by Yoo Seong
“Then what do we do now?”
“Let’s see……”
Jyubel thought for a while.
“Luckily it seems like Martin also doesn’t have any relationship with Hawk. Martin’s face was truly puzzled when Hawk appeared. The problem is Ark.”
“Ark!”
Valencia cried out with hostile eyes.
“Among all the pioneers gathered, Ark was the only one Hawk talked to. If Hawk and Ark joins hands……”
“It didn’t seem to be a good atmosphere.”
Rapid who was listening silently spoke for the first time. Jyubel and Valencia narrowed their eyes at Rapid who continued talking.
“From what I saw……”
No, he was about to continue. Then a guard knocked and entered.
“Marquis-nim, a guest is here to see you.”
———————————————————————————-
Kwaaaaaaah-!
There was a sudden explosion in a calm sky. The clouds were separated from a shockwave and a ship appeared. Inside the ship a hamster was busily moving his hands.
“The system is error free! We’ve arrived at our destination!”
“Good work.”
The one who answered was Ark.
“As expected, arriving home is the best.”
Ark said as he looked at the thriving village that was S-20. S-20 wasn’t a trivial sector any longer. The size was 2 kilometres in diameter with a blue shield surrounding the boundary and a building with the latest facilities in the centre. This building was the sector administrative office that used to be the Laius research centre. There was even a large artificial lake! But the truly flourishing thing was the pioneers. In other words, it was the users. No matter how large the village was, it would be no use if there were no people. That was the biggest change in S-20. People were flooding every street! Previously the population had been 3,000 people. But now S-20 had at least twice that number. The secret to the drastic population growth was the exclusive route.
“As expected, it was great that I applied for the exclusive route!”
Ark might have the Silver Star but there were very few users in the Galaxian who actually had private ships or airships. A spacecraft would be a minimum of at least 10,000 gold. An airship was cheaper but the price was still taxing. Some people would receive it from sponsors but that also wasn’t free. A sponsor and user had the relationship of employer and employee.
Just like office workers received a pay check, the sponsor would give a monthly salary when completing one of their quests and the mileage would build up. If they saved this salary then they could receive an airship or spaceship but that wasn’t an easy task. Therefore the majority of users still used the federation’s transport ships. That’s why the population stayed at 2,000~3,000 people despite Slayer, Leon and Melina’s advertising. That was S-20’s limit when there wasn’t a trade route there.
That situation changed after establishing an exclusive route. Pioneers poured out every few hours as a transport ship arrived! The exclusive route had only been established for 5 days and the population of the sector had already doubled. If this trend continued then it would increase to 3, no 4 times the population! The increase in pioneers meant a more active commerce and increase income for Ark.
“Well, I guess it won’t take that long.”
It had only been 3 days since Ark went to Rakunka. The shopping area had already increased by one store. And another 5 trailers were lined up in front of the sector administration office. They were probably merchants who heard rumours of S-20 and were waiting for a store permit.
“Hyung-nim, we’ve landed.”
In the meantime Tori had landed the Silver Star.
“Is that guy Ellain still in the infirmary?”
“He is in bad shape.”
“That brat! His senior had to steer the ship while suffering sleep deprivation while the newcomer gets to just lie down in the infirmary? He needs to be taught some discipline. I can’t accept it. He needs to be disciplined before he gets worse.”
“Well, it’s not really like that but……”
Ark looked back at the infirmary.
“Just leave him alone for now. It isn’t unreasonable since this is his first take taking a spaceship.”
Ellain was the strongest warrior of the Kusan clan on Rakunka. He fought equally with Ark on the desert terrain and survived against the Myutal. However Ellain had a fatal weakness Ark never expected.
“L-Leader-nim. M-my body is strange. I suddenly feel dizzy…..”
He became sick shortly after sailing on the Silver Star. Ellain had stuttered with a pale and sweaty expression.
-Your crew member Ellain has space motion sickness!
That message popped up! It was the inevitable result when he thought about it. Rakunka wasn’t part of the 3 powers so its science and civilization hadn’t developed. Naturally Ellain had never been on a ship or navigated the universe. It was like a person’s first time flying on a plane. He had no immunity and developed space motion sickness. Thanks to that he had stayed in the infirmary for the whole ride..
“Bah, space motion sickness? Even children don’t develop that these days.”
Tori started to show even more of an attitude towards Ellain.
‘I accepted because he is a high level warrior but I can’t use him when travelling long distances in the future.’
“Then should he be moved to the crew’s quarters?”
“Just leave him there. I’m going to stop by the administrative office to check on the sector so you should examine the Silver Star. We’ll be in the space frontier for a month so things should be meticulously checked in order to avoid any problems.”
“I don’t get a break?”
“You want to take a break?”
“No, it’s not I want to rest but……”
“If you want to take a break. You can spend the next few days moaning next to Ellain.”
Ark lifted his fist and Tori quickly shook his head.
“Ah, no! This hamster will be delighted to serve Hyung-nim!”
He picked up the tool box and shot off like an arrow.
