I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison

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Chapter 7

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“….”

“The guys who could use Kia are better off. Those who enjoy torturing others might even create Kia-infused needles. There might even be someone who puts Kia poison in your food.”

“Do you want to scare me?”

“It actually happened.”

I briefly recalled the time before I became the leader. The person who became a leader before me was a cruel person who took pleasure in exploiting and tormenting the weak. She was a prisoner who fit well in this cell.

When the leader changed, the behavior of the prisoners changed accordingly. The place that was already like a jungle turned into a battlefield at that time.

‘A living hell, you might say.’

The newbies died one after another upon entering.

‘And now that the leader has changed, the fights will become more active again.’

Before, I put a stop to unnecessary fights.

When I looked up, I saw a face that looked slightly pale and disgusted.

Despite the pale and disgusted face, it was incredibly mesmerizing and beautiful.

‘This is troubling.’

Being pretty and weak here was easily destroyed.

“I have one piece of advice. If someone’s messing with you, engage in a conversation with your fists.”

“What kind of conversation?”

“Only then you can become friends.”

“I guess the prison guards here must be the ones who have truly lost their minds.”

“You misunderstood.”

“I didn’t misunderstand, so don’t explain.”

I closed my mouth. Helios’ expression was complicated. In any case, the male lead will awaken his Kia in this prison. The Kia which will make him the strongest man in the empire.

“I have one more piece of advice… hmm.”

I suddenly reached out my hand.

Whoosh!

The wind created by my fist blew in front of the male lead’s forehead. Helios turned his head and frowned, avoiding the punch.

“Hmm, your reflexes are okay.”

He was not completely helpless.

“Try punching me.”

“What?”

“Come on. Quickly.”

I lightly caught the incoming punch and kicked the male lead’s ankle. Then, I caught him before his body, which was still floating in the air, hit the ground to lessen the impact.

“What… what was that?”

“There’s a difference between Kia users and non-users.”

Helios looked shocked by the impact.

“First, don’t accept anything someone offers you. If someone throws a punch, stab them in the eyes. Generally, they can’t protect their eyes.”

“…You said the guards won’t protect the prisoners with your own mouth. But why are you telling me this?”

“Because you’re pretty?”

“You…!”

I dodged the kick and grabbed his ankle. Oh, he was quick on his feet?

“That’s praise, a praise.”

“Don’t insult me!”

“Oh, really? Let’s call it an insult then.”

“….”

In truth, the comment about being pretty slipped out without much thought, so I gave a vague retort.

“We’ll have meals together. I’ll teach you how to distinguish poison.”

“….”

“Attacking me means you want to die. To survive, sometimes you have to temporarily accept humiliation. Prisoner Helios.”

The male lead’s expression twisted.

“Oh, and do you remember the ‘Tower’ we passed through?”

“…I remember.”

“Yes. To increase your rank, you have to enter the ‘Tower’ and go through the assigned trials on each floor.”

“….”

“These trials happen once a week, and tomorrow is the day.”

“….”

“But as someone who has just arrived, you can participate not tomorrow, but a week later.”

I looked down at Helios, who was lying on the ground with his back against it, and tilted my head.

“What will you do?”

He thought quietly and asked after a while, “When I passed the trials… they said that as I go further up, it gets closer to the outside. Is that true?”

“That’s right.”

It was true.

As the prisoner’s rank increased, surprisingly, they got closer to the outside. At the same time, the chances of a successful escape also increased.

So, in fact, the trials of the Tower were a contradictory punishment that inflicted torture on the prisoners while offering them the hope of getting closer to outside.

But I know the truth.

That it was just a torturous hope.

“By the way, until the 10th floor of the Tower, you’ll be the lowest-ranked prisoner.”

But still, male lead, you will figure out an escape method.

I’ll sincerely help you succeed as the warden suggested, but apart from that, it was interesting.

“I’ll participate.”

I smiled softly.

“Sure.”

I entrust it to you from now on, male lead. Until the day of my release, I’ll protect you.

