Ark The Legend - Volume 4 - Chapter 1

SPACE 1. Hero Making

Flash! Flash! Flash!

Flashes continued going off without any breaks from the crowd. Two centuries ago, mankind had no choice but to enter space for their survival and faced a mighty enemy that they never imagined.
They encountered an aggressive alien species called the Rama whose advanced science civilization and tough body were far beyond that of humans. A war started between the two species  and humans inevitably suffered a crushing defeat. However, the genius scientist Lucian developed the body coating technology that allowed them to be a match for the Rama and joined hands with the alien species alliance called the Aschulat to counterattack. And after decades……

After the numerous heroes’ sacrifices, they were finally able to end the long war. But just because the war ended didn’t mean it was peaceful. They soon realized that the federation and Rama could never coexist and the two species were destined to be enemies. The trouble occurred in the Bellin constellation. For a long time it was barren but the next generation of technology meant that rare space resources were identified in the Bellin constellation. The federation and Rama wanted to monopolize those space resources so they gathered their military power and naturally broke the truce. This was the prelude to the 2nd Space War. However, the circumstances were different from the 1st Space War. Now the galactic federation were the ignorant species that had just arrived in the universe. But just before the conflict in Bellin started, the 3rd alien alliance Aschulat departed from the battlefield due to internal affairs. The federation who were planning to take over the Bellin constellation suffered a huge setback. And they continued losing on the battlefield! However, it wasn’t just the disadvantageous military situation that troubled the federation leaders.

–Is the galactic federation going to be okay?

–The Aschulat has left the field and the limitations of diplomacy are revealed!

–There is no alternative to war! This is a tragedy! What hope is there in this war?

–The war in the Bellin constellation clearly shows the incompetence of the federation army!

Every day the media poured criticisms on the galactic federation! Public opinion seemed to get worse every day! Everybody knew that the federation were being thrashed by the Rama. It was at that time that the federation received news about the victory on Beltana. The officials of the galactic federation who had been worrying about the press had a sudden thought.

‘This is a chance to turn the public opinion!’……they said.
——————————————————————————————————————————
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!

There was a roaring sound and a red flash. The huge machine that dissolved in the red flash was the Gigantic. It was a machine with advanced weapons designed for slaughter and destruction on the battlefield. But the Devil of the Battlefield also had a weakness. It was the power reactor that was like the Gigantic’s heart. And the power reactor was involved in the huge explosion just now. The Gigantic’s powerful shield and armour couldn’t protect the power reactor. The nuclear fusion engine had exploded inside the Gigantic near the power reactor. In other words, a nuclear explosion had occurred inside the Gigantic. The explosion instantly vaporized the power reactor and the Gigantic collapsed from the inside. And a red flash soared up from the Gigantic’s body!

“I-It’s a success!”

Ark ignored his seared face and shouted with glee. Needless to say, Ark was the one who contributed the most to blowing up the nuclear fusion engine. Of course, the Silver Hand and Royal Guards also gained some victory points but Ark was the one who actually dealt the critical hit!
He had dealt 50% of the damage to the Gigantic so he was given 15,000 victory points. That wasn’t all.

It was the level up message! Valencia and the armoured platoon might’ve defeated their Gigantic but it had previously received the concentrated attack of the federation army. However, Ark was the one who penetrated the hole in the Gigantic’s leg and blew up the power reaction almost by himself. Of course Ark would receive more experience and victory points from it! He quickly gained 7 levels.

“Unbelievable! Really…….”

“He did it! Hyung-nim really defeated the Gigantic!”

“Oh my god! It’s a miracle! Hyung-nim caused a miracle!”

“Waaahhhhh! Hooray Hyung-nim!”

The Royal Guards cheered and flocked around Ark. A cross mark was also spinning above the head of the Royal Guards. The detachment had also contributed to Ark destroyed the Gigantic so their levels rose. If he was an ordinary user then he would be going on a wild rampage! Ark wasn’t an ordinary user.

“Wake up! This is not the time!”

Ark raised his head and exclaimed. The Royal Guards also lifted their heads.

“Hyung-nim is right! This war isn’t over yet!”

“There are still Rama remaining. We can’t feel relieved.”

