by Yoo Seong
And beyond the boundaries were clouds! Clouds swept over Charem’s shield like a wave. He had crawled through narrow pipes for a few hours so the sudden panoramic view really made him feel good. But that only lasted for a moment. The control tower was located on one end of Charem. In other words, the front looked towards the city while the back was like a cliff. The power facilities was like a lump attached to the back of Charem’s control tower. He had to go down the ladder on the outer wall to reach the facilities. By the way…..
Weng weng weng! Weng weng weng! Weng weng weng!
Ark walked along the outer wall until he heard a sound that he could identify. At the bottom of the ladder was a large 20 metre hole. That hole led to the facility that supplied Charem’s power! However a huge propeller was spinning at the entrance at a tremendous speed. It was a ventilator designed to clear the toxic fumes created inside the facility. This was the reason that Ark was dangling from the ladder. There was a 20 metre large ventilator covering the entrance. If he got caught in the propeller then he would be cut to pieces.
–Oh! I didn’t think about the ventilator.
“So there’s no way for me to enter? Is there a way?”
–All the facilities are managed by the central control system! You have to manually operate the control system to stop the ventilator!
“If I could touch the control system then I wouldn’t need to come here!
– …… Oh!
He really wanted to beat Jay up.
“Dammit, why can’t this be easily resolved?”
In fact, that wasn’t the case. He might’ve become the strongest in New World but he went through a lot of hardships to get to that point. Ark had a long history of being unlucky. He had been in situations like this many times…..
That experience wasn’t a bad thing. It meant he became accustomed to handling things like this. He drew on his experience of being a gamer for several years. And he soon discovered a solution to the problem.
“I have to do it.”
Ark sighed and pulled out the Wire Camera.
“Dammit, the thing that cost me 70 gold…..I have to leave it in a place like this. I have to squeeze as much compensation as possible from Marquis Martin and Lord Java when the quest finishes!”
Ark threw the Wire Camera towards the centre of the propeller. It wrapped around the centre for a while before intertwining with a propeller blade. The next moment…..clang! Clang! Kararara! Ku ku ku kung!
There was a loud sound and the propeller stared slowing until it eventually stopped. The Wire Camera wrapped around the centre and acted like a brake. In fact, he knew about this method to stop the propeller as soon as he saw it. But he had to give up 70 gold in exchange. Therefore he wanted to think of another way. However he was tired of wandering the control tower. The fastest way was to give up the 70 gold. The value of the camera would be nothing compared to the compensation.
“Of course, that only applies if it is completed successfully.”
Ark immediately started descending the ladder. It was an underground facility but it wasn’t that deep. No, it was a city in the air so the facilities wouldn’t be underground anyway…..anyway, he passed the propeller and a wide area appeared after continuing for another 5 metres.
“This is Charem’s power generating facility?”
Ark muttered to himself and looked around. 1 minute had passed since the propeller stopped. He didn’t know what fuel the propeller used but a smoky gas covered the area underneath it. The area was approximately 40 meters. He couldn’t see the details because of the gas but there was the roar of hundreds of engines working at the same time.
“I’m in the power facility. Now what do I do?”
-I don’t understand how but it is good that you managed to enter the facility. Charem’s power facility uses a synthetic ether as fuel so there should be a superluminal particle converter somewhere. It is a cylindrical machine 10 metres in size so it shouldn’t be hard to find. If you disconnect the particle converter then the power facility will stop working.
He didn’t know what a superluminal particle converter was but he could find a cylindrical machine immediately. It was a machine that vibrated and emitted a red light!
☞ (Power Supply Switch) ☜
It was even kind enough to indicate the switch for him.
Woong woong woong woong, woong woong woong woong……
He pressed the button and the vibrating sound of the machines in the facility gradually stopped.
“That’s it! I can soon finish this damn quest!”
It took a fortnight to reach this point of the quest. When considering all the suffering that he went through, he felt like collapsing at the thought of it ending.
‘The power is cut so now the shield is also gone? That means I can send a radio wave to Marquis Martin without needing to connect to the communication antenna!’
Ark took out the special communication device that Marquis Martin gave him.
“Federation! Galactic Federation, over! This is Ark!”
——————————————————————
“Marquis-nim!”
A soldier shouted in a desperate voice.
“A signal is coming in over a closed frequency! It is Ark!”
“Ark? Are you sure?”
Marquis Martin got up suddenly and asked.
“Yes, it is the frequency of the special communication device. The person also said that he was Ark!”
“Connect the signal right now!”
“Understood!”
The soldier quickly manipulated the panel.
-Hey, can you hear me? I’m Ark! Galactic Federation, over!
‘That voice clearly belongs to Ark!’
“It is me. Ark. It is Marquis Martin!”
–Eh? Marquis-nim? I didn’t think that Marquis-nim would receive this directly. How are you?
“Let’s skip the small talk. Where are you now? Charem? Are you in Charem?”
–Huhuhuhu, that is correct.
“You’re now in Charem? You’re really contacting us from Charem?”
