Chapter 144

The morning Dungeon Street was driven by three trucks. Every time they hit the rough stone pavement, they clanked noisily.

“Kyah!”

The body of Number 212, riding in the cargo area, tilted precariously. The nearby Violets quickly grabbed me.

Until yesterday, only one or two were on guard, but now the truck’s cargo area was packed with Violets. On top of that, they created more clones. Already, hibernating bodies were rolling around in the cargo area.

There was only one reason for this sudden troop surge: those cultists from yesterday.

“Attacked by believers?”

As I explained yesterday’s situation to my team members, everyone, except for two, looked shocked. Daphne turned to the Violet in the back seat.

“Was it bad?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. We had no injuries on our side. We killed them all, so don’t sweat it!”

“Ah, that’s a relief.”

Daphne looked a bit dazed but didn’t say anything more.

“Ugh, cultists. Really strange folks are getting involved. They won’t be chasing us, will they?”

Hearing my words, Lucian spoke up cautiously. Worried about weirdos getting involved? I spoke loudly enough for the other team members to hear.

“Ah, you don’t need to worry about being tracked. See this around my neck? It’s a recognition-disrupting device.”

“Wow, you really are a spy…”

He clicked his tongue. It seemed he still thought I was a human weapon trained secretly in the secret base.

“Killing people… Hmm… Well, they had it coming…”

“Um…”

Our siege weapon duo seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea of me having killed someone.

Now that I think about it, those guys probably never killed anyone before.

「It doesn’t matter. I never expected them to engage in one-on-one fights from the beginning. Experiencing killing unprepared could hurt their hearts.」

「When the time comes, they’ll naturally accept it.」

Killing monsters and killing people are definitely different things. Monsters are creatures that instinctively oppose humans. They’re grotesque and weird, making it hard to form an emotional connection.

But people are different. They scream and cry when hit, they shout when stabbed. Therefore, my instincts rebel against it.

It’s only natural that killing a person is a hundred times harder.

As I finished my minor explanation, Irene calmly assessed my actions. Praise-filled.

“Your clean-up was a bit rough, but you handled it well. In big dungeons like this, dangerous criminals often hide. You must protect yourself in places like this.”

Kalia reacted even more strongly.

“Wow, good job. Those lunatics deserve to die. In our neighborhood, strange religious folks often cause chaos by coming over and preaching their nonsense. Let alone offering people as sacrifices? They need to learn their lesson.”

Saying that, she patted my shoulder as if reassuring me.

“By the way, did you say it was a Unity Cult?”

Irene looked into the air, lost in thought.

“Have you heard of it?”

What I found was only fragmented information. I wondered if Irene might know something.

“I don’t know the details, but I think I’ve heard it before. There’s a sort of blacklist shared among clans.”

“A blacklist? Wait, does it list those targeted for oppression?”

Oh wow, was Irene’s clan one of those organizations that liked power trips?

Seeing my expression shift, she quickly continued explaining.

“It’s not what you think. It’s just a classification of people with bad reputations and Awakened groups.”

Is that so? Well, that’s a relief. It’s just a normal list filtering out black consumers and weirdos.

“What a strange fellow, writing a Death List but thinks…”

Lucian muttered something, but I ignored it.

“There are religious groups on the list too. There are many bizarre religions that conduct missionary activities with the power of the Awakened. The Unity Cult was high on the list. They made money through suspicious means and no one who entered ever came out. Rumors say they conduct military training on remote islands or deep in dungeons.”

Whoa, that’s pretty dangerous. They weren’t just folks shouting about disbelief in their religious headquarters.

“A religious group attempting human sacrifice is searching for suspicious relics. That’s highly questionable. We should relay this to the Forward Base. How about sending a messenger to the dungeon entrance, Violet?”

Irene’s suggestion made sense. We don’t even know how big those crazy people’s operation is or what they’re doing. Plus, Adela is here now. It’s best to let them know to be cautious.

“Okay, I’ll do just that!”

If the hunters or the clan managing this place got word of it, they would come to handle those trash people. Truly, it’s like attacking with their own weapons!

While the vehicle procession paused for a moment, a Violet 1 got out of the cargo area. Number 12, with the help of Numbers 802 and 216, pulled out machines from the inventory and began assembling.

“I’m off!”

An electric scooter was completed. After confirming the messenger Violet headed to the safe zone, we moved back into the deeper area.

《By the way, killing.》

While contemplating sacrifices, religions, and human sacrifices, my thoughts spiraled into discussions about murder and killing. Suddenly, a question raised its head like a small snake.

“Am I a psychopath?”

Our Violets have killed numerous people since the possession. From the guards at the laboratory to the woman with a ponytail, I’ve slashed and shot everyone I deemed an enemy.

At those times, I never really felt anything significant. The recoil of the gun, the sensation of tearing flesh and bone, the ache in my wrist and arm.

“I did feel a bit of thrill when beating up or shooting bad people.”

“Oh man, are we also weirdos?”

Honestly, it was fun winning. I’m not sure if that’s right.

By the standards of common sense and moral ethics, Violets might be seen as abnormal from an objective viewpoint.

A cheerful girl who doesn’t fear killing? People would be saddened. A cute girl is inherently good and meant to make the world better. It’s best not to have blood on their hands.

“No, maybe that’s exactly why it’s our duty?”

Number 223 glanced at Daphne sitting next to her.

She looked at Irene and Levi in the back seat.

And then at Kalia, who was absentmindedly gazing out into the darkness.

If monsters hadn’t invaded and the world was still normal, these kids would have been leading enjoyable school lives, far removed from fighting and death.

