Clang!
“Ugh… just let me sleep…”
No. 1, who had been dozing off in one of the seats, woke up due to the bus shaking.
The armored intercity bus rumbled along the dim dawn road, dragging its heavy body with each bounce.
It was early Sunday morning.
After pulling an all-nighter, I stepped out of school and boarded a bus heading to the southwestern region.
At first glance, the bus was covered in thick layers of armor.
Despite its size, the interior felt cramped, likely due to a trade-off between transport capacity and defensive measures.
The small, narrow windows were barred, resembling a cage truck.
– No. 7, do you think wild beasts are the only issue here? –
Outside the narrow windows, silhouettes of dark-blue buildings flashed past like shooting stars.
In the shadows of the city, not yet awakened, came sounds like beans roasting.
The noises—screams and shouts—vanished into the darkness before fully spreading.
It was a sight I would never have seen in the neighborhood where I lived before being possessed.
Unless I ventured into an unstable country, I would never encounter such scenes in my life.
– The world outside school is truly dangerous. –
– Isn’t it pretty much the same inside the school, though? –
The Violets in my head were murmuring among themselves.
“Well, it can’t be helped. That’s just how this world is,” I muttered.
No. 1 chewed on a chocolate bar as she mumbled to herself.
A passenger sitting beside me glanced over, then turned away.
Sometimes, when I conversed with the Violets in my mind, words slipped out of my mouth.
I really needed to be more cautious.
– But No. 1, where did you get that chocolate bar? –
– From the pantry. –
– Hey! That’s Daphne’s! You got caught yesterday, and you’re already at it again? –
No. 1 grumbled internally, justifying it as a matter of survival.
I briefly recalled what had happened the night before.
While descending the forest as the sun set, I had been caught by Daphne while sneaking bites of cup noodles, bread, chocolate, candy, and cookies.
I was supposed to restock what my dorm clones had eaten, but I had forgotten.
When Daphne pointed to the empty pantry and questioned me with disappointed eyes, I had no choice but to confess.
“Sorry! It wasn’t me who ate them—it was one of my clones. I was just really hungry.”
“If you were hungry, you should have told me.”
She gently scolded me.
“I understand if you ate my food. But taking without telling me is unfair. Next time, let me know, okay?”
“Okay… I’m sorry. I promise.”
“Thank you, Rugilinn. Starting today, it’s a promise!”
Thankfully, Daphne quickly forgave me.
She even said I could take her food anytime, as long as I asked first.
She really was a kind roommate.
So this time, I told her. Plus, we already restocked the pantry with what we bought, so it’s fine! –
– Ugh… You may be me, but you’re way too naïve. –
Afterwards, another clone hurriedly replenished the pantry with cup noodles and snacks, resolving the issue.
With nothing else to do, I climbed onto the top bunk bed and idly played with my smartphone.
Unable to fall asleep, I debated pulling an all-nighter.
Looking down, I saw Daphne studying under the desk lamp’s glow.
She had several thick textbooks, the size of college medical texts, stacked beside her.
Curious, I asked, “You’re already studying, even though the semester just started?”
“Yes. My major requires a lot of preparation.”
She smiled softly as she replied.
I remembered hearing that she was in a medical-related department.
It covered everything from pure surgical techniques to healing magic and specialized abilities.
Rumor had it that you needed excellent entrance exam scores to get in.
Apparently, understanding anatomy and biology was essential for effective healing.
“With the tuition fees, it’d be a waste of both money and time to slack off.
So, I plan to study and learn as much as I can while I’m here.”
“As expected! You’re so diligent, Daphne. Is it because you want to be a doctor?”
“Oh, that’s too much praise! I’m not a real doctor yet.”
“Hehe…”
We chatted for a while after that.
Was this what they called “girl talk”? It was fun.
Seeing her blush under my compliments made me even more curious about my roommate.
Five years before the main storyline, what kind of dreams did the “Saint of Salvation” have?
Despite her significant role in the narrative, her past wasn’t explored much.
“Just wondering, what do you plan to do after graduation? Will you join a clan, or work for a medical institution?”
“I’ll probably find a job first. I need to pay off my student loans. But if the opportunity arises, I’d like to do some medical volunteer work.”
“Volunteer work?”
“Yes. There are so many people in this world who are injured or sick but can’t afford proper treatment. I’ve always wanted to help them with my abilities…. Is that strange?”
“No! It sounds like a great idea!”
“Thanks for saying that.”
She raised her right hand, revealing a soft, glowing green etheric light.
“Ever since I first gained this ability, there’s always been someone I wanted to help.”
Her lips curved into a bittersweet smile.
Like snow melting in late spring, it faded away.
-Ring!
My phone alarm blared from the bed.
