The azure blade hand was already pressed against Xiong Xin’s neck, just a tiny bit more force and it would slice right through.
But… I can’t do it. I never imagined that someone like me, who used to kill people so calmly before, would feel this way. Especially since the guy in front of me is just an NPC.
Well, committing murder in this world isn’t really any different from what I did back then.
But if you look at it from a different angle, you’ll find it actually means something completely different.
According to how players usually see things, killing someone in this world isn’t a big deal. At worst, you’ll get a red name and be put on a blacklist. The player themselves won’t really suffer any harm; in fact, they might live even more freely.
That so-called sense of guilt is really just about whether you can forgive yourself or not.
But from an NPC’s perspective—whether in the real world or on this continent called “The Land of Ordinariness”—killing and committing crimes are not allowed.
I’m really curious about how the developers who made Art World Online managed to create such lifelike AI that can understand people’s hearts and respond accordingly.
Could it be that they’re actually living people from another world?
Haha, I’m just kidding.
You shouldn’t easily take someone else’s life, and you shouldn’t easily deny someone else’s actions—I guess I lost this time, because I agree with the first half of that statement.
So then—
“Ugh… huh? You… let go of me?”
I loosened my grip. The strength and how long I’d held on had practically twisted Xiong Xin’s hair out of shape, making him look absolutely ridiculous.
Then I turned my head, grabbed that creature by the neck, and slammed it hard onto the ground in front of Xiong Xin, before stepping on its “spine.”
“What do you want to do with it?”
I didn’t mention anything about my strength. I planned to steer the conversation and focus as much as possible on the creature beneath my foot.
Judging by Xiong Xin’s expression, he didn’t seem to have noticed anything about me… just kidding. Since he knows how to use tactics flexibly, that means he’s pretty sharp. There’s no way he didn’t pick up on things about me.
Then, watching Xiong Xin pretend to be clueless while slowly not taking any action, I felt really disgusted.
“Stop playing dumb. You know full well that I could just kill both you and it right now and then run away without a trace.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
That is, as long as your actions don’t piss me off… like how ridiculous you look right now.
Xiong Xin let out a small laugh, got up from the ground, and clapped his hands to shake off the dust.
Hmph, they’re all the same—dressed like gentlemen but acting like beasts, just barely short of it.
“Kid, looks like it’s a bit unhappy, don’t you think?”
Oh, really?
I looked down and saw the creature still lying on the ground, not daring to move at all.
But when I lifted my head again, I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder.
It’s so boring I can’t even be bothered to turn my head—because I already know what it is.
The only weapons that can cause this kind of stinging pain without making a penetrating wound are things like knives or needles.
Besides, with Xiong Xin’s skinny, frail build, there’s no way he could wield any intimidating weapon. At best, he’d use some hidden trick to fill in between someone’s teeth.
Did he intentionally lighten the force so he wouldn’t hurt me too badly? But surely, he still wants something out of this.
Hoping I’ll fall down, he probably coated the blade with paralysis poison.
I shook my head. Just as Xiong Xin’s smug expression froze in shock, I channeled the magic power of [Blue·Honesty] through the sole of my foot and into that creature’s body.
If you won’t deal with it, then I’ll help you out.
Not long after, the creature suddenly reacted. It seemed to know that the magic power being forced inside it would kill it, so it started thrashing wildly.
Too bad. With me firmly holding it down, there was nothing it could do.
Soon enough, this little farce finally came to an end.
With a piercing scream and azure particles bursting into the air, the creature was torn to shreds as countless deep-blue spikes erupted from within it.
This kind of magic power can be recycled and reused—a true “circular economy.” All mages are probably looking forward to that.
Even though some people have so much magic power they can’t possibly use it all up, it’s so dense it can never run dry.
What a beautiful flower, don’t you think? Honestly, I hate it.
“Kid, you…”
Seeing Xiong Xin’s face completely filled with disbelief, I found it a bit puzzling.
Shouldn’t he have seen plenty of large-scale battles or gone through many difficult disciplinary operations before?
Or is he just a sly, petty man who only knows how to stab people in the back?
“How much are you hiding from me? That spell just now was—”
So brutal? Yeah, I think so too. This is a spell that came from my own bloodline, growing alongside me.
I opened my empty palm, released some deep-blue magic power into it, and let it glow brightly before condensing into a dagger—not exactly comfortable to hold, but still something that could be called a lethal weapon.
“And this is?”
This dagger can deal magic damage that ignores magic resistance. It’s a true mage killer.
“Even if a mage in heavy armor is standing right in front of you, all you need is one of these to teach them a lesson.”
“I see.”
Or alternatively—
I gripped the dagger and lightly sliced it through the air. It left a trail of azure energy behind, which then curled up and formed a fast-spinning blue saw blade.
Xiong Xin was shocked. He got into a running stance and almost sprouted wings to flee, but when he saw my mocking smile, he seemed to realize something and quickly forced himself to calm down.
I pulled my hand back, retracting all the magic I’d released, then lowered my head and let out a deep, heavy sigh.
“So? What do you think?”
“What else can I think? Of course I have to report this—ugh…”
Before he could finish his sentence, I conjured a few more fireballs, intending to give Xiong Xin a proper intimidation.
Just so he understands that the being standing in front of him is far beyond what any ordinary person can reach.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“No, no, no, no! Of course I wouldn’t dare! Kid, calm down.”
Heh, looks like he also understands that my fireballs aren’t something easy to stomach either.
After extinguishing the fireballs and retracting the magic, I looked at that tall but skinny man and felt really conflicted inside.
I understand it now. Although Xiong Xin appears to be a pitiful, utterly sleazy, “weak” man on the surface, that’s not really the case.
