A gruff man walked in and smirked before covering his nose with a handkerchief and throwing a bottle that released that damned sweet smell again.
“Mother fucker” I said my consciousness waining
Cold stone was the first thing I noticed when I came back to awareness.
The second was the faint restraint around my wrists.
Chains.
Not tight enough to injure, but enough to remind me I wasn’t supposed to leave on my own terms.
“…Yeah,” I muttered under my breath as I shifted slightly, the metal clinking softly.
“Could’ve guessed this outcome.”
[You were warned.]
‘I was distracted.’
[Correct.]
The cell wasn’t large, but it wasn’t primitive either.
It was built with intention—stone reinforced with faint mana lines, a weak lamp outside casting uneven light through the bars.
The air smelled like iron, dust, and something faintly sweet that lingered too long.
Anesthetic residue.
So this wasn’t a random capture.
It was structured.
That alone told me enough.
Whoever ran this operation had experience.
Footsteps echoed outside, slow and unhurried.
Then the door opened.
Three men entered.
Not guards.
Traders.
That was obvious immediately.
No discipline, no authority—just confidence built from repetition.
The one in front smiled like he expected cooperation.
“The forest boy’s finally awake.”
I didn’t respond.
Silence usually told me more than words did.
He stepped closer to the bars, studying me like inventory.
“Good.
Awareness makes processing easier.”
The second leaned back casually while the third stayed near the door.
Then the first continued, voice lowering slightly as if sharing something routine.
“You’ve got a clean look.
That’s rare for something dragged out of that forest.
Buyers like that.”
Still nothing from me.
But I was listening carefully now.
Patterns.
Structure.
Confidence level.
Then he said it.
“Sex slaves usually sell faster, especially fresh ones.”
That was the first real shift in the room.
Not visible.
But noticeable.
Not anger.
Calculation.
The kind that forms when you start mapping consequences instead of emotions.
[Hostile intent detected.]
‘I know.’
[Recommended response: escape.]
‘Not yet.’
The trader grabbed my arm and pulled.
Firm.
Practiced.
Not careless.
That told me something too—this wasn’t the first time.
I let him move me.
Not resistance.
Observation.
We passed corridors lined with reinforced stone and faint sealing marks.
Not temporary cages.
A full facility.
That meant this wasn’t a small group.
It meant network.
We reached another cell and I was shoved inside.
The door slammed shut behind me.
A final voice came through the metal.
“Don’t break too quickly.
We prefer the valuable ones functional.”
Then footsteps faded.
Silence returned.
“…Useful information,” I muttered.
[Agreed.]
That was when I noticed her.
A girl sitting in the far corner of the cell.
Not panicking.
Not crying.
Just observing.
Silver hair, slightly unkempt but still strangely composed.
Black eyes that tracked everything without hesitation.
Not broken.
Just assessing.
“…So I’m not alone in this,” I said quietly.
Her gaze shifted toward me.
“…They brought another one,” she said.
Calm voice.
Controlled tone.
No fear.
I leaned back against the wall.
“Apparently I’m part of their next shipment.”
“…Shipment?”
“Bad wording.”
“…Very.”
A pause stretched between us.
Not uncomfortable.
Just measured.
Then I studied her properly.
She wasn’t just calm.
She was actively processing the room—breathing, exits, guard rhythm, structural weaknesses.
Not reacting like a victim.
Planning like someone trying to solve a problem with limited pieces.
‘System.’
[Active.]
‘Status.’
A moment later, a panel appeared.
[Name: Lyra Vale]
[Race: Human]
[Rank: E]
[Bloodline: ???] [Physique: None]
[Title: None]
[Traits: None]
[Affinity: Sound (Superior)]
[Strength: E-]
[Agility: E]
[Stamina: E]
[Mana: B]
[Charm: A+]
[Intelligence: A]
[Luck: C+]
[Defense: E]
[Will: A]
[Skills: None]
I stared at it for a moment.
“…So she’s the target.”
[Confirmed.]
I looked back.
She was captured then sold to the highest bidder as a sex slave.
In the novel Lucien read she became a villainess.
So when he transmigrates he comes to the slave auction to buy her.
And then proceeds to wipe out everyone in the area thanks to his background as the duchess’s son he was able to mobilize a few [S] rankers.
But here she was.
Still thinking.
Still planning.
That was the difference.
She noticed my gaze.
“…You’re analyzing me,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“…Why?”
“Because you’re doing the same thing.”
That made her pause slightly.
Not denial.
Just acknowledgment.
Then she said something quieter.
“I don’t plan on staying here.”
I nodded once.
“Good.
Neither do I.”
A silence formed again, but this time it shifted.
Not strangers anymore.
Not victims.
Two people calculating the same problem from different angles.
I spoke first.
“Tell me what you know about this place.”
She didn’t hesitate.
“Three exits I can sense.
Two are guarded, one is irregular.
The stone here is reinforced but not uniform.
There are weak points near the mana lamp channels.”
I blinked once.
“…You figured that out already?”
“I’ve been listening since I arrived.”
That explained her calmness.
She wasn’t waiting.
She was gathering.
I leaned forward slightly.
“Good.
Then here’s the issue.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“They’re expecting movement,” I continued.
“Not necessarily escape—but instability.
That means if we act too early, we lose surprise.”
She nodded slowly.
“So we wait.”
“Not just wait.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“We let them move first.
Learn their rotation.
Map their habits.
Then we decide when disruption matters most.”
She studied me for a second.
“…You think like a planner,” she said.
“I survive like one.”
That got a faint reaction from her.
Not a smile.
But something close.
Then she added,
“Sound helps me track breathing shifts.
I can tell when guards change posture or when they’re lying.”
I nodded.
“That’s useful.”
Her gaze stayed on me.
“You’re not scared.”
I leaned back slightly.
“I’m evaluating.”
“…That’s worse.”
“Probably.”
Another pause.
Then I added,
“We also need to understand why we were grouped together.”
That made her go quiet.
She already knew the answer but hadn’t said it yet.
“High-value pairing,” she finally said.
“They don’t just sell bodies.
They sell rarity combinations.”
I exhaled slowly.
“…So this isn’t random.”
“No.”
It made sense now.
Everything did.
Then I spoke inwardly.
‘System.’
[Active.]
‘We’re not rushing this.’
[Confirmed.]
‘We gather information first.’
[Optimal outcome probability increased.]
I glanced at Lyra again.
“Change of plan,” I said.
“We don’t escape immediately.”
She raised a brow slightly.
“…We don’t?”
“We learn everything first.
Layout, rotation, buyers, timing.
Then we leave in a way that doesn’t rely on luck.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“That assumes we have time.”
I looked at the corridor outside.
“We do.
For now.”
She studied me for a second longer, then slowly nodded.
“…Fine.”
Not agreement.
Alignment.
That was different.
Footsteps echoed outside again.
Closer this time.
Lyra shifted slightly, listening.
“Two guards,” she said quietly.
“One tired.
One alert.”
I nodded.
“Good.”
Then I added,
“Let’s see what their routine looks like.”
The door didn’t open yet.
But we were already preparing.
And for the first time since I arrived in this world—
I wasn’t reacting.
I was planning ahead of it.
You know how these kinds of dynamic plays out.
The duchess hated her mother and Lyra.
So after killing of her mother she sold Lyra.
They just didn’t know that Lyra had awakened.
In the Rise of The Strongest Hero Lyra was meant to be a Villainess who would wipe out her entire family, only to be killed b by Kael.
In the Extra’s Path to Ascension she was meant to pledge her life to Lucien and become a member of his Harem.
But now with Amir we don’t know where her future leads.