WM-EX 1
He slumped back into his bed, and just laughed as he looked at his clear, white ceiling.
Rushing into his workshop to pick up the remaining items, he listed them on his merchant profile and the farmer was quick to sweep them all up.
The 15 drones were gone, and a total of 300,000 dollars arrived right into his account. He had actually made 15,000 in profit, which wasn¡¯t much but it was something nonetheless. All he was happy about was that he had maintained this capital of his, that he can now place into other fields like the creation of his exosuit.
Upon receiving this message from the ExoTech marketplace, he was swiftly met with another panel from his system.
[Quest Complete!]
[+100 Gears]
[+1 Intelligence]
[+1 Focus]
[+1 Creativity]
[+1 Schematic]
[Schematic: Titan Upper Body Actuator System]
[An upper body system made for exosuits that is designed for raw power and strength. The system is heavy and has a lot of power consumption along with heat output but has a very high force output.]
[Gears to Unlock: 0/400 Gears]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 3]
[Speed: 5]
[Durability: 3]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 4]
[Focus: 11]
[MP: 7/7]
[Skills]
¡°Ooh, some nice rewards here.¡± He thought, reading the message.
He felt excited by the schematic that he had been given in specific. With his new exosuit design, he could hopefully slide this system right into it. If the strength of this system gained popularity, he could even go on to sell off the actuator system design himself.
However, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure if this would be a high-quality system. It wasn¡¯t labelled as basic and low-level, like the bipedal system he had received, but it wasn¡¯t exactly embellished or glorified either.
The system had described the system as having a ¡®very high force output¡¯, which was certainly something that he needed.
Therefore, he placed 100 gears right into the progress of unlocking this system and intended to place every extra gear that he would earn right into unlocking it. He already had a bank of 380 gears for him to work with, and he unlocked the schematic right away.
With 80 gears left, he had to find a way to quickly improve his ability to conjure up designs. Therefore, he looked towards his engineering skill tree for answers.
[Engineering]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Modular Design Proficiency]
[Increases the user¡¯s proficiency with modular design.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Reconnaissance Design]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to create and knowledge behind support bots designed for reconnaissance missions.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Combat Specialist]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to create and knowledge behind support bots and exosuits made for intense combat.]
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[COST TO UPGRADE: 180 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 High-Efficiency Systems]
[Allows the user to better manipulate designs and the assembly of different components to better utilise the power from power supplies.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Compacting]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to decrease the amount of wasted space in designs for support bots and exosuits.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Internal Design]
[Marginally increases the user¡¯s proficiency at designing and improving on designs for the internal circuitry and components of exosuits and support bots.]
[COST TO UPGRADE: 200 Gears]
Cael felt quite frustrated upon witnessing the sheer exponentiality of unlocking skills. The number of gears that it would take for him to improve on these items increased dramatically, and the rate at which they would increase seemed to grow with the same explosiveness.
However, compacting seemed like a skill to have for this process. Heavyweight systems always had weight as an issue. One¡¯s first instinct would be to stuff it with high power actuators and items, but weight grew more than strength.
Even if you built the strongest exosuit in the world, if it weighed a tonne, it couldn¡¯t do very much. The battle between strength and weight was a hard and complex issue that required hours of deep contemplation along with simple trial and error.
[Lv. 1 Compacting Unlocked!]
With this new bank of information set into his mind, he could tell that his designing abilities had improved.
Looking back to the TechForge Simulation Lab, he could see that there were many improvements for him to make.
There were needless gaps and extensions in the suit, and he felt like he could shave off the weight of this exosuit by at least 5%.
He wiped his hands together as he got to work and entered a deep state of focus. It was like his mind only brought attention to the information in front of him that was necessary.
Any sort of white noise coming from the streets didn¡¯t even register in his brain. He was totally in the zone.
Hours passed, and he had multiple sessions of work split across several days.
With only a week left for him to complete the quest, the design was complete. He span the exosuit around, exhausted from his hours of hard work. The stars and these panels were the only things illuminating his room, along with the lights of the windows within his captivating view of Carlo City.
This gave his pale skin an enchanting gleam, while the light also gave his hair a shiny, glistening appearance.
Zooming in on certain parts, he inspected the design in complete silence with his chin resting in one of his hands.
He continued to give this item a close look, and zoomed out, nodding with satisfaction.
The job was done.
He didn¡¯t think much about the name of this, and just kept a similar naming scheme to his WM-01 Valiant.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM-EX 1]
[Type: Heavyweight Exosuit]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 54/100]
[Strength: 70/100]
[Power Efficiency: 35/100]
[Agility: 45/100]
[Armor Integrity: 72/100]
[Framing: 33/100]
[Maintenance: 36/100]
[Overall Rank: 46/100]
The actuator system certainly lived up to its name and had incredible strength output. The actuators were thick and heavy, while also requiring mana cores on the sight of the exosuit to act as power sources.
He could also see the improvements in his framing. It was still below average, but he had gotten better. That¡¯s all that mattered in the end.
He deployed two powered gauntlets as the main and only weapons of the system, making it made almost solely for hand-to-hand domination.
Now he¡¯d have to get to assembling the numerous exosuits. All he could do was sigh upon realising the large volume of work that he still had left ahead of him.
With his new skills in assembly, and after experiencing such in the real world, the virtual assembly platform felt like a walk in the park.
He even smartly utilised his quick-build skill, which automated the easier assembly parts like applying the shells and integrating larger, simpler components.
His skill was still Level 1, so it wasn¡¯t doing all the work for him, but it was certainly providing great assistance.
After every item that he made, he would swiftly place it on the market, hoping for them to be swept up once again.
The costs for each exoskeleton model were not cheap. He was lucky that it was in the virtual world, but each suit still went for 11,000 in terms of cost, so he listed them for $12,500 each.
His hands now moved with elegance and swiftness when he assembled the items. He wasn¡¯t invincible and felt boredom slowly creeping into his mind as time passed.
*****
Lazarro, sat in his virtual pod, felt a sense of boredom as the Total War limited time mode was now gone from the Vault. His sensory drones gave himself a sense of excitement in the game that he hadn¡¯t felt for a long time.
The success that he received with it was quite insane, and he also saw others within the Soburg Empire soon equipping themselves with the handy item too.
Of course, now that the mode was gone, he had no use for the practically armour-less item.
In other modes, against items with greater firepower, a single shot simply rendered the item useless. Its protection was appalling, and higher-grade energy blasters fired with such speed that its agility meant very little.
His friends felt the same sentiment, and they just weren¡¯t playing the game as much as they just had been.
He just opened the ExoTech Marketplace, looking for something else to buy.
Endlessly scrolling through the items at hand, either they were out of his pricing range, or they just weren¡¯t quality enough to capture his attention.
However, upon scrolling through exosuits for a good few minutes, he leaned up in his chair upon seeing a panel displaying the most recent item from WarriorMechanic7914.
¡°Hold up, Ezekiel might like this.¡± Lazarro realised.
Revealing the basic display that showed the exterior of the exosuit, he swung it around and inspected the overall rating that this exosuit had been given.
¡°Alright, this isn¡¯t actually half-bad!¡± Lazarro wondered.
It looked like the overall skill of this seller had grown so much in such a short amount of time. Before, he imagined him to be some beginner mechanic with pretty much no knowledge of how to design technology.
However, he could tell that this design was a step above a mechanic of that level.
[TheManLazarro: Ezekiel, are you trying to run up some arena 3v3? WarriorMechanic7914 has got a new exosuit that fits you quite well.]
[iron_juggernaut: I¡¯m liking the look of this. I hope my parents can get me this thing this one time, because I do not have the funds for that.]
With his friend¡¯s interest piqued, he was hoping to see how him and his friends could operate in the 3v3 mode of the Vault.
Ezekiels New Exosuit
There were different types of battles that one could have, but Lazarro and Ezekiel most liked the Arena 3v3 format. This focused on close-quarters, hand-to-hand battles that were quick but intense.
The three friends, -him, Ezekiel and Preston-, had even reached the Skilled rank, placed above Novice. However, it wasn¡¯t long before they were booted right back to Novice III, after meeting adult exosuit cadets and even soldiers of the private rank.
In due time, Lazarro placed himself snugly into his vault and was launched back into the popular game¡¯s own lobby.
There, he met his two friends that were already present, and was more than pleased to see that his friend was donning the WM-EX 1 that he had been hoping he¡¯d get.
¡°My parents said they¡¯re not getting anything for me for the next year because I got this.¡± He commented, drawing chuckles from his friends.
¡°It¡¯ll be worth it, I promise. I looked at that design and it looks neat.¡± Lazarro replied.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s quite compact and everything and for the price, it is very low weight and high power. I don¡¯t know how that WarriorMechanic guy even breaks even.¡± Ezekiel replied.
¡°About that seller guy, do you reckon that he¡¯s also a cadet like us? Or maybe even a warrior already?¡± Preston asked.
This drew a few seconds of silence from his friends, that contemplated his question.
