SPACE 1. Ruins Exploration

This is..

Ark muttered with a lost expression. Ark had arrived at Nephalim, sold to the Silver Hand and hunted the mechanical Nakuma for a fortnight because of one goal. That was the hack the memory chip of the toy airplane to determine the data.It was the reason he rolled around in the mud and was covered in oil.He finally completed the hacking program Invader and was ready to access the data on the toy.

The hacking process will change depending on the lock. The lock and degree of difficulty will depend on the rating of the hacking skill. If you penetrate all the security measures around the lock then it will be released.

Eh?

Ark had though the rest would proceed automatically after making the hacking program. Yet the information window said that some technique was necessary to release the lock.Of course, Ark panicked because he didnt know any techniques..

The character is located on the left end of your hacking program Invader.

You need to break through numerous obstacles and the guardian protecting the data to reach the destination. If you touch any obstacles or the guardian then the hacking will fail.

Now, display your newly learned hacking capabilities and try to invade the data!

The Nymphes screen ended up changing.A person holding a big key appeared on the lower left and started running. And numerous rocks, traps and robots appeared on the right side.Then Arks character hit a rock.

The hacking has failed. If you fail 3 times in a row then you cant connect to 24 hours.

Game over? What? So this..

Ark was able to 100% understand how to hack after trying it once. Once he understood then it wasnt a problem completing it.While killing time riding the train or us, he would often play games like Wind Runner and Dragon Flight on his smartphone.In the end, his hacking would succeed if he moved his character holding the key through the obstacles to the final destination.Well, it was easy enough to understand..

This is hacking?

Ark felt relieved at the thought.It was inevitable that Galaxian followed the rules of the game but to have Wind RunnerAnyway, this style of hacking wasnt bad for Ark. In this generation of smartphones, Ark was familiar with these types of casual games.Thanks to his exception concentration and reflexes, he had placed 1st in quite a few games.He was already an expert in this field!

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Jump with perfect timing! Jump! Jump!After the first failure, Ark used amazing concentration to jump over numerous obstacles. Arks alter ego finally reached the gates and plugged in the key.The gates parted and a message appeared.

The data from the memory chip has been downloaded to the Nymphe.

Its a success!

Ark cheered with joy.Although he had panicked at the disconcerting sight of the 80s game, he had succeeded in surpassing all obstacles and obtained the data.It took a fortnight to get here!The result of all his troubles could now be confirmed.

What will be on here? A hidden dungeon? Or a skill?

Was there a time where Ive ever been so thrilled playing the game?The thought of the hidden heart made his heart pound. He impatiently waited for the data to download. 10%, 20%, 30%..it finally reached 100%.

Ohhh! Now!

Ark clenched his fist and shouted.

The unverified damage has dealt fatal damage to your Nymphes OS

!!#$@##$!caeQdDf1!qolq!#$%!#$#$%! alq290481-4901#@#$%!!!!

Huk! W-what is this?

His cheer turned into a scream.The screen of his Nymphe turned blue once the download was complete.The screen filled with unknown characters and symbols!

T-this is?

Cold sweat appeared down Arks back.Ark had seen such a blue screen before. But it was in reality not Galaxian.Thats right. Anybody would understand what it was.It was the typical screen that appeared when something was wrong with the computers OS.It was the blue screen that sent any user into panic!

This is ridiculous! Why is this window appearing on the Nymphe? A blue screen?

Ark screamed like crazy as he touched the Nymphe.However, the Nymphe

The screen sometimes changed but the characters and symbols were still there. All his functions on the Nymphe like the character information window, item window and system explanations were jammed! Arks head also become stuck.

W-why all of a sudden..?

Ark shouted before suddenly closing his mouth.Ark was reminded of something. The blue screen had appeared just after he downloaded the data from the airplane toy. That was the only answer that appeared in his mind.

No waythe data downloaded from the toy place..was a computer virus

There were also computer viruses in a game?Who wouldve imagined such a thing?But there was no other possible reason.

Oh my god! What do I..?

