Ark - Volume 18 - Chapter 5

ACT 5 Under their Feet…..

Kwa kwa kwa bang, flash-!

A flash of light ripped through the darkness. The sky had been cloudy since the early evening and now it was pouring heavy rain with occasional lightning. But even the heavy rain couldn’t cool off the heat of the magnificent battle.

“Wah ah ah ah!”

“These guys who have no idea of fear, die!”

“Shut up, you villains! We’ll defend the peace of New World!”

The users didn’t rest and kept on swinging their weapons towards Jewel’s party. In the heavy rainfall, hundreds of people were tangled together and their use of skills caused various flashed in the darkness. When the flashes reflected off the raindrop, an amazing firework like view could be seen. The two groups plunged towards each other like lions in the light.

“These bastards, so sloppy….. Annihilate all of them! The great spirits of the wind……”

Then an Elemental Shaman stared at a user and chanted a spell. It was a wide area magic! In a battle, the magicians’ wide area attack was the most devastating attack. It was risky if used incorrectly, but the wide area magic was something which could completely change the situation. Especially considering the huge level difference between the secret society and the users. For lower level users, their magic resistance would be low so wide area magic would deal them a fatal blow.

“Huck, a wide area magic!”

The users discovered too late that an Elemental Shaman was chanting a wide area spell.

“Huhuhu, it is too late. One with the wind…..”

Then just as the wide area magic was about to be completed…..

“Over here!”

One person shot an arrow in the darkness. Then something kicked the Elemental Shaman’s chin as the arrow impacted with their knee. The magician mouth was forced shut and the spell was cancelled. The man who interrupted the spell landed nimbly on the ground.

“It would be dangerous if that was completed.”

“Ack, my teeth…..heok, you’re Ark!”

“I’m thankful that you recognize me but I’m busy so please die.”

Ark laughed and stabbed the Elemental Shaman in the back. Next he used Dark Blade and combined with backstab, 30% of the Elemental Shaman’s health was instantly lost. The Elemental Shaman tried to attack but it wasn’t easy once Ark caught his target. Ark used Dark Dance to attach himself like a leech and hurled quick attacks.

“Ugh, over here! Ark is over here!”

The Elemental Shaman who was in a critical condition screamed and tried to run away. Then four of the secret society members ran up and acted like a bodyguard to the Elemental Shaman. But Ark didn’t pay any attention to the attacks of the secret society members. No, to be exact there was no reason to pay attention to it.

“This bastard, you’ll die for rushing in here recklessly!”

The secret society members said as they swung their weapons towards Ark. Then a black shadow suddenly appeared at Ark’s back.

“…….He didn’t come alone you morons. Sun, Gae, Yeol, Seom!”

The black shadow who muttered was Shambala who spoke in a cold voice. A blue dagger flew through the darkness towards them. When Shambala followed, dozens of daggers were stabbed into the body of the secret society members. It was a skill which summoned daggers made of mana which increased damage by 10 times, ‘Ten Strikes.’ It was Shambala’s new skill which he received after changing his occupation to ‘God Killer.’ The secret society members were hit with ‘poison’ and ‘bleed,’ causing their health to drain quickly. But that was just the beginning. Shambala also used his ‘Cruciate Flower Wave’ which had reached Master level to attack the members. After taking care of the escaping Elemental Shaman, Ark approached the group to help.

“Is it tough taking care of them by yourself?”

“Don’t play around. This much is just entertainment for me.”

“Well I’ll help since I’m already here. Dark Blade!”

“Sheesh, you want me to hand them over? Cruciate Flower Wave!”

It was the pair of Ark and Shambala that had conquered the Evil Silrion! The secret society members who couldn’t even handle Shambala died after a few moments.

‘Phew, now we’ve dealt with the priests and magicians to some extent.’

