SPACE 9. Power of God!

Pledge? Test?

It came out of nowhere.Other users wouldve probably rushed back and forth in confusion.But Ark was unaffected.It was abrupt but Ark sensed something the moment he heard the voice.Ark had forgotten for a while but he came to Rakunka to find the Divine Artefact that Xanax hid. And now something that responded to the name Xanax appeared. The conclusion that came from this combination of clues was simple.

Is this the 2nd test for Xanax successor?

The atmosphere became like he expected.Perhaps he could get the Divine Artefact after defeating the crystal golem. It was good. It reduced the trouble of him having to search for it.Yet! Yet! Yet!

Dammit! Now isnt the time to do this!

Ark snapped in an angry voice.Right now the Myutal were flocking towards the pyramid.Ellain and the Kusan warriors were currently stopping them but Ark didnt know how long they could hold out. If they collapsed then the Myutal would enter the pyramid. They would also smash the terraforming machine and defense weapon. Yet now he had to pass a test?But there was no time for questions or answers.

Kwakwang!

The golems fist rose and slammed into the ground.

This foolish golem!

Ark used Swamp Walking to retreat.The golem had no intention of understanding Arks circumstances.Then there was only one way remaining! He had no choice but to defeat the golem and pass the test.

Okay. Shall we do this?

Ark took an attack stance with his lightsaber in front of him.He had managed to pass the Sanctuarys training centre test after several attempts.He didnt know the exact identity of the crystal golem but it should be a higher level of difficulty than the training centre. However his real opponent was time. Right now time was the most precious thing to Ark. He couldnt afford to lose even 1 second.

I need to use my full strength straight away! Armour armament!

The space distorted and his battle suit appeared!The battle suit wrapped around Arks body and he shot towards the golem.

Wiing! Wiiing! Pajik! Pajijijik!

The lightsaber moved through the air and cut the golem. Sparks flew from the golems body as the lightsaber struck it.

Okay. This should be enough to win!

Ark showered the golem with attacks.The golem tried to counterattack by hitting with its fist. However the golems movements were slow. It had tremendous destructive power but that didnt matter if the attacks didnt hit him. Ark used Swamp Walking to move across the shaking floor and hurled relentless attacks.It was an almost one-sided attack!

I was certain it would be more difficult than the training centremaybe I became too strong? I also didnt use the battle suit in the training centre..that Xanax, he mightve made a mistake with the test sequence.

He had that idea.Then the golem spread its arms opened and rushed forward.So far the movements had been slow thus he couldnt imagine the fast speed of the charge! Ark hurriedly raised his sword at the sudden speed. However he couldnt stop the rush of the crystal golem. Ark received a huge impact and bounced back several metres. At the same time, the golem spread its arms open before slamming them together again.

Jjang!

There was an explosive sound as the two palms hit together.He had managed to barely avoid it but the attack caused sweat to drip down his back.The movement was like catching a fly. If Arks head had been between those palms then he really would be crushed like a fly.No, he avoided the clapping but it wasnt a favourable situation to him.The golem head-butted him.He took a defensive stance but he still lost 15% health.However Ark was even more confused by the golems health. He had bombarded the golem with rapid fire attacks and had hit it at least 10 times.Yetthe golem had only lost 5% of its health.That meant his unique lightsaber only dealt 0.5% damage with each hit.

What? This ridiculous defense?

Ark noticed the reason afterwards.He avoided the golems fist and swung his lightsaber!

Snap! Pajijijik!

When the lightsaber hit an enemy, the area turned dark.However the golems reaction was different. When the lightsaber touched the golems body, the light diffused and sparks emerged on the surface.

Oh my god! This is the reason!

It wasnt simply a problem of defense.The lightsaber blade was basically a high temperature light.Any light that touched rough glass ended up with a diffuse reflection. It didnt enter properly which was why the damage wasnt high. The golems body was crystal. Most of the lightsaber was dispersed and the damaged decreased.This was the worst opponent to use a lightsaber on!

