Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  “I have to see this through to the end.”

  Ark sighed and was about to move the air board.

  Pang!

  The wire tightened again. He hadn’t caught any new species for one day. Therefore Ark removed all the bait and just concentrated on investigating. Yet the hook was still attached so a fish was caught on it.

  “Sheesh, I guess I need to remove the hook as well. Eh?”

  Ark pulled the wire without thinking and became confused. The sensation he felt through the wire wasn’t ordinary. So far the ‘Elephant’ fish species was the largest one he caught. The pulling sensation felt a lot bigger than the Elephant fish.

  ‘This might be a new fish species!’

  Ark’s face became tense. He had to catch the fish on the hook. If he pulled to excessively then the fishing line or hook would break. He wasn’t worried about the fishing line but about the Bellos’ teeth breaking if he couldn’t control his power. But now Ark had the fishing skill.

  “I can’t miss!”

  Ark vigourously grabbed the wire.

  Cheolseok! Cheolseok! Chwaaaah!

  A full-fledged tug of war began. Ark could feel the unknown species struggling desperately but he didn’t rush. Fishing was patience. If he hurried then it would become disadvantageous to him. Right now the urgent thing was catching the unknown fish species.

  “I’m someone who managed to play the game after a long time. Okay, I won’t give up even if it takes several hours!”

  Ark moved the air board and regulated his power while pulling the wire. So Ark struggled with the unknown fish for 30 minutes. He suddenly felt an abrupt release of tension transmitted through the wire. Ark had experience in fishing so he could instinctively sense it.

  “Now!”

  Ark strongly pulled the wire at that moment!

  “Huk! W-what is this?”

  Ark gaped with confusion. He had struggled for 30 minutes so Ark had expected a huge fish. Yet the body hanging from the wire was 1 m 50 cm! But this wasn’t the first time he saw the species. No, this existence couldn’t even be classified as a fish species. The species gasped and pulled out the Bellos’ tooth stuck in its leg. It fell down and glared at Ark.

  –You bastard, what are you doing?

  It approached and grabbed Ark’s collar.

  –Dammit! That hurt! The needle was stuck in me! Damn, do you want to die? Am I a fish?

  It definitely wasn’t a fish. The person holding onto Ark’s collar was…..

  “Charenjok?”

  He had fished up an unexpected thing.

  Space 8

  Under the Black Water……

  ‘Why in a place like this……’

  Ark looked around with astonished eyes. It was a small swamp surrounded by cliffs on three sides where 100 octopuses were gathered around. The octopuses were the size of a person. Ark had seen octopuses like these before. They were the Charenjok that cleaned the pipes on R-14. Ark had fished up a Charenjok a while ago. He was stunned as Ark never imagined he would see a Charenjok in a place like this.

  “A-aren’t you a Charenjok?”

  –What? What are you saying after pulling at the hook in my leg for 30 minutes? Do I look like a pushover? Kaack, spit! I can’t just leave! Compensation! Compensation!

  The Charenjok said angrily and spat ink over him. But Ark was thinking about something else. Ark’s purpose for searching around the lake was to locate Charem. However he still hadn’t explored half of the total area. A week or more was the amount of time needed to search through the whole area. There was also no guarantee that he could find Charem after searching for a week. There were many reasons but the crucial one was that Charem could move. There was no guarantee that Charem wouldn’t move to an area that Ark already explored. That was the reason why Ark considered abandoning the quest. It would also take some time to 100% explore the lake. No matter how much time and effort invested, there was a possibility he couldn’t find Charem. It would require a considerable amount of luck. In such a situation he had met a Charenjok. The Charenjok were aliens Ark encountered before.

  ‘If the Charenjok live in this lake…..’

  The Charenjok might know where Charem was. Ark got the idea and quickly asked.

  “Does the Charenjok live in this lake?”

  –What? How do you know I’m a Charenjok and not just an octopus? Huh? Is that why you fished me up? I’m 100% an octopus. Anyway, I’m an octopus not a Charenjok.

