by Yoo Seong
“Ugh! Let’s quickly leave!”
Tori screamed. That hamster! This happened because of him……however not wasn’t the time to take care of Tori.
“Kill the thieves!”
The Kusan warriors raised their swords and rushed forward at the chief’s command. There were 50 Kusan warriors riding camels! He wasn’t sure what their skills were but their numbers alone was overwhelming. Then something popped into Ark’s head.
“I’m the Murat’s Elim!”
Ark frantically shouted. Barakin had called the pyramid a temple. Then he recalled something the Elim’s Memory said. There was a period before the 3 powers explored indiscriminately through the galaxy. The galaxy had first been pioneered by the Murat, Indus, Potamia and Oritious. But their pioneering differed from the 3 powers. While the 3 powers explored the galaxy to monopolize the resources, the 4 races had focused on developing savage civilizations. That didn’t mean they taught races that used stone axes to suddenly use a gun. A sudden change would be too confusing.
The 4 races helped the indigenous peoples’ civilizations develop in the right step. Therefore they were like a myth to the natives. The natives thought flooding when there was rain was natural but they taught them how to prevent floods. They also learnt how to predict climate changes as well as new construction techniques. Thanks to that, the natives revered them as gods. That’s why Barakin called the pyramid a temple.
‘The fact that the pyramid is on Rakunka means that the Murat helped develop their civilization. And Xanax also came here to hide a Divine Artefact. Then they would also know about the existence of the Elim. They worship the Murat as gods and the Elim is an agent of the gods.’
Ark’s guess was correct.
“Stop!”
Barakin turned around and shouted. He stared at Ark with incredulous eyes.
“You said that you are the Murat’s Elim?”
“That’s right.”
“Can you prove that?”
“That……”
He had evidence. The character information window stated his occupation as ‘Elim’s Heir.’ However he couldn’t show the character information window to NPCs. His only method of proof was to bring Barakin on the Silver Star to the Elim’s Sanctua In the end Ark confessed the truth.
“I’ll be honest. There hasn’t been an Elim for hundreds of years. I happened to become the Elim’s heir through chance. That’s why I came to Rakunka. The last generation of Murat Elim was called Xanax. But he disappeared with 5 Divine Artefacts a long time ago. He hid it to prepare for the time his successor would appear in the galaxy. The first place his clue led me to was Rakunka.”
“Xanax……”
“Chief-nim, those words……”
A warrior looked at him with a hopeful expression and Barakin nodded.
“Your words are similar to those passed down in the clan. But I can’t trust that you are the Murat’s Elim with just that.”
“So what will make you believe me?”
“I heard that the Murat’s Elim was invincible in battle. Even if you don’t have the Divine Artefacts, you should still have the skills of the Elim. Ellain!”
“Yes Chief-nim!”
A man with tanned skin and giving off a tough expression replied.
“Ellain is the Kusan’s best warrior. If you are really the Elim’s heir then you should easily overpower the Kusan’s best warrior. If you can’t show me a Divine Artefact then you’ll have to convince me with your skills. Ellain, the opponent is calling himself an invincible warrior. If he is trying to trick us with the God’s name then kill him with your own hands! Don’t worry about anything else!”
“Understood!”
Ellain jumped down from the camel while pulling out his sword. The situation had flowed into an unexpected direction but he thought it was rather fortunate. If Barakin ignored Ark’s words then he would’ve had to fight 50 warriors. But now it was a 1 on 1 fight. That alone had decreased the burden. Even more…..
‘I’m Ark!’
Ark grabbed the handle of his lightsaber. Ark might not be an invincible warrior but he had confidence in a 1 on 1 fight.
‘If I can prove it then there is no reason to refuse to fight.’
…..That’s what he thought…..
‘Huk! W-what is this?’
