episode_0030

From the next morning, we moved diligently.

As I woke up in the dormitory early in the morning, I also woke up in a shabby motel far away in the southwestern region.

“-It seems good that if one wakes up, the other also wakes up easily.” “-It’s strange, though, that when one sleeps, the others can move separately.”

Living as clones who share each other’s emotions and senses is a strange sensation I hadn’t felt before the possession. Having multiple clones scattered and moving in all directions was similar to moving troops in a strategy simulation.

But each of those troops is ‘me.’ The existence of ‘me’ is perceived moving scattered across distances ranging from hundreds of meters to hundreds of kilometers. Even now that I’ve become accustomed to using the ability, it still feels alien.

“I’m leaving!” “You have a good trip too!”

While Dorm Unit 10 departed for the Novastia Mines, Unit 11 separated and took a high-speed train to the Central District. The target was the Brotherhood office on the outskirts of the Central District where Kalia lives.

“-What are you going to do there? Should we run a dungeon? Or take a quest?” “-Just work a part-time job at a convenience store. Gate-related quests or dungeon raids in the Central District are beyond our current level.” “-Don’t forget you’re a spare life and a teleport marker!”

As long as proper calories are continuously supplied, clones can be maintained unless they suffer fatal injuries. And a clone can continuously create other clones as long as magic power permits.

Taking note of this point, we decided to spread ourselves widely throughout the Academy City.

“-Don’t forget to make one clone whenever you have the spare energy!”

I plan to ask Kalia and the Brotherhood members to rent an empty warehouse nearby to create a Violet barracks. The Violets gathered there would be deployed into dungeons or scatter one by one again to form individual bases.

“Ugh, some people just eat and play, or stare blankly in the classroom, while I’m doing manual labor…” Unit 10 grumbled as it returned to the dungeon from yesterday.

“-Don’t worry! You confirmed your unique ability grew last night, didn’t you? We’ll switch consciousness at the right time.” The other Violets comforted Unit 10.

On yesterday’s journey to obtain the inventory, we experienced countless battles. Perhaps thanks to continuously using the clone ability during that process, the level of clone magic increased. And a new ability that hadn’t existed before appeared.

—————————————————- [Fluid – Consciousness/Self-Linked Clone Magic Lv2] └ Bilateral consciousness transfer between each clone body is now possible. └ Pain and other sensations felt by one clone body can be selectively dispersed to other clones to dull them. The degree of sensation dulling is proportional to the number of clones. └ Sensation Dispersion Rate: Can be dispersed by 2~5% per individual, depending on the number of clones. * It is not possible to further divide sensations already dispersed from one body. —————————————————-

One was the transfer of consciousness between clones. This could be tried out immediately. But the other one wasn’t easily understood.

“Sensation dispersion? That’s an ability we already have.” “But the word ‘dulling’ is attached. Doesn’t that mean pain is reduced relative to our number?”

It needed to be tested.

If there was one fatal problem with my clones, it was that we all felt pain identically. Even when fighting with synchronized movements, if one suffered a severe injury, the coordination of the clones would quickly break down.

“-Let’s clarify one thing before class starts. What do we do if it hurts?” “-Just sit in the back row and go to the restroom if it gets too hard. Anyway, there’s no reason to focus on most of the classes.”

Unit 7 began attending the first morning class.

“The mechanism by which Aether acts on living cells is… quite complex… so nothing is yet known about it…” While the tedious lecture continued, the rest passed through yesterday’s checkpoint and entered the Novastia Dungeon. We once again confronted a horde of magic beasts to test the new ability.

“Charge! Charge!” “…Alright! I’m going in!”

Unit 4 spread its arms and leaped into the horde of Scraks. Immediately, a Scrak’s spearhead pierced Unit 4’s abdomen.

“Hiiyaak!” A scorching pain swept over all of us, regardless of distance. We activated the ability, praying it would get at least a little better.

[The pain felt by the individual is dispersed and dulled per clone unit – Dulling Rate: 5%]

“Guh… huh? It feels a bit better than before!” Unit 4, bewildered, picked up its weapon. Surprisingly, the pain Unit 4 felt had significantly decreased.

The burning pain had reduced to the level of someone strongly pressing on its stomach. Freed from the pain, Unit 4 picked up a hammer and smashed the Scrak’s head.

After the battle ended, Unit 4 unhesitatingly grabbed the spear lodged in its abdomen with both hands and pulled it out.

