episode_0024

Three hours into exploring the forest, we had already found another crystal flower.

“Number 2, Number 4! We did it!”

“Our magic power has already increased this much. Let’s find one or two more and then return!”

Thrilled by the unexpected results, the Violets eagerly pressed deeper into the forest.

“One! Two! One! Two!”

As we chanted the marching calls, our arms and legs moved in sync. We are beautiful girls easily able to maintain formation because we are all connected as one.

The exploration wasn’t always smooth sailing. This forest was clearly a monster habitat. We experienced several monster attacks.

“Roar!”

“It’s a Skullkit! Attack!”

A Skullkit charged out from the bushes. We drew our weapons.

“This much is a piece of cake!”

We had hunted these creatures to boredom ever since our time at the laboratory. While Number 3 acted as bait, Number 6 and Number 5 quickly pinned it down, and Number 1 struck the back of its head.

-Clang!

[By attacking from the rear, Sympathetic Aptitude: Rear Critical Wound has activated. Damage is increased!]

“Groan!”

It fell in one hit.

“We did it!”

“Alright, let’s not get too excited just because we caught one or two. Other monsters live here too.”

“Don’t worry. There are many of us, aren’t there?”

I crossed my arms and retorted to myself.

As we pushed through the trees with light steps, as if on a picnic, a rustling sound came from the bushes. Number 6, who was in the lead, stopped.

“Stop!”

“Prepare for combat!”

We raised our weapons and took defensive stances. The source of the noise was immediately revealed.

“Groan…”

“It’s another Skullkit.”

“Looks like it’s injured?”

We saw a Skullkit limping and whimpering. We gripped our hammers and daggers tightly and cautiously approached it.

Suddenly, a human-sized black figure dropped from the sky.

-Thud!

“Feline roar!”

“Groan!”

It was a monster with an appearance that blended cat and human. It pounced from above and tore out the Skullkit’s throat with its sharp claws.

“Wh-what is that!”

“It’s a Felynut!”

We had never fought one directly, but I had seen it fighting other test subjects in the lab. Its name was Felynut. It was a nimble and ferocious low-level monster, about the height of an adult male.

“Feline growl…”

It examined the dead Skullkit’s body, then plunged its snout in and began to eat.

We recoiled in surprise at its sudden appearance, but Number 5 accidentally stepped on a branch behind us. With a snap as the branch broke, the creature’s ears twitched, and it irritably turned its head.

“Hissing growl…!”

The Felynut, its meal disturbed, scowled in anger. But there was something even more important than that…!

“Ugh..! It’s ugly!”

If Director del Toro had maliciously adapted the musical into a film, would it have looked like this? It was the kind of face that would appear if you mixed a human and a cat, then dropped it to the bottom of a grotesque valley, distorting its features.

It was the nightmare of all furries, the Boogeyman Cat Mom herself, bursting out of the closet to punish naughty children!

“Alright! First strike wins!”

Number 1 bravely charged with an alloy hammer. The fiercely swung hammer soon struck the Felynut’s grotesque half-human, half-cat face and…

-Clang!

“Feline roar!”

“Ugh!”

The Felynut swung its front paw, deflecting Number 1’s hammer. But this was all part of the plan. While Number 1 threw herself to the side, Number 5, who followed closely, immediately thrust her dagger towards its chest.

Thrusting with her full weight!

“Gaa-ack!”

“Did it work?”

There was a problem. The knife only partially pierced its chest. It was a tough, resilient sensation, similar to when we stabbed the Ogre Team Leader in the lab.

“What…! Why isn’t it going in!”

And the Felynut, enraged by pain, swung its front paw.

The next moment, I was flying through the air. I spun around in mid-air. My mask came off. My hat fell.

But why was my torso over there…?

“Huh? I’m flying… wait?”

“Screech! Number 5! Your… head!”

“Agh! What is this during class!”

Number 5 was decapitated by the Felynut’s attack.

Seeing that sight, all the Violets, one after another, were horrified.

“Aaaargh! Number 5 is dead! Run!”

“Calm down!”

Number 6, who had circled behind, swung a wrench at its head.

“Take that!”

“Clang!”

