A soldier approached Sanjay, saluting before speaking.
"Majesty, the girl has woken up. We have kept her in prison for now."
He was about to ask, "What girl?" but then remembered—the ice archer. The one he had instructed his soldiers to keep under watch.
But what about the other mana user? There were four in total. He had killed two and captured one. What happened to the last one? Had he died, escaped, or was he hiding among the population? So far, there had been no reports of his soldiers engaging with this fourth player.
"Okay, you can leave now. I'll meet her." Sanjay dismissed the soldier, who nodded and left the tent.
Sanjay sat down, replicating a pen and paper, and began sketching the fourth player's face from memory. After a few minutes, he scrutinized his work. It was about eighty percent accurate—not bad, given his lack of professional training.
Satisfied, he replicated thousands of copies of the sketch and summoned one of his spies.
"Take these and use your network to locate him," Sanjay ordered, handing over the stack of papers.
The spy glanced at the paper, where the man's face was drawn. Beneath the image were the words "Dead or Alive – Ten Thousand Gold Coins Reward." His eyes widened. Ten thousand gold coins—an astronomical sum!
The spy didn't ask questions. Whoever captured this person would indeed strike it rich. Feeling a surge of excitement, he imagined what he could do with such wealth as he left to distribute the sketches. There would be chaos across the kingdom when news of the reward spread.
The fourth player had no skirmish with Sanjay, he just didn't want the players to interfere with his affairs. More so, when he had invested so much till now. He is not going to take any chances.
Sanjay rose from his chair and walked toward the prison. Previously, this prison belonged to the duke, but now it housed prisoners of war.
As he approached, soldiers saluted him, and he returned the gesture. His army was gradually becoming more disciplined, a fact that gave him some satisfaction.
When he entered the prison, the stench hit him immediately—a vile, suffocating odor of rot and decay. He turned to the prison guard and asked, "Why does it smell so foul here?"
The guard hesitated before replying, "Majesty, the duke used to leave dead bodies here to rot. After many years, this is the result."
Sanjay was appalled. No respect, not even for the dead. "Tell someone to clean this place thoroughly," he commanded.
The guard nodded. He knew better than to question Sanjay's orders.
Sanjay continued deeper into the prison, eventually stopping before the cell where the girl was held. Her legs and hands were still tied with ropes, and her mouth and eyes were covered. From inside the cell, he could hear muffled sobs. She was crying—trying to, at least, despite the gag.
When Sanjay looked at her, he felt a pang of pity. He ordered the guard, "Uncover her eyes and mouth."
The girl initially resisted, struggling against the guard's touch. But when she saw that they were untying her, she stopped fighting.
As soon as her gag was removed and her eyes uncovered, she screamed. "Please let me go!"
Her voice was filled with desperation. She had heard the rumors—that prisoners here were molested, that the fourth prince had a notorious reputation. Even though this wasn't her real body, she didn't want to endure trauma that would haunt her, even in memory.
Sanjay froze, shocked. He hadn't even spoken, and here she was screaming at him. His reputation was at stake—he couldn't let her cries continue. Frustrated, he replaced the gag on her mouth. She fell silent, her tear-streaked face staring at him.
"Listen, girl," he said, his voice firm. "I'm not interested in you. But if you shout like a mad dog again, I'll make sure you regret it. Do you understand?"
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Good." Sanjay softened his tone slightly. "Here are your options. I can kill you here and now, and you'll die permanently. Or, you can cooperate—give me information—and live under house arrest in the castle. What will it be?"
Her eyes widened in fear. Permanent death. That was the fate she had been dreading. While there were items that could prevent it, they were rare and nearly impossible to find. Her family owned only one, and it was not with her.
Hurriedly, she nodded again, agreeing to his terms.
Sanjay ordered the guard, "Untie her legs and escort her to the castle. Her hands stay tied for now."
The guards complied, untying her legs while keeping their weapons trained on her. She followed without resistance. With her mana pendant drained, she had no shield left to protect herself from bullets.
In the castle, she was led to a bedroom. One of the guards untied her hands while another kept a gun pointed at her head. She didn't try to escape—there was no point.
