[Energy. The most important thing is energy.]

"...So how do we provide this energy?"

[We just obtained the genetic information of a fungus living in a cave and the ants you collected from Earth. We can mimic their method of nutrient absorption.]

"Aha."

I glanced at the snack bag lying casually beside me.

It was unopened and new. But could I really eat it?

There was no need to worry.

If ants could eat it, so could I.

[Then take a picture.]

I picked up the camera as instructed.

I didn't like being ordered around, but there was no choice.

[The snack you photographed has been transferred to them.]

The snack, which had been torn open and spread out, moved into my phone as soon as it was photographed.

Snacks poured into the dark cave with a thud.

I watched the cells'* reaction.

At first, they were cautious.

But soon they began to create something and extend it.

[It's a mix of the funguses method and the ants*.]

The cells clumped together and began to extend thin threads in all directions.

The threads that were cautiously extending began to cover the snack.

It was as if the roots of a plant were absorbing nutrients, trying to digest the snack.

Upon closer inspection, the cells with jaws that killed the fungus were attached to the snack, gnawing at it.

[We are still primitive. Digestion will take a long time.]

"...I see."

It meant there was nothing to do while it was being digested.

Still, I kept looking at my phone.

This was quite fun.

Watching those little guys wriggle, gradually growing.

It was more enjoyable than any breeding game.

"Hmm..."

I left my phone and sat in front of the computer.

It was fun, but I searched for smartphone hacking in the search bar.

I wanted to see if there were others experiencing the same symptoms.

But the results were clear.

I even tried in English, but there was not a single case with similar symptoms.

I opened the messenger and then closed it again.

Honestly, unless I showed it directly, it didn't seem believable, and his threat was bothering me.

It sounded absurd, but if it was true.

I had already seen things disappear as soon as I took a picture.

It meant it was not something to be dismissed as simple hacking.

[A wise choice.]

"Whoa!"

At that moment, the screen went dark, and white letters began to appear again.

This crazy guy was now looking at my computer!

[Moreover, it would be better not to reveal it.]

"Why, why should I do that?"

[Aside from protecting your phone records... it's related to your life, so all the more reason.]

It was just text, but it felt chilling.

I had to admit it. He was the boss.

Come to think of it, he said it was a game.

There was no guarantee that this game was single-player.

"Why me of all people? There are many other outstanding people. I'm just an ordinary college student."[Didn't I tell you? You downloaded it yourself. I just operated the system and found its owner, Kang Shin Woo.]

I was speechless.

There was nothing more to argue about in this unfortunate situation.

In the end, I turned off the computer and flopped back onto the bed.

I had to study, but in this situation, I couldn't concentrate.

"...Huh?"

I had fallen asleep. I didn't think I could sleep in that situation, but the impact of pulling an all-nighter was significant.

Next to my ear, my phone was loudly ringing an alarm.

"What's this?"

[It's an attack. The sweet snack that suddenly fell into the dark cave. The creatures that smelled it.]

The source of the alarm was this unidentified game.

I quickly logged into the app.

"Enemies, you say. Where are they?"

[Zoom in.]

As he said, I zoomed in on the screen.

The intruders were very small creatures.

Do large animals not live in this cave in the first place?

[It might be a good thing. We can't deal with large enemies at our current level.]

My question was quickly answered.

Anyway, the creatures crawling towards us now were very small, similar to fleas.

[We have plenty of stored energy. We can deal with them.]

We began to respond to the creatures gradually approaching.

Tentacles extended towards the creatures flocking to the snack being digested.

[We combined the growth method of the fungus with the genes of the ants.]

The ends of the roots swelled like tumors, and something began to take shape quickly.

I was very surprised to see it.

What was created, although small, clearly resembled an ant.

The ants, severed from the tentacles, began to swarm towards the enemies targeting their food.

[We are many and one. There was no inefficiency in our movements. Even our size and strength were greater, so we easily killed the enemies. And the enemies we killed became our assets again.]

[Cave Bloodsucker Flea: 1B1557]

The battle ended blandly.

