episode_0130

The Arklight Ruins mission, which had been full of troubles, was over.

“If you stick it in nicely like this, ta-da!”

“Wow… so, that’s how you mark them.”

While the other hunters were taking down the demonic beasts, I dragged Levi and planted flags into the heads of two Laskin. Then, I hammered an electronic stake into one part of the carcass. It was an item received in advance before entering the dungeon. The stake had a chip with a unique ID embedded in it, and once stabbed, it wouldn’t easily come out, preventing others from claiming the kill.

Now, all that was left was to wait. This was because a clan employee managing the dungeon would visit this area at regular intervals.

Soon, dust rose in the distance, and a group on 4-wheel bikes headed this way. I waved, and the rest of the Violet squad retreated towards the hill and quietly undeployed.

“Team 68. Confirmation complete. Good work.”

The employee took a few photos and scanned the electronic stake’s ID with a terminal. All procedures went smoothly. Now, all they had to do was return, but my gaze was drawn to the bike the employee had ridden.

“Ah, come to think of it, if it’s that size…”

“Cars might not fit, but that one will!”

I thought. It would be good to buy a small off-road vehicle later. Disassemble it, put it in the inventory, and assemble it when needed.

“Alright! Everyone. Let’s go home!”

After another tedious march, we exited the gate. It was raining outside. On the way home, the Violets reviewed what had happened.

“Hmm, maybe because everyone is a decent practitioner. It seems we didn’t need to coordinate in advance.”

“Right? We only exchanged a few words, but it was quickly decided.”

As a result of fighting a few times so far, each person’s position was naturally decided. This was because the team members all had strong individualities, so there was almost no overlap.

To use an RPG game analogy, the composition of the Violet team can be classified as follows, according to front and rear positions.

First, let’s look at the front-line personnel.

At the very front is Irene. Our friend’s role is none other than the tank! She supports allies with her unique abilities and uses her robust physical capabilities to withstand enemy attacks head-on.

Right behind her is Granite. This fellow is a bit sluggish, but his poleaxe strikes are fierce, making him a close-range attacker. You could say he’s in a position like a barbarian warrior.

Meanwhile, Kalia is an attacker who flexibly switches between long-range and close-range. She’s the nimblest among us, skilled at striking the enemy’s flanks or rear. In game terms, she’d probably be a rogue.

Now, let’s go to the rear.

At the very front of the rear personnel is the blue-haired mage, Lucian. This fellow is a mage. However, he’s far from the slow image typically associated with stationary artillery. His equipment includes magic acceleration gauntlets; while insufficient for delivering a powerful single blow, they help him cast spells quickly. His movement speed is also fast, making him more akin to a flying attack helicopter. He could even switch positions with Kalia depending on the situation.

The true artillery is Levi; the firepower unleashed from his ballista is destructive. He can fire at will, from long-range sniping to mid-range rapid-fire. Since we turned him into an iron-blooded human weapon, his future performance is highly anticipated.

At the last line is Daphne. Shields, healing. She must be protected at all costs!

As I organized my thoughts, a question arose.

What exactly are we Violets?

It feels awkward, now that I think about it. It’s like a group of dozens of soldiers suddenly joined a standard fantasy RPG adventurer party. There are no hero parties that drag armies around, so it’s hard to imagine.

“We’re all-rounders!”

“Fearless immortal warriors!”

Ah, that was it. I had been looking at reality too much like a game.

We can do anything. We can stand on the front lines with shields and swords, and although we’re not good at magic, we can attack enemies from the rear using explosives and heavy weapons.

Aside from the scholarship students, only we Violets can freely move between front and rear, deciding our positions and fighting.

I changed my mind. Our team wasn’t an RPG hero party.

“Why should we adjust to the team members?”

We outnumber them, and we’re the ones fighting hardest on the front lines. So, I wonder if it wouldn’t be more correct for the team members to adjust to the Violets.

“From now on, that’s what we should do!”

Immediately after finishing my thoughts, we arrived at the barracks. The team members got off and returned to their rooms.

“Ah… Home…”

“I’m tired…”

“I’ll head off too. See you tomorrow.”

“Alright, Kalia. Goodbye!”

Once the others went to their rooms, only Irene and I, Unit 45, remained. We headed in the opposite direction from the dormitory. This was to discuss the next dungeon we’d go to.

When we opened the factory door and stepped inside, the Violets who had been waiting inside were either resting or doing minor tasks. At a spot on one side of the factory were Violet Units 1 and 2. In front of them was Yurik, his eyes burning with interest. He was even wearing a white lab coat.

Where did he even get that outfit?

“I told you, this kind of experiment is pointless? We can even share our vision.”

“I see. Unit 1, thank you for your cooperation!”

What we were doing now was an experiment. That professor had persistently clung to me, and annoyed, I permitted his research under strict conditions.