  “I apologize for the incident just now. It wasn’t on purpose. If I knew the Charenjok lived in this lake then I wouldn’t have gone fishing so dangerously. In fact, there is a reason I know you’re the Charenjok. In the past I became close friends with the Charenjok living on a space station. Do you know how happy I am stumbling across the Charenjok in a place like this? If other Charenjok live around here then I would like to meet them.”

  –Hah, how funny. Do you think I will be tricked?

  The Charenjok spat and declared sharply.

  -You think you can trick me so that I would sell out my colleagues? Hah, I already know your identity. You, aren’t you a slave trader? You sneaky bastard! Yes, that is clearly your identity…..long words aren’t needed. Now, bring it on! If you think that I’m a Charenjok then prove it! Bring it one! Bring it on!

  The Charenjok raised its octopus like legs and made an X. The octopus seemed to have some twisted misunderstanding. However, Ark’s situation meant he needed to seek help from the Charenjok. He couldn’t take the X personally or turn the octopus into sashimi. Ark struggled on how to remove the octopus’ misunderstanding when he remembered an item.

  “Will you believe me if I show you this?”

  Ark took out a small octopus and showed it. It was the Charenjok’s token that he received from Burum who was the manager of R-14’s secret hunting ground. The item restored 1 health every 3 seconds for 10 minutes for a total of 200 health. Well he had over 1,000 health so it wasn’t a big help but it was a helpful item. Anyway, now Ark had a way to prove he was acquaintances with the Charenjok. But the Charenjok’s reaction was more than he expected.

  ‘T-this…..

  The Charenjok showed their emotions through colour. Now his head turned to the colour of shock.

  -Follow me. I will guide you to our village.

  The Charenjok worried for a while before nodding his head and replying. The place he arrived was a swamp surrounded by cliffs on three sides and the lake. The bog was surrounded by cliffs and the lake well hidden by the cliffs so it was a tough place to find unless deliberately searching for it. The Charenjok had their own reasons for living in a place like this. While Ark was busy thinking…..

  –Um……

  A massive Charenjok 3~4 times the size of a normal one messed with the token and started speaking. And he stared at Ark.

  –This is definitely something that only an elder of the Charenjok would have. This is an important token that the Charenjok elder wouldn’t give up easily. I can’t imagine the deep friendship that must be between you for the elder to give it to a human. You said he was cleaning pipes……

  Burum hadn’t hesitated at all when giving him the Charenjok token. Well, he wanted control of the paid hunting grounds quickly but he hadn’t felt like the Charenjok elder hesitated at all when giving it to him. No, he only just discovered that Burum was a Charenjok elder. Well he wasn’t that interested in something like that.

  –Yes, the elder who gave you this token was Burum?

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  Ark explained how he met the Charenjok on R-14 and became friends with them. The giant Charenjok called Bakum who was an elder of the Charenjok sighed bitterly after hearing Ark’s answer.

  –Pipe cleaner…..indeed, a refugee on a foreign planet wouldn’t receive that many benefits. It is unfortunate but at least they are still alive. Sometimes I would think. Should we also defect to the galactic federation like other Charenjok? But it was clear what treatment our species would get as refug
ees. So I chose freedom rather than safety. I decided to refuse the protection of the galactic federation and lived in the Outlands.

  Istana was the planet of the federation but they only had control over the terraformed areas around the cities. Therefore the Outlands which accounted for 90% of Istana was a lawless area and the Charenjok who lived there didn’t need citizenship. Burum intended to purchase land to buy this citizenship. The Charenjok who had no citizenship couldn’t escape from the galactic federation

  But getting a citizenship didn’t mean freedom. Therefore some Charenjok chose to abandon the safety of the cities in order to live a life of true freedom! This freedom meant they didn’t need to clean pipes to receive a small salary. They could get any decent paying jobs that were available. That’s why the smuggling city of Charem was able to operate in the wilds of Istana. It was a place free of the federation’s control so the Charenjok could live openly in Charem despite not having any citizenship. But the circumstances were different for the Charenjok in Charem.

