A Legion Grows From My Smartphone - Chapter 20: The Game Board (3)

– If we’re not careful, the nightmare from ten years ago could repeat itself.

I stared blankly at the article, reading and rereading it, before sighing. Ten years ago, our response system was still in its infancy. Monsters had slaughtered countless people. The situation was dire.

“It’s not against the rules to discuss the game, is it?”

[Indeed. After all, you are the ones who will bear all the responsibility.]

“..They’re still in the dark?”

I scrolled further down. This was the only topic of conversation lately. Evolving monsters, or as they were commonly known, mutants. To those unfamiliar with the situation, it could indeed be baffling. But to be accurate, they weren’t mutants. They grew, interacted, and learned. There hadn’t been any reports of such mutants in Korea yet, but they could appear at any time.

“How is the legion faring? How much more does it need to grow before we can communicate?”

Desperation surged within me as the situation escalated. I bit my lip. I had inquired if it was feasible to extract information from even a fragment of a higher entity’s body. The response, however, was that complete restoration was beyond the legion’s current interpretive capabilities. This implied that even if I sent my blood, teeming with my genes and cells, the legion couldn’t replicate a human from that alone.

[When communication will be possible, no one knows. It could be right now, or it could be in the distant future. But rest assured, it is your role to control it.]

My role. I glanced at the sample slot I still had available. I was somewhat prepared. If the monsters appeared, I planned to find them and take samples.

I

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a loud siren echoed from outside.

*

“Are we sure it’s around here?”

Cha Ji Yeon, having driven her car into the bustling street, parked it and placed a small stone in her palm. The stone hummed and vibrated. It was the signal she had finally caught after scouring more than half of Seoul. Based on this signal, she had roughly determined the range of her target.

[It’s impossible to find the exact location. However, if you approach within a close range, you should be able to spot any suspicious individuals.]

“Understood.”

She exited the car. Her unique appearance began to attract attention from the surrounding crowd. Ignoring their stares, she moved on, donning a hat and sunglasses. Two schools, numerous apartments and shops, a subway station, and more. Despite narrowing down the range, there were still too many potential targets.

However, she was being watched. Not just her, but also an unknown entity that trailed behind her. The creature, its vision shared with a sparrow circling the sky, bared its sharp teeth and smirked.

“…The location has been fixed for several hours now. So it’s not a passerby, but a house, school, or self-employed person?”

Cha Ji Yeon, who had been wandering around the neighborhood, racked her brain to infer potential candidates. This area was a typical bedroom community, so if someone stayed in one place on a weekday morning, she could identify a few potential candidates.

[Oh no.]

The tranquil morning was abruptly fractured. She raised her head as the sound of distant screams echoed.

“A sudden gate!”

“A goblin! But their appearance…”

Her hunter’s acute hearing precisely picked up the faint screams. From the people’s shouts, she grasped the situation.

[A coincidence? Definitely not a coincidence. Dodge them. They’re after you.]

“…So you had to cause a scene.”

With a click of her tongue, she instinctively ran towards the source of the screams. As a hunter, it was her duty to hunt monsters and save people.

[No, retreat immediately. You can’t create variables. That’s Carcos’s meaning.]

“People are dying! Because of us!”

[Unfortunately, such considerations are not a concern for your player.]

“Tsk…”

A sharp pain pierced her spine, making her wince. It was a warning. Her player, a clear powerhouse with mysterious powers, had bestowed its grace upon her from the beginning. It imposed restrictions, controlling her as its subordinate.

[Step back and assess the situation. Once their power is confirmed, then join in and earn merit.]

She was left with no choice but to heed the command. Despite the escalating screams, she bit her lip and dodged with haste.

“What kind of goblins are these…”

Just as Cha Ji Yeon evaded, monsters surged from the warped space, launching attacks on people without discrimination. They were roughly the size of elementary school children, their skin a dark green, their faces distorted. Their appearance resembled the goblins in creative works, hence they were referred to as goblins, a small group of monsters, rather than their official name. In reality, they were known as the weakest D-rank monsters, so weak that an average person could beat them in a one-on-one fight.

“This, this is…ugh.”

But the ones pouring out of the gate now were different.

They were no longer a mere beastly horde. A crude flag, inscribed with blood on old cloth, fluttered in the wind.

“•••! ! ”

Several policemen, who had been desperately firing their guns, fell to arrows shot from a powerful bow. They had evolved into an army. A commander with a long beard led the troops, releasing those who ran rampant for plunder and massacre, then organizing them into well-structured formations.

