SCT-Novel Chapter 4: The Research Lab – Violet is an Adaptive Creature!
Chapter 4: The Research Lab – Violet is an Adaptive Creature!
“Ugh… my head…”
I dreamt of someone jabbing a skewer under my eyes and stirring my brain.
Perhaps because of the nightmare, my head throbbed and ached.
It seemed I had woken up a bit too early.
Though there was no clock, the extinguished lights suggested it wasn’t time to wake yet.
Soon, the ceiling lights flickered before turning on brightly.
The small room surrounded by tiled floors and white walls greeted me.
A modest space with just a bed, a mirror, a toilet, and a sink.
Above me, a surveillance camera mounted near the ventilation shaft glimmered silently as it observed.
Ah, a desk was added a few days ago, so the furniture count had slightly increased.
Maybe they were satisfied with how proficient I’d become with my unique ability, as my treatment improved marginally.
Previously, they’d trigger my collar to deliver electric shocks or whack me with a baton at the slightest provocation, but now they only grumbled or cursed occasionally.
To summarize, the living conditions for test subjects were like privacy-free dormitories.
After a few months of consciousness, I grew accustomed to the routines here.
I even came to terms with my own existence to a certain extent.
Though I still wasn’t used to some things—like using the toilet or the oddly curvaceous features of my body.
A shrill and abrupt siren blared, serving as the morning bugle.
When the speaker announced, “Wake up, wake up!” we had to stand ready by the door.
Footsteps echoed, and guards passed by, inspecting the rooms through the transparent bulletproof glass doors.
A loud thud suddenly resounded, making the floor shake.
A burly guard strode past my door.
‘It’s the Ogre.’
It was a metaphor.
One of the guards was exceptionally huge.
I called him Ogre.
He was an awakened being.
His presence and demeanor were unmistakably different from ordinary people.
Though I couldn’t be certain, his strength likely matched a field boss from a beginner’s village.
The test subjects here were awakened beings who had survived inhumane experiments and gained power.
They could easily snap a human spine like a twig.
That’s why the regular guards were equipped with automatic rifles or shotguns as a basic measure.
Occasionally, awakened guards appeared with ether-infused maces to instill “etiquette.”
After a brief roll call, meal time began.
The guard from earlier reappeared with a bag and lazily tossed a meal into the slot.
A bottle filled with white powder slid into the room.
“Milk powder again?”
A few deceitful re
That spot wasn’t protected by its exoskeleton.
Even with my feeble strength, I could land a critical blow.
Once, twice, three times!
It looked like a sandwich: the Skullkit on top of the clone, and me on top of the Skullkit.
-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The beast thrashed, but I held its head firmly and kept stabbing the back of its skull.
Just die already!
At some point, the Skullkit’s movements stopped.
Panting heavily, I toppled sideways.
‘I did it… Ah…’
However, the clone paid a price.
Its left arm was shredded, and its entire body was slashed to ribbons.
The battered clone soon turned into glimmering dust and dispersed.
Goodbye, my lovely clone…
At that moment, a notification appeared before my eyes.
* * *
* Level up!
* Congratulations. You have acquired your first “Synchronization Aptitude”!
* * *
‘What…?’
Through the pain of feeling my arm being torn apart, I checked the status window.
* * *
Name: Violet Dunhind Rugilinn
Alias: Test Subject 10-6-8
Status: Research Subject
Lv: 2
HP: 850/1200
MP: 1000/1800
Unique Ability:
■■■■: ???
Lv1 Clone Technique: ???
Synchronization Aptitude:
* Backstab Advantage: Increases damage when attacking from behind.
* * *
My level had risen.
More importantly, I gained a synchronization aptitude, something I hadn’t expected at all.
‘No way, a non-playable character like me got something like this?’
“Synchronization Aptitude” is the term for unique passive skills possessed by characters in Deep Crimson Academia.
They usually enhance the use of unique abilities or complement other skills.
For example, an extra attack when swinging a sword, or a higher success rate when concocting potions.
I’d been too busy scraping by in this world to remember they even existed.
Though it’s my first time seeing the skill itself, it seems unexpectedly useful.
‘…Perfect for aiming at the back of the head.’
As a bonus, my health and mana slightly increased with the level-up.
‘Lucky…!’
My left arm hurt so much it felt like it might fall off.
Since the clone’s pain transmitted directly to me, I couldn’t even get up and was drooling on the floor.
“Test Subject 10-6-8, continue the test. Stand up. Repeat twice more under the same conditions.”
‘I’m in pain… I don’t want to fight anymore…’
‘But I feel like I can pull this off…!’
“Hehehe…”
I staggered to my feet, raising the dagger.
I had leveled up and gained a new skill.
“10-6-8, since you appear functional, we’ll proceed with the test.”
It hurt like hell, and I felt like I was dying.
But I had leveled up and gained a new skill.
For the first time since becoming a girl, I felt like I had gained something.
Yeah, from now on, I’ll grow stronger.
Alright, come at me!
* * *
After facing the Skullkit two more times, I succumbed to unbearable pain and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
I was carried out of the testing chamber on a stretcher.
I shouldn’t have been so cocky… It hurts…