¡°Well, I¡¯m not entirely sure. Most likely not. Why would you waste your time being a mechanic when the gods have gifted you with mana? Having mana means you are born to fight.¡± Ezekiel replied.
Those with mana who weren¡¯t willing to take on the responsibility of protecting those without it sickened him. He always felt contempt toward such cowardice.
¡°He could be. Like Ezekiel said though, it just doesn¡¯t really make any sense. Why would you even like the profession of a mechanic if you have mana?¡± Lazarro asked.
Most people felt like the profession of being a warrior was objectively better than the alternative profession of being a mechanic.
It drew greater respect to one¡¯s name and was more exhilarating. It was also a privileged position that some people were cursed to never be able to attain from lacking mana.
They didn¡¯t think about the matter further, and just entered a match of the Arena 3v3 mode.
¡°After all this time, we¡¯ll get back to Skilled in no time!¡± Lazarro claimed, cracking his virtual knuckles.
The three warriors transformed into a cloud of blue energy as they were transferred to the battle arena, that was currently empty.
It had brown seats, available to players that wanted to spectate current battles, and had a thin sand floor, placed on top a tougher sandstone.
Across from them, though was the trio that they had been sent to face.
One of the students possessed a long katana, along with other metal projectiles intended to break and crack the armour of the exosuit.
These exosuits were built upon the ancient ninjas located back on Earth. Most people didn¡¯t vouch for such a style of technology in the real world, but the Vault had a lot more unique and niche designs.
It was a sleek white colour, with only spots of black in certain areas. It gave the warrior a bold, domineering appearance as he donned a rare, bright colour of exosuit.
A colour that wasn¡¯t optimal for stealth conveyed a sense of confidence and bloodthirst from the wearer to their opponents, as they looked willing to battle.
Beside him was a tall warrior that resembled a massive bowling ball with extremities. The person¡¯s belly seemed to be big enough to fit several heads inside, but he also stood at an enormous 6¡¯7.
He wore a pale red exosuit and had glowing white energy appearing from the small openings across his intricately assembled exosuit.
Finally, there was a warrior that almost looked like an autonomous bot. His exosuit was black, which was pretty much the standard, but possessed two large energy rifles on their shoulder, along with one located on the wrist.
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Their other wrist was used for a heated arrow crossbow, and the two teams were given a few minutes of time to converse with each other on how to beat their opponents.
There was a green sheet of energy that appeared, making sure that they couldn¡¯t hear their conversations.
¡°I¡¯m going for the big guy, of course.¡± Ezekiel said, fearlessly.
Lazarro nodded with approval. One thing he always appreciated with his big burly friend was his bravery. No matter the fear, he would never shy away from a fight.
¡°It would be optimal for us to find a way to get that support fighter out the way as quickly as possible. His armour looks way too dense and that must mean he can¡¯t move very fast at all. Utilising 3-directional movement should give us the advantage.¡± Preston analytically mused, with his hand on his chin.
¡°Urgh, why do you always have to bring the fun out of it. Let¡¯s just bash their heads in!¡± The ginger fighter shouted, slamming his fist into his open palm.
The green sheet soon lifted, and there was a countdown that appeared above the arena. In a flash, it was time for them to begin and the match had begun.
The fighters scattered from their starting positions, but the support warrior of the other squad remained somewhat firm in place.
PEW! PEW!
POOF! POOF!
Clouds of sand erupted from the ground as the warrior shot forward numerous red energy blasts.
The blasts shot with at high firing rates, but they didn¡¯t prove to be very accurate. As soon as the warriors began moving around, they managed to keep themselves untouched.
Ezekiel sped toward the terrifyingly large warrior with a shout, leaping right at him.
In his advance, though, several spinning metal objects were shot in his direction. He managed to lift his arm and block them, but one of the sharp spinning weapons managed to cut him on the side of his cheek.
In reaction, his helmet appeared in fragments and covered his head so that he wouldn¡¯t be hurt in such a fashion again, but his attention returned to his primary target.
Before he could throw a punch, though, one was already hurdling straight toward his face. His arms lifted in reaction and caught the fist before it could reach the other parts of his body.
The punch knocked him off course and knocked him back a firm step, but that was all. Ezekiel wasn¡¯t going to be thrown off that badly off a spontaneous move like that.
With another punch that came his way, Ezekiel dropped right under it and closed in. He moved closer to his opponent, with his arms tight to his head and torso to protect himself, and his right arm¡¯s gauntlet glowed more brightly as he activated his powered gauntlet.
With a grunt of anger to fuel his power, his fist drove into the man¡¯s side, then he followed with two swift but powerful punches to the tall warrior¡¯s face.
His powered gauntlet allowed his punches to be seriously forceful, but speedy as well.
The larger of the two shook their head upon taking these sudden attacks, and just rushed forward like a crazed beast. Ezekiel was somewhat stunned by this sudden advance. He didn¡¯t even slow down to have a better chance at throwing a proper attack.
He just slammed into him with as much force as he could, throwing him right off his feet.
Ezekiel was sent sliding across the ground and felt surprised that he had been floored so easily. For his entire life, he''d been trained to fight like the bigger, brawnier opponent. However, the dynamics here would have to be different if he wanted to beat this mammoth being.
The two warriors exchanged strikes, and Ezekiel could quickly tell that this red exosuit warrior possessed monstrous strength. Ezekiel had basic powered gauntlets that came with the exosuit, but he had to use them sparingly.
The items tended to fail and overheat when used too frequently and could drain the energy of the user if abused.
However, what he did have was superior technique and speed. He was sure the fight wouldn¡¯t last much longer before he was given the edge, and he could tell that his enemy knew that.
He lifted both arms and roared like a maniacal beast, hurling them downwards.
Ezekiel stepped to the side of this incoming attacks and followed up by swinging his arm right into his torso. Before this user could attack him again in retaliation, he had already stepped back and out of range to make sure that he could remain untouched.
The next punch that was aimed at his face was easily managed by a parry, and he prepared to throw another of his own.
He smiled in confidence as he could feel himself dominating the battle, but his mood soured as he was hit with an energy blast straight to his right arm.
Another one came his way in quick succession, and he was even launched off his feet.
He hissed in pain upon feeling the heat passing through the exosuit. It had reached his skin and was already enough to have given this virtual avatar of himself a burn.
With his attention taken off the fight, his adversary drove their knee into his head, and grabbed him to then hurl him into the floor.
The surroundings shook under the impact, and Ezekiel then struggled against this warrior that towered over him. He used his greater weight and strength to get him pinned to the ground.
However, Ezekiel was not going to submit. No warrior would keep him down in such a way without him resisting with every muscle fibre in his body.
He roared from under his helmer, using all the power that his exosuit could grant him. Almost by miracle, his arms lifted from off his chest and started to push the larger fighter back.
The man towered over him looked to his two arms, as they slowly retreated to his own chest.
In the process of doing this, though, the floored warrior could see a glowing red energy rifle and aimed right in his direction from across the arena.
He gritted his teeth upon seeing the situation at hand. If he was to get hit by a blast head-on like this, he would be toast. However, he smiled as he conjured up a swift plan in his mind.
The blast inevitably shot in his direction, but he grabbed the larger warrior and threw him in the line of fire.
His back was forced to take on the force of the energy blast, and Ezekiel used the split-second of freedom that he was given to shoot back up to his feet. With his feet now planted on the floor once again, he threw his right arm forward with all his weight, while activating his powered gauntlet in the process.
This punch threw the fighter even further off balance, and he was forced to fall onto his hands.
Now, the tables had turned. Ezekiel was now the one towering over his opponent.
Climbing
Across the battlefield, Lazarro was currently engaged in battle against the shinobi-like exosuit warrior.
He dipped out of range of a swing from the man¡¯s katana, before shooting an energy blast from his very own wrist-mounted rifle.
The energy blast wasn¡¯t as impactful as those that were shot from shoulder-mounted rifles, but it was enough to deter and annoy his adversary. He shot three more in quick succession before he stopped.
He could feel the warmth coming from his rifle that was laid over his forearm, and he didn¡¯t want to damage the armour around that area too greatly just yet.
This warrior used the tip of their katana to deal with these blasts. As they landed on the tip, they would scatter and only cause him to slide back.
With a wave of his palm, several shuriken were hurled at Lazarro. They moved too swiftly for him to do much about them. Surprisingly, they were sharp enough to pierce his armour just enough that they managed to wedge themselves within such plates.
Beep!
BOOM!
In a flash, the shuriken exploded and hurled Lazarro backward, with bleeding wounds now present under his armour.
Just as he brought his attention back to the battle, he could already see the katana shooting right in his direction.
Before he could get cut, he grabbed the man¡¯s hands, struggling to stop him from pushing further. He fell back a step as they struggled against each other, but he saw no need to continue pushing against him.
It would only be a matter of time before he would be overpowered. Therefore, he swiftly stepped to the side, and allowed the blade to shoot down to the ground.
With an open chance to strike, he threw his fist right at the fighter¡¯s head. However, as his fist charged for his jaw, he could see the metal katana blade lifting at a similar speed.
Clank!