Currently, he was experimenting to see how far we could share our five senses.

“Sense sharing without time lag… individual selves…”

The professor muttered something and scribbled in a notebook.

Unit 45 entered the room beyond the partition set up on one side of the factory. As soon as she sat down, Irene posed a question.

“What do you think? I think a day was enough to get coordinated. It’s time to move on to the next stage.”

“Let’s! Do you remember the places I explained during the last orientation?”

I opened my laptop. Photos taken inside the dungeon appeared in sequence. A surrealistically distorted department store city in darkness, and a colossal cave with glowing crystals embedded indiscriminately in the floor and ceiling.

“There were three, right? Vittorio Arcade, Ramsera Mine, and…”

As I flipped the screen, the last photo appeared. It was a place with ice mountains under a bizarrely patterned blue sky, strange colossal trees, and a vast, sprawling snowfield.

“It’s the Pastera Snowfield!”

Irene’s expression grew considerably serious.

“Why here? We can earn money, but it’s relatively less profitable than the previous two locations. And it’s cold.”

Irene was right. If the sole purpose was to earn money, there were many more efficient places than this. However, there was a reason I chose it.

“Because there’s an Aether Emitter there!”

My friend’s eyes softened. I chuckled contentedly.

“Really? Violet, you’re not in any financial trouble, are you?”

“No? No problem at all.”

“Then we should go here first. That’s good. We can increase the strength of the other team members, right?”

Even without me saying anything, Irene more actively insisted on going to the snowfield. Perhaps it was because she had personally experienced the effects.

It seems like we’re going in reverse order of how I introduced them, but it probably doesn’t matter.

“But Violet. Do you have winter equipment? The Pastera Snowfield is famous among dungeons for boasting extreme cold.”

“Ah.”

For a moment, I felt a sense of dismay. Irene, who had been observing my face intently, let out a short, deflated laugh.

“Of course. You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Ehehe…”

I gave an embarrassed laugh.

“Then, immediate departure is impossible. Let’s go in about two days. We need to rest, and we need proper equipment.”

“Understood! So, what should we prepare first?”

“First, get your cold-weather gear. We’ll also need to buy clothes…”

I discussed with Irene what we needed to buy and prepare.

“We need winter combat uniforms! Our combat uniforms are black, after all.”

“Shouldn’t we buy cold-weather clothes for the others too?”

We suddenly had a lot to do for the next two days.

***

Over the two days, while the others rested, the Violets purchased necessary equipment and items. They bought cold-weather clothing and winter gear.

“Minus 30 degrees Celsius? I didn’t realize it was that cold, being a dungeon in a game.”

“Did you forget? Certain areas are so cold that if you stay too long, you take damage.”

The Pastera Snowfield is a dungeon boasting the size of a small city. It’s so cold that even awakened individuals, shrouded in magic, struggle there.

Above all, the natural phenomena inside the dungeon are distorted by the influence of Aether, warping the laws of physics. Usually, it’s calm with no wind, but if caught in a sudden ice storm, they say one would literally freeze solid.

One wrong step, and they’d end up as ice Violets.

“Still, the altitude is high, and there aren’t many flying demonic beasts. If done well, we might be able to operate an air squadron, don’t you think?”

“Perfect!”

After meticulously completing our preparations, we headed to our next destination with the rested team members.

Early in the morning, we drove far south towards the Southern Sector. After passing through inspection and crossing the defensive wall, we headed for the gate, where the surroundings were noisy.

“What is it?”

I tilted my head. Kalia, who was sitting behind me, tapped my shoulder and pointed a finger in one direction.

“Violet, look over there. Some people…”

Right in front of the gate, several men and women were grappling with hunters holding weapons. Wondering why, I got out of the car.

“No, saying you won’t go now, does that even make sense?”

“It’s too late. You heard it too. You can’t go! To that dangerous place? Are you crazy?”

A middle-aged man in a suit, seemingly the group’s representative, was trembling as he held onto a hunter. The middle-aged man looked quite wealthy at first glance. He was dressed in what appeared to be luxury clothes. His companions also looked quite neat and tidy.

As loud voices were exchanged, the gazes of onlookers converged. The hunter’s face crumpled in distress.

Someone who appeared to be a colleague released the man’s collar. The man helplessly had no choice but to let go. As the man weakly bowed his head, the fellow hunter opened his mouth with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. But three days is too late. Perhaps, they’re already dead.”

His polite words seemed to have had an adverse effect. Starting with a woman of similar age to the man screaming, people began wailing again.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Who’s dead? They’re not dead!”

“They’re still there, they must be alive!”

I was even more baffled. The next moment, the middle-aged man cried out in anguish.

“My son…! My son is in there! I’ll give you any amount. Please!”

Only then did I understand why he was acting like that.

Hmm, how interesting.

Should I ask what the situation is?