I Became a Leader in a Wretched Prison - Chapter 58

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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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Chapter 58

It was a spider web as black as filth.

By the time it stuck to the ground, Mint was already gone from that spot.

‘Hmm, corrupted Kia?’

An unusual spider web.

Moreover, around the giant spider, ominous black Kia that felt unsettling rippled unstably.

A manipulated animal.

There was a time when inhumane experiments ran rampant both in the Tower and the Prison.

Probably something similar to what those animal-obsessed lunatics did when they tried to turn people into dogs had been done to this monster as well.

“Huk, damn it, Haira! It’s heading toward Haira. Block it. Block it, Seth!”

“I-I’m doing it! Uaaaah! It’s fast!”

“Brett!”

“Hahaha. I’m really weak against things with lots of legs!”

Loud noises could be heard from Ged’s Group’s side as well, indicating they had started their fight.

Mint was puzzled.

Helios’s condition was still unstable. Yet instead of asking her to take down the Boss, he had entrusted her with the spider.

In terms of judgment alone, it was quite good.

Even Mint judged that it would be too much for him and Ged’s Group to handle three Bosses and monsters.

‘If he had asked me to take down the Boss, I wouldn’t have done it.’

Mint extended her hand.

Whether he was putting on a useless act or had actually grown somewhat, she would know by watching.

“Spiders are beneficial insects, you know.”

Those bastards who experimented on normal spiders until their Kia became corrupted deserved to be beaten up.

The spider web contained poison.

It didn’t seem to be poison that dissolved into the air, but if they dragged this out, Ged’s Group wouldn’t be able to hold on.

Around Mint, humming golden discs rose up. 3, 4, 5…

The moment there were six.

The discs flew out all at once.

The spider, panicked by the increased enemies, shot spider webs frantically, but the discs weaving through the air skillfully dodged the attacks as if they had eyes.

At the same time, each took their position.

And the moment Mint gave the signal, they emitted a strong golden light.

It was a light barrier.

“Good work.”

In the hand of Mint, who stepped into the barrier, was a uniquely shaped sword.

A katar.

A weapon that could be called a sword for the most agile warriors.

Kieeeeeek!

Unable to move, the spider spat out spider web thin and fine as a last resort to create threads.

It’s a meaningless attempt.

“Living here, you get to know the ecology of rats and bugs quite well.”

The spider web that would normally have opened a path of survival for the spider fell helplessly, blocked by the barrier.

Because Mint had already anticipated it.

Soon Mint kicked off from her position, gripping her sword tightly. The moment it touched the spider’s exoskeleton, Kia flowed out from the sword’s tip with a squelch.

It’s poison.

Mint smiled.

“You’re not the only one who can use poison.”

Thud.

The spider collapsed with pathetic ease. The golden discs surrounded the spider as if they had been waiting and emitted light once more.

It’s a means to prevent the poison from spreading elsewhere.

Mint dismissed the katar made of Kia and turned her head.

“You look busy.”

Unlike Mint, who had quickly neutralized the spider’s territory and eliminated its mobility.

Ged’s Group was struggling.

Because the centipede was moving at tremendous speed.

‘It’s like a high-speed train.’

So it wasn’t strange that Haira had ended up coming to where Mint was fighting.

“Argh! Can’t take a single step, you bastard!”

It wasn’t that they were at a complete disadvantage. Countless wounds were visible on the centipede’s body.

The bleeding is severe.

If it couldn’t finish off Ged’s Group quickly, the centipede would be the first to fall.

The centipede seemed to know this as it moved fiercely, but its attacks were blocked one after another by Ged’s shield.

Perhaps because of this, Haira took a moment’s respite and turned toward Mint.

“You have incredible power.”

“Hm? Aren’t you busy?”

“I am busy. But you know.”

Haira concentrated on her ability, Bewilderment.

The centipede’s speed gradually slowed down.

Haira said.

“Why aren’t you helping the Boss?”

At those words, instead of staring at Haira, Mint shifted her gaze.

To the center of this space.

Toward Helios, who was precariously continuing his fight alone.

* * *

‘A duke.’

The man Helios was facing held a sword while bleeding black blood and smiling elegantly.

