I Became a Hive Mind in the Game

After absorbing almost all Dolphinmen into the Hive Mind through ‘reconstruction’ using the Emperor’s power, I quickly stabilized the Dolphinmen’s territory.
I placed massive production bases disguised as ordinary Dolphinmen cities using surrounding natural materials, and built underground passages throughout the territory for quick movement.
Here, ‘reconstructed’ Dolphinmen are used to cultivate seaweed, which is used in various places.
Hard seaweed with almost wood-like strength is used to make simple living tools like bowls and spoons or dwellings for Dolphinmen to live in.
Soft edible seaweed or seaweed with fruit(?) is fed to new breed livestock monsters I created, used to farm monsters to earn nutrients, or used as staple food for Dolphinmen.
In the case of special seaweed showing some weak anti-psychic effects, I secretly delivered it to Nano-Tech with instructions to make weapons.
Thanks to seaweed that can be used in all sorts of places, the underwater territory(?) can now self-sustain enough monsters to cover the entire vast sea territory without needing to supply energy from our side.
There are 100 million low-grade, 30,000 medium-grade, and three high-grade monsters (Emperor/two Giant Psychic Whales).
Although the number of monsters may seem small compared to the land territory which recently exceeded 1 billion despite the sea being larger than the land territory, it’s more than enough to protect the territory.
Therefore, I switched the sea territory(?) to a defensive stance, focusing on defense and internal affairs, while on land, I started preparing to advance towards the Pyeongan region (west of Hamgyeong).
And as part of that preparation, I took time to review and organize the territory I’ve conquered so far before the expedition.

※ ※ ※

My territory roughly includes parts of Gangwon-do, the Hamgyeong region, and part of the East Sea in North Korean territory.
If I roughly divide this territory, I can categorize it into about 4 areas.
First, the southern region of Gangwon-do below the ceasefire line—that is, the southern region of Gangwon-do where I first settled.
This area, currently managed by Tetra, is the territory where I used to be, and at the same time, continuous and steady engagement with humans is taking place.
Of course, since the main target of this engagement is the puppet guild under Nano-Tech (frankly speaking, Nano-Tech’s private army), most of the hunted monsters become resources for making their weapons, so it’s not a waste at all.
The deployed forces are roughly 5 million disguised self-destructing monsters and main forces hidden underground—100 million low-grade, 40,000 medium-grade, and Mountain Lord always wandering around for guerrilla warfare.
Second, there’s the underwater territory and territorial waters managed by the Dolphinmen.
As mentioned earlier, there are tens of millions of Dolphinmen and monsters, and hundreds of millions of subordinate medium and low-grade monsters, with the Dolphinman Emperor deployed as a pet fish companion.
Although Dolphinmen used to form societies and live, now they are just slaves subordinate to me and simple laborers, making this area truly outstanding in terms of productivity.
The third area is the Hamgyeong region, which was acquired not long ago.
To human society, it appears to be the territory of the Dragon (Theseus) directly opposing the Bomb Spider (me), but in reality, it’s my territory with massive bio-facilities built underground.
The stationed forces include a whopping 500 million low-grade and 100,000 medium-grade monsters, more numerous than northern Gangwon-do where I stay, but… most are buried underground in a frozen state.
With Theseus and Fire Dragon ruling like a couple (they’re not) as high-grade monsters, and Fire Dragon’s children, the sub-dragons, able to operate on the surface, this area is the largest in scale among my territories.
And for the fourth and final area, it’s naturally where I stay—the northern Gangwon-do region.
Various bio-facilities are located here, including production facilities that produce 3 medium-grade monsters and thousands of low-grade monsters every 10 seconds, and these bio-facilities don’t just stop at production.
There are facilities where humans replaced by monsters are bound like brains in a vat, remotely controlling monsters impersonating themselves, my exclusive research facilities, and facilities for cryopreserving produced monsters.
Also, all sorts of defensive facilities are installed here to protect my main body, typically including high-power laser anti-air weapons or plasma and energy batteries.
In addition, there are 60-story building-sized facilities for generating defensive shields like high-power psychic shields or information blocking barriers, and naturally, only the best forces are stationed at my base.
For example, the minds of the monsters directly guarding my main body were formed by running simulations using the Hive Mind (collective intelligence) hundreds of millions of times, selecting superior selves out of billions, and then injecting them into exclusive bodies of about grade 3.5—between high and medium grade.

