Michael felt conflicted. The remainders of humanity within him argued that those enemies weren’t a threat and should be spared for morality’s sake, while the side he had developed after surviving day in and day out in the Tutorial argued that they would be a thorn in his side if left alive. It argued that it was better to get rid of them and any potential problems they could cause. He leaned toward this side. It was certain that the men could return for revenge if spared. With his friends in Redglow Village and his mother still out there somewhere – hopefully alive – it was a risk he couldn’t afford.
As he looked at the group of men begging for mercy, hesitation flooded his heart. Their leader perked up like a bloodhound, as if he were capable of smelling it. He spoke in a tired voice.
“Please, sir! We all have friends and family to return to, spare our lives! We won’t act against you again!”
The man fell to his knees. Rather awkwardly, the others did the same. Some were clearly more unwilling than others, but in the end, they all knelt in the dirt. The leader had his hands in a prayer motion.
“Please!”
Michael stared at this scene with a sequence of complicated emotions bubbling within him. His humanity argued fiercely against executing the men, but he knew better. It wasn’t something that he wanted to do, and certainly not something to be proud of, but it was necessary. A low voice escaped his mouth.
“…I have friends and family too.”
And to protect them, he would do anything. Even if it meant becoming a monster. Michael’s right index finger drew a line in the air. The men started jumping to their feet, but it was too late.
“…Mana Wave.”
He visibly winced as the half-moon made of mana tore through the eleven men. Some were split cleanly in half, while others had their torsos separated. Blood splashed and flowed freely into the dirt and earth on the ground. It quickly created a small puddle that only grew. Intestines and other organs splattered across the ground, painting an even more gruesome scene. The smell was hellish. The sight of the severed corpses was nauseating. Michael stared deeply into the glassy eyes of the dead leader as the blood reached the sole of his shoe. He didn’t bother with stepping back. There was no escaping the scenario he had created.
I’m going to see this every time I close my eyes for a while.
He wasn’t proud of what he had done; after all, he had killed defenseless men. But it had been necessary. It went beyond simply protecting his loved ones.
Eventually, in a world like this Tutorial Zone, I would have had to fight and kill other humans.
It was an unavoidable development that had been on his mind ever since Rose attacked him when they met.
[You have reached Level 26.]
Michael hatefully looked at the notification innocently floating in the air above him. That’s right. To the System, humans were in no way different from the animals he had killed before. All were walking bags of XP. He dismissed the notification and went back to staring at the carnage of his own creation.
He held that stare for a long time, without moving or thinking. After an unknown amount of time, he absent-mindedly cast Whisper and tried to contact James. His friend picked up.
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“James? It’s me.”
“Michael. I wanted to talk to you. Be careful, Derek has ordered people to watch you at all times, and-”
“Yeah, I’ve encountered them already. I wanted to ask you about the least-defended Flags, and also if you have any leads on Derek’s location or next actions.”
His voice was completely monotone and dead. He supposed that part of him had indeed died when he chose to go through with his massacre.
“…Are you okay? You don’t sound so good.”
“It’s nothing. So?”
“…Where are you right now?”
“Around five kilometers north of Bluestone Village.”
James was silent for almost ten seconds.
“Alright. I needed some time to gather my bearings. The nearest three Flags aren’t well-defended. You should be able to take them without an issue if you play smart. By the way, you said you encountered some of the guys who were watching you. What did you do to them? It’s better to capture them, we don’t want them running back to Derek and-”
“They’re all dead.”
Silence ensued. It was Michael’s first time leaving James speechless. Half a minute passed by without either of them saying a word. Eventually, the floating mouth let out a mutter in James’ voice.
“…Dead?”
With a blank expression and a vacant mind, Michael nodded, even though James couldn’t see him. It was obvious that James wouldn’t take this so well. Back on Earth, murder was something distant from either of them, who had grown up away from danger. They only heard about it on the news. Back then, it would have been unthinkable for Michael to think of himself or any of his friends as a killer, yet here they were. He didn’t dismiss James’ reaction. It was a fair one.
More silence. Eventually, James was the first to speak once more.
“I-I understand. Remember, we’re just trying to dethrone Derek; there’s no need to kill his followers.”
“They tried to kill me. I only returned their aggression in kind.”
As he spoke, Michael felt as if it helped him organize his thoughts. What he had done had been self-defense, and nothing more. His deadpan gaze focused once more with a new edge.
“…Alright. If they tried to kill you, I can understand. I’ll try to obtain more information about Derek and his plans.”
“Good. Talk to you later.”
The Whisper spell came undone. Michael turned around and froze in place. Staring at him with fear in their eyes were the man and woman he had saved. He took a step toward them, but that only made them take a step back. They weren’t scared of what they had been through. They were scared of him. This realization hit him like a truck. Of course they would be scared, why wouldn’t they? He had just butchered close to a dozen men and left their corpses in the open, creating a gruesome spectacle. He tried to speak, but his tone sounded off even to himself.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I helped you and dealt with the people who harmed you.”
The two hurriedly nodded. Michael thought of extending his hand, but realized that such a gesture could be interpreted as the beginning of an attack. It was better to refrain from doing so. In the end, he didn’t save them because he wanted their gratitude. He gave them a small, broken smile, and touched the Flag in front of him. The woman spoke up the moment the orb turned completely blue.
“T-Thank you for saving us.”
Her voice was uneasy and uncertain, as if she wasn’t sure that speaking to him was the right move. He turned and nodded with the same smile still on his face. The area around them acquired a blue hue. He looked at the ceiling and found the three closest beams of red light, one of which included the Flag he’d captured and lost previously. He trudged toward it. His steps were no longer as firm as they once were, but it was something he would have to deal with. There was no taking back what he had done, and it wouldn’t change. At the very least, he would have to kill one more man: Derek.
As his thoughts reached this point, a venomous glint shone in Michael’s eyes. The men who had attacked him seemed to be acting out on their own, but it was likely that Derek condoned killing in order to seize a Flag. Of course, he wasn’t sure, but it was something to ask the man when they finally met again.
Michael was willing to fight to put his friends in a better position. That alone was enough for him to go against Derek. He shouldn’t overthink it. One more person wasn’t much. He had already stained his hands with blood. A pang of self-hatred coursed through his body. It had been self-defense. That was all. But why couldn’t he convince himself that he had been in the right?
Michael absent-mindedly walked to his destination, leaving behind the scared couple.
***
Derek looked up from the floating mouth. He stared incredulously at the messenger who had just spoken. Next to him, a brown-haired, thirty-something Mage dismissed the Whisper spell. Derek spoke.
“He did what?”