"Uh..."

"Pm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I'm Yoon Soo Ah, a lieutenant. Actually, I'm from the regular army. I applied for the special forces to participate in the expedition."

She took off her beret and chuckled. Her short hair, tied in a bun, shook slightly.

I was flustered and couldn't find the words to respond. Cold sweat ran down my back, worrying about what would happen if she found out I was a player.

"By any chance, were you recording your voice? Don't worry, I only heard the last sentence."

"Ah...voice recording?"

Fortunately, she didn't seem to suspect 'that.' Instead, she glanced at the cell phone on my makeshift desk and made a wild guess.

"Yes, something like that...similar..."

Of course, from my perspective, it was a relief that she misunderstood. Inadvertently, I became an emotional person who recorded voice logs on the battlefield. Unlike me, who was embarrassed to death, her eyes sparkled with interest.

"It's a bit embarrassing."

"No, I think it's fine. That kind of thing."

"But...why did you come here, Lieutenant?"

Come to think of it, this woman entered without knocking. Or maybe she did, and I just didn't hear it.

"I just came to see you. Even though we were in the middle of a fight, it left a deep impression on me."

"I feel the same way."

The memory of her fighting the Underworld Terrain Dog was still vivid in my mind.

"I just did what I had to do. But I have a good eye for people. I know from experience that saving someone is harder than fighting."

As she looked at me, her eyes shone. It was an unexpected and surprising interest that I hadn't anticipated.

"Were you a hunter? Which company were you in? Or were you a freelancer?"

"...I just started working right before this."

"So, you came here right after awakening?"

She was the one who initiated the conversation, showing interest in me. I responded calmly to this unexpected interaction, not ruling out the possibility that she might be a hidden unit or player.

"Why? Oh, I'm sorry if that's too personal."

She perched on the desk, her smile warm and inviting. Despite our conversation, she didn't strike me as someone with malicious intent.

"I guess you could say I seized the opportunity."

I used the excuse of avenging my past enemies for the public. She looked surprised, glancing at me in the same way Chris did, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. Isn't that the case for everyone? Even ordinary soldiers are volunteers."

"...You're right. Actually, I'm one of them too."

Her face fell for a moment, and I fell silent. After all, Yoon Soo Ah, an ordinary B-rank hunter, had volunteered for this expedition."I lost my family to those monsters."

"May they rest in... No! They must be alive. It hasn't even been a week since they were taken."

Her eyes flashed with determination, the intensity of her resolve palpable.

"So...we will definitely go and save them."

"Yes."

I nodded, unable to voice anything more hopeful or pessimistic. Her smile lightened the mood, and our conversation continued. Before parting, she assured me we would meet again.

"I was happy with what you said."

Her parting words reverberated in my mind, leaving me stunned. I had chosen to act on behalf of the Legion, and consequently, a new connection had been forged. I questioned whether this was acceptable. With a heavy heart, I reopened the app.

[The Legion has offered you an offering.]

However, before I could fully open the app, something seemed to be waiting for me to be alone, and it appeared before me.

"The legion's power engine."

[To be precise, it's closer to the divine stone used by the Moonlight Elves.]

I picked up the red ore that had materialized before me. It was smaller than what I had seen in the app. The usual size was about the size of a fist, but this one was less than half of that. However, unlike ordinary power engines, this one had intricate patterns engraved on it.

"What is this for? What's its purpose?"

[The basis is Heavenly Soul Art. Haven't you already learned it?]

"That's right."

I had already learned how to handle mana stones from Cha Ji Yeon. I channeled my power and infused it into the ore. Yet, there was no change in the ore.

"It's not a failure. It's just set up like this."

[It's an item that can detect players and units. The principle is like a string. When you inject power, it detects the subtle strings of souls and emits light. At the same time, it can also block any scanning power trying to detect you.]

"...Impressive."

I couldn't help but admire it. It was an item I desperately needed and had the best utility.

"Then I should give something back. What should I give?"

[Do you really have to give something?]

"Yes. I might have hesitated before, but not anymore."

My intention was clear. Their primary goal was the growth of the Legion. They had used me effectively so far, and now they would want the Legion to let go of its attachment to me and become a frenzied predator. But I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let go of the Legion now. Even if the administrator tried something again, it wouldn't matter. I had already confirmed that my will as a player was the most important thing.

