For the next two days, Lenok's daily routine remained rigidly the same.
During the day, he evaded the overseers' eyes and explored the factory's layout. At night, he devoted himself to practicing magic.
The magical talent he had set for himself was evidently not a lie—Lenok quickly became adept at gathering and manipulating mana.
Rather than easily performing complex tasks, it felt as if the hurdle itself was absurdly low. But that alone was enough.
In just three days of handling mana and practicing magic, Lenok had transformed from a mere worker in a dim, cramped room into a full-fledged magic user.
He had already successfully demonstrated several simple spells beyond just light magic.
At the same time, his efforts to map out the factory while moving around led him to discover several routes leading outside.
There were moments when he encountered other overseers, but seeing Lenok's pale, sickly face—one that looked as if a mere tap would send him collapsing—they assumed he was simply running errands for another worker and ignored him.
Of course, pushing himself day and night like this had driven Lenok's body to the brink of complete collapse, but in an environment like this, expecting any form of consideration was a luxury.
In fact, he was lucky that the overseers hadn't caught on to him slacking off during work hours. This was only possible because the overseers were too occupied with their own assigned areas during the shift.
If any other overseer had caught him, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had been beaten to death on the spot.
And finally, the day arrived when the union members were scheduled to visit the factory.
After staying up all night, Lenok slowly gathered his mana just as the other workers were waking up.
Although he had never used it before coming to this world, the small amount of mana within his body now moved fluidly according to his will.
Focusing a tiny amount of mana near his forehead, Lenok immediately cast a spell.
A simple magic that raised the surface temperature of his skin. So simple, in fact, that it required neither a chant nor a hand gesture—just something to prevent one's body temperature from dropping in cold weather.
But in this situation, it was bound to be incredibly effective.
The results appeared almost instantly. As the heat concentrated on his face, Lenok's skin flushed red, and sweat began to pour down his temples.
Workers who had been waking up and preparing for their shift began whispering among themselves as they noticed his condition.
"Hey, look at that…"
"Looks like it's finally happening."
"He lasted pretty long, considering. A weakling like him was never going to survive here."
"Well, that's just his fate."
Despite their murmurs, none of the workers approached Lenok.
He let out deliberate groans, making it clear that he was in pain.
"Why are you just lying there instead of getting up right away?"
BANG!
The door was kicked open violently, and an overseer stepped in, frowning at the workers who were staring at Lenok.
The overseer approached, examining Lenok's condition. After placing a hand on Lenok's forehead, which was burning hot, he let out a sigh and shook his head.
"Hah… I'll give you three minutes. Get yourself to the parts room immediately."
Even though he knew Lenok hadn't opened his eyes, the overseer didn't bother shaking him awake before leaving the room. He had already determined that Lenok was no longer a useful worker.
Besides, today was the day the union members were coming to collect products from the factory. Causing an unnecessary disturbance on a day like this would only bring unwanted trouble.
As the other workers got dressed for their shift, they kept glancing at Lenok.
"What should we do with him?"
"Judging by the way he looks, he'll probably be dead when we get back. Wouldn't it be easier to clean up afterward?"
"Ugh… That's kind of gross."
"It's cleaner that way. If we try to bury him alive, he might struggle and make us do it twice."
They spoke as if Lenok were already dead, as if he were just another nameless laborer who would vanish without a trace in this decrepit factory.
At that moment, one of the workers stepped toward Lenok.
Lenok, lying still, tensed his muscles at the unexpected movement.
"Ban, what are you doing?"
"We don't have time for this. Let's just deal with it later."
Annoyed by the others' complaints, Ban waved them off with an irritated expression.
"Shut up. What's wrong with letting him have a smoke before he dies?"
With that, he pulled a tightly rolled cigarette from his pocket.
"You were hiding that? You should've shared it with us."
"Yeah, man, you bastard. Do you know how bad I've been craving a smoke?"
"I stole a few while cleaning an overseer's bunk. I don't have any to spare for you."
Ban retrieved a matchbox from beneath his bed, lit the cigarette, and placed it in Lenok's mouth.
Lenok's eyes shot open as he unintentionally inhaled a deep drag of the smoke.
Ban let out a chuckle. "Hits different, doesn't it?"
