Chapter 22: Game Board (5)
[Completely different forms of organisms have absorbed, digested, and assimilated everything.]
[Goblins’ brains were more sophisticated and systematic than any other brain acquired until now. Taking this as a hint, the legion continued to grow its own brain.]
[Like when we first discovered ants, this will be a significant turning point in our evolution.]
“I’m glad you don’t dislike it.”
I forced a smile.
To be honest, the general image of goblins as stupid, short sub-monsters that even average people look down on still lingered, but those goblins over there were different.
The image of the one who leisurely used the police officer’s pistol after taking it was still fresh in my mind.
[We might be able to take on a new appearance.]
“It seems like it will take more time.”
The 20-level trunk was massive. We hadn’t even completed our exploration yet.
Moreover, there were other branches connected to that trunk.
There was an immense amount for us to consume.
It was the first time the slow consumption rate was an issue.
[This place is indeed a huge world. And there must be a master here as well. Look at the screen. Our scout has discovered a creature presumed to be the master of this place.]
“…It’s big.”
It was incredibly massive.
Dinosaur-sized? It seemed at least comparable to a large truck.
While its overall form was hard to categorize, unlike other creatures I could somewhat understand, it was so bizarre that I couldn’t tell if it was a reptile or an amphibian.
Strangely enough for this place, it walked bipedally with very short and thick legs.
With a hunched posture, it was essentially walking like a gorilla, supporting itself with its long, thick arms.
The sharp claws at the tips of its strong arms gleamed.
[The legion was also intrigued, watching an enemy of a form they’ve never seen before. It seemed as if it had decided to hunt something.]
It walked heavily toward a large two-headed tortoise nearby.
Naturally, the tortoise tried to scramble away.
[It raised its fist and smashed down, crushing the tortoise. With the corpse of the exploded tortoise, it extended its long neck and opened its mouth wide.]
What on earth…
I frowned at the sight.
At the end of the elongated creature’s neck, there was no face.
The split flesh gaped open, revealing a mouth lined with sharp teeth akin to that of a moray eel.
It was swallowing the crushed tortoise whole.
“This is a mad world.”
[The legion prepared for hunting. It’s the first time hunting such a large enemy, but we already knew how to hunt sizable foes.]
I was horrified, but the legion was brimming with confidence.
At once, the nest that had been storing energy began to stir and move.
“Still, it’s too big, isn’t it?”
[We have also acquired new weapons. The legion plans to actively utilize the goblin genes they’ve obtained this time.]
I felt slightly dazed.
The legion never employs anything that wouldn’t be efficient.
I didn’t expect them to like goblins this much.
Where did they see any potential?
[They judged that they could leverage our strengths. Goblins are the most versatile type among all the samples the legion currently possesses. We now understand the tools.]
“That’s true.”
[Regardless of what form they take, the possibilities for modification and evolution are endless.]
Eggs began to be produced in the nest, which had consumed every single cell from the 20 levels and its minor offshoots.
New soldiers based on goblins would grow and awaken from those eggs.
“So, how about the brain? How’s communication with me?”
[As you know about goblins, the minimum conditions to learn the system of language are now in place.]
“Great.”
I beamed.
Seeing someone like Chae Yeon, or even just Oh Yu-na, who possessed similar or equal intelligence, communicating and becoming stronger was a direct experience of the power of communication that left me excited.
“We can talk, right?”
[…]
“…We can talk, right?”
However, the path ahead of me to communicate with them seemed far from smooth, regardless of the legion’s rapid growth.
[Language is learned.]
“This is…”
[How is one supposed to learn without someone to teach?]
My hopes crumbled to pieces.
Language? The only creatures communicating in that cave were the squeaking rats.
[Moreover, the goblins’ language system is distinctly different from humans. The legion hasn’t yet grown enough to learn a high-level language. As advice, it would be better for you to look for other ways than to wait for the legion to learn Korean.]
“Find a good method? Are you telling me to learn sign language? Forget it. And when can I receive the legion’s assistance?”
