Vol 8 Chapter 5

SPACE 5. Silver Star

“Ugh!”

A scream burst out from some rubble dozens of metres away from the airship.

“He’s dead! Dead! What do I do now? Dammit! You bastard! What will I do if you die in a place like this? That’s why I was subservient to you! It was for the opportunity to escape after we left Amara! What will happen if you die here? You screwed up! Dammit! I didn’t follow you here just to end up like this!”

Tori pulled his hair and screamed.

“Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword!”

Then blue light came from the body of the Nakuma. The light continuously cut the Nakuma’s body and the one wielding it was Ark. Then he rolled to the ground.

Ku ku ku ku! Ku ku ku ku! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The underground space started rumbling. The Nakuma was taken apart and fell to pieces. Tori watched this scene with wide eyes.

“Y-you….no, Hyung-nim! How…..that guy’s fist clearly hit you……?”

“My fist is mightier than its finger.”

The dirt covered Ark laughed. Just before the Nakuma had hit him, Ark battered its finger with 18 Barrage. Ark only aimed for the Nakuma’s finger. Even if the Nakuma had high health, its durability had no choice but to fall when hitting that one part. When he focused the firepower of 18 Barrage, the finger instantly separated into parts. An empty space was left behind. Ark was able to survive by using that space. Ark plunged inside the Nakuma and hacked away at its wires with his lightsaber! Then he used Galaxy Sword to vertically penetrate the stomach.

-Your level has risen……

The Nakuma turned into a pile of metal and he gained 5 levels.

“Ohhh! Hyung-nim! You’re too awesome! I knew Hyung-nim could do it!”

“I heard everything.”

Ark looked at Tori with a disbelieving expression.

“You were looking for an opportunity to escape once we left Amara?”

“No, t-that’s not……”

Tori stuttered as he broke into a cold sweat. But Ark had no interest in doing anything. He had no expectations that Tori was sincerely following him. Ark knew he had other plans. It wouldn’t work of course. He had no intention of letting Tori get away with it but now he had verified his plans.

‘I saw it while going through the Nakuma’s body…..’

Ark approached the pile of metal that was the wreckage of the Nakuma. After digging through the centre of the pile, he managed to find what he was looking for among some machine parts. The material felt like the shell of an insect!

‘There’s no doubt about it. This is the Rama’s battle suit!’

This was wat Ark saw when going through the Nakuma’s body. A man covered in the Rama’s battle suit was intertwined with the machine parts inside the Nakuma.

‘Don’t tell me he’s still alive?’

Ark’s hand touched the battle suit. The battle suit was engulfed in a blue light and turned into an octagonal object.

<The Rama’s battle suit is formed with the core of an ancient magic life form called the Drone.

Therefore the Rama’s battle suit can gain experience through combat like a user. But the Drone has no ability to grow on its own so it needs to absorb other Drones to turn that experience into power.

Accumulated experience and a Drone’s core. These two are necessary conditions to evolve the battle suit>

* Necessary experienced needed for evolution: 86,000/50,000

Would you like to evolve the battle suit? (Y/N)

“This is great!”

This answered all his questions. The information window regarding the Hyper Drone had a level attached to it. That level attached meant that it could grow. And he could see that experience was accumulated every time he used the battle suit. However the level didn’t increase no matter how much experience he gained. This was the reason why! A new core was necessary for his battle suit to grow. It didn’t state the conditions necessary to level it up so he never thought about it. There was no reason for him to think about it.

“Evolve!”

Hyper Drone Lv.1 → Hyper Drone Lv.2

* Mana regeneration of the Hyper Drone has increased by 10%!

* The ability of Hyper Drone to strengthen the body will increase by 5% to 35%!

* The damage of Hyper Drone’s battle technique 18 Barrage has increased by 10%!

* Hyper Drone has absorbed the memory of the new core and learnt a new skill!

Hyper Booster (User, Active): The battle suit has absorbed the core of a new Drone. The Hyper Drone has accepted that power and acquired the new ability Hyper Booster. Using this technique, you can move up to 100 metres at a top speed of 200 km/hr. It will consume the mana of the battle suit.

Mana consumption:  5%

His battle suit evolved! The numerical gains was enormous. A mana regeneration buff and the stats of his battle suit increased! The attack of 18 Barrage also increased! His battle suit also gained the skill Hyper Booster! These would be useful in close combat.

“By the way…..”

