Ark The Legend Vol 12 Chapter 4

s.p.a.cE 4. 3 Monkey Brothers

There was a stone hut with dozens of pillars. A man entered the stone hut wearing a helmet that looked like the head of an animal. Then an old man sitting in front of a pillar hurriedly got up and bowed.

“You’ve arrived.”

“I heard those guys have arrived.”

“Yes, some time ago.”

“Show me the video.”

The old man touched a stone pillar with his hands and light spread, causing sand particles to form a video. The video showed a huge number of battles.h.i.+ps gathered around a giant planet. The man wearing the beast shaped helmet snorted.

“They arrived quickly.”

“Will we be okay?”

“It should be fine. Abraxas is the Murat’s absolute s.p.a.ce ward that will even prevent a fleet containing thousands of s.h.i.+ps. If those guys bombard Abraxas then it will last at least a week. That is if they attack.”

It was taboo to attack Abraxas! Using the weapons of the s.p.a.ce fleet to attack Abraxas was a criminal offense and was just like rebelling against Horus. Once Horus activated Abraxas, no alien species would be able to step foot on Muratio.

This was the absolute rule that reigned over all laws.

Of course, the s.p.a.ce fleet wasn’t dispatched to Muratio Star because they were bored. Regular contact had been broken so an unexpected problem might’ve occurred on their mother planet. But it wasn’t possible for the Pharaohs to go against a law that existed for thousands of years based on simple intuition.

The video floating from the stone pillar showed that. The Pharaoh’s fleet arrived in orbit around Muratio Star but couldn’t move anymore and kept a distance of a few thousand kilometres.

‘This is the limit of the Murat. But I am different from you guys.’

“Block all communication channels. They don’t know about what is happening in Muratio Star so they won’t be able to do anything. We have to pay more attention to Prince Kuhwen.”

The man narrowed his eyes and continued.

“I’ve received information that soldiers from all over are planning to join him to oppose me. Of course, they are unremarkable but if they join Prince Kuhwen then it will become more troublesome then it is now. Even if Prince Kuhwen is leading them, there is no meaning against my army. But I have to use every method possible to catch Prince Kuhwen. Have you receive any reports related to them yet?”

“Chasing parties have been sent all over the place so information should arrive soon.”

“Don’t make me wait too long.”

Red eyes gleamed through the animal helmet. The old man’s face quickly drained of blood and bowed.

“I will do my best, Lord Set!”

“I will see.”

Set spoke with a low voice before turning his body.

———————————————————————-

‘…..Even though…..’

Ark sighed and shook his head.

-I believe in Ark.

Kuhwen had said that before they left. Ark wanted to return all his expectations. He liked the NPC Kuhwen and he also needed to complete the quest in order to escape this place.

“Ark, you couldn’t take formal lessons before the Elim has been killed but the training admitted that you are the Elim’s Heir. So unofficially you are equivalent to an Elim. Although the Elim is an honorary post, as Horus I can give you the right to become the commander. I will leave command of the expedition to you and wish you the best in accomplis.h.i.+ng this mission.”

And Kuhwen delegated the power to him. The troops in the expedition consisted of 80 people. Of those, 50 were city guards without proper training and Ark who had fallen into a completely different time and s.p.a.ce. Ark couldn’t feel excited.

’80 people. It isn’t a small number but the Valley of Darkness is a place that frightens the n.o.bles just from hearing the name. I don’t know how strong the monsters on Muratio Star are but having 80 troops is no guarantee of safety.’

Actually, the morale of the troops visibly fell when they heard the destination. It was to the extent that Tori and Ferguson were affected by the atmosphere despite not knowing what the Valley of Darkness was.

‘And it isn’t the end once we escape from the Valley of Darkness. According to Tot, Set has stationed soldiers at various Holy Lands. The number of soldiers can’t be confirmed. It might mean a large war in the end.’

Battles was originally Ark’s specialty. But it was different when talking about a war consisting of hundreds or thousands of troops. Fighting alone and fighting while leading troops was completely different.

Of course, Ark also had a lot of experience in fighting large scale battles. But that experience was in New World. He fought in wars in Galaxian on Beltana and Athamas but Ark was just leading a small troop of his own party members.

