A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 26

“Regarding security, it’s better to consider it individually. For now, let me explain more about this request.”

“In the end, isn’t it just asking us to kill?”

Park Jun-Seok chuckled.

Well, in this game, once someone is deemed an enemy, there’s really only one stance you can take.

Kill them.

A few people could be heard gasping.

“That’s correct. Since I’m the only one in Korea, my activities are even more limited. Still, my Player told me this is a deal.”

Cha Jiyeon pulled out another item from her bag.

It was a small flask containing a faintly glowing blue potion.

“This is one of the Bestowed Items. I heard it’s a rare elixir crafted through alchemy. Its effect is healing. It can cure any disease or injury, effectively granting another life.”

“Has it been proven?”

“At the very least, I’ve personally witnessed its effects.”

At Park Jun-Seok’s words, Cha Jiyeon made a small cut on her hand, drawing blood, and poured a tiny amount of the potion on it.

The wound healed instantly, as if it had never been there.

It was like a miracle only shown by extremely rare healing-type hunters.

“Alright. We’ll take the request. Isn’t it just a matter of doing it first?”

“Ah…”

While Oh Yoon-Ah hesitated to come to a conclusion, Park Jun-Seok, seemingly confident, stepped forward first.

“That’s right.”

Cha Jiyeon nodded.

“But Mom… Aaaagh!”

After the meeting ended, Oh Yoon-Ah was dragged away by her parents.

Well, no matter how justified it may seem, murder is never something to be taken lightly.

“But we can’t just sit still, can we?”

“Yeah. I have no intention of staying idle either. But it’s not like we can run away and live in hiding.”

I didn’t deny the gloomy tone in my younger sibling’s words.

We’re not the only ones moving.

Perhaps others are also after our lives.

Just as Cha Jiyeon decided to use us to kill that woman.

It seemed possible that beings with mysterious abilities could uncover our identities.

“Was there another big incident?”

Checking the breaking news on my mobile phone, I made up my mind.

Last time it was Goblins; this time, it’s Orcs. They’re the same ones that had appeared in North America.

I decided to head to the middle of downtown Seoul, where they were wreaking havoc, to see if I could retrieve any corpses.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I have to take the risk.”

I sent Kang Do-Yeon, who looked worried, back home.

Then I got in a taxi alone.

The battle at the scene was still ongoing.

If I arrived late to the pandemonium and joined the cleanup efforts, I might be able to salvage something.

[The Swarm will surely understand your intent.]

“You sound so confident. What exactly are you relying on?”

[Doesn’t it show through actions?]

Through actions, huh.

I checked the screen.

The Swarm was relentlessly waging war.

[The collective tactics of the Swarm are continuously evolving. Learning through experience keeps accumulating. Tactical strategies imprinted in genes have their limits. However, there’s no limit to what can be developed through learning.]

The answer was to enhance the brain.

The terrifying growth of the Swarm, which had begun thinking and researching on its own, was evident.

[The Swarm has started organizing its overall system. Instead of the haphazard production of soldiers as before, it now produces new forces optimized for specific purposes and uses.]

“…”

It had moved beyond the stage of being based on ‘beasts’ with slight modifications and combinations.

It was literally creating new lifeforms.

A newly created soldier bared its teeth and growled.

Its overall form resembled the Guardian Spirit, the Sabertooth Tiger, that was absorbed last time.

However, its heavily developed forelimbs ended in rough yet proper hands, and it could stand upright in a hunched posture.

A poison stinger extended from the tip of its long tail, and its entire muscular body was covered with black carapace, like armor.

[If the Goblin-based forces are versatile, then these ones focus their strength on build and mobility. The design goal was to face those cats one-on-one.]

They raced through the passage, joining the slaughter.

By the time the taxi arrived near the destination, the chaos had already unfolded.

“Everyone, please calm down! The creatures have all retreated, so now let’s focus on rescue operations…”

The scene was, as expected, a pandemonium.

Police, medics, hunters, and even media companies were there.

But the largest group was the victims’ families and acquaintances, who had rushed over after hearing the news.

[This kind of thing will continue to happen endlessly.]

“Why don’t they just fight among themselves beyond the Gate? Why here?”

[Of course, they are fighting beyond the Gate as well. Why do they keep invading Earth even after becoming units in the game?]

“…Plunder, I suppose. Bastards.”

The demonic creatures that had become units were no longer just simple, mindless beasts.

They were now looting Earth for what they needed. For example, humans.

“Keep the area under control!”

