The duel ended much more easily than I had anticipated.
When the veil surrounding the dueling grounds lifted, other students rushed to the upperclassman who had been crushed beneath the Violets.
It was the same group that had just been extorting Levi earlier.
The duel was over, so I reverse-summoned my clones.
The upperclassman regained his freedom of movement, and his lackeys helped him up.
“The duel is over. Declaration of surrender confirmed. Violet Rugilinn, victory.”
The disciplinary committee member announced the result.
It was all over.
However, expecting those guys to accept the outcome gracefully seemed like too much.
“This is cheating! Clone summoning? How is that fair?”
“How can anyone win when she pushes with such overwhelming numbers?”
Even though they were trashy delinquents, I had to admit, to some extent, I understood their point of view.
It had been a very one-sided affair, even from my perspective.
Despite their heated protests, the disciplinary committee member’s expression didn’t change a bit as he responded.
“You all know this: there are no restrictions on the use of unique abilities. Moreover, you were given time earlier to disclose your capabilities briefly.”
“But we didn’t know she could summon so many!”
“This duel is void! It’s invalid!”
They flailed and screamed.
Having to accept defeat was humiliating, so they were desperately trying to reject it.
“Is that so? Well, it wasn’t my decision. If you have complaints, take them up with the student council. Unless internal regulations are violated, the outcome of a duel is absolute.”
“Ugh…!”
The disciplinary committee member’s declaration left them speechless.
It seemed that invoking the student council’s authority was enough to shut them up.
A short while later, in a room on one side of the dueling grounds, an apology session was held under the supervision of the disciplinary committee member.
Levi fidgeted nervously, glancing around uneasily.
“Is… is this really… okay?”
“If it makes you uncomfortable, you can step outside.”
Looking back, my demand was quite perverse.
But earlier, when that guy had made a sudden, over-the-top confession, I’d reacted emotionally without thinking.
Once I’d made the proposal, there was no taking it back.
Besides, there was a purpose to this apology session.
“Why did you even agree to such terms?!”
“I didn’t think I’d lose like this!”
“Damn it… My life is ruined…”
Regardless of gender, they trembled in humiliation as they began to undress.
When they were left in just their underwear, they knelt on the ground.
“Now, raise your heads and look at the camera.”
“Damn it…”
“Repeat after me: ‘We apologize to Violet Rugilinn and Levi Schneider. We will never bully underclassmen again.’”
“We… apologize to Violet Rugilinn… and Levi Schneider… We will never bully underclassmen again…! Ugh…!”
I recorded every second of them kneeling and groveling on video.
Ugh, my eyes felt tainted.
“Alright, now hurry up and get dressed. Hand over the money!”
It was time to collect the compensation.
I gestured at them, and the upperclassmen, visibly trembling, took out their wallets.
“Is this everything?”
“You told us to hand over everything we had! This is all! Who even carries much cash these days?”
“Hey! I know you have more. Hand it over!”
As I squabbled with them, the disciplinary committee member interjected.
“Hey, first-year student. You demanded ‘all the money they had,’ correct?”
“That’s right. I won, didn’t I? So shouldn’t I be able to ask for more?”
“When you wrote the duel pledge earlier, you didn’t specify an exact amount, did you? In this case, even if you win the duel, you can’t just take everything arbitrarily.”
“What? There’s a rule like that? Then how much can I get?”
“Let’s see. According to the regulations… for simple cash demands unrelated to damages or loss, the maximum is 500,000 credits per person.”
“Ugh.”
My excitement deflated.
That’s not a lot of money after all.
I’d hoped to wring out a bit more, but apparently, that wasn’t an option.
Though it wasn’t a small amount, it was nothing compared to what I could earn by diligently clearing dungeons.
Since they didn’t have the cash on hand, they promised to deposit the amount within three days.
I accepted.
After all, the main goal was to extract an apology and ensure preventative measures against future incidents.
With the agreement reached, we prepared to leave the dueling grounds.
To ensure they didn’t pull anything funny, I emphasized the existence of the apology video.
“If you even think about bullying others or plotting revenge, know that this video will be made public. Got it?”
“Y-yeah… understood… Please…”
-Ugh! Not a video anyone would want to see. Gross.-
-Let’s just save it and bury it deep in some obscure folder.-
When we stepped outside the dueling grounds, the upperclassmen bolted.
They wouldn’t be trying anything stupid for a while.
Levi seemed hesitant, as though she had something to say.
