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In front of me stood Adela.

She appeared quite flustered. Her eyes looked slightly distorted, indicating that she might be a bit angry as well.

“Last time I saw you at the academy, didn’t you go by Irene? But now you’re Violet? What in the world…”

“Um… that’s because…”

I hesitated. I never expected the consequences of sneaking into the academy under a false name just to indulge in Crystal Flowers would come back to haunt me like this.

Behind Adela were a few people who seemed to be professors and instructors from the academy. A little further back, I could see students peeking around like little chicks.

“Adela, what’s going on?”

“Professor, I’m just meeting an acquaintance, is it alright if we have a chat first?”

Saying this, Adela tried to lead me somewhere casually.

“Excuse me, where exactly are we going…?”

“Daphne, it’s fine. I’ll just be a moment!”

I was surrounded by friends and reluctantly followed Adela. There was no escaping now.

In a quiet area near the internal shops of the forward base, Adela looked at me with a disappointed expression.

“I’ll give you time to think. I trust you’ll be honest with me.”

When Adela’s violet eyes locked onto mine, I couldn’t hide anything. Running away? That would only make me look more suspicious.

If Adela was at her level of skill, there was no way I could escape her grasp.

“Violet…?”

Adela was staring at me intently. It reminded me of something my friends had told me long ago. Daphne and Kalia said it too. If I lied, it would show on my face.

“Actually, I…”

I explained that I was from another academy and wanted to transfer due to personal circumstances, thus I had to hide my identity to visit the academy.

“You want to transfer? Then you could’ve just visited for an audit! Not only are you lying, but you also bypassed the entrance procedures. That’s illegal!”

“I’m sorry! But there was no way I could reveal my name.”

“What’s your reason?”

“…”

Adela’s expression turned cold.

“I won’t report you. But I’m disappointed.”

Ah, how am I going to explain this? I tried my best to keep a straight face while frantically trying to come up with a plausible story. It seems I’ll have to mix in a slight bit of fiction.

Let’s pull together a few reasonable scenarios and create a story that Adela might find convincing.

“How about I start with some stories about Irene’s family?”

“Let’s mix in some plots from the novels and movies I’ve seen before.”

As the Violets brainstormed during a brief minute of hesitation, words and sentences began to combine in the network, leading to a plausible story being formed.

“I can’t reveal everything, but truthfully, I’m being hunted…”

“What did you say?”

I boldly declared that I was the youngest daughter of a wealthy family named Violet. Currently, I was on the run from an evil conspiracy. Not entirely wrong, right?

Mimicking an air of misery, I attempted to act pitiful. Let’s think sorrowful thoughts, think of the lab.

No, thinking of the lab genuinely made me depressed.

I slowly opened my mouth, channeling my emotions.

“My parents have passed away. And bad people are after me… so I can’t attend the academy anymore…”

“…?”

I surprised myself by feeling a little misty-eyed. I continued stammering my circumstances to Adela.

“W-well… there’s that…”

“I can’t tell you everything. But if there’s an opportunity in the future, I’ll tell you honestly. And wanting to go to Aegis Academy is true…”

Caught off guard, Adela looked conflicted, trying to say something before closing her mouth.

“Student Council President, or rather, Sister Adela, can I leave now? I need to make some money with my friends.”

“…You’re calling me ‘sister’…?”

“Uh, I should get going now. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

At this point, I expected her to let me go. I trudged out of the place.

She stood silently, not calling back to me. Success! I had escaped.

My friends seemed worried about me, waiting nearby.

“Guys! Let’s hurry!”

“Hey, that girl, wasn’t she the Student Council President you mentioned? What happened?”

“Let’s talk while we head out! Just get in the car for now!”

Once we piled into the truck, I omitted the part about sneaking in for Crystal Flowers and explained to my friends.

“Why on earth did you hide your identity to get in? The academies are really sensitive about security issues. If you got caught, the academy city authorities might have taken action. You could’ve ended up in prison.”

“There’s a reason for that. I’m doing it for a greater cause, so please understand.”

My three friends sighed at my words. Daphne looked at me with concern.

“…Alright, I get it. It’s all settled through conversation, right?”

“Yeah, for now, she just let me go. Let’s hurry to work!”

The three trucks quickly returned to the boundary area.

While driving, I realized something important that I had overlooked. Why did the people from Aegis Academy come all the way here?

Maybe they were here for an audit.

**

Night had descended upon the Violet Squad, who were busy hunting monsters and gathering relics.

The hunters and workers around began setting up tents in safe, secluded spots or crawling into their vehicles to sleep.

Camping in a dungeon isn’t easy. Even if you rest in a supposedly safe area, monsters are always a threat.

Thus, the hunters’ teams camped with as much distance between them as possible.

All around, makeshift alerts made of ropes and bells could be seen, as well as pricey motion sensors, automated turrets, and traps.

However, the best alarm was still human. Sentries were indispensable.

Other teams might envy us, but the Violet Team had no worries about sentries. If one got too exhausted, they could just create another body, and mental fatigue could be resolved by exchanging consciousness with another Violet.