Ark grabbed his head as he collapsed to the ground.He suffered for a fortnight just for his Nymphe to obtain a virus?Ark felt despair as he saw the blue screen of the Nymphe.The Nymphe contained all the systems in Galaxian.Aside from the character screen, what point was there in playing the game when he couldnt even confirm items or quests?

...Thats right!

Some light returned to Arks hopeless eyes.

Yes, if the Nymphe is gone then I cant even confirm items, skills and my character. It wont be a game at all.This is a serious bug so Galaxian must have a way to recover from it. They wouldnt want to make the users quit the game so there must be a way!

It was natural when he thought about it logically.Ark then ran around the commercial district looking for information about how to restore the Nymphe. But he couldnt find any information even after running around for a few hours.Hacking was a 4 star rated skill.The game service for Galaxian had just started so not that many users had learnt hacking.And how many people would be unlucky in their attempts of hacking like Ark?But there had to be a way.There was no doubt about it.However, there was no guarantee that he could find it.Ark grabbed his broken Nymphe and whined.

Dammit, why do I keep having such bad luck?

Ark let out a heavy sigh.

Rululu! Rululu!

A humming sound was heard from near him.The hamster carrying a large bag was entering the junkyard.It was Arks employer Tori.Then an ! popped into Arks head.

Stupid! Did my head disappear as well as my Nymphe? Why have I been searching in the wrong place?There is an expert right next to me. Thats right. The hamster told me that the hacking skill he taught me was childs play. That guy mustve seen other people suffering from the same situation.

The only thing he was worried about was that it was the hamster Tori.Ark knew that he was a guy who would extort money no matter what. Ark was extremely worried about that point but he had no choice.No, he would pay whatever it took if Tori solved his problem.

That.

Ark deliberately looked hopeless as he approached Tori. The humming Tori stared at him with wide eyes and asked.

Eh? What are you doing here? You still havent made the hacking program?

No, I created the hacking program

That is good.

Tori put down his baggage and pulled out a bunch of papers.

Youve created the hacking program so you have nothing to do right? Then scatter some of these.

What is it?

Isnt that obvious? Flyers, an advertising poster.

Tori waved the flyer in front of Arks face as he replied.

Ignition Bullet, Superconducting Electromagnetand a large number of useful item will be sold at 20% of the normal price. This is a great chance to purchase useful items for a cheap price!

Look for Toris Gear shop in D-23 of the commercial district.

Those contents were written on the flyer.Ark looked at the flyer and asked absentmindedly.

Eh? Ignition Bullet? Superconducting electromagnet? You sold such items in your store?

Theyre all here.

Tori hit his bag and smiled.

Ive managed to obtain these for 50% of the fixed price a short time ago.

Eh? 50% of the fixed price? Where?

Hihihihi. Actually I lent some money to a store suffering from financial difficulties. But I knew. Their store would perish soon.

You lent them money knowing their store would perish?

Of course. Then it will turn into money for me.

Tori the hamster smiled evilly.

This store has quite a bit of technology. The store also has a patent on the Ignition Bullet and Superconducting electromagnets. Well, they expanded their business by force and suffered financial difficulties..Anyway, I knew their store was already in an unrecoverable state and lent them money. After I heard that the store had applied for bankruptcy, I quickly collected these items as collateral.

So you accepted these items instead of a debt?

Its not just these items.

Tori proudly took out some papers.It was the patents and blueprints for the Ignition Bullets, the Superconducting electromagnets and others.

This is the real money.

This was the reason why Tori lent money to the store that was dying.The dying store had no money to repay Tori and would end up in debt. Therefore Tori received the stores products instead. And it was obviously a good value for Tori.Tori said 50% but he actually gained it for less than that. No, he said 50% but he had clearly drained them of their blood.

So you were thinking of money from the beginning..

Of course.Why else would I lend money to a company about to go broke? Bah! Any other company wouldve just deprived them of all their money.But who am I? I already investigated everything. I employed many mercenaries and they eventually gave me the rights to the patents. Hihihihi!

I know this but..

