Ark The Legend Vol 8 Chapter 6

s.p.a.cE 6. To Istana!

Hwiiiii-!

There was an intense wind blowing. Yellow sand caught by the wind covered the square. Then the people gathered at the square started complaining.

“d.a.m.n, the sector isn’t s.h.i.+elded so the intense wind is difficult to deal with.”

“You should clean your equipment.  Having sand caught in the gun could cause problems.”

“Sheesh, I know that much already. I’ll check it before we go hunting.”

“Shhh, it’s beginning soon.”

A person nearby said in a low voice. The people chatting quickly shut their mouths. In the centre of the square where 100 people were gathered was ‘him.’ He was a blond man wearing an old, furred cloak over faded leather armour! The user nicknamed Rapid.

‘d.a.m.n, why is it like this……?’

A frustrated sigh emerged from Rapid’s mouth. Despite being killed, he had received amnesty after the federation’s victory and returned to Istana. And he finally arrived here after a journey that lasted several days.

-Sector S-20 Administration

Manager: Ark

Sector S-20! This was where Ark was located. His emotions soared as he saw the name Ark. He went through many trials to come here! When he thought about it, he made quite a number of mistakes on the way here. But now it was the end. He finally reached the place where Ark was!

…..That’s what he thought.

“Did you come to see Hyung-nim?”

It was an alien called Hegel who greeted him.

“I don’t know why you’re searching for Hyung-nim but he isn’t here right now.”

“What?”

“Yes, he left just a while ago.”

“A little while ago? Where did he go? Where?”

Hegel puffed up at Rapid’s question.

“I’m not sure I should say this……well, I don’t know actually……a federation officer came to visit and he flew back to Tatuine. We a.s.sumed that he needed Hyung-nim’s help. Huhuhu, the administrator of this sector is someone like that. He is the one who received the t.i.tle of Beltana and Athamas’ Hero. I’m the younger brother of someone like that.”

Rapid felt like he was. .h.i.t in the head with a hammer. He had left Tatuine as soon as he returned to meet Ark here. Yet Ark was now heading towards Tatuine. He left 30 minutes before Rapid arrived.

‘Then the airs.h.i.+p with the mark of the federation…..’

Ark must’ve been riding the airs.h.i.+p he saw just before arriving at S-20.

‘What is this? Are you playing with me now?’

He thought angrily.

“Then when is he coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

He might not even return. Rapid was worried about that part. Should he go to Tatuine or wait for Ark in S-20. But his worries didn’t last long. He was impatient after Ark was sent to Beltana and eventually committed a crime.

‘I won’t repeat the same mistakes.’

Rapid made up his mind. This time he would wait for Ark in S-20. Since then Rapid sat in front of the signpost erected at S-20’s management centre. Rapid didn’t dare go to the hunting ground in case Ark returned. He also reduced his sleeping hours and didn’t leave the capsule.

“What? That guy?” Why is he just sitting there?”

“He’s waiting for Hyung-nim.”

“Ark? When is Ark coming back?”

“I don’t know. Therefore he is just waiting over there.”

“That guy is just staring. He should go around to the hunting ground until Hyung-nim returns.”

“I said that too but he refused. He seems really eager to meet Hyung-nim.”

“That is a bit intense. Why on earth does he want to meet Hyung-nim so badly?”

“He didn’t explain it properly. He says that he doesn’t really know.”

“He doesn’t know? Is he stupid?”

Mellin muttered with a silly expression. Then Hegel approached and whispered.

“By the way. Before that pioneer was talking in his sleep. He kept on muttering Hyung-nim’s name and fate.”

“Fate? Don’t tell me…..”

Mellin glanced at Rapid with surprise.

“Is he different? The body is male but inside he is a girl…..something like that. Is he attached to Ark? Yes, that explains it. There is no other reason for a man to wait for a man. That brat, isn’t he being a stalker? Ugh, a stalker! How scary.”

“Hik! T-then what should we do?”

