Vol 10 Chapter 9

SPACE 9. Raiders!

Pajik!

There was a sharp sound and a crack spread on the crystal at his wrist. The message window flashed in front of Ark.

<The Baius Golem has taken a hit over its limit and is using the energy of the shield for self-recovery.

Therefore the shield won’t work for the 24 hours required to completely revive the golem>

‘Sheesh that Bao brat, he’s gone already?’

Ark frowned with irritation. The room Ark was currently in was filled with various research equipment. He was inside a glass tube that occupied the centre of the room. The clear glass tube was filled with a yellow liquid that had air bubbles rising to the top. This glass tube was the gene sync system! It was the equipment to activate human genes that could work with the Drones.

In fact, it had been 20 minutes since Ark separated from the Royal Guards and he had already changed back from a Myutal. And he stored the map he found in the control room so it wasn’t a problem to visit the Central Laboratory. But there was a risk of detection from the guys chasing him if he went directly to the Central Laboratory.

‘Then this guy!’

The ridiculous Baius Golem had emerged! He abbreviated it to Bao. However his combat level was still low so it was impossible for the golem to take care of them. He filled a narrow passage with Ink Jet and smoke bombs then gave orders to Bao.

“Run Bao! Round and round! Go around without stopping! Round and round!”

He flew around the complicated passages while filling it with smoke bombs. After the pursuers followed the ink marks left behind by Bao, Ark managed to sneak to the Central Laboratory. And he just received news that Bao had been killed in battle. However Ark had no intention of showing sorrow.

‘Dammit, so fast!’

There was a part Ark hadn’t considered. Once he selected the Slayer boating coating, the process was completed immediately. And according to the researcher’s report, the gene rearrangement was based on body coating technology. Ark thought he could finish it as soon as he arrived at the Central Laboratory and then would join up with his team. Ark hadn’t considered that the technology was created more than 100 years ago!

Body coating was just created then. Rearranging genes used that body coating technology. It was impossible for the technology to stand up to the one used to give Ark his 3rd generation body coating. This process would take 30 minutes! Bao had only lasted 5 minutes!

<Time remaining:  24 mins 45 secs……24 mins 30 secs……>

There was still 25 minutes left until completion.

‘Bao is dead and the path to the Central Laboratory isn’t that complex. And Slayer’s group is fighting the enemies on the other side of the central passage. If they start searching then it won’t be difficult to find this laboratory. If they travel in a straight line then it will just take 2~3 minutes. Now I have to believe in those guys out there?’

Ark had used Stealth mode to move to the Central Laboratory. It wasn’t because of the enemies. Ark’s former enemies the Blunder had showed up. Those guys were close to the Central Laboratory so Ark avoided them using Stealth. Now he had to rely on them to stop the chasers.

Tong! Kang! Peng!

Then a lot of noise was heard from a distance. Ark narrowed his eyes from inside the glass tube.

‘They came! Those guys have started to move here!’

The noise he heard was the chasers competing with the Blunder. Currently Ark couldn’t move until the process was complete. If they arrived before it finished then it was GAME OVER.  Therefore Ark was praying that the Blunder would hold up the chasers for as long as possible.

Tong! Kang! Peng!

‘Hold! Exert yourselves! You guys can do it!’

And he cheered on the Blunder.

Tong! Kang! Peng!

‘Damn, why are they so fast? Have they come already?’

He trembled anxiously as he heard signs of them approaching.

Tong! Kang! Peng!

‘Eh? What? These bastards! The battle just ended and they’re moving on already? Are they using potions? Drugs? A young person shouldn’t rely on drugs! Don’t throw away your body! You should rest slowly!’

He sometimes worried (?) about the bodies of the pursuers.

‘That’s it! There’s only 1 minute left!’

Ark clenched his fist together. The noise on the other side of the door seemed to stop for a while…..

Pepeng! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

There was a ringing sound and the tempered glass of the laboratory door shattered. Four people entered the laboratory through the scattered glass.

‘Oh my god! They’re here!’

“Ark, I finally found you!”

The one in the lead was the man wearing a black helmet and holding a sword! The gunner followed him along with two soldiers holding a machine gun and RPG. Their eyes surveyed the laboratory for a while before reaching the glass tube in the centre. They were puzzled at the sight of Ark floating in the yellow liquid.

