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The Violet Network was the activity realm of over ten thousand Violets.

This place was an independent space and a terminal, and at the same time, it was a corridor where countless pieces of information intersected.

Its scale was so enormous that it couldn’t even be compared to the original network.

The network had expanded as much as the acceptable load capacity allowed it to do so.

This was the fundamental reason why the sub-networks of V-Animals and Fusion Creatures could operate within the upper network.

Inevitably, the network had a vast influx of information and thoughts from tens of thousands of humans, flowing in like a fierce river into the ocean.

The amount of pure information pouring down like a waterfall every moment was overwhelming.

The remnants of information, scattered in unconsciousness and fragments that had not been filtered, formed an overwhelming current that the sub-networks could not resist against.

Those who did not conform would be shattered by this pressure, and if they did conform, they could never return.

The little Violet trembled before this brutal choice.

‘I can’t let this happen! I came back in time, clinging to a thread of possibility!’

Having barely hidden her identity and erased her memories, the Violet thrashed in agony that felt like a press machine crushing her entire body.

In this world of abstraction and information, only outsiders were unable to adapt to the pressure.

It was no different than a human being thrown unprepared into the domain of deep-sea creatures.

The fact that she had once been a Violet was perhaps a small comfort in this situation.

If she were something else, her mind would have surely shattered immediately or her form would have disintegrated.

“When… when did it grow like this…”

The Violet, suffering from the intangible pressure, managed to weave through the alleys to hide her body. There were just too many. Replicas swarmed in all directions.

Moreover, seemingly a colossal operation was underway, and the network’s interior was in extreme chaos.

Noise reverberated through the space itself, with explosions and dust spreading everywhere. In the solitude and despair never felt before, the little girl desperately sought to hide herself.

‘It wasn’t even this bad when I was chased by the Scholarship Officer and the Four Great Clans…’

Yeah, back then, it was almost fun.

All she had to do was knock down others and torment them. Being on the receiving end was not the little Violet’s style.

What if she were to break? The network would surely greedily suck up her memories and experiences to distribute them.

Such a humiliating end was far more dreadful than death.

*Crack!*

“Ugh!”

Before she knew it, she reached her breaking point.

Having barely concealed her identity, if things continued like this, she would be shattered before even being discovered.

The little Violet frantically sought a way out.

Then, suddenly, she came face to face with a swirl of black smoke that lingered like a mirage.

It was a piece of the Apostle’s memories.

“That’s…”

Instinctively, the little Violet reached out, like a drowning person clutching a lifeline.

In that instant, her body and mind, which had been on the verge of splitting, returned to their original state.

The little Violet let out a sigh of relief.

“Ha! Did I succeed? Stupid fake g–, to let this slip away… What is its identity?”

Just as her regained stability lasted a moment, Violet’s curiosity perked up.

What on earth was happening outside for such a strange wave of magical power to wander through the network?

With clear crimson eyes, the little one painfully sifted through the dense memories of ten thousand.

In the midst of floundering against the overwhelming density of information, an unexpected keyword pierced her consciousness.

“Apostle…? Wait a minute…”

As she was on the verge of realizing something, the little Violet’s consciousness began to blur.

“…!”

A sudden vibration struck the entire network.

*Boom!*

The little Violet lost consciousness and was sucked into a distant abyss.

**

We Violets instinctively disassembled and reassembled the network. The principle was unknown, but that didn’t matter.

If I felt that it had to be done, I could mold my thoughts as if shaping clay.

“How amazing! I can create something like this!”

Across the vast network, buildings with large and small dish antennas that we instinctively created sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

“This is a signal collector!”

“Signal collector!”

Each signal device had to be tuned in directly by the Violets staying in their places to operate.

The antennas smoothly guided the flow of information wandering inside the network, capturing precious snippets that could flit by in an instant.

“Information is drifting in the air of the network! It’s all valuable training and experience of ours.”

“Wasting it, what a shame!”

If time is money, then it means that all the gold we’d spent up till now had been drifting freely like air in our network.

The amount per density was minuscule, but when added together, it became considerable. And every time I collected that information, I could clearly feel it. An unknown power was surging within me.

“Is it Swordsmanship? Or Magic?”

“No! It feels like something even more fundamental!”

But the true purpose of the signal device was something else. It was to scan the entire shape of the network.

If we could grasp the overall structure, we would have a broader view of the hidden design blueprint of our Violet bodies somewhere within the network.

“Our hypothesis doesn’t matter if it’s wrong! We’ll have a better grasp of the network’s structure than ever before!”

I had no idea what would happen if the network improved.

But perhaps, we could gain something entirely different from what we had been learning outside until now.

This was the conclusion instinctively reached by our collective intelligence.

“We really need to tidy up this chaotic and unproductive structure.”

From now on, the Violet Network would evolve into a more advanced structure through industrialization.

New roads were already being laid across the city, and multi-purpose conveyor belts and industrial structures were rising tall.

I didn’t know their exact uses. I just needed to utilize them appropriately when necessary.

Before long, construction was nearing its completion.

Looking up, I saw that the sky had long since fallen into darkness.

I didn’t know how long time had passed.

Inside the network, it felt like I had spent an eternity.

“I shouldn’t have spent much time! Just about a day?”

