episode_0005

One morning, after being crushed by an air conditioner outdoor unit and waking up in a hospital room, I found myself transformed into a blonde-haired, red-eyed beautiful girl (a pure maiden).

Because of this, there was a minor issue of my identity and qualifications being reset, but it was fine now.

That’s because I had become the supernova of the internet streaming world!

“Ta-da! Violet is here! Everyone, Vi-hi~!”

└Vi-hi~ └Vi-hi! └Hi └She’s here!! Violet-chan!! └Good evening~ └Hola!

I went live with a bare face. The results were encouraging! With my cute, beautiful girl looks and genius content creation abilities, I quickly gained 10 billion viewers, beloved by people worldwide..!

“Today’s content is ★breathing slowly☆! Watch closely~!”

Very slowly, cautiously, I simply inhaled and exhaled. Immediately, the chat window exploded with a chain reaction of messages.

└Crazy?? Is this for real??? Is that possible?? └WTFWTFWTF └No, how can she breathe slowly?? She’s not human!! └OMG She’s breathing!!!!! └OMG └I can’t believe my eyes!!!!!! └LOL └Violet-chan is the best!

This genius content was Violet’s exclusive possession! That’s how I came to rule the world…!

-CRASH!

“Ah!”

“Hey, that’s enough.”

Suddenly, ninjas in white gowns burst in, smashing through the ceiling!

“Hey, girl! We are the Science Ninja Squad, and we’ve come for your brain.”

“Eek! Why ninjas!?”

The evil ninjas rushed at me, subdued my limbs, and opened my skull with a ninja-saw!

“Aaaah!”

And then, as if cutting a slice of cake, they took only my frontal lobe and fled!

“Waaah! My brain! Nooo!”

As I sat there, my skull open, wailing, an old man in green clothes and a mask suddenly appeared.

“Girl, why are you crying?”

“Sob… The mean ninjas took my brain and spine… Waaah…”

The old man looked at me pitifully, then pulled out a squishy, purple mass from his pocket.

“Oh dear… tsk tsk, I’ll give a good girl a new frontal lobe instead!”

The old man inserted it into my head. Wow. I have a new brain! Hooray!

But then someone stabbed me in the neck.

-STAB!

“Ah! Who is it!”

I turned my head a r o u n d

**

“Ugh… home… bed… Where am I?”

My eyes snapped open. Why was I lying here? Everything that had happened just moments ago was nothing but a bizarre dream. I felt as if I had lost something precious.

As I sat up, I saw injured people lying on mats on either side of me, groaning.

Several researchers moved around, inserting pistol-like syringes with medicine bottles attached into people’s necks. As the red liquid was injected with a popping sound, the wounds on people’s bodies vanished.

“Now that I think about it… Hmm…”

Only then did I recall what had happened just minutes ago. I had fought and won against the Skullkit three times in a row. The clone shield strategy had been effective.

‘The only drawback is that the side effects are too severe.’

In the first fight, I used my arm as a decoy; in the second, my leg; and in the third, my head. The problem was that my clones and I shared senses. In other words, if a clone was injured, I felt the pain too.

In the end, after the last battle, I was in so much pain that I screamed like a crazy cat, rolling on the floor until my vision went dark.

‘My arms, legs, and head are fine, right? It definitely hurt…’

Now that I thought about it, the beasts other people had fought in the testing arena were weakened.

Even the Skullkit I killed had its teeth pulled or broken, and its claws were dulled or crushed. In addition, it was presumed that the research facility had intentionally adjusted the difficulty.

Even so, I had to fight desperately.

Once the created clones disappeared, the physical pain subsided. However, the horrifying sensation of my body being cut and my limbs being torn off was still vividly imprinted in my memory. It wouldn’t fade.

At the very end, certainly, one side of my head…

No, no. Let’s think about something else. Something productive, like what exactly my ability is.

‘But how exactly did the witch Violet in the game fight?’

In the boss battle, Violet pressured the player with the sheer number of clones that kept appearing no matter how many times they were killed.

However, there was no description of her feeling pain or screaming when her clones were destroyed, unlike me now. If that weren’t the case, the protagonist would have quickly subdued her without unnecessary sacrifices or rage awakening events.

‘It seems it’s because my level is low.’

That’s probably the most rational reason I can think of right now.

Just looking at my status window, my level is 2, and my unique ability, clone technique, is only level 1. The Crimson Scholar’s skill level goes up to a maximum of 10.

At the very least, if I can raise my skill level by two or three, I might figure something out.

But it’s hard. It’s good that my level increased by defeating the Skullkit, and I luckily acquired a Synchronization Affinity skill. But fighting beasts three times in a row has exhausted me physically and mentally.

I lay back down, closed my eyes, and pretended to be unconscious. They’d probably make me do something annoying, so I should just stay still for now. It was the wisdom of social life, honed in the office.

As I lay still, familiar voices reached my ears.

“…Certainly, 10-6-8’s will to fight is excellent. Her attitude of confronting the beast she met for the first time, instead of fleeing, sets her apart from her peers. Eva. What do you think? Is it the influence of her upbringing?”

“Louis, you’re asking the obvious. Statistics alone show that the aggression and combat will of test subjects from slums or refugee backgrounds demonstrate significant differences when compared to other control groups. However, her method is excessively crude.”

Footsteps drew closer.

“Well, even if it’s not real, shoving one’s limbs directly into a monster’s maw and stabbing it from behind with a knife—I’ve never seen such an idea before. Perhaps it’s a calculated action. Her usual behavior seems foolish, but sometimes, what she shows…”

“No, she *is* an idiot. Why would she do such a thing when the main body feels pain? Just look at how 10-6-8 treats you and me. It seems some variable during the Sigma-6 surgery negatively affected her brain. That’s why emotional suppression procedure item 12, when used on test subjects, works miraculously well on her.”

