Mage Manual-Chapter 98 - 91: Prison Break Countdown
Chapter 98: Chapter 91: Prison Break Countdown
“If hurt enough, just use a pair of hands, gleefully slash open, yesterday’s curse. Waiting for daylight as night falls, leaving only scars…”
With the wake-up song echoing, the prison entered free time, and all dormitory doors switched from red to green.
Ash arrived at the Central Hall and happened to see the Light Screen broadcasting the weather: “… The Meteorologist announced that on April 21st, the weather will turn from cloudy to clear, and today the Goblin fertility rate has significantly increased…”
In the dining hall, death row inmates came and went as usual. When Ash entered, many of them greeted him proactively, all quite deferential—having won two consecutive Death Battle Society matches and survived the Blood Moon Judgement, ‘Evil Spirit’ Ash was now seen by the prisoners as another strong man who could endure through his sentence.
As soon as Ash sat down, Igula took the seat opposite him. They looked at each other without speaking, quietly finished breakfast, and then headed to the sea-view rooftop, where Lanna and Ronald were waiting for them.
Except for those with ulterior motives who wanted to observe the sea conditions, no one would come to bask in the sun on the rooftop so early. With only the four of them on the rooftop, Igula directly asked, “Is the Miracle ready?”
...
Ash clenched his fists, closed his eyes to recall the sensation of Resonance with the Technique Spirit, and let out a soft breath, “All I can say is, I’ll do my best.”
After many days of adjustments and practice in the Void Realm, Ash had proficiently mastered the ‘Slash Me’ Miracle. He even managed to invoke the Slash Me Miracle without spending any Magic Power while in the Void Realm. However, he couldn’t guarantee a hundred percent success rate in casting the Miracle, as the difference between reality and the Void Realm could be as vast as the distance between a dining hall and a restroom.
Igula nodded noncommittally, looking towards Lanna and Ronald, “Having been locked up here for so long, can you still remember the battle style of a Mage? If any issues arise later, it’ll be up to you two to deal with those who raise questions.”
“I’ve been in jail for less than a month, no problem.”
Ronald looked even more haggard after not seeing him for two days. It wasn’t that his body had become thin, but rather his spirit, energy, and soul were evidently declining. To use Ash’s words, ‘He looks like a programmer who’s been working fifteen hours a day non-stop for a month, with all his eating and sleeping done at the company.’
Yet, his deep voice was filled with an indescribable Life Force, his pupils seemed to shimmer with light, and it was as though a fire burned within his heart, a life waiting to be reborn from the decaying body.
This made Ash even more worried.
Generally speaking, common people would call this phenomenon—rallying before death.
But long as he survives today… Ash’s thoughts were filled with the cold ruthlessness of a capitalist ready to wring dry a temporary worker and then discard them without a second thought.
“I’ve been here for several years, so it’s hard to say whether I can recover my past Combat Power,” Lanna said, “But I am a Fist Claw technique master. I haven’t neglected my combat skills, and even if I can’t use a Miracle, just invoking my Technique Spirit should allow me to reach 70% of my past Combat Power.”
Body Technique Masters, especially Fist Claw Technique Masters like Lanna, usually possess Technique Spirits that could enhance their physical qualities.
After all, real-life combat doesn’t play by the rules; an adversary won’t refrain from using weapons just because you only use your fists. On the contrary, they would use weapons specifically targeted against you, so unarmed fighters must have Technique Spirits that can bridge the gap in weaponry, either by enhancing defense or by increasing movement speed.
And Lanna was a Moon Shadow Werewolf. Once transformed, his physical attributes would improve significantly. With the assistance of a Technique Spirit, his combat power in tight and dark environments might well be the strongest in the squad.
“The transport ship usually arrives in the morning, transporting prisoners and moving supplies before returning to Kaimon City’s Shattered Lake harbor,” Igula said. “But there’s a detail—the crew and the Blood Frenzy Hunters will go to eat at the dining hall in two separate groups.”
“Blood Frenzy Hunters are trained to have a maximum mealtime of five minutes. Adding the travel time, we can assume that when the second group of Blood Frenzy Hunters appears in the dining hall, there will be less than ten minutes left before the return journey.”
“That is to say, once the second group of Blood Frenzy Hunters enters the dining hall, that will be our signal to act. We must purify the chip within ten minutes, change into the Medical Practitioner’s crow suit, and then access the transport ship directly with the privileges of a Medical Practitioner.”
“Got all that?”
The whole plan was very rough and urgent—any small mistake in any part would mean total failure, and many aspects were reliant on luck. But within the nearly impervious Shattered Lake Prison, Igula had somehow crafted a theoretically viable plan, earning him the admiration of Ash and the others, who nodded in appreciation.
“Then let’s each make our final mental preparations and meet earlier for lunch in the dining hall,” Igula said, looking at Ash, “Ash, this is your last chance to back out. You have the capability to survive in this prison, and you might take a less dangerous path.”
