A Legion Grows From My Smartphone - Chapter 37: Secrets of the World (3)

[The survivor we managed to find in these ruins was not sane. Therefore, the legion decided to halt their reconnaissance and deployed a legionnaire to subdue her.] A versatile legionnaire was urgently deployed.

Although the opponent did not seem to be in a normal state, our side had a height of 2 meters and a strength that surpassed that of an orc several times over. [We planned to engage in a one-on-one fight to assess her strength.] The legionnaire, who had arrived without hesitation, approached the target. But at that moment…

“Impossible.”

The one who rushed forward first was actually the opponent.

The legionnaire extended its arm and grabbed the enemy, who was running towards it like a madwoman, screaming wildly. Due to the difference in height and arm length, the opponent was completely suppressed. “Kyaak! Kiik…”

However, the undaunted opponent gnashed her teeth and screamed wildly within the grip of the legionnaire. [Her state of insanity is similar yet different to the enemies affected by the curse. At least, we didn’t feel any strange power.] The woman, who didn’t seem to tire, continued to struggle.

Watching her made me increasingly uncomfortable.

[We should be able to understand more after subduing and analyzing her. However, an unexpected situation occurred at this point.] The variable occurred then.

The woman, who had been struggling wildly, suddenly paused and bit the hand of the legionnaire that was holding her.

[The entire body of the legionnaire is covered in armor, and the exposed joints are treated with rough and tough skin to enhance defense. However, this attack was strong enough to cause a slight scratch on the skin of the finger joint. Of course, in a normal state, such a barely visible scratch would be meaningless.] “What’s happening..?” [See for yourself.]

This video was a record of what had already happened.

Suddenly, the playback speed slowed down, and the screen began to zoom in. More, even more.

Beyond the finger that filled the screen.

Only when the screen was magnified as if looking through a microscope, could I understand what was happening.

[A war at the cellular level is not new, we’ve experienced it before. The problem is that the cells of the current legionnaire have mostly removed their autonomous functions for energy efficiency, so they were defenseless.]

“No way, this…” [It’s not poison mixed in with her saliva. It’s countless living bacteria. The toxins they emit weaken the skin of the legionnaire, and that’s how she was able to scratch it with her weak teeth.] “It’s a zombie!”

No matter how I looked at it, it was a zombie.

A creature from fiction that bites people and infects them. Two types of cells were now visible on the screen.

On one side were the original normal cells, and on the other were the invaders.

These bizarre invaders shot out thorn-like structures at the sight of healthy cells, eventually piercing and killing them.

[The affected cells have all their organs destroyed and soon become part of them. The overall action is similar to that of cancer cells.] The screen zoomed out again.

The legionnaire’s arm was swelling and twisting wildly.

The enemies that had spread throughout the body via the bloodstream soon took over and transformed the entire body of the legionnaire.

[Interesting. Although it infects other cells, it can be considered rapid growth. Moreover, even though the legionnaire does not have a brain to control its body, they continued to erode without any problems. We can’t be sure yet, but it’s at least a possibility of another fhive consciousness’ besides us.]

“Is it right to find this interesting..? Can we respond to this? Our legionnaire is now pointing a sword at us.” […Of course.] The video ended there.

What was visible now was in real-time. “We can win this!”

Kang Do Yeon, who was running, appeared on the screen.

I clenched my fists tightly, fearing for my sister’s safety in that moment. [Don’t worry. The legion won’t put your sister in danger.] “How can you be so sure? The legion is still…” [Because she’s your sister. I assure you, the legion doesn’t want to see you sad.] I was at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Kang Do Yeon pointed her sword at the charging infected legionnaire and leaped off the ground.

[Can a legionnaire, who has left the legion’s embrace, exert even half of its power? They are beings designed solely with the legion’s teeth and claws.] Kang Do Yeon’s sword split the opponent in half.

Indeed, even to my eyes, the movements of the legionnaire not under the legion’s control were pathetic.

“We’ve secured a sample. The question is whether we can analyze it or not. It could be a biological weapon that could backfire.” [Of course, we can analyze it. Only other creatures are helpless against those unidentified bacteria. Our legion, capable of manipulation down to the cellular level, will be the only worthy adversary against those tiny predators that have severed a brilliant civilization and race.] It’s a bold claim. As such, I have no choice but to believe.

