Chapter 10: The Things at the Bottom Floor (3)
[Level 10, a single massive branch with numerous smaller branches. We determined that the main inhabitants here are the category 3a lizards.]
The map was continuously being updated.
However, even though we had not yet reached its end, it was a tremendously huge area compared to the ‘smaller branches’ we had crawled up.
Since the main inhabitants are lizards, there were many that I felt embarrassed to refer to as ‘lizard’ by that term.
Winged lizards, swimming lizards, burrowing lizards, poisonous gas spewing lizards, and so on…
And they were far too strong to simply be categorized as mere reptiles.
[You are right. Therefore, the Legion has categorized the lizards of this place into two types. One type consists of weak ones that can be easily hunted. The other is the massive ones that are aptly called Earth Dragons.]
“Surely, you have a plan?”
[Of course.]
The Legion seized the opportunity presented by the dramatically changing environment by pivoting towards a new form of expansion as soon as data was acquired.
This place had many strong ones, like the two-headed lizard we caught last time.
In order to catch such creatures, the legionnaires grew larger and tougher.
[One problem remains: the blue-scaled two-headed Earth Dragon we hunted last time. It has already been digested and turned into our nourishment, but its scales remain.]
“Why is that? Those scales that resist teeth and stingers were quite desirable…”
[At the moment, we do not have the enzymes needed to digest those scales.]
One regret was that we could not properly utilize the power of the formidable foes we had managed to defeat.
We succeeded in replicating the fire-breathing mechanism, but realized that the fuel for that fire was a component accumulated over a long time from mushrooms, and thus we could not recklessly use it.
“Time and diversity are weaknesses of our race.”
I came to realize our weakness through this situation.
While we inherently had an explosive growth rate, the acceleration of time could only be applied to ourselves.
We could not alter the flow of time experienced equally by others.
Furthermore, as the accumulating data increased, and as the combinations became more advanced and diverse, the instances where a single point became vacant became more frequent and harder to realize.
[The Legion is well aware of this. That is why they want to consume even more. It is difficult… Endless gluttony is both our medicine and our poison.]
Medicine but poison.
I agreed with that statement.
Ultimately, the solution to this problem would lead to more growth again.
[Look, the next target is a nest. It is dark and humid, but enough vegetation is growing. Aquatic creatures are also living in the flowing water.]
“It doesn’t seem… impressive?”
[The Legion has judged likewise. Immediately, the Legion’s soldiers began to move.]
The Legion always conducts precise reconnaissance.
If they determine something to be weak, they will immediately crush it and annihilate it.
They do not retreat simply because an opponent is strong.
The Legion has already learned how to hunt powerful and massive beings.
[As of now, there have been no forces that can rival the Legion detected in the scouting. The lizards, which are the main inhabitants of this place, are simply strong individually but only form small groups.]
“In the end, it’s another massacre.”
If the size and number are the same, ordinary lifeforms cannot defeat us.
Even if the soldiers are based on existing beasts, their appearance is grotesque.
All unnecessary organs like reproductive and digestive systems have been eliminated, and bodies are made solely from organs used for combat.
Fight, fight, and if they fall, they return to the colony, replenishing energy to be reborn as new soldiers in a miraculous cycle.
From the start, our enemies had to fight not just our soldiers, but the entire massive nest itself.
[The Legion is occupying the nest. There are no lives left to survive.]
It was the same scenery as always. I closed my phone there.
“Did you do well on the exam?”
“…No, I probably completely flunked.”
It was likely the same for most students as the exam had just ended.
Sitting in the lecture hall, I shook my head with a hollow laugh at my classmate’s words.
I had been looking at my phone more than the books, so how could I have done well?
“Still, should we grab a drink? Jinsoo and Myungho are coming too.”
“…Should we?”
Alcohol? To be honest, I felt a bit tempted.
There was a gathering that always took place after exams, and this time marked the first opportunity for everyone to come together since our military service was over.
In the end, I made dinner plans right there.
“Are you gaming? You’ve been glued to your phone, haven’t you?”
“It’s nothing.”
I hid my phone.
If something important came up, I would receive a notification anyway.
Finally, after our afternoon lecture ended, we met and began drinking before the sun had even set.