The commander sniffed the air, surveying his surroundings. Through a spell, he linked his field of vision to a bird soaring in the sky, a method to locate his target. However, the target he had been tracking had suddenly disappeared.

“•! ••!”

But it didn’t matter. After all, his purpose here was not merely to hunt a single enemy unit. He waved his baton, dispersing his soldiers.

“Kyaaak!”

“Hey, let go of this!”

Even those who were indiscriminately slaughtering did not kill certain targets but captured them. The targets of the hunt were females. From the beginning, goblins were a race that could not reproduce without females of other races.

A warrior at the forefront sniffed the air. People were frantically evacuating from a large building. The scent of prey was strong there.

“Hey, guys! Keep your wits about you and act according to the manual! To the shelter! You can’t go out now!”

The once tranquil school had descended into pandemonium. Sirens wailed incessantly, and distant screams echoed, but the evacuation had been unstable from the onset.

“Guys..!”

As the reality of the situation unfolded, the teacher’s control wavered. It wasn’t a matter of safety insensitivity, but rather extreme fear.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“You seem oddly calm? But shouldn’t we consider heading to the shelter?”

In the midst of this chaos, Kang Do Yeon found herself compelled to stay close to Oh Yoon Ah.

However, Oh Yoon Ah hesitated at Kang Do Yeon’s suggestion to quickly seek refuge in the shelter.

“What are you talking about?”

“If we make a mistake, we could end up slaughtered. It’s not that I don’t trust the manual. It’s just that I can’t be certain ‘’what kind of guys’ will emerge from the gate.”

Seeing her friend chuckle in such a situation, Kang Do Yeon frowned at the mention of slaughter. They were aware of the app and the game, but regardless, they were just ordinary high school girls.

“I’m not sure. Even if I want to take sides, it doesn’t seem wise to engage with the monsters spilling out of the gate.”

“Kyaaak!”

While Oh Yoon Ah was engrossed in her thoughts, something shattered the window of the chaotic corridor and flew in. The tip of an arrow, honed to a point like obsidian. Seeing it, Kang Do Yeon felt a chill run down her spine.

“It’s a goblin!”

A scream echoed, as if someone was being torn apart. The goblins, who had targeted the school, ignored all else and began to swarm over the wall like ants.

“Let’s run away.”

“Yeah.”

In that moment, they both agreed. One might wonder what a mere goblin could do to the steel doors of a shelter, but these two knew that these goblins were far from ordinary.

“Everyone, run outside… What are you doing?!”

“Don’t make a foolish decision now when you’ve been so sensible up to this point. If everyone runs outside together, it’s difficult to escape properly. And we don’t have time for that.”

Kang Do Yeon halted Oh Yoon Ah, who was attempting to evacuate the other students and teachers outside. Oh Yoon Ah was taken aback, not expecting her to say such a thing.

“..They’re our friends. Are you suggesting we use them as bait?”

“Use them as bait? Bait is used when hunting. We’re trying to survive.”

She was resolute. Despite being the one in charge, Oh Yoon Ah was overpowered by her determination and nodded. After that, they sprinted wildly down the corridor.

The goblins, who had already infiltrated from behind, began to slaughter those who resisted and capture students who couldn’t escape in time.

“Heeek…”

In the midst of all this, a goblin, grinning and holding a bloody sword, stood in front of them as they were going down the stairs. The victims were the school’s principal and the head of student affairs.

Even the new teachers, who had sworn to protect their students, abandoned them and fled. They were swiftly killed by the monster that had charged ahead.

“Protect me! That’s why I gave you power!”

“I know.”

A terrified Oh Yoon Ah cowered behind Kang Do Yeon, her small body shaking. Kang Do Yeon had no choice but to step forward. If they didn’t escape, they would die. Worse, they might endure even more horrific experiences. At least for now, they had a modicum of power.

The goblin sneered, brandishing his sword at her. It was a goblin’s sword, but it was as long as a machete.

‘’Please, pull yourself together.’

Kang Do Yeon fought to keep her composure. Each encounter with a monster, direct or indirect, resurrected the traumatic events of that fateful day. The chilling childhood memory that still haunted her.

“Hoo…”

The incident had left a deep scar on her psyche. These effects would occasionally trigger panic in certain situations.

“You disgusting monster bastard!”

At other times, it ignited a seething hatred and anger within her. The moment her anger overpowered her fear, she stomped on the ground. In a swift motion, she grabbed a fire extinguisher with one hand and accurately slammed it into the face of the goblin.

The sound of flesh bursting, bones crushing and breaking, and the clear impact reverberated throughout the area.