The two metal objects clashed, causing a few golden sparks to fly outward.
Lazarro threw another attack in quick succession, but this opponent moved his blade in just the right way to catch his fist again. His moves looked quite rushed and had a sense of desperation to them, though, and he was forced backward as a result.
They continued to battle intensely, and Lazarro was struggling to get into range when this person had a massive sword to keep himself away. Whenever he¡¯d have to spend energy moving around his blade, he gave the white exosuit warrior enough time to prepare for anything that was to come.
The two fighters ended up standing against each other, totally still. The air was thick, and both warriors were reluctant to just continue wasting their energy. Regardless of the outcome, both warriors desired to end this battle right here and right now.
The shinobi warrior hurled out another of his explosive shuriken, but only one was thrown. Lazarro assumed that this was the last of his arsenal of those weapons, and he managed to evade it before it could touch him.
The warrior lifted his sword, so that the handle was just to the right of his head, with his gleaming blade aimed slightly downwards.
Fwoosh!
He charged right toward the silver-haired fighter, who slipped past his initial attack. His blade slammed into the floor, then Lazarro lifted his fist to aim it right at his face.
Using his wrist mounted rifle, he launched a barrage of blasts, cracking his vice.
As this happened, he could see that his enemy was stunned. He cowered away, holding his face supposedly from the scorching heat that he was now feeling.
Lazarro sprung into action as a result. He could see that the tables had turned in his favour, and he was not going to miss up on this opportunity. With a stunned warrior, also with his attention totally diverted away from the current battle, he could show off his skills as a warrior and use all his best techniques.
He threw punch after punch, landing on mainly his abdomen to try and break the armour situated there down and this warrior couldn¡¯t do much to resist.
With a final punch to his stomach, followed up with a close-up energy blast to the same point, he had punctured right through. His energy rifle already had steam flowing off its barrel, but he gritted his teeth and shot another blast.
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The heat was agonising, and he could feel it even within his arm, but he believed that it was worth it.
He had shot far into the man¡¯s stomach, and he ended up coughing out blood as he revealed his helmet. He possessed dark black hair, and olive-toned skin.
His body turned to nothing but blue energy, and he was transported to the spectating area with his damaged exosuit. However, the injuries to his person no longer remained.
Preston was currently making sure to keep the attention of the support warrior, but this caused him to incur several injuries. However, these fighters didn¡¯t match the trio in terms of fighting experience and skill.
They fought more like brutes, and seemed to possess more talent than raw, quantifiable ability.
Preston slipped to the right, and punched the warrior¡¯s shoulder mounted rifle, almost completely breaking it.
The fighter tried to spin to their left with a backhand, but Preston seamlessly slipped under the incoming arm, and landed two punches to his body with the same arm.
With the final strike, he managed to crack his armour, but this was leaving him in a vulnerable position.
His opponent was hoping to capitalise on this and had the damaged energy rifle aimed down at him.
PEW! BRR!!
As he shot his energy rifle, it simply turned most of the metal present to slag, and destroyed his left shoulder as the energy couldn¡¯t escape the broken barrel.
¡°AARGH!!¡± He roared, upon feeling the immense agony in the area.
Preston almost felt bad for him upon seeing the injury that he had gained, but he wanted to get the win.
Therefore, he wanted to get the win.
This support fighter fell onto his only functioning arm and knees, before falling onto the side of his body from the growing agony.
At the same time, Ezekiel was in a vicious ground and pound, throwing relentless attacks onto his fallen foe.
The man remained courageous and stayed in the fight, trying his best to at least block or release himself from under Ezekiel. However, there was little that he could do.
Lazarro rushed in from across the battlefield in a sprint and leaped 10 feet into the air with his powerful leg actuators.
Ezekiel could see his figure in the corner of his eye, and just stepped back to let Lazarro finish the job.
POW!
His punch to the man¡¯s head managed to throw him right back into the floor, shattering his helmet.
The man totally stopped moving and was left to spectate the support warrior that was hanging on by a thread.
Lazarro just stormed forward in a pacy stroll and launched numerous energy rifle blasts at his injured arm to add insult to injury.
The pain was simply too much for him to bare, and he was forced to forfeit the match.
[Match Won!]
[+25 Power Points]
With this given notification, Lazarro could see that they were only 12 power points away from advancing to the Skilled Rank. They constantly would be met with alternating games of wins and losses as they teetered on the edge of the Novice Rank.
However, if they just had this last push, they could maybe go forward.
Lazarro investigated the crowd to see the fat exosuit warrior briefly before he vanished along with them.
He could see that his armour had received substantial damage, and it resulted from blunt trauma from what he could see.
¡°This exosuit is something else! I can feel it taking a lot of energy but it¡¯s crazy strong!¡± Ezekiel commented, moving his body along with the powerful exosuit placed on him.
The three swiftly entered another match, and wanted to make sure that they had the best loadouts possible. Preston had a shoulder mounted energy rifle, while Lazarro possessed a modular exosuit.
This meant that he could swap out items and utilise different weaponry when he wanted to. Therefore, he opted for two powered gauntlets this time, along with a shoulder mounted energy rifle. Something was telling him that the fighters they were bound to face would have much more firepower and so, he decided to be ready to take on their next foes.
This time, they were in a slightly different arena. It looked more ancient and was like a miniature version of the amphitheatres of the Ancient Romans millennia ago.
This time, they looked to be against more formidable warriors.
The most striking was the 7¡¯0 goliath that resembled a humanoid rhino. His helmet was like that of a rhino, and he wielded a large mace with spiky ends. Across the black ball on the end of the weapon, were several intertwined wires that crackled with electricity.
These wires ran back up to the arm of his exoskeleton and were directly connected to power cores stored on his person.
The large rhino user went by the name of cakonada. Unlike the fighters before, that had chosen to go anonymous, the trio of cadets could actually see their opponent''s usernames. The man to his left was a special fighter that placed many weight-efficient actuators in the arms and upper torso. This gave the arms similar strength to the legs so that they could seamlessly switch between bipedal and quadrupedal movement.
His exosuit looked sleek and metallic, glistening under the light from above, and was a silver colour. He went by the username Plasma_Zeus.
The final warrior had the username DRAKEDRAGON and stood confidently as he faced his foes. He had a green exosuit, donned with a massive shoulder mounted energy rifle that was as big as his head.
¡°How is he even balancing with that thing on his shoulder?¡± Lazarro wondered.
¡°It has multiple barrels so he can shoot several beams at once. He¡¯s going to want to shred us apart with that thing.¡± Preston suggested.
Such an item wasn¡¯t used very often and was a relatively new technology. Having multiple energy blasts shot out at any given time just wasn¡¯t really feasible a few years ago. The amount of heat a single shot would generate would cook any traditional energy rifle.
Its energy demand would also tire out the user if used and abused.
¡°I¡¯m going for the big rhino of course.¡± Ezekiel stated.
¡°I¡¯m going for that spider guy. I want to see how he fights.¡± Lazarro commented, entering his fighting stance as he faced the warrior.
In reaction, even though he couldn¡¯t hear him, he placed his hands on the ground and prepared for battle, bopping from knee to knee.
¡°I¡¯ve got the final guy then. Not sure how but I¡¯ll need to find a way to break apart that damn energy rifle on his shoulder.¡± He stated, watching him fearlessly stand before him.
The green veil dropped, and a ring was heard across the arena.
The match had begun.
Rank Up
Ezekiel charged right at the massive rhino, only to receive a devastating swing from his electrical mace. He could feel the harsh current trying its best to break through his armour, like a ravenous beast, desperate to claim a victim.
The exosuit¡¯s armour was somewhat robust, though, and so the attack didn¡¯t cause much damage.
Another swing came his way, but he made sure to stay far away from the mace after being hit with that initial swing.
Ezekiel then charged forward in a straight direction, applying all the force of his suit. He managed to rush right past the extended mace and used his powered gauntlets to throw a swift combination of blows onto his person.
From doing this, he could hear a crack in his armour upon landing the final hit. The two warriors heard this crack too, and he looked up to see the rhino even looked slightly confused from this attack.
Cakonada was not expecting to get hit with such an attack and have it cause noteworthy. Ezekiel stood there daringly, lifting to give off a keen smile from behind his helmet. Just as he did so, though, he received a straight swing from the guy¡¯s mace, that was forceful enough to force him right off his feet.
He was sent sliding away and felt a malfunction in the actuators in his arm. The current, even though his mace was no longer contacting his arm, was causing disruptions in the systems of his exosuit.
They were built to be rather durable and resist these sorts of attacks, but this amount of current was dangerously high.
¡°Pest.¡± He cursed, holding his twitching arm.
Across from them, Preston charged right at the warrior that boldly stood still. However, his large, dark green energy rifle was tracking Preston in his movements and slowly declining as he got closer.
BOOM!
From the sheer number of exploding barrels, the energy blasts being released sounded more like a gunshot than a traditional energy rifle.
Preston received the brunt of the force of the attack and was moving straight ahead and couldn¡¯t evade properly.
