Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  “So you accepted these items instead of a debt?”

  “It’s not just these items.”

  Tori proudly took out some papers. It was the patents and blueprints for the Ignition Bullets, the Superconducting electromagnets and others.

  “This is the real money.”

  This was the reason why Tori lent money to the store that was dying. The dying store had no money to repay Tori and would end up in debt. Therefore Tori received the store’s products instead. And it was obviously a good value for Tori. Tori said 50% but he actually gained it for less than that. No, he said 50% but he had clearly drained them of their blood.

  “So you were thinking of money from the beginning…..”

  “Of course. Why else would I lend money to a company about to go broke? Bah! Any other company would’ve just deprived them of all their money. But who am I? I already investigated everything. I employed many mercenaries and they eventually gave me the rights to the patents. Hihihihi!”

  ‘I know this but…..’

  He really was a scamming hamster. However, he had no intention of attacking. This was the principle of a capitalistic economy. Ark had also earned quite a bit of money through this principle. Then Tori sent him a coy look.

  “Hihihihi. Right now Nephalim is overflowing with beginner pioneers like you. If I sell it to the pioneers there is no doubt that I can earn money. Hihihihi! How about it? Huh? Do you want to buy some now? I’ll give you a staff discount of 23%.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “Sheesh, what a cheapskate!”

  “Cheapskate? You’re the one who arranged for me to collect metal from the Nakuma to learn hacking. Isn’t it impossible for me to have any money? And isn’t Tori-nim my sponsor? Shouldn’t you give me these type of support items for free?”

  “One…..it is possible to give.”

  Tori surprisingly nodded and agreed. But as expected from the hamster, it actually wasn’t for free. Tori pulled out a few bundles of flyers and said.

  “If you scatter all of these then I will give you one Ignition Bullet.”

  “How many are there?”

  “5,000. Of course, you shouldn’t just scatter them anywhere. You said hand them out properly one by one to each person individually. 1 flyer will earn you 1 mileage point.”

  Tori said while waving the flyer. Like it was explained a while ago, originally sponsors would give support to the user. However, the sponsor wouldn’t give it without anything in return. The users could do chores or quests for the sponsor in order to get mileage points. Of course, the mileage would be a lot higher the more difficult the task was. For example, if he distinguished himself in a war area for the galactic federation then he would build up huge mileage and could even receive a unique item. That’s why users preferred the federation of the 4 big businesses as sponsors since they gave quests with huge mileage.

  ‘Then…..’

  Ark stared at the flyers. The contract was just handing out flyers to pioneers…..well, it was impossible to obtain anything other than part time jobs when a junkyard was the sponsor. However, he had a reason to be motivated about the work. He earned 1 mileage point for each flyer so that would be 5000 points. If he thought about it like that then he would be motivated. Tori deliberately aimed for these items and lent money so they might be unexpectedly useful. However……

  –!#$! FDWADR!! @#$!#$ED!

  Q!@ER!! #$!%EQR! R#! R#!#R!$#R!#$R$R…….

  This was the item information when he tried to search for it on the Nymphe. He couldn’t even confirm the items directly because of the problem with his Nymphe.

  ‘In this state, I won’t even be able to recognize a legendary item if it rolled on the ground in front of me!’

  Ark’s top priority had to be restoring his Nymphe.

  ‘I need to figure out a way to restore my Nymphe!’

  He couldn’t think about money right now. Ark thought for a while before suggesting carefully.

  “I understand. I will hand out 5,000 flyers. You also don’t need to give me the Ignition Bullet.”

  “What? You’ll hand out the flyer for free?”

  Tori’s eyes widened. Ark nodded and Tori stared making noise.

  “Hihihihi. You’re finally starting to learn something. That’s right. If you’re a true pioneer then you should give priority to growth over profit. Both the company and the employee will benefit. Pioneers these days don’t realize this. As expected, the one that Cheksun introduced is different. No, isn’t it due to my education methods? Anyway, it doesn’t matter as long as you have that mindset. Then please work hard. If you maintain that attitude then becoming a formal employee won’t be a dream anymore.”

