Chapter 103

I followed the Chief of Security while thinking about Creature Inmate No. 13.

In the original game, Creature Inmate No. 13 didn’t exist, and naturally, Cell No. 13 was empty.

Depending on the weekly schedule, I would simply follow the work manual and act as if someone were in Cell No. 13—or as if it were empty.

‘I hope there aren’t too many anomalies.’

Since the creatures were a crucial part of the trials, it would be troublesome if any further variables arose.

Still, I was curious about the new creature.

I walked forward, a mix of worry and curiosity in my heart.

Zone X, home to the thirteen solitary confinement cells, was far more gloomy than it had been in the game.

A damp chill—something I hadn’t felt in the game—clung to my skin, making me shiver.

Twelve cells faced each other along the long corridor, while the final cell—No. 13—stood isolated at the very end.

The cells, visible through thick iron bars, were incredibly cramped.

The only source of light was a small, palm-sized window.

Even that was crisscrossed with dense iron bars, failing to provide enough light to properly illuminate the cell’s interior.

I felt gazes fixed upon me.

They were the eyes of creatures half-shrouded in darkness.

I deliberately kept my gaze straight ahead, refusing to turn my head.

Now was not the time to look at them.

The creatures confined here were in a highly sensitive state.

If I approached them rashly, their suspicion levels would instantly hit 100, causing them to shut me out completely.

I slowly walked past the cells.

As I passed Cell No. 6…

It was a bit of a struggle, but…

I forced myself to keep walking without looking away.

I arrived at Solitary Cell No. 13, located at the very end—deeper in than the other twelve cells.

A crowd of prison guards had already gathered there.

With two-meter-tall figures swarming in front of the cell, my view was completely blocked.

Through a brief gap in the crowd, I could see that the cell door was standing open.

It appeared they were in a standoff, unable to force Creature Inmate No. 13 into the cell.

I spotted a guard with red hair who was slightly shorter than the rest.

Beneath the metal mask covering half his face, Kwak Hanmuk’s mouth was set in a grim, rigid line.

It seemed Creature Inmate No. 13 had caused a violent disturbance.

The incarceration process for creatures was completely different from that of humans.

Human felons are transferred to the prison after their trials, undergo a search of their belongings, and are assigned a cell following a brief orientation.

Creatures, however, are confined the moment they arrive from the external research facility.

Unlike humans, there was no risk of them concealing contraband, and keeping them in specialized cells made them easier to manage.

Creature Inmate No. 13 would have been brought straight to Zone X upon transfer from the lab, and it appeared to have attacked a guard during the process.

The fact that they still hadn’t subdued it suggested it was an incredibly powerful creature.

“…!”

Only then did I notice the gruesome scene unfolding at the guards’ feet.

A guard lay dead there, his body torn in two.

Instead of red blood, a viscous, neon-green fluid was oozing from the fallen guard. The cross-section of the torn flesh was pitch-black, looking just like a sliced ​​piece of black jelly.

I drew in a sharp breath and checked the dead guard’s name tag.

Then, squeezing my eyes shut, I let out a sigh. It was a truly tragic sight.

‘Why him, of all people!?’

The one who died happened to be the guy who didn’t care about the Medic.

If it had to happen, it would have been better if the most annoying guard had died instead.

As it happened, that very guy was currently making a report to the Chief of Security.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a creature as vicious as that bastard. I lost an arm because of him.”

His left forearm was missing. Neon-green fluid was streaming from the severed limb.

Honestly, it looked like he was just making a fuss.

After all, it was easy for guards to recover from injuries.

Even a severed arm could be fully restored; it took a massive amount of damage to actually kill them.

‘Then again, do the guards not really have any feelings for one another?’

Even though a fellow guard had died, no one reacted to it at all.

They were only enraged by the creature’s rampage.

I had felt there wasn’t much interaction between the guards in the game, and it seemed that in reality, too, there was no sense of camaraderie among them.

Perhaps it was the price they paid for discarding their humanity to gain power.

“Chief of Security. We need to put that bastard down.”

Clutching his injured arm, the guard stepped aside while spitting out a curse.

He was moving to show Creature Inmate No. 13 to the Chief of Security.

Standing behind him, I, too, naturally found myself looking at Creature Inmate No. 13…

“…….”

I blinked repeatedly. I stared blankly at Creature Inmate No. 13, then shifted my gaze back to Kwak Hanmuk.

Looking at him again, I realized that his stiff, set mouth wasn’t due to tension.

He was holding back laughter…

Upon realizing the truth a beat too late, I screamed internally.

Why is Lieutenant Je classified as a creature?!

It was maddening.

I had never heard of a role for a ‘creature inmate’—as opposed to a human inmate Cell-X.

Dominic, who had witnessed Creature Inmate No. 13 alongside me, looked puzzled as well.

“Did Roasted Chestnut’s subordinate commit a crime?”

