episode_0007

I pulled back the blanket slightly and looked outside. The corridor beyond the glass door was lit by the dim light of emergency lamps. I no longer sensed any presence.

I checked the surveillance camera above my head. Other than the occasional blink of a red light, only the pitch-black lens indifferently illuminated the room. What was the person behind that camera doing?

From my experience in the guardroom with surveillance cameras during my military days, no one meticulously watched dozens of screens.

“Hey, Private, if the commanding officer comes, wake me up. Got it?”

“…Yes, understood.”

Eight out of ten duty officers in my unit would slump back in their chairs and fall asleep in the early hours. One staff sergeant, unfortunately, got caught by the division commander who burst in that day and was thoroughly chewed out. Hehe.

If possible, I hoped for a pot-bellied guard, munching on donuts, like a cliché from an American cartoon. In that case, no one would come immediately if I moved around a bit at night.

‘Of course, this is a different world, so I need to be careful.’

Don’t let your guard down. It could be a guard who’s dedicated to their job. Since this is a large corporation’s research lab, they might even be using an AI computer to control the cameras.

The good news is there are no sensors or monitoring devices in the room that detect Aether. This is valuable knowledge I gained at the cost of several electric shock experiences.

And that wasn’t the only knowledge I gained.

From experience, there were a few restrictions on the conditions for creating a clone.

First, a clone cannot be created inside a fully enclosed space.

Second, the maximum creation distance for a clone is 2 meters.

Third, only one can be made at a time.

Considering the original Violet, the third item seemed like it might be resolved if skill levels increased later, but I wasn’t sure about the others.

Anyway, while I was mulling over my abilities and limitations, an idea suddenly popped into my head.

‘Could I send a clone beyond that ceiling?’

What I focused on was the ventilation duct of the room.

In media, it’s often used as an infiltration route. It was also a recurring gimmick in 『Crimson Scholar』, so there was some potential for its use in this game-like world.

Moreover, the ventilation cover connected to this room was surprisingly large. It was wide enough for a small girl to crawl through, if done carefully.

Of course, the cover was firmly fixed. There were also CCTVs, so if I tried to tear it open and enter the vent, the guards would immediately rush over and smash my head like a watermelon.

But what if I used my unique ability? A way to act freely without being monitored would appear!

While real-life ventilation ducts are often too narrow to be feasible, I couldn’t ignore the ‘what if’ possibility.

‘Even if I fail, there’s nothing to lose.’

I quietly stared at the ceiling vent and concentrated.

I moved my mana. The power of Aether, which defied physical laws, worked by ignoring ordinary walls.

‘Is this not it?’

Perhaps the vent was too narrow, or maybe I was aiming in the wrong direction. My first attempt failed. Since I couldn’t see beyond the wall, it was like a blind person trying to describe an elephant [a proverb about not being able to see the full picture].

After repeating this two or three times, with my mana nearly depleted, I detected the presence of my clone beyond the wall.

I succeeded.

‘Good. Now, let’s try controlling it.’

There was one more ability of the clone that I had learned from experience.

My clone transmitted the sensations it felt directly to me, its main body. The pain I experienced from the demon during the morning’s fight was an example of this.

After personally realizing this during the initial experimental process, I wondered if, since the clone could transmit pain to me, it could also transmit other sensations.

After that, I practiced little by little when the other researchers weren’t paying attention.

As a result, my hunch was correct.

As I focused my gaze on the clone, my vision went dark, accompanied by a sensation as if my eyes were being pulled elsewhere. Immediately, my sight illuminated the inside of a narrow metal ventilation duct.

Fireworks exploded in my mind.

Congratulations! Violet has obtained a remote-controlled beautiful girl VR drone!

After transferring my hearing as well, I concentrated my senses and moved the clone, crawling through the ventilation duct. The duct was dark. Each time I crawled, dust flew up and tickled my nose.

Since I couldn’t see anything ahead, I extended my left hand forward and carefully released Aether.

Faint particles gathered at my fingertips, and a subtle crimson light spread, illuminating the inside of the vent. So, the clone could do this too.

