The next morning, I woke up after a short sleep and reviewed the plan No. 1 had mentioned.
“I don’t know what kind of research they’re conducting, but it’s definitely suspicious.”
“Yeah. After reviewing the recorded audio, it’s clear they intentionally caused that chaos during the entrance ceremony. And those guys have built a massive facility under the school?”
These were undoubtedly the culprits who created the ruins of the school seen in the main story five years later.
“Are they trying to summon demons or something?”
“Idiot. There are no demons in the Deep Crimson Academia.”
“How about top-tier beasts or high-ranking ruling species from another dimension? They’re similar.”
“They can’t come here because of the ether concentration issue, not because human souls are missing!”
The genre of this game was a mix of sci-fi and fantasy.
Finding that explanation was our goal.
“Let’s swipe a thesis or maybe a computer…”
“Rejected. If something intact disappears, they’ll suspect an internal infiltrator. Security will tighten.
And here’s the most critical problem. Who among us knows this world’s science or academia?
Can anyone interpret the materials if we look at them? We only know the ‘setting.’ Don’t delude yourself.”
No. 2’s point was valid.
Let’s assume we know that mixing lead and copper and baking them produces a remarkable metal.
Knowing that fact and actually making it are two different things.
Even if we employed collective intelligence to understand a thesis, we couldn’t fully grasp the entire process of their project.
“Capturing someone and figuring out what they’re doing is the most certain method. It’s quick and efficient.”
After all, the human brain was the best storage device, soft and vulnerable enough to be exploited.
“Then who do we kidnap?”
“First of all, not that doctor.”
Everyone agreed on this.
Judging by his meetings and demeanor with the chairman, he was clearly a key figure.
If we harmed someone like him, the board—or, at worst, one of the Four Major Clans connected to the chairman—might intervene.
If that happened, it would be over for us. While we wouldn’t fear for our lives, we’d have to give up on a comfortable life. We might even need to buy a ticket out of Rustlum.
It would be like trying to sabotage the Manhattan Project by assassinating Oppenheimer.
Even then, it’s uncertain if that mysterious plan would actually be halted.
“Can’t we just set the lab on fire? We’ve got enough fuel ready.”
“Destroy it without even knowing what it is?”
“It’s an underground facility. If we set it on fire, everyone inside will suffocate.”
“Rejected. There might be other ventilation or fire suppression systems we don’t know about. And what if the people inside are innocent? They could just be graduate students following orders.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
We returned to the idea of abduction.
No matter how much we thought about it, there was no need to painstakingly pick the lock of the complex mechanism before us. Waiting for someone to open the door and then threatening them was faster.
“Let’s capture someone manageable.”
“If an employee who shows up regularly suddenly disappears, they’ll find it suspicious.”
“Don’t worry. The security in Academy City isn’t great. As long as our presence isn’t revealed, they’ll think it’s a robbery or a gang attack. In the worst-case scenario, there’s even an organization we can use as a scapegoat…”
The image of the black-armored soldiers we saw in the lab surfaced in our minds.
“Obsidian Legion?”
“Impersonating them is risky. If we’re unlucky, other clans or the Academy City authorities might get involved.”
“Right. Let’s disguise it as a gang or robbery instead.”
After discussion, we reached a consensus.
“Now, the only thing left is to find an appropriate target. Field personnel, work hard and bring someone manageable.”
“Got it. But prepare masks, handcuffs, and a taser for us. A sedative would be nice too.”
“Wait a moment. Let’s say we capture a researcher. Where are we going to keep them?”
“There are plenty of unused abandoned buildings nearby, or we can buy an animal cage and lock them in there.”
“That’s a great idea!”
Everyone clapped in satisfaction.
The discussion concluded smoothly.
Everyone stood up and went back to their tasks.
Finally, No. 1 handed over to No. 2 and went to sleep.
Only the clones on duty remained in the temporary command headquarters.
“What’s the situation on the dungeon side?”
“Going well. Casualties have decreased to an astonishing level. While it’s not easy to imbue magic into arrows, they’re sufficient to pierce those things’ hides.”
Saying that, No. 67 turned her head. A mountain of Skrax corpses piled high in front of her, with Violets working amidst the heap.
These were the results of a crossbow barrage launched by the Violets under the protection of a defensive formation in the recent battle.
“There’s so many of them. Aren’t these things asexual?”
“No matter how many we kill, they keep coming.”
The more I looked, the more amazing it seemed. Not just us, but hundreds of hunters entered Novastia daily, grinding the creatures into powder to produce etherium raw materials.
Yet, these beasts kept pouring out as if they were mass-produced in a factory. Although the dungeon’s size rivaled that of a city, its barren landscape offered nothing edible.
The Violets in the dungeon irritably removed crossbow bolts deeply embedded in the carcasses.
