WuxiaWorldEU

Vol 1 Chapter 3

s.p.a.cE 3. From the Beginning Again

R-14’s central plaza. s.p.a.ce ships occupied one entire side of the plaza. Hundreds of eyes looked around every time a ship made a noise. People playing with their Nymphes were scattered here and there. Hundreds of ships continuously flew down towards the docks and the amount of people around was reminiscent of Yeoido Plaza when it was the World Cup. They were the users who had just begun Galaxian. Of course they were keenly interested! If they grasped the new system and raised their level faster than other people then they had a chance of conquering the universe first. Deep in a corner of the central plaza. There was a young man wrapped in a gloomy aura. The young man locked in a gloomy atmosphere was Ark. Ark looked out the window with spiritless eyes.

“That is Earth……”

The earth where humanity lived used to shine with a blue light. But the Earth that he saw through the window had turned to a dark brown. The ignorant humans had been too greedy and turned it into a barren land 200 years ago. In the end they left Earth for s.p.a.ce, making them seem like shameless children eating off their parents until coldly discarding them after the parents died. When Ark first came to R-14, he hadn’t been interested in Earth. He just thought it was a good setting as a background. Now he felt different. His circ.u.mstances weren’t much different from the earth dying because of human greed. The difference between Ark and the earth was that he was the cause of his suffering. Ark blankly stared at the earth while pulling at his hair.

“Stupid! b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

More knowledge would only cause confusion. That was Ark’s theory. But he was starting a new game. When Ark stated New World a long time ago, he had experienced some troubles because he didn’t know the basic information. Well, it was thanks to that incident that Ark managed to find a hidden cla.s.s and became the strongest in New World. Therefore Ark made sure to learn the basic information about Galaxian. One thing he learnt was the revival system.

- <galaxian>-This is the revival system in Galaxian.</galaxian>

<galaxian>-Through the cloning technique discovered in the 2000’s, users will automatically have the registered genetic information restored as flesh after they die. The body will be 100% identical to the registered information.</galaxian>

<galaxian>-If you use this system then considerable resources are needed to restore the body.</galaxian>

<galaxian>-The higher level a registered person it, the more resources it would consume. If you lack the necessary resources then the body might not be restored properly. The damage to the body and spirit is intense and you might end up disabled for your whole life. However, the federal government wants to encourage s.p.a.ce pioneering so this service will be free for beginner pioneers.</galaxian>

<galaxian>-There is the revival system so I don’t have to worry even if I die!</galaxian>

<galaxian>-Please use this.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘Don’t have to worry even if I die?’</galaxian>

<galaxian>……It was sugar-coating it. If he died then he would be 100% restored using the registered genetic information. This meant he wouldn’t lose experience or stats if he died. Of course it cost a lot of money but it was better than the normally severe death penalty in other virtual reality games. However, this system was a trap. Only the genetic information stored would be revived. If he raised his character from level 1 to level 100 and didn’t register the information, he would be reset to level 1 if he died. Furthermore, there also weren’t many revival systems. Only places of civilization like towns would have one. Once the user left the beginner area and started earnestly exploring the universe, it would be difficult to find a revival system in certain areas. In other words, if he died during fighting in the field then all that experience would disappear.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘Dammit, don’t worry?’</galaxian>

<galaxian>It was like the system was saying not to level up.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“I was aware……”</galaxian>

<galaxian>R-14’s revival system was in the central plaza. The revival system was the first thing he saw when he first started the game. But Ark never registered. This was due to the mileage quest reward so he never dared to leave the hunting ground for fear of losing his spot. In addition, there were thousands of users hunting in the 2nd district so he could count the number of dead users during his 5 hours with his fingers. He never even considered that the legendary gamer Ark would die in such a place. This was the penalty he received for his arrogance.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘All my experience from the 5 hours hunting has flown away!’</galaxian>

<galaxian>5 hours of experience wasn’t a long time in game hours. But now those 5 hours felt like a whole life time to Ark. It was a lifetime of experience. Ark also lost the ‘s.p.a.ce Combat’ skill that he learnt. However, that wasn’t Ark’s main problem now.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘The problem is the dagger!’</galaxian>

