Ark - Volume 21 Chapter 9

ACT 9 Shangri-La

“…….Alan!”

Ark muttered as he bit his lip. That’s right. Alan had escaped the underground base and gathered the monsters in the canyon.

“Dammit! Wormer, is it almost ready yet?”

“Close…..okay. The MG has been collected!”

“Then? Where is the thing?”

“My invention is near the underground base.”

“Huh?”

Ark stared at Wormer with a stupid expression. Then they had to go through that huge number of monsters to enter the canyon again? But he only had 20 cursed japtem left.

‘I can’t use Demonic Distortion.’

He would need at least 200~300 cursed japtem to move those many monsters.

“You should’ve told me that earlier!”

“Shouldn’t you have known by my words? Did you think I could carry my amazing invention in my backpack?”

Wormer answered naturally. Then he closed his mouth and acted like he was remembering something.

“Ah, that’s right. Didn’t I develop that device before?”

Wormer placed his entire head in his bag before pulling something out. The machine looked just like a radio but it had an antenna which looked like a satellite dish on top.

The magic energy converted to MG while transmit an energy wave to a machine a long distance away. Although the machine which stopped working can be charged with the energy from a distance away, some energy will be lost due to the wireless transfer.

“Hahaha, I really am a genius!”

Wormer laughed as he held the remote transmitter. Ark asked Wormer after hearing the explanation of the remote transmitter.

“If the invention has its energy charged then it can be brought here?”

“Yes, I possess the remote control for the invention so it won’t be a problem.”

“But doesn’t the invention have to move through the canyon to get here?”

“Don’t worry about it. I can definitely bring it here after the energy is charged.”

“I’ll believe you. How long will it take to transfer the energy and get here?”

“My estimate is 5~10 minutes.”

“5~10 minutes…..!”

Ark looked at the swarm of monsters and sighed. They had to endure against Alan, Timosi and the thousands of monsters for 5~10 minutes. There were only 100 soldiers left because 30 had died in the battle against Chromatin.

‘But……!’

Ark looked at the canyon. The Black Obelisk Forest could be reached from the path in the middle of the canyon. In other words, there was a ravine on the left and right and Alan was coming from one of them. On the other side was a narrow entrance into another canyon.

“Everybody move to that canyon!”

Ark shouted. The special forces followed Ark’s order and moved towards the entrance of the canyon.

“Warriors make a defense formation behind the entrance!”

There was a reason Ark moved to this canyon. Wormer needed coordinates to input into his invention so they couldn’t excessively run away. Therefore they had to fight for 5~10 minutes. If they were unable to hold out against the numerous monsters then they would be wiped out in a few minutes. But the canyon entrance was narrow enough that only 10 warriors could fit standing side by side. This meant that if they established a defense formation inside the canyon then they could restrict the number of enemies that entered. It was a basic strategy which involved the terrain.

“Ark!”

Alan’s voice was heard while they were making the defense camp. Alan looked like an evil spirit. It was reasonable. He had been deceived by Ark and trapped in the underground base so now he wasn’t in the proper mental state. But that wasn’t the only reason for Alan’s fury. Alan had received the mission from the Red Man to defend Pabiun Fortress and steal the artifact from Shangri-La. There were two goals. However the Black Obelisk Forest had been blown up. It would be difficult for Alan to defend Pabiun Fortress against the Schudenberg expedition. If Pabiun Fortress was taken away then Shangri-La would also fall into the hands of the Schudenberg expedition.

“Ark, Ark, Ark! I will kill you no matter what!”

Alan muttered before shouting.

“Kill them all!”

Kuaaaaaah, kuaaaaaah!

Thousands of creatures with glossy eyes ran into the canyon. Ark carefully observed them before giving a command.

“Magician unit, slide!”

“Make their path uncomfortable……Slide!”

10 magicians simultaneously unleashed their spells. Slide turned the floor slippery like ice allowing zero friction. When the magic was used on the snowfield, the monsters instantly started falling.

“Now! Archers intercept the monsters that didn’t fall!”

The archers followed up by continuously shooting blunt arrows. The damage wasn’t strong but it had the same effect as blunt weapons. The monsters were hit with the blunt arrows and combined with the slippery floor, it caused the monsters to be pushed back dozens of metres. Ark intended to use this method to block the monsters during the time limit. If they were ordinary monsters then he easily could’ve survived 5~10 minutes. However there was a user leading the monsters.

