I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1

Prologue

Chirp chirp. It was a morning filled with birdsong.

When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.

A wooden ceiling, cold stone walls.

For a while, I was busy trying to figure out the situation.

‘What the hell is this.’

But even after several minutes passed, I still couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Eventually, confusion clouded my face.

Even though I had been constantly told since childhood that I was unusually calm.

This was still a space that made me feel flustered.

Murmur murmur.

“Silence.”

In front of me was a large platform, and three people sat on the steps above.

On both sides, people filled what looked like gallery seats, as if spectators had been brought in.

Right, this was like a ‘trial’… Wait, a trial?

That was the moment.

“I will now pronounce the verdict.”

My head was spinning.

So I couldn’t hear the White-haired Elder’s words for a moment, and all I could catch were fragments here and there.

“…Therefore, death would be appropriate, but considering the defendant’s remarkably young age as a minor…”

Bang bang bang.

Three hammer strikes echoed.

“Sentenced to life imprisonment.”

…Huh?

Only then did I realize.

The fact that my body was tightly bound.

And that the clothes I was wearing looked like a ‘Prison Uniform.’

What the hell, what is this.

One day I woke up and found myself a prisoner.

What crime did I even commit?!

* * *

Clank clank.

“He’s gone crazy. Completely crazy.”

“Or maybe he’s possessed by a demon.”

This carriage I’m riding in now was apparently made by mixing in a Special Stone.

The windows were said to be made of solid iron.

It was supposedly designed so that vicious criminals could never escape during transport.

“How else could someone kill dozens of people?”

My eyes were covered, so I couldn’t see the exact appearance.

Something about preventing me from seeing the door?

But the knights and guards escorting me were quite chatty.

Thanks to that, I was able to learn quite a lot.

“A demon is most likely.”

My current identity. Or more precisely, this body I’ve possessed is the Empire’s youngest serial killer.

A terrible criminal who was merely a twelve-year-old girl.

Up to this point, there’s no problem.

First of all, I’m not that murderer.

The serial killings that shocked the entire Empire weren’t committed by this girl—she was framed.

Thanks to that, it was convenient knowing which book’s world this was.

‘Damn, is loving novels also a crime?’

My friend who loved idols used to say that.

One of the peaks of fangirling is meeting your bias in person.

But for a web novel otaku like me, meeting my bias means?

There’s only the path of ‘possession.’

Of course, if given the choice, most people would decline.

‘And I ended up in a 19+ rated dark novel at that…’

Having perverted tastes was apparently a mortal sin.

‘If I go back, I’ll delete the app. Absolutely.’

However, in the current situation, this resolution is just an empty cry.

Right now, I had just received my sentence and was being transported to prison.

‘Niflheim.’

The name of the prison I’m going to.

In this world’s language, it means frost hell.

Probably taken from Norse mythology, it was located at the far ends of the earth, true to its name.

Though on the Continent, it was called the land of the forgotten.

In reality, it was a place no different from an ‘island’ that no one could enter due to some kind of mechanism.

To be precise, it could only be entered through a single path.

“Huh, they said she was young… but she just looks ordinary. Looks weak and scrawny too? Tsk, she’d die if you poked her.”

“Be careful there.”

After traveling for a very long time, we arrived at the problematic prison.

Though my eyes were covered, I could naturally feel the cool air of the Prison Cell.

…I lived a good life, so why was I given the punishment of possession?

“Don’t let appearances fool you—this crazy bitch killed thirty-two people.”

“Huh…”

I could tell who was clicking their tongue without even looking.

A sinister and cunning voice. And I could feel the leisure underlying it.

Probably a high-ranking manager of this Prison Cell.

And that bastard wasn’t clicking his tongue out of surprise.

“Perfect. Our Prison Cell is already full of lunatics anyway. Wild dog bastards! One more won’t make much difference. Kekeke!”

After being roughly grabbed and dragged along, I was finally thrown somewhere and could remove my blindfold.

As expected, it was a dark detention cell.

“Hey, first day is Solitary Cell. Stay there and quietly reflect on the crimes you’ve committed.”

Mocking laughter could be heard.

“Of course, repenting won’t do you any good.”

“….”

“Because starting tomorrow, it’ll be hell.”

Hearing this, I quietly nodded to myself.

‘I needed time anyway, so this works out well.’

This place is a notorious Prison.

A Prison Cell where people enter but not a single person has escaped in hundreds of years.

The male protagonist will appear in this place.

And when he appears, getting out of the Prison will be a piece of cake.

Because I know the entire original story!

I soon identified a serious issue with eerily calm and composed thinking.

