Ark - Volume 22 Chapter 8

ACT 8 Racard’s Destruction

‘Huk, what is this?’

Ark’s heart fell after he checked the information window.

“Infector is a vampire who has lived for more than 1,000 years. Even if your bat is a summon, if he encounters Infector’s Kin Blood-sucking skill then he will be completely destroyed. If you don’t want the summon that you’ve raised to disappear then reveal yourself!”

Alan reiterated the information Ark already confirmed from the information window. That’s right. Infector had the ability to eat another vampire. Even if he was a pet, he was still a vampire so Kin Blood-sucking would work and destroy Racard!

‘Recently Racard’s work has become smaller but…..’

In fact, Ark didn’t really use Racard that much these days. Radun was the pet that he always used thanks to his role as a bag. Purital had become more useful than Racard after evolving because of Clad Armour. But the only thing Racard did these days was use satellite surveillance mode. Despite the low utilization, they had been together from the start. Racard was also the only one among his 3 pets who could talk. During the time travelling alone, how much comfort had Racard been to him? Yet now Racard would be destroyed?

‘It doesn’t matter if Alan is aiming for my life. But Alan’s goal is Dark Eden. If Dark Eden moves in order to save Racard then they would be wiped out…..’

His method of stopping Alan would disappear. And it would lead to Silvana being flooded by the Hell River. It was Racard’s life against Silvana. In this situation he could only chose one option. No, if he thought about it calmly then he didn’t have to choose one option. Even if Ark ran out now, what guarantee was there that Alan would release Racard? Alan was 100%, not 1000% bound to destroy Racard. There was no way he could run out and save Racard. He had to give up. Despite those rational words, Ark couldn’t simply give up on Racard.

‘W-what is an alternative method…..?’

Ark was distressed thinking about it. Alan looked around and smiled as he muttered.

“Look at those tears. Infector!”

“Waaaahhhh! M-Master! S-save me……”

As soon as Infector approached, Racard started crying and trembling. At the same time, the numerous times he spent with Racard passed through his head like a kaleidoscope. Finally he couldn’t endure it anymore and was about to stand up. Then Infector drove his fangs into Racard’s neck. Racard trembled and moaned.

“Uwa, waaah, waaaahhhhh……”

At that moment, Racard’s body blurred and changed to red crystals which were sucked into Infector’s mouth. Suddenly a message window appeared in front of Ark.

*If Infector absorbs all his blood then Racard will be destroyed.

<Absorption Rate: 1%>

“Oh my god!”

Ark’s face paled.

His head was also a blur and he couldn’t think of any ideas. The footage of Racard having his blood sucked replayed repeatedly in his head. The scene replayed every time the message window appeared.

<Absorption Rate: 5%…..10%…..15%……20%>

Infector became increasingly healthier looking. In an instant Racard’s absorption had reached 20%. After Ark saw the message window, it felt like cold water had been poured on him.

‘T-that bastard. Doing this type of thing to my pet!’

Ark glared at Infector. The pet that he had raised and spoiled (?) for 2 years was going to be eaten? Well, it was Ark’s fault that the pet he raised for 2 years was in danger……anyway!

‘I have to protect the pet I raised for 2 years!’

However, he was already late. Racard had been eaten. And he wouldn’t come back. Even if he ran and killed Infector right now, there was no guarantee that Racard would be saved. Alan definitely wouldn’t sit back and watch while Ark killed Infector. No, this was Alan’s trap. It was that Ark wouldn’t resist his anger and would come running out. If he didn’t move he would lose Racard. If he moved to save Racard then he would lose Silvana or even both. The situation was clear. But he couldn’t accept it emotionally.

‘What can I do…..wait? Come to think of it…..’

Ark who was torturing himself suddenly raised his head. Despite Ark’s anxieties, Racard wasn’t fully absorbed yet. That’s right. Racard wasn’t fully absorbed yet. But Racard was in Infector’s stomach. Then……

“Summon release, Racard!”

…….Couldn’t he compel his pet to be recalled? Then Racard would be released to the summoning port in Dark Earth. Since 20% of him had been absorbed, it was likely that Racard would lose stats when he was recalled. But in this situation he might be destroyed. Ark couldn’t begrudge the loss of 20% stats.

“It doesn’t matter. If I can somehow save him……please, please, please…….”

