First Stage Clear

After all, you have to survive first. A month had passed since I'd started buttering up the guards, Manis included. I was receiving all sorts of special treatment, basking in their favor. Back when I was just a model prisoner, the only perk was getting beaten less. Now it was on another level entirely.

"Seokhyun, we've got a heavy workload today, so just come over and give us a massage instead."

"Yes, sir!"

I'd even reached the point where I could skip work entirely. Guess I won't be getting my nails ripped off anymore.

The guards had grown close enough to call me by name. These days I spent my labor hours cracking jokes with them instead of actually working. Naturally, this earned me some icy glares from the other orphans, but I ignored them completely.

You have to survive first, you idiots. Did they really think just grinding away at forced labor every single day would somehow change their situation? You had to create some kind of change if you wanted even a sliver of hope.

The kids were all too young to see beyond what was right in front of them. I could understand it—my body was still that of a child, but my mind was an adult's. Honestly, I probably look pretty disgusting right now.

The reason they rounded up orphan children to mine magic stones was simple: it was work only children could do. The magic stones that grew in cleared dungeons were tiny and hard to spot. Most of them sprouted in narrow crevices or required digging. Handing the job to kids made everything easier.

They're orphans, so labor costs are dirt cheap, and if they die, no one cares. No need to worry about workers' comp either. If you were willing to throw away your humanity and morals, there was no sweeter racket than the Ant Cave. All you had to do was crack the whip whenever you got bored, and money just multiplied. Why wouldn't they take advantage of it?

"Whew, looks like my efforts are finally paying off. Manis, sir, your shoulder muscles are loosening up a bit."

"Right? Haha, this little bastard sure knows how to talk."

"Um… about that request I made last time…"

"Ah, that? Sure, why not. Go take a look around. Or should we go together once we're done here?"

"I'd be incredibly grateful if you could come with me!"

This guy's the easiest to butter up.

First stage clear.

Manis was a simple man with a strong need for recognition. The story went that when that need wasn't met, he took it out on the orphans with violence. I didn't care about the details. What mattered was that I'd been licking his boots to get exactly this.

"Alright then, let's head to the guard room once we're done! You said you respect us so much you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠want to clean the place, so why not?"

"I'll make sure it sparkles!"

"Yeah, yeah, haha! I really like this kid."

"Thank you!"

I was finally getting into the guard room. The Ant Cave wasn't the kind of place you could memorize by walking the paths. Every time you started a new game, the layout changed, so prior knowledge was useless. That meant I absolutely had to steal the map kept in the guard room.

Ideally, I'd have done this while my body was still in decent shape.

The hands massaging Manis's shoulders looked completely different from a month ago. For the past month, after finishing work, I'd been rubbing the guards' shoulders or washing their feet. Hands that had been scrubbing while fingernails were torn off were no different from a monster's.

If they'd just given us tools for mining magic stones, our efficiency would be way higher.

The only tool the children were given was a basket to hold the stones. Since everything had to be done with bare hands, not a single kid had an intact body.

"Hmm. Maybe it's because you've been massaging my shoulders all this time, but my body feels great today. Let's stop here."

"Are you sure that's alright?"

"Yeah, kid. Your hands are already messed up. If you push too hard, you won't last long."

Now you're worried about that, you bastard. I was so grateful I could cry.

"Thank you for your concern!"

Still, there was nothing I could do about it. Without power, I had to keep my head down for now.

"Alright, shall we go take a look at the guard room?"

"Yes!"

With those words, Manis stood up and strode ahead. I hurried after him, doing my best to match his pace.

"This is where we guards live."

The guard room we reached under Manis's guidance wasn't particularly impressive. How luxurious could quarters be for people who lived off the magic stones mined by children underground? Still, the individual leather beds and the well-stocked cabinets looked nice enough.

The map… isn't out in the open, at least.

The Ant Cave maps issued to each guard were nowhere to be seen. If this were a game, a message like this would have popped up.

"Wow… it's so cool in here."

While responding to Manis, I walked inside with an expression of pure awe, like a child seeing a bed for the first time. I didn't actually touch anything, though. I doubted anyone would appreciate monster-like, swollen hands on their bed. In fact, Manis kept staring at my hands.

Curious where those hands might touch?

Skin peeled raw, swollen, and festering. Normally I wouldn't have touched the bed either, but I was feeling spiteful. I glanced up to check Manis's position, then dashed straight to his bed and placed my hands on it.

"It's so soft…"

"…! Uh… yeah, but let's get your hands off it for now."

"Hic… I'm sorry."

Aside from how grotesque they looked, my hands were actually quite clean. But human feelings didn't work that way. Even a spotless cockroach would be disgusting if it crawled onto your bed. It was the same principle.

"I'm fine, but don't touch the other guards' beds if you can help it."

"Then should I skip cleaning the beds?"

"That'd be best… Hmm, before you start cleaning, how about we get you cleaned up first?"

His face, which I hadn't been able to see clearly in the dark, finally registered. Hair that had never been washed, skin covered in dust, clothes reduced to rags. In the darkness, he'd been happy enough to receive a massage, but under the bright lights of the quarters, the impression had clearly shifted.

I'm basically the skull water from Wonhyo, aren't I?

Still, the important thing was that I'd get to take a shower. I hadn't even expected this much—it was a bonus if it worked out.

"That's the shower room. Wash up, wrap your hands ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in bandages, then clean. I'll head out first."

"Yes, sir!"

"Ah, right. I'll let the others know, but some guards will be coming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by later. Make sure you talk to them properly."

"Understood!"

After giving me a few more instructions, Manis left the quarters. Following his advice, I headed straight into the shower room and turned on the water.

It's been a month since I last washed, and the dirt's just pouring off.

As expected, there were no showers where the children stayed. If one died, they could just replace them with another orphan, so providing food was the extent of their "welfare." That was why there was no separate rest time in the schedule I'd mentioned before.

"Aah… this feels good…"

Even the guard quarters had warm water. So this was how they lived while we suffered.

"Kuh…"

The warm water felt nice running down my head and chest, but the moment it hit my hands, an unbearable pain shot through them. Hot water seeped into burst blisters, but I had to endure it. I needed to wash off as much dirt as possible here, then disinfect my hands while searching the guard quarters.

Argh…

Biting down hard on my lower lip, I deliberately popped the festering spots and peeled away the loose skin. No matter how friendly the guards had become, they still saw me as a useful consumable. Nothing more.

If things go according to the game, I'll have plenty of leeway.

As long as I wasn't caught stealing, the quest wouldn't care what else I did. There were no psychos here who would beat someone to death just for taking a shower when told to. Well, there was one, but he was on duty right now, so the chance of running into him was close to zero.

"Whew, that feels refreshing."

After washing my hair five times and my body three times, I finally looked human again. I even washed my filthy clothes and dried them with the magic dryer provided. It felt great.

"Alright, time to start cleaning."

Before that, I searched the quarters, found a first-aid kit, disinfected my hands, and wrapped them in bandages. I also grabbed some extra bandages—just in case anyone asked, I could say it was for cleaning.

Let's do this.

It was time to begin the real search for the map.