Ark panted as he ran out of breath and looked around. While Ark had used various schemes to shave down the power of Jewel’s group, once the battle started it had tilted to Jewel’s favour as expected. Those strategies couldn’t overcome the 100 level difference. But despite the overwhelming disadvantage, the users’ formation hadn’t collapsed yet. The first reason for that was the power of the broadcast. The fight would be broadcast in real time. Therefore the users showed enormous concentration in battle in order to improve their appearance. In order to increase the atmosphere, they were willing to drink potions like water. And the second reason was because of Ark and Shambala who intruded right into the enemy camp. In fact, it wasn’t the warriors but the magicians and priests that controlled a battlefield. It was because of the wide area magic of a magician and the support magic from the priests! In New World, these two occupations had the most influence on a group battle. So Ark infiltrated the enemy camp to assassinate the magicians and priests. He was level 383. With the dark attribute bonus he was level 574 so he didn’t hesitate to jump into enemy lines where hundreds of people swarmed. But even if he was over level 400, it would still be difficult alone. However, Ark wasn’t alone.

‘It really does feel different whenever I fight with this guy.’

Ark looked at Shambala after killing the secret society members. Ark had fought in wars with thousands of people and also hunted with various professions. But he only felt this comfortable feeling while fighting with Shambala. When paired with Shambala, they didn’t need to speak at all. Most times Shambala had already moved before Ark could even speak a word. And Ark also knew where to move to help Shambala just by watching. It was thanks to the sense of solidarity gained from fighting together in the Evil Silrion and in the Seutandal conquest war.

‘It is also the same with Shambala…..!’

Then Shambala who had been observing the war situation pointed to one side and shouted.

“Ark, this time it is over there!”

Shambala was pointing towards the left side of Lancel’s defense formation. Jewel realized that the users’ resistance was more stubborn than he thought and concentrated the secret society membersin one place to try and breakthrough. Thus the users who were maintaining that spot immediately started to die.

“We have to hurry. In that state they won’t be able to hold it!”

“Understood, wait a minute!”

Ark nodded and started feeling around in the mud on the ground. Then he picked something up from where the elemental shaman had died.

‘Huhuhu, I got another one!’

Ark looked warmly at the information window. That was another reason why Ark broke into enemy lines. In New World, users who were a part of the NPC faction during the war wouldn’t become chaotic if they murdered the opponents. Meanwhile, the users who attacked the NPC village were chaotic. And when a chaotic player died, they always dropped one equipment. However this was a very important point.

‘The chaotic players also know that they will drop an equipment if they die. And it is impossible to think there isn’t a slight chance of dying in a battlefield.’

Therefore Jewel’s group mostly wore cheap equipment. The level difference was so big that they thought cheap equipment would be sufficient. On the other hand, the Lancel defenders weren’t chaotic so their chances of dropping equipment were very low except when a scroll was used on them. There was also the insurance so they felt comfortable wearing magic equipment. That was another reason why the Lancel defenders were able to endure the attacks.

‘But the rear support like magicians and priests has a low chance of dying so they are far more likely to be wearing magic items!’

Thus Ark risked danger and plunged into enemy lines to dispose of the magicians and priests because of this reason. Compared to the others, their chances of dropping good equipment were much higher. And the result was a bingo. 70% of them had dropped magic items. Thanks to that, Ark’s bag was already filled with 30 magic items.

“Is gaining items your only thought in a situation like this?”

Shambala who was standing next to Ark muttered under his breath. Ark replied with a grin.

“You wouldn’t do it. That’s why we have good chemistry.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Hurry up and collect the items!”

“Okay, let’s go!”

Ark and Shambala rushed over to the defensive line. The situation was more serious than he thought. When Jewel and Duke led the secret society members directly, the users under fire couldn’t even last 1 minute. While Ark had placed a lot of users in the defensive line, there were only 40~50 users remaining who were in a critical condition.

Clack clack clack, clack clack clack clack!

Razak was also trying to maintain the defense formation using Iron Fire Wall. But even more of Jewel’s group struck him and he collapsed like a sandcastle.

“Ark, it has begun! Heavy Rain Sword!”

Shambala dived towards the place where Jewel’s group was crowded and used his skill. Hundreds of daggers emerged from the darkness and dealt considerable damage.

“It’s my turn now. Flash!”

Ark followed up with his wide area skill Flash. It was Ark and Shambala’s wide area skill combo. The secret society members who were attacking the defense formation received extravagant damage and stumbled.

“It is Dark Wolf and Blue Sword!”

The users cheered as Ark and Shambala appeared. The secret society members were just puzzled. Then Jewel who had been commanding them from the rear shouted.

