Ark The Legend - Volume 5 - Chapter 2

SPACE 2. GO! GO! GO!

“Alan…..this bastard, you surprised me!”

The blond soldier Clark’s voice was heard. But Ark couldn’t afford to turn around. 3 Sufferers had been hiding in the area and suddenly attacked Ark! Although 1 of them had the head split in half, the other 2 Sufferers were just shocked. After a moment, they got up with an angry sound and shot towards him. Among them was the Sufferer with the shattered head. The Sufferer was a type of enhanced zombie and wouldn’t die even with the head blown away. That was one of its more dangerous characteristics. A few tentacles strands also emerged from the Sufferer’s neck. The tentacles had weak attack but they were poisonous. That wasn’t the only strange thing about the Sufferers.

“I’ve fought them many times but I can’t think lightly of the Sufferers. The Sufferers’ infection deepens so the old ones will be stronger. A lot of the stronger guys are still walking around.  And we are trying to attack the control tower where the outbreak first occurred. In other words, the Sufferers there will be most stronger than the ones in the other contaminated areas. That is why Captain Kalbern hesitated to bring you with us.”

That was Clark’s explanation. The level of the Sufferers increased the closer they got to the central control tower.

‘But they’re not the only ones who became stronger!’

It had been 2 days since joining up with the Phoenix squad and he had fought at least 100 Sufferers while running across Charem. Ark also became stronger as they got closer to the control tower.

Kieeeeeeek!

Then the bloody fangs of a Sufferer appeared in front of him. At first he couldn’t handle such fast movements but experience was a good teacher. It was possible to grasp the timing after experiencing it a few times.

‘There are 3 opponents! I have to use the minimum of movements to avoid and then counter attack!’

Ark quickly stepped back and to the side. He raised his body and used its flexibility to ram into the Sufferer’s side. While the Sufferer was stumbling, he placed the muzzle on its thigh and pulled the trigger.

“Set Bullets Shooting!”

The most intimidating part of a Sufferer was its ability to accelerate. It was infected with an unidentified fungus and was capable to increasing its movement speed by several times. Blindly attacking wasn’t an effective method of dealing with that speed. Therefore Ark used a special bullet that the Phoenix squad used before. The bullet had a 3% chance of freezing the region that was hit!

Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

There was a flash and the Sufferer’s leg turned blue.

‘It was activated!’

The Sufferer with the frozen leg wasn’t Ark’s opponent anymore. Ark wielded his sword like a storm and struck the frozen Sufferer. However, the Sufferer wasn’t alone. While Ark was beating up the handicapped one, the remaining two rushed towards him on both sides. But Ark also wasn’t alone.

“Shoot! Cover Alan!”

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

Members of the B team fired his gun at Clark’s order. A hail of bullets tore through the Sufferers. However, such attacks couldn’t completely seal the movements of the Sufferer. The Sufferer lived on instinct to create corpses. They flinched every time they were hit by bullets but didn’t stop moving towards Ark.

‘I can’t fight if I’m surrounded by the quick Sufferers. If that effect disperses then I will receive even more damage. I have to deal with that guy before the frozen effect disappears!’

Ark didn’t even turn his head. He had to believe in it.

“Mind Shield!”

The message appeared as a transparent sphere wrapped around Ark. He became more familiar with it the more he used it. Because he steadily used the skill in Charem, 250 was the average durability of his Mind Shied.

Tong-! Tong-!

Once he opened his Mind Shield, the rate that he was losing health halved.

“Sonic Sword! Set Bullets Shooting!”

Ark continued to pour a shower of attacks on the limping Sufferer until it died. Then he turned around without taking a rest and faced the Sufferer running at him. Ark quickly drove his sword into its mouth.

Kakakakak!

There was a clanging sound as the iron hit the sharp teeth. The steel was also jammed in so the Sufferer’s fangs couldn’t move.

“I’ll give you something even better to eat.

Ark opened the cylinder of his Impact Blade and changed the bullets.

“Eat this! Set Bullets Shooting!”

Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

The Sufferer’s head bounced back from the impact. The bullets flew into the Sufferer’s mouth and the head was blown away. Then Ark grabbed the metal item hanging around his chest. It was a hand grenade that was a part of the supplies that all Phoenix members received. Although the grenade couldn’t be compared to the STK-VII that Marquis Martin gave him……

“Now it is time for dessert!”

Ark shoved the grenade down the Sufferer’s mouth and quickly ran away.

Pepepepeng!

The Sufferer exploded and black meat flew everywhere. Even if it was a regular grenade, shoving it into the stomach would make the Sufferer explode.