“Let’s join forces with the federation army and clean them up!”

“That’s not it!”

“Huh? It’s not?”

The members looked doubtfully at Ark.

“You fools, don’t you know? The Fairy and Star Gate were destroyed earlier but this is the Rama base! Look around! Corpses of the Rama soldiers are interspersed among the wreckage. Do you know how many things will be among the rubble? The Rama are destroyed so they don’t have any owners. If we pick it up then it will belong to us!”

Ark looked around with gleaming eyes.

“This is an opportunity! Search! Put it in your bag as soon as you pick it up!”

The detachment was organized as they struggled to destroy the Rama’s Fairy and Star Gate. They were then chased by Gigantic and almost died many times. Yet the first thing that emerged from Ark’s mouth wasn’t a sigh of relief but it was about loot.

“What…..are you saying?”

Heksu was stricken. But it was the correct comment. The federation army under Haman’s command were cleaning up the Rama. As soon as that ended then hundreds of federation soldiers would be picking up loot. This was the only chance for the detachment to gather the items!

“Ark’s words are correct!”

As expected, it was Heksu who reacted first.

“Nobody can compete with the Scavengers of the Silver Hand in gathering loot! The Scavengers will split into 2 groups. The 1st group will focus on the items around the central base while the 2nd one will search around the Gigantic. Don’t forget. We are mercenaries so we don’t care about honour. We also fought so we should gain some spoils. Our fight hasn’t ended yet!”

“Waaahhhhhhhh!”

The detachment cried out at Heksu’s command and scattered all over the place. And while there were sporadic gunfire between the federation and the Rama……

“I’ve found a supplies warehouse in the central base!”

“Move the rubble and salvage the loot!”

“Ohh, there are a considerable amount of supplies left in the wreckage. Quite a lot of it can be used!”

“Just sweep up everything visible!”

“I found large amounts of recyclable materials and semiconductors in the wreckage of the Gigantic!”

“Pack! Pack! Pack! Pack it!”

The detachment gathered random loot. The battlefield was completely cleaned up after 1 hour. The federation army also started to gather loot after taking care of the Rama but the detachment had swept up most of it already. The detachment was the only ones who left the battlefield with full bags.

“That is sufficient payment for them. The federation has also struggled until now.”

Ark muttered with a virtuous heart. And he returned to the federation base with the army.

He was finally able to register at the federation’s Fairy after a long journey. All the results Ark obtained in the last fortnight now truly belonged to him.

“The outcome is better than I hoped for.”

The memory of the past two months passed through his head like a panorama. He had been forcibly sent to Beltana and had spent two months on it! He was starving to death on a -50 degrees planet until he started digging and organized the prisoners. However, these efforts made Valencia bully him. And a fortnight ago he had been left in a hostile area thanks to Valencia.

‘But I came back alive!’

He had felt real despair as he fell into a kilometres deep crevasse. Then he raided the Rama’s main base, blew up the Rama’s Fairy and Star Gate and destroyed the Gigantic. He gained 20,000 victory points! Combined with his previous achievements, he got a total of 22,320 points. There was no doubt that he gained the most achievements among the federation soldiers. In other words, he had monopolized the most achievements on the battlefield. Ark couldn’t hope for better results! However, the biggest thing he received from this war was something else.

‘Why is everything so complicated?’

In the meantime, Ark had been despondent about something. He had some good results from R-14 and Beltana but they weren’t all because of his hard work. He became a criminal after being tricked by the evil hamster and then bullied by Valencia. It wasn’t simply because of bad luck. Such problems occurred because of mistakes that Ark made.

‘Why did it turn out like this? I never would’ve made these mistakes before. Repeatedly making so many mistakes isn’t like me. I seem to have become completely stupid! I’m only in my 20’s so I can’t blame it on age……’

This had started after Ark began playing Galaxian. He had some misgivings that he wasn’t the same as before. However, this victory wiped away all his misgivings. He was able to gain achievements and results but the most important thing was regaining his mindset. He had overcome many desperate situations and managed to obtain the highest achievement points! It was possible to regain the Ark that he had long forgotten.

‘Yes, I am Ark. The legendary gamer Ark. That’s me!’

It was confidence.