“What else? He hasn’t actually committed a crime. We can’t kick out someone who purchased a lifetime voucher for S-20 for no reason. We just have to leave him for Ark.”

He received the gay treatment! Rapid didn’t move from in front of the office. Thus he managed to unintentionally learn some things after a few days pa.s.sed. After listening to Hegel and Mellin talking, he discovered that Ark became the administrator of S-20 because of his Hero t.i.tles. And he had brought up S-20 to its current state.

‘Ark…..he certainly isn’t ordinary.’

Other people might just dismiss it as luck. There was a time where Rapid also dismissed Ark’s actions as luck. If that luck was repeated several times then it had to be skill. He definitely had something that was different from others. This sector was a good example. S-20 had an amazing level of growth. He used the ‘lifetime free pa.s.s’ and used Slayer, Leon and Melina to promote the sector, causing the population to reach 1,500 in a fortnight.

‘When considering the previous Ark, I shouldn’t be surprised at this degree but…..’

Ark also made a few mistakes. The first was that he hastily put S-20 together to gather pioneers. The problem was that the sector wasn’t equipped with some proper systems so the users experienced a lot of problems.

“We had that place first when another party interrupted. Shouldn’t the sector manager arbitrate this? Please firmly establish some rules!”

“Isn’t this too irresponsible?”

“If you operate this way then I’ll rather receive a refund for my lifetime voucher!”

“Look. A few days ago this merchant entered my store and now he is selling the same goods. Did he receive permission as well? Are you telling me to go out of business?”

“Some guys set up a shop in front of the dungeon. I heard that the merchant paid the registration fee and taxes like me. Then I’ll also move the store in front of the dungeon.”

It was natural for there to be conflict when the population suddenly increased. S-20 still hadn’t established a system so the conflicts between users and NPCs started to rise. Ark’s first mistake was not predicting this situation in advance and creating some rules. His second mistake was leaving it after a few days.

“So…..it is……”

“The merchandise and location of the shops hasn’t been formally decided yet……”

“There will be a solution as soon as the administrator returns……”

He had entrusted management to Mellin and Hegel. However these NPCs didn’t have any jobs related to sector management. That’s why they didn’t know how to handle the storm of complaints. They couldn’t resolve the issues so the situation was just exacerbated and the vicious cycle repeated.

‘This has nothing to do with me but……’

Once again, Rapid was born to a very wealthy family. He had study business administrator to inherit his father’s business so he knew the solutions as soon as he heard the problem. He watched Hegel and Mellin before making up his mind. It was irritating.

Noisy! Utter confusion!

The users and NPCs gathered in front of the management office with their complaints. Rapid was sitting in front of the signpost. He was tired from waiting for Ark so he couldn’t stand the noise.

Itchy, restless.

‘Dammit, I can’t leave it like this!’

In the end Rapid failed to stop himself.

“Mellin-nim, Hegel-nim, listen to me for a moment. I want to say something.”

Rapid quickly explained to both of them the solution. He came up with two types of roadblocks to stop the incoming complaints. In order to eliminate conflict between users, he set up the ‘S-20 Dungeon’s Ten Temporary Rules.’ He also established the ‘S-20’s Ten Temporary Commerce Rules’ in order to address the complaints of the merchants and limited the store location area.

“Ohh! Indeed!”

“This will reduce a lot of the complaints!”

Mellin and Hegel said with admiration at Rapid’s proposal. It was natural. Rapid had gained practical experience from his father’s business. He established rules without a single crack in them! The complaints instantly declined once Mellin and Hegel implemented the rules.

‘Now I can sleep better.’

However the real sleepless hours started from then on. The population that had stalled for a while started to increase again and new problems occurred. In addition, more complex issues with the surrounding sectors started to pop up once the population increased. Every time Mellin and Hegel came to Rapid with the problem.

“Hey, what are your thoughts on this issue?”

“What would you do if several pioneers are dissatisfied with the rules?”

‘Dammit, I should’ve just left it alone……’

But he had already started. He couldn’t fake ignorance anymore. In the end Rapid settled into the office and handled the issues. Thus far it was okay.

