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The monsters known as ‘Ma-su’ from that other dimension can be broadly classified into two categories.

One category consists of the mutated forms of the healthy flora and fauna of this world. A typical example would be a Crawltide, which is a mutated cockroach.

The other category comprises beings that have come from beyond the second dimension. Even without considering the mutations caused by Ether, they are fundamentally different from the creatures of this world. It is believed that these beings are remnants of foreign entities that were swallowed by the second dimension.

The monsters blocking our path belong to the second category.

“…Encounter with 15 Ma-su ahead. Combat Readiness.”

Irene, who was walking at the front of the line, raised her arm to signal us to stop. The team, which was moving in a loose three-row formation, quickly adjusted upon spotting the swarm of monsters.

While shifting my position in the line, I noticed the bag of one of my teammates. Levi was assembling a ballista he pulled out of his bag. It looked massive, almost as big as he was. Is it not heavy to carry something that size around?

Ahead on the path, there were several Ma-su resembling armored knights. They were closing in on us in a group.

Their name is Spartoi, rock monsters that attack any human they see without hesitation.

As the six team members standing in the formation prepared, the Violet Squad in the first and third rows changed their formation to a four-row line.

“Hold on a second, guys. Let me take a shot.”

Upon hearing my words, Irene nodded and turned to look behind. Everyone seemed to agree. The swarm of Ma-su was relatively small.

The ten Violets in the front row readied their Federal Army automatic rifles and stepped forward. I had something I needed to confirm.

“Commence firing!”

-Tatatatata!

The sound of beans being roasted erupted loudly, and a rain of bullets fell upon the swarm of Ma-su. Bullets collided with Ether Protection, sending sparks flying.

The squad leader Violet, looking through the scope, frowned in disappointment at the situation with the Ma-su.

“They ricocheted!”

Though the barrage of bullets penetrated the Ether Protection, they were weakly halted by the ceramic armor beyond it. As the bullets continued to rain down, one Ma-su finally lost strength and fell, but that was all.

The squad leader Violet gestured, and another Violet pulled out a different weapon. It was a large-caliber combat rifle.

-Bang! Bang!

Perhaps due to the size of the combat rifle being larger than the automatic rifle, this time it penetrated. However, we had to fire several times again. The Ma-su were losing limbs but still kept coming.

We could only finally defeat them after deploying several priest pipe bombs and grenade launchers. I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Ugh, they really are bulletproof!”

This time, I pulled out a crossbow and fired. It was a multi-shot crossbow with a 30-round magazine. The bolt, infused with magical power, slowly flew and pierced through the Ma-su’s armor.

“Ugh!”

Just as I had researched beforehand, these creatures could withstand pure physical force. I simply drew out my sword, channeled my magical power, and swung it at the Ma-su. The Ma-su that had been so tough against gunfire was immediately split in two.

Looking around, it seemed that perhaps due to the gunfire, the Spartoi swarm was approaching again. This time, it looked to be about forty to fifty of them. Quite a lot indeed.

It was now time to start training. The first exercise is defensive training!

“Alright, everyone! We’ll be the ones to defend, so go get them!”

As the Violet Squad armed themselves with shields and shouted, the teammates waiting behind sprang into action. Irene, who had been waiting behind us, infused her golden aura, while Daphne summoned a protective barrier in the rear.

The moment the Violet Barrier was completed, the charging Spartoi began hammering the shield wall with their bare hands. When their magic-infused arms collided with the shields, the barrier shuddered momentarily.

“Are you sure you don’t need to step in?”

“I’m fine. I’ve got teammates, right?”

When Irene asked, the squad leader Violet smiled gently. Our smiles were hidden behind our masks, but it seemed she could hear our laughter as she quietly returned a smile.

“Now, take them out!”

While the Violet Squad diligently held the front line, Lucian stepped forward with a confident expression.

“What’s with the sudden gunfire? These Ma-su are basically bulletproof.”

“That’s a thing! Provide fire support!”

No sooner had I finished my sentence than he snickered and snapped his fingers. Five small magic circles appeared above his head.

“Watch closely, Violet! This is magic!”

With his hand, fitted with a black glove inscribed with intricate magic circles, he aimed at the Ma-su. At that moment, blue magic arrows materialized from the magic circles and struck the Ma-su. With explosive sounds, the monsters fell one after another.

“Hey, how’s that?”

“Stop the nonsense and focus on the battle.”

At Irene’s reprimand, he seemed to feel embarrassed for a moment and closed his mouth before casting magic again. While magic was flying in from the back, a girl with pink hair dashed in from the side.

“I’m coming!”

-Bang! Bang!

The magnum pistol fired in rapid succession. The bullets imbued with a fiery unique ability smashed into the heads of the Ma-su. Three Spartoi felt threatened and turned their heads. A flaming sword sliced through them. As the Violet Barrier held the front, Kalia dashed in swiftly like a leopard, tearing through the side of the creatures and quickly retreating.

