Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Great Escape (2)
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"Unless they're monkey spawn, they should've gotten the message."
Bran muttered to himself.
Even thinking it over again, it had been a solid broadcast. With the resonance stone at maximum activation, the evacuation alert must have echoed throughout the fortress. If they couldn't escape after all that, it was just fate.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
The Underground Farm was shaking like it was about to explode any second.
The central control room had collapsed the moment Bran slipped out. The bridges connecting the slaves' quarters to the cultivation zones, the drug production facilities—everything was crumbling under the strain of Harmeno's growth.
"Yeah. Break it all down."
Bran grinned.
It was only a matter of time before the entire Underground Farm caved in. Harmeno had absorbed every last nutrient stolen by the Dementia Serpent and was going completely berserk. Excited voices erupted one after another around him.
"This is our chance from the heavens! Escape no matter what!"
"Waaaaah! Let's get out!"
"Kill anyone who gets in our way!"
Bran was charging across the Underground Farm alongside the slaves.
It felt like a cattle drive festival. A cattle drive where the ratio of people to cows was reversed. Over a hundred furious slaves were sprinting forward with roars of fury. Bran cupped his hand to his mouth and shouted.
"Mog! Do it right!"
"Uwooo! Just leave it to me!"
The man leading the charge thrust his fist high into the air.
It was Mog, Bran's fellow slave from orientation. More agile than anyone, he'd responded to Bran's call first and naturally ended up leading the Underground Farm slaves. For a guy who'd been washing underwear moments ago to become the vanguard of the escape party—what a meteoric rise.
"Y-you're alive, Mog. Thank go... urk!"
Kael, who'd been sighing in relief, suddenly dry-heaved.
Every step Bran took felt like it was rattling his brain. He was still slung over Bran's shoulder like a sack of rice. No matter how much he begged to run on his own feet, Bran wouldn't put him down.
"Huff, how the hell did they get here?!"
"R-rebellion! We need to suppress..."
"Suppress my ass! If you don't wanna die, run!"
The bandits fleeing in the same direction stared in shock.
They'd even ditched their weapons as they bolted at full speed. Friction with the Crow Bandits was surprisingly minimal. They were fugitives too, after all. In a situation where everyone was about to die, master-servant bonds meant nothing.
"You bastards! I'll make you just like my little brother!"
"Grab their limbs! If we're going down, let's get some payback!"
"N-no, don't do thiiiis!"
Of course, minor acts of revenge were playing out.
Slaves who'd grabbed a bandit were holding his arms and legs while stabbing him with spears. Pukwak!
The spear that wormed into his ass finally burst out through his mouth.
"Ugh. That looks painful."
Bran winced.
Karma's a scary thing. They probably never imagined the same happening to them when they were dealing with escaping slaves. After running for another ten minutes or so, the path split into two.
Left led to Black Stone Fortress; right connected to the outside.
"Right, Mog! Follow the tunnel straight ahead!"
"Got it! Just head out?"
"Yeah! It's the bandits' path, so it should be intact!"
There was only one route to the outside without using elevators.
They hadn't even gotten everyone out yet, so no way they'd sabotaged it. Bran shouted again.
"But don't stop for anything until you're in the forest! I told you clearly!"
Bran emphasized "forest."
It was crucial—something they absolutely couldn't forget. Mog's reply came back.
"Got it etched in my mind! I'll never forget this debt, Bran!"
"We're out! Out! Out!"
"Pride of the pecking crew! Hope we meet again somewhere!"
The muscleheads he'd briefly worked with expressed their gratitude as they passed. The slave horde soon vanished into the tunnel's distant darkness.
If they were lucky, maybe they'd cross paths someday.
"Alright... then..."
Confirming the slaves had gone, Bran started moving. Toward the right path.
A single iron ladder stretched up a narrow vertical shaft. So rusted it was hard to believe it had ever been red. Kael cautiously spoke up.
"B-Bran? Aren't we escaping?"
"Still got business to handle. Gotta hit the fortress."
"What?! What if we get caught or buried?"
"Tough luck."
With that, Bran rummaged in his pocket.
