Vol 10 Chapter 8

SPACE 8. Operations

[TL]: For those who read the chapter early, I changed the name of the monster to Blunder.

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Wiing! Wiiing!

The blue beams quickly crossed the room. Sparks flew as the trajectory of light hit the Blunder and its health dripped out. And the next moment a sword cut its neck. The Blunder grabbed its neck and struggled.

Kuaaaaaaah!

It fell down and died.

“Phew, this place has been put in order as well.”

Ark looked around while holding his sword. It had been several hours since they’ve entered the hallway. Ark’s party steadily moved on while fighting Blunders in every block and occasionally finding items before entering a large room. This place was filled with monsters. It wasn’t surprising that 4 Blunders ran up as they entered the room. However they had experience fighting dozens of Blunders on the way here. Ark’s group used that experience to quickly take care of the Blunders. The work after the battle ended was obvious.

“Milan, Hegel, thoroughly search the room for anything!”

“Yes, Hyung-nim!”

“There are plenty of equipment in the room. The Blunder might also be hiding in a place we can’t see. Kurakan and Berad will keep watch while the others will search inside.

“Don’t worry!”

The members replied vigourously and scattered. Ark’s gaze turned towards the computers on one side of the room. There were dozens of monitors on the walk and a long desk with computers underneath. This clearly showed the purpose of the room.

‘There’s no doubt! This is the laboratory’s control room!’

Once again, the reason Ark had come to Impeltus was to find information related to ‘X’. And if he couldn’t find anything about ‘X’ then he should obtain a sample of Burahman ore. A secret laboratory was hidden in a place like this. It had been closed for a long time but things were still working.

‘And if this is the control room…..’

Data confirming the identity of the research centre might be left behind. The desk computers had been there for at least 10 years and most were badly damaged. Only 3 worked fine. All 3 turned on when he pressed the switch. A message appeared on the monitor.

As expected, it wouldn’t be that easy. He connected the Nymphe to the computer.

Enter the security code or use Invaders to hack and release the lock.  The password has a level 8 security rating. Your hacking skill is currently only Lv. 2 and you can only release level 1~6 locks.

<If you don’t know the password then try against after raising the level of your hacking skill>

“Hacking is always no use when it is needed.”

It was always a large difference. It was to the extent that he wanted to scream. But who could he blame? He was the one at fault for not diligently hacking. And in such situations the hacking skill wasn’t always necessary. Hacking was a 5 star rated skill. That meant it was a hard skill to learn. Of course, Ark wasn’t the only one in Galaxian who learnt hacking. There were other NPCs like Tori who could teach the hacking skill but it wasn’t common among users.

Information in Galaxian often had security devices attached to them. Not many users knew hacking so they wouldn’t be able to obtain such information. The law in a game was that if there was a problem then the answer would be hidden not far away. And Ark had already secured the answer before arriving at the control room.

-Hey Ark, I picked up some papers in a corner of this room. It says something about the control room that I don’t understand and a password is recorded underneath. I thought I would send a message to you just in case.

Kaya who had been moving on the opposite side sent him a communication. In fact this was normal. They swept through every corner of the laboratory and found a password. And it was information needed for the control room. This was the original method to capture the secret laboratory. Hacking was just one of several options that could be used to solve the problem. There was no need to waste time!

-The password has been confirmed.

-The security device has been released.

-The administrator account has connected to the central database.

“Bingo!”

Ark smiled and muttered. As expected, the message that Kaya sent was the password to the control room computers! Several data items were marked once the database was connected. Among them was an item marked ‘Impeltus’ Laboratory.’

“Shall I check out the identity of this facility?”

He chose the item and a large amount of information appeared on the monitor. The first thing that caught his eye was a map of the laboratory. Ark had noticed it already after spending several hours in this place but the laboratory was basically a tube-like structure. Two passages moved to the left and right in a circular pattern at the entrance but the eventually connected to one central passage.

