episode_0321

“The tank is supplying you with magic power.”

“Supplying magic power?”

Professor Albert, who had brought them to the maintenance bay to explain the strange phenomenon, clarified.

Supplying magic power? Had Ruzilin’s Cheolkwon become a magic power refueling station?

“Although its structure is different, this super-heavy tank is connected to the Violet Network. That’s why it obeys your commands. You and this tank are already closely linked. Can you see it? The magic power flowing through this tank.”

The flow of magic power was clearly visible in the tank, where the nuclear reactor was operating.

“Fusions are living relics. The power source that forms the mechanical device undergoes mutation after being exposed to Aether, then converts physical energy and heat from reality into Aether, constantly generating magic power. In the case of this tank, the reactor’s energy is being converted into magic power.”

“Yes, magic power is overflowing.”

“That’s how it sustains the Fusion’s activities. It’s the same for your fairy friend.”

Inside the maintenance bay, where the technicians had been temporarily dismissed, Violet Network detection devices brought from home were densely packed.

With small devices and antennas engraved with peculiar patterns and magic circle formulas in front of him, Yurik Uncle-nim tapped away at a laptop keyboard.

The professor raised his index finger as if to draw attention.

The tank’s body once, his eyes once. He was probably referring to that.

When I concentrated magic power in my eyes and activated my sight, a peculiar sight unfolded.

A procession of magic power, flowing like blood in and out of the super-heavy tank’s body.

It was a sight rarely seen before the reactor was activated.

“Don’t you see the magic power flowing through the body decreasing?”

“Yes! I see it. It’s like it’s suddenly draining into the air.”

The strands of magic power, shimmering with colorful light, were as complex and intricate as circuits. They penetrated every corner of the tank’s body like blood vessels. Indeed, calling it a living relic was no exaggeration.

In rhythm with the reactor’s regular operating hum, magic power pulsed outwards in all directions.

However, upon closer inspection, some strands of magic power were extending outwards and dispersing.

Normally, unusual phenomena like sparks or winds would have occurred directly, but nothing happened.

“If you look at this network observer we developed…”

“Are those people really scholars? Hmm, I don’t trust them at all. It’s not even a large research team. Does it make sense for just a former Academy Professor of Magical Studies and an Aether dynamics expert to be researching you?”

“Idiot! You’re a fairy, so you wouldn’t know, but they’re perfectly trustworthy! They’re incredibly smart.”

With Cheolkwon’s suspicious whispers behind my back, I continued to listen to the explanation.

“With this much flow, it should cause significant physical changes in the surroundings, but there are no traces left. The Aether concentration in the vicinity also remains constant. This is far from what we know as common sense. The magic power is disappearing somewhere.”

Suddenly, graphs surging upwards appeared on the screen.

“If we combine your testimony that the magic power regeneration speed has increased with the network observation results, the conclusion is obvious.”

In other words, it meant that we Violets unexpectedly gained an auxiliary battery-like source of magic power.

It meant that the speed of avatar production could be further increased.

“We can also increase our magic power usage during combat!”

“Wow!”

The Violets cheered at the unexpected outcome.

With the unforeseen result, some Violets began to put forward quite interesting suggestions.

“What if we catch another Fusion? Then we’ll have an additional auxiliary battery!”

“Since we already have a tank, how about finding and taming a fighter jet or battleship Fusion this time?”

Or, they could expand their thoughts in another direction.

“What if the tank fairies increased? That would mean more auxiliary batteries!”

“An old-fashioned reactor put out that much magic power, so what about a fusion reactor or a core reactor? We might be able to extract even more Aether!”

“Oh, right?”

Potentially, our magic power reserves already seemed to comfortably surpass the level of average awakened individuals, whether they were academy students or those acting as Yeagers.

There was only one being in this place who couldn’t empathize with our joy.

“I feel a bit tired for some reason… Am I an auxiliary battery?”

“Cheolkwon-ah, it’s okay! You’re our brigade’s proud supply depot!”

Watching Cheolkwon grumble after being demoted to a power plant overnight, we burst into giggles.

**

“Only taking action can change the world. I’ve made up my mind.”

Raihan’s clear, transparent eyes, as he sat in the living room ignoring work, gleamed.

“Contact the security department and call the Janitor Clans under the name of the shell company we set up earlier. Tell them it’s time to work. And… inform the Applied Research Department that the C-10 freezer’s hibernation release time is approaching.”

A direct confrontation is out of the question.

Laphlaxia currently lacked enough troops to move externally.

Following the exposure of human experimentation by those idiots named Ariel, the Federation had continuously carried out various schemes, using it as an excuse to corner Laphlaxia.

Capabilities were being depleted everywhere.

Above all, Laphlaxia, which had not yet escaped the Foundation’s influence, could not yet overpower the military strength of the other three major clans.

But there was a way.

“Chairman-nim, are you going to deploy those test subjects?”

“They may be called test subjects, but their clinical trials have already been completed. Let’s bring out the Hellmen. It’s a top-secret matter, so it will be difficult to find any connection to us.”