He really was a scamming hamster.However, he had no intention of attacking.This was the principle of a capitalistic economy. Ark had also earned quite a bit of money through this principle.Then Tori sent him a coy look.

Hihihihi. Right now Nephalim is overflowing with beginner pioneers like you. If I sell it to the pioneers there is no doubt that I can earn money. Hihihihi! How about it? Huh? Do you want to buy some now? Ill give you a staff discount of 23%.

Thats okay.

Sheesh, what a cheapskate!

Cheapskate? Youre the one who arranged for me to collect metal from the Nakuma to learn hacking. Isnt it impossible for me to have any money? And isnt Tori-nim my sponsor? Shouldnt you give me these type of support items for free?

One..it is possible to give.

Tori surprisingly nodded and agreed. But as expected from the hamster, it actually wasnt for free.Tori pulled out a few bundles of flyers and said.

If you scatter all of these then I will give you one Ignition Bullet.

How many are there?

5,000. Of course, you shouldnt just scatter them anywhere. You said hand them out properly one by one to each person individually. 1 flyer will earn you 1 mileage point.

Tori said while waving the flyer.Like it was explained a while ago, originally sponsors would give support to the user.However, the sponsor wouldnt give it without anything in return.The users could do chores or quests for the sponsor in order to get mileage points.Of course, the mileage would be a lot higher the more difficult the task was.For example, if he distinguished himself in a war area for the galactic federation then he would build up huge mileage and could even receive a unique item. Thats why users preferred the federation of the 4 big businesses as sponsors since they gave quests with huge mileage.

Then..

Ark stared at the flyers.The contract was just handing out flyers to pioneers..well, it was impossible to obtain anything other than part time jobs when a junkyard was the sponsor.However, he had a reason to be motivated about the work.He earned 1 mileage point for each flyer so that would be 5000 points. If he thought about it like that then he would be motivated. Tori deliberately aimed for these items and lent money so they might be unexpectedly useful.However

[emailprotected]/* */!! #$!%EQR! R#! R#!#R!$#R!#$R$R.

This was the item information when he tried to search for it on the Nymphe.He couldnt even confirm the items directly because of the problem with his Nymphe.

In this state, I wont even be able to recognize a legendary item if it rolled on the ground in front of me!

Arks top priority had to be restoring his Nymphe.

I need to figure out a way to restore my Nymphe!

He couldnt think about money right now.Ark thought for a while before suggesting carefully.

I understand. I will hand out 5,000 flyers.You also dont need to give me the Ignition Bullet.

What? Youll hand out the flyer for free?

Toris eyes widened.Ark nodded and Tori stared making noise.

Hihihihi. Youre finally starting to learn something. Thats right. If youre a true pioneer then you should give priority to growth over profit. Both the company and the employee will benefit. Pioneers these days dont realize this. As expected, the one that Cheksun introduced is different. No, isnt it due to my education methods?Anyway, it doesnt matter as long as you have that mindset. Then please work hard. If you maintain that attitude then becoming a formal employee wont be a dream anymore.

Yes. Ill work hard. But

But?

I actually have a small problem.

A problem? What is it?

That..

Ark studied Toris face before getting to the main subject.

Actually, I wanted to learn hacking from Tori-nim because I accidentally picked up a memory chip. I needed hacking to obtain the data. Just before, I finally released the lock and downloaded the data to the Nymphe.

Oh! Really?

Then suddenly this happened.

Ark sighed and showed Tori the screen of his Nymphe.Toris black eyes rounded and he looked at the Nymphe for a while. He pulled out a cigarette and smoked it for a while before sighing and saying to Ark.

You.are screwed.

This damn hamster! I already know that which is why I asked you!

Ark thought angrily but he showed patience and asked.

Do you know why it happened?

There could be a couple of reasons. Sometimes a computer will be infected with a virus and similar symptoms will occur. But that isnt the main reason.The important thing is that the Nymphe wont work unless the data is legitimate.

Legitimate data?

