I Got A Title: Lord Of The Time!

Lin slowly walked down the dimly lit corridor, along the sides of which were countless solid bars, enclosing dangerous people. Several individuals walked beside him, controlling him so that he wouldn't try to escape or do something bad.

Bang!

A strange-looking guy approached one of the bars, making a loud noise. He looked at Lin with a crazed expression and said:

"This... A girl?.. A girl! Let's do it! Do it!"

Lin calmly looked at the madman and said:

"I'm a guy, not a girl."

The crazy guy was surprised at first, and then, looking closer, realized that Lin really was a man!

And bald!

"Ugh!! A guy! I don't like doing it with guys!" he quickly turned away from Lin and went deeper into his cell.

Lin shook his head and asked the people next to him:

"Are there many like that?"

The people next to Lin remained silent, as they were forbidden from engaging in any dialogue with the prisoners or answering their questions.

Lin, of course, knew this, so he simply continued walking forward, observing each cell with interest, as each one housed some kind of person.

And the people who ended up here weren't ordinary.

"Along the way, I counted more than fifty cells on one side... Naturally, not every cell here is filled. I think only half of them have prisoners, and the rest — are empty."

"Still, — it's surprising. Each person here — isn't ordinary, but some kind of criminal or killer who is ready to murder anyone without a shred of conscience..." Lin smirked and chuckled slightly, realizing that this place was much harsher than the battles of Ilan he participated in as a child.

"Let's see how well these people can stand against me. In any case, I need to keep training. In my former environment, there weren't any people I could properly train with, but with this place... It's only a matter of time."

Having made a decision about what he would be doing in this place, Lin continued walking until he heard a man's voice from one of the cells:

"Void, right?"

Lin stopped, but the people accompanying him quickly grabbed him by the arms and dragged him forward, as if not wanting Lin to speak with this man.

A rough laugh came from the cell, followed by a male voice:

"I've heard a lot about you. There are plenty of stories about how you kill aristocrats or merchants alone, and you're not even a Mage..."

"I find people like that very interesting, and especially I enjoy fighting such individuals... Soon there'll be a big fight, at least twenty prisoners will participate. I hope you won't disappoint anyone there."

Lin had already been dragged far enough from the cell with the man's voice, but he was able to hear everything clearly.

"A big fight? I think that'll be the perfect place to improve my sword skills..." Lin smiled and continued walking quietly, not responding to the man in the cell.

When Lin and the few people became small specks of light, the man's voice was heard once more from the previous cell:

"See? He's passed here several times already, but his body... it's always in a state of readiness, prepared to quickly eliminate any threat. Only those who've lived in constant fear for their life can achieve that."

Receiving no reply, he continued:

"His body is in excellent shape, and those scars... Ha-ha-ha! How pleasant they are to look at! How long must he have suffered to get them?! I want to fight him... I really do. Old man, what do you think — how strong is he? Did you see anything interesting in him?"

The dark corridor sank into complete silence.

From the opposite cell, a completely white hand appeared, wrinkled with age, followed by a hoarse voice:

"That boy is connected to nature... Perhaps he even has a stronger bond with the world than Mages... He's intriguing..."

The man in the opposite cell showed surprise, as he knew that any statement from the old man wasn't empty words, but truth.

"Ha-ha. Then that makes it even more interesting... If he's so connected to nature, why didn't he receive a Spiritual Talent? Could it be that someone with such a strong bond with nature didn't receive Sisyphus's attention?"

The dark cells fell into absolute silence once again, until the old man's hoarse voice was heard once more:

"That really is interesting. But I don't have an answer. There have been countless cases in the world where someone was born with a bond to nature, but didn't receive a Spiritual Talent. Perhaps those people didn't appeal to Sisyphus himself, and that's why they have no talent for magic or its study."

The man smirked and asked:

"But that still makes them stronger than ordinary people?"

The old man didn't delay his answer and quickly told the man:

"Of course, those who are connected to nature itself — receive its minimal power, even though they can't control it like magic. These people are undoubtedly strong, but they don't reach the level of Mages of the Third Circle."

"Ha-ha-ha! Even though I'm a Mage of the Second Circle, I prefer to fight with a weapon in hand. In any case, we'll see at the upcoming battle."

The corridor fell silent again, and no more topics were raised there.

...

Meanwhile, Lin sat calmly, meditating in his cell, until he suddenly opened his eyes and thought:

"Excellent. Daily meditation is truly a wonderful thing for cleansing and structuring the mind..."

He slowly stood up and, as always, began practicing various strikes with his legs and hands.

Whoosh!

Lin raised his fist and struck the air.

"The big fight that man behind the bars talked about... So something major is going to happen soon? That's great, because if it's a big battle, a lot of aristocrats should come — and that will give me a chance for a possible escape."

Whoosh!

Lin's leg swiftly swept through the air!

"But to attract someone's attention, I'll have to show myself at my best... The reputation of the Void is already excellent, and he's seen as an unusual and powerful killer. But people need to see it in action, to understand that it's not just rumors."

Whoosh!

Bang!

Lin spun and kicked the wall with his right leg, creating a loud thud!

"I need to train... It's unknown when this big battle will happen, but I need to improve my results..." Lin slowly approached the bars and looked at the endless dark cells.

"After all, this isn't an ordinary place filled with regular criminals. They must be very strong — at least, I felt a strong aura from that man in the cell... He really was dangerous."

Lin sighed and continued training.

In silence.

But with loud consequences.