Vol 8 Chapter 8

SPACE 8. That Man

[TL Note] Hey guys, I made a slight change to chapter 6 of this volume. Tolbo has become ‘the bearded man’ and his actual name will be revealed later in this chapter.

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‘The government…..the government…..’

Ark grinded his teeth together.

‘That is committing robbery! Why is the acquisition tax 500 gold? How did the federation help me obtain the Silver Star? And the environmental charge is 100 gold? Is this a joke? What is compulsory insurance? Are there traffic accidents in space? And the registration fee? I have to pay 200 gold to register it? And the total price is 1,000 gold? This is robbery!’

His anger exploded the more he thought about it. The Silver Star was a ship that originally belonged to the Murat. Ark found it and Tori repaired it after a long fight with the Nakuma.

That role the federation played in helping Ark get the Silver Star was only 0.00001%. Then why! The federation was taking away 1,000 gold from him! It was absurd! An abuse of power! But Ark paid the 1,000 gold with the military scrip. A bad law was still a law. He couldn’t do anything because of this nonsense.

“I’m sorry but if your ship isn’t registered then you can’t enter Istana. You will have to leave the ship here and leave via the shuttle. A shuttle is available if you require it. Of course, there is also a fee for this.”

He had no choice but to pay!

‘If I buy a new ship then I would still need to pay a separate tax anyway. And the minimum price for a ship like this is 10,000 gold. 1,000 gold is profitable compared to that.’

He had no choice but to think like this! Therefore he gave Buldio’s military scrips and the registration was complete. Ark was able to leave the garrison headquarters once he officially gained possession of the Silver Star. And he finally plunged into Istana’s atmosphere!

“Hyung-nim, we will arrive at the destination soon!”

Tori said as he busily moved his hands. At the same time, outside the window the clouds parted and acres of forest stretched out. And there was Mt. Fargo! It was Ark’s sector S-20. Ark had finally returned to S-20……

“Eh?”

He was confused.

————————————————————————————————————

“You have a little cold.”

The family doctor said as he used a medical device to examine him.

“I said this the other day but I agree with you playing a virtual reality game. A disabled person can experience many things that normally can’t and it eliminates a lot of mental stress. In fact, an experiment found that 70% of patients in similar situations who used a virtual reality game recovered a lot faster. But that is just a supportive therapy.”

“I know.”

“Then you’ll also know that fatigue still builds up in your  body despite playing the virtual reality game. I heard that you’ve been sleeping in your capsule for the past few days but that isn’t always good. You have a fever so you should rest for a few days and take your medicine.

“Yes……”

The young man answered feebly. He didn’t have to hear the doctor’s diagnosis to know that his physical condition wasn’t good. His head and the muscles of his body felt heavy. He couldn’t think.  The last few days he spent sleeping in the game was to blame. And it was all for one reason. In order to meet Ark.

‘I wonder when I can meet him?’

The young man muttered as he looked up at the ceiling. Questions ran through his head. He still couldn’t find the answer to why he wanted to meet Ark. He knew it wasn’t logical but the young man wasn’t going to give up on finding Ark. What type of existence was the user Ark to him? He wouldn’t know the answer if he couldn’t meet Ark. After a few attempts, he finally arrived in Ark’s sector S-20. But he still couldn’t be relieved. He had missed Ark so many times it felt like someone was interfering with him. There was no guarantee this interference wouldn’t be repeated. Those misgivings didn’t allow the young man to rest.

‘ I won’t repeatedly make the same mistakes.’

The young man painfully raised his body and entered the capsule. He started the capsule and his consciousness was sent back to Galaxian.

————————————————————————————————————

Syu syu syu syu!

At the square to the rear of S-20’s main office. An airship caused a storm as it landed among a few other airships. A boy with grey skin and big eyes ran over.

“Welcome to S-20 where you can rest, hunt or have a large selection of items! Please think carefully. It wouldn’t be wise to leave such an expensive spacecraft in a place where monsters or thieves can attack it. But you can be relieved if you leave it at the airfield in this sector! S-20 will manage it safely. Short term parking is 50 silver a day. Long term is 4 gold for 10 days. Instead, if you park in the sector then you will only need to pay 1 sector fee for 3 people. How many days are you going to be here?”