‘So far has just been the rehearsal. The game is starting now. That Lucifer bastard, I’ll make him realize what a big mistake he made dragging me into this game. I’m Ark!’

Ark had recovered his confidence!

“Everybody freeze!”

A threatening voice shook the square. Ark and the detachment were then surrounded by dozens of soldiers.

“Eh? What, what the? Are you crazy? Why are you doing this?”

The members looked around with shocked expressions. The soldiers separated and a middle aged person with silver hair walked up. He was Haman, the leader of the Beltana garrison. Haman gazed at Ark before saying.

“Ark, you are arrested for deserting the army without authorization. And the 10 members of the prisoner unit. You will be arrested for disobeying orders and going missing during the operation. Disarm them!”

The detachment looked stunned at Haman’s words.

“What funny words are you saying?”

Clem leaped forward and shouted in a rough voice.

“Deserting the army without notice? Disobeyed commands? Commander Haman, are you going crazy? Ark…..”

“Shut up!”

Haman glared at Clem.

“Are you in the position to defend the prisoners right now? I know that the Silver Hand was the one who took the prisoner unit away from the operational area without permission. You might be a mercenary unit but on the battlefield you still need to take orders from the commander. The commander’s order is given priority above anything else. Martial law applied to all military soldiers. The federation isn’t an easy place where you can break these rules. Do you understand? The only reason I’m not arresting you right now is due to a request from the government.  Well, the Silver Hand will still be punished.”

Haman snorted and turned around.

“Do you have anything to say?”

Until then, Ark had just been standing still like he was involved in this. He only raised his head at Haman’s question. There was a pause as Ark looked at Haman before smiling and saying.

“Aren’t you going to regret this?”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

Haman declared sharply.

“Arrest him.”

“You really will regret this……”
——————————————————————————————————————————
“Commander-nim!”

The door opened and a female officer stormed in. The person who breathed harshly after running in was Irina. Haman frowned at her sudden visit and raised his head.

“What is going on? I’m busy.”

“I just heard some soldiers say that Commander-nim arrested Ark.”

“I did. So?”

“I came to tell you that you made a mistake.”

“I don’t know what you’re saying. You should know the outline since you heard the soldiers talking. He failed to return to the barracks after the battle in area B-1. And he also didn’t return for over a fortnight. It is similar to a jailbreak so naturally he would be punished. That alone is enough to arrest him. He also made the mercenaries take away the prisoners without authorization. Yet you’re saying it is wrong to arrest him?”

“Did you read the report submitted by Peratul-nim?”

Irina narrowed her eyes and declared sharply.

“Ark hadn’t willingly deserted after the B-1 battle. He couldn’t join the main army and was left behind. While escaping the pursuing Rama and getting lost, he managed to discover the location of the Rama base and sent the information with a Carrier MR-II.”

“That information isn’t confirmed yet.”

“But if it is true then he isn’t guilty of desertion. Someone also intercepted the information on the Carrier MR-II. If that is true then Ark had no choice but to draw out the other prisoners. Because the suspected person who stole the information from the Carrier MR-II is the influential Valencia. If Valencia wanted to hide that he committed a crime…..”

“That information isn’t confirmed yet!”

Haman slammed his fist against his desk and shouted. But Irina just lifted an eyebrow and continued speaking.

“After the battle at the enemy base was finished, Ark explained the situation to Peratul and handed over the data on his Nymphe. He looked at the data and declared that the reason to arrest Ark is invalid. Please release Ark immediately.”

“Hah, really……”

Haman scratched his head with a tired expression. He turned around slowly before gazing outside the window and muttered with a deep voice.

“The data submitted by Ark……dispose of it.”

“Huh? What are you saying? Why?”

“You still don’t understand?”

Haman clasped his hand together and said.

“Let’s assume that Ark is telling the truth. 400 regular troops have been fighting the Rama on Beltana for months. The military gains hadn’t been that good. The army experienced so much defeat that the federation considered withdrawing from Beltana. Yet a prisoner who was just sent to Beltana managed to discover the Rama’s central base and played a key role in the victory……what would people think?”

Haman’s face warped.

“An incompetent federal army. That is what people will think.”

“Commander-nim, surely……”

“Listen to my words carefully Irina.”