“It hurts less now! Ugh… everything’s going black…” “Why would you pull it out like that?! You’re bleeding too much. Let’s reverse-create quickly.”

Afterward, we experienced a few more battles. Later, we even tried scratching our own arms and legs with knives.

“The pain has definitely decreased. But, don’t you feel something strange?” Unit 2 pointed out.

“Before, when one clone was hurt, it felt like we received that pain. So when that clone disappeared, the pain also disappeared immediately.”

“But dispersing the pain is a bit different; it feels like the clone’s pain is being brought directly to me.”

“That’s right! That’s why even if an injured one was reverse-created, a faint lingering pain from the injured area remained for the rest of us.”

We continued our brief discussion.

“Then it won’t be much help if we’re hit by an area-of-effect bombardment or too many people get hurt.” “In that case, we’ll just have to run away.”

Regardless, it seems we won’t have to roll around in pain just because one of us gets beaten up, like before.

“Then the role of Unit 11, who went to the Central District this time, will be very important.” “Right, right.”

Another reason emerged for us to somehow keep increasing our numbers.

In the distance, another group of Scraks was seen loitering. The Violets initiated a charge once more.

“Let’s go!” “Now, even pain doesn’t scare me!”

We fought without hesitation. Now, even with severe injuries, we could fight without crying.

“Look at this! My leg got cut off. I’ll regenerate!” “I can’t see ahead! Ehehehe…” “Be careful. Even if you get half the magic power back when you reverse-create, don’t forget there’s a limit to total magic power.”

We fought excitedly like berserkers. By lunchtime, we took a break to reorganize.

“Why am I so tired? I clearly died and regenerated.” “It hurts less than yesterday, but I feel… exhausted.”

Now, even if fingers were torn off, hit by spearheads, or had limbs blown off by magic bullets, it was bearable. Even severe injuries, when followed by reverse-creation and then regeneration, would make both the injury and fatigue disappear.

However, it was starting to feel tedious. It felt like my mind was turning into a muddy mess.

“Why am I so tired?” Was it perhaps due to the unique gray atmosphere of the Novastia Dungeon?

After finding a safe clearing, we prepared for lunch. A clone received sandwiches bought from the school cafeteria, but no one had an appetite. Everyone was slumped over.

“-Guys! Check your inventory! I guess it was too heavy, so it wouldn’t transfer!” It seemed Unit 11, who arrived in the Central District, had bought something strange. When the item was pulled from the inventory, cans in an icebox filled with ice were visible.

“Beer!” Unit 5 lifted a can of beer. Droplets of water beaded on its cold surface. When the lid was popped open, a hiss erupted, and a fine white mist rose. Without hesitation, we drank.

“Kyahhh!” “Delicious!”

As the ice-cold, bitter beer went down our throats, all lingering fatigue vanished. With thirteen of us drinking beer at once, the refreshing sensation amplified as if it would explode. It was so intense that even the two other Violets waiting inside the school felt like they were drinking beer, even though they only drank water.

We marveled at the cold canned beer we were drinking in the dungeon.

“-Unit 11! Where did you get all this?” “-It looked cool being sold at a nearby street stall, so I bought the whole thing and sent it! How is it?” “-It’s the best!”

Everyone’s mood improved with the unexpected beer party. It seems the inventory should be used like this in the future. More beer! More alcohol!

“-Unit 11! Let us know once you secure the hideout later!” “-Okay!”

Energized, we got up again and continued hunting.

Meanwhile, as the dungeon team diligently auto-hunted and the school team attended classes, Unit 11 headed to a familiar place on the outskirts of the Central District. The late afternoon sunlight illuminated multi-unit houses and empty alleyways with a yellow glow. As it walked down the street, a familiar shabby building came into view. Though less than two weeks had passed since leaving, it felt like a long time, bringing a fresh sense of nostalgia.

“Kalia! I’m here!” When the doorbell was rung, footsteps were heard inside. A moment later, rusted hinges creaked as the door opened, and a tall girl with pink bobbed hair, dressed in casual clothes, appeared.

“Wow, Violet. You really came back just as you said you would? It hasn’t been long since your school started, has it?”

“That’s right! I’ll explain why I’m here later. But Kalia, aren’t you going to school?”

“Me? My classes ended early today. Come in for now.”

A moment later, in the living room, I almost fully explained my abilities to Kalia. Since we were both escapees from the same research lab, I could trust her with this much.

After hearing my explanation, she clutched her head.

