episode_0418

In a bustling battlefield, nothing is as important as good equipment. A good weapon provides opportunities to attack, and sturdy armor increases the chance of survival.

So, what would be the best equipment in the unique battlefield of a weekend amusement park, teeming with countless people?

Undoubtedly, an admission ticket.

“Wonderland Infinity Pass!”

This was truly the strongest sacred sword, Excalibur freshly pulled from the stone, dominating this crowded festival ground!

Even I, who had prepared this ticket, hadn’t fully grasped its true power.

After all, our Violet Legion had lived a much more practical life, far removed from luxury.

I felt its overwhelming power the moment we passed through the entrance gate and well-dressed staff members in neat uniforms politely greeted us.

“Are you Miss Ruzilin’s party? It is an honor to be your personal guide today. Have you perhaps thought of any specific place you’d like to visit first?”

The first benefit activated was the assignment of a dedicated guide.

Of course, I firmly declined. Why? Because it would be troublesome.

“No matter how skilled a guide is, they can’t be better than the collective intelligence of our Violet Network, can they?”

“Exactly! Efficiency is key!”

“No, it’s fine. We’ll explore on our own!”

The staff member seemed surprised by my assertiveness for a moment but soon regained their professional smile.

“Certainly, customer-nim. However, if you need any assistance, please tell any nearby staff member. We will connect you immediately.”

With such a polite send-off, we began our full-fledged park exploration. But even Geumgangsan is best viewed after a meal [a proverb meaning to do things in the right order]. First, we needed to fill the stomachs of Ariel and her friends, who had eaten a light breakfast.

Here, the second benefit activated: access to the VIP lounge.

It wasn’t an incredibly opulent or spacious area, but a quiet and cozy resting place, free from crowds, welcomed us.

In the center of the lounge, a small marble fountain spouted clear water, and peaceful, gentle music flowed throughout the space.

Small centerpieces adorned with luscious mini pumpkins and dried maple leaves were placed on tables throughout, adding to the autumn festival atmosphere.

But most importantly, there were plush velvet sofas, sparkling tables, and a mini-buffet with a variety of snacks.

“Unnie… isn’t this super expensive?”

Ariel asked hesitantly in front of the glittering macarons and mini cakes.

“Hehe, it’s all included in the Infinity Pass fee. So don’t worry and eat! Eat everything you want!”

“Is all this free?”

“Wow! Look over there! The lounge!”

The children cheered and began to fill their plates with sparkling apple cider, mini waffles drizzled with maple syrup, adorable pumpkin-shaped cookies, and more.

We sat on comfortable sofas, enjoyed sweet snacks and drinks to recharge our energy, and then embarked on conquering the amusement rides.

The first thing that caught our eye was a gigantic roller coaster soaring high into the sky.

In front of it, a long line, seemingly requiring at least a two-hour wait, was coiled up.

I casually led the children towards the VIP-only entrance next to the regular waiting line.

“Infinity Pass! Here!”

When I showed the wristband, the staff member immediately opened the gate as if they had been waiting.

“Yes, confirmed. Please prepare for the next ride. We will guide you right away.”

We went straight to the boarding area and got into the best seats on the train that had just arrived.

The gazes of countless people waiting in the regular line were fixed on us.

Those stinging gazes, a mix of envy, jealousy, and a touch of resentment.

I subtly smiled.

Zero waiting time. The sound of someone sighing in the distance.

This was the overwhelming power of the Infinity Pass!

The roller coaster slowly began to ascend the track. As the altitude increased with grinding mechanical sounds, the scenery of the Wonderland Autumn Festival came into view below our feet.

Trees dyed in golden and red hues, gigantic pumpkin decorations, and colorful flags.

And countless people looking as small as ants.

The train, which had paused at the summit, soon plummeted at furious speed!

“Waaaaaah!”

The joyous screams of the children erupted.

Suddenly, I felt that it was surprisingly not that great.

A sense of déjà vu. Glancing to the side and behind me, it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

The children were clearly enjoying themselves, but less so than I had expected.

Not only that, but Lucian was completely unfazed, without any change in expression, and even Daphne merely observed the scenery with a slightly blank look.

“…Was it perhaps not fun?”

When I asked the two after getting off the roller coaster, Lucian shrugged and replied.

“Well, this is for ordinary people. How much thrill can a boring roller coaster like this give Awakened Ones like you and me, Violet? To truly feel the thrill, you’d probably need to ride the Awakened-only courses.”

