A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

“…”

Kang Do-Yeon, who had paused her actions for a moment, held the ore in her hand.

She could feel the subtle energy dormant within it, accompanied by a tingling sensation.

[Now we know how to utilize the energy embedded within it. It is not perfect. It is not optimized. But it was possible to replicate that explosive power.]

“Ugh…”

She gripped the ore tightly.

At the same time, her hand and arm began to transform.

The bodily transformation was something only she, a special being whose entire body was composed of omnipotent cells, could achieve.

She endured the grotesque sensation of parts of her body twisting and rearranging by biting her lips.

[The Moonlight Fairy we succeeded in analyzing. Some of their bodies possessed an additional vein designed to handle mysterious powers.]

‘That moment.’

A memory flashed in Kang Do-Yeon’s mind of the particularly strong Wraith she had fought one-on-one, having maximized her sensory organs.

The image of it cutting down a massive Assault-Type Legion Soldier with a single stroke of its faintly glowing sword.

[The Spirit Power referenced by the Heavenly Soul Technique is also similar to that. Therefore, The Legion determined that combining the two for practical application was not impossible.]

The Legion did not accept the Heavenly Soul Technique as it was.

They continuously sought more efficient and effective methods.

The conclusion they reached was precisely this.

Kang Do-Yeon blankly stared at the ore that was now embedded in more than half of her forearm.

A new vein, modeled after the body of the Moonlight Fairy, spread out from the ore embedded in her arm.

[Our soul may be powerful, but it is singular. Sharing it with the countless Legion Soldiers, who are like claws and teeth, diminishes its power and effectiveness, making it difficult to deliver a decisive blow using the Heavenly Soul Technique. As a substitute, this was devised—to use the ore that already contains power.]

The master of the Heavenly Soul Technique, who took great pride in it, would be enraged upon hearing this, but for The Legion, the Heavenly Soul Technique served only as a supplementary tool to fully control the power contained within the ore.

Kang Do-Yeon slowly raised her arm, where the ore was embedded.

The power dormant within the ore awakened and began to erupt explosively.

[This was recorded in history. Although its beginnings were modest and incomplete, this marked the first moment The Legion utilized Formative Power, a higher level of power that twisted reality in their own unique way.]

A transcendental power that others labeled with terms like mana, magic, spirit power, or divine power—a power that manifested through one’s conviction and will.

That power, which was not something anyone could wield, exploded and surged from Kang Do-Yeon’s arm.

“Ah, ahhh…!”

Kang Do-Yeon screamed in shock as the massive Blue Flash erupted.

The unleashed Blue Flash soon became a thick light beam, and when it directly struck the stone wall ahead, it turned into a fiery explosion.

Kang Do-Yeon was flung backward, coughing up blood.

Even the sturdy body of a Legion Soldier could not withstand the recoil.

One of her arms was completely burnt and crumbled away, and a Legion Soldier caught her as she was thrown back.

“Power adjustment is necessary.”

The Legion, who had been observing the entire process, muttered with interest and immediately deployed the waiting Legion Soldiers.

Reconnaissance was unnecessary.

No, it was pointless.

Whatever lived inside, they would kill and devour everything anyway.

The Black Wave surged forward, flooding into the space with ferocity.

Through the eyes of the Soldiers, The Legion observed who exactly was inside.

At the very least, if they had survived the Destruction Fungus Infected Entities, it meant they were capable.

Which also implied that there would be much to gain by devouring them.

The Legion smacked their lips.

It was an expression they had learned and imitated over time.

*

“Have they retreated for now?”

“…It’s quiet.”

“They never make a sound. Not when they fight, not when they pursue, not even when they die.”

In the middle of the bustling square, filled with worried faces, a man with a pale, stricken expression muttered in a trembling voice.

His voice was filled with fear.

The tips of his pointed ears quivered.

His current state, starkly contrasting with the bravery he usually displayed as a member of the Search Squad, caused the crowd to grow even more restless.

“Where on earth did they come from?”

Someone among the people murmured in a grim voice.

But no one could provide an answer.

They had spent countless years struggling to survive against the Destruction Fungus Infected Entities that had overrun the outside world.

The Destruction Fungus, which infected all living animals, had reigned as the overlord of this labyrinth.

Having fought and fled from them, they knew all too well.

“It was unbelievable. Seeing them wage war against thousands—no, perhaps tens of thousands—of infected entities. We optimistically thought we might finally escape from the infected entities, but that wasn’t the case.”