“There is an airfield here?”

One person stepped out of the ship. The body’s big eyes became even larger as he saw the person’s face.

“H-Hyung-nim!”

That boy was Hegel. The one he was looking at was Ark.

“Why is Hyung-nim in that ship…..?”

“I obtained it.”

“Huh? You obtained it? That means this is Hyung-nim’s ship?”

“Yes.”

Hegel’s mouth widened at the ensuing answer. A general airship cost thousands of gold. A spacecraft would be a minimum of 10,000 gold. He had left for a while and brought home a spacecraft. The stunned Hegel couldn’t understand the situation. However it was the same for Ark.

‘Is this really S-20?’

Ark looked around with confusion. S-20 had been similar to a wasteland when Ark left for Amara. Shein and Kuma had created a barrier to indicate it was a sector while there were some facilities and merchant trailers inside. It also only had a population of 600 people. The sector was generally empty because most people were in the dungeon. It was embarrassing to even call it a sector. He had been worrying about that part on his way back. Ark had spent 10 days away from S-20.

‘Damn, I thought I would be gone for 3 days at most but it ended up taking a ridiculous 10 days. S-20 is a new sector. It the administrator is away for 10 days then it is impossible for the sector to operate properly.’

No matter how smart Mellin and Hegel were, in the end they were just NPCs. They had less flexibility to deal with unexpected situations than a user. Moreover, their training had been focused on battle so they had no knowledge about managing a sector.

‘It will be lucky if they manage to maintain the status quo.’

However it was different from his expectations. Ark could see that there were at least 1,000 people just flying over S-20. There must be at least 2,000 when considering the people in the dungeon. It had increased by 3~4 times when Ark was gone. Of course, this was due to Slayer, Leon and Melina raising awareness with their promotions. Ark was more amazed by the shape of the sector than the population. All types of stores formed a grid at the sector entrance! A special fence to indicate the way to Mt. Fargo was created with guide posts everywhere. They even utilized an empty piece of land as an airfield!

‘This is similar to the blueprint of the sector that I envisioned!’

Naturally the facilities were still small. However S-20’s current structure was almost the same as what Ark would’ve created. It felt like they’ve read Ark’s ideas and implemented it. While Ark was busy thinking.

“But who is this with you……?”

Hegel asked as Tori got off behind Ark.

“Oh, this guy is Tori. He will eat rice from the same pot as us from now on.”

“The same pot? Then he is a new employee?”

“Yes, please educate him well as his senior.”

“Ohh! Indeed. You’re called Tori? Let’s get along well.”

Hegel’s eyes shone like lanterns as he held out his hand. Then Tori slapped Hegel’s hand and declared sharply.

“What? Tori? Why are you speaking informally? I am……”

“You’re what? So? What were you going to say?”

Ark interrupted and asked. Tori flinched and started babbling.

“Ah, no. If you’re Hyung-nim’s follower then you’re my Hyung-nim too!”

“And? Your position in my agent?”

“I’m the youngest member!”

“Does your behaviour mean you are still lacking in education?”

“Hik! N-no Hyung-nim! I temporarily went crazy because of tiredness from the long flight! Seniors, please take care of me from now on! If you tell me to turn then I’ll turn!”

Tori shouted as he kowtowed. Tori was once someone who operated his own junkyard. And he demonstrated his fine skills as an engineer on Amara. Ark’s contract with Tori was officially signed after the meeting with Buldio.

Name: Tori (NPC ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆)  Occupation: Engineer

Level: 110

Related Skills: Hacking, mechanical engineering, invention, repair……

That information window emerged when Tori joined. Just like skills, the stars displayed next to the name indicated the difficulty of acquisition. In other words, having more stars meant the NPC was difficult to get. Tori had 4 stars attached to him. Jay was a similar engineer but he only had 2 stars. In other words, Tori was rated 2 stars higher than Charem’s head of research!

The Royal Guards also had 4 stars next to them. But that was because the Royal Guards were pioneers. They could resurrect at the Fairy so their utilization rate was high. However Tori was a general NPC. If he was rated 4 stars then he had much higher skills than the Royal Guards.

