Ark Volume 01 - Japtem

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Ark Volume 01 - Japtem Page 14

by Yoo Seong


  Hassan, who darkened at the mere thought of Debra, bared her teeth slightly.

  “Since long ago, warriors have revered that Hero Maban and have followed his footsteps. The Meow call those people Truth-Seekers and are entrusted with the role of guiding them to the right path. But in order to become a Truth-Seeker, there is a stage that one must pass first.”

  “A stage one must pass?”

  “Yes, Hero Maban is the hero the Meow worship. To see whether one is qualified to follow his footsteps, one must first receive the Meow’s test. Its first stage can be passed by killing at least ten thousand of what can be called the Meow’s natural enemy, Mice. Only when that is possible can one be said to have begun the first step as a Truth-Seeker.”

  ‘Ten thousand Mice!’

  That was the task he had finished as a quest he’d received from Harun Village. But he had never dreamed that it might be the path to becoming a Truth-Seeker.

  “But that’s not all. To receive recognition as a true Truth-Seeker, one must topple what the Meow can call their greatest enemy, Black Bear Mouse. With that, as friends of the Meow whose hearts are filled with hatred and anger towards mice, you were able to receive the qualification to step into the path of the Truth-Seeker. That’s why you were able to learn a skill of the Meow.”

  Hassan spoke out with a serious expression.

  At first, the Meow and the cats had shown interest in him with sparkling eyes. But they must have become bored quickly, because they were stretched out and yawning as they pleased. Seeing this, it seemed that cats understood the phrase “however they pleased.” Anyways, Ark roughly understood the situation up until now.

  “That’s why I knew that a Truth-Seeker like you would appear in front of us one day. Since the Black Bear Mouse left in the outside world is none other than Debra’s henchman.”

  Thu-thu-thump.

  When Hassan’s words ended, the information window popped up.

  - You have untangled all the complicated secrets of the ancient relic Mysterious Slate.Intelligence 10, Fame 100 have increased.You have acquire a new stat. Knowledge of Ancient Relics (+10): New knowledge of researching ancient relics has come into your hands.

  New World is a continent that guards many legends and secrets that haven’t been uncovered yet. By collecting an ancient relic, it has become possible for you to discover this world’s hidden secrets, one by one.

  This kind of knowledge will provide yet another branching quest for requests that have been entrusted to you, and depending on the situation, it will help you receive a greater reward. Stat distribution is impossible, and if you acquire an ancient relic or discover a hidden truth, the stat will increase.

  ‘Oh, what’s this? There’s this kind of bonus too?’

  Ark’s jaw dropped. Because he had already inwardly set his heart on a combat-related profession, it was a shame the bonus stat was the unnecessary Intelligence, but wasn’t it free anyway? On top of that, since he had gotten fame as well, he felt like he could fly, he was so happy. But the messages didn’t end there.

  You have obtained information about the ancestor of the Meow, Hero Maban.With this, you have taken the first step as a Truth-Seeker to following the footsteps of the legendary warrior, Hero Maban. It is possible to job change to Dark Walker, the unique profession of a Truth-Seeker. If you change your profession, it will become possible to learn the inherent skills of a Dark Walker. In addition, as a profession characteristic, there are also cases where you cannot learn some common skills.

  Would you like to change profession?

  ‘So there is even a related job change with the Secret of the Slate quest!’

  Ark’s heart thumped wildly.

  This was one of the hidden professions he’d only heard about!

  Although he had played many online games up ‘til now, this was the first time he had personally found one.

  Hidden professions typically received higher additional stat bonuses than common professions. Given the extreme difficulty of finding one, this reward was a matter of course. Also, there were unique skills only obtainable in a hidden profession, and with their use, one could demonstrate incredible strength.

  That was the reason why users didn’t upload information about hidden professions.

