Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Legion VS Legion (10)
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"It chose to die on its own. Why?"
[I am currently investigating that.]
Lying blankly on my bed, I watched as another world unfolded on my ceiling.
I could see my sister, Kang Do-yeon, and the masked Legion.
And the form of a colossal mass of flesh, seemingly larger than the mansion that filled the screen.
Even now, the Legion was tightly hugging the doll I had sent it.
"I see. The fool."
Not long after, the Legion, which seemed to be communicating with the Ruin Fungus Great Hive Mind, scoffed.
[The Ruin Fungus Great Hive Mind is, quite literally, a being formed from the gathering of hundreds of Ruin Fungus hives. Thanks to that, it has become capable of thought that transcends its basic nature.]
"Thought that transcends its nature. So if the result of that is to quietly accept death, what's the reason?"
"...We are now merely a remnant of the calamity that once ruled this world. The new rulers of this upper stratum are overcoming their trials and living in a new era. But we... we have no more potential for growth."
As if it had heard my question, the Legion answered directly with its own mouth.
For a moment, I didn't quite understand. A remnant of the past and a new era.
[The Ruin Fungus that once dominated the entire world is no more. These beings trapped in this underground labyrinth are all that is left. As a ruler that brought down one era and dominated a new one, the Ruin Fungus Great Hive Mind knew that its time was now over.]
"So... you're saying it just gave up because it knew it was hopeless? Is that even possible? What in the world is up there?!"
Of course, even with the additional explanation, I still couldn't understand.
[Are humans not the same? Rather than resisting only to be defeated and violated, do they not sometimes give up and quietly accept death to preserve what little honor they have left?]
"That's..."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
My mouth snapped shut at the sharp cry.
At the same time, I felt a violent throb of emotion. This was the Legion's emotion.
Right now, the Legion was more enraged than ever before.
[To the Legion, this was a concept it could never understand or tolerate. For it, fighting until not a single cell remained was the only natural course.]
"Ugh..."
Caught in the torrent of intense emotion, I managed to calm myself and focus on the screen.
My sister was caught up in it as well, her face contorted as she staggered.
"Loser! Trash!"
The Legion was now expressing its rage in the best way it knew how.
"To devour any enemy that comes and fight to the very end—that is the way for beings like us. How dare you."
The hand pointing at the Great Hive Mind trembled.
The Legion had clearly acknowledged the mutant Ruin Fungus that had pushed it into a crisis as one of its own kind. And it had quite liked it.
So, for a mutant Ruin Fungus of the Great Hive Mind's stature to be so listless, not even resisting or fighting, was infuriating. It was also a sign that it could not accept this.
"We do not stop. We are not obsolete. We always evolve and grow stronger."
[The Legion has made its decision. It will dispose of this useless, obsolete trash and move forward.]
The Legion's nest, which had already devoured the lower levels, began to creep upward.
It clearly intended to devour the Great Hive Mind whole.
[No matter the enemy, I will never retreat on my own. I will destroy everything, and I will devour everything. That is the will of the Legion.]
"..."
I fell silent.
It felt like I was reconfirming the Legion's very essence.
A predator with an endless hunger that would gnaw away at this entire universe. A being born solely for that purpose.
[I will never stop. I will devour anything and everything.]
"You seem strangely confident."
I smiled bitterly as I read the words that appeared.
Could I ever change or control such a being?
Compared to the Legion, I was just a microbe. And the Legion would only grow larger.
Still, I wanted to prevent it from becoming a being that only repeated destruction and slaughter.
"It's finally gained a sense of self. From a human perspective, you could say it was just born. It might be too early to worry, but I don't want it to learn the emotion of loneliness. What about you? Do you really, truly, desire nothing but the Legion's growth?"
[...]
It was for my sake, for the world's sake, and for the Legion's sake as well.
[Tentacles extending from the nest surged toward the Great Hive Mind.]
The nest's tentacles had also evolved.
Hard and rough like tree branches, saturated with Form Power, they dug deep into the Great Hive Mind's body and spewed out the Legion's infection spores.
[The infectious power, maximized through the war with the mutant Ruin Fungus, began to spread throughout the entire body in an instant.]
Black veins instantly spread and became visible all over the colossal mass of flesh.
"Resist."
Watching the scene, the Legion muttered quietly.
But the Great Hive Mind showed no reaction, simply accepting the Legion's attack.