“N-no! I can do this! Summon release, Racard! Summon release, Racard! Summon release, Racard!”

Ark shouted like a crazy person. But Ark’s resistance was stopped by the enormous wall that was New World’s system.

<Absorption Rate: 45%…..50%……>

The message that showed Racard being absorbed appeared. Ark felt something inside him snap.

“Dammit. Really…..is there another way?”

Ark feebly leaned back against the wall and muttered with a hopeless voice. Then he noticed something unusual. When he thought back to the beginning, he noticed the source of the feeling. It was the message window. Normally when his pet died it would say ‘your summon has been recalled.’ The previous message came to mind. When he thought Racard had died, the message window said ‘the connection with your summon has been lost.’ Thanks to the frenzy of the battle, Ark had just accepted that Racard was dead.

‘This time I also made the same mistake of not reading the message window properly!’

His summoning wasn’t released so he had thought about giving up. But when he checked the message window again, he realized it wasn’t that simple. His summoning release had failed but at the beginning it said that his ‘control was insufficient.’ If it was in regards to his controlling power……didn’t it mean his controlling power had to become stronger than Infector in order to release the summoning?

‘Controlling power!’

Ark’s eyes flashed as he thought of an idea. A numerical value was applied whenever a pet was summoned. The value of the controlling power decided whether a pet would obey or not. In order to summon a higher ranking pet, a large controlling power value was needed. If it was too low then the pets would refuse the order or attack their owner. When he thought back, Ark remembered that his pets didn’t really obey him in the beginning. Ark had summoned 3 pets at the same time so his controlling power had dispersed between all of them. But Ark had tamed his pets using a combination of threats, violence and food.

‘If I increase my controlling power then I can release the summoning!’

Ark turned and shouted.

“All summoners come forward!”

A few users came running at Ark’s shout. They were the Necromancers whose profession normally involved summons. They possessed some magic and combat power but mainly used their summons to attack. While it was a strong profession during the early stages of the game, there were various restrictions as their level increased so there were less high levelled Necromancers. Among the 500 members of the attack unit, only 7 could use summoning. However, Ark hadn’t called them or a headcount. He intended to borrow the equipment from the summoners.

“Does anybody have equipment that gives extra controlling power as a bonus?

That’s right. It was the reason why Ark called the summoners. The controlling power over their pets could decide the combat power. Therefore most summoners chose options that gave bonus controlling power. By raising the controlling power, the pets would follow orders more obediently and their combat power would increase. If he borrowed equipment with controlling power then he could make up for what he was lacking.

“I have earrings that give +90 controlling power.”

“This is a necklace that gives +180 controlling power.”

The summoners handed over their equipment after hearing his explanation. There was more equipment with controlling power but they were restricted to summoners so Ark could only wear the accessories. When he wore the necklace, earrings and ring, his controlling power increase by 570. It was 1.5 times Ark’s original controlling power!

“Summon release Radun, summon release Purital!”

Ark also cancelled his summoning of Radun and Purital to increase his controlling power. He increased his concentration to the maximum and shouted.

“Summon release, Racard!”

“…….Dammit!”

But the result was the same.  Even though his controlling power had doubled, it couldn’t surpass Infector’s controlling power. Ark instantly became gloomy.

“Is there a way to gain more controlling power? A food which increases it…….”

Ark muttered as he thought of various ways. Then something rose in his head. This method might not be possible but he had to try. He no longer had time to think about it. Ark immediately executed his idea.

“Animal King set special option, Wild Strength!”

At that moment, Ark’s armour shone with a brilliant light. The shapes of the merpeople, Meow, raccoons, and Wolrang emerged one after the other. Finally Wild Strength was exercised with the appearance of the White Tiger.

<The effect of all skills will increase by 50% for 10 minutes. However, mana consumption will increase by 100%>

This was the method Ark came up with in the desperate situation. The power of all his skills had increased by 50%. His Summon Demon and Summon Release were also skills. In other words, Wild Strength would increase his Summon release skill by 50%. Ark’s controlling power was 1,100. The accessories also gave him an extra 570. If 50% was applied to the 1,670 then it would be 2,505 controlling power! His controlling power had increased by 2.5 times!

“Now it is time to finish this. Damn, that stupid Racard! I will even chase you to the depths of hell and shove food into your mouth. Summon release, Racard!”

