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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Those of the Lowest Floor (2)
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[The Legion is no longer a simple mass of cells. It is a force that has devoured an entire ecosystem.]
It was easy to understand as an expansion of territory.
After all, it was common for humans to expand their territory and increase productivity after winning a war.
[The energy from devouring the 8th and 9th floors has become a bridgehead, and the Legion is now occupying this area.]
"No, but this isn't just an occupation..."
[This is the way of the Legion.]
I stared at the screen in amazement.
You couldn't simply think of it as territorial expansion.
The entrance leading from the 9th floor to the corridor of this 10th floor was gradually being covered by a writhing wall of flesh.
That entire sticky, squirming mass of meat was the living Legion and its territory.
At this point, it seemed more accurate to say it was growing its own body rather than expanding its territory.
By the time I had dinner, the slowly spreading wall of flesh had already reached the vicinity of the targeted cavern.
[Small scouts have reconnoitered the destination in greater detail. And the Legion has begun producing soldiers tailored to the enemy.]
"Another lizard..."
[Correct. Based on the data the Legion currently possesses, it is the most efficient and powerful form of individual.]
It was clad in thick, black carapace like scales, and armed with powerful jaws and long limbs.
The Legion's most outstanding group tactics were still based on ants and bees.
Though based on a lizard that prioritized strength, their operation was similar to that of ants.
[The new soldiers growing in the eggs will pour out tomorrow. Then we will attack the target, slaughter it, and devour it.]
"I don't think we'll lose."
I meant it.
That massive blue lizard we had observed.
It was bigger than any enemy we had encountered so far.
It was an enemy worthy of being called a boss mob.
But I was confident of victory.
The Legion's strength wasn't just its soldiers, but also its nest, stored nutrients, and all the accumulated data and cognitive abilities.
There was no way it could stop this collective on its own.
[The Legion initiated a probing attack.]
Naturally, the Legion made the first move.
In this vast cavern, this dense forest of mushrooms, there it was.
The ruler of this cavern. If we could just subdue it, we could devour this entire place.
[The scouts launched a preemptive strike. Their weapons were the venomous stingers on their tails. But far from breathing fire, the massive lizard killed three scouts with a single swipe of its tail. One managed to land on its back and jab its stinger, but the stinger broke.]
"...It's strong?"
[The enraged creature spewed fire from its two heads. We have no resistance to fire. All the scouts were defeated, and a part of the now-inactive Legion became its prey.]
The outcome was decided in an instant.
Seeing the creature, a mere lizard, let out a roar of victory, I froze for a moment.
That overwhelming two-headed lizard, like a creature from a monster movie, was in a completely different league from the small lizards of the ecosystems we had faced.
Did we bite off more than we can chew?
I felt a sudden wave of anxiety.
[If you are anxious, then choose.]
[Execution Ticket]
As if reading my mind, the item I possessed appeared on the screen.
It's leaving this up to me?
For a moment, my heart sank.
The outcome will change depending on the choice I make here.
Use the Execution Ticket. The Legion easily overcomes this crisis, acquires the creature's power, and becomes stronger.
But what if that two-headed dragon was actually a weakling here?
What if a final-boss-level being appears?
What do I do then?
"Hey... Back. Is there no 'retreat' option?! Look at more scouting records or something!"
I yelled at my phone.
But there was no answer. Only the characteristic eerie music continued to play.
Even that thing, which loved to chatter on, was silent.
I tore at my hair.
Why now, of all the important moments.
[So you will not use it. How about reconsidering? The Legion is not a pawn that moves as you wish. Whatever your intention, it will fight that lizard to the death. Even if you use the Execution Ticket when it's too late, the consumed energy cannot be fully recovered.]
"No, save it. I don't know when, but let's hold out."
I made my decision.
I did not use the Execution Ticket.
"Let's use it on something bigger someday. You told me to trust you. So I will."
[...As expected, this time too.]
"What?"
[The Legion moves again. But what is it trying to do?]
"Because I thought I should help!"
Having assessed the enemy's strength through reconnaissance, the Legion prepared its next attack.
Before things got any bigger, I rushed out of the house.
I racked my not-so-brilliant brain.
Thinking about what I could do to help right now.
