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In the underground prison of the monster kingdom, several prisoners were sitting in the dark, waiting for their fate.

They were all criminals, committing various crimes, but their verdicts were the same: to be killed by one of the royal members, giving them their exp.

It was a fate commune and at the same time hidden from the public.

Keeping the people dark from these kinds of things would surely cause panic, shaking the power of the king and his family.

One of the guards walked before a cell and hit its bars, waking up the poor fellow behind them.

“No sleeping!”

The other guards who were playing cards smeared, used to this already.

In a cell, a young boy was holding a raged doll made from dirty clothes was sobbing in silence, afraid to be hit again.

Hos only crime was stealing an apple, but he was also sentenced to death.

This was the dark secret of this kingdom. Here those who aren't strong or noble, are nothing more than bags of exp, only waiting to be harvested.

Rumble!

“What was that?”

From one of the empty cells, the sound of stones falling could be heard, followed by several footsteps.

As the door opened several black knights walked out from it, each looking sinister.

One of the guards approached them, his sword held in its hands.

“Hey, who-”

“Sorry. I will be quick.”

Before the guards could respond, one of the knights disappeared from their sights, only to show up behind them, its knives dripping with blood.

One by one, they fell, the back of their necks cut spraying blood everywhere.

The knight turned to his comrades who kept silent and motionless.

“As we talked about, team one kill the guards swiftly. Team two, seal the exists with earth magic, we don,t want any reinforcements here.”

Once each knight left, the one who gave the orders turned to the silent prisoners, who couldn't process what just happened.

It wasn’t what the knight just did but the air was released.

It was the air of something above them as if they were mikes looking upon an elephant, they weren’t at the same level.

The same thing they felt when they faced the king.

“I am terribly sorry for this gruesome display. Allow me to present myself.”

Its helmet made a hissing noise and it slowly opened as if it was the mouth of a vicious giant insect, showing the fine green face of a man.

“My name is Phil Smith, and like you lot, I have a bone to pick with the king.”

Hearing this, several prisoners approached the edge of their cell, to better see this figure.

“Aren’t you tired of living under the rules of this whimsical king and its inbred children? I mean, I read into some of your charges, and I have to say you guys are in quite a pickle.

He pointed to one of the cages, which had a bulky wolf demi-human, with a bandage over its eye.

“If I remember correctly, you were a very respected member of the army, weren’t you? Then when you were celebrating with your comrades, one of those kids came at you and stabbed you in the eye. Am I correct that far?”

“Y-Yes.”

“You protracted yourself as all men should, then they just threw you here. No trial, jury, not even proper medical care. Tell me, is that fair?”

“...No.”

“And you are not alone. Extortion, threats, jealousy, or just general dislike, the majority of you all have been imprisoned for nothing. And no matter what these so-called ‘charges’ were, the lot of you is sentenced to be executed. Isn’t this lamentable? Aren’t ya ashamed of yourself to be thrown away like this?”

The knight slammed his chest.

“Even I, a physician who was invited to this kingdom, was thrown away. They got jealous of my talents and people, and they branded me with a slave mark, forcing me to play in a death game without the ability to kill my opponents. They literally sentenced me to death like you and my cage became this city which was supposed to be a beacon of hope for us.”

Some of the prisoners teared up, remembering what the king did to them, some even started to hit the cage.

The knight cleared his throat and spoke in a booming voice.

“BUT I WILL NOT STAND DOWN! I HAVE DEVISED A PLAN TO ESCAPE AND TAKE REVENGE ON THIS WRETCHED KINGDOM! I WILL DROWN THESE ROYALS IN THEIR BLOOD AND I WANT YOUR HELP TO DO IT!”

He slammed his chest again.

“See this armor on me?! I made it and it is with the capabilities of turning someone weak like me into the warrior standing before you! Join me and I shall give you one to fight by my side! To those who don’t wish to fight, I may also free you, but I cannot protect you. So choose, throw away, take the arms or hide!”

One by one the knight opened the cage and reached the prisoner.

“What will it be?”

*****

“Phew, that went well.”

I took off the armor and sat back in my chair.

The majority of the prisoners joined me and right before me, and if I was correct, they are fitted with the armors right now.

They were a little scared by its green gooey insides, but after they put it on, they immediately felt the boom of power it gave them.

Naturally, they breathed in the spores in the cave as they put them on, but I wasn’t worried too much.

I designed the armors I gave them, to slowly convert their body tissues into fungus.

It was a slow and painless process but after let’s say two weeks, they will completely fuzz to the armor, essentially becoming kayeri soldiers. MY soldiers.

In the meantime, I will give time to some of the experimental weapons to test them out and divide them into several groups to optimize their efficiency.

As I was thinking a kayeri still wearing the armor I gave to it, kneeled before me.

“Father…the ants brought …the first batch of kills…. and resources. Also the ant queen… she wants alcohol.”

“Sigh, alright. Go up, and steal some from the basement.”

I might have created a dangerous alcoholic. I hope this stuff doesn't affect her egg production. Don't want a batch of useless workers to just appear from thin air.

“I now have people, weapons, several plans and the request I gave to the dwarfs is coming nicely, even if they are trying to drag it out.”

No joke, I had to make examples of some of them. It motivated them; some surprisingly liked their lunch till I told them what it was.

“Still, I need more. I would be made to go to war with the king, with just that. So why…why am I reluctant to use this thing?”

Holding in my chairs tentacle the back book which led to that steam world, my hand extended inches away from it.

Ever since the last time I used it, I felt something threatening from that thing.

“…Forget it.”

I wasn’t in the position to be threatened by a book.