‘But……’

Ark refused to trust him. Unlike the Royal Guards, Ark used a combination of a deal+ violence as a leash to hold Tori. He couldn’t give any chances to that guy. There were some cases where Ark might need to leave Tori at S-20. So he wanted to make sure the Royal Guards knew the hierarchy. A 4 star rate NPC. The more difficult they were to get, the more difficult they were to maintain. Anyway!

“Let’s get along well with each other. Yes?”

“Yep! I am Hyung-nim’s loyal dog! No, hamster!”

The effect of his education still remained. Ark turned back to Hegel after hearing Tori’s reply.

“There weren’t any big problems while I was away? You’ve seemed to have made a lot of adjustments to the sector like the airfield. Did you and Mellin think of that?”

“Ah, that’s right!”

Hegel suddenly raised his head.

“Someone has been waiting for Hyung-nim for 10 days.”

“Me? Who?”

“A pioneer nicknamed Rapid.”

“Rapid? Rapid……”

He searched through his head for that name.

“Why is he waiting for me?”

“Eh? You don’t know him? He told me he knew Hyung-nim. And he wanted to meet Hyung-nim directly. By the way, he really is amazing.”

“Amazing? Why?”

“There were a large number of visitors as soon as Hyung-nim left. Many shops also opened so there were many disputes among the pioneers and merchants. That person is the one who resolved the issue. Not only that. He reorganized the sector into areas, established rules to resolve disputes, created a toll for the dungeon entrance and made guests can pay a fee to find a party for the dungeon. He even proposed creating an airfield for visitors with airships.”

“The guy called Rapid did all this?”

He had thought all of this was done by Mellin and Hegel. He never expected that a third person could be involved. Why? Who would painstakingly grow a sector he wasn’t involved in? In addition, his plans were almost consistent with Ark’s blueprint. He was a person with management skills. Yet he couldn’t remember meeting someone like that.

‘But they know me? Who is it?’

“Where is Rapid now?”

“He’s in the office. He’s never left the vicinity since he arrived 10 days ago.”

“Okay. Let’s meet with him.”

Ark headed towards the office with Hegel. The office across from the airfield…..the facility didn’t match the wilderness around it. A desk made of mechanical parts was placed near the bulletin board that Ark built. Hegel ran to the desk and shouted.

“Grandpa Mellin, Hyung-nim is back!”

“Hyung-nim? Ark? Ohh! Ark is finally back!”

Mellin who was chatting with several visitors quickly ran over. But Ark was looking at someone else. A blond youth had stood up in shock after hearing Ark’s name. He must be the person called Rapid based on the atmosphere. Ark’s eyes met those of the young man.

‘What?’

Ark stopped walking. Usually he could read the opponent’s emotions to a certain extent when he looked in their eyes. But he couldn’t read Rapid’s feelings. It wasn’t’ because there were no specific emotion that appeared. On the contrary, too many complex emotions rose at once. Delight, embarrassment, anger, confusion. He couldn’t differentiate between them. However that wasn’t why he stopped moving.

‘That face……’

Rapid was a user. And the face felt familiar. It made him uncomfortable for some reason.

“I heard that you waited 10 days for me. What can I do for you?”

Ark was the one who spoke first after looking at Rapid for a while. Rapid who had been staring blankly at Ark now looked shocked. Ark also couldn’t understand this response. Rapid looked upset before he seemed to remember something and said.

“I have to ask you something first.”

“What is it?”

“New World’s Ark, are you that person?”

‘Damn, is it because of this?’

He had received this question countless number of times since starting Galaxian. Ark’s answer had always been NO. A director of Global Exos playing the game of its rival would catch attention and he also didn’t want the unwelcome attention from other users. This was what he got for not thinking properly. Ark was a well-known name. Furthermore, the Ark of New World had made many friends and enemies. In New World he didn’t have to worry about anyone challenging him but he wasn’t strong enough in Galaxian.

‘I should’ve thought more carefully when creating the character.’

Many problems arose from using the name Ark. But what was the point of regretting now? All Ark could do was deal with it.

“No I’m not. I just wanted to try a famous name. Take a good look. My face is a little different from the Ark on TV. And I heard that Ark of New World hasn’t joined Galaxian yet.”

