A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 12

“There’s a goal now?”

[This is the footage observed the moment you fell asleep.]

I checked my mobile phone inside the moving train.

The footage, supposedly observed yesterday, ended with a gigantic lizard spewing a massive fireball towards the screen.

“So?”

[As always, the swarm rejoiced. A stronger opponent means an adversary that will make us stronger.]

“…There’s potential, right?”

[The enemy has grown larger and stronger, but so have we.]

The swarm had already defeated one of the Earth Dragons before.

And they had steadily claimed its legacy as their own.

At the same time, they obtained a wealth of information and combined them with overwhelming computational abilities.

I had started to think that the swarm might already be smarter than me.

[Behold. These are the strongest soldiers the swarm has created.]

The screen displayed figures emerging from cracked eggs.

The base was a lizard, naturally.

To date, they were the strongest entities within the swarm’s database.

However, their appearance differed significantly from ordinary lizards.

[These were created using the most powerful elements acquired recently.]

The dark blue carapace shimmered.

That carapace wasn’t the ordinary one they had been using until now.

It incorporated the turtle shell obtained from hunting turtles, enhanced with the Earth Dragon’s scales they had recently assimilated.

The design deviated from the usual scale-like texture for efficiency’s sake.

Instead of full-body plate armor, it was more economical to apply sturdy armor selectively.

“They’re bigger too. Looks like we can win this.”

Moreover, the swarm’s accumulated experience had reached a level where they could handle larger creatures adeptly.

The soldiers marched confidently through the passageway.

It seemed as though rumors had already spread throughout this Grand Stratum, as not even a single insect dared to approach the territories we had claimed.

[The Earth Dragon’s location is under constant surveillance. From the start, it was never unintelligent. It has sensed the anomaly, sniffing the air and detecting the changes, raising its guard.]

“Is it going to run?”

[It is an arrogant tyrant.]

The observed image of the Earth Dragon revealed a creature surveying its surroundings from a safe distance, where its flames could not reach.

It was fortunate that such a creature was solitary.

If Earth Dragons like it swarmed, even the swarm would likely have no way to handle them.

[From the beginning, we, who can only evolve by devouring, have always been weak when it comes to the individual strength of each soldier. But we combine and evolve. We surpass our limits. Above all, we are the swarm.]

The swarm’s scouts began drawing the creature’s attention in earnest.

This was not an ambush in the cavern.

It was a direct confrontation in the vast passageways of this Grand Stratum.

[The victor of this battle will most likely become the ruler of this Grand Stratum. But the swarm was confident. A part of this Grand Stratum had already become part of us, and the arrogant tyrant would fall from its throne today.]

The Earth Dragon, distracted by the scouts flying chaotically in the sky, slowly began to move.

Even so, it continued sniffing the air and watching its surroundings carefully.

[It’s futile. We are already aware that it possesses highly sensitive sensory organs. After all, we also have the genetic information of the Earth Dragon lineage. There was no ambush in the open passage.]

“Gruhh…”

The Earth Dragon bared its teeth and growled.

The soldiers were openly marching toward it.

Would it stand and fight, or acknowledge its defeat and flee?

[We have already acquired partial resistance to fire.]

The creature spewed a fireball.

But the days of being burned alive and swept away by flames were over.

The swarm soldier’s carapace, based on the turtle shell and made of the same material as the Earth Dragon’s scales, withstood the flames effortlessly.

“It’s backing off… It’s running away? You’re not chasing it?”

Ultimately, the Earth Dragon, perhaps feeling overwhelmed, slowly retreated, eventually turning its body and fleeing in haste.

However, the swarm did not pursue.

[It’s an efficient calculation. There are still plenty of Grand Stratum regions left to assimilate. Even if it escapes now, it will be hunted sooner or later. That’s the conclusion.]

Although it wasn’t captured, in any case, we had won.

What followed was the swarm’s typical devouring and slaughter, now free from interference.

This Grand Stratum was gradually becoming ours.

[The swarm expressed its greed. What might lie in the next stratum, in the next world?]

There was indeed a passage leading upward.

According to explanations, the swarm was beginning to feel a desire to see the end of this vast cave.

The foundation of this desire was, of course, their voracious appetite.

“Hmm…”

That evening, I turned on my computer with my mobile phone beside me and checked the internet.

I mainly looked at the news.

Especially the ones causing a stir lately.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but be concerned.

