I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

The life of livestock was predetermined from birth.

Born into the livestock category, they were raised on farms as breeding females, subjected to a cycle of mating and childbirth.

From the moment of their birth until their death, they existed solely as livestock.

And the purpose for which they were raised dictates the course of their lives.

Some were allowed to reach adulthood from superior genetic lines, while others were sent off at a young age.

Ever heard of veal?

To produce meat that’s more tender than typical pork, pigs were slaughtered as piglets and cooked whole.

The cost of these piglets could sometimes match that of a fully grown pig.

Humans prioritized efficiency.

Farm owners weighed the potential market earnings of their livestock when deciding how to raise them.

Livestock was viewed as a commodity, and any without perceived value were simply discarded.

In an age where abilities defined worth, what then was the value of a human?

If one were to view humans strictly as commodities, setting aside ethics and morality, what would be their worth?

Their value would likely depend on the economic benefit they could provide, yet if considering only the human body, structures like buildings or apartments might carry a higher price tag.

This was particularly true if humans were born in excessive numbers, leading to a surplus of newborns.

And on an island where ethics and morality were disregarded, viewing humans purely through an economic lens rendered them commodities as well.

The notion of treating humans as livestock for economic gain becomes increasingly common.

What economic benefits could be derived from raising humans?

Perhaps organs or human experimentation?

In numerous movies and novels set in dystopian realities, human bodies were directly equated with monetary value.

However, this world operated slightly differently.

By producing a large population and selecting ‘ability users’ from among them, economic value was created.

What kind of value, you might ask?

They could serve as combat forces.

As a next-generation military resource.

And those children who did not comply were boldly ‘eliminated,’ their bodies incinerated to generate further value.

Indeed.

There’s no need for euphemisms; this island was more than a place of human enslavement.

Many children were born, and among them, some were born with E or D grade magic powers.

These children were categorized based on their abilities.

I had traveled the world and encountered numerous villains.

The darkness about to unfold in this world was just a part of the ‘evil’ created by these villains, merely one aspect.

And even that aspect was terrifying.

[Here they come.]

Midway to the island, at a bridge resembling a toll gate, I sensed an immense magical power.

Inside the tunnel-like toll gate, hidden from the outside view, a red glow targeted us.

[Gunggi. Ditch the car.]

[I’ll jump.]

Gunggi leaped high on the spot, and I stomped on the car’s accelerator, smashing it and darting out.

To slow my momentum, I rolled on the ground once, stamped the bat down, and braced myself to stop.

Boom!

The car exploded.

Not from an overheated engine, but from a magic bullet fired from afar.

And those who fired the magic bullet are none other than boys and girls.

In the wide tunnel-like toll gate, hidden from external cameras, children about 140cm tall in military uniforms pointed their guns at us.

[Is this place any better? In Syria, they all had AKs. Here, it’s just handguns.]

[It might be handguns since it’s the entrance. Further inside, where control is stricter, they might even have mortars.]

Gunggi came to my side and extended her hand.

Whoosh.

A shield of Crimson Flame appeared before us.

Soon, a countless number of magic bullets rained towards the shield—

Ratatatat!

[There are real bullets mixed in.]

[They’re well trained. Mixing live and magic bullets makes it harder to block.]

Her shield was struck with bullets made of lead.

Whether they were live or magic bullets, it didn’t matter to Gunggi or me.

But they knew that, and so did those behind them.

They kept firing to drain even a bit more of our mana.

If they could deplete Gunggi’s mana by even 1%, they’d consider it a ‘gain.’

Those behind them—

‘Don’t know the fear of the scene.’

That their attacks didn’t affect the opponent.

That their shooting wasn’t just to stop the enemy but to deplete their magic power.

And to realize they were being used solely to drain the opponent’s magic power.

That’s the time to counterattack.

[These kids are trained to kill. What are you going to do? Kill them all?]

[We need to leave some as witnesses. We can’t just recklessly kill these kids. They grew up here.]

They were children who were not aware they were villains.

From the moment of birth, they grew as livestock, as combat weapons, as villains, so they knew nothing else.

[If re-socialization doesn’t offer a chance for rehabilitation, we can dispose of them later.]

[For now…]

[Let’s knock out the ones coming from behind so they can be easily tied up.]

I looked back.

Gunggi caused multiple explosions, destroying the bridge. While vehicles couldn’t cross, people still could.