“Bah, he’s just a cornered rat. Monster troop, make footholds with your bodies!”

Hundreds of monsters immediately lay down on the ground after hearing Alan’s command. Other monsters stepped on them before lying down in front. After that repeated a few times, the space between the monsters and the special forces was covered. Slide wasn’t applied to the monsters stepping on their colleagues so the blunt arrows didn’t have an effect anymore.

“Damn! Warriors, prepare to defend!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Eventually the monsters entered and collided with the special forces. Violent clashing sounds were heard at the same time. If this was a wide open space then the defense formation would be quickly destroyed. But even if they overcame Slide, only a few monsters were allowed to enter at a time. The special forces members were also elite troops from the expedition so they were able to hold up to a certain extent. However……

“Get out of the way, you stupid things! Hate Aura!”

“I’ll go too! Matanyi Shooter no. 1, Devil Penetrating Arrow!”

The situation immediately changed after Alan and Timosi ran through the monsters. With his attack and defense raised by the black aura around him, the warriors trying to block with their shields stumbled and fell. Timosi’s quick arrows also penetrated the shields and damaged the soldiers.

“Damn, those guys are always a problem.”

“Ark, I’ll take care of that female! Torrential Sword!”

Shambala cleared the barrier and engaged Timosi. Timosi avoided the dagger with a somersault and taunted.

“Oh, it’s you again? Are you really that attracted to me?”

“It’s the opposite. It’s to the extent that I want to kill you. Burnt Sword.”

“Your method of expressing affection is too extreme. Matanyi Shooter no. 2, Devil Chasing Arrow!”

Syu syu syu syuk!

Shambala and Timosi flew violently around the canyon.

“Then my opponent is that guy?”

Ark muttered as he looked at Alan. Ark had already been pushed back by Alan while they were fighting in the destroyed Nuran village. But he didn’t know that Alan could use various skills from monsters and was hit by various abnormal conditions. Well, there was also Alan’s Hate Aura but Ark was less concerned about that now.

“This is a chance to practice the new skills. Purital, Clad Armour!”

Clack clack clack, clack clack clack clack!

It was at that moment. Purital had been participating in the defense formation when his body exploded and disassembled into pieces. The pieces flew towards Ark and began to snap into place around him. After a moment, an armour of bone was formed around Ark.

* Damage will increase by 17~22.

* Defense will increase by 98.

* Health will increase by 1,866.

<If the 1,866 health is consumed then Clad Armour will automatically dismantle>

When he checked his health gauge, the 1,866 health was marked in yellow. If the yellow gauge disappeared then Clad Armour would also be gone.

‘The attack and defense didn’t go up as much as I expected.’

Ark had thought Clad Armour was based on his stats. But after thinking about it, he realized that it was actually 30% of Purital’s stats. Purital didn’t have much equipment so his attack and defense wasn’t as high as his stats.

‘But this alone should be enough to handle Alan!’

“Hook Explosion!”

Ark fixed his gaze on Alan and shouted. Then the hooks on the shoulders and knees of his armour shot across the area towards Alan. Alan received damage and was pulled like elastic towards Ark.

“What, what the?”

“Are you wondering what is going on? It is revenge! Dark Blade!”

“Impertinent bastard! The Devil’s Fang!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

A tremendous shock wave shook the area as both swords collided. When they fought in Nuran village, the ratio was 6:4 with Ark at a disadvantage. Now it was different. Thanks to the 30% bonus from Clad Armour, it was an even match. Both Alan and Ark took a few steps back from the shockwave.

“Ugh, how did you suddenly become like this?”

“It is a secret you idiot!”

Ark continuously attacked until Alan opened his mouth.

“Devil’s Breath!”

It was the poisonous fog which couldn’t be cured without an antidote. Ark turned to the side using Dark Dance and attacked Alan again. Then Alan started to display his ‘Predator of Devils’ ability as he used random monster skills. Ark and Alan’s battle was almost equal. Ark had levelled out their abilities using Clad Armour. When it came to actual fighting ability, Ark with his taekwondo was clearly superior. It was natural to think that Ark could control Alan but Alan had his ‘Predator of Devils’ ability.

‘Damn! How did that bastard get so strong?’

Both of them had the same thought while fighting. But if they looked at the whole situation then Alan clearly had the upper hand. The priests still hadn’t recovered all the mana after fighting against Chromatin so the warriors were started to collapse from the monsters’ attacks. The archers and magicians were also spreading some damage from the rear. The White Tiger clan were also struggling so Ark’s group wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

‘Even the White Tigers are going to collapse soon!’