“It isn’t as big as I thought.”

Most of the time was spent in combat and resting. They spent quite a bit of time exploring the small passage but the central passage was only 200 metres.

“The entrance was the 6 o’clock and we’ll meet Kaya’s group at the 12 o’clock position. And the control room is in the 1 o’clock location. If Kaya’s group progressed at a similar pace then we should’ve investigated 80~90% of the laboratory. Well time is limited so this is suitable for me……”

Ark’s eyes turned to the letters underneath the map.

A secret laboratory created by the galactic federation’s Operations Team. This main focus was the study and adaptation of the Rama’s Drones to humans. The Rama’s battle suit and its mechanism to increase the body’s abilities will be studied to create battle suits for humans…..

“Operations Team?”

It was a name he had heard before. It was when he had finished the R-14 tutorial and moved to Istana for the first time. The history of the federation was explained to Ark. It was 100 years ago in the mid-23rd century. The galactic federation that had just entered the universe was attacked by the Rama. The Rama were several hundred years more advanced so humanity was on the brink of extinction. Then the Operations Team appeared!

They were led by the genius scientist Lucian and the best scientists of humanity. Not only did they develop something to adapt to the space environment, the body coating technique was created to that they could exert a level of force equal to the Rama. Humanity stepped away from the brink of destruction and grew to match the Rama and Aschulat…..that was the explanation.

“Then this laboratory is affiliated with the federation?”

Ark made a disappointed expression. If this laboratory belonged to the federation then it wasn’t associated with the investigation. However Ark was interested in the reason why the laboratory was established. He didn’t know why the federation abandoned this laboratory but……

‘Battle suit!’

They were researching battle suits here! It was the Rama’s battle study they were studying.

‘Maybe I can obtain some useful information related to the Rama battle suit!’

Ark started to earnestly review the data on the computer. And he was able to find some material.

I participated in the Operations Team led by Lucian decades ago.

After constant research, we found a way to extract DNA from extra-terrestrial life and fuse it with human DNA. The body synthesized the alien genes and allowed humans to adapt to any environment. This technique was called body coating. However, this body coating technology was limited when dealing with the Rama.

That’s because the Rama enhanced their body with the ‘battle suit.’ The battle suit strengthens the body’s capabilities by 100% like body coating. No, it expresses it even more than that. The Rama wearing battle suits can overwhelm humans in all environments.

Thus the next challenge of the Operations Team was to research the Drones that make the Rama’s battle suits. In order to develop battle suits for humans…..

I finally succeeded in making a synthetic Drone battle suit for humans. The root of the Drone battle suit is mana. It allowed a human to absorb and use mana like the Rama. In addition, the battle suits places a significant burden on the human body that it can’t withstand.

Although research suggests that humans enhanced with body coating might be able to endure it. But a problem was found.

Humans weren’t capable of fully using the capabilities of the battle suit. The reason seems to be the innate qualities. The Rama have been handling the Drones who were mana creatures since birth so they were perfectly assimilated with mana. Of course, it also depends on the type of body coating that humans select. But the human body was a far distance from being able to fully use mana. The differences in physical characteristics and abilities presented an obstacle to using the battle suit.

While a human could use the battle suit, their basic capabilities weren’t as enhanced when the Rama used it. This effect showed a clear difference in practice tests. The researchers embarked on a study to rearrange the genes into a perfect combination to complement for these problems.

‘What does this mean?’

Ark’s eyes narrowed like a hawk.

‘Humans can’t exert 100% of the Rama battle suit?’

Ark never had such thoughts until now. No, he had been completely satisfied. He had obtained the battle suit by chance but the performance hadn’t varied that much from the federation’s battle suit. Well, it was a Rama battle suit so he was uncomfortable using it in front of the federation. But when considering that a battle suit was worth 1,000 gold, he thought it was worth the inconvenience. And he even raised the level of his battle suit last time. Yet now it was saying the Rama battle suit wasn’t appropriate for humans?

