Ark The Legend

s.p.a.cE 1. Special Reward

-A new city has appeared to the north of Nabe.

-So far the northern trading port Charem has only existed in rumours. It is registered with the galactic federation as a special autonomous trade region.

-Charem is a new, advanced base in the northern frontier!

Right after Charem was registered as the autonomous trade region. The news spread throughout the excited users of the federation at a LTE speed. The users with a merchant affiliate showed a particularly hot reaction.

“Charem…..that city was real?”

The merchants were no strangers to the name Charem. It was a city that smuggled goods through the galaxy so they had no choice but to hear about it. However, the exact location and how to access it were unknown so it had been treated like an urban legend until now.

“This is a great opportunity to open new trade routes!”

The merchants gathered their baggage and headed for Charem. Then the interest of the warriors naturally turned to Charem.

“There are still a lot of unexplored areas in the north compared to the rest of Istana. It had no city or village so it was too much trouble to go but now the situation has changed. With Charem acting as a base we can now explore the northern areas!”

The adventurous people cheered.

“The new trading city has appeared so merchants will flock there. Huhuhu, it is easy to make money from merchants. Right now Charem isn’t connected to other cities via the Star Gate. The routes there will still be limited so it will be simple to take from merchants. Let’s go! Grab your weapons!”

Even the criminals cheered.

“The security around Charem won’t be working properly. Therefore a lot of thieves will target small scale merchants. We will escort them to destroy the thugs and raise awareness with agents in other areas. Let’s go! Pack your shields!”

The security companies cheered as well. But not everyone welcomed the emergence of Charem. Dozens of octopuses were watching from the lake as Charem suddenly appeared.

–Unbelievable…..

–No way! Why did a city all of a sudden…..?

–Oh my G.o.d! A disaster! This is a disaster!

Around 100 octopuses grabbed their heads and screamed.

————————————————————————————————————

Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!

A few hours ago. A large s.p.a.ceship emitted a roaring sound and flew away. After the Sufferers incident finished, the Aschulat sent some transport ships as support. There were two types of people who took this transport ship. The city had been blocked for a month so merchants were on the ship to help with deliveries. Of course, Charem was autonomous region but it was still under the control of the federation. Therefore criminals or hostile species like Clark had no choice but to feel anxious. As soon as the blockade was lifted, many people swarmed to the port and exited Charem.

“This is why it doesn’t have the atmosphere of a shopping mall.”

Ark clicked his tongue as he looked around and murmured. Huge crowds were gathering at the port so the other regions were relatively quiet. He could wander the wide road without b.u.mping into someone and the doors for the shops lined up barely opened.

“But this is a temporary phenomenon.”

A new city had been registered in an area that was previously cla.s.sified as undeveloped land. Right now people were ebbing out of Charem like a tide but soon more people would flock in. Until now this city was filled with smugglers not pioneers. Now Charem would change. Charem was a special autonomous trading region with fewer restrictions compared to other cities so it was likely to grow explosively.

“This is the greatest time to grab a spot!”

Ark looked around Charem with shining eyes. If he had to explain……

‘It has been 4 months since I’ve started Galaxian and I hadn’t really adapted during that time. It was I didn’t have a concrete direction. If I have a specific direction then I can endeavour to work towards that goal.’

When checking it clearly, it was Lucifer. He had proposed a condition and he had hurt his head thinking about it. He also died while raising his level. The condition that Lucifer raised was to reach the ultimate goal. It was such an ambiguous condition that Ark wandered off.

‘But there is no reason to think too hard. No matter what the ultimate goal is, there is only one answer. The strongest person in the game wins! I just have to be stronger than Lucifer.’

It didn’t mean simply raising his character level. Anybody could raise their level in a general PC game. However MMORPGs, especially virtual reality games weren’t that simple. His purpose in New World was to make money and he raised his level to reach that goal, ultimately becoming the strongest person in that game.

‘Yes, it is clear that I need an organization as well as power to fight against Lucifer.’

When he thought about it, Ark also did that in New World. At that time Lucifer had the Army of Darkness as a powerful organization. Most people only remembered Ark’ part against Lucifer but he had actually led a coalition to win the war.

