The moment he was imprisoned, every ounce of strength in Even's body evaporated like camphor. He collapsed to his knees, his palms pressing into a sticky, suffocating mixture of sand and mud.
Inside, he was shattering. Beneath his ribs, his heart thrashed so violently he feared his bones would splinter and burst through his chest. Even couldn't believe himself—how had he remained so calm at death's door?
How had he looked those Orcs in the eye and delivered such a seamless, calculated lie?
He had never known this cunning, predatory version of himself existed.
He had held his resolve in front of the Orcs, but now that he was alone, a frigid wave of terror surged down his spine. His body trembled uncontrollably with cold sweat. Every synapse in his brain screamed for one thing:
'Dopamine! I need to calm down, now!'
In that frantic state, Even checked his person, and his world tilted on its axis. His laptop—his ultimate companion, his only anchor—was gone.
He began to grope at his clothes like a madman.
Was it hidden?
Had it followed him by some miracle?
But reality was a cruel master. He was alone, weak, and utterly destitute. Even without his laptop was a warrior without his armor.
Perhaps that laptop was the source of all his weaknesses, but Even refused to accept that. Old habits don't die; they haunt. Anyone who claimed an addiction vanished in a night was a liar. Even's addiction, his very sustenance, was trapped inside that machine. Now, in this dark hole, he wasn't just a prisoner; he was a hollow shell.
Suddenly, a coarse, bone-chilling laugh echoed from above. Even startled, looking up to see an Orc guard leering down from the mouth of the pit. The beast seemed to derive a perverse joy from Even's devastation.
"Well well well, now!" the Orc roared mockingly. "You acted like such a hero in front of the Leader. We were stunned by the gall of a human cub. Why are you shaking like a wet dog now? Has the shadow of death finally withered your liver?"
Even looked at the guard. His eyes held no rage, only a hollow, pathetic desperation. This wasn't an act. "Did you... did you see my laptop?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Please, if you've seen it, give it back. Just tell me if you have it!"
"La... Lap-top?" the Orc stammered. It was clear the word was alien to him; the probability of mechanical terminology existing in an Orc's dictionary was zero percent.
Seeing the beast's bewildered face, Even realized he had to simplify. He mimicked a rectangle in the air with his fingers. "It looks like this... made of plastic."
"Plast-ik?" the Orc grunted, furrowing his brow.
Even grew more frantic. "It's light, very light! And the color is pitch black. And if you..." He mimicked opening the lid, pulling his fingers upward. "...do this, it swings open."
The Orc guard looked away for a moment, rubbing his chin in a failed attempt to look wise. "So, whatever this thing is, it's important to you, eh?"
Even nodded desperately. "Yes..."
"Then your luck is rotten. I have no idea about your 'trash.' I wasn't the one who dragged you here."
To Even, all Orcs looked the same—rhino-skinned monsters that differed only in height. He had mistakenly assumed this was the one who had captured him.
Despite the setback, his withdrawal symptoms wouldn't let him quit. "Can you check? The group that brought me in—did they bring that valuable object with them?"
The Orc took on an air of self-importance, closing his eyes like a great sage. "I could ask," he said in a low, gravelly voice. "But what's in it for me? Common Orcs don't eat humans—the Leader forbade it. I can't even snack on you raw, or the Leader would eat me in your place. So..." He leaned over the pit, his gaze piercing. "Do you have anything for me? I heard you're a rich boy, but you look like a beggar. If you have nothing useful to me, why should I help?"
Even felt a jolt of realization.
'Damn it! These monsters are just like humans. I'm in a hole and he's already asking for a bribe!'
A faint, mysterious smile played on Even's lips, confusing the guard. Even leaned in and whispered his bait. "...Do you like women? I can show you something that will make your blood boil."
A wild glint of lust flashed in the Orc's eyes. "Human females! Tempting. But where will you find a girl here? Can I lay with her?"
Even replied smoothly, "It's different from laying in a bed, but the pleasure is no less. In fact, it is more... satisfying."
"Sounds grand! Where is this mine of pleasure?" The Orc licked his lips.
Even immediately turned away, his voice turning cold. "It's inside that object. The thing that is most precious to me."
The Orc guard stood up abruptly and began to walk away from the edge. Even realized the beast was ignoring his plea. He threw his final card. "I know what you're thinking! but remember—that object is magical. It won't work without my permission. No matter what you try, without me, it's just a lifeless plastic box. Completely useless!"
"Fine, I wasn't thinking of betraying you," the Orc grunted, looking back once before stomping off.
…
A heavy silence descended into the pit after the guard left. Far off, the sounds of festival preparations and bestial cheers echoed, but this pit felt like a living grave. Even knew the Orc was confident—it was impossible for a hundred-kilogram body to scale these vertical walls. Slumping back into the mud, Even admitted that trying to escape in this body was mere suicide.
Beside him sat the cowboy. He had been as still as a statue, but his sharp gaze hadn't left Even for a second. He was staring at Even as if he were a freakish specimen in a zoo.
Even glanced at him. 'Could I climb out by standing on his back? No, this scrawny chicken would collapse under my weight. And if I boost him up first, there's no guarantee he'd pull me up.'
He didn't care if the man was grateful or still angry. He just needed information. Even wasn't a superhero; he was a survivor. If he went back to his own world, he was dead; if he stayed here, thousands of monsters wanted to tear him apart.
Finally, the bone-chilling silence broke. The cowboy stopped cursing and asked in a low, trembling voice filled with disbelief.
"How? How were you talking to those beasts?" The man couldn't believe his own ears. "Are you some monster in disguise? How do you understand their tongue?"
'The answer is simple. So simple even I don't know it,' Even thought with a mental smirk. To the man, he simply said, "I don't know..."
While the man stared at him with squinted, suspicious eyes, Even withdrew his attention. Deep in his mind, he screamed the word: 'System!'
Immediately, the familiar blue-green screen flickered into view, and as usual, it greeted him with a foul insult.
[You fat pig! Stop calling me every five seconds!]
The notification vanished instantly. But Even was not one to back down. He realized this System had its own consciousness, and anyone with a consciousness could be annoyed into submission. Even had nothing but time, and he intended to use it to harass the System until it stood still.
System!
Even called again.
The screen opened, insulted him, and vanished.
System!
Same result. The System was playing hide-and-seek.
The System was practically exploding with rage, but Even was unmoving. He swallowed every insult, calling it ten times, eleven times. He could feel the invisible entity on the other side losing its mind with irritation. Finally, on the eleventh call, the System surrendered. A large window snapped open before his eyes:
________________________________________
[FINE! FINE! Just shut up! Look at whatever you want to see about your pathetic self...]
Status Window:
Name: Even Anderson
Age: 20
Height: 5.5 ft
Weight: 100 kg (Note: Due to this world's gravity, you will feel 30% lighter.)
Level: 1 (Warning: No possibility of leveling up until your body is less... bloated.)
Auto-Features:
Translation: Every language in this world is automatically translated.
E-Rank Healing: A basic regenerative ability. Initial wounds will heal themselves over time.
________________________________________
Even stared at his status. The comment about his weight stung, but he was more focused on one thing—he was 30% lighter here!
He reached out a finger to control the window, intending to scroll. But his heart skipped a beat—his finger passed right through the screen without any resistance!
What did this mean?
He couldn't control it by touch?
Just then, the cowboy cried out in disbelief. Seeing Even's strange posture, reaching out his hand toward the empty air, the man looked awestruck.
"I see..." the man whispered. "You've taken the posture of a Great Hero!"
'A Great Hero?!' Even turned to the man, completely stunned.