Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  “S-spider? Why all of a sudden?”

  Ark burst out with confusion and retreated. The group of spiders that emerged from the light quickly stampeded towards Ark.

  -7 damage!

  -12 damage!

  -9 damage…..

  The messages continuously rose in front of him. It only did a maximum of 10 damage. But the 10 spiders bit and clawed at him and he quickly lost 300 health. Ark also penetrated through a dozen Sufferers when rushing to the lab so he only had 30% health left. His health had recovered thanks to a short rest but it managed to go below 50% in 1 minute. He didn’t have time to think about why the spiders appeared.

  “Holy shit! N-no!”

  Ark suddenly screamed and rolled on the ground. And shot the Fire Eagle at the spiders.

  Pepepepeng!

  Fortunately the spiders didn’t have a lot of health. Half a dozen spiders melted from the splintered shots.

  “Okay. Even if there are dozens…..”

  Ujik! Ujik! Ujik! Kwadududuk!

  Ark stood up and lifted the Fire Eagle. Then he heard the sound of bone breaking. Ark turned his head and reflexively stiffened. A researcher’s body sitting in a chair started spasming. It was an instant change. The skin started dried out like a mummy and the sound of the bones breaking was the limbs extending.

  “Sufferer!”

  Ark realized what was happening. The spider was infecting the corpse with the Sufferer virus.

  “Oh my god! All the corpses here……”

  Ark belatedly realized the situation and looked around desperately. There were 15 bodies in the lab! In order words, the spiders could create 15 Sufferers inside the lab. That was more than the number outside the lab. If that happened then he would totally lose!

  Kieeeeeeek!

  At that time the mutation into a Sufferer finished. Ark hurriedly pulled out his dagger and drove it into the Sufferer’s mouth. When the Sufferer fell to the ground, Ark placed the muzzle of his gun against the stomach and pulled the trigger.

  Pepepepeng!

  The Sufferer flew away and grabbed his stomach. But Ark had no time to worry about that Sufferer. There was a bunch of spiders that hadn’t mutated into Sufferers yet. He was more worried about them changing into Sufferers. The spiders were gathering around the researchers’ corpses.

  ‘It is the end if they all change into Sufferers!’

  However, there were still dozens of spiders left. Except for the spiders attached to Ark, others were hidden in hard to get areas like under the desk, in niches and partitions.

  Ujik! Ujik! Ujik! Kwadududuk!

  Meanwhile another corpse was moving.

  ‘I made a mistake! There is no way to stop the spiders that have already scattered! I can’t take care of 15 Sufferers even if I wear the battle suit! The only way is to burn the corpses with the flamethrower……’

  Ark suddenly raised his head.

  ‘Wait a minute, corpses? Yes, the corpses! If I get rid of the corpses then I can stop the spiders! And the flamethrower isn’t the only way to get rid of a corpse!’

  “Come out! Armour armament!”

  Ark jumped up and shouted. At that moment there was a storm and all the spiders attached to him flew of. The space warped and a black, insect like armour appeared. Ark was then covered with the armour. It was his battle suit Hyper Drone that increased all stats by 30%! But Ark had a reason other than the boost in stats to summon the Hyper Drone.

  “Come out, Shire! Rune Carving, Ikram!”

  Ark’s hand drew a complex character in the light. It was the Ikram rune he learnt in the pyramid! Then a hazy shape that looked like the ghost of Anubis appeared in the air. The dog’s head was then sucked into the researcher’s body. Then the researcher’s body started shaking like it was about to explode. And a dog with the head of a person emerged! It was the Hell hound.

  “That’s it! It was successful!”

  This was the method Ark devised!

  “If the corpses are a problem then I should change it into Hell hounds!”

  Then the Sufferer that received the shotgun bullet to its stomach came running. But Ark had no interest in the Sufferer anymore. He could see the spiders spreading out behind the Sufferer’s body. Ark was only interested in the Sufferer’s body.

  “Those damn spiders, take this!”

  Pepepepeng!

  Ark fired towards the swarm of spiders around the corpses. While the spiders scattered, he avoided the Sufferer’s attacks and carved a rune in the air.