He didn’t have experience directly fighting hundreds of troops. Furthermore, New World and Galaxian were games with entirely different backdrops. The tactics differed depending on the game.

‘But Kuhwen said there is no one else to take control of the expedition. So I have no choice but to learn how to lead the soldiers in this room.’

Ark focused on this part. No, he wanted to focus on it. But his stress wasn’t easy once the expedition actually began. The cause of his stress was Kuhwen’s attendants, the n.o.bles.

“Pant pant pant. Ah, d.a.m.n! How long do we have to walk for?”

“I am a n.o.ble. Do I have to keep walking in this hot desert?”

“d.a.m.n, I can’t move anymore. I’m going to take a break here. Otherwise I will die before reaching the Valley of Darkness. Hey Ark, are you listening to me? Are you trying to kill us?”

The n.o.bles kept on complaining. Ark was dumbstruck.

He had definitely forced them to march non-stop since leaving on the expedition. However the n.o.bles were riding camels. The soldiers were the ones marching on foot in the sizzling desert yet the n.o.bles were the ones complaining. Their behaviour really matched those of aristocrats. Right now Muratio Star was in rebel situation yet these guys were acting like they were going on a cruise?

“Take care of your health. The soldiers are the ones walking but they are still fine. If the soldiers hear people riding a camel saying that then wouldn’t their morale lower?”

Ark quietly told them.

“What? The soldiers? Are we going to be treated just like soldiers?”

“We are the Murat n.o.bility. We are different from the Murat with conventional lineages. Yet the Elim’s Heir dares compare us to common soldiers?”

“This would be hard to ignore even if you are the official Elim!”

“We have a status close to a king so we are much higher than you!”

“Tsk tsk, indeed an uncivilized human. The eyes of a undeveloped human can’t recognize the aristocrats. Entrusting my life to such a person is really miserable.”

…..The n.o.bles swarmed and bit after hearing his words. They didn’t hesitate to make discriminatory remarks about his race. Naturally Kuhwen scolded the aristocrat’s behaviour. The n.o.bles closed their mouths with dissatisfaction but started complaining again once Kuhwen looked away. Ark’s insides seethed with anger as it continued.

‘I’d like to bury them all in the sand but…..’

He knew that they all had considerably high positions based on Basak’s explanation. Even if Kuhwen was Horus, their status meant that he couldn’t easily punish them so the complaints continued. And he braced himself to hear their talk whenever Kuhwen left. Ark wasn’t the one being offended. Jed was to blame for the n.o.bles’ att.i.tudes, not Ark.

“Hyung-nim really has stomached a lot in the meantime. Warriors that can match Hyung-nim can only be counted on one finger. Nevertheless, these n.o.bles who only live in a castle are complaining about uncivilized humans. No. The n.o.bles are acting this way because they are scared of Hyung-nim’s personality. That is why I decided to follow Hyung-nim. But the n.o.bles don’t know Hyung-nim like I do. You just endured it and watched on in silence. The n.o.bles also despise the fact that you have become the Elim’s successor.”

The person called Jed was absolutely a docile character. But that alone wasn’t enough to 100% satisfy the n.o.bles.

‘It is probably the same for Kuhwen. He can’t do anything against the aristocrat’s complaints. They don’t listen to Kuhwen’s scolding even if he is to become the next Horus. Maybe their aim is to delay the marching speed since they don’t want to take my orders.’

He could see their intentions based on the att.i.tudes of the n.o.bles at the shrine. Once again, this was a desperate situation that needed a speedy solution. If Set took control of the major cities on Muratio Star then his rebellion wouldn’t be able to be suppressed even if they released Abraxas. Yet the n.o.bles still objected to going through the shortcut that was the Valley of Darkness.

‘The reason Kuhwen is taking this risk….’

If Set’s revolt succeeded then Kuhwen would be 100% dead anyway. Leaving an heir to Horus alive would just be allowing another rebellion. The situation was so dangerous so how could Kuhwen wait for the volunteer army to arrive?