“Please calm down, everyone. The rescue team is entering as we speak…”

It was pure chaos.

Perhaps because it was in the middle of a bustling area, it seemed worse than when Goblins appeared near Kang Do-Yeon’s school.

But at least it seemed like it could be a chance for me.

Taking a quick look around, I picked up a reflective vest that was lying nearby during the commotion.

The police and rescue teams were rushing in to carry out people and corpses from the scene.

I slipped in among them unnoticed.

Perhaps due to the extreme confusion, no one questioned me.

“This way!”

As one of the medics leading the group turned a corner to guide his colleagues, I discreetly slipped into the alley between the nearby buildings.

The scene was a mess, with people frantically evacuating, leaving behind a trail of chaos. I swallowed dryly at the sight of still-wet bloodstains.

“Ugh…”

Turning the corner, I witnessed the carnage.

The corpse of a person lay sprawled out, and the bisected body of an Orc, seemingly killed by a hunter, lay nearby.

[Will you register the specimen?]

“Humans… It’s useless to send them now, isn’t it?”

[That seems to be the case.]

“Just transmit the Orc. I have no intention of desecrating the dead unnecessarily.”

I quickly snapped a photo and transmitted the Orc’s corpse to the Swarm’s Nest.

Although the harvest was unexpectedly easy, my heart felt heavy.

No matter how strong or intelligent demonic creatures like Orcs or Goblins become, can they truly surpass humans in development?

Soon, I felt I might have to send a human specimen as well.

[The Swarm has understood your intent. The Orc specimen has been absorbed and disassembled.]

On the train ride home, while others around me were trembling with anxiety over the ever-changing world, I silently stared at my mobile phone.

[The most valuable part was the Orc’s brain structure, but the new bipedal life form’s physical structure also proved highly beneficial. Above all, it contributes significantly to enhancing the build.]

“So, is it effective?”

[It serves as reinforcement, but it’s not at a breakthrough level.]

The Swarm analyzed the Orc’s genetic information and utilized it thoroughly, but there were no significant changes.

The only noticeable difference was that the Swarm Soldiers, which were previously based on Goblins, now had a larger build.

“I’m uneasy. To be honest, I’m scared.”

I quietly muttered as if lamenting.

It wasn’t something I said expecting comfort or a response.

I might be criticized for complaining, but whether that happened or not, it wouldn’t change reality.

I no longer thought it unfair that I got caught up in the app and the game.

After all, if it weren’t for the app, I would have been swept away like everyone else in this suddenly changed world without knowing anything.

I was just saying it because continuing to endure felt like it might not be easy.

“What, what is this?!”

“Aaah!”

However, at that moment, I was flung out of my seat and hit the floor hard due to a strong, inexplicable impact that struck the train.

I couldn’t regain my senses.

The lightbulbs flickered, and glass windows shattered, scattering shards everywhere.

The train had clearly been running above ground.

[Get a hold of yourself]

Urgent words appeared on the mobile phone that had fallen in front of me.

With trembling hands, I grabbed the phone first.

The invasions and plundering never ceased.

*

“Another Gate?!”

“They’re assumed to be Units. They’re Wraiths, a species that hasn’t appeared on Earth since the start of the game.”

“…Location.”

“I just sent it. But orders haven’t been issued yet. Well, it was expected, wasn’t it? That it would turn into a mess.”

Cha Jiyeon, who had been quietly staying alone at home, hurriedly checked the breaking news while on the phone with a colleague.

Even before the Orc incident could settle down, another invasion had begun.

It might seem excessive, but if it was a decision made in collaboration with a Player, the circumstances of Earthlings wouldn’t be considered.

[How troublesome. The Player is currently irritated. Even with their abilities, it’s impossible to cover everything happening across the entire Earth.]

“Then what should I do?”

[Stand by. While punishing the insolent ones is important, if we pay attention to even the smallest factions among the dozens, our Grand Plan will falter.]

Hearing the response, she let out a small sigh.

Although she had expected it, she had been rendered unable to act.

The Grand Plan they referred to was the full-scale offensive being undertaken on this side.

Her Player was gathering all their Units scattered worldwide, preparing to launch a preemptive strike on the enemies beyond the Gate.

‘Wraiths are beings whose bodies are mostly composed of spiritual form. Ordinary martial forces will struggle to deal with them.’

She paced around the room, anxiously watching the news.

She had resolved herself for this from the moment she accepted the contract, but it always weighed on her heart to merely watch as people were injured and killed.

Moreover, the thought that such incidents would only increase in frequency from now on made it even heavier.