Chapter 50
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Legion VS Legion (4)
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"Word is, they've finished setting up the garrisons at all the strongpoints."
Robert's usually laid-back voice had turned serious.
It was only natural. Once the chaotic preparation period was over and the full-scale operation began, we would have our own mission to carry out.
"The operation will start soon, and the troops will be on the move. As you know, our mission is to escort the researchers from Evolution."
Before being a group of Units, Evolution was also a company, a part of this society.
Their purpose was unknown, but in addition to their main force of Step-Up Hunters, they had also dispatched their own researchers here.
We were tasked with their security.
"It might seem like a cushy job, just rummaging through body parts after the fighting's done, but this isn't Earth. So everyone, stay sharp."
"You could really call this place the Demon World."
Our gazes turned outside.
Even with the sun up, the desolation of this vast wasteland, filled with nothing but rocks and dust, did not easily fade.
"No way it's all like this. I heard those things live off the land."
Just then, unmanned reconnaissance drones launched with a roar, streaking across the sky in unison.
Just like the Legion. Reconnaissance was the foundation of all action.
Even the relentless Legion, if it were stepping into a world for the very first time, would halt its advance to scout first.
"Once the reconnaissance is complete, one of the pre-established operational plans will be executed."
"Honestly, since it's not Earth, it'd be great if they could just fire off a few nukes."
"One of the justifications is rescuing the abducted people. You think they'd do that?"
Not long after the drones took to the sky, the main force began to move.
There was nothing for us to do yet.
I stared blankly at the departing vehicles.
Key Hunter assets, including Cha Ji-yeon and Chris, were mixed in with them, setting out as well.
"Honestly, do you think we'll lose? The problem before was that we couldn't attack first. The things that popped out of the Gates were just ambushing civilians, but now our side has the military."
One of the members, a man named Cox, spoke up with a smile.
His words weren't without basis.
In fact, numerous analyses had concluded that in a direct confrontation between armies, the firepower of Earth's military would overwhelm the enemy.
"I'm not so sure, honestly. If they were the same stupid monsters from before, you'd be right, but the recent ones are... different."
Robert's intuition was quite sharp.
I didn't think it would be an easy victory either.
There were over a dozen species of monsters presumed to be Units.
Having seen just how strong and how much a Unit could grow, I couldn't make a hasty judgment.
[Correct. The potential for growth. That is the greatest advantage held by Units and Players. A minor change, a catalyst, becomes an amplifier that triggers explosive growth.]
In this situation where it was difficult to take out my phone, text that others couldn't see was scrolling before my eyes.
The screen shifted.
The Legion was still at war with the variant Ruin Fungus.
It was a clean-up job, eliminating the beings that had destroyed an entire world.
It was an endless war of attrition, just like with the original Ruin Fungus, but the variants held a certain potential.
"Kieee..."
A sleek, slender body.
"Kyaaak!"
Large, hooked claws on four arms, and a tail that whipped around like a lash.
The only differences were that it shrieked while drooling saliva laced with deadly toxins, and its carapace was grayish-white.
I'd been startled by the incident with Cha Ji-yeon, but thankfully, the Legion was too busy to pay attention to anything else right now.
[It is a direct copy of the Legion's All-Purpose type, yet it is clearly a different, insane monster.]
With a swing of its hooked claws, the creature sliced through an All-Purpose legionnaire it was fighting and began to tear it apart indiscriminately.
"This is insane..."
It wasn't just the limbed All-Purpose types.
The appearance of the variant Ruin Fungus, which had looked like grotesque tumors, was gradually changing as the battle continued.
And the basis for that change was none other than the legionnaires they were fighting.
From Assault types based on various four-legged beasts, to Flight types that soared through the air, and even Artillery types that spat out poison spines or acid projectiles.
Those things were insane monsters. By repeatedly battling the Legion, they were absorbing and replicating everything the Legion had.
The Legion, on the other hand, had nothing to steal from them.
Compared to the Legion, they had started with nothing.
[Now, the only advantage the Legion holds over them is with the superior individuals who use Form Power via power cores.]
A wave of dark red energy erupted, incinerating and blowing away a dozen charging variant Ruin Fungus infected in a single blow.
The one who had unleashed that energy through her sword was the masked Kang Do-yeon.
When the creatures fired a barrage at her, two All-Purpose legionnaires standing guard beside her activated their defensive shields to block the attack.
...However, the ore attached to my sister's arm soon lost its light and fell off with a clink.
The Legion could use Form Power without any delay or calculation by utilizing its self-produced power cores, but that method had the drawback of needing constant recharging.
