by Yoo Seong
Hwiiiii-!
A snow storm raged on Beltana for several days. Although snow was considered a romantic atmosphere in most people’s eyes but Beltana was different. The freezing cold turn the rain and snow into ice. Therefore it was like small kernels of ice formed around their eyes. The ice grains and storm cause a sharp pain. However the galactic federation camp was thankful for it. The storm on Beltana meant none of the communication equipment could work. Therefore neither the federation or the Rama could move their troops. There was a tentative cease fire due to the weather. The federation were on a losing streak so they were thankful for the reprieve. The federation troops could relax for a bit.
“He didn’t come today as well?”
An old man sighed and shook his head. The other prisoners gathered around sighed with a melancholy look. The old man was Mellin and the other prisoners were the members of the Royal Guards. They had been left before because of Valencia and gathered around the Fairy after dying and resurrecting. They were waiting for the captain Ark to join them. However, Ark didn’t revive. The next day and the next day……
“10 days have passed.”
Mellin murmured with a stiff expression. Galaxian had planets where daytime could last for several months. Therefore the concept of time was unified and 24 hours in reality was the same as 24 hours for the NPCs. Ark had actually not resurrected for 10 days.
“People often revive late but 10 days is strange. Berad, did Ark really die in battle?”
“Yes, it is certain.”
Berad who was with Ark until the end nodded.
“There was a persistent Rama warrior chasing us and he fell into the crevasse along with it. It was in order to save me. But I soon died because of the Carack…..”
Berad looked troubled and bit his lip. It was all Berad’s misunderstanding. Berad thought Ark chose to commit suicide with the Rama warrior in order to save Berad’s life. It was the distortion of history by the witness and now the prisoners believed it as well.
“Ugh! Hyung-nim!”
“Hyung-nim sacrificed his body for us…..”
“There is no one else like Hyung-nim in the whole universe.”
The loyalty of the Royal Guards increased even more. Mellin who was in charge at the moment soothed the other members.
“Calm down. Now isn’t the time to be mired in your feelings. If Berad’s testimony is true then there is no doubt that Ark was killed. Yet Ark didn’t revive for 10 days so there might be a problem with that we don’t know about. We need to figure out what is going on. This time we must help Ark instead.”
“But……”
Ralph sighed and opened his mouth.
“You’re still here?”
He heard someone’s voice from behind him. The Royal Guards turned around and saw the 1st armoured platoon approaching.
“Those guys again!”
Ralph hissed and took a step forward. Then Mellin blocked him and shook his head
Ark and the Royal Guards had been left behind due to the interference of Valencia and the 1st armoured platoon. Of course, the Royal Guards were prisoners while the 1st armoured platoon were elite guards. It was regretful but they had to endure it.
“Do you want me to tell you why Ark hasn’t resurrected?”
Valencia laughed and said.
“It is because of me.”
“What?”
“He had realized it. What it means to defy me on Beltana. Do you understand? Ark won’t revive. It’s not possible. He realized it will take a few years to escape from here. So now you guys can stop dreaming. Ark isn’t coming back. You were deserted.”
“Shut up!”
Hegel shouted angrily. Hegel had tears in his big black eyes as he continued.
“Hyung-nim isn’t afraid of you! Hyung-nim is more wonderful than you! Hyung-nim won’t abandon us no matter what situation it is! There is no way! Hyung-nim won’t leave us alone! It’s not possible!”
“It’s not possible?”
Valencia raised his eyebrow and took one step closer.
“How dare someone from the Grey species talk to me like that?”
“You…..I-I……”
Hegel immediately moved backwards with fear as Valencia got closer. Mellin and the other Royal Guards lined up behind Hegel and glared at Valencia.
“We also have the same idea. Hyung-nim isn’t the type to be scared of you. We won’t tolerate any bad words about him!”
“You won’t tolerate it? Hoh, how frightening. Do you want to try it?”
Valencia narrowed his eyes at the Royal Guards. He lifted his hand and the 1st armoured platoon approached. There were 10 Royal Guards. Meanwhile the 1st armoured platoon had 30 people
The numbers were against them. When considering the level and equipment, it was like a fight between a dog and a tiger. However, the Royal Guards didn’t back down from the pressure of the 1st armoured platoon. Just as the atmosphere between the two groups was reaching its peak.
“It is against the rules for allies to fight against each other.”
A voice was heard from a distance. The voice came from Irina who was watching from the supplies tent. Valencia looked at Irina before shrugging.
“I guess it ends here today.”
Valencia stared at Mellin and laughed.
“You guys are prisoners……yes, I think it will be fun to annoy people like you. The snow storm is clearing. Ark isn’t returning. Things will become much more difficult for you. Now, let’s go.”
“Dammit!”
The Royal Guards glared at Valencia’s back. However, Valencia’s words were true. Valencia and the 1st armoured platoon are the federation’s elite troops. If they made up their mind to disturb the Royal Guards then they would have no future. They had hope after they met Ark but if he didn’t return then they would return to their dismal situation from before. But there was a problem more urgent then that at the moment.
