A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 11

[Competition among players is natural.]

“Then how am I supposed to protect myself? The Swarm is…”

[That doesn’t matter. What’s important now is simply gaining strength. You just have to avoid dying stupidly.]

The screen changed.

Although uneasiness still lingered within me, I calmed myself with the thought that the game was still in its early stages.

[You survive, and the Swarm grows stronger. That is each one’s role. And when everyone performs their duties well, our collective strength becomes greater. Look at the screen.]

Following its words, I checked the screen.

The Swarm was observing some kind of creature.

“What is that?”

[The Swarm scoured the area to make up for its lacking stats. It discovered a fungus. Interestingly, this fungus spreads spores onto the carcasses of beasts and reproduces there.]

A peculiar-looking mushroom was growing on what appeared to be a pile of organic matter.

The organic matter consisted of bones, hides, and scales.

“Wait, could that be…”

[Correct. Those blue scales are from the Blue-Scaled Twin-Headed Wyvern, which we couldn’t digest. That mushroom possesses the ability to break down even those steel-like scales.]

A path had revealed itself.

The Swarm immediately mobilized its soldiers, attempting to hunt the mushroom.

[True to its unique defense mechanism, the fungus began to harden its body to the same composition as the scales. The soldiers’ teeth, poison stingers, and claws were ineffective.]

“Then what now?”

[We had to find it. A creature capable of attacking with enough power to pierce those scales. The Swarm expanded its reconnaissance. It then discovered that turtle.]

A turtle appeared on the screen.

It was hard to even call it a turtle.

Its size was ordinary compared to other creatures, but as it submerged itself in the water, it suddenly stretched its neck and snapped at one of the lizard-shaped Swarm soldiers acting as bait.

In one bite, it crushed the soldier.

[Based on the Swarm’s judgment, the bite force of the Cave Long-Necked Turtle should be able to crush the Scale-Covered Fungus. This method is far more efficient than collapsing the cavern to smother the fungus.]

The Swarm had found the answer.

It sought the most efficient and advantageous method.

“If possible, wouldn’t it be better to use something stronger and bigger, like a shark?”

[What’s important is proficiency in underwater combat.]

“I know.”

I headed to a bustling market.

The reason was simple: to buy fish.

I needed to obtain live fish to provide the Swarm with gills and swimming skills.

“What are you even planning to buy?”

“…Why did you come along?”

The issue was Kang Do-Yeon, my younger sister.

She insisted on coming with me when she heard I was going to the market.

Thankfully, as soon as we entered, Kang Do-Yeon was drawn to the bakery like she was hypnotized.

“How much is this?”

I immediately purchased a live fish from the aquarium section.

I requested the freshest one possible, and after paying, I took the fish to the restroom and snapped a photo with my camera.

[The small fish you provided became a specimen and template. This fish was an unfamiliar lifeform in this cavern. However, based on existing data, the Swarm deduced that the gills on the fish’s body were organs for underwater activity.]

The Swarm consumed the fish I offered and, using the newfound knowledge, began producing new soldiers.

These were specialized underwater combat units, far more adept than the current amphibians, who primarily relied on lung-based respiration.

Their purpose was to devour aquatic organisms.

“What’s this? You went out and came back already?”

“No? If you’re done shopping, let’s go.”

As Kang Do-Yeon returned holding a bag of bread, I lied without hesitation.

On the way home, I kept glancing at my mobile phone.

The new soldiers were already emerging from their eggs in the nest.

“…What’s that in your hand?”

“Huh? Oh, wait…hey!”

As we approached home, Kang Do-Yeon suddenly grabbed my hand, which was holding the mobile phone.

“Is that…a tattoo? Why does it look so weird?”

“It’s not like that!”

Flustered, I pulled my hand away and made an excuse.

Fortunately, she didn’t press further.

But the gleam in her eyes and the smirk on her lips suggested she thought she’d caught onto something.

[Are you planning to use the Assassination Authority?]

“Are you insane?”

I muttered in exasperation and headed straight home.

At least she wasn’t bold enough to immediately report it to our mother.

[The Swarm is ready. It’s time to hunt the targeted turtle.]

After returning to my room, I focused on my mobile phone again.

