Chapter 11: The Things at the Bottom Floor (4)
[There is, of course, competition among players.]
“Then how do I protect myself? The legion…”
[That doesn’t matter. What’s important now is simply to grow stronger. You just need to avoid dying foolishly.]
The screen changed.
I still had lingering anxiety, but I calmed myself by reminding myself that the game was still in its early stages.
[You survive, and the legion grows stronger. That is each one’s role. And when we both perform our duties well. Each other’s strength becomes our strength. Look at the screen.]
I listened to his words and checked the screen.
Currently, the legion was observing some creature.
“What is that?”
[The legion scoured the area to acquire the inadequate stats. They discovered a certain fungus. Uniquely, this fungus released spores on the carcasses of beasts to propagate.]
A strangely shaped mushroom was blooming on what was presumed to be a pile of organic matter.
The organic matter consisted of bones and skin. Scales, etc.
“Could it be…”
[Indeed. That blue scale is from the Blue-scaled Two-headed Dragon that we cannot digest. This mushroom possesses the ability to even digest those steel-like scales.]
A path became visible.
The legion immediately moved its soldiers to try to hunt the mushroom.
[The fungus, as unique as its ability, had a peculiar defense mechanism. Oddly, the fungus began to harden its body with the same composition as that scale. The fangs, stingers, and claws of the legionnaires were ineffective.]
“What, then?”
[We needed to find a creature with the offensive power to penetrate that scale. The legion expanded its reconnaissance again. Then they discovered that turtle.]
A turtle appeared on the screen.
It was questionable whether it could be called a turtle.
Its size was average, similar to other creatures, but this turtle, submerged at the water’s edge, quickly snapped up a lizard-like legionnaire meant as bait.
And crushed it instantly.
[The legion judged that with the turtle’s bite force, it could crush the fungus wrapped in the scales. It would be more efficient than collapsing the nest to crush the fungus.]
The legion found the answer.
With the most efficient method, they could gain an advantage.
“Wouldn’t it be better to use a stronger and bigger one, like a shark?”
[The important thing is underwater combat ability.]
“I know.”
I headed for a bustling supermarket.
The reason was simple: to buy fish.
Alive fish that could give the legion gills and swimming skills.
“But what are you even doing here?”
“…Why did you follow me?”
One problem was my younger sister, Kang Do-yeon.
She followed me to the market as soon as she heard I was going.
Fortunately, as soon as she entered, she was seemingly entranced and headed straight for the bakery.
“How much is this?”
I immediately bought a live fish from the aquarium.
I requested it to be as fresh as possible and took the fish, quickly heading to the restroom to take a picture with my camera after paying.
[The small fish you threw to me became both sample and food. Certainly, this cave did not have unfamiliar creatures called fish. But the legion inferred, based on existing data, that the gills of the fish were organs for activity underwater.]
The legion devoured the fish I provided, and based on the newly acquired knowledge, began to manufacture new soldiers.
Specialized underwater troops, more skilled than the amphibians that mostly relied on breathing from the atmosphere.
They were soldiers meant to consume primarily aquatic life.
“What? Did you go in and come out?”
“No? If you’ve bought everything, let’s go.”
I calmly lied to Kang Do-yeon, who was coming back with a bag of bread.
Even on the way home, I was looking at my phone.
New soldiers were already emerging from the nest in the form of eggs.
“…What’s that on your hand?”
“Huh? Wait…!”
Almost home, she suddenly pulled my hand, which was holding my phone.
“What… did you get a tattoo? But why does it look like that?”
“That, that’s not it!”
Flustered, I pulled my hand away and tried to explain.
Fortunately, she didn’t press further.
Though her eyes twinkled and the corners of her mouth rose, it seemed she thought she had caught me.
[Are you trying to use your execution authority?]
“Are you crazy?”
I muttered helplessly as I returned home.
Still, since I had grown a bit, I didn’t immediately tell my mother.
[The legion has completed its preparations. It’s time to hunt the target turtle.]