The man clutched his head in despair.

Although their identity was unclear, the sudden sharp decline in the number of infected entities in the area due to the appearance of the Mysterious Faction made them hope for an ‘enemy of my enemy’ scenario.

But that was a dangerously naive thought.

The new predator that had driven out the long-standing predator was overwhelmingly terrifying, even more so.

“Do not worry too much, Felix.”

“Narian…”

At that moment, the crowd parted, and a woman appeared.

She was a noblewoman who had inherited the position of leader of this group.

Felix, as he was called, relaxed his expression slightly upon seeing her.

“Rather, this is an opportunity. An opportunity to escape the long-standing oppression that has weighed on us since the time of our ancestors.”

“I…”

“If we utilize this chance well, there will be hope for us too.”

She placed a hand on Felix’s trembling shoulder.

He faintly smiled.

Hope. Indeed, they still had hope.

“Most importantly, we are not alone.”

“That’s true.”

Narian turned her body around.

Felix and the other residents also turned their gazes to look behind them.

In the large cavern that had long served as their home, their hope was growing.

“Our ancestors have not abandoned us and have sent us a benefactor called the Player. Thanks to their grace, we were able to nurture the Sacred Tree again.”

She gazed at the sapling that was just beginning to grow.

It looked like an ordinary sapling, but the stakes embedded around it were special.

The stakes were bestowed items, enabling them to replant the ancestors’ legacy, which they had been unable to restore.

“With the power of the Sacred Tree, we will survive.”

She murmured, looking down at her hand, which glowed faintly with light emanating from the engraved mark.

The Sacred Tree was a unique tree connected to her species.

It was also a means to recover their lost power and revive their species.

“I’ve been overthinking. It’s enough. We can do this.”

Felix reassured his comrades and the people.

He pushed aside his negative thoughts.

‘In the end, all that remains is to fight.’

To survive, they had to fight.

Whether it was the terrifying infected entities that had destroyed the world long ago or the new, enigmatic monsters.

They would continue fighting.

But for now, the situation was better than ever.

Not long ago, they had gained the help of a powerful presence.

“Felix, here, take this.”

“Thank you, Nia.”

He smiled as he patted the head of the kid who had brought him a drink.

“You are our future. By the time you grow up, the Sacred Tree will have grown large, and we will surely be able to go outside.”

“I will join the Search Squad too.”

“No. When the time comes, you will become a true Warrior. When we leave this place, and when we leave this Labyrinth to reclaim the glory of the past.”

“Then I will become the strongest Warrior.”

The child declared with a determined expression to become a strong Warrior.

He was satisfied with that.

There were many excellent individuals to follow in his footsteps, so he thought it was enough to pave the way for them.

“…!”

“Uwaaahh!”

However, at that moment.

With a massive Explosion, the thick Stone Gate, which had been heavily guarded, shattered and scattered Shards in all directions.

“This, this can’t be…”

Felix, who had thrown himself to the ground while shielding the child in his arms, turned pale.

That thick Stone Gate was one of the defensive mechanisms imbued with the wisdom of the Ancestors.

Until now, no Infected Entity had ever been able to breach that thick Stone Wall, but it was destroyed in a single blow.

Through the dense dust, countless Red Glows, too many to count, shone brightly.

“Ev-everyone, grab your weapons!! It’s the Enemy!!”

At someone’s piercing scream, he instinctively got up and drew the Sword from his waist.

[Sacred Tree, and the unknown Fairy Spirit from another world.]

In this moment that felt as if time had stopped.

Clenching his teeth, he charged forward for the sake of what he wanted to protect.

His ears, dulled by the Explosion, could only hear the deafening sound of his own heart pounding and his labored breaths. Right before the collision, he locked eyes with Narian, who had leapt out in alarm from behind.

“Die, beast!”

As the Massive Black Beast with six Red Glows shining through the gaps in its Carapace charged at him, he swung his glowing Sword from the Mark engraved on his body.

The Sword met strong resistance as it crushed through the Carapace and dug into the flesh.

The muscles of the Legion Soldier were not only tough but sticky, yet he managed to slash through them with sheer force.

In the end, Felix succeeded in defeating the Enemy with his first strike.

“Ah…”

However, this was merely the signal marking the beginning of the struggle.

Together with his other comrades, who shouted battle cries as they rushed forward, he had to stand against the endless invasion of the Legion.