Chapter 288: Seventy-Fourth Floor, Prison Break (6)

[Overcome the conditions presented and escape. Time remaining: 161 hours 25 minutes.]

Should I ask, or keep it to myself?

I hesitated for a moment but decided to press slightly. After all, I had nothing to lose, and gaining even a shred of information would be worthwhile.

Still, maintaining caution was necessary. Phiri held all the power in this situation, and judging by how the others behaved around her, she was to be feared.

I chose my words carefully, doing my best not to provoke her. “

Uh

, may I ask where we’re going?”

“There’s a place,” she replied casually.

Her dismissive tone made it clear that pressing further would be futile. It would only sour the mood. There was no point lingering, so I rose from the bed, my mind working rapidly.

What could this be about?

A tinge of regret surfaced. I had anticipated that Phiri would take an interest in me. Still, I should have asked my neighbor whether guards ever took prisoners out individually, and more importantly, what came of it.

I glanced at the wall to my left. Rahepin sat somewhere behind those dark-blue stones, but he remained as quiet as a mouse.

Well, at least she decided to do this in the morning.

It hadn’t been long since breakfast. Even if my concern was valid, it was unlikely she would try anything outrageous this early in the day.

She had mentioned she was the floor’s administrator. Maybe she simply wanted to ask me a few questions since I was a new inmate who had arrived without prior notice. Perhaps she wanted answers.

Either way, I need to stay alert.

This would be my first time leaving the cell since arriving.

The corridor’s layout, the prisoners to the left of my cell, potential routes forward, keys, and other guards I could encounter while following Phiri—all of them could hold clues for a future escape.

“Okay,” I replied, snapping out of my thoughts and stepping toward the bars.

Phiri gave a crooked smile. “You listen well. Didn’t even ask again.”

That was strange. I had definitely hesitated a moment ago, but maybe she was just pleased with my compliance.

Regardless, it wasn’t a particularly flattering remark. In a different situation, my pride could have taken a hit, but honestly, I had experienced worse. Given the circumstances, it didn’t bother me much. Treating it like I was in the military helped, oddly enough.

I chuckled awkwardly. “

Haha.

”

Phiri retrieved a key from the ring at her waist and unlocked the door.

Clack—

I noted immediately that the key to my solitary cell was on her belt.

Though, realistically, that information was of little use. I would need to be outside the cell to take it, and once I was out, the key wouldn’t be necessary.

Still, something to remember. It could be linked to the cuffs somehow.

“Come on out.”

“Yes.”

She reattached the keys to her belt, and I stepped into the corridor.

“Follow me,” she commanded before turning and walking ahead.

“Okay.”

Two steps later, I passed the bars of the adjacent cell. Honestly, I was curious. I had spoken to the prisoner inside but had never seen his face.

What does he look like?

Through the narrow bars, I caught Rahepin’s gaze. He was a red-skinned non-human—nothing particularly handsome, even accounting for his species.

As he waved, his face twisted into a scowl. “Damn it. He really is good-looking.”

Phiri snickered ahead of me. Hearing something like that said to my face was oddly flattering, though it made my cheeks flush.

I exchanged a brief glance with Rahepin before continuing to walk forward. Plotting, I kept my gaze angled slightly to the left.

I needed to size up the other inmates, too.

What kind of people are in here?

They were a mixed bunch, and most belonged to alien races I couldn’t identify.

Thanks to Phiri’s presence, they all sat silently on their bunks, but I could feel their gazes. Some watched with sharp appraising eyes, while others seemed indifferent. A few looked hostile.

I studied them all, trying to commit as much as I could to memory.

Of course, appearances only tell you so much.

Before long, we reached the end of the corridor. It branched to either side, and a staircase that headed up stood straight ahead.

Without pause, Phiri headed up the steps.

As we passed the fork, I quickly glanced left and right. Both directions led to long hallways with doors lining the right side and bars on the left. It seemed like the right side belonged to the guards, while the left held more cells.

There wasn’t enough time to examine things closely.

Just as I was about to turn my gaze forward again, Phiri calmly uttered

,

“I can hear your eyes moving.”

Shit.

Even with my limited physical abilities, I had tried to observe discreetly, thinking she wouldn’t notice.

“I apologize.”

“I get it. Curiosity is natural when you’re new, and I get that having just a week before you die probably has you feeling off-balance. But seriously, don’t overthink it. No one’s ever gotten out of this place.”

Unlike the harsh reprimand I had expected, her tone was surprisingly gentle. It sounded less like a warning and more like advice for my own sake. It was a quiet caution not to hang on to false hope.

Then she knitted her brows slightly. “Well, there may have been one ages ago. Who knows if it’s true, though? It’s probably just a myth. Still, it’s easier to accept your fate early on.”

“Yes, thank you,” I replied quickly.

No need to give her the impression I was planning anything. A little prudence would go a long way.

Still, her words stirred something in the back of my mind.

One person, long ago.

It rang a bell, and I felt like I knew who that escapee was.

Kal-Lain.

I didn’t have any evidence for that, just a strong hunch. Since encountering him on the fifty-second floor, I had seen subtle signs of his influence in other trials. Although she had called it a legend, I was convinced it was real.

Kal-Lain escaped this prison. But how? Did he use a method similar to mine?

There was no way to know.

