Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 143: Below I

Of course, they came after him immediately. They had smelled blood, after all. They smelled weakness.

Atrox heard their footsteps getting closer, but he ignored them. From the bloodlust he was sensing, he guessed there were about thirty or so people here, all of them Knights, though only a few were of Knight rank.

"You’re a new one, huh?" a voice said.

"He looks like he’s going to croak at any time," another replied.

Atrox slid down the wall and ignored them. His first priority was to take in as much essence as he could. He needed his body to be fully healed and functional before whatever was about to begin.

He slid his eyes open. Two people stood in front of him, a man and a woman, as haggard as their voices. With one look at them, Atrox understood what was happening.

’They are Squires following some Knight. They’ve been sent to test me, to see how strong I am. Now, the issue is that I don’t have the strength yet—my body isn’t recovered. But I can also use this to my benefit’

’Let them underestimate me while I heal and fill my core. I don’t need to show any power to prove myself. I am a strong Knight. They will see it soon enough. Why prove what you already are?’

He ignored their baiting words and focused on the feeling of essence filling his core, circling through his body again.

The two prisoners looked at each other, hesitated, but then the woman crouched beside Atrox. Her hand went to his hair, and she jerked his head back. "Didn’t you hear my question? Are you new here?"

The anger simmering inside him since the moment he was taken, as if he were mere goods to be passed around, flared. The humiliation he felt pulsed through him like blood made of liquid fire.

He opened his eyes, flashing them dangerously, but he didn’t move. He simply stared at the filthy woman holding his hair. She flinched and let go, feeling the wave of pure bloodlust emanate from him before it was abruptly suppressed.

Atrox took a deep breath, shrugging off his anger. ’Take it easy... not yet. Recovery first... fill your core, and then deal with them. Calm... calm...’

The woman, seeing Atrox not retaliating, quickly convinced herself he must be weak. Her mouth curled cruelly. "Coward! You can’t even fight back. No wonder you became a slave."

The man stepped closer and kicked Atrox in the ribs, eliciting a gasp. "Should we just kill him now? He’s worthless, and he’s going to die anyway. Why waste time when we could enjoy his death?"

The woman nodded. "You’re right. Look at him—he must’ve been beaten within an inch of his life before being dumped here. He’s probably just here to make the event more entertaining!"

’Seriously... why are they voluntarily putting their hands in the mouth of a monster? Should I kill them now? Nah... I’m using all the essence I can get to heal. The one who sent them probably expects me to fight... I’ll deal with them later’

Atrox looked at them, his voice like rusted iron. "What’s your name?"

The two glanced at each other and burst out laughing. The man slapped the woman’s back. "Did you hear that? He wants to know our name!"

The man grinned. "Is this a dying wish?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

They continued mocking Atrox, even searching his pockets for anything of value. The woman briefly considered taking his trousers, thinking they looked high-quality.

Throughout it all, Atrox simply watched, not fighting back, to the disappointment of many who were observing. Even the pair eventually grew bored and left him alone.

As they walked away, Atrox felt the eyes that had been watching him vanish as well. They had written him off as one of the weaklings who wouldn’t cause trouble—after all, he couldn’t even stand up to Squires.

Just as he wanted, everyone left him alone, allowing him to focus on healing and filling his core.

From time to time, more people were brought in by Frexon, dumped on the ground like garbage, just as Atrox had been. Time passed slowly but quickly for Atrox as he lost himself in meditation.

The next day, Frexon arrived with food in metal buckets that he carelessly tossed to the ground.

Everyone froze, staring at the food in surprise as if they’d not seen one before. No one moved toward it. Atrox frowned.

’It seems the prisoners here have been together for a while, and a hierarchy has already formed. Should I go for the food? No... better to keep filling my core. If only there were monsters around to help with that... Besides, that food is barely edible—it’s more like water-sprinkled flour. I’ll pass’

As Knights, they could tolerate hunger better than most, but they also needed to eat more due to the stamina their powers consumed. Their essence intake provided nourishment as well, and it will only improve with their advancement.

Atrox watched in amusement as the food was distributed. Those at the top of the hierarchy ate their fill, leaving the scraps for others to fight over. And fight they did, throwing punch and using weapons.

There was even one or two techniques that flew around.

Yawning, Atrox shook his head and returned to his meditation. By this time, his body was fully healed; only his core remained to be filled.

The next morning, Frexon came again, but this time he brought no food or prisoners. He only spoke. "There are no rules for this. Your only objective is to reach the escape door. Be the first to do so, and you will be rewarded. You might even receive a pardon from the Flagbearer himself."

"There are enchantments worked into this place—there’s no way to escape without passing through the door. Somewhere within this maze of tunnels, surprises await you."

He paused, smiling as his gaze lingered on Atrox before sweeping over the room. "We will be watching."