[The gap in the once-overwhelming exchange ratio is gradually narrowing. The Legion engaged in a war of attrition despite not knowing the enemy's total scale because it trusted in this overwhelming exchange ratio.]
"Then we'll lose."
[Correct. The current Legion is an entity with no fallback. Defeat means an immediate weakening of its forces. It must fight, and it must win.]
My heart sank.
The Legion, which had seemed invincible no matter the foe, was wavering.
And it was at the hands of beings that could be called its own kind.
'What do I have to do?'
A thought flashed through my mind.
To break through this situation, I had to do something.
"A variable."
I murmured as if possessed.
The Legion had already honed its legionnaires to be the strongest and most optimal using the data it had gathered.
To grow one step further, it needed new specimens.
I wasn't here for nothing.
I had to help the Legion.
*
"Sniff..."
A nose resembling a dog's twitched.
A roaring flying object was streaking across the high sky.
In the past, if they had been mere dumb beasts, they wouldn't have known.
But now, they knew it wasn't a bird, but a machine controlled by someone.
[The pact has been made. First, we clean up the most bothersome presences. Now, we move according to the plan.]
A voice echoed in their minds.
The one at the front bared its teeth and growled.
Gleaming eyes and a head that generally resembled a hyena's.
Walking on two legs with a hunched posture, they were low-level monsters once nicknamed "Gnolls" by the people of Earth.
"We, name, Ashukrud."
But contrary to the prejudice that they were incredibly stupid, clear language flowed from its snout full of sharp teeth.
The growling creature activated a device on its wrist.
Simultaneously, a blurry force field began to spread around them.
This device was a gift from their god.
Enveloped in the shimmering force field, their forms began to blend in with the surroundings and fade away.
"Move."
In that state, they began to move without a sound.
The enemy was already flocking here; their job was to lie in wait and ambush them.
The crescent sword in its hand glinted.
"All clear. No unusual movements."
"Good."
In the control room managing the drones, while the main force was on the move.
The people here could see the enemy territory observed by the drones as clearly as the back of their own hands.
"The scale is quite large, but it's just a settlement of pathetic Gnolls."
"If I had my way, I'd stick a few missiles in there. But you don't use an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken... no, to kill a damn dog."
The commander chuckled.
Honestly, it was a situation that invited carelessness.
The war with the monsters had been discussed many times over.
The idea that a modern army, heavily armed with contemporary weaponry, would lose a full-scale war to monsters with no decent weapons or equipment was absurd.
"...Huh?"
At least, until now.
Something flashed for a moment on the screen.
And then, a gleaming beam was fired, and the screen went black.
"Bri-Brigadier General...?"
A junior officer turned to him with wide, startled eyes.
But he was just as incapable of understanding the situation that had unfolded in an instant.
"The reconnaissance drone has been shot down."
The one who pointed out the reality of the situation was a foreign officer standing beside him.
"We have an emergency!"
"The main force is under attack!"
"Direction northeast, 120 kilometers! A large group has suddenly appeared and is marching this way at high speed!"
Furthermore, right after the drone was shot down, urgent reports began to pour in one after another.
"This is!"
"You know how it is, Chris. They must have had a plan, too."
The trouble started before they had even reached half the priority capture points.
Cha Ji-yeon secured the bottle in her hand inside her coat.
It was a gift from her Player, an item to be used to overcome a crisis that would one day come.
[They are Units. For now, fight.]
The Player's order came down.
She immediately got out of the vehicle.
"..."
At that moment, something flew toward the space between her eyebrows.
She snatched it out of the air with her bare hand.
Her hand throbbed.
What had been shot was a heavy arrow made of solid steel.
"Fire! Fire!"
"What the hell was reconnaissance... Gak..."
The sound of gunfire erupted madly from all directions.
The number of soldiers dying as their helmets and body armor were pierced by sporadic sniper fire increased.
The cannons of the armored units moving with them spat fire, launching shells at the enemies who had been moving silently in stealth.
"Look at that, Chris."
"...So those are their elites."
She spotted something and pointed.
A Gnoll, holding a large shield, was deflecting every machine gun bullet with a blazing energy.
The creature kicked off the ground, unleashing its leg strength, then killed the machine gunner and smashed the tank with the edge of its shield.
"Let's go."
The surroundings were pandemonium due to the unexpected ambush, but her eyes shone as she remained calm.
In fact, she considered this pattern of battle to be expected.
Because she knew about the variables and diversification created by the interaction between Players and Units.
As per her Player's orders, she had consistently advised the allied high command to be cautious, but unless she mentioned the 'game', they hadn't paid much attention to her absurd-sounding claims that mere monsters could become stronger.