"…"
"This stuff is famous for being mixed with psychoactive herbs and cheap narcotics. One drag, and all your pain disappears. Not a bad way to mark the journey to the afterlife, huh?"
Ban patted Lenok on the shoulder before walking off with the other workers.
As a breeze slipped through the cracked window, the dust-stained curtain fluttered slightly.
Left alone in the empty room, Lenok slowly sat up, still holding the cigarette between his lips.
By all logic, he should have been moving immediately. But instead, he simply sat there, smoking.
Because, absurdly enough, that single cigarette had completely overturned all of his plans.
The acrid smoke filling his lungs was inexplicably reinvigorating him.
To be precise, the harmful substances in the cigarette weren't actually alleviating his exhaustion—they were merely forcing his body to forget it, dulling his nerves to the pain.
But even just becoming desensitized to his accumulated fatigue made Lenok feel a refreshing energy he hadn't experienced since arriving in this world.
It was as if he had returned to the days when he could play games all night without a care.
Lenok stood up suddenly and swung his arms a few times.
It didn't matter what kind of side effects this drug had.
He needed this kind of doping more than anything right now.
"…The overseer's bunk, huh?"
Muttering to himself, Lenok quickly changed into his work clothes and left the room.
Lenok's plan was to escape the factory through the underground parking lot.
While he had scouted various routes within the factory over time, he was convinced that using the parking lot was relatively the safest option.
Having to move around inside the factory while avoiding the overseer's eyes, Lenok had no way of knowing what kind of defenses awaited outside.
In such a situation, rashly choosing an overland escape route could lead to him being helplessly caught off guard by unexpected guards or security measures.
The parking lot, primarily used by vehicles rather than people, was likely to have fewer such defenses.
He had accepted that moving through the parking lot on foot would carry unavoidable risks, but the situation changed if he could use the overseers' break room.
The break room was located in a corridor between the overseers' lodging area and the work zone.
Lenok pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sounds from inside. Sensing no signs of life, he quickly unlocked it with a key.
As expected, the overseers, busy dealing with the assembly team, had left the break room empty.
The deserted room was littered with half-eaten snacks, liquor bottles, and scattered clothes left behind by the overseers.
It was obvious they indulged in drinking even during work hours, but in a rundown factory like this, anyone diligent enough to maintain strict discipline wouldn't have ended up here in the first place.
And for people like that, it wouldn't be surprising if they carelessly left important items among these clothes.
"…Found it."
After rummaging through the pockets of the scattered garments, Lenok successfully retrieved a pair of worn sunglasses, an empty wallet, and two sets of keys.
Most were keys for opening various rooms or locked doors, like the one he'd used to knock out an overseer earlier, but among them was a key with a code that appeared to be a vehicle serial number.
He had no idea what kind of license plates vehicles used in this world, but securing an extra key was a gain nonetheless.
*Thud, thud!!*
A faint vibration echoed from beyond the break room's walls—a distant, booming sound, as if something was being pounded far away.
It was clear the assembly team was causing a ruckus as they moved through the factory.
Taking advantage of the moment, Lenok pulled a cigarette from the pack on the table, lit it, and took a drag.
He'd never touched tobacco in his previous world, but Lenok adapted to smoking with surprising ease.
The familiar smoke soaked into his body, dulling his fatigue and pain. At the same time, his tightly wound mind began to relax, the tension easing away.
While it was nice to forget his physical exhaustion, letting his mind loosen up was far from ideal in this situation.
Lenok took a few measured drags before consciously removing the cigarette from his mouth.
'They said it's mixed with psychoactive plants. Too much, and it'll slow down my thinking.'
---
### Escape
Sure enough, concoctions like this—burned and inhaled for pleasure—often had potent effects and severe side effects.
One wrong move, and it could leave a person as limp as a wet rag. Until he escaped the factory, he had to keep his wits sharp.
Lenok tossed the cigarette to the ground, crushed it under his shoe, and changed into a set of clothes from the pile that roughly fit his size.
The workers' uniforms or overseers' work attire would stand out too much in any scenario.
The clothes strewn about the break room were casual wear the overseers used on their off days, making them less likely to draw unwanted attention after escaping the factory.
"Ugh… the smell is awful."
