Vol 2 Chapter 8

SPACE 8. Pharaoh’s Legacy

While the Royal Guards were starving.

“18 Barrage!”

Ark approached the eyeball mural and shouted. At the same time, steam emerged from the shoulders of his battle suit. Both arms moved at 300 kilometres an hour like engines were attached to it.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The rapid fire fists hit the wall! Stone powder flew up every time his fist struck the wall. The surrounding area became hazy from the powder.

Roaaaaar!

The approaching Anubis crumbled and turned into sand.

-The Hyper Drone has been exhausted.

<Hyper Drone will be recalled to its dimension and it can’t be summoned for another 10 hours>

The battle suit wrapped around Ark’s body was taken apart and disappeared into the other dimension.

“Phew, this time it was taken care of with the battle suit.”

Ark attached a small octopus to his forehead and muttered.

Bbok! Bbok! Bbok! Bbok!

-You have recovered 1 health…..

While the Charenjok token was healing the damage sustained in battle, he walked towards the 4 piles of sand. It was the sand piles made of Anubis. 3 lights were shining within the piles of sand. It was the Zaliman ore worth 2~3 gold. Out of the 4 Anubis, 3 of them had dropped Zaliman ores. But Ark didn’t enjoy the sight at all. No, anger surged at the sight instead.

“This isn’t the first time……”

Ark sighed at the sight of the Zaliman ore. Of course, there was a reason for it. It had been ten days since Ark first entered the gold room and was transported by the trap. Ark had been puzzled the first time but his feelings soon changed. The experience and loot was beyond expectations! The idea of returning to the base was completely wiped from his mind. No, this was the place where Ark could gain the most experience and loot compared to R-14, Nephalim and Beltana. Besides, the pyramid was a hunting ground that Ark could monopolize!

‘Lord! Please let this room continue……!’

He said a prayer like that when looking at the 4 exits to the room. It felt like God was listening to Ark’s prayer. He could choose any of the 4 exits and after walking along a short passage, he would arrive at exactly the same room. At first he thought he had returned to the original spot but the door closed and the Anubis statues started moving. And 4 Anubis threatened him with the iron bars!

“Yes!”

Ark cheered with joy.

‘Looking at the structure, there should be a lot more rooms like this!’

If there were many rooms then the experience and loot would be better. Of course, the Anubis weren’t that easy to deal with. The wall mural containing the eye controlling the Anubis wasn’t always at the same place. Every time he entered a room, he had to avoid the Anubis and look for the mural. He had to fight against the Anubis while looking for a small eye. It was like looking for a hidden picture while sprinting.

‘It would be better if every wall was clean…..’

The murals were hundreds of years old. Some of them had so much dirt stuck to them that they were invisible. However, there was an easy way to solve that problem.

“Facilities Maintenance!”

Suk suk! Ssak ssak! Suk suk! Ssak ssak!

It was the Facilities Maintenance skill that he learnt after cleaning dozens of kilometres of pipes on R-14! Ark took out a dust cloth from Cheksun’s Toolbox and searched for the picture while cleaning.

It was a scene where the fearsome Anubis were swinging their iron rods while Ark wiped the wall with a rag…..anyway, he managed to find the murals. However it didn’t solve all his problems. If he used the special move of the battle suit, 18 Barrage then he could shatter it instantly. But 18 Barrage was a technique that used all the mana of the battle suit. Once the mana was used up then the battle suit was recalled and it couldn’t be used for 10 hours while charging. Yet he couldn’t wait 10 hours every day to start a new battle.

“Set Bullets Shooting! Sonic Sword!”

In the end, he had no choice but to settle it the old fashioned way. He had to break the mural with his gun and dagger but it was more difficult. It shattered with one blow from the battle suit but the gun and dagger didn’t do proper damage to it. The Anubis also didn’t just watch him.

Thump, thump, thump, thump! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Naturally they attacked him with the iron bars. He had to clean the mural, find the target and damage the mural while avoiding the Anubis’ attacks. However……Ark wasn’t that annoyed.

There was no reason to be annoyed. He received experience and loot at the end of each battle!

“Hahahaha! Amazing! Amazing! The heavens must be helping me!”

Ark ran around the room and fired his gun and swung his sword like crazy. The experience came rushing in and the Zaliman ores piled up. So Ark was happy while the Royal Guards were starving. It was a very happy time……

“10 days!”

He had been in the pyramid 10 days. And Ark had received sufficient compensation during those 10 days.

+ The Prisoner coating is limited to the region of Beltana.

+ Your body information will belong to the galactic federation after receiving the Prisoner coating.