In the early morning dungeon camp, 463 was on patrol when he heard a strange sound.

“Someone, please, help…!”

463 focused magical power in his eyes. As his pupils dilated and his nerves were enhanced by magic, he saw a figure staggering toward him in the darkness. 463 released the safety of his rifle.

In the shadows, a person, bleeding and staggering, approached him.

463 assumed a shooting posture and approached the person.

“What’s going on?”

“Over there! My companions…!”

Looks like an injured person.

It’s not uncommon to find hunters who’ve gotten hurt during exploration, asking for help.

In that case, you typically give them a few recovery potions or guide them to a safe zone, and they express gratitude with a small reward.

In this treacherous world, hunters tended to repay favors well. Perhaps because they live in a world where everyone has a blade drawn against one another, where might respects strength.

As Violet approached the injured person, she said, “Help! Over there, my companions…”

“Lead the way first.”

463 followed the injured hunter. The hunter slowly explained the situation.

According to him, during a night exploration, they were ambushed by monsters, injuring several of his companions and leaving them unable to move.

“Got it. Do you want a potion? Or should I call an insurance company?”

“Uh, I’ll assess the situation first…”

The hunter’s demeanor was slightly suspicious. 463 reported the situation to the other Violets and followed behind.

The place the hunter led him to was a dark room on the third floor of the shopping district.

“Your companions are here, right?”

As he entered the room, there was nothing inside. 463 was bewildered.

“What the heck? Where are…?”

It was then that the hunter’s attitude abruptly changed.

“Gotcha, heretic!”

“Eh? Gaaaah!”

Just as 463 aimed his rifle, a cult member who had been hiding in the ceiling came down, swinging a mace. 463 fainted.

From within the dark of the room, cult members, who had been concealed, began to reveal themselves one by one.

Six members of the Unity Cult snickered at the sight of the new sacrificial offering.

The heretic was way too naive. Acting hurt and playing the sympathy card would lure anyone in.

“We’ve got them. They’re like fish out of water.”

“Good. Let’s bind them up. We need to conduct our ceremony soon…”

Hardly had they exchanged a few words when suddenly, a red flare shot through the building’s windows.

“What? How did they get here already?!”

“Were we being followed?”

They panicked. They had subdued their targets so stealthily, but could it be that a companion had trailed after them?

In reality, it was an emergency alert through the network triggered immediately after 463’s death, but the cult members had no way of knowing.

In under ten seconds, footsteps began closing in from all directions. With a loud bang, the door collapsed, and soldiers clad in black combat uniforms swarmed in.

“How did you…!”

“None of your business. Surrender!”

“Drop your weapons!”

The Violets growled fiercely. The mechanical voice, distorted by the voice modulator, made their hearts tremble with fear.

“DIE!!!”

One cult member lunged forward. The Violets reacted in perfect unison, raising their rifles.

With the sound of beans being roasted, the cult member fell to the ground, his body riddled with holes. The remaining cult members pulled out something from their pockets. Syringes.

“Subdue them!”

“Crush them!”

Feeling something was off, the Violets charged in, diving onto the enemies before they could inject them.

“Beat them up! We need to capture them alive!”

“How dare you! No matter which organization you belong to, you’ll pay a price for this!”

“Ahhh!”

The clones restrained the enemies’ limbs. The cult members were brutally beaten after being disarmed.

Five minutes later, the Violet Squad had the suspicious attackers bound tightly and began their interrogation.

794, who had been using a short combat hammer for beating, raised it threateningly toward their face.

“Who are you guys? Why did you attack our comrades? Don’t want to answer?”

“Hah, I don’t know!”

One guy, his face swollen, let out a snicker. He spat at the suspicious attackers, who were wrapped up so tightly they could barely show a face.

“Do you think I’ll talk? You filthy heretic. This is… absurd. Just kill me already!…”

“Oh really? Off you go!”

794 swung the hammer. The head of the criminal burst apart, falling sideways.

“Next?”

“Haha, do you think I’ll break that easily?”

“Is that so?”

With a bang, another body collapsed to the floor.

“Ah, I’m not, I mean…”

“You’re not planning on talking either.”

Thus, the third person met their demise in quick succession.

The remaining cult members’ faces turned pale as they witnessed their fallen comrades and the scene of the mass execution.

“You’re not going to talk either? Then…”

“No! I’ll tell you everything! Please spare me!”

The captives trembled, pleading with 794. Satisfied with their compliance, the Violets began their interrogation thoroughly.

**

“So, your cult is currently searching for relics?”

“Y-yes!”

I diligently interrogated the fellows who referred to themselves as cult members. They were like an AI search engine, spilling out answers the more I pressed them.

“And why did you abduct people?”

“W-well, they are for our worship ceremony…”

Hearing what they confessed, I grimaced. Human sacrifices, huh?

“Why would you do something like that?”

Asked in disbelief, the guy rambled on strange doctrine that probably made sense only to their cult.

“If we take the heart of an awakened heretic and offer it to the multiversal savior… We’ll receive blessings and become awakened ourselves!”

