A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 27

“Sa-save me… Ugh…”

Wraiths, also known as Spirit-Type Demonic Creatures.

These beings are ghosts with semi-transparent bodies.

A B-grade higher species of demonic creatures that cannot be harmed by bullets.

“….”

Right in front of me, a young woman, seized by a 2-meter-tall ghost, had all her life force drained, leaving her as a dried-up corpse that fell lifelessly to the ground.

This one was slightly different from the wraiths I understood.

It didn’t have the crude appearance of wearing tattered cloth but instead had a proper skeletal face and was even clad in armor.

“Unit.”

I realized that this one was a mutant type, a unit.

I tried to crawl backward with my trembling body, but it had already seen me.

A bone-chilling coldness steadily approached.

“—”

It seemed to be saying something, but there was no way I could understand the language of a demonic creature.

The attacked train had come to a complete stop, and slaughter continued to unfold around me.

There was no one to help me.

Its rough, gnarled hand, like a withered tree branch, reached out toward me.

“Screw off, you bastard!”

[Assassination Authority]

Clenching my teeth, I extended my hand toward it.

The one chance I had been saving and cherishing for so long was used now.

It felt as if something was being pulled out of my body.

“—–!!!!!!”

“Ugh…”

Its body began to tear apart as if paper was being shredded.

The scream of a wraith was unnervingly horrifying beyond imagination.

Blocking my ears, I squinted and watched as its form gradually dissipated.

“That’s…”

[Take a picture quickly. This is the thing that left behind a corpse. Regardless of whether the Swarm can analyze it or not, it’s an opportunity too valuable to miss.]

As I gasped for breath, my mobile phone buzzed urgently, displaying a message.

Sure enough, something faint was left behind where it had been.

It looked like a piece of stone, or perhaps flesh.

The message was right. Regardless, this was an opportunity.

I took a picture of it with my camera.

“…Now I just need to survive.”

Fortunately, the one I killed was the last of them in my carriage.

Moreover, hearing the sounds of battle from outside, it seemed rescue had arrived just in time. I had survived.

“They must be busy.”

Before I knew it, the sun had set.

Having been rescued, I stood dazedly, staring at the scene.

It was utter chaos, comparable to an orc raid.

At this level, the martial law that had only been speculated on in broadcasts might actually be enforced.

[What exactly is this? The Swarm attempted to absorb the wraith’s remnants but failed. For now, it contains a mysterious power unknown to us. It was something entirely new, a completely different concept.]

“So, it’s useless after all?”

[Not necessarily. One thing is certain: the Swarm already knows how to solve problems. When it failed to absorb the scales of the Two-Headed Lizard in the past, it eventually found a way to turn those tough scales into our armor.]

This mysterious power was likely the spirit power possessed by wraiths, a force similar to mana as described by hunters.

Mana is a mystical energy that serves as the source of special abilities for hunters, making them superhuman.

Even after ten years, science had made no progress in understanding this miracle, and the chance of the Swarm deciphering and interpreting it seemed slim.

“But… if we could understand and utilize it, it would be immensely valuable.”

[The Swarm shares the same thought. It has already learned how significant change and achievement come from solving previously incomprehensible riddles.]

If the Swarm could handle mana like hunters, the possibilities sent shivers down my spine.

I had thought pure physical abilities were sufficient, but now there was a way to ascend to an entirely new level.

[Look at the screen. The Swarm is combing through all the data it has consumed from both trunk layers. It is just as determined as you are.]

I looked at the screen.

The data of all the lifeforms we had collected was stored in the form of code.

I watched as countless lines of text scrolled up, disappearing, merging, and reappearing.

[We have scoured all the data. A total of 1,601 species are coded into the system.]

“…The answer?”

[Failure. But we’ve found a faint clue. Look at this.]

A new video unfolded on the screen.

It showed a moment recorded in the history of the Swarm, where native creatures were ruthlessly wiped out by Swarm soldiers.

“What is that?”

[Code 3n8888, Fairy Bee.]

The odd-named creature floated in the air, shimmering with light.