When considering the power of this guy

In fact, there was a reason Ark started with full power apart from the time limit.Ark had to fight through the Myutal in order to reach the pyramid. He wanted to finish this during the time limit so he couldnt afford to take breaks. Thus he tended to only have 60~70% health while advancing.It was the same when he arrived at the pyramid.Ark only had 70% health left when he advanced inside the pyramid. He had to pass through the Myutal so his health was 60% when he reached the golem.Therefore he decided to use full strength to quickly take care of it.

But the lightsaber doesnt work on this guy!

Now finishing it quickly was a problem.He only caused 5% damage.On the other hand, he had lost 15% health just from the golem head-butting him.

Attacking blindly is meaningless! Even if I can avoid being damaged, defeated him will take a long time. Ellain wont be able to hold out until then. This cant continue. I need to find another way!

Kukung! Kwa kwang! Kukung!

Ark desperately rolled to avoid the golems fists.Generally there were two types of monsters.There were ordinary monsters and monsters with a strong resistance to certain attacks The Umu was one such monster.A general sword wouldnt be able to harm it. Those sorts of monsters would also be impervious to smash attacks. The Sonic Sword was able to damage it because it targeted the Umus weakness.It was imperative that he find the weakness!

Crystal, glass, glassaha!

Fire Eagle P-50!

A gun sprang out of his bag at Arks words.

Snap! Pajijijik!

It was the shotgun that he barely used since obtaining the Heirs Sword. The golem couldnt be properly damaged by the lightsaber. Therefore Ark put the sword away and grabbed the Fire Eagle. He avoided the golems fist and loaded the bullets!

Eat this!

Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!

There was the sound of the Fire Eagle being shot. But there was no hot feeling like when he first used the Fire Eagle. One blow had damaged multiple Sufferers but the damage to the golem was different. The Heirs Sword had twice the damage of the Fire Eagle. It also had the push effect but the large body meant the effect wasnt applied.

But

Ark wasnt using a normal bullet. It was the Freezing Bullet being fired! This bullet had the effect of slowing down biological tissue. But the opponent was a crystal golem. There was no biological tissue so the effect of the freezing bullet wasnt applied. The only thing that happened was frost forming on the surface of the crystal. However

This should be sufficient.

Now it seems to properly frozen.

Buuong! Ark avoided the golems fist and smiled. He loaded new bullets in the empty magazine and lifted the muzzle again.

Lets see how solid your body is now! Set Bullets Shooting!

Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok! Cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

The Fire Eagle started spewing out flames! The flames hit the golems chest. So far the golem had ignored all attacks from the lightsaber and Fire Eagle but this time it was different. I-I cant believe this! The golem clutched his chest and stepped back with confusion. Crystal pieces were crumbling underneath the golems fingers. This was what Ark had been aiming for. The special effect of the Freezing Bullet wasnt applied to the golems body but it was frosted. In order words, it was the same effect as putting glass in a freezer. What would happen if boiling water was then poured on it? It would rapidly contract and expand!

This was the principle behind the golems body breaking. He had shot a Fire Bullet after the Freezing Bullet! The Freezing Bullet and Fire Bullet had the same effect as putting glass in a freezer and then pouring hot water on it.This was the result.The golems thick body that hadnt been damaged by the lightsaber and bullets started shattering.7% of its health also decreased at once.

In no time..

Ark loaded the Freezing Bullet again and laughed.

Im going to turn you to powder.

Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng! Pepeng!

Since then the battle became one-sided.Ark avoided the golems fists and fired the Freezing Bullets. Once the golems body was covered with frost, he would change to the Fire Bullets and peng! Peng! Peng! Fine parts of the golems body fell every time and it lost 10% health in 3~4 minutes.

Not yet!

The cracked golem rushed towards him.It spread both arms wide open like it wanted to hug Ark. Ark had no intention of letting himself be hugged.The moment the golem tried to hug Ark!

Welcome to the alter ego!