Of course, the Operations Team had done the research 100 years ago. Circumstances now could be different from back then. But there was something wrong now that he thought about it. The battle suit was a technology that strengthened the body coating ability as while as enhanced his physical capabilities.

‘There is a strange part.’

Ark had struggled against users wearing the battle suit. Valencia who represented the galactic federation. The Red Slaughterer who was a Rama. Ark had received a slightly strange feeling then. Valencia and the Red Slaughterer had a surge in damage and skill effect after wearing their battle suits. That’s why Ark had a hard time against the Red Slaughterer on Athamas. At the time he thought that their abilities had risen by a similar amount but blamed their different skills…..

‘Doesn’t the battle suit strengthen skills?’

He hadn’t known there was another problem! Other humans from the federation also used a Rama battle suit. They probably also didn’t know a penalty was applied. No, Ark hadn’t seen the effect of his skills rise so he definitely received a penalty.

‘Dammit, I thought I got something for free but it was a trap! No, something…..yes, there has to be something. This is what the laboratory was studying. So!’

Ark quickly went through the rest of the papers. He read a few more chapters!

A terrible thing happened.

The attempt to perfectly rearrange and combine the human genes with the Drone has failed. There have been some successful cases but that is only 2% of the subjects. The remaining subjects had changed into hideous monsters. The team came to the conclusion that a perfect combination with the Drone genes can’t be created. The DNA from the alien life form is stronger than the human body so humans can’t perfectly use the Drone battle suits.

Fortunately I received a message that the laboratory dedicated to developing battle suits for humans had good results. Human DNA is combined with cultivated alien embryo cells to form a mechanical type battle suit. It is still in the test phase but one day it will have the power to match the Rama battle suits.

But the federation has already been cornered and can’t wait until that time. Even if the success rate is only 2%, if this laboratory becomes known that they will clearly force the experiment and cause numerous victims. So I’m going to join the human battle suit team and will seal this laboratory forever. Along with the victims called Blunder that I produced.

If someone finds the laboratory then I can only hope that someone developed more advanced body coating technology in the future……

‘There is a way!’

His eyes flashed at the contents. This research centre had developed a perfect way to combine human DNA and the Rama’s battle suit. Of course, the success rate was only 2%. The remaining 98% had their DNA eroded and turned into terrible monsters. The Blunder were these poor subjects! Ark had killed a lot of these terrifying monsters. It was also why the Blunder dropped incessant amounts of battery packs.

‘But that was when body coating technology was just developing. It has been more than 100 years now. And I received the 3rd generation body coating. Like it was stated in the report, the body coating has advanced many generations!’

That meant the probability of success was higher! No, the success probability didn’t matter. How could a user turn into a Blunder and wander around forever? If it failed then some penalty would probably be applied. But if it succeeded than his Lv. 2 battle suit could exert 100% of its power. Ark wasn’t the type to miss this opportunity. Ark quickly returned to the map and looked it over. There was a large room attached to the laboratory facilities at 12 o’clock.

“Here! The central laboratory!”

Just as Ark was shouting powerfully.

–Ark, a raid!

The Nymphe vibrated and Slayer’s voice emerged. The moment Ark raised his head!

Kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

An explosion shook his eardrums. He flinched and turned to the control room entrance that was shrouded in black smoke.

“What’s going on?”

“I-I don’t know! A grenade suddenly came flying!”

Kurakan coughed and replied from the distance.

“Grenade?”

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

Bewilderment spread on Ark’s face at the subsequent gunfire. The laboratory had been sealed for 100 years so the only ones present were the genetically engineered Blunder. And there were grenades and guns in the laboratory but the Blunder didn’t have the intelligence to deal with them. The only thing he could think of was a 3rd presence!

