Ark The Legend

s.p.a.cE 8. Eisyeon Nak.u.ma

A giant ship was floating in the air.

The armour was torn, revealing the interior and some of the frames were sticking out. Just like a person was torn of their flesh to reveal the bone, the floating n.o.blesse was just like a ghost ship.

Woong woong woong, woong woong woong woong!

The crew stared at it with bemused eyes.

The turrets of the n.o.blesse were turned in the direction of the crew members.

The cruiser was one grade higher than the battleships Ark and Hawk used. Furthermore, it was the Marquis’s private ship. The performance of everything from the armour to the turrets was superior. And the firearms were concentrated on them.  More than half of them had fallen off but there were still 4 turrets aimed at the members.

Sh.e.l.ls were simultaneously fired from the turrets.

“Dammit! A bombardment! Avoid it!”

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g! Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

Fay shouted at the same time that a roar shook the s.p.a.ce.

The crew scattered all over the place like a frightened swarm of fish. And a huge hole was created on the spot the sh.e.l.ls. .h.i.t.

Truly overwhelming firepower!

“How did this….?”

“No way! The n.o.blesse….!”

The crew burst out at the unimaginable scene.

It was hard to believe but a Nak.u.ma was floating in front of them. The fact that the crew they had ridden on became a Nak.u.ma was a huge shock. No matter what type of warriors they were, it was a shocking situation that caused them to lose their composure. The members never even thought of fighting back.

“These gutless people!”

Then Marquis Martin shouted.

“This might’ve been my ship but now it is a Nak.u.ma! Are you ashamed to damage the s.p.a.ceship of a marquis? Okay! It is already a piece of junk! I will dismantle this piece of junk with my own hands and sell it!”

Anyway….

It wasn’t a proper amba.s.sador anymore….

“Yes, the n.o.blesse is now no different from sc.r.a.p metal!”

“No, it isn’t the n.o.blesse! The opponent is just a hunk of sc.r.a.p metal!”

The commander of a unit was important in protecting their lives.

Unless they lost their limbs, the members would naturally follow the commands. It was an absurd situation but Marquis Martin’s words lifted the shock from the heads of the crew members.

Marquis Martin was that type of commander.

“Wild Arm!”

Marquis Martin equipped the mechanical arms and shouted.

“Special guards, I handpicked you so don’t make me think it is a mistake! This is stronger than other s.p.a.ceships! But the n.o.blesse was stronger due to us! The outstanding power of its captain and crew! Isn’t that right?”

“Ohhhhhh!”

“We know! The n.o.blesse isn’t mere chunks of iron! We are the strength of the n.o.blesse! The n.o.blesse isn’t a machine! That is just an empty sh.e.l.l!”

“All crew members, prepare for the final battle! Armour armament!”

A metal capsule soared over the members’ heads at Fay’s words. When S-20 has been attacked by chaotic people, Ark received the help of Marquis Martin’s battleship and guards to destroy the enemy.

The soldiers accompanying Marquis Martin at that time was different but they were still part of the special guards. And all of the special guards equipped their battle suits.

Tong! Tong! Tong! Tong!

The capsules rotated and turned into armour. And it emitted steam before wrapping around the soldiers’ bodies. Steam rose as 40 special guards changed into armoured warriors!

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g! Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

Then another hail of ammunition came from the n.o.blesse. But the situation was different from before.

“Defense!”

The battle suits of the special guards differed slightly in appearance. The armoured warriors moved according to Fay’s instructions. A few lasers stretched out and exploded against the sh.e.l.ls in the air.

The ranger type battle suits had small GEMs mounted on them! A defense system that intercepted the enemy sh.e.l.ls or missiles. 6 GEMs intercepted a considerable number of sh.e.l.ls. However, the four GEM turrets mounted on the battle suit could only intercepted a small amount of sh.e.l.ls.

The sh.e.l.ls that weren’t intercepted flew through the flames towards the group. However, the special guards were a well-organized force!

“Spread the shields!”

10 crew members jumped out at the command. The armoured warriors had thick coils attached to both arms. They linked arms and the coils sparked to form a connected, giant shield.

A multi-shield deployment by defender type armoured warriors! Of course, Marquis Martin and Ark weren’t just watching.

“Inspire!”

Marquis Martin cried out and punched wildly. At that moment, blue light emerged from his mechanical arms and wrapped around the special guards.

