One morning, I woke up in a hospital room, realizing I had been crushed by an air conditioning unit.
When I opened my eyes, I discovered I had become a blonde, red-eyed, beautiful girl (an innocent maiden).
Although there was the minor issue of my identity and certifications being reset, it wasn’t a big deal anymore.
Why? Because I had become the rising star of internet streaming!
“☆Ta-da★ ☆Violet is here!☆ Everyone, Va-hi~!”
└Va-hi~
└Vi-hi!
└Hi
└She’s here!! Violet-chan!!
└Hola!
I made my debut with no makeup.
The results were phenomenal!
With my adorable appearance and genius content-creating abilities, I quickly gained the love of the world, amassing 10 billion fans!
“Today’s content is ★Breathing Slowly☆! Watch closely~!”
I simply inhaled and exhaled very slowly and deliberately.
The chat window instantly froze under an explosive barrage of messages.
└Are you serious?? Is this real??? Is that even possible??
└WTFWTFWTF
└How can someone breathe that slowly?? She’s not human!!
└OMG She’s breathing!!!!!
└Wowwowwowwow
└I can’t believe my eyes!!!!!!
└LOL
└Violet-chan is the best!
This kind of genius content was exclusively mine!
And so, I conquered the world…!
-Boom!
“Ah!”
“Hey, that’s enough.”
Suddenly, ninjas in white lab coats burst through the ceiling!
“Hey, girl! We’re the Science Ninja Squad. We’ve come for your brain.”
“What?! Ninjas, why?!”
The wicked ninjas rushed at me, pinned my limbs, and used a ninja saw to open my skull!
“Aaaaahhh!”
Then, as if cutting a slice of cake, they took only my frontal lobe and ran away!
“Noooo! My brain! Come back!”
As I sat there sobbing with my head split open, an old man in green clothes and a mask appeared out of nowhere.
“Young lady, why are you crying?”
“Sniff… The bad ninjas stole my brain and spine… Huaaah…”
The old man looked at me pitifully and took out a squishy, purple blob from his pocket.
“Tsk tsk, such a shame. Here, I’ll give you a new frontal lobe for being such a good girl!”
The old man placed it inside my head.
Wow. I had a new brain! Hooray!
But then, someone stabbed my neck.
-Squelch!
“Ah! Who’s there?!”
I turned my head to look—
**
“Ugh… Home… My bed… Where am I?”
I woke up with a start.
Why was I lying here?
What happened earlier felt like a ridiculous dream.
There was a vague feeling that I had lost something precious.
When I sat up, I saw injured people groaning on mats beside me.
Several researchers were moving around, injecting a syringe-like device with a medicine vial into people’s necks.
With a popping sound, a red liquid was injected, and the wounds on their bodies vanished.
“Now that I think about it… Hmm…”
Finally, I remembered what had happened just a few minutes ago.
I had fought and defeated the Skullkit three times in a row.
The clone shield tactic had been effective.
‘But the side effects are too severe.’
In the first fight, I used my arm as bait, in the second, my leg, and in the third, my head.
The problem is, my clones and I share sensory feedback.
In other words, when my clones are injured, I feel the pain too.
After the last fight, I was in so much agony that I screamed like a mad cat, rolling on the floor until everything went dark.
‘Are my limbs and head okay? They definitely hurt, though…’
Now that I thought about it, the other creatures people faced in the test seemed weakened.
Even the Skullkit I killed had its teeth either pulled out or broken, and its claws dulled or crushed.
It seemed as if the lab had intentionally adjusted the difficulty.
Even so, I had to fight desperately.
The physical pain faded after my clones disappeared.
But the chilling sensation of my body being slashed and my limbs torn off remained vividly etched in my memory.
It wouldn’t go away.
At the end, one side of my head definitely…
No, no.
Let’s think about something else.
Like a productive question: what exactly is my ability?
‘How did Violet, the witch in the game, fight anyway?’
In boss fights, Violet overwhelmed players with an endless swarm of clones.
But unlike me, she didn’t scream or feel pain when her clones were destroyed.
If she did, the protagonist would’ve easily subdued her without any unnecessary sacrifices or rage-triggered awakenings.
‘It must be because my level is too low.’
The most reasonable explanation I could think of right now is that.
Just by looking at the status window, my level is 2, and my unique skill, Clone Technique, is only at level 1.
In the Deep Crimson Academia, the skill levels go up to 10.
I should probably raise the skill level by two or three to gain a better understanding of it.
But it’s tough. While defeating the Skullkit raised my level and I was lucky enough to acquire the Synchronization Aptitude skill, fighting beasts three times in a row left me physically and mentally exhausted.
I collapsed onto the ground, pretending to faint.
Sometimes, doing nothing was the best strategy. It was a wisdom cultivated from enduring the workplace grind.
As I stayed still, familiar voices drifted into my ears.
“…Indeed, Test Subject 10-6-8 exhibits superior combat will. Just observing the refusal to flee when encountering a beast for the first time sets them apart from their peers. Eva, what do you think? Could it be due to environmental factors?”
“Luis, you’re asking the obvious. Even just looking at the statistics, the aggression and combat will of test subjects from slums or refugee backgrounds show significant differences compared to other groups. But the approach is excessively reckless.”
Footsteps approached closer.