You know the basics of the Nymphe but it isnt just a simple terminal. Some ignorant pioneers might mistake it as a smartphone but it is entirely different from a primitive device like that. It possesses some of the same functions as a smartphone but the most important function is its ability to assimilate the users genetic information. It can connect to all devices in Galaxian and the Nymphe can even display special powers if you obtain a powerful weapon. The Nymphe is the basic, required equipment in the space pioneering age.

He had heard such things when first starting Galaxian.

Therefore the federation directly manages the OS of the Nymphe. The federation monopolized the patient and stopped other companies from manipulating the systems.

So..Ill have to go to the federation to restore my Nymphe?

Thats the problem.

Tori stared at his cigarette with an uncomfortable expression before continuing.

You can go to the federation to restore your Nymphes OS. If it was a normal error. That is..If the error was because of data download from a federations program then the OS will be restored for free but

Tori put a and Ark waited impatiently.

Your case is different. If the investigate the system while restoring the OS then the illegal hacking program will be discovered. And you used the hacking program to release a lock and received the data. That alone is a serious crime in Galaxian. Didnt I say it before? All rights to the Nymphes OS belonged to the federation. If it is revealed that the data you downloaded changed the OS then your crimes will just pile up. If you show it to the federation then you will be 100% arrested immediately.

Tori clicked his tongue and muttered.

In other words, youre screwed.

Arks head was blank after hearing Toris explanation.He had barely started the game a month ago and he hadnt even reached level 30 before being arrested.If he was a criminal then he would receive enormous penalties.

But.

He wasnt able to play the game directly.He had to report it to the federation even if it meant receiving a penalty. When he was halfway to giving up, Tori secretly whispered to him.

But there is a way.

Huh? A way?

Yes, your Nymphe is broken because of something to do with the OS. The OS is a program. So you just need to treat the virus and it will work again.

But only the federation can

It was originally like that.

Tori smiled and replied.

However, if I make up my mind then this Tori can reconfigure the OS.

R-really?

Yes, when I was younger I would hack recklessly and my Nymphe would also be broken like this. Hihihihi! So I learnt how to catch the virus using Cheksuns Nymphe. If I use a similar method then your Nymphe can be restored.

Tori also experienced similar things while hacking. Arks guess was correct.

T-then

Of course it wont be easy.

Tori gave a meaningful smile before getting to the point.

The Nymphes OS is incredibly complicated. An enormous amount of time and effort is needed to restore it properly. And like I said before, accessing the Nymphes OS is illegal. If you want to restore your OS then I will have to commit a felony. It is dangerous. A dangerous action.

Arks was tense after Toris words.Tori..it was unnecessary to say but he was a scamming hamster. He had requested metal parts worth 200 gold in order to learn the hacking skin.Ark was almost cheated a few times after that so he was prepared.And repairing the Nymphes OS was a felony.Wouldnt he obviously request a lot?Ark was restless from those types of thoughts. Toris eyes sparkled and he whispered.

Ill do it for free.

F-for free? Really?

I wont ask for anything. I will restore your Nymphe for free if everything goes well.

Everything goes well?

Yes, if the work goes well.

Tori grinned and nodded.

It is hard to explain in detail but there is a reason I placed my store in this corner. I once explored Galaxian with Cheksun. During that time, I obtained some information by chance. Nephalim has a significant amount of artefacts buried somewhere. That is why I settled in Nephalim.To excavate the artefacts. Ive been working on it for a long time and it has advanced.

Tori looked around before speaking in a lower voice.

Thats why Im making you an offer.Ive been working alone but now there is a problem.

A problem?

Arks voice also became lower as he asked.Tori replied.

I can dig to the place where the relics are buried on my own. But according to my information, there is a type of security guard where the relics are buried. Even a genius like me cant deal with that. However, I cant hire mercenaries to dig up the relics. But youre different. You are my contracted employee and you also managed to deal with hundreds of Nakuma.

Tori narrowed his eyes and approached.

The condition is 30% of the relics discovered. And the restoration of your Nymphes OS. How about it? The conditions arent bad right?