An outstanding commander can raise the morale of their soldiers. Inspire uses these attributes to increase the power of the soldiers for a certain period of time. However, the increase in ability of the soldiers will be affected by the leadership value of the commander.

Marquis Martin’s special skill, Inspire!

Combined with the increase in ability from the battle suit, this was an estimated rise of 60%. Their injury recovery rate also rose. It was possible to recover health even during battle.

It was an enormous buff effect. This was due to the fact that the commander’s leadership was 2,500. Something that might seem rustic next to that….

“Rune Carving, Kuon!”

Ark’s Kuon rune buff!

Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng!

The GEM intercepted the sh.e.l.ls being poured out. Fire and smoke poured from the sh.e.l.ls. And those that hit the blue shield instantly detonated!

“….We managed to stop it.”

Marquis Martin smiled and said.

The performance wasn’t very different from the previous fights against the Nak.u.ma. Of course, the performance of the machines would drop after being absorbed by the Nak.u.ma but it was only by 20%. In other words, any level 100 weapons mounted would only have the firepower of a level 80 weapon.

And now the Nak.u.ma had absorbed the cruiser. It meant the turrets could exert 80% of its original power. It was the reason why the members previously lost their will to fight. The cruiser was equipped with turrets. Even if it was only at 80%, ordinary soldiers weren’t a match for it.

Nevertheless, they still had to take action. Battle suit+ unit organization+ GEM+ Kuon….it was possible for them to fend off the sh.e.l.ls of the n.o.blesse.

‘We blocked it! The bombardment from the n.o.blesse!’

‘We can win!’

‘As long as I’m with Marquis Martin!’

Ark could feel a change in the eyes of the crew members. Fay didn’t miss this timing.

“Marquis-nim’s words have been proven! The n.o.blesse was the most powerful battleship created so far because there was the ultimate crew aboard! But now the n.o.blesse is moving due to a Nak.u.ma! The n.o.blesse is only a s.p.a.ce monster in this form! Special guards! Let it know this fact! Shoulder launchers!”

The launchers emerged from Fay’s shoulder blades. Launchers were mounted on the heavy artillery type battle suits. The battle suit clad members aimed the launchers towards the n.o.blesse.

“Smash them all!”

Tutung! Tutung! Tutung! Tutung!

At the same time, dozens of sh.e.l.ls poured out! That wasn’t all.  The crew wearing a.s.sault type battle suits fired the machine guns while others threw bombs.

The n.o.blesse shook as explosions covered the area. Of course, the n.o.blesse wasn’t acting gently. It tirelessly alternated between its 4 turrets. The crew members standing next to each other had to yell to be heard over the gunfire.

Blue and red colours spread through the darkness that it was hard for the crew members to even see. However, the soldiers were members of the special guards! They moved in an orderly fashion to properly corner the n.o.blesse.

This lasted for a few minutes.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Pepeng!

There was a chain of explosions and smoke soared. The firepower that focused on only one turret!

‘That’s it! It looks good!’

Ark clenched his fists.

One of the turrets were destroyed. That alone reduced the firepower of the n.o.blesse by a quarter. And now there were only 3 turrets remaining.

They were initially frightened but now they could push the n.o.blesse to an easy victory!

However, Ark’s weapon was a lightsaber. His secondary weapon was the Fire Eagle but it was only a level 65 weapon. There was no reason to use it against the Nak.u.ma. It was unlikely for the level 65 Fire Eagle to deal high damage to the mechanical creature. Furthermore, the shotgun had a short range.

Thanks to the n.o.blesse floating in the air, Ark didn’t have any ranged firepower to attack it. He just used the Kuon rune and occasionally used Sword Defense to block sh.e.l.ls.

But such things didn’t matter. He was in party with the special guards so there was no need to worry about the experience. It was the same with the loot. There was no reason to fret about not playing an active role.

No, he didn’t need to fight in order to defeat it!

“Okay! It is just starting now!”

“But be vigilant!”

“Don’t take a rest and concentrate on smashing it!”

A turret was destroyed so the attacks became more lively.

But Ark, Marquis Martin, Fay and the crew members didn’t expect the situation that unfolded next. The moment the crew’s morale rose and they were about to start bombing again!

Wing wing wing wing, wing wing wing wing….wiiiiing!

