EEpisode 3: A Certain Prison Camp (2)pisode 3: A Certain Prison Camp (2)

As a 'Lase' (Last Savior) veteran, I knew this body's name.

Arahan had a total of seven children, and considering the age, he was probably the youngest. So the owner of this body would be 'Jed'.

Jed Arahan.

For now, that was also my other name.

"Number 218. Aren't you going to eat that?"

Well, I was being called by a number like this right now.

"If you're not going to eat it, can you give it to me?"

"Take it."

"Hehet! Thank you!"

The boy called Number 172.

The boy who had spoken to me on the day of the rebellion took the sand bread and devoured it greedily.

Actually, I had been curious about the boy's identity.

I didn't have previous memories, but I could only guess that he had been friends with 'Jed'. They were of similar age, and their rooms were the same.

"You don't seem to have an appetite these days? You're sweating so much, but you're not eating well?"

I couldn't eat something that was half sand.

It wasn't that I was picky because I only ate good things in my past life. I just distinguished between food that was good for my body and food that wasn't.

Not everyone is born a champion.

I had also experienced a life at the bottom and became a champion because of something different from others.

"If you're not going to eat the soup either-"

"I'll eat this."

"Ah, okay. You have to eat something. Haha."

The old spoon stirred awkwardly in the air.

They mixed sand into the bread, so how much worse would the soup be?

I was quite the gourmet, but this was clearly porridge made by picking and boiling any random weeds.

"But Number 218."

The boy looked around and lowered his voice.

I forced myself to swallow the weed porridge and nodded subtly. It seemed like an important story was about to come out.

"I was wondering whether or not to tell you, but I've had some affection for you, so..."

"What is it?"

"Number 589, you know. Be careful. He's been sharpening his knives."

Number 589 was the huge man who had been causing trouble at the work site.

The leader of the prisoners was targeting me...

"Why bother paying attention to a guy like that."

"Quite a few guards are friendly with that guy. Remember the last escape attempt? It seems like information was leaked to them."

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be next to the powerful figure? There's no point in making it obvious that you're close to me."

The boy had a very sociable and bright personality.

It was a type that was rarely seen in this kind of environment at a young age.

He was the type who would be loved no matter who he stuck to, not the type who would be hated.

"Hmph. That's only if you look at the immediate future."

"Immediate?"

"I don't plan to stay here for long. I'll get out of here someday. When I get out, wouldn't the heir of Arahan be better than that lump?"

"You don't seem to know much about me."

"I know. You were kicked out because you can't use magic."

"..."

What was this guy?

Why was he sticking around even though he knew that?

"But there's still a name value. Even if it's rotten, Arahan is still Arahan. Arahan is someone that people like us might never see in our lifetime."

"I don't know if you're smart or stupid."

"Originally, only the unskilled look at the immediate benefits. A skilled person must be able to see the future."

"Your wishful thinking is excessive. We don't even know if we'll get out of here."

The boy shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

I wondered what he knew...

"Actually, I was watching you that day."

"That day?"

"The day of the rebellion. You weren't scared at all, even in front of Warden Clarke. All the other guys were trembling, but you were confident, right?"

"Huh."

"That means you have something to believe in. I don't know what it is, but I bet on it. It's much better than rotting here for the rest of my life."

He was more observant than I thought.

He wouldn't starve to death no matter where he went.

"What's your name?"

"Riu. I don't have a family since I'm from the streets."

"It's a good name."

"What's your name?"

Just as I was wondering what name to tell him, the atmosphere around me was unusual.

The guards who had been controlling the cafeteria glanced at each other and slipped away, and soon several shadows were slowly approaching from all directions. I sensed the increasingly strong hostility and put down my spoon.

"These guys have quite the drive. It looks like what you said is about to happen."

"Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

I was lucky that my senses were still intact even though my body was trash. I got up from my seat, feeling the approaching killing intent.

Sure enough, the huge man who had already come right in front of me was looking down at me.

"I told you, look forward to it."

The man smiled, revealing his yellow teeth.

With the guards gone, he was nothing less than the king of this place. His subordinates, who were showing sinister smiles, were taking out crude blades that I didn't know where they had gotten from.

"I told you not to act recklessly. Did you think the guards would protect you?"

"I never thought that."

"Hehe. Even though Arahan is a bit of a concern, seeing that you're still here, it doesn't seem like they're coming to save you. I wonder what our young master is relying on?"

Even as the man was spouting nonsense, I quickly compared our strength. If it was my original body, I could easily deal with these small fries.

But right now, I was just a weak, fifteen-year-old kid who couldn't use magic.

There were about fifty opponents in total.

It was impossible to fight them all. In that case, pre-emptive strike was the only way.

"Huh?!"

I quickly lunged towards the huge man who was still running his mouth.

A pre-emptive strike was all about timing.

Even if it was much slower than my original body and the destructive power was less, my practical know-how and fighting knowledge remained intact.

I should be able to handle this guy easily.

"Keuk!"

I grabbed the man's shoulders with both hands, jumped up, and struck his chin with my knee.

A flying knee kick. An attack chosen to compensate for the lack of destructive power.

"You little rat!"

What? My power was lacking even with a knee kick?

I realized once again how weak this body was.

The huge man frowned and took a few steps back, but he didn't fall.

But I wasn't flustered.

Real combat was always a series of unexpected variables.

If I panicked and gave up the right to attack, his subordinates would rush at me.

Before that, I had to take down the leader to break their morale.

Taat!

The distance between me and the man had increased with the previous attack.