“K-kill them! Your target has been changed to those guys!”

Jewel yelled while withdrawing and using long distance attacks. While he had a high amount of pride, he could admit that he wouldn’t win with frontal attacks. Thus Jewel avoided engaging with Ark and commanded the secret society members to. Anyway, they flocked like vultures at Jewel’s command. Meanwhile, the archers simultaneously started to pull their bows while the magicians started chanting spells. Then Shambala saw Ark and shouted.

“Ark!”

“I know. It is close…..aha, here it is!”

Ark had been looking around for a short time before laughing and striking the ground. Then a mechanical sound was heard and poison arrows flew towards the magicians. But that wasn’t the end. Every time Ark struck the ground an explosion of arrows would occur and strike the opponents.

“T-this is…..heok!”

Jewel who had been chanting a spell also stumbled as a poison arrow hit him. Then Ark smirked and looked like he was muttering a soliloquy.

“Stupid bastards, you shouldn’t have plunged into enemy territory without some countermeasures. Furthermore, did you really think I would not build some defences against you?”

Sometimes being the one attacked was more advantageous than attacking. The strong point was that they knew the place being attacked so they could make preparations. Ark took advantage of that and laid some traps operated by a switch. When the traps didn’t activate while the assaulters were charging, Jewel’s group assumed that there were only holes and no traps. The traps also didn’t activate in the midst of the confused fighting.

“Y-you really……kill! Kill him!”

“Not a chance!”

Ark triggered another hidden switch and smoke appeared. A smoke trap! The visions of the secret society members were suddenly trapped so they hesitated. At the same time, Ark and Shambala ran up to them. And unleashed a feast of spectacular attacks!

“Petrification of Blood!

“Dark blade!”

Pepepepeng, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

It was the cooperative technique of Ark and Shambala. Shambala’s Petrification of Blood turned the warriors into stone. They couldn’t move or attack but their defense also increased by 500%. However, Ark’s Dark Blade ignored all defense so that didn’t matter. The warriors turned to stone could only glare as their petrification loosened the moment they died. It was a basic coordinated technique. Shambala created a gap in the enemy’s attack while Ark took advantage of it to deal critical hits. And when Ark’s kicks caused an enemy to stiffen, Shambala’s dagger would be driven into their stomach! It was a harmony so perfect there was no room for even a needle to enter! But that wasn’t all of Ark’s weapons.

“There are four archers 10 metres to the right!”

Ark shouted as the archers prepared to use ‘Precision Fire.’ Then the raccoons emerged from a hole and fired cannons at them. Yes, the holes of the raccoons weren’t just to prevent the assaulters’ charge. The raccoons would move along the underground passage for strategic firing of their cannons.

“Damn, those stupid raccoons again!”

The secret society members exclaimed angrily before swinging their swords at the raccoons.  However, the raccoons disappeared into the hole like the moles in the ‘Whack-a-mole’ game. And they instantly emerged from another hole to fire their cannons. There was also the possibility of the opponents entering the hole. But how could ordinary users deal with the inhabitants of the Underground World inside their tunnels? If they plunged into the hole then they would just die in vain like the assaulters. It was the method of using switch operated traps and the raccoons! Meanwhile, Ark and Shambala were dealing with 40 members of the secret society. Ark didn’t care about his health and mana and just continued firing his skills. It was because of the Vampire Stone and Mana Steal Stone inserted into the Promised Sword. Just like with Bread, the Hearthstones couldn’t display a huge effect against one opponent. However, this was a situation with many opponents.
He could steal the health and mana of dozens of users in one go! The Explosion stone also wrecked some havoc. The effect caused splash damage to all surrounding enemies.

“Ooooooh…..”

“Is that really Dark Wolf and Blue Sword fighting?”

“That….no way. No matter how strong they are, it’s still two people against a lot of opponents……”

The users forgot they were in a battle and just idly watched the two of them fighting. If this scene was broadcasted then it was normal to think the opponents were weak. But the users had been beaten to a critical condition just now by the secret society members. It wasn’t possible to think of them as weak. Then the answer was that Ark and Shambala were too strong! No, there was no need to compare them. It was a fight which transcended the imagination of a general user! The standards that Ark and Shambala showed couldn’t be simply compared anymore.

