episode_0374

The Violet Network was the domain of activity for over ten thousand Violets. This place was an independent space and a terminal, and at the same time, a channel where countless information intersected.

Its scale was so enormous that it couldn’t even be compared to the original network. This was because the network had expanded to its maximum possible load capacity. This was the fundamental reason why the sub-networks of V-animals and fusion bodies could operate within the upper network.

And inevitably, information and thoughts from tens of thousands of humans fiercely poured into this network, like rivers flowing downstream into the ocean. The sheer volume of raw information gushing out like a waterfall every moment was overwhelming. Unfiltered unconsciousness and fragments of information, scattered remnants, formed an overwhelming current that the sub-networks could not resist against the upper network.

Those who didn’t conform would be shattered by this pressure, and those who did would never be able to return. The little Violet trembled before this cruel dilemma.

‘I can’t let that happen! I’ve held onto a sliver of possibility and traveled back in time!’

Barely having hidden her identity and erased her memories to escape, Violet struggled in pain as if her entire body was being crushed by a press. In this world of abstraction and information, only outsiders failed to adapt to the pressure. It was no different from a human being thrown defenselessly into the domain of deep-sea fish.

The fact that she was once a Violet was at least a small comfort, allowing her to endure in this situation. Any other being would have instantly suffered mental collapse or had their form crushed.

“When… when did it grow this much…”

Suffering from the intangible pressure, Violet barely managed to weave through alleyways, hiding herself. There were too many. Everywhere teemed with duplicates. Moreover, the network’s interior was in extreme chaos, as if some massive operation was underway. Noise that vibrated the space itself, explosions and dust spreading everywhere. In the solitude and despair she tasted for the first time, the little girl desperately hid herself.

‘It wasn’t even this bad when I was being chased by that inspector and the Four Great Clans…’

Yes, back then, it was even enjoyable. Because all she had to do was cut down anyone and torment them. Being on the receiving end was not to the little Violet’s liking.

What if she were to be destroyed? The network would undoubtedly greedily absorb her memories and experiences and distribute them. Such a humiliating end was more terrifying than death itself.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

She had somehow reached her limit. She had barely managed to hide her identity, but at this rate, she would be shattered into pieces before she was even discovered. The little Violet desperately sought a way out. Then, she suddenly encountered a wisp of black smoke swirling like a heat haze before her eyes. It was a fragment of the Apostle’s memory.

“That’s…”

Instinctively, the little Violet reached out, like a drowning person grasping at a rope just before succumbing. In that instant, her body and mind, which were about to split apart, returned to their original state. The little Violet let out a sigh of relief.

“Ha! Did I succeed? That stupid fake, dropping something like this… What is its true nature?”

Her recovered stability was short-lived as Violet’s curiosity piqued. What on earth was happening outside that such strange magical fluctuations were wandering through the network? With clear, blood-red eyes, the little one laboriously sifted through the dense memories of ten thousand individuals. Just as she was floundering in the overwhelming density of information, an unexpected keyword pierced her consciousness.

“Apostle…? Wait a minute…”

The moment she was about to realize something, the little Violet’s consciousness began to waver indistinctly.

“…!”

A sudden tremor struck the entire network.

Boom!

The little Violet lost consciousness and was sucked into a distant abyss.

**

We Violets instinctively dismantled and reconfigured the network. We didn’t know the principles, but that wasn’t important. Whenever I had an intuition that this was what should be done, I could materialize my thoughts as if molding clay.

“How amazing, that we can make this!”

Throughout the vast network, buildings with dish antennas of all sizes, created by our instincts, sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

“This is a network signal accumulator!”

“A signal accumulator!”

Each signal device only worked if the Violets stationed there adjusted it directly. The antennas guided the flow of information drifting within the network more smoothly, capturing valuable data that might otherwise fleetingly pass by.

“Information is floating in the network’s air! This is all our precious training and experience gone to waste.”

“Kyaak! What a waste!”

If time was gold, then gold had been floating freely like air in our network all this time. The amount per unit density was negligible, but when accumulated, it became substantial. And every time I collected that information, I could distinctly feel it. An unknown power surged within me.

“Is it swordsmanship? Or magic?”

“No! It feels more fundamental than that!”

However, the true purpose of the signal devices was separate. It was to scan the entire form of the network. If we understood the overall structure, we would also gain a broader perspective on our Violet’s human blueprint hidden somewhere in the network.

“It doesn’t matter if our hypothesis is wrong! We’ll still get a better grasp of the network’s structure than we have now!”

I didn’t know exactly what would happen if the network improved. But perhaps we could gain something entirely different from what we had been cultivating outside until now. This was a conclusion our collective intelligence had instinctively reached.

“And we need to clean up some of the messy and unproductive structures too.”

From now on, the Violet Network would evolve into an even more advanced structure through industrialization. Already, new roads were laid throughout the city, and multi-purpose conveyor belts and industrial structures towered upwards. I didn’t know their exact purpose. It was just a matter of utilizing them appropriately when needed.

Before long, construction entered its final stages. When I looked up, the sky had long since been enveloped in darkness. I didn’t know when so much time had passed. Within the network, it felt as if an eternity had passed.