Kkurururu.
The stomachs of the Royal Guards growled. Ark hadn’t returned for 10 days so they were starving again.
“Hyung-nim, please come back soon!”
“Come back home!”
The Royal Guards stared at the Fairy with desperation.
Space 8
Pharaoh’s Legacy
While the Royal Guards were starving.
“18 Barrage!”
Ark approached the eyeball mural and shouted. At the same time, steam emerged from the shoulders of his battle suit. Both arms moved at 300 kilometres an hour like engines were attached to it.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!
The rapid fire fists hit the wall! Stone powder flew up every time his fist struck the wall. The surrounding area became hazy from the powder.
Roaaaaar!
The approaching Anubis crumbled and turned into sand.
-The Hyper Drone has been exhausted
The battle suit wrapped around Ark’s body was taken apart and disappeared into the other dimension.
“Phew, this time it was taken care of with the battle suit.”
Ark attached a small octopus to his forehead and muttered.
Bbok! Bbok! Bbok! Bbok!
-You have recovered 1 health.
-You have recovered 1 health…..
While the Charenjok token was healing the damage sustained in battle, he walked towards the 4 piles of sand. It was the sand piles made of Anubis. 3 lights were shining within the piles of sand. It was the Zaliman ore worth 2~3 gold. Out of the 4 Anubis, 3 of them had dropped Zaliman ores. But Ark didn’t enjoy the sight at all. No, anger surged at the sight instead.
“This isn’t the first time……”
Ark sighed at the sight of the Zaliman ore. Of course, there was a reason for it. It had been ten days since Ark first entered the gold room and was transported by the trap. Ark had been puzzled the first time but his feelings soon changed. The experienc
e and loot was beyond expectations! The idea of returning to the base was completely wiped from his mind. No, this was the place where Ark could gain the most experience and loot compared to R-14, Nephalim and Beltana. Besides, the pyramid was a hunting ground that Ark could monopolize!
‘Lord! Please let this room continue……!’
He said a prayer like that when looking at the 4 exits to the room. It felt like God was listening to Ark’s prayer. He could choose any of the 4 exits and after walking along a short passage, he would arrive at exactly the same room. At first he thought he had returned to the original spot but the door closed and the Anubis statues started moving. And 4 Anubis threatened him with the iron bars!
“Yes!”
Ark cheered with joy.
‘Looking at the structure, there should be a lot more rooms like this!’
If there were many rooms then the experience and loot would be better. Of course, the Anubis weren’t that easy to deal with. The wall mural containing the eye controlling the Anubis wasn’t always at the same place. Every time he entered a room, he had to avoid the Anubis and look for the mural. He had to fight against the Anubis while looking for a small eye. It was like looking for a hidden picture while sprinting.
‘It would be better if every wall was clean…..’
The murals were hundreds of years old. Some of them had so much dirt stuck to them that they were invisible. However, there was an easy way to solve that problem.
“Facilities Maintenance!”
Suk suk! Ssak ssak! Suk suk! Ssak ssak!
It was the Facilities Maintenance skill that he learnt after cleaning dozens of kilometres of pipes on R-14! Ark took out a dust cloth from Cheksun’s Toolbox and searched for the picture while cleaning
It was a scene where the fearsome Anubis were swinging their iron rods while Ark wiped the wall with a rag…..anyway, he managed to find the murals. However it didn’t solve all his problems. If he used the special move of the battle suit, 18 Barrage then he could shatter it instantly. But 18 Barrage was a technique that used all the mana of the battle suit. Once the mana was used up then the battle suit was recalled and it couldn’t be used for 10 hours while charging. Yet he couldn’t wait 10 hours every day to start a new battle.
“Set Bullets Shooting! Sonic Sword!”
In the end, he had no choice but to settle it the old fashioned way. He had to break the mural with his gun and dagger but it was more difficult. It shattered with one blow from the battle suit but the gun and dagger didn’t do proper damage to it. The Anubis also didn’t just watch him.
Thump, thump, thump, thump! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Naturally they attacked him with the iron bars. He had to clean the mural, find the target and damage the mural while avoiding the Anubis’ attacks. However……Ark wasn’t that annoyed.
-Your level has risen!
-You have acquired the
There was no reason to be annoyed. He received experience and loot at the end of each battle!
“Hahahaha! Amazing! Amazing! The heavens must be helping me!”
Ark ran around the room and fired his gun and swung his sword like crazy. The experience came rushing in and the Zaliman ores piled up. So Ark was happy while the Royal Guards were starving. It was a very happy time……
“10 days!”
He had been in the pyramid 10 days. And Ark had received sufficient compensation during those 10 days.
Character Information Window
Name Ark (R-02788) Level 43
Species Human Occupation Pioneer
Crime 3,500 Adventure 100
Health 800 (+15) Mental Power 450
Strength 105 (+3) Agility 155
Stamina 155 (+3) Wisdom 15
Intelligence 85 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
Level 43! He was level 31 when he entered the pyramid and he had gained 12 levels in 10 days
It was similar to when he hunted on R-14 without any breaks. That wasn’t all. One ore cost 2~3 gold and he gained 2~3 Zaliman ores every time he cleared a room to the extent that his bag was full.