“They say there’s been a sudden increase in Hunters advancing in rank. Experts don’t know why, and even the individuals themselves claim they’re unaware. It’s a mystery, but I can’t shake a dreadful thought.”

[…Why ask me about it?]

“Various species… Does that include various Players? Be honest. Does that variety include humans?”

To others, it would sound like an absurd delusion.

A bizarre and strange thought.

It was something I wouldn’t have even imagined if not for the app installed on my mobile phone.

[All possibilities are open.]

“Am I just overthinking things?”

Even after over ten years of research, so little about Hunters and Gates had been properly revealed.

[Even if that were the case, what’s the issue?]

“What?”

[Your ‘duty,’ and our ‘duty,’ remain unchanged no matter what happens around us.]

It was true. There was nothing to argue against.

If my suspicion turned out to be true, then at this point, there was only one thing left for me to do.

I had been too complacent until now.

[Others won’t know. About us crawling up from the lowest layer. Look at the screen.]

“This is…”

[Something rather interesting is happening in this cave. Fascinating… Truly fascinating. It appears to be traces of a new faction, the first since the White Cave Ant colony.]

The screen showed traces of blood and battle discovered by the scouts.

For the first time, the swarm’s thought process slowed, as though buffering.

It was because these were traces they had never encountered before.

And I was equally shocked.

It was entirely possible that the Earth Dragon we had driven away had been hunted.

But the fact that the hunters used metal weapons was a shock even for me.

“…A needle? An awl?”

Especially if those metal weapons were items I found familiar.

[Do you feel a sense of discord?]

“Even if I were to concede a hundred times, if such a faction exists, this crosses the line.”

How could they mine and forge metal in this cave?

And more perplexing was the concept of needles, typically used for making clothes, being utilized as weapons.

“It’s another Player.”

[And they are our enemy. Remember this. For now, they have not developed to the point of interacting with the swarm. They have not even acquired language yet. Thus, as always, the swarm will seek to devour the enemy.]

“…Will we lose?”

How on earth did they manage to hunt the Earth Dragon?

They used needles as weapons, leaving small tracks compared to the lizards of this Grand Stratum, with even traces of dragging their tails behind them.

This meant they were a group capable of employing tactics, using tools, and waging wars.

If they could hunt an Earth Dragon, it indicated they had considerable strength.

[Fortunately, the swarm had already accumulated its own set of experiences. This is a new type of enemy. Gathering information—that is the top priority, as always.]

The likelihood of them knowing our identity was low.

There were no signs of them coming down below.

From the beginning, the swarm’s voracious appetite was the purpose of its species.

That’s why it had ascended this far with irresistible momentum, but for others, there would be no need to take such risks.

*

“Hey! Aren’t you staring at your mobile phone too much lately? You’re not listening to me again, are you?”

“Huh?!”

The noisy classroom was as lively as ever.

Kang Do-Yeon furrowed her brows and finally said something to her friend.

Startled, her friend, Oh Yoon-Ah, quickly turned off her mobile phone and flinched.

“What kind of game is so captivating? Or are you checking something like coins all the time?”

“No, it’s not like that. I won’t look anymore.”

Oh Yoon-Ah apologized for not focusing on her friend’s words and only staring at her mobile phone.

Kang Do-Yeon had a face full of dissatisfaction but couldn’t say much more.

“I mean, there was a time when I was also glued to dramas…”

“It’s not like a drama.”

“Then what is it exactly?”

With a faint chuckle, she brushed it off as if it was no big deal.

Oh Yoon-Ah, however, twisted her lips in an exaggerated way.

“Something… really fun. Once you’re hooked, you can’t escape. A very, very fun game. There’s a whole other world there.”

“…Are you kidding me? You sound like an actual addict.”

“Of course.”

Muttering in a briefly dark tone, Oh Yoon-Ah nodded brightly when her friend, slightly flustered, awkwardly laughed.

‘Tattoo?’

When the bell rang and everyone returned to their seats, Kang Do-Yeon noticed something on her friend’s hand, which had been covered by a cardigan.

A black mark engraved on the back of the hand.

In truth, small tattoos or body painting were not unusual among students these days, but she felt strangely uneasy upon seeing that mark.

The reason was that she had seen something similar recently.

Sitting down with a slightly restless feeling, she opened her book and focused on class, allowing her mood to shift naturally.