‘These guys are worried about their own lives instead of Kuhwen’s. The viewpoint of the n.o.bles and Horus is different. Even if Set’s revolt succeeded, there is no guarantee that these n.o.bles would be killed. The power of the n.o.bles is required in order to reign over the villages so Set might try to reconciliate with them instead of killing them. However, if the expedition to the Valley of Darkness is wiped out then the n.o.bles will definitely die. Therefore the Valley of Darkness is more dangerous than the rebellion in the n.o.bles’ minds.’

This was the real reason why the n.o.bles opposed the expedition. Kuhwen was young but intelligent so he probably knew the hearts of the n.o.bles.

This was also why Kuhwen couldn’t treat the n.o.bles harshly. The n.o.bles were Kuhwen’s only supporters at the moment. But there was a chance they could leave the expedition to join Set’s camp and become an enemy. Therefore the n.o.bles possessed a complex position despite Kuhwen being the next Horus.

‘But in this situation, they won’t be the first ones to die. It really is crazy. It isn’t possible to talk to the n.o.bles when their heads are buried in the sand. At this rate, it won’t be possible to arrive at the Valley of Darkness in time let alone their destination. No, this mood will be a problem even if we arrive at the Valley of Darkness.’

Ark examined the soldiers with pained eyes. The soldiers were sweating in the mud while the n.o.bles riding camels were whining.

The soldiers’ morale was low from the n.o.bles’ att.i.tude so this would be dangerous once they reached the Valley of Darkness. Besides, the person called Jed was just a human so the guards ignored him.

Ark was the Elim’s Heir so he commanded the soldier’s respect but they were affected by the n.o.bles’ att.i.tude towards Ark. They didn’t express it plainly like the n.o.bles but their att.i.tude was still impudent.

‘Whether they like it or not, I have to lead the soldiers through the Valley of Darkness and fight the rebels beyond that. But it is impossible to move the troops with this atmosphere. Right now it is possible thanks to Kuhwen but it will be no use in the confusion of battle. The soldiers need to seriously consider me as a commander and follow me in battle. Tactics are an essential part of leading soldiers. But that isn’t the only thing required. I need to get rid of the root cause behind the soldiers’ dislike. I have to change the n.o.bles’ att.i.tudes.’

The problem was how to break the n.o.bles.

‘But……’

Ark worried for a while before turning around quickly. He looked at Tori following in the rear with Ferguson, A and B and smiled.

‘The most direct way is to scare them.’

———————————————————————-

“Event?”

Ferguson blinked his eyes. Ark nodded and replied.

“Yes, I don’t understand it that well but we seemed to have entered another world and time after being sucked into the black hole. It is a world thousands of years ago. We seem to have entered a different dimension due to the influence of the black hole.”

“A different dimension? Is this like the Netherworld in New World?”

“Eh? Netherworld in New World? You guys also played New World?”

“Of course. Huhuhu! We…..”

“W-what is this brat talking about?”

Ferguson quickly covered A’s mouth.

“I don’t know! We haven’t played New World. Netherworld….yes, we saw in on a broadcast.”

He seemed suspicious but it wasn’t important right now.

“Yes, if you look at it from the view of a user then it is similar to the Netherworld of New World. But the system applied is different. You guys, didn’t your equipment and items disappear once you entered this world? That’s because this world is thousands of years ago. You guys were using equipment and items made thousands of years in the future. It can’t exist in this world so it disappeared. Even the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p that you were riding disappeared.”

That was the conclusion Ark came to. It was why all of Ark’s items disappeared except for the Elim’s Helmet and Heir’s Sword. Unlike other items, those two items were originally used by the Elim. It wasn’t strange that Jed would have it. From such a perspective, it was ridiculous that Baius’ s.h.i.+eld would be lost but Jed was just the Elim’s Heir.

Anyway……

“What? This world doesn’t have it?”

“Then can you find it?”

“T-that is ridiculous! Do you know how much money those equipment were worth? I invested my entire fortune into those equipment. And that s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was prepared with the insurance from the previous s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. If I lose this s.h.i.+p then the insurance payout will be terrible!”

Ferguson, A and B screamed in a panic. Ark watched them with irritated eyes and continued.