Inside, she sat quietly, glancing at her pendant. It was empty now, all its mana depleted. Her life was in their hands until she could figure out her next move.
The guards left, closing the door behind them. Alisha looked around the bedroom, scanning for anything useful. It seemed the room was empty, with no one but her inside. Judging by the clothes in the wardrobe, it appeared this room once belonged to one of the duke's mistresses.
She went into the bathroom, where she took a much-needed bath. After cleaning herself, she slipped into one of the dresses from the wardrobe—it was finer than anything she usually wore. Back in the bedroom, she noticed a jar of fruit on the table. Picking up an apple, she took a bite and wandered to the bed.
The soft mattress was a luxury she hadn't experienced for some time. She lay down, intending only to rest for a while, but before she knew it, sleep overtook her.
By the time she woke, it was already the next day.
Breakfast was waiting for her on the table. She assumed someone must have brought it in while she slept. Without dwelling on it, she washed her face and sat down to eat.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. She glanced down at her attire, ensuring she looked presentable, then called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and Sanjay stepped inside. Seeing him, Alisha froze, shocked. Deep down, she had hoped never to see him again.
Sanjay greeted her with a polite smile. "Good morning, my lady. Did you sleep well?" he asked as he walked over to the sofa and sat down.
"It was fine," she replied cautiously, narrowing her eyes. "Who are you, really?"
Sanjay leaned back slightly, unbothered by her suspicion. "I'm just like you—here to conquer the tower."
Her confusion deepened. "But how is that possible? Aren't you the prince? Are you telling me you randomly got the prince as your character?"
Sanjay nodded casually. He didn't see why this was such a big deal. "It's all based on luck, isn't it?" he said. "Mine just happened to be good."
Alisha couldn't believe it. She understood how rare it was to get a top-tier character like the prince. Most people, herself included, were stuck with commoner roles. Nobles were rare, and someone being assigned a character like the prince was practically unheard of. In all her years of playing, she had only heard of one other person getting a high-ranking character: the commander of the fourth prince's army. Even with that advantage, the player had still lost.
And yet, here he was—a player who actually got the prince. "How lucky can someone be?" she thought to herself.
Sanjay interrupted her thoughts. "Well, I've told you who I am. Now it's your turn. Who are you?"
Alisha hesitated but eventually answered. "My name is Alisha. My family deals in mana items—buying them inside the tower and selling them outside. We're among the top in Asia," she added with a hint of pride. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had made a mistake. Sanjay hadn't even told her his real name, and here she was spilling personal details, including information about her family.
Sanjay smiled slightly. "According to the deal we made in the prison, you're supposed to give me the information I want in exchange for house arrest. Let's start with my first question: who was the other player with you before?"
Alisha smirked. "You couldn't find him, huh? No wonder you seem tense." She paused, enjoying his discomfort before continuing. "I don't know his name, but I can tell you his skill. He can transform into any animal he wants. By now, he's probably turned into a rat or something and escaped the city. We only met during the trial, so I have no idea where he's planning to go next."
She delivered all of this in one breath, her voice laced with amusement.
Sanjay sighed, leaning back in the chair. He hadn't even considered the possibility of a transformation skill. If the player had already escaped, there wasn't much he could do. Still, he had distributed bounty posters across the kingdom. The transformation couldn't be permanent—eventually, the player would have to revert to human form.
"All right," he said, moving on to his next question. "What's the deal with that pendant you're wearing?"
Alisha's face paled. She knew her father would kill her if she lost this pendant. Panicked, she resorted to pleading.
"Please, sir, don't take it from me! This was my mother's last gift before she passed away," she lied, her voice trembling.
Sanjay looked at her, taken aback. He had no idea the pendant was so important to her. As an orphan in both his past life and this one, he understood the value of sentimental items. His conscience wouldn't let him take something so meaningful from her, no matter how valuable it was.
"Don't worry, Alisha," he said gently. "I'm not going to take it. I only wanted to know what it does so I can buy one in the future."
