"I-I have to call others."

The guard muttered as he turned around.

Bang

As soon as he did, he felt a tug from the back of his neck as he collided with the bars.

"Wha-"

"No need to hurry. You just have to hand me the key."

The puny human said as he wrapped his one hand around the guard's neck and the other around his mouth from the gap between the bars.

"Ummf."

The guard panicked as he channeled his mana throughout his body.

"Haha you must be new."

The puny human snickered as the guard felt confused.

"Argh"

As soon as he channeled the mana, he felt his mana sipping out of his body.

He bulged his eyes in understanding.

It was the bars; his seniors had warned him about them.

They were mana-sucking metals that absorbed mana when they came into contact.

The guard felt weakened with all his mana being drained.

"N-no way."

With the puny human wrapping his arm around his neck, the guard couldn't breathe as he fell unconscious.

"...that was easy."

Looking at the now unconscious body of the guard, the puny human felt a little confused by how easy it was.

"Is he really new?"

He muttered as he quickly went through the guard's belongings.

'Bingo.'

With a key in his hand, he quickly opened the bar.

Everything beyond the bar was still dark, but he knew where to go.

'Right after opening the bar, take two left turns.'

He recited the information as he looked at the unconscious guard.

'I have to deal with him first.'

Dragging the guard inside the cage, he quickly ripped his clothes. Making him sit by the bar, he used the ripped clothes to tie his hands and torso to the bar.

Taking out the breads that he saved, he stuffed them in his mouth fully and also tied his mouth.

'I can't kill you, but I also can't have you wake up and inform others about me.' He thought as he quickly locked the bar and ran left.

It was dark; he couldn't see anything, but his adapted eyes helped him make out the environment around him.

He could tell that he was running past other cages. He wasn't alone; there were many other prisoners sitting in their cells.

Fortunately, a corridor towards his left came as he entered it.

'Right as you take a left, there is an air tunnel far ahead. Run till you find a deadend; the air tunnel is in that deadend.'

Once in a while, he bumped into small rocks, but he didn't care as didn't have time for that. He had to be quick and calm.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He wasn't sure if he could trust these memories and the mysterious lady this easily, but, at a time like this where he had no other route, he had to.

He would rather die than rot in a cell or believe bread to be a luxury food.

As time passed, he kept running. He could already feel exhaustion.

'Tsk. This body is weak.'

His current body was weaker and smaller than before.

Weeee Woooooo

'...That's faster than I expected.'

The guards seem to have already found that he escaped.

He wanted to rest for a bit, but it seems like he was asking for too much.

Fortunately, though, he reached the deadend. Looking through it, he soon found the air tunnel.

The air tunnel was thoroughly sealed.

The puny human didn't waste much time, as he took out one of the tools he had.

'Yes, it will work.'

The tool wasn't a foreign substance; rather, it was just an ordinary screwdriver.

He quickly loosened the screws on the bottom part. As he proceeded to loosen the screw on the upper part, he realized something.

...He couldn't reach it.

His height was small.

'SHIT'

The puny human cursed inside in frustration as he looked around.

Fortunately, he found a rock, and he used that as a booster.

Quickly loosening the upper screws, the air tunnel opened up as he desperately entered it and closed it.

'After entering the air tunnel, you will have to climb upwards nonstop.'

Inside the air tunnel, it was very dark, darker than outside.

The puny human extended his hand forward as he did what he had been practicing for the past few days.

Focusing on his palm, little shiny particles appeared as the darkness faded away.

'...This should do.' He thought as he started crawling as silently as he could.

--

"I-I am very sorry; I was caught off guard."

In a room that was lit orange by a light, a guard whose clothes were ripped bowed down as he apologized.

"Stand up. Have some pride, and just be glad that you are alive."

A bulky human, the guard's senior, sitting on a chair, said as he looked at the guard.

"But it's strange; he ripped your clothes and took desperate measures to make you silent; why do that when he could have just..."

The senior said as he looked at the guard's face, which was becoming pale.

"Haha, anyway, that criminal sure is ballsy to try to escape." The senior said this as he looked at the files that contained information regarding the criminal.

"Looking at his file, all I can say is that he is an utterly average criminal. It makes me wonder if him being here is some kind of mistake." He said it with a smirk as he looked around.

"What do you think? General Ameri?"

Looking towards a woman with long, lustrous black hair and calm eyes, he asked as his smirk grew.

General Ameri appeared unamused and uninterested with the news as she kept on continuing her work. She didn't take her eyes away from the document that she was writing as she replied.

"...It's not the first time this has happened. By now, he must have destroyed the air tunnel's entrance and started climbing it."

General Ameri said as she flipped the page of the document and proceeded with her writing.

"Release the poison gas. Let him die there like others."

She ordered as the guards beside her bowed to her and walked out.

"You are as cruel as always, general."

The senior said as he dismissed the ripped cloth guard.

"There shouldn't be any mercy for the criminals."

General Ameri recited the motto of the Emporial prison as the senior smiled silently.

"Then please excuse me." The senior said this as he exited the office.

'Sigh. This girl is going to be a hinderance.' He thought as he took his hat off.

"Take me to that criminal." He said this as the guard before him bowed to him and started walking in a certain direction.

After walking a while, they reached an open room as the senior walked in.

As soon as he did, he saw two guards. The two guards were surrounding a person who was armored from top to bottom.

The two guards had just recently brought him to the room.

"So, do you feel like talking now?" The senior said as he slowly walked towards the armored man, Tinman.

Tinman just stood there like a statue. He didn't respond to the senior. Witnessing this, the two guards beside him felt a cold sweat running down their backs.

"Haha this son of a bitch."

BANG

The senior punched Tinman in the helmet as he was sent flying.

BAM

Slamming against the wall, Tinman fell down as he remained still.

"Stand up. Wearing that armor, the punch must have felt like a tickle." The senior said this as he looked at Tinman with a cold look.

Tinman stood up, but as soon as he did, BANG

The senior punched him as he was again sent flying BAM

'General Ameri, in this grand Emporial prison, making criminals fear you is common sense. I am more suited to the position of general than you.' He thought as he looked at Tinman.

"After killing the town president, you attempted to kill your own boss. Your punishment has been determined." The senior said as he rolled his palm.

"You will be serving in mine for the rest of your life. Be glad; your armor is going to be very helpful." He said this as the two guards made Tinman stand up.

"Ready him to be sent away."

The two guards quietly followed his order as they exited the room with Tinman.

--

Meanwhile, three guards, upon the order of General Ameri, took out a big gas jar and proceeded to release it into an air tunnel. Before doing so, they had closed any opening to the air tunnel to prevent the criminal from escaping and the gas from sipping out.

The poison was made from a mixture of poisons from two dangerously poisonous monsters. General Ameri had defeated the monsters and made this poisonous gas that devoured any living being from inside.

"How long do you think the criminal will survive for?" One of the guards asked as the other two looked at each other.

"Senior said he was an average criminal, so, I guess, five seconds."