by Yoo Seong
The strategy was called the Great Meteor Strike!
Rapid looked at the flaming Dark Star and whistled.
“The Dark Star is a monster but Hawk is also a monster. I guess he isn’t one of the Seven Swords for nothing? Hey, are you okay? Your enemy is someone powerful like that.”
“It’s not like I wanted it.”
Ark replied in a curt voice.
“And I’m not surprised because Hawk sunk the Dark Star.”
“No? Then what is it?”
“Do you have to ask? How much do you think the jet device to move the asteroid costs? A large ship’s engine! It would be worth thousands of gold! I can’t believe it! Even if it is the Dark Star, I can’t believe he poured thousands of gold into winning one battle! He is a crazy bastard! Damn, now I know! Why that guy is blindly hostile towards me. That guy is just crazy! How could he do such a thing?”
“…..Are you really saying that?”
Rapid asked with an astounded voice. But Ark was 90% serious. Ark disliked someone like Hawk who would spend thousands of gold so easily. That was because they won’t be easily smashed when he stepped on them.
However Ark was also persistent.
‘If I shrunk back from money then I wouldn’t have started the game! I’ll show them that I don’t need money to climb up! Now it is a fight!’
-The Dark Star has sunk! Fleet, enter the planet.
Then Hawk’s voice was heard.
“Okay, Tori! Enter the atmosphere. Now is the time to show our strength!”
Ark shouted as he turned his head towards the grey planet.
Space 9
At the End of the March
The situation proceeded once the Dark Star was sunk.
The 14 ships entered the atmosphere of the grey plane and detected a secret base hidden under the ground with their optical scanners.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!
Once the spaceships gathered in that area, shells immediately flew up. They were anti-aircraft guns. But there weren’t a lot of anti-aircraft guns around the base. The greatest defense weapon had been the Dark Star in orbit around the planet. They never imagined that the Dark Star would be sunk so they hadn’t installed many anti-aircraft guns.
And that carelessness caused trouble.
–Sweep them up.
Hawk ordered with short words.
Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!
At that moment, 14 ships fired bright flashes towards the base.
It was like a war between a pea shooter and a cannon. Thanks to the Meteor Strike strategy, the spaceships had sunk the Dark Star with almost no damage. The anti-aircraft shells couldn’t penetrate the full-powered shields. However, the blasts from the sky destroyed the anti-aircraft guns!
Once the anti-aircraft guns were neutralized, the ships landed in front of the base. And soldiers flowed outside. It hadn’t been 1 hour since the Dark Star was sunk so 400 people had gathered at the square in front of the base.
“Put it in order. The goal of this mission isn’t to take care of the enemy but to gather information. I don’t think this is the home base of Organization X. However, it is one of their strongholds and will contain information about Organization X. Therefore all passages will be sealed to block the escape of key figures and we need to quickly subdue them. The optical scanners have identified 7 passages in the base. 7 balanced teams will be organized in order to capture the 7 passages at the same time.”
The member with the most subordinates was naturally Hawk. Hawk had brought extra subordinates from Turan for this mission and had 50 people. Irina and 40 people from the 1st investigation team also joined. That’s why Hawk and Irina respectively would take one passage each.
The remaining members were organized to form 5 sets of 50 people. However it wasn’t even. Ark was screwed over.
Ark was combined with Ferguson’s team who only had 12 people so theirs was the smallest team. Excluding Tori, Ark had 15 members. Hawk had tied the two teams with the least people together.
“Isn’t there something wrong about this?”
Irina was one of the people who objected.
“Ark-nim and Ferguson-nim only have 27 people in their group.”
“It was fairly put together.”
“How is this fair when they have half the amount of troops?”
“Irina-nim really doesn’t understand Ark that well. Ark has received the title of Hero in the Bellin constellation. Despite becoming lost on his first mission, he knew about Esut and single-handedly captured him on Maseti. Don’t you think it is fair that I treat him differently from the other members? And…..”
