episode_0135

Hours later, after much struggle, we finally arrived back in reality, beyond the gate.

“Look! Our children!”

“Oh, my God…!”

The armored snowcat arrived, and the students, supported by us, emerged from inside. The waiting parents screamed and rushed towards us.

“Oh, Mom!”

“Your allowance is confiscated for a month! Still… you’re back safely… sniffle, sniffle…”

While parents and children were reuniting, Alex was being chewed out by the client.

“Hey, you stupid kid! What? The Holy Grail? Are you crazy, do you want to die?”

As the father, who had almost lost his child, vented his fury, the childish boy pulled out the Holy Grail I had given him and argued back.

“But, Dad! Look. It’s the Holy Grail! I found it! See?”

“What…? Let me see.”

Waverly, who had been yelling with veins bulging, turned his gaze to the golden cup Alex was holding. Soon, he carefully picked up the golden cup and examined it.

“Tsk, tsk, he’s going to get scolded even more.”

The next moment, Waverly roared with anger.

“What? The Holy Grail? Alex, you foolish boy. Did you go to that dangerous place for this kind of thing?”

“B-but this is clearly a legendary artifact that strengthens power…?”

“Legendary artifact, my foot! This is just a common artifact! Young lady, do you happen to have any other drinks? Not water.”

At the client’s request, I handed him a can of cola. Waverly poured the cola into the cup without hesitation.

A moment later, the cola turned into clear water. Alex cried out in surprise.

“See! Dad. It must be the Holy Grail after all…!”

“Kid, snap out of it! All this does is purify water!”

Unable to believe his parent’s words, Alex gulped down the water in the cup. Nothing happened.

“Ah, no… this can’t be…!”

“Oh, my boy… Why did you run into such a dangerous place for this…!”

Watching the foolish boy get scolded by his father, we chuckled.

Because the true nature of that artifact was this:

[Golden Cup of Pure Heart ☆]

An old, twisted golden cup. Once a day, if an impure liquid is poured into it, it turns into clear water.

The heart is a person’s mirror. What is needed to create a mirror to reflect oneself is a cup of clear water.

*

Simply put, that cup is just a mini water purifier. And there are many magical items and technologies on the market with effects superior to it. There are also life straws and portable water purifiers.

In fact, for a mage, water purification magic is basic! So, he went to all that trouble for nothing.

“Ugh… Uwaaaah!”

Alex’s face contorted as he realized the truth. Perhaps the shock of realizing all his hard work was for nothing was too great.

Waverly stopped scolding his childish son and hugged him.

“Oh, my foolish son…”

After the reunion, the children were taken to the waiting ambulance. Since they were only a little hungry and lightly injured, I had a brief discussion with President Waverly regarding contract matters.

“Thank you. I’ll deposit the money immediately. And…”

“…?”

“If there are any artifacts you wish to acquire or any trade-related matters, contact me. I’ll personally grant you favors. How about it?”

I accepted the business card without hesitation.

Oh, this will be useful later.

**

The two-day journey had exhausted all the team members. While our friends rested for two days, the Violets assessed the current situation.

First, they discussed new weapons to try out in the future.

“How is rocket development progressing?”

“V-1 rockets are in mass production, and V-2 is currently under research!”

Currently, the Violets have moved their factory to uninhabited islands outside the academy city.

It was faster to operate on uninhabited islands for test firing or complex operations. The power of object transfer and inventory helped with the mass production of homemade rockets.

“Rockets..! Ballistic missiles!”

“I feel like a Northern Leader!”

First, the V-1 rocket. This rocket is made by putting sugar-based propellant and a warhead into a pipe. It has a range of several kilometers, but its accuracy is somewhat lacking.

“The power is weak!”

“It feels like it would be stronger if we carried it and self-destructed.”

Even if the accuracy can’t beat the Violet guidance system, the power is a bit disappointing.

The weight of explosives carried by a single Violet aerial bomb is three to four times the weight of a Violet. It boasts at least a three-digit weight, so there’s no comparison.

