NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32
The day of Violets continues to repeat like a hamster wheel. Attending classes, hunting, buying necessary items, day in and day out.
Before I knew it, a week had passed.
“Uwaaa… I just want to play…”
“No way!”
At the end of a boring routine, we held a meeting. Since I could send not only words but also images and specific details from my memories, the content of the meeting became just a concise summary.
On Friday afternoon, classes ended early, so we started the meeting quickly.
Today’s meeting began with a brief briefing summarizing the situations from the week.
– Did we get the truck? –
– We’re still looking for it. I’ve seen a few decent items, but we haven’t gathered enough money yet. We’ve secured a building. It doesn’t have electricity and is old, but it’s not leaking. The price is cheap. –
The clone in the Central District sent in the summary of the last few days. The old three-story building that had been used as a warehouse in the past was now completely empty.
When I checked it out, it seemed to be in decent condition, so I signed the contract right away. The Violets packed their things and are currently laying out mats in there. It doesn’t seem to have any holes, but I think I should clean it once.
– Hey! Why did you buy a motorcycle? We need a truck! –
– For delivery and as a means of transportation! –
– What? Are you actually planning to deliver? –
– The more means of transportation, the better. –
Since there are casualties in the dungeon team when bored, I’ve generated some manpower while maintaining a margin of magical power, and currently, there are over ten personnel waiting in the Central District.
As we secure items that can effectively increase our levels or magical power, that number is expected to grow.
Thus, we concluded to expand our sources of income outside of dungeons. This money will be used for the daily needs of the clones who are active outside.
It’s a form of self-sufficiency.
Moreover, now that we have student IDs, we can certainly get casual jobs or contracts.
However, the problem lay in our appearance.
– Look at how we look; we all look the same. With one or two, we might pass as twins, but more than that will raise suspicions. –
– Right! I found out that the clone ability among unique abilities is quite rare. –
– We’ll probably all have to wear masks or face coverings all the time. And we should dress a bit differently! –
If identical girls are spotted here and there, it would be suspicious to anyone.
Moreover, this world is a modern civilized society where SNS and the internet exist. If rumors spread that ‘identical cute girls are working everywhere,’ it would not bode well.
If that happens, we could attract the attention of clans managing the city, or the federals and secret societies operating within the city.
– Therefore, we should avoid having long interactions with people. Tasks like loading and unloading delivery are too much for our stamina. –
– You think deliveries don’t involve meeting people? –
– Can’t we bundle ourselves up with helmets and masks? The contact time is short, too. It’s said that they’ll hire anyone who can drive a motorcycle since they’re short on hands. They don’t even ask for IDs! They just take anyone. –
In the end, I became a cute girl, but all I can do is 3D labor. I want to leisurely live life through internet broadcasting or SNS…
– We need to get those disguise tools quickly… –
– That dungeon is crawling with mid-tier monsters. It’s not suitable for us. –
The topic of discussion shifted elsewhere. The dungeon team munching on combat rations at the outskirts of the Novaastia Dungeon expressed their opinions.
– When are we going to another dungeon? I’m getting tired of killing those damn dwarves. –
– Let’s secure some gear and learn physical enhancement abilities quickly; then we can do something in the next dungeon. –
– We need to buy guns or crossbows! And tents! –
The main topics revolved around growth, the dungeon, and weaponry.
– I could buy a gun for Kalia, but when I asked, she scolded me, saying, “Do you think I’m some sort of merchant?” When I looked on my own, I found a store selling secondhand weapons on the outskirts. I’ll check that out. –
– Three stars! It must be at least three stars! –
– Can’t we get equipment from clans or conglomerates? –
– I can order online directly, but it’s expensive! –
New ideas were also proposed.
– How about the waiting personnel in the Central District train in their spare time? We’ll also practice separately at the gym. –
– Got it. What should we do first? Physical training? Swordsmanship? –
– Everything! –
What would happen if we all trained together? I wonder if we would get a group experience point bonus or something? I thought we should give it a try.
– By the way, how’s the school situation? –
– Speaking of which, I just found something strange! –
We, stationed at the school side, spread out books and internet articles.
– I sent thoughts earlier, but since everyone was busy, I’ll take another look. There’s something strange. –
As 7th was saying that, her view flashed over to a smartphone screen showing [Polaris Comprehensive Academy Brochure] and news windows in the search engine.
