by Yoo Seong
“It can’t be helped. Absolutely…..I couldn’t give it up……”
Space 3
Planet Beltana
‘Already…..I’ve come here.’
The man looked around with a complicated expression. He was the blond disable youth who started Galaxian. He had become a disabled person through an unexpected accident but in reality he wasn’t miserable. His father was the owner of a conglomerate and his father’s financial support meant he wasn’t lacking in anything. It was after he entered Galaxian that he became miserable. His real body had nothing to do with a virtual reality game but he wasn’t used to moving his body after being disabled for a while. In reality, people were considerate of people with disabilities. Even if he was just a decoration……
However, that wasn’t possible in a virtual reality game. The users looked at him who couldn’t move his body properly and promptly dropped him from the party. Yet he didn’t give up despite the insults
There was a reason he had started Galaxian. He…..in order to meet Ark.
‘Why? Why do I want to meet Ark?’
He had asked the question countless times since starting Galaxian. But he still hadn’t found an answer. No, he knew the way to find the answer. It might be a contradiction but he believed the key lay with Ark. The belief drove him and didn’t allow him to give up. And a chance arrived.
-Young man, do you want to raise your level?
While he was being out casted by the users, an octopus had approached him. It was Burum, the president of R-14’s secret hunting ground. His encounter with Burum became a turning point
He heard about Ark’s time in R-14 through Burum. This acted like a guideline for him and he started to imitate Ark’s behaviour. No, he personally requested to go through such hardships. His body didn’t work properly so he had spent one month cleaning the pipes and hunting the space bugs…..
-Achievement: A new mission related master of R-14 has been born.
He was finally able to accomplish the same feat like Ark. However, the discovery of Ark’s destination was more significant than the achievement.
‘I received 2 recommendation letters from Bhurad and Cheksun when I completed all the quests. I also learnt the Swamp Walking skill from the Charenjok. Additionally, I gained the same R-14 mission related title like Ark. And the frontier Ark chose……’
A primitive fort city with ultra-modern machines blowing smoke expanded in front of him. The city Nephalim was nestled in a forest on Istana, the capital planet of the galactic federation.
‘Here. I’ve finally arrived.’
A tear formed on the corner of his eye. He felt complex emotions at the thought of being in the same city as Ark. But there was no time to be caught up in the emotions. Ark had arrived at Nephalim for nearly a month. He didn’t know if Ark was still around Nephalim or if he had arrived in another area
Searching for him would be difficult.
‘I have no choice but to keep moving.’
He braced himself and took one step.
–This is your first time in Nephalim.
A holograph of a beautiful woman appeared next to him.
-I am a guide that will tell the beginner pioneers pertinent city related information about Nephalim. You can use me to discover the city’s geography, the location of the stores and special facilities.
He wasn’t interested so he kept on moving. Various holographic images appeared and made offers to him.
–You can search the news for all incidents related to Nephalim in the last 50 years.
He stopped walking. The information service allowed him to find any events that happened in Nephalim. If he was looking for an ordinary user then that wouldn’t help. However, he was looking for ‘Ark.’ He was the best player in another virtual reality game. Ark had even got the title from R-14 just by completing the tutorial. Ark had already spent a month in Nephalim. If it was the Ark he knew……
That was enough time to leave an amazing reputation.
‘It might be surprisingly simple to track Ark.’
He inserted 50 copper and the 3D image of a middle aged man with a thick stomach spoke pleasantly.
–Welcome. Thank you for using this service. You can read all recent events or use a keyword to search for a specific event.
“Ark….search for someone with that name……”
-‘Ark’ is the name of a person? I understand.
The middle age man searched through a thick book.
-Oh, I found it. An incident recently occurred with someone of the same name.
‘Indeed!’
He was already on the local news about the area. He expected it but the emotions he felt was difficult to describe. He spoke with an impatient voice.
“The incident…..the detailed information…..the place he is now…..can you tell me?”
–All the relevant information regarding the event and the regional area will be shown.
The middle age man nodded and changed into a 3D newspaper. The contents of the event scrolled upwards like a video and the related images were shown. The blond youth’s face warped strangely as he read the contents.
“…..W-what is this?”
The attempted robbery of the galactic federation’s museum.
A week ago, there was an unprecedented event as thieves tied to steal from the Victory Memorial at the galactic federation’s museum. According to the announcement from the galactic federation, the human called [Ark] and the owner of an ironworks called Tori dug a tunnel to enter the museum.
The galactic federation believes that they planned this for a long time and judged that stealing from the exhibit of war heroes is a severe crime. Tori will be stripped of his property to pay the federation for any damages and will be imprisoned for 2 years on the orbit prison Stael.
And his accomplice, the pioneer [Ark] will be forcibly conscripted into military service. As a part of the forced military service, he will be dispatched to a war area and join the prisoner unit until he earns enough achievements. [Ark] is sentenced to the disputed area Beltana until he earns 3,500 achievements.