Mint easily recognized the identity of the middle-aged man Helios was facing.

In fact, when thinking about the original story, if there was someone who gave Helios such a shocking memory that it became reality on this Floor.

There was only one person, wasn’t there.

Moreover, though half-submerged in shadow, the appearance was similar.

For some reason, the hair color and eye color were jet black.

But that seemed less like the original color and more like being tainted by Corrupted Kia.

‘Did he actually experiment with Corrupted Kia?’

The Duke was a close-range warrior who used a balanced mix of Musculoskeletal System and Material Type. He was no easy opponent.

No, he was impressive. Even handling just one sword, he seemed to have reached a level of mastery.

“Sir Garret.”

The centipede was slowly dying.

But since they couldn’t let their guard down, Ged, Seth, and Brett continued inflicting wounds relentlessly, excluding Haira.

“Why…”

Usually, Haira never called her directly.

In a situation where he didn’t call her familiarly like Seth or Ged did, this was a form of address that revealed the distance between Haira and Mint.

“Why aren’t you helping?”

In Haira’s eyes, Helios looked precarious, as if he would die soon.

Sure enough.

Swiiish!

Boss’s sharp sword tore Helios’s clothes and wounded his skin.

He was already in a state where he couldn’t withstand Boss’s sword and had wounds all over.

“Kahahahahaha!”

Boss intermittently burst into laughter like a madman.

Haira, befitting a con artist, had seen countless people. But most of them were either ordinary people or those driven by pleasure and desire.

Mint was neither.

She cared about Helios. She showed goodwill and devotion, but it definitely wasn’t attachment.

Was there no affection? That wasn’t it either.

No matter how complex a bundle of emotions might be, when broken down, it divides into things that can be named.

The behavior Mint showed didn’t reveal any clearly nameable emotions.

Honestly speaking, it felt like looking at damp fog, the type he absolutely wouldn’t want to meet as a con target.

Swiiish!

Helios’s shoulder was cut by the furious sword Boss swung.

“Urgh…”

Helios seemed unable to overcome his mental trauma. He still showed an unstable state.

Naturally, this would also interfere with his use of Kia.

Mint faced Haira with a leisurely expression.

“Why?”

An expression so nonchalant that it disrupted Haira’s concentration for a moment.

“Well, you can eliminate that Boss, can’t you?”

“If I help?”

“What?”

“Haira, you’re not stupid.”

Haira felt a chill run down her spine.

“….”

“If you help this time, what about next time? And the time after that?”

The corners of Mint’s mouth turned up.

“If I climb up with my own power, would that really be Helios’s rank?”

“….”

“Don’t act like that when you’re already calculating all of this.”

The voice that flew toward Haira was low and gentle.

“‘If Sir Garret helps Helios easily defeat them and climb up, I can easily climb up too’.”

Haira’s essence was, in the end, that of a con artist.

So Haira couldn’t continue speaking. Mint’s words had pierced through the essence she harbored.

In fact, Mental Realm Kia ability users like Haira found it difficult to climb to the Upper Levels alone.

They essentially needed a team, and Fams and teams wanted Mental Types too.

In prison, the higher the level, the more comfortably one could live. Just having no particular conflicts would make it a pleasant place.

They absolutely had to climb up.

And they had someone like an answer sheet attached to them.

Haira was also a smart person, so she wouldn’t have been unaware.

“I’ll tell you in advance. I like those cunning and shrewd aspects too.”

Next to Helios, who insisted only on the straight and righteous path, someone appropriately tainted was needed.

The discerning Haira would fill his shortcomings.

“…That’s not all it is!”

Haira’s Illusion Kia was released. Because she could no longer concentrate.

“I may have rolled down to this place called Mountain Hell because I’m a con artist! But do you think I have no emotions?”

With perfect timing, the centipede finished its last struggle and collapsed.

Haira was indignant.

Here, she learned that her ‘Bewilderment’ ability worked on non-human beings as well. And that she could slow down enemies’ speed and cause confusion.

This would become a lifelong asset for someone like her who had no direct combat abilities.

It was all thanks to Mint.

“You protect Helios like you won’t let him get a single scratch. That’s why I asked. Because I was worried!”

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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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