Chapter 46: Struggle for Survival (6)
“Utilization of Formancy using Divine Stones. But I was told that the true power of the Moonlight Fairies comes from this Sacred Tree.”
While the Legion was temporarily reassembling its main forces, I shifted my gaze to where Kang Do-yeon had moved.
This was the stronghold of the Survivors.
Now, only one life remained there.
“I can feel it. There is power residing within this young Sacred Tree.”
“…Is the Legion perhaps trying to use even that?”
As my younger sister slowly stroked the tree, my eyes wandered to the scattered stakes around us.
These were stakes intricately engraved, surrounding the Sacred Tree.
I heard they were gifts given by Players.
I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
How must the opposing Player, whose face and name I didn’t even know, have felt watching their last remaining Unit tortured by our Legion, spilling secrets before dying?
When the last Survivor dies, they die, too.
[Do not be afraid. The Legion feels that.]
“Well then.”
I hurriedly calmed my mind.
No matter the other emotions, I didn’t want to show any weakness to the Legion.
“We’re going to consume this Sacred Tree.”
“Is that even possible? Um… I’ve never given living plants to the Legion before.”
The Legion’s choice was as expected, yet I spoke up with hope.
Until now, plants had not been a consideration.
There were no plants that could grow in this barren world’s caves around me.
“If we can obtain the power of plants, perhaps we could gain energy from photosynthesis later on.”
“I’m not sure. In any case, the Legion has already made its decision.”
Kang Do-yeon, who had been stroking the Sacred Tree, stood up.
Before I knew it, tentacles and flesh walls from the Legion’s Nest were stretching out.
[The power held by the Moonlight Fairies’ Sacred Tree. The Legion’s judgment was that if we can utilize the sharing and linking of power, the Formancy we are developing can advance to a new level.]
“Formancy…”
I muttered, watching the Sacred Tree being gradually consumed by the Nest.
The abilities of Hunters were similar, but it was a concept I had only learned recently.
In fact, I was currently in the process of learning it.
“I think I should be going now. Take care of yourself.”
“Uh? Oh, got it.”
I only conveyed my intention to leave, but in truth, I didn’t turn it off.
I silently watched my phone.
A figure had quickly approached my younger sister, who was waving her hand toward the sky.
“Teach me how to use it.”
It spoke.
From behind, a flying species that had picked up the air machine given as a gift dropped it into its hands with a claw.
I turned off my phone there.
“If there are any unusual matters, be sure to send a notification.”
[Of course.]
I firmly stated it, as I felt if I didn’t say it clearly, it might find a gap to exploit, and then opened the door.
Just then, Chae Yeon was coming in.
“I believe the mainstream in Earth belongs to the Evolution that Chae Yeon is part of.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I just thought about it once. Um, from a Player’s perspective.”
As we were having a simple meal, Park Joon-seok, who usually stayed quietly in his room, spoke up.
“By the way, what kind of Units do you have, Park Joon-seok?”
I casually asked in that gap.
Fortunately, he grinned and suddenly showed me a photo.
“Aren’t they cute?”
Inside were captured photos.
His Units were mostly in the form of dogs.
Moreover, they were bipedal, a form that could commonly be referred to as Beastmen.
For now, they did not live in a cave.
“It’s not good to leave behind information.”
“I know that, but it’s meaningless if I die anyway.”
Chae Yeon said this cautiously, but he shook his head.
“Players have to be that careful. Even if they hide, some like Chae Yeon have the ability to find them.”
“…So?”
“Probably other Players have grouped together too, including the Units. Those kinds of people are most wary of the strongest forces, right?”
His words carried weight.
In the end, Units that must kill each other can absolutely never unite.
That’s why the Evolution, which Chae Yeon is a part of, has allied with ordinary people to become the ruling power in this world, the most powerful and largest.
But that act would surely arouse suspicion among other Units.
“My Player must have a plan.”
She muttered quietly.
Her expression wasn’t good. After all, she had already mentioned to me that she was merely a pawn.
“But no matter how much they try to control things, they won’t be able to stop this expedition.”
“That… makes sense, right? If this expedition goes awry, it will turn the people of the world against us.”
I turned my gaze to the TV.
The recent news only spoke of one thing.
The allied forces of major countries around the globe, under the leadership of the Evolution, were opening a reverse gate to strike at the stronghold of the Demons.
People’s fury over the looting that had occurred across the globe had already reached the heavens.