-Disputed Planet Beltana-
Beltana is a planet 12 light years away from Istana in the Bellin constellation. Beltana was a colony ruled by the ancient race ‘Murat’ but it was thrown away when the Murat left.
Since then, there is an average temperature of -50 degrees and the planet is battered by blizzards. However, a large source of Iridium was discovered on Beltana and the federation has been engaged in a war with the Rama over the planet. However, the federation has experienced difficulties despite the steady dispatch of troops and prisoners.
* Current Occupation: Rama 62% – Galactic Federation 38%
“Please! I was tricked by the hamster!”
“That’s a lie! I’m just an unsuspecting hamster! That guy planned everything!”
In the video playing, a hamster and a guy with black hair was exclaiming while handcuffed. The dark-haired man…..was the ‘Ark’ from his memory.
——————————————————————————-
Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!
The temperature of the world was so low that the air seemed to freeze. Armoured vehicles were crossing the wilderness covered by ice and snow. The enormous armoured car was 100 metres in length and was the anti-tank transportation the federation nicknamed Memeod. 100 people were sitting inside the swaying armoured car. They were soldiers armed with weapons and basic military equipment. But their faces didn’t look like soldiers. The sunken eyes had no motivation, their faces were so thin they looked like skeletons and the skin was darkened and dead……
‘They look like they’re going to die in a few minutes.’
Ark sighed and shook his head.
‘It is natural.’
Ark was different from the other soldiers. The zombie like soldiers with no spirit and sunken skin were criminals forcibly conscripted from various cities on Istana and dispatched to Belta
na. Ark and Tori were arrested two days ago for attempting to rob the museum and he was forced to join the prisoner unit.
‘At that time…..’
Ark wasn’t significantly depressed. Of course, the situation was very bleak. If the robbery succeeded then Ark would’ve been buried in gold and would spend each day happy. However, the fire alarm had unexpectedly activated because of the breakdown of the battle suit and he was arrested with the stolen goods confiscated. The federation also seized all his equipment and items as compensation for the damage, including his 100 gold. His dream of thousands of gold flew away as he became a beggar. Just thinking about it caused his stomach acid to rise. But Ark’s misfortune didn’t stop there. He was transferred to Beltana until he collected 3,500 achievements. Despite falling to the bottom……
‘I can use this chance to restart my awareness of the game!’
That was Ark’s thought when he received the judgement. Ark also received some positive things
Naturally there was a reason for it. The first thing was the automatic cancellation of his contract with Tori. Once again, Tori was also arrested and his business and assets seized. Therefore he lost he Gear junkyard and Ark’s contract was voided.
‘I don’t have to pay the 200 gold.’
Ark had been thinking about maintaining his contract with Tori. But he learned through this incident
The path of a criminal was dangerous. The lure of crime was tempting because of the benefits but Tori ended up with his assets seized. Didn’t Ark also become like this because of Tori? So he came to the conclusion that it was better to break his relationship with the hamster Tori. Tori was sentenced to two years of prison so the problem was neatly solved. But the things he was expected ended here.
‘The thing I couldn’t expect……’
It was related to his Nymphe. His Nymphe had been broken by an unknown computer virus. This was the thing Ark had been most worried about before the stealing incident. However, his problem with the Nymphe was settled so easily that he felt almost empty.
“You will be deprived of all your freedom until you gain 3,500 achievements on Beltana. In accordance with the laws of the federation, the defendant will receive the Prisoner body coating.”
The judge in the courtroom read the contents of his sentence. Body coating was a process where the body’s genes were rearranged, allowing them to adapt to the space environment. The users stats would be readjusted upwards depending on the direction such as a warrior, scout etc. He now gained a ticket. Of course, the Prisoner body coating was different from the other ones. Beltana was a disputed planet that hadn’t been terraformed. The oxygen was thin and the temperature was -50 degrees so body coating was needed to survive on Beltana. Therefore he received a temporary body coating that would be cancelled when the penalty ended.
-The body coating has been completed! Ark-nim’s current body coating is ‘Prisoner.’
Character Information Window
Name Ark (R-02788) Level 28
Species Human Occupation Pioneer
Crime 3,500
Health 500 (+15) Mental Power 250
Strength 85 (+3) Agility 115
Stamina 95 (+3) Wisdom 15
Intelligence 45 Luck 15
* Title: Cleaning Foreman (Agility + 3)
* Body Coating: Prisoner
+ The Prisoner coating is limited to the region of Beltana
+ Your body information will belong to the galactic federation after receiving the Prisoner coating
+ You are unable to receive any other body coating until the Prisoner coating is removed
‘This is a big deal. My Nymphe will be taken away when I receive the body coating. The hacking program on my Nymphe will be detected. And my crime will go up.’
Ark trembled with anxiety as he was entered the body coating machine. However, his body coating process was completed with no problems and the information window surfaced. He hadn’t even realized that he had gone up 1 level.
“Eh? The information displayed is normal?”
