Chapter 132

The Violet Network is always bustling with noise. The plaza, adorned with colorful decorations, was filled with identical yellow-haired girls.

Hundreds of Violets waited outside for their turn to go play and chatter.

In the center of the plaza stood a large fountain, with a gigantic lion statue continuously spouting water.

Suddenly, a bright light erupted from the lion statue of the fountain. The playing Violets turned their heads.

The identity of that light signaled the arrival of a new Violet. The girls jumped up and down excitedly.

“New Violet is coming!”

As the light faded, a Violet came tumbling down from the lion statue’s mouth, sliding down the water stream like a slide and landing outside the fountain.

“Hello, wonderful world! I’m Unit 705!”

The newly-born Violet waved her hand with a bright smile. Another Violet waiting in front gestured to the girl.

“Yeah, nice to meet you. I’m Unit 512. Come on, let’s go!”

“Why?” “Because it’s combat viewing time!”

Unit 705 cocked her head in confusion.

Following Unit 512, they arrived at a large screen set up at one side of the plaza, where 512 explained the current rescue operation.

Detailed explanations weren’t necessary. Right after her birth, Unit 705 had already absorbed all the memories and thoughts of every Violet. This was simply a formality.

Unit 512 grumbled as if remembering something.

“But you’re lucky. Tch, I was stuck carrying pipes right after I was created…”

“Yikes!”

Unit 705 shivered at the memory of the labor that 512 had experienced right after her birth.

To be subjected to heavy labor right after being born! Unit 705 inwardly regretted describing the world as wonderful.

Seeing 705’s expression darken, Unit 512 quickly added:

“Don’t be too scared! The Violets working in the workshop get served a lot of delicious food.”

“Wow! That’s a relief!”

Unit 705’s face brightened again. The two Violets gossiped as they reached the screen, where many Violets were focused on the display.

“The operation is about to start! Watch closely. You’ll be out there soon!”

On the screen, twelve large and small snowmobiles were shown lingering near the gate. The Violets immersed themselves in the situation, sharing the feeling of the field.

“I’m jealous, I want to fight too!”

“Shh, focus. It’s starting now!”

Moments later, a squad of Violets wearing white winter combat uniforms appeared. The squad members got into their vehicles with their teammates.

As the engines roared to life, the dormant Monsters rumbled awake, shaking heavily as the vehicles rumbled forward.

Soon, the camouflage-painted snowmobiles traversed the vast snowfield. The snowfield, thickly piled with snow, was tranquil, but there were signs of human footprints and tire tracks scattered around.

The Violet Company Headquarters issued orders to the squad one by one.

“From the Violet Company Headquarters! Our mission is to rescue students trapped in the depths of the dungeon. You should all have received this, but the interior of the Pastera Snowfield is extremely unstable. The aggression of the Monsters has increased, and the climate can change drastically at any moment. Avoid combat and prioritize reaching your destination as quickly as possible!”

From the headquarters, Unit 10 compared the electronic map on the desk with the positions of the Violets in the field.

The shared information and senses through the network combined through the collective unconsciousness of the Violets, vividly expanding their spatial awareness of the dungeon’s interior.

Although Unit 10 did not fully understand this principle, the girls could now vaguely recognize each other’s locations on the map.

Unit 10 thought that the sensation they were experiencing was similar to a satellite navigation system.

After identifying the engraved location information, another command was issued.

“Relay to the escort team. Units 1 and 2 are to move to the center, while Units 3 through 12 will deploy to both sides! Form a defensive formation to assess surrounding threats!”

“Confirmed!”

Unit 1 was a sturdy vehicle reminiscent of an armored car, and Unit 2 was a smaller four-seater vehicle. The rest were two-seater snow bikes, known as snow bikes.

Each vehicle was occupied by armed Violets and their teammates, and above them, six powered hang gliders followed closely.

“Relay to Flight Squadron 1; follow the escort team for now, then split at the entrance to the depths.”

“Got it! But it’s freezing here! Send some hand warmers!”