An information window appeared as soon as Tori finished talking.

! Q#$! RSDR@$%R!FR#@!$RR!#$^%! T$! T!@.

He couldnt read the information window.However, it was possible to guess the contents.

Certainly..

Toris conditions werent bad.No, it was actually a ridiculously good condition.The Nymphe being restored for free and 30% of the relics was a windfall he never thought he would receive.However, the problem was that the NPC suggesting this was the hamster Tori.He was the one who taught the hacking skill for 200 gold and even lent money to failing businesses to obtain their patents! Then wouldnt his suggestion definitely have some ulterior motive?

He is definitely up to some mischief

Ark stared at Tori as he contemplated. Tori seemed to suspect Arks thoughts and added.

Okay. Ill honestly tell you. In fact, I will also be in trouble if you go to the federation. If the federation starts investigating then they might discover that I taught you hacking. Well, I might be able to appease them somehow but there is no guarantee. In the end, both of us are in the same boat. And I also need a soldier to fight the guardian and find the relics. So I used my big heart and made a proposal..if you dont like it then I guess its not possible.

Wait a minute.

Ark grabbed Toris shoulder who was turning around.Toris words couldnt be 100% trusted. Obviously he was up to some mischief.However, Ark would be trapped in chains if he refused so he had no choice. It was better to believe in Tori.Toris suggestion was also registered as a quest.The quest was an absolute law to NPCs. The hamster had registered his offer as a quest so he couldnt go against it.

I accept. The offer, Ill accept it.

The message appeared once he accepted the quest.

Pant pant pant, pant pant pant.

Beads of sweat rolled down Arks face and back.His shoulders, waist and thighs throbbed as he felt pain in his muscles.

Ouch, there is no place on my body that doesnt hurt. Damn, what on earth..

Ark sighed as he looked at the long tunnel.The tunnel was hundreds of metres in length and was 100% made with Arks hard work and sweat as it lead towards the place the artefacts were buried.

Tori said that the place wasnt far.When he accepted the quest, Tori brought Ark to a corner of the junkyard. He extracted a bit from the bottom of a pile of junk and a hidden trapdoor to the basement appeared.There was the beginning of a tunnel in the basement.Tori had been working on it for a long time so the tunnel already went for hundreds of metres.

He made this tunnel by himself?

His thoughts about Tori slightly changed after seeing the tunnel.So far Ark thought that Tori was a hamster who engaged in fraudulent schemes.Of course, he still though of Tori as a scamming hamster.But he managed to dig this tunnel and obtained patents from failings stores so he wasnt a lazy hamster.

That guy surprisingly has some good points..

He thought like this but it only lasted for a minute. Tori threw him a shovel as soon as he entered the tunnel.

Now, take this. This will be your workplace from now on. Ill give you three meals a day so dont even think about dying before you reach the destination.

Eh? By myself?

What, are you dissatisfied?

No, no dissatisfied but

Well, weve traded together so Ive arranged this for you. I was also the one who located the relics and dug the tunnel up to here. Im also giving you 30% of the profit. Besides, Im also repairing your Nymphe for free. Then shouldnt you do something to prove your worth? Do you want me to dig the rest of the tunnel and give you the relics?

He didnt have anything to say to that.If he thought about it like that then Tori certainly did most of the work.

And my work has built up because Ive been busy because of the debt. But now I have to fix the Nymphe for you. If you find the relics quickly then your Nymphe will be restored faster. So start digging with the shovel and stop complaining.

He wasnt wrong.Thus Ark ended up digging the remaining tunnel alone.

Then a machine! This is the future! In the age of space ships, I have to dig a tunnel with a shovel? At least an excavator or something! He wanted to express that thought but

Ill tell you in advance but dont expect any machines. The devices are possible but the distinctive noise and electronic signals means there is more risk of being caught. Didnt I tell you? This has to be done in absolute secrecy.

He couldnt say anything else.

I dont know what Im doing in this game.