“…..Officially.”

Rapid narrowed his eyes like a hawk.

“But I know. Ark of New World has entered Galaxian. And if my guess is right then you are that Ark. Tell me the truth.”

If it was anyone else then he would insist that they were wrong and move on. However he couldn’t ignore Rapid’s urgent look. Why was he looking so urgent? Somehow his face weighed on Ark’s mind. Moreover, he was the one who raised Ark’s sector while he was gone. Ark could just ignore it and move on but he was also curious about Rapid’s identity.

“Okay. Say I am that Ark. Why are you looking for Ark in Galaxian?”

“Ark…..is it?”

Rapid seemed like he didn’t like Ark’s answer. But he soon nodded and said.

“Okay. Say you are that Ark. Please take a close look at my face. I know you. And you……should remember me.”

“I should know you?”

“Yes, in New World not Galaxian. We’ve clearly met.”

“Let’s see. I’ve met quite a few people in New World so how can I remember everyone?”

Ark scratched his head and replied. Then Rapid’s face clouded.

‘He doesn’t remember my face?’

Rapid wasn’t using the same name from New World. Like Ark, his name was once well known in New World. Rapid started playing Galaxian after it was already a month and his name was already taken so he used a different one. However his face looked just like his character in New World. Of course, the game’s graphic engine would make the face a little different even if it was the same one. Yet there was no significant different between this character and the one in New World. Therefore Rapid thought that Ark would know him when they met. However Ark had betrayed his expectations. There were no signs that Ark remembered who he was.

‘Was I someone who didn’t make that much of an impact on you? The face is only a little different yet you can’t recognize it?’

Rapid had been holding onto his resolution to meet Ark for the last 4 months. He couldn’t sleep properly as he waited in S-20 and even got a cold. Yet Ark didn’t even recognize him. Rapid felt like all his efforts so far had been wasted.

Of course, he probably wasn’t thinking that clearly. Yes his characters looked the same. But asking someone to recognize a face that hadn’t seen in more than 1 year might be unreasonable. Normally Rapid might’ve understood this as well. However his body condition wasn’t good so he couldn’t repress his emotions. Rapid raised his head with an angry expression.

‘He met quite a few people in New World? Yes, I guess so. But I’m not talking about such people. Give me a straight answer. You have to remember me. It is impossible not to remember me. How can you not remember? I can’t forget. In other words, you’re not supposed to have forgotten about me!’

And just as he was about to say these words. Maybe it was because of the cold or he prescription medicine but he suddenly felt dizzy.

“Eh? Are you okay?”

Ark grabbed his shoulder. Then Rapid grabbed his arm and began to talk.

“I-I’m fine. Rather, I…..the reason I visited you…..”

“Hahahaha! I’m back!”

Then a man ran into the sector while giving a silly laugh. Rapid’s face warped at that moment. The bearded man was someone who kept challenging him to a duel.  The bearded man looked at Rapid and laughed.

“Rapid, bring it on! Huhuhu, this time won’t be the same as before. I assure you. I, Kurakan will……”

“Get lost!”

Rapid turned and shouted. Kurakan became frightened and retreated. However he recovered after a moment and lifted his machine gun.

“What, what the? Are you too scared to face this Kurakan? Not a chance. I’ll say this clearly, I haven’t been defeated by you yet. You’re the one who interrupted my duel with Ark first. So let’s end this. If you don’t accept the duel then I’ll just attack you!”

“Who is this bastard? You’re challenging me to a duel?”

Ark turned towards Kurakan. Then Rapid pushed Ark and walked forward.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to go. I’ll handle this and return. Please wait. I still have something to say.”

His annoyance soared because of his headache. Rapid headed towards the square outside the office. He stopped 10 metres away from Kurakan and said in a low voice.

“Start.”

“That’s it. Huhuhu, this time……”

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

Like always, shots rang out at Kurakan’s words.

“W-what the, this speed?’

Ark’s eyes popped out with surprise. Ark was interested in the used called Rapid. Therefore he watched carefully and never saw him pull out his gun. It was a quick fire! The speed at which he pulled the trigger was unimaginable. By default, all guns in Galaxian had a firing speed option. But that penalty only applied for weapons like sniper rifles, RPGs or machine guns. A pistol’s firing rate depended on the speed that the trigger was pulled. Most users didn’t like a pistol because the recoil was high and the hit rate was low. But Rapid’s level surpassed those weaknesses. He had amazing marksmanship with a high hit rate.