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The day finally arrived, the day of the trial in the Tower. Since entering the Tower was scheduled for the afternoon, there was some time in the morning.

Also, the thing I feared happened.

Thud!

“Oh…”

I learned a new fact.

The new prisoner, the male lead, Helios, had more personality than I initially thought. No, did I realize it too late?

“Hey.”

“Hey, Garrett.”

“Hey.”

“Sir Garrett.”

Helios clenched his fist and huffed.

For a moment, I recalled the incident at the cafeteria. Ever since Helios appeared, he had drawn intense gazes from the moment he entered the dining area. Observation, surveillance, desire, joy, anger, inferiority, greed… Various gazes fixed on him.

Surprisingly, Helios ate his meal without flinching.

This led to quite a commotion among the other prisoners who were watching.

“Answer me.”

On the floor, a man larger than Helios was lying on the ground.

Breaks after meals were regular. It was break time after breakfast. This place was the walking area.

“You said it yourself, but are you lying about protecting me?”

“It seems you’re somewhat pleased to have me as your personal guard.”

“That was a question.”

“Did you almost die?”

“….”

“Did you suffer any permanent injuries or limb damage?”

“….”

I remembered the crazed expression on Helios’s face, a look of someone who had gone mad.

My finger pointed to the person Helios had just knocked down. He was taller than Helios, lying on the ground. A prisoner with no Kia abilities, the lowest-ranking prisoner.

“Oh, I have some advice. This is just the beginning.”

“What?”

Helios had already noticed their insatiable desire and cruel fascination. I turned around my body halfway.

“Rules: Don’t use your Kia abilities.”

The color of Kia could be changed if desired, other than that, the rules imposed restrictions on using their Kia ability. However, it didn’t require much effort to block the attacks flying toward me every time.

‘Oh, materializing the power might be better.’

A shield I formed using golden light repelled the incoming attacks.

“Learn quickly.”

After effortlessly deflecting the attack, I turned my head.

“Attacks that cause physical harm look like this.”

The male lead blinked in surprise. The momentary surprise was intriguing, as a fleeting gentle expression appeared on his face. It suited him well. And he seemed somewhat calmer.

“Hey, guard.”

When I turned my head after hearing the low voice, I saw the perpetrator who had sent the attack.

“Unless I’m mistaken, it seems like you’re shielding this guy.”

He was quite bulky and bald. His face was unfamiliar to me, as I didn’t know all the prisoners.

“He’s not a high-ranking prisoner.”

“The new prisoner is still going through an adaptation period. Therefore, as his assigned guard, it’s my duty to protect him from attacks that could lead to death.”

I calmly responded.

“Wow, I’ve never heard such a load of crap in three years. Hey, you, did such a rule exist?”

“Huh? Um, yeah. But well, who enforced it? I’ve never seen a guard moving…”

The perpetrator nudged the other prisoner beside him and asked. The other prisoner nodded hesitantly.

The gazes shifted from Helios to me. I didn’t care and moved my gaze back to Helios.

“You see that? This is what an attack with Kia looks like. The attacks he’s throwing now are filled with Kia.”

“…I could shed tears at your kind explanation.”

“…? Crying, you say? Well, it’s fine if you want to cry.”

“….”

I gazed at the twisted expression on the male lead’s face, finding it strange once again. Suddenly, someone whistled nearby. It was Stephen, one of the senior guards who had come closer for surveillance. The other senior guards also looked at me with curious eyes.

“So, rookie, you’re quite something, huh?”

“Having a rule-abiding lunatic as my successor! I never would’ve imagined!”

Ah, it wasn’t curiosity, but rather the face of someone seeing a lunatic.

“I understand the desire to make a name for yourself, but you don’t have to go to such lengths. The pressure can be truly terrifying.”

“Seargant Stephen, I wanted to…”

“No, no, forget it. You don’t have to explain.”

Stephen waved his hand and glanced at the surrounding prisoners.

Since we were closer to the male prisoner block, the surroundings were filled with male prisoners.

“I’d love to see more of the crazy things my successor does out of curiosity, but it’s time for these damn dogs to go to the Tower.”

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