<galaxian>To be exact, it was the broken dagger. Naturally the dagger wasn’t restored by the revival system. The experience could probably be recovered but the dagger was gone forever. It might just be a basic beginner dagger but it was Ark’s only weapon and fortune. Now his entire fortune had disappeared. But he still had hope when he revived. He had completed the quest 8 times so he could turn in the mileage points for bonus compensation. ‘This might be a beginner quest but I can’t survive without a dagger.’ So Ark had visited Bhurad after reviving. However, the visit to Bhurad just caused despair.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Your mileage has been destroyed.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Huh? D-destroyed?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Didn’t you hear what I said? I can’t give rewards to someone who died from a s.p.a.ce bug.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>He remembered hearing something like that when receiving the quest.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“But I built up some mileage before I died.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“The acc.u.mulated mileage needs to be registered to get the reward. If you died during a mission then all that mileage will disappear. You came here without knowing something like that? If you didn’t understand then you should’ve just taken the reward every time.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“You said that you recommended the mileage……”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“What? Do you intend to blame me?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Bhurad’s face turned serious. Naturally Ark was furious since it felt like he had been scammed of his mileage. He really wanted to rip off the beard but there was still the matter of the dagger. What profit would a level 1 character have if he grasped the neck of a NPC? Ark sighed and tried to appeal to his sympathy.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Actually, I broke my dagger while fighting the s.p.a.ce bugs. If I don’t receive compensation then I can’t do anything. Can you please look over this matter one time?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>He grinded his teeth.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“The revival system is expensive A trivial pioneer like you won’t have that much money. Due to the federal policy, R-14 has no choice but to offer a free service after the proliferation of pioneers so the budget is suffering. Nevertheless, some pioneers are still trying to play tricks. The s.p.a.ce station wouldn’t be able to keep operating if I did something like this. So just think of it as a fee.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>The explanation didn’t help. Curses rose in his throat but he pushed it down. He wanted to ask more questions but…..</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Ah, can you get out of the way if your request is finished?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Are you the only one receiving the quest? Don’t you know there are people waiting?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>The players behind him became impatient so he was forced to leave. It was regrettable. There were a lot of things he wanted to question. However, wasn’t a NPC just a system? Of course, if his intimacy with the NPC was higher than something might’ve been possible. But he only talked to Bhurad when accepting the s.p.a.ce bug quest. And since Ark died, his spot in the 2nd district was gone. Even if he tried to get employed again, what party would invite him when Ark didn’t even have a dagger? It was a crisis where there was a possibility that he would become homeless!</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘And the cause of that…..’</galaxian>

<galaxian>At first he blamed Bhurad for not explaining properly. He then blamed himself for not reading the quest related information properly. However, Ark realized the fundamental problem after becoming depressed in a corner.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘Yes, the problem was my mental state from the beginning.’</galaxian>

<galaxian>When he first started Galaxian, he was starting from level 1. He didn’t realize it but he had a sense of ent.i.tlement from his status as a legendary gamer and had a different att.i.tude from the other gamers. He used the name ‘Ark’ in his job advertis.e.m.e.nts and unreasonably fighting with 3 people was also the result of that arrogance. It was the arrogance created by becoming a legendary gamer! Once he thought about it, all his problems started from there.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘I thought that my lack of level and skills wouldn’t matter when fighting the s.p.a.ce bugs. But it isn’t like this. Obviously New World’s Ark was strong. If I enter again I will be strong. But it is different. Ark is only strong in New World. I thought if I created Ark then I would have the power of the strongest character behind it…..’</galaxian>

<galaxian>There was no reason for him not to be strong. He didn’t need to worry before fighting. Ark never realized that his abilities as a warrior were rusty. Ark thought he wasn’t accustomed to battling in Galaxian but he had actually lost his battle sense a long time ago. Even the strongest warrior would become old once he sits down on a throne…..</galaxian>

<galaxian>Ark slapped his cheeks with both hands. Ark didn’t start this game to become idle. He came in here with a clear goal. Of course, Ark wanted to stop Lucifer but he didn’t have a ‘Saviour’ disease. He didn’t fall into the delusion that he was Superman. However, he wanted to achieve it once he accepted. He would make a strong resolution to accomplish it. It was with this confidence that he was able to make a deal with the government. His overconfidence ended him with him making a huge mistake.</galaxian>