“At least he is still listening to me.”
Tori was once the owner of a junkyard but now he had been caught by Ark. Ark was his employer. He followed Ark after the incident in the Harmadon constellation but it wasn’t that easy to change his character. The bruising would fade and his attitude would stop being so polite. But Ark never expectation that his mental state would last forever.
‘Sooner or later I will have to catch him again.’
However he had to put many things in advance before leaving for a month. Now wasn’t the time to be training the hamster. Ark was thinking that as he exited the ship.
“Hyung-nim!”
A group of people ran over before his feet even touched the ground. They were Mellin, Hegel, Berad and the rest of the Royal Guards. They had seen the Silver Star landing. But Ark was puzzled when he saw them.
“Why are you guys here? Shouldn’t you be clearing out the bottom layer of Mt. Fargo’s dungeon?”
Before leaving for Rakunka, he had directed all the members to continue clearing out the dungeon except for Mellin and Hegel who he left in charge of the food production factory. But they were all here. They couldn’t have cleared out the lower layer in just a few days.
“Was there a problem?”
“It isn’t a problem……”
The members looked at each other and laughed.
“There are people who have been waiting for Hyung-nim since yesterday.”
“People waiting for me?”
“It is us.”
Th
e answer came from behind the members. Ark reflexively turned his head with confusion. There were two men behind the members. They were both people Ark knew. But he had forgotten about them until now. He hadn’t seen them for 4 months. However he could remember their faces immediately.
“Hamad! Asuran!”
That was the name of the two men. They were part of the crew that followed Ark on Beltana. In fact, they were the first two members Ark visited after returning from Beltana. Originally Ark had gathered 15 prisoners on Beltana. At that time, Ark gathered the Royal Guards by handing out food to the starving. Ark had also pardoned 5 prisoners in order to gain a sense of kinship. Two of them gave him skills or a gun while Milan, Hamad and Asuran gave him a quest for a later reward. It was the
The problem was Hamad and Asuran. Originally Hamad was a merchant with some big stores in Julius. However Ark discovered that he had entrusted his store to his employees and was betrayed by them. He only had one shop remaining and it was on the brink of closure.
‘This isn’t a situation where I can extort money.’
Asuran’s predicament was even worse. He was a gangster with quite a few subordinates in the city of Sidellin. However he was on the federation’s blacklist since been drafted and couldn’t restart his business under the scrutiny of the androids. Therefore he had been starving every day.
‘This guy is also like this.’
The two quests were a dud. However Ark didn’t give up on the compensation.
‘Wait? Haman can’t engage in trade because of the interference of his former employees. Meanwhile Asuran and his subordinates are starving to death. Asuran’s subordinates didn’t betray him but they can’t find any work. What if I combine these two?’
That thought popped into his head. Ark immediately convinced Asuran to take his henchmen and visit Hamad. But Ark couldn’t stay behind to watch. At that time Ark had been travelling around with Marquis Martin to promote the federation. And he had forgotten about it after Mt Fargo, Athamas, the magic circle etc. Now Hamad and Asuran had shown up in S-20.
“I see you haven’t forgotten our names.”
“Well, that….”
“I’m sorry Hyung-nim.”
Asuran said as he looked at Mellin.
“We didn’t contact you.”
“Do you think we’re at the same level? The amount of time we’ve served Hyung-nim is different. And you know what put us at ease? The fact that you’ve returned to Istana from Beltana without suffering any harm. This sector also wasn’t obtained freely.”
Asuran nodded at Berad’s words.
“I recognize your efforts.”
He turned back to Ark and said.
“That’s why I came here with Hamad hyung-nim.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain.”
Hamad cut in. He looked completely different from his time in Julius. Hamad was an old man who was a similar age to Mellin. He had several -50 degrees weather for several months and was disappointed from the betrayal of his subordinates so his health suffered. But now his appearance was rejuvenated and he looked 20 years younger.
‘This seems to have been settled after Asuran joined him.’
The explanation that Ark expected followed afterwards. After Ark’s visit, Asuran had summoned his subordinates and walked 800 kilometres to meet Hamad. And a grand epic unfolded on the street that Hamad’s store belonged to.
“Heh, Hyung-nim. Just retire now.”
The betrayal of his trusted men!
“I would back down like this!”
The previous boss who couldn’t resign!
“Hamad hyung-nim, Ark hyung-nim sent me!”
The appearance of a past colleague!
“I’ll pack back Ark hyung-nim’s mercy by smashing them!”
A bloody fight between the two organizations took place! Showdown! Showdown! A story that wasn’t inferior to a gangster movie unfolded. Originally Hamad was quite resourceful. He had moved to Istana empty handed and managed to build up 3 stores with 30 employees thanks to his resourcefulness. However he had no power once his subordinates betrayed him. But Arsenal who came to help had this power. Hamad’s cunning and Asuran’s power meant they defeated the former employees one by one. And he was finally able to regain most of his property after 3 months.
“It was around that time that we heard the news.”