‘The federation aren’t the only ones looking for information about the magic circle and antimatter. The Rama and Aschulat are also looking for intelligence. The Aschulat are allies of the galactic federation. Even if the destination accidentally coincided, there is a low probability that they will attack. Then it must be the Rama! No way….did the Rama’s intelligence find out about this laboratory?’

That idea popped into his head. It didn’t matter who the opponent was. They had already started to attack. They were the enemy!

“Royal Guards, gather at the entrance to respond to the enemy!”

Ark ran to the entrance with the members. Kurakan and Kalliben were returning fire on both sides of the entrance. But the hail of bullets from outside was no joke. Dozens of bullets that caused flames were slamming into the metal wall. The soldiers near the entrance were wearing thick black armour, a black helmet and holding a gun and shield. There were at least 20 people!

‘If we wait here then we’ll be trapped!’

Ark’s DNA was trained to grasp battle situations quickly. Ark pulled out his sword and shouted.

“Hegel, smoke bombs!”

“Yes, Hyung-nim!”

Hegel quickly pulled out a few smoke bombs from his bag. The narrow passage was filled with thick smoke! At the same time, Ark ran into the passage while swinging his lightsaber.

“Sword Defense!”

His lightsaber warped the orbit of the bullets with its electromagnetic influence and the bullets hit the wall and ground. Ark’s body ran across the passage.

“Welcome to the alter ego!”

His body divided into 5 parts! The 5 Arks rushed forward like a storm and harassed the enemy.

“This guy is using a strange technique to rush!”

“There’s no need to panic! It isn’t anything but an illusion! Make a beehive!”

“Join your shields together to make a barrier and concentrate on shooting!”

The gap between shields narrowed while the gun muzzles appeared on top. A continuous shower of bullets! 3 alter egos instantly disappeared as bullets filled the passage. However the Royal Guards weren’t just watching.

“Cover Hyung-nim!”

“Waaaaah! Take this! Kurakan’s M-620!

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Kurakan jumped out after Ark and blindly fired his machine gun. Cupa and Hedro who were troopers also started shooting! There was a ringing sound as bullets hit the shield before 1 shield warrior started to withdraw from the pressure.

Tutung!

Kalliben then fired his rifle. Kalliben and Beleol were Dark Eden’s snipers. And Kalliben was an Unkara so his 3rd eye meant his marksmanship was unparalleled. The bullet shot through a 5 cm gap and hit an enemy’s ankle. The enemy stumbled and there was a gap in the shield wall. Ark didn’t miss that gap!

“Mind Shield!”

<A shield with 362 durability will be created around the body……>

“Shield Emission!”

He fired another skill before the information window even popped up! The shield surrounding Ark shattered and the fragments blew in all directions. It was a narrow passage so the explosion was like a claymore as the 20 opponents stumbled in unison.

‘I need to inflict a lot of damage in a short amount of time!’

Wiing! Wiiing! Seokeok!

Ark was like a wolf among a flock of sheep. His sword rotated in an infinite trajectory and red blood gushed out afterwards. This was the vulnerability of gun troopers. They had tremendous power when concentrating their shooting but they were helpless once the barrier was surpassed.

‘That’s it! I’ve caught them!’

“Withdraw!”

Then a yell was heard from the front. At the same time, one person flew forward. He was holding a blue lightsaber in his hand!

‘……A fighter!’

Ark quickly rotated his body while swinging his sword. Then the man bent his upper body. Sleek and light actions! He wasn’t an easy opponent. Ark was just thinking that when the sword aimed at Ark’s jaw. It was irregular but the fundamentals of his sword mastery were present! Ark bent backwards as the electromagnetic light swept past the tip of his nose. The lightsaber then started to fall like lightning. Ark quickly regained his balance and raised his sword.

Snap! Chwajijijijijik!

Sparks flew as the two lightsabers clashed. He finally saw the man’s face because of the light. However a black shield was covering it like the others so his face couldn’t be confirmed. He also couldn’t see the name with Clairvoyance. They must be wearing the Hyde Helmet that had the function to hide the wearer’s identity. That meant these guys needed to hide their identity!

