Trial of endurance

A short time after the trial, Hyosung was taken into custody, leaving the citizens in dismay. As for people like Sylzao, who had accomplished their assigned task, they were left with a bitter taste of dissatisfaction.

Urane's presence, along with that of the "Whites," had become indiscernible, both seemingly vanishing from Sylza Tower, leaving a heavier burden on Sylzao's shoulders. Urane's sudden departure was a normal occurrence, but the disappearance of the "Whites" created a sense of unease that weighed heavily on him.

Since Hyosung's appearance, Sylzao had not had a decent day's rest, leaving him to groan and grumble to himself. Luckily, all his problems would come to an end with Hyosung's execution, or so he thought.

"Sylzao, sir!" a guard yelled as he dashed towards Sylzao. His chest was beating like a drum, his dark blue uniform disheveled, and his face uneasy.

The guard's sharp voice cut through Sylzao's thoughts.

"We have a problem!" he whispered quietly, ensuring his voice was not overheard.

"What is it?" Sylzao replied, his face stiffening with a frown as his dark pupils enlarged in rage.

Hyosung was being escorted down the stairs at a cautious pace by two guards, their hands firmly gripping the hilts of their swords.

{2:14..........} {2:13.......}

"It's almost time," Hyosung thought, anticipation surging through his body.

"We're here," said the guard on the left.

But his words did not quite make sense.

What lay before them was a massive boulder, barely large enough to be called a small plateau, and no larger than the first floor of the tower. Aside from the boulder, nothing resembled a prison, the land barren with only dust and rocks.

The left guard strode towards the boulder without a word, while the guard on the right gently shoved Hyosung, expecting him to follow.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The left guard repeatedly slammed his knuckles on a somewhat hollow end of the boulder, eagerly awaiting a response.

Suddenly, the front view of the boulder slowly creaked and rumbled as it rose from the ground, being pulled up by gears and ropes operated by guards on the other side.

The light from the outside seeped in, clinging to the walls and floors within, as if being sucked in, revealing the vast abyss that dwelt deep beneath its shallow appearance.

Hyosung, however, remained unfazed, though a tiny drop of sweat that streamed down his face mocked his composure. "I wasn't expecting this, not gonna lie," he murmured under his breath.

"This is the newly convicted felon, Hyosung Slay, sir!" the left guard spoke with coordination.

"Alright, we'll take it from here," the guard inside responded, his tidy uniform reflecting the light's rays and demanding respect as he rested on the wall of the narrow entrance.

Crack!

A sudden sharp sound tore through the entrance.

Hyosung's body was forcefully launched forward, as though propelled from behind, causing him to trip down the flight of stairs. Each THUD! was louder than the last as his body slammed viciously into the edges of the stairs, until a final crack! resonated harder upon reaching the end.

A slight yet pained groan escaped his lips, his face stuck to the cold floor like glue. His cheeks puffed, and he forcefully shut his eyes, not to mention his bruised hands and feet.

Turning his head towards the stairs, his bruised eyes stared at the left guard, who had his arm stretched past where Hyosung stood, his mocking smile shining even brighter than the sun's light.

It wasn't just the left guard, but his partner and the guards who stood firm at the entrance, all mocking Hyosung with their pitying stares and cocky grins.

"We'll take it from here," the unknown soldier's words held mischief, while his colleague shut the entrance from the inside.

Both escorts continued to mock Hyosung with their stares, stretching a smile clear enough for his swollen eyes to see as they watched the light that clung to every wall slowly swallowed by the place's darkness. Its last gleam rested on his bruised face before vanishing like hope.

At last, the gate was shut, and Hyosung's body remained pasted on the prison's floor, his sighs growing heavy. But he couldn't help but notice that in the absence of light, the prison's true frame was on full display.

Small jewels of purple color, each dimly lit, were laced on the edges like fabric, yet the wispy light they shed gave a vague view of its vast and steep caverns, like stars at night, its palisade nearly invisible to the eye. It was almost like the structure of a dungeon, if nothing else.

