Ark Volume 2 Read online

  At the same time, numerous cracks spread out on the Netherworld's Egg and it finally split in half.

  Netherworld's Egg has ingested sufficient nutrition and has hatched!

  "F-finally!"

  Ark focused his attention on the form that was rising with hazy light. Finally, he had three Familiars!

  Even two Familiars provided considerable power. If he had three of them now, his hunting speed would increase even more.

  Ark's eyes glimmered with expectation. But the light disappeared, and the form that appeared made Ark grimace with loathing.

  "The hell is this? A s-snake?"

  His new Familiar was a snake with a broad neck, like a cobra.

  Amongst many, many animals, why the hell did it have to be a snake?

  After entering the cave, he had been attacked by a thousand snakes. As if that wasn't enough, he had almost died fighting Kundalini, so he was sick and tired of snakes.

  However, when he looked more carefully, he didn't really feel a sensation of disgust.

  The Familiar's appearance was very different from all the snakes he'd seen until now.

  Its silkworm-like, smooth body even looked pretty at first sight. In particular, its saucer-like round and large eyes were as blue as sapphires. The way its eyes shined as it stared at him did have a cute aspect.

  "In any case, seems like it's somehow okay since it's a snake... Information window!"

  After checking the information window, Ark once again tilted his head.

  "W-what, what is this?"

  Alamone Larvae

  It is a mysterious snake living in the Netherworld, an Alamone's offspring.

  An Alamone is a mysterious snake with the habit of placing all the items it sees into its stomach. Because they do not digest the swallowed items, those who desire the items have indiscriminately captured them, so now they have become extinct. Therefore, there are not many who know of them.

  They are obedient and highly affectionate. Also, an Alamone recognizes the first existence it sees after hatching from its egg as its parent. The first existence the Alamone saw after hatching was you.

  Now the Alamone will think of you as its parent, and it will become a loyal Familiar that will never betray its master no matter the situation. In addition, because it is tied to you by familial love, it will not consume Mana even if a battle breaks out.

  Race

  Creature of the Netherworld

  Luck

  ---

  Alignment

  ---

  Class

  ---

  Health

  50

  Loyalty

  ---

  Strength

  ---

  Agility

  ---

  Stamina

  ---

  Wisdom

  ---

  Intelligence

  ---

  * It can store the same number of items as the summoner with no weight limit.

  He had struggled like crazy and had finally hatched it, but it didn't have a single stat. That meant he couldn't use it in battle.

  However, its special ability intrigued Ark.

  'It can store items?'

  Ark stared at the snake, which was charmingly clambering onto his arm.

  Just in case, he tried holding out Lancel's Sword a bit. The snake stared at it blankly, then suddenly shot out its tongue like a frog catching a fly and swallowed it.

  'Huh? Did it really eat it?'

  Ark stared at the snake with a perplexed expression.

  "Spit it back out!"

  When Ark shouted in a bewildered voice, the snake opened its mouth again and spat out the sword onto Ark's hand. Then it blinked its bright eyes and rubbed its head into him as if it were asking for praise.

  A laugh escaped Ark's lips.

  "Ha, what the hell is this?"

  Should he call it fascinating, or funny?

  He felt an indescribable feeling. He no longer felt his initial disappointment, because he had desperately needed a spare bag. Moreover, there was no burden if it didn't eat Mana during battle like his other Familiars did.

  It was something he learned too late, but a Dark Walker had a smaller bag capacity in comparison to other professions. Merchants and production classes were provided 6 basic bags. Magic professions had a basic bag and 3 spare bags with half the capacity. Even Warriors had one spare bag in addition to their basic bag.

  But Ark's bag capacity had only expanded slightly with his job-change. After packing in all kinds of food ingredients, he'd found that he always lacked bag capacity.

  Of course, there were ways to increase bag capacity. But the magic bag sold in large cities was a whopping 200 gold for only a quarter of the basic bag's capacity! Ark had given up early after hearing about the outrageous price.

  'Since it can store the same capacity as a basic bag, it means I've earned 800 gold. Is this little guy the reason why a Dark Walker isn't provided an additional bag?'

  "Alright, from now on I'll comfortably call you 'Snake.'"

  Snake nodded as if it had heard. Then it excitedly rubbed itself on him repeatedly and wrapped itself around Ark's waist.

  It looked like a belt made out of snake skin.

  "You're a really likable fella. I'm satisfied with this much."

  Now he had finished everything he had to do in the cave.

  Ark headed back to the village of Lancel.

  "You really did it!" The store owner exclaimed once Ark spread out the Gnoll leathers.

  "This is the promised compensation. 20 silvers per leather. It's a total of 21 gold. And this is the reward for saving the village."

  Galen gave him a total of 31 gold as a reward.

  After completing the quest, his intimacy with Galen had risen considerably as a bonus. He was able to sell the japtem he had acquired within the cave for an additional 10 percent. Ark roughly finished tidying up and returned Lancel's Remains as he spoke of Kundalini.

  Galen was surprised, but he soon nodded with understanding.

