Ark Volume 01 - Japtem

by Yoo Seong

  “I’m gonna leave. Whether you turn yourself into the guard or not, do what you want.”

  “Dammit, to give up a quest that’s almost completed… I must be crazy.’

  To be honest, he did feel regret. However, Ark quickly shook his head.

  It was a G difficulty quest anyways. Even if he let the guards know, he’d only receive that much of a reward. But Ark had already received a reward he hadn’t even imagined. All stats +2! As a bonus, since his agitation had also disappeared, now something like the quest was nothing.

  ‘The hell, I don’t know. Should I just delete the quest?’

  “Pl-please wait a minute!”

  He’d left the house, but Raymond hurriedly followed him.

  Then he grabbed Ark’s hand tightly as he pulled something out for him. One was the ingredient for making the Tool Box, Ailard Powder, and the other was a booklet with a faint light shining around it.

  “Don’t you need to take the Ailard Powder? And this book is our family’s inherited heirloom. Although I still haven’t been able to properly interpret its meaning, it might be possible if it’s you. I’m sorry I can only give something like this. I beg you, please take it.”

  Ark wasn’t one to refuse something like this. As Ark snatched and packed it away, Raymond spoke as he bowed.

  “Thank you for accepting it. Also, I will definitely turn myself into the guard if my little boy gets well, like I promised to you. It’s not because I’m afraid you’ll accuse me, but because I want to become an honorable father to my little boy. So don’t worry about me anymore.”

  Thu-thu-thump, the quest information window opened.

  The Secrets of the Blood Crystal quest has been completed.

  You have found the hidden ending of Alchemist Raymond’s request-type quest.

  Hereby, the Alchemist Raymond sincerely confessed and is repenting on his sin. He will keep his promise to turn himself in and receive punishment.

  Special reward: Experience +5000, Raymond’s Secret Book (Rare), Fame +50

  Through Raymond’s Secret Book (Rare), you have learned a new skill.

  Magic Restoration (Special, Beginner, Active): Using Mana, any kind of item can be restored to their original condition. However, if a novice uses it, the item’s maximum durability will be cut by 10% each.

  Decreased durability will cease to exist. If skill level rises, it will be possible to fully restore general items and repair higher level magic items.

  Mana Consumption: 10

  ‘A hidden ending!’

  Ark’s jaw dropped.

  Although he hadn’t even imagined it, it seemed the child’s coughing sound was actually a diverging point of the quest. Thanks to that, Ark had gone up a level and had even learned the repair skill he’d regretted so much.

  Although there was a penalty to the durability unlike the normal repair, the explanation that full repair was possible if he raised the skill level was also attached. In any case, he had learned a skill that only Warriors could.

  Kind acts were rewarded after all.

  Moreover, Ark hadn’t gotten the real reward he’d worked towards yet. When Ark returned with the Ailard Powder, Norton rejoiced.

  “Ooh, so you got it. Thank you. Now I can supply General and Deluxe Toolboxes, 100 each, to the Lord. I’ll deliver it, so don’t worry. And here, this is your share. The 8 percent I agreed to discount you on calculates in money to 200 gold, and that’s left after the price of the 2 Deluxe Tool Boxes from last time. 11 Deluxe Tool Boxes.”

  He still needed the Tool Box since Magic Restoration was still beginner level.

  Ark stored the toolboxes inside his bag and headed towards the plaza.

  « o »

  The plaza’s bulletin board was pasted full of countless flyers. Guild recruitment ads… and even wanted flyers were there.

  If a Chaotic user’s infamy rose, the Lord or the NPC Guard Chief would post wanted flyers like this.

  Ordinarily the NPCs took care of it, but there were also users who specialized in hunting wanted criminals. That was because they could obtain magic items more comfortably than by catching a boss monster.

  However, the flyer Ark was scrutinizing was something different.