“Hey, is there someone called Ark here?”

A pioneer came to S-20 a few days ago.

“Hasn’t that Ark been farting a lot of nonsense lately? He might be a war hero but I’m here to inform him that there are other skies above him. Bring me Ark immediately. I want to apply for a duel!”

“Hyung-nim isn’t here right now.”

“Ha, stop playing around. Is he hiding? He needs to prove his bragging. Bring him out within 3 minutes. I have 100 subordinates. How about it? Do you want me to call all of my subordinates? Eh? Either he comes out or I’ll burn him out.”

The bearded man threatened. There were always people like this in games. They had the mind of a kid and wanted to prove they were the best just because they had a high level. Rapid had also been annoyed by guys like this in the previous game. There were an endless number of these people. Rapid ignored him. However…..

“Kikikiki. Why, are you scared? Is the administrator so frightened that he has to hind behind his henchmen? Ark…..it is the same name as that guy in New World. The so-called most powerful user. Don’t make me laugh. That was only possible because I wasn’t playing the game. If I was there then he would have no chance. I saw Ark on the broadcast and he looked completely stupid. The administrator here is imitating the name Ark so I know what standard he is.”

Ppajik.

The veins on Rapid’s forehead throbbed.

“You said you wanted to have a duel with Ark?”

“Then? What? Are you going to be my opponent instead of Ark?”

“That is possible. No, you are correct.”

“Kikiki, did you snap because I insulted your leader? Okay.  I’ll take care of his follower while waiting for Ark. The duel application is received.”

-A duel has started!

The person who died won’t lose experience and can immediately resurrect at the Fairy. However the normal costs of resurrection still applies>

‘It turned out like this.’

Rapid sighed as he looked at the information window. Then the bearded man laughed and pulled out a machine gun.

“Kukukuku. Why, are you scared to duel? But it is too late. Regret it after I cut off your head. Now I’ll give you time to take out your weapon.”

“This is my weapon.”

Rapid indicated to a pistol hanging on his waist. Then bearded man gave him an astounded look and said.

“Hey, are you kidding? Can’t you see this? You live in this sector so you might not know but this is a limited edition M-620 a.s.sault rifle created by h.e.l.l Lion. The warhead has a special ceramic coating to increase the penetration power and it fires 20 shots a minute. Do you understand? The moment I pull the trigger you will disappear without a trace……”

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

-Headshot-III x3!

The bearded man dropped the M-620 that he was so proud of. It should’ve ended there!

“This b.a.s.t.a.r.d! A surprise attack? Again! Bring it on! This time the M-620……”

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

“L-last time was a mistake. I got distracted. Again! Again! This time……”

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

“No! I just suddenly got a cramp in my fingers! Hey, you! Now? This b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Why aren’t you waking up? Get up and accept my duel application! I’ll show you my skills! The M-620 has also been strengthened!”

The bearded man kept on yelling. If someone died in a duel then they could resurrect straight away without any experience loss. From then on, the bearded man would run to S-20 as soon as he resurrected at the Fairy of another sector and apply for a duel. Of course he had to pay the cost of resurrection but he had the finest air bike so he wasn’t a user who cared about money. Anyway, Rapid was in a disastrous position.

‘I haven’t slept properly for a few days and now I have to keep on fighting this a.s.shole……’

He really wanted to kill him! However he committed a crime and had just been freed. And now he was at Ark’s sector so he couldn’t commit a crime. So far he had fought the bearded man 13 times! Now the duel between Rapid and the bearded man was very famous throughout S-20. Spectators would flock every time the bearded man applied for a duel.

“Huhuhu, this time it will be different. Last time I couldn’t aim because of the sudden dust that entered my eye due to the wind. But this time……”

“It came! This time!”

The bearded man muttered ‘this time’ in every duel so it became like a mantra to him. However this wasn’t what the spectators were waiting for.

“Take this! The M-620 that launches 20 bullets in 1 minute!”