‘Speaking of which, I’m slowly getting used to using Aether.’

The words of a famous person, who said that the human body gets stronger the more it is used, were truly an applicable truth in this world.

But I needed to hurry.

Because I had used Aether to maintain the clone for illumination, its duration would be shorter than expected.

When I first used the clone ability, it only lasted for about a minute, but now it had increased to roughly 30 to 35 minutes. Since I was emitting Aether for illumination, I should consider the acceptable duration to be around 30 minutes.

I diligently crawled through the cramped ventilation duct.

My first goal was to explore the inside of the ventilation system and figure out what this building looked like.

This damned research lab seemed determined to drive its test subjects insane, as it tried its best to exclude any elements that would show the outside situation or time, let alone windows.

Aside from the occasional dates mentioned by researchers for experiment recordings, it was difficult to figure out my location or even the time.

Considering that I had taken an elevator down, it was a multi-story structure, but I couldn’t get a sense of whether it was above ground or underground.

I also couldn’t hear outside sounds well, so I didn’t know if it was in the city or a remote area.

My body became covered in dust as I crawled this way and that through the complex passages. As I turned a corner, I saw light seeping out from the bottom of the vent. I looked down.

Where was this? It was a place I had never seen before.

Looking down, I saw several lab employees with haggard eyes typing on keyboards in front of monitors. Energy drink cans clanked next to them.

“Team Leader, why is the quarterly support budget keep shrinking?”

“I don’t know! They just told us to make do with what we get…”

“Go home… I want to go home…”

I passed by that area. After wasting a few more minutes wandering in the dark, I saw light seeping through a gap in another cover.

Looking down, I saw a guard in a black uniform standing there, and my body froze in surprise. Fortunately, it wasn’t an Ogre guard. The guard was arguing with a bespectacled researcher.

“Sir, what is that? Why didn’t you hand in your smartphone? You’ve reviewed the security oath and the electronic device restriction regulations, so this is problematic, isn’t it?”

“Ah… let’s just let it go. I’m just using the messenger… Ugh, come on… cut me some slack!”

“Seriously, haven’t you seen all the official notices from upstairs lately? Using cell phones carelessly poses a security risk. Some terrorist organizations are supposedly tracking phone signals to raid facilities…”

“What kind of conspiracy theory nonsense are you spouting… Ugh, fine. Here.”

The bespectacled researcher tossed the phone away in annoyance. The guard caught it, glared at him, and then turned away.

I thought I had wasted time and was about to go back, but as soon as the guard left, the bespectacled researcher chuckled and pulled out another smartphone.

“What a watchdog, making such a fuss. It’s just a dummy phone, you idiot…”

Wow, so the staff sergeant from my unit’s guard duty was here too?

Ugh, I wasted too much time. I moved through the ventilation ducts quietly and quickly, like a snake. In the process, I could see various scenes outside the vent covers.

“Hey! What did you guys order?! Wasn’t it supposed to be a choker with an explosive wire inside? The kind that detonates if you pull it! Do you know how many people died because that test subject went wild today?”

“What am I supposed to do when the Director gives us a paltry budget? You were the one who said the basic electric shock function was enough! I just did as I was told!”

I saw people arguing back and forth about who was responsible for the morning’s disaster.

“Hehe… Little one, we’re going to play a fun game…!”

“Wait… Mister… I’m scared…”

I turned away when I saw the pig-like ‘girl-lover’ from lunch making strange advances.

“Ah… I want a promotion!”

“Give up. This is a place of exile. I heard even that Director got pushed out in office politics and ended up here.”

I passed by people lamenting their lives once again.

And I also witnessed quite a gruesome sight.

“Let’s finish this quickly and leave. Administer the drug.”

“Ahhh…! Anesthesia! I wasn’t anesthetized! It’s not working here!”

A pitiful man was writhing on the operating table.

“Alright… starting injection.”

“Kwoaahhh!”

It was the end of a foolish test subject who had volunteered for human experimentation. The man twisted his entire body in pain, then stuck out his tongue and collapsed. It was too harsh a price for such a foolish act.

