Chapter 14 – Jailbreak
Vic quickly ran over.
At this moment his heart was thumping; he feared Saint Mike might kill him on the spot.
After all, this time it was Saint Mike's expensively purchased Slave who had been lost.
"Lord Saint Mike."
Vic kept his head low, not daring to look at Saint Mike's face.
Saint Mike's face was gloomy. "Bring that Slave to my mansion. Today I'll teach him a proper lesson," he said coldly.
Saint Mike had already thought up several ways to torture Dante Voss; he couldn't wait to torment him to death.
"Yes, I'll see to it at once."
Vic exhaled—he'd been terrified Saint Mike would take it out on him, but it looked like he was safe.
"I'll wait at the mansion—be quick!"
Saint Mike stood, about to mount his steed, only to find it dead.
He ground his teeth in frustration and stalked off.
Only when Saint Mike was far away did Vic raise his head.
Sweat poured from his forehead; his whole body was drenched.
Still, he'd escaped disaster.
Thinking of the promotion he'd lost, Vic was furious. He stormed back into the building… Dante Voss, re-shackled by the Administrator, had been returned to the dungeon and locked in his old cell.
The few Slaves left in the dungeon shrank into the corners when they saw Dante Voss return alone.
Once the Administrator left, Dante Voss lifted his head, eyes flickering.
He grasped the shackles and yanked them apart.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The iron fetters snapped easily in his hands and clattered to the floor.
With Strength above three thousand, ordinary chains couldn't hold him.
Sitting cross-legged, Dante Voss pulled a bento box from his backpack and wolfed it down.
He planned to break out; he needed to be at peak stamina first.
Soon satiated, he emptied every scrap of trash from his backpack onto the ground, then reopened the system panel.
[Physique: 2740]
[Strength: 3057]
[Speed: 3152]
[Spirit: 2344]
[slaughter points: 300]
After a moment's thought Dante Voss dumped the remaining three hundred slaughter points into Spirit.
Spirit rose from 2344 to 2644.
He was about to escape; boosting perception was what mattered most.
A warm current flooded his mind, washing away the fatigue of the day's battles.
"Time to move!"
Dante Voss stood slowly and fingered the Explosive Collar around his neck.
First he had to deal with this thing.
Otherwise he could never leave the Divine Trial Ground.
He stepped to the bars and, using his hand like a blade, slashed at the iron railings.
With Swordmaster-level Swordsmanship, his hand struck like a famous blade.
Crack! Crack!
Two swings later the railings meant for ordinary men snapped, forming a doorway Dante Voss walked through.
The noise was loud.
The other Slaves in the dungeon stared, eyes wide.
Life flickered back into their dull gazes; they looked at Dante Voss with desperate hope.
Dante Voss felt their stares, pondered a moment, and decided not to take them.
He had no certainty of escaping alone; dragging deadweight would only get them all killed faster.
His gaze turned cold.
To keep his escape secret, killing them was the safest choice.
Crack!
A hand-chop split a cell's bars; Dante Voss stepped in and slew the Slaves inside.
[Killed an ordinary person: slaughter points +1]
[Killed an ordinary person: slaughter points +1]
[Killed an ordinary person: slaughter points +1]
"Hm?"
Dante Voss froze at the notification.
What's going on?
Killing an ordinary person used to give ten points; now it gave only one.
A bad feeling stirred in him.
"Could the reward scale with my stats? Because my attributes rose, the points dropped from ten to one?"
His heart sank; he realized that from now on he couldn't farm ordinary people for power.
Still, he didn't care much.
He'd never planned to prey on civilians; once outside he could hunt pirates and Marines instead.
With that thought he moved on to the remaining cells.
Seeing him coming, the Slaves screamed in terror, hoping to summon an Administrator.
Their cries only made Dante Voss quicker; he silenced them and strode toward the exit.
At the doorway he sensed several people approaching and ducked into a corner to hide.
Seconds later four or five figures entered the dungeon and headed inside.
"Lord Vic's promotion is ruined!"
"Tell me about it—that Slave was insane; he actually killed Lord Saint Mike's mount. Vic's lucky to be alive."
"Still, that Slave's finished; Lord Saint Mike wants us to bring him over."
"Stay sharp—he's dangerous; don't let him lash out."
"Relax, we've got the remote. If he tries anything we'll blow him to heaven."
Dante Voss, hidden in the corner, listened, eyes glinting coldly.
He'd already planned to escape, and now a Celestial Dragon wanted him—perfect chance for a bonus kill.
He'd wanted to test whether slaying a Celestial Dragon would yield richer system rewards.
And now Saint Mike himself had become the target.
What really set his heart racing were their last words.
As they advanced, Dante Voss crept silently after them.
Under close scrutiny he spotted one Administrator holding a remote, another carrying keys.
"Delivered right to my doorstep!"
He'd been ready to hunt for keys; now they'd brought both to him.
"Huh? What—"
The Administrators finally noticed the broken bars and the corpses inside.
"Damn it—someone's escaping!"
One Administrator shouted the alarm.
Too late—Dante Voss was already beside them, hand-blade slashing at the one with the remote.
Crack!
Though only a hand, the strike was razor-sharp, severing the man's arm cleanly.
"Aaaargh!"
The scream sent the others spinning around, horror on their faces.
"It's you!"
They recognized the blood-stained Dante Voss; every scalp went numb.
"Damn it!"
"The monster's loose!"
"Hit the remote—now!"
They had no thought of fighting; they only wanted to press the button.
Frantically they searched for the remote, cold sweat pouring.
"Looking for this?"
Dante Voss smiled and waved the remote at them.
We're finished!
Seeing the device in his hand, their hearts turned to ice.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Hand-blades flashed; the four Administrators crumpled.
He found the keys on them and finally unlocked the Explosive Collar.
At last—he was truly free!