The prison

The two entered the bar, and Wei noticed a mix of low-level warriors, mages, and real merchants enjoying themselves with drinks. Wei felt reassured, knowing there were no mid- or high-ranking warriors inside. The elf girl led Wei to the bar table, and they sat down together. The bartender approached Wei immediately.

"Hi, what would you like to drink?" the bartender asked.

"Uh, just a lemon juice," Wei said politely.

The bartender glanced at the elf girl, then back at Wei.

"Oh, give her some lemon juice as well," Wei added with a smile.

The bartender nodded and began preparing the drinks. The elf girl lightly touched Wei's leg as she started speaking.

"Thank you. By the way, what's your name?" she asked curiously.

"My name is Wei. How about you?"

"I'm Liri. Is this your first time in a bar?"

"Yes, I've never been to a bar before." Wei admitted.

"Oh, I see. But don't worry, you'll have a lot of fun here, I promise. You're a merchant, right? You must be making a lot of money, aren't you?" Liri asked in awe.

Wei paused, thinking about how to respond to Liri. "Ahh, yes," he said, sounding unsure.

"Really? Your girl must be very happy to have someone like you," Liri said inquisitively, her eyes widening with curiosity. Wei blushed.

"Actually, I don't have a girlfriend yet," Wei admitted.

"Well, that's great! Because I don't have a boyfriend either," Liri said teasingly.

Wei's mind suddenly raced with thoughts about Liri.

"Wow! I think she likes me! This must be the luckiest day of my life. Today, I might actually get a girlfriend! But… what about Elenita? Oh my goodness! Maybe I need to forget her now because right in front of me is a very pretty elf! Who wouldn't fall for her? If the boys back at school saw her, their jaws would probably drop! Maybe I'll have a girlfriend in this world first, and when I figure out how to get back to the human world, I can go back to Elenita. Or… why not bring Liri with me to the human world and marry both of them? Better yet, if I earn more gold and get stronger, maybe I could marry multiple elves and humans! This is incredible! I never imagined my life could turn out this great!"

"Are you okay?" Liri asked, wondering why Wei had suddenly gone silent.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something," Wei said with a smile.

The bartender placed two glasses of lemon juice in front of them.

Wei took the lemon juice and drank it until the glass was empty. "Ahhhhh, so refreshing," Wei exclaimed. "You know, I'm not sure, but this lemon juice tastes like a potion. It feels like it's giving me energy—I feel like I'm glowing from the inside!"

Liri just smiled as she sipped her drink.

"Hey, sir, can you give me another one?" Wei asked the bartender.

The bartender grabbed a bottle shaker, squeezed in the juice of two lemons, and added some honey and water. He shook it vigorously for fifteen seconds, then opened the shaker and poured the mixture into Wei's glass, which still had ice cubes. Wei picked up the glass and took a sip, but this time he drank only half of the juice. He placed the glass on the table.

"You know, you should try some of the other drinks at this bar. We have a lot that I think you'd enjoy," Liri suggested.

"Really? Why not? Can you recommend something that isn't alcoholic? Maybe milk tea—I love that," Wei said.

"Well," Liri began, smirking, "I think you should try something that'll make you a little more... manly."

Wei grew curious about what kind of drink Liri was hinting at. "Okay, but... I hope it's not something too alcoholic. Maybe wine—I could try that."

"Hmm, how about just a little alcohol mixed with juice? Like beer and lemon," Liri suggested.

Wei wasn't fond of the idea of tasting alcohol, but for some reason, Liri's suggestion intrigued him. He drank the remaining half of his lemon juice and turned to the bartender.

"Hey mister, can you give me some beer with lemon juice? I'd like to try it," Wei said enthusiastically.

"And please mix his lemon juice with the lightest beer we've got," Liri added with a teasing grin. "My buddy here doesn't really like the taste of alcohol. Am I right, Wei?

As Wei glanced at Liri's face, he couldn't help but laugh. "Ah, yes. Hahahaha!"

The bartender filled half of the bottle shaker with lemon juice, water, and honey. Then he placed the shaker under the faucet of the beer barrel and turned it on. Once the shaker was full, he closed it with its lid and shook it for seven seconds. He added fresh ice cubes to Wei's glass before pouring in the mixture. Wei's excitement grew as he saw the drink in his glass.

