The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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The Violets crossed the school grounds past midnight.

The scenery of the academy at night is vastly different from that during the day.

The streetlights that had been lit until the evening were all turned off. The vibrant landscape of the day felt as if it had been painted over with black.

However, the streets were not as quiet as expected. Even well past midnight, various people and cars were bustling about.

The source of the noise was the academy’s guard.

“It feels more like a military patrol than a guard duty.”

“Shh, quiet. We’ll get caught.”

Fortunately, most of the guards were concentrated near the school’s main gate and dormitory. As we steered away, hiding in the shadows between school buildings, the chances of encountering someone dwindled.

Relying on the few dim lights and moonlight, the Violets made their way to the back of the school.

Of course, we didn’t just charge in recklessly.

While there were fewer guards than before, they were still patrolling the campus. The issue of my blonde hair standing out too much remained.

– “How’s the performance? Is it reliable?”
– “It’s a bit stifling and hot, but the camouflage is definitely effective.”

So, we utilized some tools.

– “The stuff we bought from the Central Area is pretty useful.”
– “There was a bush, and the guards just passed by right in front of us.”

On the outskirts of the Central Area, the Violets visited several nearby second-hand weapons merchants.

Unfortunately, there were no weapons of three stars or higher as we had hoped. Only one-star weapons were available. The rare two-star weapons we found were not the ranged weapons we wanted, like firearms or crossbows.

Instead, we managed to procure a few interesting tools.

Right now, we were clad in a camouflage netting adorned with fake grass and leaves, crawling carefully.

It resembled a ghillie suit worn by snipers in movies, but it was closer to a cape than actual clothing.

– “According to the shopkeeper, this is a military camouflage net used for vehicles and equipment. He said it also blocks infrared detection. Hunters often use it while hunting.”

– “It’s coarse and smells oily.”
– “Well, seeing how thick it is, it should be good for covering up and sleeping later.”

As we cautiously moved through the darkness toward the back of the school, I sensed something approaching from the road.

As the light drew nearer, we hid behind some bushes.

– “Get down!”
– “Is that a guard vehicle?”

A luxury sedan was seen cruising up the road.

It was not like the off-road vehicles used by the guards. Who could it be?

– “Is it someone important?”

After a while, we reached the area we had been targeting. In the darkness, the dim sparks of light glimmered from three small buildings.

In front of the largest two-story building, we spotted the sedan we had seen earlier parked.

“Looks like that’s the place.”

I noticed how tightly guarded the area was, even during the day. There were fences all around.

What could be in that building?

“How do we get in?”

“Let’s try to get over the fence first.”

Unit 35 and Unit 43 crawled up to the fence. Unit 35, driven by curiosity, placed a hand on it.

– “Crackling!”

“Yikes!”

“It’s an electric fence! Unit 43! Drop it quickly!”

We hurriedly used a wooden rod to pull Unit 35 away from the fence. We could hear the guards on patrol nearby whispering.

“I’m sure the fence went off, what gives?”
“There are low-level monsters nearby. Guess it’s doing this again.”

– “Thank goodness! We weren’t caught.”
– “Unit 35 can’t move. Undo its creation.”

Going over the fence or through the main gate was clearly unfeasible. Was there another way?

– “Isn’t that building a bit small?”
– “What do you mean?”

Unit 2, who was sharing the situation of the Violets in the field, pointed out.

– “It just seems too small to pull off something big. It doesn’t look like a dormitory either, and more importantly, look at the windows; not a single light is on. It’s not like they’re covered by curtains.”

– “Could there be something underground?”

We should patrol the surroundings a bit more.

As we cautiously wandered around the building, we spotted several protruding structures from the ground.

They were rectangular structures only half my height. Looking up, we saw they were covered by wire mesh.

– “What is this?”
– “Looks like a subway vent.”

Did this school have an underground facility?

I tried to lift the wire mesh, but it was heavier than expected. After creating three more clones, I took out a crowbar, wedged it into the gap, and lifted the bars.

There was just enough space for a person to squeeze through.

After checking the surroundings carefully, I took out a flashlight and shone it into the dimness, revealing a ladder meant for inspection. We went down one by one in order.

After descending about fifteen meters, my feet touched a concrete floor littered with leaves and trash. Nearby, several small metal vents were visible.

I took out a screwdriver, unscrewed the cover, and peered inside. It was just an endless darkness.

“Reminds me of the old research lab days.”
“Who wants to go first, and which way?”

We decided who would go first by flipping a coin.

Unit 5, who won, confidently chose one of the vent passages and climbed in.

“I’m going!”

Diving headfirst in, Unit 5 slid down the inclined metal vent.

Amid the exciting descent, Unit 5 spotted another barrier.

“Yikes!”

Unit 5 smashed right into the bars.

