Solo Leveling: Digispirit.

A/N: Today’s Chapter is coming out a bit earlier than usual! Also, I made a map to help you follow Takuya’s journey throughout this arc. You can find this comment. Thanks so much for all your support!

The truth was, this trip to find a Greymon served three simple purposes for Takuya.

First, it gave him the chance to explore this place. Taking advantage of the time dilation the Digital World offered, it didn’t really matter if he stayed here for a few more days—or even a month. Back in the Human World, barely any time would pass. It was almost like a little vacation before returning to the daily grind in the human world.

Second, it gave him an opportunity to grind here.

If they encountered hostile Digimon along the way, he wasn’t planning to hold back. He still had the urge to gather as much data as possible.

And lastly...

It was a Greymon.

God, his childhood was practically waiting for him. He wanted to see a real Greymon with his own eyes, and if he ended up meeting a MetalGreymon, even better.

This journey was absolutely worth it.

As they traveled, LoaderLeomon suddenly spoke.

"I have something that might interest you. A friend of mine, Tortamon, helped me make a map of the island. He came here with me from the peninsula, so he also knew this was only an island. We combined several local maps with the ones we already had and created this. It’s pretty accurate."

Takuya looked around but couldn’t find any map, forcing him to ask LoaderLeomon where it was.

"It should be beside the MetalGreymon arm."

Sure enough, it wasn’t a paper map at all, but a small device.

"As soon as you press the button, it’ll display the map," LoaderLeomon explained.

The moment Takuya pressed it, his D-Scan reacted as well.

A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

Updating regional map...

Comparing with observed terrain...

Synchronizing and correcting layout...

Map completed.

LAN ISLAND — Region 1 registered.

A detailed map unfolded before him.

The island was indeed enormous, around seventy square kilometers, perhaps even larger. LoaderLeomon’s estimate hadn’t been far off.

But that wasn’t what surprised him the most.

He spotted a small icon shaped like Agnimon’s face, marking his current position.

When he zoomed in, two more icons appeared beside his own.

LoaderLeomon.

Pumpkinmon.

"This..." Takuya muttered.

"This is actually incredibly useful."

He couldn’t help but smile.

"I just hope it works back in Korea too."

The patch turned out to be even better than the D-Scan’s brief description had suggested, Takuya thought.

As they rode north toward the lake with the island at its center, Takuya took the opportunity to admire the scenery. Sitting atop LoaderLeomon allowed him to see over the treetops, and in the distance, he spotted a gigantic volcano.

It was enormous.

Comparing it to the map, he estimated it had to be at least four kilometers tall, perhaps even more. It reminded him of Mount Fuji...

"I’m sure at least one Perfect-level Digimon lives there," Takuya said.

"It does," LoaderLeomon replied. "A MasterTyrannomon lives on that mountain. He has quite a temper, but as long as people leave him alone, he won’t bother anyone. Especially since the city at the mountain’s base is protected by a Triceramon."

"So every city has a Perfect-level Digimon?" Takuya asked.

"Generally speaking, yes. There are also a few more scattered throughout the forests."

"That’s actually not many, considering the size of the island and the number of Digimon living here." muttered takuya.

"I told you before," LoaderLeomon said. "The higher the evolutionary stage, the greater the requirements. Think of Digimon evolution as a pyramid."

Takuya nodded and continued looking around.

In the distance, he could already see the lake, yet there was still no sign of the ocean shown on the map. As they drew closer, the lake grew larger and larger until LoaderLeomon finally slowed down.

Looking below, Takuya noticed dozens of Baby and Child-level Digimon.

Every one of them stared curiously at the newcomers.

Some immediately ran away.

Others simply watched from a safe distance.

As Takuya observed them, he realized something.

They felt... alive.

Of course they were alive, but that wasn’t what he meant.

Compared to the Digimon he had encountered during his first visit to the Digital World, these were completely different. Back then, almost every wild Digimon had attacked on sight, showing nothing but hostility.

These ones, however, displayed curiosity.

Fear.

Caution.

Actual emotions.

That made Takuya wonder.

Were the Digimon from the tutorial actually real, or had they simply been programmed constructs?

It was a possibility.

After all, that place had also possessed a map, but it had been much simpler, lacking any real detail, almost as if it had been hastily put together just to guide him along a predetermined path.

Maybe it was only a feeling, and perhaps he was biased...

But everything here felt more alive.

More colorful.

As they approached the lake, they reached a wooden bridge.

Without hesitation, LoaderLeomon rolled onto it. Despite being made entirely of wood, it somehow supported both his massive body and the heavy cart he was pulling.

As they crossed, Takuya admired the lake.

It was enormous, far larger than he had expected, and its waters were crystal clear. He could see multiple Baby and Child-level Digimon swimming beneath the surface, along with even smaller ones playing near the shore.

When they reached the end of the bridge...

There he was.

An orange dinosaur slowly stood up from the lakeside.

Blue stripes ran across his body, a bone mask covered his head, and three horns protruded from it.

Greymon.

He looked exactly as Takuya remembered from the games and anime.

More importantly...

He was huge.

Even larger than he had imagined, easily matching the size shown in the Digimon Adventure movie when the Chosen Children were still babies.

Then the dinosaur spoke.