‘No wonder why that Kurakan seems to have lost against Rapid a few times…..how can a machine gun deal with a pistol like that? I never knew that the pistol could be used in such an amazing way. But……’

Ping! Ping! Ping!

“Huhuhu, I’ve figured out your pattern now!”

Kurakan laughed as he hid his face behind a shield. The moment he lifted his machine gun, there was another gunshot and the muzzle of the machine gun shot upwards. Rapid had aimed and hit the muzzle.

‘That is the way to block that.’

It required a lot of skill. Kurakan had no confidence in his hit rate so he chose something that fired a lot of bullets. The gunfight then proceeded in Rapid’s favour. Rapid used his amazing quick fire and hit rate to stop Kurakan from firing as well as aiming at his vital spots. If he couldn’t use a headshot because of the shield then he would aim at the shoulders! Meanwhile Kurakan’s shots kept on being deflected in the wrong direction. That’s because Rapid hit the muzzle and redirected it every time.

“Amazing!”

“How on earth can he hit like that?”

The gathered spectators started exclaiming. But Ark saw something different.

‘What is he doing?’

Rapid was definitely dominating the gunfight. But Ark’s anxiety grew as he watched the situation. The difference between their skills was obvious. Kurakan was bleeding heavily. However the one who was breathing harshly and had sweat on his face was Rapid.

‘That reminds me, that guy almost collapsed when he was approaching me. I thought he had just lost his footing. It is obvious that Rapid isn’t feeling too good right now. It seems to be a cold. It is amazing that he can fight like this but his movement is becoming increasingly dull. If this continues……’

“Pant pant pant! Pant pant pant!”

Suddenly Rapid collapsed to his knees. It wasn’t because Kurakan shot him. He just collapsed because he lost his strength. Rapid tried to raise his body a few times but his quivering legs wouldn’t move. Ark who was watching shouted.

“Wait a minute! Kurakan, wait!”

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

Gunshots were heard and blood welled from Rapid’s body. The feeble Rapid saw Ark and said.

“Ark….I…..I……”

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

Several more slugs penetrated Rapid’s body. The gunfight had been one sided before Rapid fell down. Therefore he still had health left despite the dozens of bullets hitting him. But then a bullet pierced Rapid’s head. And a shower of bullets followed! Finally Rapid’s health reached zero.

“I-I did it!”

Kurakan cheered with joy. And he placed his foot on Rapid’s body!

“Hahahaha! It is impossible for someone using a pistol to hold out forever against me. The person who wins in the end is the winner! Another loot has been added to my autobiography. Now I just need to beat that wannabe Ark. Hey, you guys! Did you see me skills? Now this guy isn’t my opponent anymore. Where is that farting bastard Ark! I’ll take him out like this guy!”

Kurakan kicked Rapid and shouted.

Ppajik.

Something snapped in Ark’s head. He didn’t know the reason. For some reason he felt upset. Ark walked forward towards Kurakan.

“I am Ark.”

“What? This guy is Ark?”

“Yes, if you want then apply for a duel.”

“W-wait a minute! Let me recover first!”

Kurakan yelled as he pulled out a recovery ampoule. Ark waited. Kurakan had to completely recover his health and mental power. Meanwhile Ark heard from Mellin and Hegel that Kurakan had applied for a duel 20 times. Mellin shook his head and muttered.

“He is more tenacious than a cockroach. That’s why Rapid couldn’t sleep properly for the past few days. I’m worried that he will bother you now.”

“Hey! Let’s get started! Duel!”

Ark got up and accepted. He looked at Kurakan and laughed.

“I’ll tell you in advance but I’m not like Rapid.”

A blue light soared up from his sword hilt.

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“How is he?”

“His mental and physical condition is extremely weak. I warned him to be careful when I realized he wasn’t sleeping properly…..he didn’t listen. And he seems to be receiving a lot of stress. His weakened immunity means that the cold is worsening.”

“Will he be okay?”