  Although there was the greed of wanting to monopolize hard-found information, more than that, the reason for hiding a distinctive skill only obtainable in a hidden profession was even greater. When users get into a fight amongst each other, if the opponent didn’t know the other side’s skill, then even that would be a huge help.

  ‘This is an incredible opportunity!’

  His excitement was great after all. But Ark hesitated for a moment.

  If he thought about it carefully, it wasn’t only a good thing.

  So to speak, a hidden profession was partly a specialized profession, so there were many cases where the abilities leaned to one side. If a person who wanted to become a Magician happened to find a magic-specialized hidden profession, then they would be able to enjoy an enormous additional effect.

  But if a warrior style user found the same magic hidden profession, it wouldn’t simply be an extremely upsetting situation. In the end, becoming a character that wasn’t one or the other wasn’t a small possibility. Since users didn’t share information, it wasn’t possible to check that point before job changing.

  ‘The risk is pretty high. Argh.’

  If he made a risky mistake with his one and only character, it would be the end.

  However, it was too much of a shame to reject a hidden profession he had found after all of this.

  He had come this far struggling with an absolutely impossible quest at level 15, when it was usually possible to change professions. That meant it was a profession that required at least that much ability. Then the extra ability and skill were probably not that extraordinary…

  ‘Although I can’t know what type of profession it is from just the name… since she said Hero Maban was a legendary warrior, won’t it be combat-related? Alright, let’s believe that!’

  In the end, Ark finished hesitating and shouted, “Yes!”

  Around him, Ark was embraced with an aura of splendid light.

  Character Name

  Ark

  Race

  Human

  Alignment

  None

  Fame

  250

  Level

  16

  Profession

  Dark Walker

  Title

  Mouse Hunter

  Health

  360

  Mana

  100

  Strength

  67

  Agilitiy

  77 (+2)

  Stamina

  67

  Wisdom

  16

  Intelligence

  27

  Luck

  17

  Special stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics (10)

  Equipment Effects

  Sharply Shining Sword: Attack speed +5

  Black Bear Mouse Leather Armor: Agility +2, Cold Resistance +20

  “Hm, that’s a good light in your eyes. It’s a light that has received the strength of the Meow and has resolved to live on as a Truth-Seeker. I like it. Truth-Seekers have been the Meow’s friends since long ago. Now you are our friend. To you, the one who defeated the Black Bear Mouse and brought us the slate, we dub thee an honorable knight and will call you ‘Cat Knight.’”

  Hassan smiled contentedly as she wagged her tail.

  You have received the title of Cat Knight from Hassan, elder of the Meow.As a knight of the Meow, you can harbor friendships with all the Meow.When fighting Mice, 75% additional Attack Power is applied, chance of successfully landing a fatal blow increased to 50%, damage taken reduced by 50%. (50% applies to small monsters as well.) *As a bonus from the title, all stats are increased by 2 each.

  *Fame has increased by 150.

  *You have gained the attribute of t
he Meow. (All abilities +30% when fighting small monsters.)

  *It has become possible to communicate in language with all the cats of the Continent.

  *Damage from falling can be reduced by 50%.

  The Cat Knight’s specialized skill, Spirit of the Cat, has been increased to Advanced.Spirit of the Cat (Advanced): The cat’s roar and sharp eyes can make all small monsters tremble in terror.1 minute paralysis, Attack Power and Defense, Morale drop 30% (In the case of small monsters, even if they are boss monsters, 50% of the effect still applies.) Mana consumption: 120

  You have learned a new skill.Eyes of the Cat(Beginner, Active): You can penetrate and see through the darkness with a cat’s eyes. In addition, you can see an opponent’s Health, Mana, and weakness.3 minute duration +Night vision. +Life detection. +Weakness perception. Mana consumption: 50

  Ark’s eyes widened.

  His stats hadn’t changed at despite having already changed profession. The Mana that had gone up by 50 was just from solving the Secret of the Slate, along with the 10 increased Intelligence. At most all he had gained was learning Eyes of the Cat, and raising Spirit of the Cat to Advanced.