“Now step back!”

As a clear voice rang out from behind, multiple thin green barriers emerged to separate the swarm of Ma-su from the Violet Shields. It was Daphne’s modified protective barrier. We quickly fell back and scattered. A large figure wielding a great axe sprang forth from behind the shields.

“Then, ugh, I’ll join too!”

Granite awkwardly dashed out, gripping the enormous axe. He seemed slightly intimidated as he looked at the approaching Ma-su beyond the shield. However, contrary to his expression, the formidable momentum of his white and curved weapon was powerful.

The massive axe infused with magical power shone white as it traced a line across. What followed was akin to an explosion.

-Wham!

Seven Ma-su charging forward were shattered at the waist. Rather than being sliced, “shattered” was the better description.

The Violet Squad quickly regrouped and formed the shield wall again. Now all that remained was the decisive long-range attack!

A powerful bolt shot should knock them down like bowling pins…!

“Ah… ahhh…”

“…?”

There was no gunfire. The black-haired girl, who was supposed to deliver the final blow, stood shivering instead.

“Levi? What are you doing?”

“Ah, s-sorry! I have to shoot, I have to…”

When Daphne asked, it seemed he finally returned to his senses and lifted the massive ballista. However, the monsters were already too close to the Violet Shield.

“Were you too close to shoot?”

“Looks like it.”

Maybe they got too close. He was unable to fire. The squad stopped their exercise and swiftly drew their swords.

“Irene! Let’s go!”

“Charge, charge!”

Moments later, the shield wall rushed forward, scattering the swarm of Ma-su.

“Is there a problem?”

“S-sorry. It was too close…”

Levi mumbled, looking rather sheepish. Is it not suitable for use at close range?

We quickly reformed and continued marching.

***

After that, the Violets continued to advance toward the location of the flying dragons.

During the process, we conducted small experiments.

For example, assigning one Violet per person for communication.

“So, the one with the blue band on their arm will act as the radio. Is that right?”

Kalia asked, to which the Violet on her right nodded.

“Yeah, I’m Unit 51. From now on, I’m Radio Violet!”

“I’m Unit 691! And she’s Unit 217!”

Kalia shook her head and muttered, “That’s so like you…”

Currently, I was distributing short-range laser communicators to my teammates. These devices reportedly function even in the disrupted radio environment of the dungeons.

However, these communicators exhibited instability. If a single hill or obstacle came between us, their functionality quickly faded. Must be because we bought cheap ones.

They worked fine when we moved in a group, but became a problem when we dispersed. Furthermore, the dungeons ahead are more complex than this one, making getting lost very likely.

Thus, I resolved the issue by assigning one Violet to each teammate.

The concept of a human radio seemed unfamiliar to everyone at first; as a result, they didn’t understand. So, I demonstrated the performance personally. I placed one teammate beyond a hill and asked the other teammate to relay a message.

“Testing, testing. This is Daphne, Irene. Can you hear me?”

What went into their ears was transmitted to the other Radio Violet via the Violet Network.

“Testing, testing. This is Daphne, Irene. Can you hear me?”

Simply echoing what another person had said applying the sense and thought-sharing completed the communication system. The entire process took less than a second.

“Ha… I really don’t get your clone ability. So, you’re telling me you’ll use it to transmit thoughts without any delay?”

“Exactly!”

Watching Lucian gaze at the Radio Violet assigned to him with disbelief.

“So, is this something you can do with magic?”

“…No.”

“I win!”

As the Violets puffed out their chests, Lucian was the first to wear an expression of defeat. No matter how impressive magic was, it could never win against a Violet.

Having convinced my teammates about the principle of the Radio Violet, it was now time to test something new.

We had arrived at a location where reports indicated flying dragon monsters had been causing trouble. While our teammates were resting, the Violets searched for a place to set up as a monitoring outpost. There was a relatively tall hill nearby.

“Start digging!”

“Get the equipment out! Fill it with dirt!”

The Violet Squad quickly dug and assembled sandbags, producing little firing positions one by one after 15 minutes. With Violets, nothing is impossible.

We planned to position machine guns, anti-material sniper rifles, and crossbowmen here to unleash fire on the Laskrin.

“Levi should come over here too!”

During the several encounters with the Ma-su, Levi had managed to do nothing at all. He hadn’t fired a single shot, not even in close combat. The axe-wielding teammate seemed to have been anxious, but did their part pretty well.

Maybe it was due to the large ballista, which was taller than himself. If so, he should effectively take part in long-range shooting.

“This is a safe spot, so you can shoot as much as you want, right?”

I guided him to the lookout, the most elevated and protected area covered with camouflage.

“Alright, Levi. From now on, stay here. When the radio gives a signal, just shoot. Got it?”

“Ah… got it!”

And we waited. Until the flying dragon appeared.

