Chapter 28 – What He Truly Wishes For (4)
As always, the peaceful ecosystem was invaded by monsters crawling up from the lower levels.
The cavity, which had been filled with mushrooms forming a forest, quickly turned into a battlefield.
The gathered guardian spirits fought with all their might against the invaders from the lower levels.
[The core of the new legion’s main force is a versatile troop based on orcs.]
“If these orcs existed before becoming units, they seem stronger now.”
[Of course, they cannot be compared physically. The essence of the legion is embedded in them, eliminating all inefficient parts, modified solely for battle.]
Standing upright with their spines straight, they were about 2 meters tall and were armored with compact muscles designed solely for explosive power.
The existing base of orcs already boasted a muscular physique, but their appearance, of course, was entirely different.
All unnecessary internal organs were removed, giving their bodies a lean appearance, allowing them to be more flexible and resilient.
[The armored exoskeleton covering their bodies was made by combining the strongest exoskeletons, such as cave turtles, serpent scales, and giant beetles.]
The black armor shone brilliantly.
The overall shape was similar to the existing goblin base, but with a larger size and increased muscle mass, their strength was over double.
[The greatest advantage of these versatile soldiers is their ability to easily deal with any form of attack from the enemy.]
The legionnaire, wielding swords in both hands, crashed head-on into a massive wolf breathing fire from its three gleaming heads.
Structurally at a disadvantage, they only slid backward a bit.
This was possible because the legionnaire was not just a simple life form but a carefully designed weapon.
“Ugh…”
The versatile legionnaire, blocking the sharp teeth, produced a pair of additional arms from the cracked shell on its back.
Simultaneously, as it blocked with both hands, it pierced the throat of the guardian spirit with its sharp claws.
[After the versatile type comes the assault type. Most of those belonging to this form take on beastly appearances.]
The legion’s greatest strength lay in the precise coordination of different forms of troops, charging forward without leaving any gaps.
Beside it, a large quadrupedal beast rushed roughly towards another guardian spirit, leaping and attacking it.
It was similarly armored in solid armor but possessed strong forelimbs and jaw strength.
The large enemy could not endure the assault of several beasts biting and tearing at it at once, one by one succumbing to the attacks.
“It’s over… We had more numbers in the first place.”
[We cannot let our guard down. The combat power of these guardian spirit creatures is beyond imagination.]
“Regardless, they can’t compete with our production capabilities.”
They were merely calculating for efficiency and maintenance costs.
The legion could produce an army larger than the current one all at once.
Surely, the guardian spirits held their ground well.
They stubbornly endured and managed to take down many legionnaires, rendering them incapable of fighting.
But that was all.
No matter how many fell around them, the legion did not stop and continued advancing.
Only with the single-minded intent to kill.
The guardian spirits were overwhelmed by the absurd and persistent bloodlust of their foes.
[As they were pushed out of the mushroom forest, the bombardier legionnaires began their assault. The tide had already turned.]
New legionnaires, having evolved beyond the modified toads, firmly planted their sturdy legs into the ground, targeting the spines that burst forth from their flesh.
Their size increased, the size of the spines grew, and the force with which they could launch them surged.
[Poisonous spines began to rain down on them from across the air. The fragile fur skins could not stop them.]
“The front line… is collapsing.”
The guardian spirits were gradually pushed back.
The black wave thereby expanded its territory.
[Are they finally making their move?]
However, in that moment, the guardian spirits also revealed one hidden card.
A powerful electric shock. No, something that appeared to be an electric shock erupted, filling the screen of my phone.
I squinted my eyes.
Fortunately, the dazzling light didn’t last long.
“Is that really electricity?!”
[The legion knows nothing of such electricity. But it is a force unlike anything they had experienced before, like when one first encounters acid or fire.]
The being that unleashed the electric flash was the moth that the legion had targeted.
Dozens of legionnaires fell in that one strike.
However, the lifeless appearance of it did not seem like that of something burned by electricity.
[This is tempting.]
“Of course it would be.”
As had been the case until now, the legion’s greed stirred once again.
The airborne units that had been on standby simultaneously spread their wings.
[The finest aerial combat capability possessed by the legion, reinterpreted from abilities taken from Earth’s avians.]
