The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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Chapter 1 – Prelude

Before the sun crossed the horizon, Tania awoke to the distant sound of gunfire.

The rhythm pouring from the narrow alley of Circle Cliff was all too familiar.

Her delicate fingers brushed the ceiling of the worn-out room. Pale sunlight struggled to penetrate the tightly packed, aging buildings.

A beam of light managed to seep through, illuminating the complex wires and flickering displays that adorned the cramped apartment.

Tania, tossing in her narrow bed, rubbed her eyes and strained to listen to the familiar sounds from outside.

Unintelligible chatter, distant mechanical noises, and the sorrowful cries of stray dogs.

And then, once again, the gunfire.

Bang, bang!

“Tania, are you up already?”

Her parents were already awake. Her mother was boiling tea on the old gas stove, while her father was staring at an old tablet.

“Are you heading out already?”

Tania nodded, hurriedly stuffing a piece of toast and an egg into her mouth.

“Yes, Mom. I have plenty of time before school. I’d like to sort the stock before the store opens.”

Her father looked up from the tablet, concern etched on his face.

“Be careful when you go out, Tania. You should be especially cautious today. I heard rumors that the gangs are fighting again. Some thug who came to collect said so. The atmosphere these days is uneasy, so watch yourself.”

“Yeah, the grandma from next door also mentioned it. Rumor has it that Casador got irritated after dealing with outsiders.”

Worry deepened on her mother’s face. Tania thought to herself.

‘I’ve heard the Casador story a million times.’

Tania casually brushed off her parents’ concerns.

“It’ll be fine. We’ve never missed our protection fee before. There’s no way the gangs will target us.”

Her mother still looked worried but reluctantly nodded.

“Just… always stay alert.”

Tania stepped into the misty dawn.

The chaotic, narrow streets of Circle Cliff were a maze of shadows cast by the neon lights and crumbling concrete.

Squalid flyers lay helplessly on the ground, illuminated by the faint morning light between the shabby billboards.

Tania cautiously walked down the narrow alley toward the store. Gang members lurked around every corner, weapons glinting threateningly.

An Awakened One gang member flaunted their magical power, sending chills down Tania’s spine.

Everyone was on high alert, hands reflexively moving toward their weapons at the slightest noise.

With her head down, Tania approached the store and fumbled for the old key.

The moment she inserted the key into the door, a thunderous bang split the air.

Again the gunfire rang out. This time, it was far more intense than the usual light pop.

The girl hesitated.

Amidst her fear, a stubborn belief bloomed in her heart that this too would pass.

It was just another ordinary gang dispute, as it always was.

‘It’s going to be okay.’

Gangs never attacked those who did nothing. They never had.

Tania opened the door, and a familiar scent calmed her.

After tidying up a few things before her parents arrived, her gaze drifted to the shelf holding her most treasured possession.

A piggy bank—pink ceramic with a coin slot on top of its head. It looked like an old relic.

She carefully shook it, smiling at the sound of coins rattling inside.

Trinkets she had saved bit by bit; if she saved a little more, she could buy a gift for Dad. Her birthday was fast approaching.

Wait, what if she saved even more? Then…

Tania got lost in her imagination.

Leaving Circle Cliff and living a peaceful life with her family in a quiet place.

The increasingly close gunfire yanked her back to reality. The heavy roar of engines and the mysterious ripping sounds filled the air.

Tania poked her head out the window and gasped. Flashes of light erupted everywhere, and the air vibrated with released magical power.

Armed vehicles raced down the street. Flashes tore through the dim alley, and glistening bullets sliced through the shadows.

“Get inside!”

A gang member yelled, waving at the onlooking people.

“Now!”

Panic swept over her.

‘Isn’t it better just to go home?’

She rushed to prepare for an escape amidst the chaos.

The world erupted.

As a small explosion jolted the area, Tania was flung across the room like a rag doll.

In that strangely slow moment, she had to watch as her parents’ shop became a wreck.

‘No! Our shop!’

The air split with the crack of gunfire and the buzzing of energy weapons.

Stumbling amidst the debris, Tania picked herself up.

I have to go, what should I do? Mom and Dad’s shop is ruined.

Right, we can clean it up. Let’s go home first. I’ll wash up, then—

-Bam!

Her thoughts cut off there.

The girl’s body was thrown back.

Red mist poured from her fractured skull as it hesitated before succumbing to gravity.

The small body of the elementary school girl fell to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, momentarily swaying before completely stilling.

Blind bullets swept through the shop once more. The piggy bank on the shelf shook before plummeting to the ground.

Shattering into pieces, coins spilled out like metallic tears upon the scattered fragments.

As gunfire subsided momentarily, a naval special forces soldier strolled past, muttering indifferently.

“Collateral damage confirmed—”

-Cut the unnecessary reports.

The command center’s cold reprimand directed the Air Navy special forces toward the heart of Circle Cliff.

The gunfire continued unabated toward the city center.

Amidst the commotion were wrecked futures and shattered hopes intertwined.

The gaze of the broken piggy bank met its owner’s vacant eyes. The empty gaze, clouded, seemed to gaze into a vanishing dream.

The merciless march continued.

**

Everywhere was a battlefield. We Violets had to clear our minds.

Suddenly, the scale of the fight had escalated to an overwhelming level.

“What on earth is going on?”

“I don’t know!”

The answer came from one of the senators behind them.

“They’re terrorists! They’re after us!”

“Terrorists?”

When I asked, the senator, who had been looking out the window, muttered with a mix of anger and tension.

“Yeah, a plane suddenly crashed, and they took us hostage. If it weren’t for your mercenary friend who passed by, we would have been in big trouble.”

Mercenary? Glancing at Kalia, she noticed and shrugged.