‘Fortunately I was the commander of the allied forces. I was also able to protect Lancel village that was my home base thanks to Dark Eden. They were the reason I was able to push back Lucifer in New World. Yes, now isn’t the time to be wandering. Right now I need a base. I need funds and a base to rally the forces!’

This was the conclusion Ark came to after 4 months of worrying. In order to create a stronghold, he needed to register as an agent in Galaxian. An agent might seem similar to a guild in general RPG games but it was actually a different organization. And the registration cost was 27,000 gold! The price was 10 times the amount required to establish a guild in other games. Unlike a guild that was a simple gathering, an agent was a business. The privileges given was also different from the standards of a guild……it was too complicated to expand on right now but the agent registration was another worry.

‘Where should I do the agent registration?’

It was this. When registering an agent, the city registered in would become a base. The rights given to the agent came from the relevant city. So Ark had considered Tatuine, the most prosperous city in the galactic federation. But he changed his mind the moment Charem was registered as an autonomous region.

‘Right now Tatuine is the most stable city. However it is the same for other users. Many users have already registered as agents in Tatuine.’

It meant there would be compet.i.tors everywhere.

‘Charem has no influx of users yet. The city is new so there will be more opportunities. Moreover, it is designated as an autonomous region so the growth potential is a lot better than Tatuine. There is no better place to be my base.’

Furthermore, he received a 30% discount on services thanks to his Mediator t.i.tle. This privilege would be a tremendous help when operating a business in the future. No, even the 30% discount on the 27,000 agent registration rights means that he only needed to pay 18,900 gold. The discount gave him a huge potential for growth! It was a no-brainer. And Ark presently had 18,650 gold.

‘I still need 250 gold even with the discount but……’

He still needed to receive the reward for the quest. He could receive the reward as money and register as an agent!

‘I’m close to reaching my goal!’

Kukw.a.n.g! Kukw.a.n.g! Kukw.a.n.g! Kukw.a.n.g!

He heard a banging sound while he was walking. It was the noise of equipment repairing the areas destroyed by the Sufferers. Ark would soon register as an agent so this was like sweet music to his ears. He finally reached the desired street.

“It is here.”

A huge metal building was being built in a corner of the business district. It was made from bits of metal sc.r.a.ps so the building was shabby but that was an unrelated matter. The important thing was that this was the residence of the Lord of Charem. In other words, this was the temporary lodgings for Lord Java who he would receive the quest reward from. Ark showed the guards at the front of the hotel the counter that Clark had given him when he first joined the squad.

“I am a mercenary who partic.i.p.ated in the operation to retake the management system with the Phoenix squad.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about you from Clark.”

Phoenix was a mercenary squad but they were Charem’s elite soldiers. And it was also known that they played a crucial role in settling the Sufferers problem. Therefore the guards had a good impression of the Phoenix members. The atmosphere made him antic.i.p.ate the quest reward.

“Then follow me. I’ll guide you to Lord Java.”

“Thank you.”

Ark followed behind the guards. They crossed a long hallway and finally arrived in front of a s.p.a.cious hall.

“How many times did I tell you?”

A rough voice was heard from the hall.

“If it wasn’t for their help then Charem wouldn’t have been saved!”

“A bizarre voice is talking. Did your head rot while you were stuck in the pipes? The soldiers of the federation and Aschulat were the ones who saved Charem.”

“Are you denying it?”

“There is no more need to negotiate!”

“I just……”

“It is disgusting to hear! Stop and go away! I don’t have time to argue with you. Guards, what are you doing? Remove this guy!”

“Wait a minute! Please wait a minute, Lord-nim! Lord-nim!”

“I said I don’t want to hear it!”

‘What? What’s going on? In addition, this voice is…..eh?’

Ark’s eyes widened as he peeked over the eyes of the guards. A creature that looked like a giant larva was sitting on a floating chair in the middle of the hall. If he saw it in the Outlands he would shoot a bullet into its head but it didn’t seem to be a monster judging by the atmosphere. No, the various jewels and decorations hanging from it made it seem like a high ranking alien rather than a monster. The larva creature was probably Java, the Lord of Charem. However Ark wasn’t surprised because Lord Java was a larva.

