Endless World: The Rise of Leonard Lawson

Once the survivor calmed down, she began to introduce herself.

She was called Irene, and her life could be described in one word: tragic.

Irene was precisely someone whom Shirley had explained was being used and treated like trash daily.

What made it more tragic was that Irene had a beautiful face, meaning the guards were enjoying their moments constantly with her.

It got to the point where she was malnourished, even though her appearance was still somewhat bright.

"This is so confusing. Why is she sneaking around here to steal some food?" Mirelle frowned, incapable of understanding Irene's appearance. It wasn't that she didn't sympathize with her. But she found it hard to believe Irene was malnourished when her face was glistening.

"Truly an insensitive and ignorant woman," Claudia suddenly snorted.

Shirley nodded in agreement. This time, she didn't find Claudia's words offensive. Instead, she found her remarks to be rather light.

Being confronted by these two, Mirelle was baffled. She turned to look at Leonard, who simply shook his head in response.

Nevertheless, to avoid further complications, he slowly approached her and whispered, "Don't you know there's something that's high in protein but extremely disgusting when you're forced to swallow it by a bunch of people?"

Instantly, realization dawned upon Mirelle. She quickly felt nauseous once she understood what Irene had gone through.

At this moment, she also noticed the singular bead of the bracelet around Irene's wrist.

'A single bead… a failure in the Slave Coop.' A pang of bitterness and regret overwhelmed her at that instance.

"I-I apologize…" Mirelle said.

Irene's eyes were listless, almost as if she was long used to such remarks. She didn't even bother to respond because of how exhausted she was from recalling her repeated fate.

"Next time, swallow your questions and avoid opening your mouth." Leonard coolly warned. For a tutor, she was quite oblivious to the situation and event.

It was unbelievable that such behavior and a mindset were intended to change the world's structure.

Leonard only had one word to describe such a person: self-righteous.

All they knew was their high moral ground, but they failed to understand the implications and the action required to commit to them.

While Mirelle was reprimanded directly, Irene's stomach started growling.

Now that she realized the danger was gone, her starving stomach finally gave in. Her eyes shifted to the leftover food on the table. She wanted to eat some of them on the plates, but recalled how the people went into a frenzy after eating the food.

Leonard didn't say much but retrieved a few dried beef jerky from his magic pouch.

Although it was merely beef jerky, Irene's mouth started to drool from just the scent of the fragrant meat. She pursed her lips, her eyes staring intensely at the beef jerky.

Leonard didn't tease her whatsoever. He readily handed the jerky over to her, and Irene began eating it immediately.

She didn't even care about her appearance while eating, having completely forgo her training. Her only desire was to fulfill her empty belly and the craving for meat, which she had not eaten for a long time.

In the blink of an eye, the beef jerky was devoured. She then looked at Leonard with a grateful expression before crawling toward him, only stopping with a few gaps left.

Her eyes stared directly at his pants, and she was about to extend her hands to take off his pants.

"Wait a second!" Startled, Leonard hurriedly stopped her hands.

"Sir doesn't want it orally?" Irene bit her lips softly before nodding in understanding. She lay down on her back and spread her legs slowly.

"..."

The atmosphere turned quite awkward. Shirley took the chance to whisper softly to Leonard. "Based on her eating habits and level 1 status, I reckoned she must have been brainwashed to serve anyone who offered her some benefits. If she doesn't serve them as repayment, then she probably wouldn't even get fed or suffer a terrible punishment."

Although Leonard already understood the meaning behind Irene's action, he still couldn't help but frown after hearing Shirley's explanation.

Just when he thought Velastra couldn't get any worse, he kept on witnessing more atrocious events.

The mere fact that Irene was readily available to offer a repayment made him wonder just how much she had suffered. It was only some beef jerky, which cost him barely anything.

Hell, even in the market, such beef jerky could be bought with a few copper coins.

"There's no need to repay me in this manner." Leonard calmly said. "I only need you to relay what you see or hear while hidden beneath the floor. You also don't need to be afraid because we'll protect you from harm."

Irene's face turned pale. Hesitation flashed across her eyes. Her body trembled slightly, and her fingers began fidgeting together, almost as if she was doubtful of his promises.

It was at that moment that Irene's trembling caused her sleeves to rise up, exposing some bruise marks on her arms. Besides the bruise marks, there were some whip marks that went diagonally.

'Not only violating her but even abusing her to such a degree. These guards sure have been trained well.' A wrathful desire brewed within Leonard's heart.

All the injuries Irene sustained were covertly hidden from the surface.

Earlier, Mirelle was confused about whether she was truly suffering from any harsh treatment because she couldn't see any anomalies on the surface.

But in reality, all the atrocities were discreetly covered and professionally done to deceive the public.

"Give me some of the Restoration Potions." Leonard extended his hand and demanded some from Mirelle.

"It won't work, Boss." Mirelle shook her head in response. "She doesn't have any mana."

"DID I ASK?" A cold tone reverberated through the scene, with Leoanrd's aura turning frighteningly.

Alarmed by the outburst, Mirelle hurriedly retrieved a few Restoration Potions and handed them over to him.

After receiving them, Leonard patiently approached Irene, who appeared visibly frightened from the outburst.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to scare you." He flashed a warm smile and gently placed the potion on her hand.

"Drink it up. It'll quench your thirst."

Irene didn't resist the actions, almost as if she was brainwashed into thinking resisting would result in more injuries. She held the potion, her eyes subtly gazing at Shirley—someone whom she recognized.

"You can trust him." Shirley calmly said.

Only with her reassurance did Irene open the vial and consume the potion under the many watchful eyes.