Chapter 211

Beyond the wasteland, thick-shelled monsters began to reveal themselves one by one.

With a growling sound, red eyes glowed from all directions.

Before the girls in black combat uniforms stood Kamadon, an insect-like monster clad in armor.

At a glance, it resembled a mantis, but its shell was even thicker, and an extra set of forelegs was attached beside its sickle-shaped front legs.

– Kyaaa!

The monsters bared their teeth and charged at the intruders in their habitat.

Ordinary people would scream and run away, and even inexperienced hunters would feel intimidated by their sheer presence.

The girls were different.

“Enemies!”

“Combat readiness!”

The Violets were rather ecstatic about the situation.

Armed girls advanced forward, filled with excitement and anger, calmly approaching the foe.

“Yaaah!”

With a shout that erupted from their small mouths, dozens of Violets revealed themselves one by one.

The girls formed ranks with shields, swords, and spears as they moved forward.

The group of Kamadon lifted their extra forelegs, which were equipped with spikes.

– Piping! Pipipiping!

Gunfire poured out. The speed was visible to the eye, but with the infused magical power, it had the might to pierce armor.

Sophie El felt a hand pulling her.

“We’ll protect you!”

“It’s okay…”

The Violets hid Sophie El behind their shield wall.

Despite the barrage of gunfire, the defensive line pressed on in rapid advance.

“Forward! Forward!”

At the front of the formation was a mounted Violet, passionately waving a flag.

It wasn’t an ordinary flag.

Its true identity was a relic, the final regimental standard obtained by defeating Ghoul Soldiers.

Every time the flag fluttered, magical power scattered like waves, strengthening the Violets.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a relic!”

Understanding the straightforward explanation from the Violet next to her, Sophie El nodded as if she got it.

‘This one treats herself like an object. Well, if it’s just a radio, it’s intact. But what about this girl…’

She had just realized what the Violet had concealed moments ago.

It was a bomb vest.

Behind this cute girl hid a truly nefarious nature.

‘Survivors from the western district series of bombings testified about this. Vehicles loaded with explosives and unidentified flying objects consecutively struck key locations.’

Looking at the Violet clinging to her side, she felt an indescribable emotion.

The clone who introduced herself as ‘Radio Violet’ was focusing solely on her, regardless of the battle.

As she pondered the Violet’s self-objectification, the fight intensified.

Soon the front lines engaged in close combat with the monsters while side Violets charged forward wielding projectile weapons.

“Fire!”

As the shells ricocheted off the armored skin, the Violets raised their crossbows.

Streams of light struck the monsters. With their formation collapsing, the monsters screamed and fled.

“Kill them! Kill them!”

A frantic hunt began. Spear tips pierced flesh, blades tore through organs. Harsh breathing, monstrous roars, flesh being shredded, an unending flow of blood.

– Tatatatang!

Heavy machine guns and rocket launchers deployed on the flanks unleashed a torrent of fire. The barrage annihilated the Kamadons’ escape.

“Push forward!”

“Kill them!”

The scene of brutal slaughter soon stained the wasteland with a bright green-red hue.

Sophie El, observing the fight from one side, thought.

‘This level of movement isn’t something an ordinary student can achieve. If they ambush with numbers, even elite hunters could be in danger.’

Cruel yet patterned movements. There were many rough and clumsy parts, but experience compensated for them.

She analyzed the Violets’ fierce offensive without missing a single moment.

Though complex through numerous experiences and training, their tactics had not changed significantly since the Research Laboratory and their first entry into the Dungeon.

Coordinated, they surged against the enemy like a storm.

‘Amazing. Such tactical movements at such a young age?’

At last, the first battle came to an end.

“It’s over!”

The Violet who had beheaded the last monster shouted triumphantly.

Her appearance, drenched in greenish-red blood, was quite messy.

“Yay!”

Still buzzing with excitement, the Violets played a brief game of soccer with the monster’s head.

“That’s impressive.”

Sophie El couldn’t hide her frown as she marveled.

Radio Violet responded with an innocent smile.

“Yes, we’re invincible!”

The Violets smiled brightly and continued their march through the wasteland.

Their synchronized steps were regular and flawless.

‘Did they receive formal training? No, it’s probably the influence of collective consciousness.’

A single person and a group marched across the wasteland.

Sometimes chatting, sometimes only silence, they gradually delved deeper into the Dungeon.

Unfortunately, any monsters rushing into their path were brutally crushed like insects caught in a line of marching army ants.

After walking for some time.

“Rest!”

As the leading Violet shouted through the network, Radio Violet relayed the message.

“It’s time for a break!”

Sophie El nodded in agreement.

“Okay, let’s rest here for a while.”

The two settled down at the bottom of the stairs. Sophie El hydrated herself with a water bottle and posed a question.

“Where did you learn to shoot and operate heavy weapons?”

The Violet answered.

“I practiced by reading the manual!”

“Practice? I doubt there’s a shooting range that allows using such weapons.”

“I practice shooting outside the academy city. There are plenty of uninhabited islands! Oh, by the way, this is a secret but…”

Sophie El smiled back while thinking.

‘Outside uninhabited islands?’

In that moment, a chilling thought struck her. How could she stop the Violets scattered across the entire world?

‘Right, there’s no reason for Violets to be confined within the academy city.’