Oh no! I had set it for the wrong time.
“Oops, my alarm clock!
It was supposed to go off at dawn, but I must have set it wrong.”
“By the way, it’s already quite late. Rugilinn, would the desk lamp’s light bother you while sleeping? Is it okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine! It didn’t disturb you, did it?”
“No, not at all. Chatting with you was a refreshing break for me. I still have more to review, so have a good night!”
And so, I spent the rest of the time lying in bed until dawn, daydreaming.
By 5 a.m., I got up, hailed a cab, and headed to the bus terminal.
The armored bus lurched violently, as though it had hit a speed bump.
No. 1 swayed back and forth like a clock’s pendulum, caught between sleep and thought.
“Eek!”
– What’s with this driver? So bad at driving! –
– And they charge such high fares! –
The terrible ride prompted complaints from the Violets in my mind.
A screeching sound from the speakers was followed by the driver tapping the microphone.
“Attention, passengers. The recent jolt was due to a wild beast running onto the road, which we hit while passing. We apologize for any inconvenience…”
The driver droned on, but vibrations buzzed repeatedly throughout the bus.
Passengers instinctively checked their phones.
I felt my own phone vibrating in my pocket and pulled it out to see the screen.
[Emergency Alert!: Current Southwest Region, Level 3 Emergency Declaration. Multiple simultaneous small-scale gates have appeared. Low- to mid-tier beasts may emerge. Please stay indoors or in a secure building. Close all doors and windows and remain alert. – Academy City Central Safety Management Committee]
Startled, I glanced around the bus.
People checked their phones calmly and returned to their usual posture.
How could they all stay so indifferent?
It reminded me of the emergency alerts I used to receive before being possessed.
Instead of warnings for heat waves or heavy rain, they were now about gates and monsters.
-Beep!
The speaker crackled back to life.
The driver made another announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you may have noticed, a Level 3 Emergency has been declared. For safety, we’ll proceed to our destination at high speed. Please fasten your seat belts and hold onto the handrails tightly!”
-Kuooom!
“Ahh!”
With a heavy rumble, the bus accelerated, throwing us backward.
The armored intercity bus tore down the road at high speed.
Through the now-brightening windows, I spotted helicopters weaving between buildings.
Figures jumped out without parachutes.
A loud explosion echoed.
Nervously, I scanned the narrow window’s view.
It felt like being in a war zone.
Other passengers, however, were glued to their phones or sound asleep, seemingly unfazed.
Only I seemed tense in this vehicle.
It hit me again—this world was straight out of a game.
The emergency alert lifted after 30 minutes.
I tried to get some sleep again.
After hours of relentless driving, I finally stepped off the stifling armored bus.
Another long walk brought me to the dungeon.
My destination was the <Forgotten Novastia Canyon>, nicknamed “Novastia Mines.”
Though called a mine and used for harvesting various minerals and materials,
it was, in reality, a gateway to a dimensionally altered world.
“Alright, forward team of three, assemble!”
“Assemble!”
I created two clones and climbed the mountain together.
The Novastia Mines were halfway up a steep mountain.
Even after taking an expensive taxi ride, I was dropped off at the entrance.
Walking up the unpaved road, wide enough for a few trucks,
I caught a breathtaking view of Rustlum’s sparkling cityscape under the morning sun.
“Can you all see this? It’s overwhelming.”
“Yeah, seeing it in person feels so different from a screen.”
Far in the distance, I could see the city center,
dominated by a spire that pierced the sky.
“So that’s <Rustlum Bay>… It’s really tall.”
“To be visible from here, imagine how massive it must be!”
“They sell food at the mid-level observation deck, right?
Let’s go there once we make enough money!”
“Deal!”
The towering 3km-high structure dwarfed the surrounding skyscrapers.
Its sheer scale made them look like mere decorative concrete pieces.
We admired the distant city like tourists, even taking pictures of the scenery.
-Whoosh!
“Wow! It’s an airship!”
A massive craft roared overhead, and we cheered, waving excitedly.
A sharply angled airship, likely to enrage experts in aerodynamics, flew overhead.
On both sides of the airship, propulsion systems emitting Ether’s characteristic indescribable glow were attached in clusters.
The densely packed steel containers loaded underneath the airship were impressive, resembling remoras clinging to a whale’s belly.
“I want to ride that thing someday.”
“Me too…”
The cargo airship disappeared toward the north.
“Stepping outside the school, I’ve seen so many interesting things.”
“Enough sightseeing, let’s get moving again. Didn’t we just get an extreme weather alert? It’s supposed to hit 50 degrees soon. We need to get inside the dungeon quickly.”
“Again? I thought this week would be normal for once. This area’s weather is never calm.”
We hurried to climb higher.
