ALL NOVEL Chapter 4
“Ugh… my head…”
I had a nightmare where someone shoved a skewer under my eyes and was messing with my brain. Maybe that’s why my head feels throbbing and painful.
By the way, seems like I woke up a bit early. I don’t have a clock, but judging by the lights being off, it seems too early to be up.
Soon, the ceiling lights flickered and then lit up brightly. A small room surrounded by tiled floors and white walls greeted me.
It was a modest place with just a bed, a mirror, a toilet, and a sink—nothing more. Above me, a surveillance camera quietly gleamed its lens from beside a ventilation duct.
Oh right, I got a desk a few days ago, so I have a bit more furniture now. I’ve gotten a slightly better treatment since I got used to using my unique ability.
In the past, I would just activate the necklace to give myself electric shocks, and the guards would hit me with clubs, but I’ve become much more relaxed about it.
To sum it all up, the sleeping quarters for test subjects here feels like a study room without privacy.
After a few months of awakening my consciousness, I’ve gotten used to the daily life here. I’ve somewhat come to terms with my own existence.
I still haven’t gotten used to doing my business and the strangely contoured parts of my body…
A sharp siren sound rang out instead of a wake-up call. Morning has begun.
When I hear the speaker say, “Wake up, wake up!” I need to stand up and wait at the door.
Footsteps sound as the guards look into the room through the transparent bulletproof glass door.
Suddenly, a loud thud! shook the floor. A big-boned guard walked past my room.
‘Isn’t that an ogre?’
It’s a metaphorical expression. Among the guards, there’s one particularly large guy. I call him the ogre. He’s an awakened one. Compared to others, his impression or vibe is definitely not normal.
I can’t confirm it, but he might have specs similar to a field boss you’d meet in a novice village.
The test subjects here are awakened ones who survived inhumane experiments and gained power, easily dismissing someone’s waist.
That’s why the regular guards are equipped with at least an automatic rifle or a shotgun. Sometimes, awakened guards appear, bringing in discipline with their ether-infused maces.
After a brief roll call, meals begin. The guard from earlier appeared with a bag, carelessly tossing the food onto the serving tray.
A bottle filled with white powder slid into the room.
“Another milk powder?”
Some deceitful characters, like the ponytail-wearing researcher, described it as a “specially formulated nutritional food for the experiment participants”, but I know what it really is.
The powder in the bottle is a mix of milk powder, protein supplements, and nutritional powder—basically, human feed!
Two nights ago, while returning from a body diagnostic exam, I saw a researcher open a plastic container labeled ‘protein’ and a milk powder container with a baby’s picture on it, dumping it into a large bowl and mixing it.
As if that weren’t enough, they were crushing various pills and mixing them in, before pouring them into bottles displayed on the desk. This was the only food the test subjects had for their three meals a day.
I mean, isn’t it nice to even get something to eat? But my stomach empties quickly, so I’m always hungry.
I opened the bottle cap, filled the sink with water to the designated line, and shook it. I gulped it down in one go, finishing my meal. It had no flavor whatsoever, so I had no reason to savor it in my mouth.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating just this for months, but I really crave something sweet. I’m hungry…
After finishing my meal, I waited as the researchers came to lead us.
The subsequent routine varies depending on the situation. In the past, I would just comply silently, letting them extract blood in the morning and move my magical power as instructed, then wear a helmet with electrodes in the afternoon and perform tricks with clones.
Recently, however, they’ve started making us do some kind of training outside of health check-ups.
For example, fighting monsters. At first, they had me swing a club or stab at a doll.
And recently, they’ve started making us fight against living things. At first, it was unsettling, but after trying it a few times, I got used to it. It seems like they’re trying to gather combat data, just like in cartoons.
“Violet! Good morning! Let’s train hard today. Fighting!”
Once again, that ponytail lady is managing me today.
“Fighting…”
I responded vaguely, hinting that her mother could be a ringed animal.
I dislike that woman. At first, she treated me kindly, so I thought she might not be so bad and cautiously asked her for a few simple personal items or snacks. But then she built up a wall, only saying what she wanted to say.
‘Oh really? But I think Violet can handle being a good girl and enduring that~’
‘Oh! Is that so? But I believe that if Violet participates more diligently in the experiments, it’ll be alright~’
Plus, ‘sister’? With my body compared to hers, she could practically be my mother. Why is she acting like this?
The most annoying thing is her gaze; she’s still eyeing my body like the male researchers do… let’s not talk about it.
Good thoughts… good thoughts…
I stepped into the elevator that operated with fingerprint recognition and went down, passing through rooms separated by steel partitions.
This research facility seems much larger than I thought.
Bang! Crash!
– Kyaao!
As soon as I opened the door, intense noise greeted me.
“Hyatt! Kyaa! Hyatt! Kyaa!”
“Uwaah! Die! Dieee!!”
“Aaaah! My leg!! Help me! Get me out of heeeere!”
“Kyaroong!”
Inside, awakened test subjects like me were fighting various large monsters.
Researchers with cameras were filming the battle scenes and manipulating various devices. There were more guards monitoring than usual.
In the nearest room, there was a loud thud like something colliding, then the sound of a human scream filled the air before falling silent.
A moment later, the guards went in and came out carrying someone on a stretcher. They were covered in blood, but they seemed to still be alive, trembling.
Oh dear, poor thing.
“Violet! Don’t be scared, your sister is watching, so hang in there~”
She patted my behind again.
“Thank you…”
‘Ugh, I remembered…’
I stood in front of the test chamber door where that person was just carried out.
“Go in!”