‘There’s a problem!’

A very serious problem at that.

The youngest murderer and a horrific serial killer.

Because this character was impressively featured in the book, I know when this person entered the Prison.

So the infuriatingly maddening fact is….

The male protagonist, who’s crucial for escape, won’t enter this Prison Cell for another 10 years.

“Oh, my god.”

That’s right. I had possessed someone 10 years before the original story begins!

Therefore. I had to rot in this Prison Cell for a long time and survive.

‘How could having perverted tastes be such a grave sin…!’

I looked up at the dark room and the window where the only faint light was shining through.

I could slightly see the shadow of a guard.

Mocking laughter and ridicule could be heard.

I could even hear them betting on my survival.

‘Come to think of it, this pisses me off. Don’t you know minors don’t get life sentences!?’

The anger that had run away from home belatedly grabbed my rationality by the collar and shook it.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

No, damn it! Why did you make me possess someone 10 years early?

“Kekeke, look at that. Is that thing going crazy?”

“Leave it be. There were already rumors about that crazy kid. Ugh, I’ve seen all kinds of trash, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a horrible brat.”

“I’m going to die soon.”

I raged for a full two hours before finally calming down.

What choice did I have? The only way I could survive was to endure here.

The one who framed this girl in place of the ‘real culprit’, no.

The Noble House that framed her was a power I absolutely couldn’t oppose right now.

I had to survive.

Right, let’s only think about surviving!

.

.

.

And 10 years later.

I had magnificently become the boss of the prison cell.

Chapter 1. Living as the Boss of a Prison Cell

Hyla Cammon, who had been a con artist, was dragged to ‘Niflheim’, the worst prison on earth.

‘Damn, what rotten luck.’

She was exceptionally intelligent and possessed ‘Kia’ that could bewitch others.

Kia, the power that held all the mysteries of the world.

Among them, the rare Mental Type, an ability to bewitch others.

“Listen well, ‘mongrel’. I’ll only explain this once.”

The guards here called prisoners ‘mongrels’.

You’re no different from dogs.

In this sense, the guard’s voice was quite friendly.

In that he saw everyone as equal trash?

The guard threatened that this would be his first and last act of kindness.

“This place is largely divided into the central ‘Tower’, the eastern and West Main Building, and finally the Recreation Area.”

Here, the main building housing female prisoners was located in the east, and the main building housing male prisoners was located in the west.

As soon as she left the building with the Solitary Cell, a huge cavity came into view.

It was a Garden. And like a colosseum, massive walls stood in a circle.

The walls looked dizzyingly high just from looking at them. As if to say don’t even dream of escaping.

“Except for the single path to the Continent, three sides are surrounded by sea.”

Haira listened to the guard’s words with half an ear while looking at the Garden.

Though it was called a garden, only patches here and there were green, with most of the ground either yellowed and withered or bare dirt.

Iron bars stood imposingly in the center, and inside, people were huddled together playing simple card games or.

Engaging in physical fights.

“This is the recreation area where you mongrels gather together.”

Beyond the cavity, what could be seen in the center was a massive Tower. It was a size that could only be described as such.

Haira was bewildered. She hadn’t seen such a tower when viewing from a distance.

“Take a good look. Except for sleeping, you’ll be staying either here or in that tower.”

In front of the iron bars, there was a woman holding a large broom, slowly sweeping in front of the door.

She appeared to be in her twenties, and unusually, her hair was teal-colored.

To be precise, it was a pretty mint color.

Moreover, her eyes—whether red or reddish-pink mixed—displayed completely different hues.

She was such a tremendous beauty that one couldn’t help but be captivated.

Looking at her appearance that formed perfect features beyond just being delicate, it was impossible to tell whether this place was a prison or if that woman was a sculptor’s masterpiece placed in the prison.

A soul-stealing face was no different from a natural treasure.

‘Wow, that’s a face I’d want to propose a partnership to.’

With that face, she would be a beauty that appeals to both men and women alike.

Just as he was continuing that thought, a piercing scream was heard nearby.

Looking around, some emaciated man was being beaten by other men.

“The wild dogs in this place are divided into ranks. As someone who just entered, you start from the lowest rank. Depending on how you conduct yourself… your rank might rise.”

“…”

“Of course, no one knows whether you’ll remain at the lowest rank like a worm until your release date or die.”

“Aaaaah! Save me, save me, kheuk!”

“Did you hear? In this place, the lowest-rank prisoners are treated worse than dogs.”

It meant that if you wanted to be treated as human, you should raise your rank.

“How do you raise your rank?”

