Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  “Set Bullets Shooting!”

  Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

  A huge hole was made in a corner of the ceiling. Ark moved to the other side and continuously fired bullets and holes were opened on both sides. Kalbern raised his head and shouted.

  “That’s right. Norton, Tiriod, the ceiling!”

  “Ohhh! Electromagnetic Hammer!”

  Norton and Tiriod swung their hammers and sparks flew. There was a huge noise and the ceiling flew away. Once the ceiling was opened, the sight of flames occurring where the elevator met the rails could be seen. Kalbern looked at the members and yelled with a desperate expression.

  “Everybody follow me lead!”

  Tutung! Bump! Chwaaaak!

  Kalbern manipulated his Nymphe and a wire anchor was shot from his buckle. The anchor tightened around the rail and Kalbern rose up out of the ceiling. Kalbern hung from the rail and quickly became far away.

  “There is no time! The elevator will soon crash to the floor! Quickly escape!”

  Tutung! Tutung! Tutung!

  The remaining members instantly escaped from the elevator using the same method as Kalbern. Clark was manipulating his Nymphe when he flinched and stared at Ark.

  “Alan, you. You don’t have this equipment so can you escape? It might be difficult but you can come with me……”

  “I am fine. Please escape first!”

  “I will believe in you. Follow me immediately!”

  Tutung!

  Clark then flew out of there. Now Ark was the only remaining one! Ark immediately searched through his bag and took out the Wire Camera. This was why he wanted Clark to escape first. Ark accompanied the squad for three days so he knew about the wire anchor equipment. It was a device for 1 person. If this was a normal situation then it might withstand the weight of 2 people. But in this situation there was a risk that the extra weight would cause the anchor to come loose. Ark knew this so he didn’t take the chance to escape with Clark.

  ‘There’s no time left. I will soon crash at this speed.’

  Ark quickly threw the Wire Camera outside the ceiling. He operated the wire with the Nymphe and was able to wind it around the rail. Ark grabbed the wire and was pulled out of the ceiling. 10 seconds barely passed when he heard a crashing noise underneath his feet.

  Kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

  It was the sound of the elevator slamming into the floor.

  “I-I lived!”

  Ark breathed out while dangling from the wire. 10 seconds. If he delayed for 10 seconds more than he would’ve been crushed like a tomato. Then Kalbern’s desperate voice was heard from the Nymphe.

  –Did everyone emerge? Who was the last one out? Report!

  –This is Clark. There was only one person remaining when I left!

  –Alan, answer us! Are you okay?

  “Yes, I’ve escaped!”

  The members sighed with relief at Ark’s answer.

  -Okay. Everybody is well. But we can’t be relieved yet. There is still that guy that hit the elevator hiding somewhere. And the Sufferers are outside so it is dangerous to move individually. So the plan will change. My present location is near the 27th floor. All members should meet in the middle on the 16th floor……jijijiji……

  The Nymphe suddenly started emitting static.

  “Captain-nim, what happened? Please respond Captain-nim!

  -Something dangerous is happening!

  –The member who is closest go and check the Captain’s safety! Who is next to Captain-nim?

  –It’s me! I…..heok!

  –What’s going on? Hey! Puroki, answer! Damn! Answer!

  Shouts continued emerging from the Nymphe. Another member screamed over the Nymphe.

  –There is something above me! Something…..something…..an absurd speed….wahhhhh!

  Screams echoed like a chain from the Nymphe. He didn’t know what was going on but something was definitely happening. The voices of the Team Leaders turned hysterical as the situation changed.

  -Dammit! Check what is going on!

  –But it is happening above us! This is an emergency situation! All squad members descend! It will be good if you can hide! Move as quickly as possible!

  –Heok! T-that….wahhhh!

  –Who? Who was it this time?

  –I don’t know! I can’t confirm it directly….cough!

  –T-that sound…..something is descending at a huge rate from above….wahhhh!

