Became a stagnant person in a squalid prison cell

**Chapter 43**

Meanwhile, Helios narrowed his eyes. A large man stood in front of him, with a paper bag over his head.

Helios felt something familiar.

Or maybe… déjà vu?

“You…”

Before Helios could finish speaking, the killer moved his hand.

He wasn’t holding any weapon, but the dark energy surrounding his hand made it threatening.

It was powerful *Kia* (energy).

**Clang!**

The killer’s fist collided with Helios’s spear. At that moment, Helios felt a chill go down his spine.

‘It’s going to break…!’

Even though his spear was made from strong Kia, cracks began to form like a spider web.

**Crash!**

A loud sound echoed in his ears.

But there was no time to be shocked. The killer’s punch was coming!

Helios quickly dodged and reached out his hand. Blue Kia gathered in his palm.

“Urgh…!”

He needed a better weapon.

Then he remembered Mint’s sword strike — the one that cut down the giant snake.

Yes. He needed a **sword**.

A sword formed in Helios’s hand, and he swung it at the killer’s face.

**Screeeech!**

The killer dodged, but the paper bag on his head was torn apart.

“Huff, huff…”

The attack wasn’t as strong as Mint’s, but it looked very similar.

Even though the killer avoided the blow, Helios didn’t continue attacking.

“We did it! We did it!” shouted Seth from behind. He was holding a candlestick.

The space around Helios and his group began to melt away.

Even the killer, who had been chasing them the whole time, was fading away while screaming from the basement entrance.

But something was strange. The killer in front of Helios wasn’t fading at all.

Of course not.

He didn’t belong to this floor.

Helios, still catching his breath, finally spoke.

“…Master.”

The killer’s eyes inside the paper bag shifted. The dark, glossy eyes slowly turned into a color Helios recognized — **teal**.

It was **Garet’s** eye color.

The killer’s huge body also shrank, now smaller than Helios.

“Wow, calling me so politely. I like that.”

When the paper bag came off, it revealed the face of his teacher — Mint.

Helios didn’t look surprised.

“…What’s the meaning of this?”

“Just playing final boss?” Mint said casually.

Helios frowned.

“How did you know it was me? When did you figure it out?”

Mint was genuinely curious.

‘I didn’t think he’d figure it out.’

The killer earlier on the basement floor was a different one. That killer, like the snake on the 29th floor, was far too strong for Helios’s group.

Why did those overpowered monsters keep showing up only on Helios’s path?

If it happens twice, it’s no longer coincidence.

‘It’s probably my fault…’

If the strength of the floor’s monsters matched Kia levels, then it made sense.

Anyway, Mint defeated the killer and pretended to be him for training purposes.

‘It’s a form of training.’

Crisis makes people stronger — or so Mint thought.

“I knew from the beginning,” Helios said.

He had realized from the killer’s eyes that it was Mint.

Of course he did.

There was only one person whose figure overlapped with a woman’s silhouette like that — his teacher.

At first, it appeared faintly. But now, the image was clearly visible.

No matter what form Mint took, Helios could recognize her now.

He didn’t say any of this out loud.

“Oh? I guess you have good instincts,” Mint said lightly.

Helios had perfectly copied a move Mint only showed once — a terrifying talent.

“Why did you even do this?”

“I was curious how much my student had grown.”

“You beat me up every day anyway…”

“But it’s different from real battle,” Mint shrugged.

“Congrats. You cleared it.”

Helios covered his face with one hand. His cheeks were getting red.

“You led your team well, even on your own.”

He didn’t want to seem overly happy about a small compliment.

“Let’s go. This red light is hurting my eyes.”

Mint walked past him.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

Mint looked back.

“I knew it was you because… you’re my teacher. I just knew the moment I saw you.”

“…Really?”

Helios bit his lip.

His pale cheeks were red again — like camellia flowers.

Because she’s special to him.

He could never say something so cheesy out loud.

—

**Meanwhile…**

Just like on the 29th floor, prisoners from the 30th floor were all panicking.

“F\*ck! I’m never going back there! Kill me if you want!”

“Gasp… gasp…”

Some were completely out of it.

From their shouts and ramblings, it was clear Helios’s floor had been especially difficult.

‘So it really is because of me,’ Mint thought. She was now sure.

‘But if things stay this hard… the prisoners are all going to end up in a mental hospital.’

If every fear-based floor from 30 to 39 was like this, the prisoners’ minds wouldn’t survive.

“Heuung… I’m sorry, Hyla… s-sis… I’m sorry!”

Mint turned toward the crying sound.

Seth was sobbing and healing Hyla with Kia.

Hyla was just letting him, looking tired and resigned.

“What happened?” Mint asked.

“Uh… nothing major.”

Seth had cleared the floor, got too excited, jumped around, and accidentally dragged Hyla down with him.

Since the trial was already over, the injury didn’t vanish, so he had to heal her himself.

Afterwards, Seth excitedly told Mint that he’d learned a new telekinesis technique.

Mint just nodded vaguely, not really listening.

“Boss! How could you hit me so hard looking like that?!”

“You should’ve dodged.”

“What?! As a man, I had to take it head-on! I can’t dodge!”

“Oh? Want me to hit you again?”

“Cough! Actually, real men should also know when to dodge!”

Ged had complained about the last hit in the basement, but backed off quickly.

“Everyone, return to your cells!” the guards shouted.

As they were walking back, they saw a group of people gathered not far away.

Some lower-class prisoners rushed over and started talking to them.

The guards looked annoyed.

But when a few from the group smiled awkwardly and handed over something, the guards walked away.

Mint realized what was going on.

‘Ah, it’s that time already. The **scouting season**.’

In this remote prison called Niflheim, there were gangs called “families” — or “fams” for short.

Simply put: factions.

‘Groups that hang out together — sometimes for hobbies, sometimes for bullying.’

From the 30th floor onward, 1st-class low-level prisoners become eligible to rise to mid-level.

Mid-level prisoners are considered useful inside the tower.

So, fams made of mid- and high-level prisoners send out scouts starting from floor 30.

They try to recruit promising prisoners.

‘Of course, it’s not normal recruitment.’

If they pick someone, they’ll force them to join — no matter what.

Guards? They don’t care.

They’ll ignore fights, even killings, between prisoners. It’s not their business.

Sometimes, they even torture or kill prisoners who refuse to join.

‘I told them not to do that…’

But now that Mint was no longer boss, the old ways had returned.

There was a wild, dangerous energy coming from those groups.

Recruitment can happen even on lower floors, but those are usually weak or shady fams.

Real scouting starts on this floor.

When Mint looked around, she saw Ged and the others already being questioned by one of the groups.