[By attacking from the rear, Sympathetic Aptitude: Rear Critical Wound has activated. Damage is increased!]

“Feline roar!”

A loud metallic clang sounded, and the Felynut lowered its head. However, it had only taken a light hit. It immediately unleashed an enraged blow.

Terrible pain struck my chest.

“Aaaargh!”

“Aaargh! It hurts!!”

“Aaaargh!”

“Screech!”

As it pierced Number 6’s heart with its claws, we screamed and fled. We stumbled away, clutching our chests.

“Number 6 is dead too! Really, run!”

“Aaaargh! Get out of here!”

But the Felynut’s running speed was faster than ours. Number 3 was caught by it.

“Feline roar!”

“Gasp…”

Under its claws, Number 3 also fell, bleeding. Only Number 1 managed to escape the forest safely.

“Waaah…”

Number 1 sobbed from pain and sorrow as she headed to the dormitory. Number 4, who had stumbled out, helped Number 1 up.

“Ugh…”

At the same time, Number 2 and Number 7, who had rushed out of the classroom and library, managed to compose themselves from the pain in the bathroom and stood up.

Our adventure abruptly failed.

***

The next morning, we scouted the forest again. This time, based on the magic power we obtained yesterday, we created new recruits, Number 8 and Number 9.

“Since there are more of us, we’ll be able to win even if we encounter a Felynut this time!”

“Charge forward!”

“Feline growl!”

And then, three more were torn apart by another Felynut attack. The Violets ran away as fast as they could.

“Gasp!”

“The knife won’t pierce it! The hammer won’t either!”

After recovering our magic power, we re-entered a few hours later.

“Hissing growl! Hissing…!”

“This thing! It’s toying with us!”

This time, a different Felynut from the previous one attacked us. It seemed the crystal flowers were located in Felynut habitats.

“Ugh!”

This time, we retreated at the cost of four lives.

During lunch break, we hastily held an impromptu Violet meeting. My head buzzed noisily.

“What exactly is the problem?”

“Did you see Number 3 stab it? Even with the Rear Critical Wound applied, the knife only halfway went in!”

“What if multiple people piled on it and just hacked at it?”

“Number 5, what happened when we tried that earlier? It just shrugged its arm once, and we all flew away! Our strength is just that of ordinary girls.”

I suddenly remembered our time in the lab.

“It’s strange! The Ogre guard we faced in the lab was incomparably stronger than these low-level monsters. Yet, we managed to pierce its back of the head with just a screwdriver and a dagger.”

“That’s obvious. We killed it, but Kalia delivered the finishing blow, didn’t she? Perhaps that weakened its body enhancement or Aetheric Defense?”

Ah, I had forgotten. The obvious fact that monsters in this world are fundamentally covered in Aetheric Defense on their skin.

The Skullkits and mutated animals I’d killed in the lab were weak creatures with no Aetheric Defense, but even at the next tier, like a Felynut, an unawakened person without magic power would struggle to win bare-handed without firearms.

“So, the weapons are the problem. Let’s get some knives! This school must have practice swords or spears too.”

“That’s a good idea! Let’s arm ourselves with those and smash those cats. And secure all the crystal flowers!”

Some of the Violets raised their voices in agreement. Hearing that, Number 8 began to vehemently object.

“What? You want to fight hand-to-hand? Nooooo! I don’t want to get my leg cut off again!!”

Number 8 had all her limbs, except for one arm, cut off by a Felynut during the morning’s exploration.

“I agree too! Who else here has had their head fly off besides me? More importantly, we don’t know how to use sword aura!”

Number 5, who had been quiet in a corner of the mental council, also joined in.

“Ultimately, the fundamental problem hasn’t been solved. Don’t forget the rule that if you strike with a weapon not imbued with Aether, the impact is absorbed or nullified! And we don’t even know how to use body enhancement.”

Number 2 rationally countered.

She was right. To break through the Aetheric Defense of monsters or awakened individuals with pure physical force, one had to exert far more power than imagined.

“This is crazy. Weren’t we planning to go to a dungeon outside the school this weekend…?”

“If we’re struggling this much against just one Felynut, it’ll be 100% annihilation in a beginner dungeon. No way.”