A normal information window was shown on his Nymphe. Ark became aware of the reason after he was dispatched to Beltana. The body coating rearranged his genetic information and amplified his body’s resistance against harm. The adjustment to the body was coordinated through several functions on the Nymphe. Therefore his Nymphe would also be upgraded when he received a body coating. It was the same for the Prisoner coating. The penalties associated with the Prisoner coating was registered on the Nymphe.
“So….the Nymphe is upgraded when receiving the Prisoner coating…..”
This meant his Nymphe received a new OS. That was the reason Ark’s Nymphe became normal. The new OS wrote over the old one and all his problems were resolved!
“Wait? If my Nymphe became normal through the Prisoner coating then couldn’t I have raised my level a bit more to 30 and receive the body coating?”
The method to restore the Nymphe was surprisingly simple. Tori was a cunning fellow who definitely knew that.
“There’s no doubt. That hamster! He scared me on purpose so I would become his accomplice!”
Anger towards Tori welled up inside him again. However, Tori had his property confiscated and was in jail so his anger was slightly alleviated. There was no way for that hamster to make money now. Anyway, his problem with the Nymphe was unexpectedly settled.
“What’s this?”
Ark checked the restored Nymphe and found something strange. Next to the character information icon, equipment icon etc. were 3 icons he never saw before. There were 2 folders called Backup-1, Backup-2 and an icon that looked like armour.
“Backup? What is this?”
Ark clicked on the Backup-1 folder and the information window appeared.
-The skill data from your previous Nymphe has been registered.
* Passive *
Space Combat (User): Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, Wisdom +0.5%
Close Marksmanship (User): Hit rate -5%, Attack +10%
Facilities Maintenance (User): Maintenance Speed +30%
Dig (User): Digging Speed +30%, Chance of finding items and minerals +30%
* Active *
Hacking (User): Able to release level 1~3 electronic locks
* Software *
Invaders Ver 1.0
“Ohu!”
Now Ark was able to understand the situation. Backup-1 contained the skill information from Ark’s previous Nymphe. While the old OS had been overwritten, an automatic backup of the data on the system had been created.
“This really…..”
Ark made a strange expression. When he received the Prisoner coating, the process searched the Nymphe for information and automatically deleted any illegal data. Therefore Ark thought he would have to create the program again. The program he spend a fortnight creating being deleted was really frustrating! But the coating machine couldn’t search Ark’s Nymphe for data because it was broken. So it just proceeded to overwrite it and the hacking program was processed as backup!
“Luck hasn’t completely abandoned me.”
He was lucky in the midst of some unhappiness.
“Then what is Backup-2?”
Ark’s eyes naturally turned to the second folder.
“The name of the folder indicates it is a backup of an old Nymphe……”
But Backup-1 already contained all of Ark’s data. He couldn’t remember anything else
Ark tilted his head with confusion and clicked the Backup-2 folder. The information window contained a file he never saw before.
-Logbook~04
……It was an exceptionally long voyage
The brilliant shine of the stars gradually disappeared until all I could find was darkness
That was the first time I encountered the creature called the Ikirium.
The Ikirium are ghost stories passed between the space ship’s crew. They exist like ghosts drifting in outer space and will take form by touching metal like the Nakuma. Ou
r voyage became much more dangerous with the appearance of the Ikirium. However, my brave crew decided to confront the Ikirium to defend the ship.
Unlike me, the crew had experienced many space voyages and I was able to learn a lot while fighting the Ikirium with them. The gun techniques and Sword Mastery learnt from the experienced crew were especially useful on the expedition.
The gun and sword techniques places focus on mental power…..
“Logbook? Why is this on my Nymphe?”
Ark muttered and frowned as he read it. He remembered picking up unknown data. The data from the toy airplane!
“Don’t tell me this is…..?”
This was the data contained on the toy airplane? Ark felt strange at the thought. He had expected something great from the data which was why he invested a fortnight into learning the hacking skill. Besides, he became a criminal thanks to the problem the data caused his Nymphe.
“But it is just the logbook of someone I don’t know!”
No, that wasn’t the point. It was common to experience such things when playing a game. Why did his Nymphe become broken when he downloaded the logbook data? Ark became a criminal so he couldn’t just laugh it off.
“Dammit! This thing! This thing! Give me something!”
Ark flipped through the pages for a while. Finally he reached the last few pages of the logbook. Then an information window appeared in front of him.
-You have gained spiritual enlightenment from the materials the prophet left behind.
-A new skill (Common Occupation ☆☆☆) has been learnt.
Set Bullets Shooting (User, Active): Just like its name, a set of bullets will be fired like a whirlwind
If you gather the ammunition and pull the trigger than up to 3 bullets will be shot at once. When the trigger is pulled, the 3 bullets will be released with 2.5 times the destructive power. However, a lot of burden is placed on small guns so the durability will quickly decrease.
< 3 bullets will be fired with 2.5 times the attack power and the probability of missing will double>
Applicable Weapons: All weapons except for machine guns and rocket launchers.