Shuddering at the horrific sight, I moved on to another area.

The faint Aether light glowing at my fingertips was gradually dimming. This meant the clone’s disappearance time was approaching.

‘What exactly is this, that people are dying for it?’

Aether, the mana of the 『Crimson Scholar』 world. It’s a miraculous catalyst also called ‘mana’ or ‘magical power’, distorting natural laws and granting humans incredible superhuman strength and reflexes.

In this world, people who gain such superhuman power are called “Awakened Ones.”

Usually, they’re not distinguished, but to classify precisely, the energy itself flowing from the other dimension is called Aether, and the Aether within an Awakened One’s body, which is a subset of it, is called mana. It’s essentially the same thing, though.

The game company, perhaps thinking character sales were a bit dull, added the concept of “Unique Abilities.”

These are even more special superpowers that only specific individuals can use, naturally, without learning.

If ordinary Awakened Ones are passenger cars, then Awakened Ones with Unique Abilities are special vehicles like military armored vehicles, jet-powered race cars, or construction bulldozers. Beyond just being faster or stronger, they possess inherently unique and independent abilities.

In my case, it was ‘clone summoning’. To be precise, it was Violet’s unique ability.

However, most people are ordinary. If they don’t have the good fortune to awaken by chance, they have to survive on whatever scraps are thrown to them from above.

In a world devastated after a war where extradimensional monsters and Aether intruded, the value of military power escalated beyond imagination, and Awakened Ones monopolized wealth and power. It’s said they often wield their power recklessly, committing excessive tyranny.

Petty commoners, lured by the promise of power, rushed in like moths to a flame, only to burn to ashes. The world’s Awakened organizations advance by fueling themselves with the foolish acts of the weak.

So, when I feel down while staying here, I think:

Even though I’m a prisoner right now, I was born with a “golden spoon” of unique ability, so I’m lucky. My body is guaranteed SS-grade.

‘The clone will disappear soon.’

As the clone’s time limit approached, I gradually felt my strength draining.

I had spent too much time quietly crawling through the narrow ventilation duct, looking at various things. It seemed this was all for tonight.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

The vent was narrow. While I could move straight, turning around was impossible.

So, to kill some time, I moved forward, and after turning a few corners, I saw a vent cover in front of me with a red light seeping out.

Usually, vent covers were on the floor, allowing me to look down from the ceiling.

But this one was on the front wall. No, it was looser, so it should be called a grate. And come to think of it, the angle of the vent passage was inclined, so I had to climb up.

Unable to resist my curiosity, I moved forward.

Looking through the grate, I saw a strange room, unlike the previous parts of the lab. The lab interiors were usually finished with clean white tiles and painted walls, resembling a spotless mental hospital.

Here, it was the exact opposite. It was a secluded room with rough concrete walls as a backdrop, and large and small pipes exposed everywhere. Various tools were scattered nearby.

“Huh? Holy cow!”

As I looked down, I let out a short gasp.

Directly in front of where I was looking, a woman hung from the wall, both her arms bound by chains.

A girl with short pink hair, an androgenous appearance, who could almost be mistaken for a handsome boy.

I knew that woman. Even though the cartoon rendering had changed to a realistic view, there was no way I wouldn’t recognize her!

Her name was Kalia Blaze, a protagonist in the Part 1 story alongside the main character.

That’s right, she was a playable character.

‘Wait! You’re a main character! Why are you here?’

Suddenly, the clone began to disappear. Oh! No!

Kalia, who had been hanging her head as if exhausted, lifted it. Through the grate, my eyes met her green ones. Her pupils widened.

Excited, I waved my hand vigorously.

“…Hello!”

Suddenly, my vision went black, and then I was back on the bed.

What exactly happened?

***

“What…? That girl…”

Inside the rough, secluded room.

Kalia recalled the red-eyed girl who had just appeared through the vent grate on the wall directly in front of her. Surprised by the sudden appearance, she couldn’t say anything.

The girl suddenly exclaimed, ‘Hello!’, waved her hand, and then disappeared.

“Was it a ghost?”

Kalia wondered if she had just imagined things.

It was dawn.