Ark

ACT 5 Seutandal’s Hero

[TL: For people who read the previous chapter when I first uploaded it, I’ve edited it a little bit so that Haman fortress is actually close to the harbour. Not far away. Ark also finally used a male p.r.o.noun for Radun in this chapter so from now on I will use male p.r.o.nouns for Radun instead of gender neutral.]

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“Bah, trying to trick me?”

Ark muttered as he snorted. Ark hadn’t believed Isyuram in the slightest. If Isyuram really wanted to stop the fight between Ark and Garam then he should’ve done it in Reuben. However, Isyuram just watched the fight and jumped in when Garam was having difficulty. It was obvious that he was trying to protect Garam.

‘Yet he dares say they’re not colleagues?’

So Ark had doubted Isyuram when he approached for the first time. He was clearly trying some scheme since it was obvious they weren’t as strong as Ark. Wasn’t that why he quietly leaked information as they approached Seutandal?

‘They clearly plotted to keep me on the boat. I don’t know why they want me on the boat but there is clearly a hidden scheme. I don’t know what types of methods exist in New World so I should always be careful.’

Their goal was to prevent Ark from leaving the boat. Then obviously he had to leave the boat to prevent their scheme. Ark was confident against that group so he just ignored Isyuram’s warning. And after he was surprised, Ark immediately checked Isyuram’s name with Eyes of the Cat. Grey….. Isyuram had also stabbed Ark in the back. Thus Ark was convinced that his idea was correct.

‘As expected, he is accomplices with Garam!’

Ark was also angry that Isyuram ate the flatfish sashimi by himself. Eventually distrust and doubts caused a tragic incident. Anyway, he had no time for these trivial matters. There were many people like Garam in New World who wanted to pick fights for no reason. In any case, Ark erased the incident at the harbour from his memory.

‘There’s no need to pay attention to such things in the game. Anyway, this place really has changed.’

Ark exclaimed as he looked around the harbour and Haman Fortress. Seutandal had rapidly changed in just four days. When Ark left for Giran, there were only 10 wooden buildings around the harbour while the foundation around the castle was still being constructed. But Haman was the heart of Seutandal. Thanks to the ongoing flow of users, construction of hotels and inns were in full swing. Of course, there were still areas that needed attention but it was only a matter of time. After the construction was completed and the system updated, Haman would be transformed into a great city. A large bulletin board at the entrance of the fortress caught his eye.

“Huhuhu, great leader…… My face feels a little hot.”

The great leader written on the board was Ark. Ark had learned many things from watching Alan. Alan turned into a celebrity in Schudenberg after his appearance on TV. But Ark decided that it wasn’t a good thing. In this world, there were many people who would feel envious of someone who did well. Becoming a celebrity was no different from becoming an enemy. If Alan wasn’t so famous then he wouldn’t have been ruined so much. Ark had no intention of going down Alan’s route. Therefore he thoroughly hid his name and appearance. That was also why the welcoming committee hadn’t placed Ark’s name on the sign.

‘It will become more troublesome if I’m a celebrity.’

Ark praised his foresight as he pa.s.sed by the people reading the bulletin.

“Anyway, it’s now truly begun?”

Ark was also the person who came up with this. Although the war was won, the Nakujuk could still send troops through letter movement as they still occupied the valley village. With the Baran clan’s power growing, the Nakujuk were engaged in a last desperate struggle. It wasn’t enough for him to be worried, but he couldn’t just leave it alone. If their numbers grew then they could threaten Haman fortress. Thus the only method Ark could think of to reduce the Nakujuk’s numbers was to use the players. Seutandal’s current situation meant that they couldn’t afford a lot of rewards. Although the Eastern Nation had a lot of funds, a lot of it is focused on construction. So they didn’t have the ability to give a decent compensation all partic.i.p.ants However, they couldn’t delay the development of Seutandal.

‘Apart from warriors, merchants also came here.’

Therefore Ark designed the medal system. When players first come to Seutandal, they couldn’t use the stores run by the Baran clan. They had to at least receive a copper medal to use the stores. And the discount would increase with the silver and gold medals. Thanks to that, users who came to Seutandal had no choice but to defeat the Nakujuk. The average level of users who came to Seutandal was level 200. On the other hand, the Nakujuk was between level 250~280. Therefore there were many notices on the bulletin boards of users looking for parties.

“I’m recruiting people to hunt the Nakujuk!”

