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The duel ended more easily than I expected.

As the barrier surrounding the Duel Arena lifted, other students rushed towards an unknown upperclassman who was trapped under a pile of Violets.

They were the same group that had just been extorting Levi earlier.

Now that the duel was over, I dispersed my clones. The upperclassman’s mobility was restored, and they helped him up.

“Duel’s over. Surrender confirmed. Violet Rugilinn, victory.”

The student council member announced.

Everything was finished.

However, it seemed I couldn’t expect a clean acceptance of the results from those guys.

Immediately, the upperclassmen protested to the student council overseeing the match.

“This is cheating! Clone generation? How is that fair?”

“How can you win against those numbers!”

Although they were a bunch of worthless scoundrels, I had to admit to some extent that I agreed with their opinion. Even I thought it was one-sided.

Despite their harsh protests, the student council member responded without changing his expression.

“You all know, there’s no limit on the use of unique abilities. Besides, we even had a brief time to reveal each other’s abilities and strengths earlier.”

“I didn’t think they could generate that many!”

“This duel is invalid! It’s invalid!”

They were raising a fuss. Accepting defeat meant confronting their ugly reality, so they were flailing to deny it by any means necessary.

“So, are you dissatisfied? It wasn’t my decision. If you have a complaint, take it up with the student council. Unless you’ve violated the rules, the outcome of the duel is absolute.”

“Ugh…!”

The members fell silent at the student council’s declaration. The name “student council” seemed to carry some weight after all.

A moment later, in one of the rooms in the Duel Arena, an immediate apology took place under the observation of the student council member.

Levi looked around nervously, as if unsure.

“Is… is this okay?”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you can wait outside.”

Looking back now, it was quite a bizarre request. However, a moment ago, that guy had blurted out that he wanted to date me, causing me to react emotionally.

Since it was my own proposal, I couldn’t just take it back. Moreover, this apology had its own purpose.

“Then why did you agree to such conditions?”

“I didn’t think I would lose like this!”

“Shit… my life… is ruined…”

Both boys and girls were trembling with humiliation as they began to remove their clothes. Those in their underwear dropped to their knees.

“Now, lift your heads and look at the camera.”

“Shit…”

“Repeat after me. We apologize to Violet Rugilinn and Levi Schneider. We will never bully the juniors again.”

“We apologize to Violet Rugilinn and Levi Schneider… We will never bully the juniors again!… Ugh…!”

They were floundering and kneeling, getting the apology video recorded.

Oh, my eyes just rolled.

“Now hurry up and get dressed. Time to cough up the cash!”

It was time to collect the compensation.

I gestured to the upperclassmen, and they scrambled to pull out their wallets.

“Is this all?”

“You said to hand over all the money! This is all! Who carries a lot of cash?”

“Hey! You have more! Hand it over!”

While I was arguing with them, the student council member intervened.

“Hey, first-year. You demanded ‘all the money you have,’ right?”

“Yeah. I won, didn’t I? So isn’t it okay to ask for more?”

“When you signed the Duel Contract earlier, you didn’t specify how much you wanted, did you? In this case, even if you win the duel, you can’t just take everything.”

“What? There was such a rule? So how much can I get?”

“Let’s see, according to the regulations… for simple cash demands that are not for specific damages or losses, the limit is around 500,000 credits per person.”

“Ew.”

I was disappointed. That was surprisingly little cash. I had planned to rob them a bit, but that wasn’t feasible. That amount isn’t trivial, but it’s something one could earn quickly by actively running through dungeons.

They claimed they didn’t have the money on hand and promised to pay within three days.

I accepted. After all, securing the apology and preventing future incidents were the main goals.

After reaching an agreement, we prepared to exit the Duel Arena.

To prevent them from pulling any funny business, I emphasized the apology video. It was indeed a criminal act, but…

“If you even think about bullying anyone else or seeking revenge, I’ll spread this video around. Got it?”

“Ah… understood. Please…”

– Ugh! Not a pleasant video at all. It’s disgusting. –

– Let’s just save it and bury it deep in a folder. –

Once outside the Duel Arena, the upperclassmen bolted away in a hurry.

For a while, they wouldn’t be able to pull any funny business.

Levi seemed to have something to say but hesitated.

“Uh… Violet…”

“Hmm?”

“Th… thank you. For helping me…”

Levi expressed gratitude towards me.