Royal Guard
Grade :: ???(3~4)
Level :: 93
Stats
Strength :: 550
Agility :: 550
Stamina :: 550
Intelligence :: 550
Resistance :: 550
Energy :: 550
Leadership :: 550
Characteristics
Monster Factor(B), Predator(B), Hive Mind(B), Subjugation(EX), Bio Core(B), Close Combat Expert(B), Shooting Expert(B), Psychic Expert(B), Defense Expert(B), Aerial Combat Expert(B), Complex Calculation(B), Superhuman Strength(B), Psychic Resistance(B), Versatile Psychic User(B), Super Regeneration(B), Nanomachine Body(B), Transformation Body(B), Force Field Conductive Skin(B), Jack of All Trades(B)
Skills
Advanced Close Combat Weapon Technique(B), Body Transformation(B), Metamorphosis(B), Change(B), Precision Shooting(B), Concentrated Fire(B), Sniping(B), Endurance(B), Advanced Shield Technique(B), Flight(B), Psychic Shield(B), Telekinesis(B), Psychic Healing(B), Psychic Flame(B), Psychic Cold(B), Psychic Lightning(B), Psychic Explosion(B), Body Enhancement(B), Sense Enhancement(B), Psychic Amplification(B), Psychic Construct(B), Space Manipulation(B), Mind Manipulation(B), Command(B), Tactics(B), Strategy(B)
Bio-weapons
Multi-transforming Body-assimilating Weapon(B), Nano-Spirit Symbiote(B)

These guard monsters, which look like they’re made of dozens of black-painted mechanical parts, are simply versatile monsters created to cope with any situation.
They were created to handle the basics of close combat, shooting, guarding, defense, psychic support, psychic attack, psychic defense, command, aerial combat, underwater combat, and various other things, and to support this, they’re also equipped with transformation capabilities.
From the basic giant form to dragon form, fighter jet, snake-like long body or fixed gun emplacement form, and even able to fold their bodies to human size using space-type psychic Space Manipulation(B).
There are about 10,000 of these guard monsters—called the Royal Guard, and these Royal Guard monsters have essentially had their egos castrated and move only for my protection and a few other purposes.
Typically, they also serve as spare bodies for me to directly possess and operate, and at the same time perform roles as messengers directly delivering important orders and as agents who will command the ‘Imperial Guard’.
Imperial Guard. Unlike the Royal Guard, which is thoroughly cultivated as a tool because they must protect me, this is an army composed of monsters cultivated as combat weapons premised on external activities.
They were carefully selected from exceptionally outstanding monsters among those who have fought for me from the beginning and reached the extreme of combat experience, and their true identity is that they were given bodies in the form they each desired.
Of course, usually they just repeat accumulating combat experience by dying and reviving in ordinary monster bodies deployed in combat, but sometimes they occasionally operate in customized grade 4 bodies.
And if an emergency situation occurs—I have something I prepare separately just for that.
Deep underground, in a secret area where no one but me has ever set foot, high-grade monster bodies are being created for them to use.
A total of 300 units are being created to match the number of Imperial Guards, and although I’ve never injected a mind into them even once to prevent detection by humans, they can be activated at any time to sweep away enemies if I wish.

※ ※ ※

Now that I’ve checked what I’ve built up so far by reviewing my territory once, I’ve started moving to take control of the entire North Korea in earnest.
The target is the Pyeongan region located west of Hamgyeong.
There are no high-grade monsters forming large factions there, and even the Orcs or Lizardmen are nothing compared to the Dolphinmen.
Of course, given the characteristics of Orcs, an Orc Lord (high-grade Orc/monarch monster like the Dolphinman Emperor) or a monster with the potential to become an Orc Lord must have appeared somewhere, but that’s nothing before Theseus.
The same goes for Lizardmen; to form a society of that size, there must be a high-grade monster at the top of their six-tier class society.
But even so, it’s just within expectations.
Even if they’re humanoid high-grade monsters, they can’t withstand the combo of Theseus and the Baekdu Mountain Fire Dragon couple (they’re not), and their army is nothing special.
An army armed with spears and monster bone weapons can’t defeat my monsters, so I ordered to charge and push them away without a moment’s hesitation, but—
[Oh great one, please save us!]
‘…?’
From those I was about to push away—the Lizardmen—came a response I never expected at all.