Ark sighed after surveying the military situation while still fighting Alan. Then Wormer who had just been looking at his remote control raised his head and shouted.

“That’s it. There it is!”

The special forces turned their gazes to Wormer’s invention in unison. The monsters also reflexively turned to look. Then it seemed like the users, monsters and NPCs gathered at the canyon were turned to stone.

Kuoooooh-!

Something enormous was flying in a straight line. It was an enormous human shaped object 40 metres large. The arms and limbs of the huge object seemed to be made of iron metal. In other words, it was a giant made of steel…….

That’s right. Wormer had amazingly created a robot from an animated cartoon.

“Hahaha, a giant flying robot! It is the dream of all men!”

Wormer jumped up while holding the remote control. The users never imagined that they would see a robot in the game so their expressions looked like their souls had left them. The robot receiving the shocked looks crossed the canyon and descended behind the special forces. From up close it really resembled a robot from an animated cartoon. Wormer dived between the spread toes of the robot and shouted.

“This is the entrance. Get on the robot!”

“Wait? If we have a robot like this then isn’t it unnecessary to run away?”

“Does it have beams or rockets or something?”

“You idiot, why would I attach weapons to my robot?”

Wormer shouted in a pained voice.

“All residents board first then the special forces!”

“I won’t miss!”

Alan rushed up to Ark while he was giving orders to the special forces. Then the robot suddenly stuck its huge fist in the area between Alan and Ark. There was a huge roaring sound and snow fell from the sky. At that moment, Ark used a combination of Dark Dance and Sprint to enter between the toes of the giant robot.

“This way!”

Shambala and Lariette who had gone inside first beckoned from a machine which looked like an elevator. Ark rolled his body to avoid Alan’s Evil Insight and there was a metallic sound as the toes closed up.

“This…..attack! Smash a hole in that iron!”

Alan shouted angrily.

Ku ku ku ku, ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The monsters swarmed around the robot’s foot when a huge storm suddenly occurred. Jet flames emerged from the soles of the feet and the robot soared into the sky at an absurd speed.

“Dandarararara dandada dandarararara dandada.”

All users under 20 years old would know the theme song for Taekwon V was emerging from Wormer’s mouth.

—————————————————————————————————————-

Including Ark, the special forces, White Tiger Clan and the Nuran residents, there were a total of 110 people on board the Taekwon V. 70 of the elite forces had died during the fight in the canyon and only 40 people remained from the White Tiger clan and the Nuran residents. However, the robot successfully flew through the sky and they safely escaped from Alan and the monsters. It was flying among the mountain ranges under the guidance of the White Tiger clan.

“Shangri-La!”

One of the White Tiger clan members looking outside through a monitor shouted.

“That is Shangri-La where the prophet clan lives…..!”

Ark turned his eyes towards the place where the White Tiger pointed and saw Shangri-La. At that moment, he could see why the White Tiger clan said that Shangri-La wasn’t accessible to the outside. Shangri-La was originally located deep within the forest on the mountain. But thanks to the wards that the 7 heroes placed, it was now a floating island. It was impossible to reach Shangri-La unless they flew through the air. Shambala surveyed the area then asked with a frown.

“What are those things gathered over there?”

Shambala pointed towards a place where black shadows were flying like a dark cloud. Wormer zoomed in on the ground and shouted.

“Demonic monsters! It is a swarm of flying monsters!”

They confirmed on the screen that the dark cloud was filled with hundreds of gargoyles. They were like the ancient stone statues placed in dungeons or castles that attacked passing travellers. Those creatures were probably sent in order to attack Shangri-La. The gargoyles spotted the unidentified robot approaching Shangri-La and started attacking. However, unlike its outer appearance the robot didn’t have any weapons. It quickly became tattered under the attack of the sky monsters.

“Wormer, increase the speed!”

“We’re flying at the top speed!”

Wormer answered with an urgent expression.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Then there was a loud roaring sound and the whole cockpit shook. The gargoyles shot narrow beams from their mouths and started to attack the robot. A red light in the room started ringing like an emergency bell. Wormer grabbed his hair and started screaming.

“Ack! The arm has been broken. Huck, the leg is on fire! Dammit, I spent several months making this so what are they doing to my Taekwon V? Do you know how much effort I placed into this?”