– Oh, you’ve spent all that time in the library reading novels, and you finally did something. –
5th teased 7th. The material collection duties mainly involved peeking at books and computers at the library, but most of them only played around under the pretense of research.
– You all saw it, too! –
– Ugh! –
In response to 7th’s rebuttal, we all felt a bit awkward and fell silent for a moment. Because it was true.
The fact that we can share each other’s views and thoughts provided a significant advantage in our play.
Whenever we felt bored or tired, we could shift our nerves slightly through the Violet Network and study while playing games or fight while reading books.
– Wait, who decided to call our thought-sharing system ‘Violet Network’? –
– Just yesterday evening! It was decided by a consensus of 25 out of 30 clones. 11th was asleep, you know. –
– It was democracy, then. Can’t help it. –
After the small talk ended, 7th immediately began her explanation.
– As we all felt, the scale of Polaris Academy is strangely large. Didn’t you notice it during the entrance ceremony? –
– Right. Now that I think about it, why are there so many students? –
In the game, the Scholarship Officer mainly focused on gathering students and colleagues to hunt monsters, but school stories also came up from time to time. After all, if they were selling student characters, they’d have to do seaside events, hot springs, and excursions, right?
In that process, the scale described for the Awakener Academy is usually at the high school level.
But here, it seems way too large. It’s at a university level. Other academies have a mix of high school and university systems, but this is just ridiculously oversized.
So perhaps that’s why there are so many ghouls with fried brains in the field.
– I looked it up, you know? The largest academy specializing in Awakeners in the western region we are in right now is Polaris Comprehensive Academy. But do you know how much larger it is compared to others? It’s over 3 to 4 times bigger. –
– Crazy, that’s unbelievably huge. Were there really that many young Awakeners? –
– It seems like you’d have to combine all the local academies to match up. –
– That’s right, Unit 1! Correct! –
– What? –
Everyone’s attention focused on 7th’s direction. A slender, white finger tapped the screen a few times, and a map application popped up on the smartphone.
The archipelago formed by the large diamond-shaped main island where the academy city is located and the small surrounding islands appeared. Two thumbs typed in and searched for ‘Awakener Academy.’ Red dots appeared on the map.
– There are so many academies. –
– Now, let’s compare the number of academies in the eastern, western, southern, and northern regions. –
We compared the number of academies indicated on the map. Our eyes soon filled with confusion. At first glance, the number of academies seemed small. Compared to other regions, those red dots were sparse.
– What? Other regions look somewhat similar, but why is the west so few? –
– Is it because the school district is bad? –
– Doesn’t it seem odd at first glance? You can understand the reason when you see this. –
The smartphone screen switched, and the search engine appeared. It showed a series of articles listed in chronological order.
[Aka Academy School of Magic, set to merge into Polaris Comprehensive Academy next year. The transfer of current students will proceed smoothly. FE.17.10.12]
[Martea Autonomous Private High School and three other schools. After discussions with Polaris Comprehensive Academy’s Board of Directors, contracts for student transfers and school facility relocations have been signed. Vice Chairman Valefor, “Expecting successful ability enhancement for students.” FE.19.05.12]
[Celebrating its 36th anniversary, Polaris Comprehensive Academy has risen to the second largest scale in the entire academy city beyond the Eastern District - Chairman Valefor, “We will nurture excellent talents to lead humanity's future.” - FE.21.06.03]
‘Merger, transfer, relocation, student’ these words were consistently attached to the article headlines. It was peculiar.
– I got curious suddenly and searched it. And that’s how those articles came up. So I looked it up just in case. –
– What? They absorbed several schools in just a few years. Is that even possible? –
– I don’t know. The clans let this happen; did they get bribed or something? –
Seeing Polaris’s expansionist agenda filled our eyes with suspicion. There was a reason for this school’s large size.
– Look at this photo! Doesn’t this person look like the one from the entrance ceremony? –
11th briefly took control of 7th’s body and scrolled up the screen. A photo showed a young man with long black hair tied back, delivering a speech.
– This is the chairman who spoke at the entrance ceremony! –
– He was the one who finished that speech quickly! He looks young for a chairman! –
– Must be an Awakened One. Awakened Ones age slowly, right? –
The academy growing this large is truly strange.