“Uh… um, Violet…”
“Yes?”
“Th-thank you… for helping me…”
Levi expressed her gratitude.
Looking at her more closely, I realized she had a certain charm.
She wasn’t a character I’d encountered in the game, but she had her own distinct personality.
However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall a girl named “Levi Schneider” in the main story.
-Could she also be…-
-Stop with the ominous thoughts!-
I pushed aside the unsettling notion.
That event, whatever it was, wouldn’t happen for a few more years anyway.
Would she even still be at this school by then?
She might end up elsewhere by sheer coincidence.
Suddenly, the current school scenery overlapped with the image of crumbled buildings and vine-covered ruins in my mind.
I shook my head to dispel the illusion.
Right.
Whatever happens to the school, I planned to leave after just one year.
No point in worrying about the future.
“Is… is something wrong?”
“No, nothing! Oh, and I’ll give you all the money we got.”
“R-really? Thank you!”
The money didn’t matter much to me anyway.
After parting ways with Levi, I returned to my dormitory.
While resting in the dorm, I reviewed the duel in my mind.
I discussed it with the other versions of myself.
Most praised the outcome of teasing the upperclassmen, but there were dissenting opinions.
-Winning was good, but did you really need to summon that many?-
-Exactly. Twenty was overkill. You drained a lot of mana.-
Embarrassed, No. 3 tried to justify it by saying winning was all that mattered, but she couldn’t counter the argument that there was no need to use a butcher’s knife on a chicken.
That summarized my current state.
<CHARACTER STAT>
Name: Violet Dunhind Rugilinn
Title: Novice Duelist
Status: Polaris Academy First-Year Student
Lv: 18
HP: 3000/3000
MP: 7500/16000
Unique Abilities:
<Collective Intelligence> Lv2
<Dynamic Consciousness/Identity-Linked Clone Technique> Lv2
Synergistic Traits:
Backstab Proficiency: Increases damage when attacking from behind.
Weakling Extermination: Increases damage against low-health opponents.
Through steady hunting and growth, my mana had steadily increased.
Soon, I’d reach level 20.
From the recent duel, it was clear that if I had enough breathing room, I could summon about 20 clones at once.
Reverse summoning returned half the mana used, so I wasn’t lacking in mana.
The Collective Intelligence’s level had also increased.
I guessed this was due to the prolonged discussions and shared memories among my clones.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly what had improved.
It didn’t seem like our individual intelligence levels had risen.
Perhaps the speed of sharing and discussing had improved slightly.
However, we had another concern.
-The problem is that we don’t know the levels of other people in this game.-
-You showed too much at once!-
-Even the dungeon teams arrive riding in dump trucks.-
The other clones waiting in the Violet network also grumbled.
They weren’t wrong.
There would likely be many more duels in the future, and if I kept this up, challengers might start avoiding me altogether.
It was important to conceal my strength appropriately.
-We’ve gotten a general sense of the students’ abilities. Unless they’re particularly strong, summoning five clones should be enough.-
-Got it. I’ll limit it to that going forward.-
The discussion ended with a resolution to use power judiciously.
Meanwhile, while No. 3 was finishing the duel, other Violets were busy scouting the ventilation ducts.
“This feels different from wandering around the research facility. Why is it so spacious?”
The current location of the Violets roaming through the ventilation ducts, when roughly identified based on the Violets on the surface, was about the depth of a shallowly buried subway.
The one that moved the farthest had gone a few hundred meters away from the suspicious building.
The reason I could ascertain this was simple: I could intuitively sense the locations of other versions of myself.
As the level of collective intelligence increased, the accuracy of this perception also improved.
In the current state, I could pinpoint the locations more specifically based on the senses of other versions of me.
It was a kind of navigation method that utilized shared consciousness and senses.
-Those resting, please find some information about this school’s underground facilities.-
The Violets lounging in the central dormitory began flipping through books and documents.
They scoured everything from printed materials to books and promotional brochures.
-Ah, I just found something.-
Soon, No. 54 started explaining. According to the brief materials, this was what they found:
The site where Polaris Integrated Academy was located had once been used as a military base during the dimensional invasion in the past.
As a result, various large and small air-raid shelters were constructed underground.
From the illustrations, it looked like a mix between a catacomb and a Viet Cong tunnel.
-But now, it says they’ve all been sealed off for safety reasons.-
-They must have expanded construction based on these foundations.-
Come to think of it, Professor Albert mentioned someone who had been expelled after protesting financial difficulties.