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

The bearded man lifted his machine gun and 3 shots were fired. But the bearded man’s head was the one with holes in them. Not one of them missed. 3 bullets. .h.i.t the same place with an error of 1 mm. One hole for all the hits! It was the sign of a master marksman. But the remarkable thing was that he fired it at a tremendous rate!

“D-did you see?”

“No, I didn’t see it this time.”

“You didn’t see the movement of him pulling out the gun?”

“Besides, there is no sign of many holes on the bearded man. Does that mean they all hit the same place?”

“It’s no joke. Is he from the national shooting team?”

This was the reason for the spectators. Rapid had been growing his rapid fire and hit rate since starting Galaxian! Now he was near the level of a superhuman. Once the number of duels went over 10, users started to visit just to watch the duels. But none of them directly approached Rapid. The reason why……

“Wow! This time was also very nice! Hyung-nim is great!”

Hegel ran over after the duel.

“It isn’t great. I just…..”

Rapid stumbled as he turned towards Hegel. He handled increasingly more complaints and he had to duel the bearded man 1~2 every day. The number of hours he was sleeping reduced so he felt dizzy whenever the tension was released. Then Hegel quickly backed away with surprise.

“I’m sorry. I’m not interested in something like this!”

“What…..”

Rapid tilted his head with confusion.

“Did you see? Did you see? That alien backed away from him in panic?”

“The rumours were true. Did you see it?”

“There is a reason he is waiting for the administrator while barely sleeping. Ya, this is scary. Then it doesn’t matter to him if they are men or aliens?”

“Hey hey, don’t make eye contact. He might imprint on you when he is tired.”

The spectators gossiped and scattered as they avoided Rapid’s attention. Rapid had ears so he also heard such talk. However the rumours would just multiply if he denied it so he pretended ignorance. Anyway…..Rapid sighed as he stared after them.

‘Ark, where are you and what are you doing?’

————————————————————————————————————————

“I don’t know where this is.”

Susak susak, susak susak.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Susak susak, susak susak.

Ark mechanically looked around. It was an endless dark s.p.a.ce with countless stars scattered around.

“This game is set with the backdrop of s.p.a.ce pioneering…..”

This was the first time he truly realized that setting. He had started Galaxian for more than 5 months. In the meantime he had spent time on the s.p.a.ce station R-14, the federation’s main planet Istana, the frozen planet of Beltana and Amara. He had toured quite a few planets. However he had used the Star Gate to move and the s.h.i.+p had instantly warped to Amara’s port. Moving on a s.h.i.+p that used warp didn’t make him feel like he was travelling the universe. But now he felt like the galaxy was in fact the main stage. It was natural. Right now Ark was in the middle of s.p.a.ce! He had spent 4 days watching the universe!

“d.a.m.n, I thought it would be okay once I escaped from Amara……”

Certainly!

This trip gave Ark more than he expected.

Character Information Window Name Ark (R-02788) Level 107 Species Human Occupation Elim’s Heir Fame 8,520  Adventure 1,720 Health 2,700 (+90) Mental Power  50 (+340) Mana 0 Force 1,825 Strength 270 (+38) Agility 335 (+41) Stamina 425 (+18) Wisdom 40 (+13) Intelligence 260 (+68) Luck 55 (+8) * t.i.tle

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 first was experience. He had been level 99 when he checked in the Abyss of Despair. He had already gained 5 levels from killing the Nak.u.ma in the dungeon. Then he defeated the huge Nak.u.ma and gained 5 levels in one go! But it didn’t stop there.

“100% experience is applied so I should gain 5 more.”

Ark gained new information through this experience. When he killed using the weapons loaded on the airs.h.i.+p, he only got 5~10% of the experience! When thinking about it, it was natural. Someone firing the gun at dozens of enemies wouldn’t get the same experience as a warrior killing the opponent directly. If they received the same experience then the engineers who moved the Gigantic would be hundreds of levels already. The reason was the penalty applied to experience. However, 5~10% of the total number of enemies wasn’t a joke. He had killed all the Nak.u.ma in the Abyss of Despair when it caved in. Therefore he gained 3 levels in just 30 minutes! In a day he had gone from level 99 to 107.