“Are there any magicians here?”

But the profession that suffered the most was the merchants. For merchants seeking to trade in Seutandal, being prohibited from using the stores was like being struck by lightning on a clear day. Moreover, they had to receive a discount in order to truly receive a profit from the stores. In other words, merchants needed at least a gold medal but the Nakujuk was a fair distance away from the fortress and not many parties wanted to take merchants.

“Buying Nakujuk’s Red Hair, 20 silver for one!”

“Buying a set of 100 Nakujuk’s Red Hair for 190 gold!”

The merchants crouched near the bulletin board and bought the tokens. Thanks to that, there were quite a few warriors who stayed around Haman fortress for the part time job of hunting tokens. But if looked at closely, it wasn’t that different from deceiving people with petty tricks.

‘Huhuhu, the Nakujuk are the Haman’s war enemy so the discount would automatically be applied as the NPC’s sign of appreciation for people who killed a lot of them.’

The medal system was only to give the appearance of compensation. It was a petty trick to avoid having to spend money on users! That was Ark’s speciality. However, Ark’s medal system was hiding an even more extravagant scheme……!

‘Once everyone possesses a medal it will become insignificant, but at the moment not that many users have them. The Nakujuk aren’t easy to hunt for level 200 users and the token won’t drop that often.’

So there were many users who couldn’t use the stores. However, the users needed consumables to hunt the Nakujuk. Of course, the merchants who came from the continent sold consumables but there was a constant shortage of supplies for warriors.

‘This is a chance to sell the consumables obtained from Magaro’s laboratory!’

Thanks to the Seutandal stores being sealed off, Ark managed to obtain a sell his goods for a large price. Abuse of power! How wicked…… Ark was indeed good at being wicked.

‘Well, it can’t be helped even if the actions are dirty. There are 20 days left until I need to pay the balance for the house. I have to organize everything and make some money. And volunteer troops are necessary for Haman fortress anyway. I’m not going to allow such annoying things to p.r.i.c.k my conscience.’

Ark finished firming his mental state. Anyway, the bulletin board also posted new developments and events.

Not only Lancel village, but Seutandal also seemed to become more and more like an amus.e.m.e.nt park.

‘Well, it’s good that there are lots of ways to enjoy themselves.’

Ark laughed and entered Haman fortress. When Ark appeared in the shopping district, the various Baran clan members recognized him and greeted him. He was grateful but it was a little stressful as the users’ attention would focus on him. On the other hand, he was satisfied by the thought that Seutandal had completely become his home town. Anyway, Ark hadn’t returned to Seutandal to view the development. The most important thing was finding the last Three Marvels and reclaiming his summons.

‘The last piece of the Three Marvels is almost in my grasp…….’

The problem is finding where Razak and Dedric lived. Before returning to Haman fortress, Ark had tried contacting Yuzuria. The world tree should know about the distribution of each species in Seutandal. But Yuzuria shook her head.

-Of course my roots used to stretch across all of Seutandal. The world tree can obtain a lot of information through those roots. However, you didn’t allow a lot of room for my roots to stretch when you planted me in here.

Anyway, the world tree wasn’t useful in matters like these. He was more likely to find information from Beseutyu who has recorded the history of Seutandal. That’s why Ark contacted JusticeMan before departing.

‘Is it here?’

Ark looked at the wooden building situation to one side of Haman fortress. This was the information centre that Beseutyu had created after Seutandal rose.

“Welcome. This is Beseutyu’s Information Centre…… Eh? Ark hyung!”

Bona’s eyes widened when he saw who came in through the door. After Seutandal had risen, some of the Baran who had been living in Lancel village returned. Bona also returned as well to help Beseutyu. Therefore, his quest unfortunately stopped at 98%.

“Wah, when did you arrive?”

“Just now. Where’s your Grandpa?”

“Grandpa went to another elder’s house to collect the materials you required. He hadn’t been able to recover the data from the valley village yet. You came faster than expected.”

“You’re looking after the business alone?”

“Hehe, I also know quite a lot. I’ll show it to Ark hyung for free.”

Bona pushed out his chest and spoke firmly.

“Ooh, really? Then please guide me further. What new information is there these days?”

Ark playfully asked an embarra.s.sed Bona who scratched his head.

“H-hyung still knows more than me. You know everything….. Ah, that’s right! Hyung, did you know about this?”

“What?”

