A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 28

The monsters crawling up from the lower stratum invaded the ecosystem that had always been peaceful.

The cavern, where mushrooms formed a forest, turned into a battlefield in an instant.

The gathered Guardian Spirits fought desperately against these invaders from the lower stratum.

[The newly established core force of the Swarm’s new battalion is a versatile unit based on orcs.]

“If these orcs were stronger before becoming units, they seem even more powerful now.”

[Of course, their physical prowess can’t be compared. They have been imbued with the essence of the Swarm, removing all inefficiencies and being remodeled solely for combat.]

Standing upright with a straightened posture, they were about 2 meters tall and armed with compressed muscles designed only for explosive power.

The original orcs that served as the base had boasted muscular physiques, but their appearance and nature had been drastically altered.

Unnecessary internal organs were entirely removed, leaving their bodies lean, which, in turn, made them more flexible and resilient.

[The exoskeleton armor they wear was crafted by combining the strongest shells, such as those of cave turtles, earth dragons’ scales, and giant beetles.]

The black armor covering their entire bodies gleamed ominously.

While their overall form resembled the traditional goblin base, their increased size and muscle mass made their strength more than double.

[The greatest advantage of versatile soldiers is their ability to effortlessly adapt to any type of attack from the enemy.]

A Versatile Swarm Soldier holding swords in both hands collided head-on with a massive wolf, which charged with flames spewing from its three glowing eyes.

Despite the structural disadvantage of its body, the soldier only slid back slightly.

It was possible because the Swarm Soldier was not a simple living being but a meticulously designed weapon.

“Kraaah…”

The versatile soldier, which had blocked the wolf’s sharp fangs, revealed an additional pair of arms from the split in its back armor.

At the same time, it used its sharp claws to pierce the neck of the Guardian Spirit, which had been defenseless while blocking its other hands.

[Next after the versatile type is the assault type. Most of those belonging to this category take on beastly forms.]

The Swarm’s greatest strength lies in the way its entirely different unit types move with precision and coordination, leaving no gaps.

A massive quadrupedal beast, similar in appearance to the Versatile Swarm Soldier but with stronger forelimbs and jaw power, charged at another Guardian Spirit as it sprinted past the versatile soldier that had just beheaded its enemy.

Although similarly armored, its attack style involved multiple beasts swarming and tearing their targets apart, making it impossible for even large opponents to withstand, and they fell one by one.

“It’s over… We outnumber them from the start anyway.”

[We can’t let our guard down. These creatures in the Guardian Spirit category have combat power beyond imagination.]

“And yet, they can’t compete with our production capabilities.”

It was simply a matter of efficiency and maintenance costs.

The Swarm could summon an even larger army at once.

The Guardian Spirits held out exceptionally well.

They fought tooth and nail, bringing down many Swarm Soldiers and rendering them incapacitated.

But that was all they could do.

No matter how many fell around them, the Swarm continued to advance without stopping.

Driven by a singular determination to kill.

The Guardian Spirits were being overwhelmed by the Swarm’s relentless murderous intent.

[As they were pushed out of the Mushroom Forest, the artillery Swarm Soldiers began their bombardment. The tide had already turned.]

Having evolved from their initial form of toads, the new Swarm Soldiers firmly planted their sturdy legs into the ground, aiming the dorsal thorns that tore through their flesh.

The larger their build, the larger the thorns, and the force with which they could launch had increased exponentially.

[Poisonous thorns streaked through mid-air and rained down upon them. Their fragile fur could not offer any defense.]

“The battlefront… is collapsing.”

The Guardian Spirits were gradually pushed back.

The Black Wave expanded its territory accordingly.

[Are they finally stepping forward?]

At that moment, however, the Guardian Spirits revealed a hidden card they had kept in reserve.

A powerful electric shock—or something resembling one—burst forth, filling the mobile phone screen.

I squinted my eyes.

Fortunately, the blinding effect didn’t last long.

“Is that truly electricity?!”

[The Swarm has no knowledge of electricity to this extent, so they don’t understand. But just like when they first encountered acidic fluid or fire, it was an entirely new force they had never experienced before.]

The being that unleashed the flash resembling electricity was the moth, which the Swarm had set as its target.

Dozens of Swarm Soldiers fell to that single strike.

However, the moth’s appearance remained intact, with no visible burn marks, making it seem like it hadn’t been electrocuted.

[I want it.]

“Of course, you do.”

As always, the Swarm’s greed knew no bounds.

