Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  Kwakwang!

  The golem’s fist rose and slammed into the ground.

  “This foolish golem!”

  Ark used Swamp Walking to retreat. The golem had no intention of understanding Ark’s circumstances. Then there was only one way remaining! He had no choice but to defeat the golem and pass the test.

  “Okay. Shall we do this?”

  Ark took an attack stance with his lightsaber in front of him. He had managed to pass the Sanctuary’s training centre test after several attempts. He didn’t know the exact identity of the crystal golem but it should be a higher level of difficulty than the training centre. However his real opponent was time. Right now time was the most precious thing to Ark. He couldn’t afford to lose even 1 second.

  “I need to use my full strength straight away! Armour armament!”

  The space distorted and his battle suit appeared! The battle suit wrapped around Ark’s body and he shot towards the golem.

  Wiing! Wiiing! Pajik! Pajijijik!

  The lightsaber moved through the air and cut the golem. Sparks flew from the golem’s body as the lightsaber struck it.

  “Okay. This should be enough to win!”

  Ark showered the golem with attacks. The golem tried to counterattack by hitting with its fist. However the golem’s movements were slow. It had tremendous destructive power but that didn’t matter if the attacks didn’t hit him. Ark used Swamp Walking to move across the shaking floor and hurled relentless attacks. It was an almost one-sided attack!

  ‘I was certain it would be more difficult than the training centre……maybe I became too strong? I also didn’t use the battle suit in the training centre…..that Xanax, he might’ve made a mistake with the test sequence.’

  He had that idea. Then the golem spread its arms opened and rushed forward. So far the movements had been slow thus he couldn’t imagine the fast speed of the charge! Ark hurriedly raised his sword at the sudden speed. However he couldn’t stop the rush of the crystal golem. Ark received a huge impact and bounced back several metres. At the same time, the golem spread its arms open before slamming them together again.

  Jjang!

  There was an explosive sound as the two palms hit together. He had managed to barely avoid it but the attack caused sweat to drip down his back. The movement was like catching a fly. If Ark’s head had been between those palms then he really would be crushed like a fly. No, he avoided the clapping but it wasn’t a favourable situation to him. The golem head-butted him. He took a defensive stance but he still lost 15% health. However Ark was even more confused by the golem’s health. He had bombarded the golem with rapid fire attacks and had hit it at least 10 times. Yet the golem had only lost 5% of its health. That meant his unique lightsaber only dealt 0.5% damage with each hit.

  ‘What? This ridiculous defense?’

  Ark noticed the reason afterwards. He avoided the golem’s fist and swung his lightsaber!

  Snap! Pajijijik!

  When the lightsaber hit an enemy, the area turned dark. However the golem’s reaction was different. When the lightsaber touched the golem’s body, the light diffused and sparks emerged on the surface.

  ‘Oh my god! This is the reason!’

  It wasn’t simply a problem of defense. The lightsaber blade was basically a high temperature light. Any light that touched rough glass ended up with a diffuse reflection. It didn’t enter properly which was why the damage wasn’t high. The golem’s body was crystal. Most of the lightsaber was dispersed and the damaged decreased. This was the worst opponent to use a lightsaber on!

  ‘When considering the power of this guy……’

  In fact, there was a reason Ark started with full power apart from the time limit. Ark had to fight through the Myutal in order to reach the pyramid. He wanted to finish this during the time limit so he couldn’t afford to take breaks. Thus he tended to only have 60~70% health while advancing. It was the same when he arrived at the pyramid. Ark only had 70% health left when he advanced inside the pyramid. He had to pass through the Myutal so his health was 60% when he reached the golem. Therefore he decided to use full strength to quickly take care of it.

  ‘But the lightsaber doesn’t work on this guy!’

  Now finishing it quickly was a problem. He only caused 5% damage. On the other hand, he had lost 15% health just from the golem head-butting him.

  ‘Attacking blindly is meaningless! Even if I can avoid being damaged, defeated him will take a long time. Ellain won’t be able to hold out until then. This can’t continue. I need to find another way!’

