Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Prisoners
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"Hurry it up."
"Try anything funny and you're dead."
We were captured along with around a hundred people and made to sit in front of the city gates. The number of prisoners gradually swelled bit by bit.
Shin Seo-yeon, scanning the soldiers' faces amid the crowd, murmured softly.
"They look human, but there's something subtly off about them."
"Yeah. Their ears are a little pointy. Maybe elves or something?"
No. Elves look like actual elves. Every one of them is a beauty sculpted by the gods. And they're total assholes. Compared to those nature-loving savages, these guys are proper civilized folk.
Of course, that doesn't mean they're free of barbarism.
In any case, the humans in the Selection Process all look similar to us but with very subtle differences in appearance.
"How much?"
We turned toward the voice. Beyond the line of players' heads on skewers, soldiers were haggling with peddlers.
"We'll give you 510 gold total."
"Ah, come on, don't be so stingy. Throw in a bit more."
"That's plenty! We even added 3 gold extra!"
"Oh, really? Well, in that case, thanks a bunch. Heh heh heh."
Their lifestyles and desires aren't much different from ours. They work to earn money and fight over greed.
The peddler laughed as he took the gear from the soldiers. For the record, that gear was looted from us players.
"But don't these ones look kinda pretty?"
Some of them glanced our way and jerked their chins.
"What, you wanna mate with beasts or something?"
"Nah, I'm just sayin'. And I've heard the higher-ups do it sometimes?"
"Ah, those fancy folks. They've indulged so much that regular sex doesn't give them pleasure anymore. Anyway, I gotta run a couple more rounds then head back for a break."
"Already? Come on, do a few more. We can grab a drink after."
They possess desires and appearances eerily similar to ours, yet to them, we're nothing but beasts.
Just as we don't get aroused looking at monkeys, the way they gazed at us was much the same.
That's why they slaughter and kill us without mercy from the start.
"Dickhead, what's the plan now?"
"Stick to the plan. Let's assign those bonus stats first."
Nod.
The party members began allocating the 10 extra stats gained from leveling up. Judging by the +5 to my Intelligence in my status window, our Crimson Flame Witch was going all-in on Intelligence again today.
'I'll stick to my original plan and dump everything into Strength.'
👤 Name:Kang Min-jun
⭐ Level:3
Even though I'd been going all-in on Strength, the +100 Stamina from [Dusk Veil] was huge, so Stamina still outpaced Strength.
But it wasn't a bad thing.
Going pure Strength is great, but without Stamina to back it up, it strains the body. You can even cause your own body to collapse by overexerting Strength.
So having solid Stamina support meant a stronger foundation for ramping up Strength later—a positive for sure.
In fact, many pure-Strength builds scrambled to grab Stamina-boosting gear just to balance it out.
"Alright, you lot, rest's over. Time to round up more foreigners."
"Yeah, let's go make some coin."
The mustached middle-aged man who'd added us to the group led the soldiers back along the coast and vanished.
They'd already repeated this several times: capturing players, turning them into prisoners, looting their gear, and selling it.
And each time, the prisoner count grew, but curiously, the guards stayed at just 12.
Maybe that's why?
"Hey, listen up. How about we all escape during this opening?"
A furtive whisper spread through the group. The prisoners, now swelled to 163, turned their ears toward one man.
A 40-something middle-aged guy with decent charisma—who knew what he'd done back on Earth—flashed yellowed teeth as he spun a convincing tale.
"Their numbers are less than a tenth of ours right now. If we band together, we can break through this crisis."
"Hmm."
"Sounds good, but..."
It was the kind of idea everyone had probably considered, so hearts stirred. Of course, there was opposition.
"Each one's no pushover. How do we take them?"
"Don't get cocky. Better to stay put. I've seen how strong they are. They're beasts in human skin."
The middle-aged man looked at them pitifully.
"Idiots. So we just let them drag us off? Do whatever these guys who treat us like animals want? I saw it too—they kill escapees without hesitation and gut them. But doesn't it feel off? Guys who don't care if we live or die, keeping us alive and hauling us along. Suspicious, right?"
"Ugh. Yeah..."
He had a point. These were folks who killed humans without qualms. No way their reason for sparing us was benevolent.
Those aware the Trials area was called [Island of Sacrifices] were quickly convinced and asked,
"But where do we run? The city's gates are heavily guarded."
As if on cue, the prisoners glanced beyond the gates. Dozens of guards stood watch, the city visible beyond.
Even from the partial view, everyone could tell it was massive. Hiding there might evade these merciless soldiers.
"Idiot. How do we get in without weapons?"
"So what's your plan?"
"First, bolt to that palm grove over there and shake off pursuers. Then gather more people, build numbers, and hunt them instead. They only pick on us when we're outnumbered."
Ooh... People nodded, finding it plausible. After all, how many from Earth had come here?
Gathering just 10-20 thousand would make short work of these soldiers. Maybe even siege and take the city.
"I'll give the signal, so get ready."
Nod.
The prisoners busied themselves preparing to escape. My party asked me amid the stealthy bustle.
"This isn't going as planned. What now?"
"Dickhead, should we join in?"
Shin Seo-yeon fidgeted with her bound wrists—annoyed by the ropes—and her eyes gleamed. I shook my head.