Ark clenched his teeth firmly and glared. He had used every method possible. It was him versus New World. He had to entrust the results to New World’s system. But in the next moment, something no one expected occurred.

“W-what, this strong power…….”

Infector flinched and suddenly disappeared. Alan quickly shouted as Infector disappeared before his eyes.

“Jewel!”

“I found it. They’re on the cliff where they disappeared from before!”

Jewel who had been tracking the flow of mana pointed towards the cliff. Alan’s eyes flashed and he ordered.

“As expected, you’ve exposed your tail. You’re still hiding there? Okay.  The flooded lava has hardened already. Catch those guys!”

“Kuwaaaah!”

The gargoyles flew towards the cliff first while the Avengers and demons followed.

“Damn, they found us!”

“Let’s move on from this place!”

“Ark, we can think about the problem with Racard later!”

Shambala grabbed Ark and ran away.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Hwiriririri!

Inside a dark bedroom. A vortex suddenly appeared in front of a magic seal drawn in a corner. It was a pale vampire wearing black robes, Infector.

“Ugh, what, what the?”

Infector looked around with puzzled eyes at the unexpected place he appeared in. He looked at the magic seal emitting a shallow light and understood the situation.

“Summoning Port…….

Infector frowned unpleasantly. That’s right. The magic seal in the corner of the bedroom was the Summoning Port that Ark had registered. The Summoning Port was where he had registered Racard’s recall spot. In other words, Infector had flown to the corner of Seutandal where the Vampire Lord ruled Dark Earth.

“Only humans with more than 1,000 points can surpass my controlling power. But shouldn’t his pet have moved to the Summoning Port? That Racard, he still had some will left? I had thought it was surprisingly easy to threaten him.”

Infector then looked at his bulging stomach. No matter how strong Ark’s controlling power was, it wouldn’t have worked if Racard had lost all willpower. Despite Racard’s feeble state, he had responded when his Master called.

“The vampire that was about to die tried to meet his owner’s call in that urgent situation. Doesn’t that mean he has a deep rapport with his owner?”

But that was just Infector’s misunderstanding. Racard who was on the verge of death had responded to Ark’s urgent order. However, it was completely unrelated to mental rapport. Racard was freaked out by Ark’s threat of chasing him to the ends of hell to make him eat food. Racard believed that Ark was really a person who would do that. Therefore Racard had instinctively obeyed the order despite his unconscious state. That was the cause of Infector’s misunderstanding.

“Anyway, this place is Dark Earth….. That is a problem.”

Infector muttered as he looked around anxiously. This place was Dark Earth, a sealed off place in Seutandal. It was over 1,000 kilometres away from Silvana. It would be difficult to get back. However, Infector wasn’t worried about returning. The problem was this was the land of the vampires where the Vampire Lord ruled.

“If I’m found by the Vampire Lord then I’ll become extinct. I have to escape before they get here!”

Infector hurriedly rushed to exit the bedroom with a fearful look. Suddenly the bedroom warped and there was a wave of enormous energy. The strong energy indicated the presence of spatial movement magic. Infector who was running to the door hurriedly hid behind the bed.

‘S-shit! Isn’t this wave of energy only produced by spatial movement? If the magic is this strong…… Lord! The Vampire Lord? It can’t be. Encountering the Lord in a place like this…….’

Fear filled Infector’s face as he thought about the Vampire Lord. At the same time, someone appeared from the warped space. Wearing a black hood with complicated designs carved on it……A fluttering cloak with a dark aura around it and huge black wings which emitted a feeling of oppression. It was a vampire with an intense presence! The vampire looked around the area doubtfully.

“Strange. The magic I sensed that was produced in this area……”

‘That guy is…..?’

Infector’s eyes widened as watched from behind the bed. The vampire who appeared in the room wasn’t the Vampire Lord he was concerned about. It was the vampire referee that appeared when Racard defeated Karakul. The reason that the vampire referee showed up here was because of Infector. The one cardinal rule in Dark Earth was that vampires couldn’t invade other vampire territories. If they broke the rules and invaded another vampire’s territory then the magic would conflict. And the vampire referee was the highest ranked vampire who was in charge of monitoring other vampires. He had sensed the collision of magic and had used spatial magic to check the situation.

‘The vampire referee…… Kukuku, I’m lucky today.’

