Chapter 130. How to Synchronize. (4)
The mission at the Arc Light Ruins, which had many ups and downs, was finally over.
"Like this, if you place it beautifully... ta-da!"
"Wow... so this is how you mark it."
While the other hunters were dealing with the beasts, I dragged Levy and planted flags on the heads of the two Rasklins.
Then, I drove an electronic stake into one of the corpses' bodies. It was something I had received before entering the dungeon. The stake contained a chip with a unique ID, and once it was stabbed, it wouldn't come out easily, preventing anyone from claiming they had hunted it.
Now, all that was left to do was wait. Every so often, a clan employee responsible for this dungeon would visit the terrain.
Soon, I saw a dust cloud rising in the distance, and a group of people on four-wheeled bikes was heading our way. I waved my hand, and the rest of the Violet Squad quietly retreated to the hill and activated the reverse generation.
"Team 68. Confirmation complete. Good work."
The employee took several photos and scanned the ID of the electronic stake with a terminal. The entire procedure went smoothly. Now, we just had to head back, but my eyes were drawn to the bike the employee had ridden.
"Ah, thinking about it, with that size..."
"Even though a car can't get through, that might be possible!"
I thought to myself. It might be a good idea to buy a small off-road vehicle later. I could disassemble it, store it in my inventory, and then reassemble it whenever necessary.
"Alright! Let's go home, guys!"
After another long and tedious march, we exited the gate. It was raining outside. On the way home, the Violets reflected on what had happened.
"Hmm, I guess since everyone is relatively skilled, we didn’t really need to sync up beforehand."
"Really? We only exchanged a few words, but it came together quickly."
After a few battles, everyone’s positions had naturally been decided. Due to the strong personalities of the team members, there was almost no overlap between them.
If I were to compare it to an RPG game, the Violet team could be categorized into front-line and back-line roles as follows:
First, let’s look at the front-line members.
At the very front is Irene. Our friend’s role is the tank!
She supports her allies with her unique abilities and uses her strong physical abilities to absorb enemy attacks head-on.
Right behind her is Granite. He’s a bit slow, but his powerful close-range attacks, like a single blow from a sledgehammer, are deadly. You could think of him as a barbarian warrior.
Meanwhile, Kalia is an agile attacker who can switch between ranged and close combat. She’s the fastest among us, so she excels at striking from the enemy’s sides or rear. If we’re speaking in game terms, she would be akin to a rogue.
Now, let’s move to the back-line.
In the back, the first person is Lucian, the blue-haired mage. He’s a mage, but he’s far from the slow image usually associated with fixed artillery.
His equipment includes mana acceleration gloves, which don’t allow for the strongest single shots, but help him cast magic quickly. His movement speed is also fast, making him more like an attack helicopter than a stationary artillery.
Depending on the situation, he could even switch positions with Kalia.
The real artillery is Levy. The firepower from her ballista is devastating. She can shoot everything from long-range sniper shots to rapid-fire middle-distance shots at will.
We’ve turned her into an iron-blooded human weapon, so I’m looking forward to her future contributions.
At the very back is Daphne. She’s the shield and healer. She must be protected at all costs!
As I was organizing my thoughts, a question arose.
What exactly are we, the Violets?
I realized it seemed a bit odd. A typical fantasy RPG adventurer party suddenly has a group of soldiers thrown into the mix. There’s no hero party that drags an entire army around, so it’s hard to imagine.
"We’re versatile!"
"An immortal warrior who knows no fear!"
Ah, I see now. I was thinking too much in terms of a game.
We can do anything. We can fight at the front with shields and swords, or even though we’re not good at magic, we can attack from the back using explosives and heavy artillery.
Except for the Chancellor, only we Violets can move freely between the front and back, adjusting our positions as needed.
I changed my thinking. Our team is not like a typical RPG hero party.
"Why do we have to adapt to our team members?"
We have the numbers. We’re the ones who fight the hardest at the front. So, I started to think that it might be the right thing for the team members to adjust to the Violets.
"From now on, that’s what we’ll do!"
Just after I finished my thoughts, we arrived at the barracks. The team members got off and headed to their rooms.
"Ah... home..."
"I'm so tired..."
"I’ll head out too. See you tomorrow."
"Got it. Kalia. Take care!"
Once the others went to their rooms, only Irene, myself, and Violet No. 45 were left. We headed in the opposite direction of the dorms to discuss the next dungeon we would go to.
As we opened the factory door and entered, the Violets waiting inside were either resting or handling small tasks.
In one part of the factory, Violet No. 1 and No. 2 were sitting. In front of them was an intrigued-looking Yurick, dressed in a white research coat.
Where did he get that outfit?
"This kind of experiment is pointless, you know? We can even share our sense of sight."
"I see. Thank you for your cooperation, No. 1!"
Right now, what we were doing was an experiment. That doctor had been persistently clinging to me, and tired of it, I allowed his research under strict conditions.
He was currently experimenting to see just how much of our senses we could share.
"Simultaneous sensory sharing... individual egos..."