“I don’t know what you’re doing but this is the end. Come out Ark!”

‘Damn! Do you think I would stay in here if I could get out?’

“If you don’t come out…..”

The swordsman turned his head and slightly lifted his arm. The black helmeted soldier standing in the doorway lifted a RPG. Ark hurriedly waved his arms. And he started to twist his body.

‘Wait a minute! This bastard, didn’t you want to fight me? Okay! I’ll do it! But I’m slightly stuck now. So please wait a moment! You must have a busy mind. Sit there and rest a little bit. You can go to the bathroom if needed. Or maybe smoke a cigarette? You trained for a fight so it would be a shame to end it like this. Only 1 minute! Wait 1 minute!’

That was the meaning of his body language. However…..

“Are you playing with me?”

……It didn’t work. That guy wouldn’t wait patiently just because Ark told him so.

“If you don’t come out then I’ll be forced to pull you out.”

The swordsman muttered with a cold voice and the soldier with the RPG stepped forward. And he pulled the trigger towards the glass tube!

Kwa kwang! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Flames soared and the glass tube crumbled.

————————————————————-

“Slayer-nim!”

A yell was heard from the hallway beyond them. 10 people came running towards Slayer. It was Kurakan, Ellain and the employees of Dark Eden.

“You’re safe.”

“Heh, this much is nothing.”

Slayer smiled and replied. But he was saying that while looking all shabby. His shield and armour were crumpled, blackened soot smeared his face and there were scratches from bullets grazing past. He wasn’t the only one. Leon, Melina, Kaya and Park were all in a similar condition. They were like soldiers who had been injured on the battlefield. No, it was right after exiting the battlefield. Just now they had fought a fierce battle against 30 black helmeted warriors. The result was Slayer’s landslide victory…..that wasn’t true but they still won. Slayer’s group had fought the enemy for 30 minutes but the black helmets retreated after half of them died. Meanwhile Slayer had moved to the place Ark designated and met up with the Royal Guards.

“What about Ark-nim?”

Melina who was looking at the crew asked. The members flinched and replied with tears in their eyes.

“Hyung-nim said he had something to do alone and left separately.”

“Left separately?”

“Yes.”

“What stupid thing…..”

“It is because of us! Hyung-nim said he had something to do but he actually left in order to give us time to get away. Hyung-nim…..Hyung-nim…..”

“Of course Ark-nim did that.”

Melina sighed and nodded.

“It’s just like when the Kero attacked Mt. Fargo. Ark neglected to take care of his own body while desperately trying to save others. Ark-nim is like that.”

“That’s right! Hyung-nim is such a person!”

The members furiously nodded their heads. Kaya’s group listened to the Royal Guards with their expressions asking ‘Was Ark such a character?’ but they left it alone. Sadain who had recovered his breath started to talk.

“So? Where is Ark now?”

“I don’t know.  Hyung-nim entered a complicated passageway and we were being pursued so there was no time to contact him. And Hyung-nim said to contact him after joining up with you.”

“Then do it now.”

Sadain said to Slayer. Then Slayer operated his Nymphe and called Ark.

“Ahh! Ahh! Ark, this is Slayer! Ark, over! Ark! You’re not answering?”

“He might be busy or…..”

Sadain murmured in an uneasy voice. Then a crackling noise appeared over Slayer’s Nymphe.

–Did you join with the members?

“A-Ark!”

“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim is alive!”

The members stirred up after hearing Ark’s voice.

–Focus your strengths on the ones pursuing the members. There are presently 25 members in the chasing team. The Commander is among the members I’m taking care of so you should be able to deal with them. But there is no guarantee they will be the only ones attacking. The main force of the enemy is likely to be gathered at the 2 pronged path at the entrance. So rest after taking care of the guys chasing you and recover your maximum health. I…..am coming soon.

————————————————————-

“U-unbelievable…..”

The swordsman muttered in a confused voice. The RPG had smashed the glass tube Ark had been in. However he hadn’t intended the RPG to kill Ark. No, he didn’t think it was enough to kill Ark. He knew that Ark was like a cockroach. If Ark was someone who couldn’t deal with a RPG then he wouldn’t be burning with vengeance like this. The RPG was just intended to shatter the glass tube.

