Living inside a prison… some might think it sounds awful, and some might say it is one of the best experiences in life. It was an experience only a few would have, and it’s quite a weird one at that, no one will ever look at you in light if you ever mention going through such a thing.

Isaac… was part of the latter. He had lived a life of constant weakness, even after becoming the most notorious criminal in the world and setting many new records, he was still weak, quite literally.

Not only was he weak, but his entire life had been to show the world he wasn’t. But did he succeed? Well, the answer was an obvious yes, to the world that is, but to Isaac? He still lacked many aspects of actual great strength.

He started his life by raiding dungeons and leveling up, he never even thought he would be a criminal. But the third thing to ever happen to him that changed his life… made him a criminal.

Isaac was caught by a criminal mastermind, a person who controlled everything in the underworld, someone who you would argue to be the real ruler of the world. And that encounter… made him his toy, a toy that brings him other toys.

That… led him to the life of being a dungeon robber, a despicable player who steals dungeon rewards without even giving any contributions. But the more Isaac did his job, the better he got, and he wasn’t the only one to notice that, as soon he was led to steal many great artifacts in the real world; outside the dungeon.

But of course, as he was just someone in the palm of a great being, the moment he messed up and caught the attention of the world… there was no choice but to drop him into the abyss, the world he would go and rot.

Now, living in the prison, what do you think was better? Well, prison sounds way better than living as a puppet, that’s just common sense.

It had been a whole month since Isaac was placed in his retirement home at the age of 40, “The Vault” the prison that had every single dangerous criminal known to man. Having such fearful names, you would expect the prison to be quite a scary place, but in reality, it wasn’t, well it wasn’t allowed to be.

Isaac was a weak human, that was just the truth, he had never killed more than a hundred people. And someone who got into prison not because of murder, but because of the amount of things he had stolen, it was obvious all he had was his ghost-like abilities and nothing more. Which… was correct.

“That, that, and that please.” Isaac was in the cafeteria getting his food. The man behind the counter took portions that he only felt like to Isaac’s plate, leaving with only tiny scraps that wouldn’t even count or look like real food.

“Hurry up you criminal!” A guard pushed himself toward Isaac, he dodged him in the process and started to walk toward his cell.

In “The Vault”, every inmate had their own specific guard that monitored them. Of course, just like the cafeteria worker, the guards were also jerks who just released pent-up anger upon their inmate for absolutely no reason.

Well, in the eyes of normal people, they do deserve such treatment, it was basically hell, on earth. It was an acceptable and even encouraged way to treat the inmates. And as I had mentioned earlier, after getting their food, the inmates must all go into their cells.

Now you might have thought that they had more freedom than just walking out of their cell to get their food, but no, they do not. You might try to think that because of the announcement made when Isaac entered the prison, but those words were just to mock the lack of said freedom for prisoners.

They weren’t even allowed to take a bath and their cell conditions were worse. They have an empty 2-meter squared box that has, well, that’s it. It was completely empty.

After entering their cell, they must eat their food as fast as possible or actually they really just eat it fast because of the lack of food they were served. When they finish their food, they must then return to the canteen to give back their plates, it may sound tiring, but to criminals of such level, it really wasn’t. It was annoying though, and that was the point.

And if you try to eat it as you walk to return faster? Well, bump to you by your guard and you have no food anymore, well unless you lick the ground, that is if you do it faster than your guard stepping on it. They do have the power of the system, and with special enforcement on their legs, blocking their power, you really couldn’t do anything.

Isaac didn’t care though, it was still good for him, whenever he returned to his cell completely empty-handed, he just had fun inside in his mind and relaxed. To him, a simple few minutes of alone time could just be called heaven, before he couldn’t even sleep because of the amount of people chasing him.

Unlike other prisons, it also wasn’t even loud, that was once again because they weren’t allowed to. Though it might be a good punishment, but there was already a countermeasure to such a thing.

Whenever an inmate ever closes their eyes for more than an hour, they are violently woken up. How violent? Well, with a stab on your leg, don’t worry, it will heal, in a couple of days.

It was a life of complete torture, but as long as you knew how to sleep in less than an hour, you were good, and luckily, Isaac knew just that.

Prison life still sounded harsh, but for the most part, you just had to follow the rules and you could live like you were in a real retirement home. Isaac may just be forty, but such a life already felt like an eternity.

And so, now that you know just how much fun Isaac had been having in prison, life was about to change for him… in the presence of the System.

[Ah! I Finally Got Through!]

While closing his eyes to get some, well-rested, less than an hour sleep, a system screen broke into the barrier of Isaac’s restraint and appeared in his mind. It was colored red and was glitching every second.

Isaac was not phased by the situation, but he was surprised, it just didn’t show in his body or thoughts, as he was trained to not do so. System?

[Phew! That took a very long time but I’m finally here!]

A sentient System, what is it doing here and what is it? Ok, I have gotten many hidden fragments of the system but none ever transformed my System into a sentient being, that just meant someone else did something here. Only-

[Relax! Why do you have to think so much and so fast!]

[I’m just here to help you!]

Rude of you to cut me off,-

[Sorry]

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

-but fuck it. Help me? What for? Help me with what?

[To escape the prison of course!]

Escape? Nah! Why? I don’t want to escape, why would I?

[Well because it’s prison! Who wants to be in prison!]

I do.

The silence went on for a flat 2 seconds. To the sentient System, the 2 seconds felt like hours or even days. It was so shocked by what it had heard that it never prepared a response for such an answer.

