Is this my final hour? The breathless and wounded Jinx thought as she knelt on the ground, covering herself with blood. Her five enemies turned into an army of eight skilled mages. Even with her ability, she can’t manage to land a hit due to the barrier that is blocking her. She tried to stand up, but she coughed blood instead.

“Dude, are you killing her? She could still be of some use,” an enemy with a short stature said.

“Yuck! Perhaps you, a lifetime virgin, became delusional. You better think of your preferences. When I was the court mage of my country, I wielded power to play with women a hundred times prettier than her,” another prisoner replied.

“At least I won’t be a virgin before I die. That’s the most important,” the short man argued.

“Poor you. That’s what you get for abusing chemicals in your youth,” another prisoner bragged. “What an unfertilized crap.”

“I’m the most fertile of you all! Since it’s a dying woman, she won’t ovulate her eggs, right? Those wounds of hers would soon become a pleasure.”

From the distance, Jinx growled, “You monsters stink! A creature of pure filthiness should become plant food instead!” That shout should be the last energy remaining in her body. Her vision dims and swirls around, causing her to cough more blood. Her consciousness slowly fades as she flattens herself to the ground. I can’t keep up with them. However, I only have one wish. Quimora should’ve escaped, right?

“Haha! Look! She kissed the floor! I can now do it, right? Right!?” The short man exclaimed as he jumped in excitement.

As they tried to approach Jinx, they halted when they saw a muscular man behind Jinx who later appeared within the torchlight. He had a gray hair undercut, buffy muscles, and was 6'3" in height. Silent as he emerged, his actions spoke louder than a speaker. He left a cool grunt, but the eight prisoners didn’t falter since they didn’t know him.

“Heh, another beef showed up!” A prisoner bragged, “We have another powder to pulverize.”

“Was powder already pulverized?”

“Shut up.”

They cast the spells longer than usual to increase their intensity. They didn’t recognize that the magic in their bodies had been drained exponentially. Before they finished their chant, the spell lost its light, and the magic circles vanished.

“What happened!? Aren’t you guys in menopause!?”

“Look who's talking!”

“Argh, my feet are itchy… Wait… What’s happening!?”

Slowly, the roots of dead plants rose above the ground and crawled through the walls. It also entangled the prisoners’ feet and creeped above their bodies. From the toe and above, their organs turned pale and lost their function.

“H–HELP! SOMEBODY!”

“A MONSTER! A MONSTER IS HERE!”

“M–MY VIRGIN LIFE! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS!”

The prisoners' complaints only turned noise to Silence. As seconds passed, the shouts faded into begs, which turned into whispers that soon vanished in thin air. After the roots sucked the prisoners’ energy, they retreated down the ground.

Silence planned to proceed further in the dungeon. However, Virtual Pigeon requested via his necklace to go back, “Silence, that woman seemed familiar.” Silence turned Jinx’s body facing upward. After seeing her wounds, he kneeled on the ground and prayed.

“Alina Roverdun, an infamous convict in the past who was wrongly victimized by an inside perpetrator, also an assassin who shares the codename ‘Jinx,’ we pray for your peaceful departure in this world. You may not see the future of clearing your own name, but there’s no real truth in this world other than Karma.”

***

“... What leaks are you talking about? … I’ve never been back to my cell this afternoon. I’m in some business. Unlike you, I've always been loyal to words… You’ve been crushed by a prisoner? … Poor soul. I told you that you’re not here to enjoy… I’m sure that she already captured it. I’m getting a copy… I’m dropping the call. Expect the services soon. I’m already on my way to Bravo with Quimora… Can you just shut up!?”

As the trio ventured deeper into the dungeon's bowels, Guinelle's fingers deftly switched off the transmitter's pulsating green light. A hushed whisper curled from her lips as she turned to Macy, her eyes gleaming with a feral intensity.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Telepathy?” Macy asked. “You seemed frustrated. Who are you talking to?”

“Just an arrogant friend who is also staying here. By the way, how are you?”

“In the right posture, thanks to you. Also, where are we going?”

“To retrieve something pointless to humans but essential for advancement. Amidst the chaos, if this thing remained here, I can’t guarantee that it would end up in the wrong hands. I’m not even a believer of Finality, but I can assure you it would be the end of the world if that’s the case.”

“Is that why you didn’t go back to the cell? Or is it the only reason why you’re here in this place? How can I assure you that this dangerous whatever will not end up in the wrong hands once you get it?”

“Trust me. I can’t spill the tea. Many ears are listening.”

“I would like to, but there’s not a convincing word with everything you’ve said. Not letting us know about it is already suspicious.”

