Chapter 71: Monsters of the Abyss (10)

Chapter 71: Monsters of the Abyss (10)

Are you sure he's not watching?"

[Yes.]

Then it doesn't matter."

In a shadowy corner of the cave, the legion started by confirming the most crucial detail. Shin Woo, who was currently engaged in conversation with Chris and Cha Ji Yeon, wasn't looking at the screen. There was a reason why he, who could monitor everything through an invisible screen, had turned it off.

Ugh...huff..."

Let's chat a bit more."

The legion chuckled, pinning the trembling man against the wall. The captive struggled to comprehend the situation, faced with a monstrous entity that had assumed the form of a human woman. The creature whispered to him, its eyes gleaming from behind its mask.

The legion excelled in interrogations. They spread the infection throughout the body, taking control and manipulating the nervous system at their whim. They had discovered that pain was an effective tool for extracting the truth, and had been using this method ever since. Even the most stubborn of the elves couldn't withstand the agonizing pain for more than an hour.

Spill it. Every single detail."

The language system was different, but it didn't matter. The legion quickly picked up the human language with just a hint, and their learning speed increased even more.

Everything."

Cough...hack..."

Shin Woo wasn't watching because of this. The victim, half out of his mind from the unimaginable, horrific pain, revealed everything he knew. The legion committed all the information to memory.

They knew cross-verification was necessary, but for now, they assumed the information they had obtained was accurate and began to strategize.

'If only we could analyze the brain and extract the information inside.'

It wasn't perfect. They knew that extracting information through torture wasn't a very sophisticated method. The legion currently had the ability to perfectly replicate the target's brain cells, but interpreting the information inside was still impossible. Unlike language, which allowed them to communicate and gather clues externally, there was nothing to reference for brain cell analysis at their current level.

[So, have you decided on a course of action?]

Of course."

After extracting all the necessary information, the legion stood up. A faint spark of hope flickered in the eyes of the victim, now liberated from the excruciating pain.

Ah...ahh!"

The controlled infection consumed the victim entirely, obliterating his mind and ego. The victim's writhing and screaming gradually ceased. The last tear that trickled from his eyes was absorbed by the black blood vessels, transforming him into a living husk. When the legion's nest finally reached this place, he would be digested and used as nourishment.

'Let's move, Legion Commander.'

Still wearing its mask, the legion ordered Kang Do Yeon, who had been waiting, to proceed. Now that they knew their location and identified their enemies, there was no need to remain hidden.

'Kill them.'

The command was issued to the waiting legionnaires. The winged soldiers, previously stationed on the lower floor, surged out like water from a breached dam.

Ah, ahh!"

Shield! Now!"

Several mages, caught off guard by the onslaught of massive winged beasts, couldn't react in time. They fell where they stood, their blood spilling from sharp claws and venomous stingers. There was no need to infect them; the goal was to kill them all anyway.

A few survivors quickly gathered in a corner, erecting a shield and firing off spells in resistance to the legionnaires.

'Most of the Labyrinth Management Office staff are low-level mages.'

The legion, however, was indifferent. They already knew their identities and the magic they used from previous interrogations. While the new method of manipulating Formative Force intrigued them, they deemed it unworthy of learning due to its low level.

There are too many..."

Save us!"

The airborne creatures swarmed over those who bravely resisted from within the confines of a solitary shield. However, the shield was not infinite, and there was no one to lend them a hand.

The monsters they faced were far more brutal than typical beasts. They viewed humans not as prey, but as targets that needed thorough eradication. Countless monsters surged forward with this singular objective.

Feeling the potent bloodlust of the monsters, the mages descended into a state of panic. Their mental instability caused the magic-formed shield to thin and slowly start to fracture.

'The wizard societies, and the cities.'

The legion, watching them brutally torn apart and killed as they failed to maintain the shield, was already contemplating the next plan. According to the information obtained, there were humans in this world who were much stronger than these low-level mages. They seemed worth learning from.

[It takes some time to nest.]

I don't mind."

The legion first created a nest on this 100th floor. Legionnaires, resembling giant toads, regurgitated sticky mucus stored in their stomachs. From this mucus, flesh walls and tentacles grew, starting to cover the ground.

The nest hadn't yet fully consumed the deep underground of the 70th floor. For now, they only needed to establish a connection to share nourishment with the main nest and devise a method to digest and supply nourishment to the troops stationed here.

There's an abundance of prey. Expand by devouring everything."

Standing at the cave entrance, the legion spread its arms wide. A vast forest teeming with flora and fauna stretched out before them, with a fairly large city visible in the distance. There was no shortage of food, a stark contrast to the labyrinth that was nothing but rocks.

Everything laid out before them could become their energy. The legion stepped out of the rock-filled cave and onto the soft, weed-sprouting soil. Despite the monster's sharp claws, it could still feel the ground.

Kneeling on one knee and sweeping the soil with its hand, the legion soon chuckled. A fearless ant had climbed onto its hand and was peering around.