A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 10

[10th Stratum, a massive branch with countless smaller offshoots. We have determined the dominant species here to be Category 3a Lizards.]

The map was continuously being updated.

However, even without seeing the end of it, this place was incomparably massive compared to the ‘branch’ we had climbed up from.

The dominant creatures were lizards, but I felt apologetic calling them just “lizards.”

Winged lizards, swimming lizards, burrowing lizards, poison gas-emitting lizards, and so on…

Moreover, they were far too powerful to simply be considered reptiles.

[You are correct. Therefore, the Swarm has categorized the lizards here into two types. One consists of weak ones that can be easily devoured. The other consists of massive ones better described as Earth Dragons.]

“You have a plan, don’t you?”

[Of course.]

The Swarm immediately adapted its expansion strategies to the drastically altered environment after collecting data.

There were many powerful creatures here, like the Blue-Scaled Twin-Headed Wyvern we had previously captured.

To hunt such creatures, the Swarm Soldiers became even larger and tougher.

[One issue remains—the scales of the Blue-Scaled Twin-Headed Wyvern we previously hunted. Though the creature has already been digested and turned into our nutrients, its scales remain intact.]

“Why is that? Those scales, impervious to teeth and poison stingers, are incredibly desirable…”

[For now, we lack the enzymes to digest its scales.]

It was unfortunate that we couldn’t fully utilize the strength of such a formidable foe we had painstakingly defeated.

We succeeded in replicating its fire-breathing organ, but once we discovered that the fuel for the fire required compounds accumulated over time from mushrooms, we could no longer use the fire recklessly.

“Time and diversity are weaknesses of our species.”

Through this situation, I realized our vulnerabilities.

While we possess explosive growth rates, this accelerated time applies only to us.

We couldn’t change the equal flow of time for others.

Additionally, as the accumulated data increased and combinations became more advanced and diverse, gaps in essential components made realization increasingly difficult.

[The Swarm is well aware of this. That is why it seeks to consume even more. It is difficult… Our endless voracious appetite is both a medicine and a poison.]

Medicine and poison.

I agreed with that sentiment.

To solve this issue, the only solution was to grow even further.

[Look. Our next target is the cavern. It is dark and damp but hosts ample vegetation. Aquatic creatures also inhabit the flowing water.]

“Doesn’t seem like anything significant…”

[The Swarm agrees with that assessment. The soldiers are moving in immediately.]

The Swarm always conducts thorough reconnaissance.

If the target is deemed weak, it crushes them outright and annihilates the area.

Even if the enemy is strong, retreat is not an option.

The Swarm has already mastered the art of hunting powerful and massive creatures.

[So far, no faction comparable to the Swarm has been detected during reconnaissance. The lizards, the dominant species here, are strong individually but only form small groups.]

“In the end, it’s another massacre.”

Given the same size and number, ordinary life forms cannot defeat us.

The Swarm Soldiers, even if based on real animals, had grotesquely distorted forms.

Reproductive organs, digestive organs—any unnecessary parts were entirely removed, leaving only battle-essential components in their bodies.

Fight, fight, and fight again. When they fall, they return to the colony to replenish energy and are reborn as new soldiers in a miraculous cycle.

Our enemies weren’t just fighting individual soldiers but the entirety of this massive nest.

[The Swarm is taking over the cavern. No life can survive.]

It was the same scenery as always. I closed my mobile phone.

“Did you do well on the exam?”

“…No, I probably messed it up completely.”

It was likely that most students had finished their exams by now.

Sitting in the lecture room, I smiled bitterly and shook my head at my friend’s words.

I had spent more time looking at my mobile phone than my books—there was no way I had done well.

“Still, we should have a drink, right? Jinsoo and Myeongho are coming too.”

“…Should we?”

Alcohol? Honestly, I was tempted.

There was always a party after exams, and this time, it was the first opportunity for everyone to gather after completing their military service.

In the end, I made dinner plans right then and there.

“Are you playing a game? Come to think of it, you’ve been glued to your phone.”

“It’s nothing.”

I hid my mobile phone.

If anything important came up, I’d get a notification anyway.

Eventually, after the afternoon lecture ended, we met up before sunset and started drinking.

[Are you enjoying this? The act of consuming alcohol.]

“…Why ruin the mood all of a sudden?”

