A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 33

Ship of Theseus. A paradox of change and continuity.

The body that constitutes me is being replaced, cell by cell.

Its function and appearance are undoubtedly the same as before.

Then, when all the cells have completely changed, is it still me? This was one of the strange and chilling senses of dissonance Kang Do-Yeon was experiencing.

[If you cannot endure that sense of dissonance, your mind will collapse as it is.]

A voice unfamiliar to her rang in her ears.

It was a voice the Swarm had heard countless times, but one the Swarm could not comprehend.

The voice was a deep male voice, yet it carried a raspy tone as if wounded.

[Who are you?]

“I… I am…”

Curled up like a fetus, she frowned.

The confusion was overwhelming.

Too much information was flowing into her mind.

Knowledge of the Swarm that the small human brain could not bear.

Thus, the Swarm controlled the flow of information directed at her.

Due to this control, she possessed the strongest ego within the Swarm but had been pushed to second in rank.

“I am Kang Do-Yeon. I am just me.”

[Is that all?]

“And a part of the Swarm.”

She overcame the sense of dissonance with her mental strength.

She succeeded in not losing her ego.

She vividly remembered the final moment.

The Red Cross Eyes of the Blue Suit that had dismembered her limbs and left her in a half-dead state.

“Bastard.”

Rage surged.

But that rage was not hers alone.

The entire Swarm resonated with her anger.

The area covered by the Swarm’s Nest trembled.

[The First Entity has emerged. This has been recorded in the history of the Swarm.]

She slowly opened her eyes.

At the same time, a crack split open the Flesh Wall of the Nest that encased her.

Light seeped in through the fissure, and secretion spilled out.

“Khuh… Kehek…”

She was swept out and spilled onto the outside.

Instinctively, she inhaled deeply, drawing air into her lungs.

“Ugh…”

Her vision was blurry, and she staggered as she stood on the Flesh Wall of the Nest beneath her feet.

Even though she had overcome the sense of dissonance, it still lingered in her body.

She felt as though it wasn’t her body.

But grinding her teeth, she breathed deeply to steady herself.

As her mind calmed, her body quickly adapted.

[Do you know what you must do?]

“Yeah, I know, uh… old man.”

Clutching her throbbing head, she let out a faint laugh.

The Swarm controlled the information, but at the same time, it decided to actively and efficiently utilize Kang Do-Yeon, the only entity with a developed brain.

There was no way she wouldn’t know.

Where she was, why she was in this state, what the Swarm was, and what needed to be done from now on.

“I’m angry at those damned bastards. But you’re not angry because of me, are you? To you, I’m just Specimen One. You’re angry because your brother is sad, because he’s angry, right?”

She slowly began to walk.

Even though the grotesque and horrifying sight of the Nest and Swarm Soldiers would make an ordinary girl scream, and even though she was completely naked without a single thread on her body, she didn’t care.

None of it mattered to her anymore.

“Let’s go.”

Following her as she headed upward, the waiting Swarm Soldiers began to move.

The procession stretched endlessly.

It was a march to completely conquer the 35th Stratum.

There was no fear or doubt on Kang Do-Yeon’s face as she led at the forefront.

[You are also part of the Swarm. And so are we.]

In the end, she was a part of the Swarm.

In return for being granted life, she had become one with the Swarm.

“Which means war, battle, is my duty.”

There was no need for a reason.

War and devouring were the very purpose of the Swarm’s existence.

“What on earth? From what I can see, uh… it looks like something out of a fantasy—like elves. Hideously pale corpses, though. What kind of structure is this? A temple? A shrine?”

Kang Do-Yeon led the Swarm Soldiers to the 35th Stratum.

Through her, the Swarm made their first concrete assessment of the Enemies of the Thirty-Fifth Stratum.

[They came at us again. Just like last time, the marks on their bodies began to glow.]

Once again, the Guardian Soldiers, who had lost their reason, charged forward, and the Swarm responded.

The Swarm had never lost a rematch.

They always employed stronger, more innovative forces and strategies in the second attack.

“Ugh…”

This time was no different.

While the Swarm Soldiers rushed ahead, Kang Do-Yeon staggered, her eyes wide open and trembling.

[Get used to it. The Swarm granted a special power to a special entity. It is an application of another racial trait of the Swarm—Accelerated Growth. It’s the height of inefficiency, but it was worth investing in this entity.]

“Agh… Aaaargh!”

Kang Do-Yeon screamed in pain as her body twisted and restructured.