Haman turned and started straight at Irina.

“The person who led us to victory must belong to the galactic federation. Not a criminal.”

“Then that is Valencia?”

“Who else is there?”

“Commander-nim seems to have forgotten my duty.”

“No, I know. You are a secret inspector from the central government’s 2nd branch.”

“Then I’ll talk quickly. I was sent to Beltana to investigate claims that prisoners will paying bribes to someone. That person is Valencia who was the leader of the 1st armoured platoon. And I’ve secured evidence through my investigation. Do you really want such a person to play the main role  in the victory?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Huh?”

“This is a decision from higher up.”

Irina stiffened at Haman’s words. Haman stared at Irina and continued in a dull voice.

“You’re clever enough to understand my words. Public opinion has been against the federation since the day we started fighting against the Rama in the Bellin constellation. What will be the response if an elite warrior like Valencia was accused of stealing an ally’s achievements as well as taking bribes? Even if he is fired, the federation will still be criticized. It is necessary to change the atmosphere.”

“Isn’t that just an excuse?”

“No, it is a strategy.”

Haman answered curtly.

“Right now the galactic federation needs a hero. The hero can’t be a mere prisoner. We need someone who can give hope to soldiers on the battlefield. We need to look at the wider picture. Sometimes the small things need to be ignored.”

“I only hear excuses.”

Irina replied in a cold tone.

‘Dirty……’

Her eyes trembled. But the person who appeared in her mind wasn’t Haman but ‘him.’ Once she had loved ‘him.’ In her childhood she had seen many people bow to him and was proud. But she gradually started to learn the truth. ‘He’ had power and money and would do anything to keep that power and money. She felt betrayed the moment she realized it. However, she couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t go against the money and power that ‘he’ had. The thing that made her even more powerless was that ‘he’ was her father. So she ran away. She couldn’t escape in reality so she entered the virtual world of Galaxian. And became an inspector. It was work she couldn’t do in real life. Yet…..yet…..

–In this line of work, sometimes small things need to be ignored for the larger picture.

‘His’ voice seemed to flow from Haman’s mouth. He said that while casually trampling on other people. She had run away from words like that. She escaped to the game world but now she was hearing those words again. And……

“Didn’t I tell you? This is a decision from higher up. There is nothing you can do.”

‘Even in this place……’

She felt helpless.
——————————————————————————————————————————
“Those damn federation guys.”

Clem said angrily. While Ark had been trapped in prison for several hours, Clem had been going around to the officers and protested violently. But the answers were always the same. It was hard to prove that Valencia intercepted the Carrier MR-II with the record that Ark submitted from his Nymphe. Therefore he couldn’t argue against the legitimacy of the desertion claim.

“It is clear what they mean by those answers. They used such lame excuses for a reason. They intend to make him a scapegoat.”

“Scapegoat? Why?”

Mellin asked.

“They want to save face.”

Clem spat out angrily.

“The federation isn’t going to announce that a war going on for several months was won by some prisoners. The reason the federation is doing so badly in the Bellin constellation is because the Aschulat broke the alliance and withdrew. If the federation announces that the war was won by prisoners then it is like announcing they are incompetent. So they are trying to make Ark a criminal.”

“Then who do they intend to announce received the best achievements in this war?”

“Valencia.”

The person who answer was Ark who had been keeping silent until now. Clem glanced at Ark before sighing and nodding.

“That seems to be the case when looking at the atmosphere.”

The Royal Guards then cried out.

“Valencia? That is ridiculous!”

“Yes, how could someone who stole information and embezzled become a hero?”

“We have to stop something like this!”

“Of course. I have no intention of leaving this alone.”

Clem snorted and rolled up his sleeve. But Ark scratched his head and muttered in a calm voice.

“Let’s see. The federation won’t easily change their minds if you’re the only one protesting.”

“It’s not just me. Someone else is helping.”

“Someone else is helping?”

“Irina, the leader of the prisoner unit.”

“Irina?”

“Yes, she overheard soldiers talking about you being arrested and went to talk to the Commander. She is different from the other officers and insists that you’re innocent. She is willing to testify about your innocence.”

‘Irina went to the Commander to protest?’