The chairman, as if struck by a brilliant idea, muttered like someone possessed, and began to devise a plan to protect science.

“And do you remember the Foundation’s board of directors whose names we listed last time? Contact them, ask to meet.”

“The Foundation, you mean? Chairman-nim, your brother… Secretary-General Pagan recently temporarily cut off internal communications with Laphlaxia. It seems our sabotage activities have been made known to them.”

Raihan snorted at his secretary’s concern.

“These are friends I was with before I left Luminexa. That’s not enough to sway the directors. The current Foundation is too conservative and stifling. What’s the point of just storing knowledge? We need to act based on it. If we put the Foundation’s forces at the forefront, we can avoid suspicion.”

The Foundation has academy students with unusual abilities and an elite unit that focuses on securing and sealing technology.

They don’t possess the destructive power of a mage vanguard or the resilience of a royal steel guard, but they excel above all others in discreet and intellectual work.

“Let’s send the Patent Decapitation Unit.”

The Luminexa Foundation’s elite unit, known by a bizarre moniker in the world, the Intellectual Property Sealing Enforcement Unit, was most suitable for what Raihan intended to do next.

“Not all of them, but if we mobilize the directors’ authority, we can deploy some units. We have a legitimate reason.”

The reason for deployment is simple: research on dangerous entities.

For a moment, he felt regret.

If he had seized Helios, he could have recruited all its human resources, modified them, and turned them into a combat-ready force for deployment.

After the Head of Policy Cooperation was killed by a truck, Rigel went missing, and his nephew took over his position, causing the acquisition process to halt.

Raihan was surprised to see himself becoming impatient for a moment. Dwelling on past events was unproductive.

The chairman thought that it might all be the fault of the Federation Army faction and Restraid.

At this crucial moment, which would bring progress to a new era and light to the world, the most backward individuals had gotten their hands on the treasure.

Humanity held the clue that might allow them to reach the pinnacle of evolution.

He couldn’t stand seeing incompetent individuals waste the best materials.

Such a restaurant had to be torn down.

‘That’s an insult to science.’

Moreover, he was the only one in this world who could properly and uniquely handle Eidos.

How wondrous and beautiful would the aspiring Yeager students be after receiving genetic implants from alien species?

Only he should research the dominant species of the otherworld.

Only Laphlaxia was prepared to take that risk.

Raihan’s brain cunningly sparked, pouring out ideas.

“While we’re at it, let’s find clans with many grievances against Restraid through a roundabout route and…”

To secretly plan something massive, many allies were needed.

Fortunately, the chairman had quite a few reliable collaborators.

“Contact the Navy’s secret channels. Tell them the support of the Naval Special Warfare Unit is essential. Persuasively appeal to them by asking if they intend to fall behind the Army.”

The secretary, who had been looking at the tablet and carrying out instructions, carefully turned his head.

An opaque mask gleamed ominously under the light.

“Chairman-nim, it might be wise to reconsider contact with the Navy. Recall the precedent of Colonel Kurt, who suffered a crushing defeat in the attack on Cascadia. The opponent is a massive clan.

In terms of individual combat power, the military’s awakened forces realistically fall short of the large clans’ Yeagers.”

“I’m aware of that. That’s why I’m suggesting we bring in the Air Force Ground Troops and the Strategic Army faction into this game.”

Raihan quickly issued a few additional instructions.

The secretary, who had been listening to the flood of instructions, asked with a doubtful look in his eyes.

“Chairman-nim, will the military accept our proposal?”

Raihan gave a sinister smile.

“They will have no choice but to accept. Inevitably!”

The military’s simplicity did not deviate from Raihan’s predictions.

“So those Army bastards were pulling such schemes with Restraid? Hey, gather the Special Warfare Unit personnel. Call in the Marines!”

“The Air Force agrees with the chairman’s proposal. What should we do?”

For the first time ever, the Air Force and Navy moved as one.

Behind all this commotion lay a single objective.

“Let’s show those sloppy Army bastards what’s what!”

A strange alliance, harboring different dreams, began to bud.

**

Joy is like a spring haze; it appears vaguely but quickly vanishes.

In contrast, unpleasant things tend to linger in one’s mind for a long time.

“Emergency! Emergency!”

Our excitement over the auxiliary battery’s expansion was short-lived; a few days later, we Violets received some upsetting news.

It was because that wicked ponytail had returned to the Central Region.

In a quiet cafe in the Central Region, as we entered escorting two researchers, the professor in the corner recognized us and quietly raised his hand.

“Professor-nim, it’s been a while… And Pereira-gun! How have you been? Are you feeling okay? How were the pieces of equipment sent from my research lab and company?”

The professor’s face strangely brightened upon seeing Uncle-nim. Uncle-nim scratched his head and replied.

“Ah, yes… I’m truly grateful for that…”

I thought he would be confined for a long time, but he was released earlier than expected.

“What, you said it was hard to get leave, but you came back so quickly.”

