Vol 15 Chapter 5

SPACE 5. Hero of the Past, Current Hero

“Warrior? Marquis-nim?”

“Eh? Perhaps you didn’t know?”

Hoksullo gazed at him with amazed eyes.

No, what…Ark never asked…he never even thought about it.

But he did think that something was strange. In particular, the battle between the Noblesse and the tentacles. The Noblesse ended up being sunk but Marquis Martin had shown a remarkable leadership ability.

He quickly coped with the situation and took immediate command. A noble was someone who looked through documents. But Ark’s memory showed Marquis Martin’s combativeness. He fought an unidentified enemy with no hesitation. He even seemed to enjoy it.

At the time, Ark had thought ‘is he crazy?’.

“Originally all nobles in the Galactic Federation are required to do military service. But they mainly worked as intelligence officers in the rear headquarters. But Marquis Martin volunteered for the front lines. And not long after the 10 Year War started.”

This was the period where humans had advanced into the galaxy for the first time. They engaged in a fierce war with the Rama for 10 years. Marquis Martin was a small noble on the front lines of the 10 Year War.

“Of course, other nobles also participated in the war. But most of them were commanders who gave orders from the rear. Marquis Martin always fought the enemy at the forefront. It is hard to imagine an ordinary person obtaining such great achievements over 10 years. Assault operation on Guran Asteroid, rescuing the residents of Iberios, recapturing the Taltan Fortress and wiping out the fleet who were using a multidimensional portal to attack Istana were all conducted by Marquis Martin.”

In other words, a war hero! This was the reason why Marquis Martin headed the military faction.

“Marquis Martin is currently the Galactic Federation’s consultant. It isn’t an official title. However, he can still move the armies of the Galactic Federation. Many nobles who served as incumbent generals in the 10 Year War received his help and the soldiers also admire Marquis Martin. The pride of the soldiers in Marquis Martin is amazing. If Marquis Martin requires help then the best elite would be gathered.”

Marquis Martin’s background was completely exposed!

“How do you know so much details?”

“I read his biography.”

There were many biographies about the creation of a war hero. Marquis Martin’s performance earned him a foothold in the military.

‘I didn’t think he was an ordinary NPC but….’

Ark didn’t think his career would be so grand. Fay who had been quietly listening then said.

“He is different from a hero created for promotional activities.”

‘…..It is like that.’

Now he could see why Fay disliked him. Ark had receive  the title of Hero due to his actions on Beltana. The Galactic Federation had promoted this in a huge manner.

Of course, Ark had actually accomplished the achievement. However, Ark was shown on Federation TV as a means to reverse the public’s attitude towards the war.

In Fay’s eyes, Ark wasn’t a hero but a puppet of the military. Fay had so much pride in being under Marquis Martin’s command that it was understandable why he would think that way.

Ark had also caused difficult to Marquis Martin. Especially this incident.

Marquis Martin didn’t need to directly investigate the incident of Ikyullos disappearing. Despite that, he had picked up Ark and they worked together to investigate it. And the result was a total failure. Of course Fey would blame Ark.

Then Hoksullo shook his head at Fay’s attitude.

“Promotional hero? That’s not right! Hyung-nim….”

“Master Sergeant Hoksullo!”

Fay shouted sharply. And he turned his head with an uncomfortable expression.

“This isn’t an official mission but Marquis Martin is still in charge of the military operation. The most important value in the army is discipline and chain of command. Why is a military soldier using that honorific for a mere civilian?”

“B-but Hyung-nim….”

“Sergeant!”

“….I’m really sorry.”

Hoksullo replied helplessly. It was true he was a promotional hero but….

Something hateful became lodged inside him. But Ark couldn’t question it closely. He couldn’t change Fay’s mind and now wasn’t the time to fight him.

So he shut his mouth and trudged through the valley to where Marquis Martin and the Nakuma wreckage was waiting.

“Hey Ark, you are still alive.”

“Marquis-nim. You showed me a great scene.”