“Jay?”

The man being dragged by the guards suddenly raised his head after hearing Ark’s voice. Jay was the man who helped Ark navigate through the control tower! But Ark had forgotten about him after taking care of the Mumu and the negotiations with the Aschulat. Jay also looked at Ark with surprised eyes.

“Ah Ark-nim! That’s right!”

Jay shrugged off the guards and approached Ark.

“It is good that you came. Lord-nim, here! Here is a witness!”

“What? Who is this?”

“He is the person that Clark of the Phoenix squad told you about.”

A guard replied after the larva frowned at Ark. Jay nodded and said.

“Yes, that’s right! I told you. This is the warrior who decided not to give up after receiving the surprise attack from the Mumu and losing most of his fellow soldiers! He is the witness who will prove me words. Ark-nim please say something!”

“No, I don’t know……”

Ark scratched his head with a puzzled expression and Jay immediately shouted.

“The Charenjok!”

“Eh? Charenjok?”

“Yes, the Charenjok! Will Ark-nim deny it as well? Ark-nim was able to survive the Mumu’s attack and save Charem thanks to the help of the Charenjok. If they didn’t help then it is likely that Charem would’ve been destroyed. Shouldn’t they receive some kind of compensation? Even if they are slaves, doesn’t it make sense? I won’t leave until they give them compensation!”

“……Ah!”

He had forgotten until he heard Jay’s words. The agent registration distracted him so much that he forgot about Tuntun and the Charenjok. He had received a quest from the elder Bak.u.m to find the missing Charenjok. But when he thought about it, it wasn’t as easy as he thought. The octopuses that disappeared were alive but they were presently Java’s slave. This was the reason Jay was raving wildly. Anyway, the Charenjok were the ones who saved Jay from the Sufferers. He was spouting fire because he wanted the Charenjok to escape from their ident.i.ties as slaves.

‘This is true……’

Ark scratched his head and looked at Java. Ark had visited Java to receive the quest compensation. Yet now he was embroiled in the problem of the Charenjok. Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem if Java decided to release the Charenjok but that was highly unlikely judging from his expression. No matter how he looked at Java, he didn’t seem like an alien with a good nature. In order words, there was a high possibility that he would incur Java’s ill feelings. No, it felt like Java already had ill feelings towards him. Java had been glaring the whole time Jay was talking to Ark.

‘However I can’t pretend ignorance……’

Anyway it was true that Ark received Tuntun’s help. He couldn’t pretend otherwise just to receive the reward. But he was worried about suddenly interjecting. Then Java who was staring at Ark suddenly tilted his head to one side.

“Wait? Ark? If you are Ark then perhaps…..”

“Yes, Ark is the name of the human who negotiated with the Aschulat amba.s.sador.”

Someone who looked like a secretary replied and Java’s gaze turned back to Ark. His eyes were asking if it was the same person.

“Yes, I am that Ark.”

“But wasn’t the mercenary who joined the Phoenix squad called Alan?”

“There were circ.u.mstances and I used a pseudonym for a while.”

Ark scowled at Jay and replied. In fact, Ark hadn’t thought about revealing his ident.i.ty until he received the quest reward. Ark had sneaked into Charem as a spy for Marquis Martin in the first place. The whole thing was resolved but he didn’t know what problems it would cause.

So he was still using the Hyde Helmet but Jay had called him Ark.

“That is normal for mercenaries.”

Fortunately Java didn’t dig deeper into the matter. The unpleasant expression on his face also smoothed out.

“I never imagined that the person who completed the mission with the Phoenix squad and the person who mediated with the Aschulat was the same. You saved Charem. But this is a different problem. I don’t care who you are or what you say. The slaves are my possessions. It is natural for my possessions to protect my a.s.sets. Yet you want me to give compensation for doing their duty? They are my slaves. Other people who no right to tell me how to treat them.”

Java spoke with an arrogant expression.

Then a light flashed in Ark’s eyes and he said.