Time within the Violet Network flowed faster than I expected.

Now that the groundwork was finished, it was finally time to begin the overall network scanning operation.

Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.

“1st scan ready!”

The antennas of the signal devices installed throughout the vast network unfurled skyward in unison.

At that moment, the world of the network was once again cloaked in pitch-black night. The stars in the night sky radiated intense light before slowly pulling out intricate lines and reaching outward in all directions.

To the ground, towards the boundaries of the network.

At that moment, all the Violets waiting in the Red Zone collapsed in a heap.

“I’m dizzy!”

“My head is pounding! It’s hot!”

We fought to maintain our scattered consciousness amidst the chaos.

The network was already suffering from a cacophonous vibration.

The sprawling night view of the Violet Network flickered back and forth like an extravagant light show in the sky.

*Flash!*

The antennas of the signal devices spun in frenetic joy.

Words scattered, and waves of information thrashed wildly as if mad.

In that moment, with everything spinning like it was just out of reach, an unexpected anomaly occurred.

*Parties!*

The stored pieces of the Apostle’s memories erupted into dark smoke and surged upward.

The yellow and white lights of the starry night sky and the building’s illumination twisted into indescribable strange colors within the smoke.

“Ah! Right! I didn’t think about the backlash!”

“Ugh!”

Some clones, unable to withstand the searing heat consuming their heads, collapsed while bleeding from their eyes and noses.

The network was unconsciously consuming immense processing power during the scanning process.

“Kuuuh…”

“I’m… dying!”

The Violets adjusting the signal devices began to lose consciousness one by one.

Even the animals got caught up in the network’s violent thrashes, fainting or staggering before our eyes in reality.

“Is this how it ends?!”

“No! Keep operating!”

In the sky, light was now pouring down like rain.

The signal devices scattered throughout the network soaked in the cascading light.

Countless beams of light, cutting across both sky and ground, etched geometric patterns, much like a gigantic circuit.

And all that information pierced into our minds like sharp needles.

It hurt!

“Grraaah!”

Everything came to a sudden halt.

Among those of us bewildered, the first to regain their senses was Unit 2501.

“Hey, look over there!”

Countless conveyor belts extending from the signal device buildings slowly began to move.

Small objects like puzzle pieces flowed out onto the belts and drifted in one direction.

A strange sensation as if it wasn’t me, but also was me, guided me toward that direction. All conveyor belts pointed to one spot.

A small space where countless beams of light from the sky gathered.

Upon entering, there was a weaving machine.

I was puzzled by the sudden appearance of the cloth weaving device, but there was clearly a handle attached to it.

“Is this it?”

My instincts whispered to me. To turn it. I followed suit.

*Clunk! Clunk!*

The pieces that flowed from the conveyor belt were sucked into the machine and crumbled with a crunching sound.

From above, threads of light intertwined and began to weave together as one.

With each turn of the handle, the machine rattled and expelled cloth.

Before I knew it, thin rectangular something fell silently to the ground. A huge cloth depicting our forms, layered several times.

Only then did I realize.

“It’s a blueprint!”

How was I supposed to use this? I didn’t know the answer, but somehow I did.

Just like entering the long-forgotten passcode for my front door, Unit 1 stepped before the other Violets and picked up a sheet of blueprint.

Pouring her will into a single phrase.

“-”

The blueprint radiated light and scattered. We held our breath in anticipation.

10 seconds, 60 seconds, 1 minute. 2 minutes.

In reality, nothing changed.

**

“Eh… nothing’s happening…”

Scratching her head, Unit 10151 soon realized the world was notably larger.

“Huh?”

Soon, other Violets caught on to the issue.

“Whoa! 10151! It’s you!”

Startled by the suddenly presented mirror, I was taken aback.

Reflected in the mirror was a being that was Violet yet not Violet.

A tiny little Violet was there.

“Ugh! I’m smaller!”

The scream of the little Violet echoed. Seeing me transformed in an instant, the other Violets screamed too.

“Kyah!”

“Ah! It’s a person!”

“It’s changed!”

Alarmed, I asked myself. I couldn’t help but ask.

“Hey! Who are you?”

In response to Unit 3421’s question, the little me protested.

“I’m Unit 10151! A Violet!”

“Then why are you so small?”

Unit 10151, looking puzzled and somewhat wronged, muttered in a tiny voice.

“I’m still a Violet…”

As Unit 10151 stepped a bit closer with a sulky expression, the other Violets involuntarily took a step back.

Had it been overly tense? Unit 3421 hastily backed away from the now tiny Violet.

Then the world began to feel sluggish like sticky jelly.

“Eh?”

I floundered in a vision filled with afterimages.

In this peculiar delay I’d never experienced before, our collective intelligence could only scratch our heads in confusion.

A strange light that couldn’t be described momentarily swept through my sight.

“Why is it so slow?”

“I’m slipping away-”

3421 was pushed backward into thin air like a high-speed photograph capture.

Behind her was a rock.

“-Ghhhk!”

*Crash!*

With an unexpected acceleration, I collided with the rock.

Startled, I cast a dubious glance at this suspicious other me.

“Could it be?”

“You! What are you up to?!”

The little Violet’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“Hiii… it’s not me…”

Something unforeseen was happening that even we hadn’t predicted.