Ark replied in a curt voice.

In fact, he was in a bad mood due to Fay’s attitude. On the other hand, he also felt somewhat tricked by Marquis Martin.

Then Marquis Martin made an awkward expression.

“Well, I once….”

“I’ve heard about it. You were once a war hero.”

“I don’t know what you’ve been told but it isn’t a great thing. Sometimes I just stood around yelling. Actually, I struggled to survive every time. The biography only wrote about things like my untiring commitment. You can’t believe those biographies.”

“So it is kind of like my position?”

“Ah, yes. You once became a prison.”

“Yes, just once. It is all thanks to Marquis-nim.”

Ark sneaked a peak at Marquis Martin who laughed.

“Kuk kuk kuk, don’t act like that. Aren’t you also a hero? Heroes should get along with each other.”

“But why are you not laughing?”

“This situation isn’t enough. Why did we fall into a place like this? At least the worst hasn’t happened.  Isn’t that right, Fay?”

“It is like Marquis-nim said.”

Anyway….

The Noblesse suddenly received a surprised attack. Marquis Martin’s personality seemed to change from then on. They encountered an unknown enemy and were stranded on a planet.  Yet he couldn’t find any confusion on the face of Marquis Martin.

Instead of confusion, Marquis Martin actually seemed like he enjoyed the atmosphere? He seemed to be overflowing with vigour compared to when they were in the meeting room. Ark was baffled by Marquis Martin’s mood.

“But there is still a lot of work.”

“It seems so.”

Marquis Martin turned towards the other crew members and replied.

“The safety of the other crew members from the Nakuma can’t be guaranteed. In this situation, the top priority should be to search for the other crew members. Hoksullo, is the communications equipment safe?”

“Yes, but the range is only 2~3 kilometres.”

“I guess so.”

Marquis Martin nodded like he had guessed this.

“But that will be enough.”

“Huh?”

Ark looked doubtful after hearing Marquis Martin’s words.

The Noblesse crew members were scattered all over the planet, not in a narrow area. Even if the range was limited by the scope of the sunspot, that was still an extent of several hundred kilometres He couldn’t understand why being able to search with a range of 2~3 kilometres was enough.

Marquis Martin seemed to see the ‘?’ in Ark’s eyes and asked.

“Perhaps you still don’t know?”

“What is it?”

“The reason why the Captain escapes from the ship last.”

“Well that….”

“Don’t tell me your answer is to save my pride and dignity?”

….That was indeed the answer he was thinking of.

Marquis Martin laughed as Ark blushed.

“Indeed, you don’t have a lot of experience yet. And your idea is wrong. The Captain isn’t the last one to escape in order to preserve their pride. The more important reason is that the crew who escaped first can check the situation. We can watch their situation from behind and devise measures.”

“……!”

“Most of the crew who escaped first fell to the same place. If we orient the communication equipment to the approximate direction then we can grasp the general location. Then we can send the emergency signal to anybody nearby.”

“I found one beyond that stone mountain.”

Fay replied.

“Ark and Hoksullo wasn’t riding that one. Who was on-board?”

“The firemen Nielson and Hekdo. But when I arrived….”

“Nakuma?”

“Yes, according to the words of Ark and Hoksullo who arrived first.”

“It is unpleasant but hopefully they are the only victims in this situation. Although Hekdo and Neilson have played a decisive role in saving their colleagues.”

Marquis Martin said while nodding.

“Once they fell into the sunspot, only 2 emergency pods were throw far away. One was the emergency pod Ark was aboard. And Hekdo and Nielson were riding the other one. In other words, most of the crew should be on the other side of that area.”

Marquis Martin pointed to a rock formation.

“They should be gathered not far from each other over there. It will be easy to find the emergency pods once we get 2~3 kilometres from the area.”

Ark look at Marquis Martin with admiration as he cleaned up the situation. Ark had escaped the Noblesse at the same time as Marquis Martin.

