7:00 AM.
The wardens' shouts forced us awake.
"Get up! How long are you going to sleep? You think this prison is a resort?!"
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
The warden relentlessly pounded the iron bars with his metal baton. The deafening noise left us no choice but to rise.
The prisoners quickly got up and began tidying their bedding.
I leaned against the wall, dozing off. Brothers Gu Dong and Gu Jin took care of my bedding for me.
For the record, the four other inmates in this cell hadn't slept properly. Since I hate sleeping next to women who aren't Beauties, I had them sit against the wall while I slept comfortably.
I gave them another pack of cigarettes, and they said they'd even sleep standing up for it. Apparently, cigarettes were used as currency here. And Sebeige that gay bastard of course didn't get any.
"Renji, when's mealtime?"
"Soon... Ah, here it comes now."
The iron door at the end of the corridor swung open, and men in prison uniforms rushed in. Each carried wooden buckets filled with food and water, which they distributed through the bars.
"What are those guys?"
"Errand runners. The warden picks prisoners he likes to do chores like cleaning... There are some perks."
Meals were served twice a day: morning and evening.
Renji and the other prisoners skillfully pulled out their bowls and received their portions from the errand runners.
The errand runners shoved dusty bread through the bars and poured soup and water through wooden pipes.
I leaned against the wall, watching blankly.
Damn it. I should be sound asleep at this hour...
My head felt groggy, probably because it was so early.
"Eat first!" Renji said, placing the food in front of me. The other prisoners glanced at me nervously not just the ones in this cell, but those in other cells as well.
With money and power, I was the ruler here.
Doesn't look very appetizing... Hmm.
Still, a flicker of curiosity stirred within me. When else would I get the chance to try prison food?
...Though it's not rice.
I brushed the dust off the bread and took a bite. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad aside from its bland taste and rock-hard texture.
"Fuck. This is fucking disgusting."
"It's edible if you soak it in the soup," Renji suggested.
I took a sip of the soup.
"Ugh. Did they boil weeds from around the prison? Why is this so bitter?"
"How did you know? We make soup with weeds from near the prison every other day. I know because I've run errands a few times."
"Seriously? I'm not eating this. You guys can have it."
I handed my portion to them and pulled a ham and cheese toast from my Inventory. The prisoners stared enviously, especially one fat guy who looked at me with pleading eyes, but I ignored him.
In the morning, prisoners with specialized skills or awakened Mana were taken out to work. The rest of us were left to kill time in our cells, playing poker or chatting.
Bored, I activated Automatic Progression until the afternoon exercise period.
Apparently, this afternoon was the weekly exercise and shower day.
2 PM. Exercise time.
I stepped out of the stifling prison into the exercise yard.
Even amidst the chaos, the wardens habitually glanced down to check the prisoners' feet, ensuring their shackles were properly secured. This was precisely why I had disabled my shackles with a Scroll yesterday instead of breaking them.
The exercise yard was vast, easily twice the size of a university campus field in the real world. Yet, with so many prisoners crowding the space, it felt cramped.
Few prisoners were actually exercising. Most were either loitering or basking in the sunlight, chatting idly.
I strode confidently across the yard.
Prisoners from Building 4 swaggered around me, following me naturally. They were drawn to my power and wealth. Any complaints? These were the same guys who had witnessed Sebeige's legs get crushed yesterday.
"Renji."
"Yes, Master Ssex."
Ssex.
That was the alias I used in prison.
"Release the boys and bring Owen to me. I'll give 100,000 pennies to whoever brings him in."
"Yes, sir. I'll tell the boys right away. And... sir, I..."
"Alright. You'll get 100,000 pennies too if you bring Owen to me."
"Thank you, sir! I'll have him here within ten minutes!"
Renji was about to move when a group of men approached me. There were at least 300 of them, most with muscular builds.
"Those are the prisoners from the 20th block..." Renji said with a grim expression.
Through Renji, I learned that this prison also had factions. The largest faction among the prisoners was the group from blocks 20 through 25. These were men imprisoned for assault. While none were murderers, their history of violence made them exceptionally brutal.
The second-ranked faction consisted of prisoners from Buildings 4 through 7 rapists.
"Renji, who's this guy? I've never seen him before. Why are you all gathered around him? Is he your new personal ass-fucker? Wow, lucky you. Let me take him for a spin. Huh?"
The apparent leader of the assault prisoners swaggered toward me, a hulking figure nearly two meters tall with a gorilla-like head and massive muscles.
"Haa."
He was trying to provoke me. I understood. I was the new rookie, and I knew the assault prisoners and rapists didn't get along in this prison. He probably wanted to establish dominance right away.
I could have ignored him if it had been minor. But I was on a mission, and until I met Owen, I needed to avoid drawing the attention of the wardens watching the yard.
But this gorilla had crossed the line.
And he'd crossed it by a mile.
"Lord Ssex, the wardens are watching. They're sensitive to brawls that could lead to mass casualties among the prisoners. If you cause trouble here, they might drag you off for torture."
"...How much will it take?"
Renji, quick on the uptake, immediately understood my question and scanned the surroundings, counting the wardens.
"1.5 million Pennies. That should be enough."
"Not much, then."
I retrieved a money pouch containing 1.5 million Pennies from my Inventory and handed it to Renji. He and a few other prisoners grabbed the pouch and rushed toward the wardens.
"Oh shit. What's that? A Unique Trait? I don't know how you ended up here with a Unique Trait like that, but you'd better hand over everything you've got..."
Whack!
