"Save... save me...ugh...”

Wraiths, also known as ethereal-type monsters, were creatures akin to ghosts with translucent bodies. They were high-ranking B-class monsters, impervious to bullets.

lust moments ago, right before my eyes, a young woman was seized by a two-meter-tall ghost. It drained her vitality until she fell, a shriveled corpse. This creature was slightly different from the ghosts I was familiar with. Instead of a crude appearance like a shroud draped over it, this one had distinct facial features resembling a skull and even wore armor.

"Unit.”

I realized these creatures were mutants, or units. I stumbled backward, my body trembling, but it had already spotted me. A bone-chilling cold was gradually closing in.

It seemed to be saying something, but there was no way I could comprehend the language of a monster. The subway where I was attacked had come to a standstill, and a massacre was unfolding around me. There was no one to help me.

Its rough hand, like a rotten branch, reached out towards me.

"Get lost, you bastard!”

[Assassination Right]

With gritted teeth, I reached out in response. The only trump card I had been nurturing all this time was now in play. It felt as though something was being drained from my body.

“ !!!!!!”

"Ugh. .”

The creature’s body began to tear apart, like paper. The wraith-’s scream was more chilling than I could have ever imagined. I covered my ears, opened my eyes, and watched as it gradually vanished.

"That is..”

[Quickly take a picture. This is the corpse it left behind. Regardless of whether the legion can analyze it or not, it’s an opportunity too good to miss.]

My phone buzzed urgently, displaying a desperate message as I gasped for breath. Something was slowly fading where it had once been. It resembled a stone carving, yet also bore the texture of flesh. He was right. This was an opportunity. I snapped a picture with my camera.

"...I need to survive now.”

Fortunately, the final creature in the car was the one I had slain. The sounds of battle echoing from outside suggested that help had arrived just in the nick of time. I had survived.

"Everyone must be busy.”

Unbeknownst to me, the sun had set. I stood still, staring blankly at the scene. There was no chaos like during the orc attacks. At this rate, martial law, previously only mentioned as a possibility on the news, might actually be declared.

[What on earth is this? The legion tried to absorb the remnants of the wraith but failed. We are now faced with a mysterious power that we don’t understand. It was something completely new.]

"So it’s useless after all?”

[One thing was certain: the legion had already devised a solution. In the past, when they couldn’t absorb the scales of the two-headed lizard, they found a way to transform those hard scales into our armor.]

The enigmatic power was probably the spirit power, or mana, that the wraiths possessed.Mana is the mysterious energy that powers the abilities of hunters, turning them into superhumans.

The chances of the legion understanding and interpreting this miracle, which science had failed to unravel for over a decade, were slim.

"But... if they can understand it and use it, it’s worth it.”

[The legion shared the same sentiment. They had already experienced the transformative power and progress that came from solving previously incomprehensible problems.]

The thought of the legion handling mana like hunters sent a chill down my spine.

I had believed that pure physical abilities were sufficient, but now there was a method to transcend even that.

[Observe the screen. The legion is meticulously analyzing all the data from the two stem layers they’ve consumed, searching for a clue. Their dedication matches yours.]

I turned my gaze to the screen.

All the data we had gathered from the creatures was stored in the form of codes.

I watched as an endless stream of characters rose and vanished, merged, and reemerged at will.

[We’ve gone through all the data. There are a total of 1,601 species with codes assigned in the system.]

"..And the answer?”

[It’s a failure. But we’ve caught a faint clue. Look at this.]

A new image unfolded on the screen.

It was a moment in the history of the legion, showing indigenous creatures being swept away mercilessly by the legionnaires.

"What’s that?”

[Code 3n8888, the Wandering Fairy Bee.]

A peculiarly named entity floated in the sky, emitting a twinkling light. The winged legionnaire, having swallowed it whole, regurgitated it as a crushed corpse into the nest. Immediately, the nest began to disassemble and absorb the creature.

"So... what? What’s so special about that firefly?”

[It was an insignificant creature. Its only noteworthy feature was its unique ability to glow. However, the legion overlooked one piece of data at that time.]

The screen rewound and zoomed in, pinpointing the exact moment when the flying creature’s jaw engulfed the fairy bee. Hazy smoke could be seen seeping from the fairy bee’s body as it was crushed within the jaw.

"Is that...?”

[We don’t know the details yet. We successfully understood the structure of the glowing function when we analyzed the corpse of the fairy bee, but we couldn’t reproduce it because we couldn’t understand or obtain the most important thing from the glow.]

An unknown, mysterious power. Was it truly mana? Was it the same as the power that the monster, the wraith, possessed? In truth, it didn’t matter.[There will certainly be more clues as we ascend. As the floor rises, the flora and fauna become more diverse and stronger.]

Upon uncovering a latent potential, the legion was brimming with joy. They had always been swift, but now they unleashed the energy they had been meticulously storing at a precise ratio. This sparked a wave of growth, causing their ranks to swell rapidly.

[Find it at all costs]

The forces had assembled in the upward passage even before they finished consuming the second stem and its surrounding branches. They had subdued and occupied this territory by defeating the Guardian, Saber-toothed Tiger. Their surge forward was so intense it radiated an aura of madness.

"Very proactive indeed.”

[Isn’t it all because of your guidance?]

"Me?”

[You and the legion have the same priority: to become stronger. Your desires are in alignment. There’s no need to look elsewhere.]

There was nothing to say. It was the truth.

Returning home, I flopped onto my bed and continued to stare at my phone.

*

In the dark labyrinth, where stagnation had reigned for an eternity, signs of significant transformation began to emerge. This was a change that defied structural possibility. A single, seemingly insignificant variable had made it possible. This variable, existing at the cellular level, shattered the immutable law and was now consuming the roots and even the stems of the labyrinth.

There were those who could not tolerate this change. After an incredibly long time, they reawakened an instinct etched deep within their genes.

The legion, with its limited samples, had not fully comprehended this instinct.

These creatures began to converge in one place, driven by a forgotten purpose and duty.

[Deciphering genes requires more effort than decoding a language. The likelihood of them being units was low. But they were certainly not ordinary species. They are worth analyzing. If we understand them, we might unravel the mysteries of this vast labyrinth where we were born.]

The legion, serious about reconnaissance, observed the gathering figures. They never shied away from a fight. On the contrary, they relished it. The more extraordinary events that occurred, the more they served as nourishment for the legion. The thumping sound of footsteps echoed. The newly reorganized forces of the legion had evolved a step further from their original state. Black waves surged on the ground, in the air, and along the walls.

[It’s war. Isn’t it familiar?]

Various guardians, recognizing the legion, roared in their unique ways, flaunting their intimidation. In contrast, the legion was eerily quiet, devoid of any noise. They hadn’t bothered to create vocal organs in the first place. The guardians flinched. They were not fools. That’s why they felt a sense of unease and were taken aback.

"Grrrrr...”

The sight of the legionnaires maintaining silence without a hint of tremor was unnatural and brought a sense of alienation. It was impossible to think of them as living creatures due to the chilling silence and momentum.

[We didn’t learn useless emotions like fear.]

The legion advanced.

There was no hesitation. The legion was free from the fear of death.

[We noticed an odd creature. It was a moth-like entity hovering in the air, radiating a soft glow. It bore a striking resemblance to the Wandering Fairy Bee, which had previously served as a clue.]

lust prior to the battle, the same directive was issued to everyone.

A colossal moth, sprinkling shimmering dust over the gathered guardians.

The legion was not well-informed, but they were resolute in their determination to capture that creature at any cost.