Arks body turned hazy.This was the second skill obtained from the Kusan village!Ellain had used welcome to the alter ego during the fight with Ark.Ark liked that technique since he first saw it. He specialized in close combat so he needed something to deceive the enemys eyes.Of course, it wasnt that easy to get a NPC to teach a player a skill. However the Kusan considered Ark as Gods messenger. He also taught them a skill that they lost a long time ago.

Therefore Ark easily learnt the secrets of welcome to the alter ego from Ellain. The method of teaching was similar to the one Ark used on the Kusan warriors. Ellain had to demonstrate the skill then Ark had to practice it.This was why Ark was more tired than the Kusan warriors. While the Kusan warriors had been sleeping for 8 hours after their training, Ark had been learning this skill.It was fortunate that Ark could acquire the skill quickly.

It wasnt because Ark had outstanding talent.Galaxian was a game, so userNPC transfer of information was much slower than NPCuser. Ark was also able to quickly acquire welcome to the alter ego because he used a similar technique during his New World days.Dozens of footprints appeared on the ground. Welcome to the alter ego was a skill where the user had to step on one footprint after another and it would fail or succeed depending on the completion rate.It was the same method as Dark Dance!Thankfully he only needed to practice for 2 hours.

Welcome to the Alter Ego (User, Active): This technique has been handed down through generations of the indigenous people of the underdeveloped planet Rakunka. The Kusan warriors often saw mirages in the desert and created a series of footwork that would make illusions to confuse the enemy. However this technique requires a certain amount of agility (300) to be successful.

Mana consumption: 50

Hwakak!

Ark followed the complicated footprints on the ground and created 4 alter egos.One of them were caught in the golems arms and disappeared. Naturally this was an alter ego. The remaining three scattered in every direction and surrounded the golem.The golem turned its body different ways with confusion.

18 Barrage!

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Flying fists hit the golem!Cracks had already spread all over the golems body thanks to the combo of Freezing Bullet + Fire Bullet. Once the fists of steel starting hitting at an incredible speed, chunks of crystal started falling to the ground.And when the 18th fist hit!

Jjajjajjajjang!

There was a ringing sound and a thick crack spread across the centre of the golem.It was the end.

The pledge has been completed.

The golem said in a weak voice.

-Your level has risen.

It was a welcome message.

Phew, now

Ark took off his battle suit and muttered. Then the crystal pieces piled on the ground started melting like liquid. The liquid gathered and changed into a bracelet with many crystals linked together.

Eh? An item? Then perhaps this is?

Ark picked up the crystal wristlet.

Item Type: Energy Shield Wearer Restriction: Elims Heir

Defense: 200 Durability:

Shield Quantity: 5,000/5,000

Thousands of years ago, the Murat created 5 Divine Artefacts for their Elim. This Divine Artefact was created with the special Baius crystal with the nickname Stone of Will and has the same functionality as an energy shield. But this isnt a mere shield. Sometimes it can change into a golem and move independently of the user. Baius is a material that has will so it can change and grow with experience. It can grow into a stronger shield and golem. However, this growth is accomplished by absorbing 50% of the wearers experience.

Divine Artefact!

Arks eyes looked shocked.Ark thought that the crystal golem had been placed there by Xanax.However the golem had turned out to be a Divine Artefact.This was a development he hadnt expected.But unlike its name, the Baius Shields performance actually wasnt that good. The shield only had 200 defense. A shield would 200 defense wouldnt be able to block the enemys attacks.The shield also had health.Usually a weak bullet decreased a shield by 100~200. If it was a close range attack then sometimes it would be 1,000 damage. Therefore most level 50 shields had 5,000 shield quantities. If he looked at that value then this Divine Artefact was no different from a level 50 weapon.

But this is a growth type item!

If meant the performance could be steadily upgraded!The shield could also transform into a golem.It might absorb 50% experience but it was similar to growing a pet so he could take that penalty.

Id like to try summoning the golem

Now wasnt the time to be playing around.

Defense weapon! Where is the Murats defense weapon?

ARC looked around desperately.But he didnt see anything except for the pillar.

