Chapter 218

The day after the new semester began, the Violets were bustling about just as they had yesterday.

As I left the dorm after washing up, students were busy coming and going even in the early morning.

“Hello!”

I waved, and seniors greeted me awkwardly in return.

Everyone’s kindness was markedly different from Polaris.

“Indeed, what a prestigious school this is!”

As if that weren’t enough, in almost every spacious area, students in gym uniforms were seen diligently training.

Everyone seemed to have a remarkable academic enthusiasm.

“Surely, this is different from the old school, right? Don’t you think so, Violet?”

Daphne also seemed to share our thoughts as she scanned the surroundings with her azure gaze.

“We should study a bit harder too.”

A sense of competitive spirit began to swell within me.

“But excessive studying is harmful to Violets!”

While the old Violets suffered from human experimentation and abuse, the modern Violets were stressed from overstudying.

“Do we have to fill our days with things we don’t want to do?”

“It’s all because of those two-dimensional monsters!”

“Let’s bring down the clans and the federal army! Guarantee Violet’s welfare!”

And only Violets can protect Violets.

Most of our Violet bodies are sleeping in hibernation in the warehouse.

Only Violets with consciousness and identity are active on the network, so there are many ready to work.

Thus, the actual working hours for all Violets amount to about one or two hours a day.

Once the mandatory labor is finished, anything else is fair game.

Moreover, in a long-ago meeting of Violets without authority, a rule was passed to guarantee at least 56 hours of rest per week.

“Violet’s human rights must be upheld!”

Resting for over 60 hours a week is also an effective method for improving the quality of study and labor.

“Clone 1189! I’m done with class. Now it’s your turn!”

“Got it. Let’s switch!”

After finishing class, Clone 1189 swapped minds with Clone 819, who had been in the classroom.

Feeling tired, Clone 819 immediately took out his phone and started a game.

“How about we play Mafia today?”

“Nope, let’s go with a card game this time.”

In a game where cooperation and politics are crucial, no one has yet been able to outplay our Violets.

After a while, we grinned again as we claimed another victory.

Violet IDs occupied ranks one through ten.

Balancing games and studies seemed to drain a lot of energy, as my stomach let out a rumble.

“What’s the lunch menu today?”

“Let’s see… The tastiest-looking things at the school cafeteria seem to be pork cutlets and salad. Helios has turkey legs and mashed potatoes.”

“At home, we prepared meatball spaghetti, sandwiches, and plenty more!”

“Wow, that sounds delicious!”

When lunchtime came, the Violets from the Special Operations Division, wearing masks, went to the staff cafeteria to collect their pre-ordered food.

The employees stared with curious eyes, but they didn’t care.

After all, we’re the right hand of the future CEO of Helios Frontier Services; who would dare say anything?

“Hehe!”

As we distributed our ordered meals using our inventory and object transfer abilities, a Violet buffet was set up in an instant.

“Hooray!”

Due to the still chilly weather, there were fewer students eating outside, so we sought out a quiet cafeteria.

“Let’s eat together!”

“Where did this come from?”

“I brought it from home!”

Ignoring my puzzled friends, I laid out piles of food like a delivery person from a Chinese restaurant.

“Oh, so we brought this from our clan cafeteria.”

Irene picked up a turkey leg.

“It’s free, right?”

“That is true. By the way, how’s the flight training going? Is it going well?”

“Yep! It’s fun!”

Currently, the Violets are rapidly learning piloting skills from the flight instructors with whom they made secret oaths in the clan.

The issue is that it takes quite a bit of time for the actual training to commence.

Setting aside miscellaneous theories like air law and other unnecessary details, it takes at least a month for dozens to undergo attribute training on multiple simulators simultaneously.

“What’s with all this we have to learn?”

“Just hang in there a bit. The model can even be equipped with missiles and machine guns!”

There were many things to memorize, from navigation to communication. But this level of effort was worthwhile.

“With this helicopter, we could go around the world!”

The notion of circling the globe is actually an exaggeration. However, the helicopter’s performance was impressive.

Given enough time and fuel, it could reach any academy city in the Central District within a few hours.

The helicopters of Helios Special Operations fly at 400 km/h.

Compared to the powered hang gliders operated by the Violet Army Air Force, which barely hit 100 km/h, the difference was astonishing.

“We could even reach nearby islands!”

“We need to establish a helicopter landing site at the deserted island base.”

Excluding Sister Adela’s family, who somehow acquired a Palcion VTOL or private jet, our mobility was overwhelming.

“Let’s buy attack helicopters and gunships later. Or borrow them from the federal army!”

Just as I dreamed of the Violet Army Air Force, lunchtime ended.

After eating lunch, I went through the afternoon schedule with my friends.

-Ping! Ping!

At the shooting range, we enthusiastically hit the targets.

Aside from Levi, who was shooting a crossbow with a strange smile, nothing unusual was happening.

“Hahaha! Hoo-hoo-hoo!”

“What, what’s with her? It’s scary…”

“She’s totally lost it…”

Seeing the other first-years whispering, we recalled Levi’s indoctrination we had earlier done with her.

“Was it a bit too much?”

