by Yoo Seong
Despite saying this, the heard of the blond man was rough and unstable. However that wasn’t due to running through the bushes. His heart was wavering because of a name! Ark! The man was deeply embedded in his head! The reason he started Galaxian was to meet Ark. He had deliberately committed a crime to join the prisoners to meet up with him.
……It was useless. While the blond youth had been sent to Hanan, Ark had returned to Istana as Beltana’s Hero. Since then the young man tried to escape from the prisoner status but another wall was in front of him. The Rama Hero, the Red Slaughterer! He was drafted to Hanan where the federation troops were smashed by the Red Slaughterer and the Rama. It was impossible for the prisoners to build up achievements in that situation. No, he tasted death too many times at the hands of the Red Slaughterer.
‘But those deaths weren’t in vain.’
He had been hurt a long time ago and it was difficult for him to even walk to the capsule. That was true even in the game. Therefore his progress in meeting Ark was delayed. The doctor said it was the limit of his physical strength. But his thoughts were different.
‘Is it my fate to not meet Ark?’
He couldn’t get past the situation. As a result he lost his motivation. However that changed when he met the Red Slaughterer. No, he realized something after hearing the Red Slaughterer’s words. He recognized what a powerless existence was.
‘Why am I trying to meet Ark? Is it to show him this body? To buy his sympathy? No! I can’t explain properly why I want to meet him. But meeting in this state doesn’t mean anything. Yes, the important thing isn’t meeting him but how I meet him.’
The blond youth clenched his teeth. He made an effort to get stronger inside the game and out.
‘It is impossible to overcome my physical obstacles at the moment. It will be difficult to catch up with other users with swordplay. Therefore I have to only focus on marksmanship from now on!’
A battlefield was a good training ground for him. He polished off his marksmanship day and night during the war and developed incredible skills. It was the essence of marksmanship, quick fire shooting! He intensively trained in shooting with his right hand. Thanks to his skills, he received the nickname Rapid and became the leader of a unit despite being a prisoner. And he steadily built up his achievements until he could finally be pardoned. Yet he was told a shocking message by headquarters just now.
–This is transmitted to the whole army. Ark, the hero of Beltana has arrived at Athamas and is taking care of the Red squad in area C-17. Ark will soon take on the Red Slaughterer. Units 13, 15, 45 and 46 should move to the areas next to C-17 to support Ark. The remaining troops will retreat to the designated locations and wait for the next order. I repeat. This is an order . The federation army……
There were more troops sent to Athamas than Hanan. There were many reasons why but the Red Slaughterer had a decisive influence. The morale of the Rama had soared after Hanan. And their hero was the Red Slaughterer. Thanks to the Red squad destroying the federation soldiers, their morale soared even more. Therefore headquarters had searched for an alternative……
‘That is Ark!’
The blonde youth’s heard fluctuated wildly. Ark was also on this battlefield. Moreover, he was the leader of unit 46 that was ordered to support him!
‘I can meet him! There’s only a few hundred metres left and I can meet Ark!’
His emotions were repressed while he was fighting on Athamas but he couldn’t hold it back anymore now that he knew Ark was several hundred metres near him. His eyes were fixed on the forest 1 km away. It was the place where Ark and the Red Slaughterer were fighting!
“Captain-nim, it is dangerous!”
A soldier following behind the blond youth shouted. A small metal sphere was thrown the moment he broke through the bush.
“A land mine! Everybody get down!”
Pepepepeng, pepepepeng!
The red sensor on the sphere went off and it exploded. The blast pushed the blond youth back several metres before he got up. Meanwhile the soldier who received the explosion instead of the blond youth was covered in blood.
“Medic! It is an emergency!”
Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!
The blond youth cried out just as a hail of bullets fired at him. The forest was saturated with Rama warriors.
“Damn, it’s an ambush! All members look for cover and be alert!”
The blond youth shouted as he hid behind a tree. Then leaves fell from above his head. When he flinched and looked up, a Rama warrior was falling towards him with a dagger.
–Die you federation dogs!
And the moment the dagger was about to hit his neck!
Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!
Three gunshots shook the forest. The Rama warrior went flying back from shots to his shoulders and forehead. This was why the blond youth was known as Rapid! He fired his gun at a speed that was difficult to see. Even if the distance was 100 metres, his hit rate was 100% accurate. The Rama warrior was turned into a honeycomb as the blond youth continuously fired.
‘I have no time to be caught in a place like this!’
“All troops, take cover!”
The blond youth threw a wooden pole and yelled. There was gunfire and the wooden fragments flew all over the place. However, the blond youth’s eyes moved like a machine and identified the location of the sparks in the darkness. It was the places where the Rama warriors were hiding!
‘There is one guy behind the tree at 3 o’clock! Another two on top!’
Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!