His eyes are pretty good at pretending—it’s all just cowardice and fear messing with him. But I can see it: his constantly throbbing, nearly bursting soul.
Humans are creatures that are good at transformation and disguise. Most of the time, this skill is used for negotiations and confrontations.
This skill changes in quality as a person’s mind matures and their age increases.
It allows people to lie without changing their expression, scam others with practiced ease, and face off against others without panic.
“You’re not afraid of me. You’re pretending.”
“No, no, how could that be?”
“See? Your voice isn’t even flustered anymore. So stop pretending, former leader of the assassin gang.”
Back when I was trapped in the archives room, I noticed that the walls were covered with lots of information sheets and photos, and there were plenty of files left on the desks as well. They all belonged to—
A nationwide shocker, a band of thieves and assassins that had been legendary among the people for ages: [Extreme East Ocean].
And the man standing in front of me clearly appeared in those custody photos too.
“Xiong Xin·Maxsty, nickname ‘The Smiling Killer.'”
“Uh-oh… yeah, that was indeed my name and title once.”
I squinted and smiled, completely unbothered.
I didn’t believe he would recklessly start a big fight with me right here. And even if he did, I wasn’t the least bit afraid of my own abilities.
I don’t really care either way. It’s up to him how he decides.
Suppressing my power is really painful—it can even drive me to the point of madness.
And judging by Xiong Xin’s expression… it looks like this fight can’t be avoided after all.
“So, what’s your decision?”
I asked naturally, though I could already roughly guess what Xiong Xin’s answer would be. I just wanted to test it out.
Could a simple approach avoid conflict?
Well, in the end, Xiong Xin burst out laughing, shook his head, and clapped his hands a bit, as if he thought I was being kinda ridiculous…
I tilted my head, and then it hit me.
Xiong Xin was “persuaded” by Kai Lan to come see me. Since things have already reached this point, wouldn’t Kai Lan have told him the truth too?
And if he’s already a member of the disciplinary team, doesn’t that mean he’s no longer ‘The Smiling Killer’?
So why would he still be hostile toward me?
“You… you were just messing with me, weren’t you?”
I tried to confront him, and sure enough, Xiong Xin nodded vigorously in agreement. My heart twisted in pain, and then my lips puckered into an upside-down smile.
So frustrating! I actually got fooled!
“Oh dear, oh dear, kid. Spend some effort and learn your lesson. Remember: never try to outsmart adults when it comes to wits. When it comes to brawn… I think you were pretty confident just now—pfft!”
“Stop laughing! Stop laughing! I actually worried about all that for nothing!”
I was a bit angry, but even more than that, I felt a relaxed sense of embarrassment and amusement.
I twisted my body around and realized how much lighter and more freely I could move. I glanced up at Xiong Xin and noticed him still secretly smiling.
Did he predict this all along? He was literally betting his life on it. He clearly knew he might die… yet he was that confident. That’s exactly why they need him here.
“As expected of a tactical master. You can even mentally prepare for the psychological burden of making a decision in an instant.”
I clapped sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I shook my head in admiration, then couldn’t help but stomp my foot, crushing the chunks of flesh beneath me into nothing.
When will I ever reach this level? Maybe in a few decades. After all, this childish heart of mine that only knows how to believe in fairy tales won’t disappear that easily.
“Captain Xiong Xin! Captain!”
Hearing someone calling from the other side, I raised my hand and immediately entered stealth mode again. Then, stepping past Xiong Xin, who was sighing for no reason, I leaned against the wall beside him and waited quietly.
“What now?”
“Captain! Over here—! This is—!”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Regarding the main culprit of Riesz’s murder, me and another officer have already taken care of it.”
Officer? Is that what they call it now?
I covered my mouth and quietly laughed to myself, then straightened my clothes a bit and continued listening to their conversation.
“Is that so? As expected of you. Um… may I ask for the name of the other officer? To be able to fight alongside you, Captain, and still seem so relaxed and capable, they must be quite a strong figure.”
“Don’t ask about that. Some people don’t want me talking too much, you know?”
“Is… is that so? Alright then. Oh, by the way, Captain, the intelligence on the Rotation Law that you asked me to gather—I’ve already organized it all. Here it is.”
I saw this “officer” take out a document pouch from their hand and hand it over to Xiong Xin.
Of course, strictly speaking, this “officer” was just a title under some personal system. In reality, they were still a guard or something. As for how that document pouch could be so advanced—you’d have to ask the developers about their original intentions.
Was it bought from the in-game shop? Or has papermaking technology in this era already reached this level?
Well, this is originally an isekai setting anyway. Who knows how their technology tree has developed.
“Good, thanks for your hard work.”
“Mm. Well then, I won’t waste any more of your valuable time, Captain. As for these piles of flesh, I’ll have the logistics department take care of it. Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright, thank you. Sorry for always troubling you like this.”
“It’s nothing. Also, Captain, Cadres Kai Lan and Mia are looking for you. They’re at the bulletin board right now—! What’s happening?!”
That officer seemed about to say something else. I was planning to keep listening, but I was interrupted by a sudden loud crash and a wave of heat rushing toward me.
As soon as I realized what it was, I instantly canceled my stealth ability and quickly ran to the corner of the hallway.
“Fire! Someone help!”
“Is there any water anywhere?! The fire’s getting bigger and bigger!”
Need water?! I… right, I don’t know any water-element magic. Even if I stepped forward, it wouldn’t do much good.
But the one thing I can do is—
‘Grrruuugh! (Roar)’
A chunk of flesh that tried to take advantage of the chaos to lunge at the panicking officer was forcibly frozen in midair by my Force powers. Then I slammed it hard onto the floor, where it was hit by a flying rock and went completely silent.
Yeah. That’s really all I can do.