‘Damn, if the robot is that valuable then you should’ve attached some cannons to it!’

He really wanted to snap those words out. But what was the point? Ark grabbed the instrument panel as the cockpit shook roughly and asked Wormer.

“Ugh, can we reach Shangri-La while being attacked like this?”

“It’s not a problem. Taekwon V has a secondary engine in cases of emergency…..ack!”

Wormer once again pulled his hair and screamed.

“What’s wrong?”

“……The secondary engine was destroyed a while ago.”

“What now…..?”

“……We’ll fall.”

Wormer stared blankly at the monitor and muttered.

“Damn…..How much……I spent making this…..uwooo!”

“I don’t care about the robot. There’s 100 metres left to reach Shangri-La so we can’t just crash here. Something, isn’t there another way?”

Ark grabbed Wormer’s collar who trembled and replied.

“Dammit, damn, I didn’t want to use this…… It can’t be helped. Everybody climb up that ladder!”

“What’s at the top?”

“There’s no time to explain. Do you want to crash to the ground and die?”

He had no intention of committing suicide with the robot. Ark ordered everyone in his group to climb up the ladder. Then Wormer climbed after them and took something out from underneath the pilot’s seat. Wormer turned several switches before pressing a red button.

“Emergency escape!”

At the same time, there was a huge vibration and the head of the robot was launched like a rocket. Ark and his companions were in the emergency escape pod of Taekwon V’s head. Wormer looked back at the black smoke spouting from the robot with tearful eyes. And he pressed a skull shaped button attacked to one side of the cockpit.

“Goodbye Taekwon V1!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Fire appeared in different parts of the robot and it exploded. When it exploded, all gargoyles within 40 metres of it were turned into grey powder. But even the destruction of the robot couldn’t wipe out all the gargoyles. Hundreds of gargoyles immediately chased after the separated head. The top of the head was crushed from an attack and it instantly became bald.

The engine has caught on fire and the temperature of the escape pod is rapidly rising.

The red warning message appeared on the monitor.

“Hiiik, the escape pod is overheating. If we continuing being hit then the escape pod will explode before it reaches Shangri-La!”

Wormer trembled as he looked at the dashboard. Like he said, some parts of the escape pod already had holes in it. The only thing Ark could do was block the gaps and maintain the balance of the pod.

‘Damn, Shangri-La is almost in sight…..!’

Ark moaned as he looked at Shangri-La that was only a few metres away.

Kwajijijiji! Kwajijijiji! Kwajijijiji!

A giant crystal ball on top of a tower in Shangri-La started emitting something. Deep blue sparks occurred inside the crystal ball until it gathered in one spot. Then dozens of lightning bolts shot from the crystal ball and hit the gargoyles surrounding the escape pod. The gargoyles’ health quickly decreased. A White Tiger witnessing the scene shouted.

“That’s it! We’ve entered the boundaries of Shangri-La’s defense ward!”

“Everybody hold on tight. We’re about to land!”

The escape pod that had barely escaped from the gargoyles fell towards Shangri-La.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang.

The escape pod hit Shangri-La and skidded a few metres. At the same time, the dashboards that received the impact burst into flames. Wormer ran to the exit of the cockpit and shouted.

“What are you doing? Hurry up! It will explode soon!”

“What, what the?”

Ark, Shambala, Lariette, the special forces, the White Tiger clan and the Nuran residents rushed to the exit. They all yelled and escaped from the pod in a stampede.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The escape pod emitted black smoke and finally exploded.

“Phew……That was really crazy. However we’ve arrived at Shangri-La.”

Ark looked at the flaming escape pod and wiped off the sweat. Then he turned to look at Shangri-La. They were in the forest around Shangri-La. The White Tiger clan looked around before heading to the front and saying.

“The tower of the prophet clan is this way.”

The White Tiger clan led Ark’s group through the forest. How much time had passed? Suddenly a huge tower caught their eye. The tower was white like snow. Hundreds of NPCs were gathered in front of the tower. The majority of them were the White Tiger clan who defended Shangri-La but 20 of them were wearing hoods. When Ark and his companions emerged, they placed both hands on the chests and bowed.

“Welcome. Ark-nim.”

“You knew I was coming?”

“Yes, we saw your appearance a while ago through the Truth Crystal.”

“Truth Crystal?”