  Charem was a city equipped with a shield and many advanced functions. The vast majority of people flocking to Charem were criminals but they still had citizenship with the federation, Aschulat or Rama. In other words, they were part of a civilization. On the other hand, the Charenjok had just lost their home planet and civilization. At one point, they flourished so much that they even toured Earth on UFOs. Then their home planet was taken away by the Kakajok and they were just common octopuses. And living in the Outlands wasn’t safe for octopuses.

  –Many of us entered the Outlands and were killed by monsters over several years. But the most annoying thing is the slave traders. It took some time to avoid monsters and slave traders to occupy a spot here……

  That was the reason why the Charenjok on R-14 didn’t leave the federation despite receiving discrimination. People without citizenship weren’t protected by the galactic federation. They were virtually treated like monsters. Therefore there were many Charenjok in the Outlands who were captured by slave traders. The pioneers also entered the Outlands so the Charenjok were forced to hide. That’s why the Charenjok thought Ark was a slave hunter when he first fished him up. Anyway, the octopuses were quite pitiful.

  –But I can believe you since you have the Charenjok’s token. This token is the proof of your friendship with the Charenjok elder. Throughout the generations, the Charenjok has passed on these tokens to sincere friends. We might’ve lost our homeland and become refugees but the Charenjok still hasn’t forgotten their pride. You should relax here and eat.

  The elder octopus pointed to the fish piled on one side. Spotted, Sneak, Bark, Happy…..they were fish that Ark already had in his bag. And the place the elder octopus indicated for him to rest on was a gap in the rocks of the cliff.

  ‘…..Eh?’

  Ark eyed the fish and rock gap with uncomfortable eyes. Some areas that Ark couldn’t understand floated inside his head.

  ‘This lake contained Charem. And Charem is a smuggling city. The city is now sealed off so where are the smugglers coming from? And slaves are one of the smuggled goods. Naturally slave traders would be among those entering and leaving Charem. But Bakum said they settled in this place to avoid the slave traders. Even if the lake is 100 km in size, it wouldn’t be entirely safe.’

  He also felt such doubts while fishing. A large number of people had to enter or leave the lake to get to the hidden city. There were many fish in the lake yet none were registered in the federation’s database. Wouldn’t everyone entering or leaving the city be aware that registering an unidentified creature receive compensation? There was no user who wouldn’t drool over bonus experience. Therefore he became nervous by the elder octopus’ words.

  ‘Did I make a mistake? Or perhaps Marquis Martin gave me the wrong information?’

  “I want to ask one thing.”

  Ark said before cutting to the chase. Once again, Ark didn’t come here to fish or find items.

  “In fact, I came to this lake because I heard that there is a city of alien species here. I can’t tell you anymore but there is a reason I’m looking for the city. You’ve lived in the lake for a long time so you should be aware. Have you seen a city anywhere?”

  -City?

  The elder octopus’ eyes widened.

  –Like you said, we’ve lived in this place for a few years. Although we don’t dare go onto land where there are monsters, we know everything about this lake. But I’ve never seen something like a city. If such a thing was here then isn’t is impossible for us not to see it?

  Something was strange. Ark’s heart started beating quickly and he spoke again.

  “Then it doesn’t have to be a city. A strange place is fine…..”

  –A strange place…..

  The elder octopus suddenly flinched and his head turned to a worried colour. There was something. Ark sensed it after seeing the elder’s head change colour.

  “Anything is fine. If there is something strange then tell me.”

  –No, this is unrelated to the city you’re searching for. But telling you about it isn’t difficult. In fact, in this lake a prohibited area exists.

  “Prohibited area?”

