Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Invasion and Encroachment (3)
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The Legion’s soldiers never rest. Day and night mean nothing to them. They do not hesitate.
Once an order is given, they charge, driving forward until their energy is depleted or their core systems are destroyed, rendering them immobile.
That very scene was now unfolding vividly before my eyes.
The sight of the Legion’s soldiers, covering the forests and plains, pouring down like a black tidal wave.
The order they received was, of course, to kill all living ‘enemies’—in other words, humans.
[Of course, the soldiers currently produced are merely a distraction. The Legion’s plan of encroachment has already begun in the labyrinth and will consume this world.]
“What exactly is that plan?”
[The first step is to cover the entire surface of this world with the Legion’s body, using data obtained by digesting and absorbing the local flora.]
The screen changed. Near the labyrinth, the area was already being twisted by the Legion’s encroachment.
The once-green vegetation was crushed, digested, and converted into nutrients, and in its place, a new existence sprouted.
[A combination of the Divine Tree cherished by the moon elves, the large fungi that thrived in the caves, and the existing plants. Its ability is to suck up and absorb everything on the ground and convert sunlight into energy.]
That sprouted plant—no, that creature, whose classification as a plant was ambiguous—began to stretch upward at a rapid pace. There were dozens of them. And their numbers were still growing.
But even the leaves that sprouted were black. There was no need for photosynthesis.
It was more efficient to use the Divine Tree's power—its Form Power that converted types of energy—to change the pouring sunlight directly into nutrients, rather than using chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
The power of the Divine Tree, which the Legion wielded more freely than the original, was truly terrifying. It was on a completely different level from something like agriculture.
The heat erupting from a volcano was literally an energy reservoir, and if it were possible to create a body sturdy enough to withstand it, they could drill through the planet's crust, dig deep into the earth, and even siphon the power held within the planet itself.
“Photosynthesis… no, you’ve figured out a way to gain massive amounts of energy without predation through a photosynthesis-like ability. And yet, you won’t stop?”
[Correct. For the Legion, predation is no longer simply about filling its belly.]
“Hah…”
I covered my face.
Watching the Legion’s unstoppable and aggressive growth.
And hearing about the chaotic situation unfolding around me, I decided on a few paths.
The first was that I, and those around me, had to be safe from the Legion.
I already knew that I couldn't stop the Legion’s voracious appetite.
Even if I pitied the victims of that world being indiscriminately sacrificed to the Legion, I ultimately accepted it as a law of the ecosystem—growth and the survival of the fittest.
But if the Legion were to come to Earth and try to do the same thing, I would, of course, have to stop it.
I was human, and ultimately, a creature that couldn't exist without the society that people had built together.
[Do not eat the people of Earth—or more precisely, *your* people? Do you think the Legion will grant that request?]
“It has so far.”
This was the second thing. Whether the Legion would recognize my intentions and comply.
Until now, the Legion had only communicated with me inside the labyrinth.
But seeing its actions after emerging to the surface, it was clear it had been influenced by something. I couldn't predict what influences it would receive or in what direction it would grow from now on.
So I had to do something. Before those it met on the surface could color the Legion, I had to color it with my own.
A simple gift would surely not be enough.
Then, how could I do that?
“Our master didn’t give a specific name to this training method he adapted for the people of Earth.”
“Why not?”
“Because of our origins, we cannot stay forever. That's why he hoped that in the future, people would learn this method and develop their own new techniques. The lack of a name is for that reason. Our master said that the moment something is named, its form becomes fixed.”
The next day. Ji Chang-hyun’s words, as he watched over my training, seemed to give me a clue.
“That’s how powerful a name is.”
I flinched at his words. A name. Come to think of it, the Legion didn't have a name.
I, too, had called it the Legion from the very beginning, even after it developed a sense of self.
“In that case, if I were to gift someone a name, would they like me?”
“If it’s something they’ve been hoping for, then of course. The joy and happiness… it’s hard for me to imagine. Just think. If we were adults when our parents gifted us our names, wouldn’t we have been overjoyed?”
Ji Chang-hyun chuckled, as if my question was unexpected.