Just when we were happily chatting and drinking, with a slight buzz setting in.

I went to the restroom and habitually checked my mobile phone, smirking at the message that popped up.

There was nothing unusual when I glanced at the screen.

“You’re managing well enough on your own. There’s nothing else I need to add.”

[I’m not criticizing you for pursuing your desires. However, you have a mission that is very important to us as well.]

“…What nonsense are you spouting?”

[Survival. That is the most critical virtue of a Player. Your life is not yours alone.]

The moment I saw the message, I froze briefly.

And immediately after.

“Sudden Gate!”

“Evacuate immediately! Now!”

“There’s no time!”

Outside the restroom, chaos had already erupted.

There was no time to think.

I bolted out and ran with the crowd.

“Damn it, I was just starting to enjoy myself!”

“At least nothing major has happened yet, hyung…”

Amid the throng of panicked people, I gazed at the shimmering distortion in the distance.

That was a Gate—the calamity of the Otherworld that engulfed the world.

Oddly enough, I felt a pang of regret.

I didn’t know what would emerge, but it was still an opportunity to provide the Swarm with food and specimens.

Beyond the barricades set up firmly by the police, they stood.

Hunters—those granted the miraculous power of the Status Window to fight against those monsters.

Though less so now, Hunters had been idols and heroes to me as a child.

They were the hope who could avenge my grievances.

“Which company are they from?”

“Gaebyeok Corporation. It’s a mid-sized firm. Their lead Hunter is Cha Jiyeon?”

Of course, I wasn’t the only one who admired Hunters.

My friends beside me were looking up information on the Hunters who had rushed to the scene, as though they were celebrities.

“…Is that Cha Jiyeon?”

“Yeah. She’s C-Rank, so not that high, but maybe because it’s a mid-sized company.”

Listening to my friend’s words, I alternated between the scene and my mobile phone.

In the distance, barely visible, stood a woman in a black suit at the intersection.

And in the mobile phone profile, the woman with long sky-blue hair and blue eyes.

It was the same person.

Her hair and eye color were explained as transformations caused by her special ability rather than dye.

“The Gate has opened!”

“Cha Jiyeon’s special ability is electrokinesis, right?”

Now ten years into the era of Gates and monsters, people had grown accustomed to them, cheering as though watching a show.

And I was no exception.

I watched with nervous anticipation for about a minute.

“Ahhh!”

The moment something tore through space and appeared, a thunderbolt flashed from her body as she aimed her hand at the Gate. Lightning streaked along her outstretched arm, flashing multiple times.

A dazzling brightness, as if witnessing lightning up close, and deafening roars resounded repeatedly.

“Wow.”

“Crazy…”

The situation had ended.

Cha Jiyeon, still surrounded by Sparks, slowly lowered her hand. In front of the Gate, unidentifiable corpses spilled out in a line.

“Aren’t they supposed to be C-Rank…?”

“Yeah, what the—how is that C-Rank? It’s gotta be at least A-Rank!”

The overwhelming spectacle left people momentarily forgetting to cheer.

*

“That’s it for today, right?”

“Y-Yeah, Jiyeon. Good work. Hold on, let me handle some things first.”

Leaving the scene behind, Cha Jiyeon settled herself into the back seat.

Her Manager stepped out of the car briefly to speak with the police. Leaning back into the seat, she found herself alone in the car.

[The One is pleased. They say you are the most exceptional among their children.]

“Thank you.”

[The Thunderbolt Sorcery inherently strains your body. Do not overuse it.]

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

[Now, offer your blood.]

Alone in the car, she mumbled to herself as if entranced.

With the voice commanding her to offer blood, she let out a small sigh and retrieved a sharp Knife from her chest.

The Knife, adorned with an antique wooden handle, was a Bestowed Item unobtainable anywhere on Earth.

“Ugh…”

She drew the blade deeply across her palm.

Naturally, blood flowed down in streams, but the Knife absorbed all of it as if drinking.

Once a certain amount of blood had been absorbed, the wound on her palm healed instantly.

“When will I receive the next Bestowed Item?”

[When you train further, surpass the surrounding humans, and earn recognition among your kind as an S-Rank. Or, if you eliminate the Units of other Players.]

The enigmatic voice echoing in her mind disappeared just like that.

By the time her Manager returned to the car, she had already fallen asleep, exhausted.