Chapter 16: Night in the Orc Prison

When my expression darkened, Wi Hajun anxiously patted my shoulder.

“It’s okay. We’ll all get out of here.”

He tried to reassure me with a soft shoulder pat and a little smile.

“Ah… yeah.”

I wish he wouldn’t act so friendly—it felt awkward. I subtly moved away from him.

But surprisingly, this quest didn’t seem that hard. With my level up, I could take down a few orcs without much trouble.

I grabbed the prison bars and put some force into them.

“Huh?”

They didn’t bend at all. They should’ve twisted easily.

I clenched my fist and felt my strength was clearly weaker than before. Opening the status window confirmed it:

[Shin Doyoon (Dimensional Timepiece)]

Level: 15 -> 1

Trait: Pocket Watch of Dimensions

Strength: E -> F / Stamina: F / Agility: D -> F / Intelligence: E

-[Due to trait activation, level and stats are temporarily reduced.]

“…ugh.”

I sighed. Leading four people out while my stats were back to level 1? What a nightmare.

It was temporary; my stats would restore once the trait period ended and I returned to my original timeline. But for now, the mission felt much harder.

I tried to use Eve’s question function just in case, but:

[This function cannot be used inside a trait.]

Yep. No easy quests here. I sighed again.

As if ignoring my struggles, the prison door suddenly opened.

“Whoosh, fresh meat.”

A balding orc with patches of hair like the Dunafi I had sold appeared, carrying a person on each shoulder. He tossed them into empty cells and locked the door, scratching his scalp that looked like a full moon as he passed by me.

Once the orc left, the silence was broken by a cough.

“Cough! How dare an orc touch me!”

The tone was commanding. I looked at him and realized his clothes and appearance didn’t match the other prisoners. His flowing garments resembled medieval European nobility, and his features were distinctly Western.

The person brought along wore thick leather armor, looking like a typical knight.

“Another rookie?”

Yu Jia’s voice sounded strangely pleased.

“Tch, selfish. Might as well die quickly! Hahaha!”

“Let’s call it smart, shall we? You’re all muscle, strong enough to avoid being eaten by orcs. Might as well go into their den and reunite with your dearly missed girlfriend.”

Yu Jia seemed happy about new humans being captured—less competition meant a lower chance of being selected as orc food herself.

Wait. The mission said I was supposed to escape with four companions, but suddenly two more appeared. Does that mean some shouldn’t go? I spent time pondering who to escape with, and hours flew by.

By the time sunset touched the prison window, the door opened again.

“Meal time. Chhh.”

An orc dropped a basket of bread and left.

“Meal time? They never gave food before.”

“Wow… giving food like this… must be the first time.”

Yu Jia, eyeing the basket greedily, tried to sneak her hand toward it.

Before she could touch it, Wi Hajun spoke:

“Let’s divide the bread fairly—one per person.”

Reluctantly, Yu Jia withdrew her hand, forcing a smile.

“Right. Everyone shares. Ha ha.”

Wi Hajun held the basket and handed a piece to each person. Yu Jia, overjoyed, grabbed two and shoved them in her mouth.

“Hey, old man, since we’re going to die anyway, give me that bread. Starving faster might be better.”

“Nope. Better it goes into my mouth than yours.”

He stuffed it in, clearly unwilling to give her anything. Despite his noble face, he ate like a starving beggar who hadn’t eaten in a week.

“Here, take this. You might not get another chance, so eat even if you’re not hungry.”

Wi Hajun kindly handed me bread and began eating. Having been so hungry, he finished a palm-sized loaf and even sucked his fingers.

I looked at the bread he had given me. It looked like a rock. As expected, it was way too hard for humans to eat.

Ah… I missed the roasted deer from the black mask. Better to escape the orcs and return to the original timeline than eat this. But… I needed energy to escape. Might as well try.

I put the bread in my mouth.

“Ah!”

“Are you okay? Is there a problem?”

A problem? Plenty. I almost broke my teeth. How do people even eat this? I put it back down. I had a bad feeling I’d get sick if I ate it.

“How dare they give me this garbage… to a noble like me. Orcs…”

A voice full of anger rang out. The noble threw his bread to the floor. The knight hesitated but put his down too.

“Hey, if you’re not eating, give it to me!”

Yu Jia, smiling brightly, reached out.

The noble, annoyed, tossed two pieces to her.

“How dare they give something for a great noble to eat, to a lowly commoner. Tch.”

He seemed like he’d only be satisfied slicing steak in an orc prison.

I considered giving my bread to Yu Jia, but Wi Hajun’s steady gaze at me made me hand it to him instead.

“Thanks.”

He smiled and ate it. His face was strong and detailed like a tiger’s, but his actions were completely silly. Reality Wi Hajun seemed even more dignified in comparison.

As the sun set and the bright white moon hung precariously in the prison window, I stared blankly at the sky, unable to sleep. Wi Hajun came closer and spoke.

“The night sky is as beautiful as the real world, isn’t it?”

“The tower feels surprisingly peaceful.”

Unlike the cramped prison, this high-dimensional world was alive—nature breathing, life striving. The calm night sky reminded me of comforting nights in the dark.

“Actually… when I first saw you, you reminded me of someone I know,” he said softly, staring at the sky, a faint smile on his face.

“Someone important?” I asked.

Wi Hajun’s eyes widened slightly, lips curved gently in the moonlight. He spoke in a soft, choked voice:

“Yes… really important. I realized it too late.”

He stared at me, as if searching for that person’s remains in my face. I remained silent, letting him. For several minutes, he simply gazed at me, nostalgia in his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Though no conversation followed, his grateful, wistful expression stuck in my mind.

“…tree…”

“Okay… more…”

*-

“Watch….”

A whisper roused me from a light sleep.

Who’s talking at this hour?

I opened my eyes. Adjusting to the darkness, I saw only faint silhouettes. Orcs?

A larger-than-usual figure suggested a warrior-class orc. He spoke with someone else in the prison.

“Then place the next potion at the Gari tree.”

“Understood. Chhh! The guardian’s path will open soon; guide them.”

Their voices were too quiet to hear clearly. I strained to catch fragments:

“Bread… sleeping potion… danger…”

Bread and sleeping potion… Could they be slipping something into the bread to put everyone to sleep while they talk freely?

Makes sense. Who would give food to someone meant to be used as prey without a reason?

I hadn’t eaten the bread, so I was awake. They didn’t seem to notice me listening and continued talking for a long time.

“See you next time. Whoosh.”

The warrior-class orc stomped away, shaking the floor, and the prison fell silent once more.