His lightsaber hit the joints of the machine! Sparks flew as the lightsaber collided with it and the machine parts fell off. It was the scene of the Nak.u.ma losing all its health and being turned into a pile of junk. But he had no time to catch his breath. Ark dealt with 1 Nak.u.ma and turned his body without any delay. He saw a pair of red lights approaching and withdrew a bit. The light was made by a machine but he could feel hostility from it.
âPant pant, there really is a variety.â
Ark breathed harshly as he lifted his lightsaber. He followed the Nak.u.maâs trail to this dungeon so naturally it was infested with Nak.u.ma. However the Nak.u.ma werenât the same. The Nak.u.ma created their forms based on the machine parts attached to them. While some had gears attached to their arms, others looked like a caterpillar or had wheels attached to their legs. The most demanding form was now surrounding Ark. They were the Nak.u.ma in the form of a dog. These guys were exceptionally tricky becauseâŚâŚ
Kuwaaaah!
The Dog Nak.u.ma shrieked and ran up to him. It jumped 10 metres in a single bound!
Papat!
The Dog Nak.u.ma had incredible speed.
âNot a chance!â
Ark stepped back and pulled the trigger. However the opponent had already twisted in the air before the bullet shot out of the Fire Eagle. He was then simultaneously attacked by the other Dog Nak.u.ma.
Kuaaaa!
Secondly, they were very organized.
âDammit! AgainâŚ..â
Ark hastily used his sword to block the Dog Nak.u.ma. The sword was pushed against the mouth of a mechanical creature that reached 2 metres and blood welled out as its fangs bit him.
Kakak! Ka ka ka ka!
Sparks flew as the lightsaber clashed against the Dog Nak.u.maâs mouth. They didnât just have metal fangs. They had dozen of small rotating saws in its mouth. It might be a lightsaber but the saws cut the electromagnetic surface of the blade.
-The durability of Heirâs Sword has fallen!
Naturally the lightsaber couldnât avoid getting damaged. But right now he only had 30% health left so that came first. The one who avoided his shotgun ran up the moment Arkâs movement was blocked. And it tried to bite Arkâs leg!
âPsychokinesis!â
Ark turned and shouted.
A small pile of machine parts flew up and aimed directly at the head of the Dog Nak.u.ma about to bite his leg.
Kong!
It screamed (?) and stumbled. Ark twisted his body and placed the muzzle of the Fire Eagle to its jaw.
âSet Bullets Shooting!â
Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!
Half of its head flew away. Ark also vertically cut the Nak.u.maâs body with his lightsaber. Oil and minor accessories poured out as the lightsaber cut it.
âPant pant pant, pant pant pant.â
Ark panted as he was soaked in oil. The other Dog Nak.u.ma flinched and ran away. But Ark had no intention of just letting them escape.
âKhafra Fencing 3rd style! Galaxy Sword!â
Dozens of blue swords shredded the darkness! Cracks spread on the surface and the Dog Nak.u.ma collapsed. Ark narrowed the distance and placed the muzzle of his gun on the head of a monster that was gasping.
Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!
There was a final roar as the Dog Nak.u.ma changed to a mountain of metal.
âPhew, itâs over.â
His body sagged as the tension was released. The desperate struggle against 13 Dog Nak.u.ma finally ended after 20 minutes.
âWow! Hyung-nim, awesome!â
A cheer came from the corner. He turned around and saw a hamster crawling out from a gap in the iron mold. He ran in front of Ark and twisted his hands together.
âYouâve become so much stronger that you donât seem like the same person. The difference from the novice I first saw you in Nephalim is huge.â
âAre you calling me a novice?â
âAh no, thatâs not what I mean. Â You were just a beginner pioneer when you first entered Istana. Back then Hyung-nim had some force. I could tell with one glance. Didnât I scout Hyung-nim?â
âIt was a fraudulent contract to be precise.â
âNo, what fraudâŚâŚ?â
âBe careful what you say. Eh? You donât want to remind me of the old days.â
When Ark glared at him, Toriâs eyes instantly said âSheesh, it was a compliment.â
âI need to teach him clearly once I catch him.â
His att.i.tude showed signs of creeping up again. However now wasnât the right time. Ark was currently in a Nak.u.ma infested dungeon. He couldnât afford to hit the hamster in a place like this. That hamster was also indispensable to Ark right now.
âI took him along because I couldnât leave him alone but he surprisingly has a lot of uses.â
Bbok bbok bbok bbok! Bbok bbok bbok bbok!