What would happen if the Violets turned against them?

By mobilizing overwhelming force, she might be able to take down every Violet in front of her.

Yet eliminating them entirely would be impossible. If they scattered across the continent…

‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

A chill ran down her spine. While she harbored ominous thoughts, Radio Violet stood by obliviously watching.

“What should we do? Using illegal weapons seems to have made them uneasy.”

Fortunately, Sophie El didn’t say anything more afterward.

The two continued to rest.

Somehow, their break time turned out to be quite long.

Well, they had grown hungry.

“What would you like to have, combat rations or airlifted food?”

“Just give me whatever is least troublesome for you.”

“Then let’s go with the combat rations!”

Dozens of Violets pulled food out from their inventories.

This time the combat ration was a canned set cooked with solid fuel.

“Thank you for the meal!”

Sophie El picked at the chili-flavored chicken dish with a fork. While they were eating, her older sister asked.

“By the way, Violet, why are you leaving the Kamadon carcasses behind? Didn’t you come to work?”

“Oh, this time, our mission isn’t hunting or gathering!”

Now that she realized she hadn’t explained the mission properly to her sister, she decided an explanation was needed.

“It’s nothing major, just a request! I heard there’s a forward base in the deep area of the Dungeon we’re heading to. They mentioned there were a lot of goods left behind there. We just need to pick them up.”

It was a connection she had brokered for the request. Once the advance team clears the path, the follow-up team can bring the truck and load it.

“I see. Violet, you’re doing great.”

Her sister smiled and patted their backs, lifting her spirits at the thought of receiving acknowledgment from a future pretty scholarship officer.

“It’s okay. This is our job…”

– Rumble!

The ground shook. The anxious Violets set aside their meals and looked around.

The expression of Sophie El, who had been laughing just moments ago, turned cold.

“Be careful.”

In the next moment, a chill ran down her spine. A massive monster was charging their way.

“Kyaaa!”

What appeared before them was a creature even larger than the Kamadon they had fought before. It was a dangerous being radiating an entirely different scent from the lower monsters.

“Yaaah! It looks strong!”

“What is that? I’ve never seen it before!”

It wasn’t just size. It emanated a terrifying magical power combined with a mighty exoskeleton.

Charging recklessly would clearly spell trouble.

Sophie El’s older sister furrowed her brows, showing clear signs of tension. A blue aura coated her sword.

“Ahhhh! Save me!”

“What are you guys! Get out of the way! Hurry and escape!”

In front of the monster was a car chasing after it. They were hunters.

Suddenly, the creature bellowed and charged toward them.

In that instant, a suffocating aura engulfed them.

“Violet, stay back. I’ll handle this…”

“Ahhh! It’s coming! Sister, run away!”

“Watch out!”

They screamed and charged at the beast.

“Rrrr!”

The massive monster came barreling forward.

But I remained calm. The oversized creature looked easy to catch.

The Violets surged forward without hesitation. An entire battalion of 120 troops!

“Heavy weapons team, commence fire!”

– Boom! Crash!

The prepared Violet heavy weapons team unleashed outrageous firepower. Anti-tank missiles, makeshift rockets, machine guns, and recoilless rifles!

– Tatatatang!

The electromagnetic rifles also fired. In an instant, the creature vanished into the smoke.

“We got it!”

Just as they celebrated, the beast appeared unscathed from the explosion. They fired again.

“What? It bounced back!”

To their horror, the bullets that had flown toward the monster ricocheted in all directions.

“Firing is meaningless. That monster’s body is surrounded by a high-speed motion blocking barrier.”

Her sister pointed at the monster as she spoke. And indeed, a peculiar barrier enveloped the monster’s body.

“No way!”

While the heavy weapons team of Violets responded with crossbows, the rest attempted close combat.

With 120 Violet troops charging, the monster swung its arms.

In an instant, we were launched into the air.

“I’m flying!”

“The world is spinning!”

The Violets crashed down to the ground.

“Violet, are you okay? Do you need help?”

“Huh? Not yet. I think I can catch it if I stick on for an hour…”

In that moment, heavy metal projectiles struck the monster’s side.

– Boom!

The heavy metal’s identity was knights.

“Stregonics?”

“No, it feels different from that!”

Suddenly appearing, the blunt and angular steel knights clashed with the monster.

Just moments ago, the monster that was fighting them was now being sliced apart by the large steel knights.

“Rrrr!”

“Wow, they’re tough!”

“Can it really withstand that?”

The gigantic monster’s blows were deadly, but the steel knights held their ground, deflecting or dodging each attack.

Ten minutes later, the colossal monster fell, leaving behind a final cry.

“Wow, amazing!”

The Violets couldn’t contain their curiosity and rushed toward the ones who had taken down the giant monster.

The knights were polishing their weapons.

“Who are they…”

“They’re members of Restraid.”

Sophie El, who had followed behind us, whispered and pointed at the symbols on the knights’ shoulders.

The symbol featuring a hammer and sword stood out in their eyes.

They were from another one of the Four Great Clans. As she thought that, the knights waved us over.

“Hey, you! Come over here. Hurry!”

“…?”

An armored human approached us and suddenly got confrontational.

“Hey, kid. Why did you touch the monsters we were after? Do you want to get punished?”

“What?”

I was baffled. What the hell are these tin cans talking about?

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