+ You are unable to receive any other body coating until the Prisoner coating is removed.

Level 43! He was level 31 when he entered the pyramid and he had gained 12 levels in 10 days.

It was similar to when he hunted on R-14 without any breaks. That wasn’t all. One ore cost 2~3 gold and he gained 2~3 Zaliman ores every time he cleared a room to the extent that his bag was full.

“That’s the problem!”

The memories caused anger to surge in him again. The problem was that he reached level 43 and his bag was full of Zaliman ores. Once again, experience was relative to the level. A level 10 user could gain a lot of experience from hunting level 15 monsters. But once it went beyond 5 levels, a penalty was applied instead. Ark was able to get a lot of experience in the beginning. The Anubis were level 35. On the other hand, Ark was level 31 at the time so he had received bonus experience. Currently Ark was level 43. He was 8 levels higher than the Anubis so he received almost no experience anymore. The pyramid wasn’t an attractive hunting ground anymore after 10 days. However, another problem was the cause of Ark’s despair.

“Ugh! I just have to look at it!”

Ark felt like crying as he stared at the shiny ore. The Zaliman ore was worth 2~3 gold. He was the type to collect the ores even if a missile was flying towards him. But now he couldn’t pick it up anymore. This was due to the message window that surfaced two days ago.

It was the message that caused shock and fear inside Ark! There was no more space in his bag so he couldn’t eat the 2 gold ore anymore. Thus Ark felt like his heart was being cut out every time he had to leave an ore behind. It was to the extent that the Zaliman ore appeared in his dreams! It was the reason Ark felt anger at the sight of the 3 ores.

“Ugh! I would prefer it if they didn’t drop at all. Or if it wasn’t visible. Why does it have to be shiny? Dammit, if this continues then I won’t be able to leave until I die!”

It wasn’t a joke. He really couldn’t leave unless he died. Ark thought about it.

“I don’t need to hunt here anymore! I need to escape the pyramid as soon as possible!”

He reached that conclusion two days ago. But Ark was dramatically mistaken. Ark hadn’t wanted to enter the original room. And he didn’t want to leave immediately. Ark had forgotten because of the experience and loot but he had fallen into a trap.

‘Now I know why it is a trap.’

Ark began to realize the truly fearful part about this trap.

‘The experience and loot is the real trap. If he died then it was possible to leave the pyramid. But he hadn’t registered at the Fairy so all the experience he gained would be lost. The thought of all the experience he earned over the last ten days flying away was enough to make him crazy. Thus he was forced to abandon the ore. Yes, the trap wasn’t to kill the user. Users! The trap was designed to either cheat or kill the user! How frightening! The pyramid’s trap is really frightening! This is the Pharaoh’s curse!’

Ark couldn’t just give up everything he earned in the last 10 days. Really…..the pyramid’s curse is too scary.

“Anyway!”

Ark didn’t want to die because of the pyramid’s curse. So two days ago he started to devise ways to exit the pyramid.

“This is still a game. There must be a way to leave after falling into the trap. There must be a way to escape from the trap hidden somewhere. The easiest way is to move along one route. If I move along one wall then I should come upon the exit.”

Therefore Ark continued moving in one direction. The pyramid was around 200 metres in diameter when he looked at it from outside. When looking at the size of the room and length of the passages, he should go through 15 rooms before reaching the exit. Despite passing through dozens of rooms, he didn’t find anything.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why…..?”

Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku!

There was a roar and the space seemed to shake. It wasn’t the first time that happened. Occasionally the place would shake. It was okay when he was trying to get experience and loot but he felt like it was unusual now that he was trying to find an exit.

‘Does this shaking have something to do with the structure of the pyramid?’

Ark contemplated for a moment before a thought rose in his head. It was a movie called Cube. In that movie people were incarcerated in a square rooms. Of course, the people used various methods to move and find the exit but they couldn’t solve the mystery.

‘They were square rooms with 4 exits. Yes, the structure of the pyramid is almost the same as the movie. The arrangements of the rooms will continuously change. That explains why I didn’t find the exit just by moving in one direction. If this trap is the same as that movie then I won’t be able to find the exit by just wandering around. Then the exit must be hidden somewhere.’

The problem was finding it. And the place the answer was hidden……

‘Identical rooms! It is this room!’

There was nothing in this room except for the Anubis statues. Therefore the clue must be something depicted on the mural! Ark came to that conclusion and meticulously cleaned the walls with the dust cloth while examining the murals carefully. Then Ark found something suspicious for the first time. He had gone through hundreds of room without noticing but huge letters were carved on the bottom of the mural. They were characters like those in ancient Egypt! Naturally Ark couldn’t read it……

The Murat were an ancient civilization from the Bellin constellation. The Murat were a species shrouded in a veil of mystery. Only some of the characters could be decoded at the moment.