  Kukung! Kwa kwang! Kukung!

  Ark desperately rolled to avoid the golem’s fists. Generally there were two types of monsters. There were ordinary monsters and monsters with a strong resistance to certain attacks The Umu was one such monster. A general sword wouldn’t be able to harm it. Those sorts of monsters would also be impervious to smash attacks. The Sonic Sword was able to damage it because it targeted the Umu’s weakness. It was imperative that he find the weakness!

  ‘Crystal, glass, glass……aha!’

  “Fire Eagle P-50!”

  A gun sprang out of his bag at Ark’s words.

  Snap! Pajijijik!

  It was the shotgun that he barely used since obtaining the Heir’s Sword. The golem couldn’t be properly damaged by the lightsaber. Therefore Ark put the sword away and grabbed the Fire Eagle. He avoided the golem’s fist and loaded the bullets!

  “Eat this!”

  Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!

  There was the sound of the Fire Eagle being shot. But there was no hot feeling like when he first used the Fire Eagle. One blow had damaged multiple Sufferers but the damage to the golem was different. The Heir’s Sword had twice the damage of the Fire Eagle. It also had the ‘push’ effect but the large body meant the effect wasn’t applied.

  ‘But……’

  Ark wasn’t using a normal bullet. It was the Freezing Bullet being fired! This bullet had the effect of slowing down biological tissue. But the opponent was a crystal golem. There was no biological tissue so the effect of the freezing bullet wasn’t applied. The only thing that happened was frost forming on the surface of the crystal. However……

  ‘This should be sufficient.’

  “Now it seems to properly frozen.”

  Buuong! Ark avoided the golem’s fist and smiled. He loaded new bullets in the empty magazine and lifted the muzzle again.

  “Let’s see how solid your body is now! Set Bullets Shooting!”

  Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

  The Fire Eagle started spewing out flames! The flames hit the golem’s chest. So far the golem had ignored all attacks from the lightsaber and Fire Eagle but this time it was different. “I-I can’t believe this!” The golem clutched his chest and stepped back with confusion. Crystal pieces were crumbling underneath the golem’s fingers. This was what Ark had been aiming for. The special effect of the Freezing Bullet wasn’t applied to the golem’s body but it was frosted. In order words, it was the same effect as putting glass in a freezer. What would happen if boiling water was then poured on it? It would rapidly contract and expand!

  This was the principle behind the golem’s body breaking. He had shot a Fire Bullet after the Freezing Bullet! The Freezing Bullet and Fire Bullet had the same effect as putting glass in a freezer and then pouring hot water on it. This was the result. The golem’s thick body that hadn’t been damaged by the lightsaber and bullets started shattering. 7% of its health also decreased at once.

  “In no time…..”

  Ark loaded the Freezing Bullet again and laughed.

  “I’m going to turn you to powder.”

  Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!

  Since then the battle became one-sided. Ark avoided the golem’s fists and fired the Freezing Bullets. Once the golem’s body was covered with frost, he would change to the Fire Bullets and peng! Peng! Peng! Fine parts of the golem’s body fell every time and it lost 10% health in 3~4 minu
tes.

  “Not yet!”

  The cracked golem rushed towards him. It spread both arms wide open like it wanted to hug Ark. Ark had no intention of letting himself be hugged. The moment the golem tried to hug Ark!

  “Welcome to the alter ego!”

  Ark’s body turned hazy. This was the second skill obtained from the Kusan village! Ellain had used ‘welcome to the alter ego’ during the fight with Ark. Ark liked that technique since he first saw it. He specialized in close combat so he needed something to deceive the enemy’s eyes. Of course, it wasn’t that easy to get a NPC to teach a player a skill. However the Kusan considered Ark as God’s messenger. He also taught them a skill that they lost a long time ago.