  The correspondence with the squad members kept of being cut off. 10 members had already disappeared after screaming.

  Dudududu! Dudududu!

  The elevator shaft shook as the roaring sound was heard again. It was coming from the top! Something was descending at a huge rate. There were flashes from above him and shots started ringing out. But the roaring didn’t stop. The deafening screams got closer to Ark as the communication continued being disrupted.

  ‘The Phoenix members can’t fight properly but the opponent clearly isn’t ordinary. I don’t know the identity but it clearly isn’t a Sufferer. I can’t fight it while dangling on the wire. First I have to move out of this shaft. No, it will be quicker to descend to the bottom based on my location.’

  Ark grabbed the wire attached to the rail. He could tell the monster was quickly descending. He kept on hearing gunshots and screams and he couldn’t tell how many members were left. No, Ark couldn’t do anything even if he grasped that fact.

  “Pant pant pant, pant pant pant.”

  Ark moved his arm like crazy and climbed down the wire.

  -Dammit! This…..heok! T-this is unbelievable!

  ‘This voice is? Clark! It is Clark!’

  Ark flinched and looked up.

  –Dammit! Alan, run away! Bring it on you bastard! I am Clark of the Phoenix squad!

  Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

  Clark’s scream could be heard as an explosion occurred above him. Then no more screams or gunshots could be heard. Clark was the member that escaped just before Ark! It meant that thing descending had slaughtered all the members of the squad.

  “Oh my god….how is this….in such a short time…..”

  Ark looked up the shaft and stuttered.

  Dudududu! Dudududu!

  There was a moment of hesitation before that ‘thing’ roared again. The explosion this time was only 15 metres away from Ark. And Ark was still dangling from the wire. When considering the speed it was impossible for Ark to run away!

  “Damn…..of all things…..a place like this…..”

  Ark looked up with a hopeless look. And after a while he could see a black shadow incoming.

  Susususu!

  Then something wound around Ark’s ankle.

  Space 4

  In the X…..

  “What…..what the? Wah!”

  Ark cried out as something wrapped around his ankle. Something had emerged from a vent in the wall to wind around his ankle. Then there was an increased sense of power as his ankle was tugged and grabbing onto the rail with both hands couldn’t stop him from being sucked into the vent.

  “Ugh! Don’t make me laugh! I won’t go that easily! Fading Steel-II!”

  The side of his bag automatically opened and Fading Steel-II emerged. Ark who was dragged into the vent turned his body with a pleasant smile. And he aimed the muzzle at the guy pulling him inside.

  –Don’t be a fool. Do you want to die?

  “Heok! Such a thing! Y-you…..”

  -Shhh! Be quiet!

  He (?) approached and covered Ark’s mouth.

  Dudududu! Dudududu!

  At that time a loud roar was heard from outside the vent. It sounded like the mystery creature that attacked the Phoenix members! It was the sound of something crashing into the ground at a tremendous speed. His heart really jumped as he hid in the small vent from the ghastly monster. Then he heard the sound of snapping from below. And signs that the monster was getting further away. Judging from the sounds heard, the monster seemed to h
ave hit the bottom of the elevator shaft and entered the 5th floor.

  –We somehow managed to avoid it.

  A sighing voce was heard from behind him. Ark’s mouth was then unblocked and he was asked.

  –Who are you?

  That was what Ark wanted to ask. Well he survived thanks to that guy dragging him into the vent but he still wanted to ask. However Ark could already grasp 50% of the person’s identity. Surprisingly the person in the small vent was a Charenjok! The octopus type alien Charenjok. How did the octopus…..a question appeared in his head.

  “Are you one of the Charenjok who disappeared from the prohibited area?”

  –Prohibited area! Where did you hear that from?

  The octopus grabbed Ark’s collar and shouted.

  “I asked Elder Bakum of the Charenjok who lives near the lake.”

  –Bakum? You met Elder Bakum?

