Ark The Legend

s.p.a.cE 5. R-14’s Master

The message window flashed in front of Ark. But he no longer paid attention to such messages.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this.”

Ark murmured as he checked his equipment. The Fairy was a revival system where the user was exactly restored to the state that they registered. Of course, this was limited to R-14 that was the beginner area but there was little damage when dying if the users registered. It meant there was no need to fear death. Therefore he could try everything.

“If there is no death penalty……”

It was possible to train skills that appeared through death. Back in New World, Ark learnt the Indomitable Will skill because he died so much. There also might be a similar skill in Galaxian. And the only time to try it out was on R-14 where there was no death penalty!

–Since it is a free service, a lot of pioneers play tricks and die.

Bhurad said the first time Ark revived with the Fairy. They also seemed to be thinking like Ark. This was a death penalty free area so there was a chance of obtaining a hidden skill. Ark’s autobiography had stated that Ark learnt a hidden skill through this area.

‘Virtual reality games aren’t that easy for the users these days.’

He had to prepare himself. So Ark spent an entire day dying. Thanks to that, he figured out hidden information about the Fairy revival system……

The Fairy is a system that perfectly recycles the registered body. But frequent revivals placed a considerable burden on the spirit. In the worst case scenario, it will lead to mental damage. A proper rest is needed for recovery.

He couldn’t acquire any skills through dying. Ark confirmed the ‘aftereffect’ message and stop trying to obtain a death related skill. However, Ark wasn’t disappointed.

‘I found out about this penalty so it isn’t a waste of time.’

It was still the beginning stages of a game. Even information that seemed boring was valuable. It might’ve seemed like a reckless attempt but it also brought something good.

–Hey, are you okay?

Burum asked anxiously after the 20th time he died.

–It is impossible by yourself so shouldn’t you try to fight with the other pioneers?

The NPCs couldn’t understand that Ark was intentionally trying to die.

“No. I’m fine on my own. This place is safe but who knows what type of dangers there will be once I leave R-14. There is no doubt that I’ll encounter risky moments. I can’t possible ask for somebody’s help every time while I’m travelling.”

–You’re not wrong but…..

Burum scratched his head with hesitation. He worried a while before proposing.

-Then do you want to learn a technique of the Charenjok?

“Huh? A technique of the Charenjok?”

–I noticed that humans seem to have a little trouble moving on mud. Is that right?

In fact, that was the part that irritated Ark the most. Even if Ark wanted to die, it was no use if the s.p.a.ce bugs just chewed on him. He wanted to practice various battle techniques before dying. He had no skills and had to rely on basic offense and defense. Attacking was no problem but he had trouble with defending. His ankle would often get stuck in the mud and would cause him to fall. The mud floor of the paid hunting ground was the area where the Charenjok lived. It was easy for them because they were octopuses but Ark wasn’t an alien. His movements were so dull on the mud that it was difficult for him to even move. He had no chance to use evasive movements. The other users were hunting in groups of 5 so the mud wasn’t a problem for them. Ignore defense! Ignore evasion!
Why would they have any problems when they just stood there and attacked? But Ark was hunting alone so he needed manoeuvrability. Burum thought that was the reason why Ark continued to die.

–A muddy ground is the best environment for the Charenjok. It is how the Charenjok were able to survive many brutal monsters. There are hardly any monsters able to catch up to us when travelling on mud. I can teach you this technique.

‘A skill from an NPC!’

Ark immediately nodded and accepted the offer.

“Yes, I’ll sincerely learn it!”

–Huhuhu, yes. Because you are just like the Charenjok’s benefactor.

Burum chose a location.

–Now, please follow me. First spread your legs like this and…..

His 8 legs started quivering and moving.

‘…..Is this a joke?’

How could Ark move like that when he didn’t have 8 legs? However, Ark swallowed the words which rose in his throat and followed Burum’s instructions. This was a technique that the NPC offered first.
There definitely had to be a way to learn it. Once he set a goal, he recklessly dashed towards it! Ark rolled in the mud and desperately did the training. Burum also enthusiastically taught him.

–Not like that! Relax a bit more! Like suk suk!

