Chapter 8

Arc the Legend - Chapter 8 (8/875)

In the central square of R-14.

At the dock that occupied an entire side of the square, spaceships from Earth came and went without rest. Each time, hundreds of newbies poured out, looking around with wide-eyed amazement. They then scattered, fiddling with their nymphs.

With spaceships continuously bringing in hundreds of people, the dock of R-14 was covered in a crowd reminiscent of Yoido Square during the World Cup.

These were users, specifically new users who had just started Galactician. Naturally, they were full of enthusiasm! They were busy trying to understand the new system, level up faster than others, and plant their flags in the new frontier of space as quickly as possible.

In a secluded corner of the central square.

A young man enveloped in a gloomy aura stood there.

The young man, Arc, seemed to be in a black-and-white world, immersed in a somber atmosphere. He raised his hollow eyes to gaze at the desolate planet visible through the window.

"Is that Earth...?"

The mother planet of humanity, Earth, once shimmered with a brilliant blue light.

However, the Earth visible through the window had turned a dark brown.

Due to the greed of ignorant humans, it had become a wasteland 200 years ago.

In truth, the so-called era of space exploration was, from Earth's perspective, no different from shamelessly leeching off and exploiting it until it was ruined, then coldly abandoning it to go independent.

However, when Arc first arrived at R-14, he felt no particular emotion upon seeing such an Earth.

Such background settings didn't matter to him.

But now, his feelings were different. The desolate and gloomy Earth seemed not so different from his own situation. The difference was that Earth had been made that way by humans, while Arc had become that way on his own.

Staring blankly at Earth, Arc suddenly grabbed his hair and tore at it.

"Stupid bastard! Idiot!"

Excessive knowledge only causes confusion.

That was Arc's philosophy.

However, he was starting a new game.

Arc had a bitter experience when he first started New World, where he suffered greatly due to a lack of even the most basic information. In a way, it was thanks to that hardship that he found a hidden profession and became the strongest in New World. But unless the universe revolved around Arc, the chances of such luck happening again were slim.

Therefore, Arc had learned the basics before starting Galactician. One of these basics was the regeneration system.

《Galactician Regeneration System 'Fairy'》

- Resurrection in Galactician is achieved through the regeneration system.

- This system is an application of the cloning technology that was actively developed from the 2000s. If a user dies, their body is automatically restored based on the genetic information they registered. The restored body is 100% identical to the one registered.

- A considerable amount of resources is required to restore a body using this system.

- The higher the ability (level) of the registered body, the more time and resources are required. If the necessary resources for regeneration are insufficient, the body may not be properly restored. Severe physical or mental damage could result in a lifelong disability. However, to encourage space exploration, the Earth Federation provides this service for free to new explorers.

- With the regeneration system, you can rest assured even if you die!

- We encourage frequent use.

'Rest assured even if you die?'

...It's just sweet talk.

The system restores a 100% identical body based on the genetic information registered before death. This means that experience points and stats do not drop upon death. Of course, it costs money, but compared to the increasingly harsh death penalties in virtual reality games, it seems like you can 'rest assured.'

However, there was a trap in this system.

Specifically, the part about restoring the body based on the registered genetic information.

If a user who never registered their genetic information from level 1 to 100 dies, even at level 100, they will be restored to the body they had at level 1, the last registered point.

Moreover, regeneration systems were not abundant.

They were only found in civilized areas, similar to towns. Once users left the beginner area and started exploring the space frontier, they couldn't always stay in such places. In other words, if they died in the actual battle zones or dungeons, they would lose all the experience points they had accumulated.

'Damn, they encourage frequent use?'

It's telling you not to level up.

"I knew it..."

The regeneration system in R-14 was located in the central square. When the game started, the first thing Arc saw was the regeneration system.

However, Arc never registered.

Due to converting quest rewards into mileage, he had no reason to leave the hunting grounds. Additionally, in the past five hours, the number of users who died in the crowded 2nd sector could be counted on one hand. He never thought that he, the legendary gamer Arc, would die in such a place.

The penalty he received for this mistake was severe!

'All the experience points I accumulated over five hours are gone!'

Five hours of experience points might not seem like much in the long game, but to Arc, who had only been playing for five hours, it was his entire life's work.

