by Yoo Seong
“Hihihi, how is it? Aren’t I a lot of help?”
‘If only he didn’t make any noise…..’
However he understood Tori’s position.
If Ark gave up on the airship then any reason to keep Tori was lost. With their bad relationship in the past, Ark would probably abandon or even let him die if that happened. Therefore Tori kept on trying to show that he was a useful hamster. But Ark had no intention of throwing away Tori.
‘I didn’t think an engineer with manufacturing skills could be so helpful on the hunting ground. Engineers are worth more than troops in non-urban areas. I can’t easily give him up. I have to somehow make him join Dark Eden!’
Tori couldn’t understand what was going on. Anyway!
Tori had his share of tasks despite not being able to fight.
“Pant pant pant, this is difficult! But I’ll work hard. I’m a good hamster.”
Tori ran around collection loot, loading it onto the wagon, repairing Ark’s equipment and making bullets while Ark was recovering his health.
Character Information Window
Name Ark (R-02788) Level 99
Species Human Occupation Elim’s Heir
Fame 8,520 Adventure 1,720
Health 2,600 (+90) Mental Power 50 (+340)
Mana 0 Force 260
Strength 250 (+38) Agility 315 (+41)
Stamina 405 (+18) Wisdom 40 (+13)
Intelligence 240 (+68) Luck 55 (+8)
* Title
Cleaning Foreman (Agility + 3)
Ignorant Destroyer (Wisdom -10, Strength +7, Stamina +7)
Beltana’s Hero (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Wisdom, Intelligence, Luck +3)
Athamas’ Hero (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Wisdom, Intelligence, Luck +5)
Mediator (Wisdom, Intelligence +15)
* Contribution: Galactic Federation 11,850, Aschulat 500
* Affiliation: Dark Eden (CEO)
*Body Coating: Survivor
+ Environmental adaptation increases by 50% due to the Survivor coating
+ The Survivor coating reduces the drop rate of Satiety by 30%
+ The Survivor coating will reduce fall damage by 50%
+The ‘Clairvoyance’ effect of the Survivor coating is applied
The Abyss of Despair was a fairly decent hunting ground. His level went up at a tremendous speed while hunting the Nakuma. The repairing and supplies inside the dungeon meant he didn’t need to waste time. He had gained 4 levels after spending 2 days in the dungeon! There was also a bonus of expensive metal parts in the wagon. Quite a few items were mixed in as well.
Continuous Shooting Gatling
Item Type: Gun Wearer Restriction: Level 75
Attack: 15~20 Firing Rate: 0.10Sec
Durability: 28/40 Number of Ammunition: 300
A gun with 6 barrels to prevent overheating, the continuous shooting increases the power of the gun dramatically. But compared to the destructive power of the bullets, the heavy recoil means that the hit rate has decreased. Nevertheless, it is a charming weapon that pours out bullets and has been a favourite for a long time.
-Hamid’s Ritual Scapula
Item Type: Light Armour (Shoulder) Wearer Restriction: Level 50
Defense: 20 (-5) Durability: 31/45
The scapula belonging to an alien species called Hamid. The main part of the scapula is made of a rare metal alloy that is difficult to find these days. Perhaps the Hamid soldiers used equipment made of this material a long time ago.
Etc…..
‘If I just look at the experience and loot, it isn’t better than Mt. Fargo. But there is no other user or NPC to gobble it up! It isn’t easy to find a hunting ground like this on Istana.’
However there wasn’t only benefits. Even if he raised his level to 100, it would all be lost if he died without registering with the Fairy. The expensive metal pieces weren’t stored in his bag so they would also be lost. And even if Ark survived, Tori who was hiding would die as well. He had just learnt the value of his henchman so Ark didn’t want to lose him. Therefore the most important thing was for Ark to live! He had to return to Istana alive.
However…..
“Hyung-nim, I’ve searched through all of it!”
“So? Did you find the airship parts?”
“There is nothing this time as well.”
“Again?”
Ark said with a sigh. In fact, Ark hadn’t expected to spend 2 days in the dungeon when he first came here. The recovery of airship parts in the beginning of the dungeon was quite high. He obtained a minimum of 1 piece when he fought 3~4 Nakuma. Thanks to that, Ark’s current recovery rate was 90%. However that all dried up a few hours ago.
“If it was the outside armour or simple circuit then I could easily repair it…..”
The remaining 10% he hadn’t found contained the most important part of the airship, the engine.
“Where the hell is the guy who pulled out the engine?”
“I don’t know either. I was lying face down on the ground so I couldn’t see it. But it was fairly big. The ground shook as the Nakuma stomped on it. The other Nakuma also seemed to back off from it.”
“That is probably the boss Nakuma.”
It was common sense for the monster to be a boss. That meant Ark was forced to go to the end of the dungeon. It wasn’t a big deal. He entered the dungeon to find parts but he didn’t have a problem going around a hidden dungeon. Ark had a separate issue.
“This…..”