  "So a demon like that lived in the cave. Lancel was a Mercenary stronger than anyone I know. I didn't believe that such a person could been killed by just Gnolls."

  "Yes, if it weren't for the wound on Kundalini that Lancel inflicted, I would have never been able to win. But who exactly is Lancel? If he was able to enter the cave alone and face that demon, which indicates that his skill wasn't common..."

  Ark asked because he thought he might be able to learn more about Lancel's Sword.

  Galen hesitated with a dark expression and spoke, "You're right, Lancel was no ordinary Mercenary. Once, he was so violent a Mercenary that they called him 'Vampire' in a border war. Over a hundred Soldiers died at his hands. But that was against Lancel's will. It's just that the battlefield and the sword made him go crazy. Eventually, Lancel regained his senses, realized the disillusionment of his actions, and left the battlefield. Then, with the determination to be a help to someone, he led the pioneers and decided to set up this village.

  "So even as he fought a dreadful demon, he couldn't give up on the village."

  "That's right, he really was atoning, in a way."

  Galen let out a sigh.

  "No matter his past, I admired him. I also love the village he set up. Now that the danger has disappeared thanks to you, I'm of a mind to rebuild this village even if I have to devote my whole life to it. Speaking of which... are you thinking of continuing your journey?"

  "Yes, of course."

  "Then, will you listen to my request?"

  "Please tell me."

  "The pioneers who followed Lancel all love this village. The only reason why they left was because they worried about their family's safety. But now the danger is gone. If you happen to meet them in your journey, please let them know of this fact. If it's them, they will definitely return. Of course, it's good if you find and send new villagers, too. This village is open to anyone."

  "I understand. I will speak of the p
erson named Lancel to people I meet in my journey around the world. I will tell them how honorable and amiable a place this village is."

  When Ark nodded, the quest was updated.

  Quest has been updated.

  Pioneer Village Lancel's Misfortune → Find New Settlers!

  Lancel's general store owner, Galen, wants to continue Lancel's wish and rebuild the village.

  What Lancel Village needs most right now are residents. Many people must gather and the laughter of children must fill the air for Lancel to be reborn as a true village.

  Galen has requested that you find residents for Lancel, like the pioneers who shared Lancel's goal in the past and even people who have nowhere else to go. Galen has accepted Lancel's wish to become helpful in the world and has promised to openly accept all residents. If you guide them to this place, Lancel Village will definitely become the village that Lancel desired.

  Finding new settlers: achieved 0%

  Difficulty: C

  There wasn't any information about how to solve the quest. But after receiving the quest first, there would be a hint somewhere.

  "You should hold onto Lancel's Sword. I know Lancel would also want that."

  Of course, Ark had no intention of giving it up even if he was asked to.

  Anyways, Ark left Lancel after those words.

  The very first thing he did after leaving Lancel was to summon Skull.

  *Clack clack clack*

  When he saw Skull clacking its teeth as if there was nothing wrong, tears blurred Ark's eyes.

  Although it was revived again, Skull had thrown away its life for his sake. In a sense, it was an action that was harder for an NPC that actually died than it was for a player. But Skull had sacrificed itself without hesitation. In addition, Bat had done its best to help Ark.

  When he looked at these Familiars, affection surged forth anew.

  'Such praiseworthy little rascals.'

  Snake, the new addition to his family, was definitely lovable. Perhaps because Snake truly thought of him as its parent, but it put its all into rubbing Ark affectionately whenever it could.

  'That's right, these guys are all I have. Sink or swim, I'll go together with these fellas.'

  It wasn't just that his sense of unity was strengthened; there was also an actual benefit. He no longer had to give up items because of bag space. Now that he could store double the items thanks to Snake, Ark became even greedier.

  'Now that the family has increased, I have to earn more, even if it's just 1 Copper.'

  Ark scraped in all the japtem and ingredients he could get his hands on as he followed the Hand Mirror's light. Because of that, his pace slowed even more, and he crossed the Argus Mountains after a week.

  There were still unexplored regions on the other side of the Argus Mountains.

  Even when he walked for several days, he couldn't find any players, let alone NPCs.

  After passing a plain where he could see the horizon and floods a few times and hunting the monsters he encountered in those places, he reached level 50. When his two bags were nearly chock full of japtem, Ark was able to arrive at his destination.

  'It's the lighthouse!'

  On one side of the beach stood a picturesque, scenic lighthouse.

  It was the lighthouse he'd seen through the Hand Mirror; he had finally reached his destination after a very long journey.

  When he had seen it through images, it was a place that had only looked beautiful. But when he actually arrived and looked, the area around the lighthouse was crawling with monsters he had never seen before.

  They were monsters with shark-like appearances equipped with both arms and legs. When he checked the information with Eyes of the Cat, he found they were called Sharkmen. They were level 55, but they were a little stronger than monsters of the same level.

  'Well, I'll manage to fight them somehow, but it's hard to face more than one of them. It'll be good to wait until night for now.'

  At night, all his stats increased by 20 percent.

  To fight in the dark. It was one of the Dark Walker's basic tactics.

