Chapter 88

After the fight, we immediately prepared to head outside.

“I found it! Flame Blade!”

Our precious red rapier had been flung far away due to an explosion when its fire release was used. Fortunately, this valuable equipment had lodged itself in the ground nearby. As a five-star item, it was flawless.

As soon as we recovered the equipment, we headed toward the Gate.

“I made it…!”

“Could you hurry up already…”

We re-entered the safe zone. Workers were coming out of the containers. Thanks to us fending off the bugs, there were no injuries. In contrast, all the dispatched hunters were found as corpses since they had fled into the forest instead of the refuge.

But it seemed that the matters of the world don’t resolve so neatly. As soon as the incident ended, the workers began to argue with the clan members. I focused my magical power in my ears to listen closely.

“It seems you don’t understand. According to regulations, you’re responsible for covering the costs of the fluid extraction equipment.”

“Why should we compensate for what the bug bastards broke?”

“You abandoned your equipment just because a few mid-level monsters appeared. You know, according to regulations, the equipment must be recovered and relocated? This is clearly negligence.”

“Negligence, my foot! Why recite safety regulations? The principle is to leave everything behind and escape when the head of the bugs appears. How could we carry those heavy equipment when a swarm of Krol Tide is coming with their leader?”

They were disputing responsibility over the broken fluid extraction equipment caused by the bugs.

“The Gate was disrupted. Mid-level monsters appeared, and if the refuge had been like this, we could have almost died! Your security personnel didn’t show their faces.”

“What ridiculous exaggeration. You keep saying nonsense. Mid-level monsters appeared? The Krol Tide Nest appeared, yet somehow, you’re all still alive here?”

Huh, there’s a nest corpse we smashed right in front of me, what are they talking about? Are they insane?

“Well, some female students saved us! Anyway, we can’t work like this! You, who love regulations, do you know that failing to secure safety is a breach of contract? Our union will cancel the contract and withdraw, so you can figure it out!”

“Female students? Haha, sir, it’s not right to lie just because you don’t want to compensate.”

“I saw it with my own two eyes, what of it? Oh no!”

The clan’s person-in-charge pushed the union’s representative. The man in the work uniform stumbled backward.

“Can I go for a moment?”

“What for? What are you trying to do?”

Irene slowly walked between the two.

“If you’re going to cancel the contract, you have to compensate for all that and pay the penalty fee… What are you doing?”

“Excuse me, could I have a word with you?”

The boorish clan leader looked down at her arrogantly. When Irene pulled out her ID card from her pocket to show him, the man’s expression changed. The two of them entered a nearby makeshift building.

A little while later, Irene emerged from the building, leaving the flustered man behind. She went to the union people and wrote down her contact information.

“The issues have been somewhat resolved. If they keep talking nonsense about the contract, contact me here.”

“What in the world… I thought you were just a student. Thank you, whoever you are. You’ll be blessed!”

As the thankful workers saw us off, we exited through the Gate. I asked Irene.

“What kind of conversation did you have that changed his attitude like that?”

“Those guys were trying to cover up the fact that mid-level monsters appeared and place the blame for equipment damage entirely on the contracted personnel. So I pointed out one by one the poor state of the refuge environment, the local hunters’ level, and the inadequate defense facilities. Those were all things that could be attributed to the clan’s responsibility.”

It seems she flavored her words with the influence of Helios as well.

“Patros Resource Corporation is a small clan that has conducted multiple contracts with Helios. I hinted that if it got out this way of managing dungeons, they could be at a disadvantage when re-contracting with Helios in the future.”

Since I couldn’t do anything directly due to the clan’s current situation, it was somewhat of a bluff, but she continued to explain.

“Of course, there’s a real key point.”

Irene pointed with her white finger at a rectangular black device attached to her coat.

“Oh, a black box!”

“That guy couldn’t even tell that it was a black box while being a hunter himself. He must hardly do any fieldwork.”

