episode_0245

Our Violets surveyed their surroundings. This was a first, so they had no idea what was going on. It felt like they’d been abducted by aliens.

“Where in the world are we?”

“I don’t know!”

Inside the exhibition hall, it was pitch black, as if the power had been completely cut. Around them, stunned people who had stumbled from the shock were looking around.

Lucian was sleeping soundly. Was he unconscious? At least the one they knew was fine. The problem was the others; they weren’t visible nearby. It didn’t seem like they had moved elsewhere.

Just then, the Violets detected something strange.

“They’re gone!”

“What’s gone?”

“The Obsidian Legion!”

I was startled and checked the spot where they had subdued them. As if they had never been there, the Legionnaires had vanished without a sound.

“Gasp! They escaped!”

The terrified Violets looked around. It seemed they had quickly fled into the darkness. Now that they looked, the cultists were also gone.

“Did they run away?”

We carefully surveyed the situation. In times like these, it’s crucial to calmly identify and solve problems.

“By the way, where did everyone go?”

“I don’t know.”

The Violets looked around the exhibition hall. Students and Hunters who had regained their senses were heading towards the exhibition hall’s entrance, each carrying a light source. Fortunately, external light was seeping in from the entrance. Day is always better than night.

“It’s dangerous. We’ll go first!”

A security Hunter stopped the people who were about to step out the entrance, then gripped his crossbow and went outside. Outside the convention center, a shallow fog hung in the air.

And a moment later, a scream of horror echoed.

“H-here!”

Thinking they might have been attacked, the Violets followed, weapons in hand, with wary eyes. As they looked to see if something bad had happened, a shocking sight unfolded before their eyes.

“Aargh! It’s a dungeon!”

Outside the exhibition hall, the scenery had changed to something unfamiliar. The city landscape outside the convention center was gone, replaced by a vast and sprawling urban ruin with a classical appearance, reminiscent of the old Vittorio City, waiting for them.

Their bewilderment was brief, as they received a communication from Unit 325. Unit 325 was near a large cathedral visible from their location.

“Thank goodness! Unit 325 is close!”

“But what about our other friends?”

The Violets felt fear. Where were the other people in this chaos? It seemed they weren’t the only ones missing.

“Huh? Gerard? Where are you?”

“Sardin is gone! Teacher-nim? Did you see where he went?”

“Where did Team Leader Laura go? Did you see her?”

The aftermath of what the cultists had done to the Miracle Box earlier was significant. Who would have thought they would end up inside a strange world? Seeing people wandering around searching for acquaintances, colleagues, friends, and family, it seemed that not just the people I knew were missing.

“Honey? Where are you?”

Soon, people inside the convention center, sensing the strange atmosphere, began to trickle outside. And like us, they were either horrified or in shock.

“I-Insane! A dungeon? That’s impossible! There was no gate…?”

As a student cried out, a middle-aged man nearby calmly retorted.

“Student, this isn’t a dungeon. Strictly speaking… it’s the first time for a case like this, but we should consider it an Erosion Zone.”

“What’s the difference?”

As the student questioned him, the man pointed beyond the vast, sprawling landscape.

“Look over there. It’s blurry, but you can see a city.”

At the middle-aged man’s words, people’s gazes turned in that direction, and soon they could see the blurry outer world.

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

An Erosion Zone is similar to a dungeon, but instead of forming within a separate alternate dimension, it refers to an area where the laws of physics themselves are warped by Aether. It’s ambiguous to call it a dungeon. However, this case is a bit ambiguous. It might be correct to see it as a dungeon, but currently, it’s difficult for us to define it clearly.

People whispered amongst themselves after seeing the situation beyond the veil.

“That’s a relief, it’s not a completely isolated space, is it?”

“If we wait, a rescue team will surely come.”

Their relief was short-lived, as a group of students nervously looked around, then up at the sky.

“Hey, do you see that? It’s a flying magical beast! Isn’t that a Sentinox?”

Judging by their school uniforms and staffs, they appeared to be students from Vesperia Academy. As the students fussed, people’s gazes turned to the swirling sky, towards the ray-shaped creature circling in the air. It clearly looked like a dangerous magical beast at first glance.

“If we stay here too long, we’ll surely be attacked, so it’s best to evacuate quickly.”

“Run!”

People who recognized the external magical beast froze for a moment, then, as if nothing had happened, re-entered the convention center. I followed them inside, and ran into a blue-haired boy who had come out belatedly.

“Lucian, you’re awake!”

“Uh, yeah. I fainted for a bit, caught in that weird wave…”

His gaze surveyed the outside, and soon his face hardened like a statue.

“…Sigh, damn it. What did I do wrong to get caught up in something like this…”

Lucian seemed very disheartened. I decided to reassure him with the facts.

“Don’t worry. See the veil? That’s the city right there. People will come to rescue us. We also have the Violet Network!”

“Oh, right. That’s true…”

His relief was brief; he glanced at me once, then let out a deep sigh.