  ‘No, no way!’

  Ark let loose a scream inside. Although common professions were also a little different, with a job change, you received a stat bonus of at least 30.

  The specialized skills were also the same. Even as a warrior, who had fewer skills than a Magician, an extra 4~5 of them formed. But what the hell was this?

  Then, without knowing Ark’s feelings, Hassan put on a delighted expression.

  “Oh ho ho, by your expression, it seems you’re shocked by the might of Hero Maban.”

  ‘This wretch… I was deceived by this bastard’s talk of Hero Maban or whatever…!’

  Ark complained as his rage surged up.

  “What is this? Although I’ve decided to live on as a Truth-Seeker, not much has changed!”

  “Ah, do you need that after all?”

  Hassan spoke as if he had thought of it for the first time.

  “Actually, this temple is guarding a treasure that Hero Maban left for the Truth-Seekers. From that treasure, the Truth-Seekers gained the strength to find Hero Maban’s footsteps.”

  ‘So that heritage has to come into my hands to complete the job change?’

  The new information made his ears perk up.

  Ark asked with an urgent tone, “Where is that heritage?”

  “Debra was after that treasure since long ago. Even the reason why the bastard stole the temple…”

  “That’s fine, so where is it!"

  “Since the bastard took the temple, of course Debra has it."

  “What?”

  Ark’s face went pale.

  He had already plentifully experienced how powerful Debra was. It was an opponent that the Sylphid Knights, which were that strong, couldn’t win against even when they all charged at it. No, it was something invincible. How in the world was he to topple Debra and regain the heritage?

  However, Hassan replied with a confident expression.

  “Don’t worry. Since you found the key, Debra and the like aren’t even a problem. Like I said, the bastard locked us up because it feared us. That’s not purely because we are descendents of Maban. It’s because there’s a slightly more fundamental problem.”

  “Wha-what is that?"

  “We are the bastard’s natural enemy.”

  Hassan bared her teeth and grinned wickedly.

  You have met the Meow, who repulsed the Dream Weaver Debra and were locked up by it. You must defeat Debra with them and regain Hero Maban’s treasure.

  Difficulty: +E

  Quest requirement: Only a user with the Cat Knight title may receive it.

  « o »

  “The key! Where is the key!” Debra screamed as it rooted through the corpses of the Knights.

  Right then, a stone gate situated in a corner of the hall opened and Ark walked in.

  “You’re looking for the key?”

  The place the Meow were locked in was right underneath the hall.

  Debra recoiled at the sight of Ark.

  “How, how did you…?"

  “The key is right here.”

  As Ark raised the slate from his bag, Debra’s eyes became bleary with madness.

  Incredible terror blazed in its eyes as it charged toward Ark. Ark simply watching Debra with a very strained expression. Then, when Debra was up in front of his nose, he shouted with all his strength.

  “Spirit of the Cat!”

  Nyaaaaa-!

  A black cat form appeared over his head along with a piercing cry.

  After becoming a Cat Knight, the skill went up to Advanced, and the black cat had become 5 times bigger than it was when it was Intermediate.

  As the nearly lion-sized black cat glared with golden eyes, the glowering Debra’s movements suddenly stopped. And as it convulsed with shivers, it stared at Ark with disbelieving eyes.

  “Ku-kuhhuk! You’re a hu-human, how did you…!”

  ‘Hassan’s words were the truth after all!’

  “The time is now! Attack the bastard!”

  Nya, nya, nya, nya, nya, nyang!

  As Ark shouted, the Meow and hundreds of cats poured out from behind the stone gate. The cats that traversed the hollow at an extreme speed covered Debra and scratched it with their fangs and claws. Debra shook his whole body and burst out in shrieks. Then, at that moment, its mantle suddenly swayed and the black object abruptly dropped to the ground.