Ronald and Lanna also looked at Ash, knowing that Igula, typically manipulative, somehow seemed to be manipulated by Ash.
“I cannot go gentle into that good night,” Ash said.
Igula nodded thoughtfully, “You mean your pride cannot endure the humiliation of living a petty life?”
“No, what I mean is, if I continue to stay here, I’ll definitely keep getting picked for the Blood Moon Judgement. Not running is just waiting for death.”
“Still worried about other people’s revenge even in prison, shouldn’t you reflect on your past actions?”
Seeing Ash’s determination unchanged, Igula put aside his last bit of hope and waved goodbye as he left first—he needed to take a bath to cool down.
There was still an hour or two before noon, and Ash didn’t know what to do. He had already completely mastered his Substitute, Heart Sword, and Circulation Technique Spirits and could invoke them at any time. As for the Miracle, he dared not practice carelessly, because ‘Slash Me’ required a specific target for casting. If by chance Ash accidentally purified someone else’s chip and alerted the prison guards prematurely, then he could expect Igula to mock him to death.
Wandering aimlessly, Ash found himself in front of the familiar Death Battle Society.
A thought struck him, and he did not enter the Death Battle Society but found a dimly lit entrance at the back. The noises around him suddenly seemed very distant; the entrance had a heavy black iron door that screamed “Cowards, don’t enter” with its menacing aura.
This was the healing room.
Ash pushed the door open and went inside. The medical practitioner at the front desk glanced at him and said, “Go to healing room number one. Your personal medical practitioner will come to see you.”
He had yet to take out his number tag, [222], how did she know who his personal medical practitioner was? Although it was strange, Ash didn’t think much of it and went straight to healing room number one.
Watching him walk away, the medical practitioner chuckled under her crow mask, “Be proud of your future.”
After waiting a moment in the healing room, Medical Practitioner [222] came through a side door and tossed an apple at Ash: “Where are you hurt?”
Ash caught the apple and began to eat it without wiping it first, saying, “I’m not injured.”
“Why are you here if you’re not injured? Although I would hope you’re here for cosmetic procedures, given your previous resistance, it seems unlikely that you would change your aesthetic sense any time soon. So you must be here to…” the medical practitioner crossed her arms and speculated, “undergo biological modification?”
Ash looked unimpressed, “Aren’t you overestimating my courage?”
“What courage do you need for biological modification? It’s the trend now, changing hands, feet, eyes, it’s all quite normal!” the medical practitioner said in surprise. “Could it be that you’re one of those fundamentalist naturalists, who stubbornly resist new technology?”
“What’s wrong with the natural body that it needs changing?”
“Because it’s not good enough! Don’t you want to be faster, stronger, have better vision, and more sensitive hearing?”
“I think my body is good enough as it is now—”
“There’s also the option of modifying your reproductive system to enhance endurance and pleasure.”
Ash’s eyes hardened, “Next time I have a chance, I will consult with you about the vast and profound world of biological modifications.”
“While I’m thrilled you’re interested in biological modifications, I feel that for you, your reproductive system might never be of any use in this lifetime…”
“People say I will surely escape from here! I will regain my freedom!”
“Even with that unrealistic premise of yours, I do not intend to change my conclusion… unless you’re willing to accept my ‘handsome transformation surgery.’ Think about it, won’t you?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in the power of being handsome, I just don’t trust you.”
“Humph.”
The medical practitioner pouted and sat on the bed, curiously asking, “So if there’s nothing wrong, why come to the healing room? This is your first time coming here on your own, isn’t it?”
Indeed, this was the first time Ash had come here willingly, as opposed to being carried in.
“I came… to chat with you.” Ash shrugged, “After all, a death row inmate like me has plenty of time.”
“But I’m not free! You think I’m like you? I’m very busy, researching techniques, learning new knowledge, and I have to write research papers…” The medical practitioner planted her hands on her hips. “I don’t have that much time to chat with you! I’ll let it go this time, but don’t do this again!”
Even though the voice was distorted by the crow mask, Ash could tell she seemed quite pleased.
Sure enough, no matter the world, working people all have a strong desire to slack off, and the happiest thing while slacking off is gossiping with someone else.
After the medical practitioner excitedly finished her stories about ‘how a senior who had always been against her got kicked out for stealing,’ ‘having good luck in the Void Realm recently,’ and ‘having a double-yolked egg for breakfast,’ Ash suddenly changed the subject.
“Hey, I’ve just realized that you’re quite attractive.”
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“Huh?” The medical practitioner was startled. “Really? Well, it’s not that attractive—where do you think it’s attractive?”
“Your outfit looks nice.” Ash said. “So can you take it off and give it to me?”
It took a full five seconds for the medical practitioner to realize the nonsense Ash had just said.
When she turned around to open her toolbox, selecting a scalpel with care, Ash suddenly felt uneasy—after all, this was someone who could dissect him and then sew him back up, and even earn healing experience in the process!
“222, I don’t have much time left.”
