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According to what many people have pointed out until now, our Violets have been excessively reckless.

“The habit of throwing yourself into danger can become a hindrance for you in the long run. You need to fight while being gentler on your body. Dispersing pain and reviving means you lose the chance to utilize your personal combat power. Even in large-scale battles where numbers push through, the qualitative advantage of individuals cannot be ignored.”

As Instructor Frederick pointed out, I had become too accustomed to fighting by throwing my body around.

Using ten Violets to suppress one opponent isn’t a bad tactic, but ideally, one-on-one exchanges are preferable.

So, we decided to use that thug as a practice dummy.

Interestingly, the training dummy in front of us was wearing armored combat gear.

Not just any gear, but a fully enclosed type of powered armor.

“I remember the day of the duel.”

“Sebastian!”

While there are many companies besides Restraid producing such things, both in appearance and strength, it was evident that it was typical Armored Knight equipment.

“Let’s fight!”

“What?! You! You’re supposed to be dead!”

“The will lives on!”

The guy shouted something and swung his sword again.

A loud metallic clang echoed as it clashed.

The armored thug dashed right up to the third Violet. His speed was certainly fast.

It’s only natural that the power armor mounts an Awakened One, doubling their strength.

“But he can’t compare to Sebastian!”

As expected, the armor was outdated just as much as its appearance. There were no auxiliary propulsion devices for acceleration.

The current speed relied solely on magic power.

Perhaps due to its age, it also lacked flexibility.

“Incoming! Focus!”

So, as long as I’m not careless, dodging is definitely possible.

The Twenty-First Clone sidestepped the diagonal slash that came barreling in.

A downward cut from above left.

The opponent didn’t lose momentum and spun his arm and body to swing back up from the right.

A trajectory that shot upwards, aiming for the legs.

“That’s the move from earlier!”

-Kuwoong!

I stepped back, barely avoiding the incoming slash aimed at my waist.

A continuous attack using overflowing output.

It’s impossible to block that with a shield. I quickly dodged to the left.

“Ugh!”

Oh no, it was a trap. He aimed for my lower body again.

“You little rat!”

I quickly jumped up, barely avoiding the sword that surged towards the spot where my shin had been.

Dust swirled up from the ground.

Thanks to the continuous cutting strikes and the sword’s energy, the ground and surrounding area had become devastated.

Now I understood why they called him “Leg-Slashing Levin.”

He focused mainly on techniques that targeted the lower body.

If the opponent recoils in shock, it seems like the typical response is to unleash a barrage of attacks.

If I strike back here…

-Clang!

I blocked with a magically reinforced glove. The first strike is halted.

I increased the output and density of the magic enveloping my sword and struck again.

When my sword collided with the armor, my grip tightened instinctively. I almost lost my sword due to the shock.

Even if it’s damaged, durability is not something to be underestimated.

“Seems like the clan members I saw earlier are able to handle him.”

“Haha, you fool! I told you, this is Restraid armor!”

“So much for boasting, huh?”

I understood the tactics against the armor.

Having fought and defeated Sebastian, who wore a much more agile and advanced type of powered armor, I was aware of the weaknesses.

The weakness was clear.

“I’m in the middle of a swordsmanship training session, so I can’t deploy heavy weapons, right?”

“Let’s aim for the joints!”

I swung my sword incessantly.

I took a step back for a vertical slash. Then stepped forward two paces and delivered three horizontal strikes in a row.

Advance, retreat, attack, defend, repeat.

My heart pounded as if I was dreaming, feeling dazed.

Thoughts floated as if intoxicated.

“Huh?”

A sudden shift in consciousness.

The information every Violet received and integrated splintered into thousands of fragments.

Sight, sound, touch, the sensation of wind against the skin, and even the heartbeat.

“Left! Diagonal! Step calmly!”

The thug seemed to think merely swinging his sword wasn’t enough and attempted another attack.

His right foot descended to strike my shin.

I slipped my left foot out and felt the artificial muscles scream.

The alloy sabaton crashed into the ground.

The ground sunk beneath.

“Have you seen the flames? I sent magic flowing into my leg! If it had hit, I would have been wrecked.”

The dust swirled up, obstructing my view. It must have been intentional.

With my eyes half-closed, I stepped back, hearing a whooshing sound.

What flashed was the gauntlet of his left arm cutting inward.

I tried to parry with my sword, but it was too close.

-Thud!

Instinctively, my neck jolted to the side. Ether accelerated through my shoulder and waist.

In an instant, I crouched down. I slightly increased the amount of magic directed towards my eyes.

Dodge, dodge. As the third strike came, I turned my body to the right to escape, but the magic wrapped around the enemy’s sword suddenly surged up like flames.

The sword’s energy momentarily extended longer.

“That stings!”

I messed up. The blade grazed my body, a reminder of the caution Instructor Frederick had once urged during demonstrations.