The stench of tobacco and sweat assaulted his nose, but since it was necessary, Lenok forced himself to change.
He stuffed his old work clothes under the break room sofa and was about to leave when footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor, approaching his direction.
Lenok released the doorknob and swiftly hid beneath the sofa.
His bad feeling proved correct as the footsteps grew closer and stopped right in front of the break room door.
*Bang!*
"Huh? Which idiot left the break room door unlocked? Trying to get chewed out by the chief again?"
"It's a chaotic day like this—bound to happen."
Two overseers, visibly exhausted, stepped inside.
Both were unfamiliar faces, suggesting they weren't assigned to the parts room where Lenok worked.
The overseer on the right sniffed the air, grinned, and spoke to his colleague.
"From the smell of it, looks like a few others snuck in here before us."
He seemed to have mistaken the cigarette smoke Lenok had left behind. Judging by his tone, it was clear they often smoked in the break room themselves.
The other overseer chuckled and flopped onto the sofa.
"Well, we snuck out too, so who are we to judge?"
"Let's have a smoke and talk."
The sound of lighting up and exhaling smoke filled the room without further words.
Lenok held his breath, hiding behind the sofa, doing his best not to make a sound.
"Ah… I feel alive again. Those bastards won't leave until the product quota's filled, right?"
"From the way they're talking, can't you tell? Looks like we'll have to run the factory all night to meet it."
"Ugh, damn it… This is driving me nuts."
The two continued their conversation, focusing silently on their cigarettes. They were clearly stressed out by the situation.
"I've made up my mind."
"About what?"
The overseer, with a stern expression, looked at his colleague across from him.
"After this smoke, let's ditch to the parking lot."
"…Should we?"
"You just got that new car, didn't you? Hide in there, and no one'll notice."
Getting caught by the chief later might earn them a beating, but what did that matter? If they could escape this headache now, it was worth it.
The overseers exchanged grins.
"Where's the key?"
"Oh, it's around here somewhere. I tossed it last night while drinking."
"Let's dig for it."
Watching the two burly men rummage through the clothes on the floor, Lenok quietly steeled himself.
"…"
With his mana still too low to use effective attack magic against humans, he was limited.
But even with such basic magic, there were plenty of options.
Pulling a pistol from his pocket, Lenok slowly brought his mana-charged hand near the muzzle.
'Silence.'
An invisible barrier enveloped the muzzle, glowing blue before fading.
Lenok racked the slide to chamber a round, gripping the pistol with both hands as he waited for the right moment.
The overseers, scouring the floor for the car key, suddenly faced each other with grave expressions and stood up.
"…It's gone."
"Now that you mention it, the door was open earlier…"
"Damn it, you don't think—?"
If it were just the car key missing, they might not have noticed, but with Lenok having swept up all the nearby keys, it'd be stranger if they didn't sense something off.
Even they weren't so dim as to miss the gravity of the situation. They sprang into action.
"You head straight to the parking lot."
"What about you?"
"I'll report to the chief. We need to say someone stole our keys, or we'll catch hell later."
Seeing the logic in that, one overseer moved toward the door.
Realizing he couldn't hesitate any longer, Lenok raised the pistol.
His hand trembled briefly, but his finger pulled the trigger with eerie ease.
*Pop!*
A sound too light to call a gunshot rang out, and the overseer reaching for the doorknob collapsed, blood spraying.
A split second later, the other overseer roared.
"Ed—!!"
"Shut up!"
Lenok leapt from behind the sofa, aiming the gun at him and shouting.
The overseer glared at Lenok with murderous intent, but upon seeing the pistol, he clamped his mouth shut.
Closing the distance slowly, Lenok glanced at the fallen overseer.
Lying face-down, twitching faintly, the man showed no other signs of life. Instant death.
Realizing he'd killed someone for the first time, Lenok broke into a cold sweat but otherwise remained unshaken.
The mental fortitude, calmness, and rationality he'd built into his character suppressed guilt, fear, and revulsion, keeping him sane.
In this extreme situation, his cool-headedness shone even brighter—a true mage's talent.
Lenok positioned himself close enough to ensure a hit but far enough to avoid a sudden attack.
With his frail body, letting the overseer get the drop on him would mean losing the gun—and his life—in an instant.