The n.o.blesse started rotating like a spin top. The rotation acceleration enough that it just looked like a shapeless black ma.s.s! At the same time, a vortex occurred with the n.o.blesse in the centre.

“Ugh! W-what?”

“It is a tremendous wind pressure! I can’t hold my posture!”

The crew members winced as they were pushed by the wind. It was hard for them to maintain their balance in order to fire. Needless to say, it was a serious penalty! But the real serious problem was something separate.

“I can’t grasp the target!”

The turrets were rotating at such a tremendous rate that they were invisible. But despite the fact that it wasn’t visible, the turrets clearly existed.

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g! Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

Sh.e.l.ls flew from the rotating n.o.blesse.

The sh.e.l.ls flew in every direction. The crew members that were still caught in the storm of wind collapsed. The rangers were unable to properly intercept the sh.e.l.ls with the GEM and gaps occurred in the shield.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The sh.e.l.ls that exploded inside the formation! The sh.e.l.ls weren’t aimed properly but the situation was deteriorating rapidly. The crew caught in the explosion instantly collapsed. They couldn’t respond and were further injured in the 2nd and 3rd bombardment. That wasn’t the Nak.u.ma’s only attack.

Syu syu syu syu! Syu syu syu syu!

The bottom half of the n.o.blesse opened and dozens of tentacles stretched out. They were tentacles entwined with screws, nuts and small machine parts!

“W-what is going on?”

“Dammit! Defenders, stop it!”

The defenders yelled out with bewilderment. And cracks spread on the shield as the tentacles struck against it. It was vulnerable due to the explosion of the sh.e.l.ls so the damage from the direct hit was multiplied several times. In other words, it was difficult to fend off the tentacles with the shield!

“Ugh! It is impossible!”

“Gun! Intercept the tentacles with the Armour Piercing Bullet!”

Some members of the crew fired their machine guns at Fay’s command. However, it was difficult to aim at the centre of the storm. It also wasn’t easy with the fast moving tentacles. Furthermore, the thick tentacles didn’t break with one or two hits.

Tu tu tu tu! Kw.a.n.g! Kw.a.n.g! Kw.a.n.g! Kw.a.n.g! Kw.a.n.g!

The crew fired crazily at the tentacles. The n.o.blesse also didn’t stop the rotating bombardment. Flames soared, stones were finely crushed, the storm obstructed the view and the tentacles struck like a whip at the crew members.

It was chaos!

‘d.a.m.n! It was too easy!’

He had dismissed the opponent known as the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma! A t.i.tan cla.s.s boss monster wouldn’t be too mediocre in battle. Even so, he never imagined that the battle would reverse so quickly.

But he couldn’t be discouraged. He wouldn’t give up when facing the Nak.u.ma.

Syu syu syu syu!

“Get lost! Sonic Sword!”

Ark wielded the Equalizer against the tentacles.

And the moment the tentacles flinched back, he used Swamp Walking to skim down the slippery tentacles with his sword. Sparks flew upwards as the white light struck the tentacles and the metal parts flew off.

But that only lasted for a brief moment. The metal parts once again attached to the tentacles like there was a magnet.

“Dammit! Is this a joke?’

Occasionally he would face this type of Nak.u.ma. When parts of the body was destroyed, it would absorb things to maintain the shape. The way to handle this type of Nak.u.ma was to disa.s.semble it faster than it could recover.

However, now the body of the Nak.u.ma was the n.o.blesse! It was impossible!

‘…..No way!’

“Cough!”

Ark internally gave a cry of despair. There were cries of distress as the crew members ran pa.s.s him. The tentacles followed like they were chasing. And the tip was sharp like a drill!

“Back away! Piercing!”

Ark turned and stretched out the Equalizer. At the same time, he turned into a ray of light and collided with the tentacles.

“Ah, Ark-nim!”

“Please join the formation! Over here….”

Another tentacle flew towards Ark. He hastily lifted his sword and was pushed back by a heavy blow.

At this point, Ark just wanted to get out of the way of the blow. But his lightsaber had been grabbed by a small mechanical hand attached to the tentacles.

Teong!

Thanks to that, the collision pushed him more than 20 metres into a wall! His breath got stuck in is throat from the pressure of blocking the tentacles. The mechanical arms on the tentacle grabbed him. Ark twisted his body, held out his left arm and shouted.

“Baius Shield! Summon Golem!”

