A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 4: Endless Expansion (1)

[Cave Python: 1C1601]

[One-eyed lumping Spider: ld0080]

Even after ascending to the upper levels the legion devoured and annihilated everything in sights increasing the acquired gene pool. They thoroughly consumed the mushrooms and moss colonies, which had a semblance of life energy.

[Since you no longer provide energy, the legion, which had been freely emitting energy, began to worry about energy efficiency.]

"I should have done it earlier.

[If efficiency is prioritized, combat power inevitably decreases. The number of soldiers decreases, and expansion slows down.]

"We're not short on time.

If I were to thoughtlessly snap photos in places such as supermarkets and feed them whatever was available, the situation would be different. However, they had to find the answers themselves. Fortunately, despite their lack of a proper brain structure, these creatures were surprisingly intelligent.

[Of course. The size of our legion itself is our brain.]

"Why are you so smug?

I was sprawled out on the bed. Today was a day off. I was supposed to study, but I couldn't concentrate.

"What races did other players choose? Wolves? Rabbits or something like that?

[The variety is immense. There are even sentient beings.]

"...What?

I asked casually, but the answer was quite shocking. Sentient beings? Weren't we all raising animals?

[I said it was diverse. I meant it.]

"But isn't that unfair?

Some are raising cells, while others are raising civilizations.

[That, no one can definitively say.]

He was adamant. I honestly didn't understand, but I kept my mouth shut. Whining wouldn't change anything. In the end, I neatly folded my thoughts about other players.

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[The legion has redefined efficiency.]

They kept thinking and experimenting. They set a new policy for the current problem they were facing. That's right. I wanted them to be as self-sufficient as possible.

[They find the optimal number by adjusting the number of soldiers and increasing the combat power per individual. Some nests that have already completed their growth have devised a way to save energy drastically by entering a dormant state.]

They were armed with new methods they found themselves. Of course, the conquest and predation did not stop. The second level was almost in our hands. Our territory was expanding on the updated map.

[The main creatures of the third level are vertebrates. We needed powerful soldiers to hunt them.]

I brought some cola and snacks to watch. It seemed more like a documentary than a game. I remembered the fun of ant farming when I was young.

[We can't produce results beyond the data we've obtained, but we can combine and manipulate it.]

The most terrifying thing was that compared to a mere beast, we were a swarm. The legion, which moved as a group with a single purpose, produced soldiers for 'war'. It was beyond hunting. With different types of soldiers for each role, I didn't think we would lose unless we were crushed by an overwhelmingly physical force like a bear breaking a beehive, even if we reduced the number.

We moved through thorough reconnaissance. The next level was a place where all the decent creatures lived, so gradually increasing the size was the optimal condition.

[Once again, it's time to hunt.]

After a short refurbishment, the legion entered the upper level again. The poor indigenous creatures could only be hunted unilaterally, unable to stop them from eating at an incredible speed and evolving.

"Can't we just put all the size into one entity?

While eating my snack, I suddenly muttered my thought. We are now controlling many soldiers of small sizes. Why not increase that size and create a heavyweight bully?

[Efficiency.]

He shut my mouth with a single word. It was a very versatile word.

[And above all, we lack experience. You may not know because you're watching, but think about it from a different perspective. Our world is just a few pupils of this cave.]

"...I see what you mean.

[They are oblivious to the existence of humans. The information we've gathered so far is severely limited. We possess exceptional hardware, yet among the data we've collected, there are no species with advanced brains. In essence, we lack the software to operate the hardware.]

"Will we ever encounter another sentient being if we continue to ascend this cave?

My curiosity was piqued, not only by the hardening creatures but also by the cave's end. Is this cave the entirety of our world? Perhaps the real world lies beyond this cave.

[...That's what you need to keep observing and impart to the children. The curiosity and interest inherent in humans.]

I couldn't visualize it yet, but it was certainly a possibility. We had progressed this far in just three days from a single cell lump.

"I've brought some bread.