At his question, a wicked thought reflexively crossed my mind: He probably committed plenty of crimes, though.

I hurriedly banished the thought and tried to calmly accept the situation.

Then again, come to think of it, him being a human prisoner would be strange, too.

Je Hyun-oh, clad in a crow-themed outfit from head to toe, would look out of place among the other prisoners.

I ran through the other roles in Cell-X, but none seemed to suit him.

The role of a prison guard might have been a decent fit, but that would require obeying orders from superiors—something that seemed unlikely to work out for him.

All things considered, being the ‘Creature Inmate No. 13’ prisoner wasn’t actually that bad.

It was just a bit absurd… and a little funny…

“Can’t we just kill that bastard?”

A guard whose left arm had been blown off shouted in agitation. It seemed he wanted to lose his head to Je Hyun-oh next.

I stole a glance at Je Hyun-oh, making sure the Chief of Security and the guards didn’t notice.

He was standing motionless in front of solitary cell No. 13, looking like a robot with its power turned off. A viscous, neon-green liquid was dripping from his metal hand, stretching into long, sticky strands as it fell.

The fact that his goggles weren’t lit up made the situation feel even more unsettling.

A belated regret washed over me.

I should have asked Captain Kwak if he usually displayed emoticons on those goggles.

Ever since he’d been hit by an illusion spell in Sla2Plate, Je Hyun-oh had kept the lights on his goggles turned off.

Seeing them dark now, I had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t in a good state.

Carefully gauging the situation, I quickly sent a message.

The system window I’d sent popped up in front of Je Hyun-oh.

He, who hadn’t moved a muscle until then, tilted his head slightly to the side.

Then, he turned his face just enough to look at me.

After a moment of hesitation, I sent another message.

I intended to adjust my plan based on his mood.

Of course, there was a good chance he’d ignore the message, so I was prepared to act accordingly if there was no reply.

Je Hyun-oh moved his metal hand while staring intently at me.

Clank.

…Just once.

I strained to hear if a second sound would follow, but there was nothing.

It would have been better if he’d clanked twice, but I was satisfied just to have gauged his state.

Just then, a cold voice rang out.

“Eliminate Creature Inmate No. 13.”

The Chief of Security had issued the kill order.

The guards drew their weapons in unison—guns loaded with rounds designed to kill creatures.

Just as they were about to pull the triggers without hesitation…

“Wait a moment!”

I stepped forward, almost stumbling in my haste.

Then, surrounded by gun barrels, I flashed an awkward smile.

There was no chance of Je Hyun-oh actually dying from a gunshot.

However, within the context of the Trial, he was currently classified as ‘Creature Inmate No. 13.’

Although many of the Trial’s rules didn’t apply to him—since he was already infected by Zero—there were certainly instances where the rules did take effect.

There was always a very real possibility that he could be severely injured by a bullet designed to kill creatures.

I wanted to rule out that dangerous possibility.

“Little Lamb. What do you think you’re doing?”

The Chief of Security approached me slowly. The muzzle of his gun pressed coldly against my head.

“Do you want to get yourself killed along with it?”

“I am…”

I shouted urgently.

“…a creature expert!”

I saw the guards sneer at my words.

Ignoring them, I quickly continued.

“The reason I was assigned here is precisely because of my extensive knowledge regarding creatures. This Creature Inmate No. 13—there’s no need to kill it. I’ll subdue it and lock it in solitary confinement.”

I offered a servile smile, implying that keeping it alive would be far more valuable.

The Chief of Security, who had been looking down at me, twisted his lips into a sneer.

He shoved my head away with the muzzle of his gun, making me stagger backward.

He looked down at me with a mocking expression.

“Go ahead and try.”

His thought of ‘What could the likes of you possibly do?’ was clearly visible even behind his mask.

I could also sense his disdain, as if he’d be lucky if I didn’t just run away crying.

I maintained a wide, forced smile as I thanked him.

“Thank you, Chief of Security.”

At the same time, I quickly sent a telepathic message to Je Hyun-oh.

A single, sharp clink sounded in response.

Well, that wasn’t exactly the way I’d taught him to signal his intentions…

He didn’t seem particularly willing to cooperate, but I had no choice.

I sent another message.

As I did, I edged closer to Je Hyun-oh.

I could feel the prison guards watching with keen interest.

The way they nudged each other and pointed fingers made it feel like they were placing bets on whether I’d live or die.

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of dying.

Sending message after message, I finally reached Je Hyun-oh.

Up close, he didn’t appear to have any injuries. There was no scent of blood, either.

Je Hyun-oh looked down at me silently. My face was reflected in the smooth surface of his goggles.

He moved his metallic hand again, making a deliberate show of it.

Clink.

The moment I heard that solitary sound…

I realized what message I had to send.

A system window appeared before Je-Hyun-ohh.