Looking closely, she was actually a cute female student. A character I hadn’t seen in the game, but she had her own charm.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall seeing a girl named “Levi Schneider” in the main game.

– Could she also… –

– Stop with the ominous thoughts! –

For a moment, dark thoughts crept in, but I shook them off. That situation was something that would occur years later; the exact date, I didn’t even know.

Could it be that she would still be at this school by then? Or maybe she would coincidentally be somewhere else.

Suddenly, the current scenery of the school overlapped with crumbling buildings and vine-covered ruins.

I shook my head to clear that vision away.

Right, regardless of what happened to the school, I would only be here for a year anyway.

There was no need to worry about the future.

“Is… is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing! Oh, I’ll give you all the money I get!”

“R… really? Thank you!”

After all, that money didn’t hold much significance for me.

After parting ways with Levi midway, I returned to my dormitory.

Resting in the dorm, I replayed the earlier duel in my mind.

I chatted with other Violets. While everyone complimented how well I had bullied those guys, there were also some negative reactions.

– It’s great that you won, but was there really a need to summon that many? –

– Right. Twenty is a bit excessive. You burned a lot of magical power too. –

The embarrassed Third Clone defended himself by saying winning was what mattered, but he couldn’t refute the argument about the excessive use of power.

Right now, this was my status:

<CHARACTER STAT>

Name: Violet Dunhind Rugilinn

Title: Beginner Duelist

Status: First Year Student at Polaris Comprehensive Academy

Level: 18

Health: 3000/3000

Magical Power: 7500/16000

Unique Ability: <Collective Intelligence> Level 2

<Fluid Consciousness/Self-Linked Clone Technique> Level 2

Resonance Trait:

* Backstab – Damage increases when attacking from behind the enemy.

* Weakness Extermination – Damage increases when attacking low-health opponents.

…

Thanks to consistent hunting and growth, my magical power had steadily increased. Soon, I would reach level 20.

Looking at this duel alone, if I had the luxury, I could summon about twenty at once without breaking a sweat. Plus, I would regain half my magical power when I dispersed them, meaning I wasn’t short on power itself.

My Collective Intelligence level also rose.

I assumed it was due to long conversations and shared memories between clones. It was ambiguous to say what exactly improved. It didn’t seem like our individual intellectual levels had increased.

The speed of sharing and discussing had gotten a bit faster.

However, the issues we were highlighting lay in another area.

– The problem is, we don’t know the levels of the other characters in this game. –

– You showed too much all at once! –

– Even the dungeon team gets on a dump truck and enters. –

The other members waiting on the Violet Network, who had been dispersed, complained as well.

They weren’t wrong. There would likely be many duels ahead, but if it started like this, there might be an overflow of people refusing to duel. It was necessary to conceal our power appropriately.

– I’ve roughly gauged the students’ levels. I can suppress the stronger ones with about five clones. –

– Got it, I’ll stick to just summoning that many in the future. –

The discussion wrapped up with the conclusion to use our power appropriately.

Meanwhile, while Third Clone finished the duel, the other Violets were diligently scouting through the ventilation ducts.

“Something feels different compared to when we were wandering around the research lab. Why is it so spacious?”

The Violets currently circling inside the ventilation were positioned, in reference to the other Violets on the surface, as if they were just shallowly buried subway tunnels, and the furthest one had moved hundreds of meters away from a suspicious building.

The reason I could ascertain this was simple: I could intuitively perceive the positions of the other Violets.

As my Collective Intelligence level rose, its precision improved as well. In the current state, I could pinpoint more specific locations based on our sensory input.

It was a form of position tracking through shared consciousness and senses.

“While you’re taking a break, could you gather some info on the school’s underground facilities?”

The Violets who had been lounging in the dormitory began rummaging through books and documents. They dove into printed materials, books, and promotional pamphlets.

“Ah, I just found something.”

Eventually, the Fifty-Fourth Clone started explaining. According to the brief materials, here’s what they said:

The land where Polaris Comprehensive Academy is located was used as a military base during the second dimensional invasion. So, various small and large bomb shelters were constructed underground.

From the illustrations, it looked like some catacombs or the Viet Cong tunnels.

“However, it says here that for safety reasons, they are all closed now.”

“It seems they expanded construction based on this.”