The attack threw him off his feet. Most energy blasts had enough force behind them to knock someone off course and with these multiple blasts landing on his person, he simply couldn¡¯t stay standing.
He was sent rolling, and he could see the metal at the front of this fighter¡¯s weapon was already glowing a slight amount. Large amounts of steam poured off the head of this weapon, and he could see that he wasn¡¯t able to launch another barrage of blasts yet.
Preston charged forward again, and DRAKEDRAGON looked a little surprised from his identical advance as his head retreated back slightly.
Just before he reached his opponent, though, he slid down to evade the next barrage of energy rifles that shot forward. The numerous blasts fell into the ground and caused a cloud of sand to erupt from the floor.
Preston pounced up and drove his fist right into his stomach, before aiming higher and throwing haymakers at his upper torso.
DRAKEDRAGON had a firm stance, and his arms were already lifted, so that he could catch the punches onto them.
After Preston threw his swift combination of attacks, DRAKEDRAGON stepped back and extended his left arm.
He made a tight fist, and then revealed another energy rifle that he had on his wrist. It was hard to see if he had a weapon there from before the match, and Preston¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing this was the case.
Reflexively trying to dodge the attack, he couldn¡¯t do so in time and was caught by the blast that crashed into his right chest.
The force behind it made him stumble back, and DRAKEDRAGON charged forward like a crazed beast. He threw with desperation, but Preston couldn¡¯t even do anything to resist his clumsy attack.
The strike landed on his chest and almost threw him into the sand ground. He was sent rolling back and felt a searing pain from his right shoulder.
¡°Shucks!¡± He thought to himself, touching the newly formed wound.
Before he could even do anything else, too, he received another number of red energy blasts that crashed into his armour.
This time, after having his armour broken down from the previous blasts, some managed to puncture the skin. He grunted in pain upon taking this attack, and his mana-enhanced body was the only thing that stopped these wounds from being life-threatening.
Blood profusely dripped out of the created wounds, and he could feel that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take many more of these energy blasts.
After this combination of attacks, he hadn¡¯t even managed to cause any form of damage to the guy¡¯s gargantuan energy rifle.
¡°Dammit!¡±
Lazarro charged toward the spider exosuit warrior, that initially ran toward him on all fours.
As the two fighters reached into kicking range of each other, the man dropped to using his four silver-armoured limbs and threw himself to the left. Planting his limbs, he then forced his body to the right toward Lazarro and punched his exposed arm.
Subsequently, the crouched warrior extended his leg and pulled it across in a sweeping motion. Lazarro¡¯s footing was totally thrown off, and he was sent on a steady descent toward the floor.
However, in a last-ditch effort to save himself, he threw himself back in the form of a backflip so that this spider was too far to hit him in any way.
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¡°A good fighter. Annoying.¡± Lazarro realised, making his fighting stance once again.
****
Preston struggled to get himself off the floor after taking those numerous energy blasts simultaneously.
As he raised, he could feel searing pain from the open wounds in his exosuit but prepared himself for battle. There was no escape here.
All he could do was fight to the very end.
¡°You still have some fight left in you. Surprising.¡± DRAKEDRAGON confidently stated, shooting two energy blasts from his wrist-mounted energy rifle.
The first energy blast knocked Preston back a step, while the second launched him into the 10 feet tall wooden wall of the ring.
Preston hissed in pain, as that energy blast had hit an open part of his exosuit. Blood flowed out from this newly created wound with an alarming intensity, and Preston tried to hold his hand to the opening to stop the bleeding.
As he pulled his hand off, though, he could see a pool of warm blood in his hand.
Fwoosh!
DRAKEDRAGON rushed in to try and attack the dazed warrior, but Preston just about managed to evade the fist that had been soaring to his face. The strike from this tight, clunky fist made the wall of the ring crack and quake.
This made the fighter more grateful that the punch hadn¡¯t landed on him.
Suddenly, though, DRAKEDRAGON turned and aimed his shoulder-mounted energy rifle lower and toward the bleeding wound in his abdomen.
Even though steam was still flowing out of the hot barrels of his rifle, he was impatient.
PFF! BOOM!
The energy blasts shot simultaneously and were more focused on his torso.
They landed principally on this area and launched the fighter off his feet, and onto the ground. He groaned in pain and held his abdomen in agony.
As DRAKEDRAGON slowly approached him, Preston simply turned and started shooting several energy blasts at the large rifle.
DRAKEDRAGON felt annoyed about this, since there was little that he could do to resist. Preston¡¯s energy rifle was clearly on the verge of overheating, but the intensity of his fire did not waver.
With a final blast from his energy rifle, his barrel had been cooked and blasted right open, causing slag and burning hot metal to wedge itself into his arm.
He roared upon firing this last attack, destroying DRAKEDRAGON¡¯s prized weapon.
¡°You little!¡± He grumbled, storming to Preston to stomp on his head.
His helmet shattered under the impact, and his body turned to nothing but blue particles. Preston could do nothing but simply watch from the fight from the rows of seats above, with his destroyed exosuit.
****
Lazarro strugglingly fought the menacing spider-like fighter, who was simply too fast and agile. He was able to fight upright like a traditional fighter, but also at lower levels.
The boy simply didn¡¯t have enough experience against unorthodox fighters like these. The only times that he would meet them would be in the vault, and he wouldn¡¯t even find them that often.
Plasma_Zeus charged forward but Lazarro planted his feet and prepared to throw a punch as soon as he came into range.
He wanted to make sure to hit him before he could perform one of his irritating pivots to arrive beside or behind him.
His powered gauntlet whirred, and his fist whipped through the air, but Plasma_Zeus fell to his arms and swerved around just fast enough to stay unscathed.
¡°Darn it!¡± Lazarro cursed, with his fist extended.
Adrenaline coursed through his virtual veins and with so much fighting experience to his name, he could think faster than he could move. With his arm still aimed outward, he knew that he couldn¡¯t do anything to block his next attack in time.
He swept his knee in with a forceful kick, dropping him onto his hands and knees.
Upon falling, Lazarro rolled to his left and aimed his shoulder-mounted rifle right at the incoming fighter.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
Plasma_Zeus¡¯ troublesome agility forced him to shoot numerous blasts in quick succession to try and catch him. Lazarro could already feel the intense heat growing on his shoulder but was desperate to land a hit on the dancing fighter.
His final energy blast just managed to hit him on his right flank, melting open that part of his armour. The damage was no where near deep enough to reach his skin, but he could still feel the heat.
¡°Ha! Take that!¡± Lazarro thought, as he began to raise.
Before he could, though, Plasma_Zeus grabbed his arms and was looking downwards at his feet. He was looking for a submission.
Lazarro used this rash move from his opponent to blast him with as many energy blasts as his rifle could output without cooking itself.
It turned out he could only shoot 2 quickly, with a final delayed blast about a second later.
He managed to make the fighter step back with his final blast, and it had drawn blood.
Surprisingly, the fighter charged right back and used his powerful arm actuators to slam Lazarro into the wall of the ring.
He struggled to try and overpower this warrior, who basically had arms with the strength of legs.
He managed to place his right leg just behind Lazarro¡¯s right, throwing him over and onto the ground.
As they crashed into the floor, Lazarro received a straight punch to his helmet.
Sand raised up from the impact of his head hitting the floor, and the two warriors continued their wrestling match.
Lazarro couldn¡¯t free himself from being under this fighter, and he received many more strikes to his face and body.
He could only use his shoulder-mounted rifle ever so much, and Plasma_Zeus could predict when he¡¯d resort to using it.
This caused many of the energy blasts to endlessly soar into the sky, where they eventually vanished.
With an arm on his neck, he struggled to breathe and soon felt himself getting slower and weaker. His vision blurred, until he started to see nothing but blue.
¡°No!¡± Lazarro called out from the stands, with his head in his hands.
He was hoping that they would get promoted, but he felt like they were cursed by this win-loss culture of theirs.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ezekiel¡¯s fighting like a beast out there. If anyone could take on this 1v3, it¡¯s him.¡± Preston replied confidently, signalling for him to look back at the arena.
The trio closed in on Ezekiel, who was forced back to the ring floor. He looked around hastily to see his two friends watching on from the stands.
All they could do was cheer and give him support. They were out, and it all came down to him.
VRR!
His powered gauntlets activated, and he surveyed his surroundings with focused eyes. He precisely looked at opportunities to make his way out of this.
Upon doing so, his eyes fell upon DRAKEDRAGON. His energy rifle was cooked, and all that remained was his wrist-mounted energy rifle.
In a flash, Ezekiel was off and charged right at him.
POW!
With a single punch from his powered gauntlet shook up the fighter. Before he could resort to using his wrist-mounted rifle, he firmly grabbed him to hurl him into the floor.
Ezekiel then finished off with a sequence of full power punches on his head. He could feel the heat from his powered gauntlets seeping into his forearms.
His body turned into nothing but blue particles, and he turned his attention toward the other two fighters that remained.
After fighting cakonada for so long, he''d only managed to inflict minor damage on his towering exosuit. All that he had really done was tire the gargantuan fighter out.