With our victory.

Moreover, there were the abilities of the enemy we had absorbed.

[Now we can also use the blood of other creatures as nutrients.]

"...Impressive."

I was genuinely amazed.

Suspicious as it was, my interest was growing.

"What are you doing, oppa?"

"Nothing."

That evening. My younger sister, who had returned from school and tutoring, frowned at me lying on the living room floor.

Kang Do Yeon, six years younger than me, was now a high school student.

"...Are there bugs?"

"I caught them, so don't worry."

She flinched.

She particularly disliked bugs.

Anyway, since I caught them, I waved her off and sent her to her room.

[Fruit flies and ghost spiders. They all became our assets.]

The new samples I found around the house.

I photographed the small insects and transferred them to the cave.

Hundreds jumped to successfully hunt the fruit fly flying in mid-air.

It was a strong exoskeleton introduced from the flea's genes.

The ghost spider was eaten just like the ants.[In just one day, we have grown this much.]

He was right.

It was 9 pm, having started in the morning.

The cell clusters, which were just a small puddle, had now spread their roots over a considerable area, grown into the form of mushrooms, and were able to produce quite a lot of soldiers.

"How can I grow bigger?"

[More energy. More samples]

Now, I was genuinely curious about how big these things could grow.

"What the... My bread! Did my brother eat it?!"

"...I'll buy you some later."

After changing clothes, I started looking for the bread I bought yesterday.

It was a bit unfair, but I had to compensate.

However, the bread wasn't for me to eat.

The packaging was torn apart, and it was rolling around on the cave floor.

It had become nourishment for the reproduction of a species.

"...They grow incredibly fast."

[If there's enough nourishment, it's possible to increase the speed]

I woke up early in the morning and checked my phone first.

And I was shocked.

In just 8 hours, these things had grown more than the bread they had devoured.

[The growth of the spider web and fungus combined to create the primeval 'nest']

"It's...huge."

I admired it as I turned the screen.

The cells that started from a puddle the size of a human footprint now covered more than half of this underground space with their roots and bodies.

Of course, it's still at a level that can be stepped on, but this is just one day's growth.

What if two days, three days, or half a week passed?

[Nourishment. More nourishment is needed]

"Alright."

I put back the bread my sister bought last night.

She would be upset to find out that her precious bread was taken again, but I'll buy her some more.

"I can supplement with bread for now. But in the long run, I don't think I can spend all my food budget on you."

[That's true. So, you have to guide them well. Hunting and exploration skills that can be self-sufficient, digestion, energy use efficiency, etc.]

It's making it sound complicated again.

Anyway, I finished getting ready to go out and was the last of my family to leave the house.

I only have one afternoon class today.

"I understand what you mean by designing and guiding, but what do I need to know first?"

I got on the subway and started heading to the city where my school is located.

I might look like a crazy person talking to myself to others, but fortunately, there are many people talking with wireless earphones these days.

[That's right. I'll open one more function for you on the second day]

The tutorial never ends, even though it doesn't give any rewards.

As soon as it finished speaking, another icon appeared.

I knew what it was at a glance. It was a map.

[But to illuminate the map, scouting is needed]

"...I knew you were going to say that."

Scouting. It was a daunting task, but not anymore.

Dozens of scouts departed from the nest.

They all had the wings of a mosquito.

What's the big deal about scouting? lust release the scouts.

[Our biggest advantage, using one brain to see all the information from dozens of eyes, accumulates quickly. The update speed of the map is explosive. It's something that most can't imitate.]

The scouts dispersed into every corner and began to investigate every part of this cave.

What they found out was that this was the bottom of the cave, and it was hard to gauge how deep it was.

Hive Consciousness. I think I understand how powerful the ability to be 'connected as one' is.

No matter how far away a scout is, the information they obtain can be immediately known to the whole.

"What was that just now?"

[It's a predator. We can't compete with it right now]

lust at that moment.

A report came in that one of the scouts, who had been slowly climbing the stairs at the front, was abruptly cut off by something.