It seemed she was giving a vague explanation.

Kalia pulled up a black mask that she had pulled out of nowhere, casually adding a few words.

“They tried to give us some weird injections. So, I couldn’t just leave them be.”

I see. I still don’t understand why politicians are here in this alternate space.

But somehow it feels familiar. It’s not that the other senator is unfamiliar, but that one, I feel I’ve seen somewhere before.

“That’s him! The Duelist!”

“60 consecutive victories in Parliament!”

Oh, so that’s who it was. I think his name was Remar. Then the senators around him must be of a similar ilk.

But that’s not what’s important right now. Handling these gentlemen is the priority.

“Should we just leave them be? Getting Enrique out is more important!”

“No, can’t we earn some reward?”

While we were briefly contemplating this, one of the senators, an older gentleman, spoke up.

“A mercenary? A resolver? Whatever it is, we need to make a request.”

“A request?”

“Get us out of here to a safe place immediately. We’ll pay you well.”

Oh, if they’re coming out like this, it’s favorable for us. I should ask for an advance.

I quickly pulled out my phone, opened an anonymous account number, and held it up in front of the senators.

“Alright, gentlemen. You said you’re senators, right? As you can see, this is a war zone. I’ll take the job, so you gentlemen just follow me and my friend. Showing a little goodwill now wouldn’t hurt, right? Understood?”

Senator Remar met our gaze stiffly.

“We’re senators! You can’t possibly think we would cheat you!”

“Yep! How can I trust you? You might not even be senators.”

“You little…”

The senator, who had shown discomfort, stepped back after a moment. He must have realized there wasn’t time to fight here.

The Violet units, scattered throughout the room, quickly exited.

There was, in fact, no way to receive payment right away.

“Communications with the outside are severed! Wireless networks aren’t working!”

No phone or internet connection could be established inside this large multi-family housing complex.

This felt familiar. It was just like when we wandered through dungeons. All forms of communication were entirely cut off.

At this rate, I thought I’d stepped into reality, but it was more like I stepped into a dungeon resembling a dragon fort.

There was a bigger problem though. The speed of clone generation had slowed.

“The Nemosis Protocol is deployed over this entire area! The magical disturbance ban is still in effect! It seems to be affecting outside too… why?”

“What’s the range on that? 7200, hold on. I’ll just pull your memories out to solve this.”

“Uh, here… Hiyah!”

Unlike the Apostles, 7200 was still human, so sharing memories was easy.

Just like sugar dissolving in water, I provoked the clump of memories, which was slowly being absorbed by the network, to unravel it.

The next moment, voices of horror echoed in the network.

“What the hell! Why didn’t you say anything? We’re trapped?”

“Yeah! There’s probably a barrier—”

Before the shock could even settle, the leading unit descending the stairs collided with a blinding flash.

“There! Code Black! Confirmed!”

Agents that had jumped with a short-range leap, upon seeing us, hurried toward us.

“When did they contact them?”

The next moment, an explosion erupted from the side. Ragtag figures armed with swords charged in.

“There! It’s the senator! Capture them!”

Armed enemy soldiers began rushing from all directions.

“Uwaaaah! Protect us!”

“Hey! Stay calm, stay calm—”

“Chairman! Please calm down! It’s okay for now!”

“You’re all insane! We’re all going to die! We’re going to die!”

Screaming in panic, the senators stirred. Except for one sword-wielding duelist senator, everyone else seemed ready to bolt.

It looked out of control. Desperately, I grabbed a hammer.

“Wait, mercenary. What are you doing? You shouldn’t—”

“Sleep tight!”

I swung the hammer against the senators’ heads. Instantly, they fell into a deep sleep like babies.

I ordered another Violet to carry them to a safe place.

“What are you doing! How dare you touch a sacred senator…”

“Look, mister, I don’t care if you’re sacred or whatever. For now, just follow them, okay?”

Senator Remar glared at us in outrage. He gritted his teeth as if acknowledging reality and followed the Violets carrying the senators.

Looking worried, Enrique asked.

“Is this really okay? After all, they’re politicians…”

“I don’t pay taxes!”

They’re not my politicians, so I don’t care. I’ve never voted, so they’re someone else’s politicians.

What’s important is to smash all visible enemies for now.

The speed of clone generation had slowed to a crawl. The main force outside Circle Cliff was diligently on their way, but it would take time.

“Isn’t this the first time we’re fighting against more enemies than us?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Metal storms swept through the building all at once. We quickly dropped flat to the ground.

Screams echoed inside the building. Were they from the residents? I quickly gave orders to the V-animals.

“Ravens, fly! Attempt aerial reconnaissance! Monkeys, assist Kalia and me! All mice… move carefully to minimize injuries! Got it?”

Cocoa’s bag opened. Mice crawled out. Moments later, two ravens perched on our shoulders darted in the direction where the enemies weren’t.

Moving the animals worked to quickly gather information. The ravens that had flown out of the window.

What Almond’s gaze caught was a menacing bipedal machine.

“They’re combat walking machines!”

Human-shaped bipedal machines rained gunfire into the housing complex. Known as mechs.

As if that weren’t enough, on one side, a Stregonics unit rushed in to cover the enforcement agents.

Clearly emblazoned with the Lumirex logo.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Amid tension while reloading, Kalia asked.

Are we going to be okay?

It’s the first time.

We have to fight against enemies who outnumber us. The speed of clone generation had all but ceased.

Dealing with whatever protocol was in the way was the priority.

“We’ll be fine!”

But I absolutely had no confidence.

In losing.

“Let’s just get out of here!”

Target locked, focus clear, and all that’s left is ignition.

“Tactical immersion, activate!”

The processing power of 7200 poured down like a torrential storm into the squad’s minds.