Kikikiki…..Kikikiki…..

Despite having the head and chest blown apart, the Sufferer was still alive. The upper parts of the body were held together by a few strands of muscle and it seemed like a scene from a horror movie. But Ark had the compassion and fear of a demon once he entered battle mode! And the Sufferer who lost its combat ability was simple for him to take care of.

Kwok kwok kwok! Kwok kwok kwok! Kwok kwok kwok!

Ark stepped on the Sufferer. While Ark had taken care of two, the remaining Sufferer had been battered by the bullets of the B team. Well, it was the one with the shattered head and tentacles so it was easy to clean up. But the real battle started now.

“Damn, Alan! Quickly return! They’re gathering here!”

Clark’s voice was heard from 20 metres away.

“……Shit!”

When he turned around, dozens of Sufferers were rushing towards the wreckage where the B team was gathered. That was the reason why the B team couldn’t go out and help him when Ark was fighting against the 3 Sufferers. The Phoenix squad’s original target was hundreds of metres away from where the troops were gathered. Kalbern had sent the A, B and C team for a 3 way attack. But while the B team where hiding in the ruins and making their preparations, they were discovered and attacked by the Sufferers. So most of the B team were shooting to prevent the Sufferer’s rush. But Ark had fallen away from the ruins and had to dispose of the Sufferers on his own. However, the number of Sufferers closing in on the B team was starting to become too much. Plus……

“Alan, some of them have changed to your direction!”

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

There was a hail of bullets as soon as Clark’s words finished. The bullets headed towards the Sufferers rushing at Ark. In fact, there wasn’t just one type of Sufferer. The Sufferers who bit was one of the most basic types transformed from civilians, Clark had explained to him. The complicated ones were the other types of Sufferers. They were guards or smugglers who became infected and changed to Sufferers. They were capable of using guns, swords and grenades. The Sufferers Ark defeated just now belonged to the easy type. The Sufferers running towards him despite the machine guns were the nightmare type! But there were some even scarier guys.

Papapapa! Papapapa! Papapapa!

“Ugh!

Ark stumbled as he was hit in the thigh by some bullets.

“Heok! The Battle Sufferers! Alan, the Battle Sufferers are going in your direction!”

“Battle Sufferers?”

Ark who was running towards the ruins flinched and turned his head. A Sufferer with a huge body while firing guns caught his eye. It was a robot like monster covered with weird bio tissue. These guys were the Battle Sufferers. The Sufferers wearing battle suits were the strongest type. The combat power of the battle suit wearing Sufferers were incomparable to the normal type. Their weapons were also at a different standard.

“RPG! It is shooting an RPG!”

Pusung!

The Sufferers fired the RPG as soon as he heard the shout. Ark ran away with a pale face. Most RPG rockets had a homing ability. It wasn’t easy to escape from a RPG that could change direction or turn 90 degrees. He had no choice but to find some targets in the area that would offset most of the damage. However, Ark only had 20% health left after fighting with the 3 Sufferers. There was no guarantee he could survive even if he avoided a direct hit.

“Dammit! Why me?”

Ark cursed and continued running. Soon the rocket crossed the distance and was only 20 metres away from him.  Clark who was watching from the ruins shouted in a desperate voice.

“Damn! Teleport!”

Clark then suddenly appeared in front of Ark.

“Team Leader Clark!”

“Don’t speak because I’m concentrating! Spatial distortion!”

Clark shouted as he started darkly at the rocket. There was a humming sound and the surrounding space distorted. It was what happened afterwards that was a surprise. The rocket entered the distorted area and flew in the wrong direction before exploding.

“Now! Run quickly!”

Clark and Ark started running. They penetrated the shower of bullets and returned to the team. And Ark was suddenly struck by a syringe.

A medic was the healer type profession in Galaxian.

“Pant pant pant, thank you.”

Ark gasped as he looked at Clark. The 10 metre distorted space had caused the rocket to veer to a different direction. One possible reason was Clark’s psychic body coating. Galaxian’s Esper ability was more than Ark imagined. The Espers had several different areas of expertise. There was the spatial distortion meant that missiles or bullets would change trajectory. Some other unbeatable abilities received with the body coating involved floating in the air for a short time, levitation, spoon bending and Clairvoyance.

“Pant pant, half of my mana has flown away.”

However, these skills used a huge amount of mana and could only be used 4~5 times! But these shortcomings could be conquered.

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

“It can’t be helped. If this continues then it will be hard to endure. Used your armoured state!”

Clark shouted towards the team as the Sufferers got closer. Then dozens of shouts were heard from the ruins.

