The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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The Laplacian Laboratory folks only gave me bad memories.

Because of that terrible powdered milk they served me at every meal, I didn’t touch white milk for a while after escaping.

Also, I had bad dreams every night there.

One day, someone stole my spine and mocked me, “Your spine has been replaced with cash; do you have a complaint?”

Another day, I kept experiencing nightmares where someone claiming to be a descendant of Hua Tuo would try to cure my headache by cutting my head with a chainsaw.

Fortunately, my frequency of such dreams decreased after coming to Kalia’s house.

However, the reckless delusions of a bald commander provided me with an option. I carefully took out the documents I had stored in an envelope and checked them again.

“They say I’ll be accepted through special admission—how could there be a school that’s this easy to enroll in?”

The day after I arrived at the Brotherhood’s dwelling, I immediately looked over the documents.

As I pulled out the papers, I saw in huge letters:

[Polaris Awakener Comprehensive Academy]

“Polaris Comprehensive Academy?”

I had never heard of such a place among the schools where the protagonist mainly participates in the storyline.

The primary backgrounds in the game were places like [Aegis Specialized Academy] or [Vesperia Prime Academy]. All the main playable characters came from there.

But I’d never heard the name Polaris before.

After becoming a girl, my brain has been sluggish, and I couldn’t recall memories from before my possession, so I thought about it for a while.

It wasn’t until I found a map later that my memory came back.

This school appeared in the game as a location called [The Ruined Wail of Polaris].

It was a dungeon set against the backdrop of a ruined school.

“This place is a failed school!”

According to the brief setting in the game, a clan opened a huge portal in the school due to a secret experiment they conducted.

As a result, most of the academy’s students were exposed to a fatal ether wave, and their brains melted away, turning into ghouls. The school, eroded by ether, was closed in a trans-dimensional state.

Some of the playable characters were students who survived this incident and transferred over.

Realizing this, I quickly put the documents away. It turned out the place was not ruined and was still intact.

However, if my predictions were correct, Polaris Comprehensive Academy was highly likely to become a horror theme park where monsters and student ghouls would roam in a future timeframe between now and the main story.

“I absolutely don’t want to walk into a death trap!”

Moreover, when I asked Kalia about it, she had a rather negative impression of the school.

“Polaris Comprehensive Academy? I’ve heard it’s big, and many well-off kids go there… But I’ve also heard it’s super strict. They say the atmosphere is kind of military-like?”

To cross-reference, I went online to find reviews about the school.

But all the reviews were bizarre.

– “It’s a wonderful school!”
– “The camaraderie between upperclassmen and underclassmen is strong!”
– “It feels like a family!”
– “You get more mature once you enroll!”

There were so many overly positive comments that I couldn’t trust them. Something felt suspicious. Did they hire comment bots?

Thus, initially, I was going to just live off the Brotherhood for a while.

Kalia and the Brotherhood aunties and uncles reacted positively to my staying with them.

While living together, I couldn’t just be a freeloader, so I thought I’d look for a part-time job. When everyone left for work in the morning, I eagerly searched for a few days.

However, a problem arose.

I had forgotten one very important fact.

“Oh? You came for a job listing? Great! Can I see your student ID?”
“You look like a hard worker. Which academy are you from?”
“Where did you come from?”
“Can I see your student ID first?”

That this was an academy city.

Rustroom is an academy city established to gather and educate Awakened Ones from around the world.

Except for mercenaries affiliated with various clans, the guards, the students themselves, those supporting students, and those doing business with them, the majority of the population consists entirely of students affiliated with academies.

Therefore, in this city, an ID is equivalent to a student ID. While there are other identification forms, the vast majority rely on student IDs.

Just as a card is essential in the XYZ king’s world, carrying a student ID is taken for granted in Rustroom.

If you don’t have a student ID? You’re treated like a debtor or an illegal resident. You can’t get any work.

Later, when I asked Kalia about it at home, she was shocked and very angry.

“Violet! You idiot! Is it really okay to blindly look for a part-time job without a student ID? What if you get caught by some weird people?”

“I’ll be fine! I’ll just run away or let someone smash my head in with a hammer here.”

“Fine? What do you mean fine? Ugh, really…”

I heard that jobs available for those without student IDs are all difficult and hard, or related to illegal nightlife. Even that has countless incidents of unpaid wages.

“Wait, Kalia, do you have a student ID then?”

“Of course! What do you think I’ve been doing since morning?”

Surprisingly, Kalia had a student ID. She had dropped out of school to work as a freelance mercenary in the main story, but here she was still a student. Now she was on leave of absence and said she would go into the dungeon or something.