[Ahhh! Just escape ok! I need your help!]

You just told me you will help me. Now you want me to help you? What are you ambivalent?

[What? I don’t even know that word!]

[I just need your help!]

Isaac took a few seconds of silence to close the screens piling in his mind.

[Do you really need to do that now!]

[I can’t last here for long!]

[Just accept okay!]

[I’ll help you out and you will help me on something!]

Sounds unfair, what would I get from helping you? And to escape my amazing life to live another just to do what you want me to do. You think I’m an idiot. I already lived a life as a pet of a person, I escaped it and I’m not doing it again.

[What! No! I mean! Uhhhh!]

The System was once again caught by Isaac’s reply. It made a lot of sense. It knew what the entire deal it was trying to give and it actually made sense. It was true, the System would help him escape but the process wasn’t gonna come at a cost. And the thing that it needed help with was something it wasn’t even certain Isaac could do in a lifetime.

Well, it’s going to be an hour soon, I have to wake up, bye.

The System didn’t even reply. It still had a lot of time to exist, but it was thinking of an argument that could work on Isaac, and it knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Isaac opened his eyes and stood up from the floor. If you think about the entire rule system, you might think just opening your eyes was enough to show that you were awake, but unfortunately, the prison doesn’t allow such a thing.

Of course, it once again does just sound correct. But so what if it was, you had to show you are awake by doing many unnecessary movements before you could even go back, why? Just cause you have no choice once again. Try to not do it and a stab in the leg; no food for you for a few weeks.

Isaac did a couple of jumping jacks and rolled on the ground before he even closed his eyes once more.

[Just do it… please…]

You're still here.

[Please just help me.]

You went from offering me help to asking me for help. You sound more unconvincing now. I won’t help you, I won’t gain anything from it, now leave me alone, I need to get sleep.

[Just Help!]

Shut up! You’re ruining my sleep.

[Just help me! After you finish what I ask of you, I’ll give you anything!]

[I’m the System!]

Now you’re acting like an almighty god, yet you still need my help. Is this one of the stupid “I’m a betrayed God who needs the help of a mortal to regain my powers, and once you do, I’ll grant any one of your wishes” bullshit. If yes, then I say no.

[It’s not!]

Fine, I’ll entertain you for a little bit. What will I gain if I do help you?

[Anything!]

No, as in what will I even do, like do I get any benefits or some helping hand?

[Well I can’t tell you right now, but if you accept I can!]

And why is that?

[Because… Uhhh, actually I don’t know…]

You don’t know? How stupid are you?

[Well I just felt this weird feeling that I’m not allowed to say anything.]

Have you been reading some stupid novel? It’s one of those tropes where they don’t tell anything for suspense, and if you’re going to be like that I decline.

[No! That was just a mistake! I’ll tell you!]

Okay, but if you do any more of that, my opinion of you will hit deeper than it already had.

[Well, I don’t know everything, but!]

[I know that you will be transported into another world!]

Transported in another world? Sounds interesting, as a what though? I’ve seen many LED screens of those types of stories on buildings.

[Well, I don’t know! I have limited knowledge okay! I was just tasked to make you accept!]

Well, now it just seems like you are leading to a very sad moment when you say after I accept you just disappear, aka, die.

[I will though.]

Well, that is kind of sad, well, now I don’t feel like doing it, I don’t care about human lives, but I do have a special place for weird beings who have sad stories.

[I know you're heartless! Just accept!]

Now you’re calling me heartless? Now that’s just discrimination, I’m hurt you know. I really am. I might just say no permanently now.

[Oh come on! That just sounds like you actually wanna say yes!]

[If it is! Why are you like this!]

Fine, I don’t really care where I go, another world or whatever, as long as I am not weak I am good. I have seen many reincarnation stories on some huge screens from buildings and it does sound nice. But I’m just using you for conversation, I haven’t had real interactions for a few months you know, I mean I did before, but that was all just deals and plottings, it was devoid of any real emotion or personality.

So in short, I’m the pitiful one. So what if you’re a sentient being who will just die after I say yes? I’m a human who was born with the most useless class in existence, and worked my way up society, only to be caught by the most evil person I ever got to know and now I’m living in prison.

I never even got to experience life, literally, even my childhood was all lived to prove to people I was something and not just useless, then my adult life became more devoid of reason and meaning, I’m the pitiful one here System.

[Uhh… I don’t care! Okay! So what if you sulk here for long!]

[I’m just a piece of the System!]

[I have no obligation to be your therapist or friend!]

[And who said you're more pitiful!]

[At least you got to “live” even if it was sad!]

[Me on the other hand was born to give this random guy an offer and then die!]

[Whose life sounds more stupid now!]

Okay, you beat me, fine I’ll go. But before I go I need to ask some questions.

[Yes! Finally! Well I can’t answer your questions but the next System that was made for that will tell you everything!]

[And yes! Pitiful System life! But what can you do!]

Uh… okay, well have fun dying, I guess.

It felt very unsatisfactory and unsatisfying. Once the System had heard Isaac’s agreement, it suddenly disappeared, along with its many screens inside Isaac’s head.

His mind slowly dozed off, he was feeling another case of fainting. Isaac had been going through the same situations so many times already. But this time he wasn’t going to be carried to some place he didn’t know the location of.

This time, Isaac will be brought to a world he didn’t even know. It is going to take a lot more unnecessary conversations, but bear with me, Isaac’s adventure, will soon begin. Whatever that adventure is.