Time surprisingly passed without any further commotion, albeit Park Jeongeun's declaration of battle against Haywood Lintone. Four hours later, what appears to be servants with an iron collar around their necks, entered the chamber—carrying food for each and every inmate.
Having finished their task, they soon exited the chamber as the door was locked once again. A piece of stale bread, and a glass of murky water was the meal every prisoner had consumed for over the last decade or so.
Kafil and Takashi were dejected by the poor quality of prison food back in the mediaeval period, while Sungah was distraught to discover insects floating in her water. Only Jeongeun was unaffected by the food he received—not showing even a hint of disgust as he drank the water offered to him.
'How in the world does he not care!?' The three of them pondered simultaneously.
From what he had shown them so far, they thought they could understand him but even now they are discovering a new side he has. He is the most cynical, impulsive and cruel man they have seen yet, but he is also the most composed, realistic and adaptable person they had encountered. To be able to almost instantaneously adapt to harsh conditions is not an easy feat, but he is able to do just that.
Before Park Jeongeun could take a bite out of his bread, the sound of metals clashing caught his and every other criminals' attention. And there they saw it, Haywood Lintone had somehow managed to snuck a copy of the key that could open every single prison cell here. Only the door to the chamber required a different lock to open.
Slowly, he unlocked every single cell and gave a chance for the prisoners to run rampant yet they did not. Instead, they stared at him with anticipation as he freed Jeongeun from his cell. The both of them were quickly surrounded by other inmates in a circle formation and began chanting "Gefeoht".
Park Jeongeun merely stood at 187 centimeters tall, while Haywood Lintone's height was a staggering 234 centimeters tall. The height difference made people doubt whether Jeongeun had a chance of even surviving this brutal encounter with one of the strongest criminals residing in the dungeon.
"Hēr, wē ġelǣstan þā rǣdungas mid ān to ān gefeohte. Iċ eom nū sē strangesta, and gif þū mē slihst, þæt mǣneð þæt þū sīe ārǣred sē strangesta frōm þām tīma beforan. Nū, lat ūs gefeohtan." Having finished his sentence, Haywood Lintone immediately threw a body kick towards Jeongeun but missed.
He threw a combination of quick punches yet none connected to Jeongeun at all. In fact, Jeongeun looked almost bored as he effortlessly dodged the attacks, even yawning as he hardly moved his body to ensure Haywood's strikes barely grazed him.
Frustrated at being unable to land direct hits on Jeongeun, his swings became more erratic as he rushed towards him recklessly. Seizing the opportunity, Park Jeongeun hurriedly tied the sleeves of his shirt around Haywood's neck as he began strangling him.
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Haywood tried to escape as he thrashed on the ground but his endeavours were futile as Jeongeun quickly slid underneath him and tightened his grip. Even when Haywood tapped on the ground to concede, Jeongeun still did not let go. Only after Haywood's eyes rolled back and his body went limp did he release him.
The spectators glared at Park Jeongeun in disdain. While he may have bested their leader, his methods were not favourable in their eyes. To have relied on other methods except for his fist, it was not the quality of a leader they wanted.
"What's with those looks? You fuckers want to have a go at me next?" He threatened.
Silence ensued as they continued looking daggers at him before a prison guard coincidentally stepped foot into the room. A nervous chuckle escaped his throat as he saw Haywood Lintone lying on the ground.
"Þæt hwa þāra dyde þis!?" The guard screamed, pointing his sword towards the criminals.
Soon enough, more guards appeared in front of the scene as everyone was escorted into the fifth chamber, which unexpectedly did not have any cells, and was overall just one spacious cell consisting of over a hundred of the worst of the worst criminals known to mankind.
"...Why did you not just use your super strength, sir?" Kafil queried. It was the very first time he had seen his boss using a tactical method rather than his usual unpredictable fighting style.
"Because it's annoying."
"I'm sorry?"
"It's annoying if everyone notices the true extent of my strength. The guards may consider me the biggest threat and try to eliminate me. And, I don't plan on making a huge fuss in the prison…at least not for now.
"It's better to keep a low profile than just to stand out. Sure, those bastards glaring at me earlier may be still underestimating me, but that's good. Because I know they wouldn't try to snitch on me. For them to admit the person they followed was defeated by a mere cloth wouldn't be fun now, would it?"
"I…suppose you are right. It too would be very shameful of me to tell others that I was defeated by a piece of cloth. But what about the time you flicked the rock at him, sir? Wouldn't they still be suspicious of your true strength?"
"It was a tooth, and sure, you raise some good questions but, Kafil, it's only a suspicion for them. Since I relied on techniques rather than brute force, the feat I showed a few hours ago will most likely be dismissed. Even if there are some still doubting me, they won't be able to confirm anything. Anyhow, let's try to actually find an escape route that wouldn't cause too much trouble."
The group stayed out of any interactions with the criminals and focused on formulating a plan that would not only allow them to escape, but also enable them to be seen as a simple commoner. However, there was a major liability while they were creating the scheme.
"Sir, your hair stands out too much." Takashi remarks.
"Even if we were to somehow escape undetected, everyone would chase after you because of your pink hair alone. We won't be able to blend it with the commoners. Worst case scenario you, or all four of us will be treated as an outcast for siding with you." He added.
Sighing in defeat, they decided that it was best to try and make another plan next time as they all doze off from fatigue.
…
"Gefangene! Gāþ on weg eowerne eaxle! Sē þrǣf ceapung biþ healden tōdæg!" The warden declared as he bursted through the chamber.
Multiple guards entered the room and led the criminals deeper underground into a some sort of auction house. Rich folks donning extremely fine, silk clothing with an ornate mask to conceal their identities were all anticipating for the event to begin.
"Wilcuma, hālgan and hālgan! Tōdæg hæfð wē gēara sēleccian þrǣfa! Swā gewuna, wē willað onginnan mid þǣre ānre birinde, and sē lǣsesta is tīen gold. Sē hēhsta bittend underfēhð þone þēow æfter þǣre ceapunge geendod is." The announcer announced.
One by one, each prisoner was sold to the nobles—with the ones from the first chamber presumably costing the least amount of money. Kafil, Sungah, and Takashi were bewildered by the scene unfolding before their eyes. They could only wonder who would buy them, or would they be able to escape.
"Eveyone." Jeongeun whispered, catching their attention.
"Listen very carefully. I'll be honest, even I don't know what will happen next. We may be separated and might not see each other again. But I'll try my best to come and get you all soon. So, once you have been sold to your bidder, abide by their rules.
"Do not attempt to escape. It's better to be labelled as a slave than a criminal. And, if you have any free time, try and study their language. Until we reunite, obey them, and survive. That will be all from me. Good luck."
…