But he hadn’t even thought about looking at the location where the other crew members fell.  He couldn’t afford to worry about the well-being of the other crew members. However, Marquis Martin had thought beyond the current situation.

He was the head of the military faction for a reason. That wasn’t all.

“We’ve figured out the approximate direction so let’s move. We need to hurry to ensure the well-being of the crew.”

Marquis Martin lifted a branch full of centipedes.

“M-Marquis-nim can even eat something like that?”

Hoksullo asked with a wince. Marquis Martin grinned at his astounded expression and replied.

“You have the same reaction. This is nothing compared to the past when I was on the battlefield. At that time, the Star Gates hadn’t been developed and the worst situation could leave you stranded for months. I ate anything that was available in order to not die. Most components of insects in the universe are poisonous but it doesn’t matter after not eating for a few days. Some soldiers even ate the flesh of dead bodies in order to survive. And humans aren’t a fragile species. Some soldiers were even able to chew on ore. These days, the soldiers seem a bit fragile.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Fay blushed at Marquis Martin’s words. He also reacted like Hoksullo when he ate a centipede.

“It isn’t necessary to eat this now because we have food. But the future can’t be guaranteed. If we burn them over a fire then most of the toxins will be alleviated. It is better to have more emergency food available. We shouldn’t eat it if possible.”

This was the reason why Marquis Martin had created a campfire.

Ark ate the centipedes in order to save some food. However, Marquis Martin had food a way to alleviate the toxins and was stockpiling food.

This was the different between the current Ark and Marquis Martin. Marquis Martin who rose to the rank of heroes as the commander of soldiers was different from Ark who became a personal hero.

In a sense, Marquis Martin was a true survivor!

‘I’ve surprisingly learn quite a bit about this NPC.’

Just as Ark was thinking this. Fay hit Ark with his shoulder as he passed by and murmured.

“Do you understand now? The difference between you and Marquis Martin. Hero? Don’t make me laugh.”

Ark had been annoyed when it was previously brought up. At least until now. The shocking battle scene just before they fell onto Ikyullos. He had to admit that Marquis Martin was outstanding as a commander and a warrior.

But he couldn’t complain. Now their top priority was finding a way to escape from Ikyullos. It was good that Marquis Martin was a commander he could trust. Ark might be annoyed by Fay’s attitude but there was no room for pride.

“What are you doing? Go quickly!”

Marquis Martin said lightly. Fay, Ark, Hoksullo and Marquis Martin silently walked through the swirling sandstorm towards the rock formation.

“Marquis-nim, a signal has been detected!”

Hoksullo shouted from behind in a lively voice.

“Three have been caught at the same time. They are 300 metres and 700 metres away from each other!”

“The closest one?”

“2.5 kilometres in the 4 o’clock direction!”

“We will check there first!”

Martin Marquis jumped ahead while shouting.

He was followed by Ark, Fay and Hoksullo. An emergency pod had fallen between stone pillars that rose up like a tree.

However, it wasn’t only the crew that was there. They were surrounded by 20 shadows!

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

The party that appeared on top of a hill could hear the sound of gunshots and explosions. Fay sent Marquis Martin an urgent look.

“Marquis-nim, the Nakuma!”

“Fortunately we’re not too late.”

Marquis Martin grinned and nodded.

“This reminds me of the military escape option on the planet Taoros. At that time, 20 troops were surrounded by 7,000 Rama and we needed to escape. This is nothing compared to that time. Isn’t that right?”

“Of course,  Marquis-nim.”

“I’ll take the lead. Iron Arms!”

Marquis Martin once again summoned the mechanical arm. And he rushed forward like a bison towards the Nakuma.

————————————————————————–

“Hrmm……”

The lush jungle.

A man was sitting under a cliff like it was his house. A skinny but muscular body that was as hard as a rock. The man who seemed to be in his 30s was called Isyuram!

He had flourished in the paid hunting ground on R-14.  And he proudly entered Istana a week ago! Isyuram had unbelievably changed in the meantime.