There was a reason Burum was so desperate. The octopuses could only collect the income from the hunting ground once Ark left R-14. Therefore the octopuses wanted Ark to level up quickly so he could leave R-14. Ark managed to master the skill thanks to such pa.s.sion.

‘The main point isn’t using 8 legs. The important thing is how evenly I can distribute my weight. It is the same principle as someone with super strength picking up an egg. Remove the unnecessary power and disperse the weight.’

It was the secret to balancing in mud!

Swamp Walking (User, Pa.s.sive): Not all environments on the frontier of s.p.a.ce are suitable for humans. Therefore it is important that pioneers can adapt to harsh environments. The faster method is to learn from the local aliens. You have learnt Swamp Walking from the Charenjok.

He learnt the skill once he reached enlightenment.

‘A two star rated skill!’

He learnt that the stars attached to the skill would change according to the degree of difficulty or importance. Needless to say, a two star skill was more difficult to learn and important than a one star skill. His movements quickly changed after learning Swamp Walking.  He hadn’t been able to do any evasive actions until now. It didn’t matter even if he grasped the timing of attacks. However, he now managed to sometimes succeed in an evasive action and the damage diminished. He finally started a full scale battle after days spent cleaning the pipes.

“Now, let’s see……”

The pipe cleaning quest also gave experience. But the experience was tiny and he only reached level 3 despite clearing it 300 times. His agility increased by 3 thanks to the Cleaning Foreman t.i.tle bonus and his evasion also increased due to Swamp Walking. The Alloy Dagger had an attack of 3~4 while the Modified Alloy Dagger dealt 5~6 damage. The difference was only 1 damage but it couldn’t be ignored.

“This much should be sufficient to try it alone!”

The level of the s.p.a.ce worms was 4~7. He was able to distinguish between the levels thanks to the size. The smallest were level 4 while the largest ones with black fur were level 7. It was different from the insufficient farm area and he could afford to choose his prey. And despite the monsters being everywhere, they weren’t aggressive so he could attack them first. This was a suitable advantage for the level 3 Ark.

‘Let’s start with the level 4 s.p.a.ce bugs.’

Seokeok!

The s.p.a.ce bug turned its round body after being pierced by the dagger. His stats were low. He also didn’t have any skills so he had no choice but to fight tediously. At first the monotony was extremely painful but he soon changed his mind.

‘I have to get used to this monotony.’

The users could exert more power in a virtual reality game than in reality. A person who was in a wheelchair in reality could run around and fly in the game. And even a child could fight against a large monster. This was the charm of a virtual reality game! But that power had to be supported by stats. If the user had low stats then that would actually be a penalty towards their actual physical abilities. It was the reason why Ark was lost in the earlier battles. Ark had misunderstood his power thanks to his previous character.

‘I have to reset myself.’

He wasn’t the strongest warrior but a level 3 character. That’s why he had recklessly ran forward when he first hunted in a party. Now he could accurately measure his power.

‘Hit, to the right, I have to carve every step into my body!’

Kuoooooh!

He finished killing the s.p.a.ce bug and it collapsed. He had 15% health left so it was possible for him to hunt level 4 s.p.a.ce bugs.

‘It has been 10 days since I’ve started Galaxian and I’ve finally caught a monster by myself.’

He felt a lot of emotions after catching the s.p.a.ce bug. And there was something even more inspiring.

-Ohh! Ark finally defeated a s.p.a.ce bug!

–There’s no time!

–Recovery! Recovery!

–We have to heal him quickly so that Ark can hunt faster!

The octopuses cheered and thronged towards him. Ark had 10 octopuses clinging to him, which was a lot more compared to the other users! Ark had finally killed something after dying so many times. Thanks to the desperate octopuses, his 100 health was restored in seconds.

–Fighting!

-We’re rooting for Ark-nim!

He even received sincere cheers.

“What is with that guy? He brought us to the paid hunting ground…..isn’t that VIP treatment?”

The users didn’t know the situation and just looked at Ark with confusion. But Ark didn’t care about the interest of the players. Ark’s only concern was fighting! Ark became immersed in battle with no breaks. Fighting, being restored by the octopuses, fighting, being restored……

His level immediately increased after repeated battles. After 2~3 hours, Ark reached level 5 and added bonus stats to agility.