A pocket watch emerged. Something he'd taken from Delgato's corpse. Fifteen minutes since Harmeno started its rapid growth. Still some time left.
"Good. This'll do."
"Ugyaaaak!"
Bran immediately started climbing the ladder. Kael's scream echoed. It wasn't climbing—it was surging upward. With Kael on his back, Bran ascended five rungs at a time. Thud! Thud! Thud!
The rickety ladder creaked like it might rip free with every step.
"Save me! I'll be good from now on!"
"You've already been plenty good, Kael."
Sorry, but he couldn't stop for Kael. What they really needed to worry about wasn't collapse.
It didn't take long to reach Black Stone Fortress.
Bran, prowling through the interior, stopped before an iron door.
"Found it."
With those words, he shoulder-checked the door. Kwang!
The panel ripped free and crashed to the opposite side. Kael recoiled in terror.
"Eek!"
"Solid performance."
A satisfied smile tugged at Bran's lips. The impact surface was completely caved in. At this point, he didn't even need to activate Power of the Great Tree. The weight felt different, somehow. His strength had skyrocketed after slaying the Dementia Serpent and Delgato, exceeding expectations.
"W-where is this?"
"Black Stone Fortress's treasure vault."
More precisely, Spera's private safe.
Built in the most secretive spot, but to Bran, who knew the fortress layout inside out, security was meaningless. Kael finally peered inside the vault and gaped in awe.
"Whoaaaa..."
The cramped chamber overflowed with gold and jewels.
True to crow form, it was packed with shiny trinkets. A comic-book reward for all their hardship. Bran said,
"Grab what you can and bounce. Focus on small-volume gems."
"Uh, yeah!"
"Snag those particularly shiny gold coins too. Empire mint—way more valuable."
Kael pulled out the sack he'd prepared. Tiny, wouldn't fit a watermelon, but better than stuffing pants pockets. The two looted the vault like bank robbers.
Ching ching ching!
The cheerful scrape of scooping coins filled the air. Kael grabbed obviously pricey loot; Bran prioritized useful items. Then, Bran's gaze locked on something while scanning around.
"Aha. There you are."
He'd thought someone might've taken it.
A fist-sized orb sat in a glass case. Its glossy surface was engraved with "Disposal." Bran pocketed the orb directly, skipping the sack. Kael tilted his head.
"What's that?"
"Finale prop. Supposed to be gone, but Spera stashed it."
"Finale...? Prop?"
"You'll see soon. Pretty much got everything?"
"Yeah!"
Kael hefted his bulging sack. Plenty to get by once outside. Having swept the vault clean, they exited. A few stairs up and down led to a hallway lined with windows. Dim light rays slanted in.
Crash!
Bran smashed a window without hesitation and brushed back his hair.
"People really need sunlight to live right."
He couldn't help but laugh.
Fresh outdoor air after so long. The dawn breeze filling his lungs was invigorating. The brightening eastern sky illuminated Bran's face. An indescribable sense of liberation. He wanted to flop down for a nap right there, but conditions didn't allow. An angry voice boomed from below.
"Back off, you slave scum! One more step and you're dead!"
Bran looked down. Bandits and slaves were in standoff.
"P-please move! We'll all die if we stay like this anyway!"
"You punk!"
The bald Supervisor pulled his crossbow trigger.
Thuk!
The bolt sliced through the air and embedded in the shouting man's shoulder.
"Aaaagh! M-my arm!"
"Eek...!"
The man rolled on the ground. Nearby slaves flinched back. Dozens of surface-duty slaves faced the fortress gate, locked in confrontation with the bandits. Emboldened by the Supervisor, the bandits raised crossbows.
"The Crow Bandits won't fall! Hold until the boss returns!"
"Don't let them approach or flee! Shoot if they leave sight!"
The surface situation was unfolding differently from the Underground Farm.
Spera was absent, but bandits led by a few executives were controlling the slaves. Impressive, in a way. Shouting that crap with the fortress about to crumble.
"I-it's all over..."
"We're dead anyway—might as well charge!"
"Easy for you to say! Quit yapping and you do it first!"
The slaves milled about in panic, stamping their feet. More resident bandits than underground, and they'd failed to grab weapons in the initial chaos.