Once again, Isyuram had only started the game for 10 days so he was a beginner.

However, Isyuram already had 150 subordinates. The Lucifer Hunting team. The 150 people were among the 300 members of the Department of Defense.

They started a few months ago and already reached level 100 in the city of Kurim…..

“I will manage you guys from now on!”

After reaching level 20 on R-14, Isyuram entered Kurim and made that declaration! There was no opposition. The hierarchy of their relationship had already been established in reality.

Thanks to that, Isyuram could completely dominate the 150 people. It was a piece of cake to level up. He just needed to wander the hunting grounds with his level 100 subordinates and lapped up the experience.

A free taxi!

Furthermore, he had good equipment thanks to an ample budget. Isyuram reached level 60 in one week and armed himself with the best equipment.

‘This feels good.’

Isyuram licked his lips as he studied his shiny armour.

It was different from when he started New World. He needed to hide that he was tracking gangsters so he had been alone. Furthermore, he needed to raise the character of the previous investigator who had selected a merchant.

Compared to then, he was now like an emperor.

‘But……’

Isyuram had expected some wonderful action after hearing about the game from Ark. Something like fighting against monsters when armed with guns and swords!

But the reality was that it was boring.

The ream was current hunting level 200 monsters in a party. The level 60 Isyuram didn’t dare interrupt their battle. Of course, he was the leader so he also gained tons of experience. Therefore he didn’t fight and only experienced a boring routine.

‘Now I know what Ark was talking about. I thought it would be fun with the master code but it is just boring!’

But Isyuram wasn’t the only one irritated by the issue. It didn’t just involve him. This was a huge mission for the country of Korea.

Isyuram was frustrated because of that. It was boring but he couldn’t complain. His purpose was to monitor the team. He would directly confirm the results of the team members.

‘Can these circumstances continue?’

He thought about it in vain. Thus Isyuram was in a depressed mood.

Then a team member, Harper came back to report to Isyuram.

“Captain-nim, the terrain exploration is over. The ruins of the Alkan Clan that we were seeking is over this cliff. There’s only a little bit more to grow. Our team has investigated the Alkan Clan and determined that they can use mysterious techniques to install amazing power into ordinary equipment. Hopefully we’ll be able to obtain significantly advanced equipment during the exploration.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Harper said excitedly but Isyuram didn’t seem inspired.

Isyuram didn’t care about finding ruins. Besides, he couldn’t wear most of the equipment found in the ruins. Isyuram had nothing to do with this issue.

However, it was his work. Isyuram looked up at the cliff.

“Then we better hurry. It will be harder to climb the cliff in the dark.”

“Huh? What does that mean…..?”

“Why? Are my words strange? Don’t we have to climb the cliff to reach the Alkan Clan’s ruins? We should rush before it becomes evening.”

“…Pfff!”

Harper burst out laughing. His eyes became annoyed and Harper quickly shook his head.

“Ah, I’m really sorry. I forgot that Captain-nim is still a beginner in Galaxian. Didn’t you previously play the game New World? New World is a game with a medieval fantasy background. But this is Galaxian. The 24th century with spaceships flying. Does it make sense to climb a cliff without any gear in this day and age?”

“Then you have equipment to go up?”

“Hey, show him.”

Harper turned his head and said.

Then one of the team members took out something. It was a metal frame with a ‘大 ‘ shape. The team member fixed the frame to his body with a belt and pulled the handle to cause fire to be emitted from the bottom? Harper noticed Isyuram’s confusion at the scene and said.

“This is the exploration equipment called Skywalker.  Climbing cliffs hundreds of metres high in the jungle won’t be a problem.”

“…You bought it?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. 500 gold.”

“……Expensive.”

“The machine is a little on the expensive side. My team has 15 people so it cost 7,500 gold. But don’t you think the investment is worth it? We are elites trying to solve this country’s problem.”

“….Hrmm!”

Isyuram nodded. And he pulled out a rifle from his backpack and aimed it.

Tutung! Pajik!