The swordsman thought that Ark wouldn’t allow the shell to hit the glass tube. And his posture was prepared for an attack. But unlike his expectation, Ark had just continued struggling inside the tube until it was directly hit. And it exploded!

“What, what the? Why did this bastard?”

In fact, the swordsman was the one who panicked the most. He had sweated for a long time in order to get revenge on Ark. This time he even violated a command from above in order to gamble on getting his revenge. Yet what was the point if Ark died from one RPG? But it was afterwards that made him more confused.

“Gone! He’s gone!”

He was looking at the wreckage of the glass tube. Even if he wasn’t alive, there should at least be a dead body. However there weren’t any traces of Ark at all.

“No, it is impossible for him to disappear. He is obviously somewhere here……”

The man approached the wreckage of the glass tube before stopping. The blast had caused the yellow liquid to flow onto the floor. There was also an unidentified red slime. And the moment he narrowed his eyes at the slime!

Wiing!

A blue flash suddenly rose in front of him. The man reflexively avoided it and retreated several steps. He clutched his sword when he heard a noise.

“Sheesh, it was a little short.”

It was Ark!

‘It was worth all that changing into a Myutal.’

That’s how Ark was able to avoid the RPG attack. Once again, Ark had obtained the side effect thanks to Mix-up. Mix-up decreased intelligence by 10 and increase stamina by 30. His 2 star Withdrawal skill also evolved one step higher to Hide. Ark had used Hide the moment the shell hit the glass tube. The Hide technique scattered a red slime on the ground like the Myutal he fought on Rakunka! Well, he was hit by the shell so he ended up damaged but the shell had hit the glass first. Fortunately Ark hid himself in the ground so he received almost no damage.

‘Sheesh, how tenacious. I hoped they would leave…..’

In fact, Ark had wanted to wait until they left. However the man had detected the red slime and was about to check it. It was only a matter of time until that guy stabbed it with his lightsaber. So he tried a surprise attack but it didn’t connect.

‘Damn, he dodged it. I thought it before but he definitely isn’t an ordinary guy. Furthermore, there are 3 more people. I don’t know the other two but that guy is the shooter! He also isn’t ordinary. The swordsman and gunner are formidable. And the other two as well. It is impossible to take care of all of them at once.’

While Ark was busy thinking. The man spoke in a low voice.

“As expected, you’re alive.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t die like you hoped.”

“You’re welcome. If you died this easy then I would be in trouble. No, don’t die so easily. The humiliation I received from you! I will make you feel the same shame.”

“I don’t know what humiliation you received……”

Ark looked at the swordsman and laughed.

“You’re only this smug because of the number of people behind you. If I was in your position then I wouldn’t be able to clap about it. I guess the only thing you can do when someone is stronger than you is to throw more people at them. Well! It’s a very excellent choice. That’s right. That is the only way for a person like you to win. Although I don’t know if I will feel humiliation.”

“You’re just trying to provoke me into a 1 on 1 fight.”

Dammit, he was right. He couldn’t win in a 4 against 1 fight. He also couldn’t expect the help of Slayer or the Royal Guards. The current team members were fighting the enemy pursuing the Royal Guards. Even if they could easily deal with the enemy, it would take at least 30 minutes. So Ark thought about it.

He seemed to be quite a prideful guy. Ark was familiar with these types of guys. They were smug bastards that treated others badly. If their ego was just slightly scratched then their bad habit would appear. But the swordsman just laughed.

‘It didn’t work?’

“The plot was obvious but…..I’m not fooled.”

While Ark was inwardly sighing, the man stepped closer and said.

“This isn’t because of your provocation. This is a problem of my pride. I might’ve lost but I never thought I was weaker than you. No, I was weak. But this time is different. I will soon teach you that difference.”

‘This guy is indeed an idiot!’

He might be blabbering on about other reasons but the result was the same! He truly was a fool who left Ark with an escape route. Well, Ark wanted to thank him!

…..That’s what he thought…..

“You block the entrance and don’t let him run away!”

“Hah! Don’t make me laugh. Aren’t you just going to call them for help when the situation becomes disadvantageous to you?”

“You’ll see who needs help soon!”

Wiing! Wiiing! Wiing!