“You, who are you?”

“The enemy!”

The man replied and pushed Ark harder with his sword. It wasn’t the answer he desired but he wasn’t actually interested. The important thing was that Ark was now surrounded by 20 enemies.

‘I wanted to confuse the enemy so that the members could sneak out of the control room but……’

His attack had been blocked by those guys who appeared. Now the Royal Guards couldn’t move from the control room. Partly because of the cover fire from the enemy and party because they were confused by Ark’s sudden rush. Ark had crossed into enemy territory in order to confuse them but now he was surrounded by enemies.

‘It will be difficult to confuse them anymore now that my attacks were stopped. If I delay anymore then it will become difficult! I need to withdraw before they regroup!’

He came to the conclusion that there was no more need to hesitate.

“Khafra Fencing 3rd style!”

Ark shouted as he wielded his lightsaber. And the moment Khafra Fencing was about to be activated!

“Go! Galaxian S……”

Clink!

The lightsaber Ark was holding fell to the ground. Ark looked at his hand with confusion as a situation he hadn’t thought possible occurred. His hand was sharp and covered in a hard keratin. At the same time he felt a burning sensation and his eye level started to lower.

“U-unbelievable! N-no!”

Ark burst out with disbelief. He looked like a spider monster. Ark had once again turned into a Myutal. Now when he was surrounded by enemies! Now when he needed to keep them in check! Why now? Ark hurriedly moved his arms despite his confusion but it was difficult to even pick up his sword. Let along fight the crowd! Impossible! Impossible!

“Heh, you still look like that?”

The man holding his sword muttered with a smile.

Ark’s head shot up.

‘What? Still? Then this guy has seen me change into a Myutal Before?’

“I went through a lot of preparations to kill you. Yet you’re in this disgraceful form. All that sweat I shed in the meantime was wasted. But now you can’t use the skills you’re so proficient in. Unfortunately it can’t be helped.”

“W-wait a minute! Time! Time! Didn’t you prepare to kill me? Who are you? Do I know you? No, it doesn’t matter. Won’t you regret it if all your preparation ended like this? So wait a while! This will be released soon! We’ll fight then!”

“I won’t listen to your words anymore!”

The man replied in a harsh voice and strode closer. He furiously aimed his sword at the shouting Ark. No, the moment it was about to hit! A blue sword suddenly shot up.

“Eh! What is this?”

The man jumped back. The lightsaber had suddenly floated upwards!

‘Che! I missed!’

Ark clicked his tongue as he looked at the lightsaber floating in mid-air. This wasn’t the first time Ark had changed into a Myutal. The duration differed but Ark had transformed three times after arriving on Impeltus. Normally he had to withdraw to the back. He could only watch the fights. So Ark thought about it. He had to do something. Then the Psychokinesis skill popped into his head. Xanax had stored the skill in the memory of the Elim’s Helmet.

‘Will Psychokinesis allow me to use a sword in this state?’

At first it was half a joke. So far Ark had just used Psychokinesis to pick up stuff from the ground. He didn’t think the power would be able to properly move a sword. However it was surprisingly easy to control the lightsaber with his mind. Of course it was impossible to do fine movements like when held in his hand but he could do simple attacks. The lightsaber had fallen to the ground and he made it fly up with his mind!

“Hahaha! This is swordplay!”

Ark shouted as he energetically lifted his front leg. The sword soared upwards but sharply changing directions. Like Ark said, this was swordplay! He was controlling the sword!

……That’s what it looked like.  The man moved his upper body to avoid Ark’s sudden attack and ended up losing his balance. It would be impossible for him to move the descending lightsaber. Just as the lightsaber was about to hit the man!