“The crystal is associated with the divine will of the Great God.  A while ago we saw you defeating the dragon Chromatin that threatened Shangri-La and that were you coming here.”

“The dragon Chromatin was threatening Shangri-La?”

Ark now knew the reason why Andel suddenly appeared at the canyon exit. One of Alan’s goals was to steal the artifact from Shangri-La. However, Shangri-La had now become a floating island so ordinary monsters were unable to penetrate its defences. Therefore Alan mobilized flying type monsters to capture Shangri-La. That’s why there were no flying monsters at Pabiun Canyon. And the most powerful flying monster threatening Shangri-La was the undead dragon that Andel controlled. But after Alan was trapped in the underground base he instantly called Andel to stop Ark.

‘Then I ended up saving Shangri-La because I killed Chromatin and Andel?’

But Ark had no interest in such a thing. He just wanted to receive the compensation for the <Witness the Legend> quest now.

“The reason I came here is to receive the revelation of the stars.”

“We’re aware of that. Then follow me.”

As expected, there was no need to explain to the prophet clan. Ark’s group entered the tower along with the prophet clan. Inside the white tower were huge crystals the size of a door lined up. The prophet explained that each memory crystal contained 10 years of the continent’s history. There were hundreds of the crystals so thousands of years’ worth of New World’s history was recorded here.

“The other people please wait here.”

The prophets told the special forces once they reached the end of the passage. They then opened an enormous door and entered a giant hall accompanied by only Ark. The walls of the whole hall were formed using cylindrical shaped memory crystals. But there wasn’t just one. Crystal slabs the size of a small book lined the walls. There were millions of these crystal slabs were inserted into the cylindrical holes.

“The memory crystals in this room contain all the information on the foreigners.”

“Foreigners?

“At the end of the Dark Century…..the Great God showed us a horrible prediction through the Truth Crystal. Although the dark forces threatening the world had disappeared, one day it would appear again and it would lead this world to destruction.”

The prophets suddenly began a history lecture out of nowhere. At that time, the 7 heroes who destroyed the Dark Lord had gathered and heard the prediction of the Truth Crystal and fell into despair. However, there was also light in the darkness. The Truth Crystal showed a glimmer of hope to those who were in despair. Brave and wise visitors from another world would appear in this world. And they would have the power to stop the resurrection of the dark forces. So the 7 heroes planned to pass on their powers to the foreigners in the hope of stopping this evil. That was why only users could be the descendants of the 7 heroes.

“And 100 heroes who heard the prophecy also arranged to help the foreigners

“100 heroes?”

“Yes, 100 heroes who fought against the darkness under the 7 heroes’ command. They heard the prophecy and left their own equipment behind in order to help the foreigners fight against the dark forces. But if the dark forces gained these equipment then it would change to the darkness and be used to damage us. Because these equipment were made using ancient techniques.”

“Then the Hero Stars…..?”

The White Tiger clan called the stars Ark received from the Lore quests Hero Stars. Did that mean he would receive one of the 100 equipment for the Hero Stars?

“One of the 7 heroes, the great magician Norad used powerful magic that transcended time and space to create the Hero Stars. Those who fight against the darkness hidden in the world will accumulate the Hero Stars in their body. When it accumulates in their body, they will head to Shangri-La to receive the heritage that the 100 heroes left behind.”

Every time he completed a Lore quest, the stars would accumulate in his body! But Ark had no interest in such things. The important thing was that if he gathered these stars then he could gain the strong equipment that the 100 heroes used. Ark had headed towards Shangri-La because he received the Hero Stars.

“Then……?”

“Ark.”

When Ark opened his mouth to talk, the prophet murmured in a low voice. Then a huge wall moved and a crystal slab moved in front of the prophet. The crystal slab had 10 jewels embedded in it. A prophet approached Ark holding the crystal slab. “This is the memory crystal where your record is written.” Ark’s information started to appear on the crystal slab.

Cat Paws (Gloves): Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit +10%

Raccoons Pith (Helmet): Agility + 10, Wisdom + 10

Wolf’s Feet (Shoes): Agility + 40, Movement Speed +40%, Attack Speed +10%, ‘Jump’ is available

*<Animal King> Set effect: Strength + 20, Agility + 20, Stamina +20, Defense +40

Promised Sword(Two-handed Sword): Strength +20, Stamina +10

Warrior’s Transcripts (Shoulder Blades): Strength + 3

Galgashi’s Fur (Mantle): Cold resistance + 100%, Agility +20, ‘Magic Protection’ is automatically activated when health is less than 50%.