I slammed my fist into the gorilla's jaw, shattering it. Blood and teeth flew through the air. As the creature collapsed, I grabbed its head and yanked it back. Its eyes rolled violently upward before going still. It had passed out.
Passing out isn't the end.
I struck the gorilla's pressure points.
"Cough!"
The gorilla sputtered awake, coughing up blood.
"Why are there so many bastards in this world trying to get into my ass? It's so fucking annoying."
I gripped his left shoulder. Unlike yesterday, I didn't intend to inflict a serious injury in a fit of anger. I only planned to break a bone or two.
Crack!
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
Crack!
"Gwaaaaaah!"
I systematically worked my way through his arms and legs. Though his screams echoed loudly, none of the nearby prisoners dared to approach me.
Demonic Heavenly Art: Heavenly Demon Force.
I had seized control of the surrounding Qi using the Heavenly Demon Force. To those far weaker than me, I must have seemed like a monstrous, colossal dinosaur.
The bribed wardens were desperately pretending not to notice what was happening. They would only intervene if I committed murder.
Crack!
"Aaaaaaaah!"
After breaking both arms and legs, I pinned the man to the ground and surveyed the surroundings. The prisoners didn't dare meet my gaze.
"You lot."
"..."
"I'll give you ten minutes. Bring Owen to me within that time alive and unharmed. If you're late or Owen has a scratch on him, I'll turn you into gorilla fodder like this bastard."
"...!"
"What are you waiting for? Move!"
The prisoners scattered, sprinting in all directions.
"Owen! Anyone know Owen?!"
"Bring me Owen!"
"Hey! Who the hell is Owen?! Huh?! Speak up!"
Dust swirled across the exercise yard as chaos erupted.
Exactly two minutes later, the prisoners dragged Owen before me.
"D-do you need something from me...?"
Owen was a man in his early thirties, with a sturdy build and an unremarkable face. He looked like the kind of person you'd pass on the street and forget immediately.
Owen was clearly terrified of me.
"We need to talk, just the two of us."
"Huh? I-I haven't done anything wrong."
"Just talk."
"Yes."
He nodded quickly at my irritated tone. I led Owen to a secluded corner of the yard, ordered the prisoners to keep others away, and then turned to him.
"Pineapple Hell."
The important part here wasn't the pineapple, but the hell. Hell meant Helten.
"...!"
Owen, who had been avoiding eye contact, suddenly looked up at me. His face twisted in surprise before quickly settling into a blank expression.
"...You came from Hell? To save me? Or... to kill me?"
"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble. I'm here to save you."
"I don't quite believe you, but... fine, I'll hear you out. What's the plan?"
"We'll break through this wall and escape. Once we're out of this Territory, we'll use a Space Transfer Scroll to get away."
In Territory 1067, Osten Prison, the use of Space Transfer Scrolls and spatial manipulation abilities was strictly prohibited. To teleport, one had to first escape this territory.
"That's reckless. Even if we break through the wall, the warden and nearby knights will immediately give chase and capture us. The odds are slim."
"You don't fully understand my power. Do you think I came here for nothing? I'm here because I can guarantee your rescue."
This was also a kind of test, but there was no reason to explain the full circumstances to him.
"...I'm sorry, but I can't leave alone right now."
"You can't leave alone? What does that even mean?"
"I didn't come here alone. My comrades and I deliberately entered this prison for a reason unrelated to Hell. This is a personal matter, so I didn't report it to Hell... I never imagined they'd come to rescue me."
"Are you kidding me?" I frowned, disliking the man before me. I'd come to rescue him, but the person I was supposed to save claimed he didn't need help.
"I'm truly sorry. I admit it was my mistake not informing Hell. But I can't abandon my comrades and leave alone. I'm fine, so escape on your own. I'll break out with my comrades. If everything goes according to plan, we can escape in two months."
"...Then you can escape with your comrades right now. Bring them here."
"There are four of us, but one is in solitary confinement. He's got a bit of a temper and clashed with the warden. He'll be back in the cell tonight."
"..."
Should I knock him out and take him? Or just kill him?
This is Elena's test. I want to complete it as perfectly as possible.
To ensure a flawless mission, I decided to take a step back.
"Understood. I'll come to your cell tonight. All five of you you and your comrades I'll break you all out."
"...I'd be grateful. But you're sure you can pull this off, right?"
"If I couldn't, I wouldn't have said so. Or what? You doubting me?"
"Well, since you're from Hell, you must be good at this. But who was the Executive who ordered you to save me? They wouldn't have acted alone out of concern for me, would they?"
"Mirror."
"...Mirror? What's that all of a sudden... Ah, the Executive's codename? You know the Executive?"
"You asked, didn't you?"
"Normally, someone just delivers the orders; they don't mention the Executive's name. Did you actually meet and speak with this Executive Mirror directly?"
"Yes. They ordered me to bring you."
"...You're taking me to this Executive?"
I nodded.
Owen stared at me in disbelief.
"Meeting an Executive... I worked there for thirteen years and never even got close to one..."
"What is it?"
"I'm just impressed. Regular Rank members in Hell usually never get to meet an Executive in their entire lives. You probably don't know since you seem to hold a high position even in Hell."
"Right. Anyway, I'll come find you tonight, so stay awake. Which building is your prison in?"
"That one over there. But do you know anything about Executive Mirror? Is he male or female? What's his personality like? Does he have any quirks or habits? What does he hate?"
"I don't know. You'll meet him yourself in a few hours, so find out then."
"Meeting an Executive... I'm so nervous. Tell me something!"
"Stop bothering me."
I had no intention of chatting amicably with some random guy I'd just met.