-That’s right. Who am I? Somehow I completed it. By the way, there seems to be a misunderstanding. When I entered I discovered that the situation is more tangled than I thought. Do you know how much I’ve suffered because of it? No, that doesn’t matter. I need to tell Marquis Martin the detailed information…..
“A misunderstanding?”
-Yes, the reason that Charem broke off contact with the federation…..heok! Waaaah!
“Ark! What’s going on? Ark, answer me!”
Marquis Martin screamed through the communication device with a desperate voice. Then the communication soldier shook his head and said.
“…… The connection has been lost.”
“It suddenly disconnected? What on earth…..and he talked about a misunderstanding?”
Marquis Martin stared at the communication device before raising his head and asked.
“Communication soldier, did you manage to get the GPS information from the signal?”
“Yes, the location is X0588, Y-489, the sky above the northern lake!”
Marquis Martin grabbed a uniform on a hangar and shouted.
“Deputy, send an emergency signal to the galactic federation’s special operation centre. Inform the governor of Nabe. Make him gather all cruisers with a photon movement function loaded at the port. Once all the cruisers are gathered, make them warp to X-599, Y489. The primary goal is to take control of Charem. If that isn’t possible……”
Marquis Martin paused before continuing.
“Then we will destroy Charem.”
——————————————————————
“Pant pant pant! Pant pant pant!”
Ark gasped as he touched the particle converter.
“Oh my god! Why didn’t I think of that?”
When Ark was communicating with Marquis Martin. Ark suddenly felt a sensation
in his body. This wasn’t the first time he felt that feeling. It was the same as when the Phoenix members were in the elevator and it fell from the surprise attack! A lightning bolt then flashed through Ark’s head.
‘W-wait? Isn’t Charem a city in the air? I don’t know what the structure is but it is obviously operated through some mechanisms. If the power was cut off all of a sudden……’
It was obvious what would happen.
……Fall!
Charem was falling at an absurd speed.
‘I didn’t think about the consequences of disconnecting the power! Did spending several days dealing with the Sufferers rot my head?’
Ark’s head wasn’t the only one that rotted. It was clear that the head of research Jay’s head also melted away. But now wasn’t the time to curse. Charem was a huge 10 km wide city with a large mass. That city was falling several thousand metres in the sky. It would be a terrible collision even if it hit the lake. Everybody in Charem would be injured or dead. Especially if they were in one of the lower facilities like Ark. He would be crushed by the weight on top of him!
“Heok! Waaaaah!”
That’s when he screamed through the communication device.
Ark belatedly realized the situation and yanked at his head. Then a small button caught his eye and gave him some hope……
☞ (Power Supply Switch) ☜
‘Y-yes! The particle converter! I might be able to stop it if I turn on the power!’
And he pressed the ON switch! He stopped getting that sinking feeling.
“I-it stopped! I’m alive!”
He didn’t see it but he could feel it directly with his body. That’s why the communication with Marquis Martin stopped in the middle. The power was restored which meant that Charem was wrapped in the shield again and the radio waves were cut off. So Charem was back in its original sealed state……
“The original quest I received was to send Charem’s GPS information to the federation. The communication might’ve been disconnected in the middle but the GPS information was still passed on. If the federation army arrives then all the problems will be solved. I no longer have to disconnect the power.”
And there was some time before the federation would arrive. Just as Ark was relaxing.
Ku ku ku ku! Kukung!
A loud ringing sound was heard from behind him. He was still tense from the fall so his heart jumped.
“Heok! T-this sound is? It sounds like something falling into the hole……”
Ark turned his head and stiffened. A huge object had appeared in the facility filled with smoke. And the sloppy flesh slapped against the ground. The huge shadow dragged its body and headed towards Ark.
“Is that…..?”
Ark stuttered with shock and retreated.
-The destruction ranked monster ‘Mumu’ has emerged!
The warning message flashed before his eyes. The huge flesh fell towards him.
Space 7
Like a Phoenix!
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
The huge body rose off the floor. The man rolled around as it fell.
“Oh my god! The Mumu……these guys…..how did the Mumu…..?”
Ark stared at the huge body with astounded eyes. The slime like body was definitely similar to the Mumu that he saw in the Charenjok’s hiding spot. But there was one crucial difference. It was clear just from the name recorded on the information window.
-The destruction ranked monster ‘Mumu’ has emerged!
It only had one name! It was called the Mumu. This Mumu was a huge collection of dozens of other Mumus. It wasn’t just the size. The Mumu in the hiding spot had smooth and wriggly skin like jelly and was cute. However he couldn’t find that type of charm in this creature. He didn’t know if it had anything to do with Osiris’ curse but it had turned into a disgusting black mass. He saw the creepy skin and remembered something.
‘I…..I’ve seen that before!’
It was the black form he witnessed at the top of the elevator shaft!
‘There’s no doubt about it. This guy. He is the one who attacked the elevator and swallowed the Phoenix members hanging in the shaft!’
It became increasingly clear. The Phoenix squad’s enemy!