Ark placed the Charenjok on his head and sat down while looking at Tori. When Ark first entered the dungeon he thought of Tori as excess baggage. He wasnât helpful in combat and needed to be protected so that he could repair the airship. But that idea soon changed. There were several types of engineers. Creating buildings, producing accessories, developing new technology like Jay and those who could handle special machines were cla.s.sified as engineers. The one common point was that they didnât have any combat ability. The only exception were those who handled explosives like Mellin. Thatâs why Ark thought all engineers except explosive experts were useless in dungeons. Arkâs idea was true to a certain extent. However that changed in remote planets of the galaxy.
âI didnât think the dungeon would be this wide.â
Ark surveyed the grey walls of the dungeon. He originally thought he could explore it in a few hours tops. However the dungeon was wider and more complicated than he imagined. It was still difficult to grasp the size even though he had spent 2 days in the dungeon. And the dungeon was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with Nak.u.ma. Therefore some problems occurred.
-The durability of Harkenion Armour has fallen to 10%!
-The durability of the Pioneerâs Pants has fallen to 10%âŚâŚ
The durability of his equipment! He had repaired his equipment before heading to Amara but now it was at the bottom. Cheksunâs toolbox could repair general equipment but it didnât work for most magic items. It was also impossible for him to go back to the city.
âIâll be happy to look at it!â
At this time it was Tori who raised his hand. Tori was a hamster who originally operated a junkyard!
-From ships to small screws! All orders custom made!
Those were the words on Toriâs sign. In other words, Tori was a manufacturing and repair engineer. Tori had the skill to repair or create parts for ships and equipment if the order was received. Tori started to exert his skills once the repair kit was recovered from one of the defeated Nak.u.ma.
âDo you have enough bullets?â
âTheyâre not abundant.â
Usually he didnât have to worry about ammunition falling when fighting against enemies. Thatâs because he could get bullets from the loot. However Arkâs firearm was a shotgun. The Nak.u.ma only dropped bullets for Gatling guns or sh.e.l.ls for RPGs.
âThen tell me when you need some. I will make it.â
âEh? You can create bullets?â
âHihihihi. I have the 2nd cla.s.s license to create projectiles. I can create bullets for shotguns with the repair kit as long as I have the metal.â
Thatâs why Ark could fire the shotgun wildly. Of course repairing equipment and bullet production wasnât free. It didnât cost money but materials were required to repair and manufacture the bullets. But this was a dungeon full of Nak.u.ma. Various metals dropped with every kill so he had a large number of materials. That wasnât all.
Ark came into the dungeon to recover the airship parts from the Nak.u.ma. But a lot of parts were bulky and couldnât be properly stored in his bag. These parts also needed to be relocated to the airship. That problem was also resolved by Tori!
âPlease wait a moment!â
Tori fiddled with a piece of metal for a while. He soon created a large wagon. Therefore Arkâs bag capacity increased by several times and he could just concentrate on hunting the Nak.u.ma. This was the true value of engineers! They were all-rounders as long as they had the necessary tools and materials. All his problems were resolved by having an engineer. The downside was that they had no combat ability but that wasnât an obstacle with Tori. Ark didnât need to worry about Tori. Tori was a hamster, a rat. He specialized in finding safe places to hide. Ark become b.l.o.o.d.y every time he fought the Nak.u.ma so fury rose up whenever he saw Tori with not one scratch on him. But he would rather be shot then have Tori die.
âHihihi, how is it? Arenât I a lot of help?â
âIf only he didnât make any noiseâŚ..â
However he understood Toriâs position.
If Ark gave up on the airship then any reason to keep Tori was lost. With their bad relationship in the past, Ark would probably abandon or even let him die if that happened. Therefore Tori kept on trying to show that he was a useful hamster. But Ark had no intention of throwing away Tori.
âI didnât think an engineer with manufacturing skills could be so helpful on the hunting ground. Engineers are worth more than troops in non-urban areas. I canât easily give him up. I have to somehow make him join Dark Eden!â
Tori couldnât understand what was going on. Anyway!
Tori had his share of tasks despite not being able to fight.
âPant pant pant, this is difficult! But Iâll work hard. Iâm a good hamster.â
Tori ran around collection loot, loading it onto the wagon, repairing Arkâs equipment and making bullets while Ark was recovering his health.
Character Information WindowNameArk (R-02788)Level99SpeciesHumanOccupationElimâs HeirFame8,520 Adventure1,720Health2,600 (+90)Mental Power 50 (+340)Mana0Force260Strength250 (+38)Agility315 (+41)Stamina405 (+18)Wisdom40 (+13)Intelligence240 (+68)Luck55 (+8)* t.i.tle
* Contribution: Galactic Federation 11,850, Â Aschulat 500
* Affiliation: Dark Eden (CEO)
*Body Coating: Survivor
+ Environmental adaptation increases by 50% due to the Survivor coating.