“Listen to a person’s words until the end! Like I said, we lost items and the s.h.i.+p because they don’t exist in this world. But that doesn’t mean we can’t regain the items and s.h.i.+p.”

“No? There’s a way?”

“Yes, it ‘isn’t here.’ But it still exists in the right time. In other words, if we return to our original time then the s.h.i.+p and items can be found again. In order to do this, we must meet the conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Moving back to the original time zone.”

“Back to the original….that is simple isn’t it? We just have to die.”

In fact, Ark also had such a plan. The Fairy hadn’t been renewed after coming into this world. No, he hadn’t even seen a Fairy. So if he died he should appear at the last Fairy. In order words, Turan in his original time. If Ark’s hypothesis was correct then he was likely to find his lost items after resurrecting. However there were two problems with this.

The first was that there was no way of knowing if the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p that entered the black hole with him would be restored. And the second was that there was no guarantee he could recover the items. If the equipment didn’t return when he died then they would be lost.

‘That is something to consider in the worst case scenario…..’

“T-that’s right.”

Ferguson sighed with relief and nodded. He had no intention of committing suicide.

“As I said, if we return to our original time then it is likely that we can find our items and s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. And I already know a way. Right now I have a quest. If I successfully complete this quest then I can get a clue to return to my original time. Then it will be possible to find the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and items that disappeared.”

“R-really?”

“My words are 90% certain. But there’s one problem. It won’t be easy to complete this quest based on the atmosphere. It is hard to explain but there will be a lot of difficulties. The n.o.bles being like this is a problem. So you guys have to be helpful. This quest isn’t just a matter involving one person.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“We aren’t that helpful….”

“No, there is no need to think about it. If we lost our s.h.i.+p and items then we will be no different from beggars. If it is to recover that then we help out without grumbling!”

“Are you serious?”

“As expected from Ferguson!”

Ark laughed as he looked at Ferguson, A and B.

“You promised.”

Ferguson, A and B couldn’t imagine what this would result in.

———————————————————————-

“Kurai-nim.”

Ark approached a complaining n.o.ble. Wearing ornaments carved with Egyptian style paintings, Kurai was the highest ranking n.o.ble in Kuhwen’s entourage. And he was the mastermind behind Ark’s bullying. Naturally he didn’t look beautiful to Ark. Kurai looked at him with an offended expression.

“What is it?”

“The procession of n.o.bles is slower than the speed of the soldiers. This is detrimental to the soldiers’ morale and we might fall behind schedule.”

“Hoh, that is a fairly heavy handed tone.”

Kurai said with a strange expression.

“So what are you going to do? Do you intend to run behind Kuhwen again? Ah, how frightening. You are the commander so I should listen to you. You’re las.h.i.+ng out. Isn’t that right?”

“Kuk kuk kuk, that’s right.”

The n.o.bles around them laughed. That was also reflected in the eyes of a few soldiers in the area. Then three men approached from behind Ark.

“Ark, are these the people causing you problems?”

The three monkeys gazed at the n.o.bles with serious eyes. They were Ferguson and his brothers A and B. Ferguson, A and B formed fists with their hands.

“Should we take care of these guys?”

“What?”

Ark then turned his body. And he shouted sharply at Ferguson.

“You dare do something like this when I’m here? Do you know who you are talking to? They are the Murat n.o.bility that have power throughout the galaxy. Savage monkeys aren’t allowed to see them!”

“W-hat are you saying? This is against the agreement!”

Ferguson stuttered after he was. .h.i.t by an uppercut. But Ark stepped on A and B before Ferguson’s words ended and exclaimed.

“What is different? Yes, I was complaining a little bit. Because I was mad at the n.o.bles! Yet how could such a thing happen? They are n.o.bles who control the seat of power. Does it make sense that some monkeys came to hit them?”

Puck puck puck! Puck puck puck! Puck puck puck!

Fists and feet poured onto Ferguson, A and B. Ark’s violence didn’t stop despite the protests of ignorance.

The Murat n.o.bles were baffled.

“Yes! Okay! Frankly, there were also one or two times I was so mad that I wanted to bury the n.o.bles! No, I pushed it down and endured it but there is a bitter taste! But you’re not allowed to do that! They are the n.o.bility! So even I clenched my teeth firmly! Yet you monkeys don’t know your social position and attempted to do something?”