  “Come out, Shire! Rune Carving, Ikram!”

  Pepeng!

  A new Hell hound was created. However, he couldn’t take the counterattack of the spiders lightly. While the Hell hound was being created, a corpse on the other side started being turned into a Sufferer. Ark blindly fired at the spiders and shouted.

  “Dammit, Hell hound! What are you standing around looking stupid for? Spider! Attack the spiders that are devouring the offerings to Anubis! Don’t just stand there watching! Stupid! Why aren’t you catching those spiders? Catch the ones approaching the corpses! Run!”

  The 2 Hell hounds Ark created ran across the laboratory at Ark’s command. The abilities of the Hell hounds depended on the body that was sacrificed. The corpses that Ark offered were researchers. Their stats would be trivial. But they were still better than the spiders that had been hit by the Fire Eagle.

  Grrrr! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!

  They might be weaker than people but the cat was better at catching mice. The Hell hound was the same. It would be difficult to catch the spiders if they were hiding underneath the desks and partitions. However, the spiders were desperate to dig into the corpses to transform them into Sufferers. Ark also wasn’t idle.

  “Ikram! Ikram! Ikram!”

  He rolled around wielding his dagger and Fire Eagle while turning the bodies into Hell hounds. And he ordered the new Hell hounds that emerged to attack the spiders. The Hell hounds chased after the spiders and the Sufferers ran after Ark. Meanwhile he ran around transforming bodies into Hell hounds and attacking the Sufferers…….

  ‘It’s up to here!’

  Ark gasped and raised his head.

  -Hyper Drone’s remaining mana: 22%

  The battle suit’s mana lasted for 30 minutes but he ran away using Rune Carving and the mana decreased to 22% in just 2 minutes.

  ‘But……’

  Ark had managed to use Ikram 7 times! There were 7 Hell hounds running around in the laboratory. Those 7 Hell hounds ran around and caused the spiders to emit smoke before melting. While the Hell hounds were running around, 5 Sufferers managed to be successfully created. There were still a few corpses but no more spiders.

  ‘This should be enough!’

  Ark stopped using Rune Carving. There was 22% mana left before the battle suit would be recalled. The Hell hounds would also disappear. The Sufferers weren’t increasing anymore so there was no reason to keep them around. But Ark could use the bonus stats and Hell hounds when fighting against the Sufferer.

  Pushu-!

  -You have used the recovery ampoule loaded on the Nymphe.

 

  “Now let’s stick!”

  Bbok bbok bbok bbok! Bbok bbok bbok bbok

  -You have recovered 2 health.

  -You have recovered 2 health…..

  He used the recovery ampoule! The token was placed on his head! At the same time Ark turned and fired at the Sufferers. The 5 Sufferers pushed aside the desks and chairs and rushed at Ark.

  “Sonic Sword!”

  The dagger broke through the speed of sound and caused a shock wave. Ark pushed back the first Sufferer and exclaimed.

  “Hell hounds! Stop those guys in the back!”

  Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Kaekang!

  As expected, the Hell hounds created from the bodies of the Sufferers were extremely weak. They seemed incredibly strong when hunting the spiders but were nothing against the Sufferers. One attack would decr
ease their health by 20%. But he didn’t expect a lot anyway. Ark just wanted to disperse the focus of their attacks. The Hell hounds persistently bit onto their legs despite being kicked. The 7 Hell hounds are tied up 2 Sufferers! It was good enough.

  “Set Bullets Shooting!”

  Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

  The projectiles shot out by the Fire Eagle exploded instantly. The shotgun caused 20% damage to three Sufferers! Meanwhile the one shot directly in the chest received 50% damage and flew back 10 metres. The claws of the Sufferers attacked from the left and right. But Ark ducked down and the claws just swiped through the air. The Sonic Sword then hit the Sufferer’s ankle, causing it to collapse. Ark then aimed at the head of the Sufferer.

  Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

  -Headshot!