I had overlooked the distance control. A part of my shoulder was sliced off.

Pain dispersed as it was shared among random individuals.

The diminishing ache. I attempted to intentionally spread magic and regulate my breathing to suppress the bleeding.

My movements slowed down a bit.

With this body, it’s tough to keep training for long.

This time, let’s utilize Aegis sword techniques.

Incorporating the art of defense and counterattack.

“What did Professor Masus say during the last class?”

The correct way to use a shield is to push back while deflecting, right?

Red magical power and white magical power clashed. The opponent’s sword energy bent from the rebound. A gap appeared.

I thrust forward.

-Clang!

Good, a scratch on the cardiac area. A brilliant strike.

I could see the thug in front becoming flustered.

“No frontal battles! Redirect the flow!”

Struggling, I received his sword. It was time for a counterattack.

Here, let’s use the Polaris sword technique.

-Bang!

A large, curved trajectory capable of suppressing powerful monsters.

An armored villain is certainly comparable to a monster.

A scratch on the shoulder armor. Two stabs on the neck guard.

“Ugh! I thought you were a beginner…Why are you so fast?”

I ignored my opponent’s dismay. What we wanted to hear wasn’t chit-chat but rather the wails of defeat.

Amid the constant self-affirmations, I wielded myself.

Is 772 a person, or a totality of thousands of Violets?

A flicker of doubt drowned among a wave of information and orders.

A stream of strategies and tactics poured out, engraved in the Network; swordsmanship and techniques embody.

All of that materialized in defense and evasion.

As the boundary between individual and collective blurred, the Violets moved almost trance-like.

We control ourselves.

“How was that this time?”

“Seven minutes! Not bad. He seems to be starting to struggle.”

Alright, in terms of sword and shield maneuvering, this was a worthwhile practice.

Since we’ve done enough, let’s wrap it up here.

“…What?! What are you doing?!”

Levin, the thug, seemed to grow suspicious of my actions.

And I could understand why. I had been evading without taking a hit for the past few minutes.

In the slack trajectory of my sword, I let my neck become exposed.

My vision spun, and I collapsed to the ground.

“You bitch! Done for!”

Log out.

“Alright, next let’s go for dual swords.”

We took a moment to gather ourselves before switching weapons and sending in the next Violet.

Four, five, six…

**

The seventh Violet fell.

Levin was panting heavily. With prolonged and intense movement, the sub-motor rattled, and the artificial muscles creaked.

The hydraulic system in his legs clicked almost imperceptibly.

The air, ravaged by numerous sword energies, was filled with the smell of ozone.

“Hah… this damn bitch… finally caught you! Aaaah!”

The leader of the thugs shouted as he brought his sword down onto the ground.

Just how much have they suffered, tangled in the grasp of such a bizarre being? Killing one only led to another popping up.

The girl approached with a different weapon in hand, obsessively charging forward, disregarding death, continuously returning.

The moment she breathed her last, her existence exploded, and a new one appeared to block their path.

‘Wait, is she even the same person?’

The more serious problem was that the girl was unexpectedly powerful.

Looking at her armor belatedly, Levin sighed inwardly.

“…Damn it. How much was this worth?”

As the paint chipped away, the dusky hue of the carbonite armor showed through the gaps.

The armor was covered in countless scars.

“Boss! Are you alright?!”

His subordinates rushed to him over the chaotic ground. Signs of battle surrounded them, and every rock or tree larger than his waist had long since shattered.

Levin spat as he swung at the first subordinate who approached him.

“You clueless moron. Where’s the water?”

“Ugh! Here it is!”

Levin snatched the water bottle and poured it over his face. It would make the inside of the armor a bit damp, but cooling his face was a priority.

“Thank you for your hard work! As expected of the boss!”

“I knew it! Levin, the Leg-Slasher!”

Looking at his flattering subordinates, Levin clicked his tongue.

Due to his pride and stature as the leader, he had to hold back his words, but honestly, it had been tough. From the third one onward, she seemed to have developed a crazy level of aptitude for battle.

Even if all his subordinates threw themselves at her, she would still be no match.

There was no one he could entrust aside from himself.

“Damn… what method is she using to keep reviving? No, are there several of them? Could it be a unique ability? Maybe it’s a relic.”

His head swam with complexities, but there were no answers.

Frustrated, he yelled at his subordinates.

“There’s no more value in this fight! If she comes again, shoot her down right away! Got it?!”

“Yes!”

The subordinates hurriedly packed their things and drew their guns and crossbows.

Just as they were about to move forward again, that same girl appeared once more.

“Let’s fight!”

“Ah! That bitch! Shoot her now! Right now—”

-Peoww!

No sooner had the command left his lips that the thugs’ heads burst like watermelons.

By the time they figured out it was sniping, the girl had already approached right at their faces.