Kwok kwok kwok! Kwok kwok kwok! Kwok kwok kwok!

“Ouch! Ouch! W-wait a minute! S-save me!”

“This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, are you multiple? Multiple personality?”

“Ugh! Dammit! If it is like this then I won’t endure it either!”

Ferguson, A and B ran towards Ark with b.l.o.o.d.y noses. However Ferguson, A and B were basically naked aliens. Meanwhile Ark was equipped with a full set of armour and his lightsaber. No, he didn’t even bother to use his lightsaber.

“What? You want to try me? Haven’t your spirits been rearranged yet?”

Ferguson was. .h.i.t by a storm of kicks from Ark. That was it for the three monkeys’ insignificant resistance. However Ark’s violence was just beginning. Ark continued aiming his fist at them as the three monkeys fell down.

The Murat n.o.bles looked on anxiously.

“Now will you test my nature? Didn’t I tell you? I have a ton of stress piled up! I endured it firmly despite wanting to bury those n.o.bles! No, I want to run up to them right now and turn them into b.l.o.o.d.y rice cakes. But I can’t! They are the n.o.bility! Because they are n.o.bles! Yet you stood up and threatened them! Why? Why? Why? Why?”

Sseok sseok sseok! Sseok sseok sseok! Sseok sseok sseok!

It was the sound of the three monkeys being kneaded. The n.o.bles didn’t dare step forward as Ark spoke in a voice full of resentment. It was natural. His b.l.o.o.d.y fists made Ark look truly evil! An evil spirit! Devil! His reckless violence stopped once the three monkeys’ faces were literally changed into b.l.o.o.d.y rice cakes.

The Murat n.o.bles were trembling in fear.

“Phew……”

Ark sighed and shook his head. He rested for a bit before looking at the n.o.bles with a refreshed expression. The blood on his face from the monkeys made his smile look even creepier.

“I’m sorry. These savage monkeys didn’t realize their place so I stopped them….please don’t pay too much regard to what I just did. Let’s get back to what I was saying before I was riled up.”

“Eh? No, t-that’s not……”

The n.o.bles stuttered and looked like lost goldfish when faced with Ark.

“Anyway, like I was saying. I hope your speed will quicken a bit more. And perhaps the amount of complaints reduced? Every time I hear it, something seems to snap in my head….ah, no this is a mistake. It will cause problems to the soldiers’ morale every time they hear it. I might be an ignorant human but I am still in charge of the expedition. These words….ah, no this is another mistake. I have to be polite.”

Ark wiped the blood on his face with his sleeve and spoke firmly. The n.o.bles didn’t answer. It wasn’t because they were ignoring Ark. They had ran away on the camel before Ark’s words even ended. Ark glanced at the frantic n.o.bles and laughed.

“These guys needed a good scare to listen to me.”

This was what Ark had aimed for. The people originally didn’t agree with him because they didn’t feel fear. He needed to maximize their fear of being beaten. Ark used the three monkeys in order to induce such fear in the n.o.bles. The cherished their lives so this would have a large effect on the n.o.bles.

–I’ll endure it for now. But I’ll let him know how it tastes like. I’ll show them what cruel things I can do!Your safety won’t be guaranteed after that. So be careful!

The voices of the n.o.bles entered Ark’s ear. But on the surface, the monkeys were punished for being rude to the n.o.bles. Of course they couldn’t tolerate it but in the end the monkeys were the ones punished. If the n.o.bles were intimidated then it was no problem!

“Y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d……”

The one of the b.l.o.o.d.y rice cakes lifted their head and growled. The face was crushed but it seemed to be Ferguson based on the body.

“You….from the beginning….thought of this…..”

“Ah, are you okay? Thanks for the trouble.”

“T-trouble….you say that now…..”

“What did I do? I just did as promised. Are you going back on your word now that you suffered? And is this just for my benefit? Eh? If this quest is successful then you will also get your s.h.i.+p and items back. To be honest, I didn’t have to go through this trouble. You are the one who dragged my s.h.i.+p into the black hole.”

“You….perhaps….you’ve been holding on to your hostility to get revenge…..”