At the same time, her entire body began to transform.

Her skeleton changed rapidly, and her skin underwent mutation, becoming covered with Black Hide and Carapace.

Her muscles were rearranged, and her nerves twisted.

Ultimately, her body, except for her head, was completely altered.

Covered in a form that resembled a black suit, her appearance wasn’t much different from a versatile Swarm Soldier.

“Kyaaah!”

As she gasped and swallowed the pain, an enemy charged at her with a spear.

She raised her head, revealing her Glowing Red Eyes, and clenched her teeth as she delivered a powerful kick toward the enemy.

The superhuman leg strength, enhanced by the Swarm’s Compressed Muscles, erupted in full force.

“Damn, that really hurts…”

With a burst of shockwave, the enemy’s spear shattered, and their upper body exploded.

She drew a sword created by transforming her own cells.

Rage surged within her.

The entire Swarm resonated with her anger.

And that intense rage helped crush the enemies.

Leaping into the air, she cleaved an enemy who was struggling against a Swarm Soldier in half.

The composition and scale of the Swarm’s unit types were the same as before.

But the results were entirely different.

The Swarm quickly overwhelmed the enemies, nearly annihilating them.

With the development of the brain and Kang Do-Yeon’s emergence, the Collective Consciousness became faster and more intricate, and the newly learned fiery rage turned into madness, slicing and slashing through the enemies.

Cursed, mindless corpses?

They were indeed excellent guardians who defied even death, but so was this side.

[All enemies have fallen. But it is not over yet. We must head above.]

“…What is this place for?”

Kang Do-Yeon, who had just sheathed her sword, muttered while looking at the massive hole in the ceiling.

“Mom’s okay? Did you speak honestly?”

“…I told her I would definitely come back alive.”

“Really? But can I even return to Earth?”

That guy spoke while looking into the mid-air.

He was speaking to me beyond the screen. Of course, the perspective didn’t align at all.

“I’m sure there’s a way.”

“I think we can probably get back soon.”

Contrary to my feelings, Kang Do-Yeon smirked faintly as she spoke.

Her body was still in that state.

Similar, yet distinctly non-human.

The appearance of her body, resembling a female Swarm Soldier, was incredibly awkward.

[Do you have nothing more to say?]

“No. That’s not it.”

I shook my head.

At this moment, my words were being conveyed by the one my younger sibling called ‘old man.’

“It’s not just something I’m saying. You wouldn’t know, but I’m directly connected to the Swarm. I know. Really… it’s amazing. That weird tin can that attacked us? By now, I could rip it apart with one hand.”

That guy clenched his fist.

A fist that looked as though it was wearing a gauntlet, with sharp claws protruding.

“Yeah, right. But first, we need to get out of this labyrinth.”

“From what I see, this place looks like some kind of ancient ruins. Those creatures that attacked us, they acted like they were trying to protect this place. But they’re just big without being much of a threat.”

Kang Do-Yeon got up and began investigating the 35th Stratum.

Unlike the other strata, this place was barren, like a cave itself.

Currently, the Nest’s Seed was planted and expanding its territory, but there was so little to consume that it barely made progress.

[The Swarm has decided to take some time to reorganize. To replenish the lost forces and fully transform this place into a Nest before moving above.]

The Nest was an essential space for producing Swarm Soldiers and injecting them with nutrients.

If efficiency was the goal, even Swarm Soldiers shouldn’t be treated like disposable items.

“Ugh… I really hate this.”

A tentacle from the Nest extended toward the younger sibling.

As the tentacle connected to the lumbar region, the guy shuddered and grumbled incessantly.

“They can send food. They’re constantly buying and sending it.”

“No thanks. Right now, I don’t even have a digestive system, and more importantly, consuming this way is far more efficient than digesting through my digestive system.”

“…Not even bread?”

For a moment, that guy’s ears perked up.

Smirking, I stood up.

At least… I wanted to do this.

“Hey! Are you listening right now?! I’ll handle all the fighting here, so just stay put! Stick close to Cha Jiyeon!”

“…Tell him I understand.”

[Very well.]

I smiled bitterly.

Kang Do-Yeon had become part of the Swarm.

However, her thoughts didn’t always align with the Swarm.

The Higher Species was, of course, the Swarm.

The younger sibling worried about me and wished for me to hide safely.

But the Swarm was different.

The Swarm worried about me and wanted me to grow even stronger because of it.

Now, I could understand it too. The Swarm wasn’t the only one considering my emotions.