Now that I think about it, Professor Albert did say someone was chased out after complaining about the worsening finances.

It seems there’s another reason beyond the sudden downsizing and reckless student loan support that burdened the school’s finances.

– Still uncertain. Let’s continue mapping out the area. –

Our tasks just keep piling up.

***

After busily doing various things, everyone fell asleep.

I found myself in a nightmare once again.

The reason I realized it was a nightmare was simple.

This space, devoid of any vibrancy, was far too familiar.

The situations were always different. There were times when a ninja would invade during a livestream, or monsters would chase after me.

“Here we go again…”

Yet, this nightmare never faded. Like a parasite, it burrowed deep within me, tormenting and gnawing away.

I’m tired of this, so tired.

What other pain awaits me?

This time, a one-eyed monster chased after me. As it opened its mouth, I saw a mountain of razor-sharp teeth.

Its strange claws gleamed.

I screamed and ran away.

“Stay away! Go away!”

In reality, I stood confidently with weapons, commanding troops.

We were always together.

But in dreams, I was always alone.

The other versions of me were probably in this dream too. Knowing it was a dream, I still had no choice but to endure it.

I ran until my lungs felt like bursting.

I prayed it would just stop chasing me.

After a long time of fleeing, I hid behind a wall and curled up.

“Please go away…”

As I held my breath and waited, the wall collapsed.

The monster lifted me up.

“I DON’T WANT THIS!!!”

I struggled.

It brought its sharp claws close to my head.

I knew it. This monster was about to devour my brain.

“It hurts! Stop it!”

The claws scratched my head.

My skull ripped apart. Blood flowed. I cried.

No.

Please stop.

It hurts.

Once again, I helplessly sobbed.

It hurts. Pain has always been by my side.

No.

Just end it already.

…Rugilinn-san is like this again today. What kind of experience has she gone through…

Suddenly, the surroundings glowed with a green light.

Oh, I had forgotten.

The nightmare has always been with me. But the ending has changed since some point.

At the end of this pain, a warm light enveloped me and erased the things tormenting me.

…I don’t know what kind of nightmare it is, but I hope you find peace.

I could hear someone’s worried voice as I felt a nostalgic sense, embraced by warmth and light.

Childhood memories, the comfort of a mother’s embrace.

It was warm.

I flew toward the light.

Soaring…

I slowly opened my eyes.

“Ugh…”

Fifth Clone, whom I was using as a makeshift pillow, also woke up at the same time. Simultaneously, the others in different locations also stirred.

Seeing the dim light outside the window, it was dawn. There was still about an hour left until wake-up time.

– What’s going on? –

– Is there something strange with my head? –

Yet, someone was patting my head in the early dawn. It was a bizarre feeling.

Turning my head slowly, I saw a woman with long, flowing hair.

The sudden situation sent chills down my spine.

I was lying on the top bunk bed. How is there a person’s head here?

The rapid response of the Violet Network processed the information and quickly came to a conclusion.

A woman’s head positioned on the top bunk of the bed.

The hair is white.

The time is dawn.

This is…

– What is that thing… –

– A ghost! Attack! –

“Violet Attack!”

I shouted as I vigorously shoved the ghost’s head.

“AHHHHHH!”

The ghostly white hair tumbled to the floor with a thud.

The physical exorcism was effective.

“Justice has prevailed!”

We declared our victory.

However, there was still an uncomfortable feeling.

Suddenly, a strange intuition flickered in my mind. That scream I heard just now couldn’t have been a scream, right?

– Ghosts can scream too. –

– That’s true! But what was that thudding sound? Do ghosts have mass? –

I’ve heard about fixing your position in a coordinate system, but do spiritual beings really get influenced by gravity?

“Ugh…”

More than that, is it reasonable for a ghost to sob in pain?

No, more importantly, that face, that appearance felt very familiar.

The two of us peeked out from the edge of the bed.

As I turned on the smartphone light to shine on the floor, I realized what kind of accident I had caused.

Daphne was lying on the ground, clutching her head and looking distressed.

“Ouch, my head…”

“Huh? It’s not a ghost, it’s Daphne?”

“Rugilinn-san… What on earth are you doing?!”

Daphne’s condition looked quite painful. She had tumbled down after hanging on the top bunk bed.

Please tell me I didn’t do that!

“Are… Are you alright?”

“…Rugilinn-san!”

This is bad.