"Tch. Buncha idiots."
Bran spat.
Even scared, a group charge would've worked. Pathetic, but some faces stuck out too much to ignore.
"Sob... M-Mommy."
"Are we gonna die now?"
Kids too young to know beer's taste trembled at the group's center. Some were even Kael's friends he'd beaten up. He didn't want to watch kids die. Suddenly, Bran sucked his index finger and thrust it up.
Whish!
Wind blew from the west.
"Perfect."
Bran muttered. Spera was nowhere in sight, timely. No harm grandly exiting through the main gate anyway.
"Let's go, Kael."
"Eh? Wait..."
Before Kael could react, Bran scooped his waist and leaped from the window.
Over four stories, but who cared. Thud!
Dust billowed as Bran landed and immediately dashed forward.
"W-what the hell is that guy?!"
"He's charging us?!"
The bandits spotting Bran and Kael panicked. The Supervisor's eyes bulged.
"You...!"
"Long time no see, buddy."
Bran flashed a toothy grin as their eyes met. Unforgettable foes. Veins bulged on the Supervisor's shiny scalp.
"You bastard!"
He aimed his crossbow. Other bandits followed. About fifty paces away. Kael's face drained white—dozens of targets in an instant. One hit and escape was over. But Bran stayed calm, pulling the orb from Spera's vault and hurling it.
"Job application gift!"
Then he dropped prone.
The orb arced low into the bandit cluster. Boom!
Milky white clouds bloomed, engulfing them.
"W-what is this?!"
"Damn, my eyes...!"
The bandits recoiled in horror. The cloud spread with the wind. Effects hit fast.
"Kuh, kuhehe! Huh? Hahaha!"
"Ahaha... n-no! No way...! Uhahaha! Ooheehee!"
Laughter erupted from the bandits. Starting low, it grew louder and wilder as the gas spread. Soon, they dropped weapons and rolled on the ground.
"S-stop laughing...!"
"S-someone, haha! Help!"
Discarded due to imbalance, but top-tier performance per the lore. A bomb made from the Underground Farm's most toxic crops! Inhaling caused uncontrollable laughter, paralysis, and respiratory distress.
"Feel the worker's suffering now?"
He recalled his first day in the Underground Farm. A guy complaining of those exact symptoms got beaten to death by the Supervisor.
Confirming the bandits neutralized, Bran turned back and bellowed.
"What're you idiots waiting for?! Get out now!"
His booming voice carried to everyone in the fortress. Slaves watching him gasped. Hope flickered in their fear-stricken eyes.
"Run! Run!"
"Cover your nose and mouth with cloth!"
The slaves finally snapped to and charged. With wind from the west, veering east dodged the cloud.
"St-stop... kuhaha! No more... gah!"
They trampled the writhing bandits. Crack!
The Supervisor, who'd been kicking faces, went limp. Neck snapped—head lolled lifelessly.
"Yeah. Everyone laughing together? Way better."
Bran chuckled. The wind-borne cloud turned Black Stone Fortress into a sea of laughter.
Unlike the slaves, he plunged straight through the cloud. Plant-based toxin? Might as well not exist for him. Kael, blessed by Morning's Blessing, was unaffected too.
"W-we're really getting out...!"
Kael muttered. The gate stood wide open.
Bursting through the cloud revealed a long drawbridge. Cross it, and freedom. Time was tight but holding. As he stepped onto it following the slaves...
"Darling. Where do you think you're going?"
A soft woman's voice rang from behind. Kael froze. Goosebumps raced up Bran's neck.
"Ah."
Bran turned. Spera was there. Voice sweet, but her face stone-cold. Her fluttering black cloak resembled a crow spreading wings.
"I missed you. So much."
"Not mutual."
Bran smirked cynically. Tremors faded fast. Honestly, he could take her now.
Shing!
He set Kael down and drew the longsword from the Underground Farm. Recalling Harmeno surging, his muscles swelled.
Power of the Great Tree
Strength stat doubled for duration!
No drawn-out fight. Bran swung.
Spera leaped through the cloud, thrusting twin daggers. Clang!
The clash of blades tore the air.