“Using the divine stone to harness Formative Force. But they said the true power of the Moonlight Elves comes from this sacred tree.”

While the legion was momentarily reorganizing, I shifted my gaze to where Kang Do Yeon had moved.

This place used to be the survivors' base.

Now, only one life remained there.

“I can feel it. There-’s power within this young sacred tree.”

“...Is the legion planning to use that as well?”

As my sister gently stroked the tree, my eyes turned to the stakes scattered around.

These stakes, intricately carved, had surrounded the sacred tree.

I heard they were given by a player.

I wasn't entirely at ease.

How would a player, whose face and name I didn't know, feel about their last remaining unit being tortured and killed by our legion for information?

When the last survivor dies, they die too.

[Do not fear. The legion senses that.]

“Damn.”

I quickly composed myself, refusing to show any signs of weakness to the legion, even if it was just my emotions.

“We're going to devour this sacred tree.”

“Is that even possible? I mean, I've never offered the legion a living plant before.”

The legion's choice was predictable, but I voiced my doubts anyway. Up until now, plants hadn't been a consideration. There were no plants that could thrive in the barren caves of this world.

“If we can harness the power of plants, perhaps we can eventually derive energy through photosynthesis.”

“I'm not sure about that. Regardless, the legion has already made its decision.”

Kang Do Yeon, who had been caressing the sacred tree, rose to her feet. Unbeknownst to me, the legion's nest had already extended its tendrils and flesh walls.

[The power of the Moonlight Elves' sacred tree. The legion believes that if we can harness the power of sharing and linking, our developing Formative Force could advance to another level.]

“Formative Force...”

I muttered, watching the sacred tree being slowly digested by the nest.

It was a concept I hadn't known for long, even though it was similar to the hunters' abilities.

I was even in the process of learning it.

“I think it's time for me to leave. Please, take care of yourself.”

“Uh? Oh, okay.”

Despite declaring my departure, I didn't leave. Instead, I quietly observed my phone. Someone had emerged beside my sister, who was energetically waving her hand at the sky, and swiftly moved towards her.

“Show me how to operate this.”

The figure requested.

A creature swooped down from the sky, clutching a device in its talons, and dropped it into the figure's hand. In that instant, I turned off my phone.“Notify me if anything out of the ordinary occurs.”

[Of course.]

After giving the order, I opened the door just as Cha Ji Yeon was entering.

“From what I can tell, Cha Ji Yeon's Evolution Corporation seems to be the dominant force on Earth.”

I mused.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I was just considering it from a player's perspective.”

Park Joon Seok, who typically kept to himself in his room, joined our casual mealtime conversation.

“By the way, what kind of units does Park Joon Seok have?”

I asked casually.

He chuckled in response and promptly showed me some pictures.

“Aren't they cute?”

They were captured images of his units, which were primarily dog-like. Moreover, they were bipedal, a form that could be described as anthropomorphic. At least they didn't live in caves.

“Leaving information behind isn't a good idea.”

Cha Ji Yeon warned cautiously.

“I know, but it doesn't matter if I die anyway.” h

He dismissed.

“Players have to be cautious. Even if they hide, some people, like Cha Ji Yeon, have the ability to find them.”

“...So?”

“Perhaps other players have gathered together, including their units. The ones they would be most wary of would be the most powerful force, right?”

His words carried weight. Essentially, units that have to kill each other can never truly unite. That's why Cha Ji Yeon's Evolution, the most powerful and largest ruler of this world, joined forces with ordinary people. However, this action would undoubtedly raise suspicion among other units.

“My player must have a plan.”

She muttered quietly, her expression grim. She had already admitted to being just a pawn.

“But no matter how hard they try to stop us, they won't be able to halt this expedition.”

“That's... true, right? If this expedition fails, we'll turn the entire world against us.”

I shifted my gaze to the TV. Recently, the news had been focused on one thing: the allied forces of major countries around the world, led by Evolution, were opening gates in reverse and attacking the monsters' stronghold. People's fury had already reached a boiling point due to the widespread looting. No matter how powerful a unit group was, it seemed unlikely they would risk turning ordinary people against them. They would be too busy fighting other units.