Ark was confused the next moment. Ellain had narrowed the distance the moment Ark had pulled out his lightsaber. The sword attacks were so rapid that he couldn’t even see it! Ark panicked at the unexpected speed and raised his sword but the blade had already hit him a few times. Ellain didn’t just have fast speed.
-You have received a critical hit!
A large amount of his health went down! Judging by the damage done, Ellain had to be at least level 150!
‘This opponent isn’t an ordinary NPC!’
He could barely see the attacks let alone block it. He also had no room to counterattack. It wasn’t simply that Ellain’s sword was fast. Ark realized something after the fight with Ellain started. This place was a desert. In other words, it had a sandy ground. His foot sank in the sand every time he stepped so his movements weren’t as agile as normal. On the other hand, Ellain had trained in the desert so his movements were steady.
‘I have to get accustomed to the sand first!’
Ark’s movements started changing. The basic step of all martials arts was footwork. It was the same for sword mastery. If his foot wasn’t properly positioned than his centre of balance would be off and swinging the sword would be difficult. This was the reason Ark couldn’t properly counter Ellain’s attacks. The special desert terrain gave a penalty to Ark and an advantage to Ellain. However…..
Kakak! Kakang! Kakakaka!
The situation changed once the number of attacks increased. At first Ark could only block and sometimes counterattack but eventually they were almost at the same level. This was because Ark’s footwork had changed. Ark seemed to be gliding across the sand!
‘Swamp Walking!’
This skill was what created the change! The swamp and desert were opposite environments but the method of movement didn’t change. Ark used the method of Swamp Walking and distributed the weight of his body evenly. The swamp and desert was the same if he knew the trick to the movement. No, he was able to move even quicker. The sand was hard compared to the swamp.
‘Now I’ve caught the feeling. Then…..’
“Sonic Sword!”
His lightsaber fell at a tremendous speed! Ellain hurriedly lifted his sword but it was ineffective. Sonic Sword was a skill that attacked the opponent with a shock wave! It wasn’t a technique that could be blocked with a sword. The shock wave pushed Ellain back and he stumbled.
“Now shall I begin?”
Ark laughed as he waved his sword from side to side. He glided across the sand towards Ellain. The moment the lightsaber was about to strike Ellain!
“Ack, welcome alter ego!”
Ellain’s body suddenly increased by 4. Ark’s sword cut one of the bodies and it disappeared like smoke. Meanwhile the remaining three Ellain surrounded him and charged at Ark.
‘Alter egos? A ninja like skill……’
He was confused by the unexpected skill but that only lasted a moment.
‘There is only one body. I just have to take care of them at once!’
The technique that surfaced in Ark’s head was Galaxy Sword! When he first learnt it, Galaxy Sword was a skill that used Force to manifest dozens of swords in front of him. It was Ark’s strongest skill so he steadily used it until it reached intermediate level.
-The rating of your occupational skill ‘Galaxy Sword’ has risen!
Galaxy Sword (Intermediate, Active): Through steady training, you can handle the sword that produces Galaxy Sword more skillfully. Now you can control the trajectory of the flying swords to generate a vortex around the body. The vortex will tear into any enemy in the vicinity.
Force: 250
The swords would swirl around his
body. He had already seen the effect in S-20 when he fought against a bunch of chaotic users. The Galaxy Sword tore into dozens of chaotic users rushing at him. Let alone the illusionary alter egos!
“Khafra Fencing 3rd style!”
“Wait a minute! Both of you stop!”
The shout was heard just as Ark was about to activate his skills. Barakin who had been watching with a serious expression suddenly jumped up. He rushed towards Ark and Ellain and stopped them from fighting. Then Barakin came up to Ark and asked.
“Where did you learn the technique you just used?”
“The technique I just used?’
“Yes, the one just now. Your sword didn’t touch him but Ellain was pushed back several metres. Where did you learn a skill like that?”
Ark now knew what skill Barakin was talking about.
“That is Sonic Sword. I learnt the technique from the Elim Xanax.”