“Let’s fight!”

The eighth girl was uniquely wielding a pair of ash-colored twin swords.

“You! Who the hell are you to do this to us?!”

With frantic swings, the thugs’ swords were filled with unimaginable gaps.

The Violets, now accustomed to the attack pattern, enthusiastically pierced like needles through fruit.

The increasingly sharp strike flew towards the armored chest.

-Crack!

The shocked leader fell backward. Levin, gasping from the impact, couldn’t hide his astonishment.

The hit area had caved in.

“Wow, this is definitely powerful. It’s impossible to slash through armor like a witch, but then again, even she couldn’t slice through the breastplate in the main storyline. Wait, did she mainly cut the relatively weaker limbs? Hmm…”

The girl mumbled while calmly inspecting the weapon. She looked at Levin nonchalantly.

In her bright red eyes, there wasn’t malice or greed.

“What are you… who are you? What are you trying to do, huh?”

“…?”

The girl showed no interest in his questions.

“Well, anyway, now that I’ve gained insight, let’s end this!”

There was undoubtedly a condescending attitude in that tone.

“You brat… what are you ending? Don’t make me laugh!”

The powered armor’s mini reactor vibrated fiercely.

A desperate rush that shook the ground.

-Crunch!

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Levin fell into agony. Every joint in his body felt deeply scored, blood pouring everywhere.

The girl tilted her head, glancing around.

“Hmm, next time, I’ll need to aim for the joints of the powered armor all at once. I simply need to move as I imagine in my head!”

At her nonsensical remarks, Levin let out a hiss.

What exactly had he been fighting until now?

The leader of the thug gang suddenly realized.

That girl could have killed them any time.

It was as if she was toying with them like a cat with a small prey.

She was a monster.

Humans can’t contend with a monster.

He should have run away. He shouldn’t have fought.

“Who are you… who the hell are you?! What are you doing?!”

Ignoring his questions, the girl trudged forward, pointing her twin swords at him.

“Thanks to you, I had a good practice. Take care!”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

**

After annihilating the thugs, we reflected on this recent battle.

“I learned a lot!”

“Indeed, real combat is essential!”

In the heat of the moment, we grasped how to apply the collective intelligence in battle.

In the last duel with Professor Masus, we had used that collective intelligence to predict and mimic the opponent’s movements.

This time, we focused that intelligence on controlling our own bodies and actions, moving much more intricately.

The concentration of thought was effective.

From this point forward, let’s call this technique Tactical Immersion. I should also name the mimicking of an opponent’s behavior as Tactical Mimicking.

“The problem is, how do we utilize this in group battles!”

My inner monologue was sensible. When one falls into tactical immersion, it feels as if dreaming or being intoxicated.

To liken it to everyday life, it’s akin to entering a kind of trance while playing a rhythm game, tapping feverishly to clear every note.

Can this be applied one by one to everyone in a group battle?

“It might cause confusion!”

“My thoughts will get tangled!”

Mimicking the movements of the opponent seemed far easier instead.

Still, today we gained a valuable lesson. All thanks to those Hunter thugs.

One Violet muttered casually.

“Those guys taught us a lesson, making them our temporary mentors?”

“Temporary mentors!”

Confucius once said not to be ashamed of asking those below you.

Following the spirit of seeking indulgence without limits, we sought wisdom from the villains and gained enlightenment.

So that armored thug became our dead mentor.

However, simply learning isn’t enough; we needed to refine and apply the knowledge.

What did a sage say? When you meet the Buddha on the path of practice, strike without hesitation.

Until now, I never understood that, but now it makes sense.

“Exactly! We shouldn’t be trapped by knowledge itself! How you utilize it is what matters.”

Only by moving freely without being confined to existing molds can one reach the truth.

That’s why we had to slay the mentor.

The king, the mentor, and the father are one. Hence, it was akin to killing our father.

“Wait! Did we commit an act of filial piety?”

Just as Oedipus killed his father, we had to eliminate the thugs.

Filial piety—such a tragic affair.

But we were orphans, experiment subjects without parents.

Thus, we could commit this act of filial piety without a burden. Are the Reckless Violets our fate?

At that moment, starlight pierced my vision.

“All of this was destiny!”

“Yes, we must execute rightful slaughter!”

Indeed. All of this was fate blocking our Violets from realizing the ultimate truth.

To transcend fate and move forward, we must become the Buddhas through this slaughter.

“Truth! Freedom! Democracy!”

By eliminating every obstacle that stands in the way of rightful slaughter, someday, our Violets too may reach the side of the Buddha.

On the horizon, silhouettes of smiling thugs faintly danced.

The Violets waved their hands with gratitude.

“Thank you, thugs!”

With joyful and pure hearts, we gathered the spoils of the thugs and advanced beyond the wilderness.

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