Chapter 30: The Legion’s Payback (1)
[It was already the fifteenth stem, and we had reached the 35th level.]
“Could this really be the end?”
The Legion surged upward without pause.
Of course, they had not conquered every level.
They were merely sending out scouts continuously.
Until a force appeared to understand and block our actions, or until we discovered something unusual first.
“That’s absurd.”
[The Legion has discovered a singularity.]
And when they arrived there, the Legion halted their reconnaissance.
They were the ones to discover the anomaly first.
“What on earth is this? Traces of civilization?!”
[That can’t be determined yet. The Legion split into two forces. Half continued to devour the conquered levels. The other half ascended rapidly to conduct sampling and reconnaissance.]
“It’s a structure, isn’t it?!”
I was too distracted to think straight.
I rubbed my eyes and wiped the phone screen clean.
But nothing changed.
The small scout, resembling a tiny bee, continued to monitor the area.
The 35th level…this place was a vast cavity.
The only difference was that, unlike other caverns filled with vegetation, not a single living creature could be seen.
And what filled this place were statues and structures that could never have formed naturally.
“Ha.”
I sighed as I looked at the half-destroyed statue lying on the ground.
It was broken in parts, but its features were still discernible.
Two eyes, a nose, a mouth…it was no different from a human.
“What on earth is this?”
[What you do not know, the Legion does not know either. However, the history of the Legion has always begun by analyzing the unknown. At the very least, we can conclude that those statues represent something.]
It was the same for goblins and orcs having eyes, noses, and mouths.
Separately from the Legion, I turned on my brain fully.
No matter how I thought about it, it was right to consider it as traces of civilization.
Are these ancient ruins like something out of a movie?
Then where are the beings that created them?
If they exist, wouldn’t they be connected to the guardian spirits?
Then, who could they be?
What kind of beings would construct such ruins in a cave like this?
[The scouts began to search every nook and cranny. Using the unfamiliarity of this place compared to the natural environments they had encountered so far, the Legion hypothesized that these structures were created with intention, much like our nest.]
Reconnaissance continued, and I could see inside the vast ruins.
I was speechless.
The entire cavity was a ruin.
Countless rooms, structures that resembled altars, and more.
Even a passage leading to the upper levels was at the very center of this ruin.
“…a hole?”
The scout tilted its head up.
A gigantic cylindrical passageway extended, punctured through the ceiling.
Around it, complex patterns that held no meaning were engraved.
[Regardless of what this place is, it’s certainly a location that could serve as a branching point. Having made their judgment, the Legion began to move their forces. The plan was to occupy this place first and use it as a forward base.]
The main force of the Legion crossed the path that the scouts had scouted and headed toward this location.
After all, no other flora could block our way any longer.
Once they confirmed that there were no anomalies after checking every branch extending in every direction, it was highly likely that they would leave it be.
[Right below the discovered ruins at the 35th level, the 34th level. Was this the place where the moth was?]
One versatile type of legionnaire that had reached the immediate level discovered something.
It swept its hand across the ground.
Something white and shiny.
The moth powder from the moth we faced previously.
[The existence of a guard means that there must be something to protect beyond that.]
The Legion began to move again.
It was finally the moment to set foot on the problematic 35th level.
[Was it a trap?]
At that very moment, a variable occurred.
“What the hell is this?!”
[The Legion is currently trying to figure that out.]
The entire ruin shook.
Strange patterns engraved in various places.
Those patterns slowly began to glow.
I was alarmed, but the legionnaires showed no sign of movement.
“What in the world….”
[Ah, this is actually good. The only living entities we can utilize right now are ourselves. If we can disassemble and consume those unknown entities, we might be able to find clues.]
The walls of the ruins cracked, and pale arms suddenly burst forth.
Skin so smooth and pale that it looked translucent, tall and slender bodies, gleaming eyes.
Those pale figures, covered in bizarre patterns as if branded, began to wake up one by one, revealing hostility toward the legionnaires.
“They’re not units…that much is clear given how they awaken.”
I bit my lip.
Their overall appearance resembled that of humans.
Even the length of their hair and the presence or absence of sexual organs allowed us to distinguish male from female.