“I can’t just stand by after watching this!”

“We have to help Dark Wolf and Blue Sword defeat the villains!”

“Wah ah ah ah!”

The users’ spirits were ignited and they pushed back onto the battlefield. Despite Ark and Shambala’s actions, Jewel’s group still had the upper hand in power. However, the users’ morale doubled which increased their power when they attacked Jewel’s group. On the other hand, the secret society members had their morale fall to the bottom and couldn’t counterattack properly.

‘That’s it, the urgent fire has been put out.’

Ark instantly checked the 15 split screens floating. The reason Ark sent the video to the broadcasting station directly wasn’t just for the sake of a lucrative video. By using the 15 cameras installed, he could fully grasp the entire battlefield. By looking at the split windows, he could see that it was still disadvantageous to the Lancel defenders. While Ark and Shambala moved quickly and conquered the crisis, dozens of users on the other side of the defensive wall were falling down. Yet Ark and Shambala couldn’t leave here to go support the situation!

‘……It’s not possible.’

“Racard, commence the operation. Point A on the right.”

“Chik…..chik…..understood. I’m going.”

When Ark communicated wirelessly, Racard used satellite surveillance mode and flew down through the heavy rain. And he glided over the heads of Jewel’s group that were his target.

“I’ve arrived in the mission area. Over!”

“Okay, commence the operation!”

“Yes!”

Ssak ssak ssak, ssak ssak ssak ssak!

Then Radun who had been clinging onto Racard opened his mouth. The sphere bombs used in the illusionary Lancel village emerged from Radun’s mouth and fell. That was the reason why he previously only used half of the Fire Stones.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

When Radun hanging onto Racard dropped the bombs, the area was filled with fire. It was using a flying monster to bomb from the air! Ark who had been watching the screens saw the secret society members receive the bomb baptism. Unlike the explosion in the fake Lancel, this time the bombs 100% hit. The result was fatal! The secret society members received a blow which nearly destroyed them.

“Ohh, now! Attack!”

The users who regained their moral started attacking the secret society members. But Racard’s and Radun’s part hadn’t ended yet.

“Radun, you did well. Return to the scheduled point to finish your job!”

Racard fly down low and dropped Radun off. Radun crawled along the battlefield at a tremendous speed and flicked his tongue around. Then the users on the battlefield started to become confused.

“Eh? The chaotic users have been killed but why haven’t any equipment dropped? Has someone already collected it?”

Yes, this was Radun’s mission after being dropped into the battlefield. Lots of secret society members died from the bombs and the users’ counterattack. Of course there would be a large amount of equipment which fell. Radun’s mission was to plunge into the battlefield and collect the items. Of course, this operation was risky. It wasn’t unusual for Radun to go around a battlefield by himself. But this time they were users. They were different from stupid monsters. They were likely to be suspicious of snakes wandering the battlefield.

‘But he won’t be found in this confused fighting.’

The reason Ark was sure about this was because of Radun’s new skill.

Since Radun often collected loot alone, he had manifested the Alamone’s ability to hide. If it was daytime then it was difficult for Radun’s Protective Colouration to completely hide himself. But right now the battlefield had the three conditions ‘night’, ‘mud’ and ‘heavy rain!’ His assimilation rate had reached 90%. So Radun was completely assimilated and he ran around licking his tongue.

‘Hahaha! Okay, okay. Eat away!’

Ark had no time to rest as new information windows continued popping up. They were just general equipment but the number of them was truly a jackpot.

Ssak ssak ssak, ssak ssak ssak ssak!

Radun swept up the equipment and returned to the safety zone after completing his mission. Then Racard flew towards Radun and grabbed him.

“The Airborne division has completed the collection and is awaiting the next instructions. Over!”

“The next mission area is 30 metres ahead of you.”

“Okay, I’ll begin bombing preparations!”

Flames followed him when Racard flew over in the night sky.

‘Okay, those operations are going as planned. Now all that’s left is……’

Ark paid attention to the split screen and checked the military situation. The military situation wasn’t that good when he checked it. The defensive line had barely held up thanks to Ark and Shambala’s efforts but there were already 250 users dead. And the remaining 150 users only had around 10~30% health left. On the other hand, Jewel’s group still had 350 people left. It was overwhelming power.