The cylinder of his automatic pistol moved and fired the bullets powerfully. The gunshots hit the enemy’s head without a doubt. Even if it was a long range weapon, a gun was different from the bows in medieval ages. It was a weapon that could kill the enemy by moving just one finger. This was the primary reason why the blond youth chose the gun as a weapon. There was a disadvantage of course. Most soldiers used shields, making the damage of the gun weaker than melee weapons. However, he had the ability to compensate for this. It was the hit rate that he trained night and day! The headshots occurred thanks to that.
‘I have only this!’
The blond youth experienced countless deaths on the battlefield and now he only aimed for headshots.
-Headshot-III!
And he finally obtained Headshot-III! A normal headshot dealt 50% more damage. The blond youth didn’t have time to wait for support from his unit and continued taking out the enemies. Naturally the Rama weren’t just sitting there politely. They were wildly shooting machine guns, using shields or throwing grenades.
Tang! Tang! Pepepeng!
He could intercept the grenade with just a gun. However, one pistol couldn’t fend off all those attacks! The blond youth’s body became bloody thanks to the numerous Rama warriors. However…..
‘Ark is right in front of me! I can’t stop here!’
“Don’t disturb me! I’m going to kill everyone who tries to stop me!”
The blond youth roared like a wounded predator.
———————————————————————————————-
“Pant…..pant…..”
In the dark forest where there was a smoke screen. The man with a large body leaned against a tree gasping. Dozens of bullet wounds and cuts from swords could be seen on his grey skin. His name was Cupa. His large size indicated he was from the Tobil clan. But his injuries looked so serious that it was hard to expect him to recover. No, it was a miracle he was still breathing.
–What great tenacity.
A man approached him. Holding a machine gun in one hand and a lightsaber in the other, it was the Rama warrior Keiko. He was the leader of the Red squad.
–So far I’ve dealt with numerous federation soldiers but this is the first time I’ve encountered someone like you.
The Red Slaught
erer was famous but he had also killed numerous federation soldiers. However he had never seen a federation soldier worth paying attention to. The federation soldiers were just targets to be killed. But this time was different.
‘Who is this guy?’
For the first time, Keiko was curious about an enemy. Cupa wasn’t particularly stronger than the federation soldiers. He wasn’t stronger than the other soldiers that had died from his hands. However he had something more.
……About 10 minutes ago.
‘Those stupid guys just came here to die.’
Keiko thought as he entered the forest after Ark dropped a smokescreen. Athamas was a planet covered in dense forest. The Rama were a warlike species who inherited the DNA of their ancestors. They were a species who received bonus abilities in the mountains or forests and the Red squad were the elite of the Rama warriors.
‘Stupid federation bastards. They used Chaff to block any communication to reinforcements yet they chose to confront us in a place like this.’
They could exterminate these guys in 10 minutes tops. Keiko never thought it would take longer than that. However that idea changed once they actually started fighting.
‘This guy…..he’s not the normal type!’
Ark’s troops were different from the normal federation soldiers. Their skills weren’t particularly better. If they were normal than Keiko would’ve defeated this guy in 10 minutes like planned. However Keiko had been unable to defeat Cupa over the last 10 minutes. The reason was simple.
‘This guy, this isn’t the first time he’s fought in a forest. He is just as familiar as the Rama about ow to use a tree or bush to battle. This isn’t a level that can be achieved through training. These skills can only be learnt by overcoming crisis. But the scary thing is……’
Tenacity! His body was riddled with bullets! He latched onto the enemy despite the sword shredding his skin! This was what aroused Keiko’s interest. Keiki stepped closer to the dying Cupa and asked.
–What? Why are you fighting so fiercely? Your loyalty to the galactic federation?
“The federation…..loyalty…..kukuku……how funny.”
Cupa laughed with lips stained with blood.
“Federation…..it doesn’t matter if it falls or not…..it doesn’t matter.”
-Then what?
“You…..won’t understand…..”
Cupa looked up at Keiko and laughed. He recalled the last month and a half with the shadow of death hanging over him.
———————————————————————————————-
Once again, the Royal Guards had served in the Beltana war as prisoners. Of course their levels and skills were inferior to regular troops. The Royal Guards had grown thanks to their training with the Silver Hand. They had been sold to the Silver Hand to secure the agent registration fee. Every hour of the last month and a half was an adventure that pulled them close to death. They raised their stamina, gymnastic ability, reflexes and courage through their close encounters with death……
Of course, this didn’t mean that their levels rose. Nevertheless, there was a reason Ark chose to have them train with the Silver Hand. If it could be briefly described……
Whenever a user gained a level, they received 10 bonus points that they could invest into any stat they wanted. But the NPCs didn’t have the same freedom as a user. They gained 10 bonus points but the stat raised was random. Of course, if they were warriors then it was highly likely for strength or stamina to increase. If the warrior was unlucky then they would gain points in wisdom or luck. If they were really unlucky then a level 100 warrior would only have 200 points in strength while the rest were invested in X stats. That’s why most NPCs had lower stats then users despite receiving the same bonus.