Ark looked down at the dead body among the machine parts. It was the body that had been wearing the battle suit. However he wasn’t a Rama like Ark expected. The mummy like body was something he had seen several times before. He was a Murat.

‘According to the Elim’s Memory, the Rama originally served the Murat. The Murat were probably the ones who created the original Drone battle suits and transferred them to the Rama. In the end the Rama used the technology the Murat gave them to destroy the Murat? Ha, this is why Xanax felt betrayed by his own people. But why did the Murat die in a place like this?’

The mummy’s hand was holding a circular crystal. It was a circular crystal that the Murat held onto even when he died!

“Ohu!”

Ark’s eyes shone brightly.

————————————————————————————————————————–

Cheolkong! Pushu!

There was a mechanical sound and the door of the airship opened.

“The name of this airship is Silver Star.”

Ark muttered as he stared at the streamlined hull. He felt refreshed as soon as he grabbed the circular crystal. There was a circular groove in the door of the airship. Not surprisingly, the crystal that the Murat mummy was clutching was the key to the airship.

‘The locking device is functioning properly. Maybe……’

There were several cabins on both sides of the aisle in the airship. However Ark didn’t even glance at them and looked at something across the hallway. It was the cockpit where various panels were attached. When he looked at the cockpit, a circular groove similar to the door lock caught his eye. Ark inserted the crystal in the groove.

Woong woong woong woong……Woong woong woong woong……

The hull vibrated and light turned on.

“Ohh, it’s moving!”

In Galaxian, airships were generally classified into two types. One was the airship that he escaped the mine from. That one was a general airship capable of flying within the atmosphere. The other ship could sail through the universe. The Silver Star was a ship like that. Needless to say, those airships could cost thousands of gold! Ordinary or poor users could only dream of owning such an airship. Moreover, it was also a battleship! Ark had found a battleship like this. The owner died a long time ago so the first person to find it could obtain it. If it worked properly then it would be a jackpot!

“Tori, check the systems!”

“Yes, Hyung-nim!”

Tori sat in the cockpit and pressed the buttons. Then an information window appeared on the monitor.

“Heok! T-this…..?”

Tori let out a cry of confusion as he stared at the monitor.

“I-I can’t read it! What language is this?”

Tori’s confusion was reasonable. The characters floating on the information window were ‘◎☆∇△∴∴△○…….’ which was more like shapes than letters. But Ark didn’t panic.

The man holding the Silver Star’s master key was the Murat. Naturally the characters on the monitor would also be Murat. And Ark could decode Murat letters. The information window that Ark translated……

Hull: Medium-3  Classification: Battleship

Firepower: 25,000

Speed: B  Turning:  A

Shield: C  Energy Efficiency: B

Precaution: Damage to some major facilities has been detected. Flying is possible but the risk can’t be guaranteed. It is recommended to repair before operating.

Danger: Energy is not secure enough. The ship is now switching to sleep mode. 50% energy is required in order to switch to navigation mode.

“Then flying is impossible right now?”

When thinking about it, it was the inevitable result. If the Silver Star was capable of flying then it wouldn’t be in a place like this.

“The hull damage rate isn’t that high. The problem is the energy……”

Ark thought for a moment before looking back at Tori.

“That reminds me, didn’t we find some fuel rods from the Nakuma? How about it? Can we charge the energy of the airship with the fuel rods?”

“Well, I can’t answer without checking the parts. But it might be possible if they use the same type of energy. There might be a problem if the fuel rods of the airship we came on is different from the Silver Star.”

“Can you or not?”

Tori quickly replied after Ark yelled.

“If the fuel rods use the same type of energy then I can charge it.”

“That’s it!”

Ark clenched his fists. The probably that he could occupy the Silver Star was increasing.

“Then check the Silver Star’s energy type!”

Ark was shouting at Tori when he heard a sound. A crackling noise was coming from an instrument panel.

-I Murat…..belong…..Silver Star 1st mate…..Ensign Enkaru…..

“What? This?”

“Shhh! Be quiet.”

Ark cut Tori off and looked at the 3D image. The holograph showed the battle clad Murat who had been holding the crystal.

–We’re left on the planet Amara in the Harmadon constellation……at the end of a fierce battle…..I succeeded in a forced landing…… The hull isn’t damaged but several fuel rods have been destroyed and the energy is in flux……fortunately I sensed ether in Amara……the captain and crew went to secure the energy……it has been one month and they haven’t returned…… And…..