The overseer, staring at Lenok, spoke in a trembling voice.
"…P-please, spare me."
"…"
"I won't tell anyone about this. Please…"
Only then did Lenok fully face the quivering overseer.
Bloodshot eyes from exhaustion, an unkempt, patchy beard, trembling lips and jaw.
They spent their days abusing workers, but the overseers weren't anything special themselves.
Just ordinary people, part of the factory, unable to escape this grueling work, trembling before the threat of death.
Letting him live might not even pose a risk. He could stay silent about Lenok for the rest of his life.
Leaving a small act of mercy before escaping the factory might not be so bad… Lenok thought as he slowly pulled the trigger.
*Pop!*
As the silencing spell flared, the trembling overseer fell backward.
Lenok locked eyes with the man's shocked expression, unable to comprehend his end even in his final moment.
No regrets.
Despite his heart, the cold logic of a mage had already made its decision.
No matter what, he wouldn't leave loose ends here.
Unlike the overseer he'd knocked out in the dorm, he couldn't let these two live.
They knew the car keys were missing and suspected trouble in the parking lot.
If they woke up and started searching before Lenok could escape, it'd spell disaster.
Lenok rifled through the pockets of the two corpses, pulling out their wallets to check the contents.
Paper bills, coins, a few unfamiliar cards, and IDs—but nothing resembled anything he recognized.
"…"
He'd already suspected this wasn't Earth, so it wasn't surprising.
But if it wasn't the game world or Earth, then where was he? Confusion swirled, but he had no time to dwell.
He pocketed what looked like money and tossed the rest under the sofa.
He considered moving the bodies but gave up. The floor was already soaked with blood. Cleaning it to erase evidence would take too long.
Only one task remained.
Lenok left the break room, locked the door firmly, and headed straight for the underground parking lot via a nearby staircase.
The dusty, dimly lit parking lot was cluttered with trucks from the assembly team and vehicles used by factory staff, parked haphazardly.
Crouching low, Lenok moved stealthily between the cars, searching for one matching the key's serial number.
Two vehicles shared the same code: a weathered gray van and a sleek, glossy two-seater car.
The two-seater was decked out with incomprehensible machinery, its original form hard to discern.
Praying for the inconspicuous van, he tried both, but regrettably, the key fit the two-seater.
No choice.
He inserted the key, opened the door, and settled into the leather-scented seat.
The exterior was striking, but the interior was even more so. The dashboard was packed with gadgets and buttons, and the steering wheel was a perfect rectangle.
Inserting the key below the wheel and turning it on, the dashboard lit up, and the car began to hum softly.
Pressing the left pedal and shifting the gear, the lever turned. The brake seemed to be on the left pedal here too.
Releasing the pedal after shifting, the car crept forward.
Even with Lenok's calm and composed mind, his heart pounded wildly in this moment.
He was finally escaping the factory. For the first time since arriving in this world, he'd leave that decrepit room behind.
Curiosity and excitement about the unknown world, mixed with fear and anticipation, stirred his heart and made his body tremble.
As he slowly exited the underground parking lot and ascended to the surface, a figure standing at the entrance caught his eye.
A limping, scruffy man in familiar work attire—the overseer in charge of the parking lot. Recognizing him, Lenok's eyes instinctively calmed.
Spotting the approaching car, the overseer began walking toward it.
Having already killed two, what difference would a third make? Lenok reached for the pistol on the passenger seat but quickly realized a serious problem.
His body no longer had enough mana to cast the silencing spell.
Once to fake illness in the morning. Once to stun an overseer with a shock. Twice to muffle gunshots.
For a newly awakened mage, struggling to cast even one spell a day, it was an impressive feat—but meaningless now.
Lenok immediately pinpointed the issue.
'It's because I smoked that cigarette.'
When considering what magic could accomplish, escaping this dilapidated factory with just four spells a day should have been a simple task.
If he hadn't used the electric spell "Bolt" to knock out the overseer, he wouldn't be running out of mana like this now.
But it was too late for regrets.
Given some time, his mana would recover enough to cast at least one more spell—but he didn't have the luxury of waiting.
The overseer, perhaps knowing the car's owner, approached with a sly grin and said, "Ed, have you lost your mind? Where do you think you're going in a mess like this? Even if you want to ditch, you should hold off on a day the assembly team's here."
