The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 97: Violet Gained in the Jungle

The fight ended quicker than expected, and we approached the center of the plaza.

With Daphne in the center and Irene leading Violet’s 1st Squad toward the plaza, the other two squads roamed the forest near the ruins, hunting remaining beasts.

“Kwaaahk!”

“Die!”

Violet No. 219, who had been crouching on the ground, sprang up and slashed the neck of a Skrax.

These ferocious dwarves are everywhere. It’s fascinating, really.

Once safety was secured, I decided to do what needed to be done.

The eyes of the two girls staring at the Aether Amplifier in the plaza sparkled with curiosity.

“This thing is supposed to enhance our abilities, right? Fascinating.”

“It’s more accurate to say it helps us grow. So, Violet, how does this device work?”

After a few clearing coughs, I slowly began explaining the purpose of the ancient device based on what I remembered.

There are a few ways for an Awakened to grow.

The first method is killing creatures that contain Aether in their bodies and absorbing their magical energy.

Usually, this involves hunting beasts, but technically, the target doesn’t have to be a beast.

Any creature with a significant amount of Aether in its body will do.

However, most civilized people don’t prefer this method for obvious reasons.

The second method involves repeatedly training to utilize magic, thereby increasing the amount of Aether within.

Aether is an extraordinary substance that responds to human will, so consistent training, much like building muscle, increases its volume.

There are also other methods, such as training in specific locations, consuming potions, or undergoing dangerous surgeries, but those are typically exceptions.

“This will allow us to grow stronger.”

“Really?”

As its name implies, the Aether Amplifier enhances the Aether within an Awakened’s body, thereby amplifying their capabilities.

In simple terms, it’s a machine that grants experience points.

In the game, it provided small amounts of experience points and money whenever it was activated, but here, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

One thing was certain—there were no side effects.

The only drawback was that it was a single-use device. Once used, it’s done.

“How long will it take?”

“It works immediately upon activation!”

Hearing my explanation, Irene asked cautiously, her voice tinged with concern.

“Is it safe?”

“It’s absolutely safe! Trust me, it’s incomparable to anything else like that!”

Reassured by my earnest plea, my friends followed my lead, albeit with some skepticism.

This wasn’t some shady scam or pyramid scheme.

We Violets would never do anything to harm our friends.

Recalling the correct procedure, I activated the device.

By injecting magical energy and sequentially turning the three round knobs attached to it clockwise, the device started up.

Conveniently, there were arrows beneath the knobs indicating the correct order.

Once the process was complete, a large yellow crystal began glowing brightly.

Magical energy enveloped us, and something within our bodies began to grow.

It felt like a potter delicately increasing the size of a vessel on a spinning wheel.

“Wow…”

I murmured in awe.

After about a minute, the crystal’s glow dimmed, flickering a few times like a broken TV screen before shutting off completely.

“How do you feel?”

I asked my friends.

“It reminds me of when I first learned how to use magic. My body feels lighter somehow.”

“It’s like when I first started using magic.”

Initially skeptical, Irene and Daphne began examining themselves, their expressions gradually brightening.

Irene drew her spear and swung it through the air.

“It feels like I can try things I only imagined before. This is beyond expectation. This kind of power is…”

Golden magical energy radiating from the tip of her spear shone brighter than ever before.

“I’m still not sure. It seems like the amount of magic in my body and the magic I can control at once have increased.”

Daphne seemed uncertain about the changes.

While my friends examined themselves, the Violets cautiously assessed the situation.

They swung their weapons through the air or jumped in place several times.

“Our weapons feel lighter. We’ve gotten stronger!”

“Our bodies have become faster!”

It was time to check my status window.

<CHARACTER STAT>

MP: 44100/44100

…

My level had increased by three all at once.

Recently, leveling up from killing low-tier beasts had become difficult, so this was a significant gain.

I couldn’t help but wonder: with so many Violets near the Aether Amplifier, did its effects stack?

“The level of enhancement seems to be the same for everyone.”

“It seems like this device treats all of us as a single entity.”

Upon confirmation, I realized that the Aether Amplifier’s effects only applied to the “existence” of Violet as a whole.

I wasn’t sure how this worked, but it was intriguing.

Having confirmed the experience gain, it was time to explore the surroundings.

In the game, loot appeared with a click, but here, I had to search for it myself.

“It should be somewhere around here.”

I noticed a suspicious brick jutting out from beneath the Aether Amplifier.

Pressing it made it sink inward with a clunk, and a mysterious chest emerged from the ground.

“What’s this?”

“No idea! I don’t know either!”

My friends gathered around, staring at the sudden appearance of the chest.

I didn’t know what was inside.

The contents of the chest were random.

Typically, it would contain gold bars, valuable relics, or junk items if luck wasn’t on our side.

On rare occasions, artifact equipment appeared, usually rated 3 or 4 stars. Five-star items were extremely rare.

“I’m opening it now.”

As I was about to open the chest, Daphne cautiously stopped me.

“Wait! It could be dangerous, couldn’t it?”

She tapped my body with her staff, summoning a protective barrier.

I thought to myself, isn’t Daphne being a little too cautious?

Undoing the latch and opening the lid, a dazzling light burst forth.

I shielded my face with my hand, blinded by the radiance.

“Ahhh!”

“What’s this?”

The surprised Violets murmured among themselves.

“This light…!”

“It’s rainbow-colored!”

The rainbow light held significant meaning in the Deep Crimson Academia.

In the gacha system, five-star characters or equipment appeared accompanied by a rainbow glow.

I didn’t know why this glow was manifesting in reality, but—

My instincts told me the item inside this chest was likely a five-star artifact!

