I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison

He had a naive and innocent face, as ordinary and kind as someone you might encounter on the street. But as Cain looked at him, he was terrified in an instant.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, don’t come near! Don’t come near!”

Why did such a monster-like kid end up under him? He should have checked when Sergeant Stephen, that lunatic who pretends to be normal, mentioned the interesting rookie!

“Yo-you, don’t come, stand there!”

“Yes.”

This kid… why did he suddenly respond properly!

Cain’s mind was all jumbled up, but he chose to let go and step back. His instincts warned him that he shouldn’t mess with this guy.

“What should I do then?”

“What?”

“The manual says to follow the instructions, and Seargant Stephen also says to do as you said without causing any trouble.”

He caused trouble, d*mn it!

Unable to contain himself, Cain quickly got up.

“Of course, that son of a b*tch Stephen was trying to mess with me!”

“Huh?”

Cain shouted with frustration.

“Never mind, you… You just go and watch over your assigned pups!”

“Yes.”

He was angry, but he held back.

Mint quietly approached the window. Below, on the ground , an intense struggle was taking place.

‘The male lead… Ah, there he is.’

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The trials given to the prisoners in the Tower can be described as having to survive in extreme situations. Each floor has a different theme, although the theme for floor 1 to 20 was ‘insects and animals.’

As soon as you enter a floor, the assigned animals or insects would pour down. In other words, it was a matter of killing what was pouring down within the time limit and surviving.

‘In this floor, even without a Kia, it’s possible to climb up sufficiently.’

However, without a Kia, having a sharp mind or physical abilities was advantageous for survival.

I recalled the male lead’s physique.

‘Was he captured while starving?’

His stregth wasn’t bad, but it seemed like he had gone without proper food for a long time. Perhaps he hadn’t eaten properly since he was captured.

‘He didn’t eat well in the cafetaria either.’

Of course, his appetite may have decreased because he had to endure all sorts of trouble at the cafetaria. His plate was overturned three times. However, since his life wasn’t in danger, such troubles were trivial.

‘So, if he dies here, it would be problematic.’

Behind me, the guards were grumbling.

“All the newbies this time seem to be a bunch of losers.”

“Oh, really? That bad?”

“Yes. Why can’t they use Kia? They’re a bunch of incompetent brats.”

They all talked as if what was happening below weren’t worth watching and everyone would die soon. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for all newbies to die on the first floor.

‘The atmosphere’s a bit different.’

Maybe they were whispering because of Cain’s mood. They whispered discreetly, but I heard it clearly. This time, all the newbies were going to die. That was the general consensus.

‘I guess I’ll just see for myself.’

However, things were unfolding differently down there, contrary to the thoughts of the guards.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Helios took a labored breath.

“Ugh…”

He felt a throbbing sensation in his forearm, but he couldn’t assess the extent of his injuries or his current condition. If he glanced away even one second…

Chop! Squeak! Chop!

Giant rats would be there to tear into his flesh. Memories of when he first arrived in this place flashed through his mind.

“What in the world is this? A cave?”

There were quite a few new inmates who had entered with him, around ten or so. They all seemed bewildered, anxious, and uneasy. It was only natural. Niflheim was the worst place for criminals, a prison from which nobody had ever escaped. Moreover, there was no information available about it. The unknown only fueled their fear.

“Alright, newbies, you can choose one to three weapons!”

The accompanying guard guided the new inmates from the front. In one corner of the circular space, an array of various weapons was fully prepared. The new prisoners picked their weapons with a bewildered face, and Helios did the same.

“Hey, newborn pups. Give it your best shot, but who knows how many will survive! Haha.”

The guard finally walked away with a disturbingly sinister smile.

Simultaneously, the space that was filled with weapons vanished as well.

Zip! Chop!

“What… what is it? Rats?”

“Yes, rats! But why are they so big?”

No one could continue their train of thought anymore as a swarm of rats came rushing in through an open space.

“Aaargh! We’re gonna die! Die!”

“Save me! Please, why me? Cough, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please get me out!”

Helios swung his spear, striking the rats that lunged at him, while surveying the area.

“Oh god, they’re all trying to kill us!”

And now, in the present moment, there were only about five out of the more than ten low-level prisoners left. Even those remaining wore exhausted expressions on their faces. Not a single person’s breathing remained steady.

However, something felt off, though he couldn’t focus on it for long due to the swarm of rats. Helios cast a quick glance upwards and saw a massive window. In front of it stood a figure pacing back and forth, someone noticeably smaller than the other guards. He recognized him at a glance.

“I’ll protect you.”

He was his assigned guard. The thought of ‘You said you’d protect me, so what are you doing now?’ didn’t cross Helios’ mind, he was only joking at that time. He didn’t have any complaints. After all, his life had always been lonely, living in solitude. It didn’t matter either way.

“Think about surviving.”

In this moment, survival was the only thing that mattered. But how could he survive?

“Sigh…”

The space was a massive circular area. On one side, the door was opened, and an endless stream of rats poured in. Unfortunately or fortunately…

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“D*mmit, how can we deal with this again?!”

After facing off against the rats for about 20 minutes, unbelievably, they were given a 5-minute break. Just as 20 minutes had passed, a blue barrier appeared, separating the rats from the new inmates. The prisoners sat on the floor, eyeing the blue barrier.

“D*mn it, how long do we have to repeat this insane thing?”

“Better off killing us, just kill us! B*stards!”

It wasn’t from the beginning that they accurately realized the passage of time. After several repetitions, someone raised their hand. It was a short-haired woman who was gasping for breath at the far end.

“Exactly 20 minutes, rats swarm for 20 minutes. The rest period is 5 minutes.”

When she saw people questioning, she introduced herself. Her name was Kana. She was an alchemist and a pharmacist, claiming to be able to measure time even with her eyes closed.

“D*mmit! F*ckers! There’s no end to it! Are we all going to die like this?”

While a short but well-built man angrily voiced his frustration, Helios remained lost in thought, silent. The remaining rest time was about 3 minutes, hardly any time left.

‘They called it the Tower’s Trial.’

If they simply wanted to kill the prisoners, there would have been a much easier and simpler way. But they called it a trial, so there must be an end to it. What could be the way to end the trial?

There was roughly 1 minute left. Helios couldn’t find the answer and looked up. He saw the massive window above the blue barrier.

‘Could it be? Is he still watching?’

He was still watching. Helios didn’t know much, but it felt like he made eye contact with his assigned guard who was looking down. It wasn’t a mistaken assumption.

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

Helios didn’t particularly like that guard, but he guessed that the guard didn’t say those words on purpose to provoke him. Moreover, he thought the choice of words was already strange.

And so…

‘It’s a hint.’

That’s what he concluded. It was a ‘hint.’