He tapped the car's hood twice and moved toward the driver's side.
"You can show off your new car this weekend. If you're heading to the club, take me along too… Wait, who are you?"
The overseer's expression changed instantly upon seeing Lenok's face.
Before the man could fumble at his waist to draw something, Lenok thrust the pistol against his chest.
"Gah…!"
"Drop the gun."
The startled overseer quickly let the pistol he'd been gripping behind his back fall to the ground. Lenok glanced at the discarded weapon and smirked.
No wonder he gave up so easily—it wasn't even properly loaded. Resistance would've been futile anyway.
Looking at the terrified overseer staring back at him, Lenok spoke.
"Is there a parking barrier up ahead?"
"Y-Yes, there is…"
"Get rid of it."
Trembling, the overseer turned and entered a small booth near the parking lot entrance, fiddling with something.
Sweating profusely, he nodded at Lenok, his face pleading desperately. Lenok easily read the meaning behind it.
The fierce desire to live was universal.
Lenok, too, hid it beneath his strong will and cold rationality, but his longing to survive was as intense as anyone's.
And precisely because of that, he couldn't afford to leave any loose ends.
*Bang!!*
A deafening gunshot tore through the parking lot, echoing fiercely.
As if it were a starting signal, Lenok released the brake he'd been holding.
Gripping the steering wheel, he floored the accelerator, speeding past the overseer collapsing with an expression of disbelief.
*Vroom!!*
The first gunshot he'd heard in this world sent his already racing heart into overdrive.
As the parking lot's incline steepened upward, his body leaned back.
His vision brightened, sunlight piercing his eyes, but he paid it no mind.
For a moment, everything flashed white, and then the car lifted off briefly before settling back down.
Through the thick windshield, the factory's sprawling front yard came into view.
Without hesitation, he drove straight ahead. A single passage between the thick walls led to the outside.
The barrier that should have blocked the center of the passage was still down. That bastard had tricked him.
But Lenok grinned and pressed harder on the pedal.
*Crash!!*
Using the car's momentum, he smashed through the barrier in one go, accelerating out of the factory.
---
### Megacity
The moment he emerged from the factory, an open plain stretched out before him.
Through the car window, Lenok focused his mind and quickly scanned the dry landscape.
It was his first time seeing the world outside the factory since waking in that decrepit room.
He had to figure out what this area was like and escape as fast as possible.
Racing along the road that followed a low hill, Lenok whipped his head side to side.
The presence of numerous buildings and people moving about suggested this wasn't some uncivilized wilderness.
In fact, in the direction he was steering, towering skyscrapers formed a forest-like cluster, revealing a massive city.
Instinctively knowing that lingering here increased the chances of a bad outcome, Lenok kept pushing the speed higher.
The faster he drove, the closer the megacity grew, and the scenery around him shifted into something exotic. After over an hour of driving, he finally reached the city's outskirts.
Neon signs flashed everywhere, colorful billboards filled his vision, and cheerful music blared from advertisements.
[Welcome to Balkan, the megacity leading the future of magical engineering and cutting-edge industry.]
"…The city's called Balkan?"
To Lenok, vaguely familiar with the Balkans from Earth, the name felt oddly off-putting.
Muttering to himself, he shook his head at the sight of airships drifting lazily through the sky, streamlined bikes zipping by, and unfamiliar script on the signs.
"I knew it wasn't Earth, but…"
He hadn't expected a world so distinct from *WORLD*. Could this be the ver. 3.0 setting planned for the update?
Slightly more advanced than Earth's civilization yet far more chaotic, the landscape left him with mixed feelings.
In a near-futuristic world like this, he couldn't tell if possessing magical talent would be a blessing or a curse.
After driving for a while and entering the city's edge, Lenok finally eased off the accelerator and turned the wheel slowly.
'Getting this far should be enough.'
He'd checked for pursuers the whole way, but so far, nothing unusual had cropped up. Were they too busy with the assembly team to spare the time?
Choosing a day when the assembly team visited to make his escape had indeed been a wise move.
As he ventured deeper into the city, the roads widened, but traffic grew denser.
