Awakening in Darkness
The deafening BOOM shattered the silence.
“...?!”
Jung Hwa-ryun jolted awake from her sleep, her heart hammering against her ribs. The sudden explosion and violent tremor ripped her from unconsciousness. Emergency lights flared to life across the cabin while sirens screamed, clawing mercilessly at her heightened senses. She instantly assessed the situation.
Wiiiiiiing—!
“That sound… an assault siren?!”
She recognized it immediately from her training at the Ark Military Academy—the alarm reserved for when a unit came under attack. Without hesitation, Jung Hwa-ryun threw on her combat gear and rushed to the deck. Just as she feared, a fierce battle was already raging across the deck.
Though she was shaken, she didn’t panic. She snatched up her spear and charged straight into the fray to support the surviving crew members she had seen earlier. Combat wasn’t her specialty, but after countless unexpected crises in Cheongcheon Murim, she had grown accustomed to sudden chaos. More importantly, with Yoo Kang-hyun’s generous support, she was far from weak.
Clang!Thud!Crash!
Bullets, laser beams, blades, and spears clashed wildly across the battlefield. As Jung Hwa-ryun fought, she studied the enemies’ attire. Their outfits were inconsistent, but every one of them wore masks that concealed only their faces. She quickly realized they were either pirates or mercenaries—just as the textbooks described. There were no other common identifiers.
Jung Hwa-ryun and the rest of Arpa’s subordinates were undeniably strong. After all, they were members of the Epsilon Legion, the most powerful military force in the Empire. But even so…
Kang!Shuk!
“Graaagh!”
“Guhk!”
“Damn it! Forget the formation! Everyone fall back toward the bridge!”
They simply couldn’t overcome the sheer difference in numbers.
There had been roughly fifty people aboard Arpa’s spacecraft. Yet by the time Jung Hwa-ryun reached the battlefield, many had already fallen. The fact that Arpa himself and several key personnel were nowhere to be seen told her the ship had been hit by a coordinated, simultaneous assault.
Eventually, Arpa’s unit made the painful decision to retreat from the deck. But just as they tried to pull back—
Chwing!
“Retre—! Gahk!!”
Shushushuk—!!
A major who appeared to be the field commander was struck in the forehead by a laser shot from afar and died instantly. At the same moment, enemies poured out from inside the ship, completely surrounding the remaining troops. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, they had no choice but to drop to their knees.
“Tie them all up!”
“Yes, sir!”
Clack. Clack.
Including Jung Hwa-ryun, roughly twenty survivors were fitted with restraints and dragged aboard the attackers’ vessel.
How absurd… I never imagined something like this would happen right from the start…
As they were being hauled away, several masked men noticed Jung Hwa-ryun’s face. They approached her and began groping her body. A wave of nausea surged through her.
“What the—? I thought we were just here for money, but look at this premium goods we found.”
“Should we have some fun with her first? Hehe…”
“.....”
No matter where you go, these kinds of scum always exist.
Just then, another man shoved a gun against the heads of those fondling her rear and stopped them.
Click.
“I distinctly ordered you not to touch the merchandise.”
“Whoa, whoa, got it…”
“…If you’ve been paid, then act like professionals.”
…Merchandise?
The man who seemed to be their leader walked away. The ones who had been harassing her grumbled but ultimately obeyed, transporting the prisoners quietly from then on.
Jung Hwa-ryun had been looking for any opening to escape, but the unfamiliar restraints included a blindfold that covered her eyes. With no way to see, she reluctantly gave up on fleeing and allowed herself to be moved in silence.
While being transported, both her spear and Bio Device were taken from her. She was separated from her comrades and brought to what appeared to be a prison cell aboard the attackers’ ship. Of course, with her eyes covered, she couldn’t see any of it.
Clang!
The door opened. The moment the blindfold was ripped away and she was shoved roughly into the room, Jung Hwa-ryun scanned her surroundings as her eyes adjusted—and immediately broke into a cold sweat.
She had been locked inside a solitary cell… a room with no light whatsoever.
Even when she had been captured after losing a battle, Jung Hwa-ryun had remained composed. But the instant she realized she was trapped in total darkness, fear and confusion crashed over her like a tidal wave.
She carried a deep trauma from the time she had been kidnapped by Jung Dae-woon. The moment she understood that not a single ray of light could reach this place, her mind went blank. Her voice trembled as she began to scream.
Bang! Bang!
“W-wait! I’ll stay quiet, just please give me some light!”
She pounded desperately on the door, but no one answered. The room was so well soundproofed that she couldn’t even hear anything from outside. Cold sweat poured down her body as panic began to consume her.
“Haa… haa…”
With no way to call for rescue or request help, and all her equipment confiscated, Jung Hwa-ryun curled into a ball on the floor. Memories of her past trauma flooded back, tormenting her.
“Brother-in-law… Sister… Cindy…”
One minute… ten minutes… one hour…
She had no idea how much time had passed. As the limit of her endurance drew near, when even her tears had run dry and she was on the verge of losing consciousness—
CRASH!
“Found her!”
“…?!”
Arpa smashed through the door and appeared before her. Behind him, the sounds of fierce combat echoed as light flooded into the solitary cell along with his powerful presence.
Arpa knelt in front of her and spoke gently as he examined her condition.
“Lieutenant Jung Hwa-ryun, are you unharmed?”
“…Ah… aah…”
Tears still streaming down her face, Jung Hwa-ryun tried to speak, but no words would come out.