“No, wait. We can use it on the ground, right? It’s more versatile than wingsuit bombs.”

One Violet emphasized its various uses. Come to think of it, rockets can be launched from a launcher or even from a car.

After discussing the necessity of rockets, we also pondered new self-destruction methods. We needed a tactic that was more convenient and easier to use than airplanes.

“Let’s load bombs into cars. Or motorcycles!”

“That’s good!”

Vehicle bombs can be used as ground-specialized ballistic missiles. While there are terrain limitations, the payload capacity is much higher. Theoretically, tons of bombs could be loaded and crashed.

Besides this, we continued to discuss and ponder fighting methods.

Currently, the total number of Violet individuals is 712.

As our numbers have grown, we need to gradually move away from existing methods. As time passes, the size is expected to increase to battalion, regiment, and division levels. It would be good to move away from operating small-scale units.

At least, the Violet unit is relatively free from communication and supply issues. There’s no need to form separate communication or supply units, so everyone is a combat unit.

The problem is that we’ve never operated such a large number at once. There were issues of space and magic power.

In the middle of the night, once everyone was asleep, the Violets gathered within the network.

The vast network space was swarming with Violets.

“Alright! Let’s create a simulation!”

“Come on, come on! Move it!”

712 Violets began a simulation within the Violet network.

The Violet network can transform its interior like a lucid dream as needed, so we thought, why not try using it for military training?

“Alright, it’s done!”

The background of the cozy network space changed into a wide grassland. To the left was a forest, and to the right, a small rural village and fields. Tents, broken farmhouses, and burning cars lay scattered across the fields.

“What about the enemy’s level?”

“Let’s make them strong!”

The Violets began to create enemies using their imagination. The city streets swarmed with imagined enemies.

The enemies’ level was a combination of those we had fought before, one by one. There were Awakened and non-Awakened individuals.

They looked like crude mannequins, but they knew how to fight and could inflict damage.

Once the background was set, the Violet Command began to move.

“Command broadcasting! Operation begins now. Objective: enemy annihilation!”

“Waaah! Charge! Charge!”

As the order was given, more than three companies of Violets scattered in all directions and began to advance.

“Air wing, launch!”

While the Violets roamed the fields and forest, 15 powered hang gliders circled the sky, searching for enemies. Something strange caught the eye of a Violet flying through the forest.

“Enemy spotted! Huh? What’s that?”

-Bang!

“Kyaa! It’s a missile!”

“Emergency! Emergency! Shot down!”

The Violets rushed towards where the enemies were. Inside a trench covered with grass and branches, an enemy mannequin holding an anti-aircraft missile was visible.

“Revenge!”

The mannequins were hit by bullets in the chest and fell. Not only that, Unit 471 rushed forward at high speed and decapitated a mannequin. At that moment, alarms blared all around.

“It’s the enemies! They’re coming!”

Crude-looking mannequins came rushing with guns and swords. The Violets scattered in all directions and engaged in combat.

-Rat-tat-tat!

“Shoot! Shoot!”

“Kyaa! I’m dead!”

The first casualty among the Violets occurred. Though they looked foolish, the Violets’ imagination within the network greatly boosted the mannequins’ combat power. Their speed was fast enough to dodge bullets, and their strength was immense!

“They’re coming! 1st Company, counterattack! 2nd Company, move into the forest! 3rd Company, move to the farmhouse!”

The mannequins swarmed and exchanged gunfire with the Violets. Meanwhile, an Awakened mannequin squad outflanked them through the forest and confronted the 2nd Company.

“Machine gun! Where’s the machine gun!”

“Prepare for close combat! No! Ugh!”

The heads of the Violets were instantly smashed by a single squad of charging Awakened mannequins.

The dead Violets disappeared with a shimmering flash. In a corner of the network, the dead Violets reappeared in a prisoner-of-war camp labeled [Only Labor is Free].

“I died too quickly!”