Fire blazed from the crew member using the Skywalker. Even if he was level 60, shooting wasn’t a problem for Isyuram. Once he pressed the trigger, the bullet accurately penetrated the Skywalker that was 30 metres away.

At the same time, sparks rose and the member playing with the Skywalker vertically dropped! He was stuck upside down in the ground and required emergency treatment.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Shut up, you bastard!”

Isyuram yelled at Harper.

“How much was that machine that was destroyed with one shot by a level 60 person? 500 gold? 7,500 gold for 15 people? Are you just playing around? What is 7,500 gold worth to you? If 7,500 gold was turned into cash then it would be 7 million won. You invested that much money into a toy? Do you think I’m joking around now?”

“But we….”

“Civil servants eat the taxes of mothers and fathers. Yet you guys used tax money on such rubbish. Now I know. Why a budget of 15 billion won went into this game. My head couldn’t understand it. It was because you casually buy toys worth 500 gold then the budget is 15 billion won.”

“Captain-nim, these words are too much!”

“Too much?”

“Like I said, this equipment is necessary for the mission. Our mission is to equip ourselves so that we can handle Lucifer. We have to grow as much as possible during this time. We need to complete quests and level up faster than others. The Skywalker is an investment for this reason. Think about it realistically. We would waste a lot of time climbing up the cliff.”

“Aha!”

Isyuram laughed and nodded.

“Now I know. The work I should do here.”

“Work?”

“I need to repair your rotten spirits.”

Isyuram stared at Harper and the team with gleaming eyes.

“Level? Equipment? Yes, they are important in a game. But will you die if you wear a bullet-proof jacket? Won’t the bullet just bounce off? How funny. The most important thing with soldiers is their mentality. An indomitable spirit is required to overcome obstacles.  Hey soldier, are my words wrong?”

“But this world is a game!”

“T.h.e.r.e.f.o.r.e! Mentality is even more important!”

Isyuram’s eyes seemed to bore into Harper’s spirit.

“It seems to me that you lot are sturdy men. Perhaps not many people can beat you in a 1-on-1 fight. But that is in reality. Here you are no different from the general population. Level? There will always be users you can’t keep up with. Equipment? It is the same for that as well. Therefore the spirit of a soldier needs to be better than the general public. It is a matter of mentality. Won’t it also be easier in regards to the public’s taxes? Shouldn’t you raise your mindset?”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

“What else? Are your hands and feet just decorations?”

“You want us to use our bodies to climb to the top of these cliffs?”

“Of course.”

“T-that is ridiculous….!”

Harper’s face darkened at Isyuram’s reply.

“Are you insane? This is a game but the physical laws of reality also applies here! In addition, hasn’t Captain-nim adjusted the pain values to 100%? It is impossible to climb the cliff in such a state. And if we fall and die then it will feel like our bodies actually shattered!”

Isyuram’s answer to Harper’s words…..

“That is the optimum conditions.”

He indicated with his thumb. And he made a solemn expression before dropping a bombshell announcement.

“Extreme conditions are ideal to train your spirit. It will definitely be effective. That’s why I’m banning all team members from using the Skywalkers. Take off your climbing gear. Is that clear?”

“Oh my god! Then there is no benefits?”

“No benefits? Why do you assume that?”

Isyuram snorted.

“I heard this from a user that I know.”

A user who had 10 NPC subordinates.

However, the body and spirit of his subordinates were too fragile. Usually a user would discard the subordinate due to disappointment. However, he didn’t give up.

He believed in them and spared no effort to train his subordinates. And they were willing to accept the painful ordeal!

“A miracle happened.”

Their stamina increased. Concentration rose after they were chased by a bee swarm. Strength increased when they climbed a cliff.

“I wept after listening to him. A miracle was created due to the subordinate’s faith. And a tough body and spirit was born.”

He was talking about Ark and his team members. Ark had told this story when recommending Galaxian to Isyuram. This tremendous adaptation ability….

