Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  ‘What is he proposing now?’

  Ark looked at Ha Myung-woo with irritation. When Ark was initially appointed as the advisor of Global Exos, the users interest exploded and Ha Myung-woo created things like ‘Ark, I am a user’, ‘Ark, the human,’ ‘Ark, behind the legend,’ ‘Ark, where is he going,’ and so on. Now another new project was being launched…..and the name was ‘Ark, the Legend of that Time’? He was being treated as a retired entertainer. However Ark had no right to refuse. The reason Ark could become an advisor for Global Exos was because he obtained the master code and he had responsibilities in New World. This was also one of Ark’s main tasks.

  “I understand what you’re saying. I’ll make some time.”

  Ark accepted the suggestion. But the situation in Galaxian suddenly changed and he postponed it until Charem’s problem was finally settle yesterday.

  ‘I might not have time when I move to another place so let’s put it in order while I have time!’

  This was the reason Ark came to New World.

  ‘I was a little annoyed when I first heard the news but it is good once I entered. I suffered after fighting the Sufferers for so long in Galaxian so the medieval city has a calming effect. But when are they coming……’

  Ark confirmed the time and looked around.

  “You are Ark-nim?”

  Two people started approaching him. They were both wearing robes when the woman in front holding a microphone and the man behind holding a magic projector to shoot a video. He was holding a magic projector that cost 50 gold (memory crystal sold separately).

  “Yes, I am Ark.”

  “That’s great. I’m Fufu from African TV and this is Camel.”

  “Ah, I’ve seen you before. Are you a professional newscaster for virtual reality games?”

  “That’s right. But Ark-nim is much more famous than me. You are New World’s strongest gamer and Global Exos’ consultant. That is indeed a user’s romance. There was a lot of interest from before but this is the first time I saw you directly. We’ll take good care of this trilogy.”

  The red haired Fufu said with a smile. She looked vaguely like Roco.

  “So now what?”

  “I’ve heard from Ha Myung-woo that Ark-nim has done a lot of broadcasts before. Yet Ark-nim never talked about the NPCs that helped you become the strongest gamer. This time we want to talk to the people around Ark-nim.”

  “The people around…..you mean specifically…..”

  “There are a number of people. For example the 7 heroes that helped Ark-nim against Lucifer, Sid who worked with Ark-nim for a long time and is now in charge of the dwarf union, Buksil, Ulmeok, Sapjil, JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members as well as the Meow, raccoons and other beast clans.”

  ‘That is a long list.’

  Once he heard Fufu’s words, he really though it had been a long time since he entered New World. Then Fufu said with a smile.

  “As expected, the thing that users are most curious about is Ark’s summons.”

  “Summons?”

  “Yes, the colleagues who travelled with Ark-nim from the beginning until you became a legend. Yet they’ve never appeared on any broadcasts. How does Ark-nim’s summons live normally? That is the question that appeared the most in the survey.”

  “Summons…..”

  Ark scratched his head for a while. Ark also hadn’t seen them for a while. Of course he used to often enter New World. However, he could handle the bugs by himself so he didn’t need to call his summons. No, Ark had the master code so he was like a god in New World. Even if he faced a level 999,999 devil, he could just press ‘Del’ so he didn’t need to call his summons. Therefore it had been 1 year since Ark saw his summons. However, he started to remember his summons after starting Galaxian. He was playing alone so he sometimes missed the days when he travelled with his summons.

  ‘That’s great. Doesn’t this give me an excuse to see them after a long time?’

  “I understand. Then I will summon them right away.”

  Ark laughed and nodded his head. Then Fufu shook her head and quickly said.

  “No, that’s not it. I told you. The users are wondering what the summons does normally. In order words, we want to go to them.”

  “Well that is also okay.”

  Ark was anxious when hearing those words. He hadn’t seen them for 1 year so he didn’t know what they were doing.

  “I understand. Then I’ll take you to them immediately.”

  Ark smiled and took out a lamp from his bag. He rubbed the lamp with his sleeve and a giant rose from it. The giant made of blue smoke kneeled in front of Ark and lowered his head.