“The ruins of the Murat…..”

He had heard about the alien species called the Murat before. It had appeared in the information window about Beltana when he had been assigned there. Originally Beltana was one of the colonies of the ancient species. Therefore Ark guessed that the ruins underneath Beltana were related to the Murat.

‘Then is the Murat the cause of Egyptian civilization?’

A great historical secret was revealed. But Ark didn’t care about that.

I am Anubis…..the gatekeeper of the underworld. Well…..the providence of the universe…..the reason…..The person who doesn’t follow the natural rules…..forever…..you won’t escape.

Those were the Murat letter that the Nymphe was able to decode. Some parts were missing so he couldn’t check the entire contents.

‘But I managed to decipher some words. Anubis was the gatekeeper to the underworld. The natural laws….if I don’t follow the natural laws then I can’t escape from this place…..in the end, I have to move in a certain order to escape this place? In order…..but all the rooms are similar so how can I tell what the order is?’

Bbok! Bbok! Bbok! Bbok!

Ark came up with an idea in time with the noise of the octopus on his head. And yesterday Ark was finally able to find the answer. One day had passed since he determined the answer.

‘Now I have to look properly……’

“Facilities Maintenance!”

Ark lifted the dust cloth and shouted. Facilities Maintenance increased his cleaning by 30%! Ark fiercely used his dust cloth and the room became free of dust.

“There’s no doubt. Here! I’ve come to the right place!”

Ark’s eyes caught the mural near the upper corner of one exit. So far, all the murals in the rooms that Ark passed were similar. No, he thought they were similar. However, if he carefully looked at the murals then there were different parts. Doors opened in all 4 directions after he took care of the Anubis. There was a person sitting on a throne painted on the upper corner. If he just glanced at it then there wasn’t anything different but the age of the painted man was different. Some murals was a young child, others a young man, etc……

‘Anubis is the gatekeeper of the underworld!’

Ark combined all the clues in his head.

‘The gatekeeper of the underworld has to follow the natural laws. There is a process from the moment of birth to death. That’s what the murals on the wall is about. People go through a natural process from the moment they were born to the moment they die. It is a natural order. Then that is the order to reach the exit!’

Ark considered and looked for the room where the mural was in its youngest state. He chose the exit where the baby changed to a child and moved to the next room before selecting the exit with the next stage. And he had finally reached the mural where an old man was on his deathbed!

“…….This is the last one!”

Ark’s face was filled with expectation.

“Indeed!”

Ark clenched his fists. He went through the door with the mural of the dying man. The passage was different from the hundreds he had passed through previously. The left and right side of the passage were lined with a huge number of glass tubes. The glass tubes were filled with a clear liquid and contained various newborn animals, plant specimens or even strange creatures floating around. However, nothing was alive. All the creatures in the glass tubes were completely rotted.

“This atmosphere……”

The glass tubes contained tens of thousands of decayed bodies! He felt a chill as he walked along the narrow passage.

“Are the Murat an alien species who conducted biological experiments?”

It was an uncomfortable thought. But the Murat were already extinct. Ark clamped down his uncomfortable feeling and moved forward. After 20 minutes and tens of thousands of glass tubes, he finally appeared in front of doors painted with ancient Egyptian gods. He was about to open it but he didn’t need to worry.

Dudududu! Dudududu!

The door automatically opened once he approached. And it appeared……

“The gold room!”

It was the gold room he had discovered after digging. It had been 10 days since Ark arrived here. The paving stone that Ark had pushed up was still in the middle while the mummy was sitting on the throne on the opposite side. And the sword and pyramid lying on the table were also the same.

“That’s it! I made it!”

Any thoughts about escaping the pyramid was forgotten. There was a reason Ark had entered in the first place. The typical owners of pyramids were pharaohs so the burial goods might be left with them. He had wandered around for 10 days but he had finally returned to the gold room. Ark looked at the items on the table and was about to approach when he flinched and stopped.

‘Wait? Didn’t I previously fall into the trap because I walked carelessly? I opened the door and formally entered but there is no guarantee the trap won’t trigger again.’

There was a chance he might return to the room filled with Anubis statues. Well, he knew the escape route but it would still be troublesome.

‘But the trap won’t excessively activate. There must be a way to avoid it……’

A smile formed on Ark’s mouth. The gold room had paving stones approximately 1 metres laid out.

