Chapter 40: Secret of the World (6)
“[The Player said that the aerial magic using the soul and mana requires a stronger soul and a firm mindset than anyone else.]”
“…Kuh.”
A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead.
Chae Yeon, wearing only a tank top, glimmered with a blue light all over her body.
“[You definitely possess an excellent soul and mental fortitude. That is why you were chosen.]”
The blue pattern, drawn on her snow-white back like a tattoo, had gradually spread over her shoulder and down one arm.
This was the method she learned from her Player to maximize her special abilities.
The secret of step-up hunters, like her, who were tied to the same ‘race’ lay in using their racial trait [Status Window] to combine and enhance magic and special abilities.
Among them, she had exceptional talent.
She demonstrated combat power beyond what she had inherited.
“[Therefore, the Player took an interest in him as well.]”
“But he belongs to another Player.”
“[What does it matter? He’s not our enemy anyway.]”
Her Player was always cold and calculated.
To the Player, she was ultimately just a pawn.
However, if she was needed and useful, it was in her Player’s nature to make bold investments in even a mere pawn.
“So… really, aerial magic for him.”
“[Yes. The Player judged that he possesses a powerful soul. Such presence is something a mere human race cannot dare to possess. It is truly the soul of a rare hero.]”
The Player was resolute.
Chae Yeon slowly opened her eyes.
Her softly glowing blue eyes gazed at him, standing flustered at the entrance.
“Are… you okay?”
In contrast, Shin Woo sat lightly in the living room, flinching at the sight of her staring at him surrounded by light.
“Kuh…”
“Really.”
I barely suppressed a spray of coffee I had just taken.
Entering the house without a clue and seeing her engage in mysterious training.
I finally calmed down and was about to take a sip of my coffee when I heard the shocking news.
“My Player said that Shin Woo has a very strong soul.”
“I find that… hard to believe.”
I scratched my head. Strong? Me?
It was a word that did not suit me at all.
But at that moment, something brushed across my mind.
I was not entirely alone.
The string of the soul.
Surely, the string between me and the Legion was special.
Perhaps the strong soul my Player saw was the Legion’s soul connected by that one string.
In that case, it made sense. If it was the soul of the Legion.
“After all, I have to learn to handle mana stones.”
She suddenly placed a glowing red mana stone on her palm.
It was the one used when looking for the Player, Oh Yu-na.
“I heard it’s quite impressive. Can’t I learn it?”
At least there was no problem now.
Because another Player, Park Joon-seok, was beside me.
When she turned her back, putting the stone away, I swallowed hard.
I had prepared excuses for any unforeseen situations, but this time it seemed I had luckily passed the crisis.
“What do you think?”
“Of course, I’ll learn it.”
Managing my expression, I accepted the blue ore she offered.
Moreover, I accepted her suggestion.
If I could learn it, the Legion could learn it too.
So, this was an opportunity to teach the Legion a new skill.
At the same time, it was a chance for me to become stronger.
“But I won’t be restricted.”
“…That’s understandable.”
And though I felt sorry for her, I drew the line firmly.
Chae Yeon, who smiled wryly, nodded.
It seemed the opposing Player had granted permission.
That was impressive, indeed. Willing to lend power to someone who wasn’t even her unit.
“But is it possible for me to learn since I’m not a Hunter?”
“I’m just combining it with my special abilities. The magic and celestial soul technique I learned separately.”
She immediately began the lesson.
I had always tried to engrain the idea that seizing opportunities is what gives them meaning, so I opened my ears as wide as possible.
This was not just for me.
If I survived, the Legion would survive too.
“Ahem, then I’ll be going.”
The bystander, Park Joon-seok, coughed and headed to his room.
Left alone in the living room, I sat facing her.
…Looking at her like this made it hard to find a place to look.
“Please learn well, become stronger, and make sure to survive that day.”
However, the moment she said that sincerely, I couldn’t help but stare into her eyes.
*
“Are you sure he isn’t watching?”
“[That’s right. And he’s busy right now. The celestial soul technique is said to be magic practiced by those of the special hierarchy called Karthos who reside in the realm of Seuhanxia.]”
“Though they throw around terms like soul and mind, the essence is powerful—a kind of psionic energy maximized from brainwaves.”