Only then did Lenok glance at the surrounding vehicles, realizing that this two-seater, which he'd thought had an odd design, was actually quite ordinary compared to the others.
The various gadgets plastered on it weren't the overseer's quirky taste but rather a standard feature of this world's vehicles.
Had he driven the beat-up gray van instead, it might've stood out more—unintentionally, he'd dodged a bullet.
The deeper he went, the more cars there were, and progress slowed to a crawl.
Somewhat calmer now, Lenok pulled out a cigarette and observed the people passing by as the car nearly came to a standstill.
The sidewalks on either side of the road were bustling with people in all sorts of attire.
Their clothing wasn't particularly unique, but some openly exposed parts of their bodies, while others sported eccentric hairstyles.
He saw a man with a prosthetic arm, another carrying a spirit-like entity, and plenty of plain humans walking alone.
Judging by their relaxed expressions, the downtown area seemed to maintain decent order.
Having vaguely imagined a chaotic, lawless city based on his factory experience, Lenok found this unexpected.
'And looking closer…'
Details he'd overlooked while speeding by began to catch his eye, allowing him to analyze his surroundings more carefully.
Signs and letters on building walls, faint lights flickering between machines, the hues of people's phones—all shared a common thread.
'There's mana mixed in.'
Though he'd only awakened to it two days ago, Lenok could sense that familiar power permeating the streets.
It was clear that mana played a role in shaping the civilization built on this land.
'Learning the basics here is going to take some time.'
Even if it looked similar to Earth on the surface, a civilization developed with magic woven into its history and processes would be fundamentally different.
Surviving and planning a future in this world would require no small amount of time.
Suppressing his complicated emotions, Lenok lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply.
Future plans aside, his time was running short right now.
Not because of unseen pursuers—he'd squeezed every ounce of stamina and mana to escape the factory.
The cigarette's effects were holding him together for now, but soon his body would hit its limit.
Over the past few days, he'd keenly felt how frail and stamina-deprived this body was.
If he dawdled, collapsing right here wouldn't be surprising. He needed to find a place to rest—and fast.
As the city's traffic jam cleared and the roads opened up, Lenok swerved into a quiet alley.
The further he drove from the main streets, the cleaner roads turned grimy, and the buildings grew shabbier. Even in this sprawling city, slums existed.
He stopped near a crumbling apartment complex, focusing his mind while still seated.
Fortunately, the traffic delay had allowed his mana to recover slightly, enough for one spell.
Bringing both hands to his face, he used up his remaining mana.
A burning sensation twisted his skin, making his body tremble.
"Phew…"
Stepping out, Lenok's face had transformed into that of a rugged, middle-aged man—completely different from before.
Donning the sunglasses he'd taken from the break room, he exited the car, tossed the keys inside, and shut the door.
He couldn't keep using a vehicle with its serial number intact.
Not overlooking the risk of being tracked, he planned to avoid this area entirely after today.
Emerging from the shadowy slum, he was greeted by sunlight pouring from a clear blue sky.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Lenok blinked, dazed by the sun's rays.
His eyes stung, his head ached, his hands trembled, and a sharp pull tugged at his neck. Sleep deprivation made his steps falter aimlessly, his body drenched in sweat.
Time was running out.
Inhaling the cigarette's lingering scent on his hands, he quickened his pace and spotted a small hotel on the outskirts of the bustling district.
Clean, discreet, with a quiet lobby and idle staff—it seemed decent for both hygiene and safety.
Without hesitation, Lenok stepped inside. Releasing the spell in the lobby bathroom, dizziness crashed over him.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he approached the counter.
"…I'd like to book a room."
"One night is 100,000 cel."
The clerk didn't comment on his appearance but named a price—100,000 cel.
Even to Lenok, who knew nothing, it didn't sound cheap, but he wasn't in a position to haggle.
He slapped down the cash from the overseer's wallet, took the key, and collapsed into the elevator.
Crawling down the hall, he opened the assigned room's door. The moment he stepped inside, his vision went black.
The accumulated fatigue and tension, compounded by the fading effects of the drug that had suppressed them, hit Lenok all at once.
Unable to even kick off his shoes, he collapsed at the entrance and fell into a death-like sleep.
It was the first restful slumber he'd had since suffering insomnia in this world.