Chapter 10
Maybe it was his strong survival instinct since childhood—but Helios chose a spear as his weapon.
He picked it so he could keep some distance if something tried to eat him.
There was a bow too, but in close combat, it would be hard to use.
The only remaining hint: “Leg.”
“What does that even mean?”
Helios stared up at the sky, as if desperately looking for answers.
It felt a little silly—like a caveman praying to the sun.
But that wind… it was real. The man watching him from above had helped him, even in this terrible prison, for what seemed like no good reason.
Helios could tell at a glance—this guy wasn’t normal.
So, once more, he whispered:
“Hey, say something. Anything.”
And just then, a calm, slow voice seemed to float into his ears.
“Not ‘hey.’ It’s Sir Gareth.”
At the same time, the guard—Mint—who had been watching him, opened her lips.
“Circle. And weapon.”
Then, the blue barrier disappeared.
Circle? And weapon? Why?
Helios saw her mouth the words clearly, but it didn’t make sense right away.
Squeak! Squeak!
The rats were coming again.
Frowning, Helios raised his spear.
But he was reaching his limit. He wasn’t sure if he could survive another 20 minutes.
Then, just as he stabbed a rat, he noticed something—a red mark.
A small red dot hidden in the fur on its belly.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”
A short, muscular man fighting beside him shouted angrily.
Circle?
Yes—a circle. A red one.
Stab!
Helios stabbed the circle with his spear. The spear vibrated strangely.
Suddenly, he began to see those red circles on other rats too.
Helios stepped forward.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Are you insane?!”
The other prisoners, who had been fighting with him, shouted. They didn’t want to lose their strongest fighter.
But Helios ran ahead anyway.
For some reason, it felt different this time—as if his spear had awakened.
Circle. And weapon.
He stabbed another rat—and crackle!—a soft blue light appeared around the spear.
Its worn outer shell peeled away.
In its place was a glowing, elegant blue spear with a sacred light.
“What the—Kia?! Are you a Kia user?!”
Someone shouted. But Helios didn’t stop running.
The rats disintegrated the moment they were struck by the glowing spear.
Circle. And weapon.
As if stabbing the red circles with his weapon was the correct answer all along.
But would just killing rats end the trial?
No. Helios could feel it instinctively—the spear was getting weaker with every use.
He wouldn’t be able to kill them all like this.
Then what?
The answer is at the gate!
Helios ran straight toward the door.
He couldn’t hear the other prisoners calling him through the sounds of rats.
Screech! Squeak!
The rats no longer saw him as prey.
In fact, they began backing away—like they knew they’d die if they touched that blue light.
When he finally reached the door, he understood.
“…The leg?”
In front of the massive black door was a bridge—a long, narrow structure.
The design was so clever, he only realized it was a cliff when he got close.
The rats had only one path to the prisoners—across that bridge.
You couldn’t tell this unless you went up there yourself.
To get this far, you needed:
- A weapon strong enough to push back the rats,
- And the courage or determination to run toward the source.
Helios raised his spear.
“Prisoner Helios.”
The calm voice whispered again.
This time, oddly, Mint didn’t smile.
“Be careful not to get eaten. Especially your leg.”
But Helios could almost feel her smiling.
RIIIP!
The bridge—once looking solid and sturdy—tore apart like cheap fabric.
As if it had been meant to collapse all along.
The rats fell off the edge in huge numbers.
Even those that had already crossed the bridge seemed to lose control. They ran toward the cliff and either jumped or collapsed.
Poof—
Their bodies turned into black shadows and vanished.
The glowing spear in Helios’s hand quietly faded and returned to its old, worn-out form.
[Trial Complete. Congratulations, lowest-level “wild dogs.”]
A voice echoed from the ceiling—like a loudspeaker.
[You may now challenge the 2nd floor.]
They had survived. But they were ranked as the lowest-level wild dogs.
Helios looked up at the ceiling.
The giant window—like the sky—was now empty.
No one was there anymore.
Helios felt… a little disappointed.
But the feeling didn’t last long.
As he stepped through the gate with the others, following a newly arrived guard—
He saw it.
The same innocent face that had been watching him from above was now right in front of him.
“Prisoner Helios.”
Sweating and exhausted, Helios stared at the guard.
No smile. No warmth.
But still… the lazy, sleepy voice somehow sounded kind.
“Congratulations on surviving.”
Meanwhile…
“Hmm. So he activated it.”
Mint had stopped watching the floor once Helios activated his weapon and ran toward the gate.
There was no point in watching anymore.
“It’ll end soon anyway.”
The first-floor trial of the tower was both hard and easy.
As long as you figured out the condition, you could clear it.
The key: Did the prisoner have the talent for Kia?
If they did, they would eventually see it.
Helios was destined to become powerful.
Not just strong—but unique.
And Mint had sensed it the first time she saw him.
“Ah. This guy. He’s going to become a top dog someday.”
With such talent, she didn’t need to babysit.
So, she decided to do something else instead.
[
100 Simple Tips for New Guards]
Written by your awesome senior, Steven!
It was a summary Steven gave her.
“Wait, you actually read that boring prison rulebook? All of it?”
He had laughed like crazy when he saw her reading it.
“Haha! That thick thing? Even the warden called it a failure!”
Apparently, Steven had summarized the whole thing himself.
Mint changed her opinion of him.
She had thought he was just a shallow, handsome guy with a weird ego.
But he seemed like a reliable mentor after all.
[If your prisoner survives the trial floor, here’s what to do next:]
First, clap your hands!
Next to the text was a little cartoon of a smiling face clapping.
So now—Mint clapped.
Clap clap clap.
“Excellent work.”
Helios stood there, drenched in sweat, staring at her with a tired, drained face.
What the heck is this now…
If he had any energy left, he would’ve shouted, “Are you insane?!”
Mint was clapping like a lunatic.
Clap clap clap.
Helios said nothing.
Clap clap clap.
Mint began to wonder: How long am I supposed to keep clapping…?
She could feel people glaring at her.
It was the other prisoners who survived with Helios.
Their expressions were like: “Are you making fun of us?”
From another direction—more stares.
Sergeant Cain had appeared, looking displeased.
Mint figured Cain was annoyed that she did nothing while the rookies fought.
“Next time we meet, I’ll show him I can work seriously.”
With that thought, Mint didn’t stop clapping.
She kept going until someone stepped in.
“Um… Sir Gareth? Maybe you can stop clapping now…”
Mint turned her head to see a familiar attendant.
The one who had earlier warned her that her words might be misunderstood by Helios.
“Oh? That attendant from before?”
