by Yoo Seong
Kiiiiii! Kiiiiii!
-Hostile behaviour detected! Risk of death! Get rid of it!
Once one of its colleagues collapsed, the Nakuma eating at the airship turned back to Ark. Dozens of bullets started to rain all over the place. Some of the high level ones were also fitted with RPGs. However Ark wasn’t intimidated by bullets or shells anymore. The blue light of his sword swung down. The bullets heading towards Ark divided like the Red Sea. The electromagnetic properties of the lightsaber twisted the orbit of the bullets! Of course, there were a lot of bullets so several had no choice but to hit. But those bullets didn’t pierce through Ark.
“Mind Shield!”
-The Mind Shield has been activated.
In addition, the effect of Backstab or Sudden Blow will be nullified by 100%>
The Mind Shield covered his entire body!
“Dammit! I can’t let the Nakuma eat the airship!”
Ark rushed through the hail of bullets while using Sword Defense. He then struck the Nakuma like a whirlwind. Sparks flew and pieces of the Nakuma’s shield scattered everywhere.
“Eat this if you want metal!”
Ark quickly loaded the Fire Eagle with Armour Piercing Bullets. He spun around like a spin top and fired everywhere. Fighting with the Nakuma was basically the same as the Kero. He needed to avoid the Nakuma’s gatling gun and close the distance. The lightsaber smashed the shield while the Armour Piercing Bullets turned it into junk metal! Sometimes they would shoot RPGs but Ark was actually thankful for that.
‘Sword Defense!’
A small bullet was difficult to catch the timing to deflect it. However, the larger shell was relatively slow so there was a high probably that he could direct the orbit in the direction he wanted. That direction was naturally the Nakuma!
Pepepepeng!
The RPG shell hit the Nakuma and it was turned into scrap metal. After going crazy for 10 minutes, the final Nakuma exploded into pieces and the battle ended. The battle was against 10 opponents so Ark was considerably injured. He only had 20% health left thanks to the gunshot wounds. However he couldn’t afford to take care of the wounds.
“Tori, where are you? Tori!”
“H-Hyung-nim!”
The answer came from under the airship. Tori then came rushing out of the airship with tears in his eyes.
“Woo! Hyung-nim, I thought I would die! I really thought I would die!”
Tori was making a fuss but there wasn’t a single injury on his body. He probably hid as soon as the Nakuma attacked the airship. Meanwhile Ark was bleeding heavily from the wounds he received from the Nakuma.
“You bastard!”
“Hik! I-I’m sorry.”
Tori protected his head as Ark raised his fist. Ark sighed at Tori’s reaction and dropped his fist. Tori looked really pitiful. If Tori hadn’t hid and was killed by the Nakuma then he wouldn’t be able to repair the airship. Right now Tori was just as important as the airship.
“No, well done. It would be more troublesome if you died.”
“Oh, thank you for realizing that.”
Tori answered as he stroked his chest. He didn’t show a trace of shame about his ego.
‘He really has a strong talent are surviving.’
A weak guy created his own techniques to survive. Anyway, he had dealt with all the Nakuma attacking the airship. But he looked at the bony skeleton of the airship left behind by the Nakuma and sighed. However there was no need to despair yet. The Nakuma hadn’t actually ate the metal parts. They just tore it and attached it to its body. If the Nakuma died then he could regain the metal parts and attach it back to the airship.
“The problem is the time it will take to gather them…..”
Ark sighed and muttered. Tori noticed Ark’s expression and opened his mouth.
“The truth is…..”
“What? What’s with this reaction? Don’t tell me you don’t think you can repair it?”
“T-that’s not it.” Just…..”
“Just?”
“The ones that Hyung-nim took care of aren’t the only Nakuma to attack the ship. There were a few more big ones. They ate the airship first. The other guys flocked only after they finished. The Nakuma that Hyung-nim defeated only ate some of it. The big ones ate the main systems and important engines. Even the emergency repair kit…..”
“What? T-then?”
“If you don’t regain all of that then repairing……”
Ttiring.
You’ve crash landed in an unknown area on the planet Amara.