“Something important happened not that long ago.”

Bona looked around and lowered his voice.

“I heard it from Lariette noona…….”

“Ah, Lariette-nim is here as well? I thought that Lariette-nim was accompanying the rehabilitation group as they surveyed the area. What’s going on?”

The soldiers who fought the Nakujuk had changed their name to the ‘Autonomous’ soldiers. And the Autonomous group was led by JusticeMan, the rehabilitation group and Lariette. Their dream of an autonomous police force that couldn’t be achieved in Lancel was finally fulfilled in Seutandal. But Bona was showing a discontented expression as he talked.

“You should let me tell you.”

“Okay, okay. Continue.”

“There was an incident where a group of tourist who visited the Eastern ruins in Seutandal was exterminated. The guides and tourists didn’t have enough strength and died.”

“What?”

“It’s not just that. Several days after that incident, a magician and a warrior attacked out sightseeing office.”

“They came inside Haman fortress?”

“Yes, isn’t that absurd? There were 20 staff working there and six people lost their lives. Soldiers were immediately dispatched but they’re still not caught. They’ve probably already escaped to the continent.”

Bona added that it was the reason JusticeMan, the rehabilitation members and Lariette hadn’t come to greet him. The commanders of the autonomous force were the only ones strong enough so they went out to chase directly. The Nakujuk and Baran didn’t have any NPCs that could use magic. If a magician managed to get into the city, how many NPCs would be ma.s.sacred?

“But how would they have escaped to the continent? The autonomous members are defending the harbour. Shouldn’t the criminals be unable to use the ferry?”

“That’s……”

“Recently there are rumours of smugglers.”

At that moment Beseutyu had entered and answered. Then Bona shouted with a sulky face.

“Grandpa, Ark-hyung is my customer!”

“Hehehe, sorry. How have you been doing Ark? I’m sorry it wasn’t possible for me to go and greet you. I was looking for the materials you requested. I thought about sending Bona but then the store would’ve been empty.”

“No it’s fine. I never asked for it. And I’m glad that the residents are grateful but it is a little hard. There is no need for it next time.”

“Well, you are hiding your own achievements…… As expected, you have the qualities of a true warrior.”

Beseutyu once again firmly misunderstood.

“By the way, what did you say about smugglers?”

Ark asked with curiosity while Beseutyu sighed as he sat down in a chair.

“Yes, that’s what I said. Registered criminals aren’t allowed ride the ferry would have to sneak into Seutandal. But there’s even more. A while ago there was an incident when a boat was attacked by a group of pirates entirely consisting of those criminals. So there is a place in Seutandal where criminals are gathering. The authorities have been investigating the coast but still haven’t found anything. I also believe that they have contact with the Nakujuk.”

The situation turned out to be surprisingly serious after listening. But when he thought about it, it was entirely possible. Although Haman fortress treated the Nakujuk as monsters, they were also residents of Seutandal. There was the precedent of the Hermes guild interacting with them. Obviously chaotic players would be eager to come to Seutandal. There were users in the game who owned merchant boats and at least one of them would be eager to bring chaotic players to Seutandal for money. Since there were high levels of maritime trade, a lot of chaotic users also take up piracy.

‘The Hermes Alliance might even be protesting using these actions.’

Hermes had already made an alliance with the Nakujuk. If there were outlaws living in Nakujuk territory then Hermes were certainly among them. The Hermes guild definitely hadn’t given up on Seutandal yet. The three kingdoms openly formed goodwill with the Baran clan, yet schemes could still be arranged secretly.

‘This is why JusticeMan, the rehabilitation members and Lariette-nim are searching for the culprits. Seutandal still has a long way to go before it becomes stable.’

The path to true peace was distant and steep.

“Although that information is true, there’s still no need to worry that much.”

Beseutyu coughed and changed the subject after seeing Ark’s serious expression.

“Here is what you were looking for.”

“Did you find it?

“Not exactly, but I can guess the area.”

Beseutyu opened the map and pointed towards one spot.

“You said that your summons are a vampire and undead? In my opinion the vampire lives here. He is located in the northwest of Seutandal. This is a place that no one has ever been to. But an elder had an ancient doc.u.ment and I noticed a strange pa.s.sage.”

“Strange pa.s.sage?”