“Ah.”

That was it. The limitations of being a superhuman had diminished the pure fun!

Looking at the amusement park map again, there was a separate area called the ‘Extreme Zone,’ exclusively for Awakened Ones, in one corner.

Rides that were much more extreme, boasting acceleration and speed beyond common sense, dizzying just to look at.

“You guys, how much of the mana usage you learned from Lucian have you mastered?”

“I can use body reinforcement a little! Hehe.”

Ariel replied proudly.

Only then did I realize a fact I had forgotten.

That Ariel and her friends had received unofficial tutoring from Lucian while staying at the hospital.

“This is tricky. That area seems to be for properly trained Awakened Ones. Will they even let them ride? What about safety?”

“If they’re really disappointed, let’s ask again after we’ve ridden everything else and then decide!”

In the end, we decided to conquer the other rides in the general area.

The power of the Infinity Pass was endless.

“Spin it! Spin it!”

In the spinning maple leaf teacups, they competed to spin each other’s cups harder, laughing.

“Ugh! Who splashed water on me!”

On ‘Acorn River Expedition,’ where we rode log boats down rapids, there was also the mishap of getting drenched in a refreshing splash of water.

In the Ferris wheel ascending high into the sky, we leisurely admired the well-decorated autumn festival scenery and caught our breath.

To ride all these attractions, there wasn’t a single minute of waiting.

After riding rides and running around excitedly, it was suddenly well past lunchtime.

We each had an ice cream and a large cotton candy, and to cool off for a bit, we headed to a large souvenir shop with the air conditioning blasting.

“Alright! Look around here, and tell me if there’s anything you want! Unnie will buy it for you!”

At my declaration, the children’s eyes widened.

A hesitant girl—was her name Sophia?—cautiously pointed at a doll.

“Is… is that really okay?”

It was a mouse doll wearing knight’s armor, resembling our V-Mice.

“Of course! Unnie has lots of money! And you don’t need to feel burdened at all.”

I waved the golden band on my wrist once more in front of the children.

“You see, this Infinity Pass gives a whopping 50% discount on all souvenirs here!”

The children’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Wow! Really? Hooray!”

And so, I splurged money freely.

The children each chose their favorite dolls, toy swords, glittering accessories, and so on, and Lucian and Daphne also joined in choosing gifts for the children.

The laws of the amusement park no longer applied to us.

Without waiting, without restrictions, this vast kingdom of festivities was purely ours, the Violets’.

“Aren’t you getting hungry? Let’s go get something delicious to eat!”

We carried souvenir bags full in both hands and walked towards a splendid restaurant for our next destination.

**

By the time the cold chocolate ice cream had melted and the sweet syrupy coffee piled high with white whipped cream had been refilled twice more, Violet contentedly wiped her mouth.

The restaurant was excellent.

It was enough to fill not only Violet but also the aspiring Aegis Academy students, who were in their growth spurt, until their stomachs were nearly bursting.

The children panted from satisfying fullness.

“Uh, aren’t they going to get stomachaches like that? I’m worried if they’ll be able to move properly. Can they ride other attractions? There’s still so much to see…”

When Daphne asked worriedly from beside her, Violet replied nonchalantly.

“It’s fine! Then you, Daphne, can heal them! Won’t roughly rubbing their stomachaches with your unique ability cure them?”

“Ugh…! I’m not some panacea box, you know?”

“That’s mean! A cool senior like you can’t even do that much for our cute junior prospects? Just do it! Please~”

“Oh dear, honestly…”

While Daphne pressed her forehead, Lucian, who was sipping dark black coffee from across the table, muttered softly as he watched the familiar banter.

“That guy, at it again…”

The voice itself was curt, but unlike its content, there was no hint of criticism or dismissal.

Though to notice the faint warmth, everyone was too full and languid at the moment.

“Ah, now that I think about it, there was a game zone nearby, right?”

Violet’s eyes sparkled with mischievous light. Game booths offering prizes. Exactly the kind of place commonly found in amusement parks.

Violet No. 6672 stepped forward.

“It’s time to show off our overwhelming skill!”

Violet led the children to the most flamboyant and noisy corner. It was a booth decorated with colorful maple leaves and cute scarecrow drawings.

Shooting rubber bullets like cork stoppers at targets that popped up—

Wait. Looking closely, it wasn’t cork bullets but just rifles.

Was it perhaps intended for the recreation of Awakened Ones?

No. 6672 confidently puffed out her chest and stepped forward.