The swordsman rushed forward with his lightsaber. Ark also held his posture while lifting his lightsaber. The blue lights started to cross and clash with each other, causing afterimages. Sparks flew with every collision. The two people crossed swords dozens of times in a few seconds before both sides retreated.

‘That bastard…..’

Ark quickly looked at the swordsman.

‘He hasn’t been using the sword for just a day or two. He has reached a significant level of sword mastery. Have I met such a user before?’

So far, the strongest person Ark had encountered in Galaxian was the Red Slaughterer. But the Red Slaughterer gave the impression of having skills that utilized the game environment rather than actual fighting skills. That is, his movements felt optimized to the game? However, the man across from him was the opposite! He fought depending more on his sword skills than his character’s skills. The problem was that he had extraordinary sword skills. If Ark was a protagonist of a martial arts movie, he would be the rival that received training from another master. Ark might sweat at the memory of his training but it meant he reached a significant level of martial arts skills.

But he didn’t exercise after becoming the strongest user in New World. No, he had no need to. Ark had started training in martial arts to make playing the game easier. However Ark was literally a God in New World after obtaining the master code. Even if a bunch of legendary monsters appeared in front of him……he had the ability to kill them just from pressing the ‘Del’ key. However he started to train again once starting Galaxian. It still took a while to regain his sense of movement but it was pretty good after his confrontation with the Red Slaughterer. Yet the swordsman was matching Ark in a 1 on 1 fight. But Ark wasn’t that easy to deal with.

“……Indeed.”

The man nodded. He had sensed the same thing as Ark. Their skills were almost equal! Then the situation was simple. If their equipment and sword skills were equal then the only thing left was the superiority of their skills. But there was no big difference when the engaged in close combat just now. So victory would be decided by who made a mistake first!

“It can’t stay like this. Peyital Blade!”

The man attacked first. The lightsaber caused an air current like a storm that flew towards me.

“Sonic Sword!”

It was cut by Sonic Sword that had no form! The air current was split apart by his shockwave. The man then got close to Ark and attacked.

“Defense Break!”

However Ark used the orbit of his sword to break the opponent’s defense posture.

“Khafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy……”

After the man’s chest was wide open, Ark was about to use a skill with his lightsaber. But the man twisted his body and hit Ark’s wrist with his sword hilt. Ark’s arm loosened and his lightsaber fell to the ground.

‘T-this!’

The man hadn’t used a skill. He just used the sword skills that his body had mastered. The man wearing the helmet raised his glittering sword.

“It’s up to here!”

The moment the sword was about to fall! Ark’s lightsaber on the ground rose like lightning. The sword was controlled by Psychokinesis! The swordsman was so busy concentrating on winning that he unexpectedly received a blow on the chest.

“No, it is my turn to attack now! Welcome to the alter ego!”

Ark’s rushing body split into 5. The swordsman had already seen Welcome to the alter ego. Welcome to the alter ego was designed to confuse the enemy and attack from behind! The swordsman automatically turned and struck a defense pose. As expected, the Arks had spread in all directions before combining into one behind him. However, there was no sword in the overlapping hands.

“S-sword…..?”

Snap!

Sparks flew from the swordsman’s neck. The light rotating like a spin top and carving thick marks onto the man’s neck was Ark’s lightsaber! He had combined Psychokinesis with Welcome to the alter ego.

“Ugh!”

The man grabbed his neck and stumbled. The lightsaber flew from his neck to Ark’s hand. And…..

Wiiiiing, wiiiiing.

There was an explosion of light! This was the result when a battle between users of a certain level and skill occurred. It was hard to counterattack once someone was on the defensive. It was the same for the swordsman. He couldn’t find any gaps as Ark started his continuous series of strikes. His health fell from 60% to 20%. Moreover, various abnormal stats occurred because of the continuous critical hits so he couldn’t escape. But there was a way.

“Damn! Armour armament!”

A metal capsule sprang out of the swordsman’s bag. It spun in the air and transformed into a battle suit of armour that covered the swordsman. This was the best way to escape an enemy’s series of attacks! A shock wave had occurred when the battle suit was equipped. Ark was pushed back several metres from the shock wave and his series of consecutive attacks was stopped. However…..

“I’ve been waiting for this! Armour armament!”

Ark exclaimed with a flash. The space warped and the summoned battle suit wrapped around his body.

“Binding Sword!”

