Became a stagnant person in a squalid prison cell
Chapter 22 —
Whether Helios felt chills or not—
“Wow, not bad skills,”
Mint whispered in admiration.
But it was also surprising.
“He shouted to give others a hint?”
It was impressive that he figured out the hint so quickly—but sharing it with everyone right away? That was even more impressive.
Normally, people might not, but the ones here were all criminals. In moments of danger, most would act selfishly.
“So this is why he’s the male lead?”
In the novel, Helios did fall into darkness, but thanks to the female lead, he changed for the better.
Maybe deep down, or at least in the beginning, he was always a moral and heroic person. That’s what made it possible.
“If this were a hero’s journey, this would be a great chapter.”
To be honest, Mint hadn’t planned on helping Helios in the 20th floor challenge.
“You can’t just keep protecting newbies. They’ll get spoiled.”
Rough training makes people grow. Nothing beats real experience when building skill.
“Life is all about real combat.”
Besides, Mint had trained Helios herself, so she knew he had the skills to survive.
“He really is the protagonist of this world.”
He had only trained with Kia for about a month, yet he survived the 20th floor. That showed serious talent.
So, as soon as Helios knocked down one scarecrow, Mint stepped in without hesitation.
“Taking down two at once would still be too much for him.”
On this floor, the number of scarecrows increased depending on how many dogs someone defeated. And they targeted the person who defeated the most dogs.
That meant Helios had performed better than the others.
Still, everyone in his group was new to the 20th floor.
Out of the four survivors, three were seriously injured.
Even so, surviving the first time was impressive.
“Wow, when I first came to the 20th floor, my teammates were all trash.”
It was true. When Mint reached the 20th floor, she was still a minor.
Her group used her as a shield to buy time, and eventually threw her to the dogs.
In the end, she was the only one who survived the trial.
“This guy really is the male lead. Even his teammates are lucky.”
Going through life-or-death situations together tends to create a sense of camaraderie—even among criminals.
“Ugh! What the heck is this?! I’m gonna die!”
“Ugh, when can we get out of here…?”
“Please, help me… please…”
As the survivors groaned, Mint looked away.
“If the scarecrow was the boss, then what were the dogs for?”
Helios looked serious.
Even though the trial was over, he still looked tense.
“Ah, you probably don’t know. Those dogs usually appear on the 10th floor.”
“What?”
“So they were just there to distract you. Though I’m sure they were stronger than the 10th floor ones.”
Helios wiped his face.
He looked shocked that the dogs who gave him so much trouble were just a distraction.
“…This tower is insane.”
Who would’ve guessed the very first room held the key hint?
And why does this place force prisoners to fight like this?
As Helios looked tired, Mint smiled faintly.
Her student hadn’t yet realized how cruel the tower really was.
And as someone who knew all its secrets, she thought—
“It’s still too soon to tell him everything.”
[Trial complete. Congratulations, strays! Welcome to hell—on the 21st floor! Wahahaha!]
A guard’s voice rang out from the ceiling, just as loud and cheerful as when the trial began.
“Congrats. You cleared the 20th floor.”
“…If you hadn’t helped, I’d be dead.”
“Wow, you even know how to say thank you?”
“…Hmph. That wasn’t a thank-you.”
“For your current skill level, defeating even one scarecrow is impressive. The number that attacks depends on your ability.”
Mint comforted the gloomy Helios. He was about to reply when—
Creaaak—
The giant door opened, and guards walked in. They picked up the wounded with their Kia ability.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Hey, take it easy, man!”
“Shut it, stray mutts.”
Of course, the guards weren’t gentle.
No matter how much the prisoners whined, the guards didn’t care.
Helios walked out on his own, but then turned to glance one last time—at the spot where Mint had been lying.
“…!”
There was a huge pile of scarecrows there—enough to look like a small mountain.
“What in the world…”
His curiosity about Mint grew even deeper.
How long had it been since I last felt sore?
That was my first thought after leaving the tower.
“It’s because I was lying on the floor.”
Lying on stone wasn’t a good choice. I should’ve made a bed or something.
“What are you thinking about?”
I looked up in surprise. Helios had his face all scrunched up.
“Oh, nothing much. Just… my back hurts from lying on the hard floor.”
“…That’s an even worse answer than I expected.”
“What were you thinking I’d say?”
“Never mind.”
I blinked slowly.
“Anyway, I thought about making a bed… but decided not to.”
“Why not?”
“Why else? Sure, it would’ve been comfortable, but it didn’t feel right. My student was down there fighting hard.”
“…”
Helios quietly covered his forehead.
“Let me tell you something. That wasn’t ‘right’ in the first place.”
“What do you mean? Explain.”
He looked like he was about to say something, then closed his mouth.
He seemed to be saying something with his eyes, but I couldn’t understand it at all.
Our conversation didn’t continue—someone approached.
“Hey bro, there you are!”
Outside the tower, the area was full of prisoners who had finished the trial. I recognized the man walking toward us—he was part of Helios’s group.
He had a shaved head like a soldier.
Helios looked shocked.
And for good reason—this guy had been badly injured inside the tower, his arm nearly useless and close to death.
But now he looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.
“Don’t be surprised. From the 20th floor on, all your wounds disappear once you leave.”
“…What?”
“Weird tower, right?”
You could see Helios was thinking—What kind of tower is this?
He hadn’t realized the biggest secret yet, and I had no plans to tell him until he figured it out himself.
Before his surprise even wore off, the bald guy stood in front of Helios.
“You remember me?”
“…”
“Thanks for helping me back there. I just wanted to say that.”
Ah, Helios did save him, didn’t he?
“That’s enough thanks.”
“Man, you’re just as cool as you look. Haha.”
Even though Helios was pretty tall, the bald guy was slightly taller.
“Judging by his build, he’s probably a muscle-enhancer type.”
His elbow was bruised—something common among people who strengthen their bones to fight.
The man held out a hand to Helios.
“I’m Ged Satain. See you on the 21st floor?”
“…Helios.”
Surprisingly, Helios shook his hand and replied.
I thought he’d ignore the guy like usual.
“Is he just grumpy with me only?”
Why? Well, I guess it makes sense. Even if I’m a prisoner now, I was still a guard before. He might feel awkward.
I understood.
While I was nodding alone, the bald guy—Ged—greeted me too.
“Nice to meet you too, sir.”
Helios was “bro,” and I was “sir.”
“Looks like he’s unofficially calling me big brother now.”
It was amusing.
“You were amazing! Really manly! Wahaha!”
I just stared at him and didn’t respond. Then I turned and walked away.
“Huh?” he muttered behind me, but I kept walking.
“Why’d you ignore him?”
Helios caught up and asked. I wasn’t surprised—I already sensed he was following.
“Why should I answer?”
“…What?”
“I wasn’t interested.”
“…”
“The only one I see is you.”