“What nonsense is that?!”

“I-it’s true!”

I regarded it as absurd nonsense. How many non-awakened people are dying to become awakened? If that was possible, the scientists at Laplacian would never have messed around with others’ heads.

After asking a few more questions, there were no useful answers.

Regrettably, these guys were low-ranking cult members and didn’t know much. All they knew was their companions were roaming around looking for relics.

In the meantime, it seemed they’d led innocent hunters into their trap for their ‘ceremony’ just like I had fallen into their hands.

As I stood up, two members of the cult stared at me intently.

“W-what will happen to us?”

“You’ll die!”

The Violets behind me dealt the final blows to the captives. Foolish fools.

I had never promised to spare them, yet they cooperated willingly. Guess their faith was shallow after all.

By the way, the Unity Cult, huh? A strange cult I hadn’t heard of before. I ordered a probe to my Violets outside the dungeon.

“Hmmm, a bizarre religious organization that believes in the apocalypse!”

“They were dismantled due to investigations for abduction and illegal drugs, I’ve heard. Many have gone missing?”

Upon inspection, the Unity Cult was an organization that believed humanity would be consumed by monsters one day, thus saved by turning into them.

They followed a self-proclaimed prophet. Their doctrine was incredibly ridiculous.

“Truly, religion is the opiate of the masses!”

“Faith is for those who can’t live without clinging to faith…”

What our materialist Violets believe is just in Violet and her friends.

For now, let’s check the spoils.

As the Violets began to sort through the bodies, they removed weapons, equipment, and clothing. Examining their attire and gear, they were no different from normal hunters.

Notably, one of them possessed a pocket-sized scripture that looked like a portable Bible.

I collected all the scriptures and suspicious items, placing them in my inventory. I was planning to send them to the intermediary office of the labor commission.

While rummaging, 312 discovered some syringes hidden in the fellow’s pocket, each filled with various colored substances.

I checked the status window. The majority were assorted illicit drugs designed to amplify aggression or induce hallucinations.

“This is bad for the body. We should dispose of them.”

As I contemplated this while sorting loot, a syringe containing black liquid caught my attention.

“What’s this?”

“It looked like the one they tried to stick in their arms earlier.”

I examined the syringe closely.

[Black Ice ???]

Manufactured with unknown ingredients, this awakening drug temporarily amplifies the user’s physical abilities to a level comparable to an Awakened One.

When used by an Awakened, the efficiency of magical power utilization temporarily increases.

However, everything has a price. It takes life as the cost of power.

*

As soon as I read the description, I was taken aback. This is a combat drug!

“Wasn’t this mentioned in the news? They said it’s an illegal drug. Apparently, it’s extremely toxic and dangerous?”

“Replication isn’t possible.”

Although dangerous, I was curious about its effects. I had to try it at least once.

221 decided to test the effects of the drug.

Upon injecting the substance, the first 30 seconds felt odd. It felt like there was ice cold liquid swimming inside my body. Maybe that’s why it’s called Ice.

Soon, a surging power started to flood through me.

“Whoah, my strength is surging!”

221 couldn’t contain the bubbling power within and began to leap around.

We all shivered at the significant exhilaration and sensation felt through the network.

“Magical power! Use your magical power too!”

As I channeled my magic, it accelerated rapidly within my body.

While the previous Violets were like cars running on the road, it felt like the magical energy surging through us right now was propelling us like an airplane engine.

I realized there would be no change in the total amount of magical power, but the maximum output usable at one time had increased!

“This is amazing!”

“Yay!”

221 bounced around excitedly. As I shared my senses with 212, I noticed the surrounding Violets moving incredibly slowly. Could this drug even enhance acceleration?

“The power of this drug is astonishing!”

Five minutes later, abnormalities started manifesting in my body.

“Ugh… my head…”

221 felt dizzy and slumped down. Despite the pain dispersion effect, they felt utterly drained.

“221! Are you okay?!”

“Ugh… my chest feels tight!”

221 collapsed, shaking all over, foaming at the mouth. Shortly after, 221’s heart stopped.

I questioned myself.

“How was it?”

“All of a sudden, my strength just drained away, and I saw nothing!”

We examined what had been 221’s body. Even as it dissipated into magical particles, we had a moment to inspect the corpse.

When the mask was removed, the whites of their eyes were reddened, blood vessels burst.

When I lifted the hem of their clothing, the entire body’s veins stood out in stark black. I never expected such side effects.

The effects of Black Ice were extraordinary. However, the cost of using the drug was far too perilous.

Did the Unity Cult create this too?

While its efficacy was remarkable, a common person using it would surely endanger their life. I’d have to ensure it was used for special operations later.

After the Violet Squad stuffed the corpse in a corner, they returned to their spot. The monsters would clean up the remains.

The next day, as they prepared to enter the more profound areas, Kalia cautiously approached to ask.

“What happened yesterday? I heard some gunfire in my sleep.”

“Well, it’s a long story. I’ll explain while we drive!”

The Violet Team had breakfast and headed toward the deeper regions.

I wonder, could I meet Adela again?

 

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