Soon, a fluttering sound was heard, and the Laskrin emerged over the milky sky.

“I’ll lure it in!”

I fired signal flares into the sky in quick succession. As the red flashes shot into the air, a greedily looking gray flying dragon swooped down toward us. Its four red eyes were fixated on the ground.

-Kroooh!

The flying dragon soared above us. It seemed to hold something in its mouth before spitting it out. A magical corrosive liquid!

“Everyone scatter! Daphne, prepare the shield!”

Under the protection of the Violet team and with the shield up, we quickly spread out. As the corrosive liquid impacted the ground, it bubbled up darkly and began to eat away at everything.

“Commence firing!”

Soon, the anti-air emplacements surrounding the hill began to unleash their fire. Multiple beams of light sliced through the sky. In the chaos, a spear of magic launched by Lucian pierced one of its wings as the monster screamed and plummeted to the ground.

“Now’s our chance!”

The grounded monster saw the Violets rushing towards it, weapons in hand. Just as it attempted to flap its wings again to ascend, it hit an unexpected barrier. There was a loud thud as its wings collided with a green barrier made of magic.

“Success!”

Daphne’s multiple modified shields stationed on the creature’s back blocked its escape. The Violets and Irene quickly surrounded the Ma-su, striking it relentlessly.

“Die!”

Several teammates took turns beating the Ma-su, and eventually managed to sever one of its wings. Now it was crawling on the ground.

Immediately, Irene spoke to the Radio Violet.

“Channel to Levi, now! Fire!”

The Radio Violet conveyed the message without hesitation. However, Levi seemed to be trembling as he stared at the Laskrin, lost in a trance.

“Ah, a…”

“Hey! Shoot quickly!”

I couldn’t help but smack the back of Levi. Finally snapping to his senses, he pulled the trigger. The ballista stirred as it was drawn back with a loud click, and a massive beam of white light slammed into the Ma-su’s spine. While the creature fell lifelessly, the Violets leapt onto the Laskrin’s body, hacking at it mercilessly.

“We won!”

A blood-drenched Violet descended to the ground. The afterglow of victory was short-lived as the Radio Violet from the anti-air emplacement expressed annoyance.

“What’s the problem?”

“I’m, I’m sorry…!”

Her braids tied with a simple red ribbon swayed amid her anxiety. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration. Looking into her guilt-ridden black eyes left me at a loss for words.

The Violets monitoring the battlefield from the barracks rested their chins on their hands, deep in thought, unsatisfied.

She had faithfully followed our orders and eventually fired. However, there was still a problem. This hesitant attitude.

“Real battles are decided within a split second!”

“To have set the stage for firing and still end up like this…”

This girl, she’s way more timid than I thought. What if she gets scared even of enemies far away?

“That weapon… Can’t we use it?”

While there are many similar devices available in stores, I had never seen one like the model Levi was carrying. Maybe it would be better for me to use that weapon instead of leaving it with him.

I coaxed the dejected Levi by offering him a treat. He seemed reluctant under the pretense of curiosity, but reluctantly permitted me to touch the ballista.

I fiddled with the weapon and opened the status screen. Upon seeing the status screen, I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“What the hell is this?”

“It’s a five-star weapon?”

There, in the status screen, five stars were displayed.

[Wailing Song of Annihilation ☆☆☆☆☆]

Just like with Martina last time, I couldn’t fathom why these random people carry five-star weapons around.

A five-star weapon; great. I can use it. But there was other confusion.

“Wait, it doesn’t work?”

I couldn’t use it. When I tried to infuse my magical power into the ballista, it didn’t budge.

What? Does it mean it’s a personal weapon for him alone?

“Is this only usable by you?”

“Yeah, it’s a relic, and the owner recognizes me as…”

I see, it’s a relic weapon then.

Before I could ask about the weapon’s origins or history, I held back. Since it wouldn’t be of any use to me anyway, it would just be an ornament.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to discard it. The metal bolts used for the crossbow are easier to come by than rocket propellant or anti-tank missiles, plus they pack a punch too.

Now that he’s become a teammate, I could go to any lengths to change his mindset.

“He needs to become a warrior!”

“A soldier of iron blood!”

I resolved it. Somehow, I would shift this timid cowardly girl’s mindset to that of a violence-loving savage.

What the Violet Squad needed was a marksman who relished in bathing in the blood of enemies while enjoying the creation of orphans and widows. We didn’t need a child who passively fumbled around, scrupulously following orders.

In an ordinary 21st-century civil society, Levi would live as a shy model citizen, but here, violence takes precedence.

Therefore, the person we needed for our team should also be a bloodthirsty warrior who enjoys collecting enemy skulls.

What should I do?

The time left before moving to the next dungeon is only one day; I must figure out a way to change this girl’s way of thinking. It’s time for mental reform.

I will turn her into a warrior of blood!

 

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