The Murat called Enkaru coughed before continuing.

–Nakuma have started to gather here…… So far I’ve managed to block them but those guys are continuing to multiply……I’m desperately stopping them but my remaining food has started to run out…… It is to the extent that I think the Nakuma contains the soul of the enemy…… However I will stop these guys for the captain and crew…… If the Nakuma contains the grudge of the enemy…..they will continue to spread……

The recorded video ended there.

“Now I understand.”

Ark nodded and murmured. The reason for the Silver Star being in a place like this. He didn’t know what happened but the Silver Star’s fuel rods were destroyed in a fight and crashed landed on Amara. While most of the crew went out to search for energy, the Nakuma started forming from the remnants of the wreckage. Enkaru protected the Silver Star and died. He understood up to here. Then……

“Eh? Isn’t it slightly strange?”

Tori tilted his head to one side and asked Ark.

“The person called Enkaru should’ve died a long time ago. And the Nakuma were aiming for this ship. If Enkaru died a long time ago then why is the spacecraft in perfect condition?”

“I don’t understand that either…..”

Ark was reminded of something.

“Enkaru vowed to protect the Silver Star from the Nakuma. And Enkaru stayed in the centre of the Nakuma’s body after he died. Enkaru might’ve used the power of the Murat to keep that vow.”

“Are you saying that Enkaru was the one to stop the Nakuma?”

“His will to be precise.”

“Oh my god…..then he protected his ship even after he died…..ugh, there is a tear for some reason…..”

Tori looked impressed as tears dripped down his face. Ark was also impressed. In films, the captain of the ship was normally the first one to escape when there was a crash. Yet Enkaru protected the ship until the last moment and stopped the Nakuma for hundreds of years. He was a model sailor! But…..

“Dammit!”

Ark cursed.

“Eh? W-what happened? I almost made a mistake……”

“You still don’t understand?”

“What is it?”

“The reason the Nakuma didn’t attack the Silver Star was because of Enkaru’s will inside the huge Nakuma. But now the Nakuma isn’t there anymore. What does that mean?”

“W-wait a minute! That means…..”

Kukung! Kukung! Kukung!

A slow ringing sound was continuously heard outside the hull. Ark looked out the window and his face warped. Hundreds of pairs of red light shone in the darkness. The red light belonged to a large variety of Nakuma!

“N-Nakuma! Hyung-nim, Nakuma!”

“I see!”

Ark shouted at Tori.

“Now’s not the time to be doing this! I’ll bring you the fuel rods from the wagon so check if you can make the ship fly!”

“U-understood!”

Tori ran to the engine room. Meanwhile Ark ran out of the Silver Star.

“…..How many is there?”

The number of Nakuma was a lot more than he could see from inside. He could see hundreds of Nakuma and there were many more red lights in the distance. Those guys had emerged once Ark killed the huge Nakuma.

‘It is the end if these guys gather around the Silver Star!’

It would become like the other airships in the area.

‘I can’t let that happen!’

It wasn’t the time to hesitate. Ark placed the wagon inside the Silver Star and looked for the fuel rods. Then he went running to the engine room. No, he was about to start running. Tori ran over from the other side.

“Hyung-nim, it is serious!”

“It’s serious? What? Is the type of energy wrong?”

“No, the energy type is correct. The Silver Star uses a ether type energy like the airship we came on. However the standard of the fuel rods is different so I have to charge the Silver Star’s system. However the particles need to be switched to raise the purity so charging it will take some time.”

“How long would it take?”

“Securing the energy require for a take-off would need at least 30 minutes……”

“30 minutes?”

Ark looked at the Nakuma gathering around the Silver Star. There were hundreds of them! Ark couldn’t stop all of them by himself for 30 minutes. No, he was still injured from his fight against the huge Nakuma so he wouldn’t even hold out for 1 minute.

“Hyung-nim, it is impossible! It is better to get out of here before it is too late. They’re aiming at the Silver Star so we might be able to escape!”

“And what next? How will getting out of here help? I haven’t even found all the parts of the airship yet.”

“T-that….”

“The airship can’t be repaired in this state!”

The same was true even if he repaired it. This was a battleship! How could he give up such a good ship when he just obtained it?

‘I can’t abandon it! I have to do whatever it takes to obtain the Silver Star! I would rather die than abandon it!’

Then something popped into Ark’s head.

“Wait? This is a battleship? Then wouldn’t it have weapons?”

“……Ah!”