“Kids, watch closely! I’m going to win all those prizes for you!”

As Violet eagerly reached for the gun, the booth staff member temporarily stopped her.

“I have the Infinity Pass here.”

Violet shook the band on her wrist, but the staff member shook their head.

“No, not the pass… Are you perhaps an academy student? Your attire and movements suggest it.”

Violet was a little surprised inwardly. The staff member seemed to have worked as a hunter in the past, or perhaps had a remarkably sharp eye for people.

When Violet silently indicated affirmation, the staff member spoke as if they had been waiting.

“You should have told me earlier! Surely you weren’t planning to play on normal difficulty, were you? Alright, I’m changing the settings. This is the Awakened-only mode!”

-Whirrr! Sizzle!

As the staff member pressed a button under the counter, the speed and pattern of the targets in front of them became incomparably more intense and irregular than before.

Rapid back-and-forth movement was standard, and they even bounced or rotated at unpredictable timings.

To the kinetic vision of an ordinary person, they would appear as mere blurry afterimages.

I felt the children’s shocked and surprised gazes holding their breath behind me.

Violet grinned and adjusted her grip on the gun.

Only ten bullets were provided. All targets had to be hit to win the grand prize.

“Hmph, there’s no way a mere machine can defeat our Violet Network!”

Violet concentrated mana in her eyes. Simultaneously, she entered a state of tactical immersion. To this, she added a very slight sense of time acceleration.

The dazzling afterimages of the targets moving before her eyes were fragmented into thousands of frames within the network and deciphered. The predicted trajectories and the targets’ future positions declared a perfect winning angle.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ten rapid shots, seemingly fired almost at once. The movement of all targets ceased simultaneously.

Silence fell. The eyes of the staff member and other onlookers widened in disbelief.

“…H-How did you hit them all…”

The staff member stammered. Violet shrugged and put the gun down.

“Done, right? It’s a perfect score, so give me my prize quickly!”

Violet turned around, holding the large mouse knight doll—which was as big as a child’s torso and wore a limited-edition autumn festival cape—that she had received from the staff member.

Then she thrust it out to Ariel.

“Here, Ariel! It’s yours!”

“Wow! Thank you, Unnie!”

Starting with that, Violet began to decimate all kinds of game booths throughout the game zone, under the guise of post-meal exercise.

Games like throwing balls to knock down dolls, tossing rings to set up bottles, hitting targets with a hammer to score points, and so on.

-Thump! Bang!

The games set to Awakened mode all boasted extreme difficulty, but they were helpless against Violet’s overwhelming physical prowess and network compensation.

Violet’s gentle form of requisition swept through the game zone like a storm.

Afterwards, only the children’s joy remained, holding prize dolls and toys in both hands, cheering.

**

Lucian, who had been observing the boisterous, stormy scene from a slight distance, unconsciously opened his mouth softly.

“…I’m envious.”

“What? Of what?”

When Daphne, who was beside him, asked back in confusion, Lucian was momentarily flustered by the fact that his true feelings had blurted out.

His characteristic pride and wariness stiffened his face, but he soon relaxed his expression as he listened to Violet and the children’s bright laughter.

Suddenly, the sight of a boy, Kai, delightedly receiving a glittering toy sword as a gift from Violet, caught his eye.

Was it Kai? He had wanted a sword.

Seeing that, he felt a pang in a corner of his chest.

‘…Why am I like this?’

Lucian awkwardly cleared his throat and averted his gaze.

“Damn it… it’s nothing. Just… it made me think for a moment of the orphanage I stayed at when I was young, in the Rumelia Federation…”

Lucian was surprised internally at himself for rambling on about his past without being asked, but once his mouth had opened, it didn’t stop easily.

“When I was at the Federation orphanage, picnics were just to the local hill or riverside. The director was a pig who embezzled funds meant for the kids, so what could you expect?”

Only then did Daphne recall that the prickly boy before her perhaps shared quite similar wounds with Violet.

“One day, some nouveau riche fellow showed up and threw a bunch of amusement park group tickets at us. I don’t know why. Thanks to him, I went to an amusement park for the first time in my life. It was much smaller and older than this Wonderland… but everyone was so excited because it was their first time. From the snot-nosed kids to the fully grown ones.”

Lucian continued with a bitter smile.

“At first, everyone was excited. I was too. I even lost sleep the night before. But once we arrived, honestly… it was a bit overwhelming. It was just like what I’d seen on TV. Or maybe even more chaotic.”