  “Yes. I’ll work hard. But……”

  “But……?”

  “I actually have a small problem.”

  “A problem? What is it?”

  “That…..”

  Ark studied Tori’s face before getting to the main subject.

  “Actually, I wanted to learn hacking from Tori-nim because I accidentally picked up a memory chip. I needed hacking to obtain the data. Just before, I finally released the lock and downloaded the data to the Nymphe.”

  “Oh! Really?”

  “Then suddenly this happened.”

  Ark sighed and showed Tori the screen of his Nymphe. Tori’s black eyes rounded and he looked at the Nymphe for a while. He pulled out a cigarette and smoked it for a while before sighing and saying to Ark.

  “You….are screwed.”

  ‘This damn hamster! I already know that which is why I asked you!’

  Ark thought angrily but he showed patience and asked.

  “Do you know why it happened?”

  “There could be a couple of reasons. Sometimes a computer will be infected with a virus and similar symptoms will occur. But that isn’t the main reason. The important thing is that the Nymphe won’t work unless the data is legitimate.

  “Legitimate data?”

  “You know the basics of the Nymphe but it isn’t just a simple terminal. Some ignorant pioneers might mistake it as a smartphone but it is entirely different from a primitive device like that. It possesses some of the same functions as a smartphone but the most important function is its ability to assimilate the users’ genetic information. It can connect to all devices in Galaxian and the Nymphe can even display special powers if you obtain a powerful weapon. The Nymphe is the basic, required equipment in the space pioneering age.”

  He had heard such things when first starting Galaxian.

  “Therefore the federation directly manages the OS of the Nymphe. The federation monopolized the patient and stopped other companies from manipulating the systems.”

  “So…..I’ll have to go to the federation to restore my Nymphe?”

  “That’s the problem.”

  Tori stared at his cigarette with an uncomfortable expression before continuing.

  “You can go to the federation to restore your Nymphe’s OS. If it was a normal error. That is…..If the error was because of data download from a federation’s program then the OS will be restored for free but……”

  Tori put a ‘……’ and Ark waited impatiently.

  “Your case is different. If the investigate the system while restoring the OS then the illegal hacking program will be discovered. And you used the hacking program to release a lock and received the data. That alone is a serious crime in Galaxian. Didn’t I say it before? All rights to the Nymphe’s OS belonged to the federation. If it is revealed that the data you downloaded changed the OS then your crimes will just pile up. If you show it to the federation then you will be 100% arrested immediately.”

  Tori clicked his tongue and muttered.

  “In other words, you’re screwed.”

  Ark’s head was blank after hearing Tori’s explanation. He had barely started the game a month ago and he hadn’t even reached level 30 before being arrested. If he was a criminal then he would receive enormous penalties.

/>   ‘But…….’

  He wasn’t able to play the game directly. He had to report it to the federation even if it meant receiving a penalty. When he was halfway to giving up, Tori secretly whispered to him.

  “But there is a way.”

  “Huh? A way?”

  “Yes, your Nymphe is broken because of something to do with the OS. The OS is a program. So you just need to treat the virus and it will work again.

  “But only the federation can……”

  “It was originally like that.”

  Tori smiled and replied.

  “However, if I make up my mind then this Tori can reconfigure the OS.”

  “R-really?”

  “Yes, when I was younger I would hack recklessly and my Nymphe would also be broken like this. Hihihihi! So I learnt how to catch the virus using Cheksun’s Nymphe. If I use a similar method then your Nymphe can be restored.”

  Tori also experienced similar things while hacking. Ark’s guess was correct.

  “T-then……”

  “Of course it won’t be easy.”

  Tori gave a meaningful smile before getting to the point.

  “The Nymphe’s OS is incredibly complicated. An enormous amount of time and effort is needed to restore it properly. And like I said before, accessing the Nymphe’s OS is illegal. If you want to restore your OS then I will have to commit a felony. It is dangerous. A dangerous action.”