‘Now I can roughly sense it.’

Ark started moving more boldly.

Bam-!

He kicked the s.p.a.ce bug right in the chest. Ark specialty of taekwondo kicks had finally started.
In fact, kicking wasn’t a special skill in virtual reality games. Once Ark’s success was well known, the users started to imitate him. He had seen many users hunting with crude kicks in the 2nd sector. However, they couldn’t be compared to Ark’s kicks. They weren’t the original. Ark had training and his standards were different from other users. Well, he was still only level 5…..

‘d.a.m.n, my kick didn’t connect?’

It did 0 damage. That meant it wasn’t regarded as an attack. However, it wasn’t completely pointless. The s.p.a.ce bug flinched and retreated a little bit at the kick. There might not be any damage but the laws of physics still applied.

‘I don’t know if my level is too low to learn the relevant skill or Galaxian might not acknowledge kicks. But there is a reaction so it wasn’t hopeless. Even if there is no damage, there are endless ways to utilize the secondary effects.’

It was a correct judgment. Fighting became much easier once he started mixing in kicks.
The 10 octopuses recovered his health after each battle and his fighting speed accelerated. Therefore he reached level 6 in 2 hours! At the same time, the previous ‘s.p.a.ce Combat’ skill was regained and he learnt the basic combat skill ‘Dagger Mastery’ when he reached level 7.

Dagger Mastery (User, Pa.s.sive): This is the skill that most pioneers learn first in Galaxian.  The dagger is the most traditional and the most utilized from a wide range of weapons. Dagger Master will be the foundation of a large number of weapon techniques you will learn from now on.

As expected from the early stages of the game! Once he made up his mind then his level and skills rose quickly. The growth of the character depended on the user’s will! After learning Dagger Mastery and s.p.a.ce Combat, Ark started hunting the strongest monsters in the area which were the level 7 s.p.a.ce bugs. Thanks to the various bonus stats and skills, fighting higher levelled monsters normally wasn’t a problem for him. But catching monsters in the early stages were more difficult. Ark was the same as well. Even if he learnt s.p.a.ce Combat and Dagger Mastery, they were still common skills that other users learnt. If the other users learnt such basic skills then there was no reason why they couldn’t face the s.p.a.ce bugs. However, Ark had one skill that the other users couldn’t easily learn.

‘Swamp Walking!’

It increased evasion by 10%! It was a huge bonus for someone with 100 health.

“Take this you stupid slugs!”

It was an explosion of kicks followed by the dagger attack!

Kuoooooh!

At the end of a 10 minute struggle, even the strongest level 7 s.p.a.ce bug collapsed. It was only difficult the first time. He grew used to hunting the s.p.a.ce bugs so they didn’t feel that difficult afterwards. Moreover, Ark always started the battle with 100% health thanks to the octopuses. It was indeed the best hunting environment. However, Ark wasn’t in a position where he could just hunt. If a user reached level 10 then their deposit would be returned to them and they would move onto the next area. And Ark had to gather new users from the farm area. That consumed quite a bit of Ark’s time but he didn’t regret it. Making money was just as important as levelling up.

‘I should reduce the time needed for sleep!’

His previous mindset had been revived. So he spent 3 days hunting and acquiring customers.

-Your level has risen.

‘Finally……!’

Ark’s body was filled with excitement as he saw the message window. He finally reached level 10! He could leave R-14. The octopuses were even more excited than Ark.

-Oh! You finally have the qualifications to become a pioneer!

-Halo! It’s like a halo is shining around you!

The octopuses gathered and clamoured away. The paid hunting ground had opened for 4 days so they were thrilled they could get custody of it back. However, Ark immediately betrayed the expectations of the octopuses.

Seokeok! Seokeok!

He just closed the information window without talking and became immersed in hunting again. The octopuses were at a loss from Ark’s action and murmured.

–W-what is that friend doing?

–Does he not know that he can leave R-14 now?

-No, that is impossible. Every pioneer should know about it.

–Then why is he still hunting?

–Perhaps…..he intends to stay here and get all our income?

–W-what? T-then? What about us?

The octopuses started panicking. So the octopuses gathered around Ark and incited him to leave.

