A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 19

“First of all, Units automatically consider any Unit from a different faction as an Enemy.”

Kang Do-Yeon began to calmly organize the explanation.

With my mouth sealed shut, I nodded.

“Likewise, Players also antagonize other Players. But here’s where the contradiction arises. What if the Opposing Player’s Units exist in a completely different world? On a different Server, for instance.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Units from the same world are always Enemies, but Players may not necessarily be.

In fact, depending on the situation, they could even form an alliance.

To target another Player from the same faction.

A chill ran down my spine.

“And those Units causing chaos on Earth right now—they’re unrelated to us. But think about it differently. What if the ones wreaking havoc on Earth are under the control of a Player from your world?”

“Not just the Units, but those kinds as well—they’d try to find and kill them.”

If a Player is killed, there’s no need to go through a War.

My head started to ache.

It’s far too complex and entangled.

“But what does that have to do with using Oh Yoon-Ah? Why does that put you in danger? Why are you getting hurt?”

“I don’t forgive them either. But Yoon-Ah doesn’t know anything about you anyway.”

The person slowly opened their mouth, their breath somewhat ragged, their gaze wavering.

“She prioritizes her own safety above all else and wants to interact with other Players. Players whose worlds don’t overlap with hers. Instead of staying still, she plans to move actively and expand her Faction.”

“She’s going to stick by your side all the time?”

“I’ll keep feeding her information. Until I find a more certain opportunity.”

There’s merit in taking the initiative.

Gathering information unilaterally and using it in reverse.

It’s reasonable. Yes, if you think efficiently and rationally, my sibling’s words are correct.

But if that’s the case, am I even human anymore, or just part of the Swarm?

“I’m worried about you.”

“…Then buy me some bread.”

The person smiled weakly.

In the end, I left the room as it was.

“Are you sure that person isn’t a Unit?”

[Correct. Units and Players are determined from the beginning. Additionally, those recruited, bound, or contracted do not influence the rules.]

Returning to the room, I dismissed the last remaining concern I had.

[Don’t blame yourself.]

“How can I not?”

[On the contrary, the objective has become clearer. Check this out. Your Account Level has risen to 3.]

Leveling up is ridiculously slow.

Still, it was fortunate that the number of Specimens and amount of Nutrients I could allocate had increased.

“…This is an investment.”

I shook an envelope containing one million won.

It was money earned by a young person risking their life. I hadn’t spent a single penny of it until now, but this time, I had to.

I fiddled with my Mobile Phone.

I still remembered the words, “It’s not the right time yet.”

But someday.

When that time comes.

I will hatch, feed, and nurture something.

Even if it’s a human.

[Do you want to see the Swarm? As it grows larger, the maintenance cost increases, but due to its Racial Trait, its Growth and digestion speed are equally fast.]

I checked the screen.

Indeed, the Swarm was erasing the traces of the Rats that used to fill the Grand Stratum.

Honestly, looking at the bigger picture, I wonder if there’s any lifeform in this Cave larger than us.

We had occupied two Grand Stratums and 20 Stratums in total.

“You won’t stop, will you?”

[Of course not. Victory is victory. There are still too many places left to consume.]

The Swarm collecting the Rats’ tools came into my view.

Oddly enough, they seemed to be in deep contemplation.

[Tools, an undeniably attractive concept. But do we really need to use them in the same way they do?]

“Who knows. There are limits for now.”

[Correct. The Swarm has reached the same conclusion.]

The Swarm abandoned the use of tools.

To be precise, they gave up on using tools acquired externally.

After all, steel was something we couldn’t produce ourselves.

[But there are alternatives. Someday, we might be able to create weapons harder and sharper than steel ourselves.]

“…That’s entirely possible.”

Keeping the concept of tools stored away, the Swarm sent Scouts into new areas.

[This entire region has already been devastated by the Rats. However, their corpses, as well as the Mushroom Houses and structures they built, are all digestible for us.]

The surroundings had become the Rats’ front yard.

Using the Species Preservation Right, they had fled somewhere—who knows where—but if they ran far enough, I doubt they could survive.

“Still, thanks to them paving the way, it won’t take long to consume everything.”

[Correct. Consuming their corpses will probably take longer… Look at this. A Scout has discovered something again.]

“What kind of nuisance is this?”

I checked the screen.

The Scout had found a pathway leading to the upper Stratum, already cleared by the Rats.

And at the end of the path, which they had claimed as their territory, something was there.

“Clearly a different route, but why did they block it off?”

A passage sealed tightly with large rocks, mushroom fragments, and soil.

