Ark The Legend Vol 1 Chapter 3

-This is the revival system in Galaxian.

-Through the cloning technique discovered in the 2000’s, users will automatically have the registered genetic information restored as flesh after they die. The body will be 100% identical to the registered information.

-If you use this system then considerable resources are needed to restore the body.

-The higher level a registered person it, the more resources it would consume. If you lack the necessary resources then the body might not be restored properly. The damage to the body and spirit is intense and you might end up disabled for your whole life. However, the federal government wants to encourage s.p.a.ce pioneering so this service will be free for beginner pioneers.

-There is the revival system so I don’t have to worry even if I die!

-Please use this.

‘Don’t have to worry even if I die?’

……It was sugar-coating it. If he died then he would be 100% restored using the registered genetic information. This meant he wouldn’t lose experience or stats if he died.  Of course it cost a lot of money but it was better than the normally severe death penalty in other virtual reality games.  However, this system was a trap. Only the genetic information stored would be revived. If he raised his character from level 1 to level 100 and didn’t register the information, he would be reset to level 1 if he died. Furthermore, there also weren’t many revival systems. Only places of civilization like towns would have one. Once the user left the beginner area and started earnestly exploring the universe, it would be difficult to find a revival system in certain areas. In other words, if he died during fighting in the field then all that experience would disappear.

‘Dammit, don’t worry?’

It was like the system was saying not to level up.

“I was aware……”

R-14’s revival system was in the central plaza. The revival system was the first thing he saw when he first started the game. But Ark never registered. This was due to the mileage quest reward so he never dared to leave the hunting ground for fear of losing his spot. In addition, there were thousands of users hunting in the 2nd district so he could count the number of dead users during his 5 hours with his fingers. He never even considered that the legendary gamer Ark would die in such a place. This was the penalty he received for his arrogance.

‘All my experience from the 5 hours hunting has flown away!’

5 hours of experience wasn’t a long time in game hours. But now those 5 hours felt like a whole life time to Ark. It was a lifetime of experience. Ark also lost the ‘s.p.a.ce Combat’ skill that he learnt. However, that wasn’t Ark’s main problem now.

‘The problem is the dagger!’

To be exact, it was the broken dagger. Naturally the dagger wasn’t restored by the revival system. The experience could probably be recovered but the dagger was gone forever. It might just be a basic beginner dagger but it was Ark’s only weapon and fortune. Now his entire fortune had disappeared. But he still had hope when he revived. He had completed the quest 8 times so he could turn in the mileage points for bonus compensation. ‘This might be a beginner quest but I can’t survive without a dagger.’ So Ark had visited Bhurad after reviving. However, the visit to Bhurad just caused despair.

“Your mileage has been destroyed.”

“Huh? D-destroyed?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? I can’t give rewards to someone who died from a s.p.a.ce bug.”

He remembered hearing something like that when receiving the quest.

“But I built up some mileage before I died.”

“The acc.u.mulated mileage needs to be registered to get the reward. If you died during a mission then all that mileage will disappear. You came here without knowing something like that? If you didn’t understand then you should’ve just taken the reward every time.”

“You said that you recommended the mileage……”

“What? Do you intend to blame me?”

Bhurad’s face turned serious. Naturally Ark was furious since it felt like he had been scammed of his mileage. He really wanted to rip off the beard but there was still the matter of the dagger. What profit would a level 1 character have if he grasped the neck of a NPC? Ark sighed and tried to appeal to his sympathy.

“Actually, I broke my dagger while fighting the s.p.a.ce bugs. If I don’t receive compensation then I can’t do anything. Can you please look over this matter one time?”

“It is the rule so I can’t help you.”

He grinded his teeth.

“The revival system is expensive A trivial pioneer like you won’t have that much money.  Due to the federal policy, R-14 has no choice but to offer a free service after the proliferation of pioneers so the budget is suffering. Nevertheless, some pioneers are still trying to play tricks. The s.p.a.ce station wouldn’t be able to keep operating if I did something like this. So just think of it as a fee.”

The explanation didn’t help. Curses rose in his throat but he pushed it down. He wanted to ask more questions but…..

“Ah, can you get out of the way if your request is finished?”

“Are you the only one receiving the quest? Don’t you know there are people waiting?”

The players behind him became impatient so he was forced to leave. It was regrettable. There were a lot of things he wanted to question. However, wasn’t a NPC just a system? Of course, if his intimacy with the NPC was higher than something might’ve been possible. But he only talked to Bhurad when accepting the s.p.a.ce bug quest. And since Ark died, his spot in the 2nd district was gone. Even if he tried to get employed again, what party would invite him when Ark didn’t even have a dagger? It was a crisis where there was a possibility that he would become homeless!

‘And the cause of that…..’