  “Yes, he is the reason why I entered Charem. I’m very friendly with the Charenjok. While visiting the northern lake, I managed to encounter the Charenjok living there. I heard from the elder that Charenjok have gone missing in the prohibited area and I requested to investigate the area. Then I was swept into Charem while investigating.”

  -That’s right. Is that how you managed to obtain the Charenjok’s token?

  “Eh? How do you know that…..?”

  Ark’s eyes widened. He had a battle with the Sufferers before riding the elevator. He had used the Charenjok’s token and then placed it in his bag. So how did the octopus know about the Charenjok’s token? The octopus removed his hands and sighed.

  –It is like you said. I’m a Charenjok who went missing from the prohibited area.

  “I didn’t think the Charenjok were still alive.”

  –Heh, I also thought I was dead when I was sucked into that black hole. But…..you must’ve seen it as well if you came through the black hole. The net spread in front of the huge drain. I was caught in the net and captured by the androids in charge of those facilities. And…..I was given this.

  The octopus pointed to a collar around his neck with a bitter expression. The black ring fastened tightly had an octopus head and 8 characters carved on it.

  –This makes it so I can’t leave the designated area. If I try to take it off or step over the boundaries then it will explode. In other words, these collars are evidence of slaves. Elder Bakum refused to seek asylum with the federation and chose to live in the Outlands. I was caught as a slave but I would rather choose death. But I couldn’t risk all the colleagues with me dying.

  “Colleagues? Then all the Charenjok that disappeared in the prohibited area are alive?”

  –Yes, all the Charenjok that didn’t encounter the lobsters in the prohibited area are still alive. Lord Java turned us into slaves and made us clean the pipes of this place.

  The octopus sighed with a depressed expression. Once again, the octopuses were really a species optimized to clean pipes as proven on R-14. Their flexible body meant they could enter everywhere and they had the ability to heal minor wounds. It seemed they were forced to clean plumbing no matter where they went. It was a cursed ability.

  –I was living as a slave with no chance to escape when this happened suddenly. A black spirit spread after people died…..and they became alive again. It was the appearance of the Sufferers.

  “Do you know why it spread?”

  –I don’t know. It just happened all of a sudden. The dead woke up and started killing others and the infection spread. Lord Java and some people managed to escape but I was stuck here. The area my collar is set to is the central control tower. Therefore I’m confined to this tower unless I want my head to explode. But the pipes don’t spread throughout the whole building. And nobody knows the pipes as well as I do. I managed to avoid the damage by hiding in the pipes. I was going around to check the situation when I discovered you on the 4th floor.

  “4th floor?”

  Ark asked with a frown. He was reminded of something. After a battle he was resting while raising his hacking proficiency when he felt something strange. That strange feeling had occurred on the 4th floor.

  “Then when I felt like I was being watched……”

  –It was me. I saw the Charenjok’s token on your head at that time.

  “Then why didn’t you say something?”

  –You were with the soldier belonging to Lord Java. You might’ve had the Charenjok’s token but I didn’t know who you were and what purpose you came here for. So I thought I would follow you secretly and watch for a while. I missed you when you entered the elevator but then I heard the deafening roar. Therefore I entered the vent to check the situation.

  This was the process the octopus went through to help Ark.

  -Now it is your turn. How did you end up with Java’s soldiers when you were sucked into the black hole like us?

  “I managed to escape outside the water tank and accidentally met them. Their purpose is to recapture the management system at the top of this building to release the seal. I can’t escape from here until the seal is released so I accompanied them.”

  -So that’s what happened.

  “But the thing that attacked my colleagues and I…..what is it?”

  –I don’t know. I know it is a huge being different from the other things inside here but I haven’t seen it directly. I don’t even dare approach it.

  ‘Certainly…..’

  He understood that feeling. Ark had gasped with fear hanging inside that dark shaft as he heard it approaching him. It was obviously something with a high level. It really felt like when watching a horror movie and then a ghost like Sadako jumped out of the TV. The atmosphere itself was frightening. It was the same in this case.