  A newsletter: it was a flyer similar to New World’s regional newspaper. A newly discovered region, brief information about a dungeon, or an event taking place in various villages and the like were written.

  Ark was of a mind to finish up his Jackson life if he rose another 1 or 2 levels. Then he planned to choose a few places from among the regions that looked alright and leave for an adventure. Since there were no quests he had received, he was uncertain about deciding his destination.

  Just then, he heard a loud “wow” from one side of the village.

  When he turned to look, a huge crowd was gathered at the plaza.

  “Wow, are those people part of the expedition to raid the Labyrinth of Tarsha?”

  “Have you heard the quest difficulty is ++C?”

  “Holy shit. I haven’t even received an E rank quest yet.”

  “We wouldn’t be able to do it even if we received one. Our levels are different.”

  “Just look at their gear. They’re all plastered with Magic items and even Rares.”

  “Sigh, when will I be able to put on one of those.”

  “Look there, it’s Sir Alan!”

  The chattering people’s attention focused to one side.

  The person who approached as he received their attention was a Knight riding a white horse. He was a handsome Knight with flowing golden hair wearing a flashing full plate armor set that you could tell was a Rare item at first sight. His arrival took everyone’s breath away.

  “I think someone said Sir Alan job-changed to ‘Holy Knight,’ one of the hidden professions.”

  Holy Knight was one of the few known hidden professions.

  “So that’s why there are a lot of soldiers who look like NPCs.”

  “Ooh, just look at that item. New World was launched only recently…”

  “They say he started one month after the launch, later than us.”

  “The gear of the people who are participating in the attack party with him are no joke either.”

  A raid gathered several parties to complete ++difficulty quests that couldn’t be completed with just one party.

  It was usually made up of only users, but depending on the quest story, sometimes NPCs joined too. In particular, for a character with high fame like the Holy Knight, the chance of NPCs joining rose.

  ‘So that’s the highly rumored Holy Knight.’

  Although Ark had heard rumors about him here and there, it was his first time seeing him. While Ark was currently satisfied with his profession of being a Dark Walker, at first Ark had also wanted to choose a Warrior-type hidden profession like that.

  Granted, no matter what type it was, finding a hidden profession quest was like finding a needle in a haystack….

  While Ark was staring blankly at the people, someone from the crowd suddenly approached him.

  It was a female Magician with a black robe and her hood lowered all the way to her chin.

  “Are you by any chance Mr. Kim Hyun Woo?”

  A dumbfounded expression arose on Ark’s face.

  He’d never imagined that someone would call him by his real name in a game where there was not a single person he knew.

  Furthermore, it was a woman? He had no idea who it was.

  “That’s right… who are you?”

  “Ah, so I was right after all. I thought it might be you since you had the same face.”

  “Do you know me?”

  The Magician took off her deeply lowered hood.

  Ark squinted as he looked her over. The Magician was a pointy-eared female Elf. He was definitely seeing this character for the first time, but somehow she felt familiar. His memory wavered dimly between remembrance and oblivion.

  As Ark titled his head, she smiled with a sheepish expres
sion.

  “Ah, seems like you don’t quite recognize me after all. Have I modified my appearance too much, perhaps?”

  Ark was finally able to recognize her after seeing her smiling face.

  “Ah! Are you perhaps the person I saw at the interview?”

  “Yes, I’m Kang Misu. Here, I go by the name Lariette.”

  “Right, my character’s name is Ark.”

  Ark quickly bowed his head to greet her.

  He didn’t know why he couldn’t recognize her face right away. Actually, Ark had thought of her several times so far. No, to be truthful, he’d thought of her quite often. It was natural to feel favorable towards a woman who had shown interest in him in an unfamiliar place and had even cheered him on, especially since she was a woman whose beauty that outshone that of an idol. But that was that. He hadn’t even hoped for an opportunity like meeting her again.

  But to meet in a place like this by chance, and it was she who first recognized and talked to him on top of it…

  “So you started as an Elf.”