-The has failed.

This message appeared when the cave collapsed. But Ark had no more interest in that airs.h.i.+p. He had gained the Murat’s battles.h.i.+p that had been sleeping for hundreds of years in the Abyss of despair, the Silver Star! Unlike the airs.h.i.+p that had become junk, this one had RPGs as well as two turrets attached to the wings. He didn’t care about one quest!

“The Silver Star! Break through the atmosphere!”

Roaaaaar!

The Silver Star rose vertically as it escaped from the Abyss of Despair. It soared through the atmosphere and entered s.p.a.ce in a matter of minutes.

……It lasted up to there.

“You can’t warp?”

“That’s not it, rather……”

Tori scratched his head.

“This engine has been enclosed in iron mold for hundreds of years. The inside has partially eroded and there are some major areas that don’t work properly. Some parts of the engine need repair.”

“So? Can you fix it?”

“It is possible with the emergency repair kit but the problem is that it will take some time.”

“How long will it take?”

“I think it should take at least one week.”

Tori hesitated before replying. He thought he had escaped from Amara and now he had to wait a week so it was frustrating. He had left a lot of work behind in S-20. He left Mellin and Hegel in charge but they weren’t professional NPCs so he couldn’t help worrying. But what could he do? He needed the Silver Star’s warp feature to return to Istana. Even if there was another way, he wouldn’t give up the Silver Star just for a faster trip.

‘This is the s.h.i.+p that I obtained for free.’

That was Ark’s main thought.

“It can’t be helped. Then do it meticulously. Should I do anything to help?”

“You can help.”

Tori replied like he had been waiting for the question.

“Actually, the more serious problem is the exterior of the s.h.i.+p. The iron mold is attached to external devices like the antenna and particle accelerator so it won’t work properly. I will repair the internal parts while Hyung-nim will remove the iron mold from the outer hull.”

“Outside? In s.p.a.ce?”

“Hyung-nim just got this s.h.i.+p and now you can experience s.p.a.ce personally.”

“Indeed.”

Ark accepted Tori’s suggestion. Of course, humans couldn’t enter the universe even with the body coating. There was no atmosphere or air in s.p.a.ce. The temperature also decreased the further it was from a sun so outside was -270 degrees or absolute zero point. Therefore even pioneers who received a body coating needed to wear s.p.a.ce suits!

-External Work s.p.a.ce Suit (Special)

Item Type: Special Overalls for s.p.a.ce

Sometimes problems will occur on a s.h.i.+p where working outside is required so a s.p.a.ce suit should be worn. This s.p.a.ce suit is made of a special synthetic fibre that forms a s.h.i.+eld around the body to protect it from air pressure and temperature changes. It is also equipped with a small jet to allow you to deal with emergency situations. But in order to prevent s.p.a.ce sickness, it’s recommended to work for 30 minutes and rest for 1 hour.

There were several s.p.a.ce suits in the cabin of the Silver Star. But it wasn’t a large s.p.a.ce suit like in the movies. The pioneers in this era all received body coatings so they didn’t need the huge s.p.a.ce suit like previous generations. It felt like dressing in plastic clothes.

“Hah, isn’t this exciting?”

This was the first time Ark appreciated the universe. He felt a sense of weightlessness that he never encountered anywhere else. Stars continuously appeared around his arms and legs as he floated around. It literally felt like he was floating in the universe! However he didn’t come out here to play.

“This feeling is fun but it is actually hard to move.”

Ark muttered as he set one foot on the hull of the Silver Star. The weightlessness made it hard for him to move his legs. But Ark quickly solved the problem.

“Walking in s.p.a.ce is like walking on earth when my balance is disturbed. Then it wasn’t necessary to keep his foot on the hull. I just need to distribute my weight.”

Ark already knew a method of walking like this. It was the Swamp Walking he learnt from the Charenjok!

Susususuk, susususuk.