Upon returning to my room, I focused on my phone again.
Rapidly growing new soldiers had broken free from their eggs.
They were absolutely not fish. After all, I only needed to bring the gills.
Their overall streamlined shape made them resemble local amphibians.
However, their difference was that they had gills and crawled on land with a thick pair of sturdy arms.
[The turtle’s shell and underside are certainly hard. But compared to the dragon covered in scales, it’s an easy opponent.]
The turtle appeared to be on guard, peeking its head out of the water and huffing.
But what came back was a stinger attack attempting to grab its attention.
[The turtle’s senses were completely distracted. At the same time, the legion began to sink into the water one by one.]
The water was dark and murky, making it impossible to see.
Still, I could somewhat understand what was happening.
[The legionnaires directed their sharp teeth towards the relatively soft fins and tail of the turtle. Feeling pain, the turtle flinched and quickly withdrew its neck and fins into its shell.]
“What now?”
[The outcome is already decided. The turtle cannot breathe underwater.]
It was a cruel judgment.
However, even if it escaped to the surface, other soldiers were already waiting.
[The moment the turtle raised its head again to breathe, the waiting legionnaires bit into its neck. By trying to thrash about and pull out its fins, it ended up providing the area to bite.]
More brutal than a nature documentary.
The mournful cries of the turtle being devoured alive echoed through the nest.
If that were a human… but surely, if it were a human, the legion would still consume them.
[It’s still not over. The turtle’s hunt is merely a process. The true goal is to capture the fungus that can digest the dragon’s scales.]
“…”
The legion kept moving without rest.
Now that I thought about it, wasn’t it the first time?
That the legion had purposefully and persistently hunted a specific target to use as part of a process.
[Indeed. The legion is learning. To better utilize their abilities. They will better prepare to capture strong enemies and plan efficient hunts to solve problems.]
New soldiers were being created.
This time, soldiers with the bite force of the cave’s long-necked turtle.
Once ready, they would bite and swallow the target mushroom, bringing that ability as well.
“…I suppose I need to get a job again.”
At the same time, I checked my bank balance.
It looked like I needed to prepare for increased expenses, whatever the case may be.
*
The nest had already been devastated.
The fallen corpses were gradually wrapped by the stretching tendrils and would soon be digested.
Amidst this, a single mushroom remained proudly alone.
Covered in the hard material absorbed by killing off all external roots under threat, it endured.
This was the survival strategy of this mushroom.
But now, the enemy aiming to devour this mushroom had destroyed five nests and slaughtered numerous creatures to finally find the answer.
[The mushroom does not know how strong the obsession and gluttony directed at it is.]
It had been lucky to obtain and digest the hardest scales in this level; that was all.
A large lizard was slowly approaching.
And it opened its mouth wide.
The mushroom tried to endure, but it could not withstand the bite force of even a mimicry level, let alone the original.
The scales began to crack.
The interior of the mushroom could not withstand the shock and burst open.
[Now we have the hardest scales. But are we truly satisfied with that? Absolutely not.]
The lizard spat out the chewed mushroom into the nest.
Production and digestion absorption were solely the responsibility of the nest.
However, the legion conducting digestion and absorption was simultaneously thinking and acting from another side.
[Another dragon… it has become the next target for our legion.]
The size likely twice that of the Blue-scaled Two-headed Dragon.
A massive lizard with dark red scales lazily revealed itself in this level.
[Has it caught the scent? Maybe it sensed something amiss and came to stomp on it.]
The dragon appeared to be sniffing, as if searching for something.
It had the appearance level of a lizard, but surprisingly high intelligence.
Among the brain tissues absorbed by the legion, the most advanced system belonged to the dragons of this level.
Its eyes gleamed.
It locked eyes with a black bird observing it from midair.
There were no “feathered creatures” in this cave.
The bird, of course, was one of the legion’s scouts.
It opened its mouth wide and spat a large fireball.
The fireball flew and exploded upon impact.
It destroyed everything in the vicinity.
