by Yoo Seong
This actually wasn’t fair or impartial.
Currently the team had 10 people excluding Ark. Among them was Slayer, Leon, Sadain and Kaya. Milan, Hegel, Ellain, Kurakan, Kalliben and Hedro. The majority of the team including the 6 members of Dark Eden.
“We will unconditionally follow Hyung-nim’s will!”
The staff who regarded Ark’s words as a law voted in his favour!
“I also agree of course. There has to be at least one man like that.”
Kaya also voted in agreement due to her own selfish reasons!
“It doesn’t matter to me. But if our power increases then there is no reason to oppose it.”
Sadain also voted in agreement.
“Uh….I agree as well.”
Leon sensed what side it was tilting towards and decided to be on the side of the majority. 9 to 1, it was GAME OVER with an overwhelming majority of votes!
“Damn! Whatever! Bah! Che! Byong!”
Thanks to Slayer’s graceful (?) resignation, Alan officially joined the team. And the formalities were completed!
-Aram has joined Dark Eden as an intern.
Name: Aram (User)
Profession: Gunner
Level: 92
Related Skills: Quick Fire, Consecutive Fire, Manoeuvre Fire…..
The name Rapid used in Galaxian was Aram. He wanted to use Alan that he originally used in New World but it was sold out so he went with a similar name.
‘Even so, Aram……’
It seemed somewhat weak. It made him feel like laughing for some reason. So Ark decided to just call him Rapid.
“Any complaints?”
“I don’t care about my name.”
“But you’re level 92?”
“Yes, is there a level restriction to enter your company?”
“No, that’s not it…..”
Rapid had killed the 2 people with Valencia instantly, even if they were caught off guard and engaged in a fight with the leader of the Red Front Keiko. Therefore Ark had expected Rapid to be at least level 100. But the level listed in his employee ID was only 92. Despite that, it didn’t feel like he was weaker than the level 110 Slayer.
‘It means he covers his lower level with skill proficiency. Hasn’t he barely recovered enough to walk alone at home? At any rate, I can’t be careless.’
Anyway, Rapid was now Ark’s subordinate! Ark closed the staff information window and laughed.
“Don’t you know? I am the President.”
“I know what you want to say. I won’t put a bullet in the back of your head until Lucifer is taken care of.”
“Well, don’t betray me. I will be watching carefully.”
“Are you going to keep on talking such nonsense?”
Rapid loaded the bullets in his pistol and stared at Ark. Damn, an employee that was threatening the President! This guy was acting like this when he just joined but now wasn’t the time for joking or relaxing.
‘But……’
Ark sighed and looked out the window. Grey rocks were the only thing that came into view. The reason Ark and his companions were here went back to several hours ago.
—————————-
“Ether fusion system error! Oh my god! The engine received damage during the battle with the Asura! During the voyage, the balance control system failed so there is an error in the warp navigation! In this state we won’t be able to endure the gravity distortion and will be thrown out of orbit!”
Shortly after they left Impeltus and began warp sailing. The ominous words emerged from Hegel’s mouth.
And…..pepepeng!
The prediction was a reality. There was a ringing sound and the Silver Star was thrown out of warp orbit. It was fortunate that the accident occurred shortly after entering warp.
Warp technology created a multidimensional portal through outer space. The ship was already in a different dimension once warp began. In that state the ship was thrown out of orbit.
In the worst case scenario, it would be trapped in a different space and time and the ship would blow up. Fortunately, warp hadn’t started for that long so the Silver Star wasn’t severely damaged but further flight was impossible. Ark was able to use the emergency engine to land the Silver Star on the closest planet.
This place was where he made the force landing. It was an asteroid with the number E-2036. Although it was lucky he managed to land here…..
“Many of the Silver Star’s systems were damaged when it collided with the Asura. The damage worsened when we were thrown out of warp orbit. Some important parts of the engine became overloaded and have completely melted.”
Those were Hegel’s words when he checked the engine.
“The time required for repairs?”
“It will take at least 5 days to just repair the engine.”
“5 days……”
He naturally sighed at Hegel’s answer. The problem wasn’t the time it would take for repairs.
“The biggest problem right now is the fuel rods. The energy flowed backwards when the engine overloaded so 2 fuel rods have ruptured. No, it is because the fuel rods can’t handle the energy flowing backwards that there is a problem with the engine. Anyway, only 3 fuel rods remains. Even if we repair the engine, if the missing fuel rods aren’t replaced then the Silver Star can’t move.”
‘Damn, this is why I shouldn’t buy used items!’
In fact, the Silver Star’s fuel rods were used. When he found the Silver Star on Amara, all the fuel rods had already been destroyed. Ark had seized the fuel rods from the Kero’s airship to move the Silver Star. However, airship had been attacked by the Nakuma so the fuel rods were quite damaged. Ark knew he should’ve bought new products……
‘The price of one fuel rod is 500 gold!’
And the Silver Star used 4 fuel rods. If he wanted to replace all the fuel rods then it would require 2,000 gold. So Ark thought about it.