“I wouldn’t say that but…..”

“What, what the?”

Ferguson, A and B cried out angrily as they ran up to Ark. No, when they were about to run up. Ark frowned while staring at them.

“Think before you act. Eh? Anger surges inside me whenever I think about the black hole. And there wouldn’t be a problem if I kill you now. No, it would be rather helpful. The n.o.bles would become even more frightened. Shouldn’t you be thankful that you were only punched? So please stop talking drivel and endure it with your physical strength.”

“P-physical strength…..”

Ferguson, A and B’s mouths dropped open at Ark’s last words.

“P-perhaps….you plan to do such a thing again?”

“Of course. Don’t you know the mindset of those n.o.bles? This will only have a big effect for one day. So take care in the future as well. ”

Ark smiled pleasantly and turned around. Ark made it clear that he still had a lot of negative feelings remaining towards Ferguson’s party.

If it wasn’t for Ferguson then Ark wouldn’t have entered such a world. And it was still unknown whether he could find his team safely to return to the original world. He had been dragged into the black hole because of Ferguson. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason why Ferguson’s party was turned into b.l.o.o.d.y rice cakes…..

Even if he pretended to forget it 3 seconds later, Ark was the type to store a grudge for 300 years. He intended to pay back this debt many times. While Ark was busy thinking.

“Cough! H-Hyung-nim?”

“I’m scared! This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, he is scary!”

“His actions and name is exactly the same!”

“D-don’t cry! Don’t panic! He already said he isn’t that Ark! And we are not the same as before either! We have to listen to him now but it will be different once we return and get our equipment back!”

Ark stopped at Ferguson’s words. It wasn’t due to hearing what their actions would be once they returned to the original world.

‘His actions and name is exactly the same? Is he talking about the name Ark? That reminds me, they asked if I was Ark from New World when we first met on Tatuine. And now they knew about the Netherworld of New World. Based on their words, those guys seem to have met Ark in New World. These guys definitely know me.’

Ark considered before turning around with a pleasant smile. Ferguson, A and B’s b.l.o.o.d.y forms were embracing each other. Looking at the scene gave him an intense feeling of deja vu! There was no doubt. Ark had witnessed this scene multiple times in New World. The features were different but they were the same three users!

“…..Buksil?”

Ferguson flinched.

“…..Ulmeok? Sapjil?”

Brothers A and B subsequently flinched as a reaction.

They looked at Ark’s face and stuttered.

“H-how did you know those names? D-don’t tell me? I-it can’t be. No? Is it?”

“…..It is like I thought?”

Ark muttered as he bit his lip. He approached the b.l.o.o.d.y Ferguson, A and B. A cold and eerie voice flowed from Ark’s mouth.

“We finally met. Buk-Ul-Sap! You ungrateful pigs!”

———————————————————————-

“Eh….all of a sudden.”

Ark coughed and started talking. 30 people and 50 guards were gathered in front of him.

“Pretty soon we will arrive in the Valley of darkness. There is no need to explain how dangerous he is. After crossing the Valley of Darkness, there will also be a conflict with Set’s rebels. It won’t be easy but we have to accomplish this mission. If we fail then there will be no hope for Muratio Star. However, we’re not ready to conquer the upcoming trials.”

Ark stopped talking for a moment and examined the approaching soldiers.

“The important thing is cooperating with your colleagues rather than individual ability. And working together is formed through bonds. You are soldiers and guards so you’ve undergone training at a village. But from now, you aren’t guards or soldiers anymore. You are an expedition with one purpose. Therefore it is expected that you will undergo joint training now. But we all know that there isn’t a lot of time. Therefore you will undergo training simultaneously while marching. You can’t allow our pace to slow down while training.”

The three suns were s.h.i.+ning down on the steaming hot desert. They trained even when their breaths were clogged up. Despite that, the training didn’t stop while marching. Naturally there were a few complaints. But not one of the complaining soldiers looked at Ark.

The reason why……

This was sudden but Ark had succeeded as an entrepreneur and warrior in New World. Ark created a triangular trade route that was the nucleus of trading. But it was difficult for Ark to partic.i.p.ate directly in the business.