‘But the results are proceeding as planned.’

In fact, Ark had intended for there to be a lot of Jewel’s group left alive. Usually the commanders in a battle used the direct strategy. The most common one was to focus the attacks on reducing the enemy numbers. However Ark didn’t use this method. Rather than reducing the numbers, he concentrated on shaving away the enemy’s health. Despite the damage the users did, from Ark’s view they were just an inevitable sacrifice. The average health of the secret society was 30~40%. 250 users had sacrificed their lives for that.

‘And now is the time!’

Ark judged it was time and threw firecrackers in the air. Then several flashes appeared in the night sky. It was at that time. The forest started shaking and there were thundering shouts.

“Wah ah ah ah!”

The people who rushed into the battlefield were from the beast clans. They were the real troops of Lancel village, the Wolrang and the Meow. Yes, Ark hadn’t used the Wolrang and Meow even when the defensive line was in a crisis. The Wolrang were around level 300 while the Meow were around level 200. If they had fought from the beginning then the situation might be easier now. However, Ark’s purpose wasn’t simply to protect Lancel village. It was to minimize the damage on the NPCs. After using the users to decrease the health of the secret society, he made the beast clans appear. Thanks to that, their health and mana was still 100%. They were also full of willpower. On the other hand, the health of the secret society members went all the way down to 30~40% after a long battle.

“Grrrrr, this is our home!”

“Nyaaaaa, angry cat punch!”

“Bark bark bark bark!”

“Nyang nyang nyang nyang nyang!”

The beast clans swarmed around the secret society members with low health. But the thing that surprised Jewel wasn’t the beast clans. It was the pair among the beast clans firing magic and swinging a greatsword.
They were Bread and Redian! Yes, the pair who had intruded on the battlefield was Bread and Redian who were Bristania’s strongest duo.

“Uh, why is hyung-nim and noonim…..?”

Jewel stuttered with an incredibly confused expression. Bread and Redian snorted as they started at Jewel.

“Shut up. Anybody who attacks a dog is my enemy!”

“Those who push a cat are my enemy!”

“Dog? Cat? What are you…..? No, are hyung-nim and noonim really going to become enemies with the Hermes alliance?”

“The Hermes alliance? Oh, haven’t you withdrawn from the alliance?”

“Eh?”

Jewel flinched and shut his mouth. Then Bread laughed and slammed his greatsword into the ground.

“Heh, I don’t care what you guys do. And I have no memory of us being friend in the first place. I won’t leave it alone if I see animal cruelty in front of me! If you’re dissatisfied then attack. I’ll prevent you from doing wicked things in front of me!”

“T-these bastards….! Stop them! Smash those cats and dogs!”

“Wah ah ah ah!”

The secret society raised their weapons and ran up.

“I won’t let you bother the dogs in front of me. Earth Storm!”

Bread used various Beast Spirit Possessions and swung his greatsword. Bread who had reached level 410 and had the 50% bonus had swung his greatsword! An absurd gust of wind blew out and the secret society members were thrown like autumn leaves. It was also the same situation with the Meow.

“Bah, you’ve become thieves? Furthermore, you dare disturb the peaceful town where cats live. Despite being a pervert, Bread is 100 times better than you! I’ll get rid of that rotten spirit. High speed incantation, highest magic unsealed! The unquenchable flame burning in the bottom of hell! Under the name of the Elemental Master Redian, descend to this land.  Volcano of Hell!”

After Redian finished chanted the spell an enormous magic circle formed. Then the magic circle started to shake like an earthquake was occurring and the earth split because lava rose up. But Redian’s magic didn’t end there. Redian then used the chain skill ‘Lava Rain,’ causing the lava to form into fireballs which were hurled. It was the highest ranking magic of a level 400 elemental magician. The fire magic that Jewel used was no comparison.

‘Indeed…..I can be relieved about the beast clan if I leave it to them two!’

That was the reason why Ark left the Wolrang and Meow to Bread and Redian. If the Wolrang and Meow were in danger then Bread and Redian would do everything to protect them. Instead of being in danger, the beast clans would be protected by them.

“What’s this? You dare touch a dog in front of me? Do you hate living?”