The Legion confirmed that Shin Woo was not looking at his phone, leaning awkwardly in a chair that modified a rock wall, focusing all his mind.
The target was, of course, the magic of another world Shin Woo was learning through Chae Yeon.
The Legion utilized transcendent computational power to absorb all teachings in real-time as it would soak up water like a sponge.
“Not bad.”
The Legion instantly grasped the true meaning of the celestial soul technique and began to fidget.
From what it had assessed, the conditions for maximizing mental power through spiritual energy were incredibly easy for the Legion, which was capable of freely manipulating a brain as vast as the communal.
“[I found a way to become stronger. Isn’t this the feast of knowledge you sought?]”
“Exactly. Simply strengthening the body is not enough.”
The Legion curled its lips.
Now smiling felt somewhat natural.
However, it soon fell back to a stern expression, tightening its face.
“But why is my heart racing like this right now?”
The Legion analyzed this phenomenon within itself.
The stimulus to emotion was naturally provoked by the string.
Though it was now familiar, what irked the Legion was its content.
Surely, having learned from Kang Do-yeon, it affected it even more.
“[Wasn’t his happiness your goal?]”
“That’s true, but it feels uncomfortable.”
It wanted him to be comfortable and happy.
Yet, that happiness was something it wanted to create solely for him.
In the past, it had surely made him happy by winning a war and growing.
This was an emotion it hadn’t thought about until now.
“[…there’s a clash happening on the 39th level.]”
“Feed.”
Targets were detected by the Legion on the 39th level.
The entire Legion concentrated there.
If the opponent became aware, it would be filled with a strangely bitter rage.
“What on earth?”
On the 39th level.
The Legion finally pushed back the infected beings with force.
Kang Do-yeon, commanding the Legionnaires at the front lines of the battlefield that extended from the 38th level, furrowed her brow.
A strangely tingling feeling surged in her chest, and her blood began to heat up.
As a human, the emotion of anger was familiar to her.
As a part of the Legion, she could feel this subtle anger as it resonated with the entire Legion.
“Kyah… uh!”
One of the Moonlight Fairy infected beings that had rushed at her was struck by the foreleg of an assault-type Legionnaire and had its limbs torn off.
That strike carried a strange emotion.
Anger translates directly into strength.
The Legion had already mastered the use of emotion in battle.
“Another one. This trail—it’s definitely a survivor.”
Kang Do-yeon analyzed a corpse that a Legionnaire had brought.
It was the remains of an infected being with an arrow embedded in its back.
Moreover, it was the body of a red-backed armored cave spider with a sturdy exoskeleton.
The arrow lodged there was quite a proper one.
Her eyes turned towards a passage extending into a corner.
This 39th level was a trunk layer.
In the trunk layer, there could be one to as many as six major levels connected.
This maze grew larger as it ascended, resembling an upside-down tree.
The major levels, compared to the branches, could be as large as the lower trunk layer.
Which meant they might harbor something unknown.
‘Scout—however, for a rapid reconnaissance, I will attempt large-scale scouting.’
Kang Do-yeon received the Legion’s command.
Until now, the Legion’s reconnaissance had always utilized the smallest, bee-based scouts to ensure concealment.
But in a situation like this, stealth was meaningless.
So, the swift flying types and assault-type Legionnaires began to spread out through the surrounding passages.
“Oof.”
She narrowed her eyes and began to read the information pouring into her brain like a waterfall.
The Legion filtered through the data first, borrowing her brain for processing since it was a fraction of the computational power compared to the main brain.
‘Found more traces. Many. And a path that seems to have been deliberately wiped clean.’
Through large-scale reconnaissance, the Legion quickly located the traces.
To its eyes, a rocky wall that moved with slight differences and closed silently was visible.
In any case, something was definitely there.
‘Too thick and heavy stone. The passage is narrow, making it hard for large Legionnaires to move.’
The Legion concluded that it needed to break that stone wall.
The tricky part was how to do that. Just then.
A flying type flew fast across the void towards Kang Do-yeon, holding a green shimmering gem in its mouth.
“Use this.”
She received it with a perplexed expression.
In the now-blocked situation, the Legion immediately concluded.
What was given to her was the blue gem embedded in the golden scepter of the Moonlight Fairy chieftain.
