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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shio
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Twenty minutes after leaving the ant dormitory, the children’s footsteps finally faltered, accompanied by groans .
“When can we get out?”
“Just a little further.”
“You’ve already said that five times.”
“I’m doing the best I can.”
If I were alone, I’d have already escaped with time to spare. But moving with a group was a different story.
‘It’s tough trying to escape with over twenty kids.’
I unfolded the map again, checking the route.
There were six executives in total, excluding the head guard. Assuming one died searching for him, that left five.
Navigating through a narrow place like the anthill without being seen by five guards was no easy task.
‘By now, they’ll have realized we’re gone.’
They’d likely check the ant dormitory, where no voices could be heard despite it being mealtime.
With everyone missing, they’d definitely suspect a group escape.
It was only a matter of time before the executives came after us.
‘Thankfully, none of them have skills.’
In FD, main skills were a privilege of major characters. Even if the guards had them, they often didn’t know how to use them
properly, or weren’t aware they had them at all.
But that didn’t mean the guards could be underestimated.
Twenty malnourished children versus five well-fed adult men? The outcome was clear.
“There’s really not much left. Walk with all your strength. If you give up, you’ll get caught by the guards, beaten, and die.”
What the kids needed now wasn’t warm encouragement. They needed the fear of being beaten to death and the despair of returning to
that bleak life.
Those were the best motivators in the short term.
“Move.”
“Ugh… okay…”
Only then did the children push through their fatigue, fear etched on their faces.
Of course, I had anticipated this situation.
‘This is why I spent a month getting the map and studying the executives’ movements.’
If I had simply planned a route for twenty people to escape, it would have taken a day, not a month.
But a route that didn’t overlap with the movements of five guards? That was possible only because I’d become an expert in the terrain
over that month.
The guards in Lee Seok-Hyun’s prologue appeared randomly with each new game, so I couldn’t rely on memorization.
Fortunately, the number of guards was fixed.
‘I pieced it together from memories, both real and imagined.’
So, while our pace was slow, the route was optimized to avoid the guards.
For example,
“There are traces of children here! I’ll go first and wait! Everyone, follow quickly!”
And when it looked like the guards might track us by our footprints, like just now,
“Listen carefully. We’re going to run to the executive dormitory. Run like your life depends on it.”
“If we run, won’t we get caught?”
“Then walk, get caught, and die.”
“Ah… okay, I’ll run!”
I had considered every possibility, every detour, to create a viable escape path.
‘It’s a good thing Kim Hyuk-jun is cooperative.’
I expected him to act arrogant because he was older, but he was surprisingly encouraging the children lagging behind.
It was a blessing that we could move as one, without leaving anyone behind.
‘The anthill has many exits, but only one that we need to take.’
Reaching it would mean turning our lives around 180 degrees. Of course, it would take tremendous luck, but that wasn’t important right now.
‘It’s impossible to hide the footprints of twenty kids.’
So I made sure we stuck to areas with heavy foot traffic—the guard cafeteria, break room, mana stone storage.
They were all located close to the exit, so we could visit them sequentially and blend in.
‘They’ll assume the kids ran straight for the exit.’
But with multiple exits, blocking the entrances would spread their forces thin.
In the end, it would be one adult man against twenty malnourished orphans.
The odds would then shift in our favor.
Once the children bought me enough time, I’d use Arachne’s Breath to finish the job.
“We’ll rest here for 30 seconds and then move. Don’t sit down, just lean and catch your breath.”
We needed to disperse the guards. Initially, they’d search together, but as time passed, they’d split up.
The farther apart they were, the better our chances.
“Time’s up, follow me.”
We had to pick up the pace.
With those words, I started speed walking silently again.
“Aaaaaargh!!!”
When we left the guard cafeteria and headed for the exit, we heard a guard’s scream.
‘He got caught.’
His ankle must have been severed by the spider web I placed near the head guard’s room. Judging by the scream, he hadn’t tripped the upper body trap.
Unfortunate.
‘If I’d had more time, I would’ve set the web at neck height.’
But there was no point in regretting what had already happened.
One guard down effectively reduced their manpower.
‘Another guard would’ve gone to check on him, leaving four searching the anthill.’
Assuming one was still at the ant dormitory, we were dealing with three. Three was manageable.
“Not much further now. Everyone, pick up the pace. You can feel the light from outside, right? It’s a bit brighter than before.”
“Y-you’re right…!”
“It’s true!”
“Yeah, it’s true.”