“Wait a moment. Lord-nim is acknowledging that the Charenjok helped?”

“What? No, I mean……”

Java flinched and tried to make an excuse but Ark struck first.

“Like Jay explained, it is obvious that the Charenjok played a large role in saving Charem. Of course, they are Lord-nim’s slaves so you have the right to do what you want with them. However, Charem is now designated a special autonomous trade region so many people would be flocking from all over. If they know the contents of this situation then I’m worried that they will misunderstand Lord-nim.”

“Hrmm……”

His words were effective. Java folded his short arms and started thinking. Then Jay took the chance and spoke quickly.

“Yes! I will spread rumours! I’ll spread rumours about Lord-nim in every direction!”

“This b.a.s.t.a.r.d…..!”

Java glared angrily at Jay. Then he looked at Ark again before nodding.

“If you received the Mediator t.i.tle then you definitely aren’t ordinary. Okay, I’ll accept your proposal.”

“R-really?”

The answer was surprisingly different from what he expected. It was settled so easily that he was puzzled. Java laughed and continued.

“However I will only release the Charenjok called Tuntun.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t it natural? I’ve heard about all the circ.u.mstances from Jay. According to him, isn’t Tuntun the only one out of the Charenjok who saved you? The other Charenjok were just hiding in the pipes. There is no reason to give mercy to slaves like that. If you still want to save the other Charenjok…..I will sell them.”

Java asked a man in uniform standing next to him.

“Adjutant, how many Charenjok slaves do I have?”

“If I add all the young children that the androids captured from the water facility, the total is 35. Excluding Tuntun that is 34 Charenjok.”

“34 in total. If it is 30 gold for 1 then that is a total of 1,020 gold. Okay, I will make it 1,000 gold. How about it? This is the maximum that I can tolerate. I’ve achieved my obligations by releasing Tuntun. If you want to release the other Charenjok then you have to pay that amount. Isn’t that right?”

As expected from the Lord of a smuggling city, Java wasn’t easy to crack. There was no room for him to object……Jay also released this and cursed.

“Dammit, this guy is really nasty! Spit! Really petty and nasty!”

“Shut up, Jay!”

Java was shooting a really mean glare at Jay.

“You shouldn’t be worrying about the Charenjok right now. I’ve received some testimonies from employees that escaped from the control tower. If the reason for the outbreak was due to the research then you will have to take responsibility as the head of research.”

“That’s it! This job, I resign! I resign!”

“He dares……!”

Java snapped angrily at Jay. Then he acted like it was too troublesome and turned back to Ark.

“Anyway, this is the maximum amount that I can concede. This is a courtesy that I’m showing you because the Aschulat amba.s.sador recognized you. But I also have a condition.”

“Huh? Condition?”

“Before saying that…..you performed the mission with the Phoenix squad so shouldn’t you receive the compensation? Let’s check that and speak afterwards.”

‘What condition is he suddenly talking about?’

Ark was uncomfortable by Java’s sudden words but handed the counter over to the secretary. Java asked the secretary who was looking at the counter on his computer.

“What is the number that is piled up on the counter?”

“1, 646. According to the agreed contract with the Phoenix squad, we need to pay 800 gold.”

‘…..800 gold!’

Ark felt an exhilarating feeling after hearing the secretary’s words. Although he entered the control tower with the Phoenix members, Ark was all along after the Mumu attacked the elevator. The federation and Aschulat troops cleaned up the Sufferers but that was possible because of Ark. When considering that point, 800 gold was a lot for a quest that he received by chance. He had gained an extra 800 gold. No, it was quite a satisfying amount. Ark’s biggest interest was the 250 gold required for the agent registration. If he was given 800 gold then he could register and have some spare money!

‘That’s it. I can complete the agent registration.’

Ark puffed up with antic.i.p.ation.

“This is my condition.”

“Huh?”

“Charem has been attacked by the Sufferers for 1 month so half the city is in ruins. The meeting with the federation and Aschulat has designated this area as an autonomous trading region but nothing can be done in this state. The problem is Charem’s recovery. We need huge amounts of money for the recovery project. Charem’s urgent problem is to save every copper possible.”