The guard pushed me roughly, sending me inside. In the center of the room, metal bars stretched across.
The floor was smeared with the remains of some bizarre creature and the crimson blood that belonged to the person who was carried out earlier.
A short while later, a mechanical sound echoed as a box descended from the ceiling.
“Test Subject 10-6-8, open the box and take the equipment inside.”
As I opened the box, a dagger emerged.
“10-6-8, now take that weapon and get ready. The barred door will open in 30 seconds. 30, 29…”
From the other side beyond the bars, mechanical noises repeated before the door opened.
Then a wolf-like monster appeared, growling. Its head covered in a skull-like white exoskeleton was impressive.
That creature is a Skullcat, a dimensional scout beast. Its notable characteristics are the biting force capable of snapping rebar and a sturdy head.
It’s as cunning as a hyena and prefers the flesh of cowards and little girls.
The Skullcat saw me beyond the bars, roared fiercely, and scratched at the bars violently. I created a clone to the front and prepared for battle.
‘It’s my first time facing a monster…!’
Up until now, I’ve only fought dolls or large rats that had been infested with ether. I’ve had experiences of killing something, but fighting a true dimensional monster is a first for me.
Will I really be able to win?
-15, 14, 13…
But I have the strongest hidden cheat, my status window! Status window, show me the way…!
I aimed the dagger in its direction.
——————————————————-
[ITEM STAT]
Standard Dagger ☆
A metal dagger crafted at a workshop at the edge of town.
Aside from its low price, nothing about it is exceptional.
But to those at the very bottom of the world,
it will be a closer comrade than anyone.
——————————————————
‘Wait? Hold on! Not this kind of info!’
Oh, right. My status window isn’t some cheat. It’s just a lame thing that shows stats. And the dagger I’m holding is a one-star item.
I’m really just a nobody.
There’s nothing I can do with this weapon.
Other than scream and cry, I can’t do anything…!
“GRAOW!”
As the bars lifted, the starving Skullcat charged at me with a growl.
But I had a plan. I quickly sent my clone to charge. The clone girl scurried forth towards the beast.
As the Skullcat opened its mouth wide, the clone delivered a punch with its left arm. Clone punch!
“GRAOW!”
Naturally, nothing happened; the Skullcat’s sharp fangs clamped down on the clone’s left arm.
“AAAH! My aaaarm!”
Hold on, there’s one flaw in my cloning technique. It shares sensations, including pain.
The sensation of having my left arm bitten was transmitted to my own arm, making me stumble in pain. My fragile clone struggled, but it couldn’t shake off the beast.
But that was part of my plan.
“AAAHHH!”
I shoved the clone’s left arm further into the creature’s mouth. It hurt like hell, but now it can’t easily get my arm out!
I rushed forward, gasping for breath as I lunged at the beast. I had to strike before my arm got torn off!
“Grr?”
The creature finally realized I was there, but it was too late. The clone seized it with its remaining limbs.
“AAAH! Die! Die! Uwaaaaah!”
“KYAAAA!”
I jammed the dagger into the Skullcat’s nape while crying. This spot wasn’t protected by its exoskeleton. I could land a critical hit with my weak strength.
Once, twice, thrice! I was on top of the Skullcat, and the Skullcat was under me.
– PAK! PAK! PAK!
The beast twisted about, but I held its head and continued stabbing it in the back. Just die already!
At some point, the Skullcat stopped moving. Breathing heavily, I leaned to the side.
‘I did it… Aah…’
But for that victory, my clone’s left arm was shredded, and it was covered in slashes.
Soon, the torn clone shattered into glittering dust.
Bye-bye, my pretty clone…
Suddenly, a status window notification appeared before me.
——————————————–
* Level up!
* Congratulations. You have acquired your first 『Resonance Trait』!
——————————————–
‘What…?’
I checked the status window while feeling the pain of my arm being severed.
—————————————————————-
<CHARACTER STAT>
Name: Violet Dunhind Rugilinn
Alias: Test Subject 10-6-8
Status: Research Facility Test Subject
Lv: 2
Health: 850/1200
Magic Power: 1000/1800
Unique Ability:
■■■■:???
Lv1 Clone Technique:???
Resonance Trait:
* Backstabber – Damage increases when attacking from behind the enemy.
—————————————————————-
I leveled up.
More than anything, I’ve gained a trait I didn’t expect.
‘Oh my, did I just get this as a non-playable character?’
「Resonance Trait」 refers to unique passive skills possessed by characters in the Crimson Scholar. They usually assist in using unique abilities or other skills.
For example, swinging a sword could allow for an additional attack, or success rates could increase when making potions.
Since I fell into this world, I had forgotten for a bit that such things existed. I’ve never seen the skill before, but surprisingly, it’s a decent technique.
‘…Perfect for backstabbing, right?’
Additionally, as my level increased, my health and magical power slightly rose too.
‘I’m lucky…!’
My left arm feels like it’s about to fall off from the pain. With the shared pain from the clone, I’m unable to properly get up, drooling on the floor.
“Test Subject 10-6-8, we will continue the test. Wake up. We will repeat this two more times under the same conditions.”
‘It hurts… I don’t want to fight…’
‘But something feels like it might happen…!’
“Heheh…”
I staggered and lifted the dagger. I leveled up and gained a new skill.
“10-6-8, you look fine, so we will continue the test.”
It’s horrendously painful and exhausting.
But I leveled up and gained a new skill.
After facing the Skullcat twice more, I was engulfed in unimaginable pain and collapsed, foaming at the mouth, being transported on a stretcher out of the testing area.
I shouldn’t have tried to be brave… it hurts…