Therefore, he chose to take on the other target.
He cocked back his fist all the way to his chest and extended it with ferocity. The attack soared toward his face, but Plasma_Zeus was too agile for this burly warrior.
He pivoted past his fist and swept at his legs in a similar fashion to Lazarro. Due to how much force he had placed into charging forward as fast as he could, Ezekiel was basically thrown into the floor.
Just as he turned around as fast as he could, he could see the electrical mace hurling down toward his person.
An electric trail followed it in its course, and it landed straight on his helmet. His world almost went black for a second, and he felt his vision return to him, only to be seeing his adversary from mere seconds ago from an overhead view.
He grunted in annoyance upon realising they had lost, and notifications appeared in front of the fighters to show them their rewards for the match.
[Match Lost!]
[+12 Power Points]
¡°What?!¡± Lazarro blurted out, upon seeing how much they had made.
[Rank Up!]
[Skilled I]
¡°YES!¡±
Shopping Spree
Upon checking the profile of DRAKEDRAGON, it turned out that he was at the top of Skilled I. They had gone up against quite a skilled team and so, were rewarded for even just their efforts in trying to face them.
****
Across the planet, in Carlo City, Cael remained in his room, simply checking over the raw design of his exosuit and his sales.
He had started off with only a handful of sales, making him uneasy as time was ticking.
However, the sales rate only increased as he received quality ratings from his exosuit. He hadn¡¯t received any special worded reviews, but Cael hoped that its phenomenal power had bought the hearts of his customers.
Eventually, on the very last day active for this quest, Cael sprung up to his feet in joy to see that the quest was finally complete.
[Quest Complete!]
With 30 items sold for $12,500, a hefty sum of $375,000 was transferred into his bank account.
[Merchant: WarriorMechanic]
[Star System: Cria]
[Followers: 35]
[Items Sold: 65]
[Innovation: 3.8/5]
[Price: 4.2/5]
[Quality: 3.6/5]
From his insane ratings, it was clear that his price was his best trait. If he just made enough money to cover costs and get a little extra, he could keep himself ahead of the other smaller firms he was competing with.
[Quest Complete!]
[+100 Gears]
[+1 Focus]
[+1 Creativity]
[+1 Standard Metals Package]
With these metals, Cael¡¯s interest was piqued. He was used to the basic packages that he had received before, but it looked like this one would be a step above that.
¡°What¡¯s different with this package?¡± He asked with his internal monologue.
[The standard metals package is a package, with 50kg of real metals, and 50kg of virtual metals. Each section of the package contains mostly common metals, with about 20% rarer, higher-grade metals or alloys.]
Now that he had access to proper metals from this package, he could definitely decrease the costs of his next physical creations in the future.
He lightly pumped his fist to the sky upon getting this reward, and just sat in his chair to relax. Cael was pleased to find that he no longer needed to put in hours and hours to complete any quests right now, but he wanted direction.
He had been relying on his quests to keep himself going, but what missions did he actually want to complete out of his own will?
It was a tough question, but Cael wanted to expand his business and better his reputation as a mechanic. He would try his best to get many of his WM-EX 1 models on the market to keep his profit up.
With $375,000 to work with, he was sure he could keep on doing that for some time.
Going on the web, he searched up ways for mechanics to get their names out. He was somewhat new to this life of his still, so he didn¡¯t really know how individual mechanics rose and established themselves specifically.
Upon researching, he felt drawn to a certain competition. It was called His Majesty¡¯s Youth Fighter-Mechanic Event Series, which consisted of two tournaments that allowed mechanics and warriors to come together and co-operate.
It was held in the Soburg Empire¡¯s capital, Oseron. It would make him have to go off-planet, to the Capital Planet, which was simply called The Capital Planet or TCP for short. It housed the capital city, but its whole territory was generally seen as part of the Oseron metropolis.
The main capital city had 104 million people living in, but everyone used the various airports across the continents of the terraformed planet to work in the heart of the city, and its outskirts.
The planet was rather small but had a dense population of 4 billion people. These inhabitants were mainly the upper class of the Soburg Empire. The most privileged individuals.
Many of Cael¡¯s fellow Breckenridge relatives lived on this planet.
The basic tier spaceflights from Saevis to TCP costed around $15,000, well within his budget.
If he could perform well here, he was seeing that it would get him a lot of attention and respect. He read up on forums about stories of individuals performing well in the yearly event and getting hired by large, interplanetary manufacturers as a result.
Others even expanded their businesses, just like he intended to do.
Yes, this was going to be his next step.
As he thought of this competition, he just thought about how he could finally prove his Breckenridge relatives wrong for their negligence over his life. The only way he even had any involvement with his relatives was through their parents. With them now dead, they saw no use for him.
If he could get a successful business, and become a powerful mechanic, he could prove all of them wrong! The famous talents of the Breckenridge family would have to humble themselves and praise his efforts for once!
These thoughts made him smile, and only made him even more driven to succeed in this upcoming event. Failure or ill performance was not something he¡¯d be willing to accept.
Researching further, he arrived at the official website for the tournament, which detailed a qualifying stage that was going to open in a 30-day time.
Once the qualifiers were over, the main event would begin a mere 3 days after.
Cael was approaching the end of his schoolyear, but he would need to take time away from the institute if he wanted to participate.
Here, there was a basic description of what the qualifiers for the mechanics would be.
Students would start off with a form of the TechForge Simulation Lab, that would be provided to them at the beginning of the event through a teleporter. There was no need for people to go to TCP just yet. The qualifiers would be held from the comfort of everyone¡¯s homes.
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They would be handed a package of metals, and components, along with a few select libraries that they could use to make code for and construct an autonomous bot.
This wasn¡¯t the only step, though. After your autonomous bot was designed, it would be transferred to a vast terrain, with 10,000 other autonomous bots to compete against in a battle-royale style battle.
What made this even more challenging was that the participants wouldn¡¯t know what type of planet their autonomous bot would be sent to.
Therefore, they would have to try their best to craft with sufficient adaptability to function in various environments.
This exciting event made Cael smile as he continued to read the description. He couldn¡¯t wait to show off his skills there, but his smile faded upon reading the final statement.
Out of the estimated 10,000 participants on each planet, only 100 would be allowed to participate in the main event.
1% of mechanics would make it through.
¡°1%?!¡± Cael thought to himself, shocked by this terribly low figure.
Was he in the top 1% of mechanics now?
The good thing was, he¡¯d be competing against people either his age or younger than him so he was in the best position in that regard.
However, he had only been doing this for a few months. Those without mana likely would have spent countless years perfecting their craft.
Cael didn¡¯t want to shoot himself down, though, because he knew that he had his system. He had practically made months of progress in weeks, and years of progress in months as a result.
That would change the game for him.
With $375,000, Cael started to think. The system had explained to him previously that he could change 50 intergalactic dollars into one gear.
Maybe, he could use a large portion of these funds to improve his base stats and buy any skills that he¡¯d need to perform as well as he could.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 3]
[Speed: 5]
[Durability: 3]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 5]
[Focus: 12]
[MP: 7/7]
[Skills]
[Skills]
[Skill: Power Surge]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Script Sage]
[Skill: Mana Stream]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Rapid Update]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Script Sage]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Microscale Manipulation]
[Lv. 2 Internal Design]
[Lv. 2 Combat Specialist]
[Lv. 1 Alloy Mastery]
[Lv. 1 Compacting]
[Abilities]
[Ability: Lv. 2 Discount Mastery]
[Ability: Market Savvy]
[Ability: Extra Profit]
[Ability: Permanent Combat Sales]
[Item: Free Repair Ticket]
With all these skills, he wanted to focus on 2 main things. Firstly, he wanted to increase his base stats. He hadn¡¯t done that very often, and wanted to do so, to make sure that he could have a great opportunity to perform in the qualifiers.
Along with that, he¡¯d have to improve his skills, primarily his engineering skills. The virtual environment didn¡¯t need exceptional assembly, but he needed to have great designing abilities to work with what he was given.
He also wanted to improve his ability to manage internals, since that could give him an edge over other mechanics as inexperienced as him.
He wanted to convert $25,000 dollars at first, receiving 500 gears for him to utilise.
[Would the user like to convert $25,000 into 500 gears?]
Cael confirmed this with his mind, and he saw the amount in his bank account instantly decrease.
With 100 gears from his two quests, alongside the gears that he had received from individually selling the exosuits, he had 1,184 gears in total. Unluckily, his physical drones only received gears from the quest he had received, which was basically the equivalent of him being rewarded from his sales.
Cael began getting to work on his system, trying to improve it as much as he could.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Internal Design -> Lv. 3 Internal Design]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 3 Internal Design -> Lv. 4 Internal Design]
Upgrading this skill so much made him stand totally still from doing so. His mind almost fell blank for a few seconds, before he tumbled to the floor after receiving this information.
The upgrading of his Internal Design cost a massive 720 gears, 180 for the first upgrade and 540 for the second.
