It had been three days since I became a prisoner.

Each day, he would give me these strange fruits to eat.

I had lost count of how many I had consumed, and how many I had vomited.

But it hardly mattered. Once I ate about three-quarters of the fruit, I gained the 10 points.

I had gotten into the habit of not finishing them.

And throwing up didn't make me lose the points I had earned.

He knew this already, which is why he didn't hesitate to continue demanding that I eat.

I was already at level 5, and my experience bar was almost filled, close to reaching level 6.

The bar required 190 XP, and I had accumulated 150.

I had noticed that the points required to level up didn't increase linearly.

It took 145 XP to reach level 4, then 160 for level 5, and now I needed 30 more for the next level.

The points didn't make sense. And my captor’s behavior made even less sense.

These past three days, he had alternated between forcing me to eat and almost appearing remorseful, almost to the point of setting me free. But every time, he would regain his composure at the last moment and become even more aggressive.

This man was insane, and I had no doubt about it. I had to escape at all costs.

I had 15 talent points to allocate. But more importantly, I now had 445 potential points (PP).

The problem was that reaching level 5 hadn't unlocked anything significant.

I pinned my hopes on reaching level 10, hoping that it would provide me with a clear path to escape. With luck, it would give me the certainty I needed.

But the non-linear points required to level up posed a risk that I might not have enough points to reach that level. And worst of all, my captor had likely been keeping track of the points I had gained since the beginning.

My plan relied on one idea: that he couldn't see my current XP points, thus remaining unaware of the 40 points I had accumulated on level 2 before he captured me.

If that was the case, I could catch him off guard and reach level 10 to make my escape.

The problem was twofold: Did level 10 unlock something, and could he see my XP points? Well, there was a third problem: Would he allow me the opportunity to flee?

In the past three days, he had barely slept, only getting up to relieve himself a few Yards away.

I had no idea of his level or abilities.

On my side, I slept poorly and found it challenging to relieve myself with him constantly watching me.

I continued to ponder my plan, but something within me rendered everything uncertain: impatience.

It was the best plan I could devise, but I had lost the patience to wait any longer to put it into action. These three days had already pushed me to my limits.

Ready or not, it had to come to an end.

"Tonight, I'll break these chains," I thought.

I ate a few more fruits, bringing my total to 170 XP out of 190 and 465 potential points (PP).

I would have enough points to reach at least level 8.

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"All my talent points will go into strength, little by little, until I can break these chains. Then I'll put the remaining points into speed and run for it. The night conceals dangers, but it's also my only chance to shake him off," I contemplated.

The trees around us weren't hostile, but I couldn't figure out what differentiated them from the ones that had attacked me. I had to remain on guard.

As the curtain of night fell, he watched me from his distant post, sitting against another tree a few yards away.

Under his observant gaze, I shuffled towards a bush within the limits of my chains for some much-needed relief.

Once that was done, I returned to my usual base - a tree to which I was routinely tethered until daybreak.

With the last vestiges of daylight gone and the chirping birds fading into silence, the undeniable cloak of night embraced us.

My heart throbbed with anxious anticipation, each beat resonating in my ears, my breathing uneven and ragged.

His distant perch was a small mercy, providing me with just enough distance to hide the frantic stirrings of my escape plan.

I lay on my right side, my back pressed against the tree, hands tied behind me, a deep longing within me to glance at the man sleeping Yards away.

The chain that linked my bound feet seemed like his invisible grip on me, even from afar.

With an awkward twist, I reached down to clasp the chain.

My middle and index fingers traced the first link they could touch, and in a whisper, I commanded, "I'll allocate 10 points to my strength."

An instant burst of power pulsed within me, sparking a desperate attempt to snap the unyielding link with renewed force.

But it refused to break, denying me my freedom.

With a quick, cautious glance, I looked towards my captor.

There he was, seemingly deep in slumber, oblivious to my secret struggle.

My heart thumped slowly, yet powerfully, its rhythm reverberating throughout my body.

The 10 points had made me stronger, no doubt, but they weren't enough.

Even an additional 10 points probably wouldn't make a difference, and besides, I didn't have 10 more points.

I had 5 talent points remaining, and if I used my PP, I could reach level 7 or even 8, unlocking at least 5 more talent points.

But I feared that leveling up would trigger an alert.

Over the past few days, I had observed that whenever I leveled up, even when he seemed distracted, his eyes would be drawn to his screen.

Perhaps he had set up a system to notify him? A luminous signal? Increasing my statistics was also risky, but fortunately, he hadn't shown any signs of being notified about it.

I continued to strain for a few more minutes, hoping that the metal would yield, but to no avail.

Sweat trickled down my forehead, and my forearms began to ache as the blood circulation to my fingers dwindled.

My fingers felt completely flattened by the exertion.

I decided to change my strategy.

Instead of attempting to break the chain in one swift motion, I would continue pulling with all my might until it eventually gave way.

It might have been a sensation trickling down my fingers, but it seemed as though the link was starting to widen.

"I can do this!" I thought.

I resolved to allocate the remaining points to my strength.

Again, I felt a transformation within me, as if my muscles were becoming taut. I pushed even harder with my fingers.

It was hard to tell if I was making headway or if it was my desperate mind playing tricks.

My body was growing weary, frustration gnawing at my resolve.

It was time.

"Even if he awakes, it's my only chance," I thought, making the decision. "I'll use my PP to reach level 6," I whispered to myself.

I used up 20 PP and gained 3 new talent points, which I immediately assigned to my strength stat. Leveling up had alleviated the pain in my fingers and my fatigue.

I resumed pulling with all my strength.

I slightly turned to check if my captor had awakened, readying myself for a fight in one way or another. But he remained sound asleep.

I had an incredible stroke of luck, or perhaps it was a trap? I couldn't afford to doubt. I resumed my efforts and felt the chain beginning to give way.

"Just a little more effort," I thought.

I decided to reach level 7.

"I'll use my PP to ascend to the next level," I quietly announced.

My screen flashed announcing a new level.

I allocated my 3 new points to my strength, and finally, the chain broke.

It made no sound, and I swiftly grabbed the portion attached to my captor before it could alert him.

I then proceeded to exert force on the handcuffs, which barely resisted.

My feet were free, and now my hands were too.

As I prepared to rise, I saw my captor approaching, his spear in hand.

"Ah... Perfect. As expected, you used your points in an attempt to flee," he said, pulling up his pants with one hand.

"You see, it would have been challenging to sell you if you had decided to remain at level 5 or 6, and I was running out of fruits. You're doing me a favor," he continued.

There was no hint of guilt in his eyes this time.

Instead, they gleamed with madness and obsession.

The man standing before me was dangerous, and I had almost no points left to allocate to my speed in order to escape.

My next decision would determine whether my future would be that of a slave or a free man.