– So, is it filled with all sorts of riffraff? –
– I don’t know. It could be ploys to just suck money from the students. –
I know that this academy will be in ruins in five years in the main story, yet its scale has suddenly shown explosive growth not too long ago.
Something strange gripped me.
Am I being too suspicious? Perhaps I’m just overly paranoid.
– For now, let’s investigate this thoroughly without playing around. The investigation department should look into the academy’s past later. Ah! Also, find out who the board members are. –
– Confirmed! –
– Got it. Now, let’s hold our final meeting. ‘Multi-Dimensional Storage Bag.’ Who took the Inventory? –
Just as I was about to open the last section of the meeting, a text message suddenly came in.
– Uwoong!
[Notice: Students of the Dungeon Strategy Management Department who received this text should gather immediately on the 3rd floor of Classroom Building 3. There will be a welcome party for the freshmen, and no absentees allowed!
– From the seniors of the Dungeon Strategy Management Department.]
“Eek…! What is this!”
After nearly two weeks of silence, the inevitable seemed to have arrived. It seems my department hadn’t done anything strange like the others, but now it looks like it’s time for that.
– Meeting adjourned! Meeting adjourned! 7th, what are we going to do? –
– I don’t know! But shouldn’t we attend? It might actually be a real party! –
– If necessary, use pain distribution and check your magical power! Prepare your weapons. Dungeon team, retreat immediately! –
I, 7th, steeled my resolve and stepped out of the dorm.
As I walked through the campus, I heard a loud explosion from a distance. What is it, a fight?
– Boom boom bang!
– Pooof!
The courtyard was filled with dust and smoke. Sadly, it seemed the fight had ended quickly. I missed out on an exciting show.
Surprisingly, there was a chaotic scene where upperclassmen were being floored.
“Grrr! Freshman! Calm down! Aagh! Freshman! I’m sorry!”
“Uwaaaa! Gah! The disciplinary committee! Call the disciplinary committee!”
I saw a blue-haired, cool-looking male student, like he had come straight out of a light novel. It was Lucian.
As expected, he seemed to have ruthlessly knocked down the seniors. Such a confident lad.
“Hmph, you were all flaunting your early admission, yet you’re all useless.”
“No… But we are seniors…!”
One senior protested indignantly. Around him, several senior students lay fainted, like sacks of flour. Lucian sat on top of them, mocking the struggling seniors.
“I don’t take orders from anyone weaker than me.”
“Indeed! Lucian! Amazing!”
The first-year classmates standing nearby cheered. Upon closer inspection, it seemed those guys were covered in dirt too. He may have been the main force, but they seemed to have jumped in for some fun as well.
As I was about to step away, armed figures in black uniforms sprinted toward us at high speed.
– Toodoodoo!
“Everyone, freeze! We are the disciplinary committee!”
“Stop there!”
They surrounded Lucian and the first-year students. Some first-year students, who had been backing off in fright, were caught by those claiming to be the disciplinary committee.
“I heard there’s been a violent incident. Follow us!”
“What, do you all want to get knocked down as well?”
For a moment, an intense standoff occurred between the apparent leader of the disciplinary committee and Lucian.
“Unapproved violence is prohibited on school grounds.”
“Funny, isn’t it? When you upperclassmen are screeching about training is all okay, but now you’re here real quick.”
The standoff ended with the disciplinary committee member backing off a step.
“…Fine, just follow us. It’s merely an investigation, and you can leave right after.”
“Right! How could a junior hit a senior… No! Why me!”
The disciplinary committee lined up to take first-year and third-year students away.
Lucian brushed off the arms of one disciplinary committee member and declared, “I’ll walk on my own!”
“What kind of mess is this?”
I just learned that a disciplinary committee even existed in this school. What a puzzling world.
I hurriedly walked toward the classroom building where the party was supposed to be. As I walked, I could see a large classroom decorated with a grand “Welcome Freshmen” banner. Balloons and splendorous decorations were all around.
Most importantly, the contents on the large dining table caught my attention. There were chickens, pizzas, and all kinds of delicious feasts laid out.
“Wow!”
It seems this is indeed a real party. Maybe these senior students aren’t so bad after all?