+ The Survivor coating reduces the drop rate of Satiety by 30%.
+ The Survivor coating will reduce fall damage by 50%.
+The âClairvoyanceâ effect of the Survivor coating is applied.
The Abyss of Despair was a fairly decent hunting ground. His level went up at a tremendous speed while hunting the Nak.u.ma. The repairing and supplies inside the dungeon meant he didnât need to waste time. He had gained 4 levels after spending 2 days in the dungeon! There was also a bonus of expensive metal parts in the wagon. Quite a few items were mixed in as well.
Continuous Shooting Gatling
Item Type: Gun  Wearer Restriction: Level 75
Attack: 15~20Â Firing Rate: 0.10Sec
Durability: 28/40 Number of Ammunition:Â 300
A gun with 6 barrels to prevent overheating, the continuous shooting increases the power of the gun dramatically. But compared to the destructive power of the bullets, the heavy recoil means that the hit rate has decreased. Nevertheless, it is a charming weapon that pours out bullets and has been a favourite for a long time.
<hit>-Hamidâs Ritual Scapula</hit>
<hit>Item Type: Light Armour (Shoulder)Â Â Wearer Restriction: Level 50</hit>
<hit>Defense: 20 (-5) Durability: 31/45</hit>
<hit>The scapula belonging to an alien species called Hamid. The main part of the scapula is made of a rare metal alloy that is difficult to find these days. Perhaps the Hamid soldiers used equipment made of this material a long time ago.</hit>
<hit>EtcâŚ..</hit>
<hit>âIf I just look at the experience and loot, it isnât better than Mt. Fargo. But there is no other user or NPC to gobble it up! It isnât easy to find a hunting ground like this on Istana.â</hit>
<hit>However there wasnât only benefits. Even if he raised his level to 100, it would all be lost if he died without registering with the Fairy. The expensive metal pieces werenât stored in his bag so they would also be lost. And even if Ark survived, Tori who was hiding would die as well. He had just learnt the value of his henchman so Ark didnât want to lose him. Therefore the most important thing was for Ark to live! He had to return to Istana alive.</hit>
<hit>HoweverâŚ..</hit>
<hit>âHyung-nim, Iâve searched through all of it!â</hit>
<hit>âSo? Did you find the airship parts?â</hit>
<hit>âThere is nothing this time as well.â</hit>
<hit>âAgain?â</hit>
<hit>Ark said with a sigh. In fact, Ark hadnât expected to spend 2 days in the dungeon when he first came here. The recovery of airship parts in the beginning of the dungeon was quite high. He obtained a minimum of 1 piece when he fought 3~4 Nak.u.ma. Thanks to that, Arkâs current recovery rate was 90%. However that all dried up a few hours ago.</hit>
<hit>âIf it was the outside armour or simple circuit then I could easily repair itâŚ..â</hit>
<hit>The remaining 10% he hadnât found contained the most important part of the airship, the engine.</hit>
<hit>âWhere the h.e.l.l is the guy who pulled out the engine?â</hit>
<hit>âI donât know either. I was lying face down on the ground so I couldnât see it. But it was fairly big. The ground shook as the Nak.u.ma stomped on it. The other Nak.u.ma also seemed to back off from it.â</hit>
<hit>âThat is probably the boss Nak.u.ma.â</hit>
<hit>It was common sense for the monster to be a boss. That meant Ark was forced to go to the end of the dungeon. It wasnât a big deal. He entered the dungeon to find parts but he didnât have a problem going around a hidden dungeon. Ark had a separate issue.</hit>
<hit>âThisâŚ..â</hit>
<hit>Ark sighed and mumbled. There were 10 piles of metal around him. Most of them were junk metal that Ark recognized at a glance with metallurgy. There were also some expensive mechanical parts were mixed in among them! But that wasnât why Ark was upset.</hit>
<hit>-There is no more s.p.a.ce in your bag!</hit>
<hit>Ark had steadily filled his bag with loot from the Nak.u.ma and now his bag was full! Tori no longer had any room in his wagon. Ark had reached the situation where he couldnât eat anymore some time ago. He became stressed every time he had to leave the mechanical parts in a pile. It wasnât only collecting the mechanical parts that he was worried about.</hit>
<hit>âItâs been 2 days so Iâm worried about what might happen.â</hit>
<hit>Leaving mechanical parts was like asking for the Nak.u.ma to gather. Ark left behind many mechanical parts for the Nak.u.ma to eat. This meant it would take him some time when exiting. However he was most worried about looking for the airship parts.</hit>
<hit>âOnly a bit more to go.â</hit>
<hit>The Abyss of Despair had a complex structure. But he had spent 2 days slowly going through it. His intuition developed. He felt like the long dungeon was going to end soon!</hit>
