System: Ordinary Schoolboy's Level-Up

SIX

Afterwards, in the brightness of the day, Robert and Garret kept a close watch on Leo. He was working slowly with the pickaxe. His hands bled quickly. But he did not complain. He worked in silence, his face overshadowed by a feeling of a painful and necessary determination.

Robert respected that.

When the time for the blind spot came, Robert nodded to Leo. The three of them moved toward the water barrel by the big pump. They stood in the unseen corner.

"For two minutes, no one watches us here," Robert explained quietly.

Leo looked around, his face pained with sheer amazement. "How did you find this?"

"I watched," Robert said. "They follow a pattern. Their movement is predictable."

Leo's eyes, sharp behind his glasses, crossed through the cavern. "Like a clockwork," he whispered. "A routine."

"Yes," Robert said, surprised. Leo understood quickly.

"We are collecting rocks," Garret said, showing Leo the crack in the wall. "We hide them here."

"Why?" Leo asked.

"We don't know yet," Robert admitted. "But it is a start. It is a plan."

Leo stared at the hidden blue rocks. He was thinking. Robert could see the gears turning in his head. It was a good sign.

"I was studying old structures," Leo said slowly. "Before I was taken. This place... the stonework. It's old. Very old. And the way it's built... there might be other spaces. Hollow spaces in the walls. Or old tunnels they don't use anymore."

Robert and Garret looked at each other. This was new. This was useful.

"Can you find them?" Robert asked.

"I can try," Leo said. "If I can get a better look at the walls. Not here, where it's smooth. But in the older sections."

Hope felt stronger now. It was a three-person hope. It was less dangerous somehow.

They started a new routine. Robert continued to map the Warden patterns. Garret and Leo collected rocks. Leo, with his historian's eye, began to study the walls of the cavern.

Days turned into a week. Their stash of blue rocks grew. But Leo hadn't found anything .

Then came a day, when it happened.

Leo was working near the back of the cavern, in an area that was less used. The stone was rougher there. He made a signal with his hands, sending a message to Robert during the break.

"Look," he whispered, pointing to a part of the wall near the floor. It was dark and covered in shadows. "See the way the stones are placed? The pattern is different. It's not as neat."

Robert looked. It was hard to see, but Leo was right. The stones were jumbled.

"It could be nothing," Leo said. "Or it could be a place that was repaired. A place where there was once an opening."

Robert felt a thrill of excitement. An old opening. A way out.

"We need to check it," Robert said.

"It's too exposed," Garret warned. "The Wardens check that area more often."

He was right. Robert looked at the Warden paths in his mind. The spot was risky. They would only have seconds.

"We need a distraction," Robert said.

Later, when it was the next day, they were ready for the very dangerous plan. The wildest thing they had ever done.

Robert would create a distraction. He would pretend to collapse from exhaustion near the main conveyor belt. It would draw the Wardens' attention. While they were dealing with him, Garret and Leo would quickly check the jumbled wall.

Robert's heart was a drum in his chest. If the Wardens used the energy rod on him again, the pain would be immense. He pushed the fear down. It was a calculated risk.

The time came. Robert took a deep breath. He walked toward the conveyor belt. He fell to his knees, then let himself collapse onto the ground. He lay still.

A loud alarm rang. Two Wardens moved toward him, their heavy boots making repeated clanks on the stone.

Robert kept his eyes closed, his body stiff. He heard them get closer.

Through slitted eyes, he saw Garret and Leo move. They shuffled as if going for water but then dropped to their knees by the jumbled wall. Garret used a strong piece of crystonium from their stash to pry at the stones.

The Wardens stood over Robert. One of them nudged him with a boot.

"Get up."

Robert groaned, playing his part. He pushed himself up slowly. He saw Leo give a small, sharp nod from across the cavern. Then Leo and Garret moved away, back to their stations.

The Warden stared at Robert with its red eye-slit. "You are weak. Your quota will be increased."

Robert bowed his head. "Yes, Warden." Inside, he was smiling. It worked.

That night, in the stone room, they could hardly contain their excitement.

"It's hollow!" Leo whispered, his eyes shining. "Garret loosened one stone. There's a space behind it! An old air shaft, maybe. It's tight, but I think a person could fit."

It was time to look for a way out. A meaningful and possible way.

The three of them looked at one another. The tired student, the tough builder, and the history major. They were a team.

"We need a plan," Robert said. "A good one. We only get one chance."

For the first time since he arrived, Robert felt it wasn't just about survival. It was about escape.