[Engineering]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Modular Design Proficiency]
[Increases the user¡¯s proficiency with modular design.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Reconnaissance Design]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to create and knowledge behind support bots designed for reconnaissance missions.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Combat Specialist]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to create and knowledge behind support bots and exosuits made for intense combat.]
[COST TO UPGRADE: 200 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 High-Efficiency Systems]
[Allows the user to better manipulate designs and the assembly of different components to better utilise the power from power supplies.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Compacting]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to decrease the amount of wasted space in designs for support bots and exosuits.]
[COST TO UPGRADE: 80 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Internal Design]
[Marginally increases the user¡¯s proficiency at designing and improving on designs for the internal circuitry and components of exosuits and support bots.]
[UNABLE TO UPGRADE ¨C INSUFFICIENT SKILL UPGRADES/UNLOCKS]
He wanted to upgrade it again, but as he looked at this message, he was quite bummed out.
However, he realised that he had a much greater understanding of how internals worked. He could imagine different neat ways of assembling components to minimise space, but also improve maintenance.
With 464 gears remaining, he spent quite a lot on the skills ahead of him.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Compacting -> Lv. 2 Compacting]
[Skill Unlocked!]
[Lv. 1 High-Efficiency Systems]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 High-Efficiency Systems -> Lv. 2 High-Efficiency Systems]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Combat Specialist -> Lv. 3 Combat Specialist]
With 84 gears left, he didn¡¯t have enough continue in gears, but he definitely had enough in dollars.
Taking out $40,000 to utilise, he was given 800 gears off the bat to continue his upgrading spree.
[Assembly]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Microscale Manipulation]
[Increases the user¡¯s knowledge and proficiency with manipulating miniature components and parts of mechanical designs.]
[COST TO UPGRADE: 180 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Assembles the basic frame of virtual exosuits and support bots, based from the user¡¯s schematics, with perfect accuracy.]
[COST TO UPGRADE: 180 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
[Marginally increases the user¡¯s knowledge and proficiency with assembling the wiring and circuitry within exosuits and support bots.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Armour Fitting]
[Marginally increases the user¡¯s knowledge and proficiency in assembling armour shells for exosuits and support bots. Decreases the chances of holes appearing in final models.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 30 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Scarcity Crafting]
[Improves the user¡¯s ability to work with limited, mediocre resources to form improved, functional designs.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 30 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Eagle Eye]
[Allows the user to pick up on misalignments and inconsistencies within a design and physical model more easily for 30 seconds.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 20 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Steady Hands]
[Improves the user¡¯s hand steadiness, which can aid in assembly in almost all aspects.]
[COST TO UNLOCK: 40 Gears]
Now, this was some stuff that he wanted.
[Skill Unlocked!]
[Lv. 1 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Scarcity Crafting -> Lv. 2 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill Unlocked!]
[Lv. 1 Armour Fitting]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Armour Fitting -> Lv. 2 Armour Fitting]
[Skill Unlocked!]
[Lv. 1 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
With all these skills now his, he had a total of 320 gears spent, so he had 564 gears remaining. He didn¡¯t want to waste all the money that he had stored up as capital, because that would just be a waste. Many of the skills that he really wanted to upgrade wouldn¡¯t even let him continue upgrading them for very long at all.
Here, he then moved on to his stats to begin upgrading them.
Miles Larson
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 3]
[Speed: 5]
[Durability: 3]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 5]
[Focus: 12]
[MP: 7/7]
[Skills]
For this event, he¡¯d need to take focus off his physical skills. He didn¡¯t even need strength, since the event qualifiers would be in a virtual environment.
Therefore, he wanted to make sure to increase his other stats enough.
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Creativity]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Creativity]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Focus]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Focus]
After receiving these quests, he could feel his mind was warping and altering completely. Creativity allowed him to see new ways to use the information that he already had.
It felt fascinating to have this jump in creativity so suddenly, and several flashes of new designs popped up in his mind that he wanted to fabricate.
However, upon trying to increase his intelligence, he saw that it would now cost him 250 gears to unlock, not the standard 100.
¡°Why is this happening, system?¡± Cael asked, curious but also irritated.
[Once a stat becomes 15 or more, the cost increases from 100 to 250 for its upgrades.]
Cael just sighed in annoyance, as he had already used 400 gears for his other stats. Therefore, he placed the last 100 of his gears right into Creativity, making it 8.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 3]
[Speed: 5]
[Durability: 3]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 8]
[Focus: 14]
[MP: 7/7]
[Skills]
With the remaining gears, he also wanted to just unlock the other level 1 skills. They were so cheap that he could just get gears and unlock the lot of them to just have some form of foundation, even if it would be very thin.
Level 1 skills didn¡¯t really provide all that much. It was the further upgrades that provided the improvements.
It would still be beneficial, nonetheless.
Upon trying to unlock another skill of Level 1, he was met by this notification.
[Insufficient stats/titles for further skill unlock/upgrades]
[MINIMUM STATS/TITLES REQUIRED FOR FURTHER UPGRADES/UNLOCKS: Competent Merchant, 20 Intelligence, 10MP]
Now, he wasn¡¯t expecting to meet this notification again. This was what had stopped him from mass buying the skills at first, but he didn¡¯t even think that this would happen again. A lot of time had passed from that point and now.
The only viable way he thought of upgrading his title would be through selling more items. He had 30 more days to sell the items that he wanted and had a greater understanding of the vast field of mechanics to kickstart his next designing process.
Doing that, he just had to hope that his title would upgrade in due time.
With this, all Cael had to do was play the waiting game. Upon gaining all these skills, he was starting to think about all his productions differently.
He almost felt unable to contain this information flowing out of his brain. As a result, he went on to look at his WM-EX 1 design, and he noticed several flaws right away.
The internals were roughed up and looked like the web of a spider if it had half its limbs chopped off. It was a disordered array of interweaving silver wires, and he constantly grabbed the exosuit and zoomed in on its imperfections with a look of slight disgust.
Cael couldn¡¯t just let this design stay as flawed as it was. In seconds, he already had the simulation lab¡¯s blue panels surrounding him and he meticulously altered the layout of the exosuit.
The minutes of work turned into hours, and he had entered a deep flow state. His senses dulled out any unnecessary input. He didn¡¯t pay attention to any form of smell or hearing. All that drew his attention was the floating exosuit directly in front of him.
The classic midnight black sky could be seen through his window and all the light that illuminated his room was from these glowing blue panels.
Tap! Tap!
¡°Done and dusted.¡±
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He patted his hands against each other, feeling a sense of relief as he finished his design. The large, dense exosuit that he had created turned in front of him, and he just couldn¡¯t believe that he had come this far.
Just months prior, he was struggling to even flesh out a design, but now the ideas just popped up in his mind and were flawlessly created through his improved assembly skills.
Its armour plates were much tighter together and you could barely see the intricacies of the exosuit¡¯s frames and internals from outside. He didn¡¯t bother to swap out any components but fitted them differently to allow them to function more efficiently.
There was also a switch-around of the location of the on-site mana cores and etherisers. He made sure the mana cores were evenly and properly distributed to give the exosuit a human-like sense of balance, so that users wouldn¡¯t feel a sense of impedance
He wanted to just give this exosuit a bog-standard name, but he felt like he had made leaps and bounds with his designing abilities. It only felt natural for him to alter his naming scheme to illustrate this change.
This spinning exosuit exuded power and bloodthirst. He imagined a burly, savage warrior striking down their enemies, using the strength of the suit¡¯s powered gauntlets. Roaring with exhilaration and fury as their fallen adversaries laid beneath their feet.
¡°Ares. Yes, Ares.¡± He told himself, as the idea suddenly popped in his head.
Ares. The God of War. A divine being born to fight, that relished the thrill of battle.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM Ares]
[Type: Heavyweight Exosuit]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 60/100]
[Strength: 73/100]
[Power Efficiency: 44/100]
[Agility: 54/100]
[Armor Integrity: 76/100]
[Framing: 48/100]
[Maintenance: 50/100]
[Overall Rank: 57/100]
Now he could be classed as around average to slightly above average.
With 30 days to go, he had to get this design out and, on the market, as quickly as possible. Demand for heavyweight suits would still be rather high, and he wanted to capitalise on such demand before it was gone.
During these days, Cael spent his time doing just that, and making models of his WM Ares in his spare time. It wasn¡¯t that expensive and was somehow cheaper than his WM-EX 1 model. With the other time that he had, he also spent it practicing within the vault, and doing some more physical training to train his body as well.
In another form of training with his instructor, Arlo, Cael was stood ahead another student.
They were stood in a large hanger-like building, that was used for students to practice their fighting with the use of exosuits while inside.
For basic sparring using just regular strength, precautions didn¡¯t really need to be taken. However, people with exosuits could lift and hurl cars. That sort of force had to be applied in safe settings for the training to be worthwhile.
The air felt cool and dry, like it wasn¡¯t even natural. The area was illuminated by several dazzling white lights, that gave the metallic equipment that surrounded them gleaming appearances. The smell of refreshed air, along with metal filled their noses and almost made these warriors feel at home.