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

Three shots rang out from behind the man. The lightsaber was struck three times and fell to the ground. The bullet had hit his lightsaber handle and was followed by two more in the exact same spot! Ark stared with surprised eyes at the unimaginable marksmanship.

“It will be a problem if you’re careless. You should know the opponent’s nature.”

A man holding a pistol approached.

‘What the hell? That bastard? There isn’t just one tough guy but two!’

The man with a sword approached again.

“You dare!”

“Dammit! Eat this! Ink Jet! Ink Jet! Ink Jet!”

Ark jumped and yelled!

Ssik! Ssik! Ssik!

The Charenjok’s Token attached to his head continuously spewed ink. It covered the face of the man approaching! And the remaining enemy gathered around! Once they were covered n black ink, Ark immediately turned and ran.

“Kuack! T-that guy! Shoot! Kill him!”

The enemy lifted their guns at the command.

“Ha! You should check your feet first. Psychokinesis! The sword!”

The blue lightsaber shot up from the enemy’s foot! The sword controlled by Psychokinesis spun like a spin top among the enemy. And blood gushed in every direction! The lightsaber flew like a boomerang among the enemies before flying back into Ark’s bag.

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

Meanwhile a gunfight was occurring between the enemy troops and the Royal Guards in the control room. Ark’s eight legs worked diligently as he ran past the control room and shouted.

“Now! We’re getting out of here!”

“Understood! Hegel, Milan, block them with grenades!”

Dok. Dok. Dok.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The grenades rolled along the ground and exploded in front of the enemy. A shield barrier was created so it didn’t do a lot of damage. However the enemy were pushed back by the explosion and the Royal Guards managed to break out of the control room to follow Ark. Ark turned the corner and called Slayer while running.

“Slayer, what is the situation over there?”

–Damn, it is crazy! How are these bastards?

“I don’t know! Now what is the situation?”

–There are too many of them. We’re currently in a room but they’ve set up a roadblock in a narrow passage and are shooting at us.

“There are 20~30 people attacking our group. If those guys join up then either situation will become more difficult. So escape from that place! If you move a little further along the passage then there are multiple small passages. I’ll send the members to join you and then set up a line of defense. We’ll decide what to do after that!”

–What are you saying? We’re not taking a break! We’re trapped!

“That’s why I’m telling you to escape!”

Ark yelled and broke off the communication. Then he looked at Kurakan and the members before saying.

“Did you hear? Run along this passage and turn left when the path splits in 3 ways and you’ll meet up with Slayer. Report back to me after you join Slayer.”

“You mean just us?”

“I still have something to do.”

Ark said as he headed to another passage. There were the enemies in the control room and the enemy attacking Slayer. That meant there was a minimum of 50~60 people. Ark had also been stopped by the swordsman and gunner. If there was someone similar attacking Slayer then he couldn’t ignore the power of these guys. It was the minimum power needed to capture them. There was still the possibility of more people that hadn’t been confirmed.

‘The power of our team isn’t enough to overtake them. There might be additional troops so it would be suicide to fight blindly. There is no place to escape inside the laboratory. It is better to join up with Slayer while these guys were separated and then escape from the laboratory. If we go outside then there is a chance to counterattack and we can get on the Silver Star to escape from Impeltus.’

The problem was that the laboratory was controlled by them. The laboratory also had equipment to enable a human to use 100% of a Rama battle suit. But there was no guarantee such equipment would be left if the enemy obtained the laboratory. No, there was no guarantee he could come back again.

‘Now! If I don’t do it now then I might not get another chance! When thinking about the usefulness of a battle suit, I can’t lose this opportunity. I have to receive the genetic adjustment even if it means dying!

Of course, he hadn’t registered with the Fairy so the genetic adjustment would likely be cancelled if he died. But even if it was cancelled, he couldn’t give up this chance. He wouldn’t give up until the end! Ark had already decided his course. There was another reason he was going alone.

“Those guys are blocked but not much distance separates us. They might catch up if we stick together. If we join up with Slayer then we will be subjected to their combined attacks. So it is better to disperse their power.”