Adelaine’s Necklace (Necklace): Defense + 40, Affection +10, ‘Blessing of the Sea’ available

Rarukan’s Ring (Ring): Agility + 10, Attack Speed +10%, Critical Hit +8%, ‘Dark Protection’ available

Ark’s Ring (Ring): Strength + 5, Agility + 5, Stamina + 5, Wisdom + 5, Intelligence + 5, ‘Sudden Increase in Power’ available

Amulet of Vitality (Bracelet): Health + 50, Health recovers by 5 every 20 seconds

Gladiator’s Honour (Bracelet): Strength, Agility, Stamina +10, Fame +500, Sword-based Skill Growth +5%

* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (30 minutes duration. Cancelled when you get into combat)

* Resistance to Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Seduction spells is increased by 50%.

* You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

* Shock absorption is increased by 20%.

* Poison resistance has increased by 50%.

* 10% increased attack and defense.

☆ ☆ ☆: Sealed Gates of Hell in the Underground World

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆: Resurrection of Seutandal’s World Tree, Yuzuria

☆☆☆ : Extermination of the Devil Magura

The prophet looked down at the crystal slab and said.

“The Jewels embedded in the slab represent the achievements you did to receive the Hero Stars.  This is the proof that you are qualified to receive the 100 heroes’ legacy. The Hero Stars will give you the legacy which suits your abilities. However there is something you should pay attention to. Naturally 100 legacies exist. All of them have incredible power but it also depends on the differences in abilities of each of the 100 heroes. The Hero Stars will give you the equipment best suited for your abilities at the moment.  Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He couldn’t understand the words at first. But he started to guess after thinking about the prophet’s words. The 100 equipment had various restriction levels. So the user would only receive the equipment which matched their level when they arrived at Shangri-La. In other words, if Ark was level 100 then he would receive a level 100 equipment and so on. If he raised his level then he could receive higher levelled equipment!

But Ark didn’t worry too much about it.

‘If I wait then I can get better equipment. But……’

Ark raised his head and looked at the huge amount of crystal slabs inserted into the holes in the wall. There were at least 10 slabs inserted with 7~8 jewels. This meant Ark wasn’t the only user collecting stars.

‘The 100 heroes only left being 100 legacies. I don’t know when I will be able to receive the compensation again. If I wait in order to become greedy for better equipment then other users might fill all the stars and my share will disappear. No, postponing my reward for another day isn’t my style.’

Ark nodded without any hesitation.

“I would like to receive the legacy of the heroes right now.”

“…….As you wish.”

The prophet accepted Ark’s decision without any arguing. Then the 10 jewels flew out of the slab and gathered on top of an altar. There was an intense light as the jewels combined into one. Then a shape gradually started to form like iron entering a furnace. After a while, the light disappeared and a sword was placed on top of the altar.

Weapon: Two-handed sword

Attack: 55~65

Durability: 200/200

Weight: 80

User Restriction: Level 430 or more

A sword used by a hero who fought under Hero Maban. After fighting for three days and three nights against the demonic forces, the warrior was named a hero for his bravery.

This sword was made with a metal forged in the fires of hell for 100 years, Orichalcum and was a treasure of the demons.

But now that it is used by a hero, it changed to a sword of light with the ability to pierce the darkness. Just like its name, the Shining Darkness has special abilities that can be used when fighting the forces of darkness.

<Option: Damage +10% when fighting the demonic attribute, Agility +20, Stamina +20, Intelligence +20>

<Special Option (Shining Darkness):

A knockdown technique used against the demonic forces. In order for Shining Darkness to be activated, a certain amount of demonic monsters are needed. In order to use this skill, the sword needs to be charged with the demonic energy.

The subsequent explosion will overpower the darkness. The damage depends on the amount of demonic energy charged.

Mana consumption: 1,000 Cool down time: 1 hour>

‘A legendary sword!’

Ark’s eyes widened after he checked the information window. He had expected a lot from the equipment of the 100 heroes who played an active part in the Dark Century but the sword received was really beyond his imagination.

‘Amazing combat ability!’

The damage caused was 55~65! The base damage of the Promised Sword was 40~50 so it did 15 less damage. It also had the option attached of increasing the important stats such as agility, stamina and intelligence. And it also deals an extra 10% damage against demonic monsters. If was a sword worthy of being used on the front lines! Furthermore, there was also the Shining Darkness skill available.