"LoaderLeomon. What brings you here?" Greymon asked with a calm, kind voice. His gaze shifted toward the others. "I see you brought visitors as well."

"Not only visitors," LoaderLeomon replied with a grin. "I also brought a gift. A lot has happened, old friend."

"Come then. Let’s talk. It’s a pleasure to meet you both," Greymon said.

"Nice to meet you too," Takuya replied with a smile.

Up close, Greymon seemed even bigger than LoaderLeomon.

Greymon’s eyes briefly lingered on the mechanical parts loaded onto the cart. From his expression alone, Takuya could tell he had already guessed what the gift was, though he chose not to mention it.

The group slowly walked toward a clearing beside the lake.

Greymon settled down on the sand while LoaderLeomon did the same nearby. Takuya and Pumpkinmon climbed down and helped remove the cart from LoaderLeomon’s back.

Only after everything had been unloaded did LoaderLeomon begin explaining.

"The center of the island was occupied. A Phantomon and several other Perfect-level Digimon took control of it and enslaved countless Digimon to construct something."

He didn’t bother easing into the story.

He simply dropped the bomb.

"But seeing you here," Greymon replied calmly, "I assume you defeated them... and brought back the spoils of war."

"We did," LoaderLeomon nodded. "But not alone. Agnimon and Pumpkinmon played a huge role. I was even captured at one point. Those two freed me, and together we managed to turn everything around. It was quite an adventure."

He gestured toward the mechanical pieces.

"As you can see, they planned to evolve through mechanical modifications."

"I see..." Greymon said thoughtfully. "Was there a Virus Greymon involved?"

It was the logical conclusion.

If they possessed MetalGreymon parts, perhaps they had intended to evolve a Virus-type counterpart.

"There wasn’t," LoaderLeomon answered.

"They were trying to build Mugendramon."

Greymon blinked.

"You’re kidding."

"I’m not."

"They intended to evolve one of themselves into Mugendramon. Beyond that... I don’t know what their plans were."

Greymon remained silent for several moments before looking back at the mechanical parts.

"So you’ve brought me these materials to help me evolve."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"But this isn’t free, is it? I know you’re a good friend, LoaderLeomon... but I’m certain you’ll ask for something in return."

Takuya couldn’t help but think Greymon was surprisingly perceptive.

"Indeed," LoaderLeomon admitted. "The three of us realized something during this incident."

"This region isn’t as safe as we once believed."

"I want to gather every Perfect-level Digimon on this island and create a united front. If another invasion ever happens, we’ll be ready."

"You know better than anyone how important these islands are."

Greymon slowly turned toward the center of the island.

Only then did Takuya notice something he had overlooked.

The same glowing particles he had seen the previous night were still drifting above the island’s heart.

"It is one of our birthplaces," Greymon said quietly.

"The place where data becomes life."

"Of course I understand its importance."

"There’s a reason I stay here."

"I protect this place... even from reckless Child and adult Digimon."

"We cannot allow the future to die." exclaimed the greymon.

After a long silence, Greymon nodded.

"I accept."

"I’ll evolve."

"And afterward, I’ll accompany you while you convince the other Perfect-level Digimon to join."

"Good," LoaderLeomon replied with a satisfied smile.

"You remember the integration process?"

"I do." Greymon stood and slowly approached the mechanical parts. "I trust you with my life, Leomon. Take care of the surroundings meanwhile."

As soon as those words left his mouth, portions of Greymon’s body dissolved into streams of blue data.

His silhouette remained intact...

But beneath it, his body had become pure data.

The arm that had dissolved drifted toward the mechanical arm resting on the cart.

The moment it came close enough, the metal arm reacted.

Its solid form shimmered before dissolving into a matching silhouette of metallic data.

Threads of light surged between the two.

Lightning-like currents flowed from Greymon’s arm while identical arcs erupted from the mechanical one. The artificial arm deconstructed piece by piece before slowly attaching itself to Greymon’s body.

Greymon gritted his teeth.

The process looked painful.

Very painful.

Little by little, the mechanical arm merged with his own until the integration was complete.

Then the rest of the components loaded onto the cart reacted.

They shot toward Greymon’s body all at once, embedding themselves into him.

The helmet had clearly not been forged specifically for a MetalGreymon, yet as soon as it touched his head, it reshaped itself, molding perfectly to fit his skull.

The remaining metal fragments fused into his tail, transforming into armored plating and thick metallic cables that spread beneath the chest plate before disappearing into his body.

Just when it seemed the process had finally ended...

Greymon began to grow.

His already imposing body expanded even further.

A crimson mane burst from behind his helmet, while a pair of purple wings unfolded from his back with a metallic screech.

Finally...

The transformation stabilized.

The enormous mechanical arm flexed, its three claws gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

"Look, kids," LoaderLeomon said with a smile, pointing at the gigantic claws.

"That’s Chrome Digizoid."

Takuya couldn’t help but stare.

So this was Chrome Digizoid.

The legendary metal renowned throughout the Digital World, the hardest metal in this world.

Even after the evolution had settled completely, the newly evolved Digimon spent a few moments flexing his mechanical claw, as if getting used to its weight before slowly opening and closing it again.

A satisfied smile spread across MetalGreymon’s face.

Watching him, Takuya couldn’t help but think the same thing.

If MetalGreymon had been fighting beside them during their last battle...

Everything would have been so much easier.