The experience points he had accumulated with his entire life's effort, along with the 'Space Combat Sense' skill that had fueled his enthusiasm, were gone.

But even that wasn't the biggest concern for Arc right now.

'The problem is the dagger!'

To be precise, the broken dagger.

Naturally, the dagger was not restored by the regeneration system.

Lost experience points could be recovered eventually, but a broken dagger was gone for good.

Although it was a basic dagger given to beginners, it was Arc's only weapon and his entire fortune. That fortune was now gone.

However, when he first regenerated, there was still hope.

'I've completed 8 quests so far, and I accumulated all the rewards as mileage. There should be a decent bonus. Even though they're beginner quests, this is a beginner town, so I should be able to buy a low-level dagger.'

Arc clung to this hope and went to find Vurad.

But Vurad was completely dismissive.

"Your mileage has just been erased."

"Huh? Erased?"

"I clearly said that I can't pay a reward to someone who dies to a space bug. Didn't I?"

Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered hearing something like that when he accepted the quest.

"But the mileage was accumulated before I died."

"Accumulated mileage is registered as a reward for the next mission. So if you die during the mission, it's natural that all your previous mileage is lost. Really, you didn't know that? If you didn't know, you should have just taken the reward each time."

"But you recommended accumulating mileage..."

"What? Are you blaming me?"

Vurad's face turned nasty.

He had taken away the hard-earned mileage and was now getting angry.

Arc really wanted to tear out his beard, but that was only possible if he had a dagger. What good would it do for a level 1 character to get into a scuffle with an NPC without a weapon?

Arc sighed and appealed to his sympathy.

"Actually, I broke my only dagger while fighting a space bug. Without the reward, I can't do anything. Please, treat it as saving a life and show some mercy."

"That's the rule, and I can't do anything about it."

It didn't work.

"You know, the regeneration system is expensive. It costs a lot to regenerate someone like you. The Federation provides free service in R-14 due to policy, but the number of explorers is increasing, and the budget is always tight. Some explorers even use it for fun. Without fines, we can't even run the space station. So just think of it as a usage fee."

He even explained the reason for taking it.

All the talk about it being free and encouraging frequent use was just a lie.

Arc had many things he wanted to argue about, but...

"Ah, if you're done, can you move aside?"

"Are you going to take the quest alone? Don't you see people waiting?"

Pressed by the users waiting behind him, Arc had no choice but to lower his head and step back.

He felt wronged and had many things he wanted to argue about.

But what could he do when the system was set up that way?

Of course, in the virtual reality games he had played before, if the NPC's favorability increased, there might be other ways. But that was only if he could do the space bug quest.

When Arc died, the party he had formed in the 2nd sector automatically disbanded. He needed to find a new job, but which party would take in a level 1 character without a dagger?

He was in danger of becoming a space homeless person!

'And the cause of this...'

At first, he blamed Vurad for not explaining properly.

Then he blamed himself for not gathering enough information about the quest. But as he sat in a corner, feeling depressed, Arc realized the fundamental problem.

'Yeah, the problem was my mental state from the beginning.'

When Arc first started Galactician, he said he needed to have a new resolve as a level 1 character.

But looking back, it was just talk.

He didn't realize it, but he was intoxicated by the title of 'legendary gamer' and subconsciously thought he was different from other beginners.

Arc, who usually avoided contact with other users, had boldly put his name 'Arc' on a job advertisement, formed a party, and engaged in a reckless battle with a 3-person party. This arrogance was the result.

The arrogance created by the title of 'legendary gamer'!

Once he realized this, everything became clear.

'When I couldn't fight the space bugs as I wanted, I thought it was because it was a different game, or because my level, skills, and equipment weren't good enough. But that wasn't it. The Arc in New World was strong. He would still be strong if he went back. But that strength wasn't mine. The Arc in New World was strong, and I was just relying on that strength.'

There was no reason to become stronger once he was the strongest.

He didn't need to think about various things during battles as he used to.

This made Arc, the warrior, rusty. He thought he couldn't get used to the combat sense in Galactician, but in reality, he had lost that combat sense a long time ago.

After becoming the emperor, the once-strong warrior just sat on the throne and aged.

Slap!