 

  The head of the Sufferer blew up like a watermelon and it collapsed. This wasn’t the first Sufferer Ark killed since entering the contaminated area. He joined the Phoenix squad and gained 4 levels travelling through the city and he was level 72 after entering the central control tower. But his growth wasn’t simply in the levels. His experience of fighting against the Sufferers was ingrained into his body. His movements were completely different from the first time he met the Sufferers. He also inadvertently obtained the Fire Eagle!

  Kakak! Kakaka! Pepepeng!

  Ark relentlessly attacked the possessed Sufferers. His sword split apart bone and flesh while the Fire Eagle’s bullets lodged into the Sufferer. He was indeed in a trance! Meanwhile the cool down time of Mind Shield was over so Ark triggered it and didn’t receive that much damage. After approximately 3 minutes.

  Cheolkong! Pushu!

  The casings fell from the Fire Eagle’s cylinder. The casings fell among the scattered remains of the Sufferers on the ground.

  ‘There’s 2 left!’

  Ark reloaded the bullets and started moving. 5 Hell hounds had died when he looked at the remaining 2 Sufferers. However the Sufferers weren’t completely okay. The Hell hounds hadn’t stopped biting and the Sufferers’ ankles were so worn that bone could be seen. Just like the Hell hounds, the Sufferer’s ability also depended on the body it mutated from. Moreover, this Sufferers were just created so they were extremely weak from the ones Ark normally faced. Ark could also easily take down 3 even if they were the strong ones.

  “Hell hounds. That’s enough. If any spiders emerge from these guys then kill them straight away! I’ll take care of those fellows!”

  Kong kong kong! Kong kong kong!

  Ark called off the Hell hounds and wielded his sword and gun. The Sufferer’s health had decreased by 20% while taking care of the 5 Hell hounds. But the ankles meant that their movements were decreased. Their health was reduced by 30~40% after the focused attacks. And Ark wasn’t an opponent easily stopped by the Sufferers.

  -The Hyper Drone’s mana has been exhausted.

 

  The mana consumption of summoning so many Hell hounds meant the battle suit was recalled quicker. Ark didn’t pay any attention and continued attacking the Sufferers.

  Kieeeeeeek!

  The battle ended with a final cry of distress. The Hell hounds meant to be killing the spiders had also disappeared with the battle suit so Ark took care of them. Finally the spiders, Sufferers and Hell hounds disappeared and Ark was the only one left in the lab.

  “Pant pant pant! Now I understand what is going on. It is obvious what happened in Charem.”

  Ark breathed harshly as he looked at the meteorite. The Sufferers had suddenly appeared one month ago. When he first heard Kalbern’s words he thought nothing of it. But there was a reason for it. It was a game but there was a reason for the unidentified biohazard. The curse on the meteorite was produce the spiders as soon as it was hit!

  “This isn’t a biohazard. It is a curse. Just like Anubis was in charge of the pyramid, the Osiris created the curse that made the Sufferers. Jay didn’t know that and someone hit the meteorite as an experiment.”

  Clearly it spread because of that. And spiders appeared and all the people inside the lab became Sufferers. The Sufferers left the lab and attacked the guards that tried to stop them……

  The situation repeated several times until the control tower and the surrounding area in the city became contaminated with Sufferers.

  “This is the first generation of Sufferers. It is the cause of the Sufferers. Jay and the researchers who died in here were unaware that this was the cause of all the damage. And I just invoked the curse again. If it wasn’t for the Ikram rune then I would be dead.”

  The Ikram was a rune that offered up bodies to summon a Hell hound. It was similar to the process of creating a Sufferer. Well they were both techniques of the Murat so they would be similar but……in the end he managed to survive against a curse using another curse.

  “Okay what now? There is no doubt that is a relic form the Murat. But it didn’t receive one scratch from the Fire Eagle and it also caused a curse. In other words, there must be a separate way to unseal it……if I go to the management system then there was no doubt I can solve Charem’s problem. However I can’t carry the whole thing……”

  While Ark was busy thinking…..

  Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!

  Suddenly the meteorite vibrated and shattered? He struggled so hard to find out how to crack it but it was suddenly resolved? Then Ark heard a voice in his head while he was staring with a dumb expression.