Whenever the Wolrang was hit, Bread would show his teeth and growl. And the secret society members collapsed under his greatsword.

‘Now the military situation is in our favour. As I expected……’

Ark looked at the split screens for a while. Then the scene of Jewel, Duke and several high level members moving caught his eye. Ark immediately grasped the situation from their movement. He turned to Shambala who also seemed to grasp the situation and nodded. The two exchanged glances before Ark and Shambala split up at a quick pace. Then just as Jewel was trying to use a skill…..Ark used a scroll on Duke who was using the same skill as Jewel from a distant place.

“[Magnetism]!”

Ark pulled Duke with [Magnetism] while Sprinting towards Jewel.

“Huk! What, what the?”

Duke became confused as he was dragged by a strong, magnetic force. But the person even more confused was Jewel.

“T-this, Ark? Ah! N-no!”

Then Duke was dragged next to Jewel. Something suddenly rose from the ground before disappearing. It was the Area Declaration that a player who changed to their 2nd stage profession could use. When Ark used Eyes of the Cat, he identified that Jewel, Duke and two members of the secret society had changed professions.  If the situation became disadvantageous then they would definitely use the Area Declaration skill.
Of course, Ark and Shambala could also use the Area Declaration skill. But if they did that then Ark and Shambala’s area declaration would also disappear. So he came up with the idea to make their collide using [Magnetism]. But the range of [Magnetism] was only dozens of metres. On the other hand, the range of Area Declaration was 100 metres. That’s why he used [Magnetism] before using Sprint to pull Duke as much as possible. Shambala who had run to the opposite direction also did the same thing to the two members of the secret society to seal off their Area Declarations. Thus their Area Declarations was used in vain.

“You, you bastard……!”

Jewel glared at Ark.

“What will glaring at me do?”

“What?”

“Did you think you were the only one to change to the 2nd profession?”

Ark muttered and laughed.

“Oh, I can finally use it! Land of the Beast!”

Bread plunged his greatsword into the ground and shouted. Then a giant totem popped out of the earth and a blue area spread around him. At the same time, Bread was covered in a golden fur and the muscles on his body became many times larger. Bread was also flanked by two semitransparent wolves. The Beast Master had used his Area Declaration skill Land of the Beast. Attack and defense +50%! While within the territory of Area Declaration, the summoned spirit of the wolves can attack the enemies but won’t deal any physical damage.

“Go, souls of the brave wolves!”
Awooooo! The souls of the wolves flew forward like an arrow at Bread’s command and surrounded the secret society members. The secret society members trapped by the spirit wolves died as the greatsword attacked them.

“Bah, I can’t let you have all the fun alone. Land of Fire and Ice!”

Redian also used her Area Declaration skill on the left hand side. Then cubes of fire and ice appeared within the 100 metre area. Magic attack +50% and additional 500 fire and ice damage! Once within the area of fire and ice, the opponents will continuously receive fire and ice damage. It was the Area Declarations of the level 400 Bread and Redian. The level 250~300 secret society members within the Area Declaration were no match.

“A-avoid it!”

“Run away. The effects of Area Declaration will only work within that territory!”

The secret society members screamed and retreated. But behind them were Ark and Shambala.

“Don’t they seem overconfident? I feel like I’m being treated as weak because of my style of attack. It can’t be helped. Area Declaration, River of Blood!”

The ground around Shambala started becoming muddy and changed into a river of blood. It increased attack and defense by 50% whole increase the damage of backstab by 200%. When the retreating secret society members ran into Shambala’s territory, one hit instantly reduced their health by 10%.

“Now it’s been decided.”

Ark muttered as he saw the three Area Declarations used on the battlefield. The secret society members were surrounded by the beast clans so there was no way to escape. The ensuring siege thrust them back into Bread, Redian and Shambala’s Area Declarations.

“Now, is it my turn?”

In order to obtain victory, Ark decided to use the Area Declarations at the end. Sweat dripped down Jewel’s face before he suddenly shouted.

“Damn, I can’t fail like this! Suicide squad, use your last resort! Charge into Lancel and blow up the magic tower and Ark’s store! For the glory of the suicide squad!”

“What? Suicide squad?”