“For now, let's all just focus on surviving there.”

She suggested, looking at me.

I nodded in agreement. But now, mere survival wasn't enough. The reason I was taking the risk and going there was to become stronger.

“Ah, I'll hide quietly until you return. As you know, I'm not alone.”

Park Joon Seok snickered before retreating to his room.

There wasn't much time left. The moment for me to step onto the battlefield was fast approaching. *

[Moonlight Sacred Tree: 3nl699]“The sacred tree...”

“This lifeform has the power to amplify its energy by resonating with the Formative Force it contains from its surroundings. But its true power lies elsewhere.”

In the middle of the 39th floor's Stem Layer, where the nest was almost fully formed, a tree with black bark had grown from the floor's flesh wall. The tree had already surpassed the sapling stage and was growing into a young tree.

Kang Do Yeon tilted her head and looked up at the tree, which had grown taller than her.

“Could it be?”

“Yes, that's the true power of this tree.”

Her eyes widened.

The tree, which had undergone the legion's modifications, no longer had a single leaf, unlike before. At the end of the withered and twisted branches, something red began to form and gradually grew larger. The legion concentrated its energy to accelerate the growth of the red object.

An object, no larger than a newborn's fist, fell with a soft thud. Kang Do Yeon caught it in her palm. It was a rough, dark red ore that shimmered in the light.

“Divine stone.”

“The new legionnaire can process and transform energy forms. For instance, they can convert absorbed nourishment into divine stones containing Formative Force.”

The legion was creating new legionnaires. However, these weren't entirely new; they were slightly modified versions of the existing ones. Kang Do Yeon noticed a divine stone, embedded like a heart, within the body of the approaching all-purpose legionnaire. The legion had boldly invested in elevating some of its soldiers to elite status.

“Our legion's very own new power source.”

Startled, she placed her hand on her chest. A divine stone was already inside her body. This stone had been the highest quality item obtained from the Moonlight Elves' legacy. Now, the legion had gained the ability to mass-produce such divine stones.

A legionnaire approached and handed her something. With a tense expression, Kang Do Yeon accepted it.

“The strongest sword.”

A special sword made by mixing finely crushed divine stones into the legion's carapace.

The sword resonated with the divine stone replacing her heart, and it began to glow with a dark red light.

[It's time to move forward again]

“...Understood.”

At the command, Kang Do Yeon finally turned. Their energy was waning. As the legion expanded and their intelligence advanced, their newly acquired abilities demanded a surge of energy. To satisfy this insatiable hunger, they were driven to consume everything within their grasp.

[Since the legion's sword has gone to war, shouldn't the legion's brain do its part as well?]

“I've already seen it. And remembered it. All of it.”

While the legion's fangs and claws, the legionnaires, were constantly on the move, the legion was fiddling with a cell phone.

They had to memorize everything stored in it before the battery ran out.

But the legion's brain was now much larger and faster than a mere cell phone.

[So, have you obtained all the knowledge you desired?]

“No.”

The legion resolutely shook its head. The hodgepodge of science, humanities, and engineering books stored on the cell phone were all read and memorized in an instant. However, these were not the subjects that currently piqued the legion's interest.

Mechanical engineering, science and technology, philosophy-these were merely reference materials for the legion, as it was fundamentally different from Earth's humans. Instead, they found creative works, brimming with human imagination, and the requested Bible far more captivating. They believed that the history they were co-creating was on the brink of becoming a myth.

“But the ^beauty' he contemplates isn't mentioned.” [-]

Their attention was momentarily diverted. The legion had eavesdropped on his conversation with his sister, mistakenly assuming they had discovered valuable information. They failed to grasp that the conversation was essentially directed at them. However, reaching a definitive conclusion was proving to be a challenge.

“What is beauty?”

The unmasked legion pondered this, gently touching its own face-a face identical to Kang Do Yeon's.

To them, Kang Do Yeon was not acknowledged for her beauty. They merely viewed her as another living entity that held significance to Shin Woo, not as someone attractive. Thus, from the legion's perspective, Kang Do Yeon's face was far from beautiful. ‘'More data.'

The legion's conclusion ultimately remained the same. They needed to gather more data to construct a new body.