  –Yes, it is a place that a whirlpool occasionally occurs. When we first came here a young octopus….no, some young Charenjok wanted to test their bravery and entered. But not 1 person returned. The problem is that their bodies weren’t found. It was like they just disappeared or evaporated. A search party was sent but they completely disappeared too. It isn’t just the whirlpool. Sometimes people would disappear even when there was no whirlpool. Approximately 50 Charenjok ended up disappearing. So I declared that area prohibited and nobody goes near it anymore.

  The elder octopus sighed and looked around.

  –That’s why the village’s atmosphere is like this.

  In fact, Ark also thought the atmosphere of the village was odd when he first came here. All of the octopuses’ heads were a green colour. At first he thought it was something to do with the lake’s water quality but they seemed to have some worries. Ark had experienced with these colour changes so he knew they were feeling ‘fidgety’ and ‘worried.’ Of course, Ark wasn’t interested in the octopuses’ emotional state. But he was interested in the prohibited area. Sometimes a whirlpool would appear and the octopuses would disappear?

  ‘Maybe it is connected to why I can’t find Charem.’

  “Has something happened?”

  –That….you can’t help even if you know.

  Right now every bit of information was important to Ark.

  “I am someone who thinks of the Charenjok as a friend of the heart. It is because of my sincerity that Burum on R-14 gave me the token.”

  Ark wasn’t telling the whole truth. He was the type to distort the truth if it suited his purposes.

  “You might not be the ones I shared a friendship with but I consider all Charenjok my friends. If I can then I would like to help. If you have a problem then please tell me.”

  –To think I would meet a human who says something like this.

  The elder octopus looked impressed and nodded.

  -The problem isn’t a big secret. A few days ago a couple of young Charenjok disappeared. We belatedly discovered this and went out to search. We swept the lake for a few days but didn’t find them. The only place we didn’t search is the prohibited area. It is obvious that the young Charenjok headed to that area.

  “Why would the young Charenjok head to that place?”

  -A few months ago there was another incident where a few Charenjok disappeared. They chased after the rare Elephant fish that isn’t easily seen and entered the prohibited area.

  Ark couldn’t understand those words. The Elephant fish that the elder octopus mentioned was one that Ark named directly. It had only been named a few days ago but the NPC mentioned it casually like they had been calling it that for a long time. Once again he realized that he was inside a game.

  ‘Should I have given it a
more plausible name?’

  It felt bad hearing the name from somebody else’ mouth. Anyway, the elder octopus continued talking.

  –The ones who disappeared this time are the family of the Charenjok from the previous incident. We told them that they absolutely shouldn’t go to the prohibited area…..in the end things turned out like this. But if we send another search party to the prohibited area then the situation will repeat again and again……

  The heads of the octopuses gathered around the elder turned even paler. Hearing the situation again made them more nervous. But in the next moment their heads simultaneously turned white. It was due to Ark’s subsequent words.

  “I will look for them.”

  -What, what the? What did you say?

  “I will go to the prohibited area and look for the Charenjok.”

  -W-what….didn’t you hear me? You won’t come back alive once you enter the prohibited area.

  “I will still enter.”

  Ark said with a resolute expression.

  “I’m a pioneer. A pioneer’s pleasure is to pursue unknown areas! Of course a pioneer has to risk their life for that. It is better for a qualified person like me to go.”

  –But they’ve already disappeared for a few days. They probably already…..

  “I’ll go check.”

  Ark approached the elder octopus and grabbed his shoulder firmly.

  “Like I said, the Charenjok is a friend of my heart. I will overcome danger and enter the prohibited area to look for the young Charenjok. How can I say the Charenjok is a friend of my heart when I ignore their plight? Please tell me the location of the prohibited area. I will be happy to enter a place of death if it means saving the Charenjok.”

  It was the place where he had to search for Charem. However, if he already needed to enter then he might as well get some benefit from the octopuses. The octopuses had run away from monsters and slave traders and hid various items behind rocks and weeds in the lake. Therefore the octopus might give him something valuable. He also might find a useable item. Anyway!