Infector licked his lips and smiled with delight after seeing his opponent. The moment the vampire referee approached the door, Infector shot out from behind the bed like a lightning bolt.

“Uh? Who?”

The vampire referee quickly turned around. But he was too late and Infector shoved his fangs into the vampire referees’ neck. The vampire referee burst out with confusion as the fangs touched his neck.

“T-this is…… How dare this person……”

“Kukukuku. It’s been a while, Tarosu.

“Huk! This voice is…… Infector!”

“Has it been a few hundred years? It is good to see you again. You took quite good care of me in the past.”

“Infector! You dare set your foot on this land again……”

“I didn’t want to come here.”

Infector murmured as he inserted his fangs in deeper.

“But it’s not bad. I got to taste your blood because I came here. Have you been sucking up to the Lord while I was gone? For a lowly vampire like you to become the referee….. Or has the Lord already grown old? Well, that’s good. I’ll also have to eat the Lord sometime. Just like I promised a long time ago.”

“You dare to say the Lord’s name…..!”

The vampire referee Tarosu shook with fury. But that was just his emotion. Tarosu actually couldn’t move even one finger. Tarosu belatedly realized the situation he was in.

“This spell……Kin Blood-sucking!”

“Kukukuku, do you understand now? But it’s too late.”

Infector smiled while giving off the smell of blood. Tarosu moaned as he blurred and changed to blood crystals that were absorbed by Infector. Infector withdrew and wiped at the blood flowing from his mouth. An intense light started emitting from the Summoning Port in the corner of the bedroom. Infector smiled at the light and muttered.

“Huhuhu, it seems like I don’t have to worry about going back.”

Infector then entered the light coming from the Summoning Port.

—————————————————————————————————————————

“Hyung-nims, move over there and lure the demons!”

When a crossroad appeared, Ark ran to one side with 300 soldiers and shouted. Jjak-tung quickly nodded and gave the order.

“Understood. Dong-chi, Bul-kkun, Tazza…..take 100 troops and lure the demons to the traps at D-15, 16 and 17. We will also take 100 people and lure the remaining monsters to C-6, 7, 8 and 9!”

“Okay, meet at the 59th floor when the situation is cleaned up!”

Therefore the rehabilitation members split to the left and right with the demons following. Fire immediately spouted as the demons entered the road that the rehabilitation members ran through. Once again, Wormer and the raccoons had created many traps.

…….Immediately after Infector disappeared, Alan had mobilized the demons and the Avengers to attack Ark’s troops. Thus Ark instantly withdrew from the cliff. Despite having the terrain advantage, they wouldn’t be able to face that many monsters with only 500. So they used the terrain and traps laid out on the 59th floor to escape the pursuing demons. Now Ark hid in a suitable place and entrusted the demons to the rehabilitation members. He had no time to be playing tag with the demons.

“Infector was definitely moved to Dark Earth!”

Ark muttered as he bit his lip. The reason Ark had cancelled the summoning was a desperate measure to save Racard from Infector. If they flew off together then nothing had changed. Whether it was the secret dungeon or Dark Earth, Racard would still end up being digested.

‘But……’

Ark once again had another idea. He had succeeded in his goal of sending Racard back to Dark Earth but Infector had also gone along. Then what if he tried to summon Racard again? I might be able to find a way to summon Racard from Infector. It was the reason Ark had the rehabilitation members lure the demons away. It was in order to get Racard away from Infector without the demons interfering! After a while, Ark’s group arrived at an underground square surrounded by high cliffs on all sides.

“Okay.  I will start the summoning. Everybody be prepared to attack. “Summon Demon, Racard!”

Ark summoned Racard in the underground square. Then Infector appeared on one side near Ark.

“Che, this has become troublesome.”

Infector frowned as he saw the 300 troops surrounding him. Then Ark raised his sword and used Advanced Intimidation to shout.

“Infector, vomit out Racard!”

“Kukukuku, intimidation? Do you think a trick like that will work on a vampire? It is impossible. I am a vampire who has lived for more than 1,000 years!”

Infector then shouted.

“Blood Arrows!”

Chwa chwa chwa chwa chwa chwa!

Dozens of arrows shot in all directions from the hem of his robes. The warriors hurriedly raised their shields as the arrows flew. Then Infector revealed huge black wings and flew into the sky.

“Hahaha! You fools, did you think you were the first ones who thought about surrounding me? I’ll drink all of your blood in the near future. Blood Arrows!”