Hawk’s eyes turned to Ferguson. Ferguson’s expression showed that he was also unhappy with Hawk’s decision. Hawk reached out and lay a hand on Ferguson’s shoulder.
“Ferguson is an amazing member. I heard that he once ranked 18th in the list of top users. He might’ve only brought 10 people but they will be equivalent to the standard of 20~30 people. Ferguson has that type of ability. Isn’t that right, Ferguson?”
“Huh? Ah! Yes!”
Ferguson nodded quickly.
“In fact, our team alone will be sufficient. I’m Ferguson!”
He looked at Ark’s team standing near him and shouted.
…..Idiot! He is an idiot! Ark knew why Ferguson and Brothers A and B only brought 10 members.
According to the words of an informed Mario, Ferguson had once been rich. However he was attacked by space pirates not long along and lost his spaceship and riches. Fortunately, the insurance compensation meant he received back 80% of the ship’s price. His original 3rd grade spaceship like Ark’s was downgraded to a 2nd grade ship. All his employees died then so this time Ferguson brought mercenaries. The down payment of 3,000 gold meant he could only employ 10 people.
‘Well, he should have some skills if he managed to reach rank 18…..’
At the very least, Ferguson’s team should have some skills. Nevertheless, Ferguson’s mood had been uplifted by Hawk. But Hawk was clearly not interested in Ferguson’s skills.
“Those two are tied together. Shouldn’t their power be sufficient to overcome their numbers?”
Hawk said as he sent a provocative look to Ark.
“But……”
“Ensign Irina-nim, it is fine.”
Ark restrained Irina and shook his head.
‘That Hawk bastard, he is surprisingly petty. Is he going to act like this?’
After their meeting in Maseti, Hawk no longer bothered to hide his hostility towards Ark. Hawk was aiming a knife at the back of Ark’s head while Ark was aiming one behind Hawk. From now on Hawk would take every chance to tackle Ark. This tackle was nothing.
‘This is just the beginning. And Hawk doesn’t expect that I’ll have that much trouble. This is a type of notice. He will continue to spite me from now on.’
But he had already prepared for a hostile relationship with Hawk. Ark wouldn’t be able to avoid it as long as Hawk was the leader of the investigation team. It would be useless for him to question it. Anyway, he didn’t want Irina to raise questions by standing up for him.
‘Having the relationship between Irina-nim and I is useful right now. Irina-nim is directly related to the galactic federation so Hawk will need to keep close to her. I was expelled and returned so the other members might be dissatisfied. They might think that I took advantage of my position and status. But I don’t have to worry with Irina-nim close to Hawk!’
This was why he hid his relationship with Irina. It would be more difficult if Hawk knew that they were in a relationship. So she shouldn’t question Hawk about this.
When he thought about it, he also felt sorry for Ferguson. Ferguson got involved in the problem between Ark and Hawk. He was the smallest team so he got involved in Ark and Hawk’s war for no reason. However…..
“Hahahaha! How about it Ark? Ark. Yes, Ark. Huhuhu! I guess you’ve also heard of my fame. Yes, Ark! Believe in me. I will show
you the skills of the 18th ranked user. So don’t worry and just follow me. I’ll protect you Ark!”
Ferguson continued making noise.
…..He didn’t feel any compassion.
‘Moreover, why does he keep on saying the name Ark like that?’
…..He was getting annoyed.
“That’s good, Ark. You’re going to be protected by your colleagues.”
Hawk smiled at Ark before turning around and shouting.
“There’s no time. The key to a surprise attack is speed! Don’t give them time to think! Each team will enter the passage and exterminate the enemy! If there is danger then use the communicator! Advance!”
“Let’s go! Advance!”
And hundreds of soldiers advanced towards the base.
—————————-
“Wah! Wah! Wah!”