The doctor mumbled something and scribbled in his notebook.
45 stepped into the room beyond the partition installed on one side of the factory.
As soon as she sat down, Irene posed a question.
"What do you think? I think one day was enough to get a feel for it. It's time to move on to the next stage."
"Let's do that! Do you remember the locations I explained during the last orientation?"
I opened my laptop. Photos taken inside the dungeon appeared in sequence. A surreal, distorted underground mall city shrouded in darkness and a massive cavern with luminous crystals embedded across both the ceiling and the floor.
"There were three, right? Vittorio Arcade, Ramsara Mines, and..."
When I scrolled to the next image, the final photo appeared. It depicted a landscape of ice mountains under a sky painted with strange patterns, towering bizarre trees, and a sprawling snowy field.
"Pastella Snowfield!"
Irene's expression turned significantly serious.
"Why there? You could make money, sure, but it's relatively less profitable compared to the first two places. Plus, it's cold."
Irene had a point. If the sole purpose was to make money, there were plenty of more efficient locations. However, there was a reason I had chosen this one.
"There's an Aether Emitter there!"
My friend's eyes softened as if she understood. I smiled in satisfaction.
"Really? Violet, you're not in any financial trouble, are you?"
"No? There's no issue."
"Then we should start here. Perfect timing. It'll also help strengthen the rest of the team, right?"
Even without me saying much, Irene eagerly advocated for going to the snowfield. It must be because she had personally experienced its effects before.
It felt like we were proceeding in reverse order compared to the way I introduced the locations, but oh well, that didn't really matter.
"But Violet, do you have winter gear? Pastella Snowfield is known as one of the most brutally cold places among dungeons."
"Ah."
For a moment, I felt a pang of realization. Irene, who was closely observing my face, let out a short laugh as if she had expected this.
"Of course. You forgot, didn’t you?"
"Ehehe..."
I chuckled awkwardly.
"Then, leaving immediately is out of the question. Let's leave in two days. We need to rest and gather proper equipment."
"Got it! So, what should I prepare first?"
"Start with cold-weather gear. We'll need to buy clothes..."
I began discussing with Irene about what we needed to purchase and prepare.
「We need winter combat suits! Our combat suits are black, remember?」
「Don’t we also need to buy winter gear for the others?」
We suddenly had a lot to do over the next two days.
During the two days, while the others rested, the Violets busily purchased the necessary equipment and supplies. We bought winter clothing and procured cold-weather gear.
「Minus 30 degrees? I didn’t realize it was this cold in a dungeon, even though it’s like a game.」
「Did you forget? Some regions are so cold that if you stay too long, you take damage.」
The Pastella Snowfield is a dungeon roughly the size of a small city. It’s so cold that even Awakened individuals, who are enveloped in magical energy, struggle to endure it.
More importantly, the natural phenomena within the dungeon are warped due to the influence of Aether, distorting the laws of physics.
Normally, the area is calm without even a hint of wind, but if you get caught in one of the occasional ice storms, you could literally freeze solid.
If we weren’t careful, we might turn into "Frozen Violets."
「Still, because of the high altitude and the lack of flying beasts, we might be able to deploy an air squadron.」
「That’s great!」
After thoroughly preparing, we set off with the rested team members for our next destination.
We drove southward from early morning, descending for quite some time. After passing the checkpoint and crossing the wall, we headed toward the gate, but the area was unusually noisy.
"What’s going on?"
I tilted my head in confusion. Sitting behind me, Kalia tapped my shoulder and pointed toward a specific direction with her finger.
"Violet, look over there. Those people..."
Right in front of the gate, a group of men and women were arguing with armed hunters, causing a commotion. Wondering what was going on, I stepped out of the car.
"What do you mean you’re not going now? That doesn’t make sense!"
"It’s too late. You heard it too. We can’t go! To such a dangerous place? Are you insane?"
A middle-aged man in a suit, who seemed to be the group’s leader, was clutching at one of the hunters, trembling visibly. At a glance, the man looked fairly wealthy, judging by the luxury-like clothing he wore. The rest of the group was also well-dressed and neat in appearance.
As the shouting match continued, nearby onlookers turned their heads toward the scene. The hunter’s face twisted with discomfort as he looked troubled. Another hunter, presumably his companion, peeled the middle-aged man’s hands off his colleague’s collar. The man could do nothing but let go powerlessly.
Lowering his head dejectedly, the man’s shoulders slumped, while the hunter’s colleague spoke in an apologetic tone.
"I’m sorry. But three days have passed. By now, they’re probably already dead."
His polite words only seemed to worsen the situation. A woman of a similar age to the middle-aged man screamed, setting off a new wave of wailing from the group.
"Don’t talk nonsense! No one’s dead! They’re not dead!"
"They’re over there! They must be alive, I’m sure of it!"
I still couldn’t fully understand the situation. The next moment, the middle-aged man let out a heart-wrenching cry.
"My son...! My son is in there! I’ll pay you anything. Please!"
Only then did I understand what was going on.
Hmm, this is getting interesting.
Maybe I should ask about their situation.