me.

Disgusting…

He then exits the room before slamming the wooden door behind him.

The thing I've observed the most about this guard is that he's so angry all the time.

And it's too the point that sometimes he brings us food with bloodshot eyes.

So, though it took me a while, I figured out why he was angry all the time… He was clearly being abused or provoked by something.

I didn't need any more information than that, as I now had a root that I could manipulate into a dead stalk that I could bend to my will.

[The gods are dissapointed]

What? Disappointed? You wanted me to do what I saw in the tutorial? What a bunch of idiots…

[Some god's roar in anger by your rude comments]

Yeah, yeah, piss off. I don't want you here if you're gonna distract me.

[Some gods stomp off in anger]

tsk

Just go away…

And after a few more hours of waiting, our dinner had come and the man from before once again stomped back into the room, shoving our plate of food through the opening.

"Gaga?"

"Tsk, what do you want!? Go suck on your mom's tits or something!" He shouts before storming off, slamming the wooden door behind him.

I see… It's only a matter of time…

…

A few days have passed, and I had repeated the process a total of six times.

Three for brunch.

Three for dinner.

He continuously got angrier and angrier at me, but as we were separated by bars, he couldn't do anything.

But… he's still not angry enough. I need him to get so angry that he unlocks the cell door and tries to strangle my throat.

My mother, who was asleep almost 18 hours a day now, was completely unaware of what was happening.

BAM BAM BAM

The heavy metal boots echoed through the prison walls, and upon him reaching the door, he slammed it open with all his might.

The door cracked into pieces as he stomped down the stairs and threw the plate in between the bars.

The scraps scattered everywhere, and his presence made me a bit nervous as I could feel endless bloodlust radiating from him.

"Gaga?" I said one last time, even tilting my head a bit.

And as soon as his bloodshot eyes looked as if they were about to burst, I stood up.

"Urk… Urk… *sniff* *sniff* *sniff*,"

The man dropped to his knees, crying ugly tears.

[The gods spectating you, laugh at your failed prediciton]

Perfect…

I didn't realize it, but I genuinely smiled for the first time since being reborn in this world.

"Gad," I say, trying to get the word "guard" across.

I went to smile but suddenly realized I was already smiling, so I just kept it up as the guard glanced at me.

It was one hell of a gamble, but it seems it worked out.

It was either he got so mad that he burst through the cell door, or he got so angry that he broke down in tears.

I mean, I've seen it happen a lot.

So much in fact that if I wanted to keep count, I would've lost track halfway through from the sheer amount.

It was only a natural reaction for humans overwhelmed with negative emotions.

"Gad," I say once again, but he ignores me and leaves the room, eyes dry of tears already.

[The gods spectating you are confused]

Did you not just read my mind…

"*cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*..."

Suddenly, a long trail of coughs came from behind me.

…

And so, about six long years have passed.

I could finally sprint and jump around, but I couldn't do it for long as my body was extremely frail.

But one piece of good news is that I was able to gain the favor of the guard who always brought us food.

I pretended to be his ally and let him vent to me, even when I was at an age where one couldn't comprehend a language.

He probably thinks of me as his little brother now, but obviously, I was using him.

I used him to help keep my slowly dying mother alive as she was growing too sick.

I used him to gain information on the outside world.

I used him to gain information on pretty much everything I needed… including the layout of the prison I was in… The Grand Magic Tower.

A prison created for the sole reason of holding my mother captive.

The man still won't tell me why she was imprisoned, but it was probably because he thought I was too young to comprehend the answer.

"I brought a tiny snack," A voice comes from the slowly creaking door.

A guard named Leo had come in the middle of the night to bring my mother and me a cookie.

"Here," He says, handing it through the bars.

I split the cookie into thirds and handed my mother two-thirds while I ate the remaining third.

"*cough* *cough* *cough*..."

My mother continued to cough up blood, staining the stone floor with even more splotches of red.

"You've grown into such a big boy," She says, placing her hand on my cheek.

I forced a smile for her and let her rest on the straw pillow I had acquired from Leo.

"Goodnight," I say, kissing her on the forehead just as she was about to close her eyes and doze off.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," Leo responds with a smile.

He exited the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

"*sigh*... What now-"

Another panel had popped up, but this time it was different.

[Seven and a half years have passed with no progress]

[A tutorial will be gi-

[Error]

[Interference by higher being]

[Hidden Starting Quest: Escape the Magic Tower has been revealed]

[You are unable to obtain the Hidden Reward]

[Quest has been revealed]

[Failure to complete the quest within one week will result in death]

.

[Quest: Escape the Magic Tower]

[Description: Your mother birthed you in a dungeon meant to keep the strongest of mages, and for some reason, you are forced to spend the rest of your life in it. Escape the dungeon using whatever means necessary]

[Reward: [Skill Book - Tangible Bloodlust]

[Penalty Upon Failure: Death]

[Time Left: 167 Hours Remaining]

.

Huh? What the hell… Have they already gotten so bored with me that they're forcing me to make a move?

"Uh… I needed just one more week… But now I have to push it forward a week?" I mutter before glancing over at the small cloth beside me.

I reached for it and then unraveled it, revealing a small dagger that was a bit too big in my hand.

It was the shortest one Leo could find for me, but I didn't plan on using it in combat anyway, so…

Suddenly, I heard another ding, signaling even more panels had popped up.

[You have received a chain of side quests]

[Complete the first side quest in order to proceed with the next]

.

[Side Quest: Kill a Gaurd]

[Description: As you are too pussy to do anything, if you manage to kill one guard, you will be rewarded with something that could come in handy when the time is needed]

[Reward: [???]

[Penalty Upon Failure: 25% Loss of Speed for One Day]

[Time Left: 167 Hours Remaining]

.

Well… I wouldn't say I'm a pussy… Well, I kinda am. But if I'm not, I die… So…

I just decided to ignore the notification before getting some sleep.

But, that didn't last quickly as I suddenly heard my mother cough rapidly, and she began to wheeze as if something was stuck in her chest.