A sigh flowed out as he grabbed the shovel.Galaxian was a next generation virtual reality game that captured the attention of gamers around the world!Galaxian was a grand scale SF game with many ancient alien civilizations.And Ark dreamed about being a hero in space when he connected to Galaxian.However, in R-14 he ended up cleaning the pipes. He also rolled around in the mud after arriving Nephalim and now he was digging.This was more like a labour game instead of a SF game.

Im shovelling in the age of space ships..

A sigh naturally emerged.However, Ark shook his head firmly.

Theres only one thing to do. I dont have a choice so it is better to think positively. Yes, it is good because I can restore my Nymphe without becoming a criminal. I can also get some artefacts.

Tori was a money obsessed hamster.The relics Tori was targeting definitely had value.If an NPC like Tori was aiming towards the relics then Ark was convinced. And he could obtain 30% of the relics once he found them.

Yes, this is an opportunity!

Ark was filled with motivation and grabbed the shovel. He connected to the game, shovelled, ate lunch, shovelled, had dinner and shovelled until he fell asleep!His lower back was broken as he shovelled every day.Shovelling was hard work. It didnt matter if this was a game. Digging for 1 hour would cause muscle pain to his shoulders, waist and legs. If he dug for a few days then there was no place that wouldnt hurt. If he was this tired in the game then he would be suffering in reality.

But there is no jackpot without pain!

Ark clenched his teeth.Thus he didnt rest and shovelled around the clock.It was a truly indomitable spirit!He started to get the hang of it after digging so much.It was possible to move his waist more efficiently and he could handle large rocks more easilyOnce he got the hang of it, his muscle pain also started to dwindle. When Arks muscles became used to it

!#$!$!@#$:#$&!#&&$!&$@!&$!#$.

An unidentified information window emerged from the Nymphe.He was still unable to recognize the symbols and characters.

Anyway, I can already guess the information.

Ark could guess the contents of the information window.As soon as the information window appeared, his digging speed started to increase.The information window was related to digging!He had dug the tunnel for a few days using a shovel so he had learnt a skill.Wiping the pipes for a week on R-14 and gaining the Facilities Maintenance skill, collecting metal parts to learn Hacking and now digging..Ark started to get bad vibes as he looked at all his skills. Anyway, there was no need to say that the digging skill was immediately useful!

Yes, this is it! Ohhhh!

Papapapa! Papapapa! Papapapa!

Ark seemed to turn into a mole as he dug the tunnel with tremendous speed. After another few days, a sound was heard.

Kang-!

The end of the shovel seemed to encounter something.It didnt encounter rocks.The shovel had hit iron! Ark judged that something was there and removed the dirt around it. And a wall made of metal appeared. No, he thought it was a wall but a door actually appeared once the soil was removed.It was a firmly closed rusted, iron door.

Perhaps this is where the relics are hidden

Ark immediately went back to the junkyard to call Tori. Toris eyes shone as he saw the iron door and he laughed.

Thats right! This is great! This door leads to where the relics are hidden!

But it is locked?

Hihihihi, of course it is locked.

Tori pulled out a connector and linked his Nymphe to the locking mechanism on the door. After a few moments of manipulating, there was a beep and the locking device was turned off.

That?

Who do you think taught hacking to you?

Tori smiled and pushed open the iron door. Arks heart pounded as he entered with Tori.The relics were hidden here.Therefore Ark had imagined the ruins of an ancient city underground. However, the iron door connected with a long, cylindrical passage.This was more like a sewage treatment plant than a ruin?

The relics are hidden here?

No, this passage will take us to the location.

Then the passage will connect to some ruins?

Ruins?

Tori looked sceptically at Ark.Then his eyes rolled and he burst out laughing.

Wiiiing-!

Suddenly he had the sound of a motor.Tori jumped back with a nervous look and muttered.

Ark! Those guys!

Those guys?

You fool, what did I hire you for? I told you. There is a guardian protecting the relics. Do you understand? From now on it is up to you.

Didnt he dig the tunnel leading here?He wanted to question it but there was no time.The motor sound approached and a red light appeared.An android type monster was surveying the area with a red ray of light. The lower part of the android had four wheels like a wagon.The red ray touched Ark and Tori and the android started making warning sounds.