They could no longer be seen as mere beasts or monsters.
[For the first time in a while, we faced a tool-using adversary. The Legion showed interest and, of course, prepared to counter.]
Gripping old swords and spears, they approached us, and the legionnaires stooped forward.
After all, we had no reason to retreat.
“!!”
Just before the clash, the patterns etched on their bodies and their eyes glowed intensely.
The subsequent collision came.
What surprised me the most was how surprisingly those pale, slender beings held a strength that surpassed ours.
—
“Anyway…school goes on.”
“More than anything, the others probably still don’t know how grave the situation is.”
Oh Yu-na muttered.
In a school that had a somewhat chaotic atmosphere.
Kang Do-yeon and Oh Yu-na resumed school at a place that had previously been attacked by goblins.
But the atmosphere was not conducive to studying at all.
Flowers were placed on desks here and there, and more than half of the teachers were absent.
Families of the missing were struggling to accept the situation, opposing even holding funerals.
“Do you think we can rescue them?”
“I’m not sure. If I put myself in their shoes, I think I wouldn’t last a day if I were dragged off by those monsters.”
Oh Yu-na shook her head in disgust.
Kang Do-yeon, who had brought up the topic, felt the same way.
Though she usually showed a strong demeanor, she felt she would crumble faster than anyone in such a situation.
“We’re never going to experience that, and we’re going to survive till the end.”
Oh Yu-na abruptly grabbed her hand.
“Are you really saying that to me?”
“Well, well! As long as we all fare well, right? Our Cheong-san tribe will surely carry us through!”
Oh Yu-na’s scoff made her flinch, and she pulled out her phone.
Kang Do-yeon watched her with interest.
At first glance, one might mistake it for a movie or drama, but everyone appearing on Oh Yu-na’s phone were real people.
“What on earth are their abilities?”
“There are racial traits. It’s a kind of unique ability, and in the case of our Cheong-san tribe, the original shamanistic practices developed extremely evolved, allowing us to communicate directly with the spirits of earth and wind.”
Oh Yu-na answered effortlessly, possibly due to her remorse or perhaps her belief in the mark.
Kang Do-yeon had no intention of betraying Oh Yu-na, who was currently dependent on her.
She just planned to remember that information and share it with her true allies.
“Anyway, our tribe is capable and smart. We’ve unified all the surrounding tribes, and now there’s only expansion left.”
“…You don’t have any thoughts of acting separately, do you?”
“Ugh.”
Oh Yu-na flinched and nodded slightly.
In effect, Chae Yeon had opened herself up as a unit and continued to interact with the players.
And she was still maintaining close cooperation with them.
Although Oh Yu-na and Kang Do-yeon were practically members of that organization, they weren’t taking active steps.
“Mom and Dad won’t let it slide.”
“Right. This is indiscriminate killing. What if you become the next target for no reason?”
“It’s a bit disappointing. But if the items Chae Yeon gives us were to come to our tribe, that would surely be a good thing.”
“That’s true…there’s that approach as well.”
There were numerous possibilities for interaction between them.
Kang Do-yeon clicked her tongue as she suddenly thought of the units her older brother was raising.
‘They didn’t seem like people…’
Although they were extremely cautious with each other, she had still heard a few things.
Based on that, Kang Do-yeon concluded that Shin Woo’s units were definitely not human.
—
“It seems it will take longer to conduct proper classes.”
“Yeah. After all, today was almost entirely self-study.”
“Then, take care.”
On a shortened school day, Oh Yu-na and Kang Do-yeon parted ways at the front gate.
Oh Yu-na got into her mother’s car, which had come to pick her up.
Their home directions were completely opposite, and she felt burdened by the sight of her mother repeatedly shoving her into the car while apologizing, so she declined to ride along.
As she watched the car drive away, she slowly walked down the road.
‘I don’t know if this was a good thing or not.’
She let out a small sigh.
Somehow, though she had been dragged into this mess, she now thought it was better.
If she hadn’t known the truth, she wouldn’t have been able to understand Shin Woo, who was struggling alone.
“Hmm..? Ugh!”
However, just as she was nearing home.
She frowned at a burning pain in her wrist and clutched it.