Its indiscriminate voracious appetite was one of its greatest driving forces.

The flying species, which had been on standby, spread their wings all at once.

[The Swarm’s most superior aerial combat ability, enhanced with their reinterpretation of abilities taken from Earth’s birds.]

Their forms resembled bees with feathered wings.

Hundreds of such flying species swarmed the moth at once.

[Another flash of light erupted, and dozens more died. From the second encounter, a sense of dissonance was observed. When struck by the moth’s attack, an unknown special effect occurred, severing all connections between units and shutting down the hive consciousness.]

“The hive consciousness…!”

[The more I see it, the more I must have it.]

The Swarm dispatched a second wave of soldiers.

Ultimately, it was a war of attrition, where one side had to tire out for it to end.

And such wars were one of the Swarm’s strong suits.

[Have they lost the strength and will to resist? If so, victory is ours.]

The moth could no longer emit the Blue Flash.

Before it could escape, large flying species with wide-open mouths spewed flames like flamethrowers.

“How long will the analysis take?”

[At least a day is needed.]

The Swarm had won.

The moth, which appeared to be the leader, was hunted, and all the resisting Guardian Spirits were killed.

All that remained was to analyze the spoils of war.

“Whew…”

I lowered the mobile phone I had been watching for the past few hours and sighed.

Although I had thought they would win, the tension I had been holding onto suddenly dissipated.

“The more I see, the stranger it gets. What exactly is that cave? Is it natural?”

[That remains unknown.]

“There’s still a lot to figure out.”

While I felt relieved, my mind was still cluttered.

As if the real world didn’t already have enough problems to deal with, the expanding world on the other side was becoming an issue too.

There seemed to be something there, for sure.

“No, what does it even matter?”

I shook my head at my own seriousness.

In the end, there was only one solution.

No matter what secrets or stories that world held, the conclusion was clear.

It would all be devoured by us.

If not, it would mean we would be the ones to die.

[Now you’ve started thinking like the Swarm.]

“Your compliments don’t make me happy.”

I let out a weak scoff and left the room.

Outside, my younger sibling and mother were watching the news with serious expressions.

It had been a while since the news carried any good tidings.

It seemed it would stay that way for the foreseeable future.

“Cha Jiyeon from Evolution… announced that they would cross the Gate in alliance with various governments. They’ve successfully secured technology related to the Gate, which had been impossible to study properly until now. This must be it, right?”

“…Yeah?”

Kang Do-Yeon whispered as she approached me immediately upon seeing me.

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

Cha Jiyeon was a unit, and her Player was an adept entity equipped with outstanding technology.

Whatever move I made, it was obvious they would act.

“Let’s be more cautious for the time being.”

What I worried about was solely the safety of my family.

The uneasiness that had plagued me ever since I lost my father ten years ago had evolved from vague concerns into something that was now gradually becoming a reality.

[The String. It is the thread that connects the Unit and the Player.]

A silence hung over the Nest.

The occasional squirming of the Flesh Wall was the only movement.

However, contrary to the stillness, the inner workings of the Swarm were more intense than ever.

[We have undoubtedly come closer to an answer. The power possessed by the recently absorbed Great Trunk Guardian Spirit 4n1236 was not identical to the Wraith’s Fragment we absorbed previously, but it bore a similar form.]

All of the Swarm’s computing power was consumed in learning this new concept.

It was a shocking revelation, but as always, the Swarm accepted it and successfully made it their own.

[This moment… will be recorded in our history. This is the first time our Swarm has approached the concept of Souls.]

“…”

The entire Swarm pulsed.

All units of the Swarm, which had momentarily ceased movement, were briefly paralyzed by this electrifying sensation.

The world, the senses, and common knowledge had expanded.

[I can feel it clearly as well. We have developed a sharper question about who we are and who he is. The String connected to him is unnaturally enhanced compared to other Units and Players. We are both many and one. Unlike other Units, whose Strings to their Players branch out into hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of paths, we are connected to him with only a single String.]

Through the Specter’s Fragment, they had found the trigger. The Great Trunk Guardian Spirit had given them a clue.

From this, the Swarm drew a conclusion.

The Connection of Souls they were now sensing was tied to their origins.

It was a kind of lifeline that could satiate their voracious appetite for knowledge.

[Unfamiliar emotions and peculiar sensations are flowing through the String. These are clearly his emotions and disposition. Can you not feel it? We are now incredibly close to him.]

The Swarm began to move again.

However, there was a slight difference in their internal composition compared to before.