As expected, his centre didn’t become unbalanced once he used Swamp Walking. It could be used on swamp, snow and now in s.p.a.ce! The skill could be used in quite a few places. After a few hours, Ark got used to the movement and started cleaning in earnest.

“There really is a lot stuck on here.”

The s.h.i.+p had been closed in iron mold for hundreds of years. There were small and large chunks of iron mold attached to the hull. It might look like a daunting task for one week but…..Ark was an expert in this area.

“Now shall I get started? Facilities Maintenance!”

It was Facilities Maintenance that he learnt cleaning the pipes in R-14! The name was Facilities Maintenance but it involved scrubbing and cleaning skills. It was also Lv. 2! Ark took out a dust cloth and triggered the Lv. 2 Facilities Maintenance skill.

Susak susak, susak susak. Flas.h.!.+

Light gleamed from the hull as iron mold was cleaned off it. It was like was.h.i.+ng a new car. Once the iron mold was cleaned off, the s.h.i.+p became increasingly silver like its name.

“Yes, isn’t this more worthy of being my s.p.a.cecraft?”

He had a lot left to do. But it wasn’t like there were no valuable parts. The Silver Star was already Ark’s. Ark took a rest for 1 hour after every 30 minutes. During that time he explored the Silver Star. The Silver Star was a 100 metres large battles.h.i.+p with the bridge, c.o.c.kpit, engine room and 10 different rooms. However Ark could only check three places.

-Cabin-

A place where soldiers can take a rest.

If you relax in here than your health will recover 4 times faster. And if you rest for 6 hours then it is possible to get a buff effect. In addition, if you log out of the cabin then you can get a buff effect when you connect again.

-Warehouse-

This can hold a variety of weapons, ammo, supplies and loot obtained from s.p.a.ce exploration.

-Infirmary-

A place to treat unexpected accidents or sailors injured in battle.

The universe contains numerous risks. Threats of an enemy or unknown diseases are some of those risks. The infirmary is necessary to cope with such problems.  There is an x1.5 bonus when using recovery ampoules in here. You can also use the medical devices to figure out the cause and cure of unknown diseases.

Ark had confirmed these 3 rooms. 4 out of the remaining 7 were empty and the door for 3 wouldn’t open.

“I’m not sure why it is like this.”

Tori replied. However Ark could guess the reason. The reason why Ark hadn’t bought a s.h.i.+p wasn’t because of a lack of interest. There were many reasons but the largest one was money! As always, the problem was funding. A small s.h.i.+p usually cost 10,000 gold! Until recently Ark had been busy raising the agent registration fee. In fact, most of the current s.h.i.+ps belonged to guilds who gathered their funds together. But Ark had been thinking about buying a s.h.i.+p one day. So he spent some time looking at s.h.i.+ps and found that there were some facilities that couldn’t be used when the owner’s level was low.

‘Those are probably the rooms that won’t open.’

Of course this was just Ark’s guess. He had no intention of forcibly opening it. It might cause problems when there were already issues with the Silver Star. He had to be careful right now. He could try to force it open once he had safely returned to Istana. Anyway!

Ark found beneficial ways to spend his time. But that all changed once he spend 96 hours in s.p.a.ce. At first he thought s.p.a.ce was wonderful but now he felt motion sickness. Even more…..

Susak susak, susak susak.

Ark had spent 4 days cleaning. Work for 30 minutes, 1 hour break, 30 minutes working, 1 hour break……the work was boring now that he repeated it so many times. The problem was that he still had 3 days left to wait.

“I’d rather be doing something else, anything is good.”

It was right then.

Syuuuuuuu!

Suddenly he heard the sound of the wind in his ears. Complete silence. Normally the universe was completely silent. So Ark thought aloud in order to make noise. It really felt like he had lost his spirit while cleaning the iron mold. Then why was there suddenly a wind sound?

“Am I really hearing this?”

Ark looked around with a bewildered expression.

Tong-!

Something invisible hit Ark. The impact felt like a truck had crushed into him. Ark bounced back 100 metres before stopping. It was thanks to the wire attaching him to the Silver Star. But Ark couldn’t move one finger. An immense power kept on hitting Ark.