“Hyung-nim intends to lure them alone?”

“I’m the right person.”

“Then I’ll follow!”

Ellain ran forward with his sword. But Ellain was the one person he couldn’t take. All of the members except for Ellain were pioneers. And they registered with the Fairy before leaving Turan. In other words, if they died here than they could just revive in Turan. That was why a NPC with the immortality of a user would receive the best treatment. However Ellain wasn’t a pioneer. If he died it was the end. GAME OVER! In the worst case scenario, Ark was prepared for death. The only thing Ark wouldn’t risk was losing Ellain. But Ellain considered Ark as God’s Messenger so he would follow Ark to his death! So Ark grabbed Ellain’s shoulder and said.

“I know your heart! And I know that you are a Kusan warrior not afraid of death! So you can’t come with me. I cherish the lives of my colleagues here like Kurakan and Milan more than my own. I am entrusting the lives of my brothers to the Kusan’s strongest warrior.”

“Hyung-nim!”

“Ugh! I didn’t know you thought so much of us!”

Tears fell from the eyes of Kurakan and the Royal Guards. Ellain was also the same. Ark thinking of his brothers touched his heard! He was once again impressed and trusted in Ark even more! He looked at Ark with 2 red eyes shining with respect. Then he nodded.

“I understand! I will finish my job even if my brother is torn apart!”

“Thank you. But you are also a dear colleague of mine. The person you have to take care of the most is yourself!”

“Ugh! To speak such words……”

Ark’s sincerity (?) impacted on the Kusan’s strongest warrior.

-Berad’s loyalty has increased by 200……

The other members’ loyalty also increased! But there was no time to look at it individually. It wasn’t the time to be playing around.

“If you understand then hurry! Join Slayer and wait for my orders.”

“Understood! Let’s go!”

Kurakan and Ellain ran in the front.

‘When considering the various contexts, the probably of genetic adjustment succeeding is high but not 100%. I also don’t know what will happen to genetic adjustment because of the Myutal genes. So far it takes me 30 minutes to 1 hour before I transform. back. I have to attract those guys and buy some time. Then…..’

“Ink Jet!”

Ark fired the Ink Jet again. And he ran in the opposite direction immediately afterwards. The enemy soon gathered there.

———————————————————–

“How obvious.”

The man smiled as he looked at the ink marks.

“Is he planning to disperse our power? Indeed, that is the best method right now. Although this obvious attempt…..won’t fool me. Anyway, my goal is Ark. Hey, you! Take soldiers and continue chasing after them. I will take 2 people and follow Ark.”

“No, I’m going with you.”

The gunner shook his head and said. He looked at the gunner for a moment before nodding.

“Yes, your goal was also Ark. Okay. It can’t just be my desire fulfilled. But Ark is my prey. If you don’t follow my orders then there will be trouble.

“I promise.”

“Then you over there, take the remaining soldiers and chase them.”

The soldier who received the order nodded and led the troops. The man took two soldiers and the gunner and started to follow the ink marks.

———————————————————–

“That’s why I’m telling you to escape!”

Slayer looked at Kaya after hearing the words and said.

“……That’s what Ark commanded.”

“Damn, he says it like it is easy. He doesn’t know the situation here.”

Park peeked over the wall and frowned.

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

Pepeng! Pepeng!

Hundreds of bullets were relentlessly hitting the wall. Sometimes a grenade was thrown! The enemy had suddenly appeared while Slayer’s group was investigating the laboratory at the end of a narrow corridor. They covered the narrow passage with a shield wall so it wasn’t easy to counterattack. Therefore Slayer’s group had been stuck for 20 minutes.

“Don’t you think it is as easy as Ark said?”

Sadain suddenly replied to Park’s words.