  “Yes, it’s a bit strange, right?”

  “No, it suits you well.”

  They weren’t empty words. There were few people who suited the Elf this much.

  At Ark’s compliment, Lariette toyed with her pointy ears as her face reddened.

  “But it looks like you’re going to participate in the raid this time.”

  “Yes, my level isn’t quite there yet, but I entered through an invitation from someone I know.”

  “What is your level?”

  “I got a lot of help from the person I know, but I’m still only at 50.”

  Lariette replied with an embarrassed expression.

  Ark choked.

  “F-fifty?”

  “Yes. Is something the matter?”

  “Oh, no. Your level is quite higher than I anticipated.”

  “What level is Ark-nim at?”

  “I am now 35…”

  As Ark responded in a voice as loud as ants crawling on the ground, Lariette revealed a rather surprised expression. Then she followed by shaking her head with a disappointed expression.

  “I’m sorry to say something like this, but Ark-nim, that’s a little severe. Actually, among the candidates, I’m on the low side of levels. The likely people are around level 70. The attack party leader Alan-nim is also a candidate, but this time his level went over 75. Honestly with Ark-nim’s level…”

  Even if he didn’t hear the rest of it, he could guess her next words. It was probably that it would be difficult for him to pass Global Exos’ test. He’d basically known, but hearing it right in front of him sucked the energy out of him.

  Just then, the Knight riding the white horse approached from behind Lariette. It was Alan, the Holy Knight.

  “Lariette-nim, what are you doing there?”

  “I met someone I know, so I was just having a little talk.”

  “Someone you know?”

  Alan examined Ark up and down with a slightly uncomfortable eye.

  “Ark-nim is also an applicant.”

  “Then your level must be alright. The quest this time has quite a high difficulty so we’re low on people, so this is good. Would you like to join the raid?”

  “No, Ark-nim is still….”

  Lariette studied Ark’s expression as she whispered something to Alan. As soon as she did so, a flash of ridicule glimmered through Alan’s eyes. ..

  “Well, each person has their own circumstance. Excuse me.”

  Alan turned his horse as if there was nothing left to see.

  “Now then, Lariette-nim, let us be off.”

  “Ah, yes. I’ll be going now. Please work hard.”

  Lariette stared at Ark with bittersweet eyes before turning around. Ark felt an empty feeling while watching her back. He felt like his hope was walking away from him with her.

  Actually, Ark had felt smug these last few days.

  He had grown used to the Dark Walker profession, and he’d ruined Andel, who’d been far ahead of him. Not long ago, he’d even found a quest’s hidden ending and had received a reward up to his expectation. It seemed like everything was progressing almost too smoothly.

  He had even thought that he might have a chance at passing the much-hoped for Global Exos’ test.

  But in the end, that was all just his delusion.

  Ark’s rivals, the other candidates, were going to do a ++C difficulty quest from an unimaginably high place. The difference between them and Ark was one that he had vaguely expected.

  That’s right. He’d expected it to some extent.

  Unlike them, Ark couldn’t afford to concentrate on playing games all day. So over time, the difference was bound to grow. In addition, he’d wasted a whole two weeks of time in Harun Village, so this much difference might be certain.

  He’d known. He knew, but…

  ‘Dammit. I feel really shitty.’

  An unbearable feeling surged and welled up.

  It wasn’t just because he had fallen behind the other candidates. Alan’s ridicule-filled eyes. And Lariette, who followed him.

  When he looked back at the scene, Ark felt like he had just lost Lariette to Alan. It was just something within a game, but New World was a game that was more real than reality. So he felt the sense of defeat more keenly than in real life.

  He didn’t want to lose anymore.

  No matter what the cost!

  « o »

  ‘It’ll be really bad at this rate.’

  After seeing Alan leading the attack party, Hyun Woo couldn’t shake off his testiness.