Right, the dungeon—that was the biggest problem.

Since I didn’t have a student ID, there was another place I couldn’t go.

“Dungeon? You still can’t even handle magical power properly, right? You think you can just go there with just your unique ability?”

“Yeah! You saw it at the laboratory. I can definitely fight too.”

I fell into the world of the game. Not only that, but I was possessed before the main story. So what should I do first?

It’s only natural to go and loot hidden pieces or major items. So I was trying to go into the dungeon.

“Just so you know, if you don’t have a student ID, they won’t let you enter the dungeon.”

“Ughhh…”

But even here, a student ID was required.

After taking some time to look into it, there was another method. You could obtain a mercenary certification.

However, the certification is subscription-based—it’s not free. You have to pay a fee periodically to the local clan to maintain your certification, and there are restrictions on the frequency of visits and accessible places.

In comparison, there seemed to be no restrictions on student IDs for some reason. Truly, it is an academy city.

Ultimately, I resolved to go to the academy. Well, in the worst-case scenario, I could just run to the Brotherhood, right?

When I shared my decision to go to the academy with Kalia and the Brotherhood people, everyone expressed their concerns at first. It seems they were worried since I was in the body of a young girl.

“The lab people registered you, right? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Uncle Marco with the Mohawk worried.

“The Laplacians might track you.”

Kalia warned.

“Will you be able to eat properly while you’re there?”

Aunt Pola expressed her concerns.

I provided them with reasons regarding the necessity of a student ID to the best of my ability, but they countered with various other reasons. There were even suggestions that they could introduce me to their workplaces where I could safely work.

But I tried my best to persuade them.

“Thank you all for worrying! But I really need a student ID. And…”

I took out the Second Clone and jumped around.

“I want to get strong!”

Kalia crossed her arms.

“Sure, that’s all fine and dandy. But Polaris Comprehensive Academy is in the western region. If you get into trouble, it’ll be hard for us to help you right away. Are you okay with that?”

“That’s fine! I checked, and Polaris has the most guards of any academy in Rustroom. Plus, the clans around the school manage the area with utmost care, so even companies like the Laplacians can’t just storm in!”

“Well, the clan managing the western area doesn’t get along with them. But what about the tuition?”

“I called earlier, and I confirmed that the first semester tuition has already been deposited. Later, while exploring dungeons, I can earn back the remaining tuition quickly. Best of all, they provide all meals and dormitories! They even said they’d give us uniforms!”

Suddenly, Kalia lowered her head and looked at me.

“…Are you really okay with this?”

“Yep!”

I clung to my decision and finally persuaded everyone to put their minds at ease.

Upon reflecting, I began to wonder if the Brotherhood members reluctantly agreed.

***

And by the end of August, I packed my bags and finally boarded the express bus heading west.

I had initially said I would go alone, but Kalia insisted on coming along because she was too worried. It took more than a whole day to get there.

Underneath a hazy gray sky, there was a large main gate resembling a fortress. In the game, it had been a ruined wreck, but seeing its intact form gave me a strange feeling.

Kalia tightly clasped my hand with both of hers and said,

“Violet, if anything bad happens, make sure to contact me! And don’t ignore my messages! Got it?”

“Of course! And Kalia, I’m not a child anymore. Stop treating me like one!…”

I showed her the second-hand smartphone I had picked up from the Brotherhood headquarters—I’d sold the item from the lab earlier due to the risk of tracking.

“Not a child, huh? Then why don’t you even wear proper underwear?”

Kalia bluntly said, lightly poking my chest with her finger. I let out a squeak and turned my head away.

“But, they didn’t give me a bra or anything at the lab…”

It felt awkward and uncomfortable to suddenly wear underwear that I’d never worn for my entire life. So I had been casually wearing just a top at home, but the uncles didn’t look away and kept clearing their throats whenever they saw me.

When I finally realized the reason, I confronted Kalia as she was scolding me.

Wearing a bra was too uncomfortable, and after reaching a suitable compromise, I just ended up wearing a large sports bra. Kalia often wore the same for practicality, so she didn’t say much about it.

“Make sure you wear what I picked for you! Or else you’ll be in trouble! Don’t walk around without a bra like you did at home, especially pay attention to the boys’ gazes. Your chest is quite prominent, you know?”

“I got it!”

I pulled my bag—a carefully packed one from the Brotherhood—toward the entrance where I could see many other students. It reminded me of when I used to go to school.

It felt a lot like the entrance of the Nonsan training center.

The Awakener Academy teaches various subjects, but fundamentally, it is very much like a military academy focused on combat and tactics.

