Chapter 45 – Struggle to Survive (5)
“Is there another way?”
“For example, the goblin we met last time shot a fireball…”
“Certainly, there must be various ways. The same goes for the hunters’ status screens.”
Chae Yeon, who was overseeing my training, nodded in agreement with my words.
Formancy, the countless methods for it.
I decided to gather data to find the most efficient and optimal method desired by the Legion.
“For instance, Celestial Soul cannot be learned if one’s soul does not support a certain level of capability. Can mere goblins learn this spell? They must have their own methods.”
“I think I understand.”
At that moment, a method discovered by the Legion flashed through my mind.
It was clear that Celestial Soul was inefficient for the Legion.
The Legion’s soul is powerful but singular, so if it were to be divided into several, the efficiency would drop.
Instead, the method they found was using Shinseok, a special mineral also known as mana stone by Chae Yeon.
“My Player emphasized that when manifesting Formancy, effectiveness, output, and aspects like efficiency and speed are just as important. Additionally, Celestial Soul meets all those conditions.”
“Yes.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I had actually heard this beforehand.
The Legion had also considered several factors in their calculations to find a method.
The concept of using Shinseok, a mineral endowed with energy, combined with the body was something the Legion had developed themselves, taking those considerations into account.
Perhaps this was a method that only the Legion could use.
It wasn’t easy to embed stones into one’s own body.
“Try what you learned once.”
“Understood.”
Now, I had to push other thoughts aside.
I concentrated and struggled to manifest what she had taught me.
What her Player had seen was the soul of the Legion, and I was worried if I could actually achieve that.
I felt something within me.
I focused on it and attempted to move as I had learned.
“Open your eyes, Shin Woo. You did it…!”
Chae Yeon’s voice reached my ears.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Before I knew it, a faint glowing aura was shimmering around my body.
I had successfully grasped the basics.
“My Player seems to be coveting it.”
“Coveting? What do you mean?”
She silently pointed at me.
I flinched for a moment, but I forced a smile and declined the scout offer.
“They say they will tell you about the ones who harmed your sister…”
“What…?”
However, the following words shattered my expectations.
Chae Yeon bowed her head as if she felt sorry for the story about her brother that her Player had forced her to bring up.
“Are you really just going to tell me?”
“It seems my Player wants you to be angry at them.”
This was an unexpected harvest.
Chae Yeon seemed sorry for prying into my wounds, but I was fine with it.
More than that, I wanted to hear the story.
“Please. Tell me.”
I grabbed her shoulder to convey that I was okay.
“In a way, it might be obvious, but it turns out humans are not the only species in this universe.”
“…That makes sense? All kinds of aliens are out there.”
When you think about it, orcs and goblins are also alien species.
In this context, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that other humans live in another world.
“Wait, is that everything like the suits and guns?”
“My Player refers to a powerful force somewhere in the universe called the Human Alliance.”
Chae Yeon nodded.
Highly developed human species that Earthlings have imagined and portrayed in various media like movies, comics, and novels.
Such beings truly exist, and one of them is a Player who commands several Earthlings as units.
With someone like me being a Player, it was a very plausible connection, and I nodded blankly.
“My Player said that they have been fighting each other for a long time, extending their greedy hands around, and are quite malevolent…”
“That part seems a bit malicious. A Player is just an individual after all.”
“It seems that way.”
Chae Yeon, who had been relaying her Player’s words, nodded with a bitter smile.
I doubted she thought I wouldn’t know, but it seemed her Player really disliked them.
A Player is an individual. No matter what the group they’re part of is like, they cannot be equated to the Player.
…Unless they share a single spirit or belief.
However, since they were called humans, the possibility was low.
“I naturally hate those who tried to hunt my sister and want to kill them, but I don’t want to extend that to the group the Player belongs to.”
First, it’s too risky.
My primary goal is simply to survive.
Chae Yeon nodded, acknowledging my wisdom.
“However, they said I should consider it.”
“Excuse me?”
“If the Player were to deliberately disclose the information they know to move their group.”