“Yes, a long time ago … I think it was before the Dark Century. One traveller explored the northwest territory of Seutandal and discovered a land enveloped in darkness. And a race that relied on drinking human blood lived there. They are hostile to outsiders and will capture them for their blood. The traveller would be drained of their blood until they died of old age.”

“The traveller died? Then how was it recorded?”

“They placed the message in a bottle and sent it into the sea before dying. An ancient record keeper found the doc.u.ment. The location on that doc.u.ment points to this area.”

Blood-sucking species. The vampire. Ark checked the map again and tilted his head to one side.

“Wait? Isn’t this…….?”

Ark noticed something strange and opened his own map.

‘There’s no doubt. This is the area pointed out by Yggdrasil and Yuzuria that contains the fragment of the Three Marvels! What the? Then the last beast clan is the vampire? But vampires are able to change into people. Maybe they live together with the beast clan keeping the final piece? Or did the beast clan bury the fragment somewhere in the territory of the vampire?’

Ark was confused but it wasn’t bad news.

‘This means I can find Dedric and the fragment of the Three Marvels at the same time.

“Do you know how to get there?”

Although he had been living in Seutandal for a while, he still hadn’t explored a lot of it. He had only explored the east and south around Haman fortress and the area around Ageiron in the north. That wasn’t even 1/5th of the entire area of Seutandal. Therefore most of his map was still black. Since Seutandal was surrounded by mountain ranges, it wasn’t possible to wander around blindly. That was why the Seutandal sightseeing business received a lot of profit.

“Um……. Actually, that’s the problem.”

Beseutyu took out an old map. It was a map of Seutandal, but the lines summarizing the land seemed like it was graffiti drawn by a 13 year old. Of course, the terrain was still recognizable on such a map.

“Now, look here. This is the northern mountain ranges, and this is the western mountain ranges. Thanks to these mountain ranges, Seutandal is clearly able to be divided into north, south, east and west. Thanks to the high mountain ranges the air flow, weather and ecosystem in each region is different. But the place you want to get to is surrounded by the mountain ranges.”

Beseutyu shook his head.

“This area is also filled with steep cliffs and there are many storms thanks to the different air currents striking against each other. Thus it also won’t be possible to use the skyrays to fly over a land route. Even the Nakujuk can’t use the Drakens to approach this area.”

“Then there is no way to get there?”

“……It would’ve been impossible in the past.”

“You’re saying it is possible now?”

Beseutyu worried for a moment about Ark’s question before replying.

“You know that Seutandal had been caught in the dimensional storm until now. Because of the storm, it wasn’t even possible to approach this area from the outside. In fact, until now we thought of that place as the end of the world. But then Seutandal rose. It is now an island.”

“As expected, it’s the sea.”

Ark instantly knew the answer. Yes, the place where Ark had to go touched the coast. If he couldn’t cross over the mountains then he could enter by the sea.

“Honestly, I would like to stop you. Like I said, there is no information about this place. Only that the dreadful vampires who suck human blood live there.”

“I have no choice but to go.”

He had no choice, even if the destination was a dragon’s lair.

“Is that so……”

“Then do you have any information about the territory of the undead?”

“Yes, that place is quite well known. Didn’t I previously tell you that the undead had a significant effect on Seutandal? Because of the dimensional gap, the undead were freely able to travel in and out of the underground. In fact, the underground had been gradually widening because of the dimensional storms. But the rate of erosion had decreased ever since Seutandal rose.”

Beseutyu explained while pointing to another spot on the map. It was located on the north end of the East Moon Mountains.

“Ah, the conversation got side-tracked for a moment. Anyway, this is the place where the undead will appear. ‘City of the Dead.’ It is the territory of the undead. This was originally underground but it returned to normal after Seutandal rose. But it is the territory of the undead so there is still danger.”

“Thank you. You’ve really helped me a lot.”

Ark began to rise from his seat when Beseutyu began speaking again.

“Wait a minute. I have something to give to you.”

“Huh? A gift?”

“In fact, I was going to give it when all the autonomous members were gathered…… But you dislike the idea of an uproar so I’ll give it to you quietly. They’re also busy investigating the sightseeing office attack case. I’ll speak as the clan’s representative.”

Beseutyu took out a small box from his pocket and spoke in a serious voice.

“The Baran clan has really learned a lot after meeting you. We would’ve had everything taken away from us if it wasn’t for you. So the elders started consulting each other after Seutandal rose. It was about how we should repay you. As expected, this was the only option.”

“That……?”