–Master! You!

Bao glared at Ark. It still had emotions from when Ark kicked it on the stony mountain. However, there was no time for Bao to complain.

“Shut up! Blast!”

–Ooh! T-this b.a.s.t.a.r.d!

Ark forcefully invoked the skill! Bao squatted down and awls emerged from his head. At the same moment, the arms holding Ark and the lightsaber weakened. And when he got away from the tentacles.

“Bao, from now on….”

–Ugh! Kuaaaa! Keuak! Ahhh!

Bao suddenly grabbed his head and rolled across the floor. Ark finally noticed something about Bao’s state. Usually his head would return to its original state after firing the awls. But Bao’s head was still in a sharp state. It wasn’t just that.

–Ah….iyah….gigigi…gugugu…

Bao gave a bizarre moan as a black spider threads emerged from the n.o.blesse, Nak.u.ma, and entered him. Ark didn’t know what was going on.

But!

‘It is clear that something good isn’t happening!’

“Bao, come back!”

Ark hurriedly turned Bao into a shield. However, sparks flew up and a red message flashed as the golem tried to return to the bracelet state.

An unknown curse has adversely affected the spiritual connection between the shield and the golem.

If left untreated for a long time, the mysterious ability of the Baius Shield may disappear.

A swift response was required! It was ridiculous that the mysterious ability of the Baius Shield would disappear. Didn’t that mean Bao might vanish?

“That is ridiculous….”

A scream emerged from Ark’s mouth.

Bao might be arrogant but Ark wasn’t indifferent to him! Sometimes he felt like a parent! He had raised the golem to level 50. That golem would disappear? It was unacceptable.

But it was a situation where he couldn’t even release the summoning!

‘There must be another way! I need to deal with this as swiftly as possible…..’

Ark lifted his head. And once again checked the message.

Currently Bao was suffering from an unknown curse. He didn’t know why there was a curse out of nowhere. And Ark had no way to turn off the curse.

“Force Explosion!”

Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng!

Ark caused a series of chain explosions that extended an intangible aura!

The power of darkness has distorted and the force in the area has stabilized.

Force Explosion was a skill he received back on Muratio Star. The effect distorted the dark s.p.a.ce and returned it to its original state. In other words, it was a debuff to get rid of a curse.

‘This is it!’

Ark hurriedly looked down at Bao.

–Ohh…Ohh….

Bao was still moaning with agony. But the black cobweb like shapes over his body hadn’t come back. Force Explosion had purified the curse on him.

“Come back! Summon release!”

Ark hurriedly reverted Bao back to the shield form. Something strange then caught his eyes. Ark’s periphery became oddly brighter. It wasn’t just that. The mechanical parts near him….

“Oh my G.o.d! Perhaps this is?”

Then something popped into Ark’s head. He paused for a moment before turning and running away from the place where the n.o.blesse and tentacles were.

————————————————————————–

“What? That guy?”

Dozens of metres away from that place.

Fay was firing his heavy artillery towards the tentacles. Fay didn’t know who it was at first but confirmed it was Ark with his infrared scope.

“He is running away….”

Syu syu syu! Pepeng!

The tentacles flew towards him.

Fay quickly turned his body and pulled the trigger. The tentacles faltered but struck against Fay to throw him against the wall several metres up. He gave out a cry of shock and blood filled his mouth.

“Cough! Dammit, making a mistake like this….”

Fay looked around with lips stained with blood. The height meant he could guess the number of tentacles and the situation was more serious than he thought.

No, it had to be serious. The n.o.blesse was still rotating so the crew couldn’t properly attack it. They couldn’t block the indiscriminate bombing and tentacles.

The strength of an organization or military power depended on the battle formation. It would be difficult if they couldn’t maintain their battle formation. No matter how effectively Marquis Martin destroyed the tentacles with Wild Arms, he was only one person. It was close to impossible for the 40 crew members to overturn the situation.

The special guards would be wiped out!

“Yes, you can run away. I won’t blame you. No, it is a good decision. You are still young so you don’t need to sacrifice your lives in this battle. Don’t die trying to be a hero. If you run away then you will get the t.i.tle of survivor.”

Fay said with a b.l.o.o.d.y smile. After a while, he clenched his teeth and continued.

“But I won’t run away! I am the captain of the special guards! Even if I have to go to h.e.l.l with Marquis-nim! That is the meaning of my existence!”

