n

n

nOkay, let’s begin.

nBut of course, we’re not following that stupid tutorial.

nThe gods watch intently

n“Gaga,” I say just as the guard is about to leave.

n“Huh? What do you want, you little **?” The guard asks, walking back over to the cell bars and spitting on me.

nDisgusting…

nHe then exits the room before slamming the wooden door behind him.

nThe thing I’ve observed the most about this guard is that he’s so angry all the time.

nAnd it’s too the point that sometimes he brings us food with bloodshot eyes.

nSo, though it took me a while, I figured out why he was angry all the time… He was clearly being abused or provoked by something.

nI didn’t need any more information than that, as I now had a root that I could manipulate into a dead stalk that I could bend to my will.

nThe gods are dissapointed

nWhat? Disappointed? You wanted me to do what I saw in the tutorial? What a bunch of idiots…

nSome god’s roar in anger by your rude comments

nYeah, yeah, piss off. I don’t want you here if you’re gonna distract me.

nSome gods stomp off in anger

ntsk

nJust go away…

nAnd after a few more hours of waiting, our dinner had come and the man from before once again stomped back into the room, shoving our plate of food through the opening.

n“Gaga?”

n“Tsk, what do you want!? Go suck on your mom’s tits or something!” He shouts before storming off, slamming the wooden door behind him.

nI see… It’s only a matter of time…

n…

nA few days have passed, and I had repeated the process a total of six times.

nThree for brunch.

nThree for dinner.

nHe continuously got angrier and angrier at me, but as we were separated by bars, he couldn’t do anything.

nBut… he’s still not angry enough. I need him to get so angry that he unlocks the cell door and tries to strangle my throat.

nMy mother, who was asleep almost 18 hours a day now, was completely unaware of what was happening.

nBAM BAM BAM

nThe heavy metal boots echoed through the prison walls, and upon him reaching the door, he slammed it open with all his might.

nThe door cracked into pieces as he stomped down the stairs and threw the plate in between the bars.

nThe scraps scattered everywhere, and his presence made me a bit nervous as I could feel endless bloodlust radiating from him.

n“Gaga?” I said one last time, even tilting my head a bit.

nAnd as soon as his bloodshot eyes looked as if they were about to burst, I stood up.

n“Urk… Urk… *sniff* *sniff* *sniff*,”

nThe man dropped to his knees, crying ugly tears.

nThe gods spectating you, laugh at your failed prediciton

nPerfect…

nI didn’t realize it, but I genuinely smiled for the first time since being reborn in this world.

n“Gad,” I say, trying to get the word “guard” across.

nI went to smile but suddenly realized I was already smiling, so I just kept it up as the guard glanced at me.

nIt was one hell of a gamble, but it seems it worked out.

nIt was either he got so mad that he burst through the cell door, or he got so angry that he broke down in tears.

nI mean, I’ve seen it happen a lot.

nSo much in fact that if I wanted to keep count, I would’ve lost track halfway through from the sheer amount.

nIt was only a natural reaction for humans overwhelmed with negative emotions.

n“Gad,” I say once again, but he ignores me and leaves the room, eyes dry of tears already.

nThe gods spectating you are confused

nDid you not just read my mind…

n“*cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*…”

nSuddenly, a long trail of coughs came from behind me.

n…

nAnd so, about six long years have passed.

nI could finally sprint and jump around, but I couldn’t do it for long as my body was extremely frail.

nBut one piece of good news is that I was able to gain the favor of the guard who always brought us food.

nI pretended to be his ally and let him vent to me, even when I was at an age where one couldn’t comprehend a language.

nHe probably thinks of me as his little brother now, but obviously, I was using him.

nI used him to help keep my slowly dying mother alive as she was growing too sick.

nI used him to gain information on the outside world.

nI used him to gain information on pretty much everything I needed… including the layout of the prison I was in… The Grand Magic Tower.

nA prison created for the sole reason of holding my mother captive.

nThe man still won’t tell me why she was imprisoned, but it was probably because he thought I was too young to comprehend the answer.

n“I brought a tiny snack,” A voice comes from the slowly creaking door.

nA guard named Leo had come in the middle of the night to bring my mother and me a cookie.

n“Here,” He says, handing it through the bars.

nI split the cookie into thirds and handed my mother two-thirds while I ate the remaining third.

n“*cough* *cough* *cough*…”

nMy mother continued to cough up blood, staining the stone floor with even more splotches of red.

n“You’ve grown into such a big boy,” She says, placing her hand on my cheek.

nI forced a smile for her and let her rest on the straw pillow I had acquired from Leo.

n“Goodnight,” I say, kissing her on the forehead just as she was about to close her eyes and doze off.

n“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Leo responds with a smile.

nHe exited the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

n“*sigh*… What now-“

nAnother panel had popped up, but this time it was different.

nSeven and a half years have passed with no progress

nA tutorial will be gi-

nError

nInterference by higher being

nHidden Starting Quest: Escape the Magic Tower has been revealed

nYou are unable to obtain the Hidden Reward

nQuest has been revealed

nFailure to complete the quest within one week will result in death

n.

nQuest: Escape the Magic Tower

nDescription: Your mother birthed you in a dungeon meant to keep the strongest of mages, and for some reason, you are forced to spend the rest of your life in it. Escape the dungeon using whatever means necessary

nReward: Skill Book – Tangible Bloodlust

nPenalty Upon Failure: Death

nTime Left: 167 Hours Remaining

n.

nHuh? What the hell… Have they already gotten so bored with me that they’re forcing me to make a move?

n“Uh… I needed just one more week… But now I have to push it forward a week?” I mutter before glancing over at the small cloth beside me.

nI reached for it and then unraveled it, revealing a small dagger that was a bit too big in my hand.

nIt was the shortest one Leo could find for me, but I didn’t plan on using it in combat anyway, so…

nSuddenly, I heard another ding, signaling even more panels had popped up.

nYou have received a chain of side quests

nComplete the first side quest in order to proceed with the next

n.

nSide Quest: Kill a Gaurd

nDescription: As you are too pussy to do anything, if you manage to kill one guard, you will be rewarded with something that could come in handy when the time is needed

nReward: ???

nPenalty Upon Failure: 25% Loss of Speed for One Day

nTime Left: 167 Hours Remaining

n.

nWell… I wouldn’t say I’m a pussy… Well, I kinda am. But if I’m not, I die… So…

nI just decided to ignore the notification before getting some sleep.

nBut, that didn’t last quickly as I suddenly heard my mother cough rapidly, and she began to wheeze as if something was stuck in her chest.

n