The Murat told the Kusan to use the crystal if there was a crisis. There must be some way to trigger the defense weapon. If thats the case?

Ark placed his hand on the pillar.The intricate light patterns then gathered around Arks hand. It gathered together to form Murat letters!

The Heavenly Gods Fire can have harmful effects on Rakunkas environment.

Would you like to activate Heavenly Gods Fire?

This was the contents of the letters after the Nymphe translated it.It was a space weapon that could have harmful effects on the environment.However Rakunka didnt need environmental protection after the Myutals attacks. Werent the natives already dying and the atmosphere heating up?There was no need to worry!

Activate!

Ark exclaimed.Then the letters in front of his hand spread around the pillar. It formed a pattern that connected and a circuit was drawn on the surface of the pillar.

Ku ku ku ku! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

There was a vibration and a huge pillar of light flew upwards.

-

Pant pant pant!

My strength..ugh!

Ellain grabbed his arm and stumbled.While Ark had entered the pyramid to call the Power of God, Ellain and the Kusan warriors had been fighting the thousands of Myutal flocking to the pyramid.Fortunately the entrance was narrow so only 20 Myutal could attack at once. They could defeat those numbers.However that had its limitations.10 times, 20 times, 30 timesmore warriors became wounded and died as they killed the Myutal endlessly.The fierce battle had already been ongoing for 10 minutes.However the Power of God still hadnt been activated.

Maybe the legend is just a legend

Ellain grieved as he looked at his bloody colleagues.

Ku ku ku ku! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

There was a loud noise and the pyramid shook.Ellain and the surviving Kusan warriors then witnessed a miracle.A huge light shot up from the top of the pyramid and the sky turned red like it was angry. And the anger formed red rays that shot towards the ground.The moment the light touched the red earth!

Kikikikipepeng!

There were thousands of Myutal covering the pyramid.All of the Myutal screamed and exploded in unison.It wasnt just the Myutal. The Umu controlling the Myutal and the red substance covering the area also vaporized.However Ellain and the Kusan warriors were unaffected despite being touched by the red light.Only the alien creatures invading Rakunka were burned by the light of the heavens!

Miracle! It is a miracle of God!

Our faith wasnt in vain!

Ohh! God is helping us!

Ellain and the Kusan warriors fell to their knees.

This is the nature of Gods power?

The vast stretches of outer space.

Ark looked out the window of the Silver Star.Ark was inside the pyramid so he could read the identity of Gods power through the Murat letters.The identity of Gods power was the nebula gas Ark was looking at now. No, to be accurate it was the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the nebular gas.The nebular gas of the cross emitted unique electromagnetic waves.The electromagnetic wave was similar to a microwave. The molecules vibrated at a velocity that generated heat.And the light that shot up from the pyramid amplified the electromagnetic waves surrounding Rakunka. This was the identity of the red beams Ellain witnessed.The electromagnetic waves surrounded Rakunka was amplified by hundreds of times like a microwave.

Thats why the Myutal and Umu exploded.The body fluids were boiled by a microwave and exploded.However, the Kusan and indigenous flora and fauna of Rakunka had received the radio waves for tens of thousands of years and had developed an immunity to it. The Murat was aware of this and created a weapon using the nature of the nebula gas to create a weapon that would wipe out alien species.This was the true identity of the Power of God!

But Im not from the Kusan clan

If he had been outside the pyramid then Ark also wouldve gone BOOM!

The Power of God really is merciless. I dont know if the Murat has good or bad personalities.

Anyway, the whole situation was organized neatly thanks to that.Once again, the pyramid on Rakunka had two functions.There was the power of destruction with the nebula gas. And there was the power of creation where the terraforming device regulated the electromagnetic waves to pull up water from deep underground.The terraforming facility was also working like the weapon.In the meantime the terraforming device couldnt receive the necessary energy and had stopped working.Unlike the weapon, the terraforming facility constantly consumed energy and converted the nebular gas to light and heat energy. But the energy supply had been stopped by the red substance covering the pyramid.But the device started working again once the red substance was burned up.The proof was that the small puddle had turned into a large lake when Ark, Ellain and the Kusan warriors returned to the village.

