Chapter 89

Unfortunately, Violet couldn’t sleep peacefully that night. It wasn’t for any other reason. We had suffered a terrible defeat.

Room 150, fiddling with her tablet in the dormitory, ended up losing in the game.

“Ugh!”

I was so angry that I nearly threw the tablet but held back. Instead, I pounded my fist on the bed to vent my frustration.

Just then, I heard a voice from below, and it snapped me back to reality.

“Violet, are you okay?”

Looking down at the bed, I saw Daphne in her pajamas yawning and looking at me.

“Oh! No, it’s not because of me you woke up, right?”

I quickly reassured her as she tilted her head in confusion and went back to bed.

I had completely forgotten that Daphne was down there. It felt silly to say I was upset about a game, so I just mumbled a bit.

“Good night, Violet…”

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and went back to sleep.

Room 150 pulled the blanket over her head, quietly simmering down her anger.

The earlier loss in the game kept looping in my mind. The other Violets who had been spectating chimed in.

“So annoying!”

“We lost because of that political stuff!”

“Blue guy!”

There was a good reason our Violets were furious. It was all because of a game that Violet had recently taken a liking to: [Spy Catch].

As you might know, I am an Awakened One. Awakened Ones possess several times the physical abilities compared to regular people. This physical prowess isn’t limited to strength; it also applies to reaction speed and hand-eye coordination.

Thus, the gaming skills of the Violets, who had become accustomed to wielding magical power, overwhelm even the professional gamers of Earth. When they activate magical power throughout their bodies and get serious, they can even compete against AI.

So, in this world of Crimson Scholar, there are game modes and levels specifically for Awakened Ones.

Without needing to think, there are pixel-perfect aim-bot players galore.

Of course, not everyone is playing games. If you want to enjoy the enhanced physical abilities, it’s much more fun to draw your sword and duel.

Anyway, in a world of superhumans, electronic games evolved to emphasize the fun of strategy. Just look at the top ten computer game rankings here; they are all trading card games or turn-based games.

The [Spy Catch] I was playing also places emphasis on strategy and deduction. As the name suggests, it’s a game about catching spies hidden among citizens.

As the name and rules suggest, this game is similar to the “Mafia Game” I played back on Earth.

It was fun. But for some reason, I lost five consecutive rounds today.

I even got caught as a spy by some unlucky guy in two consecutive rounds.

“We can’t lose!”

Under our cheers, Room 150 began a new game.

“Ah! Not this guy again!”

Of all the players, it had to be him again.

12greatblackveil412: ···purple1v is the spy based on the situation. Let’s vote. Or you can drop me right here. You get it?

maru12va1: I’ll vote!

purple1v: It’s not me, it’s not me!

arphabc86pas: Seems like it’s him.

-purple1v was the spy!

And we lost again.

“Ugh! No way!”

“It was that 12great guy that exposed me again!”

As I was about to exit after the game ended, that guy said something in the waiting room.

12greatblackveil412: Is it you again? If you’re the spy, try not to be obvious ^^

12greatblackveil412: Seriously, idiots shouldn’t be spies.

We were furious. Hearing that guy’s mockery, the Violets decided not to stay quiet.

“Everyone! Gather up!”

Regardless of distance, all the Violets grabbed their electronic devices and logged into the game. Fortunately, this game didn’t limit which devices could be used.

The Violets in Central Lodging opened their laptops, while the Violets staying in Irene’s guest room grabbed their smartphones, created new accounts, and logged in.

A total of eight Violets created new accounts and logged into the game.

The maximum number of players in [Spy Catch] is ten. After several attempts, more than half the players successfully logged in. With about five, we could sway public opinion however we pleased.

Fortunately or unfortunately, that unlucky player happened to be in this room.

There were no spies among the Violets. We immediately opened a vote shortly after the game started.

“Let’s kill him!”

“He has to be the spy!”

purple1: Everyone see the blue one? The blue one’s the spy.

12greatblackveil412: What nonsense is that?

afvafd123: Yeah, look at how he talks; it’s suspicious!

qwertyui123456: If you’re a citizen, let’s all vote in favor!

12greatblackveil412: Are you crazy?

zxcvbn: I vote in favor~

The other players swept up by the Violets’ public persuasion also pressed favor. That guy got eliminated just like that.

12greatblackveil412: You trash!!

-12greatblackveil412 was not the spy!

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the spy.

However, as long as there are five Violets that aren’t spies, it means there’s a spy among the other players. In other words, if we eliminate everyone else, we can catch the spy.

“Just press the favor vote. Got it?”

“Got it!”

With that unlucky guy out of the way, it was smooth sailing. Before the spy could go on a rampage, we swept all the other citizens out with our votes and won.

“We should’ve done this sooner!”

“Let’s keep playing next time!”

After tasting one refreshing victory following several losses, we Violets couldn’t hold back any longer. We continued playing under multiple accounts.

“Five wins in a row!”

Since we were on the same wavelength, others couldn’t do anything about us. Sometimes a spy would be caught among the Violets, but in such cases, the citizen Violets would do their best to protect the spy Violet.

