Chapter 2: The Prisoner

Several days slipped by in this manner.

Li Ang had almost grown accustomed to prison life… or so it seemed.

But in truth, who could easily adapt to waking up one day as a convict, having only recently been an unemployed university graduate?

He yawned absentmindedly, his mind wandering, yet his hands continued working without pause.

[Working in prison, career experience +2]
[Working in prison, career experience +2]…

Ding-ling-ling—

The familiar chime echoed from the loudspeakers, and Li Ang knew it was mealtime.

As he made his way toward the dining area, he couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye, recalling the past few days.

“Could this so-called great event be nothing more than sentencing me to labor on this deadly twelve-hour shift for the rest of my life?”

The workload here rivaled the exploitative electronics factory he'd slaved away at before crossing into this world, only now, there were no social benefits whatsoever.

Reaching the dining area, Li Ang sat at his designated spot. A lump of sticky, gelatinous mass slid out from the tube before him.

This was his daily sustenance—“Infused Type-10 Energy Gel”—which, according to other inmates, was typically used as livestock feed outside these walls.

Still, something to eat was better than nothing. Li Ang picked up his spoon and began shoveling it in.

Truth be told, it wasn’t as terrible as he’d feared. There was a faint hint of salt and sweetness, though no other discernible flavor. The real problem was the look and texture, both of which left much to be desired.

But food was the least of Li Ang’s concerns now. He ate while his gaze lingered on the career panel before him.

——
[Occupation: Prisoner]
[Level: 2/5 (116/200)]
[Attribute Bonus: Body Strength +0.1 per level]
[Occupational Skills: None]
[Occupational Specialty: Slow Recovery]
[Career Pathways: Escapee, Prison Boss…]
——

“At this rate, I’ll be level three soon,” Li Ang mused. In just a few days of handiwork, his [Prisoner] class had already reached level two.

He hadn’t expected to take up a new career the day he entered prison.

But, following the principle that another occupation meant another possible path, he chose to accept it.

Unfortunately, [Prisoner] was only marginally better than the blank slate class of [Civilian].

Still, even a slight improvement was welcome. The 0.2 body strength bonus from his level two [Prisoner] class left him feeling more energetic than before.

And with the occupational specialty [Slow Recovery], life in prison didn’t feel all that exhausting for the moment.

[Slow Recovery: When resting, your stamina recovery rate will be slightly increased.]

Yet even so, a prisoner was still a prisoner.

“But at least I have the [Console Player] talent. Otherwise, my life really would be over…”

He ignored the notification that had popped up—[Survive in prison for one hour as a convict, experience +1]—and quickly finished the ‘Type-10’ before him.

After completing his morning shift, Li Ang, like the other inmates, had a half-hour break. But with the dining area quite a distance from the cell block, he decided to rest where he was.

The next moment, however, a faint tremor interrupted his midday nap.

A subtle vibration, like a miniature earthquake, made him open his eyes and mutter in annoyance, “Can’t those bugs ever quiet down…”

He knew his plans for a nap were ruined; these tremors tended to last an hour or two at a time.

Just then, a voice sounded beside him, picking up the conversation: “Man, you’ve been here a few days. You should be used to it by now.”

Li Ang turned to see a brown-haired man staring at the ceiling, his expression full of disgruntlement.

“Hall, you’re awake too. Aren’t you in any position to lecture me…”

The brown-haired man’s name was Ivan Hall, a cellmate Li Ang had met in the past couple of days.

Hearing Li Ang’s words, Hall snapped out of his daze and looked over with dead fish eyes. “Brother, I’m not like you. I’m only in for a few months on theft charges. You, on the other hand, are probably stuck here for life for illegal immigration.”

Li Ang’s face darkened instantly.

He hadn’t expected that illegal immigration would mean a life sentence in this world. Of course, it probably had to do with his lack of identity papers. Once it was confirmed he had no special talents, the authorities in Pioneertown saw no reason to keep him around.

Hall seemed oblivious to Li Ang’s sour mood and went on, “And you actually took up the [Prisoner] class…”

“You’ll be spending the rest of your days coasting along in prison.”

He looked at Li Ang with undisguised pity.

Li Ang had volunteered information about his [Prisoner] class in hopes of learning more about professions from Hall.

After all, no one else knew he had unlimited profession slots.

Trying to be consoling, Hall stroked his chin and said, “[Prisoner] isn’t so bad. At least it makes you a bit more durable.”

“Just look at your daily supply of Type-10 gel. It’s higher than what us non-professionals get.”

In this world, [Civilians] were the typical non-classed individuals.

Hall chuckled to himself.

He understood Li Ang’s choice. If it had been him, he’d have done the same—no chance of ever getting out, so best to find a way to survive more comfortably inside.

“But you, with your long sentence, will eventually be transferred to the nearby Prison Planet.”

“That’s not a pleasant place. A lot of powerful professionals are locked up there.”

“[Prisoner]…”

Hall shook his head.

Li Ang had also managed to learn a little about the Prison Planet over the past few days—the very place the supervisor had threatened him with.

As the name implied, it was a planet dedicated to being a prison, housing inmates serving long sentences and…

Extremely dangerous professionals.

Ordinary people like Li Ang, who’d taken the [Prisoner] class, would be at the very bottom of the hierarchy on the Prison Planet, barely better off than the living dead.

The thought cast a shadow over his eyes.

Seeing Li Ang’s expression, Hall fell silent—no point wasting words on a [Prisoner] with no future.

He’d only kept talking out of boredom.

The half-hour break passed quickly.

At the sound of the cold bell, Li Ang returned to his workstation and resumed fiddling with the instrument before him.

[Working in prison, career experience +2]
[Working in prison, career experience +2]
…

What Hall didn’t know was that, unlike the locals, Li Ang could see the progression routes for each profession.

And [Prisoner] did have promotion paths. Weak as they might be, they could still offer a sliver of hope.

Of course, the ideal outcome would be to survive the so-called great event, then activate his [Traveler] talent and make his escape.

With this in mind, Li Ang worked with renewed vigor, picking up the pace of his labor.