  –Master, did you call?

  “Ah, Ark-nim, that is?”

  “The genie of the lamp. He is a pretty carefree guy.”

  Ark tapped the giant’s knee and laughed. The existence of the master code was still a secret for the general users. It wasn’t possible to announce that a user had control of all of New World. But Ark wasn’t a magician so there would be problems if he suddenly used spatial movement or removed a whole mountain. Therefore Global Exos’ development team quickly create the genie of the lamp after Ark obtained the master code. All the miracles that Ark created with the master code could be blamed on the genie of the lamp. Therefore the ability of the genie was almost unlimited.

  “Heok! W-what the hell?”

  “Lamp! The genie of the lamp!”

  “The genie of the lamp? T-then the person holding the lamp…..”

  “Ark! He is the only person in New World who has the genie’s lamp!”

  “Wah! Ark! Ark has appeared in Selebrid! Pictures! Take pictures!”

  The users in Selebrid started flocking. However Ark didn’t pay attention to the interest of the users.

  “Genie, please move me.”

  –Where is the place you desire?

  “Well…..shall we start with that guy? Genie, the destination is Dark Earth. Move Fufu, Camel and I to the Immortal Castle in Dark Earth on Seutandal.”

  –As Master commands!

  Kwaaaaaaah-!

  A storm wrapped around Ark, Fufu and Camel.

  “T-this is?”

  “It is the Immortal Castle on Dark Earth which is the Holy Land of the vampires.”

  Ark replied while looking at the city locked in darkness.

  Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!

  There were successive ringing sounds and dozens of vampires appeared. Wearing red armour and holding various weapons, they were the guards of the Immortal Castle. And…..

  –Who dares trespass on the Immortal Castle?

  An old man shouted from the centre of the guards.

  “Hey Lord. It’s been a while. Are you healthy?”

  -What? Damn, is it Ark? I was wondering why it was quiet. I told you the last time you came here. Please don’t just spatially move to the castle. Don’t you know how many cracks appear in the magic barrier every time you use spatial movement? At least use the dragon when coming here.

  The pale, old man sighed and muttered with irritation. Then Fufu asked Ark in an uneasy voice.

  “Ark-nim, isn’t that an incredibly scary vampire?”

  “Huh? Oh, that old man is the Vampire Lord.”

  “Vampire Lord! The King of all vampires that has enough magic to kill a dragon?”

  “That’s right.”

  Ark shrugged and replied. That’s right. The guards were protecting the Vampire Lord! Like Fufu said, he was the King of all vampires and one of the strongest NPCs in the world. However, Ark had already become friends with the Vampire Lord one year ago. Because he was a god. A vampire with eternal life had nothing against him. Power was the thing that determined ranking. And Ark was a user will the power to match the Vampire Lord. Because he was a god. Anyway, the Vampire Lord was a rare NPC that general users hardly ever saw! Fufu became restless with the appearance of the Lord.

  “C-Camel, turn on the camera! Stand-by! Ohhh! Everyone, it is the emer
gence of a rare NPC! How awesome! The Vampire Lord who is a legend! Look! That disinterested face! The fearsome magic that can be felt even at a distance! He is indeed a monster of monsters!”

  –What? Who is that impolite woman?

  “Don’t worry about something like that. She is with me today.”

  Ark clicked his tongue and sighed.

  “By the way, where is Curio?”

  –He is in his mansion. Yes, this is good. Please do something.

  “Do something?” What are you saying?”

  –That Curio. I really…..he is your summon so I left him along but seeing his actions every day…..he really is a young vampire. You should go and see him. You’ll then understand what I’m saying. I’m asking you. Please control him somehow.

  The Vampire Lord said before disappearing with the guards. Curio was one of Ark’s 3 summons. At first he was just a bat but under Ark’s loving (?) care, he grew rapidly until he earned a spot in the Immortal Castle. He was a bit sassy at times but he was a pet that suited Ark.

  ‘I should control him? What does that mean?’

  It didn’t take that long for Ark to get an answer.

