A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 15

“I have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting. I’m going to report you.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t do that.”

Oh Yoon-Ah smirked.

Kang Do-Yeon, who had turned her body to flee, froze in place with a look of shock on her face.

She was fully conscious, yet her body did not move according to her will—a bizarre sensation.

“You must obey my commands. It’s only natural for a knight to listen to their master, no?”

“…What on earth are you doing?”

“This isn’t just some simple game. It’s the secret of this world.”

Oh Yoon-Ah forcibly seated her on the bench.

Flustered, Kang Do-Yeon could only stare at the screen Oh Yoon-Ah was showing her.

“A movie?”

“Of course not. Great Chief, we succeeded.”

Perhaps liking the trembling voice, Oh Yoon-Ah slung an arm over Kang Do-Yeon’s shoulder, raised her hand, and smiled slyly as she spoke into the mobile phone.

Kang Do-Yeon widened her eyes in shock at the scene that unfolded afterward.

On the screen, which looked like something straight out of a movie, an old man with a long white beard bowed his head deeply.

“What is this…”

“These people are my units, my people. I recently met them for the first time, and we’ve been working together for each other’s sake. What happened today is just one of those instances.”

Oh Yoon-Ah slowly explained the situation shown on the mobile phone.

Of course, it was an unbelievable story.

That is, if you ignored the fact that her body couldn’t move at all, not even a little, at the mere sound of a command.

As shocking stories continued to flow in, Kang Do-Yeon broke out in a cold sweat, trying to hold onto her sanity.

*

“Why are you coming home so late? Your mother has been…”

“Kang Do-Yeon!”

Oh no, I quietly slipped to the side.

Even after closing the door, the sound of being scolded harshly continued to echo.

Not long after, I heard the door to the room across the hall close.

Thankfully, does it end at just this much?

[Take care of not just your body but also your surroundings. This round has already moved past its early stages. Most players and units are adapting to the app and wielding the new powers they’ve gained.]

“Like Cha Jiyeon, huh. But we’re way too slow.”

[Infinite Potential always comes with its penalties.]

We essentially started from nothing.

Gradually, we consumed larger and larger entities, starting from a single cell.

However, because of that, compared to players connected to those who already had a foundation, our growth was slower.

[But the growth rate of the swarm is undoubtedly explosive. And the more it grows, the faster it will accelerate. There’s no need to worry too much.]

“I know that.”

Instead, we have equally strong advantages.

I checked the screen.

The swarm was still preparing for war.

In the meantime, an experimental lifeform emerged from its egg.

Its hunched posture and intricate front limbs.

Though it was covered in carapace armor, its build was undoubtedly based on the rat we had recently consumed.

“Just a simple experiment?”

[Correct. It’s certainly an intriguing and appealing form, but the swarm judged it more efficient to maintain its existing methods.]

There would be no mass production of soldiers based on that rat.

Even I thought it made sense for the swarm to focus on maximizing its own strengths.

And while I wasn’t entirely sure what those strengths were, that rat-based design definitely wasn’t it.

[Have they noticed our presence and begun to grow wary?]

They broke through the 12th Floor, where they had randomly established a forward fortress.

A scout in the form of a small bee immediately pursued the survivors to the 13th Stratum.

There was another fortress of theirs there.

Preparations for war were already in full swing.

[Although their approach differs from ours, they still seem to have much to teach. The only issue is that we cannot learn from them.]

The swarm no longer wasted time.

Before they could strengthen their defensive systems further, the swarm mobilized its forces.

[However, the swarm’s voracious appetite doesn’t stop. Can’t learn through devouring? Then just observe and learn. The swarm’s brain is the swarm itself. The swarm’s growth and computational capabilities have already reached a transcendent level.]

At the forefront, defensive lizards raised their sturdy armor.

Behind them, the main force advanced in sequence.

Their catapults were useless.

Even the flaming mushroom fragments were meaningless.

[Hidden behind their reliable shields, the bombardment unit retaliated against their attacks, launching poisonous thorns that tore through enemy defenses.]

Their forces fell one by one.

Their countermeasures against long-range attacks were severely lacking.

That’s when I realized.

They weren’t used to this kind of warfare.

[But we are different. From the very beginning, we evolved for survival through war, and we will continue to evolve for war. The swarm began its charge. New swarm soldiers appeared.]