I turned my back, squatted down, using the table as a support. I put strength into both feet and charged forward to increase momentum, and at the same time, I twisted my waist to increase rotational force.

In addition, just before the knee kick landed, I pulled the man's neck to maximize the destructive power until the very end.

Peoek!

"L, leader!"

Along with the dull sound of bones breaking, the man fell backward with a thud.

It was partly to compensate for the lack of destructive power, but the chin was a vital spot that couldn't be trained, so it led to a clean, effective hit.

"K, kill that bastard!"

Someone shouted. I couldn't stop here. I twisted the fallen man's arm, turned my body, and pressed his neck with my foot.

Then, looking at the subordinates who were trying to approach, I lowered my voice.

"Come here if you want to see this guy's arm break."

"What?!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Uaaaaak! Don't come! Everyone, stay still! Uaaaak!"

The huge man screamed in pain as I put strength on the arm I had twisted behind his back. The subordinates who were trying to approach hesitated at the sight.

I continued my momentum and issued another warning.

"Anyone who even tries to come near me. This guy will need someone to feed him for the rest of his life."

"O, okay...!"

Fear had a characteristic of spreading easily.

And once morale was broken, it was difficult to regain courage.

Thanks to the well-placed pre-emptive strike, I was leading the atmosphere, and they were too busy trying to read my intentions.

"Bring the guards."

"Okay, so let's stop now."

"Bring them."

"Kkuaaaak!"

"O, okay! I'll bring them right away! I'll bring them!"

One of the subordinates hurriedly left the cafeteria.

Well, even if the guards came, they would try to smooth things over.

Still, I would be able to get through the immediate crisis.

"You bastard! Do you think you'll be safe after this?"

"You're still talking, so you must not have been hit enough."

"Just you wait! I won't let you get away with this-! Kkuaak!"

"This is your last warning. If you touch me again, you'll live as a cripple."

"...!"

Soon, the guards rushed in.

It was a rigged game, but they pretended not to know and started to sort things out. I chuckled and released the arm I had been holding.

"As expected! My eyes weren't wrong! You're really amazing. Where did you learn that?"

As soon as we returned to the room, Riu spat out the admiration he had been holding back.

The prison room, which was organized in pairs, was so small and dirty that it didn't even seem to be 3 pyeong (approximately 107 square feet).

[Synchronization in progress.]

[Synchronization is delayed due to too much data.]

[Progress 96%]

I leaned against one corner and looked at the blue screen.

It was 96 percent a little while ago too....

I checked it so often that it felt slow. I closed my eyes and fell into thought at the unchanging number.

"That guy was quite famous in the arena, right? I heard he came in for killing someone. You beat a guy like that!"

What would happen when the synchronization was complete?

Would my body really return?

If so, would I be able to escape this place?

"Hey, Number 218! Can you hear me?"

However, there were a few concerns.

First of all, there was Warden Clarke. Judging by his hatred for mages, he was clearly a typical knight.

If so, that meant he could use mana....

"Number 218! Hey!"

"Ugh, seriously.... Can't you be quiet?"

"I didn't know if you were dead because you were quietly closing your eyes. Sorry if I was loud...."

In the world of Lase, knights and mages were opposites in every way.

Knights valued honor, while mages pursued practicality.

Knights liked everything to be grandiose, while mages valued efficiency.

Mages were ranged, knights were melee.

Even their battle areas were different.

The emotional divide that had deepened over a thousand years would be much deeper than what I had felt during the game. Considering this, today's incident would bring other dangers to me.

If a report was made to Warden Clarke, the knight wouldn't want to see me, a mage, walking around with my shoulders straight.

Especially inside this prison camp, which was his territory.

'I wish the synchronization would end before that happened.'

I didn't know what kind of changes would occur, but for now, this was the only thing I could rely on.

So I was going to stay quiet until the synchronization was complete, but the huge man ruined it.

"Riu."

"Yeah? Can I talk now?"

"...Let me ask you one thing."

"Tell me. Unlike some people, I'm good at answering."

"If you gained a strong power, how would you escape? You said you would escape someday."

"Hmm.... How strong is that power? Strong enough to beat Warden Clarke?"

"What if it's not?"

"Then it's a bit difficult. The only door we can go out is the main gate and the Warden has the key."

"So the key is the key point."

"That's right. If you're not going to fight and take it, then stealing is the only other way."

What? Was it just my imagination, or did he look a bit smug?

I asked casually, just in case.

"Would it be possible with your skills?"

"Hmph! Don't you know? Pickpocketing is basic for someone from the streets. We learn how to pick pockets before we learn how to greet."

"That's the best news I've heard in a while."

"Why? Do you have a plan? If you're just complacent because you beat the huge man, then it's going to be difficult. Even if he's retired, the warden is still a knight."

I knew that too.

Even if it was a remote backwater, whoever took charge of Kerion Prison Camp would be at least a 5-circle knight.

And this wasn't a world where we fought with our feet and fists, but a world where we used swords and magic. Objectively, the probability of me winning wasn't high.

"If we can't have a full-scale war, then it's a guerrilla war."

"Do you have an amazing plan? Won't you tell me too?"

"Just wait for now. The opportunity will definitely come."

"No, still, you have to tell me what I have to do."

"You'll be able to figure it out right away with your senses."

I was about to lie down on the floor after finishing the conversation.

I tensed my senses at the bustling atmosphere for some reason.

'So they're coming right away.'

The guards were forming a formation centered on the room I was in.

They looked very determined. Anyone who had been to the army would easily know what this atmosphere meant.

"Number 218."

Warden Clarke.

He had come to find me.