“Ugh, Tori! Tori! What is this? Answer me!”

-Hyung-nim, are you alright?

“d.a.m.n, do you think I’m okay? What is this?”

–It is probably the freezing cosmic wind.

“Cosmic wind?”

–Yes, there are times when an electromagnetic storm will rage in s.p.a.ce. But don’t worry, it will sweep past. You’re attached to the wire so you just need to wait until the storm pa.s.ses.

‘d.a.m.n, this guy’s mouth……’

He hadn’t experienced even 1 minute in this storm! There was a saying to be careful in s.p.a.ce. Luckily the wire was attached or else he would be lost in s.p.a.ce.  But just before he sighed with relief.

Piping!

There was the sound of wire being released from its hole.

“U-unbelievable! T-the wire…..”

At the same time, Ark started to drift away from the Silver Star. He rotated uncontrollably like a broken kite as he was battered by the storm. This occurred for a bit before the storm vanished as suddenly as it appeared. However Ark was still rotating and drifting away.

Struggle, struggle.

The Silver Star was receding further into the distance. Ark sighed with relief. Fortunately he could still see the Silver Star.  It was incredible far away but it wouldn’t be a problem if he turned in the right direction and used the s.p.a.ce suit’s jet. Ark activated the jet device.

-There isn’t enough energy to operate the jet device!

“Dammit, there really are various problems.”

Ark muttered with an annoyed expression. Things always became twisted for him. But Ark still didn’t worry about it.

“Tori, reply. Tori, hey! What are you doing?”

That was when Ark became serious.

“Why aren’t you replying? Perhaps communication doesn’t work when I’m this far? This is serious. If Tori doesn’t know my position…..no! What will happen to the Silver Star if I die? Absolutely not! I can’t die in s.p.a.ce. I need to find a way to return to the Silver Star!”

No matter how he struggled, he just ended up rotating in place. Then something popped into Ark’s head.

‘Yes, there is that!’

“Armour armament!”

Ark immediately pulled out his battle suit. He turned his body towards the Silver Star and shouted.

“Hyper Booster!”

It was the newly acquired skill that he received when his battle suit evolved! Jets appeared on the heels of his feet. Flames spewed out and Ark’s body shot forward like a projectile. It was an accelerating skill that allowed him to move 100 metres at 200 km/hr. In s.p.a.ce there was no air resistance so he flew a few kilometres with just one use.

“Hyper Booster! Hyper Booster!”

Ark used the skill 10 times and managed to return to the Silver Star. And he grabbed the handle of the outside door.

-A new skill (☆) has been learnt.

s.p.a.cewalk (User, Active): s.p.a.ce is a completely different world from the planets you’ve experienced up to now. Strength and agility is important on planets but in s.p.a.ce you need spatial perception and parallel abilities. This skill gives you the ability to take advantage of your power in s.p.a.ce. Any outstanding warrior who doesn’t understand the nature of s.p.a.ce won’t be able to exert any strength. A true pioneer needs to learn s.p.a.cewalk.

A skill appeared out of nowhere! However Ark couldn’t afford to look at the information window. His heart was still racing from the experience of being in s.p.a.ce without any equipment. Fortunately he used the booster to come back but recalling the situation caused him to breathe faster with panic. He entered the Silver Star and sat down for a bit to alleviate that fear.

“Phew, that was like having acrophobia. If I couldn’t return then I might’ve become frightened of s.p.a.ce.”

Ark wiped the sweat off his chest and head.

“Hihihihi, I’m finally free!”

He heard Tori’s laughter.

“Hihihi, I did well to spend some time here. That Ark b.a.s.t.a.r.d. How long did you think I would be your slave? You might’ve forgotten but I’m a hamster who explored the universe before. That cosmic wind really had great timing. I disconnected the wire and removed the fuel for the jet device and now Ark is lost in s.p.a.ce! Hihihihi, I don’t feel bad. This is his fault for annoying me. And he is a pioneer so dying isn’t a big deal.”