Ark was confused by the unexpected words. The prisoners called Irina a ruthless woman. Even if the prisoners were about to die from starvation, she wouldn’t distribute food if they were missing even 0.1 grams of food. There were even rumours that she was an ugly lady in her 40’s. Of course, Ark knew that rumour wasn’t true. He had met a woman who looked like Irina at a charity party. The synchronization rate was 99%. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Yet she pretended she didn’t know Ark when they met in the game again. It was hard to believe that she was proclaiming his innocence.

‘Perhaps…..she was unconsciously aware of me?’

He thought about it. No other plausible reason floated into his head.

‘Yes, that might be it. I also saved her from being humiliated at the party. She must’ve pretended she didn’t know me because she was shy.  I thought she was just someone without good manners but doesn’t she have a surprisingly cute side?’

He thought like that. But this situation was different. Even if she went on a hunger strike to protest Ark’s guilt, there was no apparent way to solve the situation. After a while, Ark shrugged it off and said.

“It is impossible.”

“Impossible? What do you mean?”

“Clem-nim said it a while ago. Commander Haman arrested us to protect the reputation of the galactic federation. If it is true then this wouldn’t just be Commander Haman’s decision. The galactic federation probably made a decision to ignore that information from my Nymphe that I submitted about the Carrier MR-II. The Captain Clem and Irina’s protests won’t be heard.”

“I also know this!”

Clem snapped angrily.

“But are you telling us to do nothing?”

“Of course not.”

Ark smiled and replied.

“Didn’t you hear what I said when the Commander arrested me?”

“What did you say?”

“I said he was going to regret it.”

Ark leaned back with a relaxed look and continued.

“Maybe he is already regretting it.”
——————————————————————————————————————————
“It will be closed like this?”

Irina asked with a cold voice. She couldn’t accept the federation’s decision. No, she couldn’t accept that she was powerless in the game. She came here to escape the unavoidable reality. So she left headquarters and headed towards the Star Gate. If she returned to the galactic federation then she could find someone to help.

‘Someone has to listen to me.’

That was her only hope for now. However, she wasn’t even able to approach the Star Gate.

“Commander Haman said that no one can use the Star Gate at the moment. Especially Irina-nim.”

The soldier who smirked and replied was from the 1st armoured platoon.

“I have a special permit to use the Star Gate any time I want. You are violating federal law if you stop me. Even if the Commander said so……”

“We are only following orders. You should object to the Commander.”

“You guys really……”

Irina frowned and took one step forward.

Woong woong woong woong. Woong woong woong woong.

Suddenly light started being emitted by the Star Gate. A bunch of light gathered in the centre like fireflies and a group of people appeared. They were soldiers with the mark of the galactic federation on them. But Irina and the armoured platoon was looking at a middle aged man in the centre with various medals on his uniformed chest. Irina looked at the middle aged man with bemused eyes and muttered.

“Why is Marquis Martin……”

“M-Marquis Martin? Marquis Martine from the central government?”

The galactic federation was a republic where medieval ranks existed. Even ordinary citizens were divided into 1st class and 2nd class citizens, with noble ranks existing above them. Of course, unlike medieval times there was no discrimination by status but the benefits they could enjoy were different.
There was no need to talk about nobility. The central government positions were similar to present day congressmen. Moreover, Marquis Martin was the aristocrat who held the post of special advisor to the central government about military affairs. He had a lot of power over the federal army. In fact, the person Commander Haman talked to and who sent mercenaries from Istana was Marquis Martin.
The armoured platoon saluted after hearing Irina’s words. Then Irina moved between the armoured platoon members and exclaimed.

“Marquis Martin, I need to talk to you!”

But Marquis Martin didn’t even look at her. Marquis Martin just approached the armoured platoon and raised his voice.

“Guards, guide me to Commander Haman right now!”
——————————————————————————————————————————
“Uhh…..”

Thick drops of sweat rolled down Haman’s forehead.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain somewhere?”

The voice expressed concern but he wasn’t thankful about it at all. The voice who smirked belonged to the protagonist, Ark.

“Is the indoor heating too high? Outside it is still -50 degrees but in here it is quite hot. Perhaps Commander-nim should go outside and gather Iridium? You can exercise and get some food.”