“We heard an explosion on the other end the first time Slayer contacted Ark’s Nymphe. That means they were attacked around the same time.  There should be 20~30 there as well. But Ark has already escaped unlike us. We have more troops while Ark only has Kurakan and NPCs.”

“Well that……”

“Aren’t we strong users?”

Sadain spoke in a low voice while raising his body. He placed the spear on his shoulder and smiled as he spoke.

“I’m going now. I might be hit with bullets but hiding in a place like this doesn’t agree with me. Above all, I don’t want to hear that we’re worse than NPCs.”

“I agree.”

Kaya and Park also nodded and rose.

“We can’t sit here forever.”

“That’s right. Then shall we loosen our bodies a bit? Leon. Melina-nim.”

“Yes, leave the healing to me!”

Slayer, Leon and Melina also vigourously nodded. Then one soldier among the group at the barricade lifted a hand grenade. Kaya noticed it and stretched her arms out towards the door.

“DNA transformation! Become a dog!”

“Huk! What, what the? My hair and body, why……Bark! Bark!”

The soldier about to throw a grenade had turned into a dog. At the same time the grenade fell to the ground!

“Heok! Y-you stupid bastard! The damage!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

An explosion occurred behind the shield barrier. Then the enemies started aiming their machine guns at Kaya. Hundreds of bullets burst from the machine guns and were about to hit Kaya’s body!

“Iron Wall Defense!”

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Slayer stopped it with his steel shield!

“Dammit! Troopers! Blow them up at once with RPGs!”

“You fools, do you think we will just wait and let you shoot us?”

Tutung! Tutung! Tutung!

A blue light it the muzzle. It was Leon’s rail gun! The bullets were accelerated with electronic power so it quickly crossed the place into a trooper’s forehead. The trooper stiffened and collapsed to the ground.

“Now! Kum, defense mode and charge! Car, after Kum!”

At the same time, 2 autobots rushed into the hallway. And the next moment!

“Yes, we can do it. Armour armament!”

The one rushing towards the enemy troops was Sadain! A metal sphere rose from his bag, rotated complicatedly and unfolded. The metal sphere opened into a battle suit! The battle suit wrapped around Sadain’s body as his sphere fell towards enemy lines.

“I’m armed. Lightning Spear!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa! Pajijiji!

Sparks flew up as there was a roaring sound.

———————————————————–

“It is the same here.”

Hundreds of meters from that passage. A man in a black helmet inspected the thick smoke and muttered.

“This isn’t simply a smoke screen to hide his appearance. It also prevents us from looking at the surrounding terrain. And we are going round in circles.”

The man laughed.

“You seem to be enjoying his reactions.”

The gunner stated calmly

“Isn’t it interesting? This is still a game. And a game is for fun. One way to enjoy a game is revenge. Simply killing him is too impractical. Shouldn’t you enjoy the process as much as possible?”

“How ridiculous.”

The gunner retorted.

“Revenge is revenge. The results aren’t important. But I agree with one thing. Simply killing him is too impractical. It is important to kill but it is also important to think of ‘I, myself.’ We’ll talk after we catch him.”

Then he looked back at the waiting soldiers and commanded.

“The crossroad in the passage only has 3 options. So we will each take one passage and narrow the encirclement. You saw it, he is strong. Now he is a spider monster because of the Mix-up side effect but he is still cunning. In addition, the side-up might be released by the time we find him so be prepared to fight. If you find him then report to me.”

“Understood!”

The soldiers replied and ran forward. The gunner also moved through a passage. 20 minutes after breaking through the smoke screen and slowly encircling Ark.

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

Shots were heard from a place not far away.

‘That is the sound of his pistol! Did he meet Ark first? Sheesh, I guess I better hurry.’

The man bit his lips and started to dash through the smoke screen. Suddenly his eyes noticed a hazy shape within the smoke. And gunshots were heard from behind! Confidence started to form in the man’s eyes.

‘…..That guy!’

“Peyital Blade!”

The sword shone in his hand.