All his questions were answered in that moment. Why it took a week to repair the Silver Star, why the wire broke during the cosmic wind and why he couldn’t get a response from Tori.

“Tori, it’s me. Over.”

Ark changed the Nymphe to communication mode and said. Ark’s voice flowed from Tori’s Nymphe who giggled. He just whistled and laughed like he had no interest.

“Hihihihi, what a stupid guy. He still doesn’t understand the situation? It is no use calling me. Stop making noise and just die.”

–Are you still now answering me?

“Ha! He’s still trying to threaten me? With just words? Go to h.e.l.l.”

-Let’s see, who will be the one who goes to h.e.l.l?

“Eh? What? Is my Nymphe in transmission mode? How did he hear me?”

–Turn around and you’ll understand.

“What?”

Tori frowned and turned his head.And…..blood drained from his face as he stiffened.

–Now answer me. What should I do to you?

Ark spoke into his Nymphe from behind Tori.

————————————————————————————————————————

“Now, let’s clean this up.”

Ark tinkered with his Nymphe and said.

“You will always obey me. Follow without me giving you a command. And execute my orders without any complaints. This isn’t by force but through the request of the applicant Tori. Is that right?”

Nod nod.

“What? You don’t agree with me words?”

Tori frantically spoke after seeing Ark’s frown.

“Ah, no. I agree with everything!”

“Was that so hard to say?”

“No.”

Tori robotically answered. Tori had used the cosmic wind to abandon Ark. That cunning fellow planned a coup and this was the price Tori received. Merciless violence for 5 hours! XX, OO, even △△……the violence was so dreadful it couldn’t be expressed in words and had to be covered by a mosaic.

‘I’m still not satisfied!’

Ark didn’t stop there. He had almost become lost in s.p.a.ce and died. Furthermore, that guy had been planning to seize the Silver Star over the last few days. He didn’t know what that hamster would do in the future. Even beating him for 4 days and 3 nights would be insufficient. Because after that Tori had the excuse of distance. Tori still hadn’t completed his prison sentence on Stael. He would inevitably become a prisoner again if he returned to Istana with Ark. That’s why he tried to betray Ark.

……That was Tori’s explanation.

His explaining was to lessen the punishment but Ark found the reason convincing. Therefore he significantly cut the punishment to only 5 hours. Of course there were some conditions.

“I didn’t think of that problem. But you gave intelligence to Irina so you won’t be treated as a runaway. Well, that was the Katz’ trap. Irina-nim should explain the situation. Hopefully you might receive a probation. I’ll also use my connections to help. But you conspired to kill me and steal the Silver Star.”

“That….I…..please forgive me.”

“Okay. I’ll forget about the past few days. But you have two options. Either spend 10 years paying for your sins by obeying all my commands. Or pay for all your sins right now. The punishment for your sins…..I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

Tori wasn’t worried. Because he didn’t need to imagine it.

“The first one! The first! I will listen to you!”

That was how they formed a contract.

It was recorded on the Nymphe that Tori voluntarily (?) formed a contract. Now the Silver Star just needed to be repaired so they could return to Istana.

“Tori, how much longer is needed for repairs?”

“12 hours…..”

“Make it 8 hours. Finish repairing it before then.”

“B-but…..”

“I will finish cleaning the external hull in 7~8 hours. If you can’t finish the repairs by then, it might be better to throw yourself out into s.p.a.ce. Do you understand?”

Tori didn’t need to think about it. His mosaic body jumped up and ran to the engine room. When Ark finished cleaning in 8 hours, Tori were waiting for him.

“The repairs are finished!”

As expected, his work ethic changed once Ark used a different method. Ark took the captain seat on the bridge and gave the order.

“Okay. Start the Silver Star’s navigation device, the target is Istana. Depart!”

“Yes!”

Tori sat down in the c.o.c.kpit and busily started using the dashboard. He finally pressed a red b.u.t.ton and the Silver Star changed into a flash of light. Towards the centre of the galactic federation, Istana!