Chapter 15: The Fetter of Fate (1)
“I don’t know what nonsense this is. I’m going to report you.”
“I’m sorry, but you can’t do that.”
Oh Yu-na chuckled softly.
Kang Do-yeon, who was trying to turn and run away, froze in place with an expression of disbelief.
There was clearly consciousness, yet it felt strange that her body wouldn’t move according to her will.
“You must obey my commands. It’s only natural for a knight to listen to their master’s words, isn’t it?”
“…What on earth are you doing?”
“This isn’t just a simple game. It’s the secret of this world.”
Oh Yu-na forcibly sat her down on the bench.
Confused and flustered, she had no choice but to look at the screen displayed by Oh Yu-na sitting next to her.
“Is…is that a movie?”
“Of course not. Great Chief, you’ve succeeded.”
Seemingly pleased by the trembling voice, Oh Yu-na put her arm around her shoulders, raised a hand, and smiled while speaking into her phone.
What followed left Kang Do-yeon wide-eyed in shock.
On the screen, which looked like a scene from a movie, an old man with a long white beard was nodding his head.
“What on earth is this…”
“These people are my units, my people. I recently met them for the first time and have been working together for each other’s sake. Today’s events are just one of those.”
Oh Yu-na slowly explained what was happening on her phone.
Naturally, it was an unbelievable story.
Except for the fact that her own body won’t move an inch at the slightest command.
While shocking details kept pouring in, Kang Do-yeon was sweating as she tried to keep her wits about her.
*
“Why did you come in so late? Your mom…”
“Kang Do-yeon!”
Oh no, I just slipped to the side.
Even after closing the door, the sound of an enormous scolding continued.
Before long, I heard the sound of a door closing in the room across the way.
Could it be that this was where it ended?
[Look carefully at your body, and your surroundings. This round has already moved beyond the early stages. Most players and units will adapt to the app and wield their newfound powers.]
“Like Chae Yeon, right? But we’re way too slow.”
[With infinite possibilities, there are of course penalties.]
We were starting from nothing, essentially.
Consuming one small cell at a time and gradually taking in bigger ones.
However, because of that, our speed was slower compared to players connected to those who already had some footing established.
[But the growth rate of the legion is definitely explosive. And the faster they grow, the more their speed will increase. So there’s no need to worry too much.]
“I know that.”
Instead, we had equally powerful strengths.
I checked the screen.
Currently, the legion was still preparing for war.
In the meantime, a life form we had created experimentally hatched from its egg.
Hunched over, with intricate front limbs.
Though covered in exoskeletons, its shape clearly originated from the rat we had just consumed.
“Is it just a simple experimental creation?”
[That’s correct. Although it’s an interesting and alluring shape, the legion has determined that maintaining existing methods is more efficient.]
Soldiers based on that rat would not be mass-produced.
Even I thought it was better for the legion to go in a direction that made better use of their strengths.
And I’m not exactly sure what that strength is, but that wasn’t it.
[Have they noticed our existence and are becoming cautious?]
They were breaking through the 12th level, where they had recklessly built their forward fortifications.
A small drone in the shape of a bee immediately chased after the fleeing soldiers and climbed up to the 13th level.
There was also their fortress there.
War preparations were already in full swing.
[Although their approach is different from ours, there seems to be a lot we can learn from them. The only problem is… we can’t learn it.]
The legion wasn’t wasting any time.
They moved their forces before the enemy established a more solid defensive system.
[Nevertheless, the legion’s insatiable hunger doesn’t stop. Can’t learn through predation? Then we’ll just observe and learn. The size of the legion is its brain. The learning and computational ability of the legion, which has grown until now, is already extraordinary.]
Defensive lizards took a sturdy stance in the front.
Behind them, the main force advanced in sequence.
The enemy’s catapults were of no use.
Burning mushroom chunks were meaningless.
[The artillery concealed behind sturdy shields began to fire out venomous spikes that tore through the enemy’s attacks.]
The enemy fell one by one.
Their countermeasures against long-range attacks were inadequate.
That’s when I realized.
These guys probably weren’t used to this kind of war.
