"Seriously… I transmigrated, and my cheat ability is where, exactly?"
"System? Old grandpa mentor? Some kind of… whatever-you-are? Can you answer me?"
The boy abruptly stopped struggling, as if he'd finally remembered the one truly critical detail.
And as he continued calling out in his heart, a line of text suddenly popped up across his vision—right on his retina.
Loading… Progress: 99%
"Hah! I knew it. I'm the chosen one. This is the vibe. Not bad at all—come on, finish loading already, my dear system."
"I'm one percent away from reaching the peak of life."
Certain now that the numbers weren't a hallucination, Xien felt a surge of wild joy. He stopped wasting strength, deciding to conserve energy and wait for the system to finish loading.
Then he'd claw his way back to safety, find a route home, and—if he survived long enough—make the people who dragged him here pay.
But time passed.
And something felt… off.
"Hey. Move."
Half a day later, thirsty and starving, Xien stared at that glowing 99% with bloodshot eyes.
It didn't budge.
Not even a fraction.
"I can't… keep this up. If it stays like this, I'm going to die before it even finishes loading."
He turned his head, searching for something—anything—to eat. But it was hopeless. In this hellhole, the only thing remotely chewable was probably the dry straw under his hips.
Left with no choice, he finally remembered the old man in the shadows beside him.
"Sir," he called, swallowing his pride, "emergency—do you have anything to eat?"
"Oh?" the old man replied, voice dry with ridicule. "So the kid's not losing his mind anymore? I told you to save your strength, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're hungry, huh? Serves you right."
Then he went silent.
Xien grit his teeth. He knew his earlier behavior had made the old man take him for a fool, but hunger was gnawing him hollow. He forced himself to lower his tone even further.
"Sir… I've got a bit of a condition. Please, don't hold it against me. Could you… spare me a bite? Anything."
The old man listened, and something in him softened. After all, he was only a mortal—no Falna, no miracles—just a worn-out man stuck in a pit.
A pitiful kid, he thought.
So he finally spoke.
"Fine. Since you look miserable, I'll tell you. We get one meal a day. Judging by the time, it should be coming soon. Endure it."
"And when they arrive—keep your head down. If you don't want to die, don't start screaming."
After that, the old man stopped talking. As if he'd done all the kindness he could afford.
But to his surprise, the boy answered anyway.
"I understand. Thank you. If I get out of here… I'll repay you."
The gratitude came out like it was carved into his bones, paired with an earnest promise.
It made the old man feel strangely unsettled.
The kid was… polite.
But he didn't dwell on it.
Time dragged on, second by second. Xien was so hungry he was nearly ready to chew straw roots when footsteps echoed down the corridor outside.
"Heh heh heh—time to eat, trash! Sit tight and behave for your dear lord!"
To Xien, it sounded like the voice of salvation itself.
He wriggled forward with difficulty, inching toward the iron bars. By the time the footsteps were right outside, he'd finally reached the door.
He exhaled in relief—then remembered the old man's warning. He sealed his mouth shut, forcing himself to look weak. Harmless. Like disposable garbage.
A hulking man stepped into view.
His entire body was wrapped in black cloth, leaving only a pair of vicious eyes exposed. In one hand he carried a wooden bucket.
He approached.
When he was less than a meter away, Xien lifted his head. His lips—cracked and dry—pulled into a strained, ingratiating smile.
The masked brute looked pleased.
"Mm. Smart kid. If you know your place, I'll let you have a mouthful."
He dipped a wooden ladle into the bucket, scooped out a spoonful of "food," reached through the bars—
—and poured it onto the ground beside the cell.
Xien froze for a split second, staring at the slop.
Then he lowered his head and began eating in huge bites.
The stench hit first, followed by a bizarre, nauseating taste that assaulted his tongue. He nearly retched—but the emptiness in his gut forced the swallow.
He kept eating, head down, shoveling it in. In the dim light, no one could clearly see his expression.
"Good," the brute chuckled. "Look at you—eating like it's delicious. Since you're so grateful, I'll reward you with another ladle."
And with that, he scooped again—
—and dumped it over Xien's head.
Then he turned away, satisfied, and walked off.
Xien's movements stopped.
If anyone could have seen his face then, they would've understood: his eyes looked like they could devour a man alive.
But he knew rage was useless.
He had to live first.
And then, from the old man's neighboring cell, something far worse happened.
"Yo, old bastard. Still breathing? What—want food?"
"P-please, sir… have mercy… give me something…"
"Hah. At your age? Feeding you is a waste. We've lost how many men to those Astraea Familia women 'protecting' you trash? And you still have the nerve to beg me for food?"
"You want to eat? No food for you. But I've got fists. I'll let you eat those."
A heavy, brutal sound followed—the thud of flesh being struck.
"Ah—! M-merc—!"
Another hit.
And another.
Xien's eyes split wide.
That old man had been weak from the start—his voice thin, his body clearly near the edge. The brute might not even be a Falna-bearing adventurer, but that corded muscle told its own story.
A few punches like that could kill.
And that old man…
…was the only person here who'd helped him.
For a moment, the hot-blooded conscience of a youth raised in peaceful times surged up and drowned out everything else.
Xien shouted before he could stop himself.
"Stop! Don't hurt him!"
The instant the words left his mouth, his brain went ice-cold.
Only one thought remained.
I'm dead.
The beating stopped for a few seconds.
Then footsteps turned—slow, deliberate—coming closer.
The black-clad brute reappeared in front of Xien's cell.
This time…
He opened the iron door and stepped inside.
"Well, well," he said, voice thick with amusement. "I underestimated you. Thought you were a cowardly little runt. Didn't expect you to be the 'righteous' type."
"But, kid… you really don't understand when to keep your mouth shut."
"So let your uncle teach you a free lesson today."
"Maybe you'll have the sense to remember it in your next life."
Xien's heart sank halfway into the abyss.
The next moment—
pain.
A kick that felt like it shattered bone.
An agony so pure it erased thought.
He screamed the harshest scream of his entire life.
"AAAAAAH—!"
"Hahahaha! That's a nice sound," the brute laughed. "Go on—scream louder."
-------
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