They resembled flying insect-like creatures with feathered wings.
Hundreds of such flying units swooped down upon the moth simultaneously.
[A flash erupted once more, and again dozens fell. With the second experience, a sense of alienation was discovered. When attacked by the moth, an unknown special reaction occurred, severing all connections between individuals and extinguishing their collective consciousness.]
“The collective consciousness…!”
[The more we observe, the more it is a power we must acquire.]
The legion dispatched a second wave of troops.
In the end, a war of attrition would only end when one side grew weary.
And such attrition warfare was one of the legion’s greatest strengths.
[Have they lost the strength and will to resist? If so, then we are victorious.]
The moth no longer emitted blue flashes.
Before it could flee completely, the large flying units, with mouths gaping wide, unleashed flames akin to a flamethrower.
“How long will the analysis take?”
[At least a day is needed.]
The legion had triumphed.
They had hunted down what seemed to be the captain-like moth and killed all the resisting guardian spirits.
All that was left was to analyze the spoils.
“Hoo…”
I set down the phone I had been watching for the past few hours and sighed.
I had thought we would win, but the tension I had been holding onto finally released.
“It really is strange the more I look at it. What exactly is that cave? Is it natural?”
[That remains unknown.]
“There is still much left.”
While the tension had eased, my mind remained cluttered.
Not only was reality filled with things to worry about, but the steadily expanding world over there was also a problem.
It seemed like there was something there, for sure.
“No. What does it matter?”
Shaking my head, I dismissed my seriousness.
After all, there was only one method.
No matter what secrets or stories lay in that world over there, the conclusion would ultimately be the same.
An ending where we are all devoured.
Otherwise, it meant that we would die.
[Now, we’ve started to think somewhat like a legion.]
“I’m not too thrilled by your compliments.”
I weakly scoffed and stepped out of the room.
Outside, my younger sister and mother were watching the news with serious expressions.
It had been a while since we heard any good news from the broadcast.
And it seemed it would continue to be that way.
“Chae Yeon’s faction, Evolution… has announced that they will collaborate with various governments to cross the gate. They’ve successfully secured technology related to the gate that hadn’t been properly researched until now. This must be it, right?”
“…Really?”
As soon as she saw me, Kang Do-yeon approached and whispered.
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
Chae Yeon was a unit, and her player was a skilled being with remarkable abilities.
It was obvious they would make a move, regardless of what means it took.
“We need to be more cautious for the time being.”
What I was worried about was solely the safety of my family.
Ever since the day I lost my father ten years ago, the anxiety that had been haunting me had evolved from a vague worry into a more tangible one, and now it was gradually becoming a reality.
*
[The String. It is the thread connecting the unit and the player.]
Silence flowed within the nest.
The only movement was the occasional twitching of the flesh walls.
Yet, contrary to the silence, the internal workings of the legion were more intense than ever.
[We have certainly approached the answer to some extent. The power held by the newly absorbed great stream guardian spirit 4n1236 does not resemble the fragments of demons and races that were absorbed last time, but bears a similar appearance.]
The legion’s entire computational power was consumed in learning this new concept.
It was an astonishing result, yet the legion accepted it as before and successfully made it their own.
[This will… be recorded in our history. This is the moment our legion first approached the concept of the soul.]
“…”
The entire legion pulsed with energy.
All legionnaires, having halted their actions at once, briefly fell into a state of shock from this exhilarating sensation.
The world, the senses, and common sense expanded.
[I can clearly feel it too. We have come to possess a clearer doubt about who we are and who he is. The String has been abnormally strengthened compared to other units and players. We are both many and one. The Strings connected to the player do not divide into hundreds, thousands, or millions of strands like those of other units. We are connected to him with just one String.]
We obtained a trigger from the fragments of phantoms and hints from the guardian spirits.
With that, the legion reached a conclusion.
This connection to the soul they were feeling was linked to their own origins.
It was a kind of lifeline that could satiate their hunger for knowledge.
[Strange emotions and bizarre sensations are flowing through the String. This is undoubtedly his emotions and tendencies. Can you not feel it? We have grown incredibly close to him.]
The legion began to move once more.
However, their internal dynamics were slightly different from before.