Chwa chwa chwa chwa! Chwa chwa chwa chwa!

At that moment, the chest area of his battle suit split to the sides. It was like the skin of an insect or crustacean opening to reveal dozens of beads! The chest opened and the beads simultaneously fired laser beams. No, they were lights that looked like lasers! The threads of light wound around the swordsman and a message appeared.

<The Drone inside the battle suit has created a chain to seal the enemy’s movements for 4 seconds.

In addition, the enemy can be pulled in front of the user. And the moment the duration ends, the chain will explode to deal additional damage>

A chain created by the battle suit! The sudden change in the skill was thanks to Ark’s complete synchronization with the battle suit. That’s right. Arc had already completed the gene rearrangement.

You have succeeded in rearranged your genetic information and accomplished a perfect synchronization with the Drone. This means you can use 100% of the battle suit’s power.

You will now feel even the smallest bit of dirt falling on the battle suit, it won’t be uncomfortable to breath anymore and you will be able to move without feeling the battle suit. In addition, the effect of the skills expressed through body coating will be amplified.

However this is a Rama battle suit so you won’t be synchronized to the federation battle suit anymore.

<When wearing the battle suit, a special effect will be given to your body coating skills>

+ When the battle suit is equipped, the environmental adaption will rise by an additional 30% (80%).

+ When the battle suit is equipped, the rate that satiety falls will be reduced by a further 20% (50%).

+ When the battle suit is equipped, fall damage will be reduced by an additional 30% (80%).

+ The amount of mana used by 18 Barrage can be adjusted.

+ The battle suit’s duration has increased by 30%.

The information window that floated in front of him! In Galaxian there were two types of skills. He wasn’t talking about active and passive. It was acquired skills and innate skills. Acquired skills were those that took no effort and could be learnt by repetitive learning. Most skills belonged to that category. But in Galaxian, the DNA of other species could be absorbed to learn skills. The innate skills were those learnt through body coating! The effects of these skills were amplified once he achieved 100% synchronization with his battle suit. Once he wore the battle suits, all sorts of effects went UP! That wasn’t all.

‘I feel like I’m not even wearing armour.’

Ark’s body suit increased his capabilities by 35%. Naturally he would become stronger. However his senses became dull like he was wearing thick clothes so that was a disadvantage. He thought it was natural since it was a thick armour. But it wasn’t natural. After the synchronization was completed, the battle suit felt just like his skin. It felt like he was just wearing clothes instead of armour!

‘This is the real battle suit!’

In the meantime he had been using an incomplete battle suit. He also consumed all the mana of the battle suit when using 18 Barrage. He hadn’t been able to control the amount of mana used. However, the situation changed with the 100% synchronization.

“Come!”

Ark shouted as he looked at the swordsman. At that moment the chain around the swordsman’s chest was pulled. He was like a fly caught by a spider!

“18 Barrage!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

18 Barrage was Hyper Drone’s knockdown skill! Steam was blown out as his accelerated steel fists impacted with the swordsman’s chest. Ark used 50% of his mana. His opponent’s health was only 20% so that should be sufficient. A fist mark was carved into the swordsman’s chest every time until it hit 18 times! The opponent flew back into the wall.

“You……you……!”

‘You’ was the only word he could say.

Then blood spewed out and it was GAME OVER! But Ark couldn’t afford to breath yet. It had been a 1 on 1 duel. But the remaining people wouldn’t step aside after his opponent died.

“H-Hyung-nim!”

“T-this bastard!”

The two soldiers lifted their machine gun and RPG. This was the reason Ark only used 50% of his mana! Ark had already anticipated his reaction so he triggered Hyper Booster. The moment the soldier tried to fire the RPG!

“It’s up to here.”

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

The gunner fired in rapid succession. But surprisingly, his muzzle was aimed towards the back of the soldier holding the RPG! He then pulled the trigger. It was an unimaginable situation to the two soldiers as they turned back to the gunner. The gunner aimed at the handle of the machine gun and RPG to deflect it before aiming at the vital spots like the head, heart and jaw.

“Kuak! T-this bastard…..”

Tang! Tang! Tu tu tu tu! Pepeng!

The shots continued for a while. Eventually the two men were slumped in a pile of their own blood. Out of the 3 soldiers, only one was remaining. It was just the gunner. Ark narrowed his eyes at the gunner covered in blood.

