Chapter 70 – Monsters of the Abyss (9)
The moment I saw the world outside the cave for the first time, I made a vow: [Can I handle this?]
“Y-Yeah, I kind of expected it.”
I may have turned off the screen, but the truth is, I was secretly watching and pulling my hair out. It was true that I felt a bit relieved seeing their effort to create a video to inform me, but I was not complacent.
That was the innate nature of the Legion that couldn’t be stopped.
After transferring the video of the Legion’s Arcane Arts lecture, which my sibling had sent, into my phone, I focused back on the screen.
“So. The Legion that emerged from the Abyss declared it would devour the world. For that, it would take action.”
[Look at the screen. The priority is information, and they are currently acting to acquire it.]
The Legion does not hesitate. There is no need for a discussion for military decision-making. Once a decision is made, they press onwards without any openings.
A few special flying types split off, cutting through the darkness and crossing the levels.
The view of scouts watching the Mages appeared on a portion of the screen.
The golems they controlled seemed busier than usual, but those Mages would have to confirm their judgment by looking at the perspective of those golems, which were essentially a kind of CCTV.
“@#%~₩.”
“&%^(~@? #####.”
However, seeing the shamelessness of the Mages chatting and giggling as if they weren’t concerned, it didn’t seem necessary to worry, even if I couldn’t understand their language.
How much were they underestimating this labyrinth to be so relaxed?
“Is it a bit hypocritical to pray for their souls?”
I didn’t know how much power they truly possessed, but predicting that the outcome wouldn’t be good, I smiled bitterly.
“@%?”
[A small flying type of the Legion has successfully infiltrated the ceiling of the 100th level. They still haven’t noticed it.]
The small flying type that the Legion dispatched resembled a bat, except for its stinger tail and had fur all over.
This legionnaire, with four membranous wings, crawled upside down on the ceiling.
Then it opened its mouth wide and began silently dispersing a biological gas.
[The gas contains an infection bacterium enhanced to the extreme through battles with the Devouring Fungus. While the Moonlight Fairies are immune to airborne infections due to sharing the power of the Sacred Tree, what about humans?]
“Zoom in on the screen.”
Peeking outside the barracks, I zoomed in on the screen.
Once the zoomed-in screen showed a microscopic view, the bacterial legionnaires flying through the air became visible.
They scattered in the air and began to stick naturally to the respiratory systems and the mucous membranes of the Mages.
“Ah-choo!”
With a sneeze and tears, the body’s defense mechanism immediately acted, starting to repel the bacterial legionnaires that were secreting toxins to attack surrounding cells.
Of course, that wouldn’t be enough to stop them.
[It seems that due to the special power they possess, this method of infection seems impossible for them.]
Suddenly, the bacterial legionnaires began to perish.
The Mages were simultaneously startled, brushing their chests as if they sensed something, exchanging glances.
[Then there’s no choice but to directly inject a large amount of powerful and heavy infection bacteria into their veins.]
Of course, the Legion had only encountered a blockage in one of their several plans.
The flying types positioned on the ceiling stealthily aimed their tails at their respective targets.
“@?%.”
“%…”
The Mages seemed not to care too much and returned to their tasks.
At that moment, the aimed stinger tail erupted with a bang, and the embedded stinger was launched at an incredible speed.
“Ugh!?”
The stinger pierced deep into the neck. It was thicker and longer than a syringe needle, and the reverse-facing serrations were hooked into the flesh, making it hard to pull out.
“@%^~!”
They rushed in panic toward their comrades, who had suddenly been targeted in their necks, heads, and shoulders, clutching their wounds.
[Those injected directly, unlike the airborne ones, are different. Stronger and bigger. They won’t succumb to the weak Formancy equivalent to a heartbeat.]
“Ugh…”
The wound on the suffering victim began to darken rapidly, as black veins surfaced along the surrounding blood vessels.
The cellular warfare was now the Legion’s specialty.
The eyes of the victims, as they were torn apart and devoured by their own cells while still alive, rolled back as their bodies trembled grotesquely.
Meanwhile, the Mages, who had to make decisions, were startled by the sudden sniper attack and lost their golden time in a fluster.
“Ugh!”