“Didn’t I say this before? Our clan’s saviour was Rarukan. Thus we made Rarukan’s ring in order to return the favour. Just like Rarukan, you are also our saviour. Therefore we made Ark’s ring to return the favour. Although we don’t have the ancient knowledge used to create Rarukan’s ring anymore, the elders melted down all the magic ore to create this.”

The box was opened and a ring with five coloured jewels appeared.

‘Heok, a unique item!’

Ark’s eyes widened. It was a ring which raised all his stats except for luck! The additional ability made it one of the best items. Although it couldn’t be traded or sold in shops once acquired, having an item with his name carved on it in a game was quite nice.

‘Ohh, I didn’t receive any compensation from the Baran clan for defeating the Nakujuk after Seutandal rose so my heart had been quite uncomfortable……’

Now he had been compensated by the Baran after a period of time had pa.s.sed. Although he also received the compensation from the mermaids and the Meow like that.

“I see that Ark-hyung likes the ring.”

Bona smiled and spoke after Ark failed to hide his joy. He remembered how Ark had previously dropped Rarukan’s ring which he had been so excited to obtain. However this was not the only reward.

“The representative Isabel would also like to meet you.”

‘Oh, there’s still something else?’

Ark eagerly looked for Isabel. Then Isabel spoke after Ark found her.

“Welcome, Ark-nim. I arrived in Seutandal as soon as Deliverer-nim contacted me, but regretfully Ark-nim had already left.”

Isabel had become the representative of Seutandal because of Ark but he had already left for Giran by the time she arrived.

“I’m sorry but the current Eastern Nation is investing all its funds into development so I can’t give you a reward. But you will always be appreciated and remembered as the clan’s saviour. In addition, we will help Ark-nim whenever you require it. This is not the promise of the representative of Seutandal, but as the head of the Eastern Nation.”

Isabel’s words caused an information window to appear.

‘What the, it’s not an item?’

Ark looked at the information window with a slightly disappointed expression. He resolved the desire of the Eastern Nation which stretched over hundreds of years and only received a t.i.tle…… But he already received the trade agreement contract and the Eastern Nation was struggling economically so he should be satisfied with this much.

‘By the way, what is the ‘Pursuit of Truth?’

He hadn’t received that many bonuses from the t.i.tle this time. Instead, the t.i.tle had granted him the special quality ‘Pursuit of Truth.’

‘If I encounter hidden NPCs then I can exchange fame for secret techniques? How is that different from skills? Fame is no use for a Dark Walker but how will I find hidden NPCs? Well, I’ll probably meet such a person someday anyway. I can learn about the special trait after meeting the NPC.’

Ark talked with Isabel a little more after that. According to Isabel, Shambala had once again resumed his quest to collect the scattered Dark Brothers all over the continent. Now that there was the Eastern Nation, gathering them would become much easier.

‘If I’m too slow then won’t Shambala change to his second profession first?’

Ark felt a little burdened after hearing Isabel’s words. He was about to finish the conversation when Ark remembered something.

“Ah, wouldn’t there be a suitable place here?”

“A suitable place?”

“For this guy to take a break.”

Ark pointed towards Radun. Radun was a summon. Unlike Dedric and Razak, Radun was always wrapped around his waist but Radun needed a place in Seutandal to revive in just in case he died. Therefore three Summoning Ports were necessary. Since Dedric and Razak had already died, Ark needed to go visit them directly but he needed to find a suitable place for the location of the Summoning Port. It would be a problem if something happened to Radun after being recalled so he needed a safe place. And wasn’t the Eastern Nation the safest place in Seutandal? Isabel smiled at Ark’s explanation and nodded.

“Then how about my room?”

“Isabel’s room?”

“Yes, only I can use it so other people won’t notice. Besides, it’s good if I can sometimes meet such a cute pet. How about it? You don’t want to?”

Ssak ssak? Ssak ssak ssak ssak!

Radun eagerly nodded as Isabel stroked his head. Normally pretty girls hated snakes. Therefore Isabel earned Ark’s approval. The safest place in Seutandal was in Isabel’s room in the Eastern Nation as it was always protected by hundreds of people. But was that all? Shambala was Isabel’s bodyguard so he would therefore become Radun’s. Well, it was better for Shambala not to know that…….

Ark entered Isabel’s room and left the Summoning Port in a suitable place. Once it was connected using magic, the jewel at the top started shining and a message window appeared.