Unfortunately, while it couldn’t do real-time communication, a properly shielded recording device could definitely be used in a dungeon.

She seemed genuinely pleased, laughing lightly.

“I showed a bit of the footage and explained that my companions and I handled the Krol Tide Nest. You should have seen the look on that shameless guy’s face change.”

With clear video evidence and various weaknesses to pressure them, the opposing clan became troubled. Especially since the person in front of them was a powerful hunter who had wiped out hundreds of monsters. Instead of pushing back against the claim that there hadn’t been a mid-level monster attack, they agreed silently to bury the matter.

Irene had also achieved another success. Looking at her phone screen, a considerable amount of money had been deposited into the account.

“That’s your share. It’s split 70:30. You get 70, I get 30.”

“Wow! Where did all this money come from?”

I opened my eyes widely in surprise.

“That’s the money they gave us for dealing with the mid-level monster on their behalf. In reality, it means they want us to keep quiet. If it leaked that they’re poorly managing the dungeon, it wouldn’t reflect well on their reputation.”

No matter how it turned out, all our hard work paid off in money.

“But, is it really okay for me to receive this much? 70?”

“Of course. Without Violets, I wouldn’t have been able to handle that number alone. If I were alone, I would have been running away until the Gate opened.”

So it’s a rightful share, and I should be confident, she said, and she walked ahead.

After everything was settled, we quickly exited the dungeon, crossing through the Central District city.

“Do you want to come to my house?”

“Are you talking about your house near the school?”

“No, my real house. It’s nearby, and I had some things to grab.”

Ah, so she meant her family home. I should check out Irene’s house. What would the home of the princess of Helios, the future clan leader, look like?

“Maybe she lives in some mansion?”

“I wouldn’t know! It might be like a palace.”

In conclusion, it was definitely luxurious.

An hour later, Central District. Getting off the elevator, the sparkling night view was visible through the large glass window of the dark living room.

“Wow! It’s huge!”

“Welcome to my home.”

Irene’s house was a penthouse worthy of a drama. The view overlooking the academy city from dozens of floors up was quite beautiful.

“Can I bring out my clones?”

“Of course. No need to ask.”

As she nodded, dozens of Violets poured into the house from the entrance.

“Let’s go in~”

“Wow!”

Using their copy and transfer functions, the Violets immediately changed into comfortable training outfits as they entered the dim living room. As I stepped barefoot on the cold marble floor, I felt welcomed.

In this game world that mixes Japanese subculture genres, entering the house without shoes isn’t unusual. It’s unique.

We hung over the window, admiring the view outside. A few Violets were exploring the interiors of the penthouse, guided by Irene.

The inside was spacious and magnificent, but there was no one else around. No one came except for the cleaner who came occasionally.

“You said you’d buy us food, right? I’m hungry! Pizza!”

“Are you really okay with just that? Don’t you want anything else?”

“Anything, just a lot of it!”

After a while, a mountain of pizza was delivered. Dozens of Violets in the spacious penthouse each grabbed a box.

“Thanks for the meal!”

“I’ll enjoy it!”

“I’ll eat well!”

The Violets happily devoured the pizza. As if that wasn’t enough, they finished the pasta and other food that came with it.

“Are you really okay with just that?”

“I love pizza!”

“Thanks!”

As we busily ate the pizza, I found myself thirsty. The soda wasn’t enough. I needed something more intense.

We pulled out a can of beer from the inventory. Irene’s eyes widened slightly. She had an idea of what my abilities were, but it seems she didn’t know I could drink alcohol.

“Ah… I’m sorry, you can’t drink, right?”

“No! It’s okay. You worked hard today. But Violet, you’re a student… is that okay?”

“I’m fine! Awakened Ones don’t get sick. I’m going to drink until my liver bursts!”

Since the homeowner permitted it, it was now time for a drinking party. We happily drank and ate.