Ark sighed and mumbled. There were 10 piles of metal around him. Most of them were junk metal that Ark recognized at a glance with metallurgy. There were also some expensive mechanical parts were mixed in among them! But that wasn’t why Ark was upset.
-There is no more space in your bag!
Ark had steadily filled his bag with loot from the Nakuma and now his bag was full! Tori no longer had any room in his wagon. Ark had reached the situation where he couldn’t eat anymore some time ago. He became stressed every time he had to leave the mechanical parts in a pile. It wasn’t only collecting the mechanical parts that he was worried about.
“It’s been 2 days so I’m worried about what might happen.”
Leaving mechanical parts was like asking for the Nakuma to gather. Ark left behind many mechanical parts for the Nakuma to eat. This meant it would take him some time when exiting. However he was most worried about looking for the airship parts.
“Only a bit more to go.”
The Abyss of Despair had a complex structure. But he had spent 2 days slowly going through it. His intuition developed. He felt like the long dungeon was going to end soon!
“Okay. Let’s go!”
Ark stood up and walked down a long cave.
“Hyung-nim, don’t leave me alone!”
Tol tol tol tol, tol tol tol tol.
Tori dragged the wagon and followed behind Ark.
————————————————————
“What, what the? This place is?”
Ark looked around with shocked eyes. He witnessed an amazing sight a few hours after resuming the dungeon exploration. In fact, Ark had one disconcerting question while wandering the Abyss of Despair. In those 2 days Ark had defeated approximately 1,000 Nakuma. Those guys dropped metal weighing the equivalent of tens of thousands of tons! This was the question.
‘Where did all those metal parts come from?’
The answer was now in front of Ark. A huge cave was situated in front of him. Surprisingly dozens of airships were in the underground space and covered with iron mold like cobwebs.
‘This is it! This is why the area is covered with so much iron mold. And the Nakuma must be made with the remnants of the airships! This is the source of the dungeon!’
The secret behind the dungeon was revealed.
“But why are so many wrecked airships gathered here?”
“I don’t care about that.”
Ark cut off Tori.<
br />
“The important thing is that this is the start of the dungeon. In other words, this is the end of the dungeon. The boss Nakuma who took the engine should be hiding somewhere here.”
Tori breathed deeply and looked around fearfully at Ark’s words.
“Is it really okay? It sounded really huge…..”
“Is it okay? Do you think I will die?”
“That’s not it…..”
“Don’t waste time thinking about that and stay focused. We don’t know where that guy will pop up. You don’t want to end up like the airships.”
Ark said as he readied his lightsaber. A drop of sweat flowed down in the silence. The light from the lightsaber revealed a shadow at the back of the web of iron mold. A mysterious atmosphere was created among the wreckage of the airships. He carefully walked over there.
“What is that?”
Ark’s eyes narrowed like a hawk. He began to see the form of something large. The streamlined shape was an airship. However it was different from the airships around it. The bone structure of the airships were similar. However the hull of this one was 3 times larger. The length was 100 meters. But the biggest difference was……
“Why is it the only one intact?”
Unlike the other airships, this one looked untouched. The Nakuma’s largest desire was metal. Ark’s airship was 200 metres from the dungeon and they still found it. Yet this airship inside the dungeon was in perfectly good shape.
“Is the airship made of a metal that the Nakuma hate?”
“Let’s see, the materials don’t seem particularly different……I’ll take a closer look.”
Ark walked around the airship. Up close it wasn’t in a perfect condition. The hull seemed to show traces of a battle. But he could find no signs that the Nakuma had attacked it. Meanwhile Tori who was examining the hull said.
“That’s strange. This airship is made of the Cherenium steel alloy.
“Why is that strange?”
“Cherenium’s durability is strong but it is different to mold so it isn’t often used these days. Most airships these days are made of a Teban alloy that has similar durability but is more easily handled. In other words, the airship was created prior to the development of the Teban alloy. And the Nakuma certainly don’t dislike Cherenium. So why is this airship untouched by the Nakuma?”
“I don’t know either…..”
Ark thought for a moment before quickly asking.
“The airship, can we use it?”
“Airship?”
“Look. It is apparently fine. Well, it must have some problems if it is stuck in a place like this but isn’t it better than our airship that has been turned into scrap metal?”
This airship instantly looked better than the one Ark came on. Besides, it was an ownerless airship. If he repaired it then he could get this airship for free. However Tori shook his head like there was no chance.
“That’s impossible.”
“What? Why?”
“Check for yourself.”
Tori pointed to the door on the side of the hull. The door handle was just a circular groove. Perhaps this was where the key would be inserted. But he needed a key to enter. Ark connected his Nymphe to the door.
-This device is protected by a security device.
“Do you see?”
It was like Tori said.
“This isn’t a regular airship. Battleships have locking devices made with special security equipment so it is on an entirely different scale compared to ordinary airships. The key probably contains the use of the captain’s DNA. It is impossible to decrypt these type of keys without a super computer.”
“Sheesh, there’s nothing we can do?”