A man burst out screaming. The man was a Tunba called Jamal in charge of managing the secret base on the grey planet. Being responsible for a secret base was an important role in the organization. Jamal worked hard for the past few years and was promoted. But then a problem occurred.
Dark Star!
The weapon defending the grey planet was sunk.
“Damn bastards! I told them many times not to relax! They made things horrible! Shoot them, shoot!”
But the captain of the Dark Star had already died. And the mystery forces that destroyed the Dark Star was now invading the base.
“Stop them! Use every method you have to stop them!”
Jamal shouted in an urgent voice. But most of the base’s troops were gathered in the Dark Star. The base wouldn’t be attacked unless the Dark Star collapsed so they concentrated all their firepower on the Dark Star. There were only workers and Kero clan warriors remaining at the base. Well, they still numbered in the thousands…..
“The 1st defense line has fallen!”
“The enemy has entered the facility!”
“The partition walls are being destroyed one by one by the enemy’s engineers!”
“The 14th unit of Kero clan soldiers have been wiped out in 3 minutes! The 3rd passage only has a few turrets left!”
“I can’t forgive those tadpoles!”
Jamal shouted angrily.
It was natural. The frogs defending the base didn’t have great abilities. Their intelligence was low and they just shot the guns wildly while rushing. It was useful when using a human wave tactic but not when enemy troops were entering the base. They were smashed every time they encountered the enemy.
Jamal could see dozens of dead frogs on his monitors. And the unidentified pioneers that sometimes approached the corpses!
“I have to find another way……!”
“I was one step too late.”
Then he heard someone’s voice near him. Jamal flinched and turned around. 5 people were drawing close to Jamal. They were black hoods that didn’t show their faces and the skin between the collar seemed to be tinged black.
However, the one who talked just then had white skin like a human. Jamal immediately shed tears as he saw him.
“A-Agent-nim, you came!”
“This is a difficult situation.”
“Huh? Yes! A-as you can see! That stupid captain! He blew the whole thing! I told him many times not to relax! Now I’m desperately trying to block them but….”
“Quiet.”
The man placed a finger to his lips and whispered before looking at the monitor. A small smile formed as he saw the investigation team slaughtering the frogs in each passage. It was the type of smile like a cat catching a mouse.
However the man erased his expression before turning back to Jamal.
“I will now deliver some commands.”
—————————-
“This really…..”
Ark scratched his head.
–Now is the time to show our strength!
Ark had said that as he entered the grey planet. He thought about showing 120% of his ability in a hot battle. But the opponent he wanted to show his strength to wasn’t here.
Hawk. Ark had wanted to show his power to Hawk. Hawk had developed the Meteor Strike so Ark wasn’t to show that he wasn’t too daunted by Hawk.
Yet they had been divided into teams.
‘There is no reason for me to fight.’
So Ark thought about it. He entered a different passage but the members would all rendezvous in the centre. Naturally the enemy’s resistance would be the greatest there.
‘In this situation, the only way to resist is to concentrate the troops in the centre. The units are entering 7 different passages so their speed would depend on the enemy’s combat strength and resistance. There is just one problem. It will be difficult to penetrate such numbers with overwhelming power. The members’ stamina will also fall as we move towards the centre. It is highly likely that there will be a prolonged battle in the centre.’
So there was no reason to rush. Of course, the unit that captured the centre first would receive the highest achievements. But there was no guarantee he could occupy the centre if he arrived their first. No, if he arrived first then he would just receive the most damage.
‘Yes, now isn’t the time to hurry. The important thing is to maintain my power while advancing to the centre. It might be beneficial to reach the centre last. So I need to avoid as much fighting as possible to conserve my strength.’
That was the conclusion Ark reached. He won’t consume his power before arriving at the centre. Then Ark would take care of the hordes of frog the members who arrived first would be struggling with and gobble up all the achievements.
Of course it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Ark’s passage also had frogs flooding it. They just fired machine guns and RPGS blindly but it was a narrow damage so he would receive damage. However…..