“That tower you see over there. Do you think it’s there for no reason?”

The guard with a sinister expression pointed at the tower with his fingertip.

“If you participate in the matches held once a week in that tower, you’ll have a chance to raise your rank.”

Haira realized once again that this place was not an ordinary prison.

It was strange to call it a prison. Well, it wouldn’t have easily earned the title of the world’s worst for nothing.

Fights were everywhere, and the hierarchy was visibly apparent.

It wasn’t divided solely by build. Similarly, one emaciated man was sitting on the back of a large man who was on all fours.

Some woman was sitting on a human palanquin, looking down dispassionately at the men prostrated before her.

A jungle. No, a lawless zone.

Haira’s mind spun rapidly.

In this new world, he would need to learn the rules befitting this place.

Haira’s eyes moved once again to the woman doing the cleaning.

“By any chance, do the tasks differ according to rank?”

“Of course.”

Haira nodded.

Then was that woman cleaning while others rested the lowest-rank prisoner?

It was just as they were getting closer to the woman doing the cleaning.

Before he knew it, the woman had raised her head and was staring intently at Haira. For some reason, the guard stopped walking.

“A newcomer?”

“Uh, huh?”

It was an incredibly pretty and gentle voice.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“I see. But… you’re stepping on the area I just cleaned.”

The broom the woman held pointed to the floor.

Haira blinked.

What was she supposed to do, apologize?

But the guard had brought her here. Coming here wasn’t Haira’s fault.

“Sorry, but I didn’t come here because I wanted to. The guard guided me here.”

“Ah, then the guard should get in trouble.”

“Huh?”

What is this person talking about right now?

It wasn’t wrong, but it was such an extremely common-sense thing to say that it didn’t fit this place.

“Cleaning is good for character development. Would you like to try it too?”

“Huh. Uh, what?”

“Hold this. If you hold this, I won’t blame you.”

For some reason, when she turned her head, the guard had already stepped back.

What? When did that guard retreat over there?

“What happens if I don’t hold it?”

“…? I won’t do anything.”

Haira was bewildered.

“But if you come in more than necessary, who knows if the Justice Broom might crack your head on its own.”

It was the moment when Haira was somewhat surprised by the sharp words that came from the woman’s gentle mouth.

Hack, ptui!

A man blatantly spat in front of the woman who was cleaning.

Two men in total, a big burly man and a relatively smaller man, blocked the path in front of the slender woman.

“Well, well, there was such a pretty bitch in this prison cell?”

“Right? Just when we came in and were getting bored. There’s a beauty here who wasn’t here yesterday or the day before, huh?”

The woman slowly raised her head. As if this was familiar, there wasn’t a single change in her expression.

From what they were saying, they seemed to be guys who had just come in around the same time as Haira.

A nearby guard muttered.

“Tsk, what a pointless thing to do…”

Haira could hear it clearly.

A voice tinged with slight displeasure.

“…It’s annoying to clean up corpses.”

Ah, is that woman going to die soon? That would be a shame…

To Haira’s perceptive eyes, that smaller man had trained his ‘Kia’ quite well for combat.

But the woman who was just cleaning was surely a lowest-grade prisoner, so what would happen next was obvious.

Sure enough, perhaps frightened, the woman pulled the broom to her chest and gripped it tightly.

“This place is really nice, you know. Putting women and us together like this.”

“There are scary bitches too, but there are also pretty and weak ones like you. That’s good for us. Yeah.”

“Don’t be scared. They said we can do anything we want here, right? So let’s have a good time together.”

When the cleaning woman stared blankly at the men, Haira felt a chill for some reason.

However, he thought this was just his imagination.

Though expressionless, the woman’s eyes looked pitiful, like a cornered beast.

Given the situation, she must have been terrified.

“Wow, this… I haven’t seen merchandise like this even in the Capital?”

The man who had been gulping suddenly grabbed the cleaning woman’s hair.

That’s when it happened. Haira felt that chill again.

‘What was that just now?’

…For just a moment, every prisoner in this place had been watching here.

Haira quickly walked toward the guard. He felt he should intervene.

He thought it was meddling, but he wanted to do it anyway.

“Um, guard sir. That looks dangerous – aren’t you going to stop it?”

“Stop it? Stop who?”

“Well, obviously, that man…”

Until he heard the guard’s voice that was not just calm but annoyed, Haira had been worried about that pitiful and pretty woman. But then.

“Kyaa.aaa. I’m.so.so scared.”

A dry voice spoken mechanically. This voice was also beautiful, like a heavenly voice.

But at the same time, it felt alien because no emotion could be felt in it at all.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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