Fay struck a dagger into the tentacle around his ankle.

And there was the sound of mechanical parts cracking as the tentacles weakened. Fay then jumped down. It was only a fall of a few metres but he could feel the pain through his whole body.

However, Fay just bit his lip.

“I will show the character of the captain of the special guards!”

Fay held grenades in both hands. And he prepared to pull out the safety pins as he rushed towards the n.o.blesse. He was already in a critical condition. He was prepared to die to be a great help in the battle. Fay selected this approach! He desperately threw his body at the enemy!

“Come! s.p.a.ce monster! This is Fay’s last….”

“Waaaaahhhhh!”

And when he was rushing towards the n.o.blesse. There was suddenly a loud scream above his head? A shout? Something like that had appeared.  Fay reflexively lifted his head with confusion.

The sight of someone dropping down on the spinning n.o.blesse caught his eyes. The warrior wrapped in a Rama battle suit was surprisingly….

“….Ark?”

————————————————————————–

“Ikyullos?”

–Yes.

“That….”

Weston couldn’t conceal his confusion.

A female military officer with silky, black hair was on the screen in front of him. The communication sent to Weston a while ago was from Irina, a member of the Galactic Federation’s internal affairs.

It was a state of emergency so Weston had intended to ignore the communication. However, he couldn’t ignore it. The message to Weston stated that she knew the whereabouts of Marquis Martin.

–Earl-nim should know about the incident where Ikyullos suddenly disappeared. Marquis Martin headed there a while ago to investigate the event with Ark-nim and were sunk by an unidentified being. And now they are looking for a way to escape from the planet Ikyullos.

This was the information that Irina knew. But Weston couldn’t easily accept it.

“The tracks don’t make sense! Just like your words, Ikyullos has disappeared. How could the n.o.blesse be hit and Marquis-nim land on a lost planet?”

–I don’t know a lot about this situation.

“You don’t know a lot? Yet you expect me to believe you?”

–But it is true.

“The evidence?”

–Nothing. I can only say that Ark-nim is with Marquis Martin and we have an unusual power to communicate no matter how far apart we are.

Irina replied with a decisive expression. A special power to know each other’s situation no matter how far apart they were! This could be called love telepathy….

In reality it was just a mobile phone.

Ark had asked for Irina’s help in reality while he was on Ikyullos. There was no way to confirm the situation after Ark landed on Ikyullos. Irina stopped her official quest and moved to Ikyullos. She searched for the coordinates of the n.o.blesse and couldn’t discover anything. Ark could become sure that Ikyullos was still in a missing state. And needless to say, Irina could grasp the situation because of Ark.

However, she couldn’t explain about phones to a NPC. Irina had to answer something unreasonable like love telepathy.

Weston had a depressed expression. But his worries didn’t last long.

“As a soldier of the Galactic Federation, you must realize the seriousness of the situation. Are you aware of the punishment you will receive for incorrect information?”

–Of course.

“Okay. Then tell me. What do you want from me?”

-Currently Ark and Marquis Martin-nim are almost at the core of the reason why Ikyullos disappeared. And if the two solve the situation, Ikyullos is likely to appear in the next few hours. Once that happens, you can immediately rescue them.

“Ikyullos will appear….”

Weston looked at Irina with sharp eyes.

“Even if what you say is true, you can’t prove that Ikyullos will appear. Marquis-nim or the pioneer Ark might fail. Then you will be guilty of impeding the search and will be court-martialled. Are you sure you don’t want to withdraw your claim?”

–Yes.

“What is the reason for your confidence?”

–The person with Marquis-nim is Ark-nim.

Irina replied with a decisive expression. Weston gazed at Irina with an angry expression before shouting while turning his body.

“Stop the search operation and move the fleet to Ikyullos!”

————————————————————————–

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The n.o.blesse was rotating furiously in the centre of the underground s.p.a.ce. Ark equipped the battle suit and covered his body with the Mind Shield before rushing in. Despite the battle suit, he still suffered tremendous damage from the n.o.blesse.

The n.o.blesse was a combination of shattered wreckage. It had the same effect as a rotating iron grinder. The reason why Ark’s body was in such a place….

“Force Explosion!”

Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng!