“Yeah, it feels like we should take the lead ourselves.”

“The burden of shedding blood is on the Violets!”

The determination of the Violets was not new.

This was just me reflecting on the mindset I had after resolving to tear down the academy.

Plus, the sight of bad guys falling into trouble, relying solely on their powers to bully people, is quite enjoyable.

The truck squealed to a stop.

We parked on a street beyond a long fence border, just after passing some more barriers between the deep zone and the boundary zone. It was a street near a hotel, where strange lights flickered.

As soon as the team members got out of the vehicle, they were shocked to see a line of black figures waiting at a distance.

Due to the device’s distinctive haziness, a threatening atmosphere could be felt.

“Who are those people?…”

“Don’t be surprised, it’s us.”

“It’s me, it’s me!”

The shadowy-faced Violets waved their hands cheerfully. The black crowd turned out to be the Violet Squad, which had arrived a few hours earlier and was currently deployed.

Since there was a possibility of encountering high-level monsters from the deep zone and the aforementioned cultists, we decided to strengthen our numbers.

Additionally, there was something I wanted to test out.

“Moving in squad units, huh?”

“Yeah, from here on out, for every one of you, one of our squads will be assigned.”

After going through numerous Violet simulations and past dungeon team activities, I pondered how to harmoniously operate the diverse team members and clones.

After a lot of debate, the Violets firmly established a concept they had been considering for a while.

It was the equipment-integration of humans!

Team members, friends, are to be utilized as special soldiers and equipment of our Violet Brigade.

Each assigned Violet squad would support equipment utilization, ready to sacrifice their lives to prevent equipment loss in emergency situations.

While our Violets tackle head-on combat, team members will be positioned to target and explore monsters where needed.

Treating people as equipment is indeed a bit inhuman but an efficient military strategy.

We could take on any enemy!

“As explained, we’ll start our search from here. We’ll check each stall around the street and scan the parks one by one. Let’s enter the hotel to see if there are any useful relics!”

As the Violet Squad took the lead, the team members followed suit.

“The 3rd Platoon 1st Squad will move with Levi, securing the high ground near the hotel. The remaining squads will wait in the rear, keeping watch of the surrounding streets! Move to the rooftops and wait for fire support requests!”

The area around the hotel was quite vast. If there’s a place to oversee the entire region, immediate fire support can be provided.

“The 1st Platoon 2nd Squad will move to the front line with Irene, prioritizing the exchange of shields and spears for equipment.”

“The 2nd Platoon 1st Squad will stand by in the center. Ensure no harm comes to the protected. Healers are vital!”

“What about us?”

“They’ll be kept behind the 1st Platoon 2nd Squad. Prevent them from going berserk if they swing that axe!”

After positioning the team members appropriately, we began our exploration.

Party combat where magic and warriors all gather and jump around battling monsters is outdated. This is the tactics of a modern dungeon party.

Hehe, this way, we can knock down any enemy!

While diligently rummaging through the stalls, Violet 331 felt a strange vibration from the ground.

“Command Center, do you feel that? It’s a strange vibration. There might be monsters underground.”

The Violet at the command center immediately swapped consciousness and surveyed the scene. When turning on the flashlight, one of the manhole covers was wobbling.

“Monster detected! Everyone gather!”

The Violet Squad halted their exploration and formed a three-tier encirclement. One Violet squad advanced to the front.

Brave Violets wrapped in a sturdy light green protective shield encircled the manhole cover in a circle.

“According to the information, it’s definitely a Lockbane.”

As the squad leader Violet explained curtly, Irene replied with a cautious tone.

“That’s usually the case…?”

She was waiting behind the second encirclement, ready to cast buffs for the charge.

Lockbanes are snake-shaped monsters that navigate the sewers beneath Vittorio Arcade.

They’re of medium rank and dangerous, but cutting open their bellies often yields loot.

When gathered, there’s nothing to fear.

“Come out! You fool!”

“Get out for a mid-level monster!”

I made noise to provoke it. Now, once that snake pops out from the ground, it’s over.

I’ll show you the taste of Violet military tactics, monster!

With a heavy metallic sound, the manhole cover flew up into the air.

“It’s out!”

Number 328 moved forward with a spear infused with magic, ready to stab as soon as its body showed.

Just at that moment, a black, huge tentacle shot out from the manhole.

“Ugh! Agghhh!”

The black, slimy tentacle struck the nearby squad and knocked them over.

Immediately, a pitch-black, amorphous monster leaped out of the sewer hole.

Its size expanded to that of a double-decker bus as it emerged from the hole.

“I’ve been caught!”

Multiple tentacles emerged from the round body of the monster and wrapped around one Violet squad. I was sucked into it.

Then, the horrific event happened.

“Ugh! My flesh is flowing like water!”

“Gah! I’m melting!”

The creature’s tentacles corroded Daphne’s protective shield, causing it to collapse.

Our squad members began melting one by one. Daphne desperately expanded a new shield to pull the squad members out, but it was too late.

“Ah, ah… Violet!”

“Too late, Daphne. Fall back!”

Irene said firmly, and Daphne bit her lip and immediately retreated.

“Shit, is that a Noxterra? Crazy… what mid-level monster!”

Lucian’s face in the back looked crumpled as if he chewed mint chocolate.

He was right. That isn’t a mid-level monster.

The true identity of the monster was Noxterra, a high-level monster at the top of this dungeon’s food chain.

《DOLGEORGA!》

The Violet military tactics faced a massive obstacle right from the start. We are in crisis!