When I glared without hiding my displeasure, Bernike snorted and retorted.

“I’m not exactly happy to see you either. Besides, I can’t stay long. I came out on the pretext of a vacation, but I have no time to rest. I’m here to be updated on the research progress so far. It’s quite tricky for the facility to contact the outside. Communications security is thorough, you see. There are guards placed around me right now, discreetly. You must have felt them too, right?”

Bernike’s voice suddenly lowered when mentioning security.

I immediately understood what Bernike meant. We detected a series of movements circling Bernike.

A man in a suit glancing around while pretending to use his phone, a woman in plain clothes rolling her eyes behind sunglasses while drinking a beverage.

Judging by their armaments and behavior patterns, they weren’t as rigid as Restraid.

Seeing their awkward attempts to blend into the surroundings, they must be from the Federation.

“Is that why they called us to a place far from our home?”

As we expected, Bernike brought up the security issue first.

“Professor Albert-nim, unfortunately, those guys outside are clinging more than expected. I roughly brushed them off by saying I was meeting an acquaintance, but if we talk for too long, it will raise suspicion. It seems difficult to have a direct face-to-face conversation.”

“I understand. You’re dealing with important matters, and you’ve already experienced something unpleasant, haven’t you? They have every reason to be sensitive.”

In the end, the meeting concluded with a brief exchange of developments.

The remaining specific details would be communicated via a secure messenger.

Bernike, listening to the story of Uncle-nim being Violet-ized, subtly twisted her face.

“…So there were such side effects. I see deficiencies in the animal experiment management methods too, and it’s a pity I can’t fix them… Pereira-gun, you haven’t experienced a decline in cognitive and thinking abilities like that Violet, have you? If so, it would be a tragedy of the century! Haha, I’m just kidding. I know you look fine.”

“Wait, why are you saying that? I’m a genius! I’m super smart!”

“Genius? Humph, has the dictionary definition of ‘genius’ changed in the meantime?”

“I have proof, you know?”

Seeing her sneer, I immediately decided to refute.

Just by being briefly connected to our network, mice and dogs became martial arts masters, so if that’s not genius, then what is?

When I explained that case, Bernike’s expression changed.

“Oh, so there were such changes? That’s quite interesting. It’s a pity I can’t go see it myself.”

“Um… Professor-nim, unfortunately, the dog reverted to its original state. And all the mice died due to my mistake.”

Bernike clicked her tongue with a hint of regret and stood up.

“…Hmm, let’s discuss the details tonight. Goodbye, Pereira-gun…”

A few days later, new animals arrived at the Violet Research Lab.

“What, more mice? There are monkeys and crows too.”

“They’re a different breed from the mice used last time. They’re much smarter and healthier.”

Upon closer inspection, they were different from the palm-sized lab mice used before. Their bodies were also a bit larger.

What was even more noteworthy was that each of the animals had a white, hat-like object placed on its head.

“What is this? A welfare hat for animals?”

“It’s not a hat. It’s a trace of bio-chip implant surgery. Professor Bernike-nim reportedly set aside research she was conducting at the university and her own corporate research lab.”

According to the subsequent explanation, graduate students and former disciples had individually attached bio-chips adjusted to their purpose.

They had somehow made an excuse that it was for a corporate demonstration.

I felt sorry for the disciples who had suddenly performed so many surgeries at the wicked professor’s command.

“Bio-chip? What does it do?”

When I asked, Uncle-nim confidently replied as if he had been waiting.

“It’s an antenna!”

While pondering the meaning of the word “antenna,” a new experiment began.

The newly arrived mice, like other animals before them, were exposed to the Violet Network’s waves inside their cages.

The three mice repeatedly alternated between becoming intelligent and dull.

They would suddenly stand on two feet, or swing their front paws in the air like boxers.

They said it was a precisely calculated connection, so they wouldn’t die this time.

“What did Professor Albert-nim say about that process again?”

“He said it was similar to radio kidnapping by firing powerful high-output radio waves!”

In summary, those lab mice were inheriting our democratic spirit, and their minds were being democratized.

Suddenly, the mice, intelligent once more, sprang to their feet and stood on two legs.

And the change began.

“Wait, Uncle-nim, stop.”

Unlike a moment ago, the sewer rats gazed intently at me with trembling eyes. I instinctively raised my hand and waved it.

-Snap! Snap!

The mice, which had been sniffing with their noses and wagging their tails, suddenly turned to the left.

Like soldiers performing drill.

“Go forward! Go back!”

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Only then did I sense it.

A thin, faint strand of thread connected to our network.

Following the direction the thread came from, I traced it and found it originated from those three mice.

Small, dark, and blurry forms appeared in the network. The presence of these forms was immense.

I quickly realized what the three enormous forms reflected in my blurred vision were.

I looked back at Uncle-nim.

Professor Albert-nim nodded with a serious expression, and Uncle-nim grinned.

Only then did I realize the meaning of the word “antenna.”

“The mice…”

“They’re connected to the network!”

It was the historical moment the V-Mice were born.