As the light faded, everyone looked into the chest with anticipation.

“Gloves?”

At the bottom of the chest was a pair of brass gauntlets.

At first glance, they looked like gloves left behind by a giant.

The wrist portion was of ordinary size, but the hand section was enormous.

Intricate patterns were engraved on the oversized brass hands, giving them an oddly unbalanced appearance.

I picked them up, wondering if they were sellable relics, and summoned the status window.

[FATE’S HAND ☆☆☆☆☆]

A relic left behind by a civilization from another dimension.

The forgotten Aether technology imbued within this relic emphasizes the release of magic.

Therefore, evildoers, beware before this hand.

Be cautious of the light’s power, or its will shall pierce the darkness.

Once every 24 hours, you can use a portion or all of your current magic power to unleash three small attacks or a single powerful magic beam.

…

Upon reading the description, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A five-star item. Not only that, but it was an unusual weapon not even found in the game!

“At first glance, it looks like a decorative gauntlet…”

“But it has a peculiar condition! Using all of one’s magic to fire a beam?”

Considering our magical reserves, the power would be significant.

Now, I had another ace up my sleeve besides the Blade of Blazing Flame.

I told my friends.

“Can I have this?”

My friends answered.

“Of course, do as you like. The usual rule is that unless there’s a special agreement, the person who finds an artifact in a dungeon gets to keep it. Besides, it was Violet who brought us here. It makes sense that whatever we find here belongs to you.”

“I think so too. But, Violet, is that a toy?”

“No! It’s an artifact weapon.”

Irene, who was examining the Hand of Fate, tilted her head. She seemed to be wondering about the value of such a ridiculously oversized glove as a weapon.

“Ah… If you want to sell it later, I can find a buyer for you.”

“No need for that.”

If I show them the power of this weapon later, they’ll be shocked.

“Violet, are we done with everything now?”

“Yes, we’ve found everything.”

“Then let’s head out!”

We dusted off our hands and retraced our steps through the passageway we came through.

It was time to leave.

The tasks inside the ruins had taken some time. When we finally stepped outside, it was a little past 1 p.m.

We carefully exited, wary that someone might see us. I reversed the clones into mana. There were too many to bring out here anyway.

The surroundings were a bit noisy.

By now, other student parties participating in the field trip had arrived and were busy scouring the area.

They were all focused on finding the fake artifacts the instructors had hidden in advance.

Our team had nothing more to do here. We had already collected our assignment-related fake artifact long before entering the underground ruins.

The student party compositions were diverse.

There were hardly any three-member teams like ours.

Most teams had four to five members, and occasionally there were teams with six.

First, there was a party of witch students, all carrying composite staffs.

“Is this the spot? Or is it up in the trees?”

A group of archers, each carrying a bow.

“It’s so hot… I just want to finish and go home.”

Despite the futuristic setting of our world, there were some distinctly medieval party setups.

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A male student with a sword and a small shield, followed by a female support mage with a staff.

A male student armed with a crossbow and daggers.

A male student with a massive shield and axe.

A female battle mage wearing gloves engraved with magic circles and carrying auxiliary magic equipment.

“Wow! That combination looks familiar.”

“Isn’t that a classic hero party?”

Hero, saint, rogue, warrior, and mage.

Even though they wore techwear-style outfits made of functional fabrics and were armed with modern swords and bows, their composition was straight out of a fantasy novel.

“There were things like demon kings in this dimension, but I never thought I’d see such a party.”

“How old-school.”

In Academy City, parties with clear distinctions between offense and support roles were considered outdated.

The monsters here were too quick and unpredictable, making the line between the front and rear unclear.

Instructor Frederick and Professor Albert had described our party as “classical but outdated,” and it seemed fitting.

Well, at least we had the flexibility of numbers.

In this harsh world, even support and long-range roles needed to know how to fight in close quarters.

“Well, they’ll figure out how to handle themselves.”

“I’m just curious, that’s all.”

There were plenty of other interesting parties aside from that one.

There was a heavy armor party, a phalanx group, and even an Academy City-style Viking setup.

As we walked through the students toward the resting area, I spotted a familiar blue-haired male student. It was Lucian.

A four-star mage character.

This was the guy I tricked and escaped from the last time he randomly challenged me to a duel.

Curiously, he wasn’t alone this time. Behind him were a black-haired girl with pigtails and a large male student.

“Oh, it’s Levi.”

“And the big guy is Granite.”

I recognized them from the survival training camp. We also occasionally shared classes. I didn’t know they were part of the group that set out today.

“I didn’t think those two would team up with that mage kid.”

Interestingly, their party also consisted of three members.

I gave a casual nod of recognition as we passed by.

While walking away, Lucian suddenly called out to me from behind.

“Wait, you! Hey, you!”

“…?”

When I turned around, I saw his expression fill with certainty.

“I knew it. Violet, I never thought I’d see you here again!”

He pointed his finger at me abruptly.

“You! How dare you trick me and run away?”

“Oh, right. I did, didn’t I?”

“What? You forgot about it?”

When I replied as if I had only just remembered, he started jumping up and down in frustration. Watching this, Irene interjected with a confused look.

“So, this is Lucian. Do you know Violet?”

“There you are, the first-year representative. It’s been a while. But more importantly…”

Lucian looked at our party. His gaze shifted from Irene to me, back and forth.

After studying us, he muttered as if in disbelief.

“This makes no sense…”

“What doesn’t make sense?” I asked.

Lucian replied.

“How can someone as clueless-looking as you be on the same team as someone like Irene?”

Hearing this, the expressions of my party members soured.

That edgy, wannabe protagonist… What’s his problem?