One of the flying species, equipped with bat wings, swallowed it whole in a single bite, only for it to regurgitate the mangled remains into its nest.

The nest immediately began breaking it down and absorbing it.

“So? What’s so special about that firefly?”

[It was a trivial, insignificant creature. Its only noteworthy feature was its unique luminescent ability. But there was one piece of data the Swarm overlooked at the time.]

The video rewound and zoomed in.

The moment the Fairy Bee was crushed in the jaws of the flying species.

I saw a faint mist escaping from the Fairy Bee’s body at that moment.

“Is that…?”

[Details are still unclear. Analyzing the Fairy Bee’s corpse revealed the structure of its luminescence, but the Swarm couldn’t comprehend or acquire the most crucial aspect of that light, making reproduction impossible.]

An enigmatic, mysterious power.

Could it truly be mana?

Was it the same force possessed by the wraiths?

In truth, it didn’t matter.

[Going further up will undoubtedly yield more clues. As you ascend the strata, the vegetation becomes more diverse and stronger.]

The Swarm, having discovered a possibility, became frenzied.

Already fast, it released the energy it had been rationing, causing its forces to multiply rapidly.

[We will find it no matter what.]

The assembled forces began moving toward the passage leading upward, even before finishing their conquest of the second trunk and its surrounding branches.

They surged forward without hesitation.

The intensity of their fervor was almost terrifying.

“Quite aggressive, aren’t they?”

[Isn’t this all because of your guidance?]

“Mine?”

[Both you and the Swarm prioritize becoming stronger. Your desires aligned. There’s no need to look elsewhere.]

I had no response. It was true.

I trudged home and collapsed onto my bed, staring at my mobile phone.

*

In the dim labyrinth, a place that had remained unchanged for so long, significant shifts were beginning to occur.

These changes were structurally impossible.

What enabled them was a seemingly insignificant variable.

That variable, once no more than a single cell, had defied immutable laws and was now devouring the roots and even the trunks of the labyrinth.

“…”

There were those who could not tolerate such changes.

After an unimaginably long time, they began to recall another instinct etched into their genes.

The Swarm, still lacking enough samples, had yet to grasp that instinct.

They began to gather in one place.

It was the purpose of their existence, long forgotten, and their duty.

[Analyzing genes requires effort beyond simply deciphering and understanding a language. For now, the possibility that they are units is low. However, they are certainly not ordinary biological species either. They are worth analyzing. By learning about them, we might uncover clues about this vast labyrinth we were born into.]

Through the Swarm’s keen reconnaissance, the sight of them assembling came into view.

A fight that comes first—never avoided.

Rather, it was welcomed.

The more unique the events that occurred, the more nutrients they became for the Swarm.

The thundering sound of footsteps echoed.

The newly reorganized forces of the Swarm had evolved one step further from their previous state.

On the ground, in the air, and along the walls, black waves surged and continued.

[This is war. Isn’t it already familiar to us?]

Various Guardian Spirits that recognized the Swarm roared in their own ways, showcasing their intimidating presence.

In contrast, this side was extraordinarily silent, maintaining a deep stillness without making any noise.

This was because the Swarm had never bothered to create vocal organs.

The Guardian Spirits flinched.

They were far from foolish.

Thus, they felt an uncanny sense of dissonance and began to panic.

“Krrek…”

“…”

The sight of the Swarm Soldiers maintaining complete silence without the slightest tremor evoked an unnatural sense of otherness.

The eerie silence and aura made it impossible to think of them as living beings.

[We have no use for unnecessary emotions like fear.]

The Swarm advanced.

There was no hesitation.

The Swarm was free from the fear of death.

[We spotted something peculiar. That guy, faintly glowing and floating in mid-air, is like a moth. Its appearance bears a resemblance to the Fairy Bee, a significant clue.]

Right before the battle began, a unified command was given to the entire force.

A single giant moth, scattering sparkling moth powder over the assembled Guardian Spirits as it hovered.

The Swarm, if nothing else, resolved to capture it at all costs.