“Shut up!”

“Aigoo, I’m hurt that Commander-nim told me to shut up. Should you be treating the prisoner unit like this?”

“You dare……”

“Commander Haman, back off.”

Haman’s face contorted with discomfort. The middle aged man staring out the window turned around. With various medals hanging from his uniform, it was Marquis Martin. Marquis Martin started at Haman who twitched and withdrew. Marquis Martine then sat down and asked Ark.

“Are you Ark?”

“Do you know me?”

“You’re a celebrity.”

Marquis Martin placed a small metal plate on the table. Light soared up and a 3D holographic image was displayed. The video shown a group of people rushing inside a domed building. They killed the Rama they encountered and installed bombs where the Star Gate was located then blew up the base. That wasn’t all. The main character of the video also defeated 1 Gigantic by himself and earned some amazing achievements. The protagonist of that video was Ark! This video was taken by Ark.

‘I didn’t think it would be used like this……’

Ark had started filming when he was rushing towards the Rama’s headquarters.

‘If I destroy the Rama’s Fairy and Star Gate then I will receive the most achievements!’

That was the purpose of Ark and the detachment. However, he started to become uneasy once he actually arrived at the Rama’s main base. Ark’s purpose was to gather achievements so he could leave Beltana. If they destroyed the Fairy and Star Gate then Ark and the Royal Guards would receive the achievements. The problem was the overflowing achievements.

‘If I was a normal soldier then I would receive the compensation. But I’m a prisoner. Prisoners just need to gather enough achievements to decrease their crime value. Once the crime value was paid off, special compensation will be given for the remaining achievements. In other words, there is no guarantee that I will be rewarded for so much achievements.’

Of course, he hadn’t thought about the compensation at first. But the thoughts started coming once he received so much achievements. Ark thought about it. He needed a safety device.

‘If suffered so much to obtain the achievements so it will be troubling if the federation doesn’t give it to me. But it is different if I film the scenes directly. If the federation becomes reluctant then I can show them the video. If this video is seen then I will definitely receive the most achievements. The federation won’t be able to put it off.’

He started the recording function on his Nymphe with those ulterior motives. Ark could afford to be calm when arrested because of this video. Once they returned to the base, the federation’s attitude towards Ark had immediately changed. The problem was that Ark raised an excessive amount of achievements. Destroying the Fairy, Star Gate and Gigantic meant he gained 22,320 points. Needless to say, it was the best among all the Beltana soldiers. They were prisoners so none of the regular troops wanted to see them sweep up the achievements. Ark hadn’t considered the problem of public sentiment. Anyway, the conclusion was the same. The only thing the federation could do was invalidate Ark’s achievements.

‘If the galactic federation acts like this then I can’t stay still.’

The video stored in his Nymphe floated in his head. If he showed the video then the federation couldn’t deny that Ark was the one who displayed the most merit in the war. Of course, Istana was light years away from Beltana and Ark was imprisoned but users had different ways to get information to other users. It was the Internet. Ark had distributed the video through the internet as soon as he grasped the situation. The Beltana war was the first one to be concluded since Galaxian was commercialized. The battle even involved the Gigantic that few users would’ve heard about before. As soon as it was uploaded on the internet, the users’ interest explosively concentrated on it. It received 10 million hits in one day! It spread through the players so naturally the NPCs would also know about it. Some of the 10 million users who saw the video downloaded it to their Nymphe and distributed it in the game. That was the video Marquis Martin showed him.

“This isn’t ordinary. A mere prisoner managed to calculate up to here and made a safety device for such a situation.”

Actually, he had made it for a different reason. But there was no reason to tell him that.

“I spent many days in -50 degrees weather holding my starving stomach so of course I’m prepared.”

“Let’s cut a long story short.”

Marquis Martin laughed and continued.

“I admit that our side made a mistake. Commander Haman didn’t handle the post-war circumstances so I apologize on behalf of the federation. Now that I know the circumstances, we will admit your achievements as well as grant amnesty to the rest of the prisoners.”

“And?”