It was undoubtedly the work of the Rats.

Circumstantially, this was the only path leading upward.

Which meant that the Rats had intentionally blocked off their only route to expand upward.

“Why would they do that? They were coming down without any issue. Or, if we hadn’t responded swiftly, would they have blocked the lower area too?”

[Unfortunately, the Swarm doesn’t have the capability to analyze data within brains. But the Swarm is aware that the Rats intentionally sealed that passage.]

“Then how do you plan to act?”

[Isn’t it obvious?]

The Swarm Soldiers began moving.

The strongest Soldiers were deployed to slowly break through the blockage.

[We do not stop. To halt means death. Our growth has become too vast to hesitate now.]

No matter what bizarre creatures might live beyond that passage.

We had to fight and consume.

“Of course, I trust you.”

And now, I wanted that too.

The Swarm needed to grow stronger.

To grow and become my strength.

[It’s almost cleared. The Scouts are entering through the faint opening now.]

As soon as a gap appeared, a few small Scouts slipped inside.

Simultaneously, the Scouts’ shared vision activated.

At first, it was an ordinary Cave.

An ordinary Cave, but…

[This time, the Swarm, using its initial experience of reaching a ‘Branch’ within a Grand Stratum, was less shocked. This place can definitely be described as part of the ‘Trunk.’]

“It’s overwhelming and incredible at the same time.”

It was indeed a Cave.

But it was only a Cave in appearance. I had never seen a Cave of this magnitude before.

Dense vegetation, including mushrooms as tall as ordinary trees, the towering ceiling tens of meters high, and the luminous stones sparkling like stars on that ceiling.

The caves I had seen until now were nothing more than child’s play.

[Is there a problem?]

“Not at all.”

I smirked.

In the end, it didn’t matter much what kind of place this was.

The Swarm would devour everything here anyway.

[The most important thing is whether there are rival Units. The next most important thing is whether there are Factions or individuals strong enough to oppose us.]

The Scouts roamed tirelessly.

Perhaps because the environment changed so rapidly, everything around us was new information.

“An Earth Dragon?”

Amidst it all, I spotted something familiar.

A massive, flame-spewing lizard the size of a car—the Red-Scaled Burrowing Dragon.

Once the ruler of the 10th Stratum, the lizard was crawling through the mushroom forest.

It was somewhat comforting to see a familiar face.

“Hmm?”

[As expected, this is the Upper Stratum. This is a place where creatures once confident in the lower layers can be hunted with ease.]

I blinked in surprise.

The once-mighty Earth Dragon had been hunted in an instant.

“…Well.”

The monster that had hunted the Earth Dragon was a giant Beetle.

Its size rivaled that of the Earth Dragon.

What I had thought was a nearby rock was actually the Beetle’s carapace, covered in dust.

A world where common sense didn’t apply.

That was this Cave.

[We haven’t scouted the entire area yet, but there don’t seem to be any Factions worth mentioning. Which means there are no threats capable of hindering us in this Middle Stratum.]

The Cave blocking the passage was completely destroyed.

As expected, the Swarm immediately took action.

Maintenance costs were a factor. The sooner, the better.

[We don’t charge in recklessly. We are beings that learn. The experiences we’ve accumulated are all recorded in our history.]

“We’ve already been through a proper War.”

I agreed.

This had gone beyond the concept of simple group hunting.

By mixing various Unit Types to maximize combat efficiency, these were no longer mere hunters but a force assembled solely for War.

The Soldiers of the Swarm, who had transformed from predatory hunters into a sharp, cold military force, began to swarm the Beetle devouring the Earth Dragon.

[Its carapace is quite sturdy. Even more so than the carapaces of the creatures from the Lower Stratum that we possess. Which makes it all the more desirable.]

The Beetle, trusting its shell, quickly burrowed into the ground, adopting a defensive posture.

Most Predators would have given up at this point.

But not us.

The Swarm persistently harassed the creature and eventually succeeded in flipping it over.

Watching it get dismembered alive, I frowned.

[It’s nothing significant, is it? No matter how much it evolves, it’s just a large beast. It can’t possibly compare to us.]

“…You’re not stating your personal opinion, are you? You’re speaking from the Swarm’s perspective, right?”

[Correct. Did you sense something?]

Sense something? I hesitated for a moment as I watched the Black Wave gradually engulf the Cavern.

“What if it becomes arrogant?”

The Swarm had clearly developed the seeds of Emotion during the last battle.

This creature, still in its infancy, becoming arrogant and twisted was not something I wanted to see.