  When the Planning Director Ha Myung Woo gave her speech in the interview hall, she had said they weren’t going to just look at levels. However, level was one of the absolute numbers in the game.

  A higher level player can hunt stronger monsters. Naturally, the chances of getting a better item increased, they could proceed to a broader expanse of regions, and they could receive higher difficulty quests. In the end, level was an absolute value in all senses.

  Falling behind from that meant failing the test soon.

  He had to catch up. It was the only method of survival.

  ‘Is there any way to increase my game time?’

  As always, the problem was time.

  He was confident he could catch up if he could concentrate on the game with the same amount of time as the other candidates. However, Hyun Woo could only invest just 6 hours in one day. He had to decrease his sleeping time while fighting fatigue to make even that time possible.

  To be honest, he didn’t expect much for Global Exos’ test.

  He still thought so even now. However, if he was to fail the test, he wouldn’t be able to play New World anymore. He didn’t know what would happen after one or two months, but in the end, he wouldn’t be able to meet Ark, the character he’d raised with such care, ever again. His efforts so far would all be wasted.

  ‘And Alan!’

  Forgetting how Ark had suffered his disregard was unacceptable.

  Ark was Hyun Woo himself. Insulting Ark was no different than insulting Hyun Woo. If he could, he wanted to raise his level like crazy and strip Alan like Andel and laugh as much as he wanted at him.

  Even so, he couldn’t give up reality because of a game.

  Although the money paid to him by Global Exos was enough for him to get by, he still couldn’t afford his mother’s hospital fee if he didn’t work. Even now, wasn’t it true that the wage he received from the mart, his three part-time jobs, and the money from Global Exos was only barely enough to cover it?

  ‘Even so, I can’t keep increasing the debt here…’

  What a dilemma, it was a situation in which he couldn’t do it even if he did this or tried that.

  ‘Half a year! No, even for just a couple of months, is there no way I can concentrate on playing the game?’

  Just then, news he had seen a few days ago suddenly flashed in his mind.

  It was an article about
buying and selling in game items. Now that he thought of it, he vaguely remembered hearing stories of people making a lot of money just by selling game items.

  Now that item trading was completely legal, it was a time when item trading occupied one place in the market. Hyun Woo did remember his school days when he’d earned pocket-money from selling items in an online game. He just hadn’t been able to connect that to living expenses, but it was certain that items could become money.

  For a game like New World, items could definitely be sold more expensively.

  ‘Maybe I could sell items and use the money from the sale to pay for mother’s hospital fees? Well, with my current level, the items I can get won’t get that much money, but… New World hasn’t been open for very long anyways. There’ll be many people who need items that I can obtain at my level. Yeah, let’s try at least looking it up once.’

  Hyun Woo found and entered the auction site that he’d auctioned in ages ago.

  As expected, New World’s item auction was actively growing.

  As he searched through the catalogue, seeing the market prices made his jaw drop.

  “Wh-what is this? Is this really the price of a game item?”

  The items of New World were being sold at an unimaginable price.

  When Hyun Woo had played his online game, items worth tens of hundreds, tens of millions of won had been traded, but those were items for the very top level players.

  However, New World was a whole different level.

  A price of one gold was equivalent to 10,00 won (~$10), and a magic sword for level 20-30s was being sold for at least a million won (~$1,000).

  For Rare or Uniques, depending on the stats, they ranged from several hundred thousand won to ten million won.

  Indeed, the items were valuable. It was a world that Hyun Woo, who would skip a few meals in order to save a few thousand won, couldn’t even imagine.

  ’1 gold equals 10,000 won… Then the toolboxes I’ve obtained today are worth two million won!’

  It really shocked him.

  ‘Maybe the items I have can also be sold at a high price?’

  After agonizing, Hyun Woo tried posting the Blood-red Mantle of Dreams on the auction. It was a level 20’s Unique item that demonstrated an immense advantage in a fight against a user.