  –The pure light has released the seal. You, take up the Murat’s will!

  “Eh? The pure light? It was definitely recorded that pure light could wake up the meteorite but…..wait? That reminds me…..the Shire! That’s right, the Shire is a technique originally used by the Murat. And the Shire was a photon organism. The pure light must be referring to the Murat’s Shire. Oh my god, I had the method to unseal the meteorite all along?”

  There was no reason for him to go through all that trouble in the first place. But that was the result. If it wasn’t for Osiris’ curse then Ark would still be yanking at his head. The process might not be smooth but at least the seal was released! And the thing that appeared in the meteorite was a mummy! The mummy was dressed like a Pharaoh while holding a small pyramid in its hands. The only difference from the small pyramid found underneath Beltana was the colour.

  “This pyramid is obviously……”

  The moment Ark touched the pyramid! Light shot up from the vertex of the pyramid and a video appeared.

  ‘Indeed! This is the same reaction as the small pyramid underneath Beltana!’

  The 3D video that appeared in thin air……

  7 people wearing pharaoh clothes were standing in a place that looked like a spaceship and staring outside. A large fireball was falling outside the spaceship. It was a huge fireball that seemed like it was going to swallow the planet! A man looked at the fireball and sighed before muttering. He couldn’t understand it but the conversation seemed to be about the fireball. After a brief moment, the man pulled out a small, gold pyramid. The remaining 6 people also took out small pyramids. They simultaneously lifted it over their head and a huge light shot out. And hundreds, thousands…..the incalculable number of lights flew towards the fireball.

  ‘W-what is that? 7……there were originally 7of these pyramids? And that light? It was created after the pyramids were gathered…..this pyramid isn’t the same as the one I received before? Is there a hidden secret within the pyramids?’

  The pyramid that he had accidentally found on Beltana was still hiding something! As seen from the video, something great would occur if all 7 pyramids were gathered. Ark’s heart felt unsteady when he discovered this. But he still didn’t know wat was going on. That’s because the video ended with the explosion of the light.

  The new image showed a ma
n dressed in pharaoh’s clothes inside a small, capsule like spacecraft and flying somewhere. He was holding the brown pyramid that Ark had right now. Endless…..endless…..endless…..he flew for so long that his skin changed to that of a mummy. And the man finally realized it was the end for him. He opened the bottom of the pyramid and put his hand in, filling it with light. His eyes closed and he hardened to stone. It was the rock that had broken just now.

  -You have acquired undisclosed information about the ancient alien species called the Murat.

  The universe has a long history and many alien civilizations have grown and declined. Finding undisclosed information can help illuminate the history of the universe. Hidden alien artefacts or technology can play a decisive role.

  + Information about the ancient alien species Murat (2/15).

  + You have obtained 300 Adventure points for acquiring information about the Murat.

  + You have gained 5 Intelligence for acquiring information about the Murat.

  The image disappeared and the information window popped up. He gained bonus adventure points and intelligence like the previous time. But disappointment spread on Ark’s face.

  “Damn, I was full of expectations but it was just a clue to secrets hidden within the pyramids? It is no different from throwing bait while fishing only to pull up some rice. No, the mummy turned into a meteorite in the second video…..perhaps he was also looking for the pyramids? That reminds me, on the meteorite it was recorded that the mummy was searching for the legacy of the gods. Then maybe there was some incident where the Murat lost the pyramids and the mummy was searching for it when he died of old age…..is it somehow related to the video form Beltana?”

  Ark frowned and muttered. Then the mummy turned into dust and glittering objects fell onto the ground.

  -Sheraton’s Dawn (Rare)

  Item Type: Necklace Wearer Restriction: Level 100

  A necklace belong to the Murat, an ancient alien species that was destroyed a long time ago.

  The purple gemstone inserted in the pendant of the necklace emits a mysterious light. This gem disappeared a long time ago but it had a stabilizing effect and was nicknames the ‘light of intelligence.’ The ancient Murat respects wisdom above everything else and decorated various accessories with it. The gemstone placed in the Sheraton’s Dawn is a size that is hard to process.