Chapter 24: Experimental GHOST-157 (1)

Finding a way to intervene in Ark.

Considering the future, it was without a doubt the most important task.

But unfortunately, it wasn't something I could tackle right now.

A few ideas floated around in my head, but none of them were immediately executable.

Of course, it wasn't that there were no methods at all...

'...But there's no need to go that far.'

Tatiana Belov.

The only connection I had within Ark and a member of the Belov family.

Unfortunately, the latter condition was too problematic, making her a troublesome connection at best.

Still, regardless of that, it was true that I needed to investigate Tatiana Belov's situation.

The Wave's premature arrival was likely related to her return.

I needed to understand the full story at the very least.

'The most likely culprit is the Shadow Order.'

If my theory was correct, and Tatiana Belov was indeed Anton Belov's daughter, then it was almost certain that her death was connected to the Shadow Order.

When the player succeeds in completing several covert missions as a member of the Shadow Order, the conflict between the Navy Line and Blue Line grows progressively worse with each stage.

In the end, it escalates to the point of all-out civil war.

'That much makes sense... but the problem is... why did the Shadow Order trigger the Wave?'

I could guess that Tatiana Belov's unexpected return had irritated the Shadow Order, but failing to instigate conflict between Navy Line and Blue Line wasn't enough reason to initiate a Wave.

Even for the Shadow Order, artificially accelerating the Wave's timing was a huge risk.

'Shadow Order...'

Even with all the times I had collaborated with them, I couldn't begin to fathom their intentions this time.

But maybe that was only natural.

This incident happened when the player would still be at the training grounds.

'An opportunity will come.'

Right now, it was far too dangerous to contact the Shadow Order recklessly.

'At the very least, I'd need Grade-5 protective gear and stats averaging over 35 to stand a chance against them.'

Even that was bare minimum preparation, especially if I had to consider potential combat scenarios.

But that was a problem for another day.

For now—

It was time to head back.

My body felt like it was about to collapse from exhaustion.

The number of beasts I had slain was beyond counting.

It had been an intense, grueling battle.

Before leaving, I glanced back at the chaotic Red Line battlefield.

[Uwooooooo—]

[All dead... dead...]

[Aaaaaaaah...!!!]

The ether that filled the battlefield overflowed with despair and grief.

It was so dense that the ether concentration from Ark's frontlines was almost on par with the volcanic Noah region.

'...Was it always this bad?'

I knew it in my head.

How the ether ecosystem changed after a Wave ended.

But knowing and feeling it firsthand were entirely different experiences.

The scars left by the brutal war weren't just limited to the ether.

Once beasts...

Or once humans...

Now, nothing but mountains of corpses.

The end of the Wave was merely the beginning for Ark.

They still had to recover the dead, transport the wounded, repair the collapsed walls, and clear out the corpses of beasts and monsters left on the frontlines.

The fighting had ended moments ago—

But Ark was still at war.

"..."

Even though I had seen this scene countless times from behind a screen, witnessing the aftermath of war firsthand was overwhelmingly tragic.

Maybe that was why.

A thought crossed my mind.

Was I still in a game?

Or was this a new reality?

I didn't know the answer.

And I probably never would.

'...I should go.'

I turned away.

My steps felt unusually heavy.

*

The first thing I did after climbing back up to Noah was to gather the supplies I had left behind from the fallen soldiers' bodies.

Honestly, I would have preferred to go back, rest up, and deal with it tomorrow, but the thought of leaving my loot out in the open kept bothering me.

In the end, I had no choice but to drag my exhausted body over.

'Besides, I've got something I absolutely have to do tomorrow.'

It was the side scenario that followed the first Wave.

Originally, it would be a scenario where I'd participate as a trainee inside Ark, but that didn't really matter.

I wasn't interested in the scenario itself, but in its target.

'But first... I need to sort this out.'

I began organizing the magazines, gear, and protective equipment I had taken from the soldiers' bodies.

'Let's see...'

580 Standard rounds. 110 Armor Piercing rounds. 30 Tracer rounds. 75 Explosive rounds. 80 A-type Buckshot shells. 13 Signal Flares.

It was an enormous haul.

Of course, ammo count didn't really matter much to me, but considering that bullets served as currency in this world, it was basically as good as money.

'Plus, with the protective gear and equipment included...'