The smell of active exosuits and new support bots straight from the factory was relaxing and soothing to Cael and his classmates.
Cael faced another weak student of his class. He went by Miles Larson. He had green hair tied back in a ponytail, similar to Milo that he had met in Amburg, and had pale skin similar to him too.
However, his sides weren¡¯t shaved and he only stood at 5¡¯8. Cael and Miles were clad in similar looking exosuits. This was because they were manufactured by the same company, that had been contracted to provide exosuits for the Soburg Empire¡¯s exosuit cadets.
Cael¡¯s was a mediumweight exosuit, that looked bulkier and denser. Miles¡¯ own was slim and sleek. Even though his mana wasn¡¯t plentiful, and he had little talent, he utilised his small frame to specialise in speed and agility.
¡°The Battle of the Ants is among us!¡± Blaine called out, gaining an uproar of intense laughter from the suited exosuit warriors that stood around watching.
¡°Silence, Blaine! You are here to watch your fellow classmates spar, and I expect the more talented fighters here to give them advice after their match is concluded. We are all here to see each other, being from rather humble beginnings in a C-Grade institute, grow.¡± Arlo claimed.
The final dig at Blaine being a student of a C-Grade institute made him scoff in annoyance. It felt great for him to put down those that were clearly weaker than him, but he was still merely average or slightly above average compared to other exosuit warriors.
The weakest member of an A-Grade institute could easily clobber somebody like Blaine.
¡°Begin!¡±
Cael made his stance, and seemed much more confident than before.
¡°I used to have some good fights with Milo before this system. I should be stronger than him now.¡± Cael thought, looking forward through the small opening in between his arms.
Cael held a tight guard, that was quite alien to the other students. Most of them simply formed their unique style based on the techniques and style taught to them by Arlo.
However, the way Cael moved was foreign to them. He stayed out of range, but just far enough so that all it took was a slight move forward to hit his target. After several matches in the vault -more than 100 now- he could judge range and distance much better.
Miles usually fought fearfully and in a reserved manner, but not against Cael. He was renowned for being the weakest out of the group. It was the only spar that he was capable of winning often.
He slugged forward his right fist but Cael tapped his fist to the side to drive his own into his stomach.
POW!
The power behind his strike winded Miles, and made him step back while holding the point of impact. Some of the students jolted their heads back upon watching this happen.
It was like Cael was using a powered gauntlet of some sort, and many of the spectating teens looked down to see if this was the case.
However, his exosuit had no such glow. He had just delivered quite the powerful blow to Miles, and they could tell that he had done so through his grimacing face.
Miles looked alarmed as he clearly didn¡¯t want to lose his only chance at validation. Receiving constant losses and ridicule from the others, similar to Cael, he wanted to take advantage of this only time to boost his fragile, battered ego.
Shouting with anger, he threw a sequence of punches and kicks right at Cael, who managed to use his exceptional sense of range to remain untouched.
A punch caught him on his cheek, and Miles couldn¡¯t help but smile as it landed. The boy got a little too ahead of himself, though, and leaped into the air.
His exosuit propelled him 10 feet upward, and he drove down his heel in the form of an aerial kick to try and finish Cael off in style.
Cael was already crouched down near the ground, with his fists by his face. A simple roll was all he needed to totally evade the incoming attack, and Miles was left to hit the silver metal floor.
Thud!
The ground vibrated lightly under this impact, but the floor had been made specifically to handle impacts from warriors like these. A hit from Miles wasn¡¯t going to do any sort of lasting damage.
In a flash, Cael shot himself forward and saw that Miles was barely even fast enough to react to him. Cael¡¯s exosuit was no longer clunky and never inhibited his movements. It felt just like skin, and he moved with total freedom and grave.
Aiming low, he struck Miles in his stomach with a punch before lifting and hurling his right leg into his jaw.
WHAM!
Miles was sent off course and knocked several steps to the side. He even stumbled to the ground, before using an arm to push himself back to his feet. His eyes were filled with shock as he couldn¡¯t believe how this fight was playing out.
Looking to his side, he saw students that struggled to hold in their laughter when he looked at them.
Now was no time to take his eyes off his target.
Cael took this chance to take him off guard with a full speed assault. Punching him in his stomach yet again, he subsequently hurled his knee into the same area that he had just hit.
Miles felt the strength fading from his legs upon taking these hits and looked distressed from his paling skin and wide open eyes.
Cael landed a final elbow to the warrior that almost seemed distracted from the fight as a whole. His eyes gazed at the ceiling of this hanger in a still manner, and he looked totally out of it.
His movements were sluggish and weak, and it took a few seconds before his senses returned to him.
The first thing that he could hear was laughter, followed by the burly appearance of a new Cael that stood over him.
Even through the laughter, Cael reached over and held out his arm to try and help him up.
¡°Sorry about the hit there. You fought well.¡± Cael politely said, helping Miles back up to his feet.
His face remained still and he didn¡¯t even dare join in on the laughter. It quickly died down as Arlo revealed himself anyway.
Cael had been the subject of such ridicule in the past. How could he be any better than these people if he just acted in the same manner?
No. Just because he¡¯d experienced growth didn¡¯t mean that he would put down those that he had overtaken.
¡°Congratulations, Cael. This is your first win in over half a year. Relish in the victory, I hope to see much more success from you soon.¡± Arlo said with praise, placing his hand on Cael¡¯s shoulder.
Cael felt quite flustered upon receiving this compliment. Now that he thought about it, it had been several years since he had received a direct compliment like this about his combat ability.
Nobody had really complimented him on this topic besides his parents.
¡°Thanks, Sir Arlo. It means a whole lot.¡±
The Qualifiers
There were whispers within the crowd as they discussed Cael¡¯s odd fighting style, along with his sudden improvements in ability.
Talent was supposed to be set in stone. How could he have jumped from being an utter weakling to being a half decent fighter.
Many people just assumed it was because he was a Breckenridge, and he had unlocked some form of hidden talent in some way. This didn¡¯t even seem plausible, because this had never happened before ever since exosuits became the paradigm of military warfare.
One would know a general idea of how talented they were once they were in just their tweens. These students were closing in on being adults and were going to become proper rookie soldiers soon. You couldn¡¯t just increase your talent in a flash at this age.
However, they saw what they saw. Even if it was hard to believe, how else could they explain the performance that Cael had just had?
Cael just kept quiet and didn¡¯t pay attention to the commotion. It wasn¡¯t long before these people would forget about him. Even if silence kept him awfully isolated, it was simultaneously a superpower.
Whenever he¡¯d do something embarrassing, everyone that witnessed it would just forget that it ever happened in mere days, since he was so unimportant and irrelevant in their eyes.
¡°Good job.¡± Miles said to Cael, now stood beside him.
There was a sense of effort in his admission, and Cael perceived that right away. However, he felt happy to see that he¡¯d even come here to try and praise him anyway. If he had done the same thing to Blaine, he would¡¯ve likely found a time after school to beat him down as badly as he could.
Cael returned home that day to see a lot of attention being brought to his new creation, the WM Ares. With 10 items placed on the marketplace for $12,000 each, they were all swept up and Cael received 8 follows from the 10 purchases.
[Item Sold!]
[+8 Gears]
[Item Sold!]
[+7 Gears]
[Item Sold!]
[+9 Gears]
The total cost for each item fell to $10,000 from $11,000, but he decided to decrease the price less to receive more profits. He received $20,000 of pure profit because of this ploy and was more than happy with his progress.
With 82 gears received from his sales, he had 146 gears ready to spend. Instead of keeping gears on deck, he decided to place them into his focus, basically maxing it out at 15.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 3]
[Speed: 5]
[Durability: 3]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 8]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 7/7]
[Skills]
Now, it would cost him 250 gears to improve his focus, so that would be his limit for now. 250 gears to increase it by one point would just be way too expensive for what he was rewarded with.
The weeks passed, and the day of the tournament wasn¡¯t long away.
Heading to Arlo¡¯s office within one of the four tall skyscrapers of his institute, he soon received a reply.
¡°You may enter.¡± Arlo¡¯s booming voice called out.
His neutral face turned into a keen smile upon seeing Cael enter.
¡°Oh, hello Cael. Fancy seeing you here. What¡¯s the issue?¡± He asked, hurling the panels that blocked his field of view to his left.
¡°I¡¯ve been doing some work as a mechanic and I¡¯m going to be participating in the Youth Championship Fighter-Mechanic event. I would like to be excused for the coming days to take part in the qualifiers and the main event if I get through.¡± Cael explained.
¡°Oh, wow, that event. I remember getting my first eyes on me from that thing so many decades ago. Anyway, sure. I¡¯ve never heard of a warrior aspiring to be a mechanic, what led you down that path?¡± Arlo wondered, intrigued.
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¡°I guess it¡¯s just because I like sciences and things. I feel at home on the battlefield, but I feel a similar way when designing exosuits and things.¡± Cael replied.
¡°Very interesting. I wish you the best on the tournament! I¡¯ll be watching you if you get to the main event!¡±
¡°Thank you, Sir Arlo.¡±
*****
The very next day, the Qualifier event for the Youth Championship Fighter-Mechanic tournament was upon him. There were two tiers to this event, the Championship tier and the Premier tier.