“Radun.”

Ssak ssak ssak, ssak ssak ssak ssak!

‘Except for choosing the location of my pet’s recall, it isn’t that different from before. However, this cost 700 gold.’

Who knew that such a large amount of money would be wasted on his summons?

‘Now I have to look for my other summons directly.’

Anyway, now Ark’s summon Radun had become Isabel’s pet.

‘Shall I put the rest in order before departing?’

Ark exited to the town and went to the shopping area. The route to the shopping centre? He pa.s.sed by 10 shops. But Seutandal was still suffering from a shortage of materials so half of them weren’t open. In addition, medals were needed for the store so the shopping area was mainly empty. By the way, there was one area which had a lot of people coming and going.

“Selling best quality potions and scrolls that are difficult to get from the continent. There’s no need to hesitate. It’s inexpensive, inexpensive! Please hurry. They’re running out quickly!”

The person who opened a street stall in the corner and shouting was Buksil.

“Hey Buksil.”

“Yes, welcome. Huh? Ark-nim!”

Buksil ran over with a joyful look.

“When did you come back?”

“Just now. How much have you sold?”

“Huhuhu, I thought you would ask. The business is doing amazing. All the special potions have been sold and now the recovery potions and scrolls are left. The current sales is 3,320 gold.”

“That’s a lot more than I thought?”

“Don’t you know? It’s thanks to my abilities. I went around Seutandal to check how much the volume of each produce and raised the price little by little. Supply and demand, that is the basics of a sales pitch. After selling about 70% of the products I would then raise the price.”

‘Ohhh, he’s quite good?’

Ark looked at Buksil with new eyes. In fact, Ark had calculated that he would receive approximately 2,500 gold for the items obtained in Magaro’s laboratory. Thanks to the uniqueness of Seutandal’s medal system which restricted store transactions, he had made up to 3,000 gold. But thanks to Buksil’s marketing strategy, he had exceeded that by 10%.

“That means I can get the sales execution fee of 332 gold right?”

Buksil clasped both hands together as his eyes sparkled. Of course, 10% was definitely 332 gold. However……

“No, 132 gold.”

“Huh? Huh? W-w-what did you say?”

“Video copyright fee.”

Buksil winced at Ark’s cold tone.

“Don’t you know I called the broadcasting station and learned everything?”

“You received 2 million won for the rights to the video?”

Buksil started sweating as the words continued. Yes, Ark had called the broadcasting station as soon as he got home after Ho Myung-hwan had told him about it. Of course, it wasn’t that easy to receive the information from the station. So Ark contacted the station through Ho Myung-hwan and learned the price. It was 2 million won. Therefore 2 million won was removed from the 332 gold. Buksil quivered on his feet and spoke carefully.

“B-but I’m the one who shot the video……. Deducting the 2 million won is…….”

“What?”

A cry of distress escaped from Buksil as Ark approached him.

“I’m not shameless enough to seize the 2 million won. No, to be honest I have no interest in the copyright. If you consulted me then I wouldn’t have asked for it.”

That was impossible. If he consulted Ark then Ark would’ve negotiated with the broadcasting station to receive even more. Then he would use that as an excuse to take some of the money. But there was no reason to reveal the truth to Buksil now that Ark had caught him.

“How could you? You didn’t even speak a single word to me. Did you think I wouldn’t learn about it later? I really believed you. I thought you were a friend. But you betrayed your friend for 2 million won. Do you understand my feelings?”

Ark’s impa.s.sioned speech caused Buksil to become embarra.s.sed.

“I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.” Ark-nim thought of me like that…….”

“Shut up, I can’t just forgive you! Do you know how big the wound in my heart is? This is why I distrust humans! 2 million won? Honestly, I feel like you should just take the 332 gold and never see me again.”

“Hik, n-no. It’s because I did a lot of home shopping and I needed money. Please forgive me! Huk huk huk, I absolutely won’t do it again. I won’t do it without Ark’s permission in the future. Please believe me!”

“The future?”

Ark abruptly changed and murmured quietly.

“Then will you film my videos from now one?”

“Huk huk huk, I’ll do anything. Whatever you want. Video…… Eh? Huh? Video?”

Buksil finally realised something strange. But Ark pretended ignorance and continued talking.

“Okay, then I’ll forgive you this time.”

“W-wait a minute. Filming videos?”

