Chapter 6: Searching for Shelter (1)

I was traveling on foot.

During the evacuation, I had no choice but to use a vehicle since it was a desperate escape.

But now?

That kind of recklessness had no place in my plans.

Using a loud, clunky vehicle in the wasteland was like screaming to the monsters:

"I'm right here! Come and eat me!"

And as expected, the refugees had been chased down.

Over a hundred vehicles had left Chronos for Ark—

And only ours survived.

That fact alone told me how stupid it was.

Not to mention—

If things went south, it was impossible to properly hide or camouflage a vehicle.

No—

Legs were the best transport.

What do humans need to survive?

Clothing Food Shelter

Luckily, I already had food and clothing.

That meant my top priority was a base of operations.

The first and most important factor?

Safety.

Even Ark wasn't truly safe in this world.

But safety wasn't enough.

I also needed water.

And water was a problem.

I could carry food.

But water?

1 liter = 1 kilogram.

The minimum amount of water needed per day was 1 liter.

That meant even a week's worth of water would weigh nearly 10kg.

'Forget the weight—I don't even have the space.'

My backpack was already full.

That meant my shelter had to be near a water source.

Or better yet—

Right next to one.

And I knew only one place that met all the conditions.

A volcanic mountain formed by the great catastrophe.

The reason Ark exists.

My next destination.

There was a reason it was called a "Spirit Mountain."

Toxic volcanic gases. Intense heat. Absurdly high Ether concentration.

Even the most terrifying monsters avoided it.

And—

If I found the right spot, I could even access hot springs.

That meant a clean water source.

And possibly even… a luxury.

'A hot bath in a survival game? Heh.'

More importantly—

It satisfied the two main requirements:

Safety and water.

Of course, there was a risk.

The Ether concentration near Mount Noah was dangerously high.

But—

Where else could I find a better location?

Even Ark itself was built against the volcano for this reason.

No monster dared to come close, and humans could survive if they managed the heat and gases.

Plus, volcanic energy provided a power source.

Sure, living next to an active volcano was risky.

But compared to everything else?

It was nothing.

That was why Ark's zones were divided by their distance from Noah.

The closer a zone was to Mount Noah, the safer it was.

Naturally, the closest zone became Ark's center—White Line.

The safest frontline was Red Line.

The most dangerous?

Black Line—the fallen front.

As the player, you started in Red Line and slowly progressed forward through the game.

[ARK ZONE SYSTEM]

White Line (???) (Central Ark)

Red Line (1–10 Stages) (Final Defensive Line – Safe Zone)

Orange Line (11–20 Stages) (Rear Frontline – Medium Risk)

Yellow Line (21–30 Stages) (Mid Frontline – Increased Risk)

Green Line (31–40 Stages) (Pre-Battlefront – High Risk)

Blue Line (41–50 Stages) (Advanced Frontline – Severe Risk)

Navy Line (51–60 Stages) (Frontline – War Zone)

Violet Line (61–70 Stages) (Mid Frontline – Heavy Combat Zone)

Purple Line (71–80 Stages) (Pre-Final Front – Lethal Zone)

Rose Line (81–90 Stages) (Current Final Frontline – Near-Death Zone)

Black Line (91–100 Stages) (Fallen Front – Lost Zone)

From the safest Red Line—

To the fallen Black Line.

That was how The Defense progressed.

But now—

I had been forced out of that system.

No Ark soldier's path.

No pre-scripted campaign.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

I didn't know.

All I knew—

Was that every attempt before this had failed.

If I had to take another route to clear The Defense…

I wasn't losing anything.

'We'll see soon enough.'

For now—

I needed to eat.

I unwrapped a Multi-Calorie Bar and took a bite.

'…Ugh.'

They said it was chocolate flavor.

But it tasted like a brick with a hint of cocoa powder.

Still, it was better than nothing.

At least it was nutritionally balanced.

A few bites in, I already felt full.

I washed it down with some water and stored the rest.

Then, I turned my attention to my new gear.

Time to check what I'd be working with.

──────────────

[Ark-15 Adaptive Rifle] [★★★(3-Star)]

—A standard-issue adaptive rifle used in Ark.

—Can switch between assault rifle, anti-materiel sniper, and shotgun modes.

"View Details"

──────────────

Despite being a basic supply weapon, the Ark-15 Adaptive Rifle was the standard for Ark soldiers for a reason.

It had excellent performance, and with the right upgrades and customizations, it could be ranked up to a 6-star weapon (★★★★★★).

'Most importantly, it's heat-resistant.'

For someone like me—

Who could fire limitless bullets—

There was no better choice.

Now then… what else do I have?

──────────────

[HE2050 Handgun] [★★★(3-Star)]

—A standard-issue Ark handgun.

—High firepower, strong recoil.

"View Details"

──────────────

──────────────

[Smel Machete-7] [★★(2-Star)]

—Model #7 machete crafted by Smel Workshop.

—Made of special alloy, resistant to rust and wear.

—A true masterpiece of a master craftsman.

"View Details"

──────────────

──────────────

[Level 3 Standard-Issue Combat Armor] [★★★(3-Star)]

—A standard-issue Ark combat armor (Level 3).

"View Details"

──────────────

'Nice.'

As I was examining my new gear—

[Kyaooooooo!!!]

[Grrr! Grrr!]

A distant noise made me instinctively drop low.

I had chosen the safest route possible, but in this world, there was no such thing as a truly safe place.

'A pack of beasts.'

Most were 10th-class Beasts or Monstrosities, but I could spot a few 9th-class threats.

From a glance—

There were hundreds.

And based on their direction, they weren't heading toward Ark.

'No cover around here… I'll have to take a detour.'

Moving stealthily, I continued on my path until—

The terrain started to incline.

The Red Line plains gave way to the rocky slopes of Mount Noah.

'Almost there.'

Since I had started at Red Line, the closest zone to Noah, traveling on foot hadn't taken too long.

Though…

Subjectively?

I felt like I was running late.

'I wanted to reach before nightfall… guess that was wishful thinking.'

Darkness had already covered the land.

Mount Noah was a lifeless, volcanic wasteland.

Not a single blade of grass.

Just harsh, jagged terrain stretching far beyond sight.

But—

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

I already knew the locations of a few water sources within the mountain.

All I needed to do—

Was climb.

But then—

[Grrrr…]

[Woof! Woof!]

Uninvited guests started to appear.

Even though most monsters avoided Noah, there were always exceptions.

To assume this place was completely safe would be a fatal mistake.

'Hellhounds.'

The most common type of monster in Red Line.

And now—

A pack of them had surrounded me, their eyes glowing in the dark.

Unlike the massive horde I had seen earlier—

This was a manageable group.

'About… 30? No, 31.'

And then I noticed—

Bullet wounds.

Their scarred bodies told me why they were here.

'Ah, I see.'

These were the same Hellhounds that had been chasing us earlier.

After the Skull Hound began mutating, these cowards had run away—

Right into Mount Noah.

'And now we meet again.'

Was I afraid?

Of course not.

Because unlike before—

Now I was armed

[ Kill them all… ]

A voice echoed in my mind.

But this time—

It didn't feel unpleasant.

"What a coincidence."

I smirked.

Because I had the same thought.

—Click.

I gripped my Ark-15 rifle and flicked the mode selector.

"This time—"

A mechanical whirring echoed—

—Jiinnnng

—Click. Click. Click.

[Switching to Shotgun Mode.]

***

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