But this isn’t a safe place.
The Nakuma attacked and stripped away a few key parts of the airship. Now you have two choices. Take a risk to chase the Nakuma and retrieve the parts or give up on the airship.
* Target: Parts Recovery 0/100%
Difficulty: B
A quest was registered. It was a Selection Quest but Ark had no choice. Right now he didn’t know where he was. If he gave up on the airship then he would have to walk in an unknown direction to try and find a city.
“Dammit!”
“Hik! I-I’m sorry! I….I…..”
Tori screamed as Ark glared at him. Tori wrapped both arms around his head and asked in a troubled voice.
“W-what are you going to do?”
“Do you have to ask? Can you repair the airship in this situation? Then don’t I have to chase after them and bring back the parts?”
“W-what will I do when Hyung-nim is gone?”
“What else? You stay here with the airship…..”
Ark then thought of something and bit his lips. It wasn’t safe to leave the hamster with the airship like it was already demonstrated. Tori would most likely die if the Nakuma came back. If I leave the airship then it is like throwing a chunk of meat at the hyenas. Parts might disappear without a trace when he came back.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Ark sighed and pulled out a shovel.
“Now, take this.”
“Shovel? Why are you giving this to me…..heok! N-no way! Digging my own grave…..Hyung-nim, save me! I don’t want to die here! I’m willing to lick your shoes! Anything! As long as I don’t die……”
“What are you imagining? Am I part of the mafia? Or abnormal? Why would I want you to lick my shoes? Who is forcing you to dig a grave?”
“Eh? It isn’t like that?”
“In this situation I can’t leave the airship alone while looking for the parts. However I can’t bring it with me. So what are the other methods? The only way is to hide it.”
“Hide it? Burying the airship in the ground…..”
“You don’t want to? Then do you want to dig a grave?”
“Ah, no it’s fine!”
Tori started shovelling like crazy. This was the best way Ark could think of at the moment. Of course it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Even a small airship was 3 times the size of a bus. It would take a considerable amount of time to dig the ground enough to hide the airship. Luckily Ark knew that the Nakuma didn’t leave a certain area. In other words, the Nakuma who ate the main parts couldn’t have escaped far! So he could afford to hide the airship even if it took some time. Also, Ark first learnt the Dig skill when creating the tunnel to rob the museum. But Ark wasn’t the one who originally created the tunnel. Half of the tunnel had already been completed by the time Ark saw it. That tunnel was created by Tori! Tori was a hamster who specialized in digging.
“Tell me if you think it is tough. Then I will make a place for your grave.”
“Pant pant pant! No! It isn’t hard at all!”
The hamster really wanted to live.
Pa pa pa pa! Pa pa pa pa! Pa pa pa pa!
As expected, Tori started digging at a tremendous pace when a threat was added. Seeing Tori like that brought up memor
ies of Nephalim. He had dug a tunnel for one week without seeing any sunlight. At that time, Tori had just thrown the shovel at Ark and watched him dig.
‘Yes, this is good.’
Ark nodded with a look of deep emotion.
‘I don’t have many fond memories of this guy. Therefore this is great. From now on I will pay back those memories!’
Ark wanted to record his grudge on Tori’s bones!
“Hey, are you slowing down? Do you want to stop?”
“Pant pant pant! No! I’ll work hard! So put that shotgun down! Sob, scary!”
Tori shouted as he desperately swung his shovel. Thanks to Tori’s tearful efforts, a pit large enough to cover the airship was created after 10 hours. Ark pushed the airship in and covered it with iron mold.
“That’s it. Now it is time to collect the parts.”
Ark turned around after covering the airship. It wasn’t hard to chase after the Nakuma. Unlike the swamp area of Nephalim, this place was made of iron mold. And the Nakuma were basically made of iron. Therefore their trail on the ground remained intact. He followed the trail for 10 minutes.
“There is a dungeon in a place like this.”
He managed to find a gap in between the hills. The walls and ceiling of the cave was covered in iron mold! An information window flashed once he stepped foot inside.