Blowing up the door to enter the airship was meaningless. He couldn’t enter without a key. He attempted to use his hacking skill to steal the airship but that was useless.
‘If I can get this airship to work then it would be a jackpot…..’
Ark looked at the airship with an upset expression.
Kukung!
There was a sudden roaring sound from behind him.
“Hik! W-what the? What’s going on? Where’s the sound coming from?”
The freaked out Tori looked around with a stricken expression. Tori’s gaze drifted upwards and his mouth gaped open. He pointed to the rear of the airship with trembling hands and stuttered.
“Hik! T-that…..that is…..Hyung-nim…..that……”
Tori’s finger was pointing towards a huge object. It had large and small machine parts attached to it…..a Nakuma. But this Nakuma was a lot different from the ones he had seen so far. The humanoid Nakuma was a whopping 20 metre! It gave an overpowering impression! Ark winced and retreated.
“O-oh my god! This is the Nakuma that ate the engine?”
“No! It wasn’t this big!”
“No? What, then he is?”
The red eyes of the Nakuma then faced Ark.
–An intruder…..destroy!
The Nakuma’s size was 20 metres. He couldn’t find a way to deal with it. But Ark was an experienced warrior. This wasn’t enough to make him lose his fighting spirit. Ark raised his lightsaber and shouted.
“I can’t avoid fighting it! Tori, back off!”
“Don’t worry about me!”
He had Tori reply om a distance. He looked around and saw that Tori was dozens of metres away from the airships. He poked out his head and shook his fist as he shouted.
“Hyung-nim, I’ll cheer you on from here! Fighting!”
……His fighting spirit disappeared. Then a black object appeared over his head. The Nakuma!
–Get lost!
Kwakwang!
The huge foot dropped down and the entire cave shook. If he was caught then it would be GAME OVER…..
Ark avoided it and wielded his lightsaber.
“Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword!”
Dozens of swords swirled through the darkness. Sparks flew up from the Nakuma’s leg. But the Nakuma was fine. The Nakuma had a shield and even Ark’s strongest skill couldn’t penetrate it. It had enormous defense!
However Ark still didn’t lose his fighting spirit.
“Let’s see if you can hold up against this!”
Ark wielded his sword as he rushed towards the Nakuma. No, he was about to rush at the Nakuma. At that moment, dozens of RPGs and guns welled up from the Nakuma’s arms.
“What? T-that……?”
Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Pepepepeng!
Ark screamed and stopped moving as there was the sound of guns. Dozens of bullets and shells flew towards him! Ark rotated his body like a spin top while swinging his sword. The blue light of his sword spread out! The bullets parted on either side of him. It was his skill Sword Defense that reached intermediate level in the Abyss of Despair!
-The rating of the skill ‘Sword Defense (Common Occupation ☆☆)’has risen!
Sword Defense (Intermediate, Passive): You have gained experience in numerous battlefields and became more skills in Sword Defense. You can penetrate the enemy’s attack with your sharp intuition. This allows you a deeper understanding of the nature of the lightsaber. Now crude use of firearms won’t be able to hurt your body.
* Sword Mastery Lv.3 or higher required.
That was written in the information window. The intermediate skill proficiency and broadened scope meant he could defend against 90% of the Nakuma’s bullets. But the timing needed to be accurate. Hundreds of bullets were flying towards Ark! He couldn’t change the trajectory of all of them. He never intended to block all the bullets in the first place! Intermediate Sword Defense could protec
t his vital points. The other bullets penetrated his body and blood went everywhere. However the RPG shells were the more serious problem. Unlike the bullets, the shells did splash damage. He wouldn’t be able to stop that with Sword Defense!
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!
Successive explosions occurred in the vicinity of his body. His health went down at a tremendous rate thanks to the flash damage. But Ark couldn’t afford to groan. No, he didn’t even have time to blink. Another hail of bullets was raining down from 20 metres above him. His body would become riddled in 0.1 second. He barely managed to hold on by increasing his concentration.
‘This won’t last for long. In this state I won’t be able to hold out for 1 minute. Then…..’
Ark grasped his sword hilt and grinded his teeth together.
‘……I have no choice but to try it!’
“Mind Shield!”
-The Mind Shield has been activated.
In addition, the effect of Backstab or Sudden Blow will be nullified by 100%>
His body was wrapped in a blue sphere. Ark raised his sword as the shield covered him. He stopped moving and waited for the bullets. A few shots hit his neck and chest, causing his health to go down quickly. However Ark didn’t even shake.
‘Pay attention! Pay attention! Pay attention! Pay attention!’
Ark bit his lip and stared at the hundreds of bullets! Then he saw the shells blended in with the bullets! His lightsaber flew up as the shells got closer.
“Sword Defense!”
The lightsaber swept down and changed the orbit of the shells. But he didn’t just change the trajectory of the shells. Ark rotated his lightsaber with all his force while striking the shells. He circulated the trajectory of the shell and it flew back in the direction it came from. Towards the Nakuma!