This was right after Ark returned from Athamas. Slayer, Leon and Mellin appeared on federation TV to promote S-20.
“That’s how we knew that you were this sector’s administrator. It is why we came so late. We needed some time to clean up my properties.”
“Clean up my properties?”
Ark asked with a puzzled expression. Then Asuran started beating his chest and said.
“I’ve followed Hyung-nim from our time in Beltana. I realized something since following Hyung-nim on Beltana. I’m not fit to be a boss. And I finally found a boss that I can follow. That is Hyung-nim. That’s why I came to Hyung-nim. Hyung-nim, please accept my loyalty!”
“I also have the same idea.”
Hamad nodded and continued.
“I was betrayed by my subordinates and realized that I’m not fit to be a boss. I’m only a merchant. Therefore I need a reliable partner that I can trust. And right now you are the most reliable person. But I didn’t simply come because of loyalty like Hamad. Like I said, I’m a merchant. Profit is emphasized above anything else. So I decided to find out more about S-20. And I judged that it is worth investing in. I packed up my assets in Julius in order to invest it here.”
“Hyung-nim, why do you have to say things so complicatedly? Don’t you want to be with Hyung-nim? You were dying to do business with Hyung-nim so why are you giving a 5 minute speech? Why are you so embarrassed?”
“Hmm hmm, that is……”
Hamad stammered and blushed as he looked away from Ark. He scratched his head with an embarrassed expression and nodded.
“Something like that. I have fewer opportunities now that I’m older. You’re giving me a chance to recover my strength. After our experience on Beltana, I would like to be partners with you until I die. That’s why I’m willing to invest my entire fortune.”
The 5 trailers parked in front of the administrative office belonged to Hamad. These contained all of Hamad’s assets from Julius.
‘I had forgotten……’
Ark had been confused until now. However there was no reason to refuse Hamad and Asuran’s offer. No, he didn’t want to. S-20 still needed a lot of work. The larger S-20 became, the more businesses and staff were needed. That’s why he increased his agent rating before leaving for Rakunka. But these employees came to him first. Hamad and Asuran were the rare NPCs who are pioneers! That only would make them beneficial as an employee. However Hamad also came with quite a substantial investment as a dowry. The sector was steadily growing but Ark was still suffering from a lack of funds so he was thankful for it!
“I understand. I’ll accept this investment.”
Ark shook their hands and the information window popped up.
-Asuran has joined Dark Eden as an intern.
Name: Asuran (NPC ☆☆☆☆) Occupation: Fighter
Level: 75 Related Skills: Face of Terror, Taunt, Defense-related…..
* Additionally, Asuran’s 26 subordinates have been registered as auxiliary personnel.
-Hamad has joined Dark Eden as an intern.
Name: Hamad (NPC ☆☆☆☆) Occupation: Merchant
Level: 98 Related Skills: Trade, Book keeping, Tax relations……
* Hamad’s assets have been changed to investment funds for Dark Eden.
He had gained 2 new recruits! At the same time Hamad’s property was registered as investment funds. In fact, Dark Eden was a corporation. The funds to found the compensation were given by the Royal Guards fr
om the loot obtained on Beltana’s battlefield. This time there was an influx from Hamad’s property. Therefore it was necessary to rearrange the shares again.
‘Dark Eden is a company after all. I have to properly use the agent system before it becomes more complicated. Now is a perfect time with the influx of new investment.’
But right now he had other work to do.
“Asuran and Hamad, you guys enter the office first. I have somewhere I need to briefly go to. We’ll talk in more detail later.”
Ark hurriedly ran to the artificial lake.
———————————————————————————-
“This way.”
A uniformed man opened the door.
“I’ll wait outside. Call when the meeting is finished.”
The soldier saluted and went outside before closing the door. The young man slowly glanced around the room. It was a small square room only 3 metres wide. A man in his 30s with a haggard expression was sitting at a desk. A pained voice flowed out from the youth’s mouth.
“Uncle.”
“It’s been a month.”
“How have you been?”
“As you can see, I am doing fine. This is heaven compared to prison. I also get visitors so it is better than solitary.”
The man replied with a smile. However the youth couldn’t smile. He couldn’t laugh when seeing his uncle’s tired appearance.
“Please endure it a bit more. It won’t take long.”
“I’m doing well so there is plenty of time.”
“Look at uncle’s appearance. That is you doing well? No, how can I leave it alone when uncle is trapped in a place like this?”
“I have sinned. Those who sinned should pay the price.”
“I don’t think so. What sin did uncle do? It is Global Exos who should pay for their sins, not uncle. They were the ones who hassled auntie to make the game even though she was dying and they took the game from uncle. Those lousy bastards!”
“I also thought this at first.”
The man sighed and shook his head.
“But that was a mistake. No, to be honest I knew in the first place. I just needed a target to blame. I couldn’t live if I didn’t blame anyone. As a result, I made an irreversible mistake. I tried to destroy the thing she loved the most with my own hands and numerous people were embroiled in the damage. Among them there was also a person who fell into a coma. All due to my misunderstanding……”