Chapter 2

EP.2 Falling to the Bottom of the Bottomless Pit

I felt as if my entire body had been beaten. I frowned and tried to get up.

There was no part of me that wasn't in pain. My arms and legs felt as if they had been beaten with a club, and my dry mouth tasted like sand. I rubbed my stiff eyes a few times and looked around, but it was still pitch black.

A faint light could be seen from a distance, but it was far too dim to illuminate the world.

I groaned and scratched my head for a moment, then noticed something strange.

That's odd. Who took off the restraints? I was clearly thrown into the bottomless pit, tightly bound.

My limbs were tied so tightly that I couldn't move, my eyes were blindfolded, and my mouth was gagged. I was thrown to the bottom of the pit without any safety measures, deprived of my freedom.

Even as I fell, I struggled to survive, but the restraints were of a type that an ordinary person like me couldn't break. It's absurd to think I could have undone the restraints that the military state had meticulously designed. I continued to resist helplessly inside the restraints until I finally collapsed from exhaustion.

I was satisfied knowing that the Earth Mother would end my life painlessly in one go.

But I'm still alive after falling to the bottom? I fell for hours without any safety measures?

No, before that.

This is clearly the bottomless pit cursed by the Earth Mother. It's a bottomless abyss. Why is there a bottom?

It's a contradiction. The bottom of a bottomless pit, the very combination of words suggests it shouldn't exist.

As I pondered this, I realized something and muttered, "Ah, I must be dead and in hell."

"Kyaah!"

The voice came from right behind me. I was startled and rolled on the ground. Shaking, I shouted at the "something" in front of me.

"Who's there!"

Two eyes glinted in the darkness. A presence, vague like a ghost, was staring at me from that spot.

It's definitely not human. If it were human, I would have read its thoughts. So what is it? A ghost? An animal? Or a messenger of hell?

As I trembled in fear, waiting for an answer, the eyes slowly approached. My eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, began to make out its outline.

Recognizing its identity, I called out in a trembling voice, "Golem?"

It wasn't a ghost or an animal. The closest explanation would be a messenger of hell.

The entity in front of me was a military magic golem created in the hellish country of the military state.

If a human were to be imitated using only cylinders and blocks, it might look like this. The golem's eyes, made of crystal orbs, glowed as it watched me. A mechanical voice came from the speaker at the golem's mouth.

A magic golem, a remote-controlled type that syncs with the user. It's a common piece of equipment in the military state due to its ease of operation.

Looking at the golem, I nodded and sighed.

"Even the golem fell into hell? Tsk. How many people must it have killed... You should blame yourself for being born as a golem in the military state."

I followed the golem's gaze and looked around.

The ground is the concrete commonly seen in the military state. I don't know what's inside, but the concrete covering it is hard and solid. There are no plants or trees, only the colorless structures built by humans.

I inadvertently looked up. There was no sky, no twinkling stars. Just pure darkness, the kind that absorbs light, stretching beyond.

As I slowly lowered my gaze, a familiar building came into view.

Searchlights moved back and forth, illuminating the darkness of the bottomless pit. Circular beams of light swept across the concrete ground. Suddenly, they all converged on my feet, like agitated beasts, and began to crawl toward me.

The blinding artificial light focused on me as if trying to burn my body. I shielded my eyes with my hands and took in the massive structure I hadn't noticed before.

A square five-story building, built solely for practical purposes. Thick concrete walls, reinforced with steel plates, were equipped with searchlights to detect escapees. Large lights hung high, illuminating the area around the prison, but they were far too inadequate to replace the sun. In this place, just a few dozen meters away, nothing can be seen if the searchlights don't reach.

A completely isolated island built on the ground, separating the inside from the outside.

The prison, which I had only seen from a distance, was now right in front of me. The prison, a symbol of the military state, seemed to be declaring that this would be my new home, with dozens of searchlights watching over me.

The golem, calmly receiving all the light, spoke to me.

I slowly nodded.

The Great Prison of Tantalus, it seems, is indeed a place that could become a legend of the military state.

"What a crazy country. Building a prison on the miraculous land at the bottom of a bottomless pit."

If it's the military state, it's fitting. Only a country as crazy as the military state would build a prison at the bottom of a bottomless pit.

The golem pointed out my muttering.

"How absurd. Locking up innocent people in such a place and expecting them to show loyalty?"

The golem warned me ominously. I had intended to mock it, but I closed my mouth when I felt the chilling tone.

When I stopped talking, a monotonous voice came from the golem's microphone.

The "reform education corps" is another name the military state uses for prisons. Research has shown that the terms "prison" and "prisoner" have negative connotations and are not conducive to social stability. Therefore, they call prisons "reform education corps" and prisoners "trainees."

To put it nicely, it's a play on words in the military state. To put it harshly, it's language control.

The military state would deny both.

"Was it planned?"

"What?"

Escape? They escaped from the bottomless pit?

Putting aside my rebellious attitude, I focused all my attention on the golem's words. Since I can't read the golem's thoughts, I tried to extract information from its tone and manner of speaking.

The fact that numerous dangerous criminals escaped from Tantalus and spread throughout society is not important to me. I don't care if that country falls into chaos or collapses.

What's important is that they "escaped." This information suggests the possibility of escaping from the bottom of the bottomless pit.

"How did they escape?"

In response to my question, the golem stared at me and replied.

"Che."

Of course, it's no use. The military state's communication system wouldn't be so lax.

It would be nice if I could read thoughts, but I can only read human thoughts, not the voices transmitted through signals and reproduced by microphones.

There's no choice but to obtain information in a more ordinary and boring way.

I gestured for the golem to continue speaking.

In the military state, the term "model" is a descriptor for fools. So, the only ones left in this prison are cowards.

It's ironic that the world's most famous prison has become a refuge for cowards.

"Oh, I see."

Now I understand. For some reason, even if I were falsely accused, there was no reason to lock up an ordinary criminal like me in Tantalus.

I heard that military police suddenly started patrolling the city. From the moment I was caught by the military police, to the trial that ended in just four days, the reason for my capture was clear.

In short, they were short on manpower and decided to round up minor criminals like me and throw them into the bottomless pit as laborers.

Using prisoners to serve other prisoners is a tactic the military state likes.

It's not a rotation, but a stopgap. They don't care if we die, they just need to fill the gaps with criminals.

In any case, one thing is clear. Even though I'm imprisoned, I am free here. There's no one to stop me from doing whatever I want.

Without instructors or other laborers, how can they stop me from being lazy or making bombs?

Realizing this, I lifted my head and walked confidently.

"What will you do if I don't do the work? Will you come down and beat me up?"

The golem turned its head to look at the prison. In the dim light of a few searchlights, a dark shape could be seen at the closed door, deep in the darkness.

The golem muttered.

"Them?"

Ignoring my question, the golem spoke more quickly.

What's the point of listening? At best, it's just cleaning and laundry.

I casually crossed my arms behind my head. Let's see. There are only three other prisoners left? With that number, I can manage to take care of them. If they're not too aggressive, I can even talk them into doing what I want.

Even if they are dangerous criminals locked in Tantalus, if they are so passive and weak that they fear the military state's orders and give up the chance to escape, they must be quite timid.

Although I'm just a minor criminal, I used to walk with my head held high in the back alleys. Thanks to my ability to read minds, even the most violent people couldn't stand up to me.

I may not have strength, but I have pride. If necessary, I'll take over this place.

Just as I was resolving myself, something happened.