However, there was still a solution. NPCs couldn’t choose what stat to invest in but there were ways to increase the probability of certain stats. The method was surprisingly simple. If NPCs trained in a certain ability than it would climb. Of course, that was more difficult than it seemed. A person had to train more than others in weight lifting or study harder than others if the NPC wanted to raise that particular stat. This was the core of the training program that Ark created.
The PT exercises that lasted several hours……
-Your muscle strength has increased due to the continuous training in physical strength.
It increased the changes of strength increasing! Spending a few days suffering from a fever in a bee infested cave……
-Your concentration has increased thanks to running around and escaping from the bees.
It increased concentration! Climbing up the cliff to receive a meal……
-Your stamina has increased from climbing the cliffs daily.
Their stamina increased! There was a reason for it. The result of their hell training meant the chances of a combat related stat would drastically increase! They were able to verify that after hunting in a dungeon with the Silver Hand. The warriors Ralph and Berad increased their strength and stamina every time they levelled up. Hedro, Reben, Konsed, Kalliben and Beleol increased their agility! Meanwhile Hegel and Mellin raised their intelligence! General NPCs increased their related stats by 3~4 points. However, the trained Royal Guards increased their respective stats by 6~7 points. This meant they became stronger than other NPCs. At the end of their terrible hell training, a miraculous physical modification was created.
But that wasn’t the real effect of the hell training. The physical modifications were an investment for the future. It would only exert its power once they reached a certain level. The Royal Guards had only gained 10 levels after their training with the Silver Hand so it didn’t have a significant effect yet. There was another reason why the Red squad members were perplexed. The members who had experienced hell more terrible than death……
———————————————————————————————-
“Kukuku…..I’m not afraid of death!”
Cupa who had become like a bloody rag laughed. A madness that didn’t fear death!
“You know…..the pain I went through compared to this…..death…..it is nothing. I fear only one thing…..going back to that hell…..to do that, we have to show Hyung-nim that we’ve become stronger. So…..even if my whole body is torn apart and I die…..I can’t look helpless!”
This was the reason why the Royal Guards were fighting so desperately. They had to show Ark they didn’t need the hell training anymore. Death meant nothing in the face of possibly returning to the Silver Hand for several more months. Compared to that, death was nothing!
“Hahaha! Ark hyung-nim, hurray!”
Then Cupa raised his head and rushed forward. Then Keiko noticed the piece of iron in Cupa’s hand. It was the safety pin of a grenade!
-T-this….!
Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!
Keiko reflexively retreated and fired the machine gun blindly at Cupa. Fresh blood flew out of the tattered Cupa. However Cupa crawled on the ground and approached Keiko. It was this. This dreadful tenacity! This was the reason why the Red squad felt overwhelmed.
–This bastard!
Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Keiko moved back the moment the grenade exploded. Keiko rolled along the ground and confirmed his health when he got up. He received some damage but fortunately he still had 30% health left. However, Keiko showed no signs of anger as he looked at Cupa’s corpse. The sentiment seen in his eyes was admiration!
–That is a very fearful obsession. I’ve been on many battlefields but this is the first time I’ve encountered a soldier like you. Even a pioneer who can revive with the Fairy isn’t so casual
about the possibility of death. To laugh in the face of death, he is a true warrior. As a fellow warrior, I pay respect to your tenacity and bravery!
Keiko saluted Cupa’s corpse. It was a homage paid between enemies!
–They aren’t cowardly soldiers. I’m not sure what he meant but they are clearly fighting due to their loyalty to Ark.
One thing was certain. It was very different from what Keiko thought. Keiko looked at the direction where the red and blue lights were clashing with a conflicted expression.
-Captain-nim’s eyes weren’t wrong. It is clear that Ark is the federation’s strongest warrior. The people following him believe he is the strongest warrior so they don’t even fear death!
A sigh flowed from Keiki’s mouth.
–Ah, I’m envious of Captain-nim. It is the highest honour for a Rama to fight the strongest warrior. Obviously Captain-nim who is fighting in this battle will feel a great satisfaction…..
It wasn’t just him who had this idea. The Red squad members scattered all over the forest while fighting the Royal Guards were thinking the same thing. As for the Red Slaughterer who was the object of their envy…..
———————————————————————————————-
‘What? This?’
……He was baffled. He had finally discovered Ark’s presence. Thus the Red Slaughterer had been expectant when confronting Ark. The name was Ark but he wasn’t sure it was the genuine one. However, he was convinced of it after a few words from Ark at the beginning of the battle. The moment he had been waiting for had finally came he thought. His fighting spirit was kindled! But confusion was the only thing the Red Slaughterer felt after10 minutes.
‘Is this really Ark?’
The question didn’t disappear from his head throughout the fight. He knew Ark. No, any gamer would know. He was the gamer recognized as the strongest user in New World. His ability was recognized and he even became a director in the game publishing company. He was already a legend in South Korea’s gaming world. But the Red Slaughterer didn’t know him through his reputation. He had direct experience against Ark. So he knew. He knew how strong a user Ark was. He had experienced Ark’s strength first hand. But the Ark in front of him didn’t feel that strong.