No matter how strong the Unit collective, it didn’t seem like they would turn ordinary people into enemies.
They would likely be too busy fighting other Units.
“For now, let’s all just think about surviving there.”
She said while looking at me.
I nodded my head.
But now, I could no longer be satisfied with mere survival.
The reason I would take the risk to go there was to grow stronger.
“Ah, I’ll quietly hide until you come back. As you know, I’m not alone.”
Park Joon-seok chuckled as he went back to his room.
Now, it was really close.
It was time for me to leap into the battlefield.
*
[Moonlight Sacred Tree: 3n1699]
“The Sacred Tree…”
“This being has the power to resonate with the energy it possesses and amplify the Formancy it contains. However, the true power lies elsewhere.”
In the middle of the 39th Level’s trunk layer.
In the center of this place, where the Nesting process had already advanced, a tree with a black shell was growing from the ground’s flesh wall.
The tree had already grown past the sapling stage into a young tree level.
Kang Do-yeon tilted her head back, looking up at the tree that had grown larger than her.
“Could that be…”
“That’s right. That is the true power of this tree.”
Her eyes widened.
This tree, modified by the Legion, no longer had a single leaf.
From the ends of its seemingly withered branches, something red began to form and gradually grew larger.
The Legion focused energy to accelerate its growth.
Before long, it had grown to the size of a newborn’s fist and then fell off with a thud.
Kang Do-yeon caught it in her palm.
It was a rough ore with a dark red sheen.
“Divine Stone.”
“The new Legionnaires have the ability to process and change energy. They can transform absorbed nutrients into Divine Stones that contain Formancy.”
The Legion summoned the new Legionnaires.
Rather than completely new, they were slightly modified from the existing Legionnaires.
Kang Do-yeon sensed the presence of the Divine Stone embedded like a heart within the multifunctional Legionnaire that approached her.
The Legion had boldly invested to make some of its soldiers elite.
“This is a new power source exclusive to our Legion.”
She flinched as she placed her hand over her chest.
In fact, there was already a Divine Stone inside her body.
This Divine Stone was the highest quality obtained from the Moonlight Fairies’ legacy, but now the Legion had gained the ability to mass-produce such Divine Stones.
A Legionnaire approached and handed her something.
Seeing it, Kang Do-yeon received it with a tense expression.
“The strongest sword.”
A special sword created by mixing crushed Divine Stones from the Legion’s armor.
As it began to resonate with the Divine Stone that served as her heart, it started to shine with a reddish hue.
[It’s time to advance forward again.]
“…Understood.”
Receiving the command, Kang Do-yeon turned her body at last.
Energy was insufficient.
As the Legion’s size, brain, and new power grew, the required energy increased exponentially.
To satisfy this hunger, it was natural to devour anything.
[Since the Legion’s sword has gone off to war, shouldn’t the Legion’s brain have its tasks as well?]
“I’ve already seen it. And I’ve remembered it all.”
While the Legion’s claws and teeth, its Legionnaires, moved tirelessly.
The Legion was fiddling with a phone.
Before the battery died, it had to memorize everything contained within.
But the Legion’s brain was now much larger and faster than a mere phone.
[So, have you obtained all the knowledge you desired?]
“No.”
The Legion firmly shook its head.
The science books, humanities books, engineering books that were crammed into the phone.
In a fleeting moment, it read through all of them, but they did not captivate the Legion at that moment.
Mechanical engineering, scientific technologies, and philosophies were merely reference materials to the Legion, which was entirely different from Earth’s humans.
In fact, it found the creative works infused with human imagination or the Bible it had requested earlier far more interesting.
It believed that the history they were creating together would become myth.
“But in fact, there’s nothing about ‘the beauty he thinks of.'”
[…]
For now, most attention was directed elsewhere.
The Legion had also heard what he said to his sister.
Not realizing that it was essentially a message to itself, it thought only that it had gained useful information, but finding the answer was not easy.
“What does beauty mean?”
The Legion, having removed its mask, touched its own face.
A face identical to Kang Do-yeon’s.
Certainly, Kang Do-yeon was known for her beauty among those around her, but the ‘most important counterpart’ didn’t even think of her as pretty, simply considering her as a living being.
Thus, from the Legion’s perspective, Kang Do-yeon’s face was not beautiful at all.
‘More data.’
Ultimately, the conclusion the Legion reached was no different than before.
Gather more data to create a new body.
