Ark Volume 2

by Japtem

  However, there were many cases where a person's physical disability had hardened into a habit. This was also the case for JusticeMan. If anything, 2 years of limping on one leg had caused him to forget the sensation of walking normally. Nevertheless, his limping leg was not a big obstacle when it came to playing the game.

  JusticeMan left the village, his eyes widened in surprise. Across the wide plain, players were locked in desperate struggles with wolves. Also, they were fighting with swords and clubs, not guns.

  It was a scene unimaginable in real life.

  Then, he heard a woman's scream to the side.

  "Kyaa, he-help me!"

  As he turned his head the sight of a female player being viciously attacked by a Wild Dog came to his view.

  "Halt!"

  While taking his coat off and throwing it aside, JusticeMan blocked the Wild Dog's path.

  As a new enemy appeared, the Wild Dog assessed him with a wary eye. But it noticed it was a beginner user who wasn't wielding any weapons; the Wild Dog let out a mocking laugh. A murderous look lit up in its eyes and a threatening growl came out from its fang-filled mouth.

  Those who were new to virtual reality gaming should have been frightened. However, instead of being afraid, a refreshing smile actually spread on JusticeMan's lips.

  'A sensation like this, it's been a while. It reminds me of the time I went on a tour out of duty in South America.'

  Bark! Bark! Bark!

  The Wild Dog suddenly charged. JusticeMan's pupils moved quickly as he read the Wild Dog's movements.

  'An opening!'

  JusticeMan's body moved.

  With movements like flowing water, neither could be called fast nor slow, he seized the Wild Dog by its scruff. Then while rotating his body he tossed the Wild Dog over his head.

  With incomprehensible strength, the Wild Dog flew several meters before it was driven into the ground, and lost a fourth of its health.

  It was a shoulder throw similar to a picture in a judo textbook!

  That's right, before he retired, JusticeMan had been a legendary high-ranking judo wrestler even in the police department.

  In the National Police Judo Tournament, he had won several times and was a skillful man who had always contended for the first and second places in the worldwide tournament as well. But where his ability truly shined was not in a tournament.

  He had work experience in special police force taking down organized crime, a counterterrorism task force, and had even been deployed to South America as a police department instructor representing South Korea in an international treaty. It wasn't an exaggeration to say JusticeMan was a legendary person on the battlefield.

  Wielding only a short police baton, he swept away the criminal gangs armed with knives and shotguns, and once he had single-handedly driven away a pack of wild dogs that had raided a village in South America. It was to the point where the South American policemen had called that JusticeMan the Monster of the East.

  In others' eyes it might seem like perilous work, but JusticeMan felt he had the right aptitude for this line of work.

  His irrepressible sense of justice and his raging vigor couldn't possibly be satisfied by an ordinary life. Although he was living in a modern society, he held the spirit of a medieval knight who revered martial arts and justice more than anything else.

  'I haven't even been able to properly train in a while, but it seems the feeling hasn't died yet.'

  The spirit that had been broken by the aftermath of his injury was revived.

  For him, the likes of a Wild Dog was no different from a puppy.

  The Wild Dog sprang up quickly and swung its front paw. As a thick, bloody line was drawn across his abdomen, JusticeMan lost half of his health. Since a level 1 player was struck by a level 4 Wild Dog, this was a natural result. But rather than fear, what JusticeMan felt was excitement.

  "That's good. It wouldn't be fun if you went down with just that."

  JusticeMan's heavy body went low to the ground like a swallow as he approached. He took hold of the Wild Dog before it could even react and twisted its forelegs.

  One of his strong points was his cross arm break!

  The Wild Dog's forelegs gave a popping sound and were dislocated. However the Wild Dog didn't even have time to scream. JusticeMan twisted around in a flash and switched to a choke hold. Its health fell steadily as if it was being sucked away by a straw.

  After the Wild Dog was taken care of, the girl approached hesitatingly.

  "Th-Thank you."

  JusticeMan's eyes trembled.

  He had helped and received thanks.

  It was a feeling he had long forgotten for such a long time!

  While employed as a detective, he had caught countless criminals. That was definitely justice. But cases where he received thanks after an incident was solved were rare. Since he was a detective, catching criminals was a granted.

  It was the truth. JusticeMan truly didn't catch criminals to receive thanks. But those who made this goal difficult were not the criminals.

  When a criminal was caught, he had to hear the resentful curses of their family. Also if even the slightest wound was inflicted, it would rouse human rights groups and the media who would call it excessive retribution. Even as he was lying in hospital after injuring his leg, outside the voices blamed him nonstop. A news reporter even used a ladder truck to plaster himself to the window and take pictures.

  His superiors placed all responsibility onto him.

  For the first time, JusticeMan felt doubt about his profession.

  He had only wanted to fulfill the justice taught to him in police academy. The bad needed to receive punishment and the weak needed to be helped. That's what he had learned and wanted to live by.

  But reality wasn't as simple. He felt like he had become a useless dropout that was thrown away.

  'But it's different here!'

  He would be thanked if he helped out. There was no one to accuse him of using excessive force. He was able to unleash to his heart's content the passion of a martial artist that he had abandoned after becoming disabled.