As soon as the reconnaissance skirmishes were over, the situation escalated rapidly.

[Certainly, this is another siege warfare. But unlike them, we adapt and evolve. This siege will undoubtedly differ from the last one.]

The swarm, rushing forward fiercely, began to split apart.

A lifeform combining the leg strength of a toad and a flea emerged.

Its appearance was grotesque, to say the least.

It had invested all its capabilities into leg strength, waddling toward the fortress with its bloated body.

“Wow.”

And the moment it reached range.

It unleashed its leg strength in an explosive burst.

The shockwave was so intense it fractured the ground and even broke its own legs.

But that didn’t matter.

Even if it had wings, its malformed body was incapable of flight, and it had no other organs—just a massive pouch.

A pouch capable of scattering concentrated, potent acidic solution.

As its body and pouch ruptured, the solution sprayed everywhere, burning through the delicate flesh of the mammals that couldn’t withstand the strong acid.

[The enemy’s fortress, unable to respond appropriately, began to fall into ruins. Their morale was crushed, and the aerial combat unit, lying in wait, began to raid the fortress.]

“…It’s over, huh?”

In essence, a rematch.

The victor was, of course, us—having developed and utilized new tactics and strategies.

The odds were high that the next battle would unfold similarly.

They couldn’t win if they couldn’t adapt to our ever-changing strategies.

“I should reward them.”

I chuckled and took my eyes off the mobile phone.

Then, I picked up something from the desk.

Protein, glucose candy, and the like.

I had prepared these as a gesture of apology for always making them consume wood, though my financial situation didn’t allow for anything extravagant like 40 kilograms worth.

“Come to think of it, what restrictions apply to the other players? Surely there are limits to how units can influence players, right?”

[Of course. The initial level restrictions exist to regulate speed and ensure fairness. Each has unique conditions.]

“…How do we know it’s fair?”

[Even if you think it’s unfair, do you have a choice?]

I was at a loss for words. After all, I had always been the one in the weaker position.

“Whatever.”

I simply took pictures of the protein and glucose candy I had prepared and sent them.

Those protein jars, bought with grand declarations of starting workouts, were probably stashed away by friends or colleagues as well.

“Looks like I really need to get a part-time job.”

I let out a hollow laugh as I stared at my nearly empty bank account.

Caught up in a worldwide commotion and life-threatening situations, yet here I was, needing to work because I had no money.

Since studying seemed like a lost cause anyway, I figured I should quickly find something I could do.

“…What kind of money is this?”

However, my search for a part-time job was interrupted that evening by Kang Do-Yeon’s Meaningful Action.

“Prize money.”

“What? What prize money?”

“Just take it and think of it that way! It’s to pay back all the allowance I borrowed!”

She threw an Envelope of Money at me and disappeared into her room.

Stunned, I opened the envelope.

Ten Golden Sheets.

How a minor high schooler, who didn’t even have a part-time job, got her hands on such a large sum of money was beyond me.

“Hey. Don’t even think about lying. Just tell me the truth. Where did you get this?”

I spoke quietly in front of her firmly shut door.

I wanted her to understand I was serious.

“It’s really… nothing.”

“Not opening the door?”

Her hesitant response, laced with a hint of tears, made me anxious.

Especially since she was acting so out of character.

“It’s really nothing.”

Instead of an answer, a Messenger notification arrived.

My face stiffened.

But I didn’t press her any further.

By now, she was old enough to stand her ground.

Simple yelling or coercion wouldn’t make her talk.

If I told Mom… everything would come to an end that very day.

“Is it a crime? Just tell me that much.”

“It’s not that. It’s just… something I’m doing with friends.”

“Don’t tell me it’s cryptocurrency?”

With my shallow understanding, nothing else came to mind.

It was frustrating, but I couldn’t think of any other possibilities.

“If anyone lays a hand on you, that’s the real problem. Just be careful about that.”

“…Okay.”

In the end, I returned to my room with a non-answer.

“Something with friends,” she said.

Unlike me, she had so many friends that I couldn’t even begin to guess.

The number of male and female friends I could recognize probably exceeded ten.

[Do You Believe in Fate?]

“What nonsense are you spouting again?”

[The Fate That Befell Your Family… You’ll soon come to know it as well.]

“Seriously, what is your deal this time?”

Annoyed, I tossed the Mobile Phone onto the Bed.