Relying on the map app, we ascended, but the signal began to fade, leaving only strange interference.
We were nearing the dungeon.
“Isn’t it strange how there are so many tire tracks on the road?”
“You’re right. The main Novastia Dungeon was supposed to be abandoned because it wasn’t profitable.”
No. 2 sensed something was off and looked back at No. 1 and No. 3.
“Wasn’t that five years later in the main storyline? We’re here five years earlier.”
“So, for now…”
In the distance, we spotted the entrance.
As we approached, we were met with sturdy barbed-wire fences and a steel gate.
“What the hell is that?”
“Let’s investigate first.”
We climbed a hill beside the entrance.
From the top, we could see multiple fences and barbed wire-covered dungeon entrances that weren’t there in the main storyline.
Large machine-gun turrets, the kind you’d find on battleships, were installed here as well.
Several heavily armored vehicles with the insignia of an unknown clan passed through the main gate and disappeared.
Large dump trucks came and went, traveling back and forth.
Armed guards patrolled everywhere.
“This is bad! It looks like it’s being managed in this timeline!”
“The security is way too tight. Can we even get in?”
A clever idea popped into my head.
“Let’s try clinging under a truck to sneak in, just like in the movies!”
We all agreed it was a great idea and created No. 4 to attempt it.
No. 4 crouched in a roadside ditch, waiting for a dump truck to pass by.
When it came close, No. 4 quickly rolled under the truck, aiming for the underside.
“Huh?”
The timing was off!
The truck wheel filled No. 4’s field of vision.
-Crash!-
“Ack!”
“Oh no!”
We clutched our heads in agony from the sharp pain.
Thankfully, since No. 4 died instantly, the pain subsided quickly.
In the truck’s wake, a flattened No. 4 lay like a dried-up snack.
“What now?”
“Do we sneak in?”
“Look it up online!”
“But there’s no internet here! Remember, dungeon zones have no Wi-Fi!”
As we huddled in confusion, No. 8, who had been typing away in the library, sent unexpected information.
“You fools! Why are you wasting time there? Share my vision now!”
We linked our vision with No. 8.
On No. 8’s computer screen, the Novastia Dungeon map and a guide appeared.
“I checked just in case. It’s a location occupied by a small clan involved in material-related industries. They charge an entry fee, but if you have a permit, you can enter.”
We realized we had taken the wrong path.
The civilian entrance was elsewhere.
After sending No. 1 down, we found a parking lot and a checkpoint in a previously unseen direction.
“This place is still operational…”
“And we were at the vehicle-only entrance.”
After circling down for a while, we found various people waiting.
I quickly got in line.
People of all ages, armed with weapons, moved forward.
Ahead, clan-affiliated guards were scanning permits with handheld devices.
“Let me check your permit. Oh no, your registration period expired. Please leave.”
“What? Are you serious?”
Most passed, but a few were turned away.
Soon, it was my turn.
“What’s this, a school uniform? Classes just started, and you’re already here? Let me see your student ID.”
I handed over my student ID.
The checkpoint guard scanned it with a device, and his expression softened.
“…Polaris Integrated Academy. Verified. Have a good hunt.”
He was surprisingly polite.
As I walked forward, the guard stopped me.
“Wait a moment, student. You need to pay the entry fee.”
I noticed the entry fee listed on a nearby sign.
It was quite expensive.
I emptied my wallet to pay.
“If I knew this would happen, I would’ve done more research…”
“Right? We can’t rely only on our knowledge from the original story, like when we searched for the Crystal Flower.”
No. 1 passed the checkpoint and headed toward the dungeon gate.
Though it was still early morning, the place buzzed like a busy marketplace.
Vendors were selling supplies to those entering the dungeon.
“Survival backpack sets on a buy-one-get-one-free deal!”
“Cheap! Discounted combat rations!”
“Medical kits on sale!”
I stopped by a stall and bought three recovery potions.
They were the same kind used back in the lab.
“Think these can be cloned too?”
“Try it inside.”
The shimmering portal entrance loomed ahead like a dark ocean.
I cautiously stepped forward.
It felt as though I was being swept away by waves.
“Wow…”
The rocky mountains from earlier vanished, replaced by the ruins of a massive city stretching before us.
“This is it…”
We had entered the prologue setting, the <Canyon of Forgotten Novastia> region.
Near the entrance, armed individuals in teams were walking around.
In one area, the armored vehicles we saw earlier rolled past the ruins.
“This is just the beginning. Stay sharp and prepare to generate.”
We moved to a secluded spot and generated clones.
Suddenly, 14 Violet copies appeared.
They tied back their flowing hair with rubber bands, donned masks, and armed themselves.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Let’s move!”
The Violet squad advanced beyond the desolate gray ruins.