  Therefore Ark easily learnt the secrets of ‘welcome to the alter ego’ from Ellain. The method of teaching was similar to the one Ark used on the Kusan warriors. Ellain had to demonstrate the skill then Ark had to practice it. This was why Ark was more tired than the Kusan warriors. While the Kusan warriors had been sleeping for 8 hours after their training, Ark had been learning this skill. It was fortunate that Ark could acquire the skill quickly.

  It wasn’t because Ark had outstanding talent. Galaxian was a game, so user→NPC transfer of information was much slower than NPC→user. Ark was also able to quickly acquire ‘welcome to the alter ego’ because he used a similar technique during his New World days. Dozens of footprints appeared on the ground. ‘Welcome to the alter ego’ was a skill where the user had to step on one footprint after another and it would fail or succeed depending on the completion rate. It was the same method as Dark Dance! Thankfully he only needed to practice for 2 hours.

  -A new skill (Common Occupation ☆☆☆☆) has been learnt.

  Welcome to the Alter Ego (User, Active): This technique has been handed down through generations of the indigenous people of the underdeveloped planet Rakunka. The Kusan warriors often saw mirages in the desert and created a series of footwork that would make illusions to confuse the enemy. However this technique requires a certain amount of agility (300) to be successful.

  <2~4 alter egos can be created. The number of alter egos depends on the success of the footwork>

  Mana consumption: 50

  Hwakak!

  Ark followed the complicated footprints on the ground and created 4 alter egos. One of them were caught in the golem’s arms and disappeared. Naturally this was an alter ego. The remaining three scattered in every direction and surrounded the golem. The golem turned its body different ways with confusion.

  “18 Barrage!”

  Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

  Flying fists hit the golem! Cracks had already spread all over the golem’s body thanks to the combo of Freezing Bullet + Fire Bullet. Once the fists of steel starting hitting at an incredible speed, chunks of crystal started falling to the ground. And when the 18th fist hit!

  Jjajjajjajjang!

  There was a ringing sound and a thick crack spread across the centre of the golem. It was the end.

  “……The pledge has been completed.”

  The golem said in a weak voice.

  -Your level has risen.

  -Your level has risen.

  It was a welcome message.

  “Phew, now……”

  Ark took off his battle suit and muttered. Then the crystal pieces piled on the ground started melting like liquid. The liquid gathered and changed into a bracelet with many crystals linked together.

  “Eh? An item? Then perhaps this is?”

  Ark picked up the crystal wristlet.

  -Baius Shield Lv. 1 (Artefact)

  Item Type: Energy Shield Wearer Restriction: Elim’s Heir

  Defense: 200 Durability: ∞

  Shield Quantity: 5,000/5,000

  Thousands of years ago, the Murat created 5 Divine Artefacts for their Elim. This Divine Artefact was created with the special Baius crystal with the nickname ‘Stone of Will’ and has the same functionality as an energy shield. But this isn’t a mere shield. Sometimes it can change into a golem and move independently of the user. Baius is a material that has will so it can change and grow with experience. It can grow into a stronger shield and golem. However, this growth is accomplished by absorbing 50% of the wearer’s experience.

 

 

  -You have acquired the

  “Divine Artefact!”

  Ark’s eyes looked shocked. Ark thought that the crystal golem had been placed there by Xanax. However the golem had turned out to be a Divine Artefact. This was a development he hadn’t expected. But unlike its name, the Baius Shield’s performance actually wasn’t that good. The shield only had 200 defense. A shield would 200 defense wouldn’t be able to block the enemy’s attacks. The shield also had health. Usually a weak bullet decreased a shield by 100~200. If it was a close range attack then sometimes it would be 1,000 damage. Therefore most level 50 shields had 5,000 shield quantities. If he looked at that value then this Divine Artefact was no different from a level 50 weapon.

  ‘But this is a growth type item!’

  If meant the performance could be steadily upgraded! The shield could also transform into a golem. It might absorb 50% experience but it was similar to growing a pet so he could take that penalty.

  ‘I’d like to try summoning the golem……’

  Now wasn’t the time to be playing around.