“But the outcome is just their mental attitudes. Their stats only climbed by 1 point at most. This is insignificant for you guys who have already crossed level 100. One piece of equipment can increase your stats by 10~20 points. But they overcame this with their own effort. On the other hand, what about you? You entered this world a few months earlier than me. But you didn’t even discover this method to raise your stats.”

Isyuram gazed at Harper and his team with a scornful expression.

“It is because you didn’t work hard! You never tried! Isn’t this a result of your rotten spirit? How can a team with such rotten spirits face Lucifer? Don’t hope a miracle. We have to do the best we can. You are only eligible to use the public’s tax money when you are blood and sweat stained!”

It was a statement that didn’t add up. But Isyuram’s words shook the heart of the team members. The taxpayers’ money!

The rice they ate in reality and in the game was due to the taxpayers’ money. But their thought of their own family after hearing Isyuram’s words. They couldn’t accept such a thing!

“We were too short-sighted!”

“My eyes are finally opened!”

“We will follow Captain-nim’s will!”

The team members clenched their fists and shouted. And they started climbing up the hundreds of metres high cliff with their bare skin.

Of course, this wasn’t an easy task. These soldiers had received special training but they had never climbed cliffs this high with bare skin. Moreover, their pain setting was 100% real!

“Ugh! My shoulders are falling. I can’t even move a finger.”

They felt vivid muscle pain. However, the team members didn’t give up. The atmosphere was extremely heated because they didn’t like the thought that they were wasting the taxpayers’ money.

“Pant! Aaaaaaack!”

The crew didn’t fall down.

“Pant pant, don’t look back! Pant pant, we are fighting for our country!”

“Ugh! We are soldiers of South Korea!”

“Pant pant pant! Pant pant! We can’t lose our courage!”

“Pant pant pant! My comrades should climb over my dead body, pant pant! In the future, pant! In the future, pant pant pant!”

The members started singing an army song. They encouraged themselves with pale faces and called out to their comrades until their throats were sore. And they moved one trembling arm after another.

After 10 hours, the sky lightened as dawn arrived.

“T-this is normal!”

“I really did it! I climbed up!”

“We did it! Follow Captain-nim’s words!”

2 members of the 13 crew members finally arrived on top of the cliff. And tears dripped down as they stared at the rising sun with overwhelming emotions. It was the best feeling in the middle of a game!

No one could feel ashamed of themselves. Their self-esteem rose after successfully climbing the cliff. Yet they were unaware of something.

The story about Ark and the Royal Guards that Isyuram talked about…. The Royal Guards had their abilities adjusted because they were NPCs. If users did this then their stats wouldn’t change by even 0.00001.

————————————————————————–

“…..We’re late.”

“Yes. We took too much time.”

Marquis Martin sighed and nodded.

2 bodies that looked like beehives were scattered in front of them. There was no need to think about it. Only a metal skeleton of the emergency pod remained. The crew members had been killed by the Nakuma.

“I didn’t expect all the crew members to be unharmed but this is still heartbreaking.”

“But at least many of them still managed to join Marquis-nim.”

Fay said as he looked at the people around them. As Marquis Martin said, all the emergency pods from the Noblesse were gathered in one area.

After Hoksullo detected 3 emergency signals simultaneously, he detected most of the emergency pods in a range of a dozen kilometres. And most of them were being attacked by Nakuma. Marquis Martin, Ark, Hoksullo and Fay earnestly started their rescue operation.

It wasn’t easy in the beginning. They took a lot of time to handle the Nakuma.

But once the rescue was successful, their numbers increased. Once their numbers increased, their battle speed became faster and they managed to find all the emergency pods within half a day. But that didn’t mean all the crew members were rescued.

50 emergency pods had escaped from the Noblesse. However, more than 20 were being attacked by Nakuma when Marquis Martin’s group arrived.

Although they fought fiercely, some of the members had been killed by the Nakuma. But 60 crew members managed to join them.

