"Hurry up! He's still breathing!"
"G-Got it!"
"Be careful with his head, it's badly injured!"
A group of guards and staff members rushed into the cell, lifting up the bloodied body of the man I had bashed nearly to death.
They were scrambling—panicking even—trying to stabilize him, to preserve his life if possible.
And me—
"..."
I just sat there, watching them carry him away.
Letting the chaos unfold around me.
Letting the tension thicken.
Then—
Swoosh—
The cell door slid shut behind them.
And with that—
"..."
Silence.
We were all left alone in the cell.
No guards or whatsoever.
No one said a word.
The air inside the cell had grown heavy. Suffocating, even.
Everyone was frozen, like they were afraid even their breathing might catch my attention.
'Hmm... it worked even better than I had expected.'
I muttered to myself internally.
What I did wasn't just on impulse. It was calculated.
I had considered a lot of outcomes and potential consequences before making the choice to step in earlier.
And ultimately—
I chose to help the three women.
Why, you ask?
Simple.
'By helping them, I put them in my debt. That means they'll be more inclined to side with us genuinely, and they'll less likely betray us. Our numbers will increase, and so does our group's fighting power. And on top of that... I removed one of the most troublesome group in this cell.'
I was referring, of course, to the bastard and his two cronies.
Their leader, the one whose skull I cracked open, was the biggest threat for me.
Their group was violent, brute, and stupid.
"They might not have bothered me... but it was only a matter of time."
I murmured under my breath.
So by ambushing the three bastard while they were occupied with the women, I was able to take out their leader easily.
The two lackeys automatically froze when their leader was done for.
'I anticipated that too. That's why I made Damian and the women pin them down while I dealt with the bastard quickly.'
Also—
Turning to my right—
"..."
I saw Damian.
He was smiling at me—wide, bright, genuinely pleased.
"What? You need something?"
He asked cheerfully after seeing me look.
"Nah."
I shook my head and immediately looked away.
'Seems like I've earned his trust too... maybe even his respect.'
That part was unexpected. I hadn't thought of that into my plan.
But still—
'It's not necessarily a bad thing.'
After a few more seconds—
"..."
I looked around the cell.
"Ehem..."
"Ermm..."
"Hmm..."
The moment my gaze met anyone else's, they quickly looked away.
Avoided eye contact like it might kill them.
And seeing that—
'It worked.'
I felt a wave of quiet satisfaction.
Because that reaction—this tension in the air—was exactly what I had aimed for.
What I had done was shocking enough that it left a mark.
They wouldn't forget it.
Whenever they saw me, the image would flash in their minds—
A kid smashing a grown man's skull open without hesitation.
From now on, they wouldn't just see me as a child.
But instead—
'A crazy fucking kid who cracks skulls.'
And that's exactly what I wanted.
The biggest reason why I chose to intervene earlier.
That fear?
That hesitation?
That meant fewer problems.
'They'll stay out of my way... and there'll be less trouble.'
I leaned back, letting that thought settle in.
I was happy with the result of my action.
But then—
just as I thought of that—
TAP—
A heavy footstep echoed outside the cell.
"..."
I looked toward it.
And there, standing at the door—
"..."
Was a guard.
"Come with me. The boss wants to see you."
He said, eyes landing on me.
And hearing that—
"Welp..."
I muttered under my breath, stepping forward.
"Time to see and deal with the consequences."
*****
"Come with me. The boss wants to see you."
The guard's voice echoed in the cell like a heavy weight dropping.
And hearing that—
"What?! Hold on!"
TAP—
Damian suddenly shot up, taking a step toward the bars.
"You're seriously taking him? That bastard deserved what he got!"
His voice rang with frustration, a protective fire in his eyes.
'He's really siding with me, huh.'
I'm impressed.
But turning to him—
Fwish—
I looked at him.
Just a look.
"..."
"Hm?"
Our eyes met.
And slowly—
'Thanks, but I don't need it.'
I shook my head, making him stop.
"I'll go."
I said firmly.
"Wha...?!"
Damian opened his mouth, shocked. He clearly wants to argue—
"..."
But he stopped when he saw my straight face.
So—
Fwip—
He just clenched his fists, lowered his head, and let out a sharp exhale through his nose.
"...Tch."
He clicked his tongue, frustrated.
Ignoring him—
Tap-
I stepped forward, toward the cell door.
Then paused.
"One thing."
I said, turning my head toward the guard.
"...?"
He raised a brow.
And opening my mouth—
"Move the two bald ones to another cell. Far from here."
I muttered that.
My tone was calm, quiet, but it cut through the silence like a blade.
"In exchange for me coming quietly."
I followed.
The guard's expression twisted.
"That's not really up to—"
He was trying to say something to decline it—
"..."
But when his gaze met mine—serious, unwavering—
"Haaa..."
He just stopped.
He stared at me for a few seconds. A long, heavy pause.
Then—
"... Fine."
He said that and gestured toward the hallway.
"I'm not getting paid enough for this."
I heard him mumble that.
I just ignored him.
CREAK—
Tap—
And then I stepped out of the cell.
...
...
(The two baldies were relocated before Kaiser started following after the guard.)
*****
Tap— tap— tap—
The guard ahead of me walked with a steady, fast pace.
"Huff... haaa..."
I was lagging a bit, struggling to keep up with him. My short legs and shit stamina weren't exactly helping me out here.
'This fucking crappy body...'
I cursed inside my head, mildly irritated as I forced my pace to match his.
Anyway, I was currently being escorted to the boss's office—
The guy with the funny hat.
Only one guard was with me, and he kept his back turned the entire time.
If you asked me, he was practically begging to be attacked.
But after my earlier experience with that one guard who somehow sensed my so-called malicious intent—
'Yeah, nah. I'd just get wrecked.'
I shook my head and pushed that thought aside.
So—
Tap— tap— tap—
"..."
I just followed the guard in silence.
...
...
And before long—
Tap—
We came to a stop.
We reached our destination.
"..."
In front of me stood a large double door, its surface adorned with intricate, ornamental engravings.
They were fancy as fuck. Probably the most luxurious thing I'd seen since arriving here.
But still—
'It's just a damn door.'
I muttered internally, unimpressed.
"Go on in. The boss is waiting for you."
The guard's voice came from behind me.
"..."
I glanced back at him briefly, expression blank.
Then, without hesitation—
"Alright."
Creak—
Tap—
I stepped inside.
And there he was—
"Haha! Look who showed up... Our first fighter!"
The man with the funny hat sat comfortably behind an expensive-looking desk, hands interlocked, a smug grin on his face.
And at his words—
'Huh? First fighter? What the hell is this fucker talking about?'
I asked myself, brow twitching slightly.
Though, deep down—
Yeah, I had a pretty solid idea of what he was implying.
And no, I didn't like it one bit.