Tori’s eyes shone as he thought of something.

“That’s right!  saw a passage filled with gun turrets a short while ago!”

“You stupid brat, why are you only telling me about this now?”

“No, that…..”

“That’s it! You will go charge the fuel rods. I’ll tell you this ahead of time. I won’t give up on the Silver Star even if it means I have to die. The same goes for you as well. If you want to live then hurry! I don’t know how long I can stop the Nakuma even if I use the gun turrets. Every second will decrease the odds!”

Ark left Tori in charge of the fuel rods and ran to a gun turret. There was one turret fitted on the left and right wings of the Silver Star. Ark sat in the chair of the turret facing the direction the Nakuma were coming from. The door opened and the turret soared upwards. Murat characters were shown on a small monitor attached to the upper right.

* The Silver Star is currently in sleep mode so the automated equipment and energy particle cannon can’t be used.

If you want to use the automated equipment then wake it up. If you want to maintain the sleep mode then select manual operation mode.

The energy situation is 0.1%.

“Manual operation!”

Ark shouted as he grabbed the handle of the gun. Meanwhile the Nakuma were 20~30 metres away. The machine emitted a whirring sound and Ark turned the turret towards them. He focused and pulled the trigger!

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

There was a roar in his ear as shells were fired! The strength of the shell ejected from the turret was more than he expected. The Nakuma approaching were instantly crushed. Some lasted for 3~4 hits. The ones that consisted of small machine parts were demolished in 2~3 hits. It was natural. The Silver Star’s gun turret was a basic weapon for large battleships. It was different from the personal guns of the soldiers. The power was comparable to a RPG! The power was enough to melt a train. Of course, his opponents were the Nakuma.

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Pepeng!

The Nakuma started to fire back after being hit by shells. In fact, from Ark’s position it was a reckless fight. Ark’s only purpose was to protect the Silver Star. No matter how powerful the weapon, it couldn’t stop all of the Nakuma’s bullets. The machine gun also had a longer range while the Silver Star’s turrets could only cover 100 metres in front of it. In addition, he couldn’t even activate the ship’s shield. If hundreds of Nakuma concentrated on the hull then it wouldn’t even last 10 minutes, let alone 30 minutes. However…..

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The bullets bounced off something before it hit the Silver Star. The remains of the huge Nakuma was blocking the bullets! The remnants of the huge Nakuma was stacked up in front of the Silver Star like a castle wall. They were placed straight on and at an angle.

‘That Nakuma is still protecting the Silver Star even after its death! So cool Enkaru!’

Ark now had some hope……

Anyway, the hull wasn’t damaged thanks to the remnants of the huge Nakuma. Once again, Ark’s purpose was the protection of the Silver Star. The Nakuma’s remnants bought him some time.

“Okay! Yes! Come at any time! I’ll turn you all into scrap metal!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Ark fired the shells in a trance. His shooting skills were poor but Ark didn’t need it to fire the gun turrets. He checked that the shells hit and then moved it to the next area. Therefore the Nakuma fell like autumn leaves. Meanwhile the wreckage in front of the ship continued to build as more Nakuma died. The situation changed once 20 minutes had passed. The wreckage piled up in front of the Silver Star suddenly fluctuated. Then the wreckage started rising up?

“What, what the? This…..perhaps?”

Parts of the wall extended on both sides. Machine parts started attaching to it like it was a magnet. No, it wasn’t only mechanical parts. It started to drag the Nakuma near it. The resulting shape was……

“A huge Nakuma!”

Not long ago the number of Nakuma in front of the wall had decreased. He thought it was for their self-protection but that wasn’t the case. The Nakuma had absorbed the wreckage where Ark couldn’t see and created a huge Nakuma. He looked in dumb surprise at the wreckage morphed into a huge humanoid form. The massive Nakuma started coming towards the Silver Star! The wall that had been blocking the enemy’s attack had become an enemy!

“D-dammit! Is this Transformers or something? What type of transformation is this?”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Ark cursed and fired the shells towards the arms. The mechanical parts fell every time there was an explosion. The wrist broke before it reached the Silver Star and a huge hand fell to the ground. But after a brief moment, the metal parts were fused with the body again and another arm was made. That wasn’t all.

<-57>

<-76>……

The red messages kept on appearing on the monitor. Once the wall turned into a huge Nakuma, the remaining Nakuma’s bullets started hitting the hull. But Ark had no time to pay attention to those Nakuma.