The new soldiers, which had rapidly matured, tore through their eggshells.

They were far from resembling fish. After all, only the gills were necessary.

Their bodies were streamlined for swimming, resembling local amphibians.

However, they had gills and a pair of sturdy, thick arms that allowed them to crawl on land.

[The turtle shell is certainly hard. However, compared to the Earth Dragon’s Scales, it is an easier opponent.]

The turtle, seemingly on alert, poked its head out of the water, huffing and puffing.

But all it met was a poison sting barrage meant to capture its attention.

[The turtle’s nerves were completely distracted. At the same time, the Swarm began submerging one by one into the water.]

The water was murky and dark, making it impossible to see.

Still, I could tell what was happening.

[The Swarm soldiers aimed their sharp teeth at the relatively softer fins and tail of the turtle. Feeling the pain, the turtle quickly retracted its neck and fins into its shell.]

“So, what now?”

[The conclusion is already drawn. The turtle cannot breathe underwater.]

A merciless pronouncement.

Even if it escaped to land, the other soldiers were lying in wait.

[The moment the turtle resurfaced to breathe, the waiting Swarm soldiers bit into its neck. Its desperate attempt to use its fins became its downfall, exposing more areas to be bitten.]

More brutal than a savannah documentary.

The mournful cries of the turtle being torn apart alive echoed through the cavern.

If that were a human…but even if it were, the Swarm would devour it just the same.

[This is not the end. Hunting the turtle was just one step. The true goal is to capture the fungus capable of digesting the Earth Dragon’s Scales.]

“…”

The Swarm moved relentlessly.

Come to think of it, this might be a first.

For the Swarm to deliberately and persistently hunt a specific target as part of a larger process.

[Correct. The Swarm is learning. It is refining its abilities to be more effective. It will thoroughly prepare to capture strong enemies and plan hunts to solve problems efficiently.]

A new soldier was being created.

This one inherited the bite force of the Cave Long-Necked Turtle.

Once preparations were complete, it would chew through the Scale-Covered Fungus and absorb its abilities.

“…I guess I’ll need to get a part-time job again.”

At the same time, I checked my bank account balance.

One way or another, it seemed like I’d need to spend money, so I might as well start preparing.

*

The cavern was already decimated.

The fallen corpses were gradually being enveloped by extending tentacles and would soon be digested.

Amidst it all, one mushroom remained steadfast.

It had withered all its external roots in response to the threats and encased itself in the hardest material it could absorb, holding its ground.

This is the translation result:

This was the survival strategy of the mushroom.

However, the enemy aiming to devour this mushroom had annihilated five entire caverns and massacred countless vegetation, all just to find the answer.

[The mushroom does not know. How strong the obsession and voracious appetite directed at it are.]

By chance, it had managed to absorb the hardest scales in the Grand Stratum, but that was all.

A large lizard slowly approached.

And then, it opened its mouth wide.

The mushroom tried to hold on, but it couldn’t withstand the bite force with its mimicry defense, which wasn’t even close to the original.

The scales began to crack.

The interior of the mushroom couldn’t endure the shock and burst apart.

[Now, even the hardest scales belong to us. But are we truly satisfied with just that? Absolutely not.]

The lizard chewed on the mushroom and spat it out into its nest.

Production and digestion were solely the nest’s responsibility.

However, the Swarm performing the digestion was simultaneously thinking and acting elsewhere.

[Another Earth Dragon…has become the next target of our Swarm.]

A creature twice the size of the Blue-Scaled Twin-Headed Wyvern.

A massive lizard with crimson scales lazily revealed itself in the Grand Stratum.

[Did it catch the scent? Did it sense the anomaly and come to trample us?]

The Earth Dragon sniffed the air, as if searching for something.

Though it resembled a lizard, it was surprisingly intelligent.

The Earth Dragons of this Grand Stratum possessed the most advanced brain tissue absorbed by the Swarm.

Its eyes glinted sharply.

It locked eyes with a black bird observing it from mid-air.

There were no ‘feathered creatures’ in this cave.

The bird, of course, was one of the Swarm’s scouts.

The creature opened its mouth wide and spewed a large fireball.

The fireball flew and exploded upon impact.

It shattered everything nearby.