Marquis Martin was confused by Ark’s question. His expression was saying ‘what do you want other than amnesty?’ But it was no use in this atmosphere. Once again, Ark had gained 22,320 achievements. Being pardoned was an inevitable result. Ark had taken the video in the first place to extort even more compensation. He had to spend a couple of hours in prison so Ark wasn’t going to let it go that easily.

‘Martin is placing all the blame on Haman but clearly the galactic federation was involved. If I return to Istana and make noise then it can embarrass the federation. Now I’m the one holding the sword hilt. If they persist in attacking me then I will bite them.’

Ark’s intuition was pinging. Marquis Martine narrowed his eyes as Ark persisted and asked.

“What do you want?”

In this situation, the government was forced to accept any request no matter how absurd it was. However, Galaxian was a game and Marquis Martin a NPC. Just like in real life, NPCs had different personalities. For example, some NPCs would give rewards if their lives were saved regardless of the quest restrictions or difficulty. If he wasn’t too greedy then sometimes he could receive even more. Therefore it was more difficult when users had a lot of options for compensation…..Ark had to guess the upper limit of how much compensation Marquis Martin would give.

“I don’t want a lot. I just want to be treated like a regular soldier.”

In other words, he wanted to receive the same reward that a regular soldier would get if they earned 22,320 achievements.

“Of course, that also applies to the prisoners who follow me and the Silver Hand. Oh, I also want Valencia to receive punishment for stealing the information I sent.”

“To receive the same treatment as a regular soldier and punish Valencia……”

Haman jumped up after hearing Marquis Martin’s words.

“Don’t make me laugh! You’re a prisoner. A prisoner wants to be treated like a regular soldier?”

“Commander please don’t interrupt.”

Marquis Martin sent a sharp look at Haman. He then relaxed his body and looked at Ark.

“That deal is possible. Okay, that conditions aren’t bad so I’ll accept. You will be acknowledged as the one who earned the most merit in the war. But I also have a condition.”

Marquis Martin smiled and continued.

“I need a hero.”
——————————————————————————————————————————
And several hours later. A user exited the underground plaza in the Nephalim branch of the galactic federation. The light disappeared and people flocked like vultures around the user.

“Please give us a short interview!”

“How does it feel becoming a person with the highest merit after being a prisoner? Can you fully explain the situation on the battlefield?”

“Did the Gigantic really appear on Beltana?”

“You defeated a Gigantic directly?”

“I heard you don’t have a sponsor yet. Scouting offers should be sent by the galactic federation and the 4 big businesses. Have you decided on one?”

The people swarming around the Star Gate were reporters.

“Ark-nim, please tell me how you feel leaving as a prisoner and returning a hero!”

The recipients of the quick-fire questions was Ark! He was the protagonist of the video that swept through Istana, the hero who won the war on Beltana for the galactic federation. But Ark shook his head and said slowly.

“I’m not a hero.”

“Huh? But the video of Ark-nim……”

“Yes, I’m the one in the video. But as you can see, I didn’t destroy the Rama base or defeat the Gigantic by myself. I had the help of my colleagues and fellow prisoners who committed some diversionary tactics as well as Marquis Martin who sent the mercenary troops to help.”

“Marquis Martin-nim? Then Marquis Martin is involved in this victory?”

“That’s right.”

Ark looked up and nodded.

“Don’t be modest!”

A cry was heard from a group of light behind him. It was from the uniformed Marquis Martin. He was also baptised with relentless flashes from the surprised reporters. Marquis Martin approached Ark and grabbed his shoulder before saying.

“I’m the one who approved the operation and dispatched the mercenary troops to Beltana. But that would mean nothing if we didn’t win. The soldiers on the battlefield are the ones who risked their lives to defeat the enemy. As you can see from the video, Ark is the hero who contributed the most to the victory. Although he has the status of a prisoner, he is still a member of the galactic federation. I acknowledge him as a worthy hero. That’s why I want to make an announcement. For his contributions in this war, Ark will be given the rights of a 1st class citizen.”

Marquis Martin lifted his hand as he spoke. At the same time, an information window appeared in front of Ark.

“Please welcome the new hero of the galactic federation, the 1st class citizen Ark!”

“Waaaaahhhhh!”

The crown cheered at Marquis Martin’s words and flashes went off. The front page of the newspapers were plastered with the rise of a federation hero.