“We haven’t spent that much time! About a day?”

Time within the Violet Network passed faster than expected. Now that the foundational work was complete, it was finally time to begin the full network scan.

Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.

“First scan, prepare!”

The antennas of the signal devices installed throughout the vast network simultaneously unfurled towards the sky. At that moment, the world of the network was once again dyed a pitch-black night. The stars in the night sky emitted intense light, then slowly complex lines were drawn out and extended in all directions. Towards the ground, towards the network’s boundaries.

Instantly, all the Violets waiting in the Red Zone collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“I’m dizzy!”

“My head is throbbing! It’s hot!”

In the chaos, we barely managed to hold onto our minds, which were about to scatter. The network was already wracked with violent vibrations. The vast nightscape of the Violet Network now precariously alternated between darkness and light, like a sky-wide light show repeatedly flickering on and off.

Flash!

The antennas of the signal devices spun and danced as if crazed. Words scattered and waves of information surged wildly as if in a frenzy. In that moment when everything spun around, seemingly within reach yet eluding grasp, an unexpected anomaly occurred.

Sizzle!

The stored memory clusters of the Apostle surged upwards, emitting black smoke. The stars in the night sky, shining with yellow and white light, and the building lights transformed into indescribably strange colors within the smoke.

“Ugh! That’s right! I didn’t think about the after-effects!”

“Agh!”

Some of the clones couldn’t withstand the intense heat that felt like their brains were burning, and collapsed, bleeding from their eyes and noses. The network was unconsciously consuming an enormous amount of computational power during the self-scanning process.

“Ughhh…”

“D-dying!”

The Violets who were adjusting the signal devices also lost consciousness one by one. Even the animals were caught in the network’s violent upheaval, fainting or stumbling, vividly visible to the eyes of reality.

“Is it a failure like this!”

“No! Keep it running!”

From the sky, a rain of light now poured down. The signal devices located throughout the network were drenched in the pouring rain of light. Countless lines of light, covering neither sky nor ground, were etched in geometric patterns. Like a colossal circuit. And all that information was stabbed into our, into my mind, like sharp needles.

It hurts!

“Kyaaaah!”

Everything stopped in an instant. Among us, who were in confusion, Number 2501 was the first to regain composure.

“Everyone! Look over there!”

Countless conveyor belts extending from the signal device building slowly began to move. Small, puzzle-piece-like objects poured onto the belts and flowed in one direction. That direction, guided by a strange sensation as if I was myself yet not myself. All the conveyor belts pointed to a single spot. That small space where countless lights pouring from the sky gathered like threads.

Upon entering, there was a loom. I was puzzled by the suddenly appearing weaving machine, but there was clearly a handle attached to it.

“Is this it?”

Instinct whispered to me. To turn it. I followed.

Clatter! Clatter!

The pieces flowing from the conveyor belts were sucked into the loom and then shattered with a crunching sound. From above, threads of light intertwined, weaving into one. Each time the handle turned, the machine clattered and spat out fabric.

Before long, a thin, rectangular object silently dropped to the floor. Several large, thin sheets of fabric, imprinted with our forms.

Only then did I realize.

“It’s a blueprint!”

How should I use it? I didn’t know the answer, yet I also knew it. Like entering a familiar front door password, Number 1 stepped forward before the other Violets and picked up a blueprint.

With intent, she recited a single word.

–

The blueprint shone brightly and scattered. We waited, holding our breath.

Ten seconds, sixty seconds, one minute. Two minutes.

In reality, nothing changed.

**

“Eh… nothing happened…”

Number 10151, scratching her head, suddenly found the world to be unusually large.

“Huh?”

Soon, the other Violets also grasped the problem.

“Gah! Number 10151! You!”

I was startled by the mirror suddenly held out to me. What was reflected in the mirror was a Violet, yet not a Violet. A tiny, young Violet stood there.

“Kyaah! I shrunk!”

The little Violet’s scream rang out. Seeing me suddenly transformed, the other Violets also screamed.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Ugh! A person!”

“It changed!”

Startled, I asked myself. I couldn’t help but ask.

“Hey! Who are you!”

At Number 3421’s words, the small me protested.

“I’m Number 10151! A Violet!”

“Then why are you so small?”

Number 10151, with a bewildered expression, muttered in a small, somewhat wronged voice.

“But I am a Violet…”

As the dejected Number 10151 took a step closer, the remaining Violets instinctively took a step back. Perhaps due to being overly tense, Number 3421 hastily retreated from the now-tiny Violet.

And then, the world began to move sluggishly, like sticky jelly.

“Huh?”

I floundered in a vision filled with afterimages. At this strange time difference, which we had never experienced, the collective intelligence could only scratch its head in bewilderment. An indescribable, strange light momentarily flashed across our vision.

“Why is it so slow?”

“I’m t-too fast-”

Number 3421 was propelled backward at supersonic speed in mid-air, as if a blur photo had been taken. Behind her was a rock.

“-Eek!”

Crash!

Unexpected acceleration, I collided with the rock. Startled, I looked at this suspicious other me with suspicion.

“No way?”

“You! What are you doing!”

The little Violet’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Sniff… It’s not me…”

Something we hadn’t predicted was happening.