"What do you call this drink? Lemon beer?" Wei asked curiously, his eyes wide with awe.

"It's light beer flavoured with lemon, sir," the bartender replied.

"Oh, okay." Wei took a sip and couldn't believe how good it tasted.

"This is incredible! This drink tastes amazing! Try it, Liri; it's really good!" Wei exclaimed happily.

"I'll try it later. Let me finish my drink first," Liri replied with a smile.

Lenor City's prison was massive, resembling a coliseum. It's like a baseball field with tall walls surrounding it. The open field inside served as the prison cell. When the royal guards arrested Ryo and brought him there, he didn't resist. His instincts told him that fleeing from Lenor City wasn't his best option. Ryo wanted to think carefully before making his next move.

The royal guards escorted Ryo to the prison gate and unlocked it with a large key. "Get in," one of the guards ordered.

As the gate creaked open, Ryo stepped inside. The Orcs and other types of foul creatures scattered across the field immediately noticed the movement. The guards wasted no time slamming the gate shut, the clang echoing through the prison. Ryo halted, his eyes scanning the vast field teeming with monsters, elves, and Orcs. All of them looked brutal and vicious.

"Am I going to be killed here?" Ryo asked himself, fear creeping in. He had no idea what abilities these fiends possessed. His heart raced as the Orcs, followed by other creatures, began to approach him.

"Wisdom, tell me the abilities and levels of these monsters," Ryo commanded. A translucent screen appeared before him:

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These creatures' levels range from ten to sixteen.

Their abilities are not available to view, but all of them have zero mana,

and their life points range from 700 to 1,099.

******************************************************************

Ryo smirked. His katana had been confiscated by the royal guards earlier, but they hadn't taken his healing or mana potions. As the monsters drew closer, they stopped.

The massive Orc leading them stepped forward and spoke in a deep, guttural voice.

"If you have useful potions or gems, hand them over, and we might spare you. Or... we can just take your life. You'd make for some good experience so I can level up. Hahahahaha!

Ryo moved into a fighting stance and smirked. "It's I who's going to level up here."

The massive Orc felt insulted by Ryo's words. "What? You still have the nerve to boast when you're on the brink of death?! I'll kill you!" The Orc shouted as he rushed toward Ryo.

The Orc attempted to slam his fist into Ryo's head, but Ryo parried the blow with his left arm. The massive Orc was stunned. Quickly, Ryo followed up with a powerful back kick, driving his foot into the Orc's chest. The Orc was sent flying backward, crashing into his fellow monsters like a bowling ball hitting pins. The massive Orc crashed to the ground, his body continuing to roll for a few seconds.

"Next?" Ryo taunted. The foul creatures went berserk, attacking Ryo all at once. Yet, Ryo fearlessly exchanged blows with the fiends. For every punch he took, he retaliated with punches and kicks that carried triple the force. Each strike he landed sent the creatures flying and rolling backward. Some monsters' heads were sent flying, separated from their bodies by Ryo's fists. Others had their torsos crushed by his devastating blows. Some were even split in two by the sheer power of his kicks. The creatures died instantly, and their deaths steadily filled Ryo's experience level meter. To Ryo, being thrown into Lenor's prison felt like a bonus stage—a chance to rack up gold points and experience effortlessly. After several minutes of continues rumbling, other creatures saw how futile their comrades' attempts to bring down Ryo were, they began to falter. Even as fiends, they felt the horror of death and stopped attacking. As they stepped back, fear was evident on their faces. Ryo had just punched an Orc in the chest. The force of his fist pierced through the Orc's chest and exited out it's back, creating a gaping hole. The Orc immediately collapsed, lifeless, onto the ground, and the monsters continued to stepped back in terror. Ryo noticed that the monsters were backing down and frowned. "Oh, where has all your energy gone? We're just getting started. Come on, don't stop now. I need more gold and experience to feed my level meter. You can't just stand there staring at me like that." Ryo paused, observing their fearful faces. "Alright, if you're not going to move, then I'll be the one coming to get you."