As I turned to enter through the main gate, Kalia suddenly handed me an envelope.

“What’s this…?”

“I couldn’t put in much, but it should be enough for some pocket money.”

“Wait! Take it back! I’m fine!”

My expression hardened. Wait, I didn’t need this. I was well aware of the Brotherhood’s circumstances, pouring money into a fund to search for Kalia’s missing uncle.

I tried to return it, but Kalia danced back with her quick steps.

“Once you get your student ID, make sure to open a bank account. I’ll put in some money for you little by little!”

“Ah! Wait…”

She waved at me from afar. I could see her pink bob hair fluttering in the wind as she disappeared.

I felt a whirlwind of emotions.

At this rate, it truly feels like going to the military…

***

The academies in the academy city each pursue various educational courses and methodologies according to their characteristics. However, educational systems like curricula and certain educational contents are uniformly managed for the implementation of the overarching goal of preventing invasions from other dimensions. Therefore, all academies operate on a September semester system.

There’s still a long way to go before the semester officially starts. According to the schedule guide, they said that student IDs would be given out only after the entrance ceremony.

For now, it was time to find the dormitory and unpack.

‘Did the situation for Kalia and the Brotherhood get a little safer with this?’

While staying at the Brotherhood’s dwelling, I recalled certain game-related setting knowledge that popped into my mind.

The Great Witch Violet is an executive of the Obsidian Legion.

The Obsidian Legion is a terror organization notorious in the academy city.

I used the term terrorist, but it is different from the typical image that comes to mind, such as a poor Middle Eastern guy armed with an AK rifle, shooting at school kids and throwing bombs.

The Obsidian Legion operates as a specialized military organization with helicopters, vehicles, and high-end equipment. It’s reminiscent of a certain mercenary group run by a former Russian chef. The term “legion” is attached to their name for a reason.

For a terrorist group, their scale is too large, and very little about their settings has been revealed.

Also, the Great Witch features prominently in the cruel finale of the first part of the story.

When I saw the identity of the soldiers who stormed the laboratory, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

Before the main story, forces from the Obsidian Legion invaded the place where this ‘Violet’ was imprisoned in the lab.

And years later, Violet becomes an executive of the Obsidian Legion and commits mass murder.

Is this merely a coincidence? Did Violet, who was absorbed in that raid, turn evil? Perhaps the Obsidian folks were after my unique ability and plotted the raid.

And if they are tracking me, that would be the worst. They are far more persistent than any corporation or clan. And they are incredibly strong.

What if the Obsidian folks storm the Brotherhood’s place? I’d never be able to stop them.

The main executives, including the commander, number seven, and in the main story, two more executives appear alongside Violet.

‘Was it the unnecessary Sycamore and the sharpshooter Calyx…?’

These two are superiors of Violet. The identities and abilities of other executives remain unknown.

Of course, I could just be overreacting, but you can never be sure.

Thus, in this school, I need to learn how to handle magical power and gather the items hidden within the academy. That is my primary goal.

I completed the document submission at the administrative office. There were no issues, as I had checked several times. After being informed about a few points of transmission, I headed to the dormitory.

‘Anyway, right now, I am the good student Violet!’

The malicious witch, who murdered innocent students and beheaded women who were close to the protagonist’s allies or love interests for provocation, will no longer exist. I won’t live like that!

‘By the way, who was the girl that the witch killed?’

Argh, the memories before possession are getting vague again. What was her name?

She was a kind and altruistic girl with silver hair and blue eyes.

Due to the protagonist’s characteristic of being able to choose her gender, if she was female, she would become a close friend, and if male, she would get quite close, almost romantic.

She helped the protagonist with various things, provided items, and cheered her on enthusiastically. Therefore, she was extremely popular among players. Everyone anticipated the launch of the playable character.

But tada! In the latter part, the evil witch cut off her head!

The moment the story updated, the global community exploded with outrage. It was a moment where the public sentiment against the Great Witch turned upside down.

However, the future has changed. Right here, by this body, True-Violet. Hehehe.

“Doo-bee-doo-bee-doom~”

I hummed as I went up to the dormitory.

According to what I was told, the dormitory has two students per room. I wondered who my roommate would be—hopefully a beauty like me.

A little while later, I met a girl who had arrived first and was unpacking in the dorm room. The girl looked at me and greeted me.

“Hello?”

She was a girl with shimmering long silver hair and clear blue eyes.

“Wow… so pretty…!”

I gasped in admiration. The girl, hearing my words, stood there dumbfounded for a moment before her face turned red.

“Yee…eh?”

Her flustered expression was cute. But… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…