Chapter 111: Abyssal Creature
Amber listened to everyone with a smile on her face. She was actually impressed by their thinking capabilities, as she liked the variety of answers.
But she didn't care about them for the moment.
For now, she wanted to train their mentality.
Still, she was curious about something, so she turned toward Leon and asked, "What about you?"
All gazes fell on him. Amber asked him in particular, so it was clear she was interested in his thoughts, which made others curious too.
Leon stared at Amber for a moment before saying in a flat voice, "I will give them peace."
While everyone was confused, his friends widened their eyes as they were reminded of last night. They couldn't help but look at him closely and also glance at Amber for her reaction.
Amber held back her urge to laugh, but still managed to chuckle softly before asking, "Why is that? Abyssal Creatures are our enemies. What do you mean by giving them peace? All they want is to destroy everything you hold dear. Why show such mercy to something like them?"
"Because I can," Leon said as he took a step forward and raised his head to look properly at her. "We should never forget about the origin of Abyssal Creatures, but we also shouldn't forget that they are Abyssal Creatures. Both are important, and one should know how to differentiate between them."
Some of them finally understood his words.
"Good answer!" Amber nodded and said. "Never forget the origin of Abyssal Creatures. If some of you already have, then I'll remind you again. Every single Abyssal Creature was once the same kind of living being who probably harbored the same thoughts as you."
She looked at everyone and continued.
"From everything humans have gathered, we can guess that the Abyssal Creature isn't a natural race or anything at all. It's an artificial race created by Corruption, and it's a slave to the Primordial Expanse. They didn't come out of nowhere. Sure, most of them are from other races, but remember, we humans are also like them."
She paused to let her words sink in and then said,
"What you fight was once a normal person. A person with emotions, with dreams, with hope, and with so many things. All of them fought the Corruption and lost, for many different reasons. And their loss didn't just mean their death. No, death is a luxury few receive."
She flipped off the cloth, earning gasps from the students. Three metal cages were revealed before everyone, and three hideous Abyssal Creatures screamed at them from inside.
The Abyssal Creatures' eyes held nothing but pure madness and hunger. Their eyes turned crimson upon seeing the humans as they all lunged toward them with maws dripping saliva.
Pure hunger.
But the students held their ground and stared back at the Abyssal Creatures. None of them were scared, since this wasn't the first time they had seen Abyssal Creatures and also because these creatures weren't strong.
But then they were reminded of Amber's words, and their hearts wavered for the first time. They wondered what kind of life those people had lived before they turned into these hideous Abyssal Creatures.
Amber saw their hesitation and said, "Yes, they turned into a disgusting race who knows nothing but hunger. They are mad and slaves to Corruption. They are left in this state for their entire lives. This is the result of losing to Corruption, meaning the result for us if humans lose their war against it."
The students clenched their fists as their imagination ran wild. The thought of transforming into a creature like this disgusted them to the core. And they all agreed with Amber's earlier words.
Death was luxury.
"I see hesitation in your eyes," Amber's cold words snapped them out of their daze. "I didn't tell you to pity the Abyssal Creature or to see their previous self in their current disgusting form. That's just an insult to the people who turned into Abyssal Creatures and also to yourself."
She turned toward Leon and said, "As Leon said, you should never forget they are Abyssal Creatures, a race that wants to destroy your world. They are your enemies. Hesitate to kill them, and they will steal everything from you, including your very existence."
Everyone shivered hearing that, but a burning flame ignited in their hearts. Their gazes toward the Abyssal Creatures turned dangerous, as if they were ready to kill them.
"Both are important, but you should know how to differentiate them," Amber said. "You must be thinking I'm contradicting myself here, but I'm not. They are both important, and as my students, always remember this."
They nodded in understanding.
"Others will teach you the opposite and easier method. To see Abyssal Creatures as your enemies and nothing else. It will help you keep distractions away and make it easier to kill them. It's a good method, and I would also recommend it but only to those who can actually follow it no matter what. Most people can't follow it in extreme situations."
Amber explained this as she climbed on top of the cages.
"This is why my method is better, because it works in every situation, even in extreme situations. Now, what do you think are these extreme situations?"
No one raised their hands, as they couldn't think of anything. In their opinion, the first method should work every time, because who didn't see Abyssal Creatures as enemies?
And enemies were meant to be killed.
Amber shook her head in disappointment at them and turned toward Leon. "Any thoughts? Why are you so silent?"
'Knew she would come to me,' Leon took a deep breath and spoke in a calm voice. "The extreme situations are when one of us loses control and turns into an Abyssal Creature. Even the strongest hesitate to kill them, because they can still see the resemblance in them. If the Abyssal Creature is of higher Tier, they can even use it to make others hesitate and then slaughter them afterwards."
His voice turned solemn as he added, "It's still manageable if you are alone. But if you're with a team, then your hesitation means many lives will be lost. This is where the first method fails for many. They can't distinguish between their comrade and the Abyssal Creature."
Amber nodded in appreciation and said, "It's just like now. You can kill these creatures easily, but what if I tell you that these three Abyssal Creatures were your friends and classmates who studied alongside you. Yes, they are from your class. They are Sarah, Sabrina, and Cho Re."