Became a stagnant person in a squalid prison cell

Chapter 21 —

The fight was short, but the outcome wasn’t great.

Right from the start:

“Aaaah! Help me!”
“Eek!”

One man got bitten and dragged away by a dog, and one woman fell into a hole while running away.

“It’s okay, they’re not dead.”
“You can say that after seeing that?”

Mint said it casually, but still, their group had fewer people now.

Helios snapped out of his thoughts and blocked a charging dog.
It was already the third battle.

People were too busy fighting to talk, but they helped each other when needed.

Growl!
Screech!

It was just survival instinct — they all knew fewer people meant they were in more danger.

Helios looked around.

‘There has to be a way to clear this floor, just like before…’

Then someone called out to him — the guy with the shaved head that Helios had saved earlier.

Despite his innocent-looking face, he spoke like a soldier.

“I’ve been wanting to ask…”

The number of dogs had decreased a bit — probably a sign that break time was coming.

The shaved-head guy pointed to a spot.

“What’s up with that?”

Helios finally looked up.

Yaaawn~

The one yawning was his teacher — Mint.

She had made herself comfy against a wall, lying on her side, propping her head with one hand, just watching them.

Whimper!
Bang!
Yelp!

Floating golden discs circled around her, beating the dogs senseless.
If the dogs got too close, the discs even transformed into clubs!

Mint yawned and praised her own discs:

“Good job, Siri.”
“Whimper!”
“You too, Bixby.”

Helios had no words.

“Try to survive on your own.”

That’s what Mint said before they got separated.

She had trained him, so she figured he’d survive. He had jumped from floor 8 to 20, after all — which was insane.

He did survive, proving her right, but still… this?

Helios had imagined she’d be fighting somewhere, not… lying down like that.

“Isn’t she your teammate?”

The shaved-head guy asked. Helios, panting from exhaustion, couldn’t answer right away.

“What is she?”

Honestly, he didn’t know what to say.
How do you explain someone acting like they’re on a picnic?

A woman walked up next — the only surviving female.

She had short brown hair and looked baffled.

“Huh? Why did the dogs stop?”

As soon as she arrived, the dogs stopped moving.

The shaved-head guy freaked out. She clicked her tongue.

“That’s my ability. Stop panicking, idiot.”

“Hey, calling a man an idiot is kinda harsh…”

The big guy pouted, despite his size.

She scoffed, then turned back to Helios.

“Seriously, what is she? That’s not normal strength.”

“I don’t know either.”

Helios’s blunt reply made the woman frown.

“So I’m not the only one who thinks she’s crazy. Good to know.”

“Is that really what you’re focused on right now? You’re weird too.”

Helios wondered — is this how Mint feels about me?
Every time she scowls at something he says?

“Haha, what’s going on over here?”

“Phew, I thought I was gonna die! Wait, why aren’t the dogs moving? Aaah! They’re coming again!”

“Who brought the dogs over here!?”

As more people joined, everyone started fighting again.
They had naturally grouped up and started covering each other’s backs.
It made things a bit easier.

But Helios noticed something strange:

‘There are more dogs now…?’

The number had gone down, but now it was rising again.
That gave him a chill.

If they kept coming without a break, they’d die.

Screech!

Helios had just finished off a dog when he looked up.
He could feel someone watching him — it had to be Mint.

He had felt it since the first floor.
Her gaze always stood out.

‘Why does her stare feel so strong?’

He didn’t know.

But somehow, it made him feel stronger — like he didn’t have to look back while fighting.

‘What the—?’

Mint was slowly getting up.

The floating discs around her began to disappear.

Their eyes met across the distance.

Even though they were far apart, he could see her expression clearly.

He saw her mouth move:

‘Helios.’
‘Get ready.’

He understood easily.

“Something big is coming.”

Right after she said that, Helios remembered:

‘The holes in the wall!’

So far, dogs had only come from the ground.
What were the wall holes for?

He got goosebumps.

‘They have a purpose.’

He shouted on instinct:

“Watch the wall holes! Something’s coming from there!”

“What?”

“Like what!?”

“Stop shouting and just say what it is!!”

People yelled, but their voices were drowned out by the growling.

Helios himself didn’t know what was coming.

‘Under my feet…?’

Then, he noticed a shadow beneath his legs.

‘Behind me!’

Something was targeting him. He spun around by instinct.

His spear sliced through the air in a graceful curve.

Stab!

It didn’t feel like a dog — more like something soft.

Golden bits flew around him like feathers.

“Straw?”

It was straw — hay.

Then he saw a silver flash flying toward him.

‘A sword!’

Too late to dodge — it was right in front of him.

Someone blocked it for him.

“Haa… haa…”

Helios gasped for air.

The powder in the air tickled his nose.

He looked down and saw what had attacked him:

A scarecrow.

One holding a sharp dagger.

He touched his own neck.

If he hadn’t noticed the shadow…
If someone hadn’t blocked that sword for him…

He would be dead.

“A scarecrow…”

“Fitting for a wheat field, right?”

He turned and saw Mint standing beside him.

“You did good.”

She was the one who saved him.

That lazy smile on her gentle-looking face gave him chills again — even more than the scarecrow.

“That’s the real boss of this floor. Can you spot and react to an attack from behind in the middle of a fight?”

“…”

“That’s what the Tower is telling you.”

Mint made a slicing motion across her neck.

“If you can’t — you die.”

Helios’s eyes shook.

He looked at the others.

Only four people were left alive.

Two had died — their bodies crushed beneath the scarecrow.