At first he blamed Bhurad for not explaining properly. He then blamed himself for not reading the quest related information properly. However, Ark realized the fundamental problem after becoming depressed in a corner.

‘Yes, the problem was my mental state from the beginning.’

When he first started Galaxian, he was starting from level 1. He didn’t realize it but he had a sense of ent.i.tlement from his status as a legendary gamer and had a different att.i.tude from the other gamers. He used the name ‘Ark’ in his job advertis.e.m.e.nts and unreasonably fighting with 3 people was also the result of that arrogance. It was the arrogance created by becoming a legendary gamer! Once he thought about it, all his problems started from there.

‘I thought that my lack of level and skills wouldn’t matter when fighting the s.p.a.ce bugs. But it isn’t like this. Obviously New World’s Ark was strong. If I enter again I will be strong. But it is different. Ark is only strong in New World. I thought if I created Ark then I would have the power of the strongest character behind it…..’

There was no reason for him not to be strong. He didn’t need to worry before fighting. Ark never realized that his abilities as a warrior were rusty. Ark thought he wasn’t accustomed to battling in Galaxian but he had actually lost his battle sense a long time ago. Even the strongest warrior would become old once he sits down on a throne…..

Jjak-!

“Wake up Ark!”

Ark slapped his cheeks with both hands. Ark didn’t start this game to become idle. He came in here with a clear goal. Of course, Ark wanted to stop Lucifer but he didn’t have a ‘Saviour’ disease. He didn’t fall into the delusion that he was Superman. However, he wanted to achieve it once he accepted. He would make a strong resolution to accomplish it. It was with this confidence that he was able to make a deal with the government. His overconfidence ended him with him making a huge mistake.

‘If I continue to be depressed then I can’t fix this!’

Ark realized his mistake after reflecting. However, there was no time to dwell on the past. If he couldn’t abandon his regret then he wouldn’t be able to move forward. Ark discarded his regret and thought again.

“I’m not the hero of New World here. There is no legendary gamer. This is a starting point. Right now I am the beginner pioneer Ark who just entered the universe.”

Ark shook off everything that happened. At the same time, the legendary gamer Ark died. And the level 1 beginner pioneer Ark was born. Ark now knew what to do. Something appropriate for a level 1 user!

“Hehehe, h.e.l.lo?”

Ark greeted while fiddling with his hands nervously. Bhurad sent him a look and declared sharply.

“What? You still can abandon your regrets?”

Bhurad didn’t have a good opinion of Ark after the mileage problem. Ark shook his head and spoke quickly.

“No. I became extremely embarra.s.sed after recovering my senses. After staying in that corner and thinking, I realized that it was my fault.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“So I wanted to visit you to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes, I was too short-sighted. How many people have come to R-14 now? I can’t fathom how you deal with so many stupid people alone. For someone like me to question you about mileage, it is natural that you would become angry.”

Ark said while continuing to wring his hands. This was what Ark came up with. If he raised his public image with NPCs in a virtual reality game then it would benefit him. Ark knew that the intimacy system also existed in Galaxian. However, he had wanted to leave the beginner area after starting the game so he didn’t feel the need to raise his intimacy with the NPCs. But now the situation had changed. Ark’s dagger was broken so he was literally a beggar! The conclusion Ark came up with was that he needed to talk.  The other users also thought like Ark and wanted to escape from the beginner area.
Therefore Ark was the only one trying to get close to a NPC. So he was going to raise his intimacy with Bhurad! That was the first thing Ark needed to do now. In fact, this was an area that Ark was an expert in. Ark was a user who could act subservient to a NPC. Once he decided, his tongue moved smoothly like oil.

“Actually, I’ve been watching while lingering in the corner of the plaza. And I realized that you never sat down despite how many hours pa.s.sed.”

“That is the regulations for the crew…..”

“I also realized this. I became really impressed after watching you thoroughly stick to the rules.”

“The att.i.tude of the crew is recorded on the CCTV…..”

“That’s not it. It would be the same even if there was no CCTV! How many civil servants could still act like that despite receiving complaints? Bhurad-nim is someone with firm beliefs. You are indeed the paragon of a civil servant.”

Bhurad had a bad impression of Ark but his smooth words gradually loosened him up. Not a lot of time was needed for the effects to show.

“Can’t you make it a little quicker? Don’t you know there are people waiting?”

“Hey! Can’t you see that I’m speaking now? Why are you making such a fuss?”

Bhurad scowled and retorted after hearing the users’ complaints. And his expression softened after looking at Ark.

“Well, in regards to my words earlier. Like you said, my nerves are slightly sensitive after being swarmed by so many new pioneers. Please understand.”

“How can I not understand? It is the rules.”