Aside from sudden mergers and reckless scholarship support, there seemed to be another reason for the school’s financial burden.
-We’re not sure yet. For now, keep mapping out the area.-
The list of tasks kept growing.
Everyone who had been busily working on various tasks eventually fell asleep.
I found myself trapped in another nightmare.
The reason I recognized it as a nightmare was simple.
This lifeless space felt far too familiar.
The scenarios were always different. Sometimes, ninjas would invade during a live internet broadcast; other times, monsters would chase me.
“Again…”
But this nightmare never disappeared.
It burrowed into me like a parasite, tormenting and gnawing at me.
I’m tired of it.
I’m so tired.
What kind of agony would visit me this time?
This time, a one-eyed monster was chasing me.
When it opened its mouth, a mountain of razor-sharp teeth was visible.
Its bizarre foreclaw gleamed menacingly.
I screamed and ran.
“Don’t come near me! Stay away!”
In reality, I could confidently confront threats with weapons, commanding forces like an army.
We were always together.
But in dreams, I was always alone.
The other versions of me were likely experiencing this same dream right now.
Even knowing it was a dream, we could only endure it.
I ran until my lungs felt like they’d burst.
I desperately wished it would stop chasing me.
After running for a long time, I hid behind a wall and crouched down.
“Please, just go away…”
I held my breath and waited, but the wall crumbled.
The monster grabbed me.
“Nooo!!!”
I thrashed wildly.
It aimed its sharp claw at my head.
I could tell what was coming.
This monster was about to tear out my brain.
“It hurts! Stop it!”
Its claws dug into my head.
My skull was torn open.
Blood flowed.
I cried.
Stop.
Please stop.
It hurts.
Once again, I sobbed helplessly.
It hurt. Pain was my constant companion.
Stop.
Please let it end.
…Miss Rugilinn always suffers like this. What did she go through…
Suddenly, the surroundings were filled with green light.
Ah, I had forgotten.
Nightmares always accompanied me.
But at some point, their endings began to change.
At the end of this pain, a warm light would envelop me and erase what tormented me.
…I don’t know what kind of nightmare this is, but I hope you find peace.
I also heard a concerned voice from somewhere.
As I bathed in this warmth and light, it felt strangely familiar.
It reminded me of childhood memories, of the comfort of a mother’s embrace.
It was warm.
I soared toward the light.
I rose…
I slowly opened my eyes.
“Ugh…”
No. 5, whom I had been hugging as a substitute pillow, also woke up at the same time.
Simultaneously, other versions of me in different areas also stirred awake.
Judging by the faint light outside the window, it was dawn.
There was about an hour left until wake-up time.
-What’s going on?-
-There’s something strange about my head…-
But someone was stroking my head at this early hour.
It was an odd sensation.
When I slowly turned my head, I saw the hair of a woman with long, flowing locks.
The situation sent chills down my spine.
I was lying on the top bunk of a bunk bed.
How could there be someone’s head here?
The Violet network, activated by fear, performed high-speed calculations and reached a conclusion.
A woman’s head located on the top bunk.
Her hair was white.
The current time was dawn.
This was…
-That thing is…-
-A ghost! Attack it!-
“Violet Attack!”
I shouted and shoved the ghost’s head hard.
“Kyahhh!”
The pale woman’s head fell to the floor with a thud.
The physical exorcism was effective.
“Justice prevails!”
We declared our victory.
But something felt off.
Suddenly, an eerie intuition crossed my mind.
Was that scream I heard earlier really a ghost’s?
-Ghosts can scream too.-
-Okay, fine! But what about the thud when it fell? Do ghosts have mass?-
I’d heard of spiritual beings fixing their positions in the spatial coordinate system, but did they really interact with gravity?
“Sob…”
And more than that, can a ghost cry in pain?
No, more importantly, the face I saw earlier—it looked incredibly familiar.
Both of us peeked out from the bed.
When we shone the flashlight of a smartphone onto the floor, I realized the magnitude of what I’d done.
Lying on the floor below the bed, clutching the back of her head and wincing, was Daphne.
“Ouch… my head…”
“Huh? It wasn’t a ghost; it was Daphne?”
“Miss Rugilinn… what was that all about?!”
Daphne looked quite hurt.
She had been hanging onto the top bunk and had fallen flat on her back.
Did I really cause that?
“Are… are you okay?”
“…Miss Rugilinn!”
I was doomed.