Perhaps, a hero.

[How to prevent heroes from chasing. The first step.]

[Create many that need to be rescued immediately.]

Even better if they were young children with guns.

[Let’s go.]

I tapped the Goblin’s Bat on the ground, transforming it into a new form.

I turned it into a pure baseball bat form, stripping off all the spikes, and ran.

Tudududu!

As soon as I burst beside the shield, magic bullets flew towards me.

They were all E and D grade, but of course, it hurt to take them directly.

So.

I ran with the shield in front.

Whoosh.

A shield of Crimson Flame unfolded in front of my dash.

I charged with the shield, which covered my body like a sheet of plastic.

Ratatatat!

Charging with the shield, I felt no impact.

There was physical resistance, but the speed of my Agility A easily overcame it.

Whoosh!

As I approached the barrier, I grabbed the flame shield and threw it aside, creating a diversion.

The moment the children’s gaze followed the shield, I swung the baseball bat hard to the side.

“Cough!”

The foremost ability user was struck on the back of the head with a baseball bat and slammed his face into the barrier.

As one collapsed, uttering his last words, the ability users finally aimed their guns at me.

They were not children.

Nor were they merely kids with guns.

They were armed ability users, mere killing machines.

Bang!

I snatched a gun from a fallen ability user and fired with one hand.

The bullet lodged itself in the forehead of the ability user opposite me, and his body stiffened.

[Just because you’re hit doesn’t mean you won’t die.]

He must have felt the fear of death.

Tuk.

The moment a deformed lead bullet fell from his reddened forehead, I dashed to his side and swung the bat at his solar plexus.

“Kr, haah…”

Slow.

If it were an adult, I could subdue them more quickly, but since my opponent is small, even though he’s an ability user, my focus keeps breaking.

“Aaaaah!!”

The ability users began firing wildly at me all at once.

Gunshots echoed loudly in the tunnel, and I dodged the bullets and deflected them with the baseball bat, subduing each one of them.

[I’ll let those with a semblance of hope know.]

Whack!

[An ability user’s conviction should not waver. And this is my conviction.]

I set down the gun and swung the bat with all my might at a girl who was charging at me with a combat knife, her blade wrapped in magical power.

[A murderer doesn’t discriminate by age or gender.]

Everyone died equally.

[Remember that your execution is merely ‘deferred’.]

Clang!

I smacked the head of someone trying to block with a gun.

The moment magic protected his head, a strong shockwave caused a concussion.

Thunk.

Falling like in a drama? None of that.

Whether they fell face-first or their brain jolted them down, I didn’t need to bother with each one’s plight.

[There, it’s you.]

I dodged an incoming magic bullet with a slight nod of my head and threw the bat at someone trying to run away at the back.

Clang!

The bat struck the target’s back with precision and fell to the ground, emitting a metallic sound.

[Were you wearing a steel plate suit as inner armor?]

I sprinted forward, stepping on the fallen guy’s back, and reached out into the air.

Ssssh.

The bat on the ground returned to my hand.

Significantly larger than the others, he appeared more like an adult than a child, adorned with something that resembled a blue shoulder strap.

[You’re the leader.]

“Ugh, aaaaah!!”

Bang, ratatat.

[Oh my. Shooting at a world-class treasure?]

“Ugh, aah, these monsters…!”

As the guy turned to shoot at me from below, his bullets melted midair, consumed by the Crimson Flame that appeared around me.

[These poor children have lived without realizing they are the monsters.]

Tuk.

Gunggi stomped on his forehead with her high heel.

Simultaneously, he convulsed, frothing at the mouth, and collapsed sideways, unconscious.

[You’re not hesitating, are you?]

[Hardly.]

The execution was merely postponed.

[There’s a hierarchy even in executions.]

Inside the tunnel.

Everyone, unconscious.

[Gunggi. Just past here is the island.]

[Start right at the entrance?]

[Of course.]

I extended my hand towards Gunggi.

[From now on, this island will become a prison of flames. Come, Gunggi. It’s time for unity.]

Boom!

I slammed the Goblin’s Bat towards the ground.

Soon, the tunnel shook as the ceiling began to collapse, and I threw myself into the engulfing Crimson Flame.

[From now on…]

There’s only one thing to do.

[Burn the island, obliterate it.]

Execute by burning.