Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Monster of the Abyss (5)
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"I'll be teaching you swordsmanship. It's what my master uses. I haven't perfected it yet, but I'm certain it will help you."
"But, Mr. Ji, you don't use a sword..."
"I fought using my ability, fire. But you'll understand soon enough."
He handed me a sword. It wasn't a crude blade like the ones the gnolls used, but a fine longsword with an unsharpened edge.
Not bad. The Legion naturally channels Form Power through swords or similarly shaped weapons.
I've been running around with a gun until now, but personal firearms have clear limitations.
So it's time for me to move beyond simple physical enhancement.
"Mr. Kang. Have you ever, by any chance, read a martial arts novel?"
Ji Chang-hyun, his sword now wreathed in flames, grinned.
"M-martial arts novels?"
"My master admitted it himself. This inner power is quite similar to the internal energy you read about in those stories. Of course, it's not exactly the same. Shall we start with breathing techniques? You definitely have the talent for it."
The whole explanation was about stabilizing one's inner power through breathing and then channeling that power.
I did as he instructed for the time being, sneaking a glance at the phone I'd propped up to the side.
Ji Chang-hyun had given me permission to record the session, saying I could use it to review later.
Only, that wasn't my real phone.
It was the spare phone I'd given to the Legion as a gift. Its battery dead, it had returned to me as a sacrifice.
"Do you feel anything?"
"...I definitely feel a different kind of flow. But I'm not sure if this strange sensation is because I'm learning a new power or something else."
"You'll understand the difference soon enough."
I noticed the internal change almost immediately. The only problem was, it was hard to tell if this change was truly from the inner power training, or from the Celestial Soul Art I'd only learned the basics of.
"Your body becomes lighter and more resilient. Once you train in a combat style that suits that body, it becomes its own martial art."
"You're going to reveal this power to the public and openly take on students? For free?"
"Of course. This is an age of great chaos. Many people want the power to protect themselves and those around them. We only ask one thing of our members: to protect people. Whether it's themselves, their families, or their neighbors."
"I-is that the only reason? I'm sure some people will find it strange. I remember the struggle for Hunters' rights just a few years ago was pretty vicious..."
No matter how diverse the people in this world were, I found it hard to understand and had to press him.
He chuckled as if he understood.
"It would be impossible if things were still normal. But now, politicians all over the world know. If they want to save their own necks, let alone their cushy jobs, they have to drop all their pathetic ideologies and quietly stay out of the way. If you can't help, at least don't get in the way."
"...I understand."
I knew he was praised as a frugal and thoughtful hero among Hunters, but seeing the glint in his eyes, I could tell he was more sincere than I'd imagined. Getting deeply involved with someone like that felt... complicated.
Still, I couldn't shake the strong premonition.
That they would become a force that would violently shake up the game board we were all playing on.
[So, will you pass the information contained in that phone to the Legion?]
"...I'm thinking."
That day's training was over.
Our mission was on hold, leaving us in limbo. Thanks to that, I had some free time, which I spent sitting in my private room, agonizing over my thoughts.
[If it absorbs that knowledge, the Legion can surely become stronger.]
"I don't think just handing it over thoughtlessly is the right move."
I'll have to give it to them eventually. But when the Legion showed that overwhelming display, ruthlessly wiping out the Moonlight Fairies...
Watching the footage, I felt more fear than catharsis.
Having faced them myself, I know.
The Legion is strong now. A high-tier Legion soldier with a power core in its chest? I can guarantee I wouldn't stand a chance. I'd be torn to pieces in the first strike.
Dozens of them were deployed in the last battle alone. And that wasn't even their full force.
"Lay it out for me. Use data... yeah. Show me the numbers. Exactly how much power does the Legion have right now? I have a feeling you can do it."
[...Calculating Data...]
As expected, it fell silent, a 'calculating' message hanging in the air.
I waited anxiously.
The Legion always meticulously calculated nutrients and efficiency, deploying only the minimum force necessary to defeat its opponents.
That was only possible because they had power to spare. Even in the fight against the Ruin Fungus, the Legion conserved its nutrients to the very end.
[Calculation complete.]
"The answer?"