“Another incident…”

“What?”

“Nothing…”

He mumbled with a gloomy face and turned away.

***

Thirty minutes had passed since they were transferred into the alternate dimension. While Lucian grumbled about his situation, recalling the Polaris Field Trip disaster and the Vittorio Dungeon incident, the people in the exhibition hall, albeit awkwardly, began a discussion. This was an Awakened Academy exhibition. That meant, excluding general visitors and non-combat personnel, there were many people capable of fighting, even if clumsily. If one had even a slight will to fight, it was quick to recover from the shock.

“First, it’s certain we’ve landed in an Erosion Zone. Now, how to proceed is the problem.”

“Well, what can we do? We don’t have any internal information about this place. Moving rashly is suicidal.”

People’s opinions were largely the same. Venturing into an unknown dungeon was suicidal without sufficient information. No one here was eager to volunteer for such an adventure.

“A rescue team will come, right? They say this is inside a dungeon… if we’re exposed to Aether….”

When a general visitor cautiously asked, a security guard replied with an indifferent expression.

“It’s fine. Dungeons and Erosion Zones vary by area. Even if you’re exposed to excessive Aether, you won’t die immediately.”

There were people who hadn’t come outside, but rumors, like footless horses, eventually galloped forth even when they lingered. Before long, the truth had gradually spread among the people inside the convention center. Reactions varied.

“Aargh! Why did this have to happen just when I came here!”

A student who had been working at an academy promotion booth shrieked, having been caught up in the event.

“What do we do? We’re not Awakened Ones…”

Confused ordinary families who had come to spectate and were now dragged in.

“Haa… sh*t, we’re screwed.”

Corporate salesmen who had come to promote products were now stuck here. Everyone had a lot to lose and was reluctant to venture out.

“Alright, if everyone waits calmly inside, soon-”

“Whose authority?”

Someone objected to the security chief’s words. A female Hunter holding a glaive stood up.

“Hey, didn’t you see those ray-things above us? Does it make sense to just wait for rescue when magical beasts could appear at any moment? You haven’t forgotten what you learned in the academy, have you? Magical beasts are good at sensing human presence.”

“That’s precisely the problem. It might be different for people like us, but there are ordinary citizens here. Moving indiscriminately for evacuation is dangerous.”

The woman pointed at the veil in response to the security chief’s question.

“That’s why we need to act more proactively. We need to check if we can pass through that veil we saw earlier, don’t you think? If we can get out on our own, we can call for a rescue team faster, or even evacuate people in small groups.”

The chief immediately retorted after hearing the woman’s words.

“The distance to the edge of the veil is quite far. Who’s going to go?”

“Who said *you* had to go? Only those who want to should go. Is anyone here willing to come with me?”

Regardless of gender or age, quite a few people stood up one by one, weapons in hand.

“Alright. I’ll go check too. We might be able to escape, right?”

“I’ll go too! I’m a fourth-year. I have plenty of experience!”

“It’s our job, isn’t it? Oh, and if you touch my loot, you’re dead?”

Enthusiastic individuals volunteered for external exploration and stepped outside. Among that group was a Violet.

“It’s an adventure!”

At the thought of exploring a new alternate world, Violet’s heart pounded.

***

The path to the veil was further than it looked. They had only walked, but a long time had already passed. Perhaps many people had witnessed the earlier battle, as Violet 1912 felt people’s gazes on her.

“Wow! I’m popular!”

While approaching a spot where the veil was clearly visible, two students successively spoke to her.

“Excuse me, which academy are you from?”

“I saw you fighting earlier. Was that a clone ability?”

“Yeah, something like that. My academy is Aegis.”

Violet answered casually. The male and female students whispered among themselves as if they had seen something interesting.

“Oh, right. Do you want this? It’s nothing special, just a stick of gum.”

When she received the stick of gum offered by the female student, Violet’s usually expressionless face brightened slightly.

“Wow, thanks!”

“Don’t mention it. When you walk for a long time like this, chewing on something sweet is the best.”

Violet felt a little better at the female student’s kindness.

“Oh, I’m Violet! I’m a first-year at Aegis Academy.”

Hearing her introduction, the two students replied one by one.

“Is that so? Nice to meet you. I’m Remy. I’m a second-year at Arthur Comprehensive Academy.”

“Wow, I see. It’s my first time seeing an Aegis student! I’m a first-year at Vesperia Academy. My name is—”

*Thud!*

The female student’s words were cut short. Because a high-speed magical projectile, difficult even for Awakened Ones to detect, had shattered her head.

“Eh…?”

“Oh, f*ck! Get down!”

People nearby cursed and took cover. Meanwhile, Violet, drenched in the female student’s contents right before her eyes, mumbled.

“Gasp, her head shattered!”

“How sad!”

Immediately after, a second projectile flew in and shattered Unit 1912’s head.

“Whoa, my head burst too!”

The male student who witnessed the successive tragedies of the two female students screamed loud enough to shake the distance.

“O-oh, Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaah!”