<galaxian>‘If I continue to be depressed then I can’t fix this!’</galaxian>

<galaxian>Ark realized his mistake after reflecting. However, there was no time to dwell on the past. If he couldn’t abandon his regret then he wouldn’t be able to move forward. Ark discarded his regret and thought again.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“I’m not the hero of New World here. There is no legendary gamer. This is a starting point. Right now I am the beginner pioneer Ark who just entered the universe.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Ark shook off everything that happened. At the same time, the legendary gamer Ark died. And the level 1 beginner pioneer Ark was born. Ark now knew what to do. Something appropriate for a level 1 user!</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Hehehe, h.e.l.lo?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Ark greeted while fiddling with his hands nervously. Bhurad sent him a look and declared sharply.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“What? You still can abandon your regrets?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Bhurad didn’t have a good opinion of Ark after the mileage problem. Ark shook his head and spoke quickly.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“No. I became extremely embarra.s.sed after recovering my senses. After staying in that corner and thinking, I realized that it was my fault.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“I’m glad you understand.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“So I wanted to visit you to apologize.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Apologize?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Yes, I was too short-sighted. How many people have come to R-14 now? I can’t fathom how you deal with so many stupid people alone. For someone like me to question you about mileage, it is natural that you would become angry.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Ark said while continuing to wring his hands. This was what Ark came up with. If he raised his public image with NPCs in a virtual reality game then it would benefit him. Ark knew that the intimacy system also existed in Galaxian. However, he had wanted to leave the beginner area after starting the game so he didn’t feel the need to raise his intimacy with the NPCs. But now the situation had changed. Ark’s dagger was broken so he was literally a beggar! The conclusion Ark came up with was that he needed to talk. The other users also thought like Ark and wanted to escape from the beginner area.</galaxian>

<galaxian>Therefore Ark was the only one trying to get close to a NPC. So he was going to raise his intimacy with Bhurad! That was the first thing Ark needed to do now. In fact, this was an area that Ark was an expert in. Ark was a user who could act subservient to a NPC. Once he decided, his tongue moved smoothly like oil.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Actually, I’ve been watching while lingering in the corner of the plaza. And I realized that you never sat down despite how many hours pa.s.sed.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“That is the regulations for the crew…..”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“I also realized this. I became really impressed after watching you thoroughly stick to the rules.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“The att.i.tude of the crew is recorded on the CCTV…..”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“That’s not it. It would be the same even if there was no CCTV! How many civil servants could still act like that despite receiving complaints? Bhurad-nim is someone with firm beliefs. You are indeed the paragon of a civil servant.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Bhurad had a bad impression of Ark but his smooth words gradually loosened him up. Not a lot of time was needed for the effects to show.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Can’t you make it a little quicker? Don’t you know there are people waiting?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Hey! Can’t you see that I’m speaking now? Why are you making such a fuss?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Bhurad scowled and retorted after hearing the users’ complaints. And his expression softened after looking at Ark.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Well, in regards to my words earlier. Like you said, my nerves are slightly sensitive after being swarmed by so many new pioneers. Please understand.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“How can I not understand? It is the rules.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Yes, in fact I also felt sorry regarding your situation. But how can I go against the rules? Although I have a pain in my heart, I can’t do anything despite my position. So I hope you don’t dwell too much on the past and firm up your heart.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Thank you. I might’ve lost my dagger after just entering the universe but I’m glad I can meet someone who gave me sincere advice.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“Aha! This friend, are you trying to make me tear up?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>Bhurad sent him a worried look.</galaxian>

<galaxian>“By the way, what are you going to do now? You don’t have your dagger so won’t it be difficult for you to find a job?”</galaxian>

<galaxian>“That’s why I wanted to ask Bhurad-nim. I don’t have a dagger so I can’t catch the s.p.a.ce bugs and I don’t know anyone here. So I wanted to ask Bhurad-nim if there is any work other than catching a s.p.a.ce bug.”</galaxian>

