Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 45
When demonic power surpasses a certain threshold, the desire for destruction exponentially increases, almost like madness. This is called the “rampage precursor symptoms.”
If suppressed early, it’s manageable, but if not, they lose all sense of reason, leaving only a murderous intent, driving them to repeat horrendous massacres and destruction until they die.
The scale of the damage corresponds to the power they hold and the degree of corruption, meaning the rampage of a power-holder is essentially a state of emergency.
I suspect that in the original story, these guys broke out of prison half-crazed, smashing everything to pieces to get to Justina…
They’re receiving regular purification rituals, right?
“How often is their purification cycle?”
I asked, ridden with intense anxiety.
I needed to avoid being around them during their rampage precursor symptoms at all costs.
If I was unlucky enough to be in the same room when their madness erupted, I’d be dead meat, right?
“Well, it’s random. The rampage symptoms show up whenever they feel like it.”
Random? So it just happens without warning, and they go berserk and kill everyone?
One prisoner lowered his gaze, as if trying to remember, and nodded slightly.
“Last time, wasn’t it after they killed several guards and prisoners?”
“But thanks to the control collars, we weren’t completely wiped out.”
Listening to the prisoners’ conversation, I swallowed hard.
So, they only get purified after they’ve gone on a wild rampage, right?
Like showing up with a fire extinguisher after the inferno is over and trying to put it out?
“There were more who died before they even got purified. If they’ve taken a liking to you, I wonder if you’re serving them at night?”
I stared straight at the prisoner who made the bizarre statement, my face stony.
“Are you seriously suggesting they’re nothing more than lust-driven lechers? I’ll be sure to tell them you said that.”
The prisoner’s face paled a bit.
“You were a highborn lady, and yet, how can you spew such filthy words…?”
“Who cares? Go eat s**t and choke to death from a cavity.”
“That’s a big mouth you have!”
When your body is on the verge of death, at least your mouth should still be alive.
I had long lost any noble elegance or dignity.
Being despised as an inhuman creature and treated like an animal, such dignity was nothing more than a ridiculous stubbornness.
When the rampage precursor starts, what good is nobility when you’re bound to die anyway?
“Hey, eat this.”
One of the other male prisoners grumbled as he handed me something squishy.
I recoiled in horror at the sight of a wriggling grub in my palm and immediately flung it away.
“What the hell! Why would you make me eat that?”
“Hey! You just threw away a prime source of high-protein nutrition!”
The man cried out, deeply offended.
Why is he talking like some kind of wild bear bastard?
Suddenly, I could feel the weight of everyone’s stares on me.
The 20th division prisoners looked at me with a mix of astonishment and bewilderment, as if I had just tossed aside some precious royal elixir.
“To think she’d waste something so valuable… how ignorant.”
“Rejecting food that’s far too good for a bottom-rung nobody like her. Arrogant and ill-tempered here, just as she was in high society.”
One by one, they began adding their jabs, as if I had committed some grievous offense.
The man pointed to the grub lying on the ground.
“How dare you throw away someone’s kindness!”
“Sorry, I thought you were trying to spite me.”
I picked up the grub and popped it right into the guy’s mouth.
“It’s so rare and good for you. You eat it.”
“Ugh!”
The man gagged and immediately spat it out.
See? He *was* trying to screw me over.
Even if my powers were at the lowest level, I had top-tier instincts for these things.
At that moment, Deneb and Leah, still looking like chieftains or voodoo priests, appeared and clapped their hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Alright, it’s time to go hunting. The rest of you, gather wood or forage while scouting the surroundings.”
How did a noble lady end up as a great chieftain, leading hunters and guiding a tribe…?
“Deneb, Leah. What should I do?”
I made a show of calling them by their names instead of their numbers, flaunting our supposed closeness.
I thought they’d assign me something important, but from their expressions, it was clear they had zero expectations of me.
With a sigh, Deneb spoke up.
“You… just go fish at the lake or something.”
“Alright.”
Leah handed me a fishing rod made of carved wood, along with a float and bait.
Opening the bait box, I found the grubs I had stuffed into that guy’s mouth earlier. Of course. These filthy bastards…
Still, as long as I stayed with them, I figured I wouldn’t have to worry about dying.
I didn’t know at the time.
I didn’t realize how complacent I was.
***
I found a spot by the lakeside, a little ways away from the main camp, and settled down in a shady area.
As I cast the line into the water and sat quietly, I watched as the group of 20s prisoners went off to carry out their assigned tasks.
They had even built a treehouse near the cave and set up workbenches and campfires. I couldn’t help but smirk.
So industrious. But no matter how hard they work to build their little settlement, it will inevitably be seized by stronger people like Johann and Enrique…
Suddenly, I remembered what Enrique had said.