  “Oh, finally! This is the mansion of Ark-nim’s summon, the vampire Curio. His usual appearance is that of a cute body so he is especially popular among female users but in reality he is a vampire! In addition, he is a high pureness vampire. What kind of life does a vampire like this live? As a vampire, does he sleep in a coffin? Or is he raising his magic in preparation for any upcoming battles? This will now be revealed to the public!”

  Fufu relayed while entering the gloomy mansion.

  “Kyaaaak!”

  A female scream was suddenly heard. He was a vampire so maybe he captured someone to suck their blood! He thought like that for a short time but……Ark’s face soon warped strangely.

  “Kyaaah, over here! Curio-nim!”

  “Hohohoho, try to catch me.”

  Barely dressed women were running around the hall while laughing. And chasing after them was a boy who covered his eyes with a towel.

  “Hehehehe, you cuties. I’m going to catch you. Ang, I’m going to eat you!”

  The body saying such silly words……

  “Curio?”

  Ark murmured with an amazed voice.

  “Hey! What is this? Who dared invade Curio-nim’s mansion!”

  “You rude bastard! I’ll ask again! Don’t make me hurt you! We’re going to hurt you!”

  3 bats shouted and flew towards him.

  “Ah! Ah! King Master-nim!”

  They soon screamed when they saw Ark’s face and hit the brakes. The 3 bats were Curio’s cousin and they followed him once Curio became a lord. There was a time when they believed Ark was lower than Curio but now they were taught that he was the King Master. They didn’t dare be rude to him anymore.

  “Why is the King Master here?”

  “What is going on here?”

  “Ah….I….that….you see…..”

  The bats alternating between looking at Curio and Ark who was glaring. In the end they sighed and said.

  “Lord-nim has changed.”

  “When Lord-nim was still accompanying Ark, he treated his well. But since Lord-nim entered the Immortal Castle…..”

  “The Lord-nim we wanted wasn’t like this. We wanted a vampire with the pride of a vampire. However the Vampire Lord just sighs at his actions while other vampires gossip. Huk, having a Lord-nim like this is really embarrassing.”

  “Now Lord-nim doesn’t listen to our words anymore. Now he is just living the life of debauchery….huk!”

  Ark listened to the bats whine with an amazed expression. Curio who was chasing the girls then embraced Ark.

  “Hehehehe, I got you! Kikiki, I’ve decided to pick you tonight. Huh? Isn’t your body quite firm? And why are you dressed in so many layers of clothes? Huhuhuhu, are you embarrassed? This cutie, then I’ll peel it off you personally! Hehehehe!”

  And he started groping Ark’s body. It was this. This was the reason why the Vampire Lord sighed. While Ark was spending time in the 24 century, his summon was running around feasting and committing acts of debauchery every night. But……

  “……You seem to be enjoying yourself huh?”

  Ark growled out with anger in his eyes.

  “Huh? What? A man’s voice? Eh? Why is a man here? Huh? What bastard are you? Who dared interrupt Curio’s fun….heok! M-Master?”

  “I’m sorry I’m a man.”

  “W-why is Master here?”

  “Why, is there a reason for me not to be here?”

  “Ah, no…..that’s not it…..”

  “Why? Huh? Why are you sweating? Is there something I shouldn’t notice?”

  “Ah, no, that, I mean…..Master….I…..”

  Curio broke into a cold sweat and retreated. Then a woman who was watching from behind shouted.

  “Hey you! What are you doing? This is my money so what’s the big deal? He might be a summon but he is still a vampire with privacy! You have no right to interfere even if you are his master. In addition, it’s been 3 years in New World and 1 year in reality since you’ve seen him and now you suddenly show up and act like his Master! He isn’t just your pet bat anymore. He is the high pureness vampire of the Immortal Castle! Curio!”

  The woman had a lot of bravery. But Curio had forgotten one thing. Who was Ark?

  “3 years…..that is certainly a long time.”

  Ark nodded before turning around. He looked at Fufu and Camel who were staring blankly and smiled.

  “Can you turn off the camera for a while?”