Due to the nature of the cloning ability, objects more than 4–5 meters away from a clone disappeared.
Hence, consumables like arrows had to be recycled or purchased in bulk to stockpile in the inventory.
“At least the power is undeniable.”
After much time and effort, we found something decent on the corner shelves of a used weapons store.
It was a device where pulling the lever to draw the string automatically loaded a bolt from the magazine on top.
It had its inconveniences, likely due to its age.
“We really need to get a three-star or higher projectile weapon.”
“Stop chatting and gather the bolts properly! You all know how expensive these are!”
Interestingly, swords or simple self-defense firearms were readily available if you had the money, but high-caliber firearms, high-performance ammunition, or special arrows capable of penetrating the ether defenses of beasts or Awakened required a complicated process.
Thanks to my student ID, the process was slightly simplified, but there were still plenty of documents to fill out, and the cost was absurdly high.
For now, since I would only be dealing with minor lower-grade beasts, this level of weaponry was sufficient.
I briefly inspected the weapon.
[Old W&W Repeating Crossbow of an Unknown Ranger ☆☆]
A product of W&W, a company renowned for its bows and crossbows.
It’s a ten-shot repeating crossbow with a simple lever-pull reloading mechanism.
The bowstring area was stiff from prolonged use.
No one would ever know how this weapon, soaked with the sweat and blood of an unnamed man, ended up in a secondhand shop on the outskirts.
…
As I read the brief narrative displayed on the status window, I inadvertently frowned. The fate of the original owner was all too obvious.
While I was engrossed in work, Violet, who was on lookout at the perimeter, noticed unusual movement.
A clone urgently sent a warning.
-Beast! Prepare for battle!-
Each of us pulled out a weapon and aimed it at the figure. Something human-sized and writhing was approaching us.
It wasn’t particularly large for a Skrax, nor was it a Felinut.
Perhaps a Growler?
No, it was smaller than that.
This was a beast I had never seen before.
“Ughhh…”
Soon, its nature became apparent.
Eyes filled with only whites, a body covered in various scars, skin so pale it was tinged blue—it was a ghoul.
The creature spotted us and staggered toward us at a run.
-Should I shoot?-
-It’s just a small fry. Don’t waste an arrow.-
Violet, armed with a spear, approached it.
A strike to the thigh, one to the abdomen, and another to the chest.
The creature fell without having a chance to resist, its dark blood pooling on the ground.
“Poor thing. Which clan do you think it belonged to?”
We cautiously examined the corpse.
“Judging by its clothing, there’s no badge or emblem indicating clan membership… Looks like it was alone. Probably let its guard down since there were only low-level beasts around.”
“Based on its gear, it only had a sword and a water bottle. Oh, and a chocolate bar wrapper in its pocket. Must have been a rookie.”
Those who entered a dungeon looking so ill-equipped were usually either novices or impoverished.
In addition to the wounds we inflicted, there were large and small injuries concentrated on its neck, back, and head.
The cause of death was obvious.
It likely managed to take down one or two Skrax, ventured deeper, and got cornered in an alley by a pack.
A scenario we had struggled with ourselves.
“Considering it turned into a ghoul, it must not have been completely dead. Somehow, it managed to escape.”
“And ended up like this. What rotten luck.”
Ether distorts the laws of physics.
Naturally, its power also applies to living beings.
The larger the creature or the higher its intelligence, the more profound and unpredictable the mutations become.
Positive mutations result in Awakened individuals.
One of the negative outcomes is the human beast—the ghoul.
If you die in a dungeon saturated with ether, you usually just become a corpse. However, if the brain isn’t completely destroyed, there’s a significant chance of mutating into a beast.
I don’t know the exact mechanics. It’s just how the setting works.
“45, go ahead to the entrance. Show the corpse to the dungeon staff; they’ll take care of it.”
45 stepped outside the dungeon and handed over the unknown ranger’s corpse to nearby staff.
Shortly after, we received word that the identity had been confirmed through checkpoint records.
The staff explained that a vehicle would come shortly to transport the body.
“There are always reckless people like this. Thanks to the student, we managed to recover the corpse.”
“I guess there are a lot of people who never get found?”
The staff member shrugged.
“Of course. Even here, I’ve lost count of how many people hire others to search the dungeon for their lost children or parents…”
I watched as the ranger’s corpse was placed into a body bag.
The staff carried the bag to a tent with square barriers around it and set it on the ground.
Inside, I noticed two other bags already lying there.
A familiar sight.
In all the time I’d been exploring this dungeon, I could count on one hand the number of times that tent had been empty.
-Poor guy, whoever he was, just had bad luck.-
-This isn’t the time to worry about others, 45. Head back now.-
When I thought about it, I considered myself lucky. I wouldn’t end up like that.
Day by day, I kept surviving.
And I would survive tomorrow too.