Watching us gulp down the drinks, she seemed to want to say something but hesitated. While we drank, Irene was only sipping on juice.

Seeing her like that made me feel a bit guilty for us drinking alone.

“Hey, didn’t Irene also like alcohol?”

“Didn’t she? I don’t know if she likes it, but she used to drink a lot.”

I rummaged through my memory of the main story and its settings. What did Irene like to drink?

I think she often drank this.

I pulled out a crystal bottle filled with a sloshing brown liquid from the inventory.

“Irene, do you want to drink this?”

“…?”

Curiosity sparkled in her amber eyes. Irene accepted the bottle I offered and opened it. As she did, the smell of alcohol wafted out, causing her eyes to squint.

“What is this? Ugh… it’s alcohol!”

“Oh, wasn’t it something you liked?”

Her face was a mix of confusion after hearing my words. She waved her hands.

“Why would I? I don’t drink. Especially not something this strong! It would only interfere with my training.”

“Oh, really? Sorry. I just thought I shouldn’t be the only one drinking…”

I muddled through my words. Apparently, Irene’s taste had changed from what it was five years down the line in the main story.

Now that I think about it, the main characters I’ve seen so far have been less serious compared to their future selves.

For example, Kalia now doesn’t smoke a single cigarette, but in the main story, she was a chain smoker, going through several packs a day. Her personality was also much rougher and sharper.

What about Irene five years later? Back then, she would slam down strong liquor, which she now condemns with disgust.

Had something happened in those five years? There was a much wider gap between Violet’s friend Irene and the Scholarship Officer and leader of Helios.

Well, I couldn’t know everything about it.

As time passed, feeling full, we began to nod off, one by one, as the Violets transformed into magical particles and disappeared.

Irene, who had been quietly observing us eating, slowly opened her mouth.

“Violet.”

“Why are you calling?”

“How was it?”

“It was good!”

“…I’m glad to hear that.”

Seeing her ask something so obvious, I tilted my head in confusion. Why was she asking that all of a sudden?

“You fought together today. Were you feeling any pain or discomfort?”

“Of course it was hard. Fighting is supposed to hurt.”

“I see.”

Irene, lost in thought for a moment, looked around at us one by one.

“Actually, I still don’t understand Violet’s fighting style.”

“R-Really?”

“But I felt while fighting together that you have your own way. Thanks to you, we were able to win and safely come out of the dungeon.”

Her eyes slowly traced a line.

“Suddenly, I had this thought. Am I overstepping my bounds by interfering? I had just been thinking in my own way.”

The Violets sat quietly, listening to her words. Their red eyes focused on her.

“I won’t lie that I’ve become completely used to seeing you all get hurt or killed. But still, Violet, I will respect your way from now on.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but don’t fight alone. If you need strength, definitely call me. My spear will be by your side.”

The Violets stood up, cans of beer in hand, and approached her.

“What’s going on?”

“I didn’t expect you to think of us like that!”

“I’m so touched!”

“Let’s toast!”

Irene found herself clumsily clinking glasses with the Violets. A clear sound rang through the empty house.

“Cheers!”

“Wow!”

After the toast, the Sixty-Fifth Violet cautiously asked.

“But Irene, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Can I self-destruct?”

Irene’s initially calm face slightly crumpled. She cleared her throat and responded.

“…You’re talking about a situation like when we fell into the Marmilion cave, where there was simply no answer, right? In that case, it’s unavoidable.”

“No, I meant can I use it as an attack.”

“What? No—oh, how should I put this…”

Irene, taken aback, let out a small sigh.

After a brief conversation, the Violets learned that “self-destruction for attack purposes should only be done in unavoidable situations.”

“Only do it when it’s truly necessary. Got it? Just to the extent you can hold onto your sanity.”

“Okay!”

Irene was right. It should only be used ‘when absolutely necessary.’

As we chatted, it was soon time to sleep. I hope nothing happens tonight.