“I need to wait and see a bit more…..as you know your son’s case is different from normal. The situation can deteriorate even from a common cold. He assured me that he would be careful…..what happened?”

“I don’t know either.”

“It’s really frustrating. He should know better than anyone not to work his body too hard. Anyway, the necessary precautions have been taken. Right now he needs rest more than anything else.”

“Thank you.”

“Call me when the patient wakes up.”

The doctor then left the hospital rom.

“Dammit!”

Yoo Han-pil cursed as the door closed. He had been overseas on business for a couple of days. Yet he suddenly received an urgent message from his secretary several hours ago. His only son had been transferred to hospital. Yoo Han-pil postponed all his schedules and returned home straight away. However his son wasn’t awake.

According to his servants at home, his son hadn’t left the capsule for Galaxian since Yoo Han-pil left. However he ate his meals and slept so they hadn’t been too worried. Until this afternoon. When the employee was bringing up the morning meal, the employee noticed his son was unconscious in the capsule.

“It is my fault. I have to stop this.”

Yoo Han-pil said in a pained voice. He had been worried about his son playing the virtual reality game. However his son had persisted and Yoo Han-pil eventually allowed it. And he seemed to be improving after starting Galaxian. But it exploded today. Seeing his son lying in a hospital bed brought back the nightmare of 1 year ago. That nightmare event that happened to the son he was so proud of! He couldn’t let that same nightmare happen again!

“Secretary Kim!”

Yoo Han-pil turned around and shouted. The door opened and his secretary entered.

“Go home right now and break that capsule!”

“T-the Galaxian capsule?”

“Yes, that damn capsule! Right now…..”

Yoo Han-pil suddenly flinched and closed his mouth. He felt a touch on his hand. Yoo Han-pil hurriedly looked down and saw his son watching him.

“Not yet…..no…..”

His son tightly grasped his hand.

————————————————————————————————————

“Hrmm.”

Ark scratched his head. And looked at his Nymphe again.

-S-20’s Ten Temporarily Commerce Rules

-S-20’s Ten Temporarily Dungeon Rules

“Who on earth is he?”

He had downloaded the rules that Rapid thought of onto his Nymphe. The sector was run by the administrator. Criminal related matters like chaotic users still followed the federation’s laws but all other matters were up to the administrator. So Ark had planned on creating rules for S-20 but Rapid had amazingly thought of all of them. It was to the degree that it seemed like Rapid was reading his mind! Therefore Ark didn’t need to create or change any rules. Rapid was the one who applied the rules. It was also more detailed than the ones Ark thought of. It was a game but there weren’t many people who could do something like this. And if that person met Ark then the number became even smaller.

“Looking at Rapid’s reaction, he doesn’t seem to be lying when he said he met me…..”

No one could lie with that expression on their face. To be honest, only 1 person came to Ark’s mind. No, he remembered that person as soon as he saw Rapid. There was a 70% similarity between ‘him’ and Rapid. But Ark soon shook his head.

‘He’ didn’t have a body that could play the game. ‘He’ also had an accident in New World and Ark heard that he was like a vegetable. So ‘he’ couldn’t play a virtual reality game again. And even if he had begun the game, it was impossible for him to gain Rapid’s skill.

“I wanted to talk to him a bit more.”

Dururong. Dururong.

Then he heard snoring underneath him.

“What? This? Ha, this child’s luck has increased. Shall I wake his spirit?”

Ark stabbed his lightsaber into the person sleeping.

“Ah!”

A scream burst out! Ark rose from the seat in front of him.

“Hey, your health has been restored. Wake up. I have to start again.”

“Ugh, still? Take a look at me! Yet you still want to continue?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t even started yet. Didn’t you say your strength was your patience and tenacity? And I heard that you kept Rapid sleep deprived for the past week. Yet haven’t you only suffered for 12 hours?”

“B-but…..”

“Well, I’ll just do it comfortably then. Here I go!”

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!

“Ouch! Ack! Cough! Ugh!”

Kurakan screamed every time Ark hit him. Kurakan had killed Rapid and then challenged Ark to a duel. However the result was too shameful to be called a duel. Kurakan had become a rice cake and collapsed as soon as it started. But Kurakan didn’t care.

