A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 70

The moment I first saw the world outside the cave, I made that resolve. Can you handle it?

"I-I kind of expected it."

Although I said I had turned off the screen, the truth was, I was secretly watching, pulling at my hair in frustration.

It was true that seeing the effort they put into creating a video to inform me had slightly put me at ease, but I didn't let my guard down.

That was the innate nature of the unstoppable Legion.

I transferred the video of the Legion’s Mental Method, the Resonance Method lecture that my younger sibling had recorded and sent to my spare device, to my mobile phone, then focused back on the screen.

"So. The Legion that escaped the underground and saw the world for the first time declared it would devour the world. And to do so, they acted like this."

[Look at the screen. The highest priority is information, and they are currently acting to obtain it.]

The Legion never hesitates. They do not need acts of discussion to make decisions for moving their army. Once a decision is made, they push forward without the slightest hesitation.

A few special flying species divided into small groups and cut through the darkness, crossing the strata.

The scouts observing the mages had their perspectives displayed on a portion of the screen.

The golems they controlled seemed to bustle around differently from regular golems, but in the end, weren't the mages the ones who had to verify and decide based on the perspectives of those golems, which were essentially a type of CCTV?

"@#%~₩."

"&%^~@? #####."

But seeing the crystal sphere's condition—ignoring everything while they chattered and laughed among themselves—it seemed I didn't need to worry, even if I couldn't understand their language.

Just how much were they underestimating this labyrinth to act so leisurely?

"Would offering condolences be a bit hypocritical?"

Though I was unsure of their true strength, I still bitterly smiled, predicting their end wouldn't be pleasant.

"@%?"

[The Legion's small flying species successfully infiltrated the ceiling of the 100th stratum without being noticed. Even now, they remain undetected.]

The small flying species dispatched by the Legion this time resembled bats completely, save for their poisonous stinger tails and fur.

The Legion soldier, equipped with four pairs of membranous wings, crawled upside down along the ceiling.

Then, opening its mouth wide, it began silently emitting biological gas.

[The gas contains an infection fungus, which the Legion has refined to the extreme through battles with the destruction fungus. While the Moonlight Fairies, empowered by the strength of the Sacred Tree, were immune to airborne infections, what about humans?]

"Zoom in on the screen."

Glancing cautiously outside the encampment, I zoomed in on the screen.

As the screen magnified to the point of revealing the microscopic world, the bacteria-type Legion soldier floating in the air became visible.

They dispersed naturally into the air, attaching to the respiratory tracts and mucous membranes of the mages' eyes.

"Achoo!"

Sneezes and tearing triggered the body's defense mechanisms, attempting to expel the toxin-secreting bacteria-type Legion soldiers attacking nearby cells.

Of course, that alone wouldn't be enough to stop them.

[It seems that due to their unique power, they cannot be infected through such a simple method.]

Suddenly, the bacteria-type Legion soldiers began to perish.

The mages, startled, simultaneously clutched their chests, exchanging glances as if they had noticed something.

[In that case, the only solution is to inject a large, potent, and heavy infection fungus directly into their bloodstream.]

Of course, for the Legion, it was just one of many plans being blocked.

The flying species stationed on the ceiling discreetly aimed their poison stinger tails at their respective targets.

"@?%."

"%..."

The mages, seemingly unbothered, returned to their tasks.

And at that moment, the poised poison stinger tails exploded with a pop, launching the embedded stingers at tremendous speed.

"Ugh!?"

A stinger embedded deeply into a neck. Thicker and longer than an injection needle, its reverse serrated edges resembled hooks, making it difficult to remove.

"@%^~!"

The mages panicked, rushing to their fallen companions who clutched their necks, heads, and shoulders after the sudden assault.

[Those injected directly are different from airborne transmission. Stronger, larger. They cannot be overcome by mere faint formative power like a heartbeat.]

"Ugh..."

Foaming at the mouth, the victims' wounds rapidly darkened, and black veins began to emerge along the surrounding blood vessels.

Cellular warfare was the Legion's specialty.

The victims, whose cells were being destroyed and devoured alive, had their eyes roll back as their bodies convulsed and grotesquely contorted.