“There is still plenty of energy despite being used. It would be a waste to discard perfectly fine energy like this. Discarding the fuel rods when there is still energy remaining is a crime, a crime! Yes, my pocket is tight so I can’t waste money on something like this. Well, I’m a little nervous but no problems have occurred. There should be no trouble in using it to move the Silver Star.’
Yet an incident ended up occurring in the end. The fuel rods couldn’t endure the energy flowing backwards and ruptured. If he had changed to a new product then this situation wouldn’t have occurred. Rapid clicked his tongue after hearing about the situation.
“Really, a guy like you…..”
“I know. Don’t say anything. I’m also upset.”
“So? What will you do?”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
Then Kaya interrupted.
“If the fuel rods are destroyed, doesn’t that mean the Silver Star can’t sail even if it is repaired? So there is only one way. Send a request to Turan and wait. Either way, we’re all part of the investigation team. If Hawk receives the distress signal then wouldn’t he send some fuel rods or come to tow us?”
“That won’t work.”
Ark answered without thinking about it. In fact, he discovered several things since meeting with Rapid. Ark learnt that the one who gave the location of the secret laboratory to Valencia was Hawk.
According to Rapid, Hawk had visited Marquis Jyubel on Istana and proposed the ‘Anti-Ark Alliance.’ Shortly after the investigation team left Turan, he had sent the information that Ark was heading to Impeltus to Valencia.
‘Dammit, I knew something was strange the first time I saw him……’
The fact that he secretly told Valencia Ark’s location meant he was an opponent.
‘Perhaps it isn’t an accident that the Red Slaughterer showed up on Impeltus. When looking at the Red Slaughterer’s attitude, there is no way we could meet accidentally. He was clearly aware that I was on Impeltus. Clearly someone from the study group leaked the information. Hawk! I don’
t know why he is so hostile to me but there is no doubt that he is an enemy.’
How could the Silver Star send a rescue request to a guy like that? He would rather be shot in the head. It was more likely that the Red Slaughterer would come instead of a rescue party. No, if he hadn’t heard the circumstances from Rapid then the Red Slaughterer would probably already be here.
‘It is due to this!’
Ark looked down at the USB in his hand. He had sensed something when Ark heard that Hawk told Valencia his location. The USBs were randomly distributed so Hawk so have no way to know Ark’s location! Then there must be something in the USB device. Sure enough.
-Hegel has used ‘Item Analysis.’
*A hidden item has been discovered and Hegel’s Item Analysis proficiency has increased.
A GPS equipment was hidden in the USB. The GPS transmitted the signal from the spaceship’s navigation device! Ark learnt about the USB device and stopped the signal from being sent to Hawk. This was the reason Hawk lost the location of the Silver Star. However Ark hadn’t spoken about this with his team members yet. He wouldn’t say anything until he found out why Hawk was doing this.
“They are still competitors even if we are part of the same investigation team. There is no guarantee help will arrive even if a request is sent. The team consists of enemies from the other faction as well as allies. It is better not to announce that we’re in a crisis.”
“But there isn’t any other way.”
“I’ve thought about it……”
Ark looked back at his team and grinned.
“Do you know why I landed on this asteroid?”
When the Silver Star exited warp, it had been surrounded by several hundred asteroids. And there were a number of closer asteroids that he could land on. But Ark had made the Silver Star continue flying for another 30 minutes before making an emergency landing.
There was one reason!
“This is the only one with a metal reaction.”
“Metal?”
Slayer tilted his head to one side.
“Yes, the asteroids in this region come from a destroyed planet. Yet this is the only asteroid with a metal reaction. Then I can only think of two things. It means the previous planet contains a metal lode that split off into this asteroid. But that possibility isn’t high since the other asteroids have no metal reaction. In other words…..”
“A spaceship.”
Those were Rapid’s words. Ark grinned and nodded.
“That’s right. No, I should say that it is an abandoned ship. Ships aren’t just lost because of accidents or battles. Some ships are swallowed by a black hole or drawn down by the gravity of a planet’s atmosphere. An asteroid doesn’t have an atmosphere so spaceships drawn down would stay there.”
This was the reason why Ark desperately flew to this asteroid. He landed the Silver Star on the asteroid that the optical scanner sensed a metal reaction from because there was a possibility that there was an abandoned ship.
‘The Silver Star doesn’t just need energy. Many areas were damaged during the fight with the Asura so a bunch of spare parts are needed for repairs. The easier way to get those parts is from another ship! Hopefully I can gain materials for repairs without needing to spend money. Besides, who knows? Maybe the ship might still contain fuel rods? If I find fuel rods that are full then it will be a jackpot!’
……He still hadn’t learnt his lesson about used fuel rods. However other players also used second-hand mechanical parts.
Most of the current ships in Galaxian had a self-recovery mechanism to repair minor damage. However repairs were necessary for ruptures or destroyed parts. Parts required for repair would cost thousands of gold!
If a user had a battle fleet then it would cost so much money it could drive someone to bankruptcy. That’s why many users looked for abandoned spaceships for mechanical parts to repair their ship.