‘It is impossible to tell from the description how strong one of the techniques used by one of the 100 heroes is. It is clearly a skill that is specialized in fighting against demonic monsters.’

Ark didn’t doubt the power of Shining Darkness. He had received a long awaited good item but there was one problem weighing on his mind. It was the Promised Sword. Ark had obtained 4 Hearthstones after much suffering and inserted it into the Promised Sword. With the various added bonuses, the damage of the Promised Sword was comparable to the Shining Darkness.

‘I’ll just switch between the Promised Sword and Shining Darkness and test which one can be utilized better. I will choose and sell the other one.’

One was a legendary sword which the other one had 3 rare Hearthstones and one unique Hearthstone inserted. No matter which one he sold, it would be possible to receive tens of millions of won for it. Ark collected the legendary sword and exited the hall. Lariette who was waiting outside then asked the prophets.

“Excuse me. Do you have the Ark of Creation stored here?”

The prophets flinched for the first time and looked at Lariette with shocked eyes.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“I heard it from a bishop of the Ares church not long ago in Selebrid. It was a holy relic that the 7 heroes used during the Dark Century to defeat the darkness. And this holy relic was stored in a sacred area called Shangri-La when the Dark Century ended.  The name of that holy relic was the Ark of Creation.  However, the bishop feared the advent of the Dark Century and asked me to find the Ark of Creation. Not long ago, I heard from the White Tiger clan that something similar to that was kept in Shangri-La. Wouldn’t the object they talked about be the Ark of Creation?”

“A bishop requested it of you? Then you are? The descendant of Holy Knight Ronian…..?”

“I have received Ronian’s blessings and am the Innocence Knight Lariette.”

“Innocence Knight!”

The prophets were startled by Lariette’s answer. The prophets couldn’t hide their confusion as they approached.

“Yes, the ark kept in Shangri-La is the Ark of Creation. If you are truly the foreigner who inherited Holy Knight Ronian’s will then you have the right to the Ark of Creation. The Ark of Creation can either be used as a blessing by the Holy Knight or as a curse by the Ruin Knight. It is proof of God’s will that you arrived here first before the Ruin Knight. Then follow me.”

The prophet said and led her somewhere. Thus a huge change occurred to the continent and the dark war from this encounter.

—————————————————————————————————————-

Several days after Ark arrived at Shangri-La……

“Ah, damn, why do you have to defend this place?”

“Yeah. The Lord of this territory shouldn’t just come and go as he pleases.”

The members of Dark Eden waiting on Silvana’s rampart stretched and complained. The whole continent was focused on the black obelisks and the demonic monsters that had attacked. Thanks to the martial law, sieges were forbidden so Nagaran was currently empty. But some members of Dark Eden still remained in Silvana. Some of the members of the coalition were still low levelled so Ark direction them to hunt in the secret dungeon. Therefore the Dark Eden members helped the Meow, raccoons, Wolrang and Eastern Nation level up in the secret dungeon.

“I would rather support the supply unit.”

The users would rather escort NPCs for money…… The users sighed as they thought about it.

Kuaaaaaaah-!

A roaring sound suddenly came from the sky and there was a huge vibration. The coalition members reflexively raised their heads and turned pale. Something huge was approaching in the sky. It was a flying object resembling a huge stingray. The enormous skyray flapping its wings and bearing a castle on its back was the aerial fortress Rwigenberg.

“What the, that is?”

“Look over there, the stomach is opening!”

After arriving at Silvana, the stomach of Rwigenberg was opening to the sides. Then it poured out many black objects.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The hundreds of objects plunging into the estate were black obelisks. After the black obelisks plunged into the ground, it turned dark and demonic monsters started to crawl out. Hundreds of users riding gargoyles also flew out from Rwigenberg’s stomach and headed towards Silvana. The one leading the gargoyles was a knight in black armour.

“Ark, no matter how you try to escape you are still in the palm of my hand. We met unexpectedly last time so my preparations were negligent but this time it will be different. For the moment I will step on Silvana.”

The black knight with cold eyes was Alan. And the users who flew after him were from Andel’s ‘Avenger’ guild.

“Ark, come! This will be the site of our second battle!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The thousands of gargoyles started to attack Silvana’s walls. Now that the continent was covered in darkness, Alan finally started sharpening his knife of revenge.

TO BE CONTINUED