The mages, who should have made a decisive move, were too flustered by the sudden assault to act, missing the golden time.

"Argh!"

The infection fungus, spreading to the central nervous system and brain, completely seized control of their bodies.

The victims sprang up and attacked their companions with their teeth.

"A...AAAAAAH!"

"NOOOO!"

The horrific screams made me instinctively grimace.

The gore surpassed that of a typical zombie narrative, making it hard to watch calmly. And this wasn't even a movie.

[They aren't fools, of course. They resist.]

In the midst of it all, one mage, who seemed to recover his senses quickly, hurled a fireball at an incoming infected companion.

The power was considerable. The explosion that accompanied the bang was on par with a grenade.

Moreover, the man traced complex motions with his hand, creating and throwing dozens of fireball projectiles simultaneously.

[The Legion is measuring their strength.]

"...Honestly, they seem pretty strong."

I was slightly taken aback. The magic was stronger and faster than I had imagined.

Now alone, he began taking down his attacking infected companions one by one.

"Are we going to lose him at this rate?"

The man, mumbling something, cast another incantation on himself.

With his accelerated movements, he smashed the face of a lunging companion with his fist, breaking their nose.

While fighting, he gradually retreated, nearing the exit of the cave.

Finally, after throwing a flaming spear that obliterated the upper body of his last remaining companion, he turned and began sprinting away, his face pale with fear.

[No, he will not escape.]

But he did not escape.

A spear tore through the air, shattering the translucent barrier around him and piercing his body.

The dark crimson aura emanated from the spear, made entirely of crimson ore.

The one who had thrown it was an elite Legion soldier who had reached this place unnoticed.

"When did they..."

As I muttered blankly, the elite Legion soldier folded its wings into its carapace and walked over to retrieve the spear.

[With all of them neutralized as planned, the next step is to obtain information.]

"@..."

The Legion soldier gripped the trembling man's head as he coughed up blood.

I sighed inwardly. Once in the hands of the Legion, death would not come easily.

The wound, already injected with the infection fungus, was healing in a crude and haphazard manner.

[The Legion will use them to gather information about this world and themselves, then move in earnest.]

"Turn off the screen. Inform me immediately if there’s anything unusual."

I turned off the screen there.

The scenes that would follow were predictable, and I had no desire to watch them all.

"Shin Woo, are you in there?"

"Yes, come in."

There was no point in continuing to watch for now.

I let Cha Jiyeon, who was knocking outside, enter.

However, she was not alone.

Chris, a companion from Evolution, was with her.

"Guardian Alliance."

"Honestly, it's a bit laughable, but... well, I won't complain. They're still impressive compared to us."

Chris scoffed as he sipped his coffee.

What they brought to me was none other than the cooperation between Evolution and the Guardian Alliance.

It was a slightly surprising choice for me, knowing that the Guardian Alliance was centered around Players and Units.

I had thought their Players were incredibly arrogant and closed-minded.

"They're remarkable people, but also lunatics at the same time. And right now, the situation isn’t great either. As you probably know, monsters are rallying around Units and causing chaos. Things are relatively okay here? One of the Eastern European Allied Forces’ corps has been annihilated."

"Annihilated?"

"The Minotaurs, which we used to call the Beastheads, were also Units."

Chris chuckled after finishing his explanation.

Muscular Demonic Creatures with Cow's Heads.

Standing at 3 meters tall, A-rank monsters with a physique capable of overpowering even Orcs were Units.

It sent chills down my spine.

The situation has grown increasingly dire, and public sentiment has shifted toward the Guardian Alliance. They promised to give without any conditions, and already, many Hunters and humans have joined their ranks. Their goal is singular: to unite and save people.

"That's why they're lunatics. They don't care about appearances. The Middle Eastern Terrorist Group that the powerful nations had been turning a blind eye to all this time—they were wiped out in a single night by those guys. They emphasize global unity, but it feels like looking at some kind of religious organization."

Chris shuddered as he added to Cha Jiyeon's comment.

I kept my mouth shut, unable to respond. Ji Changhyun's face momentarily flashed through my mind. Did he and his Players really think it was more important than the Game?

"Things are getting complicated, even apart from this cursed Death Game."

Chris downed the last of his coffee.