“Huhuhu, you! Kill me! You’ll soon realize what a big mistake that is. My strength is my patience and tenacity! I will go after you a 2nd and a 3rd……”

“Who is going to kill you?”

“What?”

“Actually, my strength is also my patience and tenacity. Let’s see who has more patience and tenacity.”

Ark said and began to step on the bloody Kurakan. Once again, the armour in Galaxian was so good that kicks wouldn’t reduce any health unless the person was wearing a battle suit. But that didn’t mean the user received no damage. Virtual reality games like to make the character ‘feel like it was as real as reality’ so the users could feel pain. Of course, this was just a slight jolt.

However it could cause a lot of pain if persistently hit. And Ark was persistently hitting the same vital spot. Kurakan kept on feeling an electric shock to the extent that the area became sensitive! Even his clothes became soft after a while. And it wasn’t just the shock. Ark would hit Kurakan until his health reached 5%. Then he would switch to defense and wait for Kurakan’s health to recover. And he would start hitting again as soon as the health was restored!

“Stop! I was wrong! Just kill me!”

Kurakan finally screamed. He gave up on resistance and just lay down. But that didn’t stop Ark. He merciless waited for Kurakan’s health to recover.

Then bam bam bam!

Kurakan couldn’t even break the connection. The connection couldn’t be terminated during a duel because it would be considered cheating and there would be a huge penalty. And he couldn’t commit suicide. Ark wouldn’t let him commit suicide. So back to bam bam bam!

It had lasted for 10 hours! Even if Ark stopped attacking, Kurakan had already lost his stamina so he would just doze off while waiting for Ark to lose strength. However Ark had slept for a lot during the 24 hours warp to Istana so he had stamina to spare. Furthermore, Ark had once spent 3 days without any sleep in New World so he could endure for a lot longer.

He was hitting Kurakan for 1 minute and resting for 10. He would wake him up after 10 minutes, deliver the beating, wait another 10 minutes and so on…..Kurakan had already gone insane by the time he repeated it for 10 hours. Finally Kurakan woke up from the pain and grabbed Ark’s leg while crying.

“Please stop now! I have bruises all over my body! I was wrong! Please let me sleep! I swear! I won’t come here again!”

Ark stopped the violence and looked around. The spectators flinched and avoided his gaze. It wasn’t just them. Mellin, Hegel and Tori who had been watching the scene of violence were also frozen.

‘The atmosphere is right.’

In fact, Ark had a reason for persistently stepping on Kurakan. Kurakan appeared and caused trouble when Ark was away. He had to ensure that no user tried the same thing in the future. The sector was under the jurisdiction of the federation but he couldn’t ask them for help. Guys like Kurakan could cause a lot of damage. Moreover, Ark was a well-known user. Guys like Kurakan would keep coming to challenge him. That’s why he stepped on Kurakan for 10 hours!

–If you challenge me then it won’t end well!

He sent a warning message to all users in the steadily growing sector. And that warning was also sent to the Royal Guards and Tori. It seemed like it was already having an effect.

“Okay. This is enough for now.”

“R-really?”

“But if you mess around here again……”

“I won’t do it anymore! I won’t even look at this place!”

“That would be a problem.”

“Huh?”

“Haven’t you interrupted work for a few hours over the last week? Thanks to that my sector is covered in an uncomfortable mentality and I’ve lost money. And didn’t you kill Rapid who helped with my work? Does it make any sense that you can just leave?”

“T-then what do you want? I don’t see…..”

“Huh?”

“Ah, no it’s fine!”

Kurakan freaked out and agreed as soon as he frowned.

“Yes! That’s right! I killed him! I was wrong! I will listen to you! What do you want me to do?”

“Spend a week volunteering around S-20 to compensate for the damage.”

“A-A week volunteering? You want me to work here for a week?”

“You don’t want to?” Then I can continue this for one week.”

“Ah, no! I will do it! I’ll dedicate myself to serving you!”

“If you try to escape…..”

Ark raised his lightsaber and threatened.

“I’ll find you and bother you for a week.”

Ark made Kurakan register his code on Ark’s Nymphe and registered his on Kurakan’s. Kurakan’s face darkened.