<galaxian>This was one of the reasons why he tried to restore the relationship with Bhurad. This was the beginner area. The users were starting Galaxian for the first time so there would be some type of basic tutorial. This was a place where users would come and go like a tide so the <s.p.a.ce>quest couldn’t be the only one. After checking around the docks and plaza, the only quests he could receive had to do with fighting. Therefore Ark had felt hopeless until now. But when he thought about it, it was somewhat strange. There was a chance that users other than Ark would break the dagger at an early stage. If they were handling a weapon for the first time then there was a chance that it would break so they needed other ways to eat. Of course, the ones who held the key were NPCs. Bhurad was the manager of R-14’s training centre so he was influential. Their relationship was shaken after the mileage problem but a little appreciation changed that.</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>“I have no other work…..this place certainly isn’t lacking in manpower. Well, there are the maintenance jobs that most people shun in favour of catching the s.p.a.ce bugs. That is…..”</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>Bhurad suddenly raised his head.</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>“Ah, that’s right. I recently talked to the manager of sector 7 who was complaining. He might have a job for you but…..”</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>“Even if you work there all day, you’ll only receive a few copper coins. Is that still okay?”</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>If this continued then he would become homeless. This wasn’t a situation where he could choose between cold rice or hot rice.</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>“Indeed, I’m sure you will. Then follow that pa.s.sage and you will reach sector 7. Find someone called Cheksun and tell him that I sent you.”</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>“Thank you. I’ll work hard and will come back after preparing another dagger.”</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>“Okay. I’ll be waiting……”</s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce>Bhurad muttered with a concerned look but Ark didn’t pay him any attention. Having work was better than leaving empty handed. Ark ran like the wind towards sector 7. R-14 was always lighted up and s.p.a.ce was seen through the windows so it was hard to get a concept of time but it was actually evening now. So the users saturated R-14 increased even more and most of them were in the 1~5 sectors for the <s.p.a.ce>quest. Thus from sector 6 onwards, it became noticeably quieter as these were the management facilities.He finally entered sector 7.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>Ark looked around with wide eyes. The first thing he saw were pipes. The pipes were tangled like spider webs inside a huge forest like s.p.a.ce. But the thing that stimulated Ark’s curiosity were the deep jellyfish like existences hanging around the pipes. No, they were NPCs who looked like deep black octopuses. One octopus was wandering around holding a bucket that contained various tools.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>‘What are those octopuses? Are they livestock that are being raised here?’</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>Then he heard a rough voice from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a scowling man wearing overalls covered in oil. Although he had a bald head, he was still a human.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“Are you Cheksun?”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“I am Ark. Bhurad told me that you had a job request.”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“A job request? Did you hear what you have to do?”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“I didn’t hear about it.”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“Sheesh!”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>Cheksun clicked his tongue. He indicated towards the pipes and said.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“That right there is your work. Do you see the pipes? That is R-14’s air circulation device. All of the air in R-14 pa.s.ses through that device. The job is to clean the pipes. You have to crawl inside the pipes, remove any impurities, tighten the gears and oil them. Can you do something like that?”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“Everybody says that.”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>Cheksun snorted.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“Many ignorant novices who had newly arrived at R-14 tried before you came. They all said they would work hard but then ended up leaving after 1 hour. d.a.m.n, there’s no one with guts these days.”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“I’m different.”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>Ark replied in a firm voice. That’s right. Ark was different from those users. The users who first visited here probably thought there would be a hidden quest. So they accepted as soon as a quest was given but ended up giving up. However, Ark’s position was different from the users who only visited due to curiosity. He didn’t have a dagger like everyone else. After losing the dagger, he had been lost in despair and also ate his s.p.a.ce Food and drank his Purified Water. If he didn’t find a job then he might by the first user in Galaxian to die of starvation! He would do whatever it took. He had to gather enough money to buy a dagger.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>“Just watch me. I won’t disappoint you.”</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>Ark replied in a disciplined voice. Cheksun just nodded with an expression that didn’t expect much.</s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce>- <cleaning>This is maintenance work to clean R-14’s air circulation pipes. The air circulation system is an important facility that maintains R-14. It is notorious for being the worse working environment in R-14.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Difficulty: –</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>He finally received a quest. The newly born Ark started cleaning the pipes.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Ark wiped the sweat and raised his head. The previous black area was now polished beautifully. Watching the pipe turn out like that was refreshing……</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>The pipe used to be filled with dirt and had a bad smell but now it had become beautiful thanks to Ark. Ark felt refreshed but didn’t feel like wiping it again.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>“Has it been a few days already? I’ve really gone around the place.”