Ark flinched and turned his head. The looks on dozens of secret society faces completely changed. Then they suddenly pulled out something like a wick and stuck it to their heads. Then the wick started burning at an incredible speed. The suicide squad members with the wicks on their heads rushed towards the defensive line with determined expressions.

“I’ll go first!”

“For the glory of the Lord! Waaaaaah!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The suicide squad member collided with the users and a huge explosion occurred, sending dozens of people flying away. The explosive power couldn’t even be compared to the Fire Stone bombs. It was the suicide squad’s weapon ‘Self-destruct’ which caused enormous havoc. The defensive line quickly collapsed from the suicide squad members exploding. Thus the suicide squad penetrated the defensive line and entered Lancel village.
“Stop them, block those guys!”

Ark hurriedly screamed. Then the raccoons pulled the suicide squad members into the hole. However, that was a mistake. When the suicide squad members in the hole exploded, the damage was even worse. The underground passages were connected like a spider web in the ground underneath Lancel. When the ground collapsed from the explosion belowground, many buildings were destroyed. Not to mention the raccoons hidden in the ground. Meanwhile the suicide squad members had entered the village and exploded near some buildings.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

A red warning message floated in front of Ark.

‘Oh my god!’

Sweat started dripping down Ark’s back. He was careless while planning his strategies. He never expected them to blow themselves up. Anyway, the serious was serious now that the suicide squad members had penetrated the village. Even if they won the battle, he would fail the quest if 30% of the NPCs and structures were destroyed! Besides, their number 1 goal was Ark’s store. If Ark’s store exploded then Ark’s entire fortune would be turned to ash.

“Hahahaha, let’s die together!”

Jewel said as he glared at Ark. In fact, there was a reason Jewel hadn’t used the suicide squads until then. Self-destruct caused enormous havoc but it also had a huge penalty on the ones who used it. The Self-destruct used by the suicide squads was different from the ones magicians used. Since an enormous chaotic value was required to learn it, those who used it received 5 times the death penalty. In other words, all of their stats would be -5 and they couldn’t resurrect for 5 days. Also the durability of their equipment would be reduced by 80%. If they used it when their equipment had lost 20% of its durability than all the equipment would break. But now they had no choice. They didn’t mind dying as long as they achieved some of their goals. That was the decision the suicide squad made.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang, kwa kwa kwa kwang!

Meanwhile, a few buildings had once again collapsed. And they were heading towards Ark’s store. At that time, a barrier rose from the ground and blocked the suicide squad.  It was the barrier that the raccoons had installed! But even such a barrier was destroyed in one shot by Self-destruct. If the suicide squad rushed again then Ark’s store would be smashed to pieces.

‘No. I have to do whatever it takes to stop them!’

The cornered Ark turned his eyes to the users. Then a solution came to his head. If they want to use the suicide squad then we will also use a suicide squad. Those guys had about 10 seconds before exploding once they placed the wick. The users had 10 seconds to grab their ankles. The question was whether the users would be willing to die along with the suicide squad members. If a person was damaged by Self-destruct then the durability of their equipment would also fall by 50%. The users had been in a long battle so their equipment had already fallen by 50%! If they got caught by Self-destruct then their equipment would be destroyed! But Ark had a plan for convince the users.

“Stop them! The contract was only for equipment stolen by those guys. But if your equipment is destroyed like this then the insurance money will still be paid!”

Yes, most of the users had signed up for ‘Ark’s Compensation Insurance!’ While the original contract was just for equipment stolen by the scrolls, Ark declared that he would pay the insurance for equipment broken by Self-destruct. It was a 200% payout! Of course, Ark would receive damage if most of the users’ equipment was destroyed but he had no time to think about such a thing.

“In addition, if you block the suicide squad then it is possible to be the hero who saved Lancel! But the insurance will only be paid to the first one who caught the suicide squad members. If many people stick to one fellow then the insurance money won’t be paid!”

Ark meticulously controlled the terms of the contract even in this situation. Anyway, the users’ eyes lit up at Ark’s words.

“What? I’ll get insurance money if my equipment is broken?”

“I can be the hero who saved Lancel village!”

“Oh, I can get money and fame at the same time!”

“I, I’ll go and stop them!”