Intruders discovered! Warning! If you dont surrender now

Pepeng! Jijijiji!

There was a ringing sound and the android was covered with a type of powder. The android wasnt able to make noise anymore.

Hihihihi, how is it? The taste of the Ignition Bullet?

Tori laughed as he shook a ball like object.

The Ignition Bullets are useless most of the time. But there is one good use. The powder sprayed contains a special coating that interferes with radio waves. The radio waves are blocked so it cant request help from other guardians. So rest assured and destroy it.

What? There is such an item?

Ark eyed the scattered metallic powder.Once again, the Silver Hand had taken advantage of the Nakumas radio waves to hunt a lot of them. The Nakumas special quality was to send a SOS signal to its colleagues and they amplified that signal several hundred times.So there should be an item to block the SOS signal. In other words, there was an item to allowed users to fight an android 1 on 1.

Thats why Tori said it is an important item for beginners

He thought it would be good to buy some.Well, that was for after he found the relics.

The guardian is an android

A confident smile appeared on Arks face.During the last fortnight Ark had destroyed a lot of machines. He even came up with a way to overcome his limitations in marksmanship.That was close combat fighting and Close Marksmanship!

Go, henchman no. 1!

Tori shouted from behind Ark.The noise was enough to make his motivation fall. However, Ark just pulled out his dagger and revolver and laughed.

I will succeed.

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

The Guardian fired its Gatling gun.Sparks appeared everywhere in the underground passage. And the smell of gunpowder stimulated his nose.

Shield!

Ark used his shield to block the projectiles and narrowed the distance. And continued with his dagger! The dagger collided with the Guardians shield and it shook.All electronic devices in Galaxian were connected with the Nymphe. Therefore his Infrared Scope also wasnt working so he couldnt check the level or health of the Guardian and the shield.However, Ark had fought hundreds of Nakuma.

It isnt an opponent I cant win against!

Ark was able to determine this after a few attacks.The only difference from the Nakuma was the Guardians lower body. It allowed the Guardian to quickly move backwards and forwards.

This will be disadvantageous if the battle continues for a long time.I need to quickly finish this!

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu!

The Guardian moved sideways and rampaged with the Gatling gun.Ark turned and ran to the other side. He stepped on a pipe built into the walls, jumped and landed on the upper body of the Guardian. Sparks continuously flew from the Guardians shield as Ark kept attacking.

-Danger! Support! Requesting support! Requesting support!

The Guardian started calling for assistance once the shield was destroyed.However, the radio waves were blocked by the metallic powder spread by the Ignition Bullet!

Go to hell!

Tang-! Tang-! Tang-!

Ark relentlessly pulled the trigger and attacked the Guardian with his revolver.Every strong point has a weakness.The Guardians legs gave it high manoeuvrability but it had low defense compared to the Nakuma. If he focused the bullets on the wheels then its movements would also be sealed.Victory or defeat was already decided at this point.The Guardian was immobile and just helplessly fired the Gatling gun as Ark ran around it and attacked. Ark stopped the Guardians blade with his dagger and fired with the revolver.After many gunshots

An unidentified message appeared as the Guardian died.

Ohhh! My no. 1 henchman! I knew you defeated a lot of Nakuma but this was unexpected. Awesome! Hihihi, if youre that skilled then we can easily obtain the artefacts!

Tori shouted as the Guardian collapsed.The praise from the hamster didnt feel that bad.

Well, it is just this degree.

Arks ego became inflated as he approached the corpse of the Guardian.The Guardian was an android so it also dropped some metal parts. Several metal pieces of good quality could be seen.

Surely he wont try to take this away from me?

Ark quickly collected the metal parts before Tori could. No, he was about to collect it.

Eh? W-wait? W-what is this? This is surely

Arks face became panicked as he saw a mark inscribed on a metal piece. The mark was a space ship and a blue planet. He had seen that mark on R-14

The galactic federation?