The morning feeding ritual was less about nutrition and more about psychological degradation. The Garrick Guard—the one Heuk-jae internally labeled as 'Henchman-A'—sloshed a ladle of thin, gray gruel into dented tin bowls. The bowls were placed just out of reach of the shorter chains, forcing everyone to strain forward on their knees or bellies.
Heuk-jae wasn't hungry, but he forced himself to swallow the foul stuff. The novel's lore stated that this gruel, while disgusting, provided just enough caloric energy to prevent a fatal 'Stat D-Buff: Starvation' before the auction. Survival came first.
As he ate, he initiated his mental overclock.
Fourth Sector Holding Facility. Day 1. Three days until the auction.
In the game, there were two main routes for the Slave Escape Quest: the Brute Force Path (requires unlocking the 'Warrior' class in the Main Story) and the Stealth Path (the intended path for commoners, relying on tools and distractions). Since his body was clearly that of a baseline Extra with no stats or skills, Stealth was the only option.
Key Actors/Obstacles (Confirmed):
Guards: Garrick Mercenaries. Mostly Strength 8, low Intelligence. Routine: changes guards every 8 hours (06:00, 14:00, 22:00).
The Lock: The slave collars all used a standard high-security 'Drake-Forge' tumbler. Unpickable without a specific tool.
The Guard Captain: The critical link.
Heuk-jae scanned the room and saw him enter. Captain Borin was a thick, barrel-chested man with a braided, greasy beard and the bored cruelty of a mid-level manager. Borin was the main quest giver and the main obstacle. He paced the room, occasionally kicking a foot toward a kneeling slave who moved too slow.
Target Acquired: Borin, Captain of the Watch. Strength 12, Defense 10. Weakness: Rat Phobia (Critical, triggered by proximity and unexpected movement).
The plan, according to his flawless memory of the "Aegis Slave Escape Walkthrough," hinged on three specific points of failure, all achievable on Day 1:
Phase 1: Acquisition (Day 1 Morning): Get a working implement. The best candidate was a sliver of hardened steel from the collapsed support beam in the adjacent (currently empty) storage room. Access required a distraction and a broken shackle chain.
Phase 2: Distraction (Day 1 Afternoon): Trigger Borin's phobia to cause a momentary lapse in security during the 14:00 shift change.
Phase 3: Fabrication (Day 1 Night): Use the acquired steel to craft the 'Master Slave Key' during the dark hours.
Heuk-jae's eyes landed on his own chain. It was thick, but the floor bolt looked suspiciously loose. Wait, why is my chain different?
He wriggled his ankle. His chain wasn't bolted to the floor. It was bolted to a loose piece of floorboard that hadn't been properly secured after the last cleaning detail.
Achievement Unlocked: Lucky Spawn Location.
This wasn't just a deviation; it was a huge structural shortcut. He didn't need to break the chain; he just needed to lift the board.
He subtly began working his ankle, pushing the edge of the chain link against the sharp corner of the loose board, slowly sawing away the decayed wood. The sounds of the guards, the clanking of the gruel ladle, and the muted despair of the others provided perfect sound cover.
"Hey! You, filth!" Borin's voice boomed, interrupting Heuk-jae's focus.
Heuk-jae froze, mentally checking his character name. I don't have a name here. I'm just 'Extra 14'.
"I'm speaking to you, whelp!" Borin pointed directly at him. "Too good for your slop? Finish it, or I'll feed it to you through a funnel."
Heuk-jae quickly scraped the last of the slop into his mouth. He then saw Borin's mistake—the Captain had come too close to the edge of the room where the garbage bucket was kept.
This is it. Phase 2 trigger, initiated early.
"Sir," Heuk-jae said, his voice rusty from disuse, sounding precisely like a terrified commoner. He gestured toward the bucket with a shaky finger. "The… the thing. Near the bucket."
Borin stopped, his face contorted in an expression of annoyance mixed with instinctive dread. "What 'thing,' idiot? There is nothing but trash here."
"A… a rat, sir," Heuk-jae stammered, making his body language scream 'low-status fear.' "A really big one. I saw its tail, black as night. It was gnawing at the wood right there."
Borin's eyes immediately darted to the shadow cast by the bucket. He knew, intellectually, that the lock-up was routinely poisoned, but the sheer, visceral mention of the word 'rat' was enough. His face went pale beneath his beard.
Target Borin's Mental State: Weakened. Initiative Gained.
"Get back to your straw, you lying dog!" Borin snapped, but the command lacked its usual force. He took three quick steps back, away from the bucket, then turned to Henchman-A. "Clear that bucket out! Burn the contents! Now!"
The hulking guard grumbled but obeyed, dragging the heavy, stinking bucket toward the iron-barred door. The chain scraped on the floor.
Heuk-jae, ignored for the moment, seized his chance. He gave one final, powerful wrench to the loose floorboard. It lifted just enough for him to slip his chain free with a near-silent thump.
He was loose. He was still in the room, still wearing the collar, but his feet were free from the floor. He quickly pulled the heavy floorboard back into place, resting his chain over it to maintain the illusion of being secured.
Day 1, 07:15. Phase 1: Completed (Chain Broken). New target: The steel sliver.
He settled back down on the straw, heart hammering, but his mind perfectly clear. He was playing a game he knew how to win, even if the penalty for failure was horribly real. He just needed to wait for the Henchman-A to come back and secure the door. The abandoned storage room was just beyond those bars.
The moment the guard stepped out and slammed the bar across the door, the mental message reappeared:
[QUEST UPDATE: SLAVE ESCAPE - DAY 1]
Objective: Acquire Tool (Sliver of Hardened Steel).
Location: Guard Supply Room (Adjacent to Holding Cell).
Time Limit: Before the 14:00 Guard Change.
Failure: Loss of Opportunity (Requires immediate restart of Phase 1).
Heuk-jae looked at the locked door, then back at his loose chain. The real game had only just started. He smiled again, a genuine, focused strategist's smile this time. He was going to need to get very good at lock picking, and he was going to start right now.