“T-then my pay……”

Did it have something to do with the Charenjok? Ark started feeling uneasy.

“It’s not that I’m not paying you. I just want to postpone it a bit.”

“Postpone the payment date? For how long?”

“Let’s see? Restoring the city should take about 1 month?”

Ark’s body felt cold after hearing Java’s answer. Even if he didn’t receive the quest reward, he could still do the agent registration. Among the loot obtained from the control tower, he could sell the ‘RPG PW-600’ and ‘Ray Steel-???’ and it would be sufficient to get 250 gold. However Ark was irritated that he would have to wait 1 month to receive a quest reward. Think about it. Who wouldn’t be annoyed if they expected to receive their pay check today only to be told to wait 1 month? Java was looking at Ark’s expression and began to talk quickly.

“If you don’t like that then there are some other ways.”

“Some other ways?”

“There are two ways. The first one is to receive the reward through the Charenjok. The price for the Charenjok is 1,000 gold so you have to pay me 200 gold.”

“Ark-nim, 200 gold……”

“No!”

He replied in a decisive voice before Jay could finish talking. The octopuses who were slaves had saved Jay and Ark’s lives. But like Java said, Tuntun was the one who actually helped him and his freedom was guaranteed. Ark had no reason to be responsible for the other octopuses. And the octopuses were hiding in the northern lake so they didn’t have any money. There was still the quest but he wouldn’t receive a dime if he rescued the Charenjok. At best it would probably be a bag of fish for travelling. There was no quest compensation and he would have to pay 200 gold.

“And the other way?”

“Play a simple game with me.”

“Game?”

“Yes, there are no copper coins in my vault right now. In order to obtain the funds necessary to restore Charem, I need to dispose of the items in my personal collection that I’ve gathered for a long time. But it will be tough to receive a fair value when I have to sell it so quickly. Therefore…..I’m also uncomfortable postponing the payment for 1 month so how about you receive something from my collection as a reward instead?”

“Take something from your collection as a reward?”

“Yes, I’m actually more comfortable with this. However the control with Kalbern and the Phoenix members said I had to pay in cash. But if you accept then we can change the terms of the contract.”

“Then why did you talk about a game?”

“Huhuhu, this is the key point.”

Java laughed and pointed towards an iron door.

“It would be no problem if I decided to give a specific item in the first place but the contract agreed to give money. I have no complaints but my position means I just can’t give it to you. And it will be difficult to confirm if the item is actually 800 gold. So I want you to go to my collections warehouse to select it directly. You can choose one item. Time isn’t an issue. Take your time and select it carefully. However it ends if you exit the warehouse. In other words, the item you pick can be worth 1 gold. Of course, the opposite is true and it can even be worth 10,000 gold. Do you understand? This is a game to test your discerning eye.”

“A game to test my discerning eye……”

Ark looked at the iron door that Java indicated. If he received this proposal in New World then he would accept without thinking. Ark had the skill called ‘Discerning Eye’ and his experience meant he could guess the approximate value of the items. But Ark wasn’t familiar with the swords, armour and items in Galaxian so he couldn’t judge the value. It was the future so special items like firearms, RPGs and grenades also existed. It was difficult for Ark to guess the price of a commercial transaction. In some cases he might suffer an enormous loss.

‘But……’

There was also a chance of gaining a huge benefit.

‘And the value of the goods isn’t just determined by the store price alone. It is like the meteorite in the laboratory. Some items might be worth thousands of gold but I won’t be able to sell it at the stores. There might be a lot of things similar to the meteorite in Java’s collection. Yes, this might be my chance to get my hands on an excellent item. If I add some conditions then I might not lose money.’

Ark considered for a moment before speaking to Java.

“I accept. But I have a few questions.”

“What is it?”

“Is there a time limit?”

“No. It doesn’t matter how many days you take. Just search until you find something you like.”

“Are there any rules about touching the stuff?”

“It doesn’t matter as long as you only bring out one item.”

“Then my last point. I don’t know what types of items are in the warehouse. In some cases I might have trouble lifting it alone so I want to go in with Jay.”

“It also doesn’t matter who goes in with you.”

