As soon as they were let outside, some people ran as far as they could. But just minutes later, screams rang out from their direction.
Kai sighed and began collecting grass and leaves.
Based on information he had gathered from eavesdropping on guard conversations: the leader of this small camp was a middle-aged man, around 37 years old.
Under normal conditions, if this many people randomly formed a group, they would be wiped out by wild animals within just a few days.
So it was essential to have an official base camp.
To form an official base camp, a person needed to collect special achievements from the Status Panel — achievements that could only be earned by professionals.
Only when you had a special title could you form a base camp with a safe zone, which under normal conditions would not be attacked by wild animals or creatures.
But if someone like those idiots tried to go outside the zone, death was almost certain.
...
After hearing the screams of others who had entertained similar ideas, the remaining people quickly became more compliant.
Soon, night was approaching, so people began to gather and head inside the camp — because at night, the safe zone shrank to almost half its size.
One by one, they began to enter the post. Before entering, each person was thoroughly checked by the guards.
Just then, one man was caught with a small red berry hidden in his clothes.
"Are you looking for death? How dare you hide something?"
The guard not only confiscated the berry but beat the man until he was satisfied.
It was just a small commotion. The entry process resumed.
Soon it was Kai's turn. As he entered the camp, the guard immediately searched him. After submitting his haul, he was allowed inside.
This soon became Kai's daily routine — though of course, not everything ran smoothly.
At first, it seemed manageable. In exchange for their freedom, they gained protection and daily food, as long as they did their work.
But reality was far crueler than that. Almost everyone was given 10 to 12 hours of manual labor.
This left them utterly exhausted. And when mealtime came, they received only two meals a day — a small amount of paste made from grain mixed with grass and leaves, in such tiny portions that even both meals combined couldn't compare to a single meal eaten by the guards.
And that said nothing of the meals the professionals enjoyed.
After just a few days of this work, people began to resemble those hollow-eyed prisoners they had seen upon their arrival.
Every day they worked until exhaustion.
And even when they did everything right, they would be beaten for the slightest mistakes.
Kai was beaten three times simply for making eye contact with one of the professionals.
He was punished by their lackeys.
But he didn't utter a single word. He endured everything in silence.
It was a typical day. Kai had finished his work and was making his way toward his cell to get his food and sleep.
But that day, due to some extra work, he was extremely exhausted and walking very slowly — when he suddenly crashed into someone.
In an instant, Kai was kicked away.
The kick was so heavy that he was thrown several meters.
"Trash! Watch where you're going."
It was a professional. The man glanced at the wretch in front of him, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Haha... it's you, Kai... hahaha... Who would have thought the high and mighty genius Kai would fall to nothing but a slave? Hahaha... I'd heard your family was about to go bankrupt, but I didn't believe it. But now, looking at you this pathetic... hahaha..."
He began to close in, but just then someone called out to him.
"Vice Leader, the leader is asking for you immediately."
"I'll play with you later... hahaha."
"Let's go."
With that, he left.
After he was gone, Kai slowly stood up. As he rose, his entire body trembled.
He groaned in pain — every part of him ached.
It seemed like no bones were broken, but it still hurt like hell.
Even so, he walked toward the food distribution area.
By the time Kai arrived, it was already too late. There was nothing left for him.
With his hungry, exhausted body, he walked to his cell and lay down, gazing up at the stars twinkling in the sky.
He mumbled to himself as he reached out a hand toward the sky.
His eyelids grew heavy. Just then, there was a commotion.
Some people — they looked like guards — were checking every cell, seemingly searching for someone.
Then one guard spotted Kai and immediately came toward him.
"This is the guy."
The guard approached, and Kai stared back at him with no expression. The guard kicked him, then forcefully dragged him out of the cell.
Soon, Kai was taken to a room at the center of the camp, looking ragged and worn.
Just then, the door on the opposite side opened, and Mark entered. The moment he stepped in, the air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
He immediately slapped the guards who had brought Kai.
"I hate people who do unnecessary things I didn't instruct them to do."
Both guards immediately knelt on the ground.
"Vice Leader, forgive us, we wouldn't dare—"
"Get lost."
The guards immediately ran away.
Now there was no one left in the room except Mark and Kai.
Mark looked at Kai with amusement. Kai, meanwhile, had kept his head lowered the entire time, not once looking at Mark.
"You — are you mocking me? Look at me."
Mark immediately threw a punch at Kai.
"Ughhh."
"Please don't hit me, please... it hurts."
Mark kicked him even harder.
"You... how dare you..."
Kai was punched again and again, yet he still didn't look Mark in the eyes.
"Ughhh."
"You!!!"
Seeing that it had no effect, Mark finally stopped hitting him.
"It seems Kai has truly fallen."
He sighed.
"Guards, take him away."
Soon, new guards came in and escorted Kai back to his cell.
Mark walked to the window, gazed up at the clear sky, then clenched his fist and smashed it into the wooden frame.
~Bang
The wooden window shattered into pieces.
"Damn it."
...
Kai was dragged back to his cell. He slowly sat himself up against a wooden pillar and stared at the stars once more.
After a while, he drifted off to sleep — unaware that it would be his last peaceful night in the camp.
The next day, as Kai was returning from work, he was surrounded by a group of people.
In the middle stood a middle-aged professional, with three lackeys flanking him.
The middle-aged man threw a kick at Kai.
"Kid, we meet again... haha... do you remember me?"
"You almost screwed me over back then."
Kai clutched his stomach and groaned in pain.
"Ugh"
He weakly looked up at the man and instantly recognized him.
He was the man from the cave — one of the people who had stolen those basketball-sized eggs.
The same one who had beaten Kai when Kai tried to warn them.
"Yesterday, I heard you offended a big shot, hm!"
"Now that I've awakened my profession, I know there's a bigger world out there. As long as I gain the favor of a big shot, I'll rise instantly."
He kicked Kai once more, then punched him again and again until he was satisfied.
With one final kick, he said, "Don't meddle in other people's business next time."
And they walked away.
After that, every few days after completing their missions, they would come find Kai. With any random excuse, they would begin beating him — each time, until they were satisfied.
It continued for days, then weeks, then a month — until finally, the day came.