“Well, it’s not the real body, but shoving the clone’s limbs into a monster’s maw and stabbing its rear with a knife—I’ve never seen such a strategy before. Wouldn’t you call that a calculated move? The usual behavior is foolish, but occasionally…”
“No, that one’s just dumb. Why go out of your way to do something that makes the real body feel pain? You can tell just by how 10-6-8 treats you and me. Something must’ve gone wrong during the Sigma-6 surgery process, causing adverse effects on the brain. That’s why Emotional Stress Procedure 12 works so remarkably well on this subject.”
The footsteps stopped.
“At any rate, with the pain of the clone transferring entirely to the real body, it’s not viable for combat purposes. That aside, could you keep your personal emotions out of the stress procedures? Honestly, I’ve noticed you make unnecessary contact and remarks while handling 10-6-8. I respect your preferences, but you should stick to protocol…”
“Hey, don’t make it sound like I’ve done anything shady to the test subject like some of the other staff. This is all part of the attachment formation process. Anyway… Oh? This one’s still out cold. Didn’t they get the recovery shot?”
“I saw them get it earlier. Let’s wake them up.”
Someone smacked my cheek lightly.
“Hey, are you sleeping? Still out? Wake up.”
I’m still fainted.
Just let me lie here for a bit longer.
Leave me alone.
-BZZZZT!
“AAACK!”
I sprang up like a coiled spring.
The slicked-back researcher glared at me with the fury of a battalion commander catching a soldier shirking training.
Of course, the ponytailed researcher stood next to him.
“Hey! It’s okay for Violet to rest for a bit if she’s tired! That’s too much! Don’t worry, Violet! Big sister’s here to comfort you… Did it hurt earlier?”
The peaceful moments were short-lived.
Misery awaited me again.
I was dragged by the researchers toward the elevator.
The noise of screeches and scuffles faded behind us.
Soon, I returned to the residential area of the laboratory.
The ponytailed and slicked-back researchers left me in a wide, lounge-like space where guards and researchers bustled about, telling me to wait there.
I sat against the wall.
Looking around, I noticed other people sitting in a row against the wall like me.
About ten of them, it seemed.
Seizing the moment when the guards and researchers weren’t paying attention, I spoke to the person next to me.
The kid glanced at me, muttered, “Mmm…” shook their head, and turned away.
I tried reaching out to others, but they didn’t respond either.
All the teenagers among the test subjects here were like this.
Once, I had a chance to talk to a girl, but she refused, saying, “The doctor told me not to talk to others….”
After waiting for some time, my body grew stiff, so I stretched.
A strange gaze pierced through me.
It was that pig-faced researcher staring at me. His eyes moved from my neck to just below my shoulders, lingering on something heavy…
Damn it.
I’ve dealt with this too many times to count, am dealing with it now, and will probably deal with it again in the future. But it’s something I’ll never get used to.
For context, the lab only provides us with patient gowns and a single pair of underwear.
While the gowns are loose-fitting, certain areas with higher density and volume are, unfortunately, noticeable.
This is one of those times when being a blessed-looking girl is like sugar water attracting ants—only filth gets entangled.
Struggling to suppress my anger, I forced myself to ignore him.
-GRUMBLE
My stomach growled.
It was almost lunchtime, and I started craving something delicious. But they’d probably just give us that pseudo-baby formula again.
A greasy aroma wafted from one side. It was the scent of happiness, the smell of hope.
Following the smell, I found the pig-faced researcher pulling something out of a paper bag and spreading it out on the table.
A hamburger! And it was a set meal!
Fries, cola, and a cheeseburger…! Oh, how delicious it looked!
Living on formula three times a day was rough.
External food?
In this place harsher than the military, I hadn’t even had a single candy.
I heard someone swallowing their saliva next to me.
The kids nearby must have felt the same.
Together, we blankly watched the pig-faced researcher devour his burger. Then, he looked at me and gestured.
“Hey, kid, come here.”
Before I knew it, I was standing up and walking toward him.
Was this how the children lured by the Pied Piper felt?
“Hey, kid. Do you want this?”
He pulled out something long, yellow, and greasy.
French fries!
“Yes, I do…”
I honestly poured my heart out. Hearing my answer, the pig-faced man smirked sinisterly.
“Really? Then… want to be Uncle’s secret friend?”
What did he just say? Did this scumbag pedophile just—
Holding back the urge to vomit, I forced myself to act like an innocent girl.
“Um… I’m not sure…”
“Oh? Really? That’s too bad. Guess I can’t give it to you. Sorry…”
He pretended to look disappointed and began to put the fries back.
The fries were moving away, disappearing!
Wait, hold on. Let’s negotiate.
Screw it. I really wanted to eat non-laboratory food!
Pride be damned. I mustered all my nonexistent acting skills, playing the pitiful girl, and looked at him imploringly.
“No! Actually… I think I can be friends for a bit. Please give me the fries!”
“Huh? Really? Do you really want this?”
“Yes! Please, give them to me!”
At this point, all I could see were the fries.
That glistening oil!
That golden scent!
The man laughed and tossed the fries, which fell to the floor nearby.
Half a success, I suppose.
What a waste.
I quickly crawled over to pick up the fries.
The familiar sensation greeted me. Between my thumb and index finger, I felt the greasy oil, lukewarm warmth, slightly soggy texture, yet still maintaining some crispiness.
The coarse grains of salt rolled against my fingertips.
Ah, all that’s left is to eat it.
Even in this valley of death, I could hear the angels singing!
“Violet, don’t eat things off the floor~ They’re dirty.”
Then someone snatched the fries away.
“Huh?”
Looking up, I saw the ponytailed researcher smiling brightly.
Wait, hold on.
This damn woman stole my fries!