  “Defense weapon! Where is the Murat’s defense weapon?”

  ARC looked around desperately. But he didn’t see anything except for the pillar.

  ‘The Murat told the Kusan to use the crystal if there was a crisis. There must be some way to trigger the defense weapon. If that’s the case?’

  Ark placed his hand on the pillar. The intricate light patterns then gathered around Ark’s hand. It gathered together to form Murat letters!

  -Rakunka’s space weapon ‘Heavenly God’s Fire’ has been started.

  The ‘Heavenly God’s Fire’ can have harmful effects on Rakunka’s environment.

  Would you like to activate ‘Heavenly God’s Fire?’

  This was the contents of the letters after the Nymphe translated it. It was a space weapon that could have harmful effects on the environment. However Rakunka didn’t need environmental protection after the Myutal’s attacks. Weren’t the natives already dying and the atmosphere heating up? There was no need to worry!

  “Activate!”

  Ark exclaimed. Then the letters in front of his hand spread around the pillar. It formed a pattern that connected and a circuit was drawn on the surface of the pillar.

  Ku ku ku ku! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

  There was a vibration and a huge pillar of light flew upwards.

  ————————————————————————————————-

  “Pant pant pant!”

  “My strength…..ugh!”

  Ellain grabbed his arm and stumbled. While Ark had entered the pyramid to call the ‘Power of God,’ Ellain and the Kusan warriors had been fighting the thousands of Myutal flocking to the pyramid. Fortunately the entrance was narrow so only 20 Myutal could attack at once. They could defeat those numbers. However that had its limitations. 10 times, 20 times, 30 times……more warriors became wounded and died as they killed the Myutal endlessly. The fierce battle had already been ongoing for 10 minutes. However the ‘Power of God’ still hadn’t been activated.

  “Maybe the legend is just a legend……”

  Ellain grieved as he looked at his bloody colleagues.

  Ku ku ku ku! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

  There was a loud noise and the pyramid shook. Ellain and the surviving Kusan warriors then wi
tnessed a miracle. A huge light shot up from the top of the pyramid and the sky turned red like it was angry. And the anger formed red rays that shot towards the ground. The moment the light touched the red earth!

  Kikikiki……pepeng!

  There were thousands of Myutal covering the pyramid. All of the Myutal screamed and exploded in unison. It wasn’t just the Myutal. The Umu controlling the Myutal and the red substance covering the area also vaporized. However Ellain and the Kusan warriors were unaffected despite being touched by the red light. Only the alien creatures invading Rakunka were burned by the light of the heavens!

  “Miracle! It is a miracle of God!”

  “Our faith wasn’t in vain!”

  “Ohh! God is helping us!”

  Ellain and the Kusan warriors fell to their knees.

  ‘This is the nature of God’s power?’

  The vast stretches of outer space.

  Ark looked out the window of the Silver Star. Ark was inside the pyramid so he could read the identity of God’s power through the Murat letters. The identity of God’s power was the nebula gas Ark was looking at now. No, to be accurate it was the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the nebular gas. The nebular gas of the cross emitted unique electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic wave was similar to a microwave. The molecules vibrated at a velocity that generated heat. And the light that shot up from the pyramid amplified the electromagnetic waves surrounding Rakunka. This was the identity of the red beams Ellain witnessed. The electromagnetic waves surrounded Rakunka was amplified by hundreds of times like a microwave.

  That’s why the Myutal and Umu exploded. The body fluids were boiled by a microwave and exploded. However, the Kusan and indigenous flora and fauna of Rakunka had received the radio waves for tens of thousands of years and had developed an immunity to it. The Murat was aware of this and created a weapon using the nature of the nebula gas to create a weapon that would wipe out alien species. This was the true identity of the ‘Power of God!’

  ‘But I’m not from the Kusan clan……’

  If he had been outside the pyramid then Ark also would’ve gone BOOM!

  ‘The Power of God really is merciless. I don’t know if the Murat has good or bad personalities.’