Many people who towed abandoned ships could sell the second-hand parts for quite a high price. People who did that were professional Scavengers. He had heard about this from the Scavenger Heksu of the Silver Hand. Anyway!
“Hyung-nim, I’ve found it!”
Hegel confirmed the data from the optical scanners sent to examine the asteroid and shouted.
“There is a lot of metal materials 3 kilometres from here! Based on the numbers, the probability that it is an abandoned ship is extremely high!”
Ark smiled at his team.
“You’ve rested enough now! Go and make money!”
Ark never forgot about his mission.
—————————-
The planet Tatooine in the Centre of the Istana.
A bunch of guys dragged in a container in the terminal cargo of the space port.
“Welcome……”
The employee flinched as he looked up and shut his mouth. The employee could recognize the men dragging the container with just a glance. There were long knife marks down the face and visible tattoos.
Kkakdugi! These guys were Kkakdugi!
He couldn’t think anything else after seeing their appearance. The despondent employee avoided their gaze and said.
“E-excuse me…..what did you need…..?”
“What other reason it there to come to the cargo counter? A courier.”
“C-courier?”
“Yes, this container! As soon as possible!”
“Ah, yes. Then please list the item and destination on this paper.”
The employee held out the paperwork.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
There was suddenly a sound coming from inside the container! The employee looked surprised while the Kkakdugi had annoyed expressions.
“Sheesh, this guy doesn’t give up. Hey, keep him quiet!”
“Yes, Hyung-nim!”
2 Kkakdugi opened the lock to the container at their big leader’s command. And…..
Bam! Ahwook! Bam bam! Ahwook! Ahwook! Bam bam bam! Ahwook! Ahwook!
Unimaginable sounds were heard until it became quiet inside.
“Hyung-nim, he was put to sleep again.”
“Good work. Hey! Employee, where should I write?”
“Huh? Ah, yes! W-w-write over here!”
The employee who had been watching blankly quickly replied.
‘Guy? D-didn’t he clearly say that? What, what the? Then a person is inside that container? Human trafficking? Oh my god! T-these Kkakdugi want to commit human trafficking through a courier?’
The employee’s heart jumped as he grasped the situation. As a public official in the galaxy, he just had to complete his work safe and sound until he could retire with a pension. This event was like being struck by lightning to a public servant.
Of course, if he reported their transgressions to the authorities than he wouldn’t be held responsible. But if he did that then he would be pointing a criminal organization towards him!
Gangster violence → harassment → miserable days → pain → suicide.
The route for a gloomy life flashed through his head. So the employee just stood there and didn’t do anything.
“This is urgent. How long will it take to arrive?”
The employee replied to the Kkadugi leader’s question.
“As you know, it might take a few days to arrive at the destination even if you apply for a courier. These days many couriers prohibit trafficking or biological or illegal goods so measures are taken on all couriers leaving the planet to prevent smuggling. Ah, not that I’m doubting you. I’m just telling you the process. So it will take at least a few days to arrive at your destination.”
‘So just take it! I don’t want to be entangled in something like this!’
The employee inwardly hoped. Then the Kkadugi leader extended some documents.
“What about this?”
“Hu
h? This is…..heok! T-this?”
-Special certificate of goods.
This cargo is exempt from quarantine and the transport fee.
Galactic Federation’s Headquarters.
‘W-why do gangsters like these have cargo from Central Headquarters?’
There was something suspicious about this event but the employee quickly shook his head. He shouldn’t question it in order to live a long life.
Anyway, if this was a special cargo from Headquarters then he wouldn’t be held responsible if any problems occurred. If he didn’t have to shoulder responsibility then it didn’t matter if the cargo was a person or a nuclear bomb. He only wanted to get rid of the worrisome cargo as quickly as possible.
“I’ll process it right now!”
Thus the whole procedure was skipped! The cargo departed on a spaceship 5 minutes later.
—————————-
Asteroid E-2036 that the Silver Star landed on.
Exploring this asteroid was actually quite complicated. There was no difference between the asteroid and outer space. Naturally there was no air in the atmosphere. Moreover, there was no sun so the temperature was -275 degrees! There was cosmic radiation so even a pioneer with a body coating couldn’t be exposed for more than 10 minutes without wearing a spacesuit.
However there was one good thing.
–Is it here?
Rapid’s voice was heard from the Nymphe. He was wearing a spacesuit on Ark’s right and communicating with his Nymphe.
“Yes, it should be underground.”
Ark replied as he looked over a huge hole. The huge hole had appeared when he moved to the place Hegel indicated. The hole was so dark he couldn’t even fathom how deep it was.
–What should we do?
“I’ll lead first so follow me.”
Ark jumped into the hole without hesitation.
That was the good point about space. There was no atmosphere in this place so it was basically weightless. Then height and mass wouldn’t be a problem. Even if Ark jumped down, it was just like his body was floating in the air.
Chiik! Chiik!
Ark’s body moved as he sprayed the jet device attached to his suit. He directed the jet device upwards as he slowly headed downwards into the hole. The 8 remaining team members except for Hegel and Milan who stayed on the Silver Star followed behind him.