Relieved, she let out a small sigh. "It's a defensive pendant," she explained. "You can store mana inside it, and it creates a protective shield around you until the mana is depleted."
She remembered how her father had assured her that no one below the fifth floor could break its defenses. But now, after what had happened, she suspected her father had lied. The pendant had failed her on just the second floor.
"Can you recharge it?" Sanjay asked carefully, his tone neutral.
"Of course, I haven't charged it before. But according to the description, you need twenty mana units to fully charge it," she said.
So that's why it broke during the first battle, Sanjay realized. After the last fight, his level had reached the sixteenth rank. For every enemy killed, he gained one point; for officers, three points; for commanders, ten points; and for leaders, fifty points. That's why he never let anyone escape—each point mattered.
Previously, after defeating the baron, he had earned five points. He allocated all of them to mana, bringing his total to twenty points. With his growing needs, fifteen mana points had been insufficient.
He had already tested earlier that he could replicate a crystal with five mana units. If his theory worked, charging the pendant with twenty mana units might provide an extra layer of security.
Turning his attention back to Alisha, he asked the next question. "Can you tell me what this is?" He held up the space pouch he had taken from her.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she stood abruptly. "Huh! So you're the one who took it?" she exclaimed. Previously, when she couldn't find the pouch, she had suspected Sanjay. But she never thought he would openly show it to her. Now, she wondered if there was a chance she could get it back.
"Please, can you return it to me? It was gifted by my grandfather before he passed away," she said, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.
Sanjay stared at her, stunned. It seemed like every item she owned had sentimental value, tied to someone she had lost. But as he looked into her teary eyes, he decided to relent. After all, he had already replicated everything inside the pouch, along with the pouch itself.
Come to think of it, the replication had been incredibly profitable. He had successfully replicated several expensive items: a highly valuable potion that restored not only mana but also strength and agility by fifty units; an invisibility potion that could render someone invisible for ten minutes; a berserk potion that made the user go berserk for fifteen minutes; and a health potion capable of healing even the most severe injuries.
These potions had clearly been costly, judging by the sheer amount of mana consumed during their replication. He had also replicated the expensive bow she had used to shoot at him earlier, and finally, the space pouch itself. The pouch alone had cost ten mana units to replicate, excluding the items inside. Essentially, Sanjay had replicated everything she owned—except her clothes.
He handed her the pouch, watching as her expression brightened. She immediately opened it and checked its contents. To her delight, all her items were still there, including her bow.
Alisha felt a wave of happiness. She hadn't expected Sanjay to be so honest. He hadn't kept a single item for himself and had returned everything. For a prisoner, she thought, she seemed to be benefiting from him more than suffering. If only she had allied with him instead of opposing him—she might have secured a better ranking. She was oblivious to the fact that two other players were still imprisoned because of Sanjay's actions, and another was still on the run with nowhere to hide.
After asking her a few more questions, Sanjay realized he didn't have anything else to inquire about.
When Alisha asked him about the guns he used, he told her he had purchased them from a man in a black mask for one thousand tower points.
Hearing this, her curiosity piqued, and she asked him for more information about the masked man. Sanjay explained that the man had approached him directly. Since he didn't have enough tower points at the time, he had taken some on loan from friends outside the tower to complete the purchase.
She believed his bluff, reasoning that if the masked man had approached her, she would have done the same thing. Tower points were only earned through high ranks or by completing missions within the tower. Since they were only on the second floor, it made sense that Sanjay wouldn't have many tower points yet.
Alisha trusted him even more now, impressed by the power he had displayed against her. His skill was undoubtedly of A-rank quality.
Before parting, she shared some additional information with him. She even gave him her contact number outside the tower, along with her ID, instructing him to contact her if he ever reached the fifth floor. From the fifth floor onward, the tower's messaging system would become accessible.
Sanjay, however, didn't share his real name. Instead, he gave her a fake one.
STATS
Name: City Hunter
Level: 16
Exp: 25,500/248,000
Skill: Replicate
VARIABLE STATS
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Mana: 20
INVARIABLE STATS
INT: 8
LUCK: 9
CHARISMA: 7
Current Available Points: 0