“Unit VA-1 has them in the inventory. Use them!”

A Violet named VA-1 rummaged through the inventory and pulled out the hand warmers. Flying through the strangely split upper parts of the dungeon felt like taking an icy shower.

Following the tire tracks of the vehicles, soon a perimeter wall and guard hunters surrounding the gate came into view.

“From HQ to Units 1 and 2. We’re about to enter the security zone, so maintain this formation until entering the depths.”

“Relay received!”

As the teams sent messages to their vehicles, the Radio Violet transmitted the information to the team members inside. Leaving the barrier, a small forest welcomed the escort team.

The Radio Violet of Unit 1 opened the vehicle’s roof and peered out to survey the area. Hunters were either cleaning off the Monsters they hunted or working nearby.

Units 10, 21, and 33 at the headquarters perused the electronic map and dungeon-related data. They had heard it was large, but it was indeed surprisingly expansive. Unit 10 checked the indicated areas on the map while reviewing the schedule.

“The secure zone has just been exited. It’ll take some time to pass through the boundary zone.”

The clans in the academy city categorized dungeons with large areas like the Pastera Snowfield into three zones based on their distance from the gate.

First, they cleaned out all the Monsters and dangerous elements and surrounded a secure zone with walls. This area was literally safe.

Beyond that was the boundary zone. It was dangerous since it was distanced from the gate and the Monsters were active, but it had a wired network allowing communication and rescue requests from the outside.

If it had to be rated, it would be considered medium difficulty.

Beyond that lay the depths. It was situated quite far from the gate, and the wired network was either unestablished or frequently interrupted.

The number of Monsters here was several times larger than that of the boundary zone, making the difficulty level high.

Currently, the place where Alex and the students were isolated was the Stigma Mountain Range. It was deep within the depths of the Pastera Snowfield. It was located far beyond the visible mountain peaks.

The Violet wondered how these young students managed to get there. Even B and A-ranked hunters wouldn’t dare venture into the depths alone.

As the escort team passed, the attention of the workers and hunters nearby turned to them. Occasionally, small Monsters scuttled over due to noises but were sniped and taken down by the Violets on snow bikes.

After a while, they reached the vicinity of the depths. The mountains drew closer. They spotted an approaching snowmobile coming hastily from the opposite direction.

It was the same vehicle the escort team was riding. The Violets realized it belonged to a clan handling dungeon management.

The vehicle halted before the escort team, honked its horn, and a hunter got out, hurrying over to knock on the window.

“What’s going on?”

“Wait…? You’re not from our clan. Who are you?”

“We borrowed this!”

As the driver, Violet 48, explained the situation, the hunter was shocked.

“What? Are you crazy? You look like kids. Turn back immediately!”

“Why?”

“The depths are dangerous right now. Especially near Stigma Mountain, it’s total chaos. The number of Monsters has increased several times. An ice storm is brewing too. Don’t even think about rescuing anyone! If you don’t want to be the ones needing a rescue, turn back quickly. We’re withdrawing right now!”

“But this is our client’s request!”

“No, life first! And you borrowed our clan’s vehicle. Don’t go breaking it!”

“I’ll take good care of the vehicle and return it somehow!”

Seeing the Violet’s determined attitude, the hunter shook his head.

“Sigh, tsk… If you’re going to go die, I can’t stop you. But listen, girl! Here’s a piece of advice: those snow creatures are really riled up. Be careful!”

“Got it! Thanks for the tip!”

The clan’s vehicle disappeared in the opposite direction. The anxious Company Headquarters ordered some of the team members to dismount the vehicles. Lucian, clad in winter gear, grumbled.

“What’s up? Are we starting already? Didn’t we say we’d switch rides inside the depths?”

“I just feel a little uneasy about it. You didn’t forget, did you? Get on the bike!”

Irene, Kalia, and Lucian all boarded the snow bikes as planned. The two girls told the Violet they would drive the snow bike themselves.

“You can drive it!”

“I’ve learned this much already.”

“Isn’t it just like a motorcycle? It doesn’t look that different.”