“More than half has been rescued. It is all thanks to Marquis-nim determining the location when the emergency pods were falling. That alone is enough to make Marquis-nim deserve the title of hero, unlike someone else.”

“Captain Fay-nim, words like that are a little….”

Hoksullo frowned at Fay’s attitude.

“You’ve talked about Ark-nim many times. He is still lacking compared to Marquis-nim but he does deserve the title of hero.”

“I feel like that as well.”

“Then why are you like this?”

Fay turned around. Fay as looking at Ark who was….

Dwijik dwijik, kang kang! Dwijik dwijik, kang kang!

He was looking through the remnants of the Nakuma for useful parts. Fay shook his head with a disgusted expression.

“I can’t attach the word hero to someone with that type of behaviour.”

“Hyung-nim….no, Ark-nim!”

“Huh? Why?”

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking? I’ve looking for useful parts.”

“That’s not what I’m asking! Is this the time to be doing something like that? The search for the crew members is over but we are still in a distressed state! We need to discuss how to escape this planet!”

“Okay, I understand. Just let me look behind that.”

Ark searched through the wreckage before jumping out.

“Yes, what should we talk about from now on?”

“Really….”

Hoksullo sighed and shook his head.

On the other hand, Fay seemed to be having trouble holding back his tongue. Ark wasn’t stupid. He knew why Hoksullo and Fay made such expressions.

But to be honest….

Ark had no room to complain.

He naturally didn’t like Fay’s attitude. However, Fay’s words weren’t completely wrong. Ark might be called Beltana’s Hero but it was true that he was lacking compared to Maquis Martin.

It wasn’t just looking at combat power. Ark was always at the forefront when battling with the Nakuma. But it wasn’t a desperate fight like the one on the stone mountain. No, he didn’t need to desperately fight. He didn’t need to use any special skill and just moved on to another Nakuma after a hit.

There was a reason for it. The Nakuma were mechanical lifeforms. Ark used a sword to damage their shield but his offense decreased once their shields were removed.

On the other hand, Marquis Martin and the other crew members mainly used guns as their weapons. It was more efficient for Ark to move on to another Nakuma once the shield was disabled.

But Ark didn’t explain that.

And there were no complaints. He used such an excuse to strike the Nakuma and gain experience.

In the meantime, his level had risen once again. In addition, he summoned Bao to steal some experience as will! Bao gained 11 levels in half a day to reach 50.

Furthermore, Ark also gobbled up the loot after the battle ended! Marquis Martin and Fay didn’t care about such spoils.

It was incomprehensible to Ark. Of course, the situation wasn’t good. It felt bad to see the bodies of their colleagues. But this was a different problem.

Picking up the loot didn’t change the fact that their colleagues were dead. It was unthinkable that he wouldn’t pick up money right in front of him.

And there wasn’t enough time for Ark to build a friendship with them so he didn’t feel the bitterness of the crew’s death. Therefore there was a suk sak suk sound at the end of every battle.

Kang kang (sound of metal moving)!

He used Metallurgy to pick up the expensive machinery.

In addition to Fay, the other crew members didn’t look at Ark with a good expression….

It wasn’t just that.

–The terrain here isn’t good. We need to lure the Nakuma.

–We should think about how to divide the personnel. But there isn’t enough communications equipment to distribute. The troops joining them meant they couldn’t move quickly. The distance limitation was 500 metres. Several emergency supplies were distributed.

–If we rush blindly then our colleagues might be at risk from the Nakuma. It is necessary to divide the army to lessen the attention of the Nakuma.

–There are quite a few of them. In this case, a frontal breakthrough might be better.

Marquis Martin was an ambassador. Marquis Martin didn’t need to think after the small fight with the tentacles.

He immediately determined the situation and moved into action. His personality was completely different from Ark who always carefully prepared for a situation. But that didn’t mean that Marquis Martin was wrong.

Whether his judgement was correct or not, Marquis Martin’s quick judgement and behaviour was effective to give confidence to the crew members. Ark was less helpful as he stood next to Marquis Martin.