This is all thanks to Messenger-nim.

Barakin said in a thrilled voice as he looked at the clear water in the lake.It wasnt only Barakin.Ark had been treated as Gods messenger before but it was nothing compared to afterwards.

The great Gods messenger!

Glory to Gods messenger!

The thousands of Kusan bowed down in front of Ark.They treated Ark with reverence like he was a real god.So Ark decided to play the role of Gods messenger.

Hey Tori, come here.

Huh? Why?

Stay still. Haaayaahh!

Ark grabbed Toris ankles and held him upside down.And small packets of seeds started falling out.Tori was a hamster. During his break in S-20 he had gone around collecting seeds.Those seeds were the ones that fell from Tori.The amount of seeds that fell was at least 1 kilogram.

Hik! W-what are you doing? That

Shut up!

Ark glared at Tori.Then he gathered the seeds and handed them to Barakin.

These are the seeds of a plant that grows on a planet called Istana. I dont know if it can grow on Rakunka but these seeds would sprout into leaves. Rakunka might end up having a forest after some time.

During the Murat days there had been several forests on Rakunka.The terraforming operation meant there were oases all over the place so the Murat grew plants. However the terraforming device stopped working so the plants were depleted of water and the species not immune to the electromagnetic waves were killed.Thats what it meant by the Power of God being lethal to the environment.But now the plants could grow again thanks to the oasis.This was the reason he gave them Toris seeds.Barakin was appreciative.

I cant even express my thanks for disposing of the Myutal and taking back the temple and now youre doing this favour for us. This is the only way I can repay you. It is a ring that has been passed down through generations of Kusan chiefs. It might be insufficient to pay you back but please accept this.

His thanks werent just empty words.

Item Type: Ring Wearer Restriction: Level 100

A ring that has been passed down through generations of Kusan chiefs.

This ring contains a rare, special jewel that is created through hot nebula gas. According to the information handed down through the Kusan, this ring has strong fire properties.

A rare ring!That wasnt the only thing Ark obtained.

Chief-nim, I want to ask you something.

Ellain approached Barakin after everything was finished.Barakin nodded and said.

I can already guess what you want to say after seeing your expression when you came back with Messenger-nim. You want to go with Messenger-nim.

Yes.Until now Ive taken pride in the fact that Ive been the best warrior of the clan. But Ive realized how lacking I am after meeting Gods messenger. Of course, I dont dare compare myself to Gods messenger but I would like to serve him and learn a bit more.

I understand.

Barakin sighed and nodded.

Thats probably the same mindset that Asuldan had when he left Rakunka a long time ago. And it is an honour to be able to serve Gods messenger. I dont have any right to oppose. If you have Messenger-nims permission

Ellain was a top rated NPC.He wasnt a pioneer but there was no reason for Ark to oppose it.In addition, he had spent 1,000 Adventure points to upgrade the level of his agent so his number of employees had increased from 15 to 30.He was thankful for another NPC!

Name: Ellain (NPC ) Occupation: Inspector

Level: 152 Related Skills: Sword mastery, Welcome to the alter ego..

Thus Ellain joined the staff of Dark Eden.

Now shall we say goodbye?

Ark turned and asked.Ellain stared at Rakunka with emotional eyes and nodded.

Yes, now my home is with Messenger-nim.

Sheesh, I hate hearing stuff like this.

Tori said with a pout.

Hey you! I want to make this clear. I am a senior. Do you understand?

Of course.

Ranking is important in Dark Eden. Eh? Ill be watching.

Tori concentrated power in his shoulders and said.However Tori hadnt realized something yet.The ranking of Dark Eden wasnt determined by the joining order. It was 100% determined by the dictator Ark. Ark had been cheated by Tori and his trust was low so the hamster would always be at the bottom of the pyramid.But Ark let it go for the moment.He had his seeds taken away and was hungry so Ark would allow him a little joy. Now also wasnt the time to clean up the ranking.