The footsteps stopped.

“Anyway, since the clone’s pain is fully transmitted to the main body, it would be difficult to use for combat. Also, when conducting the emotional suppression procedure, can’t you remove your personal feelings a bit? You, at times, repeat unnecessary contact and remarks when dealing with 10-6-8. I respect your preferences in that regard, but you should adhere to the procedure…”

“Hey, I haven’t done anything sinister to the test subject like other employees, so why are you trying to portray me strangely? This is all part of the attachment formation process, anyway… Huh, she’s still asleep. Hasn’t she had her recovery shot?”

“She got it earlier, I saw. I’ll wake her.”

Someone tapped my cheek.

“Hey, are you sleeping? Asleep? Not getting up?”

I’m still unconscious. Just a little more lying down, please. Leave me alone.

-ZAP!

“Screech!”

I sprang up as if a spring had been released. The slicked-back-haired person was glaring at me like an enraged battalion commander who had discovered a senior sergeant slacking off and hiding from training. Of course, the ponytail-haired person was also next to them.

“No! Violet can sleep for a bit if she’s tired, isn’t that too much! There, there, Violet! Unnie will hug you… Did it hurt earlier?”

The comfortable time was short-lived; it was time to be unhappy again…

I was led by the researcher towards the elevator. The sounds of screams and fighting faded into the distance.

A short while later, I returned to the research lab floor where the dormitory was. Ponytail and Slicked-back-hair left me, telling me to wait in a spacious area that seemed like a lounge, where researchers and guards came and went. I crouched against the wall.

Now that I looked, other people besides me were sitting in a line against the wall. They appeared to be teenagers.

Taking advantage of the guards and researchers not paying attention, I tried talking to the kid next to me. The kid looked at me, then shook their head with a hum, and turned away from me.

I tried to make contact with the other kids too, but they didn’t respond.

All the teenage test subjects here were like this.

Once, when I had a chance, I tried talking to a girl, but she refused to converse, saying, “The Doctor-nim told me not to talk to other people…”

After waiting for a long time, my body felt stiff, so I stretched. I felt a strange gaze. A pig-like researcher was staring at me. His gaze passed my neck, down to the heavy mass below my shoulders…

Damn it.

I had experienced it many times, was experiencing it now, and would experience it in the future, but this situation… Haa, I just couldn’t get used to it.

For reference, the lab guys only gave me a patient gown and one pair of underwear. And while the patient gown was loose, there were parts where the volume and density of fat were high.

In times like these, a beautiful girl’s blessed appearance only attracts sordid things, like ants to sugar water. I clung to my seething insides and desperately looked away.

-RUMBLE

My stomach rumbled. It seemed to be lunch time. My mood darkened, and I wanted to eat something delicious. But they’d probably just give me that pseudo-baby food again.

From one side, a greasy smell wafted over. This was the smell of happiness, the smell of hope.

Sniffing and following the direction of the smell, I saw that cunning pig taking something out of a paper bag, spreading it on the table, and devouring it.

‘It’s a hamburger! And a combo meal at that!!’

French fries, cola, and even a cheeseburger…! Wow, it looks delicious!

I had lived on nothing but powdered milk for all three meals a day. Outside food? In this place, harsher than the military, I had never even eaten a single piece of candy.

I heard the sound of swallowing next to me. The kids next to me must have felt the same way. We all dazedly watched the pig’s hamburger mukbang, when he looked at me and beckoned.

“Hey there, kid, come over here.”

I unconsciously stood up and approached him. Was this how the children felt when they were led away by the Pied Piper of Hamelin?

“Here, kid. You want to eat this, don’t you?”

He pulled out something long, yellow, and greasy. It was a french fry!

“Yes, I want to eat it…”

I honestly revealed all my feelings. The pig, hearing my answer, grinned slyly.

“Oh? Really? Then… you, want to be my secret friend?”

What? What did this damn girl-lover just say? I suppressed my disgust and forced myself to act like an innocent girl.

“Huh…? Uh… I’m not sure…”

“Ah… Really? Too bad then. In that case, I can’t give it to you. My apologies…”

The pig pretended to be disappointed and tried to put the french fry away.

The french fry was moving away. Disappearing! Ah, wait, wait. Let’s negotiate.

Oh, forget it. I really want some outside food! To hell with my pride, I don’t care anymore. Gathering all the acting ability I didn’t have, I played the part of a pitiful girl, looking at him woefully.

“No…! On second thought, I think I can be friends for a little while. Please give me the french fryyys…!”

“Oh? Really? You really want to eat this?”

“…Yes! Please give it to me…!”

Now, only the french fry was visible in my sight. That glittering grease! That bright yellow aroma! He chuckled and tossed the french fry. It landed on the floor nearby. Hmm, half a success.

Oh, what a waste. I quickly crawled and picked up the french fry from the floor.

I felt it, this familiar texture. The grease slipping between my index finger and thumb, the lukewarm temperature, the slight softness from being a bit soggy, yet still maintaining its crispness.

The coarse salt grains rolled between my fingerprints. Ahh, now I just needed to put it in my mouth.

Even in a place like this valley of death, I could hear the choir of angels!

“Violet, things on the floor are dirty, so you shouldn’t eat them~”

And someone snatched the french fry.

“Huh?”

I lifted my head to see the Ponytail researcher smiling brightly.

Wait a minute?

That bitch snatched my french fry!