“You…..who are you?”

————————————————————

“Hey!”

Ark ran down the passage and shouted. The people gathered on the opposite side reacted to his voice and turned around. They were Slayer, Leon and the Royal Guards. While Ark had entered the Central Laboratory, the battle against the black helmets chasing after the Royal Guards was already finished. There were the bodies of 20 black helmets and Ark’s team members scattered on the ground.

“Ark, you’re alive!”

“Hah, but he……”

The team members suddenly flinched and grabbed their weapons. Ark was followed by someone wearing black armour and a black helmet like the enemy scattered on the ground. The man holding the pistol was the gunner from the laboratory. Ark shook his head and said to the team.

“No, this one is okay.”

“Okay? Why?”

“That fellow…..isn’t he with them?”

“He decided to cooperate for the time being.”

The gunner added after Ark’s words.

“You understand?”

“I don’t understand pal!”

Slayer burst out angrily. He stared at Melina slumped against the wall and growled.

“Because of that guy…..Melina-nim because of that guy…..ugh! She’s never died once since we’ve been with her…..dammit! I’m going to get revenge for her!”

“Of course! Blood for blood!”

Leon also exclaimed as he loaded his rail gun. Melina wasn’t the only one. Kaya and Park had bullet marks on their bodies, both autobots had collapsed along with Berad and Cupa from the Royal Guards. They could revive at the Fairy but they had lost the experience they gained on Impeltus. And the death of their comrades ignited the team’s fighting spirit! The team members gathered in front of the teammates dead bodies with tears streaming from their eyes.

“You bastard, you want to try it? Okay.  Then let’s end this. Kill all of…..”

“No, we have to escape from here.”

“That won’t be easy.”

The person who answered was Sadain.

“Like you said earlier, their main force is gathered at the entrance of the laboratory. They number approximately 70 people. And there are no obstacles around them. There are a lot of troops and it is impossible with just Slayer as protection. Park’s autobots would be helpful but that won’t work as you can see. Our recovery ampoules are used up so the odds aren’t in our favour in close combat.”

Ark’s eyes widened at Sadain’s words. Sadain frowned and asked.

“What is it?”

“No, that’s the first time I heard you talk for so long.”

“This isn’t the time to be playing around.”

“I wasn’t playing around. We have to quickly get out of here. This isn’t just talk. Those guys aren’t at the entrance. They are coming along the right passage to this place.”

Ark had a reason for being so confident.

————————————————————

“You…..who are you?”

He asked the gunner standing in the pile of blood. The gunner watched Ark with a wary expression and said.

“I’m not your enemy for today.”

The gunner replied as he put his pistol into his bag. Ark stared at him.

“For today?”

“I’ll have to see in the future if we are enemies or colleagues. I haven’t decided yet. But for now you’re not my enemy.”

“Then take off the black helmet and say that.”

“It isn’t hard to take off my helmet. But then I will need to explain many things. And now isn’t the time for that. Shouldn’t you know this too?”

“Will the situation change if I believe you?”

“Of course.”

He said while manipulating his Nymphe.

“It is me. Move through the right side passage at the entrance to where I am now.”

–The entire main force? But Captain-nim commanded…..

“You fool! There’s no time! Right now Leader is fighting with Ark! And there is a secret passage hidden in the room where he can escape towards the 6 o’clock position in the laboratory! Now Ark has killed the leader and two soldiers and is escaping through the secret passage! Use the right passage to move to the room in the 6 o’clock direction! Hurry!”

-Huh? Oh, I see! Let’s go! Follow me!

A baffled exclamation was heard from the gunner’s Nymphe. The gunner broke the communication and said in a mischievous voice.

“Do I need to explain the situation to you? Ark. It is up to you whether to believe me or not. If you believe me then you will join up with your team and escape from the left passage. If you don’t believe me then use the right passage.”

Only a fool wouldn’t understand his purpose. But Ark decided to believe the gunner for the moment. The reason was simple. After he defeated the leader with 18 Barrage, the situation was still in the favour of the black helmets If they sealed the entrance then Ark’s team wouldn’t be able to escape. In this situation, there was no reason for the gunner to lie or kill his two colleagues. And the gunner didn’t ask anything from Ark for his help. If he lied then naturally Ark’s team would kill him before they died. There was no reason for the gunner to commit suicide in such a way.