"Snap out of it, Arc!"

Arc slapped his cheeks with both hands.

Arc didn't come here to play.

He didn't come here to make a living, but he had a clear goal.

Of course, Arc wasn't a patient with 'savior syndrome,' thinking he was the only one who could stop Lucifer's threat.

He wasn't delusional about becoming Superman just because he was wearing a newbie outfit.

But this wasn't something he would give up on after one mistake.

He didn't think it was something only he could do, but he was determined to do it. That determination was the source of his confidence in making three demands to the government.

His overconfidence led to a mistake, but now that he realized his mistake, he could fix it.

'I can't do anything if I don't fix this rotten mindset!'

Arc, who clearly repents when he realizes his mistake.

He doesn't dwell on the past. If he doesn't let go of his regrets, he can't move forward. And to let go of his regrets, he needs to change his mindset.

"There is no strongest in New World here. There is no legendary gamer. This is the starting point. Right now, there is only a beginner explorer, Arc, who has just ventured into space."

Arc shook off everything and stood up.

At the same time, the legendary gamer Arc died.

And a level 1 beginner explorer, Arc, was born. At that moment, Arc clearly knew what he had to do.

As a level 1 user should!

* * *

"Hehehe, hello?"

Arc smiled and rubbed his hands together.

Vurad, who had been looking at him with a displeased expression, snapped at him.

"What? Still can't let go of your regrets?"

After the argument about the mileage being erased, Vurad had a bad impression of Arc. Although he never had a good impression to begin with, Arc quickly shook his head and said,

"No, I was too shocked and confused at the time. But after sitting in that corner and thinking it through, I realized it was my fault."

"At least you've realized it. That's a relief."

"That's why I came to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes, I was shortsighted. How many Earth bumpkins are crawling into R-14 these days? I didn't even imagine how difficult it is to manage such ignorant people alone. And I complained about losing a few points of mileage to someone like me, who has no connections, thanks to you, Vurad. It's natural that you were angry."

Arc rubbed his hands together non-stop.

This was what Arc thought a level 1 user should do.

In virtual reality games, it's always beneficial to increase favorability with NPCs. Arc knew that Galactician had a favorability system.

But he didn't have the time to do that when he first started, and he didn't feel the need to increase favorability with NPCs in the beginner area, until now.

But the situation had changed.

Now that he had broken his dagger, Arc was literally a beggar!

All he had was his mouth. So Arc concluded that he had to do everything he could with his mouth. Other users, who were only thinking about leveling up and leaving the beginner area, wouldn't care about his situation.

The only one Arc could rely on, for better or worse, was the NPC. So he had to mend his relationship with Vurad!

This was Arc's specialty. And Arc was a user who could be as humble as needed to NPCs! Once he made up his mind, his tongue moved smoothly like it was greased.

"Actually, I was having a hard time letting go of my regrets and was watching you from the corner of the square. I noticed that you haven't even had a chance to sit down for the past few hours."

"That's the crew rule..."

"That's exactly what I mean. Even without anyone watching, you strictly follow the rules. I was moved."

"Well, our work attitude is recorded by CCTV..."

"Exactly. Even with CCTV, you clearly state what is and isn't allowed. How many civil servants just look the other way and try to smooth things over when complaints come in? But you, Vurad, stand firm when you think it's right. That shows you have a strong sense of duty and principles. You are truly a role model for civil servants."

Vurad slightly tilted his head, but Arc, with his greased tongue, smoothly complimented him.

It didn't take long for the effect to show.

"Hurry up. Don't you see people waiting behind you?"

"Hey! Can't you see I'm talking to me? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Vurad scolded the complaining users and looked at Arc with a softer expression.

"Well, I was a bit harsh earlier. I guess I was on edge because of the influx of new explorers. I understand you."

"Of course, I understand. It's the rule, after all."

"Yes, I admit it's a bit sad. But what can you do about the rules? Even if it hurts, you have to say what isn't allowed. So don't dwell on the past and be strong."

"Thank you. I was lost after coming to space and losing my dagger, which was like my entire fortune. Meeting someone who gives me sincere advice makes me want to cry."

"Hey! A grown man shouldn't cry over such a small thing."

Vurad looked at him with concern.

=======================================