Reborn In A Perverse Monster World! My System Adapts To Everything!

Chapter 140: Jason’s Capture [FIXED!][14/07]

The council agreed to hear him out.

Jason stood in the center of the chamber, his hands still bound in the suppression cuffs, his expression calm. The six council members had exchanged glances, whispered among themselves, and finally reached a decision. He would be granted an audience—but only when all ten members were present.

"Until then," the elven council member said, her voice cold and precise, "you will be imprisoned in the deepest cell we possess. The most secure location in the world."

Jason nodded slowly. "I figured as much."

The orc council member sneered. "You will be held with the most hardened criminals. Murderers, slavers, dark mages. The worst of the worst."

"That sounds cozy," Jason said dryly.

The council members did not find it amusing. Guards approached, their hands on their weapons, their eyes wary. Jason allowed them to lead him out of the chamber without resistance.

"The news of your capture will spread," the elven council member said, her voice carrying across the room. "We will ensure that the world knows the council has contained the threat you pose."

Jason glanced back at her. "Propaganda. Smart."

"Justice," she corrected.

Jason smirked. "Same thing, different name."

He was led through winding corridors, past guards and mages who stared at him with a mixture of fear and curiosity. The deeper they went, the darker the walls became. The air grew colder. The silence grew heavier.

They reached the cell.

It was carved into the bedrock, its walls lined with ancient runes that pulsed with a faint, oppressive light. The bars were not metal—they were solidified mana, shimmering and humming with power. Jason could feel it pressing against him even through the cuffs.

He stepped inside without hesitation.

The guards locked the cell behind him. Their footsteps echoed as they retreated, leaving him alone in the darkness.

Jason looked around the cell. It was small, bare, and utterly silent. The runes on the walls seemed to pulse in rhythm with his heartbeat. He could feel the magic trying to suppress him, trying to drain his strength.

It did not work.

The Marrow within him was beyond their comprehension. The power that flowed through his veins was older than this prison, older than the council, older than the world itself. He could break out at any moment.

But he did not.

Because he understood. The council needed to save face. The propaganda was meaningless, but the fear behind it was valid. There were dark guilds out there, real threats that needed to be contained. Their caution was not irrational.

And if he proved himself willing to wait, they might listen.

Jason settled against the wall, his eyes closing.

He had nothing

-

The cell was quiet, but Jason could feel the hum beneath the stone.

It was subtle—a faint vibration that pulsed through the walls, through the floor, through the very air he breathed. At first, he thought it was the runes. But as he sat in the darkness, he realized the truth.

This prison was powered by the prisoners themselves. Their mana was being drained constantly, siphoned from their bodies at a rate that kept them alive but weak. Just enough to sustain the city above. An endless supply of power, fueled by the worst criminals in existence.

Jason tilted his head, listening to the hum. It was efficient. Cruel. Brilliant.

He wondered what the other dark guilds were doing right now. The ones who were still free. The ones who had not been captured. Were they laughing at the council’s propaganda? Were they planning their next move?

Before he could think further, a voice drifted from the cell beside his.

"So," the voice said, deep and rough, "what brings you here?"

Jason turned his head. Through the bars, he could see a shape in the neighboring cell—large, broad-shouldered, sitting against the wall with his arms resting on his knees. The man’s face was hidden in shadow, but his voice carried the weight of someone who had been here for a long time.

"Who knows?" Jason replied with a shrug. "I wanted to end the world."

The prisoner went silent for a moment. Then he laughed—a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through the corridor.

"Don’t we all?" he responded.

Jason smirked. "You too?"

"Please. I was a professional. I had a system. A plan." The prisoner leaned forward, and the dim light caught his face—scarred, weathered, with eyes that gleamed with dark amusement. "Then some do-gooder guild caught me and threw me in here. Been draining my mana ever since."

Jason studied him. "How long?"

"Long enough. I stopped counting after the first decade." The prisoner grinned. "But you... you’re different. I can feel it. Even with the cuffs, even with the drain, you’re not like the others."

Jason tilted his head. "Oh?"

"You’re not scared." The prisoner’s grin widened. "And you’re not angry. Most people in here are one or the other. You’re just... bored."

Jason considered that. "Maybe I am."

"I knew it." The prisoner laughed again. "They put you in here thinking they’re containing a monster. But they’re just keeping a bored man company."

Jason chuckled. "You’re not wrong."

"I’m never wrong. That’s why I’m in here." The prisoner leaned back against the wall. "They can’t handle being wrong. So they lock you up and pretend they won."

Jason nodded slowly. "Sounds about right."

For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence. Two criminals, sharing a quiet moment in the heart of the world’s most secure prison.

"Hey," the prisoner said, "if you ever figure out how to break out of here, let me know."

This was strange request considering he had just met Jason and Jason could be anyone but then again, it wasn’t like they would send a spy down here to begin with as there has never been a single being who had escaped this place.

Jason smiled. "I’ll think about it."

Of course, this wasn’t the case as Jason already knew the repercussions of such an act because then, he would become the threat the council thought him to be.

"I’m serious." The prisoner’s voice dropped. "I’ve been in here longer than anyone. I know every guard, every schedule, every weakness in this place. If you’re planning something, you’ll need me."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "And why would I trust you?"

"Because I’m the only one who’s not afraid of you." The prisoner grinned. "And because I’m bored too."

Jason laughed—a genuine laugh that echoed through the corridor.

"Fair point."

But the fact that he had been here for so long was proof that he waa dangerous but Jason also knew this person didn’t know who he was, he was perceptive but not that perceptive.

And news didn’t travel underground, as far as they were concerned, the world was exactly as they left it.

-

Jason knew there was no way he would bring a prisoner along if he escaped.

Even if he had the means to break out of this prison—which he did—he would not free anyone else. They were here because they deserved to be here. The council’s justice system was unique. It projected the prisoner’s memories into a visible form, replaying every act of violence or crime they had committed. There was no room for deception. No innocent person ended up in these cells.

The system was brutal but effective. Every lie was exposed. Every denial was shattered. The council had designed it to ensure that only the guilty were punished.

Jason already knew they would not understand what they saw if they tried to read him. The Marrow was with him, entwined with his very being. His immunity to mana made it impossible for them to use magic to read his memories or invade his mind. They would see nothing but static, confusion, and an abyss that did not belong to their world. The council’s magic would fail against him.

But he played along.

The prisoner beside him kept talking, spinning tales of his past glory, his plans for revenge, his hatred for the council. Jason listened, nodded, and occasionally chuckled. He let the man believe he had an ally. It was easier that way. The prisoner’s stories grew more elaborate, his voice more animated, as if he had finally found someone who understood him.

Outside the prison walls, news of his capture spread quickly.

Within hours, the council’s propaganda had reached every corner of the world. Posters were printed. Messengers were dispatched. Bards sang songs of the council’s triumph. The most wanted criminal in existence had been brought to justice.

And the news reached the wrong people.

The dark guilds heard it. The factions that had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity, now knew exactly where Jason was. The council had inadvertently revealed the location of the most powerful being in existence.

And they had sealed him in a prison that could not hold him.

Jason smiled in the darkness.

They had no idea what they had just done. They had brought the attention of the world’s most dangerous factions to their doorstep. And they had placed the one person who could stop them in a cage made of glass.

They thought they had won but they were wrong because Jason wasn’t only wanted by the council but the dark guilds as well.