Her face became serious.
If that statement were true, the situation would become ever more complex.
It meant that those unrelated to the game could interfere collectively in this game board.
Like the united forces of Earth that are currently preparing for an expedition, defining monsters as enemies beyond the gate.
The very group leading that charge is the Evolution unit that Chae Yeon belongs to.
“Evolution is…”
“They’re moving because there’s mutual benefit.”
Chae Yeon acknowledged casually.
The reason why the Step-Up Hunters have no issues sharing information.
Each of them might be strong hunters, but they actively recruited the governments and associations of various nations to turn them into allies.
*
“Are you done training for today?”
“Yeah. I saw some results.”
While Chae Yeon stepped away for a moment, I quietly entered the room and turned on my phone.
Actually, it had been a little while since I turned it on.
I secretly turned it on and began to keep an eye on the Legion and my sister before messaging them.
As I announced my arrival, the Legion hurriedly threw themselves toward the wall.
“Need anything?”
“Anything? Like books or something.”
I said it straightforwardly.
Having overheard the Legion and my sister’s conversation, I knew the Legion was thirsty for knowledge.
Of course, my sister made an excuse that she wanted to read, but I didn’t believe that at all.
She was a kid who read nothing but comic books.
“Right… Could you send me something? Anything.”
“That’s not hard.”
“But, there’s one thing I absolutely need to send.”
However, it seemed there was something I hadn’t realized.
Kang Do-yeon’s expression was oddly awkward and strange.
“What do you want me to send…?”
“Religious… texts.”
My sister murmured while looking down.
We hadn’t even been to a church yet and didn’t have a religion we followed.
I chuckled softly.
[It’s natural for the Legion to have curiosity about creation and deities.]
“Yeah…? Religion doesn’t exactly align with a rational species.”
[It could just be for reference.]
While I didn’t think the Legion would fall into religion, I couldn’t deny it weighed on my mind.
For now, I answered that I understood.
“One more thing.”
But whatever desire the Legion had to substitute Kang Do-yeon didn’t seem to end there.
My sister twisted her eyes in a way that seemed she couldn’t say it, and then eventually squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth.
“What’s your ideal type, oppa?”
And the words that came out of her mouth sent shivers down my spine.
Why do I have to hear that from that guy?!
“Why are you suddenly asking about my ideal type?”
“It’s not a big deal. I can ask, right? And I like that kind of person.”
I could hear my teeth grinding.
I rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on my arm.
Of course, I knew who had prompted that question and what their intentions were.
I thought hard about how to respond.
After all, the forms the Legion could take right now weren’t many.
Besides my human sister, Kang Do-yeon, what about the Moonlight Fairies?
But their excessively pale skin and otherworldly appearance didn’t attract me much.
“Of course, I like pretty people.”
“So, what’s your standard of beauty…? No, just name one celebrity you think is the prettiest.”
“I don’t want to.”
She seemed determined not to let it go that easily.
I smirked at my sister’s shocked expression.
“Think about it for a moment. If someone were to distinctly resemble another, it wouldn’t feel special. There’s no reason to pursue an unattainable perfection. You might as well like imperfections.”
With that, I directly addressed the Legion, who was listening to this entire conversation, rather than Kang Do-yeon.
I wondered if they understood my words.
“Did you convey my message correctly without omitting or manipulating it, hindering the growth of the Legion?”
[Yes. As I mentioned, I will not be involved any further. I’m curious how the current Legion understood your words now.]
“…It doesn’t seem like there’s anything odd about understanding it?”
What I wanted to convey to the Legion was not to obsess over perfection.
It aligned with the sentiment of not overextending oneself.
“I should go to a bookstore for a moment. No, just sending an E-book would be quicker.”
I used a second-hand transaction site to prepare an old device nearby.
Then I began transferring various books onto it.
I didn’t know how much help human knowledge would be to the Legion.
“Will learning the humanities make them a bit more subdued?”
I said something frivolous as I sent off the device as a gift.