-The hidden dungeon
+ Dungeon information: Abyss of Despair +
Many planets in the galaxy are filled with beautiful sights. But there are many hidden areas on those beautiful planets. Some planets hat look gorgeous are filled with toxic gases while some contain fearsome monsters.
You have found a dungeon made of iron mold on the planet called Amara. No signs of life can be detected. However you can see signs of non-biological creatures. These signs seem to warn you of danger. But there is no rewards without risk. In order to grow, a pioneer needs the courage and skill to face this danger.
* Adventure Points +600
Space 4
Abyss of Despair
Snap! Chwajijijijijik!
His lightsaber hit the joints of the machine! Sparks flew as the lightsaber collided with it and the machine parts fell off. It was the scene of the Nakuma losing all its health and being turned into a pile of junk. But he had no time to catch his breath. Ark dealt with 1 Nakuma and turned his body without any delay. He saw a pair of red lights approaching and withdrew a bit. The light was made by a machine but he could feel hostility from it.
“Pant pant, there really is a variety.”
Ark breathed harshly as he lifted his lightsaber. He followed the Nakuma’s trail to this dungeon so naturally it was infested with Nakuma. However the Nakuma weren’t the same. The Nakuma created their forms based on the machine parts attached to them. While some had gears attached to their arms, others looked like a caterpillar or had wheels attached to their legs. The most demanding form was now surrounding Ark. They were the Nakuma in the form of a dog. These guys were exceptionally tricky because……
Kuwaaaah!
The Dog Nakuma shrieked and ran up to him. It jumped 10 metres in a single bound!
Papat!
The Dog Nakuma had incredible speed.
“Not a chance!”
Ark stepped back and pulled the trigger. However the opponent had already twisted in the air before the bullet shot out of the Fire Eagle. He was then simultaneously attacked by the other Dog Nakuma.
Kuaaaa!
Secondly, they were very organized.
“Dammit! Again…..”
Ark hastily used his sword to block the Dog Nakuma. The sword was pushed against the mouth of a mechanical creature that reached 2 metres and blood welled out as its fangs bit him.
Kakak! Ka ka ka ka!
Sparks flew as the lightsaber clashed against the Dog Nakuma’s mouth. They didn’t just have metal fangs. They had dozen of small rotating saws in its mouth. It might be a lightsaber but the saws cut the electromagnetic surface of the blade.
-The durability of Heir’s Sword has fallen!
Naturally the lightsaber couldn’t avoid getting damaged. But right now he only had 30% health left so that came first. The one who avoided his shotgun ran up the moment Ark’s movement was blocked. And it tried to bite Ark’s leg!
“Psychokinesis!”
Ark turned and shouted.
A small pile of machine parts flew up and aimed directly at the head of the Dog Nakuma about to bite his leg.
Kong!
It screamed (?) and stumbled. Ark twisted his body and placed the muzzle of the Fire Eagle to its jaw.
“Set Bullets Shooting!”
Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!
Half of its head flew away. Ark also vertically cut the Nakuma’s body with his lightsaber. Oil and minor accessories poured out as the lightsaber cut it.
“Pant pant pant, pant pant pant.”
Ark panted as he was soaked in oil. The other Dog Nakuma flinched and ran away. But Ark had no intention of just letting them escape.
“Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword!”
Dozens of blue swords shredded the darkness! Cracks spread on the surface and the Dog Nakuma collapsed. Ark narrowed the distance and placed the muzzle of his gun on the head of a monster that was gasping.
Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!
There was a final roar as the Dog Nakuma changed to a mountain of metal.
“Phew, it’s over.”
His body sagged as the tension was released. The desperate struggle against 13 Dog Nakuma finally ended after 20 minutes.
“Wow! Hyung-nim, awesome!”
A cheer came from the corner. He turned around and saw a hamster crawling out from a gap in the iron mold. He ran in front of Ark and twisted his hands together.
“You’ve become so much stronger that you don’t seem like the same person. The difference from the novice I first saw you in Nephalim is huge.”
“Are you calling me a novice?”