‘……The game is over.’

Ark was inwardly certain of it after hearing Java’s answer. As long as he could directly confirm the item information window, he could obtain the most expensive item even if it took some time. Of course, it was also dafficult to determine the value even with the information window. That’s why he wanted to make Jay enter with him. Jay might’ve resigned just now but he had still been Charem’s head of research. He would possess more knowledge about relics than Ark.

‘This is a game that I absolutely can’t lose!’

“I’ll accept!”

Ark’s eyes shone as he answered.

Yet that didn’t even last for 1 minute before Ark’s face turned dark.

“T-this is…..”

A shocking scene unfolded before him in the warehouse. Ark naturally expected a warehouse full of treasure after hearing about Java’s collection. However, stacked in the warehouse were piles of sc.r.a.p items and machine parts instead of treasures. Instead of a collection, it should be called a pile of junk!

“I-it’s a scam!”

Jay shouted.

“A scam? Where did I scam you? This is my collections warehouse that I told you about. The collections warehouse where I keep all the goods gathered from the areas that the Sufferers destroyed.”

“No way! You didn’t say that there was only junk in the warehouse!”

“I never said that it wasn’t second hand items. This might be a misunderstanding but I never lied. I never said that you would find something worth 800 gold in the warehouse.”

Java shamelessly replied.

‘……This!’

Ark now realized his mistake. He was fooled by the word ‘collection’ and forgot to ask the main question.

He forgot to ask if there was an item worth more than 800 gold!

“But there is no need to be disappointed. We gathered everything from those areas so who knows what might’ve been missed? Why don’t you check everything one by one? If you search eagerly then you might even find a treasure.”

Java turned his levitating chair and exited the warehouse.

‘……I was stupid!’

Recrimination surged inside him afterwards. When he first heard the proposition, Ark thought the probability of losing was 1%. On the other hand, the probability of a jackpot was at least 50%. But he should’ve had doubts. The proposal was too good to trust. He should’ve been suspicious.

‘The Phoenix members told me. Java isn’t a guy to be trusted.’

This was why Kalbern specifically placed a money reward in the contract. But Ark was careless with Java. He felt uncomfortable with him but Ark wasn’t expecting a scam.

“It’s a scam! Scam! Ark-nim, let’s just leave!”

Jay was still clamouring away.

“No, like Java said it isn’t a scam.”

Ark looked at the pile of junk as he said.

“It is like Java said. He didn’t lie. I just didn’t question him enough. And I was the one who accepted the offer.”

“Oh my G.o.d! Why are you saying this now? Isn’t Ark-nim angry?”

“I am angry. 800 gold suddenly changed to several coppers worth of sc.r.a.p iron. Of course anger would surge. But if I just ran out of the warehouse then it is GAME OVER. And running out and hitting him isn’t a good idea. He isn’t an ordinary NPC but a Lord. We would just need to pay hospital expenses. I’m angry! I’m angry but there’s nothing to do!”

The result was obvious. But Ark hadn’t given up yet.

“Please help me.”

Ark rolled up his sleeve and walked to a pile of sc.r.a.p iron. Then Jay frowned.

“Are you really going to search through that pile of c.r.a.p?”

“Giving up is just what Java wants.”

“I guess, but……”

“Java thinks there is no item over 800 gold here but he hasn’t checked everything. Therefore we should look at every piece of sc.r.a.p metal. There is no reason to give up yet.”

“You’re really going to check it?”

“I have to.”

Ark replied without thinking about it. From the beginning Ark had been planning to check all items and picking the best one. Things were no different now. There were more than 100 items so the odds of finding something worth 800 gold……it was honestly depressing but Ark wasn’t going to give up.

“I won’t give Java the satisfaction of abandoning this task!”

“…..I understand. I’ll help you.”

Finally Jay rolled up his sleeves and approached.

“Then I’ll dig up the sc.r.a.p metal. Jay-nim will cla.s.sify them.”

Ark took out his shovel with a determined expression.

“Then let’s start! Ohhhh!”

Pa pa pa pa! Pa pa pa pa!

Ark started continuously digging.