  “Huh? Ah, yes!”

  -The broadcast will stop airing for a while thanks to various circumstances. Please be patient.

  After this message played for a few minutes.

  “Sob sob, I’m sorry. I went overboard. Please forgive me.”

  Curio shed tears as he begged for forgiveness. Curio’s face was…..

  “M-mosaic! It is a mosaic!”

  ……It wasn’t necessary to explain the details. It could be guessed just from seeing the reactions of the women trembling in the corner. Ark then took one step towards Curio. Curio’s face that had a mosaic stuck to it freaked out and retreated.

  “Don’t be so astonished. Huh? You’re acting like I did something bad.”

  “S-something bad? No! Master is a good man!”

  “This brat, you sound so natural……”

  Ark shamelessly laughed and said.

  “However, I think I was a little wrong. It is my fault for leaving you alone for 3 years. I should still take care of my summons no matter how busy I am. A high pureness vampire has a lot of money and they also don’t age. Furthermore, you have no work so you have a lot of free time. Yes, it’s not your fault. The surrounding environment is bad. Isn’t that right?”

  “You understand?”

  “Yes, so I decided to change the environment. You will live like a healthy vampire.”

  “Huh? C-change the environment?”

  He spoke in an uneasy voice. Ark called the genie from the lamp and ordered with a pleasant smile.

  “Genie, confiscate all the residences and assets that belong to Curio. And pay him an allowance of 10 silver a month. Can you do that?”

  –Of course!

  Nothing was impossible for the genie of the lamp who was the incarnation of the master code in New World. Once Ark gave the money, there was a swirl of magic and the mansion was taken apart and sucked up. That wasn’t all. All the goods and even the money in Curio’s pocket was drawn into the swirl of magic. And…..clink. Curio gazed blankly as 10 silver coins fell into his hand.

  “How about it? It won’t be that hard to live like this right? If you receive 10 silver a month then you don’t have to worry about dying of starvation. How about it? Isn’t this a good consideration from a master worried about his summons? Aren’t you thankful?”

  “…….”

  Curio couldn’t answe
r. He kept looking at the 10 silver coins with a soulless expression.

  “Lord-nim, now you can stop that life of debauchery!”

  “Yes, we’ll help you as well.”

  “…….”

  Curio couldn’t answer. He kept looking at the 10 silver coins with a soulless expression.

  “Yes…..what a….heart-warming scene…..yes…..it seems to be like that.”

  Fufu finished off.

  ‘This is really embarrassing…..’

  Ark glanced at Fufu and inwardly sighed. He was a legendary gamer. Ark was a god in New World. He might’ve neglected his summons for a while but who knew that Curio would start womanizing? Thinking of such a scene being broadcasted made his face turn red. Ark was his master so wouldn’t some people who saw the broadcast also think he was like that?

  ‘Surely Purital isn’t like this as well?’

  Ark remembered that he was a reliable summon. He was just a skull when first summoned but Purital soon became a powerful undead lord. There was also one crucial difference between Curio and Purital. Purital was an undead knight. He only remembered that he was a knight so his loyalty to Ark was absolute.

  ‘Yes, I should be able to restore some of my image if we visit Purital!’

  “Genie, the next destination is Oberium the city of the undead!”

  He asked the ghosts about Purital after arriving in Oberium.

  Clack clack clack clack, clack clack clack clack!

  A skeleton was sitting in a dark corner and snapping his teeth. Even without Curio there to interpret for him, he could understand Purital’s words thanks to the master code…..

  –Heh, yes. I am not like that. Anyway, I’m a skeleton. I’m only made of bones. It is natural to be abandoned by my Master. Huhuhu, an masterless knight is trash. So I am trash. Why does it matter if I’m alive? Should I just die? Ah, I’m an undead. Huhuhu, yes then I’m undead trash.

  ……This was the content. According to the ghost king of Oberium’s words.

  –It started when you hadn’t summoned him for a month. Purital kept on repeated the same words over and over in that corner. The undead doctor said that he seems to have depression. Do you know? He might look like that but he has a delicate heart.