“Ah no, that’s not what I mean. You were just a beginner pioneer when you first entered Istana. Back then Hyung-nim had some force. I could tell with one glance. Didn’t I scout Hyung-nim?”
“It was a fraudulent contract to be precise.”
“No, what fraud……?”
“Be careful what you say. Eh? You don’t want to remind me of the old days.”
When Ark glared at him, Tori’s eyes instantly said ‘Sheesh, it was a compliment.’
‘I need to teach him clearly once I catch him.’
His attitude showed signs of creeping up again. However now wasn’t the right time. Ark was currently in a Nakuma infested dungeon. He couldn’t afford to hit the hamster in a place like this. That hamster was also indispensable to Ark right now.
‘I took him along because I couldn’t leave him alone but he surprisingly has a lot of uses.’
Bbok bbok bbok bbok! Bbok bbok bbok bbok!
Ark placed the Charenjok on his head and sat down while looking at Tori. When Ark first entered the dungeon he thought of Tori as excess baggage. He wasn’t helpful in combat and needed to be protected so that he could repair the airship. But that idea soon changed. There were several types of engineers. Creating buildings, producing accessories, developing new technology like Jay and those who could handle special machines were classified as engineers. The one common point was that they didn’t have any combat ability. The only exception were those who handled explosives like Mellin. That’s why Ark thought all engineers except explosive experts were useless in dungeons. Ark’s idea was true to a certain extent. However that changed in remote planets of the galaxy.
‘I didn’t think the dungeon would be this wide.’
Ark surveyed the grey walls of the dungeon. He originally thought he could explore it in a few hours tops. However the dungeon was wider and more complicated than he imagined. It was still difficult to grasp the size even though he had spent 2 days in the dungeon. And the dungeon
was brimming with Nakuma. Therefore some problems occurred.
-The durability of Harkenion Armour has fallen to 10%!
-The durability of the Pioneer’s Pants has fallen to 10%……
The durability of his equipment! He had repaired his equipment before heading to Amara but now it was at the bottom. Cheksun’s toolbox could repair general equipment but it didn’t work for most magic items. It was also impossible for him to go back to the city.
“I’ll be happy to look at it!”
At this time it was Tori who raised his hand. Tori was a hamster who originally operated a junkyard!
-From ships to small screws! All orders custom made!
Those were the words on Tori’s sign. In other words, Tori was a manufacturing and repair engineer. Tori had the skill to repair or create parts for ships and equipment if the order was received. Tori started to exert his skills once the repair kit was recovered from one of the defeated Nakuma.
“Do you have enough bullets?”
“They’re not abundant.”
Usually he didn’t have to worry about ammunition falling when fighting against enemies. That’s because he could get bullets from the loot. However Ark’s firearm was a shotgun. The Nakuma only dropped bullets for Gatling guns or shells for RPGs.
“Then tell me when you need some. I will make it.”
“Eh? You can create bullets?”
“Hihihihi. I have the 2nd class license to create projectiles. I can create bullets for shotguns with the repair kit as long as I have the metal.”
That’s why Ark could fire the shotgun wildly. Of course repairing equipment and bullet production wasn’t free. It didn’t cost money but materials were required to repair and manufacture the bullets. But this was a dungeon full of Nakuma. Various metals dropped with every kill so he had a large number of materials. That wasn’t all.
Ark came into the dungeon to recover the airship parts from the Nakuma. But a lot of parts were bulky and couldn’t be properly stored in his bag. These parts also needed to be relocated to the airship. That problem was also resolved by Tori!
“Please wait a moment!”
Tori fiddled with a piece of metal for a while. He soon created a large wagon. Therefore Ark’s bag capacity increased by several times and he could just concentrate on hunting the Nakuma. This was the true value of engineers! They were all-rounders as long as they had the necessary tools and materials. All his problems were resolved by having an engineer. The downside was that they had no combat ability but that wasn’t an obstacle with Tori. Ark didn’t need to worry about Tori. Tori was a hamster, a rat. He specialized in finding safe places to hide. Ark become bloody every time he fought the Nakuma so fury rose up whenever he saw Tori with not one scratch on him. But he would rather be shot then have Tori die.