  It was a bastard whose entire body was covered with a furry mass of cats.

  ‘The body has finally been revealed!’

  Hassan’s confidence had no doubt stemmed from knowing about Debra’s body.

  Debra’s body was a Gremlin1 that had received strength from an Illusion spell.

  That’s why it had brought along disease and famine to the Jackson territory, and could not help but instinctively fear the natural enemies of small monsters, cats, and the Meow.

  Debra feared having his body’s true form revealed.

  That it had sealed the temple’s key far away and had hidden the physical body it had made with illusions were also due to the same reason.

  Unaware of this, the Sylphid Knights had fought the illusion the bastard had created. Of course its health hadn’t dropped and it had appeared immortal. The aura of horror he had thought had plunged the Knights in confusion was also actually an illusion. No wonder it had been impossible to clear it with magic.

  ‘But the truth is just this kind of small monster…’

  Debra staggered to its feet and stared at Ark.

  “You, you bastard… how can a human use skill of the Meow…?"

  “You cowardly mouse shit, you still haven’t figured it out? He’s a Truth-Seeker.”

  Hassan smiled sweetly as she tore away at the illusion of Debra.

  The illusion of Debra was not even able to move properly because it was covered with the cat swarm.

  “Wha-what? Then surely not…?"

  “It means he’s the natural owner of that power you had so anxiously desired."

  “S-shut up! That strength is mine! I won’t give it to anyone!”

  Debra screamed violently and rushed towards Ark.

  With the Advanced Spirit of the Cat, at the most 50% of the effect was applied, even on bosses such as Gremlin. Although it couldn’t completely paralyze its movement, Debra continued to be in a slowed state.

  “Ark, the bastard can no longer use the strength of the Dream while we’re holding on. We’ll block the apparition, so quickly finish the bastard off. Everyone attack all-out!”

  Nya, nya, nya, nya, nya, nyang!

  The cats and Meow let loose yowls devoid of fear and concentrated their attack on the illusion of Debra.

  There wasn’t a free quest in the world after all. He had thought he’d be able to reap it in after Debra’s real body had been revealed because the cats and Meow were helping, but in the end Debr
a was Ark’s responsibility.

  Ark delivered a hard kick to the charging Debra and violently swung his sword.

  “Kyak!”

  With the feeling of the sword lodging itself, Debra stumbled.

  When Ark fought with the bastard’s henchman, Black Bear Mouse, his sword hadn’t really penetrated. But Debra had suffered a great number of blows. Moreover, with the Spirit of the Cat applied, its movement was slowed. When it was blanketed in the illusion, it had given off the feeling of being invincible, but now that the illusion was stripped away, it was weaker than its subordinate.

  ‘If it’s just this much, I should be able to fight it no matter what!’

  Ark directed flashing eyes toward Debra.

  “Eyes of the Cat!”

  As soon as the skill was activated, Ark’s eyes were colored with golden light.

  Health appeared atop Debra’s head, and red points formed on places here and there on its body.

  They were Debra’s weaknesses that he had detected with Eyes of the Cat. If he focused his attacks on the red points, additional attack power would be applied, as well as a high probability of critical hits.

  It was a skill perfectly suited for Ark’s fighting style!

  “Kyak! Keeeeeee!”

  Ark spun around Debra and consecutively thrust in his sword.

  Every time he did so, Debra shook its body like crazy as it swung its cane, but it only struck at the tough ground. Soon 1 minute had passed and the Spirit of the Cat effect should have released, but the bastard’s attacks still couldn’t hit Ark.

  ‘But why is something they call a boss this weak? Is it ‘cus because the illusion wore off?’

  In fact, it was to the point that Ark became more bewildered. But that was thanks to the ability, which he hadn’t realized. The attribute of the Meow he had acquired through the profession change. His abilities increased by 30% when he fought all small monsters. That meant it applied to level, attack power, defense, and of course all skills and equipment effects.

 

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