"I feel like I haven't taken care of them enough."

With that thought, I felt a pang of guilt for making them conscious and worried.

So, it wouldn't hurt to give them a carrot, right?

*

"Hey, I'm not trying to steal it.""I know. I'm not really on guard."

"I'm seriously losing my mind."

In the legion's nest, a disagreement was brewing between the two. Kang Do Yeon, lounging casually, spat out the snack she was munching on. It fell to the floor and dissolved as if melting away. The same thing was happening to the legion, who was currently chewing on a snack with only its mouth exposed. However, the legion was also tightly clutching something else.

‘'What on earth is oppa thinking?!'

Kang Do Yeon was internally frustrated, unable to voice her thoughts. The cause of her frustration was Shin Woo's sudden change of attitude towards the legion's obsession, which had been bothering him for a while.

‘'It's like...he's really raising a daughter.'

Her troubled eyes landed on the item the legion was holding. It was a small doll, a 'gift' of sorts. It wasn't anything special. She couldn't even guess how he had found it in that place. Of course, it wasn't important what he had given. What mattered was that 'he had given it to the legion.'

Kang Do Yeon scratched her head, unable to comprehend. He had given the legion a doll. And the legion didn't doubt his intentions for a moment.

'It's obvious he knows something.'

But she didn't. She had sensed that her brother had noticed that the corps had built itself and was hiding it. but she hadn't caught on to the full extent of it. It meant that the mediator, who was responsible for the relay, had also sided with Shin Woo instead of the legion. So, her confusion only deepened. The current actions were shaking the still-unstable legion's psyche and strengthening its attachment. Despite her curiosity, she was holding back, thinking that there must be some meaning behind it all.

[The scouts have discovered something.]

"Very intriguing."

At that moment, following the battle, the legion's scouts who were exploring the upper floors stumbled upon something.

[There were logical inconsistencies. The mutated destructive bacteria were potent. Naturally, they were born from consuming the same destructive bacteria, so they shouldn't have experienced an energy shortage. There are still many infected bodies, and this labyrinth is vast. Yet, their behavior was peculiar.]

"They should have spread everywhere, but they acted as if they were obstructed above. It's also odd that they all congregated on the 45th floor."

The legion had already noted these anomalies and kept them in mind. After they had eradicated the mutated destructive bacteria and finally secured the area below the 45th floor under the legion's control, they discovered it on the stem of the 46th floor.

"I can't believe it..."

Kang Do Yeon gasped in surprise.

[An unidentified, yet powerful creature.]

"It's definitely a mutated destructive bacterium. But it's different from the rest."

It was clearly alive but didn't disturb the legion's scouts. It resembled a massive lump of flesh, a mutated destructive bacterium formed by countless infected bodies merging together. However, its appearance was slightly different from the more powerful and ferocious mutated destructive bacteria on the lower floors that had formed groups.

"It's not hostile?"

"We might be able to communicate with it."

The legion sensed something from the massive body. For a moment, curiosity overcame the legion's instincts for war and predation, and they directed their infectious cells towards the giant mutated destructive bacterium. It didn't resist.

[Proliferating Infectious Mutated Destructive Bacteria Megacolony: 6N0987]

The creature's information was registered in the legion's database. The existence of mutated destructive bacteria megacolony, which they had suspected might exist, was confirmed.

'It won't be hostile.'

In a partially assimilated state, the legion could interpret the other party's intentions. A giant creature formed by hundreds of destructive bacteria megacolony

merging together. But this massive being was dying. Ultimately, it was for the same reason as the mutated bacteria on the lower floors: energy shortage. In fact, shriveled and twisted tissues were scattered around the giant body.

[The great legion had the ability to forcibly manipulate nearby destructive bacteria megacolony and draw them in. It was natural for the lower floor mutants to be terrified. In a way, it could be considered the ultimate existence in cannibalism.]

An existence that had grown from the first to the strongest. However, ironically, the most powerful mutated destructive bacterium, which had absorbed all other destructive bacteria except for those on the lower floors dominated by other mutants, was now choosing to die.

'Why?'

The legion, having partially read their thoughts, couldn't comprehend it. As a legion that valued survival and evolution in any situation, it was even more incomprehensible.