<hit>âOkay. Letâs go!â</hit>
<hit>Ark stood up and walked down a long cave.</hit>
<hit>âHyung-nim, donât leave me alone!â</hit>
<hit>Tol tol tol tol, tol tol tol tol.</hit>
<hit>Tori dragged the wagon and followed behind Ark.</hit>
<hit>Ark looked around with shocked eyes. He witnessed an amazing sight a few hours after resuming the dungeon exploration. In fact, Ark had one disconcerting question while wandering the Abyss of Despair. In those 2 days Ark had defeated approximately 1,000 Nak.u.ma. Those guys dropped metal weighing the equivalent of tens of thousands of tons! This was the question.</hit>
<hit>âWhere did all those metal parts come from?â</hit>
<hit>The answer was now in front of Ark. A huge cave was situated in front of him. Surprisingly dozens of airships were in the underground s.p.a.ce and covered with iron mold like cobwebs.</hit>
<hit>âThis is it! This is why the area is covered with so much iron mold. And the Nak.u.ma must be made with the remnants of the airships! This is the source of the dungeon!â</hit>
<hit>The secret behind the dungeon was revealed.</hit>
<hit>âBut why are so many wrecked airships gathered here?â</hit>
<hit>âI donât care about that.â</hit>
<hit>Ark cut off Tori.</hit>
<hit>âThe important thing is that this is the start of the dungeon. In other words, this is the end of the dungeon. The boss Nak.u.ma who took the engine should be hiding somewhere here.â</hit>
<hit>Tori breathed deeply and looked around fearfully at Arkâs words.</hit>
<hit>âIs it really okay? It sounded really hugeâŚ..â</hit>
<hit>âIs it okay? Do you think I will die?â</hit>
<hit>âThatâs not itâŚ..â</hit>
<hit>âDonât waste time thinking about that and stay focused. We donât know where that guy will pop up. You donât want to end up like the airships.â</hit>
<hit>Ark said as he readied his lightsaber. A drop of sweat flowed down in the silence. The light from the lightsaber revealed a shadow at the back of the web of iron mold. A mysterious atmosphere was created among the wreckage of the airships. He carefully walked over there.</hit>
<hit>âWhat is that?â</hit>
<hit>Arkâs eyes narrowed like a hawk. He began to see the form of something large. The streamlined shape was an airship. However it was different from the airships around it. The bone structure of the airships were similar. However the hull of this one was 3 times larger. The length was 100 meters. But the biggest difference wasâŚâŚ</hit>
<hit>âWhy is it the only one intact?â</hit>
<hit>Unlike the other airships, this one looked untouched. The Nak.u.maâs largest desire was metal. Arkâs airship was 200 metres from the dungeon and they still found it. Yet this airship inside the dungeon was in perfectly good shape.</hit>
<hit>âIs the airship made of a metal that the Nak.u.ma hate?â</hit>
<hit>âLetâs see, the materials donât seem particularly differentâŚâŚIâll take a closer look.â</hit>
<hit>Ark walked around the airship. Up close it wasnât in a perfect condition. The hull seemed to show traces of a battle. But he could find no signs that the Nak.u.ma had attacked it. Meanwhile Tori who was examining the hull said.</hit>
<hit>âThatâs strange. This airship is made of the Cherenium steel alloy.</hit>
<hit>âWhy is that strange?â</hit>
<hit>âChereniumâs durability is strong but it is different to mold so it isnât often used these days. Most airships these days are made of a Teban alloy that has similar durability but is more easily handled. In other words, the airship was created prior to the development of the Teban alloy.  And the Nak.u.ma certainly donât dislike Cherenium. So why is this airship untouched by the Nak.u.ma?â</hit>
<hit>âI donât know eitherâŚ..â</hit>
<hit>Ark thought for a moment before quickly asking.</hit>
<hit>âThe airship, can we use it?â</hit>
<hit>âAirship?â</hit>
<hit>âLook. It is apparently fine. Well, it must have some problems if it is stuck in a place like this but isnât it better than our airship that has been turned into sc.r.a.p metal?â</hit>
<hit>This airship instantly looked better than the one Ark came on. Besides, it was an ownerless airship. If he repaired it then he could get this airship for free. However Tori shook his head like there was no chance.</hit>
<hit>âThatâs impossible.â</hit>
<hit>âWhat? Why?â</hit>
<hit>âCheck for yourself.â</hit>
<hit>Tori pointed to the door on the side of the hull. The door handle was just a circular groove. Perhaps this was where the key would be inserted. But he needed a key to enter. Ark connected his Nymphe to the door.</hit>
<hit>-This device is protected by a security device.</hit>