"...It would be best for each of you to consider your own security. Now, let’s discuss this request in more detail.”

"So, you-’re asking us to kill someone, right?”

Park loon Seok chuckled.

Well, in this game, once someone is considered an enemy, there’s only one stance to take.

Kill them.

A few gasps echoed through the room.

"Yes. I’m the only one in Korea, so my activities are severely limited. However, my player said this is a trade.”

Cha Ji Yeon pulled something else from her bag. It was a small flask containing a softly glowing blue potion.

"This is one of the gifts. I heard it’s a precious medicine made through alchemy. Its effect is healing. It can cure any disease, any wound. It’s essentially another life.”

"Has it been proven?”

"At least I’ve seen its effect in person.”

Cha Ji Yeon responded to Park Joon Seok’s question by cutting her own hand, letting it bleed, and then applying a little of the medicine. The wound healed as if it had been washed away. It was like the miracles shown by the extremely rare healing hunters.

"Alright. Let’s accept the request. We should make the first move, shouldn’t we?”

"Uh...”

Before Oh Yoon Ah could decide, Park Joon Seok stepped forward, seemingly confident in something.

"That’s right.”

Cha Ji Yeon agreed.

"But mom... Ahhh!”

After the meeting, Oh Yoon Ah was seized by her parents and whisked away. Despite its looming inevitability, murder was never a subject to be trifled with.

"But we can’t just stand still.”

"Right. I don’t plan on standing still either. We can’t run and hide.”

I didn’t contradict my sister’s somber words. We’re not the only ones in motion. Perhaps others are also aiming for our lives.

Just as Cha Ji Yeon decided to use us to eliminate that woman. It was entirely plausible that some enigmatic entities could uncover our identities.

"Has there been another big accident?”

Checking the breaking news on my phone, I made up my mind. Last time it was goblins, this time it was orcs. They were undoubtedly the same ones that had appeared in North America. My plan was to locate those wreaking havoc in the heart of Seoul and retrieve at least a few bodies.

"It’s dangerous.”

"I’ll take the risk.”

I sent Kang Do Yeon home, her face etched with worry. Then, I climbed into a taxi by myself. The battle was still raging at the scene. If I arrived late at the chaotic site, I might be able to salvage something.

[The legion will notice your intentions]

"You seem sure? What are you basing this on?”

[Isn’t it shown through action?]Shown through action.

I glanced at the screen. The legion was relentlessly engaged in war.

[The legion’s group tactics are evolving. They continue to learn from experience. Tactics that are merely imprinted in genes have their limitations. However, there are no boundaries to growth through learning.]

Expanding the brain was the solution. The legion’s growth, which had begun to think and research independently, was horrifying.

[The legion has started to restructure its entire system. It no longer mass-produces soldiers haphazardly, but creates new forces with optimal efficiency for specific uses and purposes.]

I didn’t respond.

It was no longer about merely modifying and combining ‘beasts’. It was an entirely new life form. The newly created soldier bared its teeth and growled. Their overall form resembled the guardian, the Saber-toothed Tiger, which was absorbed previously.

However, their sturdy front legs ended in rough yet functional hands, and they could stand upright in a stooped posture. A venomous sting was at the end of their long tails, and their entire bodies, composed of robust muscles, was encased in black, armor-like carapace.

[The forces based on goblins were all-rounders, but these creatures had their power concentrated on size and mobility. They were designed to face enemies like those cats in one-on-one battles.]

They stormed down the passage, joining the massacre.

It was then that the taxi neared its destination.

"Everyone, remain calm! The creatures have retreated. We can now commence the rescue operations...”

As expected, the scene was chaotic.

Police, rescue teams, hunters, media.

Above all, the families and friends of the victims who had hurried to the scene upon hearing the news of the disaster.

[This kind of thing will continue to happen, over and over again.]

"Why can’t they just fight on the other side of the gate?”

[Of course, they’ll fight on the other side. But even after becoming game units, why do they persist in invading Earth?]

"...For plunder, I suppose. Those damned creatures.”

The monsters that had become units were no longer simple, ignorant beasts. They were now plundering what they needed from Earth, humans for instance.

"Control that area properly!”

