Day 30

Astra was deep into his workout, muscles straining with effort, when a sudden voice boomed from a speaker outside his cell.

"Prisoners, prepare yourselves. Your time has come. Cooperate when the guards arrive, or face the consequences."

Astra couldn't understand the words, but the tone was unmistakable—something significant was about to happen. This was new. Driven by curiosity, he opened the flap door to see what was going on.

Through the narrow opening, Astra saw two guards moving down the corridor. The first guard was the scarred one, familiar from countless encounters. But the second guard was new, an unfamiliar face. The second guard, unlocked the cells by scanning his fingerprints and began dragging prisoners out one by one, alongside the scarred guard. Each prisoner compiled under the guards' intimidating presence.

Realizing he needed to be prepared for whatever was coming, Astra broke the small mirror in his cell. Using the bone he’d kept for marking days, he carefully selected a large, sharp piece, wrapping part of his shirt around the end to avoid cutting himself.

His plan was simple—act compliant until the right moment, then strike. He positioned himself strategically, hiding the glass shard behind his back. He considered whether he should cut off a guard’s finger to unlock the other cells and create chaos.

Minutes passed like hours as he waited, his muscles tense. The guards approached his cell but then moved past it, opening the door of the next cell. Astra's eyes narrowed as he took a moment to process this unexpected turn. They weren't going to take him.

The guards returned, taking another prisoner. The pattern became clear—they were taking prisoners one by one, but not him.

"Hey, where are you going? Why are you skipping me? Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this moment?" he muttered to himself.

Unable to contain his frustration any longer, Astra shouted at the guards, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Take me, too! What are you waiting for?" he demanded, his voice echoing with cold anger.

The scarred guard turned and, without a word, jabbed Astra in the face with the metal stick, Pain exploded in his cheek, and he stumbled back, clutching his face. Blood trickled down his fingers as he glared at the guard.

[You took 10% damage!]

The guard's cold eyes met him for a brief moment before turning away, leaving Astra alone with his bloodied face and seething frustration.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

⊶☽☬☾⊷

Day 50

The past few weeks had been grueling. After the incident with the guards, Astra realized he was too weak. His reflexes hadn't been sharp enough to dodge the guard's strike. He had been angry, but he knew the real issue was his low dexterity stat. If his dexterity were higher, his agility and flexibility would allow him to dodge attacks, move quickly, and perform precise actions.

Determined to improve, he focused inward, mentally commanding the NeuraEye system,

Create a new daily workout focused on improving my dexterity and include shadow boxing

The system couldn’t communicate yet, but it could follow his commands to a limited extent. By practicing shadow boxing, he can develop his combat skills, allowing him to fight back effectively

Daily Quest: [Fitting in Fitness]

- push-ups: 0/1000

- Quick Steps: 0/1000

- Side-to-Side Hops: 0/1000

- Planks: 0/60 minutes

- Shadow Boxing: 0/60 minutes

One day, after an intense session, a notification appeared before him:

[Congrats! You have acquired Combat Novice Level 1]

Astra smirked at the notification. The guards continued their routine as always. Every time someone died, they took the corpse away the next day, and sometimes they brought in new prisoners. He was always checking newcomers every time, hoping that he might see a human—or even better, a member of his crew. At least then, he wouldn't be so lonely.

⊶☽☬☾⊷

Day 60

Today, the voice from the speaker returned. Astra still couldn’t understand the words, but he had figured out that once a month, they let the prisoners out for some purpose. He stayed in his cell, waiting, his mind racing with strategies and plans.

Come on, let me out

But just like a month ago, the guards skipped his cell. They took the prisoners one by one, excluded him. He had expected this, but he had secretly held onto a tiny bit of hope that they might let him out this time. But the frustration and anger surged within him for a moment.

But he knew that giving in to his anger wouldn't change anything. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Getting angry won't help, I need to stay focused.

⊶☽☬☾⊷

Day 80

These past weeks, Astra had found a grim sense of amusement in provoking the scared guard. Sometimes, when they approached his cell with their metal sticks, he would intentionally get too close. As expected, the guards would try to poke him, but Astra had become much quicker. He easily dodged the stick, laughing hard when they missed. His laughter would echo through the corridor, infuriating the scared guard further, but they still wouldn't open his door no matter what he did.

He knew the risk he was taking. If they decided to kill him, there wasn't much he could do to stop them. But anything was better than staying in here, eating the foul meat every single day and because of his actions, he could hear the language better now.

Today, as always, Astra peeked through the flap door, watching as the guards escorted a newcomer down the corridor. This time, the alien was humanoid in appearance. She had pinkish skin, red eyes, red hair, pointy ears, and fangs. She cast a cold glance at Astra before stepping into her cell.

Astra paid her no mind, but then the guard, following the girl's gaze, noticed Astra's mismatched eyes—one blue, one black. The guard's expression turned to one of annoyance as he heard Astra's voice.

"Hey, bald bastard, where are you going?!," Astra exclaimed.

The scarred guard grunted, not understanding Astra's words but recognizing the mocking tone. The guard walked away, his face still showing his annoyance at Astra's antics.

𓆩✧𓆪