“And you?”

“…Ah, uh, I’m going to go crazy…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you a ride!”

“Hah…”

The two girls skillfully drove the snow bike. Seeing this, Lucian seemed to feel a bit of his pride as he curled his face but soon sat in the back seat of the vehicle piloted by Violet Unit 10.

“Personnel deployment complete!”

The headquarters assessed the situation.

Levi and Daphne were in Unit 1, Granite in Unit 2, and Irene, Kalia, and Lucian were placed in Units 3, 7, and 10, respectively. Before entering the dungeon, they had come to an agreement to operate according to the Violet’s orders.

If the Violet was the phone and a queen in chess, the remaining team members were like knights, rooks, and bishops on the board.

The Company Headquarters bore the heavy task of making good use of the variables assigned to them.

Unit 10’s gaze fell upon the scenery observed by the field personnel. Dark, icy blue mountains were covered in snow and ice. Just how many Monsters were boiling within there? Would the targets of the rescue still be alive?

The Violets at the headquarters shook their heads, shaking off their hesitation.

After all, their primary objective was to reach the Ether Emitter. In the worst case, they could retrieve the corpses of the students. They might not get paid as much, but it had to be that way.

Taking a deep breath in and out.

“Let’s move forward.”

The Violet escort team set in motion. Perhaps it was because they were nearing the depths, but soon they received an urgent report from the flying squad.

“This is VA-2! Escort team at 1 o’clock, multiple Monsters approaching. Numbers exceed one hundred! Types of Monsters are… Ice Skullcats!”

“Emergency! Emergency! Combat readiness!”

The sleeping Radio Violets quickly lifted their heads and shouted.

“Emergency! Emergency! Enemy at 1 o’clock!”

The roofs of Units 1 and 2 opened up, and Violets armed with machine guns poked their heads out.

Familiar-looking Monsters resembling wolves charged over the hills toward the escort team.

These were evolved Ice Skullcats adapted to the snowfield. Their paws had widened and their sizes had increased as they pushed through the harsh snowy terrain.

And they were not alone.

“What, are you kidding me? Violet, relay to everyone! Monsters riding Monsters!”

“Ah! For real? Combat formation!”

Kalia, who was riding on Bike Unit 5, looked ahead in disbelief. Somehow, a pack of Scrags was riding on the backs of the Skullcats.

“Those fools! Who thought to ride on other Monsters?”

The headquarters immediately ordered an attack.

“Levi, those trash over there!”

“Uh… wow, really?”

Another sniper appeared above Unit 1. A humongous black Ballista expanded its tripod. Levi, who had been nervously scanning the surroundings, gripped the weapon’s handle, her eyes sharpening.

First, the bikes closest to them attracted the attention of the horde of Monsters. The Skullcat riders wielding ice spears and swords approached the snow bikes.

“Open fire!”

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Radio Violets in the passenger seats fired their rifles, knocking down the Monsters one by one. The sound of gunfire attracted more enemies.

“Levi! 3 o’clock on the ridge, by the curved tree!”

“Ugh! Got it!”

As the bikes blocked the enemies, the machine guns on the roofs of Units 1 and 2 spewed fire. The beams of light struck at the horde of Monsters charging from the hills.

“Ah! Go away!”

Using the beams of light as guidance, the Ballista unleashed its magically-infused medium bolts. The noise was less, but the destructive power was far more lethal. Each bolt pierced through the ranks and ripped them apart.

Monsters caught in the crossfire panicked and turned to flee. As the terrified Skullcats went wild, the Scrags riding on their backs fell off.

“Well done! Units 1 and 2 cease fire! Units 7, 8, and 9 charge forward! Units 10 and 11 provide covering fire!”

Kalia and the Violets drew their swords. They had to slaughter all the Monsters before they had a chance to regroup.

Leading Unit 5, three bikes pursued the fleeing Monsters up the hill. Bullets laced with flames struck the backs of the fleeing Monsters, exploding on impact, while sword energies cleaved down upon their backs.