Like before, the second I grabbed the book, I was transported away.

[Commencing Dimensional Dive...]

[Error]

[Host dimensional body damaged]

[Compensating…]

As my mind cleared up, I found myself in some sort of white room with fluorescent lights above my head.

“Damn it. Where the fuck am I?”

As I moved around, I felt my body being too… light.

Hollow even.

I tried to move my hands, but I couldn’t.

There weren’t any.

All I could see was the brown cloak that I wore the last time I came here.

“Da fuck?”

Looking around I could see a mirror on the wall.

I approached it, shocked to not hear or even feel my own footsteps.

In the mirror, I saw the brown robe and the sack mask pulled over my head.

The mouth of the sack was torn open with some black liquid dripping from it., with several holes on my head, making me believe that I was shot.

“What happened?”

As I spoke, so did the sack’s mouth.

I know that I messed up the last time I was here, but for it to become like this….Fuck.

Not knowing what to do, I tried out my abilities and I was content to see that I could still turn invisible and intangible.

“Nice, now let’s get out of this place.”

As I approached the wall, a series of complicated signs showed up, thin as the thinnest threads.

“A protective spell? So, there is magic around here. Bah, I will just pass through it.”

The second I touched it, the symbols turned red, and the sound of a siren could be heard.

“Seriously?”

*****

Steam World POV:

“This doesn’t look good.”

The doctor put down his stethoscope while sighting.

On the medical table, the agent who fought against the monster on the street was lying on his chest, slightly green with black veins running through it. His breathing was slow and difficult as if he were suffocating on something.

“How long… do I have one?”

The doctor helped him sit up and gave him a respirator.

“The medicines did nothing to stop it, instead they made it more aggressive. We couldn’t only super it by the tonics made from the fabric of that accursed cloth. If you use it regularly while wearing the specially made breathing apparatus, then you may be able to live more than a year, two at minimum.”

“…Alright…Thanks.”

He put back his clothes on and held his top hat in his hands.

“…We will soon…part ways, Lilly..”

“Don’t say it like that. I am sure we can fix you back up in a jiff. We only need time and hope.”

The man smiled and put his hat back on when the sound of sirens reached him.

A breach? Now?

Like his training dictated, he ran out of the doctor’s office and to the observation center.

in a huge dome-like structure several legal magicians were observing scrolls displaying the status of cells and other matters.

“Where is the breach?!”

“Cell 76!”

Memorizing all the cell numbers, it didn't take me long to find my way to the said cell door.

There was already a team of heavily armed guards at its door ready to enter.

“We should check the cell before we open the doors.”

“Good idea.”

I told the guards the same thing, and they agreed to it.

Going through another door I found myself in another corridor, on this one's walls, several windows lined up, showing the cells in them.

I quickly went to the one designed to number 76.

“What?”

I couldn’t exactly explain it, it was like seeing double.

On one end I saw nothing, just the empty room, and on the other, there was a floating cape with a creepy sack mask that soared to it, hitting the walls with its head.

“Do you … see anything?”

“The room is empty. How did it escape.”

“…I can see him.”

“What? Where?”

“In the-“

Bang.

The cape hit its head onto the glass, its wounds dirtying the glass with its black blood.

As if it saw him, the mouth of the sack smiled and it started to hit the glass with its head, with more and more force.

“The glass… it's cracking.”

“STEP BACK!”

I jumped back a few steps, as the glass shattered into pieces.

Like a snake, the cloth slithered out from it, before standing up not far away from us.

With a shiver, my vision became normal again, being able to see the thing far more clearly than before.

“You. I remember you. The one who attacked me at the bookstore.”

The voice of the cloth was weird, layered even.

“What do you want?”

“Me? Right now, I seek knowledge. May you tell me where the nearest laboratory, library, or bookstore is?”

It was disgusting.

The way this thing spoke or acted, it was repulsing him to his utmost limit.

“ Lilly, set up a barrier. We need… to keep him… contained.”

“Who are you talking to? Whatever, I am out of here.”

Jumping up, the monster passed through the ceiling as if it was nothing but air.

Standing there, I felt the sickness in my chest getting worse, as if it was reacting to the return of its master.

“Lilly, contact the superiors. We need to lock down this place. Immediately.”

*

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[

Name: Phil Smith 'Plague Father'

Race: [Molded High Elf] Lv: 22/100 (52/100)

Main Class: [Life Father]

Sub Class: [Rouge]

HP(Health Points): 284/284

SP(Stamina Points): 70

MP(Magic Points): 204/204

TMN (Tamed Monster Numbers): [0]

Blessings: [Blessing of Nergal] [Blessing of Airmed]

Active Skills: [Basic Steady Hand] [[Hive control] [Hive Absorption] [Hive Repulsion] [Mold Field] [Basic Spirit Voice] [Aether Vision] [Steam Engineering] [Dagger Arts][Presence Concealment] [Lock Picking]

Passive Skills: [Body Knowledge] [ Plant Knowledge] [Medicine Knowledge] [Stamina Enhancement] [ Movement Enhancement] [ Reflex Enhancement.] [Basic Sponge Mind] [Perfect Stomach] [Hive Mind] [Music Instrument Knowledge[Healing Hands][Medical Senses] [Medical Mind] [Surgical Precision]

Affinities: [Basic Farming Affinity] [Basic War Affinity] [Basic Pestilence Affinity][ Basic Fire Affinity.] [Basic Life Affinity] [Basic Death Affinity]

Titles: [The One Who Saw a Thousand Worlds] [Knowledge Driven] [Chosen by Flies] [Medicine Pioneer] [Hive Master] [Giver of Life]

]