– “I’m bleeding!”
– “Didn’t expect it to be so deep.”

The responses from the other Violets who followed suit were similarly troubled.

– “This place is blocked.”
– “Almost crashed into a vent fan.”

We still had plenty of time before dawn. We roamed the passage, carefully opening the obstructive bars with the screwdriver.

– “This is way bigger than from the lab days.”
The vents we used to crawl through back then were only just wide enough for one to inch forward, but these vents could easily fit two Violets side by side.

This meant a need for abundant airflow. In other words, it could be a far more massive facility than we thought.

And the passage was complex. I had no idea how extensive the vent system was, but it looked rather spacious just from what we had explored.

The problem was that there was no visible way down from where the vents supplied air.

– “How about creating a clone to send down?”
– “No way! What if it drops into a crowd? Don’t forget we need to move stealthily.”

Even now, the fact that several of my clones were on the move was risky. My advantage was maximized when other people weren’t aware of my cloning ability.

So, unless it was an urgent situation, I typically wore a mask, hoodie, and hat even for classes that required me to be active.

There was no immediate rush, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

– “Be patient. For now, let’s map out the vent system.”
– “What are we going to do during the day? You don’t expect us to eat and sleep in here, right?”
– “We’ll set a schedule to create new clones in here and switch out. If that’s not enough, we can even rotate our consciousness too.”
– “Sounds good. I’m in!”

After the temporary meeting, we reached a conclusion. With this method, we could explore continuously, 24/7. Given how dusty and grimy the vent explorations during our lab days were, this is a significant advancement.

– “First, let’s find a place that’s sparsely populated and easy to descend, or find an opportunity to peek into what’s going on below. Got it?”
– “Acknowledged. Can I sleep now?”
– “See you in the morning…”

The Violets, wandering through the vents, slowly began to feel fatigued. Everyone pulled blankets from their inventory and settled down for a late sleep.

***

While the Violets busily explored the vents, wandering around what was presumed to be underground at the school, the other Violets were diligently going about their school lives.

We were diligent, good little girls who earnestly carried out our studies!

Thus, another morning began.

“Ugh…”

I, Unit 3, woke up in the dormitory.

Thinking back, I hadn’t had any nightmares lately.

Thanks to that, I could wake up feeling refreshed.

The nightmares themselves hadn’t disappeared.

However, whenever something scary or bad appeared, and I would scream and run away, something wonderful happened.

Suddenly, a warm light would shine down, and all the bad things would disappear.

That warmth felt oddly nostalgic, making me a bit sad at times.

– “It’s strange. Is it a good omen?”
– “We share dreams when we’re asleep. Could our increasing numbers have influenced the nightmares?”

It seems like our abilities have grown. It might even be a sort of awareness phenomenon.

Rubbing my eyes, I stepped down from my bed and found Daphne already sitting at her desk, reviewing her lecture notes. She seemed really diligent the more I looked at her.

Feeling my presence, Daphne turned her head toward me.

“···Rugilinn. Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Uh? Yeah. But why? Did something happen last night?”

“···No! Nothing at all! I’m glad to hear you slept well.”

Guess it wasn’t a big deal after all.

And thus, the mundane routine of daily life droned on. Going to class, slacking off, watching games, and working.

The Central team had started making motorcycle deliveries, while the Dungeon team hunted Scrags and various other monsters every couple of days.

“Oh dear, student. You’re here again today. Don’t you study at school? I see you quite often.”

“Ahaha… It’s because of the tuition fees…”

“Right, tuition is important. You’re doing great.”

After finishing class, I walked down the street. The gentle wind carried the scent of grass, softly brushing my face.

I slightly closed my eyes.

Just a tiny touch of my consciousness extending into the Violets’ network, and I could feel countless little selves alive and moving.

Experiencing it.

– “Yikes… another cockroach. This is why I hate vents.”

– “Unit 51! Another delivery request just came in. Unit 67 is nearby a residential area, so pick up the items and send them down the alley. Inventory or transmission?”

– “Since it’s small, I’ll send it via transmission!”

– “Hahaha! This is fun.”

– “Charge! Charge! Beware of the Scrags caster on the left. Frontal charge after the impact! Infuse magic into the shield!”

– “Attack! Huh? Argh!”

– “The truck engine has died again. What? This is a flooded vehicle?”

We could distinctly feel each other.

I felt myself.

They felt me.

Relishing the experience.

Savoring it.

Thus, when there’s room, we should enjoy it.

The tired and weary other selves could relieve their daily struggles and fatigue through me.

And thus, I basked in the sunshine of September, enjoying a lovely time.

I was about to send it forth.

“Thud! Um…”
“I… I don’t know… Why are you doing this…?”

Before witnessing a student being bullied from behind.

Levi was there.

It was that classmate who had taken me, besotted from booze, to the health room.