  'It's here. This is the place I was looking for!'

  Motivation overflowed.

  From then on, JusticeMan began defeating the Wild Dogs while roaming the plains. Whenever someone looked as if they were going to be struck down by the Wild Dogs, he would always intervene and help out. The Wild Dogs were fine, but there were times when he died trying to help a player being attacked by several Wolves. But JusticeMan did not say a single word of complaint. Instead he gave a hearty laugh as if he had done what he naturally had to do.

  There were even some players who were impressed and tried to reward him.

  "JusticeMan-nim, this is just cheap wheat bread but please have it."

  "Your coat is worn out? If you're okay with only 2 defense..."

  JusticeMan firmly shook his head.

  "Receiving compensation conflicts with my principles... No, justice needs no reward."

  Then, he would run off like a gust of wind to find another person calling for help.

  While going about and defeating Wild Dogs and Wolves at level 1, his level rose quickly. Without looking through the stat window that popped up before JusticeMan's eyes, he invested everything into Strength and Stamina.

  "For men it has to be Strength and Stamina!"

  As he repeatedly fought in highly difficult battles, a new skill and a new stat was formed.

  You have learned a new skill.

  Jujitsu (Beginner, Passive): You have learned Jujitsu, which is based on a foundation of excellent physical ability and reflexes.

  Jujitsu is a skill which uses the opponent's strength against them to inflict damage. It is a complex grappling technique completely assimilating the oriental ideology of yin-yang.

  Joint-locks used on human movements can have the additional effect of greatly reducing the enemy's ability to move. The damage inflicted on an enemy increases as the proficienc
y rises when throws, chokeholds, and joint-locks are used.

  A new stat has been generated.

  Justice (+5): Justice is a special stat only available to those with a flaming sense of justice to help others.

  When a player with the Justice stat joins a battle in order to give aid, all stats will increase by the number of Justice points. Resistance to Fear, Confusion, and Bewitchment is also created in accordance to the number of justice points.

  Everyone in New World has positive attitude towards anyone with Justice. Many people who recognize your talent will request help from you, and if you help them, you can earn higher Intimacy. While stat distribution is impossible, it will increase slightly whenever you help others.

  'Is the Jujitsu talking about judo? And I can think of the Justice stat as a work evaluation.'

  The Jujitsu was fine, but he took quite a liking to the stat called Justice. In the real word, even if you help others all you feel is self-satisfaction. Even if your teammates complimented you, they quickly forgot with the passing of time. But here, realizing justice manifested in a numerical value. He would immediately receive an amount that matched his efforts. The Justice stat fuelled JusticeMan's burning passion.

  The opinions of the players about JusticeMan's actions were divided.

  "There's no way he's a player. He doesn't have a single dagger equipped and there's no reason for him to go around without any armor."

  "What kind of player in the world would go as far as to die for someone else?"

  "No player would use a name as awful as JusticeMan, either."

  "I'm sure he is a beginner friendly event NPC."

  "But he has asked about levels and stats sometimes? An NPC doesn't do that."

  JusticeMan became a mystery of Harun village. And from some point onward, he was more often called Machoman instead of JusticeMan.

  JusticeMan was more popular among players than NPCs.

  "Hey, Machoman is surrounded by Wolves."

  "Let's go, we need to save Machoman!"

  "But we don't have much Health right now either..."

  "But we still have to help. We already received so much help from him, so we can't ignore him."

  "You're right, let's help Machoman!"

  The Wolves who were attacking JusticeMan were dumbfounded.

  Just 3~4 wolves were swarmed by 30 players. Among them, Roco, who'd been struggling in Harun Village all along, was also squeezed in.

  "This is?"

  When he was swallowed by Gallic he thought it was the end of everything. But Ark was still perfectly alive. While wondering how it happened, an information window suddenly popped up.

  White Whale's Labyrinth

  You have entered the stomach of the Great White Whale Gallic, who is called the guardian deity of the Merpeople. Within a body that transcends the imagination, Gallic's stomach is also as complicated as a labyrinth.

  As the guardian deity of the Merpeople, Gallic was an existence that loved peace, but with the ancient former Mermaid Queen's disappearance, he became violent and is now preying on sea life at random.

  Gallic's change is likely linked with the dark energy enveloping his stomach.

  - You have found an undiscovered dungeon.

  As the new discoverer, you will earn an additional 1,200 experience and 100 Fame if you register it to the Hall of Fame. Will you register?

  "Refuse registration."

  Ark answered as if it was obvious and stood up.

  So far the only person who knew about the underwater city was Ark. There was no need to share valuable information.

  'So this is the inside of a whale stomach?'

  The place Ark was standing on was a space full of rough bumps. It was slow, but the wall occasionally twitched as if there was a pulse.

  He was amazed, but it seemed he had really entered Gallic's stomach.

  In any case, it meant he had grasped a clue on the quest completion.

  'I'll have to go in for now, huh?'

  To think that he had to walk into the whale's stomach on his own feet, it was a strange feeling. But before that, there was something he had to do first.

  "Units, line up and count."

  "One."