Then, a new idea emerged.

“Crossbows! Bows! Or let’s get guns! Aren’t there students at this school who use guns as weapons?”

“We don’t have money. And hunting monsters requires special ammunition, which would be expensive too.”

“Hey! Do you know how to imbue arrows with sword aura?”

“Ah…”

In the end, the meeting, which had been going on while we ate, circled back to the same point and was suspended.

“Number 7, want to just eat some ice cream?”

“Yeah… okay…”

Number 7, who was in charge of attendance, went to the convenience store and bought vanilla ice cream.

“Mmm… delicious…”

“Vanilla! Good!”

“It would be nice if we could all come out together sometime and each eat a different flavor of ice cream…”

We all savored the ice cream together. Vanilla ice cream, when your head feels stuffy, is truly the best.

“In the end, we couldn’t find a solution…”

After eating the ice cream, the only answer left was “there is no answer.”

Ultimately, the crystal flower search was halted until a clear solution could be found. If we coldly assessed ourselves, our level couldn’t even clear a beginner dungeon.

“Wasn’t this afternoon’s class about weapon techniques? We might find a solution there. It seemed to teach how to imbue sword aura or body enhancement techniques.”

Number 6, who was rummaging through the guide in the dormitory, sent an answer to Number 7.

Number 7 shook her head.

“Well, do you remember those professors and instructors we met? They were all quacks, or salary thieves, or they just spouted nonsense instead of teaching what they were supposed to.”

“That’s true. Still, it’s a chance to get the swords and daggers we don’t have.”

The title of the last orientation lecture this afternoon was:

.

Reading the lecture plan, it said we’d have sparring sessions with practice weapons provided in the gym, and learn various weapon techniques.

Most importantly, it seemed to teach sword aura and body enhancement techniques, which we needed.

“Sparring, huh? If this were a different school, I’d be excited. But…”

“Don’t expect much from the class content! Our goal is to secretly snatch weapons from there using Item Movement, isn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

If this were any other normal academy, we would have barely managed to calm our racing hearts. But given the state of Polaris Academy, it was clear we’d meet another strange person.

What kind of bizarre individual would we meet this time?

I opened the gym door, which was accessible from the classroom, and walked in. Was it because class was 30 minutes away? It was empty.

I looked around, thinking I was alone, but then I sensed a presence.

A man sat in the shadows beyond the afternoon sunlight streaming through the gym windows.

“…Are you a student?”

The man turned from his chair and stood up. Staring at him, I momentarily caught my breath.

The presence I felt was different. It was different!

He was the owner of hair that had turned white as if bleached by hardship.

He wore a plain short-sleeved white shirt and black pants. At a glance, anyone would think he was just an ordinary neighborhood uncle.

However, with just a little time, anyone would realize that this person was an old, mighty tree, carved into his skin by the brushstrokes of struggle.

The middle-aged man’s face, as he looked at me, was etched with scars of various sizes, one of them running across his left eye down to his lower jaw. Perhaps because of this impression, the weight of life seemed to hang in his wrinkles.

Beneath his ordinary attire, a firm presence was hidden, not exaggeratedly puffed up, but solid.

What was most striking was the large, grey metallic prosthetic arm that replaced his left. Inside the several translucent tubes embedded in the prosthetic, the shimmering flow of Aether was visible.

What kind of person is he?

As I momentarily recoiled from his presence, he walked towards me.

‘Wh-what is it!’

His cold, grey gaze swept over me once.

He’s coming. What is it?

“Have you ever seen such impudence…!”

-Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, the metal prosthetic arm struck my head with a thwack. It hurts!

“You saw your instructor, as high as the sky, and you don’t greet him? Tsk, tsk… What’s wrong with kids these days…”

“Ugh…!”

The instructor crossed his arms and vehemently scolded me.

“What ‘Ugh!’? Hey! What’s your name? Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

“Violet! I’m Violet Ruzilin!”

“Pathetic…”

As I stammered my reply, the instructor finally seemed satisfied, grumbling as he returned to his seat.

“What…! Is that person?”

“He’s strange…”

“My head hurts…”

I must have been mistaken. He was just an old fuddy-duddy instructor!