“To lose to imagination…”

The battle intensified. Artillery fire was exchanged everywhere, and magic rays and lightning burned the fields.

The 1st Company Violets hastily dug into the field and created trenches to hold out, while the 2nd Company was torn apart or split in half by the Awakened mannequins.

There was no pain inside the network, but losing was frustrating.

“My arm!”

“This isn’t working. Our squad will charge! Remember us!”

-Boom!

One Violet squad pressed the self-destruct switch. An explosion roared. As the Violets fought amidst the chaos, a heavy rumble echoed. Something was rushing from behind the enemies.

Beyond the sky, VA-3, which had miraculously survived amidst the anti-aircraft fire, screamed.

“Oh, no! It’s a super-heavy tank!”

Immediately after saying that, VA-3 was also shot down.

Beyond the hill, a massive chunk of metal appeared. It was the Federation Army’s super-heavy tank. A total of six gun muzzles on its hull and turret poured out flames. The Violets in the trenches screamed and ducked their heads.

“Uwaaah! Get down!”

“Hkyaat!”

The command center was shocked by the reports coming from the front line. A tank? This wasn’t part of the plan. This simulation was supposed to be pure infantry combat training.

“Hey! Who imagined the tank?!”

As Unit 65 got angry, Unit 7 scratched its head awkwardly.

“B-but! There has to be a tank on the battlefield. It makes it more fun, right?”

“Idiot! We don’t have tanks!”

Unit 5 shook its head.

“Since it’s already made, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s change the training content. Let’s try to destroy the tank. All units, charge!”

The Violets rushed towards the simulated tank.

The enemy mannequins intercepted the Violets, and the tank slowly reversed, spewing fire.

I attacked the tank with anti-tank rockets and a crossbow. Several rockets were intercepted by the machine guns on the tank’s turret, and crossbow bolts imbued with sword energy bounced off the tank’s shield.

“Kkwaat! It’s a shield!”

“Let’s self-destruct up close!”

With the help of smoke grenades, Violets wearing bomb vests ran out. Before long, all the self-destructing Violets ended up in the prisoner-of-war camp.

-Rat-tat-tat!

Because the side machine guns and the hull machine guns blocked the Violets’ approach.

“Uwaaah!”

With a crash, Violet Unit 214 exploded in the sky. Even the aerial guided bomb, which was their ace in the hole, was intercepted by machine guns!

Now we had no means to destroy the tank. Even though it was created in their imagination, that super-heavy tank faithfully replicated its real-world capabilities. It was truly invincible!

“Aish! I can’t stand this!”

Unable to bear the frustration, Violet Unit 361 gestured in the air. The surrounding Violets tried to dissuade her, but Unit 361 didn’t stop imagining.

“Appear!”

Immediately, a huge tank appeared before their eyes. It was much larger than the opposing super-heavy tank and covered in guns. On its side, the rough lettering “ ” was written.

“Anyway, the training is doomed! Let’s have fun!”

Unit 361 and other Violets boarded the tank. The Violet-made super-heavy tank, proudly named ‘Ruzilin’s Iron Fist,’ slowly moved forward, emitting roars and smoke.

The opposing super-heavy tank, seeing us, turned its turret. Electromagnetically accelerated shells flew towards them. The shells hit the armor with a clang and fell off harmlessly.

“Fire! Fire!”

The next moment, a giant shell fired from Ruzilin’s Iron Fist penetrated the enemy super-heavy tank. The tank’s turret shot into the sky like a rocket.

Our super-heavy tank trampled the helpless fleeing enemy mannequins.

“We won!”

The Violets stopped training and enthusiastically played by riding the tank. The powered hang glider air wing was now flying through the sky aboard hypersonic fighter jets and aerial battleships.

“Ugh, the simulation training… it’s a failure!”

It was regrettable, but it seemed the training had to stop here. Training with the network simulation wasn’t bad, but due to the nature of a space made of imagination, it ended up going in a strange direction.

It seems that to train properly, it will have to be done in reality. I should ask my friends for help too.