The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 139: The Relic Hunter Violet! (1)

The size of dungeons varies greatly.

However, even the smallest ones are comparable to a reasonably-sized village. When you consider the vertical area as well, the size increases even further.

Also, there are more regions swallowed by a second dimension than you might expect. As a result, some dungeons are the size of a large city or even a small country.

The place we’re going to visit last is one of those types of locations.

"How big is it?"

"It depends on the time. The smallest size is around 400 km², but when it’s larger, it’s about 750 km²."

Vittorio Arcade is one of the largest dungeons in Academy City. It’s a place you can’t see in the main game.

So, when I investigated, I was surprised to find out that its size is comparable to that of a major city.

Inside, there are various monsters living across the vast area, and a bizarre ecosystem unique to the dungeon has formed.

Because of its size, the danger level is also high, and in the deeper zones, there’s a high chance of encountering high-level monsters.

However, the reason we’re visiting this place isn’t to hunt monsters.

If we were hunting monsters, it would be more stable to go somewhere easier and hunt low-level monsters.

The reason the Violet Squad is visiting here is one thing: relics.

While having a preparation meeting before heading to the dungeon, Irene was explaining things to the team members.

"The average temperature here is about 15°C, it might be a bit chilly, but it won’t affect our activities. Also, as the name Arcade suggests..."

"But Irene."

"Hmm? Do you have a question?"

I raised my hand and asked.

"So, what exactly is an Arcade? Is it like an amusement arcade?"

"I haven’t seen any mention of an arcade in the data."

768 and 355 spoke up. I became curious. The things in arcades are usually called arcade games.

But the buildings in that dungeon are all just commercial buildings.

Irene shook her head. The amusement arcade? I was perplexed. Lucian, who was sitting next to me, chuckled.

"You’re such an idiot. You don’t know that?"

Upon hearing his words, the Violets sitting at the back of the meeting room stood up and raised their voices.

"What? Then what is an Arcade? Explain it!"

"If you’re wrong, we’ll punish you!"

"Ah… Ahh! Don’t yell in my ear! Fine, I’ll explain it..."

The guy, defeated, raised both his hands in surrender. We all laughed.

"So, Arcade means..."

Lucian started to explain slowly.

"Aha! So it’s not an amusement arcade!"

This guy isn’t just good at magic, huh?

According to his explanation, the literal meaning of Arcade refers to a shopping street with arched roofs. In simple terms, it’s a neighborhood market. ℞ÄΝОꞖЕṩ

And combining this with the information I had already researched, I understood why that dungeon was called ’Arcade.’

"I see, it’s called that because it’s a transformed shopping street?"

"It’s not just a shopping street, it’s a city. Violet, wasn’t that information you researched?"

"Hehe..."

When Irene asked, I scratched my head. If I don’t pay attention, I sometimes forget things like this. The Violets waiting in the Violet Network quickly rummaged through the library of memories.

"It should be somewhere..."

"I found it!"

The Violets quickly flipped through the pages. After rummaging through some vague memories and forgotten lunch menus, I was able to recall the information.

It’s a strange feeling to be able to treat memories like physical objects.

The blurry memories gradually surfaced. Perhaps because of that, the Violet Network internally transformed into a city with modern architectural style.

Alright, so where was this place?

Vittorio City, a city in some unnamed kingdom. A kingdom that no longer exists...

"Violet?"

"Oh, I remembered! Sorry about that. Let’s continue!"

I returned to reality. Daphne was gently shaking my shoulder. I focused back on the meeting.

A century ago, Trist was home to numerous kingdoms, empires, and republics.

The invention of the steam engine and the development of a market economy sparked a revolutionary revival across the world.

Although there were minor issues like the gap between the rich and the poor, historians from Academy City called that period the "Golden Age."

This was part of the broad but shallow knowledge I picked up during Polaris Academy’s history class.

During the Golden Age, successful capitalists emerged, and a middle class was born.

As people found financial stability, their interests shifted toward personal adornment.

Fashion, once the exclusive domain of the nobility, became accessible to everyone.

Craftsmen specializing in clothing and accessories appeared, and artisans like shoemakers, watchmakers, and jewelers grew increasingly busy.

Men with money wore fine watches, shoes, stylish ties, and hats.

Women shopped for beautiful luxury dresses, handbags, and jewelry alongside these dapper gentlemen.