And images of a pharaoh sitting on the throne were also drawn on the paving stones. The images of a baby to an old man were all jumbled up. Then wasn’t the answer simple?

“First, this guy…..”

Ark laughed and stepped on the image of a baby. Then a young child, a young man, a man…..Ark carefully stepped on the paving stones and managed to arrive in front of the mummy. And he could finally obtain the Pharaoh’s artefacts!

Item Type: Matter Blade (Two-handed)     Wearer Restriction: Level 40

Attack: 45~55       Durability: 80/80

Number of Ammunition: 4(Attack: 20~25)

A Gun blade found in the ruins belonging to an ancient alien species called the Murat.

The Murat was a powerful species that controlled the Bellin constellation in the centre of the galaxy. They use ancient magic through the mysterious energy called mana. Once science started to develop, the Murat combined the ancient magic and science to form a new civilization. The current technology of the federation and Rama are based on artefacts recovered from Murat ruins. The Impact Blade is one such technology that combines science and ancient magic. It is a combination of a matter blade and pistol. Portability is valued so there are few ammunition but it is possible to use a gun and sword together.

<Strength +20, Stamina +15>

Special Feature (Impact Shot): When Impact Shot is used after a sword attack, there is a 30% chance of triggering addition 50% damage.

“U-unique sword!”

Ark’s mouth dropped open. He had finally obtained the Pharaoh’s artefacts after 10 days so he had high expectations. And he was level 43 so finding a magic item would be a jackpot he had thought. Yet it was an unique item! Of course, a unique item wasn’t always good. Magic or rare items depended on the stats but unique items were based on its distinctiveness. In other words, items that weren’t common had that rating. Because the unique item had strange functions, sometimes the practical usage was less than a magic or rare item. However, the scarcity of the item meant it could be traded for a more expensive price than rare items.

“But this unique item is different!”

The performance of a unique item couldn’t be guaranteed unless tried out. However, the level was the same but it had 10 more damage than his magic item. Besides, it was a sword and gun so it had close range and long range functions! And that was the best thing!

“Woo! I didn’t suffer in vain for 10 days!”

All the accumulated stress of the last 10 days was released. But that wasn’t the only item. There was a small pyramid next to the sword.

“It doesn’t seem to be an equipment based on the shape……”

Ark had already received a jackpot so he leisurely picked up the pyramid. The pyramid vibrated and dozens of rays of light shot up from it. A 3D image was then drawn like a panorama in the sky.

‘Fire…..!’

The first scene that developed was filled with flames. Countless numbers of buildings and a castle in a city that looked like ancient Egypt was engulfed in flames. Apart from the people running away from the flames in the city, some people were also running in a hallway filled with glass tubes. And the ones using a gun and sword to slay them were…..

‘The Rama Clan?’

They had dark skin, pointed ears and blue eyes! The ones wielding the weapons and killing people were the Rama.

‘Wait? Didn’t the information window say the reason why the Murat became extinct were unknown? The people on the screen were probably the Murat clan. Does that mean the Murat were destroyed by the Rama? Why is such a fact unknown?’

But the images didn’t offer any explanations. The Rama’s brutal killing proceeded for a while. Then the screen changed and a place that looked like a palace appeared. The Pharaoh looked at the flaming city were hopeless eyes. And he finally gave an order to the Murat in the palace. The Murat received the order and entered the hallway filled with glass tubes. All the Murat entered glass tubes and the Pharaoh operated something in the palace. A giant pyramid formed around the palace, the Pharaoh and the glass tubes and was swept deep underground. A large explosion occurred shortly after that. The explosion was enough to burn the surface of the planet! All the Murat and Rama running around were turned into dust. The planet lost its light and cooled really quickly.

‘This is why Beltana is a frozen planet……’

The Pharaoh used an ancient weapon after being cornered. But the video hadn’t ended yet. The Pharaoh wrapped him and his people in an pyramid and sent them underground to protect them. Then he left a distress signal for any kin scattered around the Bellin constellation. And he waited. 1 year, 2 years, 3 years…..he waited for his fellow kin for a long time. However nobody came. After dozens of years, the people in the glass tubes started to rot. The Pharaoh despaired. And he foresaw the end of the Murat. The Pharaoh took out the pyramid that Ark was holding. He opened the bottom and placed his hand inside. A glowing liquid flowed from his fingertips and filled the empty space. The Pharaoh placed his sword and the pyramid on the table. He sat on his throne and his life ended.

Ark now understood the situation.