Leaping safely down the flight of stairs, the guard said, "So you're the Hyosung Slay? I was expecting you to be a bit tougher with all the hype."

"I... get that a lot," Hyosung replied with a wheezing voice.

Annoyed by his response, the second guard launched his feet at Hyosung's stomach with a tenacious force, raising him slightly above the ground and slamming him bitterly against the rough wall.

"Gaa...aah!" he screamed as the pain shot through his body, the impact piercing through his bones, and his already weakened vision blurring even further.

"Too easy," the guard muttered, brushing his palm casually on his shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

"Don't say I didn't warn you... when the time comes for payback," his whispered words rang loudly in the subsurface prison.

He frowned his grin, narrowing his brows. "What did you say to me?" His voice thickened in annoyance.

"Oh, I'm sorry you didn't understand. What I meant was..." He paused, letting out a short sigh. "Nameless side characters don't last long in any story!" he yelled with force, his tone derisive, watching the guard fluster and swap his pained agony to satisfaction.

"Hey, Oma, don't let him..." The second guard said, attempting to simmer down his boiling temper.

But his words were not heeded, barely given the chance to complete his sentence.

Bang!

He slammed his fist with greater force through the same place once more.

The loud crash! blew a strong gust of wind, clearing dust from the floors and colliding with the walls, forcing its way into every nook and cranny. Truly an impressive display of physical strength.

Once again, the impact reverberated through Hyosung's body, jolting his bones like an electric current, the mere force weighing on his body and causing him to let out a loud 'wheeze' as he desperately gasped for more air than his lungs could carry.

{O:15.....} {0.14.....} {0.13....}

Placing his hands tightly on the guard's shoulder, Hyosung said, "That was your best? I was expecting more from a Hadon guard." His voice cracked and wheezed. "I guess you're not even worthy of being a side character, are you, my lovely Extra Oma?" He taunted, his shrieks filled with more power than his breath.

It seemed to work well. Oma's self-control slipped from his hands, causing him to react in a fit of rage, blitzing Hyosung with a series of punches aimed throughout his body.

Each hit was louder and stronger than the last, nearly undodgeable with his precision on point at every strike. Hyosung's body continuously slammed through the thick, rough walls, as if on repeat, his consciousness grasping further away.

"Who's the side character now?! You'll meet your end here by my hands!" Oma's aggravated voice covered the noise of his landing blows, the stress reddening his eyes.

"Oma!" His colleague's worried cry hid in the sound of his enraged mind, his stance set, almost about to leap into the discourse with one foot left to hop off the ground.

A short smirk grew on the side of Hyosung's blemishing face. "It's over."

{0:03.....} {0:02....} {0:01....}

Ping! Ping! Ping!

{Confirmation received....}

{Writer system active.}

"What's with that look? You smug..."

Clank! Clank!

"Give it a rest, you two. Your arguments have been bothering the rest of the prisoners for a while now," a friendly yet stern voice shrieked from within a cavern.

Though his words held no animosity, it would be reckless to assume his intentions so early. The cavern's purple lights only left a faint view of the person's appearance as its rays relaxed on the body of the silhouette.

Without hesitation, both guards tidied up their uniforms and stood at attention, as though nothing had occurred, leaving Hyosung's battered body flat on the cold floor once more.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The faint view slowly mended together, and his features became clear, though like everything else within his body and attire, they were drenched in the purple that radiated throughout, leaving a somewhat odd glow.

"What's with all the noise, men?" His carefree voice traveled casually through the walls.

Without wasting any time, "We apologize, sir!" Both men went on a knee and bowed in respect. "We meant not to disturb you, Master Helbert Loben."

A familiar name seeped into Hyosung's ears, however blocked out by the indiscernible knowledg

e he had about the nature of his system. Out of the many novels he had read, this was his first time learning of an author system.