Doll POV
Doll followed Hanna into the Academic Cell building.
"Are we really doing this?" Hanna asked meekly.
"Relax, I'll take care of everything." Doll nodded as the two entered the premises.
Two years ago, Hanna's sister had gone missing. Her sister's last known location was the Academic Cell building. Back then, she had come to submit her application.
Dozens of girls had similarly gone missing after going to the Academy Cell in the past years.
They would disappear after leaving a note and would never return to their families. A few months later, the evidence of these girls dying inside portals would be found.
Official search for the girls never took place due to the mysterious method of disappearance.
After all, the proof of their deaths was already found.
"I'm sure your sister is alive." Doll consoled Hanna.
According to her investigation, the ones in the Academic Cell were involved in human trafficking.
They would ship the kidnapped students to various places.
The kidnapped girls were low-ranked students and had humble backgrounds; their disappearance never created too much fuss.
Hanna and Doll entered the counseling room. Officially, the purpose of their visit was counseling.
"Will you be able to do it alone?" Hanna clenched her fists tightly. Her pale face betrayed her nervousness.
Even if Doll was one of [Heavenly Hundred], antagonizing an organization was no simple task.
Doll placed her palm over Hanna's hand and stared at her with confidence.
It was enough to calm Hanna's nerves.
At that moment, the door opened. A man with a gray goatee entered the room, sitting across from them.
The counseling started immediately.
Hanna and Doll didn't pay much attention. They were waiting to begin.
Suddenly, the lights went off.
The blackout caught the staff of the Academic Cell by surprise.
"That's... This is the first tim—" William couldn't complete his sentence.
Doll moved swiftly and chopped him in the nape. The counselor lost consciousness.
"I'll go to the office and look for the evidence." Doll left Hanna in the counseling room.
Doll moved with a singular goal in mind: The main office.
The ledger should be hidden there. A group as large as the Academic Cell would have kept a record of their activities.
The bracelet on Doll's wrist shined. It fell off her arm, transforming into a clone with her appearance.
[Mirror Trigger]. A Grade 3 Genius Tech that allowed its wearer to summon a clone with 50% stats for a limited duration.
Doll wore a mask and gave another one to the clone, "Create a disturbance but don't kill anyone."
Not everyone in the Academic Cell was involved in human trafficking. She didn't want to harm bystanders.
The clone nodded and left for the resting area, where most staff members would be gathered.
It attacked the guards.
Even if the clone had only 50% stats, it was still a clone of a Heavenly Hundred, the top 100 students.
Ranking among the top 100 in the best academy of the galaxy meant that each one of them was a rarely seen genius.
Moreover, Doll had held back during the entrance test, lowering her rank.
While the clone attracted everyone's attention, Doll reached the main office.
She placed a ring over the computer sitting in the center of the room.
The ring whirred, and the computer was switched on even without electricity.
[Booting System.]
[Decoding firewalls.]
[Searching for hidden folders.]
[Copying all data on the drive.]
Rows of lines appeared on the computer's screen.
A sigh of relief escaped Doll's lips as the percentage increased. In truth, she had been worried about today's infiltration.
Even if she was physically up to the mark, there was no knowing what hidden cards the opponent held.
She could've asked Rosella or Zain for help.
However, Rosella was being monitored by higher-ups of the Academy and she didn't trust Zain enough to ask for his help.
"Who is there!?" A guard aimed the torch inside the room.
Doll swiftly threw a folder at the guard. He reacted instinctively and covered his face. In that instant, she kicked the ground and covered the distance between the two.
The Qi inside her dantain flared.
"Ha!" She punched the guard's abdomen, knocking him out.
Among the five classes, Doll had the most simple class, Fighter.
However, it was that very simple class that made Doll overwhelming. Her attacks were straightforward but quick and heavy, leaving her opponents in the dust.
[Downloading complete.]
As the message appeared, Doll took the ring and left the office. Her task was complete.
She would check the data on the drive after returning.
The blackout would end anytime now. She hurried to the counseling room before the lights came back.
"We have found the intruder! I repeat, we have found the intruder!" The guard alarmed his co-workers after locating Doll.
She clicked her tongue. The duration of her clone had ended.
Qi flooded into her limbs, causing subtle golden hues to cover her.
"Ha!" Doll attacked the nearest guard. The ground cracked under her feet.
Before the guard could realize it, Doll had punched him twice.
"I have to hurry."
She had taken three steps when five guards obstructed her path.
"Great." Doll gritted her teeth.
She engaged the guards in close combat. Despite being circled by five metahumans with similar Power Level, Doll held her ground.
She fended off their attacks and aimed for the openings.
While she was trying to end the fight as quickly as possible, a familiar voice entered her ears.
"It's a good specimen. Good job." The counselor, who should have been knocked out in the counseling room, was overlooking her battle with a relaxed expression.
"Thank you." Hanna nodded expressionlessly.
Alarms went off in Doll's mind when she witnessed the scene.
William laughed, seeing her shocked, "It should be time."
Suddenly, Doll felt her body growing heavy. She struggled to move her limbs and her vision blurred.
'A paralyzing poison? But I never got hit by an attack,' She thought.
By now, she understood that she had been tricked.
Hanna had been working with William to lure her into their lair.
If Doll's assumption was correct, Hanna was the source of the poison. Only Hanna could've attacked Doll because Doll had her guard down against Hanna.
"Don't worry, it's nothing fatal." William smirked. "We can't harm our merchandise."
Doll's eyes rolled back. She fell with a dull thud.
William instantly wiped his smirk and ordered the guards, "Pack all the merchandise we have in the basement. We are leaving the Academy."
For the past years, William had been involved in extorting helpless students and human trafficking.
However, all of it was a facade.
"With this, our Mythos Cult will rise again." William turned around to start the preparations to leave the Academy. "Tell the Cult Leader, we have found him a bride."
William's true goal was to find a girl with high talent. He entered the Academy as it was a hot spot for geniuses to gather.
However, he never made his move.
The girls he found until now were not up to the mark. The good ones were tightly guarded and he couldn't make a move against them.
Finally, a poor lamb had delivered herself to their doors.