“Due to various circ.u.mstances, I need to film videos from now on. You’re willing to do that work from now on? Thank you very much. I’ll hire you. I look forward to you being my exclusive cameraman.”

“I said wait a minute. What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?”

“Ah ah, don’t worry. I’m not that inconsiderate so I’ll give you a monthly salary of 50 gold. How about it? Isn’t it good?”

In fact, this was Ark’s purpose. The method of the entrance examination had changed so he needed to take videos continuously from now on. However, it was too difficult for Ark to hold the camera and fight at the same time. That’s why he approached Buksil. Buksil understood that Ark wanted to keep his ident.i.ty secret and took care of it. He also functioned as a bag s.p.a.ce so it was killing two birds with one stone! He was actually worried the most about bag s.p.a.ce. He had become used to Buksil accompanying him so the smaller bags felt awful.

‘He received 2 million won for the video rights. If I can get free videos and a merchant’s bag s.p.a.ce, 500000 won a month is no big deal.’

The problem was Buksil. A merchant was an occupation which can earn quite a lot of money. He had been accompanying Ark until now because of his goal, but now that reason was gone. As expected, Buksil’s rocking body made his refusal clear.

“B-but I have my own plans…….”

“Really? Then it’s not possible.”

“You’re giving up?”

“Well, I can’t force someone if they dislike it.”

Buksil sighed with relief at Ark’s answer. At that moment, Ark murmured like he was thinking out loud.

“However, there was that thing I heard about. The game character’s publicity rights…..”

“Huh? Publicity rights?”

“I’ll give an example. What would happen if someone sold the rights to a video without asking the protagonist and he complained? Could it be broadcast anymore? The broadcasting station might even make the person who sold the video pay a penalty fee.”

“Huk, w-what it that……?”

“Apparently the penalty sum is 10 times what the broadcasting station paid for the rights……. 10 times 2 million won, isn’t that 20 million won? Wah! It’s no joke. Do you have that type of money? Oh, where did you say you used the money again? Huh? Why are you shaking? It was just an example. Eh? Are you crying? Why are you crying? I was just mentioning it. Do you really think I would go that far? Speaking of the videos……”

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it! No, please let me do it!”

“Eh? Really? Ya, as expected from Buksil. Okay, I won’t be able to stop you since you’re so willing. Let’s give you an unscheduled deposit. We’ll do a contract of 50 gold for 6 months. Now, all 50 gold to 132 gold and it is 182 gold in total!”

Ark kindly extended the 182 gold. Ark deducted 200 gold from 332 gold because of the broadcasting fee and added 50 gold, making it 182 gold…… That was Ark’s calculation method.

‘I can’t escape. It’s not six months. I can’t escape this man for my entire life.’

That’s what Buksil was feeling after taking the 182 gold from Ark.

“Now, shall we leave on another adventure?”

Ark headed towards the coast with Buksil reluctantly trailing behind him. He needed to go to the ‘Land of the Vampires’ and the ‘City of the Dead.’ He selected the first destination as the land of the vampires where the final fragment of the Three Marvels could be found. The problem was that he could only enter through the sea route. However, there weren’t any commercial boats or ferries to that location.

‘Do I have to pay for a chartered merchant boat?’

But it wasn’t that easy to charter a merchant boat. Even a small vessel that only 2 people could ride required 200-300 gold. There wasn’t that much time left to obtain the rent money so he couldn’t spend that much on chartering.

‘Unbelievable. However, it’s not possible to bite the Mermaid’s Scale and walk under the ocean……. Huh?’

It had been such a long time since he obtained it that Ark had forgotten about the item.

‘Oh my G.o.d, why didn’t I think about it until now?’

“Radun, Flute of the Merpeople!”

Ssak ssak ssak, ssak ssak ssak ssak!

Radun spat out a small flute.

If he was by the ocean, it was possible to call the dolphins using ‘Flute of the Merpeople.’ After he received it, he never went to the ocean so he had forgotten about it. If he remembered then he wouldn’t have needed to pay the money for the ferry going between the continent and Seutandal.

‘Fortunately I made a profit from the fish on the boat…… Anyway, I have to put the special items separately so I don’t forget about it again.’

Ark moved to a deserted beach and blew the flute. The quiet sea rippled and a herd of dolphins appeared. Ark got on the back of the dolphins and shouted in a powerful voice.

“Now, let’s go! The goal is the land of the vampires!”