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  Underwater City of Nodelesse

  Ark's steps were full of vigor.

  It was thanks to a phone call he had received this morning.

  "Is this Mrs. Park Somi's guardian?"

  As soon as he realized it was from the hospital, he was stricken with fear.

  Until now, he had no memories of hearing good news from the hospital. Since her hospitalization, he had only gotten news of sudden seizures, and after his mother stabilized a little, they would call to press him about the late hospital bill. Either way, it wasn't a welcome phone call.

  His voice became automatically nervous.

  "Yes, why?"

  "Lately, Mrs. Park Somi's condition has improved greatly. Therefore, the doctor has said he feels it would be good to slowly begin the rehabilitation therapy."

  "Sh-she's gotten better?"

  "Yes, a procedure of this kind requires guardian consent. I'm calling to ask what the guardian intends to do."

  "If it's necessary, we must do it."

  "Then, please visit the hospital today and sign a consent form. I will walk you through the rehabilitation program and additional costs in detail when you come to the hospital."

  It was the best news he'd heard in recent years.

  Five years had already passed since his mother had been hospitalized. After receiving surgery on her entire body, including her brain, she was in a comatose state for the first two years. When she woke up, she hadn't been able properly use her limbs.

  What was worse, there had been times when she had occasionally gotten a sudden seizure and lost consciousness for a few days. Whenever that happened, Hyun Woo would hold his mother's hand and spend the night sleeplessly.

  "The cause is mental stress from excessive shock."

  The doctors explained his mother's symptoms as such.

  Stress. For a doctor, it was truly a convenient term, since they just had to attach it to any kind of symptoms.

  "As of now, there's nothing we can do. For the time being, we can only wait for her condition to improve."

  The prescription of the doctors was to wait. While simply waiting her condition to improve, he had to pay 3 to 4 million Won (~$3-4,000) in hospital bills monthly. Even so, he was able to endure it.

  If his mother's conditioned suddenly worsened, the doctor babbled he might have to prepare himself for the worst. His anger would rise at the doctor who could only say those kinds of things, but there was nothing he could do.

  In a hospital, a patient's family has no power.

  Whenever it happened, the only thing Hyun Woo could do was to simply clasp his mother's hand and cry as he prayed again and again to a God he didn't even believe in.

  He didn't know if the prayers gotten through or not. In any case, after 4 years passed, hope began to bloom. Since last year, his mother's condition started to improve.

  Something like getting up from her bed was still a struggle, but she could eat on her own. In addition, she didn't have any big problems when she conversed. Since the doctor who had babbled Hyun Woo might have to give up was now supporting the rehab, it indicated a huge change in her condition.

  Feeling like he could fly, Hyun Woo bought a fruit basket and went to her hospital room.

  "Ah, Hyun Woo."

  As soon as he entered the room, a middle aged man quickly got up.

  "Hello, Detective Gwon."

  "Yeah, it's been a while. Nothing out of the ordinary?"

  "I'm fine as always."

  "It's the day I come to the hospital, so I decided to drop by for a bit."

  "There's no need to explain yourself."

  Detective Gwon blushed and cleared his throat. "Ahem, then have your talk. I'll be outside."

  The middle-aged man named Detective Gwon limped out of the room.

  Hyun Woo laughed as he held his mother's hand.
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  "Mother, I heard. They say you've improved a lot lately."

  "Yes, perhaps because my body is getting better, I've been feeling good too."

  His mother laboriously tried to smile.

  Looking at her haggard face pained his heart. His mother was already in her mid forties, but before the accident, everyone had told her she was beautiful. However, five years of life in the hospital had snatched away her past appearance.

  'No matter what, I have to return mother back to her old self.'

  Even if Hyun Woo gave up on everything else, this was the one thing he wanted.

  As a shadow crossed Hyun Woo's face, his mother said in a sad voice, "I'm sorry, this isn't the time for me to be like this....."

  His mother always started with those words when she saw him.

  Hyun Woo hadn't said a word, but his mother knew. No, there was no reason why she wouldn't know.

  After her admittance to the hospital, relatives had only visited two or three times. Also, they only chattered about how difficult life was these days and other nonsense before leaving.

  No matter how sick she was, there was no reason for her to think relatives would constantly be paying the hospital bills. Those relatives had a big impact on why Hyun Woo had closed himself off to people.

  In the end, the entire burden was his.

  She couldn't show him she knew this, since she was sorry for all the hardship she caused him.

  "Please don't say such things. Just concentrate on getting better sooner, even if it's just by a day. Also, I am no longer a child. I'm 22 now. I can make a decent living for myself.

  "You're right, you're not a kid anymore."

  As she stroked Hyun Woo's hand, her voice became teary with emotion.

  5 years... for an old person to whom today was the same as yesterday, it might be an inconsequential amount of time. But Hyun Woo, who had been a high school sophomore, had became an adult at the age of twenty-two. It was the time when youths experience the most changes.

  How would she feel, having to watch her son change as the weight on his shoulders crushed him from her sickbed.