episode_0020

The second floor of the small auditorium where the freshman welcoming ceremony was held.

From behind the one-way mirror windows, a group of upperclassmen overlooked the entire first floor.

“How’s the quality of the new students this time?”

Kroshel casually asked the student holding a tablet.

“Yes, Student Council President-nim. These freshmen showed excellent grades in the regular entrance exam and various admission processes. Most of all, there were many promising talents we were looking forward to…”

“Do you think I would ask something so obvious right now?”

“Ah, then what… uh…”

Kroshel’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the student list on his smartphone. He lightly nodded to the people beside him.

“Get rid of him.”

The Student Council President’s guards drew their swords, scabbard and all, and violently beat the student who had been reporting.

—Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

“Aaaargh! Student Council President-nim! I was wrong! Uwaaaah!”

The guards dragged the half-dead student out and threw him outside the door. The sound of the student being dragged away down the corridor gradually faded.

“General Affairs. Next time, I hope you pick a more competent student to assist the president. You know well that I hate incompetent guys the most.”

“Ah, come on, President-nim. You’re going to replace him again anyway. What’s the point… you’ve already changed them so many times.”

As if the recent commotion was nothing, Kaim grinned and plumped down onto a nearby chair.

“Ah. It’s starting soon! It’s a shame the Vice Student Council President couldn’t make it.”

“Alright, let’s see the level of these freshmen. I hope this culling goes well. It’s the chairman’s instruction, so we have to do it properly.”

Kroshel and the student council executives drank tea and observed the situation below the window.

A mid-level demon, Kranos, the size of a bus, appeared in the center of the auditorium. Several students could be seen flying through the air after being hit by its swinging tail.

The Culling is a tradition at Polaris to separate the wheat from the chaff among freshmen. For a set period, real demons are released inside the auditorium. Barriers are set up on the windows, walls, and entrances of the auditorium to seal off the inside. Neither the demons nor the students can leave.

“How many have dropped out already? Is there nothing special this time either…?”

“No, look at that.”

Kroshel put down his teacup, which he had been sipping, and pointed to one side.

A purple-haired female student holding a spear was directing students to evacuate to a corner, while a blue-haired male student confronted Kranos head-on.

In a short time, a temporary attack team was formed and cornered the demon. Kranos suffered in pain and tried to run around, but couldn’t escape due to the barrier.

“Oh dear~ It’s over quickly this time. If this is the case, there’s no meaning to the culling…”

“Those fools, were they the top and second-place entrants this year? Thanks to them, the worthless ones’ lives are extended.”

Kroshel clicked his tongue briefly.

Hypocritical fools who don’t know reality and just play hero. Thanks to those naive juniors, the process of weeding out the third-rate individuals was slightly twisted.

Well, still, looking at the rampaging demon, there’s still room for more dropouts…

Kroshel, who was leisurely raising his teacup to drink, detected an anomaly.

“What… is that?”

A yellow-haired girl appeared outside the window. When she smashed the window with a hammer, the barrier attached to it wavered. As a result, nearby barriers also consecutively broke or weakened.

The freshmen began to escape through the broken window.

“Ah… that’s right, President. That barrier has a property where its ether strength weakens if struck by physical force from the outside. But I didn’t know that one broken window would weaken all the nearby ones…”

“What did you say? Why are you telling me this now!”

The terrified Kranos coincidentally charged towards one of the walls. It was in the direction where the barrier had weakened.

—Crash!

The demon abandoned the freshmen and fled outside. The plan went awry.

—Shatter!

The Student Council President’s expression twisted with fury. The teacup shattered in his grip. The general affairs officer, who had been watching cautiously, grabbed his forehead.

“Ah. We’re screwed…”

***

It hurts. The back of my head hurts terribly. There was also something big and heavy that smashed down and crushed me. It hurts. I’m dizzy. But it’s strange. It hurts, but my mind became clear.

Alright, what happened just now?

“Nooo! It can’t be! Ruzilin-ssi! This time too…! Uwaaaah!… Ah…”

I heard someone wailing from over there. They were crying so much it tugged at your heartstrings.

I slumped up to my feet.

“Sniff… Sob… I’m sorry… even now… I…”

My scalp felt stiff, so I touched it and sticky blood came off.

“Aaah!”

The back of my head stung, so I let out a short scream.

In front of the crushed body of a girl, next to an air conditioner outdoor unit, a silver-haired female student, who had been sobbing, turned her head towards me. She was an impressive girl with shining silver hair that reached her waist.

“Sob… Huh? Ruzilin-ssi? How are you there…?”