  Ark’s was tense after Tori’s words. Tori…..it was unnecessary to say but he was a scamming hamster. He had requested metal parts worth 200 gold in order to learn the hacking skin. Ark was almost cheated a few times after that so he was prepared. And repairing the Nymphe’s OS was a felony. Wouldn’t he obviously request a lot? Ark was restless from those types of thoughts. Tori’s eyes sparkled and he whispered.

  “I’ll do it for free.”

  “F-for free? Really?”

  “I won’t ask for anything. I will restore your Nymphe for free if everything goes well.”

  “Everything goes well?”

  “Yes, if the work goes well.”

  Tori grinned and nodded.

  “It is hard to explain in detail but there is a reason I placed my store in this corner. I once explored Galaxian with Cheksun. During that time, I obtained some information by chance. Nephalim has a significant amount of artefacts buried somewhere. That is why I settled in Nephalim. To excavate the artefacts. I’ve been working on it for a long time and it has advanced.”

  Tori looked around before speaking in a lower voice.

  “That’s why I’m making you an offer. I’ve been working alone but now there is a problem.”

  “A problem……?”

  Ark’s voice also became lower as he asked. Tori replied.

  “I can dig to the place where the relics are buried on my own. But according to my information, there is a type of security guard where the relics are buried. Even a genius like me can’t deal with that. However, I can’t hire mercenaries to dig up the relics. But you’re different. You are my contracted employee and you also managed to deal with hundreds of Nakuma.”

  Tori narrowed his eyes and approached.

  “The condition is 30% of the relics discovered. And the restoration of your Nymphe’s OS. How about it? The conditions aren’t bad right?”

  An information window appeared as soon as Tori finished talking.

  -!#$FDQ! EF!$#!#$!#@#$%^%!$#%!

  ! Q#$! RSDR@$%R!FR#@!$RR!#$^%! T$! T!@…….

  He couldn’t read the information window. However, it was possible to guess the contents.

  ‘Certainly…..’

  Tori’s conditions weren’t bad. No, it was actually a ridiculously good condition. The Nymphe being restored for free and 30% of the relics was a windfall he never thought he would receive. However, the problem was that the NPC suggesting this was the hamster Tori. He was the one who taught the hacking skill for 200 gold and even lent money to failing businesses to obtain their patents! Then wouldn’t his suggestion definitely have some ulterior motive?

  ‘He is definitely up to some mischief……’

  Ark stared at Tori as he contemplated. Tori seemed to suspect Ark’s thoughts and added.

  “Okay. I’ll honestly tell you. In fact, I will also be in trouble if you go to the federation. If the federation starts investigating then they might discover that I taught you hacking. Well, I might be able to appease them somehow but there is no guarantee. In the end, both of us are in the same boat. And I also need a soldier to fight the guardian and find the relics. So I used my big heart and made a proposal…..if you don’t like it then I guess it’s not possible.”

  “Wait a minute.”

  Ark grabbed Tori’s shoulder who was turning around. Tori’s words couldn’t be 100% trusted. Obviously he was up to some mischief. However, Ark would be trapped in chains if he refused so he had no choice. It was better to believe in Tori. Tori’s suggestion was also registered as a quest. The quest was an absolute law to NPCs. The hamster had registered his offer as a quest so he couldn’t go against it.

  “I accept. The offer, I’ll accept it.”

  -!#$@! EFD!#$!#$!#$!#$! D!@$##.

  The message appeared once he accepted the quest

  —————————————————————————————-

  “Pant pant pant, pant pant pant.”

  Beads of sweat rolled down Ark’s face and back. His shoulders, waist and thighs throbbed as he felt pain in his muscles.

  “Ouch, there is no place on my body that doesn’t hurt. Damn, what on earth…..”

