by Yoo Seong
This is one of the basic ways of using force but it needs to be taught by a mentor in order to understand the way of utilizing it. Xanax was able to communicate the tips to you through Elim’s Helmet.
The success rate of this power will depend on your concentration.
Force consumption: 50
A new skill! Ark never imagined that he would receive a skill like this. An image then appeared on his Nymphe. Letters similar to the ones in the logbook were written on the screen of his Nymphe.
–How wonderful, my heir.
This is proof that the one who inherited my will has passed the training centre. I pay my respects to your efforts. I left my helmet here to reward your hard work. I’m sorry but unfortunately this is all I can give you now.
I’m leaving on a trip now and there is no guarantee I will come back. Therefore I’ve laid down some necessary measures for my heir to continue the Elim’s mission if I don’t come back. Even I don’t know where I will travel yet. That’s why I won’t leave everything here.
I will be leaving for another place. A place where 5 planets become one light. I will leave a mark for you in the deep centre.
“As expected, it wasn’t in this room.”
He needed to go to some other places to find the remaining skills and Divine Artefacts. Ark left the training centre and explained this to the orb of light.
–A place where 5 planets become one light…..
The light orb blinked. It seemed to be loading.
–I don’t know the place you’re talking about. I don’t know what you mean by 5 planets becoming one light.
……The loading failed.
“Doesn’t that mean a place with the correct angle that 5 planets line up would look like one planet?”
–Those terms are too broad. Do you know how many planets there are in the galaxy? There are hundreds of celestial bodies that will periodically move into that arrangement. Will you go around to all those planets and ignorantly look for it? Do you know how many hundreds of planets there are?
“No but……”
–Xanax left a clue for his heir. There has to be a specific hint somewhere in his writing. You have to figure out what it is.
A frustrated sigh emerged from Ark’s mouth. He had expected that he could go search for Xanax’s relics after passing the training centre. Yet he kept on running into a war over and over again. If this was a general fantasy game then he could recklessly run around but this was Galaxian. The size meant he couldn’t run around blindly. Like the light orb said, he needed to figure out the clues left behind by Xanax so he could narrow the search range.
‘Does this mean I have to search for some more clues?’
Then Ark’s Nymphe vibrated and a voice message appeared.
–Ark-nim, it is Shein. There is someone at the sector entrance looking for Ark.
“For me? Who?”
–They said they would tell you directly.
——————————————————————————————-
“Excuse me……”
Ark looked uncomfortably at the man in front of him. Ark had received a notification that someone was looking for him. But Ark only left the Elim’s Sanctuary after 20 minutes. In fact, this wasn’t the first time he got visitors. Ark was a user who received the titles of Beltana and Athamas’ Hero. Slayer, Leon and Melina were also in the middle of promoting sector S-20 while accomplishing their billboard duties. Therefore sometimes pioneers would come to S-20 just to see Ark. He thought it was just another pioneer requesting him so he saw no reason to hurry. He had wandered around after receiving the report. But the man waiting wasn’t ordinary. The man looking for Ark was surprisingly……
“I am Buldio, the section chief of the federation’s 1st internal affairs department.”
Someone from the federation’s administration! He was also from the internal affairs department. It was normal for the populace to cower when meeting someone with an official title like that. Ark was one of them as well. He had a number of reasons for that. Ark hadn’t legitimately become the administrator of S-20 but received it through a quest. The sector originally fell under the jurisdiction of the Domestic Affairs department. He received it thanks to Marquis Martin. Marquis Martin had exercised a little pressure to skip the intermediate examination process.
‘The internal affairs department investigates wrongdoings! Did he come to investigate me?’
Naturally he would feel uneasy. Ark asked with a deliberately unconcerned expression.
“What business does the section chief of the internal affairs department have with me…..?”
“In fact, I’m visiting with a request.”
“A request?”
Ark asked with a confused expression.
“What request would Section Chief-nim have for me?”
“I’d like you to find some people. No, I want you to rescue them.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Let me explain.”
Buldio nodded and said.
“Not long ago, a riot occurred at the orbit prison Stael and several prisoners escaped. Some staff from my division chased after the prisoners. A few days ago, they were finally located in the northernmost Harmadon constellation on a planet called Amara. However I lost contact with my staff members yesterday. The guys chasing the prisoners on Amara were caught in a trap and only one crew member who was waiting at a certain distance wasn’t caught.”
“How exciting. So?”
“Like I said, I’m asking for Ark-nim’s help.”
“Don’t your employees belong to the federation? Then shouldn’t the federation be in charge of the rescue operation?”
“There are a few problems.”
Buldio sighed and continued.
“Recapturing the prisoners was a top secret mission. The federation would be in a difficult situation if the media finds out that prisoners escaped from Stael. Only a small number of federation members know about the mission. Even if the pursuers are in a difficult situation, the federation can’t move.”
“But aren’t there special agents in the federation?”
