[Run, you! Hurry and hide!]
‘What? It’s an open world, where am I supposed to hide?’
Thud, thud… The footsteps were slow but getting closer.
So here I was, frantically searching for a hiding spot.
But the prison was so wide open that there really wasn’t anywhere to conceal myself.
In the end, I dove back into the cell where the wolf monster had attacked me earlier.
The spacing between the iron bars was wide enough for me to slip through.
However, as I intruded on his territory, the wolf monster started to glare at me, his body creaking ominously.
“What you looking at, you son of a b*tch?”
I pretended to head-butt him, and the wolf monster immediately averted his gaze.
Looks like he didn’t want to pick a fight anymore.
I moved as deep into the prison’s interior as I could to avoid being spotted.
And then, in the eerie silence, someone entered the prison.
Every monster tensed up, and even the occasional howl faded away.
A figure became visible under the dim light.
It was none other than the Chief.
Every time he breathed heavily, his face quivered,
And a river of drool cascaded down his side.
I wondered just how little time had passed for him to look so worn out.
After taking several deep breaths, the Chief murmured in a slightly excited tone,
“Alright. What shall I pick today?”
Just then, a number above the Chief’s head ticked up.
As soon as the Chief opened his eyes, he headed straight for the cell with the black wolf monster.
In other words, he was about to open the door to the cell I was hiding in.
I wondered if there was a switch for the cell door.
Just as he was about to push the button and open the door…
‘Didn’t see a switch earlier…’
[Hey! That’s not the important part! Aren’t you going to do something fast?!]
This didn’t seem to be just my problem.
The wolf monster was whimpering in fear, with its face showing clear panic.
I cautiously picked up some stones lying on the ground and threw them with all my might across to the opposite cell.
– Thud, thud!!
– Clang!!
The flying stones mostly rolled around on the opposite cell floor, while some hit the iron bars.
Lucky for me, none came anywhere near me.
Hearing the racket, the Chief was lured in and turned around just as he was about to open the door.
“…Yeah. Sometimes, it’s nice to indulge in some delicacies.”
He closed the door behind him and lumbered toward the opposite cell.
Then, he awkwardly squeezed his body through the cramped opening, which was tight for his bulk.
‘Crisis averted.’
[That was a close one.]
Just as I began to feel a bit of relief, I sensed another gaze directed at me.
It was the wolf monster.
With wide eyes, it was staring straight at me.
I quietly said to the creature,
“Ahh… there’s no helping it. This time, it’s a temporary alliance.”
As if understanding my words, the wolf monster flattened itself against the ground.
It then slowly moved its massive body to shield me as much as possible.
Just then, from the opposite cell, sounds began to filter through that shouldn’t have been heard.
“I went through such a sad ordeal. Cutie has finally left my side.”
– Grrk?
“Will you comfort me?”
– Grrrkkk!!!
“Got it? You’re the only one for me.”
– Kyaaack!!
The following sounds were like buttons popping and clothing dropping.
And the sounds of rubbing hands grazed the air.
Simultaneously, the Chief’s voice gradually echoed through the cell.
“Keuhuhu… You like this too, right? I know everything.”
– Kyaaaaack!!!
At first, there was a sound of droplets falling.
Then it transformed into a trickle of water cascading down from above.
There was a brief moment of silence.
Suddenly, a slurping sound began to ooze from the cell.
That slurping sound rapidly morphed into a splashing sound,
And soon enough, it became a rhythmic noise.
At first, I doubted my ears,
But the next noise confirmed my suspicions.
“Ugh.. Ugh… Say it honestly!! You enjoy this, don’t you?”
– Kreeeeel!!!
Indeed.
That was the sound of flesh colliding.
‘Damn it, F*ck! This crazed freak of a Chief!’
[How could this happen! How are these insane people all over the Academy!!]
I tightly covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut.
I prayed for this nightmarish moment to end quickly,
Even though I couldn’t see what was happening in the opposite cell, I felt the gruesome scene play out vividly in my mind.
Just then, the Chief’s booming voice rang throughout the prison.
“Give birth!!! To the Chief’s child!!!”
– Gyaaaaaah!!!!!
‘Crap… Sorry, dude.’
[Is this even possible! Just how far can humanity’s potential stretch!]
Silence fell once more.
Among this stillness, the only sound was that of the Chief.
Once he finished his business, the Chief grunted as he left the door.
