"Hey, you were laughing at me earlier, weren't you?"
"W-well, that's..."
The man swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the pig with its shattered knees. Without warning, he dropped to his knees before me.
"...I'll let you off this time."
I pressed a Pressure Point Technique on the fallen pig, Sebeige, to stop the bleeding. The immediate danger of death had passed, but he still needed proper treatment.
It would be inconvenient if he died now. He needs to stay alive at least until tomorrow... no, the day after. I'll have to use a Potion.
After stopping the bleeding, I glanced sideways. Through the iron bars, prisoners in the opposite cell were staring at us.
"What are you looking at?"
"..."
The prisoners didn't avert their gazes, even at my words. They stared at me with morbid fascination, as if the iron bars imprisoning them would somehow protect them.
Clang!
I gripped one of the bars and exerted all my strength. The metal buckled sideways.
"Three seconds. Lower your eyes. Before I come over there and kill you all."
"...!"
The startled prisoners hastily lowered their heads.
I scanned the surroundings once more. In the chillingly tense atmosphere, not a single prisoner dared to look at me.
I slumped to the floor.
Raising my left hand, I held what appeared to be nothing to others. But concealed by my Unique Trait, Deception (SS), my smartphone was hidden in plain sight, rendered invisible.
I opened my Inventory, retrieved a High-Grade Potion, and tossed it to Renji.
"Heal that pig with this."
"H-how did you get this...?"
"Shut up and do as I say."
"Yes..."
Renji, along with the brothers Gu Dong and Gu Jin, began treating Sebeige. I ignored them and sank into thought.
The wardens aren't as dangerous as I thought. They're barely soldier-level. Well, if they had exceptional skills, they wouldn't be stuck being wardens. With real power, they'd be better off joining a reputable Legion and living comfortably.
And the prisoners here are weaklings too.
Murderers and heinous criminals are executed immediately before entering prison. The inmates here are mostly petty thieves, low-level bandits, rapists, assault offenders, swindlers, and those who insult nobles.
Count Osten, the master of this prison, aims to fill it with prisoners. Weaklings are easier to manage.
Upon arriving at the prison, I was immediately brought before the Warden. He glanced at me briefly before handing me over to a warden, who led me to this cell.
The Warden has the ability to check others' Status Windows. Since he couldn't see through my Deception (SS)-manipulated Status Window, his ability must be similar to or weaker than Kang Myungjin's.
If I hadn't deceived the Warden with my Deception (SS), he would have tried to kill me. The reason was simple: my stats were too high. Even with 80% of my stats sealed, I could easily crush a man and bend steel bars.
Osten Prison's Steel Shackles
When worn, seals 80% of the wearer's stats.
Effective only within Osten Prison.
Rank: D
The shackles' low Rank of D, despite sealing 80% of my stats, was due to their limited effectiveness within Osten Prison. Outside the prison, they were merely steel anklets.
I retrieved a palm-sized piece of paper from my Inventory.
Weak Nullification Scroll
Temporarily nullifies the effects of items ranked C or lower. The duration of nullification varies depending on the item.
Can be used on consumables, Barriers, and abilities.
Rank: C
This, along with the Transformation Potion, was provided to me by Elena.
I attached the Scroll to the Steel Shackles. The Scroll emitted a faint glow before vanishing.
The Aphrodisiac Nullification Scroll has nullified the Steel Shackles of Osten Prison.
The nullification effect will last for 5 days.
Stats have returned to their original values.
With this, no one in this prison can stop me.
Still, I couldn't afford to cause a ruckus. While the wardens and prisoners were no match for me, the Knight Order was stationed near Osten Prison. I wasn't strong enough to face the Knight Order alone.
I glanced at Sebeige. The knee that had been healed with a potion now bore a scar instead of a wound. However, the knee was twisted out of alignment the bone hadn't been properly set during the healing process.
Well, not my problem.
He dared to try to rape me. I couldn't care less if he remained a cripple for life. In fact, I'd rather he just died.
"Renji, was it?"
"Y-yes! Renji, ma'am!" Renji replied, snapping to attention. I studied him for a moment before asking, "Do you know anything about a man named Owen?"
Owen.
The mission Elena had given me was to break Owen out of Osten Prison wherever he was being held. If that wasn't possible, I was to kill him.
To prevent him, Helten's informant, from revealing any of Helten's secrets.
"I... I don't know. It's the first time I've heard that name. Could it be... did you come to Osten Prison specifically to find that man?"
"And if I did? Are you going to report me?"
Renji frantically shook his head.
"No! No! I was being presumptuous!"
I continued questioning other prisoners about Owen. The result: no one here knew him. They might be lying, but the chances were slim.
"What crime was Owen arrested for?" Renji asked me.
"Fraud."
"...This building only houses men convicted of rape."
"So he's in another building. Which one?"
"This is Building 4. I believe those convicted of fraud serve their sentences in Buildings 12 through 16."
"Is it far?"
"Ah, no. It's not as far as the building for female prisoners... about a ten-minute walk."
I listened to Renji's words expressionlessly, but one phrase caught my attention.
"Female prisoners?"
"Yes. The western part of the prison houses female prisoners. Not just the prisoners themselves, but even the wardens are women."
"Hmm. Can I meet them?"
"Normally, absolutely not."
"What about non-normal methods?"
"Bribing a warden."
"Where would you guys get the money?"
"Sometimes they give us work assignments. Other times, we're drafted as soldiers. Volunteering for those earns us money. Or we can ask family, friends, or comrades outside the prison for funds."
"So you're paying the wardens to arrange introductions to the women over there?"
"That's right."