[But we are not. From the very beginning, our war was for survival, and we will continue to evolve for war. The legion began to charge. New legionnaires revealed themselves.]
As soon as the scouting battle was over, the situation began to escalate rapidly.
[This is definitely a siege battle like before. But unlike the enemy, we grow. This siege would surely be different from before.]
The legion, running fiercely, began to split apart.
A single organism that combined the strength of a toad and a flea.
Yet its appearance was grotesque in some way.
Investing all its capabilities into that strength, they wobblingly approached the fortress with their bloated bodies.
“Wow.”
And the moment they entered range.
They exploded that strength at once.
A shockwave erupted, and the ground trembled as their strength was enough to shatter their own legs.
But that didn’t matter.
Even with wings, they couldn’t fly; this misshapen body had no other limbs, just a large pouch.
A pouch capable of dispersing a concentrated powerful acidic solution.
As the pouch burst with the body, the solution splattered everywhere, causing the delicate mammalian skin to burn away under the strong acid.
[The enemy’s fortress, unable to respond properly, began to be devastated. Thanks to that, their momentum was broken. The airborne troops that had been waiting began to raid inside the fortress.]
“…Is it over?”
Essentially a rematch.
The victor was, of course, our charge, which had developed and utilized new tactical strategies.
The likelihood of the next battle going the same way was high.
If they couldn’t respond to the ever-changing tactics, they couldn’t win.
“I guess I should give a reward.”
Chuckling, I tore my eyes away from the phone.
And I pulled out what I had placed on the desk.
Protein, glucose candies, and more.
I felt sorry for always feeding them nothing but trees.
Though I couldn’t afford to fill 40kg due to my pocket situation.
“By the way, what restrictions apply to other players? There must be limits on how a unit affects a player.”
[Of course. The limits based on levels are intended to restrict speed and balance; each person’s conditions are different.]
“…How do you know if that’s fair?”
[Even if you think it’s unfair, do you have a way to change it?]
I was at a loss for words. True, I had always been in the subordinate position.
“Ugh.”
I simply took a photo of the protein and glucose candies I had prepared and sent it off.
There would surely be more friends or peers who had bought protein with plans to exercise but ended up disregarding it.
“I really need to find a part-time job.”
I let out a wry smile while looking at my dwindling bank account.
Being caught up in life-and-death matters shaking the whole world and still needing to work for money.
Since studying seemed to be out of the question, I felt like I needed to find something I could do quickly.
“…What kind of money is this?”
However, the search for a part-time job was thwarted that evening by Kang Do-yeon’s meaningful actions.
“Prize money.”
“What? What prize money?”
“Just take it as it is! It’s repayment for the allowance I received until now!”
She threw a bundle of money at me and went into her room.
I opened the envelope in a daze.
Ten golden bills.
How could a minor like me, who doesn’t have a part-time job, get such a large amount of money?
“Hey, don’t lie. Seriously, where did this come from?”
I quietly spoke in front of the firmly closed door.
I wanted her to know that I was serious.
“Really… it’s nothing…”
“Are you not going to open the door?”
Tears held back in her barely squeezed reply only made me more anxious.
Suddenly, her usual behavior was completely different.
“It’s really nothing.”
Instead of an answer, a message arrived.
My face hardened.
But I didn’t press any further here.
Now she was old enough.
Simply shouting or nagging wouldn’t make her open her mouth.
If I told my mother… that would be the end of it.
“Is it a crime? Just tell me that.”
“It’s not like that. It’s just… I’m doing something with a friend.”
“Is it perhaps a coin?”
Considering my shallow abilities, nothing particular came to mind.
It was frustrating, and yet no solution appeared.
“If someone lays a hand on you, it’d be a really big problem, so just be careful about that.”
“…Okay.”
In the end, I received nothing but a non-answer and returned to my room.
Doing something with a friend. Unlike me, she had so many friends that I couldn’t get a grip on it.
Right now, I might not even be able to count more than ten people I know.
[Do you believe in fate?]
“What nonsense are you spewing now?”
[The fate that has befallen your family… you will eventually come to know it yourself.]
“Seriously, why do you keep doing this?”
I tossed my phone onto the bed in frustration.