“That guy keeps stirring things up.”

“I’ll assassinate him next turn, so you, Room 52, be the sacrifice for me!”

“Got it. Get your revenge!”

And so, after playing as a team all night, we scored a perfect ten wins in a row.

“Let’s keep it up like this…”

“Good night…!”

The Violets fell asleep happily.

*

The next day, I received a text.

[Boss! The items you requested have arrived. -Manager]

[Feel free to contact me at your convenience after reading the text. -Manager]

“Finally!”

The item we had been requesting had arrived. The equipment we needed for our activities, the Recognition Interference Equipment, was here. I had asked for multiple ones if possible.

“Wear your wig! Don’t forget to do your makeup like last time!”

Violet 200 put on a jet-black wig and thick makeup and went to meet the brokers, just like when she visited Stygian Rain. There was no need to reveal her true identity right away.

“Has anything suspicious happened overnight? Any unusual movements?”

“There weren’t many people coming and going, and nothing strange was happening inside.”

Room 120, observing the office from a nearby building’s rooftop, replied.

These brokers were people from the underworld. Since they couldn’t be fully trusted, we had been watching them closely for 24 hours.

“I had to deal with some idiots trying to do something pointless.”

“Those gangsters are really persistent. Sending people this far.”

The Manager Leslie’s words that they were disliked by gangs didn’t seem like a lie.

At times, the thugs sent by the gangsters would come to this Central office to stab me in the back.

Most were non-Awakened, but once a C-rank Hunter-level Awakened Resolver showed up, so I barely managed to handle it quietly.

Upon entering the office, the waiting Manager greeted me with gratitude.

“You’ve arrived, Boss! Good morning. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“No, let’s get straight to the point. Where are the items?”

The Manager placed a box on the desk. When I opened it, various pieces of equipment, softly glowing with magical power, were inside.

“These are the Recognition Interference Equipment we got from the clan’s workshop! Although there isn’t the mask-shaped item you were looking for, the performance is guaranteed. Please try it, and if you feel it’s inadequate, let me know right away.”

Checking the performance, it was decent enough. It was good enough to be used right away. Since I had the omnipotent status window, I could check the quality of these items immediately.

“Three-star level! Nice.”

“With this, they probably won’t figure out who we are.”

We packed up all the Recognition Interference Equipment, satisfied. After all, this was free stuff they were giving us. Better to grab it all.

“Any intel on the people who requested these items? Still pending?”

“Everything is proceeding smoothly. If you could wait just a bit longer…”

“Alright.”

Well, I can’t fully trust them, but seeing how they handle tasks, I feel like I could raise my trust rating by one level.

After confirming a few details, Violet 200 left the office.

“With this…”

Violet checked her status window. It was necessary to check it once to decide what to do next.

“It’s been a while.”

“Let’s take a good look.”

[CHARACTER STAT]

Name: Violet Dunhind Rugilinn

Alias: Pest Control Expert

Status: First Year Student at Polaris Comprehensive Academy

Lv: 30

Health: 4400/4400

Magical Power: 40100/40100

Skills and Knowledge:

[Polaris Standard Hunter Swordsmanship] Lv2

[Ether Emission and Operation] Lv2

[Basic Magic] Lv 1

[Explosives Manufacturing Skill]: Lv1

????: ???

????: ???

Unique Ability:

[Collective Intelligence] Lv3

[Dynamic-Consciousness/Self-Linked Clone Technique] Lv3

* A new ability has been added!

Resonance Trait:

* Backstab – Damage increases when attacking from behind the enemy.

* Weakness Annihilation – Damage increases when attacking low-health opponents.

Our power has greatly increased, and the amount of magical power has also risen to an astonishing level. Resulting from swatting down plenty of cockroaches, it skyrocketed. Regarding level, I wonder what the level cap is in this game? Was it 85? 90?

“I can’t quite remember… They patched it during the prologue of Part 2…”

The notable point was the unique ability. It was said that a new ability had been added.

Upon checking, I could see a new item.

[Dynamic-Consciousness/Self-Linked Clone Technique] Lv 3

The magical power used for clone creation has slightly decreased.

– ‘Hibernation’ ability added.

“Hibernation, huh…”

I’ll need to check what that ability is later.

Oddly enough, there was a broken item among the techniques we learned. I wonder what those are? It seems they might be unlocked under certain conditions.

Be that as it may, the Violets were steadily growing.

However, we were still lacking to pull off our great undertaking. We needed more magical power.

“It’s time to gather all the Crystal Flowers.”

“Alright, let’s have a righteous heist.”

Now that we had obtained the Recognition Interference Equipment, it was time for a test run. With only a few days until the experiential learning, we needed to handle it quickly. The depths of Chloris Forest were more troublesome than expected.

To break through easily, we needed more clones. More magical power, more clones, more strength.

The Violets began drafting a plan.

“If it’s Aegis Specialized Academy…”

“We might even see those guys.”

Our goal was clear: rob the Crystal Flowers from Aegis Specialized Academy.

I wonder who the playable characters would be there at this point in time. I’m curious.