“Okay. I’ll believe you for now.”

————————————————————

‘It was true.’

He thought while running down the left passage. Ark arrived in front of the entrance and nodded. There were no black helmet troops to be seen. They probably moved to the 6 o’clock position after receiving the gunner’s communication. However the situation still wasn’t over. If the black helmets couldn’t find the secret passage then they would return!

“Hurry! We can’t relax until we escape from Impeltus!”

“Okay! I’ll go out first!”

“Wait a minute!”

Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Just as Slayer was jumping outside. There was a roaring sound as the gunner yelled and dirt went flying up. Shells were pouring from the air! Slayer screamed before running back.

“Hik! Hik! Hik! I-I almost died! A ship! A spaceship is floating in front!”

“Is there something you can do?”

“Wait a moment.”

The gunner nodded at Ark’s question. And he manipulated his Nymphe for a while.

Pepeng! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Flames shot up from the rear of the ship floating outside the laboratory. It lost its centre of balance as black smoke rose from it.

The gunner looked at Ark and said.

“I’ve planted a bomb in the power section of the engine room. But it isn’t a regular C-6 explosive. The power is disconnected and they can’t move. It will take at least 20 minutes to recover. So it is better to move instead of wasting time being surprised.”

“I know! Let’s go!”

Ark immediately led the team out. At the same time, a silver flash flew down from the purple clouds. He had called the Silver Star in advance using the remote control system by the time they arrived at the entrance. Once the Silver Star arrived in front of the laboratory…..

Tol tol tol tol! Tol tol tol tol!

The lower door opened and a rope was lowered.

“Damn! What is this while we’re trying not to die? Change it once you return to Turan!”

Slayer shouted irately as he looked at the rope.

…..Ark was also seriously considering it. Anyway, the team members didn’t have a problem getting on the Silver Star. First it was Ark and the Royal Guards, Slayer, Leon, Sadain and lastly the gunner. Milan who had sat in the cockpit of the Silver Star as soon as he entered shouted.

“Hyung-nim, everyone has boarded!”

“Okay. Close the bottom doors. All injured people should head to the infirmary! Hegel, calculate the energy required to enter the atmosphere and how long it will take to charge.”

“It will require 30 minutes!”

The time needed for the enemy’s ship to restore power was 20 minutes. Meanwhile Ark and his companions had taken 15 minutes to board the Silver Star. If they broke through the atmosphere immediately then they couldn’t escape pursuit. However the Silver Star needed to recharge the energy required to break into the atmosphere. Hegel calculated that the recharge time would be 30 minutes. That meant the enemy’s ship would recover faster!

‘If we’re forced to fight then we’ll be stuck while those guys can move!’

“Milan, turn in the direction of the enemy! Hegel, switch the Silver Star to combat mode. Set the turrets to semi-automatic, load the warheads and calculate the angle. Kalliben, Leon, take the left and right turrets respectively. Smash them before they recover!”

Woong woong woong woong! Woong woong woong woong!

The Silver Star rotated. At the same time, dozens of information windows opened in front of him. Shield related information, number of shells stored in the gun turrets, energy and balance graphs and various information about the targeted enemy ship. This was the view after the Silver Star had switched to battle mode. The front window zoomed in on the ship spewing black smoke. Several red aiming pointers overlapped on the ship and Hegel shouted.

“Enemy ship, targeting is complete!”

“Attack!”

Ark stood up and shouted.

“Hyung-nim, an energy reaction! A massive amount of energy is condensing in front of us! The amount of energy indicates that it is a 3rd grade battleship like the Silver Star! The energy is facing the enemy ship!”

Hegel shouted with surprise after manipulating the dashboard. At the same time, the clouds above the ship the Silver Star was targeting started to whirl and a white light shot downwards. The enemy’s ship didn’t work so the wings started to melt and caused a chain explosion.

“What the hell? All of a sudden……”

Ark raised his head and exclaimed. A spaceship was slowly descending from the purple clouds. The spaceship had a bright red hull! One man was laughing inside the spaceship.

“This is the 2nd competition Ark!”

The man inside the ship was the Red Slaughterer.

TO BE CONTINUED