“Armour armament!”

There were flashes as the battle suits were summoned. All members of the Phoenix squad possessed battle suits. It was an amazing scene has 10 teammates called their battle suits at the same time. Among the B team, only 3 of them were humans including Ark. The remaining 7 belonged to the Rama and other alien species. The federation’s battle suit was in the form of a cube and wrapped around the owner, the Rama’s battle suit appeared out of thin air like Ark while the alien species had a metallic liquid that flowed over the body and transformed into a battle suit.

“Now’s the time for a counterattack! Attack!”

Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Dozens of rays simultaneously shot out. It was unnecessary to say this but the physical abilities and damage increased when wearing the battle suits. However, the rays shooting towards the Surfers didn’t simply have a stronger attack. Different levels of battle suits existed. The battle suits not only improved performance but were also growth type equipment that could be upgraded. There was no mistaking that B team’s battle suits had been upgraded! The strength of the upgraded battle suit was no joke. The Sufferers in the front evaporated with no traces left at all! But the highlight was Clark’s battle suit who was the leader of B team. Although the defense and movement speed of an Esper was low compared to others, they were able to produce a high density energy bullet.

Pejijijik! Pepeng!

The Sufferers hit by Clark’s energy bullet flew back 10 metres. The Sufferers that hit the ground lost 30% of their health. It was a wave of destructive power! But it was a technique that used up all the mana of the battle suit and it was stripped away in 5 minutes. Nevertheless! The Espers that still had mana remaining were overwhelming.

Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The B team who transformed into armoured warriors constantly fired their ammunition. In an instant there was a pile of Sufferers’ corpses in front of the ruins.

All the experience he gained also caused him to level up! But there was no time to be glad. There were around 150 Sufferers in this area. Only 30 of them had arrived at this place to attack the B team. However, the battle lasted for a while and there was no end to the Sufferers that kept on joining in.

Kieeeeeeek!

“Sonic sword!”

Ark pushed back the Sufferers that got past the barrier and looked around.

‘The number of Sufferers that are approaching the barrier keeps on increasing. I don’t know how long we can hold up.’

There were too many Sufferers despite the B team’s overwhelming power. This was why the B and C teams were supposed to attack from different sides. But then the Sufferers discovered them. So far they were holding up but they would crumble if the situation kept on continuing.

‘But I have no choice but to hold up until the end!’

“Set Bullets Shooting!”

Cheolkeok, cheolkeok, cheolkeok! Pepepeng!

Ark ran around the barrier and attacked the Sufferers. However there was a limit to how much he could do. The Sufferers used the human wave tactic and started to push at the barrier. Some Battle Sufferers used their RPGs and caused the wall to crumble.

“Damn! Alan, Norton, Tiriod, Pekud, block off the Sufferers!”

“Petal Sword!”

“Electromagnetic Hammer!”

The soldiers who specialized in close combat swung their swords and hammers at the Sufferers. The Phoenix members also overpowered the Sufferers in close combat but it was still no use.  As soon as they killed some, the spider would crawl out of the bodies and the situation would become more difficult. Despite the efforts of the medics flying around, after a few minutes the B team only had 20~30% health left.

“Not yet, not yet! A bit more!”

A bloody Clark yelled as he struggled.

“Team Leader-nim, it is finished!”

A voice like a gospel was heard from the rear. And the next moment!

Tu tu tu tung! Tu tu tu tung! Tu tu tu tung!

There was a ponderous sound and the Sufferers started falling. Then an information window simultaneously appeared in Ark and the team’s Nymphes.

This was the reason why the B team came here. The B and C team had moved along with engineers to two sides with a range of 300 metres.  While the turrets were covering both sides, the Phoenix’s main forcers would destroy the Sufferers situated in the centre. This was Kalbern’s plan. It was the reason why the B team stayed here despite being discovered by Sufferers. Although the engineers’ combat powers were low, they were useful as soldiers due to production skills like the turret. It was a defensive turret that attacked the enemy and once it was successfully installed, it had the combat power of a tank.

Waaaaaaah!

The Battle Sufferers lifted their RPGs the moment they saw the turret.

“Ha, you’re just asking for us to kill you. The first target will be you!”

The engineers boarded the turret and made it revolve. And….Tu tu tu tung! Tu tu tu tung! Tu tu tu tung!

The 25 mm bullets emerged from the turrets and slammed into the Battle Sufferers.  And they collapsed without shooting the RPGs that had been annoying the B team. The engineers used the turrets to intercept the high level Sufferers and helped out team members.

