I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison

Was it his instinct for survival that had been ingrained in him since childhood? He chose a spear as his weapon, allowing him to keep a distance from whatever would be ripping him apart.

Although he also had a bow, it wouldn’t be easy to use for close-ranged attack.

There was one hint remaining: ‘legs’.

‘What could that possibly mean?’

Helios didn’t divert his gaze from the sky as he searched for an answer. It felt ridiculous, as if he was a primitive person seeking answers from the sun.

The man who claimed to be a rookie in this prison turned out to be the one who helped him for some inexplicable reason.

He had a feeling that he was different from ordinary people. Then, once again…

“Hey, say something.”

A nonchalant, slow, and languid voice seemed to brush against his ear.

“It’s not ‘hey,’ it’s Sir Garett.”

Simultaneously, the assigned guard whom he thought he made eye contact with, Mint, mouthed some words.

‘Circle. And weapon.’

And the blue barrier disappeared.

Circle? And weapon? Why a weapon?

Helios recognized the shape of his lips, but it was difficult to interpret the meaning at once.

Stab! Pierce!

However, the rats were swarming again.

Helios frowned and raised his spear.

Sadly, he had a limit. He doubted whether he could surpass this 20-minute mark.

That was when it happened. As he stabbed and toppled one rat, he saw a previously invisible red dot.

On the rat’s turned-over belly, amidst the fur, there was a faint red spot.

“Hey, b*stard, what are you doing!”

The short and well-built man next to Helios, who was blocking the rats, cursed.

Circle?

Yes, it was a circle. A circle shape.

Whoosh!

As Helios thrust the spear into the circle, the spear trembled.

Helios felt a strange sensation.

Interestingly, the red circles also began to appear on other rats.

Helios stepped forward.

“Uh? What are you doing?”

“Are you crazy? Hey!”

Those who had fought together shouted, not wanting to lose the most skilled fighter, but Helios just rushed forward.

For some reason, it felt different when he swung the spear this time.

‘Circle and weapon.’

It was the exact moment when Helios accurately pierced the next rat.

Shoong!

As the spear emitted a faint blue light, the worn-out shell covering around the spear was stripped away. Soon, a blue spear, mixed with a subtle light, appeared.

“What… Kia? Hey, were you a Kia user?” Someone shouted, but Helios continued running forward. Strangely, the spear changed its appearance. The rats disintegrated upon contact with the spear.

‘Circle and weapon.’

It seemed as if piercing the red circle with the weapon was the correct answer. If Helios swept away all the rats with the spear like this, would the trial end?

No, Helios instinctively felt that the spear was gradually thinned each time it was used. He couldn’t eliminate all the giant rats endlessly pouring out from that door with this. Then, where?

‘The answer is near the door!’

Helios dashed toward the door without hesitation. The voices of the new prisoners shouting from behind were drowned out by the sounds of the rats. The rats no longer regarded Helios as their prey. They crazily retreated as if they knew they would disappear upon touching the light.

Finally, as Helios approached the vicinity of the door, he realized.

‘…Bridge*?’
TL/N: The word for legs and bridge is the same. Judging from the context, Mint didn’t want people to know she was helping him so she hide it behind that word. So yes, both meant the same thing.

In front of the massive black door, there was a long bridge. The intricacy of the structure could only be discerned up close when it was revealed that the area in front of the rat-infested door was a cliff. The rats could only approach the prisoners through that leg. This was something he wouldn’t know unless he got close.

So, to come here, they had to ‘activate’ the button by chasing away the rats. It required courage or judgment that might or might not bring about great consequences.

Helios raised his spear.

“Prisoner Helios.”

A languid voice echoed in his ear. Strangely, the guard didn’t smile.

“Be careful not to get ripped and eaten. Especially the ‘legs’”

With a thud, the sturdy fabric that formed the bridge was torn apart, as if it had been designed that way from the beginning, easily and pitifully.

As the bridge was ripped, numerous swarms of rats fell off the cliff.

The rats that had crossed the bridge ran toward the cliff desperately, jumping off or falling to the ground. They turned into black shadows and shattered upon impact.

The shining spear in his hand also disappeared, reverting back to its original worn-out state.

[Trial complete. Congratulations. Lowest-grade vermin.]

A broadcast sound echoed from the ceiling.

[You may challenge the 2nd floor.]

Helios looked up at the ceiling. The window that had resembled the sky was now empty. Helios felt a momentary sense of regret. However, the regret did not last long.

When he emerged from the tower’s entrance following the guard who had appeared from somewhere, he saw the gentle face that had looked down at him through the window.

“Prisoner Helios.”

Helios stared at the guard in front of him, his body drenched in sweat. Even though the guard didn’t show a smile, there was something in the softness of his face that caught Helios’ attention. It was a youthful, subdued hint of a smile.

“Congratulations on your survival.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

‘Hmm, yeah. So it got triggered, huh?’

Mint hadn’t been looking down at the lower floor since the moment Helios used his weapon and ran toward the door. There was no need to see it anymore.

‘It’s going to end soon anyway.’

The first floor of the Tower’s trial was difficult yet easy. All they had to do was figure out the situation. An optional thing required was whether one had the aptitude of a Kia. If they had the aptitude, they would be able to use Kia. The male lead was bound to become a remarkably skilled individual.

Not only that, but he would also possess unique abilities. Mint had sensed that from the moment she first met him.

‘Ah, this guy. He’s going to be an extraordinary talent someday.’

Was there such a tremendous potential within him?

That was why Mint decided to do something else.

And what was that?

[“~100 Selected Easy and Simple Manual for New Guards~”
Postscript. Written by the wonderful senior, Stephen!]

It was a summary of the manual given to Mint in the prison.

“Hey, did you read that boring book? All of it?”

Mint laughed and rejoiced at the fact that she diligently read the manuals he provided.

“Hahaha! That unnecessarily thick book! The one that the Sergeant said was a failure?”

Moreover, her senior had personally summarized the entire manual. Mint revised her evaluation of Stephen.

She thought he was a useless and good-looking guy with an inferiority complex. Turns out he was a pretty decent person.

[The assigned prisoner has successfully overcome and completed the trial of the allocated floor? Then do this! First, let’s applaud!]

Next to the text, there was a round face with a smiling expression. Even the illustration of clapping hands was kindly drawn. And now, Mint applauded as Helios emerged.

Clap, clap, clap.

“Very well done.”

“….”

Helios, drenched in sweat and wearing an exhausted expression, looked at Mint.

“What’s this now?”

If Helios had the strength to speak, he would have shouted, ‘Are you crazy?’.

It was because Mint was clapping with an almost insane enthusiasm.

Clap, clap, clap.

“….”

Clap, clap, clap.

Mint began to wonder. It was good that she clapped enthusiastically, but how long should she keep clapping? She felt a gaze that seemed to want to kill her.

There was a group of new prisoners who had survived with Helios. They had fierce expressions that could be interpreted as, ‘Is he making fun of him?’ .

From the other side, she felt another gaze. It was Sergeant Cain, who had also come out of the Tower. He definitely didn’t look pleased.

Mint thought that perhaps Cain was displeased with her because she had come out of the waiting room without doing anything.

‘If I meet him again, I should show him a more diligent side of me.’

While thinking like that, Mint didn’t stop clapping her hands until someone said.

Clap, clap, clap.

“Um, Sir Garrett. Shouldn’t you stop clapping now…?”