“Ow… Daphne… Fix me!”

Daphne, who saw my appearance, looked at me with a dazed expression. Her gaze went from me, to the corpse on the floor, and back again, repeatedly.

As if unable to believe it, her mouth hung open.

Wait, that’s me. No, is it my clone?

What appeared to be my corpse transformed into sparkling dust and disappeared a moment later.

“Ah… um… so, this is Ruzilin-ssi’s clone… her unique ability, right?”

“Probably, isn’t it..? I don’t know either, but it must be!”

“Waaah!”

Daphne burst into tears again and rushed at me. In an instant, I was embraced in her soft, squishy arms.

“Sob… I… I really… sniff… thought Ruzilin-ssi… was dead…”

“Ah! That’s right! Ow! I’m alive! Ow…!”

“Waaah… You’re the first peer I’ve met in a long time… sniff… I really thought you were dead…!”

“Wait! I can’t breathe! Let me go!”

As I struggled in her embrace, Daphne finally let me go and healed my wounds.

“Really! You’re okay… right?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably be okay. Actually, that was a clone!”

I roughly replied, somehow calming her down. I also didn’t forget to avoid her gaze. If I kept looking into Daphne’s wet blue eyes, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to lie.

Supported by her, who looked at me with worried eyes, I left the spot.

As I walked after receiving treatment, my memories gradually began to organize themselves.

The previous situation came to mind.

Like old trash floating up to the surface of a calm lake.

‘I’ died.

Clearly, after the air conditioner outdoor unit fell right in front of me, I fell into a blackout state.

It wasn’t fainting. When I saw ‘myself’ a moment ago, my face and chest were all crushed. My insides were spilling out too. That was definitely a corpse.

But there were other memories too. The ‘me’ who was standing next to Daphne and ‘me’, then got hit by a brick and collapsed. And when I opened my eyes, I was here.

It felt like I had suddenly teleported. Did I resurrect?

What in the world is happening?

“Status Window.”

With a strange feeling, I called for the status window. The truth that unfolded between the stage curtains made me even more confused.

————————————————

Name: Violet Dunhind Ruzilin Alias: None Status: Polaris Academy 1st Year Student Lv: 7 HP: 1500/1500 MP: 3500/3500 Unique Ability: Lv1 Lv1 Synchronized Aptitude: * Backstab – Damage increases when attacking from behind an enemy. * Weakness Exploitation – Damage increases when attacking opponents with low health. ———————————————

‘It’s a unique ability I’ve never seen before!’

Until recently, the broken or blackened, distorted letters had been fixed.

The clone technique’s name also changed to ‘Fluid-Consciousness/Ego-Linked Clone Technique.’ Most importantly, something that wasn’t there before appeared.

‘Collective Intelligence,’ it says?

It’s a unique name. What kind of ability is it, exactly?

Just from the name, it seems like an ability where I’d have to turn on a computer, go online, and write something. I’ll need to try it out later.

As I struggled towards the small auditorium, the sounds of people grew closer. People who appeared to be guards were standing guard around Kranos’s corpse.

From the small auditorium’s entrance, students could be seen being carried out on stretchers and loaded into ambulances.

“Aaargh! My leg..! My leg…!”

“It hurts… it hurts… Mom… Mom…”

“I can’t feel anything below my waist! What happened…?”

The place the demon had swept through was a mess. In a corner of the auditorium floor, where injured students were, a dozen or so figures, covered head to toe in white cloths, lay there. Several students were sobbing nearby. They must have known them. How unfortunate.

Amidst the commotion, several people wearing more luxurious and elaborately decorated uniforms, reminiscent of officer uniforms, walked into the auditorium.

What, are they some high-ranking people?

“Excuse me! Did you perhaps come from the student council?”

My guess was right. It seems the student council here wears things like that. Irene, with her purple hair swaying, turned around and walked excitedly towards the student council members.

“Yes, that’s right. I am Kroshel Torrence, the Student Council President of Polaris Academy.”

A tall, lanky male student with ash-gray hair replied politely, but without emotion.

“And you, are you the top-ranked student who entered this year? Perhaps…”

“Yes, that’s right. I am Irene Solstis, the top-ranked new student, and currently serving as the interim freshman representative. Senior-nim.”

She passionately spoke.

“Look at the current situation! A mid-level demon suddenly intruded through a gate! Does this make sense?! At a freshman welcoming party! In this academy, which should be safest from demons, and through a gate at that! This is impossible. What exactly did the student council, and the board, do?”

As her voice grew louder, people’s gazes converged on her.