The staircase was nearing its end. I shook my head slightly, casting the thoughts aside.

Stay focused.

Though the stairs continued, Phiri didn’t climb any further. Instead, she turned into a hallway.

So it goes further up. Maybe that is an escape route.

I shifted my gaze to the corridor ahead. Unlike the floor below, this one branched into two separate paths.

Because of her earlier comment, I didn’t move my head, only subtly shifting my eyes. It was hard to be sure, but neither direction appeared to have visible iron bars.

Guard quarters, maybe?

While pondering, I noticed something odd. Despite Phiri still walking, the sound of her heels had vanished.

Strange. Am I supposed to walk more quietly?

Maybe the area was padded, designated for staff.

I glanced her way, but her expression remained unchanged. Just in case, I softened my footsteps. She moved forward in silence, not sparing me so much as a glance—which, honestly, was a relief.

I took in the hallway as we moved.

If only I could read the plaques.

All of the doors were shut, and the text above them was in a language I didn’t recognize. That annoyed me more than I had expected.

We neared another fork, making it clear that the layout differed from the lower floor. Phiri suddenly stopped at the end of the hallway.

What now? There isn’t a door in front of us.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her brow tighten as she tilted her head, listening intently.

In the stillness that followed, I realized that she was eavesdropping. She could hear something I couldn’t, likely due to my suppressed physical state.

The debuff really shows in moments like this.

I channeled a trickle of mana toward my hearing in case that helped.

Two guards were speaking.

“Did you hear that? She went to the Warden’s office again yesterday.”

“Yeah. You think she’s okay? What if he tried something again? Poor thing.”

“Who knows?”

“What do you mean, ‘who knows?’”

“I mean, maybe she’s not exactly innocent. Didn’t she join after Lothan but get promoted before her?”

“Hey! Don’t say stuff like that.”

“

Oh

, come on. Isn’t it obvious? She’s a demon. Probably seduced the new warden. Bet she’s enjoying it.”

Asshole.

Even with barely any history between us, the venom in their words made my stomach churn.

I glanced at Phiri. Her eyes were sharp enough to cut glass, and a glacial tension radiated from her. I saw more than just fury in her expression, as there was pain, deep and raw.

Her gaze lifted toward the ceiling. Her anger wasn’t grounded, but was reaching upward.

At that moment, it clicked. They had it backward. Phiri hadn’t seduced the warden for a promotion—the warden had promoted her so that he could get closer to her.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

Is this the intended strategy for clearing the trial?

Maybe I could take Phiri’s side, have her remove the cuffs, bring justice to the warden, then escape. It wasn’t out of character for the tower as the trials tended to lean toward delivering karmic justice.

Would eating those mana utensils count as a hidden mission, then?

This felt different from the usual hidden mission. I wasn’t certain whether it was actually different or whether the cuffs were to blame, but I couldn’t sense any rise in my stats.

A hidden path only accessible to the good-looking?

Crack—

The sound of her grinding teeth was startlingly loud. I had never heard that sound so clearly before.

Phiri stepped forward forcefully.

Click, click.

This time, her high heels echoed loudly in the silence. The murmuring inside the room fell into silence. Phiri abruptly threw open a door along the left wall.

Bewildered voices floated out.

“

Huh?

”

“Miss Phiri?”

From the way they scrambled, it was obvious that Phiri outranked them. I wasn’t sure who had sided with Phiri, but there was no chance that the loudmouthed bastard would slip away unscathed.

Silently, I rooted for her.

Wordlessly, Phiri stepped into the room and slammed the door shut behind her. The moment it closed, all sound from within was cut off. She had probably sealed it with magic.

I focused, continuing to channel a faint trickle of mana into my sense. Thuds and dull impacts echoed from inside.

I made a mental note of her connection to the warden.

Maybe I won’t have to wait the full five days after all.

If I played it right, I could even get the chance to bring that twisted pervert to justice along the way.

While she handled her business, I waited quietly in the hall and took in every detail around me. By the time I had thoroughly memorized the path we had taken, the door creaked open, and Phiri stepped out.

Her expression was taut with anger.

“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath.

Then she shifted her gaze to me. In an instant, her demeanor transformed. She was surprisingly adept at managing her emotions.

In a voice as casual as ever, she addressed me with a light smile, “My, Su-Hyeok, did I keep you waiting? Just had to deal with a couple of idiots talking shit.”

Of course, she didn’t realize I had overheard everything. The idea that I was still capable of using mana probably hadn’t crossed her mind.

That is a relief.

If she had known I had been listening, things would have turned awkward fast.

She tacked on another comment, “There’s always someone green with envy, isn’t there?”

Moments like this called for a bit of flattery. Besides, I genuinely found myself feeling a bit of sympathy for her.

“That’s true. People hate those who shine brighter than they do. They’re just jealous of you, Phiri. It’s because you’re stunning.”

“

Oh?

So you do have an eye for beauty after all.”

She matched her comment with a deliberately dramatic reaction. It was clearly over-the-top, but her mood seemed to lift nonetheless.

Smirking, she resumed her stride.

Roughly twenty meters down the corridor, she stopped and threw open a door. There was a nameplate mounted above it, but I couldn’t make out the writing.

What kind of room is this?

Still gripping the handle, she tipped her chin toward the doorway. “Well? What are you waiting for?”