There were loud explosions and an intangible aura spread. The rotating n.o.blesse decomposed in several areas and small fragments flew out. And it spread in every direction, including hitting against the wall.

….This is it!

He had realized it when Bao was in a life or death situation. Ark witnessed an unexpected scene when using Force Explosion. The area affected by Force Explosion because brighter.

The mechanical parts of the tentacles in the range also naturally decomposed. Shortly after Ark activated the skill, there was a pile of machines on the floor. Then an ‘!’ popped into Ark’s head.

‘Force Explosion is a skill that counteracts the power of darkness. The entire area affected by Force Explosion is different from the others so….’

It meant the s.p.a.ce itself was covered with the powers of darkness! Ark started to think of numerous things in his head. Ikyullos was covered with a black sunspot. And this was the centre of the sunspot. There was no doubt that this was the cause of all the events.

‘I didn’t know it until now but that black shape is the body of the Nak.u.ma. It probably combined with mechanical parts to form the ent.i.ty known as the Nak.u.ma! And every Nak.u.ma the special guards defeated had flown here. Maybe they combined together to form the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma. No, the Nak.u.ma are probably small fragments of this being!’

This was the conclusion that Ark came to. The important point was that the black spirit needed to combine with the mechanical parts to form the Nak.u.ma.

‘Yes, I clearly felt a strange aura when coming down here. It was like stepping into a quagmire. But I didn’t see anything even with the Hajaska rune. Now I know why. I did see it. I just didn’t notice. The moment I came down here, I was already caught in the Nak.u.ma’s black body!’

That was the only reason Ark could think of to explain it.

‘Something was strange. I can’t see the health of the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma. No wonder why. I would be able to see the health gauge of a monster when fighting its body. Yes, this is the body of the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma!’

The s.p.a.ce itself was a curse made by the power of darkness, or the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma itself. If Force Explosion could counteract the power of darkness then the answer was simple.

Perhaps the n.o.blesse was moving with the power of darkness. Force Explosion could neutralize the power of darkness. Ark’s certainty about the reason increased.

However, it was hard to access the n.o.blesse rotating in the air. Therefore he jumped towards the n.o.blesse before using Force Explosion.

This was the result. The n.o.blesse broke down and exploded. But the situation wasn’t entirely cleaned up.

“P-pieces of the n.o.blesse is scattering!”

“But that….”

“Oh my G.o.d! That is the tentacle from the n.o.blesse!”

“The n.o.blesse wasn’t controlling the tentacles?”

The crew burst out screaming as they stared with shocked eyes. Dozens of tentacles congregated in the area where the n.o.blesse disappeared. It might be due to Force Explosion neutralized the power of darkness but Marquis Martin, Fay and the crew members could now see the Nak.u.ma.

Ark was standing on top of the bunch of tentacles.

Syu syu syu syu! Syu syu syu syu!

The n.o.blesse had disappeared and now only the tentacles remained. Ark struck the tentacles with his lightsaber and rolled across the floor.

‘The power of darkness in this area has already been neutralized. But these bunch of tentacles are real. This is the main body of the Nak.u.ma. There is also a chance that Force Explosion couldn’t entirely neutralize all of the power of darkness. But the power of darkness has weakened!’

“Force Explosion!”

Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng! Pepepepeng!

The intangible aura spread out again. The energy touched the tentacles and they became tattered. He couldn’t see the health but he was a.s.sured that there was damage. That wasn’t all.  The Equalizer could rip into the tentacles.

“Ark! Ark is fighting the body from above!”

“A-amazing!  That is Ark!”

“Stupid fools! Where are you looking?”

The crew members heard a voice in their ear like a bomb while they were watching with admiration. The crew flinched and turned towards Fay who was shouting angrily.

“Are you guys just going to allow Ark to attack the Nak.u.ma alone after he just took care of the n.o.blesse? Are you going to just sit back and watch?”

“Hah! T-that’s right!”

“Attack! Cover Ark-nim!”

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Pepeng! Pepeng!

The crew recovered their souls and stopped watching. However…..

“T-that isn’t right?”

The ammunition penetrated through the tentacles into the wall. The power of darkness was neutralized but the its property was still unchanged. It was intangible.

Now the situation depended on Ark. Ark stood on the bunch of tentacles. However, it felt more like he was standing on a swamp.