Though the protective suits weren't in great condition, and most were low-grade between Level 2 and Level 3, Ark-made military gear always sold for a high price outside of Ark.

As long as I sold them at the right price, I could acquire some decent equipment.

'I'll keep about five rounds each of the A-type buckshot and signal flares for myself.'

Even if I could fire endlessly with just one bullet, stocking up on different types of ammo was still crucial.

Just like flying and insect-type monsters being weak to Explosive rounds, having the right ammo type could give me a significant advantage.

For example, the A-type buckshot I acquired had lower cohesion compared to the B-type buckshot I already had, but it spread wider, making it effective against clusters of charging beasts.

It wasn't something I'd regret having on hand.

'Well, I probably won't have much use for signal flares.'

If they were truly essential, I would have asked for them when I made the deal with Lieutenant Imosha.

Still, it was better to have them than not, especially since they could contact Ark in an emergency.

'It's a bit disappointing I couldn't find anything like AB explosive rounds.'

Those were the most powerful explosive ammunition, but they were rarely found in the rear lines,

as their production cost per shot was absurdly high.

'Nothing I can do about it... It's not like there's no way to get them.'

Even though one round of AB explosive ammo would cost a fortune, if I scraped together everything I had, I might be able to buy at least one.

Of course, I'd need to negotiate with a broker inside Ark to make that happen...

But it wasn't impossible.

'If I could use Contribution Points, that would be best... but even if not, I could sell all the bullets and still afford one.'

Besides, Ark wasn't the only trading option.

Although explosive rounds were rare outside, if I only needed one, it wasn't entirely out of the question.

'Well... that's something to worry about later.'

I used a military-grade binding strap to bundle the equipment and supplies until the rucksack was overflowing and started heading back to the hideout.

It looked like I would need to rely on medicine again tonight.

*

[Wake up...]

A voice echoed, gently rousing me from sleep.

I stretched as I got out of bed, using the whisper of ether as my morning alarm.

"Ughhh..."

I felt refreshed. It wasn't ideal to rely on medication to fall asleep, but at least the effectiveness was undeniable.

Even so, my body still felt stiff and sore, a testament to how intensely I moved yesterday.

Of course, there were gains to show for it.

[You have rested adequately after intense physical exertion.]

[Stamina stat has increased.]

[14 -> 15]

[You have survived a brutal battlefield with your bare body!]

[Luck stat has increased.]

[8 -> 9]

[You survived the brink of life and death!]

[Tenacity stat has increased.]

[2 -> 3]

Increased Stamina, Luck, and Tenacity. None of them were unimportant stats.

'Not a bad rate of growth.'

At this pace, I'd be able to fight not only in the Orange Line but even in the Yellow Line soon enough.

For breakfast, I pulled out a multi-calorie bar. Since I needed to move out early, I didn't have time to cook. It was definitely not because I was avoiding beast meat. Really.

Crunch. Crunch.

As I munched on the bar, I thought about what I needed to do today.

'Yeah... I should get moving.'

Shortly after the first Wave ends, a side scenario would activate within Ark. The premise was simple.

A research bullet called GHOST-157 had been lost during the Wave, and it needed to be retrieved from Ark's laboratory.

'GHOST-157 is the only bullet capable of harming Spectral-type monsters.'

The background of GHOST-157's development was straightforward. Since physical attacks were nearly ineffective against Spectral-type monsters, and dealing with them was a nightmare, GHOST-157 was created as a countermeasure, becoming the only successful product after countless failures and accidents.

However, because it was made by pure chance, reproducing it with existing data was deemed impossible. That's why the scenario's objective was to retrieve the lost GHOST-157.

A one-of-a-kind bullet.

Naturally, it wasn't meant to be used directly but rather served as a quest item.

However, there was one postscript to this scenario.

'Even if you return GHOST-157 to Ark, they'll fail to mass-produce it anyway.'

I knew this better than anyone, having cleared this side scenario hundreds of times. Since GHOST-157 was a fluke creation, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't replicate it.

Which meant my goal was clear.

If returning it to Ark only led to mass-production failure, I had a much better use for it.

'I'm going to get GHOST-157 for myself.'

The one and only bullet in the entire world. It was time to claim it.

***

Read 90+ chapters ahead!

Patreon(.)com/SiRoasa