'it feels like Im floating.’

Kang Do Yeon grinned as she stumbled, experiencing the expansion and addition of new sensations for the first time in her life.

Thanks to the direct intervention of the legion, her brain was now smoothly processing the onslaught of information. Oddly, her stimulated brain derived a sense of pleasure from the process.

[Clearly an extraordinary opponent. Likely a skilled individual. For now, the legion has instructed the ranged troops to open fire.] "...!”

Dozens of bony spikes shot through the air towards them in an instant. The man at the very front, along with the other warriors, hurriedly raised their swords to deflect the spikes entirely.

"I should go.”

With a roar, Kang Do Yeon stomped the ground. Leaving his subordinates behind, the man charged towards her alone, sword in hand. Of all the enemies she had faced so far, this one was clearly the strongest.

"Hmph.”

lust before clashing, Kang Do Yeon’s waist twisted grotesquely. Simultaneously, the ice-cold blade barely grazed past her face.

[Smooth yet sharp and precise. The legion focused every available eye to imprint those movements from all angles into memory. Our swords cannot hope to match it. Truly the pinnacle of swordsmanship.]

With sublime senses and reflexes, Kang Do Yeon matched the enemy’s sword. Since his swordplay exceeded hers, she relied purely on physical ability instead. The blade kept brushing past her face and body. Although the opponent also displayed extraordinary physical prowess, his speed was inferior to hers as she manipulated her nerves using the hive mind.

"There!”

She evaded his strike aimed at her waist, immediately retaliating with a powerful kick. Her body twisted precariously, yet her kick was forceful enough to shatter her hipbone and rupture her thigh muscles voluntarily.

[It seems they’ve found a counter. Naturally, such risky maneuvers would be challenging for ordinary legionnaires, unlike the versatile amoebas.] Caught off guard by the unusual, unorthodox attack, her opponent was blasted away, crashing into the ground.

"This won’t end easily, will it...”

[The remaining forces on standby are now mobilizing. We will match them.]

In an instant, Kang Do Yeon regenerated her shattered hip and ruptured thigh. She stood up shakily, observing her opponent as he too struggled to his feet. Sensing the looming

crisis, the remaining enemies charged together, their actions mirrored by the legion.

[However, not all seem as proficient as their leader. The legion is confident that our superior group tactics give us the edge.]

The adaptable legionnaires raised their swords in unison, charging forward. Their compact, coordinated movements and interconnected techniques were tactics only they, a versatilelegion composed of humans and orcs, could execute.

Kang Do Yeon, stumbling, rushed once more towards her struggling adversary. fNow I understand.’

She deftly dodged his weakened sword swings, slicing off the arm that wielded his blade. Without a moment’s hesitation, she beheaded him. The blazing light and markings in his eyes slowly faded away.

"Do you grieve?”

As the legionnaires continued their strategic onslaught, routing the remaining enemies, she stared blankly at the now petrified face of the corpse. *

[The final enemy fell to the combined assault of our forces.] "It’s not over yet.”

"Yeah. We need to inspect the interior.”

Despite their victory, it was premature for the legion to let down their guard.

I observed as Kang Do Yeon cautiously approached the structure the enemies had been defending. I adjusted the view to match her perspective. "This place resembles a temple.” [Reconnaissance troops will scout first.] One of the nearby legionnaires assumed the role of a scout.

He pushed open the massive stone gates and ventured inside. I switched the view to the scout’s perspective.

"Is that an enemy?!”

[No hostile presence detected. In fact, it’s not even alive.]

In this vast space, a single entity sat cross-legged in the center, surrounded by an ancient magical array seemingly drawn in blood that covered the entire floor. "That person there. The energy that once permeated this place now revolves around that mummy.”

Upon witnessing this, Kang Do Yeon covered her mouth with her hand. A legionnaire trudged over and extracted something from the mummy’s embrace.

"...A vajra?” "What’s that?” "I think it’s something similar.” Of course, it probably wasn’t, but to me, it bore a resemblance to a vajra. The legionnaire twisted something lodged in the middle of the vajra and yanked it out. [It’s a gem that glows on its own, engraved with peculiar patterns. The patterns might be similar to the other ones drawn here. This peculiar energy, the source of the magic controlling the enemies, is this gem.] It was clearly an extraordinary item in my eyes as well.

Receiving it, Kang Do Yeon also stared blankly at the glowing gem.

"Can we use or analyze it?”

[Not at the moment. We need more data.]

Unfortunately, using it directly seemed challenging, but...

"There’s a clue here. Look.”"Yeah. Better than text we can’t even decipher.”

Taking the gem for now, Kang Do Yeon moved elsewhere.

[After re-analyzing Kang Do Yeon’s deductions, the legion independently interpreted the meaning of the strange murals.] "...These are images. Like cave paintings, right? What do they depict?”

To the legion unfamiliar with the concept of imagery, Kang Do Yeon shared her knowledge.

The legion immediately began examining every mural in the temple.

"Look here. See, oppa? This seems like the starting point.”

Kang Do Yeon pointed to a specific area. I followed her gaze and found myself looking at a mural. It was a vivid depiction of a group of people being driven into a cave, their pursuers brandishing spears menacingly.

"Were these people... driven from the surface?”

My sister and I reached the same conclusion almost simultaneously. I turned my attention to the mural adjacent to it. This one depicted figures constructing an underground city around a lavishly adorned individual.

[After re-analyzing Kang Do Yeon again, the legion itself interpreted the murals. Based on these, numerous such cities seem to have existed.] "So many cities are depicted. But what comes next? They’re disappearing one by one.”

The murals were only halfway interpreted. From this point on, strange occurrences began to emerge.

[The cities fell one by one, survivors desperately evacuated. But there was nowhere to seek refuge. They congregated in the last remaining city. And made a decision.] "...They sealed the entrance themselves. Every single one participated in the ritual. Their aim was to defend their homeland, the last bastion, from being overrun.” Kang Do Yeon murmured, his gaze fixed on the final mural. As we unearthed some truths, an equal number of new questions surfaced.

[Whatever unidentified monsters drove them to annihilation, they may still roam free as living beings.] Naturally, the legion simply hoped to feast on prey soon. "And the seal?” [Look at the display. It already broke when we took the vajra gem. Scouts have been deployed.]

The view shifted, providing an aerial perspective from a scout soaring through the air. Like the developed stem section below, the 37th floor was expansive, dotted with structures. However, it was far more dilapidated compared to the lower levels.

"The vegetation is alive. So it wasn’t completely isolated after being sealed?”

Fungi and mosses, typical cave flora, were scattered here and there. However, there was no noticeable fauna activity.

[Though developed like the stem floors below, broader scouting will be necessary. Moreover, continued nest expansion below, and searching undiscovered small cavities.] The legion bustled about. Of course, handling multiple tasks simultaneously had become second nature by now.

"Notify me if you find anything.”

With that, I put away my phone.

The legion buzzed with activity as always, and now it was my turn to act. fCan I pull this off? No, that’s not the question.’ I bit my lip, reading Cha Ji Yeon’s message.

Just like everyone else, both units and players grew stronger over time.

Choosing between timidly hiding or taking bold action was a risky decision, but action was the only viable option. In the end, even this mad game functioned like an ecosystem-ruthless and devoid of mercy.

If you fell behind or weakened, the stronger ones would inevitably prey on you, using you for their own survival.

I had no other option but to forge ahead recklessly. I double-checked the potion I had stashed on my person one more time. It would be crucial in executing my plan.