No, he wasn’t just doing that.

Sometimes you will have a chance to meet NPC heroes with great leadership on the battlefield. Study the leadership ability of the commander. Watching the commander leading their subordinates or using tactic can give you enlightenment. Your leadership has increased by watching Marquis Martin who has once been lauded as a hero.

<Leadership +15>

His leadership had risen.

In half a day, his leadership rose all the way to 40 points! This was the bonus to watching a hero like Marquis Martin.

Fay’s acted like that because he was Marquis Martin’s subordinate. Watching Marquis Martin would affect the way he commanded the employees of Dark Eden.

Anyway!

Ark gained quite a bit even in this situation. The crew members might look at him with dissatisfied eyes but he didn’t make any excuses.

Justification was useless! This was Ark’s unchanging view of life.

It was different if he was talking about his information sponsor, the VVIP Marquis Martin.

“You shouldn’t pack parts in this situation.”

Again, there is no such thing as a free giveaway.

“You should consider my circumstances. I’m not rich like Marquis-nim. I might be a sector manager but I always need more money to maintain it.”

“Then you should go back alive.”

“Marquis-nim has an idea?”

“I don’t.”

Marquis Martin replied with a grin.

“At the moment, all the surviving crew members have joined us. Now what should we do?”

“Marquis-nim, why are you saying such a thing….?”

“Stop.”

Marquis Martin cut off Fay. And his eyes narrowed as he looked back at Ark.

“Why don’t you look at the remnants of the Nakuma? You were the only member on the Noblesse who managed to see Ikyullos. That wasn’t a coincidence. Furthermore, you didn’t seem distressed when the crew members were worrying about how to escape this planet. I think that you know what to do. Please speak. Do you see something that we can’t?”

Ark was startled. He didn’t think Marquis Martin’s insight would be so keen. Martin’s words were true.

Ark hadn’t lost his spirit. The crew members couldn’t find a way to escape from Ikyullos. Ark’s purpose wasn’t to escape from Ikyullos but to restore it to its original state!

Therefore Ark had been looking for ‘something’ the entire time. Ark had detected a black shape that emerged from the bodies of the Nakuma.

‘I didn’t know when I saw it on the stone mountain but now I am sure. The Nakuma wasn’t just sucked into the sky. They all moved in one direction. That place!’

Ark gazed at the eye of the sandstorm. A vortex connected the back sky and earth. The vortex started swirling a few hours after they started rescuing the crew members.

The black shapes that emerged from the Nakuma had headed towards the vortex. However, Marquis Martin didn’t seem to see the black vortex.

Ark could only see it because he invoked the Hajaska rune.

‘I was able to view Ikyullos with Hajaska. And the vortex too. Then the vortex might be related to the disappearance incident.’

It was natural to reach such a conclusion.

“Over there right?”

Marquis followed Ark’s gaze and nodded.

“Huh? Did you know about it?”

“I wasn’t sure. I just received an exhilarating feeling from something over there. Aren’t my senses amazing?”

“It is a little scary.”

“Anyone would develop these senses after 10 years on the battlefield. But I don’t have the ability to see what is over there. You are better than me in that regards. Nothing comes for free in this world.”

Marquis Martin laughed and answered.

“There is no need to hesitate if you see something with your eyes. Fay and the crew members. The rations are falling so hurry if you don’t want to eat centipedes.”

They launched into action after Marquis Martin’s words. Then he sneaked a peek at Fay and said.

“How is it? The heroes these days aren’t entirely useless.”

“We’ll see.”

“You will gradually start to realize it.”

Marquis Martin burst into laughter as he started moving.

Almost half the crew members of the Noblesse had been lost after landing on the planet. And there was no knowing what would happen at the destination they were heading to.

Ark’s image of Marquis Martin had also completely changed. That wasn’t a bad thing. If he dared to say it….

If an NPC could see message windows then they would see the user’s appreciation.

Appreciation -1000!

Fay might see that message. Ark was also a person….