Eventually, a legionnaire that had spread to the central nervous system and brain completely took over the body’s control.
The victims sprang up and attacked their comrades, biting and tearing at them.
“Ah… Aaaah!”
“Gahh!”
The blood-curdling screams made my brow furrow involuntarily.
It was far more gruesome than any zombie movie, which was hard to watch with composure. After all, this wasn’t some film.
[They’re not fools, so of course they resist.]
In the midst of this, one man, who seemed to have quickly regained his senses, threw a fireball at a colleague charging at him.
The power was substantial. The explosion that erupted with a bang was equivalent to a grenade.
Moreover, the man performed complex movements with his hand and created several fireballs simultaneously to hurl at them.
[The Legion is measuring their strength.]
“…Honestly, they look pretty strong.”
I was slightly taken aback. It was stronger and faster than the magic I had imagined.
Now, the last man left began taking down each of his comrades charging at him one by one.
“I’m going to lose track of them at this rate!”
Muttering something, he cast another spell on himself. Becoming faster, he punched the face of a colleague charging at him, shattering their nose.
Despite fighting, he was now just one step away from stepping out of the cave.
Finally, he shot a blazing flame spear at his last remaining colleague, bursting their upper body apart, and began to turn his body to flee in terror.
[No, I will never let you escape.]
However, he couldn’t escape. A spear that tore through the air shattered the translucent barrier surrounding his body and pierced through.
The spear, made of dark red energy and composed entirely of dark red ore, had been thrown by a higher-tier legionnaire that had reached this place without my noticing.
“Wh-when did you…”
As I muttered in a daze, this higher-tier legionnaire folded its wings and walked over to retrieve its spear.
[Having neutralized everyone as planned, the only thing left is to acquire information.]
“@…”
The legionnaire grasped the trembling head of the man who was coughing blood.
I sighed inwardly. Now that he was in the Legion’s grasp, he wouldn’t be able to die even if he wanted to. The wound from the infection bacteria was already in the process of healing unevenly.
[The Legion will utilize them to gain information about this world and them, then move in earnest.]
“…Turn off the screen. If there are any unusual occurrences, inform me immediately.”
I turned off the screen. The scenes that would unfold next were predictable, and I didn’t want to see every last detail of them.
“Shin Woo, are you inside?”
“Yes. Please come in.”
Considering I wouldn’t be able to watch any further, I let Chae Yeon, who was making a commotion outside, in. However, she wasn’t alone.
Chris, a member of Evolution, was with her.
*
“Guardian Alliance.”
“It’s honestly a bit funny, but yeah… I don’t really want to insult them. Anyway, they are impressive compared to us.”
Chris snickered as he sipped his coffee.
What those two conveyed to me was none other than the cooperation between Evolution and the Guardian Alliance.
Knowing that the core of the Guardian Alliance was the Player and the Unit, it was a somewhat unexpected choice for me.
I had thought their players were quite arrogant and closed-minded.
“They’re impressive people, but that also makes them crazy. At the same time, the current situation isn’t that good either. You probably know, but the monsters are uniting around the units and are acting like absolute bastards. Here the situation is actually better? One of the Eastern European allied legions is reportedly being annihilated.”
“Annihilated?”
“The Overlords we commonly refer to as Minotaurs were units too.”
After Chris finished speaking, he chuckled lightly.
Muscle-bound monsters with the head of a bull, the Overlords were A-grade monsters over 3 meters tall that could easily crush orcs in terms of physicality. A chill ran down my spine.
“With the situation turning this grim, the people’s sentiment has shifted towards the Guardian Alliance. They promised to offer help unconditionally, and many hunters and people are already joining them. Their only goal is simple: to gather and save people.”
“That’s why they’re crazies. They don’t even care about subtleties. Those terror groups in the Middle East, which powerful nations have consistently turned a blind eye to, were wiped out overnight by them. They emphasize global unity, but they seem like some kind of religious group.”
Chris added with a shudder at Chae Yeon’s words.
I couldn’t respond; I remained silent. For a moment, Ji Chang-hyun’s face flashed through my mind. Did he and his Player really value that more than the game?
“The situation is getting complex. Separate from this damned death game.”
Chris downed the last of his coffee.