[The tactic the Legion chose was a frontal assault. Neither venomous stingers nor jaws would pierce its scales. Therefore, it would send countless soldiers to crush it with sheer force. That was the tactic learned from ants.]
"That's too crude. Even if we win, the losses will be enormous."
[Then what tactic should be used?]
How should I know?
But what I could offer now wasn't powerful and unique traits or genes.
The more diverse and complex combat methods of various creatures.
Indeed, the Legion would imitate and apply the advantages of any creature it devoured, whether it was a specimen I provided or something it hunted in the caves.
So if I gave it that information, the Legion would surely find an answer among it.
*
[The Legion quickly interpreted and accurately analyzed the incoming information. The new specimens included bombardier beetles, centipedes, praying mantises, rhinoceros beetles, cats, woodpeckers, magpies, crows...]
The entire Legion came to a halt.
The flood of information was so massive that the entire collective stuttered as it tried to process it all.
[The Legion understood the intent. More diverse tactics and strategies.]
Though they looked the same on the outside, the Legion's soldiers had now evolved to the next level.
They established new combat methods by imitating and modifying the habits and techniques of the creatures they had absorbed.
[The Legion revised its grand strategy. The first thing it did was to organically mix its troop types and surround the target.]
The Legion moved again.
Its momentum was slightly different than before.
It trampled the native life forms blocking its path but didn't bother chasing those that fled.
[Distract the creature, and aim for the gaps in its scales. Persistently bite and cling to its weak vital points.]
The simple acquisition of knowledge, in itself, is no help.
However, one can receive that boon, then process, combine, and develop it on their own.
"Krrk..."
The two-headed lizard, noticing something was amiss, became flustered.
It had never been collectively mobbed like this before.
[The Legion commenced the war. It aimed for one thing only: the creature's vitals.]
"Kuaaack!"
The enraged two-headed lizard spewed fire.
But the Legion would not retreat, even if it meant burning to death.
Once a plan is set, they will carry out the mission unconditionally.
[The surrounded creature stomped its feet and swung its tail, killing dozens in a single blow. But those waiting on the ground and in the air swarmed it all at once, and soon its entire body was covered by the Legion. And in an opening that appeared, a venomous spine thrust out, precisely and deeply piercing one of its eyes.]
From the start, the Legion had focused its attack on the places not covered by scales, like its eyes, genitals, and anus, digging into them.
The panicked two-headed lizard let out a monstrous scream, toppling mushrooms as it shook its body and began to run.
[...The creature fell for the Legion's ruse. This place was a trap we had laid from the beginning.]
At the entrance to the cavern, it was ensnared in sticky spiderwebs that enveloped its body.
The ambush squad, which had been lying in wait as quiet as death, continuously sprayed spiderwebs and potent chemical substances.
A terrible scream echoed not only through the cavern but throughout the entire passage.
[The trapped creature's body is losing strength. It no longer has the power to breathe fire. The Legion mercilessly plunged venomous stingers into its remaining three eyes. Soon, all movement in its massive body ceased.]
"...Ha."
Victory. Watching it, I staggered and collapsed onto a bench.
I wondered if it was worth it... running around the mountain until this late.
[Blue-Scaled Two-Headed Earth Dragon: 3a2002]
"Earth Dragon...?"
We caught something big.
The creature was now being submerged whole into the wall of flesh.
Since it couldn't break the scales, the plan was to digest and dissolve it whole.
[This is a moment to be recorded in history. Your efforts were not in vain. If you hadn't provided various specimens, and if we hadn't obtained more data to diversify our strategies and tactics as a result, an efficient victory would not have been achieved.]
"...Yeah."
[Now, we have become able to devour a larger world in earnest.]
As always, the Legion did not stop.
Beings born with the instinct for an endless gluttony to devour the world.
Staring blankly at my phone, I staggered down the mountain.
"What's with your face? Where on earth have you been?"
"...A lot happened. I'm really tired."
Was I so messed up that my sister was surprised?
I gave a small laugh, made up an excuse about exercising, and went into my room, closing the door.
My phone... it's quiet now.
I recalled the emotions I had felt this afternoon.
Why did I run around so desperately?
It was as if, in that moment, I had become one with the Legion.
It wasn't for some unrelatable reason like my life being on the line.
It was just... because. Simply because.
As I wondered whether I should call this feeling affection, a dry laugh escaped me.