[I will show you. The power your Unit now possesses. If the current Legion were to focus all its resources on mass-producing a single type of soldier, this is the force it could field at once.]
[ㆍMobilizable High-Tier Legion Soldiers: 52,400ㆍ]
[ㆍMobilizable Large Legion Soldiers: 244,400ㆍ]
[ㆍMobilizable Medium Legion Soldiers: 1,559,000ㆍ]
[ㆍMobilizable Small Legion Soldiers: 49,000,000ㆍ]
The lines of text appeared one after another. My eyes widened as I read them.
[Of course, this is an extreme scenario. To maintain a force of that size, the current Legion wouldn't be able to cover the upkeep costs even if it foraged nonstop. However, these numbers exclude special forces like the Divine Tree and the Ruin Fungus.]
"Right. True strength comes from the combination of troops, anyway."
I muttered in a trembling voice.
Even if tens of millions of goblin-sized Legion soldiers attacked... No. Tens of millions?! That's an insane number, beyond all reason.
And that wasn't all. The Legion would continue to grow. And evolve.
If it found more efficient methods and absorbed more nutrients, doubling those numbers would be child's play.
[Will you send the phone?]
"Hold on."
After a long moment of deliberation with my face in my hands, I made a decision.
I was just getting started. I wasn't in a position to be picky.
[What are you doing now?]
"What? What's wrong with this? It's about time we saw each other's faces."
I quickly propped up the phone and hit the record button.
It was a method I'd thought of after realizing we could interact using the gift and sacrifice system. Why it took me this long to come up with it is probably a testament to my own intelligence, or lack thereof.
"Hey, ahem... It's been a while. This isn't for anything important..."
I began to speak.
There was nothing particularly important in what I said. On the surface, it was just me talking as if to a younger sibling.
"Actually, I saw the footage from the recent war."
But I made sure to sprinkle in mentions of the Legion.
After all, the most important message was for the Legion.
Saying you fought well, that it was impressive... It sounded like obvious flattery, but I couldn't bring myself to spout nonsense like 'Stop the slaughter!'
"I hope you all stay safe. To the very end."
In the end, my video message was filled with clichés. I only had one reason for filming it.
To establish a more advanced form of communication with the Legion.
I took back the spare phone and immediately took a picture of it.
The spare phone vanished as if it had evaporated.
*
"Step Up Hunter Cha Ji-yeon of Evolution's Korean branch."
"...Ji Chang-hyun of the Fire Dragon. I didn't know you were a Unit."
"The feeling is mutual."
The entrance to the barracks. Cha Ji-yeon, who had been about to enter the moment she arrived at the encampment, glared at Ji Chang-hyun, who had grabbed her by the wrist.
The mana stone in her hand was shining.
Their guards were up the moment they saw each other, so neither of them heard the sound of someone talking to himself inside the empty barracks.
"Let. Go."
She roughly shook off his hand.
The tension between them crackled fiercely.
They were both Units from the same world. In other words, they were fated to kill each other.
"Let me ask you one thing. Mr. Kang already knows who you are. He knows about this wicked, absurd game system, too. So don't even think about using him."
"...That's rich. He was involved from the very beginning."
As she retorted coldly, his eyebrow twitched slightly.
Seeing that, the corner of Cha Ji-yeon's mouth lifted into a faint smile. She realized she had the upper hand.
"Then what is your relationship?"
"It's deeper than yours."
"If you had a personal relationship, person to person, then I apologize."
Ji Chang-hyun relaxed his stance for a moment and bowed his head politely.
But when he looked up again, a red flame was flickering in his eyes.
"But if your Player tries anything foolish with their Unit, I cannot allow it, for the sake of the greater cause."
"Greater cause? But the Player is...!"
"My master, my Player, wishes to speak with your Player."
He cut her off before she could protest.
"You'll find out soon enough anyway. The vile monsters and the Players controlling them have formed an alliance. Their targets are your Evolution and the Allied Forces. As a member of the Guardian Union, I cannot stand by and watch the Allied Forces fall to them."
He turned and began to walk, leading the way.
Cha Ji-yeon snorted in disbelief, but soon had no choice but to follow him.
[The Player is intrigued. Follow.]
She had no choice.