[Are you enjoying it, the act of pouring alcohol into your body?]
“…Why are you suddenly killing the mood?”
Just as we were happily chatting and drinking, slightly tipsy.
I casually checked my phone as I entered the restroom and chuckled at the message that appeared.
Broadly glancing at the screen, there was nothing particularly unusual.
“You’re managing just fine anyway. There’s nothing much to add.”
[I’m not saying anything against you taking care of your desires. However, you have a very important mission for us as well.]
“…What nonsense is that?”
[To survive. That is the most crucial virtue of a Player. Your life is not just your own.]
Upon seeing the message, I froze momentarily.
And right after that.
“An emergency gate!!”
“Evacuate immediately! Right now!”
“There’s no time!”
Outside the restroom, a great commotion was already unfolding.
There was no time to think.
I hurriedly dashed out and ran with the others.
“Damn, I was just enjoying myself!”
“Well, at least it’s a relief nothing serious happened, hyung…”
Amidst the throngs of people, I glanced ahead at the distant rippling space.
That was the gate. The disaster from another world that enveloped this world.
It was oddly regrettable.
I didn’t know what would come out, but it was still an opportunity to provide food and specimens for the Legion.
Beyond the heavily guarded barriers set up by the police, they were there.
Hunters, those gifted with the power to oppose the monsters through the miracle of the status window.
While it was less so now, Hunters had once been idols and heroes to me as a child.
They were the hopes that would repay my grievances.
“What company are they from?”
“Company Gaebyeok. A small to medium scale. Their flagship Hunter is Chae Yeon?”
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who liked Hunters.
My classmates beside me were quickly searching for the information of the Hunters who rushed over with their phones, as if viewing celebrities.
“…Is that person Chae Yeon?”
“Yeah. She’s C-rank, so it’s not that high of a rank, but I guess it’s due to the small company.”
Listening to my classmate, I alternated my gaze between the scene and my phone.
In the distance, barely visible, stood a woman in a black suit amidst the intersection.
And the woman in the profile on my phone had long sky-blue hair and blue eyes.
It was the same person.
It was explained that her hair and eye color were changed by her powers, not by dyeing.
“The gate has opened!”
“They said Chae Yeon’s power is electric!”
Now, in her tenth year, the people accustomed to monsters and gates cheered as if watching a show.
And I was the same.
Watching intently while feeling anxious for about a minute.
“Waaah!”
At the moment something tore through space, a charge sparked from her body as she pointed her hand towards the gate, and bright flashes flickered along her outstretched hand several times.
It was like experiencing lightning up close, with continuous dazzling light and deafening noise.
“Wow.”
“Crazy…”
The situation was over.
Chae Yeon, still enveloped in sparks, slowly lowered her hand, and unidentifiable corpses were pouring out in front of the gate.
“She’s C-rank…?”
“Y-Yeah. How is that C-rank? She looks at least A-rank!”
The overwhelming sight made people forget to cheer.
*
“Is there nothing more for today?”
“Y-Yeah, thank you, Jiyeon. Just a moment, I need to take care of some business.”
Having left the scene, Chae Yeon settled into the back seat.
Her manager got out for a moment to talk with the police, which allowed her to be alone in the car as she leaned back against the seat.
[The higher-ups are satisfied. Among their children, your learning is said to be the most outstanding.]
“Thank you.”
[The spell of thunder puts a strain on your own body as well. Do not overuse it.]
“I will keep that in mind.”
[Then, offer your blood.]
In the empty car, she murmured to herself as if possessed by something.
With the voice telling her to offer her blood, she sighed lightly and took out a sharp knife from her possessions.
This knife, adorned with an antique wooden handle, was a ‘gift’ that could not be obtained anywhere else on this planet.
“Ugh…”
She drew a long line across her palm with the knife.
Of course, blood flowed profusely, but that blood was absorbed as if the knife devoured it all.
As a certain amount of blood was absorbed, the wound on her palm healed instantly.
“When… will you give me the next gift?”
[If you train more and surpass the humans around you to reach recognized S-rank among your peers. Or if you eliminate units of other Players.]
The mysterious voice echoing in her mind faded away like that.
When her manager got back into the car.
She was already exhausted, her eyes closed, and she had fallen asleep.