He paused for a moment, furrowing his brow slightly as if the scene was unfolding before his eyes.

“But that was it. Just the admission ticket. Everything that looked decent cost extra, and of course, we didn’t have that kind of money. The few rides we could go on were either boring or had insanely long lines. The ‘teachers’ who took us just sat in the shade, chatting. Some even disappeared completely, nowhere to be seen.”

A sneer flashed in Lucian’s eyes.

“…When lunchtime came, we were in worn-out group uniforms that looked years old, drinking bland juice and chewing on stale bread. Suddenly, I looked around and saw other kids carrying huge turkey legs and scooping up ice cream. Watching that blankly, I felt really…”

He stared into the air for a moment.

“We couldn’t even get a look at the popular rides, and even the easier ones ended up being hours of just standing in line. We went early in the morning and waited until sunset, but how many rides did we actually get on? Bumper cars? A merry-go-round? And even those, we couldn’t properly enjoy because the teachers rushed us, saying time was up.”

Lucian let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

He finished speaking and closed his mouth again. As if there was nothing more to say, or as if he didn’t want to recall anything more. After a brief silence, Lucian added with a bitter smile.

“Thanks to that, I learned an expensive lesson. That the world isn’t a fairy tale, and that in the end, I can only rely on myself. After that, I was able to focus solely on self-improvement without other thoughts. Maybe it was for the better.”

Daphne’s gaze subtly changed upon hearing his words.

Suddenly, she remembered Lucian tutoring the children, even while grumbling. He was prickly, but his eyes at that time had been unusually serious.

She looked at Lucian again. Unlike his irritable face, a faint warmth seemed to circulate somewhere in his eyes that she hadn’t noticed before.

Perhaps she could now understand a little of the reason behind his seemingly indifferent kindness.

“Phew… ridiculous, isn’t it? Just forget it. Don’t mind it. It was just useless complaining—”

Lucian tried to hastily cut himself off, but Daphne spoke first.

“I was envious too.”

“What are you talking about now?”

At the unexpected words, Lucian looked at Daphne dumbfounded. A suspicion that she might be teasing him crossed his mind, but her expression was utterly serene.

Her clear, sapphire eyes were still directed towards Violet and the children, who were laughing loudly.

Was that all?

Lucian’s sharp magical senses scanned, reading the subtle flow within the Healer’s gaze as if tracking scattered traces of mana.

Daphne’s gaze gently shifted between Violet and the children, the ordinary families holding hands right beside them, and what looked like a pair of sisters.

“Actually, this is my second time trying to come to Rainbow Wonderland. The first time, I was supposed to come here here with my family…”

Fragmented information about this girl flashed through Lucian’s bewildered mind.

She had lost her entire family due to the sudden appearance of a gate and a monster attack, she had said.

Could it be that time…?

“My younger sister, Laurel, was very frail and could hardly go out. Her wish was to go outside. So, when her condition finally improved a little, our whole family made a big decision to come here… but in the end, we couldn’t make it.”

Daphne’s gaze returned to the distance, to a pair of young sisters squabbling over a small doll and being scolded by their parents.

Fragments of everyday life, so ordinary they were dazzling.

Scenes that she could never enjoy, that had slipped out of her grasp.

And then, Daphne’s gaze returned to Violet and Ariel, who were facing each other and giggling.

“Honestly, I was envious. Thinking that someone could experience such a special and happy day, completely undisturbed, and keep it only as a joyful memory.”

“Is that so…”

“It’s not jealousy. It’s just… I hoped that everyone who came here today would accumulate only peaceful joy and go home… That’s what I thought. Was I too silly?”

Daphne lowered her head slightly, as if embarrassed.

It was then, as he listened silently to her serious words, that Lucian’s gaze unexpectedly fell upon the large backpack slung over her back again.

“…Hey, but why did you really bring that bag?”

Lucian asked.

Inwardly, he now understood the emotional motivation, but because of it, he carefully chose his words, feeling a mix of absurdity and caution.

“I told you, didn’t I? It’s just for self-defense.”

“That logo on your bag, it’s a Triad Corp product, isn’t it? Why something from there? Looking closely, there seem to be some Arturia Workshop magic-engineering devices mixed in too, don’t there? Isn’t it a bit excessive to bring to an amusement park?”

At Lucian’s sharp observation, a spark close to fighting spirit briefly ignited in Daphne’s calm eyes.

