Elite Mages’ Academy (Web Novel)

Chapter 79: Execution

“F*ck! Are these guys insane?” Zhou Feng was getting rather annoyed. His ruthless interrogation during the past few days had subdued those Normans, but little did they know that they captives would just go nuts that very day. He immediately brought a few people up to stop them, either by chopping their hands and feet or stunning them directly.

Xiao Lin let out a long sigh and placed his hand on his forehead. He nearly fell into that woman’s trap again and underestimated the loyalty of those people. In other words, he was still miles away from actually understanding their country and their planet.

He initially wanted to ask the man what spell the woman was about to use, but the madness before him was a clear sign that he might not be able get anything if he asked.

His replication duration was not yet up, and for that moment, he could clearly comprehend what the Normans were saying without needing Gu Xiaoyue’s translation.

“You blasphemous invaders!”

“I’m going to kill you!”

“Long live the kingdom!”

…

“Kill them all!” It was not until the skill ended and their shouts became obscure again that Xiao Lin sighed and spoke in a low tone. He put a lot of resolution into making that decision, but he knew that it was something he had to do at that moment.

“Kill? Kill them? But they’re just prisoners!” Lu Renyi’s eyes opened wide; he could not wrap his head around Xiao Lin’s orders.

“What about the infiltration reconnaissance plan?” someone asked.

“Forget it. The two optional tasks are too difficult for us!” Xiao Lin smiled bitterly. “The academy must have arranged this exam just so we can understand some things, rather than just having us complete the task blindly.”

“What things? What do you mean?”

Xiao Lin pointed to Norman resistance in front of him. “This. We’re the invaders. When there is aggression, there is resistance. The only people we can trust in this world are ourselves.”

“This is just an exam. We’re just playing a game, correct? They’re just NPCs, and it doesn’t matter if they’re killed, right!” Lu Renyi smiled dryly but his words served more as a form of self-comfort.

Killing was not something every freshman could accept immediately after being admitted to the academy for a month. It was different from killing zombies in the admission test, and differed even more compared to the forced challenge in previous battles.

They were office workers and otakus that had just been living in a peaceful society a month ago. They might be able to kill chickens and ducks without batting an eye, but they might not have the courage to stab a person with a sword.

For that reason, when Xiao Lin chose to use the Ice Bullet—a Black Iron-ranked spell—to attack a woman who could not resist and had a failing mental strength, it was a pure waste of his own mental strength. However, he subconsciously avoided directly killing the opponent with a sword.

Long-range attacks and melee combat were two completely different experiences.

In the previous battle with the Normans, Xiao Lin copied the Flame Shield and ended the battle ahead of time, so no one—save for himself and Gu Xiaoyue—had actually fought before. As a result, their hesitation was clearly evident.

“This may be a simulated battle, but as I’ve said earlier, everything feels real to us. Our lives and theirs are real.”

Xiao Lin spoke slowly as he was pondering, while Lu Renyi and the rest seemed to look enlightened. Zhou Feng frowned, but he did not say anything. Everyone felt that Xiao Lin’s remarks were indicative of his reluctance to kill.

Xiao Lin’s tone changed quickly and he bitterly smiled. “The instructor said that this so-called monthly exam is actually just a simulation exercise. When we go to the New World in the future, we will encounter this sort of thing sooner or later.”

“What sort of thing?” Lu Renyi asked stupidly.

“Killing, of course!” someone lamented softly.

Xiao Lin’s tone was indicative of his conflicted feelings. “Anyone in our position would feel reluctant facing this, but we have to adapt. The Normans are our enemy. If we don’t kill the enemy, the enemy will try to kill us. This is probably what the academy wanted to teach us with this exam. Frankly speaking, I owe everyone an apology; my misjudgment almost put everyone in danger twice.”

Xiao Lin’s feelings were unbearably complicated. He seemed to express his regret to everyone else while muttering to himself, “The first was when we forgot our identity as invaders, which led to our own poisoning. After we captured them, we quickly forgot that they were actually still our enemies, and that the Norma woman was thinking about how to kill us until the very last second.”

There was a short silence and several of the girls found it hard to accept. “Even if that is the case, do we really have to kill them? Isn’t there another way?”

Zhou Feng accepted everything quickly and chided, “Don’t be stupid! Do you think this is a game? We’re invaders of their country. Are you going to make friends with someone who invaded your country? Xiao Lin’s right. In fact, none of us has had the right attitude. We have never really regarded ourselves as conquerors, and I reckon the academy wants to use this exam to remind us of that fact!”

“If this is the case, we might as well remember this moment as clearly as possible!” Xiao Lin remarked softly. His expression looked rather subtle, as if he had worked up a certain determination. He placed his wand back, drew out his short sword, then walked toward the nearest Norma man.

“I’m sorry!” Xiao Lin murmured, then gritted his teeth, and raised the sword before slicing a thin wound on the man’s neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing all over Xiao Lin’s face, and the smell made his stomach churn.

Xiao Lin once read a quote in a novel that killing a person from a distance using a gun left a completely different psychological impact compared to killing a person with a blade at close range. He finally realized what that meant. Before he could even drop the sword, he hurried to the entrance of the cave and vomited, despite his best efforts to try and calm his upset stomach.

Zhou Feng glanced at him with a rather surprised and commending look. He quickly drew his saber and disposed of a Norma man nearby him. Then, he walked to Xiao Lin’s side and patted the latter on the back, saying indifferently, “I didn’t expect you to be this brave. You’ve convinced me this time.”

Xiao Lin looked at the nonchalant Zhou Feng, wiped the corners of his mouth and smiled with some effort, “Have you killed anyone before?”

Zhou Feng smiled plainly.

Xiao Lin shook his head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be asking you this.”

Zhou Feng waved his hand to indicate that he did not mind the question as much. “It’s okay. Earth is in the past now. In any case, I don’t ever want to return to Earth again. In fact, I really like this academy. No matter who we were in the past and what identity we had, the future ahead of us is unlimited.”

Xiao Lin and Zhou Feng chatted casually while the others were still struggling and hesitating. After the duo led the way however, more and more people began doing it too. None of them were idiots, and they also knew that such incidents would happen sooner or later since they would end up colonizing the entire planet in the future anyway. It was inevitable, but it was still very difficult actually crossing that psychological obstacle for the first time.