After putting the shares in order, Ark withdrew to the position of honorary chairman and left the practical operation to Sid. But he received shocking information from Sid after starting Galaxian. He reported that some merchants in Ark’s operation suddenly disappeared. Ark flew to the warehouse location and looked around before finding a message.

–We have found our freedom. We have sold some goods and received the proper amount of wages from when we were exploited. Don’t look for us. No, you won’t find us!

Ark had trembled in fury. It was continuously nurtured whenever Ark thought about the merchants that disappeared. They embezzles his money and disappeared! The merchant had sold off 3,000 gold worth of goods. And that wasn’t the only damage that Ark’s business received.

The products were unable to be delivered by the due date and he had to pay a penalty sum of 1,500 gold. They suddenly went missing so Ark and Sid had to stay up for several nights fixing the problem.

Their betrayal boiled in his heart! After settling the problem, Ark begun to look for the merchants. The master code determined that their characters hadn’t been deleted yet. However they never connected to the game from then on. Their characters were still left in the server and Ark couldn’t determine their personal information. If he wanted to know their phone number or address then he needed to submit a request for it.

….Anyway.

Ark felt regret whenever he thought about it. He never imagined that he would meet them in a place like this. The place where they met was Muratio Star. Ferguson, A and B. They were the ones who pocketed money from his business in New World. Buksil, Ulmeok and Sapjil who were called the three pig brothers. That’s right. The ident.i.ty of the three monkeys was the three pig brothers. The moment Ark discovered their ident.i.ty.

The 3 monkey brothers turned into mosaics. The soldiers’ eyes were focused on Ark when he had been talking about the training. They were focused on the three mosaics piled up next to Ark. Even their original appearance couldn’t be determined anymore. The even scarier thing was that Ark didn’t even lift one eyebrow when committing his actions.

Complaints? Such a thing was impossible.

“Why are you replying?”

“Huh? Ah! Yes! We will do our best!”

The soldiers shouted with surprise after Ark’s question.

“And incidentally, the schedule is a little bit slow so I would like to raise the marching speed. Don’t disappoint me, eh?”

“We will do as you want. Follow. For Muratio Star and His Royal Highness!”

Kurai and the other n.o.bles nodded in agreement. Controlling the public through fear. This would cause many problems in the long term but Ark would only be in this world for a short time. There was nothing to worry about once he completed the quest and returned to his original world. That’s how Ark was able to completely control the expedition one day after departing.

The higher your Leaders.h.i.+p stat, the more soldiers will follow your commands. There won’t be a large difference in the early stages but you will gradually see a difference when leading soldiers.

Leaders.h.i.+p will rise every time you discipline your troops. However, going overboard with discipline can make the soldiers’ morale fall (Leaders.h.i.+p +10)>

A new special stat! However Ark wasn’t satisfied yet.

‘This isn’t enough to heal the wound I received!’

Ark gazed at the people he turned into mosaics. Confusion spread over the faces of Kuhwen and Tot who were watching.

“Didn’t Ark seem to have changed his character as well as his name?”

“I-it seems like it. This guy…..”

Then Basak cut in with a flushed face.

“Don’t the two of you know? Hyung-nim has a mild nature. When the aristocrats or guards ignored him, he just endured it silently. How can his personality suddenly change after losing his memories? Hyung-nim….Hyung-nim is determined. He knows that the fate of Kuhwen and Muratio Star is hanging on this moment so he has decided to be the devil!”

Basak sobbed as he spoke.

“Even if he suffers criticism! Even if he is blamed! Even if he is feared by the n.o.bles and soldiers! He will still do it. Hyung-nim will live his life in disguise! The monkeys didn’t resist because they understood Hyung-nim’s n.o.ble intentions. They are his confidants! Keok Hyung-nim, I’m a guy dumber than a monkey! Hyung-nim!”

Basak’s loyalty rose by itself. However the hamster who stuck beside Kuhwen while playing the role of a pet knew the truth.

‘Stop playing around. That is his true character! He isn’t disguised as a devil but is the devil itself. Hah those pitiful monkeys, they don’t understand but their lives have ended now that they’re caught.’

The march continued like that.