“Feeling anger, joy, and annoyance all at once?”

Kang Do Yeon, her mask half-off, gasped for breath. She was naturally in tune with the legion's emotions. Soon, the nearby ground started to tremble. As she watched the fierce battlefield, a grin spread across her face. The legion's secret weapon, which was about to disrupt the tedious balance of the battlefield, was approaching.

The mutated destructive bacteria seemed confused, their movements becoming rigid. It was understandable. They had never anticipated an enemy bursting from the solid labyrinth's ground. However, the legion, having captured and analyzed the abilities of the monsters in this world, had discovered their weakness.

fIt may have been careless, but this is the end.'

Simultaneously, the legion made a decision. The war with the mutated destructive bacteria had inflicted many wounds and taught the legion valuable lessons. For the first time, the legion, which had previously devoured and trampled everything in its path, was pushed back in terms of power. Their proud predation and genetic manipulation were also at risk of being reversed due to their negligence in development. As a result, they lost most of their reserved energy. They couldn't afford to experience such a disaster again.

[However, the legion was a unit. Their development could be influenced in any direction through interaction with a player. Possessing a power that the destructive bacteria lacked, the legion regained the upper hand. They were determined never to relinquish this advantage again.]

The ground trembled and exploded as if detonated. The destructive bacteria nearby were torn apart and flung into the air. A new legionnaire burst from the ground, swinging its heavily armored arm and scattering the enemies.

“Phew."

Kang Do Yeon, having caught her breath, joined the other legionnaires in crushing the enemies. Their swords, teeth, and claws were filled with a potent mix of intense anger and cold reason. From the beginning, the balance hadn't been overwhelmingly in their favor. However, now that a crack had formed in that balance, the gap widened, and the balance began to crumble.

“What? They're retreating?!"

[We already knew they had their own means of communication. The only problem is the possible existence of a commanding entity controlling them.] Perhaps it was because they couldn't react quickly to the sudden appearance of a variable.

The mutated destructive bacteria, which had been slaughtered and neutralized, turned their bodies around and retreated toward the upper floors they had come from.

The legion did not immediately pursue them.

[They had to consume all the remaining vegetation and the corpses of the bacteria to replenish their energy and reproduce the newly improved legionnaires.] A brief respite appeared in the midst of the unending war.

'You should rest too.'

“Ah, alright."

The legion ordered her to rest.

Her mask disappeared completely.

Kang Do Yeon walked unsteadily to the nest.

Tendrils for nourishment supply approached her, and one of them plugged into her lower back.

“Ugh..."

She shivered at the strange sensation.

The initial disgust had almost disappeared, and now a peculiar pleasure began to emerge. 'Interesting.' “What is?"

'Your brain remains unaltered, just as it was when you were human. Yet, it's evolving independently to align with the modified body that's now part of the legion. Since all the systems that used to provide pleasure are gone, your brain has adapted to derive pleasure from nourishment. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to bear it.' “My brain?"

Her heart plummeted, and she recoiled.Without thinking, she brought her hand to her chest.

Her heart no longer pulsed.

It had been substituted with a power engine.

“I am..."

She bit her lip.

Until this point, she hadn't given much thought to her body being modified.

She had preserved her life, and fighting for herself had ultimately benefitted her brother.

However, she could only do this because she had faith in herself.

Regardless of how much her body was torn apart and modified, she was convinced that her mind would stay the same.

So, the revelation that her brain, which the legion had left untouched, was changing on its own to match her modified body was a massive shock. 'What's the issue?'

Naturally, she couldn't object to this matter. She understood it all too well.

For the legion, tearing apart, modifying, evolving, and battling to become stronger was a natural law and rule.

“Let's discuss something else."

The legion approached her with its body while she was receiving nourishment, her face somber. “Something else?" “He's developing feelings of affection again." “Hey, it's normal for a human to like someone." “Human? But according to the human knowledge he provided, the spectrum of human emotions..." “My brother isn't that complex. He's just an average guy."

Kang Do Yeon shook her head in displeasure. The legion had shared all the information they had acquired, but she had rejected it. The experience of having knowledge forcibly imprinted on her brain was both awkward and mentally draining.

“Does he have a preference for long hair?"