Their hope was palpable, but just as it took root, the manager appeared, blocking our way with a cruel smile.
“How…?”
One child stammered in disbelief.
The manager clapped, his laughter rough, enjoying the reaction.
And I,
Swish.
“Hahaha! Yeah, how? How, you ask? Of course, because you brats moving… urk…?”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. Arachne’s Breath shot out, the spider web wrapping around his neck silently, severing it.
“Huff… huff…”
My second kill.
My hands and feet trembled, my mind teetering on the edge, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Guilt and moral collapse could wait. Right now, I had to focus on getting us out of here.
‘These scum deserved to die. I did what was necessary, so focus. Focus.’
Escape was the only thing that mattered now. It was my duty to the twenty who trusted and followed me.
“Let’s go, quickly!”
Now there were only two guards left—or three, if the one searching the dormitory joined the hunt.
The injured guard would need emergency treatment, so the one who heard his scream couldn’t follow us.
“Just around this corner!”
I moved swiftly, manipulating the spider web with Arachne’s Breath.
There was just one corner left before the exit, and I could see the warm sunlight filtering into the anthill.
“We’re here!”
A child’s voice, filled with hope, rang out as we reached the exit. But before we could take another step, despair blocked our path.
“No, you’re not.”
Standing there, blocking the sunlight, was our second wave of despair.
“Lee Seok-Hyun, you bastard. I knew you’d cause big trouble someday.”
I didn’t expect the world to hate me this much.
With those words, he took a menacing step toward us.
“Belbart.”
“Oh? Dropped the honorifics, have you? Did you finally take off your rank badge? You orphan bastard.”
I didn’t waste time wondering how Belbart had found us.
The only thing that mattered was finding a way to break through him.
‘Chain mail on the neck, wrists, and ankles. He knows about Arachne’s Breath.’
No wonder this cunning bear-like man had been out of sight—he was preparing for this moment.
“I realized when I heard the scream, ah.. this bastard killed the head guard? And also stole Arachne’s Breath. You’re really smart. Extraordinary.”
But now, it ends here.
Belbart spread his arms wide, blocking our path, confident that no one could escape.
I immediately pulled out the explosion magic scroll I had hidden earlier.
“Belbart, you know what this is, right?”
“An explosion scroll? Ha, you had that too? Head guard, this guy was really something.”
He still didn’t fully grasp the situation and continued striding toward me. I tore the scroll slightly.
Rumble rumble!
Even with just a small tear, a sound like an impending massive explosion reverberated through the anthill.
“See? I’m serious. Whether I die by your hands or get buried in the anthill, it’s all the same to me.”
“…So, what do you want?”
Now he was willing to talk.
Belbart raised his hands, pretending to surrender, but I knew he was just stalling.
‘He’s waiting for the guards who heard that sound to arrive, planning to attack from the front and back.’
Who did he think he was fooling?
I knew Lee Seok-Hyun’s prologue inside out. His intentions were clear.
“Kids, go out first. Kim Hyuk-jun, follow the path I told you, and you’ll be fine.”
“Who’s going to let who out?”
“If you don’t want to, we can all die together.”
“…”
“If not, shut up and stay still.”
Belbart valued his life too much to sacrifice himself for a few kids.
He was a piece of trash who kidnapped children to live affluently and rule over others.
‘He’s probably thinking of taking me down now and catching the kids later.’
But that won’t happen.
I watched as the kids hesitated before finally slipping past Belbart, following Kim Hyuk-jun’s lead.
“Is that enough? Now, put down the scroll, and let’s talk.”
Belbart lowered his hands and began approaching as soon as the last child left.
The moment I saw Kim Hyuk-jun disappear through the exit,
“Talk? Are you crazy?”
I tore the explosion scroll without hesitation.
“Y-you maniac!”
As soon as I ripped it, I shot a spider web at Belbart’s back as he turned to flee.
“Leaving so soon? Didn’t you forget something?”
“You lunatic!”
I attached the scroll to his back like a parting gift and ran toward the exit, my feet barely touching the ground.
Kaboom!
In an instant, the scroll detonated, the explosion echoing behind me.
I grabbed onto Belbart’s now lifeless body, a gaping hole where his torso had been, and reached out toward the sky.
Now, it was heaven’s turn to intervene.
‘I saved the kids. I’ve done everything I could. So give me a break.’
If justice or karma existed, I deserved to live.
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[Shio here~!
Turns out Belbart wasn’t as cunning as he thought LOL]
Smart, the moment the guard tries to run, he became open