What is this?
It was an ordinary day, no different from any other. I was casually browsing through my phone when I stumbled upon sothing peculiar. A strange app had mysteriously installed
itself among the others. It bore no na, and its icon was a re black square.
Initially, I dismissed it as a glitch, but a sudden chill ran down my spine. With the recent spike in scams and hacking incidents involving smartphones, I couldnt shake off the thought that I might be the next victim. Could soone be hacking my cara for blackmail? In a state of panic, I dropped my phone.
I racked my brain, trying to rember if I had done anything that could have led to this, but drew a blank. I had never clicked on suspicious links or visited dubious websites,
let alone downloaded anything from them.
This is absurd.
However, what happened next left stunned. The enigmatic app on my phone launched itself. It was as if my phone was possessed, operating on its own. In disbelief, I watched for a mont before snapping back to reality and hastily pressing the power button.
[Its useless.]
I held my breath at that mont. The four words that materialized on the black screen froze in place, leaving breathless.
[Even a repair center cant fix this. Listen carefully, this is an opportunity for you.]
lust as I was about to wrap my phone in a handkerchief and stash it in my bag, new words erged on the screen, as if it had anticipated my thoughts.
What the hell...
[If you reject the ga, Ill distribute your internet usage history, locked files, and screenshots to your acquaintances.]
Who the hell are you?
Understanding that creating a fuss wouldnt help, I calmly adjusted my posture, covered the cara lens, and placed my phone back down.
A new screen appeared on the phone, where previously only white letters had been visible against a black background.
Account...link?
[Didnt I say its a ga? You installed this app, so why are you reacting like this?]
The screen displayed a feature common in gas: email account linking.
I swallowed hard.
If I linked my account now, I could be hacked... but then again, I was already completely exposed, so it didnt matter. More importantly, what was this nonsense about installing the app myself? Ive always been cautious with my phone.
[Link it. Ill explain more later.]
Shit...
I had no other option.
This unknown hacker ntioned a ga, but how could this possibly be a ga? This maniac was communicating with in real ti, possibly even eavesdropping and spying on . Faced with the threat of social ruin and the anxiety of what this insane hacker might do next, I reluctantly entered one of my throwaway email addresses.
Its not working?
[Participants in this ga dont link with sothing as trivial as an email.]
While I was still puzzled, a cara flash suddenly went off without warning, capturing my picture.
[Your soul is the price.]
The mont the shutter clicked, a gut feeling washed over . So might dismiss it as nonsense, but the icy sensation that swept through was undeniable. My heart hamred in my chest, and a cold sweat trickled down my skin. This was real.
[Start the ga.]
Despite my shock, the screen transitioned automatically. The new environnt displayed graphics that could rival a live-action movie.
A cave.
[Behold. You have obtained the entirety of a species in exchange for your soul.]
The location was a cave. The walls were embedded with faintly glowing stones, providing just enough light to see. Following the ssage that popped up on the screen, I shifted my gaze. Thats when I saw 'if.
What the hell is this...
No matter how I looked, all I could see was a pool of black liquid on the cave floor.
[Ah, quite a tricky situation.]
What are you talking about?
[A species that matches your diocre soul, yet holds sufficient potential. Its growth could swing between extres.]
I couldnt help but laugh at the sheer absurdity.
Isnt this basically a failure? You could have warned in advance.
[If you want more detailed information, try touching it.]
Looking at it this way, it was a rather friendly tutorial guide.
I followed its suggestion and touched the screen.
Its a cell.
[Correct. But its not a simple cell.]
The screen magnified, revealing cells dividing at an astonishing speed, extending roots to each other. To a certain extent, I could even observe the pools growth with my naked eye.
[To simplify, Ill display their racial characteristics. Racial characteristics are unique attributes inherent to each species.]
[Hive Consciousness] [Genetic Manipulation] [Rapid Growth]
These three functions were presented before . Upon seeing these keywords, I understood the characteristics of these cells.
Are they like amoebas?