Infector shot Blood Arrows while flying in the air. If he flew beyond the cliff then he would escape to where the demons were. But Ark just sneered and muttered.

“Bah, you still don’t know your situation. Summon release, Racard. Summon Demon, Racard!”

“Ugh! W-what? Dammit!”

Infector who was just about to fly beyond the cliff cursed as he disappeared. And he once again appeared in front of Ark. That’s right. This was a situation Infector couldn’t avoid because Racard still hadn’t been fully digested. As long as Racard was inside Infector, Ark could freely release and summon him again. Ark’s controlling power had already surpassed Infector’s so there was nothing Infector could do.

‘But as Racard’s absorption rate increases, Infector’s controlling power would become higher. And soon I won’t be able to freely summon him.’

“Archer units, chain shot attack!”

The archers at the rear of the troops took out some portable cannon. It was the cannons that the raccoon clans used. After the raccoons worked on reconstructing the 59th floor, they also supplied the troops. However, the cannons were originally the weapon of the raccoons. Archers who were used to ranged weapons such as bows wouldn’t be able to exert the full power of the cannons. However, Ark had them carry the cannons because of the effect of the ‘special’ bullets.

A special bullet that the raccoon clan created after many years of research. Just like the name, it is a bullet produced for a special purpose. They are special bullets that give blunt damage to the enemy and ‘stun’ them, bullets which shocked an enemy, tied up an enemy, caused ‘slowness,’ made the enemy unable to fly, penetrate the enemy’s defense, etc.

And it is possible to convert to such special bullets according to the circumstances.

Ark and Shambala attacked Infector like a storm from the left and right. Infector’s health quickly drained thanks to the combined attacks of the warriors, priests, Ark and Shambala.

“Kuaaaack! T-these lowly fellows……!”

But a level 500 boss wasn’t an insignificant opponent. Despite the pouring attacks and magic, Infector managed to complete a spell.

“…….Blood of the Great King. Confusion!”

A red flash occurred in Infector’s eyes. It was the special skill of a high ranking Infector, ‘Confusion!’ Although the magic didn’t do any damage, it was a really troublesome spell. Most warriors brandishing a shield made dim expressions and turned with a pleasant smile. Then the spat on the floor like they had rabies and attacked the priests.

“Damn, those fools! Get a hold of yourself!”

Ark yelled and kicked the warriors’ backs.

While the warriors were recovering from being kicked, the priests used ‘mental purification’ magic and released the confusion. But the number of priests was lacking compared to the warriors and spells were hard to chant when they were being attacked. While the warriors were attacking the priests, Infector had started to chant his ‘Confusion’ spell again.

“…….Blood of the Great King……

“You’re praying too much!”

At that moment, Ark took out a black meat from his bag and threw it.

A special food made using Creative Cooking. It is created by combining hot peppers, vinegar, rotten meat, horseradish etc. An extremely bad smell which goes beyond human limits is drifting from this dish. If you pull it out in a public place then you will receive a wild beating.

<Hell Bomb has an effect of 5 metres>

It was Hell Bomb created using Creative Cooking! When hit by the Hell Bomb, Infector immediately shrieked.

“Kuaaak! W-what is this?” E-eyes…n-nose…..they’re burning!”

The Hell Bomb released an extremely bad smell that made the vampire go crazy. The impact was the same was a gas grenade as Infector rolled along the ground while grabbing his nose. It was the same for the warriors. The soldiers who were ‘confused’ also screamed at the bad smell and rolled across the ground.

“Now. Priests, use your holy magic!”

“……Holy!”

The priests avoided the bad smell and unleashed their holy magic. Infector tried to run away many times but the archers shot chains at him and forced him to the ground. Meanwhile, the effect of Hell Bomb had disappeared. The warriors that escaped from the effect of Confusion surrounded Infector and attacked. When that situation repeated a few times, Infector became deeply bruised. There were no breaks in the attacks and Infector soon fell into a critical condition.

“Shambala!”

“Okay. Chain, chain, chain!”

Shambala ran towards Infector after hearing Ark’s words. At the same time, dozens of chains tied around Infector. ‘Chain’ was the exclusive skill of the God Killer that was only available after the enemy fell into a critical condition.

Ark stepped on the neck of the tied up Infector with his foot.