‘The damage isn’t that big. But that……’

The huge Nakuma’s arm! It had an enormous weight! If it hit the ship then it would be a fatal blow.

‘I have to do whatever it takes to stop that arm!’

Luckily the huge Nakuma’s movement was slow. In addition, the volume was too big and the parts lacked cohesion so they easily fell off when hit. However the Nakuma could just absorb more parts so it was a relentless war of attrition. And a message suddenly popped up!

* You must turn off sleep mode in order to replace it.

Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok!

There was just a blank sound when he pulled the trigger.

“Heok! It is the end!”

Ark burst out as he looked up. The huge Nakuma’s arm! It was falling towards the turret.

Ku ku ku kung! Chwajijijik!

The Silver Star was wrapped in a blue flash and sparks flew as the Nakuma’s arm touched the top part of the turret.

“What, what the? This light is…..?”

-Hyung-nim, the energy charge is over!

Then he heard Tori’s voice over the Nymphe. The Silver Star had finished its energy charge and Tori deployed the shield with exquisite timing. Ark then shouted.

“So? The amount of energy?”

–It is currently at 53%. It has barely passed 50%. It will continue to rise while the fuel rod is connected.

“Then what are you waiting for? Prepare to fly away!”

–Understood!

The Silver Star started to rumble after Tori’s answer. The iron mold around the Silver Star started to break as it rose upwards.

Kwakwang!

At that moment the Silver Star started shaking. The huge Nakuma had started to beat at the Silver Star’s shield with its arm.

“Holy shit! Tori, rotate the hull in its direction!”

Ark yelled as he entered the turret on the other side. Meanwhile the turret on the other side was rotating towards the Nakuma. The moment the huge Nakuma appeared in front of him!

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Ark poured out the shells and exclaimed.

“Tori, you know the main weapon o the Silver Star? Can you use it?”

–The fuel rods are still connected and energy is being charged so one or two shots should be possible.

“Then prepare it! The goal is……”

Ark’s eyes stayed on the giant Nakuma. He hadn’t seen it yet but the battleship had a main weapon. He needed to crush the giant Nakuma in one blow. But he wasn’t 100% sure. Even if he defeated the huge Nakuma, there was still the chance of being attacked by the young one. Ark came to that conclusion and his eyes rose towards the ceiling of the underground space!

“The ceiling! Above its head! That is the target!”

The Silver Star rose diagonally at Ark’s yell. Blue light particles started to gather in front of the hull pointed up. At first it was just fireflies before turning into an intense light in an instant. Then the light spewed out like lightning.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The light from the Silver Star’s main weapon fired upwards! The huge Nakuma tilted its head upwards as it tracked the trajectory of the light. When the lightning hit the ceiling, cracks spread on it and powder started falling. That was the beginning. Once cracks spread over the whole ceiling and iron mold started falling like hail as the balance was broken.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, pepepepeng!

The Nakuma underneath were crushed by the falling ceiling. Pieces of the huge Nakuma also fell off as it was hit. It was the same for the Silver Star. Sparks kept on occurring on the surface of the shield.

–Hyung-nim! T-the cave…..

“Charge! Aim towards the spot hit by the lightning!

–But the ceiling is still impenetrable!

“Just do it anyway! If we hesitate anymore then we’ll turn out like the Nakuma! Just do as I say!”

–Ugh, I understand!

The Silver Star started rumbling. The Murat’s battleship that had been here for hundreds of years flew 100 metre upwards! The Silver ship aimed towards where cracks were spreading on the ceiling. Jet flames emerged from the rear as it kept on rushing. Ark fired the gun turret ahead of him. He pulled the trigger continuously as the shells hit the ceiling. The iron mold kept on pouring on top of the giant Nakuma. In such circumstances, it was still stretching its arms out towards the Silver Star but the arms kept on being buried by the rocks. But it was no longer Ark’s concern.

‘If I can’t penetrate through then I’ll die!’

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Ark only aimed the bullets towards the ceiling! However the ceiling was thicker than expected. He had been saving one gun just for this.

“Launch!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The pillar of blue light was shot again! It hit the same place on the ceiling that the Silver Star was going to crash into! At the same time, there was a loud sound before the Silver Star popped out. They were surrounded by iron mold powder as the night sky unfolded before him.

“S-success! We finally emerged!”

Ark cried out as he looked up at the sky. The Silver Star flew for several hundred metres before the iron mold cave collapsed.

-Your level has risen……