And through that conversation with him, I decided on a way to expand my influence over the Legion. I felt a sense of relief.
“Your expression has suddenly brightened. Have you resolved your worries?”
“For now, it seems so.”
“Then we should see some results in your training as well.”
Grinning, Ji Chang-hyun lifted a thick stone with one hand and threw it in front of me.
Shattering this stone with my bare hands was the test he had given me.
The intention was for me to strengthen the Heavenly Soul Art I had learned using the training method he taught me.
I stood before the thick stone. My mind was calm.
In truth, I had long since abandoned the Heavenly Soul Art I had only skimmed the surface of. The power I possessed now was a power unknown to anyone.
“I’ll give it a try.”
I clenched my fist. At the same time, the power I had accumulated manifested, centered on my heart.
A new cultivation method, improved by the Legion just for me, one that could grant power even to an ordinary person like myself. So it hadn’t taken long to learn.
I threw my fist forward and shattered the large stone.
I was so surprised by my own strength that I flinched.
“Uh… that’s incredible. In just a few days.”
“No, not at all.”
Seeing Ji Chang-hyun’s eyes widen in surprise, I instinctively shook my head. This wasn’t entirely my own skill.
“I didn’t expect you to be this fast… In any case, I think you can start training with a sword right away, along with the others who are ahead.”
But he, unaware of the full story, clapped and praised me.
When he said “training with a sword,” he meant teaching the sword to people like me who had moved past the basics.
In fact, the Guardian Union, armed with the cause of justice and righteousness, was already rapidly expanding its influence within the allied forces.
The allied forces had no reason to refuse their offer to create Hunter-class troops capable of special warfare within their ranks.
Ji Chang-hyun and the other Units of the Guardian Union were training a group of warriors who could fight by manifesting Form Power, teaching their abilities to talented individuals they had selected.
“You’ll surely learn quickly.”
“…I suppose so.”
Ji Chang-hyun, who always wore a faint smile, seemed perpetually at ease.
At first, I was worried about Ji Chang-hyun’s faction and their Player, who operated openly without hesitation after revealing their identities, but my concerns were unfounded.
On the contrary, they had secured a just cause and expanded their influence even to ordinary people. The prestige of the Guardian Union they had founded now rivaled that of Evolution or the allied forces.
I didn’t know if this was their plan from the beginning, but it meant they were never someone a guy like me needed to worry about.
“The allied forces have regrouped and will resume operations next week. Evolution will be on the move too… Will you be joining them, Shin-woo?”
“I probably will.”
“Then you’ll need to learn the basics before that.”
Ji Chang-hyun, who concluded the training for the day there, muttered with a somewhat serious expression.
I also went over the schedule in my head. Although they had taken a major hit, the command headquarters hadn’t been annihilated like the others.
They were replenishing their troops and preparing for battle once again. The overall direction hadn’t changed much, but this time, it seemed they were unofficially mobilizing missiles and various chemical weapons.
Evolution, the group I belonged to, would naturally participate in this battle as well.
Meanwhile, no one backed out, even after having already experienced war. They were all armed with their own sense of duty and professionalism.
“Are you participating in the battle?”
“Me? Of course.”
I spoke to Ji Chang-hyun just before we parted ways.
He nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“…I heard there’s a terrifying weapon. One that’s absolutely unstoppable.”
“There is. An unreasonable method that kills even the strongest beings, no questions asked.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
He realized I was talking about the Execution Ticket.
As far as I knew, the Execution Ticket was an unavoidable, certain death. If you drew aggro, it was bound to come flying at you.
Naturally, whether you were a Player or a special Unit, you had to act cautiously.
“This is also part of our master’s teachings, but try to think of it differently. The Execution Ticket is just a single critical hit.”
But Ji Chang-hyun smiled as if the Execution Ticket was no big deal.
Slightly taken aback, I was left speechless, and in that moment, he swiftly departed.
“To achieve a true cause, do not be swayed by this game—that was my master’s teaching. In the end, this is reality, and in reality, there is no such thing as an absolute.”
Instead, he left me with those meaningful words.