It was a buoyant surface. Ark was able to move along the tentacles thanks to Swamp Walking! He dispersed his weight and glided across as he fought the tentacles. But there was no way he could attack all the tentacles.

In fact, the n.o.blesse had fought the tentacles before sinking. And now Ark was striking the tentacles with a sword. The similarities between these two attacks….

“Energy shot!”

Marquis Martin shouted.

“Ark’s ray is managing to hit the back substance. That means that attacks with that property will succeed! Everybody switch to energy bullets! Haaayaahh! s.p.a.ce Jump!”

Marquis Martin yelled and ran past the crew. And he leapt 20 metres before landing on top of the tentacles like Ark. The reason he jumped up to Ark…..

“Dual Sword!”

Blue lightsabers emerged from the Wild Arms on both of Marquis Martin’s arms. It was a mechanical arm that had various bullets and lightsabers fitted in it. He had seen it a few times but it was still a very desirable equipment!

“Ark, I’ll help you!”

“Hurry before he starts struggling!”

“Puhahahat! Who are you talking about? I fought many air battles while on active duty. Fighting on special terrains is my specialty! Come, take this you b.a.s.t.a.r.d worm! Cross Sword!”

Marquis Martin ran while wielding his two lightsabers. Marquis Martin just a similar motion to Swamp Walking as he moved across the tentacle without hesitation. Each time he formed a cross shape, a part of the tentacle would be cut off. He had higher damage than Ark.

“Force Explosion!”

However, he was still Ark. Ark damaged a whole bunch of tentacles at once with Force Explosion!

“We are also here!”

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Pepeng! Pepeng!

The special guards switched to energy bullets and fired! Ark, Marquis Martin, Fay and 20 members of the special guards (15 had been killed) attacked and shredded the bunch of tentacles.

But this was the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma. The tentacles dealt steady damage to Ark and the others. It was what made Ark uneasy.

‘Now the battle is in our favour. But we can’t ignore the harm on our side. Besides, I can’t determine its health. Since I am unable to determine the health, there is no telling how long it will last. So I need to do critical hits!’

Then his eyes lit up! There was no need to worry about this. He had spotted the eyes that were a weak point!

‘The game is about to end!’

Wiing! Wiing! Wiiing! Wuuong!

Ark brandished the Equalizer towards the tentacles. And the tentacles moved to reveal a huge eye and its stalks. The tentacles started attacking wildly the moment Ark saw the eyes.

“Ha! You don’t like me poking this?”

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

He cut off three or four tentacle stems!

Ark fell through a hole. Large machine parts were lodged in the wall of the hole he fell into.

“How do you like my ultimate weapon? Solid Armour!”

The message rose up at the same time the Fire Avarice was mounted!

“Carpet bombing!”

In the next moment, the Fire Avarice on his shoulders opened and it fired. And the missiles headed towards the targets!

Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!

An explosion occurred in the hole. Ark hurriedly sliced apart dozens of tentacles in order to escape the flames. No, the moment he was about to break through!

“Equalizer! Berserker activate! Piercing!”

Berserker that increased the effectiveness of attack skills by 50%! Piercing seemed to explode through the black shape! At the same time, Ark’s body flashed between the tentacles. And the next moment!

Jjajjajjajjang!

There was ringing sound as the white ray of the Equalizer pierced into the pupil.

-Kuaaaaack!

At the same time, there was a crack in the s.p.a.ce as the eyes fluctuated. The Eisyeon Nak.u.ma and Nak.u.ma in the entire area was screaming in pain.

But Ark ignored them. The enemy was showing a weakness!

“Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword! Time!”

Ark struck the eyes again with Galaxy Sword. The eyes swelled up like a balloon. And the moment it reaches its limit!

Snap! Snap! Snap! Pepepeng!

The messages continuously popped up! The Eisyeon Nak.u.ma was finally defeated.

And the body that Ark fell into disappeared. He couldn’t relaxed after receiving the level up messages. But Ark had already predicted this situation.

“Fly away, Super Board!”

Ark pulled out his air board. And he rode the thermals created by the explosion. He quickly pa.s.sed through the disappearing tentacles and grabbed Marquis Martin. And shiny objects scattered everywhere!

Kung! Kung! Kung! Degul degul.

There was a sound as he approached the ground. Ark jumped to one side and rolled.

He looted the shiny objects that fell from the tentacles! He monopolized all the loot from the Nak.u.ma but the special guards were unlikely to give up items from a boss monster. He should pick it up while the crew were distracted.