"Everyone, please remain calm. The rescue team is now going in...”

The scene was utter chaos. It seemed even more chaotic than when the goblins appeared at Kang Do Yeon’s school, given it was in the heart of a bustling area. However, it appeared to present an opportunity for me.

Casting a furtive glance around, I picked up a fluorescent vest that lay nearby and slipped it on amidst the chaos.

The rescue team, including the police, hurriedly rushed in to transport people and bodies away from the scene. I subtly blended in among them. I had thought someone might grow suspicious, but the extreme chaos ensured no one questioned my presence.

"Over here!”

A leading paramedic’s voice echoed as they sprinted around a corner with their colleagues. Seizing the opportunity, I quietly slipped into a nearby alley between buildings.

The scene was a chaotic frenzy as people scattered in all directions. I swallowed hard, my gaze fixed on the fresh bloodstains.

"Damn...”

Rounding a corner, I was confronted with a grisly tableau. Bodies were strewn about, and a bisected orc lay lifeless-likely the handiwork of a hunter.

[Would you like to register the samples?]"What’s the point in registering humans now?”

[It seems so.]

"I’ll just send the orc. I won’t disrespect the dead unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Swiftly, I snapped a picture and dispatched the image of the orc’s corpse to the legion’s nest. The process was surprisingly straightforward, yet it left me feeling uneasy.

Could orcs and goblins, no matter how intelligent they became, truly evolve to the same extent as humans?

Before long, I feared I might have to send a human sample as well.

[The legion has understood your intent and absorbed and disassembled the orc sample.]

I was on my way home on the subway.

While everyone else was trembling with anxiety at the rapidly changing world, I was blankly staring at my phone.

[The orc’s brain structure was most needed, but the different physical structure of the bipedal life form we first encountered as a goblin was also of great help. Above all, it greatly aids in increasing size.]

"So, was it effective?”

[It supplements, but it’s not a significant improvement.]

The legion had analyzed the orc’s genetic information and utilized it effectively, yet there was no significant change. The only noticeable difference was that the legion soldiers, originally based on goblins, had grown larger.

"I’m anxious. Honestly, it’s scary.”

I muttered under my breath, my words more of a sigh than a complaint. I didn’t anticipate comfort or a response. I might be criticized for my whining, but the reality remained unaltered.

I no longer felt wronged by my entanglement with this app and game. After all, without the app, I would have been swept away in this abruptly altered world, just like everyone else. I was merely stating that continuing wouldn’t be easy.

"What, what’s happening!”

"Ah!”

A powerful jolt rocked the subway, hurling me from my seat onto the unforgiving floor. I fought to regain my senses as the lights flickered, windows shattered, and shards of glass flew in all directions. The subway had been traveling above ground.

[Get a grip.]

A desperate message flashed on my phone screen, which had fallen in front of me. I picked it up with trembling hands. The invasions and looting continued.

*

"Another gate?!”

"It’s presumed to be a unit. The Wraiths that haven’t shown itself on Earth since the game began.”

"...Where is it?”

"I just sent it. But no orders have been given yet. We expected this chaos, didn’t we?”

Cha Ji Yeon, left alone in the house, hurriedly checked the breaking news upon receiving a call from her colleague. Another invasion had commenced before the orc incident had even been resolved. It might be overwhelming, but if the units were collaborating with the players, they wouldn’t consider the plight of the earthlings.

[It’s frustrating. The player is overwhelmed. It’s impossible for him to manage everything happening on Earth with his abilities.]

"So what should I do?”

[Wait. Punishing those arrogant bastards is crucial, but if we fret over every minor force, our grand plan will be disrupted.]

She released a soft sigh upon hearing the response. Despite her anticipation, she felt powerless. The grand scheme they referred to was the comprehensive offensive being launched here. Her player was amassing his units, dispersed worldwide, to launch a pre-emptive strike on the enemies beyond the gate.

‘’Wraiths are primarily composed of spirits; ordinary martial arts would pose a significant challenge in combat.’

She paced anxiously, her eyes glued to the news. She had been ready since accepting the contract, but the sight of people getting hurt and dying always disturbed her.

Especially knowing that such incidents were only going to become more frequent in the future.