</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>The quest had no rank. Ark knew there was a difference in compensation. After receiving the quest from Cheksun, he could get a reward for it every time he cleaned a 200 metre long pipe. The time it took to crawl inside a narrow pipe and scrub it took around 30 minutes. It wasn’t a quest that took a long time but the problem was the reward!</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>“I worked for hard for 30 minutes and I can only receive 40 copper…..”</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Despite being set in the future, Galaxian used copper, silver and gold coins as currency. It was unexpected but there was a reason for it. The future of humanity built a s.p.a.ce colony and there weren’t only humans in the galaxy. Alien species and even robots existed. The bills humans used were just pieces of paper to them. The common currency in the universe was minerals such as gold, silver and copper. In other words, they used gold, silver and copper. No, that didn’t matter right now. Who cared if the money was in dollar, euro or yens?</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>The important thing was that he was being paid in copper, the currency with the lowest value. 100 copper was 1 silver, 100 silver was 1 gold. In other words, 1 gold was 10,000 copper. In the previous virtual reality game, 1 gold was traded in for 10,000 won so 40 copper was only 40 won….. That was the value in reality but 40 copper wasn’t a lot of money in Galaxian. Yet Ark still didn’t lose hope.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>‘I can receive 40 copper for crawling inside the pipe, cleaning it, tightening and oiling. It certainly isn’t a lot of money compared to how much I got in New World. It is natural. But I have to do it. Is 40 copper really 40 won?’</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>If he completed the quest 10 times then he got 40 silver! Ark expected that he could get a weapon and raced to the central square. However, any hope of acquiring a weapon crumbled as he saw the daggers on the shelves.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>-Modified Alloy Dagger</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Item type: Dagger Wearer Restriction: –</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Attack: 4-5 Durability: 25/25</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>A used dagger commonly found in s.p.a.ce. It is an easy dagger to use outdoors. The federal government wants to encourage beginner pioneers so it is sold at a discount.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Beginner pioneer special discount price: 1 gold and 50 silver</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>It was the least expensive dagger and it was 1 gold 50 silver!…..That was also the special discount price. Ark dealt with hundreds of thousands of gold in New World but now 1 gold and 50 silver was an astronomical amount to him. 1 gold and 50 silver! 15,000 copper! He had to complete the pipe cleaning quest 375 times. That was cleaning 75 kilometres.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>“No way! This isn’t work but exploitation!”</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>No wonder why the users who visited with curiously broke straight away. Earning 40 copper for every 200 metres? But Ark had no other choice. If he couldn’t even earn 10 copper then he would starve to death. Despite the exploitation of his hard labour, he couldn’t report Cheksun to the human labour services.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>‘Those octopuses…..!’</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>Ark glared at the octopuses. Sector 7 was the first place he saw the octopuses. They were like octopuses. No, their appearances were 100% octopuses but they were actually an alien species called Charenjok. He asked Cheksun about them.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>“Originally this didn’t need a lot of maintenance. It was fine when I first started. But a few years ago, the situation once the Charenjok refugees started flooding in. The Charenjok are stupid and don’t know what to do. Despite that, the galactic federation accepted them as refugees so we gave them the pipe cleaning job. We understood the circ.u.mstances and gave them enough for meals but that has placed a burden on the budget. So we have no choice but to cut the compensation for the job.”</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>The influx of foreign workers had caused the wages to fall. A problem in the 21st century was recreated in the 24th century.</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>“I was still hoping for…..”</cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning>He had actually expected something when accepting the <clean>quest. It was a quest that the other users didn’t do properly so there still might be something hidden. He had such expectations since it was such a ridiculously low reward. But he had been cleaning for a long time so he threw away those expectations. It had been two days since he started this quest. During this time, he completed it 70 times and received 14 silver but the reward didn’t change. No, there was one small thing that changed.</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>“Kkuluk, kkuluk.”</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>Sometimes an octopus would approach while he was resting. There was an odd sound and strange letters appeared from the Nymphe.</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>-Hey, young friend. Are you done over there?</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>It was the universal translator on the Nymphe that allowed him to understand the Charenjok.</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>–We’ve also finished over here. Then shall we take a break before moving on?</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>The elderly (maybe) Charenjok sat down next to Ark. He pulled out a crumpled cigarette b.u.t.t and muttered.</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>–Hu, I long for the old days. The place we used to live was a beautiful castle on wide tidal flats. The times when I jumped into the tidal flats were the happiest moments of my life. If it wasn’t for the invasion of the Kakajok then I’ll still be living happily now. But that is now in the past. The planet was ravaged by the Kakajok so it isn’t inhabitable anymore. I just have to be thankful that I can live in a place like this.</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>

<galaxian><s.p.a.ce><s.p.a.ce><cleaning><clean>-You have listened to the Charenjok’s bitter past.</clean></cleaning></s.p.a.ce></s.p.a.ce></galaxian>