Guinelle gritted her teeth and exclaimed, “Just trust me! Why can’t you understand!? If I’m those bad guys, you’re not here right now.”

“P–Please don’t fight…” Quimora uttered. “We still need to see if Jinx and Hera are safe.”

“Don’t worry, Quimora. We’re not fighting… I can understand the secrecy of this item. But how is this related to our escape?”

“Our leader already planned the build-up before I set foot here. I may be your guide, but you’ll handle the rest. Please save your energy, since we’re going into a needle hole… Shhh! Hide behind me,” Guinelle shushed after hearing the footsteps and conversations of a group of prisoners beyond a glowing steel gate. “That’s the room.”

“I suppose you can do the same thing again to those prisoners,” Quimora suggested.

Guinelle shook her head and replied, “Forcing a shrink drains five times more than strengthening a barrier. My mana usage is planned. Also, it’s more convenient that they’re here. Let’s see what they can do.”

In the distance, a man asked their leader, “Do you think we can brute force our way in? This is the only strange room which may have treasures.“

“It’s pointless if you die. Our only treasure right now is an escape path.”

“But leader, this room might be the key towards our escape. I heard that there’s some underground route in these dungeons leading out of the walls,” another member said.

“We still can’t guarantee if giant men are waiting for their dinner to come out.”

“Stop being negative, leader!” Another member exclaimed. “We don’t have time.”

The leader sighed, “I told you, I’m bad at leading. As long as we have chances, you can do what you want.”

The first member sighed. “I hate democracy.“ The same member pointed his hand toward the door and emitted a laser. He traced a concave line where a man could fit. Once done, a hole provided them a way to enter the room.

The group entered, however, only another jail cell surprised them. The cell is fully enclosed with only a bed and a locked drawer in it. A dying flower in a vase sat over the drawer.

“I told you, there’s nothing here,” the leader said. “What now?”

“You’re the leader. Why ask us!?” The members shouted.

Guinelle pressed the transmitter in her ears again and said, “Pigeon, someone breached the door instead. We can proceed with Plan B…”

After the call dropped, Quimora asked, “What will happen now?”

Guinelle chuckled, “In this world filled with mysteries, a genius unraveled the mysteries farther from the present studies. You will witness a new generation sparking a new future, Science.”

Echoes of footsteps rang in everyone’s ears. From the distance, a guard’s conversation about the escaped prisoners alerted the prisoners who entered the enclosed cell. The noise became louder and louder. The leader muttered, “You shouldn’t have voted for me as a leader.” After a pale expression painted their eyes, they screamed and ran.

“That’s our cue. Let’s go!” Guinelle said and ran. However, Macy pulled her arm to disrupt her.

“What are you doing!? Don’t you hear the guards coming?”

“It’s an illusion. We need to go. It’s a dead end, and it would be really bad if we got spotted.”

The three ran inside the enclosed cell. With only Guinelle’s broom emitting light, they saw the walls fully painted with foreign texts. Guinelle squinted her eyes through the texts. “A nostalgia for decrypting ancient texts is more of the reason I’m fit for this job.”

“Can you understand those? I’m afraid that I’m not going to be useful in this since I never learned how to read.”

Guinelle shook her head and pulled out the flower in the vase. “We don’t have time for that.” She inserted her hand in it and pulled out an amethyst, a perfectly triangular gem that lost its glow due to the surrounding's darkness. As another wave of footsteps resonated from outside the cell, Guinelle handed the amethyst to Quimora.

“Hey, little girl. Isn’t this another illusion that you’re proud of?”

Guinelle pulled the bed away and hit the crack in the wall that appeared. A tunnel urged them that it was the only way for their escape. “That’s the real guards. I may be your guide, but you’ll handle the rest. Go now while there’s still time.”

“W–What about you?” Quimora asked.

“I’ll delay them. You should escape with the amethyst. Remember to return it soon to me.”

“But you…”

“Don’t worry! I was never afraid of egg-sized balls.”

Quimora smiled and said, “See you.” Macy turned on her Route Tracking ability to navigate and lighten the route. Quimora followed Macy as they entered the tunnel. Minutes after, Guinelle sat down on the bed, knowing that the two were already far. She pressed the transmitter again to report her status.

“Pigeon, they actually fell for that audio. They didn't even notice that Phantom and Silence scattered mana powders to distract one's sense of magical navigation."

"And? How about the amethyst?" Virtual Pigeon replied through the transmitter.

"Quimora is en route together with the amethyst. However, I found a new clue regarding the next gem's location. This might be Gaul Illiadarne's cell. Ready your recorder, I will translate these texts line by line…”