"Sounds like half the place is running a brothel."
"Since female wardens are in charge, the male wardens can't just do whatever they want. And some of the female wardens sometimes come looking for men too. Of course, if you have enough money, you can even spend the night with a willing female warden. Heh heh."
Renji grinned slyly.
A porno flashed through my mind: a female warden in a figure-hugging leather outfit, whipping a male prisoner as they fucked.
No. No.
I shook my head, trying to erase the image, and asked Renji, "What's the quality of the female wardens and prisoners like? Compared to prostitutes in the city?"
"...Uh, their quality is much lower."
"Why?"
"When a pretty female prisoner arrives, the Warden arranges sponsors from wealthy households or city brothels to pay her fine if she agrees to work for them, and he skims a profit from the deal. Women with any beauty prefer becoming prostitutes to working as wardens dealing with criminals. Most female wardens are ugly farm girls who couldn't even make it as prostitutes."
I realized anew that this prison wasn't meant to rehabilitate prisoners.
"Count Osten knows about the Warden's activities and still lets it continue?"
"Count Osten doesn't care about what happens inside the prison. The Warden is his younger brother. He turns a blind eye to most things."
My fantasies about female wardens and prisoners shattered. I had planned to gather some willing women for prison sex parties when I had free time...
I have no intention of sleeping with low-class women. What would I gain from that?
You could buy the city's finest prostitutes or pursue any woman who caught your eye and take her to bed if she wanted you.
I should focus on my work. If that bastard Owen refuses to cooperate... I'll just kill him.
Boredom gnawed at me. For today, I decided to simply pass the time.
"By the way, how did you end up here? Did you rape someone?" I asked Renji.
"I tried to kill the man my fiancee was having an affair with," Renji replied matter-of-factly, his voice devoid of shame or remorse.
"Your fiancee? Why? You could have sex with her every day after the wedding anyway."
"She was having an affair with a young man in the village. I tried to kill him too, but he escaped... I spent the next week hunting for him until the villagers reported me, and I ended up here. My sentence is 20 years, and I have about 10 left."
"Was she pretty?"
"Not the village's greatest beauty, but definitely above average."
"Good to know. She'll do for a bit of amusement."
I tossed him a coin not just any coin, but a 10,000-penny piece. The System recognized its value:
10,000 Penny Coin
A coin worth 10,000 pennies.
Rank: F
"H-huh! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Renji bowed repeatedly, clutching the coin.
10,000 pennies was roughly equivalent to 100,000 Korean won (about $75 USD).
It was a hefty sum to pay for a story, but I didn't mind.
I can always get more money by robbing a few places in my Heavenly Demon state anyway... It's better to secure these guys' full cooperation.
This was all for the sake of completing my mission smoothly.
Seeing how much he was rejoicing, I asked, "It's just 10,000 Pennies. Is it really that good?"
"With this, I can get laid with a female prisoner about three times and buy a pack and a half of cigarettes."
"Cigarettes, huh? I have those too."
I pulled out cigarettes from my Inventory not just a pack, but a whole carton.
"Huuuuh!"
"Cigarettes! And Earth cigarettes at that!"
"H-hey, could you spare just one pack?!"
The surroundings erupted into commotion. I scowled, channeling Mana into my voice and shouting at them, "Shut up!"
The space fell silent instantly. I tossed a pack of cigarettes to Renji.
"Huuuh! S-such a precious thing!"
"Just take it when it's offered."
I turned my gaze sideways.
"You two baldies. Why did you get locked up here?"
As soon as I asked the question, they answered as if they had been waiting for it.
"We're from a small village called Jegrin."
"We were both hunters."
"A woman named Julie lived next door to us."
"We'd been close friends with her since childhood."
"And both my brother and I fell in love with Julie."
"I was about to confess first, but I fought with my brother over it."
"The fight lasted almost three months, but neither of us could win."
"So we changed our minds."
"We asked Julie whether she'd be with both of us."
"My brother spent the days with her, and I spent the nights with her."
"But as time passed, the line between day and night blurred. We were all together all the time."
"So we just decided Julie would stay with both of us."
"Then Julie tried to leave, and we kept chasing after her and begging her to come back."
"Julie said we treated her like a dog."
"Three months later, a passing traveler saw the mess we had made and reported us, and that's how we ended up in prison."
The two brothers spoke passionately to me, their eyes gleaming with greed for my money and cigarettes. I tossed each of them 10,000 pennies and a pack of cigarettes.
"Thank you!"
"Why didn't you two just fight to the death? The survivor could have had Julie."
"No. Even we wouldn't go that far..."
"We're brothers who've lived together for nearly thirty years," I said.
I then turned to look at Sebeige, who was staring back at me with an eager expression.
"And this bastard?"
"I..."
"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you. Renji! You tell me."
Sebeige's face fell into despair. I felt no sympathy for him, only a murderous urge to smash his skull.
Renji glanced at me cautiously before speaking.
"Sebeige is said to have raped twin siblings, both male and female. He came here three years ago..."
"Ah, that's enough. So, this bastard's bisexual, huh? How boring."
I tossed Renji a pack of cigarettes and asked about the stories of the other inmates in the prison.
"I..."
"My case is a bit unfair..."
As I listened to their various tales, the building's door creaked open and a warden appeared.
"...Huh? What's with the silence today? You bastards... did you cause trouble?"
"No, sir!"
"Good. Just don't cause any trouble. I'm too lazy to deal with torture. Go get some sleep."
The warden switched off the corridor lights and left the building. It was too early for me to sleep, so I struck up conversations with the other prisoners. The inmates who had received money and cigarettes eagerly shared their stories with me.