Syu syu syu syu! Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

An explosion occurred to the rear of the Sufferers.

-Hey, Clark! Are you still alive? We’ve arrived!

“C-Captain!”

Clark turned towards the explosion after hearing the voice flowing from the Nymphe. A tank had appeared behind the Sufferers attacking the B team. The tank called the Guardian was a means of transport as well as holding the supplies. Clark shouted angrily as he looked at Kalbern who was sitting down and holding a RPG.

“Damn, you’re late!”

–Bastard, stop whining. We weren’t playing around. We also experienced difficulties. It looks like the turret has been completed so get over here. We were late so we’ll properly cover you. Launch! Sweep them up!

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

Team A led by Kalbern started shooting the Sufferers.

“Sheesh, I understand. Let’s leave! Penetrate and join with the main forces!”

Clark shouted in a thunderous voice and rushed forward. It wasn’t just Clark. Ark and the other team members gathered their remaining mental power and pushed through the Sufferers. The turret’s automatic firing and A team’s cover meant they could soon join Kalbern. The C team also joined them from the other side.

Kieeeeeeek!

100 Sufferers also flocked towards them.

“They’ve all gathered. Hey, install the CM-III!”

A member of the A team pulled a small box out of his bag and threw it at Kalbern’s order. The box automatically opened and a sparking net 3 metres in size emerged. 10 more boxes were thrown and formed a barrier around them.

CM-III that formed an instant barrier! It was the main method of fighting Sufferers in contaminated areas. The 100 Sufferers had no leader and just rushed forward with no plan. But they just struck the CM-II barrier and couldn’t do anything! It was the same when the Sufferers used the gun.

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

“Oh my god, that is so terrifying. Guardian, switch to defensive formation!”

The Guardian spread out wings on both sides. Kalbern stared at the Guardian’s spread out wings and muttered.

“Now, all subordinates. Don’t let yourself be hit by the bullets.”

“Please don’t say things like that. The Guardian’s armour stinks.”

“Stinks? It is better than dropping dead.”

“Dammit! B team, be careful!”

Clark yelled and dived behind the wings. CM-III stopped the Sufferers’ rush and the arms blocked the bullets. This was how the Phoenix squad were able to penetrate contaminated areas filled with 100 Sufferers. Of course, it was also supported by their basic combat power. Anyway, the situation changed 180 degrees once all the members joined up. The 30 Phoenix members fired from being the CM-III barrier and the Sufferers collapsed like dominoes. The Guardian sat in the middle while the engineers operated the turrets on the left and right side.

Tu tu tu tu! Tu tu tu tu! Tang! Tang! Peng! Peng!

After 20 minutes of attacking with assault rifles, pistols, RPGs and grenades, they finally managed to destroy all the Sufferers in the area.

“Good work. The other soldiers will clean this up so take a rest for now.”

“Phew……”

Ark sighed and flopped to the ground.

“That was no joke. I never imagined going through so much just crossing 10 km in a city. Why are there so many Sufferers?”

Ark murmured as he saw the corpses of the Sufferers being burnt with flamethrowers. This wasn’t the first time fighting against a lot of Sufferers. The nature of the Sufferers was to swarm so the Phoenix’s tactic was to deliberately gather the Sufferers together to attack. Every time he faced dozens of them so dealing with 100 took considerably more effort. That’s why they took two days to only travel 10 km in Charem. But Ark’s words weren’t a complaint.

‘It is impossible to be dissatisfied.’

Ark laughed as he retrieved the information window. Ark was level 67 when entering Charem and he had faced dozens of enemies. Ark was able to gain 4 levels thanks to the Sufferers. It would’ve been impossible on his own!

“No, I wouldn’t have even made it this far alone.”

It was fortunately that Ark emerged in an area infested by Sufferers and was rescued by the Phoenix squad. Anyway, Ark was able to reach this point because of the Phoenix squad.

“But……”

It was approaching the end.

“Hey, why are you muttering to yourself?”

Clark hit him on the back and laughed.

“Are you thinking of a lover at home? Indeed, that is one of the few pleasures for mercenaries like us. But don’t worry, there isn’t much time left now. Look. We’ve been fighting against the Sufferers for 2 days in the contaminated area and finally reached Charem’s central control power. We are here.”

Clark pointed to an enormous building several hundred metres away from them. That huge building was Charem’s central control tower! It was the destination of Ark and the Phoenix squad.

“Hey! A, B and C team, gather your members! This is no time to delay.  We will enter the central control tower as soon as everything is organized.  Check your equipment carefully!”

The loud voice of Kalbern could be heard. Now for the central control tower!