“That’s why I came to Ark.”
“Eh?”
“Ark-nim is a user who received the titles of Beltana and Athamas’ Hero. You gained the dame on Beltana in a way similar to a secret agent. So I thought Ark-nim would be qualified for this mission and I also received Marquis Martin’s recommendation.”
Ark’s face tightened after hearing about Marquis Martin’s recommendation. Ark was entwined quite closely with Marquis Martin after Beltana. Marquis Martin was a troublesome existence as well as a VIP customer for Ark. He gave difficult quests but the reward if successful couldn’t be compared to normal quests. S-20 was one such reward. The relationship with a useful NPC was give and take. Ark needed to maintain a good relationship with Marquis Martin. But he wasn’t always thankful to have a VIP customer. This was unofficial but it was still a quest from the federation. No, it was an informal quest so he might be able to extort more rewards. But a federation quest would take a lot of time.
‘My philosophy is to accept quests but…..’
Most quests could take its time being completed. But if he accepted this quest then he would need to fly to the fringes of the galaxy immediately. However Ark still needed to solve the clues left behind by Xanax as well as help S-20 grow. Leaving this place for a long time would be a burden. So Ark had every intention of politely declining.
“I received some achievements in the Beltana and Athamas war. However a lot of it was due to luck. I’m too inexperienced for a heavy task like this. So please look for other people. There should be qualified people other than me……”
“You can’t reject it.”
Buldio interrupted Ark’s words.
“Ark-nim is the reason why she is involved
in this situation.”
He said it was Ark’s fault the federation employees were caught by prisoners? Ark was amazed by this outrageous remark.
“Do you remember the name Irina?”
Ark’s eyes popped out at the name.
“Irina? Then the employees caught by the prisoners……”
“She is a part of them. Ensign Irina is a member of my division. She incurred Commander Haman’s anger on Beltana and was sent to chase after the prisoners. She wanted to help a trapped prisoner so they thought she should be the one to recover the escaped prisoners of Stael.”
“Because of me…..!”
A moan emerged from Ark’s mouth. In fact, Ark hadn’t seen Irina since returning from Beltana. He never saw her in the hospital when his mother had regular check-ups. That’s why he was worried. Now Irina needed Ark’s help. Besides, she was in such a situation because of Ark. He didn’t know what happened but he couldn’t pretend ignorance anymore.
“What do I need to do?”
“Ensign Irina didn’t make a mistake.”
Buldio nodded with satisfaction.
“The airship I came on will take you to Tatuine. You will then travel from Tatuine to Amara. Once you arrive on Amara, one member of the pursuing team will be waiting for you. The name is Hajin. He’ll explain more about the situation.”
You have received a secret mission from the internal affairs department of the federation. The pursuing team chasing after the escaped prisoners from Stael have been caught in a trap and captured. Buldio was looking for a secret agent and Marquis Martin recommended you.
This mission is top secret. If the media gets wind of the Stael breakout incident then the federation will be placed in a difficult situation. In addition, the lives of the pursuing team can’t be guaranteed. Therefore you must sneak into Amara as a regular prisoner and meet a sergeant to quickly assess the situation and rescue them.
Difficulty: B+
Irina’s name wasn’t mentioned in the quest window. In other words, Irina was something that Buldio thought would convince him. The ever evolving artificial intelligence mean the NPCs now thought like real users. Just like Lucifer……
But now wasn’t the time to think about that.
“I’ll get ready soon.”
Ark called Mellin and Hegel outside. They were the people Ark trusted with running S-20 while he was away. Ark left the management of S-20 to them and boarded Buldio’s airship.
——————————————————————————————-
Kwaaaaaaah-!
1 airship crossed the sky. A young man looked up at the noise from the airship.
“An airship from the federation? That’s rare. Seeing the federation’s airship in a place like this.”
The young man watched the airship for a while before shaking his head.
“No, that doesn’t matter now.”
And he operated his Nymphe while looking around at the environment.
“Yes, there is it. That hill is Mt. Fargo. Where sector S-20 is location. Finally…..I finally get to meet Ark. Soon…..soon I can meet Ark!”
He ran through the dense jungle with an excited expression. The young man who had just received amnesty on Athamas was Rapid.
Space 8
Amara
Music came from an old radio. The quaint bar had a somewhat uneasy atmosphere. The guests were all staring at one man. A bearded man was sitting in the centre of the bar with an arrogant expression like he was a king.
“Hey, what are you doing? More alcohol! Hat hat hat hat!”
The man laughed as he made a lot of noise. But there was no one who dared say anything. They just watched with anxious looks. Then some guests got up and approached the man’s side. The bearded man looked up with an angry expression.
“Hey! What are you guys doing? Where are you going?”
“No, we have sudden business……”
“Don’t make a sound and sit. Don’t make me say it in a method you’ll understand!”
“B-but…..”
