The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

Chapter 131: Violet in the Snow! (1)

There was a brief commotion around the gate.

A father screaming while

「Aegis Academy? By any chance, is there a kid named Alex among them?」

「Not at all! He’s definitely not a playable character.」

“We contacted the police and hired people to search. The last place my son and his friends were seen was here. We even checked the checkpoint’s CCTV and questioned the guards on duty.”

The man handed over a photograph. It showed a green-haired boy grinning brightly.

“We contracted a search-specialized clan, but they gave up at the gate, saying it was impossible.”

Webley glanced at me, then scanned his surroundings. Other hunters had gathered nearby to listen to the story, in addition to my team.

“It’s only been three days. I’m not a hunter, but from what I’ve heard, there’s a high chance my son is still alive in there! Please save him. I’ll give you anything!”

“The important thing is the contract fee. How much are you offering?”

When one of the hunters asked, Webley jumped up and loudly announced a figure.

Everyone present was shocked. The number of zeros in the amount was staggering. According to Webley, the money had been pooled together by the parents. It seemed they were all wealthy.

The reward, exceeding tens of millions of credits, sparked a fire in the hunters’ eyes. They swarmed the man, demanding more details.

“Alright, we’ll do it right away. Do you have any more specific information?”

“Fortunately, one of the hunters gave me a location where children matching their descriptions were last spotted in the dungeon. That place is…”

One of the group hurriedly pulled out a tablet from her handbag and turned on the screen. Her finger pointed to a spot at the center of the dungeon map.

“…The Stigma Mountain Range.”

The faces of the hunters listening nearby changed instantly. One by one, they began shaking their heads.

“Oh dear, that’s impossible.”

“Too bad. That’s one of the most dangerous areas in this dungeon. Especially during these times.”

Noticing the shift in atmosphere, Webley grew desperate and began pleading with the hunters.

“If necessary, I’ll offer more! If we can gather enough people, it might be doable, right?”

A bearded hunter shook his head.

“Even focusing solely on the search would take a long time, and considering the area’s size, you’d need at least two well-armed companies. But right now, the dungeon’s internal mana is experiencing unusually unstable activity. The beasts inside are far more aggressive than usual. The weather will be unpredictable, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of beasts waiting. Mid-level and high-level beasts will be swarming too. There’s nothing more to say.”

The hunters who had gathered, lured by the promise of fortune, quickly dispersed. Left behind, with despair written across their faces, were the parents—and only our team remained.

“Mister, you’re really going to give us all that money, right?”

“Yes, and I’ll add more if necessary.”

I cleared my throat. It was time to get to the main point.

“Look, mister, I don’t mean to be harsh, but there’s a chance they might not be alive. Are you prepared for that?”

“What? What are you saying! Shut up! That can’t be…!”

One woman, who appeared to be a friend’s mother, screamed hysterically. The others in the group hurried to calm her down.

“Sorry about that. Everyone’s losing their minds right now. Please understand…”

Webley’s expression wavered as if he couldn’t even bear to think of the worst-case scenario. After a long pause, he finally managed to respond.

“…Yes, I’m prepared. At the very least, help us bring their bodies back to their families…!”

“Alright, got it!”

I pulled out a contract form. If they were paying, there was no reason to refuse.

Conveniently, as if the gods had orchestrated it, an ether emitter was located near the area where the kids were last seen.

「How many units can you summon at maximum right now?」

「If I push the spare mana to its limit, about two and a half companies.」

I recalled what one of the hunters had mentioned: two companies would be necessary. In that case, I just needed to mobilize that many people.

“Oh, by the way, mister. Money is money, but we’ll need additional funds for operational expenses. We’ll be renting some equipment—can you help with that?”

“If it’s a reasonable request, I’ll cover it. But what kind of equipment…?”

I pointed outside the waiting area. In the parking lot, a lineup of large and small snow vehicles bearing clan emblems was visible. I had been curious to try them, so now was the perfect chance to rent one and take it for a spin.

Thirty minutes later, another truck approached the checkpoint. Since we had already notified them, we passed through without issue. From the truck, Violets began disembarking and boarding the snow vehicles.

“W-Who are all these people…?”

“I told you, didn’t I? We’ll find them. Just don’t forget the payment!”

Leaving the dumbfounded parents behind, the Violet squad crossed the gate.

As soon as we crossed the gate, the first thing we felt was the cold—a brutal, biting cold.

Once we were far enough from the entrance, where we no longer had to worry about prying eyes, the Violets multiplied as needed.

“Everyone, change into your winter combat uniforms or cold-weather gear we bought yesterday! Hurry up!”

The friends struggled against the piercing cold that seeped through even the smallest cracks. It was far colder than they had imagined.

While we prepared to set off from near the gate, the Violets began constructing a battalion command post instead of their usual temporary base and started planning the operation.

「This mission absolutely requires an air force!」

For now, the weather inside the dungeon was calm. It was cold, but there wasn’t a breath of wind. The Violets quickly pulled out parts from their inventories and began assembling them.

Having done this numerous times, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

“Deploy units one through six simultaneously!”

“Everyone, pull!”

As soon as the assembly was complete, the engines roared to life, and several Violets grabbed the cords connected to the powered hang gliders and yanked them all at once.

Six hang gliders soared into the sky.

“What on earth are those?”

“Our air force!”

I proudly introduced our air force to the astonished friends. The proud strength of those who guard the skies!

With this, we intended to search for traces of the missing children.

Of course, the aerial advantage would also be handy for crushing any enemies we encountered.

After the hang gliders ascended, a fleet of snow vehicles began racing across the vast snowfield.

We had rented twelve vehicles in total: ten motorcycle-type snowmobiles, one medium-sized snow vehicle, and one large, heavily armored snow tank.

“Move out, move out!”

The Violet mobile unit began their operation.