[No one has yet reached Chapter 3. It’s true that players and units are connected as one string, but those who are currently helping each other are those who transcend the walls of the world based on their abilities, not the game’s options.]
“Is it my fault again? This is really annoying.”
I brushed my frustrated chest.
No, perhaps I was being too hasty.
It had only been a month.
While others had communicated and exchanged from the beginning, we had grown from mere cellular masses to here.
The legion hadn’t rested even for a second.
In such a situation, I couldn’t rush them further.
Since I had gotten connected to them from the start, it was something I needed to endure.
If I could be patient and wait.
Surely at the end of that, advantages for us would arise.
I resolved in my heart that my job was to buy that time.
“Brother, you aren’t sleeping, are you?”
Just then, a knock was heard from outside the room.
I closed my phone.
I still needed time.
“What’s the matter?”
“Is it that…”
“Yeah. You were looking after our kids.”
I trailed off.
They looked eager to know, but we had agreed to avoid mentioning my units in case of unforeseen situations.
Of course, my younger sibling was still showing signs of curiosity.
“Brother, aren’t you giving anything to your units?”
“Gah…”
That was why some bone-crushing questions occasionally landed.
“Our kids are latent talents. But why did you come?”
“I got a text from Yu-na.”
“!”
That definitely seemed significant.
So, did they reach a conclusion after talking with Chae Yeon?
“What did she say?”
“Anyway, we can’t go to our school for a while. For now, we should meet tomorrow. But it seems like you need to be there too.”
“Is Chae Yeon going to be there too?”
“…Yeah. Since Chae Yeon thinks you think the same as I do… it seems like important things will be discussed.”
Kang Do-yeon bit her lip and lowered her head.
Perhaps she thought I got involved because of her.
“It doesn’t really matter. So don’t blame yourself. And this is what we planned from the beginning.”
I reassured her, thinking it wasn’t a big deal.
Honestly, I didn’t think it was that bad.
It was better than letting her get caught up alone.
Most importantly, neither Chae Yeon nor Oh Yu-na knew my true identity.
Now that they had made contact, they would surely show more than just that, but it was an opportunity for me to obtain information at no cost.
“I need to act well.”
I forced a smile.
*
“Do you really have to go when things are so uneasy? Just stay home…”
“It’s nothing serious, so it’s fine.”
Early in the morning.
Having reassured my mother, I left the house with my sister.
It was true that the entire neighborhood, no, the entire country was restless and chaotic.
Dozens of people had died or been taken away.
Half of them were young students.
“Let’s go.”
We crossed the street toward the meeting place.
The area, which hadn’t even been fully cleared yet, was filled with bereaved families, police, and media.
The meeting place was set at a café a bit further away.
The two of us hadn’t said a word during the time.
“There they are.”
At that moment, Kang Do-yeon spotted them first and pointed with her finger.
A middle-aged couple standing with a short girl.
Could they be Oh Yu-na’s parents?
“Did you come? Over here… Phew!”
“?!”
As we approached and Oh Yu-na greeted us with a smile, a middle-aged woman hit her on the back of the head.
Then she politely bowed toward us.
“We are the parents of this child. We’ve heard the story. We apologize for involving you in such a horrific incident. I’m sorry, Do-yeon.”
“Ah, no, we…”
We were both taken aback by the unexpected situation.
Leaving Oh Yu-na, who was clutching her head and groaning, we awkwardly greeted her parents.
“It’s really okay. Thanks to it, we managed to survive in that crisis.”
“…It really hurts deeply. Even though we chose it ourselves, it still hurt a lot.”
“And in any case, we are one team now.”
Oh Yu-na’s mother gently touched the mark on my sister’s wrist while trying not to cry.
A mark was visible on her wrist as well.
Oh Yu-na had empowered her parents.
She probably had no intentions of using them as shields.
“Let’s all calm down. That person is coming over.”
Fidgeting with my sleeve, I tried to intervene and tidy things up.
A large van approaching us came to a stop.
“Let’s all get in.”
The person who drove this car was Chae Yeon.