As demand grew, artisans gathered in areas with convenient transportation and bustling markets.

Numerous textile factories were built, puffing smoke day and night, and countless men and women tirelessly worked sewing machines.

Shopping districts formed, and word of mouth brought people in droves, boosting the region’s fame. Even kings and emperors paid visits, which says a lot.

The world’s fashion trends were decided here.

As time passed, voilà! Vittorio City, the global city of fashion and luxury, was born.

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In terms of Earth, it would be like Milan or Paris. At this point, it seemed like a happy ending.

But then, beasts appeared, and the city vanished into another dimension.

Decades after the First Dimensional Invasion and several subsequent wars, the relentless efforts of passionate artisans were forgotten.

The concepts of luxury and fashion barely revived from the ashes when Vittorio City suddenly reappeared, transformed into a dungeon.

Hunters risked their lives to explore it.

After countless disappearances and deaths, the grotesquely twisted city revealed new value, like a clam spitting out pearls.

"So, the clothes you’re wearing are made from fibers that came from there?"

"That’s right. It’s expensive, but you can assume that nearly half the materials used for armor and clothing come from there."

We were riding a truck heading toward the dungeon’s entrance when Violet No. 12, bored, touched the coat Irene was wearing.

The black fabric between her fingers was soft but hardened like metal with just a little pressure.

It was neither cotton, polyester, nor silk, but something with an otherworldly texture.

The dimension hadn’t just swallowed tens of thousands of artisans, hundreds of thousands of workers, and millions of citizens.

Everyone either died or turned into ghouls, but Vittorio City still contained massive amounts of fabric, leather, and various raw materials.

The beasts didn’t raid the stores, so most of the goods remained intact.

"Still, we must visit the deep zones. Relics like necklaces or rings with good effects are always found there."

"You shouldn’t overdo it. High-level beasts live there."

"Daphne, I get it!"

No. 12 replied to her friend with a grin.

Items soaked in the city’s ether underwent strange changes.

The fabrics stored in textile factory warehouses or clothing shops turned into enhanced fibers with transcendent strength.

Accessories like rings or necklaces from jewelry stores enhanced wearers or deployed protective shields.

These things appeared endlessly, as if duplicated.

In simple terms, everything became a relic!

Thus, the city of luxury and fashion became the city of relics and hunters.

For the Violets, the task was simple. Walk the avenues and alleys, enter any empty shop, and rummage through the drawers.

After passing through the checkpoint, a gate appeared.

After waiting in a long line of vehicles, it was finally our turn to enter.

"Alright, here we go."

I stepped on the accelerator. Passing through the shimmering purple gate, we saw giant elevators stationed beneath a marble floor of muted tones.

Exaggerating slightly, they were practically the size of buildings.

Ahead, a guide wielding a light baton directed cars into the elevators.

Our vehicle also moved in. The interior was large enough to accommodate multiple passenger vehicles.

Once the elevator filled, the doors slowly closed.

The freight elevator beeped a warning and began descending slowly.

Soon, pitch-black darkness greeted us. The deeper underground we went, the closer the light seemed.

"Everyone ready?"

A short while later, the massive freight elevator slowly touched the ground with a hiss, like a giant exhaling.

With a creak, the elevator stopped, and the large doors opened.

A hunter with a light baton signaled us, and the cars waiting inside the elevator began to move out one by one.

The truck crossed through the forward base.

Surrounding us were small shops, repair facilities, and hospitals catering to hunters.

I turned my head. Various signs and advertisements were posted around.

[No entry except for authorized personnel]

[Responding to crises directly. Temperance Insurance]

[Warning: Do not leave the forward base without sufficient armament. Atlas Security Services cannot guarantee your safety.]

Leaving the forward base, we entered the border zone.

Driving the truck out, the Violets were greeted by a bizarrely twisted avenue.

The first thing visible was the towering, circular ceiling extending far above.

The dungeon’s interior resembled distorted and enlarged 19th-century European-style buildings. Even the streetlights were abnormally large.

The oddly warped and elongated structures jutted out in various directions or intertwined, their forms stretching up to the ceiling.

The makeshift structures and walls of the forward base paled in comparison to this place.

Light leaked through the holes in the arched ceiling.

Streetlights and interior building lights glowed on their own, despite the lack of electricity.

We headed toward a passageway shrouded in distant shadows.

This was the city of relics, Vittorio Arcade.