While we had managed to make her lose some of her timidness by erasing her aversion to violence and killing, Levi was getting weirder lately.

“Well… it’s not a bad thing, right? In this cruel world, violence is necessary.”

“That’s true.”

After digesting incomprehensible literature and classical poetry in the liberal arts class, the long-awaited close combat skill class approached.

According to the syllabus, this semester starts the advanced course on basic close combat skills for the first-year second semester.

“Wow… this place is no joke; it’s huge!”

“Yeah, it looks like all of us Violets could fit in here easily.”

Exchanging astonished remarks with my friends, we entered the training ground.

Inside, students stood in line with training equipment.

They all seemed to know each other, chatting away, while I felt like I was surrounded by strangers.

“The woes of a transfer student…!”

“I feel like I’m back to school.”

At that moment, I spotted some men standing at the front of the training ground.

Among the people who looked like teaching assistants, one man stood out in particular.

“That must be Professor Masus, the close combat skills professor of Aegis Academy!”

According to the syllabus, his name is Professor Masus, an expert in close combat skills.

Compared to Instructor Frederick, the man before us was a relatively young guy with a tall stature.

Short, black hair, sharp eyes, and neatly trimmed short beard stood out.

“What’s the difference between an instructor and a professor?”

Now that I think about it, Polaris seemed to interchange the terms “instructor” and “professor,” but it looks like this academy calls all educators professors.

I should ask the instructor about this difference later.

Soon, a deep voice resonated through the training ground.

“Alright, everyone, please focus. Did you spend your vacation fruitfully?”

“Yes!”

With a calm yet powerful tone, the students answered robustly.

The previously noisy training ground was instantly engulfed in silence.

Clone 782 couldn’t take her eyes off the professor as she awaited the next words.

“As you advance to your second year, you will now learn combat techniques that go beyond mere basics. You will learn how to overpower your opponent and handle crisis situations, as well as combat methods in various environments. Through this, you will develop a strong mentality suitable for melee combat. Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

There was a palpable charisma in his serious tone.

-BAM!

The sharp sound of him slamming the floor made me jump.

Looking around, all the other students seemed familiar with it as they fixed their gazes forward.

“Is floor slamming a common practice here at the academy?”

“But just talking isn’t enough. True skill is forged in the heat of battle, where blood and flesh intertwine! This semester, you will duel with me a few times to assess your skills.”

The students let out resigned sighs as if they were familiar with this situation.

“Oh no, not again…”

“Please be gentle!”

As the professors caught the students’ light complaints, a playful smile appeared on his lips.

“Come on, do you all not trust me? You know there’s no way anyone could get hurt. I’ll manage just like the first semester and keep a reasonable level. So charge forth without hesitation. The results of the duels with me won’t affect your grades at all, so just dive in thinking you’ve already lost. Understood?”

“Yes! Understood!”

“Very well! It seems everyone is pumped up. Perfect!”

Just as I thought that practical-oriented education was similar in any academy, another loud shout echoed.

“Then, to commemorate the first class, I will select students to have a light duel with me. The first partner today is…”

As Professor Masus scrolled through the student roster, his thunderous voice called out a name.

“Violet Rugilinn? Where are you? Step forward, quickly!”

What in the world is this?!

I was engulfed in shock and couldn’t help but let out a scream that seemed to pierce the sky.

“Eeek!”

“Now, Miss Violet. You have nothing to fear. We’re just warming up; there’s no need for excessive worry. Everyone here has tripped and fallen at least once, right?”

“Uh, but…”

In that moment, I saw it: the smirk forming at the corners of the professor’s mouth.

“Oh dear, Violet student. How can you step onto the battlefield like this? Don’t worry; I don’t expect much. It’ll be over in about five seconds. Now, come on out.”

Annoyed, the Violet strode boldly into the center of the training ground.

“That professor just looked down on us!”

“Five seconds? Five seconds? How dare he challenge us to a real fight!”

The sound of my heart pounding wildly echoed in my ears.

“Let’s show that professor some battle spirit!”

Even though we were just first-years, our Violets were not to be underestimated.

Having endured hundreds, thousands of painful deaths and experiences, we were indeed the lethal Violets!

How effective our training so far would be remained uncertain, but we decided to give it our all in the fight.

“Alright, I’m going in!”

With a determined gaze, I clenched my fist tightly.

As I stepped forward, contemplating how to fight, suddenly, Clone 782 felt a spark of mischief.

In a flash, a brilliant prank charged through the Violet network.

“Command Center! Is it training time with Instructor Frederick now?”

To maintain routine, Violets always trained in martial arts during the afternoon.

“Yes, that’s right. But why do you ask…? No way!”

At that, the other Violets received Clone 782’s idea and decided to concoct a new prank.

“Ready. Let’s begin!”

At the exact moment Violet 782 was about to start her duel with Professor Masus, Violet 1281 charged toward Instructor Frederick during practice.

“Instructor! Please duel with me! Hyah!”

“Huh? What are you… ugh!”

As the disguised Violets watched from the crowd at the training ground, the first duel of the first-year second semester was about to unfold.

“Let the academy versus academy swordsmanship duel begin!”