Thanks to the thought of money and fame, the users agreed to sacrifice their bodies. Then they swarmed and stuck to the bodies of the suicide squad. The suicide squad members were pulled down and covered with the users’ body…… In the end, the users and the suicide squad members both died together from the explosion.

‘That was close but I managed to block it.’

Ark sighed with relief as he looked at the information window. But now he had to pay the insurance claim to the users who interrupted the suicide squad. If they had insurance then he would have to pay 200% of the items they insured.

‘This is because of that guy!’

Ark grinded his teeth together and approached Jewel. The shabby looking Jewel was pale white and discouraged. The plan to loot Lancel village was thwarted. The strategy of dying together had also failed. More than half of the remaining members had died within Bread, Redian and Shambala’s Area Declarations Jewel who had risked his life on this strategy felt all the spirit escape him.

“T-this isn’t reality….. Yes, it is a dream….. Huhuhu, I’m just dreaming and the raid hasn’t happened yet….. It’s a dream….. Just a dream…..”

Then a black aura suddenly appeared under Jewel’s foot. Jewel winced and turned his head where a black object was floating. It was Ark’s Area Declaration, Glory of the Night. But that wasn’t all of it.

“Descent of the Fire Draconian!”

Ark shouted and a fire pillar rose from the earth. The flames then turned into a giant scale. The flames formed a Fire Draconian which ascended the sky before falling like a lightning bolt to hit Ark’s body. It was a huge fire storm. When the flames appeared, the water on the ground quickly became water vapour.

“Kuaaaaak!”

Jewel looked through the flames and water vapour with bemused eyes. The person standing in front of him was Ark with the power of the Fire Draconian swirling around him.

“Now, how should I kill you?”

Ark stared at Jewel with cold eyes and muttered. Then Ark started moving at an incredible pace. Every time Ark moved, fire will appear in the ground behind him. There were continuous ringing sounds and the secret society members went flying away. The users just looked at the scene with dumb surprise. While not a lot of users had a 2nd profession, it could sometimes be seen. So Area Declarations were sometimes seen on TV but this was the first time they had seen a Divine skill used. Anyway, the Divine skill had overwhelming power! Jewel also couldn’t run away since Ark’s territory was surrounded by Shambala, Bread and Jewel’s. Furthermore, several beasts and users were surrounding the outside so there was no place to escape. However Ark, Shambala, Bread and Redian only decreased their health to 1~2%. There was a reason why Ark commanded the users not to kill the secret society members. That’s right……

“Now’s the time!

100 people ran out of Lancel at Ark’s shout. It was the guards of Lancel village which consisted of the ex-thieves! Yes, the reason why Ark didn’t kill the secret society members was because of this. If they died by the users or beasts then they could just revive in 24 hours. Then they could come back and attack Lancel. However, they would be stuck in prison if the guards killed them. Since they had become chaotic from attacking NPC villages, they would be stuck in jail for a long time. Thus Ark had left the guards until the end.

“Heok! G-guards!”

“K-kill! Kill them now!”

Jewel was in a complete state of panic as the guards appeared. Some of the secret society members even grabbed their colleagues and asked them to kill each other. However it was already too late. They only had 1~2% health left. Despite the level difference, the level 200 guards could kill them with one or two strokes. Jewel’s group instantly collapsed as the guards advanced. After 5 minutes, Jewel and the secret society members had collapsed. At the same time Shambhala, Bread and Redian released their skill. Ark’s Area Declaration was the only one remaining with a huge dragon floating in the centre of the battlefield. Ark looked at Jewel’s corpse before raising his fist and shouting.

“A victory for justice!”

The users also shouted along.

“W-we won!”

“I did it! Now we’re heroes!”

“We defeated the 500 thieves!”

“Oh, hooray for the Lancel defenders! Hooray for Dark Wolf!”

“It was a pleasure to fight under Dark Wolf! He’s unbeatable!”

The users who survived after an intense battle jumped wildly and cheered. However, the cheering users didn’t realize something. There was a reason why Ark was inciting the cheers despite disliking attention. While the users’ gazes were focused on him, they were unaware of what was going on under their feet. Radun was secretly crawling and gathering equipment under their feet.

The rain and wind gradually stopped. Dawn was breaking after a long night.