“I thought you said you never met Xanax?”
“I haven’t met him. Like I said before, Xanax prepared a few things for his heir before he went missing. I learnt Sonic Sword from one of the clues he left behind. But this isn’t an Elim technique. Xanax learnt it from a crew member he travelled with.”
“Do you name the name of the warrior?”
He couldn’t remember the exact name. However Xanax’ journal was still saved on his Nymphe.
-The gun techniques and Sword Mastery learnt from the experienced crew were especially useful on the expedition. The gun and sword techniques places focus on mental power…..
He had learnt Sonic Sword after reading the last part of the logbook. Ark searched through the Nymphe and answered without thinking.
“I think it was Asuldan.”
“A-Asuldan!”
The Kusan screamed in unison. Why were they more surprised by the name Asuldan than the Elim Xanax? Ark’s expression was bewildered because of their unexpected response. Barakin made a strange gesture and the Kusan kneeled down while holding out their swords.
“Barakin, the 43rd Chief of the Kusan Clan has received God’s messenger!”
————————————————————————————-
Roaaaaar!
A loud sound was heard in the darkness. A huge presence seemed to make the entire darkness shake. The space devil with eight legs and many tentacles was one of the strongest predators in the universe. The devil grabbed and ate its prey using the tentacles and could grow to over level 200. The devil was shaking its body in incredible pain. It was because of a small existence that it had only considered prey.
“Now let’s bring this to an end. I can no longer learn anything from you.”
The man spat out and approached with a red lightsaber. The devil instinctively wielded 10 of its tentacles. However it was pointless. The tentacles flew through the air and cracked against rocks but it never touched his body. And the devil became bloody the moment the distance was narrowed.
“I told you, there is no more for me to learn.”
The man wearing red armour curled his lips.
“Dragon Fury!”
A stream of red lines continuously flowed out. Finally the devil’s body was divided in half and black blood gushed out. Several other men approached him from behind.
“You finally caught the devil. I honestly wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it directly. It was killed by just one person. No matter how big the galaxy is, Captain is probably the only one who can accomplish his feat.”
“It is just a monster so it isn’t difficult once the patterns are identified.”
The man in the red armour said with an expression that didn’t show any interest.
“Hunting monsters on the frontier isn’t fun and this time it is a bit lacking. When will I meet something interesting?”
“Captain-nim is addicted to war.”
The man muttered while complaining. Then the man in red armour scratched his head and said.
“It’s not good when there’s no war. The last full length battle was Athamas……hum, I can’t accept that. The skills……”
-A new message has arrived.
The Nymphe vibrated and a new message came up. A smile spread on the man’s face as he smiled.
“Aha! Finally my turn has come.”
The man growled. The Rama in the red armour was someone Ark knew as the Red Slaughterer.
————————————————————————————-
“I’m really sorry.”
Barakin said as he bowed. Barakin’s attitude had changed 180 degrees after the battle with Ellain. He wasn’t the only one. The other 50 Kusan warriors had jumped off the camels and fell flat in front of Ark. And the cautiously watched as Ark was brought back to the Kusan village on a camel.
“This is like a beggar’s haunt.”
Tori muttered as he looked around the village. His trembling attitude had changed after Ark’s battle with Ellain. He wanted to say something after seeing the Kusan’s expressions but Ark’s impression wasn’t that different The puddle in the middle of the desert couldn’t even be called an oasis. The Kusan village was just a bunch of old tents pack closely together. But Ark had no interest in other people’s living situation. Ark wanted to know why their attitude changed so much after hearing the name of Xanax’ crew member. Barakin’s explanation……
“Asuldan was the strongest warrior at the time when the Kusan were prospering. The records state that Asuldan followed the Murat’s Elim out to the universe after he visited Rakunka. Now Ark-nim learnt and is using Asuldan’s skill. This is proof that Ark-nim is the Elim’s Heir, God’s messenger. I apologize for acting like that to God’s messenger.”