[Similar, but different. They can proliferate explosively and literally beco anything, but the process is as arduous as carving a beach out of a rock.]
Speak plainly, will you?
I returned the screen to its original state.
So, what am I supposed to do with a screen that doesnt even have a fancy UI like a ga and just shows the screen?
[Now I will proceed with the tutorial.]
And the progression was at its own discretion, not mine.
[They lack power. The limitless explosive proliferation is an advantage, but it also has the drawback of energy depletion.]
So, what do you want to do?
[Right now, provide samples and energy to them, who are currently at the cellular level.]
It issued a command to .
Samples and energy.
I understood the part about energy, but what did they an by samples?
[Samples from which you can obtain genetic material. At their current growth stage, they cant replicate a life form thats too large.]
I understand what youre saying.
I rose from my seat. I had already comprehended the nature of the creatures I was supposed to care for. They consu, duplicate, combine, and grow stronger. To do so, they required a variety of samples.
What about these little guys?
As soon as I stepped outside my house, I found what I was searching for. A tiny ant was busily scurrying up and down the wall.
[Given their current state, its possible. Capture it.]
The app activated autonomously, and the cara flickered to life. My heart pounded as I aid the cara at the ant and snapped a picture.
...It disappeared.
[Look. Your children have seen a ray of light. This mont will be recorded in the history of the species.]
Once again, the screen displayed the pool.
The ant I had just captured was transported there and dropped into the pool.
Devouring and disassembling.
I watched as the ant was surrounded by countless cells and disassembled at the cellular level, furrowing my brows.
[You need a macroscopic roadmap. What kind of species do you want to grow these beings with these abilities into?]
Youre suddenly asking sothing grand.
I returned to my room and scratched my head.
Why should I, who should be worrying about midterms and reports, be worrying about this?
But according to it, to survive, they had to keep getting stronger.
If what was happening wasnt all a dream, I couldnt just ignore it.
Listening to you, it seems like racial characteristics are the most powerful weapon, so I should go in the direction that can best utilize them.
The three characteristics were what they had gained in return for starting at the cellular level.
So, I thought I should move in a way that could best utilize those.
[Then, to achieve that goal, you need to consistently acquire energy and samples. For now, prepare for war. Theres an intruder.]
Huh?
An unexpected event occurred.
I quickly zood in on the screen and sure enough, there was an intruder.
They were... spores of sothing I couldnt identify.
[Theyre a type of fungus that lives in this cave. The spores of the fungus, carried by the wind, have co into contact with your children.]
Although it was called a fungus, it seed a bit different from the mold I knew.
At first glance, nothing seed out of the ordinary.
But when I touched it to enlarge it, the scene of a fierce battle unfolded before my eyes.
[Fungi have strength and fur as weapons. And they are much larger than your children. But your children have already acquired their own weapons.]
Among the cells, there were so peculiar ones.
They had protrusions that resembled the jaws of ants.
Those creatures sward and began to tear the fungus apart.
[The complacent fungus began to be torn apart brutally. It started to be broken down piece by piece. We achieved our first victory. This too will be recorded in the history of the species.]
An icon appeared on one side of the screen.
It was obviously ant to represent the history of the species that it had ntioned.
[And we have obtained the genetic information of the fungus. Check it.]
Another icon appeared below.
I clicked on the icon as it told .
[Cave Glow Mushroom: 1A1237]
The information about the lifeform we just fought was written down.
It was said to be a fungus, and it indeed looked like a subtly glowing mushroom.
What is this..?
[Its imitating the absorbed fungus]
So of the cells began to divide again at an incredible speed.
Its appearance was similar to the fungus we had just devoured.
It wasnt accelerating, but the mushroom was truly growing rapidly.
One peculiar point was that the absorbed glow mushroom was white, but the mushroom I was looking at now was black.
[Its imitating the reproduction thod of the mushroom to expand its power beyond this place. Its trying to spread wider by riding on spores]
I was slightly surprised to hear the reason.
This unidentified race was smarter than I thought.
Reviews
All reviews (0)