“So, the ‘you’ here is Violet, but you’re a clone? You’ve become multiple people? Your clones used to be puppets without will. What kind of bizarre…?”

“I understand it’s difficult. But anyway, I’ve become multiple people. This is reality!”

As she shook her head and declared she couldn’t understand, I brought two clones from the dungeon to show her and repeated the explanation. After repeating the explanation about twice, Kalia finally started to show signs of understanding.

“You’ve split into multiple people, but you’re all connected to each other. Did I understand that correctly?”

“Probably.” “That’s right.” “That’s the answer!”

As the three of us answered in succession, she waved her hand.

“Hey! Come on! Will all three of you shut up? Just one of you answer at a time. You’re not even twins, seeing multiple girls who look exactly alike is making me dizzy…”

“Here’s water!”

She chugged a glass of water. Kalia, who had been silent and thinking for a long time, opened her mouth with a more cautious attitude.

“Your unique ability’s principle? Never mind that now! But there’s one thing I want to ask. You have to answer.”

“What is it?”

“Are these three, and the others who are somewhere else, the same Violet who escaped with me?”

“Yes! It’s that Violet!” “Want us to confirm?”

The three of us stood up and eagerly rambled about what had happened at the research lab. Kalia, listening, reached out in embarrassment to stop us.

“Oh, my head… I told you to speak one at a time.”

“Sorry.” “Still, it seems you are indeed the Violet I know.”

It was a relief I didn’t mention that my unique ability awakened after I died and came back to life.

After some back and forth, we got to the main point with Kalia.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you after a long time. But Violet, what’s the reason you came all this way back? You said you had something you wanted to talk about.”

“It’s nothing major! Just get me an empty building and one or two trucks around here! I have money!”

“A warehouse? Trucks? What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

“I heard some of the Brotherhood members work in vehicle maintenance or real estate brokerage. It’s not impossible, right?”

Personally, I thought it was entirely possible. The Osprey Brotherhood, before turning into a crime syndicate, was just a vigilante group centered around construction workers, local self-employed individuals, and low-level hunters.

Kalia rested her hand on her chin, thought for a moment, then replied.

“Well, it’s not impossible. If I contact the Brotherhood members or other people I know, I should be able to get what you’re looking for. It’ll take a few days, though. Is that okay?”

“That’s enough!”

She picked up her smartphone and started making calls to several people. Throughout the calls, she also asked me what I wanted.

“The vehicle can be used, just make it a truck! A large one, if possible. For the building, somewhere nearby, and just big enough. I’ll take care of the rest!”

After several calls, Kalia told me that the things I was looking for were available and I could go see them in three days.

“Got it! Thanks!”

“You’re not planning anything strange, are you?”

“No! What I’m trying to do is completely legitimate business. And…” I cautiously mentioned Kalia’s, or rather, the Brotherhood’s sensitive point.

“I heard you still haven’t found Kalia’s uncle. And I heard it costs a lot of money to hire people to look for him…”

Her expression darkened. Kalia immediately tried to reject my proposal with a serious look.

“Violet, that’s something the Brotherhood needs to handle on its own. It could be really dangerous.”

“But! I want to help Kalia too!” “Me too! Me too!”

The three Violets clung around Kalia’s seat, whining relentlessly. Eventually, Kalia surrendered.

“Ugh! Fine! I get it! Yes, it’d be good if you help. But don’t do anything dangerous! Understand?”

“Yep! But Kalia, you have to help me too!”

We giggled. I intended to help Kalia. However, all I could do was provide money or such. Since I didn’t know where Kalia’s uncle, the leader of the Osprey Brotherhood, was, that was all I could do anyway.

Kalia, who seemed drained, got up from her seat and shook her head.

“At this rate, it’s like I’m raising puppies…”

Looking down from the sofa, I realized Kalia was definitely taller than me. She must be about 170cm.

She stood up to leave but then turned around to look at us. She stared blankly at us for a moment, then let out a small laugh. A long, slender arm reached over one of our heads.

“Ugh-heek?”

Long, slender fingers gently brushed my head. The fellow suddenly stroked my head.

But why didn’t it feel bad?

“O-oh? Why did I do that…? Anyway, I’m going grocery shopping. Don’t go anywhere, just stay put!”

“Okay! Bring pizza when you come back!”

Kalia left the house with a dazed expression.

Well, good is good, I guess. My head was stroked, and it didn’t feel bad.

I lay back on the sofa.

Far away, another me was still diligently attending an afternoon class.

“-Good work!” “-Sigh…”