Tori, take the wheel.

Ark sat in the captain seat and said.

Start the Silver Stars warp navigation. The target is Istana. Depart!

The Silver Star was wrapped in light and shot through the universe.The destination was the centre of the galactic federation, Istana.

-

Huhuhu.

Ferguson looked around and laughed.20 pioneers were gathered in a luxury salon.It was obvious from their equipment that they were pioneers who spent some time in the frontier. And Ferguson didnt look out of place among them. His equipment and battle suit were at a standard worth 10,000 gold! He was also a user ranked 18th in the top 50 user rankings.

How about it? You guys can see it. Do any of them look stronger than me?

Of course not.

Hyung-nim is the strongest.

Yes, I guess. Im at a different standard.

Ferguson nodded with a pleased look at his siblings words.

At one point I was so worried I almost quit the game

Ferguson felt like the sky had collapsed on him after hearing that his information about the tungsten mine had been stolen.He tried to be strong for his younger brothers but he really felt like quitting the game. But a chance he never considered had fallen into Fergusons lap.He had received a message on Elysium.The reason why Ferguson was sitting in a seat reserved for distinguished guests in Tatuine was due to that message.

The message was that Ferguson had been selected for the 2nd investigation task force.He had an agent so he also received the quest.But all agents from the 3 powers had received the quest and he was busy with the tungsten mine so he didnt bother with it.Yet now he had a chance to directly join the federations investigation team.

The three of us alone wont be able to complete such a huge quest. But it is possible if Im part of the federations investigation team. Ill have the support of the federation for all expenses and information will be shared. This is an advantage that other pioneers wont have! And if I complete the quest before the other members of the investigation team

The agents of all 3 powers had received the quest.That meant the reward would be incomparable compared to other quests. This was a chance for Ferguson to escape from being a beggar!

I need to grasp this chance!

By the way, how long do we have to wait for? Didnt the departure time pass already? They gathered busy people in a place like this and now theyre making us wait?

I talked to the guards and heard that someone hasnt come yet.

A person hasnt come yet? Then were waiting for a pioneer? Ha, this makes me feel dirty. This person is making other pioneers wait! What type of bastard is this?

That is.

Damn, it cant be helped. I dont know who is coming. But Ill show him.

In the future well be members of the same team so be patient. There is no reason to act like this before it has even started.

I still need to be certain of the pecking order.

Ferguson replied with an enthusiastic look.Then the door that had been firmly closed opened and two men entered.

The last team has arrived.

The person who entered and started talking was Marquis Martin.This meant the guy next to him was the pioneer who made Ferguson wait! Ferguson got up from the couch he was waiting on and approached him. And just as he was about to speak.

His name is Ark.

Ferguson froze at Marquis Martins ensuing words.His brothers A and B also turned to ice.Brothers A and B withdrew and stuttered.

Hyung-nim, Ark? Is that right? We didnt hear wrong?

U-unlucky! Hyung-nim, we are still unlucky!

Q-quiet! Hell hear. And how are we unlucky? I told you days ago. He isnt in Galaxian. The face is similar but it is also slightly different. Y-yes, it is impossible to be him.

B-but..

While Fergusons group were busy arguing.

Please wait a moment.

The door opened and two men once again entered.Marquis Martin frowned as he looked at them and asked.

Why is Marquis Jyubel-nim here?

Fortunately Im not too late. One more person is joining the investigation team.

Are you talking about the young man next to Marquis-nim?

Yes, this is Rapid.

Marquis Jyubel introduced the blonde youth next to him.However the blond youth, Rapid wasnt even looking at Marquis Martin. His eyes were fixed on Ark standing next to him.Ark was the same as well.Ark stared at Rapid and muttered.

Hoh, Rapid

Do you know him?

Marquis Martin asked as he looked between Jyubel and Rapid. Ark replied.

No. I dont know that person at all.

TO BE CONTINUED