‘Yes, the life forms in the glass tubes were the Murat who sought refuge before Beltana perished. The Pharaoh annihilated the Rama and thought his kin from other planets would come to rescue them. However, their kin didn’t come and the life forms started rotting. The Pharaoh died in this state. The distress signal I received was the one the Pharaoh sent to his kin.’

However, the Pharaoh died and hundreds of years passed while the signal weakened. Ark was able to receive the signal because he found the underground square. Then the video footage ended.

The universe has a long history and many alien civilizations have grown and declined. Finding undisclosed information can help illuminate the history of the universe. Hidden alien artefacts or technology can play a decisive role.

+ Information about the ancient alien species Murat (1/15).

+ You have obtained 300 Adventure points for acquiring information about the Murat.

+ You have gained 5 Intelligence for acquiring information about the Murat.

<The Bellin constellation map has been added to the map information window>

“Hoh, I also received a bonus like this?”

Ark laughed after reading the information window. It was an ancient alien civilization. This was an important part of Galaxian. It was unexpected but Ark was in the centre of an adventure! Istana might be the centre of the federation but there are numerous planets and new directions that could open up in Galaxian. And the heart of these adventures was finding ancient alien civilizations. Excavating ruins of an ancient alien civilization could be directly connected to the growth of a user. Pioneers with sponsors would also get the largest compensation for such information. It was similar to the Adventure points. Of course, Ark was still a prisoner so that was in the far future……

“The things I’ve obtained aren’t bad.”

And he also received a bonus 5 intelligence. It is a useful bonus that can be used immediately.

“By the way…..”

Ark’s eyes looked at the bottom of the pyramid. He remembered the glowing liquid that the Pharaoh emitted before he died. He tinkered with the bottom a few times before it opened. Hundreds of years had passed but the liquid was still shining.

“What is this?”

Ark touched the liquid without thinking. The liquid suddenly bubbled and enveloped Ark’s hand.

“Huk! What, what the? I-Is this another trap?”

Ark screamed and quickly removed his hand. However, the glowing liquid was just absorbed even more and the information window appeared.

The Shire are mysterious photon life forms and are some of the most mysterious creatures in the universe. According to old documents, they will condense over millions of years to form mana. The Murat have the ability to use the power of the Shire through ‘Rune’ characters.

+ You have absorbed the Shire and acquired a Rune.

+ You have acquired a Rune (Ikram) from the Murat memory contained.

Rune Carving (User, Active): When the photon Shire is summoned and a rune carved then a skill will be manifested.  Although the Murat civilization is now gone, the Runes once had a profound contribute on their ability to take control of the Bellin constellation.

<It is possible to carve runes in the Shire>

Mana consumption: 10(+Mana cost of the Rune)

“Eh? A 5 star rated skill?”

He was stunned by the information window. He never imagined he would get a skill like this. Moreover, wasn’t a 5 star skill the best skill rating? A 5 star rated skill was a jackpot.

“5 stars! It must be a tremendous skill!”

Ark tried out the skill with anticipation.

‘I just have to draw a rune in the Shire? Wait? Is this odd pattern the Ikram Rune? I should try it out.’

Ark read the information window and shouted.

“Come out, Shire! Rune Carving!”

A light appeared from Ark’s hand. It was the photon life form Shire! And Ark carved a rune in that light. Ark carved the complicated pattern in the air……

Pisisisi.

And the light scattered again?

“Eh? What is this? Did I make a mistake?”

But it was also the same afterwards. The rune drawn looked exactly the same as the one on the Nymphe. He even tried to change the order he drew the rune in but the light still scattered.

“Pant pant pant, damn! What is this? Is this skill really right?”

Ark muttered with a lost expression. He had obtained a wonderful skill but it wouldn’t trigger. It was enough to make him want to run and curse. However, he had already wandered the pyramid for 10 days so he couldn’t waste more time here struggling with the skill.

“Ah, I don’t know. I can explore the skill once I return to the federation base.”

One thing that was on his mind was the Royal Guards.

“Don’t tell me those guys are starving without me?”

That was the thing Ark was anxious about. It also wasn’t necessary to search the pyramid for a way out. When he entered the Pharaoh’s room from the door then a magic circle was drawn underneath the throne. He had been playing the game for a few years. Wasn’t the answer obvious? It was clearly a warp point that appeared after clearing dungeons! He entered the magic circle and the gold room spun around him. The light disappeared and he appeared in the middle of a snowstorm. He had been teleported several kilometres upwards.

“Huhuhu, now I can return to the base.

Ark smirked and manipulated the Nymphe. Then he screamed.

“T-this is ridiculous!”