“Ah, possibly. Cha Ji Yeon also had long hair."

She swallowed hard. The mention of Cha Ji Yeon had acted as a minor catalyst. When the legion had asked her to describe a human face that he might find appealing, she had named Cha Ji Yeon, the most recent beautiful woman she had encountered in person.

“Well... in my opinion, she's attractive enough. She wasn't even wearing makeup."

As the legion gradually made the mask disappear, revealing its bare face, she cautiously opened her mouth, stealing a glance at it.

“It's not your opinion that matters."

However, the legion put the mask back on.

“We still lack data. We definitely need more."

There was a clear limit to self-improvement, a realization they'd come to since they began enhancing the legionnaires. They couldn't make a significant leap forward on their own. [They've started moving again. They already know that no matter how strong we become, they can change and evolve faster. And that they are more numerous.] “What do we do now?"

Kang Do Yeon shared the scout's vision and fell silent. The destructive bacteria began to swarm again. They had been pushed back from the battlefield due to a brief variable, but they knew that if they fought to the end, they would win the war.“I want to crush them, but it's not efficient."

However, the legion had already found a way to deal with them. Using the newly acquired Underworld Terrain Dogs, the legion collapsed and blocked all passages leading to the upper floors.

[Energy shortages aren't just experienced by the legion. The destructive bacteria had to squeeze out their remaining power to transform and evolve in order to face the legion. But in the end, they have no energy reserves like us, as they have nothing to eat and resort to cannibalism. Moreover, they don't have the ability to dig through the ground.]

“But if we do this, we'll starve to death too."

“We just need to dig another path."

The nest's eggs were torn apart, and new soldiers emerged. The original Underworld Terrain Dogs were modified and strengthened according to the legion's style. They began to dig through the solid bedrock of the cave, not where it was originally dug, but in a completely different place.

[The mutated destructive bacteria colony was formidable, having obliterated an entire world. Through internal competition, they evolved into even more sophisticated entities.] Their actions served as a jolt to the legion, which had become complacent due to their rapid progress.

Yet, the legion was never an invincible force. They were perpetual challengers, striving to ascend.

“...Right. Ultimately, it's survival that strengthens us, isn't it? It's an ecosystem."

Kang Do Yeon also understood the intention and smiled bitterly. The detection organs of the Underworld Terrain Dogs and the legion's detection organs combined, allowing them to pinpoint the enemy's location and the structure of the cave through minute vibrations and sounds. The legion simply dug a detour to avoid them. There was no need to confront the endless enemies. It was enough to wait until they starved to death or turned to cannibalism and then finish them off.

“Or we could just bring everything down."

Kang Do Yeon mused, seemingly lost in thought.

“It's entirely within our capabilities now."

The legion's eyes glinted momentarily, contemplating the proposition Kang Do Yeon had put forth.

The concept of collapsing the hive was something they could have executed even in their weaker state.

However, the hive had expanded as they ascended, rendering the idea seemingly unfeasible.

But now, the circumstances were different. They had soldiers capable of burrowing through the solid bedrock of the cave.

They could also harness the exceptional power of Formative Force.

“But what if we inadvertently cause a total collapse?"

“Detection, surveying, planning, and calculation are all feasible."

Moreover, they possessed the knowledge to devise intricate strategies, a testament to the mathematical, scientific, and engineering knowledge that the human race had cultivated over thousands of years.

Their physical lips curled upwards, and their collective mood brightened.

The drawbacks of emotions and self-awareness were inefficiency and inconsistencies in applying knowledge. Yet, the sub-mind they had tried to utilize had proven its worth, highlighting aspects the legion had overlooked.

“Proceed to the designated point and await my command."

The legion deployed dozens of soldiers capable of digging. They explored and surveyed all points simultaneously, performing optimal calculations on the spot. A formidable force capable of causing a total collapse was also dispatched.

[Feeding, growing, evolving. These are merely means to an end, insufficient for satisfaction. The ultimate goal is to become absolutely powerful in every aspect.] “And to annihilate those variant bastards. We will seize everything."

The command center of the destructive bacteria colony was shrouded in mystery. The war between those who fed and evolved continued to rage. The victor of this battle would consume

everything the defeated possessed, growing stronger after claiming it all.