Once again, the Legion's emotions surged violently.
[[[I said, resist!!!]]]
And then, that emotion finally exploded.
A massive shockwave erupted. The Great Hive Mind's body began to burst open, and cracks spread across the walls and floor of the cavern.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
It had just exerted such powerful physical force with a psychic wave based on pure rage.
The only reason I wasn't being swept away by that colossal being was that my own ego was currently firmer and more stable than the Legion's.
But once the Legion's ego matured and stabilized, there was no way my mental strength could overcome it.
"I... I have to grow stronger too."
I gasped for breath. There was no time to sit back and relax.
If I wanted to control the Legion, I needed to be its equal, or its superior, in at least one area.
*
"The company researchers were attacked?!"
"Calm down. Fortunately, there were almost no casualties. A few mercenaries were hurt, but the mission was completed successfully."
"The mercenaries... Then what about him?"
"Jeez, he's fine."
Chris, who brought the news, clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Regardless of his reaction, Cha Ji-yeon let out a sigh of relief.
"Kang Shin-woo, was it? They said that rookie's contribution was pretty significant. The actual fighting was done by the South Korean Special Forces unit with him, but he assessed the situation quickly and rescued a lot of people early on."
"Really?"
"He's made a name for himself, and his reputation has improved. Still, it was a close call."
The smile on Chris's face faded, his expression turning serious.
They had gotten through it relatively well, but an attack was still an attack.
"We came here without knowing exactly what kind of world this is, so maybe this kind of damage was inevitable."
Cha Ji-yeon muttered, her voice tinged with bitterness.
They had recently been separated from the main force.
The main force had pushed forward, advancing to a position near what was presumed to be the enemy's main base.
There had been several battles along the way.
Some were enemy guerrilla attacks, but a few were assaults from beings that weren't their primary enemy.
"At first, I thought they were Units. But it was just a place so horrifying that even simple beasts were like that. To be honest, I want to leave as soon as possible."
"...Yeah."
She gave a small nod.
Although she had voluntarily chosen to fight monsters, she was by no means the type to enjoy combat.
She had only become a Hunter because she wanted to protect people from them.
"Hey, everyone?! Movement has been detected up ahead!"
"Ah. Finally."
Just then, someone ran up to the front of their vehicle. It was another Hunter from Evolution, on guard duty. He wasn't a Unit, just a regularly hired person.
Sensing that it was time to move, the two quickly got out of the vehicle.
"What kind of bastards are they?"
"Looks like Gnolls, as expected."
The Hunter who reported the movement handed the equipment he was holding to Chris.
Cha Ji-yeon didn't bother using the device.
With a spell she cast herself, a translucent magic circle appeared before one of her eyes.
With the power to see through to a target's essence, she could now see the figures moving stealthily, hidden within a stealth field.
"It doesn't look like they've seen us."
Chris glanced up at the sky.
A translucent barrier, similar to the field the enemies were using, was covering their vicinity.
"What now?"
[Isn't it obvious? You are Units. Kill them.]
As if it had been waiting for Chris's mutter, a voice echoed in their minds.
"You've been pretty busy lately, but you still found the time..."
"But there are too many of them."
[The Player has purchased a new power for you from the Shop.]
In response to Cha Ji-yeon's concern about the danger, the Player immediately provided another form of assistance.
She gritted her teeth and trembled as a tingling sensation spread through her entire body.
[The Blood Flow Circulation Method, a technique used by other species to maximize their mana. It is a primitive method, but one that can be used in an emergency.]
"Gah... this hurts like hell. Look at this, my veins are bursting and popping up."
Chris showed her his injured hand and chuckled.
She clenched her jaw and swallowed the pain. Such agony was, of course, not a consideration for the Player.
"Let's go. Mr. Rekman, you and the others stick to your positions and engage slowly."
"Ah, understood!"
After giving instructions to the others, she and Chris left their position.
"Looks like those bastards are planning a surprise attack on the main force... We really should be getting something from the Allied Forces for this, you know? They owe us their lives."
"Focus on the fight for now."
"So this is the real start of the war."
Chris, who let out a smirk, and Cha Ji-yeon, who remained serious the entire time, both began to draw out their power.
Simultaneously, they stepped out from the veil that had been concealing them.
The moment they saw the enemies' startled expressions, Cha Ji-yeon kicked off the ground, unleashing a massive electric shock from her entire body as she charged into their midst.