"I won't steal...

Abruptly, the door swung open. She quickly seized all the bread bags I was holding, retreating into the room and shutting the door behind her.

[High-quality nourishment...]

"Don't joke.

I sighed, returning to the room. I had spent the entire day engrossed in my phone. It was entertaining, allowing me to ignore things in my life.

"There's nothing on the third floor, so we can continue like this.

Compared to the barren lowest level, where only a few mushrooms and moss existed, the third floor was slightly more abundant. We discovered flowing water, plants growing in the

cave, and an increased variety of small animals. We consumed all of it.

"Why can't you teach them the concept of farming? What if they eat everything they see?

[Farming is a luxury for us now.]

I regretted my words as soon as they left my mouth. The idea of farming in this cave was impractical. The essence of farming was to use plants to convert unusable energy into fruits or grains for consumption. Our species, however, could directly produce energy by mimicking the method of the consumed fungus, which served as a producer here, eliminating the need for farming. The only thing that mattered was the absolute amount of energy. There was no way to increase that energy unless it was preyed upon or fed from the outside.

"Where are you going?

"Uh.. I'm going to exercise.

In the end, I left the house again after the sun had set. I was thinking of finding a way. Self-sufficiency was definitely necessary, but I thought it would be better to fill in the physically impossible parts.

[Did you find a way?]

"I've slightly shifted my perspective. Not all food is man-made. Look, some animals consume this massive tree and derive energy from it.

[Our species lacks the ability to digest trees.]

"So, what's the problem? I just need to send a creature that can.

I resolved to use my ability more assertively. The creature was particularly vexing to have in my house. As a cleanliness fanatic, the sight of a cockroach would have been unthinkable. However, this back mountain was a different story.

I picked up the camera, a frantic determination coursing through me. I believed that if I took enough pictures, something would stick. After all, we were in a position to catch any bug that fell our way.

[Hold on, that's not a good approach.]

"Huh?

[Don't just snap pictures randomly.]

lust as I was about to press the shutter, I was tackled.

[Your account level is still 1, so there are restrictions on ability usage.]

"I wasn't aware of that.

[There was no need to tell you.]

...This guy?

However, the restriction made sense. If I were a powerful aristocrat who ignored morality and laws to abuse my abilities, it would be ridiculously unfair, lust imagine the chaos if I immediately spent money to buy meat in warehouse quantities and sent it off.

"Tell me these things in advance. So, what can I do now?

[At level 1, you can provide up to 10 samples and can provide a maximum of 20kg of feed per day.]

"...I think I understand why you've always pursued high efficiency.

It was a quite realistic restriction. It made me understand why he despised wastefulness. It was best to exclude things that could be obtained locally, like water.

"Alright. So far, we have ants, flies, spiders, bees, dung beetles... butterflies and pigeons...

[You have 3 chances left.]

"Sigh.

Taking a single picture was hard. I turned on the flash and approached a fallen tree halfway up the back mountain. While many people were taking night walks along the perimeter path at the level of the mountain, I used the flash to closely examine the tree surface.

I was looking for termites, insects that feed on wood. I've seen people on YouTube just go to the mountains and catch them randomly.

"What? Why?

[It would be better to look for termites later. For now, just observe.]

An alarm rang. I had dismissed it lightly, but it was something I couldn't ignore.

[On the fourth floor, which we targeted, there was another swarm. These were creatures that our initial aerial reconnaissance failed to detect. They primarily inhabit underground and on the ground.]

"Ants?

The explanation alone suggested they were ants. On the screen, creatures were confronting our scouts, who resembled hornets and were clicking their jaws on the ground.

Despite their large size, their overall form-comprising a head, chest, and abdomen-was akin to ants.

[Don't underestimate them. Their legion is the ruler of the fourth floor.]

Suddenly, the white ant confronting us opened its jaws wide and spewed out a liquid like a cannon. The liquid struck the scout.

The part it hit instantly melted away in a puff of smoke, leaving me speechless with shock.