“Yes, in fact I also felt sorry regarding your situation. But how can I go against the rules? Although I have a pain in my heart, I can’t do anything despite my position. So I hope you don’t dwell too much on the past and firm up your heart.”

“Thank you. I might’ve lost my dagger after just entering the universe but I’m glad I can meet someone who gave me sincere advice.”

“Aha! This friend, are you trying to make me tear up?”

Bhurad sent him a worried look.

“By the way, what are you going to do now? You don’t have your dagger so won’t it be difficult for you to find a job?”

“That’s why I wanted to ask Bhurad-nim. I don’t have a dagger so I can’t catch the s.p.a.ce bugs and I don’t know anyone here. So I wanted to ask Bhurad-nim if there is any work other than catching a s.p.a.ce bug.”

This was one of the reasons why he tried to restore the relations.h.i.+p with Bhurad. This was the beginner area. The users were starting Galaxian for the first time so there would be some type of basic tutorial. This was a place where users would come and go like a tide so the quest couldn’t be the only one. After checking around the docks and plaza, the only quests he could receive had to do with fighting. Therefore Ark had felt hopeless until now. But when he thought about it, it was somewhat strange. There was a chance that users other than Ark would break the dagger at an early stage. If they were handling a weapon for the first time then there was a chance that it would break so they needed other ways to eat. Of course, the ones who held the key were NPCs. Bhurad was the manager of R-14’s training centre so he was influential. Their relations.h.i.+p was shaken after the mileage problem but a little appreciation changed that.

“I have no other work…..this place certainly isn’t lacking in manpower. Well, there are the maintenance jobs that most people shun in favour of catching the s.p.a.ce bugs. That is…..”

Bhurad suddenly raised his head.

“Ah, that’s right. I recently talked to the manager of sector 7 who was complaining.  He might have a job for you but…..”

“But?”

“Even if you work there all day, you’ll only receive a few copper coins. Is that still okay?”

If this continued then he would become homeless. This wasn’t a situation where he could choose between cold rice or hot rice.

“I’ll work hard.”

“Indeed, I’m sure you will. Then follow that pa.s.sage and you will reach sector 7. Find someone called Cheksun and tell him that I sent you.”

“Thank you. I’ll work hard and will come back after preparing another dagger.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting……”

Bhurad muttered with a concerned look but Ark didn’t pay him any attention. Having work was better than leaving empty handed. Ark ran like the wind towards sector 7. R-14 was always lighted up and s.p.a.ce was seen through the windows so it was hard to get a concept of time but it was actually evening now. So the users saturated R-14 increased even more and most of them were in the 1~5 sectors for the quest. Thus from sector 6 onwards, it became noticeably quieter as these were the management facilities.He finally entered sector 7.

“W-what’s all this?”

Ark looked around with wide eyes. The first thing he saw were pipes. The pipes were tangled like spider webs inside a huge forest like s.p.a.ce. But the thing that stimulated Ark’s curiosity were the deep jellyfish like existences hanging around the pipes. No, they were NPCs who looked like deep black octopuses. One octopus was wandering around holding a bucket that contained various tools.

‘What are those octopuses? Are they livestock that are being raised here?’

“Who are you?”

Then he heard a rough voice from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a scowling man wearing overalls covered in oil. Although he had a bald head, he was still a human.

“Are you Cheksun?”

“So?”

“I am Ark. Bhurad told me that you had a job request.”

“A job request? Did you hear what you have to do?”

“I didn’t hear about it.”

“Shees.h.!.+”

Cheksun clicked his tongue. He indicated towards the pipes and said.

“That right there is your work. Do you see the pipes? That is R-14’s air circulation device. All of the air in R-14 pa.s.ses through that device. The job is to clean the pipes. You have to crawl inside the pipes, remove any impurities, tighten the gears and oil them. Can you do something like that?”

“I’ll work hard.”

“Everybody says that.”

Cheksun snorted.

“Many ignorant novices who had newly arrived at R-14 tried before you came. They all said they would work hard but then ended up leaving after 1 hour. d.a.m.n, there’s no one with guts these days.”

“I’m different.”

Ark replied in a firm voice. That’s right. Ark was different from those users. The users who first visited here probably thought there would be a hidden quest. So they accepted as soon as a quest was given but ended up giving up. However, Ark’s position was different from the users who only visited due to curiosity. He didn’t have a dagger like everyone else. After losing the dagger, he had been lost in despair and also ate his s.p.a.ce Food and drank his Purified Water. If he didn’t find a job then he might by the first user in Galaxian to die of starvation! He would do whatever it took. He had to gather enough money to buy a dagger.

“Just watch me. I won’t disappoint you.”

Ark replied in a disciplined voice. Cheksun just nodded with an expression that didn’t expect much.

“Then give it a try.”