While adjusting his clothes, he looked around all the cells and said,
“Take care, little cuties. I’ll come again.”
With that, the heavy-set Chief turned and lumbered away.
From a distance, I could hear him complaining.
“Next time, I’ll have to build a shower room here…”
After a while, once I was certain I wouldn’t be caught, nausea surged up within me.
I couldn’t hold back the impulse and stumbled to a corner to heave.
“Ueaaaah.”
Since what I ate for lunch was already digested, only the sour taste of stomach acid remained.
Meanwhile, the wolf monster inside the cell looked at me with a slightly different gaze.
Pity.
And desperation.
Ignoring that look with all my might, I tried to head back,
Just as my actions seemed to signal something, the monsters began to howl sadly.
Their mournful cries became a dirge that ultimately halted my steps.
I turned back and yelled as loud as I could, causing the whole prison to resonate.
“I’ll definitely come back for you someday! Wait! Just wait!”
[…All good, but did you have to deliver that touching line here?]
Then I dashed toward the secret passageway’s door.
This secret passage led to a place where human malice coalesced.
It was a path to the ugly space created by that bastard Chief.
That’s right.
This was the breeding ground where the Chief held his sexual slaves captive.
I had no choice but to run out of there as if I was escaping.
Bursting out from the secret passage, I was greeted by a lizard beastman.
Noticing my arrival, it began to turn its gaze my way.
I approached the lizard beastman and opened my mouth.
“Did you know?”
“…Yes.”
“But why didn’t you do anything?”
“…My family is being held hostage.”
The lizard beastman merely sighed.
Its expression reminded me of the sorrowful cries I heard earlier from the breeding ground.
“The Chief initially molested his secretaries.”
“Oh, sh*t, you were a victim then.”
“However, as time passed, the abuse intensified, creating spaces like this.”
“…Are you going to report my intrusion to the Chief today?”
“No. I will not report it. Instead…”
“Instead?”
The lizard beastman gave me a determined gaze.
“Shinwoo, please. Can you end this mad Academy?”
“But the Academy is a state institution… that would be an act of terrorism.”
“Rotten parts need to be cut away. Covering them up will only let them fester.”
“But I don’t have any real power… I’m just a mere student…”
At that moment, the lizard beastman extended a fist toward me.
Its eyes glowed with intense longing.
“Shinwoo… for everyone’s sake, bring down the Academy.”
Ahh.
So this is how it feels, Fire Punch.
I clenched my fist tightly.
And collided my fist against the lizard beastman’s outstretched one.
“I’ll… become the protagonist.”
A new goal was set in motion.
To destroy the Academy.
And save everyone.
*
The lizard beastman was thorough with the cleanup.
They hid all evidence of our intrusion, including the shoes we came in with and the scattered clothing, and even sprayed some deodorizer just in case.
They were so meticulous that even traces of having used the bathroom were erased.
With that pathetic head of the Chief, he wouldn’t catch a whiff of anyone having intruded.
“Shinwoo, I can’t come tomorrow because I’m meeting Daddy. Just so you know.”
“Master! I can’t come tomorrow either as I’ll be focused on coins!”
“Gongja, Benyeo also has a place to go tomorrow.”
After the lizard beastman finished talking, we began our descent with the rest of the group.
Of course, we glossed over the contents experienced in the secret passage.
An instinct of humanity—the thought of ‘There shouldn’t be such sh*t. If I saw it, I can’t let anyone else see it’ _twisted_ within me.
However, I couldn’t make the heroines of this story feel despair.
Despair was only mine to bear.
It unexpectedly took a lot of time.
By the time we fully left the mountain, it was already dimly dark.
We dispersed appropriately and headed back to our respective dormitories.
As soon as I arrived at the dormitory, Piece cautiously spoke up.
[Hey, you’re going to destroy the Academy despite it being a novel about it? Isn’t the plot too f*cked up?]
‘First of all, there are indeed some f*cked up dudes out there.’
[…Don’t say it. It makes me want to think about it suddenly.]
Skipping dinner, I washed up and plopped right into bed.
I had no appetite thinking about the horrors I just experienced.
As I closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep, Piece spoke up again.
[You say you’ll attack the Academy… your actions could be seen as evil as well, no?]
‘Yeah, it could be seen that way. But it’s okay.’
I’m used to being the bad guy.