“That’s the problem!”
The memories caused anger to surge in him again. The problem was that he reached level 43 and his bag was full of Zaliman ores. Once again, experience was relative to the level. A level 10 user could gain a lot of experience from hunting level 15 monsters. But once it went beyond 5 levels, a penalty was applied instead. Ark was able to get a lot of experience in the beginning. The Anubis were level 35. On the other hand, Ark was level 31 at the time so he had received bonus experience. Currently Ark was level 43. He was 8 levels higher than the Anubis so he received almost no experience anymore. The pyramid wasn’t an attractive hunting ground anymore after 10 days. However, another problem was the cause of Ark’s despair.
“Ugh! I just have to look at it!”
Ark felt like crying as he stared at the shiny ore. The Zaliman ore was worth 2~3 gold. He was the type to collect the ores even if a missile was flying towards him. But now he couldn’t pick it up anymore. This was due to the message window that surfaced two days ago.
-There is no more space in your bag!
It was the message that caused shock and fear inside Ark! There was no more space in his bag so he couldn’t eat the 2 gold ore anymore. Thus Ark felt like his heart was being cut out every time he had to leave an ore behind. It was to the extent that the Zaliman ore appeared in his dreams! It was the reason Ark felt anger at the sight of the 3 ores.
“Ugh! I would prefer it if they didn’t drop at all. Or if it wasn’t visible. Why does it have to be shiny? Dammit, if this continues then I won’t be able to leave until I die!”
It wasn’t a joke. He really couldn’t leave unless he died. Ark thought about it.
“I don’t need to hunt here anymore! I need to escape the pyramid as soon as possible!”
He reached that conclusion two days ago. But Ark was dramatically mistaken. Ark hadn’t wanted to enter the original room. And he didn’t want to leave immediately. Ark had forgotten because of the experience and loot but he had fallen into a trap.
‘Now I know why it is a trap.’
Ark began to realize the truly fearful part about this trap.
‘The experience and loot is the real trap. If he died then it was possible to leave the pyramid. But he hadn’t registered at the Fairy so all the experience he gained would be lost. The thought of all the experience he earned over the last ten days flying away was enough to make him crazy. Thus he was forced to abandon the ore. Yes, the trap wasn’t to kill the user. Users! The trap was designed to either cheat or kill the user! How frightening! The pyramid’s trap is really frightening! This is the Pharaoh’s curse!’
Ark couldn’t just give up everything he earned in the last 10 days. Really…..the pyramid’s curse is too scary.
“Anyway!”
Ark didn’t want to die because of the pyramid’s curse. So two days ago he started to devise ways to exit the pyramid.
“This is still a game. There must be a way to leave after falling into the trap. There must be a way to escape from the trap hidden somewhere. The easiest way is to move along one route. If I move along one wall then I should come upon the exit.”
Therefore Ark continued moving in one direction. The pyramid was around 200 metres in diameter when he looked at it from outside. When looking at the size of the room and length of the passages, he should go through 15 rooms before reaching the exit. Despite passing through dozens of rooms, he didn’t find anything.
“It doesn’t make sense. Why…..?”
Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!
; There was a roar and the space seemed to shake. It wasn’t the first time that happened. Occasionally the place would shake. It was okay when he was trying to get experience and loot but he felt like it was unusual now that he was trying to find an exit.
‘Does this shaking have something to do with the structure of the pyramid?’
Ark contemplated for a moment before a thought rose in his head. It was a movie called Cube. In that movie people were incarcerated in a square rooms. Of course, the people used various methods to move and find the exit but they couldn’t solve the mystery.
‘They were square rooms with 4 exits. Yes, the structure of the pyramid is almost the same as the movie. The arrangements of the rooms will continuously change. That explains why I didn’t find the exit just by moving in one direction. If this trap is the same as that movie then I won’t be able to find the exit by just wandering around. Then the exit must be hidden somewhere.’
The problem was finding it. And the place the answer was hidden……
‘Identical rooms! It is this room!’
There was nothing in this room except for the Anubis statues. Therefore the clue must be something depicted on the mural! Ark came to that conclusion and meticulously cleaned the walls with the dust cloth while examining the murals carefully. Then Ark found something suspicious for the first time. He had gone through hundreds of room without noticing but huge letters were carved on the bottom of the mural. They were characters like those in ancient Egypt! Naturally Ark couldn’t read it……
The Murat were an ancient civilization from the Bellin constellation. The Murat were a species shrouded in a veil of mystery. Only some of the characters could be decoded at the moment.
“The ruins of the Murat…..”
He had heard about the alien species called the Murat before. It had appeared in the information window about Beltana when he had been assigned there. Originally Beltana was one of the colonies of the ancient species. Therefore Ark guessed that the ruins underneath Beltana were related to the Murat.
‘Then is the Murat the cause of Egyptian civilization?’
A great historical secret was revealed. But Ark didn’t care about that.