“That’s wonderful, Ferguson-nim!”
Ark raised his thumb and exclaimed. Then Ferguson who was wearing a thick armour burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! Yes? Isn’t that right Ark? Huhuhuhu! Am I cool?”
“Yes! I can only believe in Ferguson-nim!”
“Yes! Trust me Ark! I will protect you! Let’s go!”
Ferguson moved in front of Ark and fired bullets down the passage. He moved with incredible speed for someone wearing such thick armour. Ferguson fired a revolver launcher that flew tens of metres in seconds.
Tung! Tung! Tung! Tung!
There was a ringing sound as a barricade fell. Fire surged from the barricade and a swarm of frogs rushed out to avoid dying. Brothers A and B holding shields and swords followed behind Ferguson.
“Now! Follow your Hyung-nim! Full force assault!”
An intense hand-to-hand combat followed!
‘User ranked 18th….he definitely has significant combat power but…..’
Ark laughed as he watched the scene from behind. Ferguson was a suitable figure to be ranked 18th. No, his skills were the same level as Ark but his equipment was really excellent. And Brothers A and B might be ordinary compared to Ferguson but their equipment was significant. They were indeed suitable to be chosen for the investigation team. But Ferguson had a fatal weakness.
‘……They are really simple guys.’
He has sensed it when Hawk quickly settled their complaints.
‘This guy has the intelligence of an ape. I just need to throw bananas at him. That Hawk bastard, he sensed their intelligence and sent monkeys to accompany me!’
Ark had already set up his own plan. He would minimize the damage while marching to the centre. Ark could set up such a plan thanks to Ferguson, A and B.
“That’s wonderful, Ferguson-nim!”
“Hahahaha! Yes, only believe in me Ark!”
“Wow! That great power! That great power! It is to the extent that I can’t imitate it!”
“Hihihihi! Really? Is that so? Okay Ark! Praise me more! More praise!”
He continued cheering as Ferguson fired bullets and threw grenades towards the fro
gs. Rapid scratched his head as he watched the scene.
“Ark, is this really okay?”
“Why? The party is still receiving experience.”
Ark answered with a smirk, causing Melina to sigh.
“No, it isn’t a complaint…..those people, they seem slightly pitiful for some reason…..”
“Oh, was that it? It is your imagination. It is like visitors to a zoo thinking that the monkeys are pitiful. Meanwhile the monkeys won’t care as long as you give them bananas. No, wouldn’t the monkeys be happier at the sight of the visitors? The same is true with these guys. Look Melina-nim. He has become dramatically happier.”
“Too pitiful! Those guys, they are really pitiful!”
Ark’s team unanimously sympathized with Ferguson after hearing Ark’s explanation. However Ark’s words were true.
Ferguson was crazy in the head!
‘Hahahaha! This feels good! It is exciting!’
Right now endorphins were rushing in Ferguson’s head. It was thanks to Ark passionately cheering from behind.
‘Right now it doesn’t matter if Ark from New World appears in front of me. Yes, Ark should always be cheering me from behind like A and B. I was exploited like a pig. But now my position has changed. Now I’m stronger than this guy! Of course, he isn’t the one from New World but Ark is still Ark! Huhuhu! That Ark bastard is surprised and praising my strength! This is great! This is what I’ve been dreaming of!’
It was the dream from his time in New World! However, it was an insurmountable reality and he had to give up on the dream! That dream was finally being made into a reality in this place.
-You have been damaged by the enemy’s bullet!
“Hahaha! Don’t worry about it!”
It wasn’t possible to stop the Ferguson hyped up on endorphins.
“H-Hyung-nim, I’m tired. There aren’t any places where I can penetrate a hole.”
“Doesn’t it seem like we’re the only ones suffering for some reason?”
“I don’t want to hear your weak voices! Do you think this opportunity will come easily? Now is the time to show our strength to Ark! Throw out your chest proudly! We are the heroes!”