  Ark sighed as he looked at the long tunnel. The tunnel was hundreds of metres in length and was 100% made with Ark’s hard work and sweat as it lead towards the place the artefacts were buried

  Tori said that the place wasn’t far. When he accepted the quest, Tori brought Ark to a corner of the junkyard. He extracted a bit from the bottom of a pile of junk and a hidden trapdoor to the basement appeared. There was the beginning of a tunnel in the basement. Tori had been working on it for a long time so the tunnel already went for hundreds of metres.

  ‘He made this tunnel by himself?’

  His thoughts about Tori slightly changed after seeing the tunnel. So far Ark thought that Tori was a hamster who engaged in fraudulent schemes. Of course, he still though of Tori as a scamming hamster. But he managed to dig this tunnel and obtained patents from failings stores so he wasn’t a lazy hamster.

  ‘That guy surprisingly has some good points…..’

  He thought like this but it only lasted for a minute. Tori threw him a shovel as soon as he entered the tunnel.

  “Now, take this. This will be your workplace from now on. I’ll give you three meals a day so don’t even think about dying before you reach the destination.”

  “Eh? By myself?”

  “What, are you dissatisfied?”

  “No, no dissatisfied but……”

  “Well, we’ve traded together so I’ve arranged this for you. I was also the one who located the relics and dug the tunnel up to here. I’m also giving you 30% of the profit. Besides, I’m also repairing your Nymphe for free. Then shouldn’t you do something to prove your worth? Do you want me to dig the rest of the tunnel and give you the relics?”

  He didn’t have anything to say to that. If he thought about it like that then Tori certainly did most of the work.

  “And my work has built up because I’ve been busy because of the debt. But now I have to fix the Nymphe for you. If you find the relics quickly then your Nymphe will be restored faster. So start digging with the shovel and stop complaining.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Thus Ark ended up digging the remaining tunnel alone.

  ‘Then a machine! This is the future! In the age of space ships, I have to dig a tunnel with a shovel? At least an excavator or something! He wanted to express that thought but……

  “I’ll tell you in advance but don’t expect any machines. The devices are possible b
ut the distinctive noise and electronic signals means there is more risk of being caught. Didn’t I tell you? This has to be done in absolute secrecy.”

  ……He couldn’t say anything else.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing in this game.”

  A sigh flowed out as he grabbed the shovel. Galaxian was a next generation virtual reality game that captured the attention of gamers around the world! Galaxian was a grand scale SF game with many ancient alien civilizations. And Ark dreamed about being a hero in space when he connected to Galaxian. However, in R-14 he ended up cleaning the pipes. He also rolled around in the mud after arriving Nephalim and now he was digging. This was more like a labour game instead of a SF game.

  “I’m shovelling in the age of space ships…..”

  A sigh naturally emerged. However, Ark shook his head firmly.

  “There’s only one thing to do. I don’t have a choice so it is better to think positively. Yes, it is good because I can restore my Nymphe without becoming a criminal. I can also get some artefacts.”

  Tori was a money obsessed hamster. The relics Tori was targeting definitely had value. If an NPC like Tori was aiming towards the relics then Ark was convinced. And he could obtain 30% of the relics once he found them.

  “Yes, this is an opportunity!”

  Ark was filled with motivation and grabbed the shovel. He connected to the game, shovelled, ate lunch, shovelled, had dinner and shovelled until he fell asleep! His lower back was broken as he shovelled every day. Shovelling was hard work. It didn’t matter if this was a game. Digging for 1 hour would cause muscle pain to his shoulders, waist and legs. If he dug for a few days then there was no place that wouldn’t hurt. If he was this tired in the game then he would be suffering in reality.

  “But there is no jackpot without pain!”

  Ark clenched his teeth. Thus he didn’t rest and shovelled around the clock. It was a truly indomitable spirit! He started to get the hang of it after digging so much. It was possible to move his waist more efficiently and he could handle large rocks more easily…… Once he got the hang of it, his muscle pain also started to dwindle. When Ark’s muscles became used to it……