And the first big catch!

Item Type:  Cloak Wearer Restriction: Level 150

Defense: 30 Durability: 60/100

A mysterious cloak made from a transparent material that flutters like a ghost. The fibres are made from an unknown material. It is natural. It was never reported. So the only way to determine it is through a direct a.n.a.lysis.

※ Item effect is still undisclosed.

The cloak had a vaguely slimy texture.

Anyway, it was an unidentified item. In addition, the special guards were still distracted. And greed dripped from his eyes as he noticed several small items nearby.

Item Type:  Growth

A mysterious ore that shimmers in transparent gla.s.s. A skilled pioneer can feel the hidden power. However, the exact ident.i.ty of that power can’t be determined. The ident.i.ty of the ore can be determined through a.n.a.lysis with state of the art equipment.

※ Item effect is still undisclosed.

‘Soul Stone?’

It was the name of the ore.

It was a little disappointing that a t.i.tan cla.s.s boss monster only dropped a small amount of items but the stone required an a.n.a.lysis skill level of 4. This was higher than the cloak! At least it wasn’t a common ore.

Naturally he put it away before it caught the eyes of other people.

“Ark-nim!”

The crew members then approached.

“This…don’t we need an explanation?”

Ark looked at them with uncomfortable eyes. He thought they might’ve witnessed the moment Ark found the loot. However, the crew members maintained a little distance and scanned Ark up and down.

“Is that the battle suit of the Rama?”

“Why does Ark-nim have the Rama….”

Ark realized that he was still wearing the Hyper Drone. In fact, Ark hadn’t worn the battle suit earlier in order to avoid this question.

He was already Hoksullo’s hyung-nim but this was the first time the crew members saw Ark wear the battle suit.

Furthermore, they were combatants not engineers like Hoksullo.

They had fought on the battlefield against the Rama.

They couldn’t just accept this situation.

“That……”

Thanks to that, Ark was at a loss for words.

Then Fay shouted at the crew members.

“You idiots, what is this all about? Don’t you know why you still have your lives? Ark risked his life to change the battle situation! You guys are still breathing because of Ark! Yet you are doubting your saviour just because Ark is wearing the battle suit of the enemy?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it but….”

“Fay’s words are true.”

Marquis Martin said from behind.

“Ark is a hero of the Galactic Federation and a pioneer. He has travelled around the universe. Isn’t that a sufficient explanation? And now isn’t the time to discuss such a trivial matter. My Nymphe was just crying out.”

Marquis Martin said as he extended his Nymphe.

–Marquis-nim, jijiji….emergency….soon….jijiji….hurry….

Hoksullo’s voice mixed with static could be heard from the Nymphe. There was something happening to the engineers waiting outside.

“Special guards, we are going up!”

Fay shouted and headed up without delay. Marquis Martin, Ark and the 20 crew members followed behind him.

“W-what? This is really…..”

Ark glanced around with surprised eyes. The giant sandstorm that had been occurring since the emergency pods landed had finally stopped. And the landscape revealed was truly spectacular!

A mysterious light shone over the blue and brown mixed sand and gla.s.s. But now wasn’t the time to be impressed by the view. The mysterious light revealed a huge number of Nak.u.ma approaching. The Nak.u.ma herd Ark had led away was finally returning.

“We took too much time.”

“It is tough to deal with those numbers.”

“The situation on this planet seems to already been resolved so there is no reason to stay here.”

The black curtain above their head had disappeared and a white sky was revealed. This was evidence that Ikyullos had returned to its original state after the Eisyeon Nak.u.ma was defeated. If so, that meant they could communicate with the outside world!

“There is no reason to fight them. The Galactic Federation is likely searching near this planet. We should leave this place and send a distress signal to the search party.”

“There is no need to do that.”

Ark said as he looked up at the sky. Marquis Martin, Fay and the crew members had ‘?’ as they lifted their heads along with Ark. Dozens of lights were approaching in the sky at a great speed.

And the next moment!

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

There was a series of explosions and flames engulfed the Nak.u.ma. And hundreds of s.p.a.ceships appeared. The sky was covered with a ma.s.sive amount of s.p.a.ceships with the mark of the Galactic Federation on them!

And the person who got off a ship….

“Ark-nim!”

….Irina.