“I also regret this situation. However, in a battlefield, unexpected things sometimes happen. And didn’t our juniors successfully repel it? They were truly courageous.”

The Student Council President’s nonchalant reply was like pouring oil on a fire.

“What did you say?! Does that mean… you were watching?! Why didn’t you come to rescue us?! Why did you only show up after the whole incident was over?! The barrier on the door was strange too! What is all this? You have a lot to explain…”

“Such things aren’t very important. The demon is dead. The situation is over. Is there anything more to discuss?”

“People, people died!”

She pointed a finger at the bodies laid out on one side.

“These are fellow students who just entered today, nearly twenty of them died. There are even more injured! So why are you only appearing now?”

“What’s the problem with people dying?”

“What?”

What? What did that bastard just say?

Irene’s expression went blank. My expression went blank too.

“Irene-yang, you, junior, didn’t come here to play. We are Awakened Ones. In the future, as Hunters, we will stand on the front lines against demons, and in that process, you, your comrades, and those around you may die. Did you enroll without knowing such things? You should be ashamed to whine about such trivial things.”

“’Trivial,’ you say?! The situation is different!”

“I didn’t know our new junior was so weak. What will you do when you face real combat later on, then?”

“Don’t change the subject! This situation is too strange. And that barrier too. I’ll contact my clan and formally protest to the board…!”

As she fumed in anger, he suddenly lowered his head and brought his mouth to her ear.

I rubbed my eyes. If I wasn’t mistaken, a brief sneer flashed across the Student Council President’s expressionless lips.

As he whispered something, Irene’s face turned pale.

“…How could you…”

A moment later, the Student Council President, in an exaggerated posture reminiscent of a play, raised his voice.

“I apologize! I, too, could only watch your brave struggle due to a hastily received report! By the time we arrived, it was too late. The entire student council apologizes to you all for this.”

Suddenly, the President and the student council members bowed their heads to those around them. The murmuring students fell silent for a moment.

Then, as if declaring a champion, the Student Council President triumphantly raised one of Irene’s arms.

“However, we express our gratitude here today. This year’s freshmen displayed brave and selfless acts. As Student Council President, I pay my respects to the juniors.

The Student Council President finally clenched his fist, swung it, and shouted.

“Everyone, let’s give a round of applause to Miss Irene, Lucian, and the other students who repelled the mid-level demon!”

As the student council members began to clap, the surrounding students also started clapping awkwardly.

Irene and Lucian, the individuals in question, looked around in confusion.

And I thought.

That bastard Student Council President, I don’t know what kind of guy he is, but he’s suspicious. I need to be careful.

***

Whatever the case, that bizarre and blockbuster-like quasi-entrance ceremony show was completely suspended. All afternoon events were cancelled.

“I’m hungry…”

Daphne told me not to overexert myself and to get some good rest, then laid me on the bed and healed me thoroughly. After that, she said she would buy dinner from nearby, covered me with a blanket, and left.

The school cafeterias were closed due to the demon appearance incident, so she was going to the convenience store.

‘This is an academy?’

‘The Crimson Scholar’ is set in a dystopia, but it was rare for monsters to suddenly pop up inside the school like this. Unless they invaded from the outside.

‘That bald Director bastard, if only he’d sent me somewhere else…’

The day is such a mess. There were just too many strange things.

‘Ugh, I need to take care of my own future first.’

Since I don’t have a roommate, there was something I seriously needed to check right now. I got out of bed.

What kind of changes have occurred in my unique ability? It was time to check now.

It was an important matter directly linked to my identity.

Because, when analyzed from a normal perspective, I had clearly died. I know it well, having died once.

I felt myself die, but then I stood up again. It’s abnormal. This must be related to my newly changed unique ability.

I once again moved my ether with familiarity. The ether within my body extended outwards. A form began to generate from the ground.

I felt a sensation of my vision splitting into two. I fell into confusion.

“Uwaah?”

“Uwaah?”

Aaargh! The clone is mimicking me!

“Aaargh! The clone is mimicking me!”

My head is spinning. What in the world is happening? My thoughts are getting jumbled. I’m clearly thinking the same thoughts, yet my body is moving. Simultaneously, from here, from there, I look at that. That looks at me. That is me. Am I that? I don’t know. I understand.

“Aaargh!”

“Aaargh!”

I and clone unit 2, I and clone unit 1, I and the clone, I, we, I’s dance with chaos. Dance.

“Aaargh! I’m multiple…!”

“Aaargh! I’m multiple…!”

Aaargh! Aaargh! Aaargh… Aaargh…