"Everyone, stay calm and don't do anything rash."
"You think the escape will fail?"
"No. It'll probably succeed, somehow."
But they didn't know. How dangerous it was outside the city.
Think about it logically.
The castle is huge and foreboding, foot soldiers overwhelmingly powerful. They slaughter and loot incoming players, yet oddly, few corpses litter the coast.
They'd been at this for days.
I'd be suspicious.
But eyes blinded by immediate freedom, the people went for it anyway.
"Die!"
"Gahk."
Players secretly using skills to loosen ropes charged the guards en masse.
"Wh-what?!"
"These bastards must wanna di—guhk..."
Over a hundred ambushing them—even elite guards couldn't handle 12 against that many.
"You fucking prick beat me good earlier?! Die! Die die die!!"
"Come on, show off again! I dare ya!"
"Kweeehk."
Plus, [Human Hunters] were among the captives, so soldiers crumpled into meat piles without much resistance.
"They're fighting back!"
"Grab them!"
But city gate guards drew weapons and charged, snapping players back—they looted the peddlers haphazardly and bolted for the woods.
"Run!"
"This way!"
120 players stampeded into the forest.
"No mercy for the fleeing ones!"
Over 200 soldiers from the gates hurled spears at the runners.
Thud!
"Keurk."
Many players, charging like African buffalo herds, were impaled and tumbled.
The merciless slaughter screamed "leave none alive."
But once they hit the woods, pursuit stopped.
"...Something's in the forest."
"I saw unease flicker in the soldiers' eyes for a moment."
"We shouldn't go into those woods..."
Those like us, who stayed calm and observed, eyes darkening, swallowed dryly as realization dawned.
No paradise even in the freedom they sought.
Soldiers approached with blood-dripping blades and tossed a casual remark as they passed.
"Wise beasts."
"......"
It perfectly summed up our plight.
"Let's clean up. You lot, report to the gates."
Soldiers dumped bodies by the water.
Prisoners dropped from 160 to 40 in moments, but quickly refilled as they kept capturing players.
Escape attempts continued, numbers waxing and waning.
Guards died half the time too, but their numbers never dropped—replenished from the city.
'More troops in the city than I thought.'
Noting that, Shin Seo-yeon panted beside me.
"So how long are we stuck here?"
She grumbled, exhausted from hours under the blazing sun on the beach, unable to drink.
"Time to move."
"Huh? How do you know?"
I pointed west. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting red glows.
"Even they have to clock out sometime."
Sure enough, as dusk fell, soldiers bustled, prodding prisoners.
"On your feet, you lot!"
"Hurry and follow!"
Carts loaded with looted gear entered first, followed by 200 prisoners in two columns.
We slotted into the middle, trudging after, heads raised.
'Still impressive.'
The walls, 30 stories high like apartment blocks, were sheer cliffs. Close the gate we're passing, and entry's near impossible.
Captured prisoner was the right call for city access.
'And it's better than expected.'
I shifted gaze ahead.
"Whoa."
"Incredible."
Passing the towering gate revealed an endless white city.
Cute buildings of pure white walls and blue roofs.
Thousands on gentle hillside slopes clustered beautifully, pastel tones evoking Santorini in Greece.
A picturesque scene fitting the emerald coast.
"I wasn't expecting much since it's so brutal, but it's a real place people live."
"Yeah, amazing."
Most shared Saintess and Isera's sentiment. Not the kind of place to skewer heads on pikes for display.
"Peace and beauty are often built on blood and sweat. The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows. This place is too clean and peaceful."
Han So-hee frowned suspiciously, but most gawked like tourists, forgetting their plight briefly.
[You have entered the ancient city <Haran>.]
"Dickhead, quest still hasn't triggered."
"Conditions aren't met yet."
I recalled this Trials area.
Just then, sculptures evoking this trial appeared along the streets.
"Lots of cow-shaped ones."
"Yeah, no other animals."
Spaced like streetlamps, they resembled idols with candles at their bases.
'...This trial's motif is Crete Island.'
Motif? Close enough—it fit best.
Crete evokes Minos, and Minos brings Minotaur and labyrinth.
'This place has a labyrinth and bull monster too.'
To cut to the chase: raid boss.
1st round survivors called it intentionally unbeatable.
'Main reason: all weapons confiscated.'
No weapons? Even regular mobs are tough here—facing a raid mob unarmed?
Not meant to be beaten.
Plus, huge size, intelligent, heals instantly by eating people.
—But the real issue isn't the monster. The labyrinth is pitch black. Endless forks, so vast we wandered four days...
—...Groping through cold darkness, hearing occasional screams for help. When air warmed, we knew: it's here.
Players here get grabbed at start, dragged to a mountain, tossed into a deep pit.
Only way to next Rest Area: find the exit somewhere in the labyrinth.
In short: hide-and-seek.
In total darkness, against a 30-meter man-eating bull monster.
...That's the standard route. I'm taking a different path—an open-world playstyle.
"Dickhead, so when do we move?"
Shin Seo-yeon, who'd burned her ropes with fire, asked. Everyone else's hands were free too.
In simple terms, we had no intention of entering that labyrinth as-is.