–Don’t you think you’ve become strong enough?

–Yes, you’ll be able to chew any monsters on the frontier.

–Of course you have to give up the income from the hunting ground to discover the unexplored regions.

–But the frontier is a land of gold and opportunity for pioneers. Someone smart, strong and filled with desire like you…..no, a pioneer with strong desire can earn money that can’t even be compared with the income from this hunting ground. We guarantee it.

The octopuses didn’t want to give the impression that they weren’t grateful. But Ark also had the same idea as the octopuses. The average daily income for the paid hunting ground was 7~8 gold. When considering that the average income of level 10 users who left R-14 was 2 gold, that was a huge amount. But this was because it was the beginner area. Once he entered the frontier and the game earnestly started then that amount would be nothing. Common sense indicated that reaching higher levels meant more income. 7~8 gold would be nothing once he raised his level. His previous character Ark had earned thousands of gold in one day. Furthermore, he didn’t gain that much experience once he reached level 10. He was only hunting level 7 monsters. There was a difference of 3 levels so a penalty was applied on how much experience he could earn. And the monsters weren’t a sufficient opponent to practice his fighting skills anymore. He would be wasting time if he stayed in this hunting ground.

‘I know that but……’

He had ignored the octopuses and continued killing the s.p.a.ce bugs. Ark’s target was to regain his mindset. So another three days pa.s.sed. He suddenly heard Bhurad’s voice from the Nymphe.

-Ark, come and see me.

‘That’s it!’

Ark quickly ran towards the central plaza.

“Did you call?”

“Ark, that is…..”

Bhurad looked at him with significantly different eyes before continuing.

“In fact, I really thought you were a hopeless person the first time I saw you. You broke your dagger and you also couldn’t report your work. Yet I can see that you have a bright future ahead. You continued receiving a small salary and eventually obtained a dagger again. Now I can’t help but feel admiration.”

“You’re overpraising me.”

“No, no. I’m not the type of person to say empty words.”

Bhurad examined his Nymphe and said.

“Your recovery is startling but the amount of mileage you ended up recording is even more astonishing. You reserved 56 mileage from hunting the s.p.a.ce bugs. You also recorded 144 mileage from bringing in meat and leather from the s.p.a.ce bugs. This is the best record among all the pioneers on R-14. No, it is the highest recorded among all the pioneers scattered on the s.p.a.ce station around Earth. How on earth did you acc.u.mulate that much mileage?”

It was hard work. There was a chance that the user could die when recording mileage for the s.p.a.ce bug hunting. The amount of quests the users normally completed by the time they reached level 10 was 25~30. However, Ark had reserved 56 mileage through the paid hunting ground. His leather and meat was also approximately three times that mileage. It was incredible when thinking about the low drop rate from the s.p.a.ce bugs. However, Ark actually found getting the leather and meat to be easy. The guests of the hunting ground paid for the octopuses’ recover service through leather and meat. That also went into Ark’s pocket. If the customers also gave all the meat and leather they found then Ark would lower the fee to 30 silver. All of this was for one goal.

“No, it doesn’t matter how you gained that much mileage. The result says it all. Anyway, I admire your will. I honestly didn’t expect much from the novices entering the universe but you are different. So I prepared a present for you.”

Bhurad handed him something for his wrist.

Item Type: Energy Shield     Wearer Restriction: Level 10

Defense: 25     Durability: 30/30

Shield Quant.i.ty: 1,000/1,000

A special reward given by Bhurad, the manager of R-14’s training centre to the pioneer who raised the most mileage. The energy shield is a common defense item in the s.p.a.ce pioneering age that helps protect the body from various dangers. The shield will be destroyed after several attacks from the enemy but the equipped battery will automatically repair the shield after a certain period of time.

“This is a shield that I took care of for a long time. It is quite old but it should be sufficient for a beginner pioneer to use. And I’ve also written you a letter of recommendation for the galactic federation. The galactic federation is always looking for talent like you. If you would like to work for the federation then show them this letter of recommendation. I’ll tell you beforehand but this isn’t given to everyone. I won’t explain it now but this is a considerable privilege that you will soon understand.”

Then an information window appeared from the Nymphe.