  *Clack clack*

  *Hiss hiss*

  Bat, Skull and Snake answered in turn.

  "Master, can't we stop doing this? It's embarrassing whenever we do this."

  "Be quiet, everything has a deep meaning. Skull and Snake seem to enjoy it, so why are you the only one complaining?"

  "Tsk, it's because these guys just don't think."

  Ark dismissed Bat's complaint and slowly advanced.

  'If this is a dungeon then there'll definitely be enemies.'

  As he entered while following the walls that squirmed like a wave, three Crabs soon appeared in front of him. However, they weren't the normal Crabs he'd seen outside. After being eaten and killed by the whale, they were Undead Crabs that had been revived by the dark energy. The Crabs, which were melting here and there and had cracked shells, discovered prey and approached as they snapped their claws.

  "Eyes of the Cat!"

  As he activated the skill, Ark's pupils emitted a golden glow.

  Level 65! The difference in level between them and the Crabs outside was a whopping 30. Ark's current level was 52, it was the same as when he reached Nodelesse.

  It was the result of neglecting combat to focus on business.

  Since it was a dungeon, even with the darkness bonus he was still around 60; there was still close to a 5 level difference. He felt taut tension.

  'Even the level 40 Crabs weren't easy opponents either...'

  Underwater monsters were trickier than land monsters. Crabs had strong defense, and the bubbles they spewed whenever they reached critical condition had a Slow hex.

  When Ark fought it for the first time, he was more than 10 levels higher, but it still wasn't easy. Though he'd become used to it, it was certain that they would still be tough opponents. Moreover, at level 65, he couldn't guarantee victory.

  Ark tightened his grip on his sword's handle.

  'This is the whale's stomach, there's no place to run.'

  "Bat, Skull! Plan B!"

  At his command, Bat and Skull quickly ran out and lured a Crab. Ark ran towards the remaining two Crabs and bombarded the red points with his sword.

  *Pow pow pow poww!*

  Ark's sword moved like a beam of light, and flashes of light burst from four weak points in one strike.

  The Crab lost 30% of its health instantly and staggered.

  The one who was surprised was not the Crab but Ark.

  'Wh-what is this? This sensation?'

  He didn't know until earlier, but when the battle started he felt an unbelievable sensation in various places of his body. His body was as light as a feather, and he felt like the sword he was holding was twirling peculiarly in his hand.

  If he put his mind to it, he felt like he could attack 4, 5 or even 6 times. He was confident he could display a reaction or speed that was unimaginable in the past. Ark wondered if he had received a different stat bonus, but there was no such message.

  'Then maybe?'

  Ark suddenly realized something; as he looked around, and knew the reason why he had changed.

  'I see, this is not underwater!'

  Ark had spent more than half a month underwater. He battled with the Sharkman's Shackles and accepted the water penalty like it was natural. Even in reality, he had raised his stamina while doing special training in the pool. But there were no changes that Ark could actually feel. It was only to the point that he could perform as well underwater as he could on land.

  However, the inside of Gallic's stomach wasn't underwater. He didn't have Sharkman's Shackles on, and he didn't feel the water penalty either. The enormous penalty he'd been receiving until now had disappeared in an instant. It was obvious since he felt like his Strength, Agility, and reflexes had improved manifold.

  No, they had really
improved. In the end, as Ark had expected, the underwater life had become an opportunity for enormous growth.

  That tangible difference was shocking. He felt the Crab's movements sharply. When he had lost his vision because of the Devil Fish's ink, Ark dodged as many as 8 feet just by the flow of the current. That sensation remained even now.

  As the Crab's pincer sliced through the air, the feeling of it flying in was conveyed directly through his skin. The four pincers flew at him with complexity, but Ark avoided them all just by moving his upper body.

  Crabs can only be attacked at their joints. Although they were undead Crabs, their weak point wasn't different. But this was Ark, who had broken through scores of flailing Jellyfish tentacles to attack the body, the sole weak point. Compared to Jellyfish, Crabs were riddled with weak points.

  - You have dealt a Critical Hit!

  Ark's attack was perfect in timing, location, and everything. Critical strikes landed when he precisely attacked the right spot with the right strength. It was an effect of the extremely heightened precision from underwater life. In addition, Lancel's sword boasted a fearsome attack power twice as strong as his old one. Wiping out the two level 65 Crabs didn't even lower his health by 30%.

  'To think it felt this different!'

  Experiencing such a huge change in an instant was actually more confusing.

  Ark was not the only one who had grown. After Ark checked the Crab's level he had calculated that Bat and Skull wouldn't last very long against it. He'd thought that it'd be 1 minute at best, and even then, he'd have to examine the situation and cancel summon for one of them. However, Bat and Skull overturned his predictions.

  The one who benefited the most from the lack of water penalty was Bat. As the result of ceaselessly ingesting health food while training with Ark in Nodelesse, Bat's evasion and attack had greatly improved. Additionally, once even the water penalty disappeared, it was a complete spike in performance. He avoided the Crab's attacks nimbly and only when an opening appeared did he fly with a full-body charge. The damage from a single shot was at a trifling level, but his attack rate was so fast that the damage was not negligible.