Miserable Qing Lin

--- Chapter 36 ---

Inside the underground prison, a petite girl with braided green hair and emerald-like eyes is lying on the sandy floor. Her oval face was cute and delicate, like a pretty porcelain doll.

She appeared to be eleven or twelve years old, wearing a bedlah(belly dancer suit), which wasn't enough to cover her weak yet malnourished body.

This girl's name is Qing Lin.

She's a slave born from a female human ravished by the snake people, birthed to this world, and suffering from a young age.

Qing Lin has been trapped in this hell hole for years, watching the moon and sun change every. Qing Lin doesn't know how much she hoped someday she'd be free.

"Water..."

"Water..." Qing Lin crawled on the floor, reaching for a jug of dirty water she stole from an oasis nearby.

She drank the water and gulped the mud down her throat, feeling her thirst quenched. It was bitter and dirty, but she couldn't do anything about it.

How long has it been since she drank clean water?

When the female slave called "mother." was alive?

Even so, Qing Lin couldn't remember her mother's face well.

Cough! Cough!

Qing Ling tried to run away a few weeks ago but was "quickly." caught up by the snake people after a day. She was thrown into a hole filled with venomous insects and bitten several times.

Crying won't help because she couldn't even speak.

And then Qing Lin awakened an incredible power.

She could understand and speak with magical beasts, specifically snake-type magical beasts. She finally has a friend named Little Brown, a small sand snake living near her prison cell.

Hiss!

A small sand snake slithered out of the hole and rubbed its little head against Qing Lin's cheek.

"Little brown... How was your day?"

"Hmm? You're doing fine. That sounds great."

"I'm doing great as well, hehe~!" Qing Lin opened her mouth, revealing that precious smile.

The sand snake felt the sadness behind Qing Lin's smile.

"I'm fine."

"My life is always like this."

"I hope it could be better, though. If I could get clean water, tasty food, and comfortable clothes, my life would be happy."

Qing Lin shook her head and added bitterly, "Hmm, What am I talking about? There are no such things in this world..."

"Right?"

BOOOOOOOOM!!

An explosion swept over the entrance of the underground prison, shaking everything. Qing Lin's emerald-like eyes widened in surprise as she told Little Brown to run away.

"Go away. You're not safe here."

Even when her life was in danger, Qing Lin cared about her little friend first.

The sand snake followed Qing Ling's order, slithering away from the prison cell.

Screams and roars echoed all over the underground prison cell. The snake people guarding this place were "mercilessly." slaughtered by someone, someone more powerful than them.

Qing Ling's emerald-like eyes blinked as she watched blood flowing into the gap of her prison cell. She shivered in fear and mumbled, "Is this my end?"

Crack! BOOM!

The prison cell's stone door got destroyed into pieces.

Qing Lin closed her eyes tight and peeked slowly, seeing the badly-beaten face of the snake people. It's male snake-people who lashed her with a whip in the past.

Tap!

Someone entered Qing Ling's prison cell.

"D-Don't kill me!" Qing Lin bowed and rubbed her forehead against the dirty floor. "P-Please don't kill me."

...

...

After destroying the underground prison apart and freeing some slaves, he arrived at the dirty-looking prison cell. Baek Ain defeated 2-rank Dou Master Snake People and killed him by destroying this guy's brain to a pulp.

"What's this..." Baek Ain frowned upon entering the dirty prison room.

He saw a petite girl kneeling on the floor, shivering like a rabbit.

Baek Ain crouched down and lifted the girl's chin, "There is no way..."

"Hey, what's your name?"

The girl opened her eyes slowly in anxiety and replied, "Q-Qing Lin."

Baek Ain was shocked inside because Qing Lin was the same girl Xiao Yan saved by chance from the snake people. And just looking at her current situation makes him realize she went through worse than the original.

It makes Baek Ain question whether this happened because of him or the alternative world.

'Let's not overthink it.' Baek Ain shook his head.

'Focus on freeing the slave first.'

Baek Ain grabbed Qing Lin's waist and put her on his shoulder. She panicked, but he immediately assured her, "Calm down."

"I'm here to save you."

"You can close your eyes if you are afraid of blood."

"I'm not afraid." Qing Lin responded firmly. After all, she has seen so much spilled in her life.

Baek Ain smiled and returned, "It's good then."

Waving his scythe, Baek Ain slashed through several prison cells at once and killed any snake people who appeared before his eyes. He doesn't care about their reasoning because no evidence shall remain after cleaning this place.

Except for the slave, as he'd placed them under Miteer Family's care and given them the option to be his subordinate. Not too long ago, he realized an organization is "actually." needed for his influence and power to grow.

Baek Ain cleaned the underground prison, and Qing Lin was amazed at his strength. Her emerald-like eyes stared at him as if he was a star.

He's a bright star that appeared to grant her little wish.

'I thought it was a myth?' Qing Lin's will to live ignited once again.

Maybe this time.

Yes, maybe this time, she could live comfortably.

Baek Ain sliced through a massive rock and discovered a muscular snake man. He frowned and pointed his scythe at him.

"Oy, are you the leader of this place?"

The snake-man scowled and screamed, "Human!"

"How dare you invade-!"

Before the snake man can finish his words, Baek Ain has sliced him in half like a vegetable. It was so quick for normal eyes to see.

[Ding! You have killed 9-Rank Dou Master]

"Are you okay?" Baek Ain asked Qing Lin.

Qing Lin smiled a little and replied, "I'm okay."

Even though Qing Lin's voice is small and cute, Baek Ain can sense Qing Lin's dread has lessened by a lot. He patted her back and said, "Let's get out of this place."

"Mm."

...

...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!

Baek Ain used Super Jump and broke the underground prison from the inside. He lifted his right hand and summoned Gnome's beast flame, combusting the fire continuously for a few seconds.

"Burn." He launched a golden fire wave down and swallowed everything in heat.

"Little brown..." Qing Lin worriedly looked at the prison.

"Little brown?"

"My friend, she's a sand snake."

"Oh, you mean this snake." Baek Ain loosened his clothes and released a small sand snake from his sleeve. "This young beast is fighting a snake man outside your prison."

Qing Lin hugged the snake and noticed something wrong, "But little brown doesn't look good..."

"Well, she's tired." Baek Ain chuckled in amusement.

"I see." Qing Lin rubbed the sand snake's head gently.

"Thank you, mister."

"Thank you for saving me."

Baek Ain waved his hand and said, "It's nothing."

"I'm not doing it for you, anyway... It was personal interest."

[...]

[Ding! You have finished the "Free the Slaves." quest]