“Let’s get out of here first.”
“…Understood.”
She staggered. Thud.
“Ah!”
Her body was still rigid from trauma. She tried to follow Arpa and escape, but her legs gave out completely and she collapsed again.
“I-I’m… sorry…”
“There’s no need to apologize. Up we go!”
“?!”
Seeing her state, Arpa simply scooped her up in his arms. Jung Hwa-ryun found herself cradled in a princess carry against his massive chest as he carried her to safety.
Having been trapped in darkness, the sense of relief was overwhelming, yet residual fear still lingered. She pressed her face deeper into Arpa’s warm chest, instinctively seeking comfort and trying to reclaim her lost warmth.
By the time they emerged from the prison block, most of the attackers had already been killed or subdued. Still held in Arpa’s arms, Jung Hwa-ryun observed the situation. When she spotted the surviving unit members, embarrassment flooded her. She asked to be put down and tried to walk on her own.
But her legs were still too weak. In the end, she had no choice but to lean on Arpa’s arm and return to the ship supported by him.
…As expected… he really is huge. And… so reliable.
Watching Arpa’s profile, those thoughts crossed her mind.
If only she had a proper father instead of a cold-blooded man like Jung Dae-woon… perhaps he would have been someone like Arpa.
Once the situation was resolved, she was finally able to hear a full report from Arpa.
While she had been fighting, he had called in nearby reinforcements and repelled the enemy. Although a few stragglers had escaped, they had managed to kill or capture a significant number. Aside from those who had died, most of her comrades were safe.
“Merchandise, huh…”
Arpa fell into deep thought after hearing Jung Hwa-ryun’s report. She had told him everything that happened to her. However, with so little information available, he judged that further deduction was impossible for now. He dismissed the injured for treatment but called Jung Hwa-ryun to stay behind.
“You’ve been through a lot. I never expected something like this to happen on your very first day of assignment…”
“It’s nothing, Chief of Staff. May I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Who exactly were those enemies?”
“I can’t say for certain. But… we’ve confirmed they were mercenaries. Most of them had no identifiable records. However, a few did, and we learned they belong to the Karma Mercenary Corps.”
“The Karma Mercenaries…?”
“An illegal mercenary organization. They’ll do anything for the right price—a lawless group. Honestly, they’re closer to pirates than proper mercenaries. There are quite a few dangerous organizations besides them, so keep that in mind. In this universe, there are three major illegal powers. The first is the Karma Mercenary Corps I just mentioned. The second is the Condor Pirate Fleet. The third is Mad Dog.”
“How large must their forces be for even the Empire to treat them with caution?”
“For starters, both the Karma group and the Condor fleet are so enormous that calling them mere mercenaries or pirates feels like an understatement. Though their core numbers are relatively small, each controls an entire planet.”
“…Is that even possible for ordinary pirates and mercenaries?”
“It’s a long story involving history. But the Mad Dog organization is even more dangerous than those two.”
“What kind of group is Mad Dog?”
“They’re an illegal scientific research collective. They have spies and connections across the Empire, the Federation, neutral planets, and many other powers… In any case, they truly are a collective. Kidnapping and human trafficking are standard practice for them. They conduct illegal experiments on children without hesitation and don’t care at all about civilian casualties. They’re a massive headache.”
“Why doesn’t the Empire simply eradicate them?”
“Lieutenant Jung Hwa-ryun. Do you believe it’s possible to drive cockroaches on Earth to extinction?”
“…I apologize. I understand now.”
“Good. It’s impossible to completely eradicate pests through artificial means. Even if you remove them, new problems arise. They’ve burrowed far too deeply…”
“…..”
So they’re like the Four Heavenly Kings or the Demonic Cult from martial arts novels? It’s complicated… but they’ll clearly be an important element as the game progresses.
While considering the game’s progression elements, Jung Hwa-ryun continued gathering information from Arpa and organizing it in her mind.
“Would a group like that be capable of targeting the Empire?”
“There would be heavy losses, but it’s not impossible. Just like the battle we just experienced.”
“What could have motivated them to move?”
“Who knows. They’re the type that will do anything for money. The only thing we can assume is that someone hired them. The ones who died weren’t wearing Bio Devices, so we gained no useful data. They left behind no information that could identify their employer. They were clearly professionals in this field.”
“How did you manage to stay safe, Chief of Staff? Honestly, given the situation on the deck… I thought you had been taken down as well.”
“Haha. I may not look it, but I’m quite strong. I rank within the top five in pure combat strength in the Empire. However… the one who came after me wasn’t exactly a pushover. I’ll tell you the rest later. For now, drink this.”
Jung Hwa-ryun had no way of knowing exactly how powerful Arpa truly was, so she could only accept his words.
Clink.
Arpa served her a cup of tea and sat down across from her. She thanked him and took a sip. What he said next caught her completely off guard.
“By the way… so you do cry after all. Hehehe.”
“Cough?!”
“When we scouted you from the military academy, you were completely expressionless the entire time. I honestly thought you were a woman without emotions. Haha.”
“Th-that joke is too much, sir.”
Thanks to Arpa’s playful teasing and humorous expression, the heavy atmosphere lightened considerably. Jung Hwa-ryun expressed her gratitude for being rescued, and as they continued talking during the journey to Centrium, she grew significantly closer to him.
Whether it was because he had saved her, or because he had brought light into her darkness, she wasn’t sure—but for some strange reason, she found herself developing feelings of affection toward Arpa.
Of course, she herself had yet to realize it.