“I’d like to watch more, but I guess I can’t.” [As always, any peculiarities will be notified and recorded, so it doesn’t matter.] I had to turn off my phone there. *

Before long, the target made her appearance. “A unit…?!”

“Mr. Shin Woo, as you’re aware, my current position prevents me from acting recklessly.” This was during my meeting with Cha Ji Yeon when she made her request. She proposed a deal. “Thanks to you, I’ve discovered a unit. However, I can’t act recklessly, so I’ve essentially given up on activities in Korea.” “…I see. In South Korea, those with lightning abilities are few and far between.” “However, my player has promised that if you succeed in this request, they will reward you with this.” She handed me an object. It was a stone carving, reminiscent of what I had seen during our first encounter.

“What exactly is this?”

“It’s a mana stone. A treasure crafted by my player, inscribed with a spell.”

She began to explain the concept of a mana stone. As I listened, my thoughts drifted to the gem embedded in the Vajra that the legion had discovered. Engraving complex spells on an energy-filled mineral to activate them. Wasn’t it a similar concept? “Will it be useful?” “Yes, you should take it. But that’s not the real prize here.”

I nodded in agreement. The true objective wasn’t such a reward. It was to gain recognition and secure a spot in the upcoming gate expedition. Whatever I could obtain from there would undoubtedly aid the legion’s rapid growth.

“So…”

“Don’t worry too much.” She said, her blue eyes darkened with concern. It was understandable. The version of me she knew didn’t seem to be faring well. “Thank you. Until next time.”

But at that moment, I was more composed than ever. I had turned my sister, who was on the brink of death because of me, into part of the legion. Everything else paled in comparison. Even murder.

Whether it was a unit or a player, the moment they engaged with this app, they were stepping into the wilderness1, weren’t they? Killing and being killed was the law of this ecosystem. If I didn’t kill, I would be killed.

“Oh, it’s me. I’m going in now.”

Snapped back to the present, my target strolled past me, engrossed in his phone conversation. At first glance, he was just an ordinary large man. But according to the information Cha Ji Yeon had given me, he was a unit under a player’s command.

I took a swig from the water bottle, downing the potion I had prepared. * [He has embarked on his mission now. Solely for you.] “…That’s a lie. He doesn’t know about me.” [Why haven’t you revealed your existence to him?] Why indeed?

This question made me ponder.

From the moment I became aware of him, I yearned for an encounter, a connection.

Yet now, when I have the means to make it happen, I hesitate. “What is a…god? A god is…” Kang Do Yeon introduced me to the concept of a god.

Her explanation was verbose, typical of an ordinary high school girl, but it had a core truth. And the legion made a decision.

[If he’s not a god, then what is he to you?] “I don’t know.”

The legion frowned behind its mask.

An expression of emotion, as Kang Do Yeon had taught me. Who is he?

He’s not a god. He’s a parent, but not a parent. A player? A unit?

Yes, he’s a unit within the system, but that’s not how the legion perceives him. “One.”

I murmured softly, placing a hand on my chest.

We are connected by a single link, our souls intertwined.

We can share each other’s emotions. The more we develop, the stronger this connection becomes. He has been involved with me since I was a single cell.

The entire legion, including the nest, pulsed with this realization. “We are one.” […The sample has arrived at the nest. It’s time to dissect and analyze the new enemy.] Nothing is clear yet.

The legion, having finished its contemplation, shifted its focus. The corpse that Kang Do Yeon had slaughtered and brought.

There was still information about the enemies within that corpse.

[If we’re not careful, they could infect the nest in return, but that’s only if we lose the war.] The legion began the digestion process as it always did.

As the body was absorbed into the flesh wall of the nest, the surviving bacteria recognized the new cells as prey and attacked. To infect and multiply their own kind.

But this time was entirely different from before.

[Our cells, fortified with cell walls and equipped with tentacles and pincers, swarmed the invaders.] In the end, it was no different from the wars we had waged so far.

The legion faithfully exterminated and disassembled the enemies. Faster and stronger than the rate of infection.

1 – E/N: RS reference?