-Roar!

The Skullcats, who were lingering around and watching for an opportunity instead of fleeing, began to lose their heads one by one. The combat rifle shots from the Violet in the passenger seat were sharp.

Soon, a victory announcement echoed from the sky.

“VA-3 relays to headquarters. The danger elements have been eliminated!”

“Headquarters relays, great job, everyone!”

“We did it!”

Just as the Violets declared victory, another horde of Monsters rushed in.

“Levi! 11 o’clock ahead! Clear them out!”

“Got it! Just get lost already! Trash!”

Excited, Levi’s eyes darted around as she turned the Ballista. With the sound of piercing air, bolts tore through the bodies of the Skullcats and pierced through the rows of Scrags.

As Levi fired, the machine guns blazed, turning another batch of Skullcat riders into Swiss cheese. However, because there were so many, the Monsters approached right up to the front of the escort team.

In a situation soon to collide head-on, the headquarters issued a new command.

“Not good, prepare to charge from Units 3 to 7. Unit 1, prepare to deploy barriers, and Unit 10! Prepare for magical attacks!”

The three bikes in the front accelerated. After dealing with the remaining Monsters, the four bikes following joined from the right.

“Irene! Are you ready? Now’s the time!”

“Got it. Hold on tight!”

The seven bikes charged directly into the pack of Monsters. Just as the Radio Violet began to speak, golden magical energy erupted from the front Unit 3, enveloping the other team members.

“Everyone, prepare!”

Except for Kalia, everyone lifted their spears. The golden magical energy melded with the red sword energy, strengthening their powers. The spears began to glow brightly.

The Monsters drew closer. They could see the ferocious and greedy glints in their eyes.

“Here we go!”

The spear infused with magical power aimed straight ahead. The whole formation raced toward the horde of Monsters like a giant arrow.

Magical arrows flew overhead, piercing the enemies. Bullets and bolts cut through the horde of Monsters. Nevertheless, the vengeful Monsters growled, continuing to charge at the front of the escort team.

“Everyone cease fire, brace for impact! Charge!!!”

The claws, fangs, and weapons of the Monsters filled their vision. They were nearing. They were approaching. Just before the collision, light green protective shields unfurled over the snow bikes.

And then—the collision. With a deafening roar, the spears pierced into the Monsters.

-BOOM!

The line of bikes crashed through the horde of Monsters like a battering ram. The cavalry charge carved out a wide passage in the blink of an eye.

In the interim, the escort team surged through rapidly.

“Kill! Kill them all!”

“Yahhh!”

As several Monsters got impaled on the spears, Irene shrugged off the corpses like dust, shaking her spear clear. The Violets who tossed their spears wildly swung their swords at the enemies. Two snowmobiles drove over the Monsters who had not yet died, ending their pitiful lives.

“We’re through! We made it!”

The horde of Monsters, unable to withstand the shock, quickly fell apart. The Violet escort team headed toward the entrance to the depths as if they had never been interrupted.

“Haha! We cleared them all! What do you think, Violet?”

“Levi, you did great!”

Perhaps due to the brief excitement of victory or the cold, Levi’s face flushed bright red as she trembled with excitement.

As the battle concluded, Daphne soon popped out the top of the vehicle, surveying her surroundings. With a worried look, she asked the Radio Violet.

“Violet, how far have we come? Please tell the others too.”

The Radio Violet received a response directly from HQ.

“Yes, we just reached the entrance of the depths!”

Upon hearing what the Violet at the backseat said, Irene sighed.

“The hunter was right. If it’s this bad near the depths, how many more enemies will we face ahead…”

“Don’t worry! Once we pass through the canyon, the number of Monsters will decrease significantly.”

“In reverse, that means there are a lot here. Don’t you think?”

Irene’s words left the Violet speechless.

After passing through hills and woods, the canyon welcomed the Violet escort team. The Stigma Mountain Range was closer now than it had been a few hours ago.

The escort team crossed the passage between the canyon walls, unaware of just how many more obstacles lay ahead.