“It is understandable.”
He couldn’t say otherwise. Anyway, this was a misunderstanding like the Kusan stated. Xanax must’ve hidden the Divine Artefact with a species that worshipped the Murat as gods. Naturally the Divine Artefact should be easy to obtain. Just as Ark was trying to ask this point.
“What? This twisted lizard? Are you telling me to eat this?”
Tori complained as he lifted a lizard skewer.
“Didn’t you call Hyung-nim God’s messenger? Yet what is with this reception? Shouldn’t you have something better? Like sunflower seeds for example! I’d like that!”
“You little…..”
“I’m ashamed.”
Ark had been glaring angrily at Tori. Then Barakin sighed as he looked around the old tents.
“As you saw, Rakunka is mostly a desert planet. Naturally a single drop of water is more precious than anything else. Despite our numerous efforts, the desertification kept on proceeding so the Kusan were in danger of extinction. Then we were saved by the Murat. The Great Gods caused a divine miracle that prevented the desertification and pulled up water from deep underground as well as teaching us how to live.”
Thus the Murat became the Kusan’s Gods. Of course, the arrival of pioneers on Rakunka meant that knew the Murat were just an alien species with a more advanced civilization. But the Murat saved the clan from the brink of destruction so they still revered them.
“I want to ask you something.”
“I know.”
Barakin nodded like he already guessed.
“You probably want to use why we’re in this predicament if we had the Murat’s help.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to ask. Ark had been about to ask about the red substance that covered the pyramid and attacked the Silver Star. But that ended up being the final destination.
“It is due to the Myutal.”
“Myutal?”
“Yes, those monsters appeared decades ago after a meteorite fell on Rakunka. From then on they started to attack the peaceful Kusan villages.”
The Myutal monsters that had appeared with the meteorite started to attack the Kusan! Of course the Kusan mobilized all their warriors to fight against the Myutal. However they couldn’t stop the Myutal. The Myutal destroyed vil
lages one by one and widened the area of capture land with a red substance.
‘Red substance……that was the crater area that attacked the Silver Star. Then the creatures that emerged when I flew close to the ground are the Myutal.’
“So the red substance that is covering the pyramid……?”
“That’s why the Kusan is like this.”
Barakin emphasized in a serious voice. The Murat had left the pyramid behind for the Kusan. However it wasn’t merely symbolic. The pyramid was the source of the miracle that pulled water from deep underground.
‘The reality of the Murat ruins left behind on Rakunka……’
It was the facility to terraform Rakunka. And that was the place where the meteorite fell. Naturally the first place the Myutal attacked was the pyramid. The Myutal swarmed out of the meteorite, wiped out the Kusan defending it and took over the pyramid in minutes. Since then the pyramid stopped functioning. The water that had been flowing on Rakunka gradually stopped and the vegetation and people started dying of thirst. And the Kusan started dying along with Rakunka. The result was that out of hundreds and thousands of Kusan, only a few hundred were left after dying of thirst, hunger and the Myutal’s attacks. The Kusan only had one hope left!
“The only method left is to regain the temple.”
“Huh? But even if the temple could fertilize the environment, that doesn’t mean it will solve the underlying problem.”
“That’s not right.”
Barakin shook his head. And Ellain pulled out a chunk of crystal.
“This is something the Murat left for our Kusan ancestors. According to the Murat, this crystal will awaken the sleeping power of the temple.”
‘That’s right. Such a thing?’
Ark was able to roughly understand the situation. The Kusan couldn’t imagine it but many alien species existed throughout the galaxy. If those alien species invaded Rakunka then there was no way the Kusan could fend them off. A hidden strength inside the pyramid. It was probably a weapon that the Murat left behind. The pyramid left behind doubled as a terraforming device as well as a defensive weapon against alien attack. However the meteorite fell right next to the pyramid so the Kusan didn’t have time to charge the weapon.