“Isn’t that obvious? Only thorough preparation guarantees safety!”

At her resolute answer, Lucian clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘That softie, she’s really become half-Violet.’

Just as he was thinking that, Violet and the children were returning from that direction, looking very excited.

“Kids! You waited, didn’t you! Alright, we’re all done!”

Innocently waving as she approached, Violet’s arms were full of much more than before.

Lucian thought it looked like she had truly swept up every single prize in the game zone.

“Alright, then let’s head to the next spot—”

It was precisely then, as Violet was about to announce their next destination.

Her body suddenly trembled as if shocked by electricity.

At her sudden appearance, everyone in the party stopped in their tracks.

Her body, which had violently convulsed as if struck by lightning, soon stiffened like ice.

What on earth was going on?

Daphne asked worriedly.

“V-Violet! Are you hurt? It’s not because you ate too much earlier, is it?”

“No! Absolutely not. Eheheh, I just got a little dizzy for a moment!”

Violet hastily put on an unconcerned expression and made an excuse.

It was a lie.

Her mind was racing, strained by a completely unforeseen situation.

“Emergency! Violet! Respond!”

Along with an intense alarm, an urgent request from somewhere beyond the sky violently shook her entire network.

“Unbelievable! How did that guy!”

The Violet Network was simultaneously filled with signals of alarm and confusion. Violet maintained her expression.

Using the will that this place, at least, would be safe, as a solid pillar.

“We’re here!”

**

Under the dazzling afternoon sun, the peaceful plaza of the largest shopping mall in the southern district.

Amidst a crowd where post-lunch languor mingled with weekend vibrancy, in the heart of peace, the air distorted like black heat haze.

Without any warning, a pathologically pale woman descended silently.

Before gazes could even focus, the clone chose the nearest target.

The woman glided towards a man who was on the phone.

“Who are you?”

In the instant the man turned, a green flexible sword sprung from her wrist, striking like a flash of light.

-Thwack!

His upper body was severed, and gushing blood spurted like a fountain. Swallowing even his scream, the man crumpled like a broken doll. The plaza fell silent all at once.

The shadow behind the clone, having completed its first slaughter, writhed as if alive.

Pitch-black figures seeped out like smoke, instantly multiplying into identical forms.

Beneath the shadows, different lights glittered.

The frozen plaza exploded with screams.

A scene of hell unfolded.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

People pushing and trampling each other as they fled. The dull sound of reinforced shop glass shattering. Children’s piercing cries were buried in the pandemonium.

Silver wires that sliced through the air ensnared the necks and ankles of those fleeing, producing terrible cutting sounds as they dug into flesh. Blood rained down over severed limbs.

As if to cover that, dozens of shurikens were scattered like leaves of death.

Along with screams, shopping bags and melted ice cream lay scattered on the ground.

-Thwip! Twang!

From the top of a streetlamp, a silently drawn bowstring precisely pierced those seeking refuge. Behind glass windows, under benches, even inside moving vehicles.

Arrows found their targets mercilessly.

Almost simultaneously, the same nightmare recurred in the central station plaza, teeming with crowds.

Glass windows shattered and people fell from the arrows of clones who had climbed the station’s outer wall.

Other clones stained the platforms and waiting rooms with blood using flexible swords and wires.

“Aaaah! Run away!”

“Emergency! Murderer! A murderer is rampaging in the city center! Requesting backup!”

Throughout the city, at pre-planned locations, clones of the shadow-masked killer appeared simultaneously, unleashing a massacre.

The victims’ cell phones convulsed with red disaster warning vibrations and alerts. The streets were filled with fear, sounds of impact, and belatedly wailing sirens.

“Team 3! Entry complete! Engaging clones! Find the main body! Where is the main body?!”

The rapidly dispatched Lestrade forces stood firm, but they were thrown into disarray by the simultaneous attacks.

In broad daylight, so suddenly? Why?

They couldn’t know.

What the intention of the perpetrator behind this malicious massacre, unfolding across the city, was.

“Disturbance… ongoing… movement complete… as ordered…”

The man leisurely observing this tragedy from atop a building curled the corners of his lips.

It was an operation where success was good, and failure meant nothing lost.

Whatever he did, it would be a long-term gain.

“Good, once Plan A is complete, immediately begin Plan B.”

The culprit who had stained the bright weekend afternoon with blood smiled contentedly and threw himself off the building.

The falling figure dissolved into the air like heat haze, vanishing.

It was time to hunt the blasphemous rebel.