  ‘I only survived thanks to the Charenjok…..’

  -Multiple Communication Network

  Network Name: Phoenix Channel: 1 main connection)

  Connection Staff: 0

  Ark sighed as he saw the Nymphe screen. The multiple communication network was like a chat room system where team members could communicate with each other. There was a distance restriction but he could communicate with all members connected to the channel. But currently there were 0 people connected. If he considered the previous situation then the only possible situation was that they all died.

  ‘I’m left alone in a place like this……’

  The control tower was infested with Sufferers and he had to get to the top by himself. Once again, this was the original outbreak site. The Sufferers in this area showed the symptoms first so they were higher level. And a huge, unidentified monster wandering around this place was many times more dangerous. The thought of being left alone in this place made him gloomy. Right now the chances of survival wasn’t high.

  ‘In addition, there is all the loot on the Guardian that I collected!’

  The Phoenix were wiped out so he could look for it. If he sold all the items in the Guardian then he could get 10 gold for it! But they were items that he went around for 3 days collecting without any breaks. The thought of all that japtem flying away…..

  ‘No, that isn’t the problem now!’

  Ark sighed and shook his head. The Phoenix’s main duty was to recapture the management system. If that mission was accomplished then he would have to wait in Charem until he died. It wasn’t the time to worry about japtem. But the Phoenix members he trusted were killed in battle. Judging from the environment around him, Ark was currently on the 10th floor. Ark had no choice but to climb the remaining 30 floors by himself.

  ‘The elevator that connected to the 39th floor was smashed….that means I have to climb 30 floors infested with Sufferers. This isn’t a place where Sufferers would gather together like in the contaminated areas…..but I’m still climbing 30 floors alone.’

  Currently Ark could only deal with 3~4 Sufferers at once. Of course this wasn’t an open place like the city so he could avoid facing dozens of opponents at once. But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t find more than 4 while going up th
e 30 floors. Furthermore, it had taken the Phoenix members 1 and a half days to move 5 floors. When he was alone he would need to pay attention to avoid being attacked by more than 3~4 Sufferers. He couldn’t guess how long it would take him to reach the top. The probability of success was only 10%. This quest was already almost finished since he lost the Phoenix squad.

  ‘But that doesn’t mean it is impossible!’

  Ark finished organizing his thoughts and asked the octopus.

  “Do you know the complete layout of all the pipes in this place?”

  -Sadly.

  “Could you tell me the layout? Like I said before, the reason I came here was to win back the management system. If the pipes connect to the management system then this problem can be settled.”

  The octopus had survived for 1 month in the Sufferer infested central tower. It meant the pipes was a relatively safe place. The long, deformed limbs of the Sufferer meant they couldn’t navigate through the narrow pipes. In other words, if he moved through the pipes then he didn’t need to worry about surprise attacks from the Sufferers.

  ‘If I can reach the top floor with the pipes……’

  –I don’t care about what happens to Charem.

  The octopus replied in a testy voice. He grasped the collar around his neck as he said.

  –Lord Java is the one who made me a slave. So why should I worry about his city? Although I’m now living in the pipes, it isn’t that different from my normal life.

  “But you won’t be able to endure this situation for long.”

  –I guess. My food is already running out. But if the management system isn’t recaptured then won’t Java also die? Therefore I don’t care if I die. I’d rather die with Java then to live like a slave.

  ‘This damn octopus!’

  Ark angrily stared at the octopus. But he could also understand the octopus’ words. If Ark accidentally entered Charem and was captured as a slave then he wouldn’t be able to endure it either. Like the octopus said, he wouldn’t be free even if Charem was saved.

  ‘Is there a way to convince him?’

  Then something Ark forgot about popped into his head.

  “Wasn’t another group of Charenjok dragged here a while ago?”