Roaaaaar!
Then the black form flew at Ark again. Long tentacles spouted from the body and shot towards Ark. He rolled his body and there was a roar as the tentacles hit the ground and caused pits. The tentacles had tremendous power! The Mumu that was the Phoenix squad’s enemy! And maybe……it was Ark’s enemy.
‘Damn, I’ve reached this point……’
Ark bit his lip and glared at the Mumu. Even if they were hanging in the vertical passage, the Mumu was able to instantly defeat the 30 strong members of the Phoenix squad. He was facing such a monster alone. Ark was thinking it was all over!He didn’t know how that monster got here but it was a disaster for Ark.
‘Dammit, why did this have to happen?’
Various curse words rose in his throat. But after a moment, Ark took a deep breath and pushed it down.
‘Calm down Ark! You shouldn’t become so upset that you’ll become rushed. The attack is incredibly fast and powerful but it isn’t impossible to stop. An attack in a straight line like the previous one will be easy to avoid. I have to focus on the fight! And……’
Ark looked at a cylinder with a blue light in his bag. It was the mana battery pack that he received from the Rama’s bunker on Beltana. It was an item that could restore 1,000 mana when wearing the battle suit. Ark had obtained 2 battery packs from the Rama. He had used one of them fighting against the Gigantic on Beltana. He had used the battery pack to summon the Hell hound and trick Valencia. And he thought about using the remaining one on the 40th floor. In fact, Ark had expected something like this to a certain extent. He didn’t know a huge Mumu would emerge but he hadn’t expected it to end that easily. He had bad luck inside the game so his intuition had sensed something. Thanks to his intuition he was prepared for something happening. Anyway, thanks to that Ark’s battle suit was 100% charged!
“Armour armament!”
Then Ark stood up and shouted. A shock wave spread out as the armour was summon and enveloped Ark’s body. The glossy black battle suit that looked like an insect carapace wrapped around Ark’s body. Ark opened both arms and shouted.
“Super alloy dagger! Fire Eagle P-40!”
The sides of his bag opened and both weapons sprang out. It was the shotgun that Ark used as a primary weapon, the Fire Eagle P-40! In his left hand was his dagger!
“Not yet! Mind shield!”
-The Mind Shield has been activated.
In addition, the effect of Backstab or Sudden Blow will be nullified by 100%>
A blue sphere was created around the battle suit after the information window appeared. His battle mode was completed!
“Now let’s go! Be prepared to die!”
Ark’s eyes shone red as the helmet closed up and turned. And the moment he looked at the Mumu!
Cheolpeok! Chwaak! Cheolpeok! Chwaak! Cheolpeok! Chwaak!
The Mumu’s body vibrated violently. 6 bits of flesh 4~5 metres long shot towards the ground and supported the huge body. It looked exactly like a spider! The shape was exactly the same as the spiders created by the meteorite.
“W-wait a minute! A Mumu! Aren’t you a Mumu? The Mumu that attacked the elevator? Why did it suddenly turn to a spider? Isn’t this cheap? What is your identity?”
Ark thought the monster only had the tentacles. It might be fast but it could only go in one direction so it was easily avoided if he concentrated. So he had thought the odds were in his favour. But it suddenly grew 6 legs!
“This is a foul!”
Kuaaaaah!
The Mumu’s entire body started moving like a storm. Six legs at the same time? Tentacles? Body? Anyway,
the long legs started moving like a whip towards Ark.
“Dammit!”
Ark cursed as he turned his body.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was the sound of the legs continuously striking the ground. While avoiding a huge impact, he moved in the wrong direction and backed up against a wall. Ark was pushed by the impact into the wall. But there was no time for him to scream. The Mumu’s legs were flying straight towards him.
“B-block it…..Sonic Sword!”
Ark raised his dagger. A ringing sound occurred and he could feel pain throughout his entire body. He called it a leg for convenience but the flesh was 1 metre thick. It was impossible to stop the shock wave produced by such a huge body with a dagger. Ark who had used his dagger to block was stuck between the Mumu’s leg and the wall. But this wasn’t the end of the Mumu’s attacks. The Mumu started pushing its leg down towards Ark. Then its body started spinning and sparks flew between the wall and the battle suit.
-20 damage!
-32 damage…..
His health fell at a tremendous speed. The great power pressed him against the wall and he was grounded like a pestle. Rather than a battle, it was like the Mumu was using Ark as a toy to play with.
‘No! I can’t fight properly like this!’
Ark bit his lip and desperately lifted the Fire Eagle.
“Ouch! Ouch! S-Set Bullets Shooting!”
Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!
Flames shot out form Ark and the leg was blown off. At the same time a piece of flesh fell off the leg. Ark kicked off from the wall and rolled several metres away. His health had decreased by 20% in just a few seconds. A loss of 20% at the start of the battle was a painful loss.
‘The Mind Shield didn’t even hold up against that damage…..he didn’t know what it was but the firepower was destructive. I’ll die if I’m even careless for a short while.’
