Reborn as a Weak Earthling, I Became the Most Overpowered Mage Alive-Chapter 79: Ch : The Human Children - Part 2

The lab Thief took Andrew to had a little more color compared to the rest of the organization. But there was something else in there as well which Andrew had not expected.

"Are those... children?"

He asked as he looked at the young humans in front of him, running around in their enclosed space and trying to catch each other.

"Indeed. Those are young human children we managed to help out. Come, take a seat and have some tea and refreshments while we talk these things out."

The same voice from the hologram spoke from behind Andrew, and he was suddenly offered a seat by the lady in the white dress.

She had a decent face without any imperfections, and her hair was held up in a tight bun on top of her head. Everything about her gave off a professional feeling.

"I am Kris Dew, the scientist in charge of this day-care. I am also the guardian of these children and responsible for their well-being."

The female passed a cup filled with tea to Andrew, and he took the offering. But he did not immediately drink from it and instead chose to keep an eye on Kris.

"As you know, the game and the system do not discriminate based on age or gender. We all have to play the games once they start. That is a problem for the children, who know nothing. That’s why I have decided to gather all these children who have nowhere to go and offer them a home."

Kris sounded certain of her decision, and Thief picked up the explanation from there.

"These children have abilities, but they have no knowledge of how to control them or use them. That’s why we gathered these kids here-in order to teach and guide them. They will become humanity’s future and a great source of power in the future games."

Thief sounded certain, and the words he and Kris Dew spoke sounded grand on paper. But something about these white walls and the sense of captivity left a bad taste in Andrew’s mouth.

"So, you are doing this all to help these children? What noble ambitions you have."

Andrew’s words were sarcastic, but he did actually like the idea of helping children. All this time, he had never actually given much thought to other people, and he doubted that was going to change for them.

"Noble ambitions? I doubt my ambitions are as grand as you think them to be. I just want a shot at a better future, and the only way to do so is to adapt to the games. And the ones who adapt the quickest are children."

Something about how Kris spoke those words felt a little odd to Andrew.

Her words were caring and, on the surface, sounded like she was worried about these children. But Andrew got a sense that Kris, or any other person here, did not see these kids as truly ’kids,’ but rather as resources.

It left a bad taste in his mouth, but Andrew was also not going to stick his neck out in a place where he did not need to.

"On that note, I have a request to ask of you. Thief told us that you have a healer on your side. Can you ask the healer to come here and give these children a thorough check-up? Our own doctors are doing what they can, but none of them awakened healing-related abilities."

Kris asked, and Andrew’s first reaction was to reject her request.

He felt like he had seen enough, and these kids left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I... will ask Lilianna if she wishes to help. I won’t make the decision for her."

Andrew told the pair, and they nodded. They did not try to convince him further that he should join, nor did they encourage him to interact with the children.

He observed the place for a little longer and watched as the kids used their abilities and received instructions on how to use them better.

"I know that this looks bad, but we won’t be able to protect every kid once the game starts. It might seem cruel to have them train so harshly right now, but it is for their own survival. We have already lost a lot of people, so we are making sure we don’t lose any more."

Thief told Andrew, and he finally realized the situation for what it was.

The Peace Cooperation was training these kids as child soldiers. But truthfully, could he really blame them? Especially since the only alternative was to have these kids die...?

"I understand your decision, and I respect it as well. However, the decision about joining you or not is not mine to make alone. I would like to have a talk with the others about this."

"Of course. You are free to take your time."

Thief assured Andrew, but the more Andrew looked at these kids, the more uncomfortable he felt. Something about them just did not feel right to him.

In the end, he decided to take his leave and have a talk with his teammates.

"Are you not going to say anything else to persuade him?"

Kris asked Thief as she noticed his eyes lingering on the door. But Thief just shook his head.

"Mark Dawnson will come to us himself in the future. For now, I want to focus on these children and the future they represent. They are the only ones who have the power and capacity to adapt to these games and form a better future for humanity."

Thief was sure about this, and that was why he had joined this organization.

"You are right. Human bodies are much more adaptive to change, especially when they are young. But I do feel curious about something-what makes a human... human? I mean, does a newborn also count as human in system standards? Then, would they be born with a system as well? What about abilities? Can a newborn inherit abilities and stats? Especially if they are genetically enhanced using abilities? Doesn’t that make you curious... why are you giving me that look?"

Kris asked Thief, who had a sour expression on his face.

"Don’t experiment on kids for your own amusement and satisfaction. We are here to protect them, not harm them."

Thief reminded Kris, and she just smiled back at him without missing a beat.

"Of course, you are right. And I did not mean to make you think otherwise. These children are precious to me as well. After all, they are the seed of humanity’s future and potential."