Then the door of the bar opened and one man entered. The man silently dusted off the dirt on his body and crossed through the bar. He passed in front of the bearded man whose face contorted like a piece of toilet paper.
“Hey! You, over there!”
“Me? Why?”
“Who told you to come in so selfishly? Huh?”
“Are you the bar owner?”
“No.”
The man laughed at the bearded man’s answer. He turned around, causing the bearded man to stand up angrily.
“You asshole, do you want to die? Don’t you know who I am?”
“I don’t want to cause any problems. I just want to see to my business and leave.”
“What? A problem? You want to just leave? Ha! This fool. If you don’t know who I am then I’ll tell you directly. Listen well. I am the bloody slaughterer Mook-nim!”
The self-styled bloody slaughterer Mook lifted his pistol. At that moment, a flash crossed the bar.
“U-unbelievable…..”
Mook stuttered as a blue lightsaber was held to his neck. The man holding the lightsaber stared at him with cold eyes.
“Yes, does the bloody slaughterer Mook-nim want to continue?”
“Ah, no.”
“The door is over there.”
“Huh? Ah, yes! Goodbye!”
Mook quickly put away his gun and bolted from the bar. The people watching anxiously breathed with relief.
“A-awesome! He got Mook with a sword……”
“Who is that man? Isn’t this the first time we’ve seen him? I don’t understand it but he is clearly a pioneer.”
The people gawked at the man and murmured noisily. However the man just sighed.
‘Damn, this planet……’
He had unintentionally directed a scene from a western movie. The man’s name was Ark.
————————————————————————————-
“This is Amara?”
Ark looked around. He had arrived at the universal terminal after returning to Tatuine with Buldio. He took an astral ship that traversed the universe to reach Amara.
The galaxy contained countless number of stars. The name alone wasn’t enough to get a full sense of the vastness that transcended imagination. The distance between some planets were thousands of light years. It would take hundreds of thousands of years if the ships went at the speed of light. Therefore all long distance ships were capable of warp movement.
So 24 hours after leaving Tatuine. Ark crossed the galaxy and arrived on Amara.
“This feels like an entirely different world.”
A sandstorm raged on the red earth. Amara’s space terminal was situated in the centre of the city. The onion shaped roofs of the buildings made it look like a medieval Arab city. But this was a SF game. Androids wandered the streets while airships flew around.
“This is my first visit to the planet.”
He didn’t come here to sightsee.
-You have connected to the federation’s special communication network.
–This code is…..federation troops?
He entered the security code on his Nymphe and a distant voice was heard.
“I’m not from the federation. I’m the pioneer referred by Lieutenant Colonel Buldio.”
–Pioneer……
The voice said with disappointment.
“Are you Sergeant Hajin?”
-That’s right. You are?
“I am called Ark.”
–Ark? Ho, Beltana’s Hero?
There was no one in the federation who didn’t know Ark’s name. The disappointed tone quickly changed after hearing Ark’s name. Sometimes fame wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I heard a summary of the situation from Buldio-nim. I would like to meet you and find out more about the local situation. Where should I go?”
–You must be contacting me from the space terminal. I’m approximately 200 km south of that place. I had to hide our ship. I’m sorry but can I send the coordinates to Ark-nim? We can talk more when we meet.
“Understood.”
Ark registered the coordinates in his Nymphe and ran across the city. Amara wasn’t a prosperous planet. It wasn’t developed compared to other planets in the galaxy. But the shops that he passed displayed some unusual items. Of course, now wasn’t the time to look at such things. Soon the buildings decreased and a wide wilderness stretched out in front of him. The red earth was the characteristics of Amara’s appearance.
“Now then…..”
“Hey, you over there. Wait a minute.”
Ark was pulling out his air board. Then 3 people wearing rags emerged from the back of a building.
“Is this your first time on Amara?”
“That’s right.”
“Then who is in your group?”
“I’m alone.”
“Ah, it is like that. Then……”
The men exchanged looks and pulled out their guns.
“Put down that air board quickly if you don’t want to be riddled with bullets!”
A pioneered planet was basically lawless like the Outlands. It was a place where the Rama, Aschulat and federation had no power. Some planets would have lords but their influence was only inside the cities. It was a complete lawless zone once outside the city. Even if murder was committed, there would be no punishment when moving to another city. Of course Ark had no intention of being robbed or killed. So he pulled out the lightsaber.
……Kill!
And that was just the beginning.
“Hey! That guy! Stop your air board!”
He was stopped by highwaymen three times while riding his air board!
Ku ku ku ku! Waaaahhhhh!
Strange monsters also interrupted four times! After 3 hours and fighting 7 times, Ark managed to arrive at the coordinates Hajin sent him which was a bar in the middle of a small town.
————————————————————————————-
‘I came to an annoying place.’
After the self-styled bloody slaughterer Mook disappeared. Ark sighed and headed towards the bartender. Then a hooded man sitting in a corner walked over to Ark and whispered.