All Cael had to do to determine which tournament to compete in was analyse the heavily televised winners from each division. It seemed like most individuals entered at the championship tier, while the premiership tier was meant for the most talented mechanics.
These teens had already studied in venerated mechanic academies, specialising in honing the skills of young aspiring mechanics. They were also mana-less children within powerful and rich families, using their backing to get exclusive privileges and head-starts ahead of their competitors.
Cael didn¡¯t really fit any of the criteria and saw that the winners of the Championship tier still received decent traction and attention. Many prevalent mechanics that he could see had been winners of the previous editions of this tournament.
As he was already here, he gave a quick overview of the most successful mechanics in the world. He just wanted to see the creations of those that he aspired to become, and he was in awe upon seeing the marvels of design appear in front of him.
Even from just viewing the exterior design of these holograms, he couldn¡¯t believe that the exosuits he viewed were as compact as they were.
Each plate perfectly fit the next one, and it resembled the wall of a brick building. Every brick was placed in just the right place, and no gaps were left in the designs.
It partially scared him that these were people that he would inevitably have to go up against. However, with this system of his, he was sure he¡¯d have a fighting chance.
As he waited, though, the time had come. The qualifiers were soon to begin.
Opening the website that allowed individuals to enter, he entered his credentials and was given access to the tournament. It was a boxed off operating system of sorts, with a set number of applications.
There was no ability for applications to communicate with this system and vice versa. It made sure that the competing mechanics were restricted to just their skills and the resources discriminately provided to them.
It blocked the other projections from his pocket teleporter, and only the grey and blue panels of this tournament were visible. They were initially blank, but the central rectangular panel appeared to show a widescreen video, an introduction to the tournament.
A chill went down Cael¡¯s spine as this video loaded. It had begun.
¡°Thank you, my young mechanics, for making it to the qualifying stage! Well, it shouldn¡¯t have costed you much except a few minutes of your time, but now things certainly won¡¯t be as easy. I am Prince Leighton, also known as Brigadier General Leighton. I will be introducing you to the event that is to take place and how things are going to go.¡±
The Prince had slick back hair, along with pale and clear skin. Wherever he was, the lighting was nearly perfect and gave him an enchanting gleam. One of the most standout features of his face was his clear, piercing blue eyes.
He was known rather well by the Soburg Empire, as he was the heir apparent to the role of emperor.
¡°Firstly, the qualifiers will be a single event, and shouldn¡¯t take more than a day to take place. As for the main event, things will go slightly differently. Also, it will take place from wherever you are located right now.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t think that if you are in the comfort of your bedroom or some other safe place that you can cheat. We are taking in volumes of sensory input as you are watching this video and are actively blocking any form of projections from forming using other devices. Now, it¡¯s just you and this test.¡±
This prince then went on to explain the rules behind this event. These were rules that Cael had already assimilated from the webpage describing it beforehand.
Therefore, he just stood there, slightly anxious, shaking himself off to try and calm down. The weight behind his performance here was heavy, and he only had one chance to make things work.
He was 17 now and wouldn¡¯t be able to qualify for this event again.
¡°Just you wait, guys. You¡¯ll wish you didn¡¯t abandon me after I¡¯m done here!¡± Cael told himself, addressing his Breckenridge relatives.
After the short introduction, there was a short intermission to get the students mentally prepared.
They weren¡¯t even allowed any form of food of water, and it wasn¡¯t like the people conducting the exam weren¡¯t watching.
Breaking the rules would immediately disqualify you.
The platform soon appeared to him, and it resembled a modified version of the simulation lab. It looked much more basic, and the panels were a silver-grey instead of the standard blue.
He quite liked this colour format, but he swiftly threw such thought to the back of his mind. A timer appeared on the main panel, showing 29 seconds remaining before the students were allowed to begin.
The clock ticked down slowly but surely, and Cael swiftly commenced his designing as the clock ticked down.
[7 hours remaining]
With only this much time to work with, Cael had to make sure to speed himself up.
Several more windows appeared from the numerous panels that surrounded Cael, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to make the user interface not look limited compared to the TechForge simulation lab.
The leftmost panel contained the program libraries, while the rightmost panel contained the main components that Cael would have to utilise.
Before he rushed in here, he had to think of the type of autonomous bot he was looking to make. He liked the idea of his WM-01 Valiant, but it just didn¡¯t seem to fit this type of warfare.
Since this was a battle royale, the event would be basically a war of attrition. The bots with the greatest and most efficient power supplies would be the ones to make it through.
To do this, he aimed to not overload his bot with needless energy rifles and weaponry. That would only serve to eat up its power supply even more and increase its weight.
Cael¡¯s eyes and body remained awfully still as he considered the best options for him here.
After a few minutes of deep thought, Cael came up with an idea of a lightweight/mediumweight bot. He wanted a bot that almost teetered between the boundaries of these two classes.
A lightweight bot here would be great for speed and stamina in the long-winded event, but a lack of firepower could cause it to get fried by a significantly heavier bot. Even if it could use its agility to escape or defeat foes larger than itself, it would only be a matter of time before it would be caught by a stray blast of some sort.
Upon thinking back to his code for the WM-01 Valiant, he felt keen on donning a swordsman once again. His bot had helped him significantly with its swords against the boarman that he had faced in Amburg.
The blades could move quickly and would be deadly if they were placed in the right hands. Here, Cael could craft his creation to make sure this was the case.
An image of a dual sword slasher popped up in his mind. Slim but fast and skilled, dealing significant damage with its blades.
WM-02 Slasher
Now that he had this image in mind, he swiftly got to work. Opening the components section, he was happy to see that there were a large range of things for him to work with.
However, he didn¡¯t feel as pleased about the basic quality of pretty much everything that he laid his eyes upon. The components just seemed quite old and cheap, which meant that the bots the contestants could create wouldn¡¯t even be that great.
This wasn¡¯t a bother, though, since every body that he had to face would suffer from this same issue. They were still all on the same playing field.
Cael was happy to find katana-like heated blades, and he pulled two of the thinnest ones that he could see.
They floated ahead of him, and he had an idea in mind. Heated blades couldn¡¯t be activated very frequently because the energy source needed to be on-site. It also limited how hot the blades could get.
However, with careful enough wiring, Cael could get the swords to feed directly from the mana cores located on the bot. If he could do this, it could drastically increase the temperature of the blades and make them far more destructive.
It was a technique used by certain mechanics and was becoming a popular paradigm for swordsmen bots.
Nevertheless, he minimised the weapons and placed them to the side to begin working on his actual design.
Thoughts of animal-like or six-limbed bots popped into his mind, but Cael put those ideas down and just went for a classic bipedal, humanoid bot.
Cael swiftly began to work on his frame, but he searched through the available metals for his design and was annoyed to see that it was almost just completely Dresium. There was a handful of other metals that were just plentiful enough to make armour or framing from.
He donned an actuator system that maximised speed, alongside power efficiency. This made the bot less explosive, but it wouldn¡¯t then eat into its power supplies as a result.
Cael entered a true workflow; unlike anything he had ever been in before. He had no distractions, and only the panels to keep him alert.
Moving the components together with grace and speed, his design was slowly but surely coming together. Since the components varied so much, they didn¡¯t seem very compatible. Even with his new abilities, he found it hard to place everything together in the right way.
Upon looking back to the clock, he could see that he had somehow wasted 90 minutes already. His focus was so great that he didn¡¯t even bat an eye at the floating clock above him. To keep himself more aware, he dragged it down so that it was almost at eye-level, floating just beside the blue hologram of his design.
However, he told himself that the internals would have to be the main part of this whole crafting process. He made sure to keep the design slim and sleek. Placing the components in just the right areas, he now had to place his mana cores in.
He placed four slotted on the back and made up for this extra weight in its back by placing some more in its abdomen and chest area.
Placing them in the limbs would be a risky game, as it could throw off the bot¡¯s balance and movement. He intended it to be a swordsman as well, so this was a no-go for him.
Finally, he carefully pulled some wiring near the surface of his bot to extend near its palm. This could allow for the heated blade to connect to the wire and receive an energy supply from the bot itself.
Swirling the design around, the basic components and internals were complete. He wanted to make sure to go back and make any tweaks if he needed to, but he felt like most of the work was done already.
Following this, Cael began forming the armour plates that he would need to keep this bot nice and durable.
It was supposed to be a light mediumweight, so he kept the armour plates thin but not too thin. He also didn¡¯t want to make them very numerous and dense. Instead, he wanted a sleeker, cleaner design to cloak the entire base frame.
With armour plates out and the base complete, Cael felt like he could put that to rest for now. Now, he wanted to move onto the programming.
He was met with two programming languages. The first was one called EXO-86, that acted as a low-level programming language that was efficient but took several more lines to complete instructions.
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Cael was more versed with the easy-to-use ExoScript, and he swiftly opened the IDE to begin coding.
The libraries given to him were enough for him to describe it as sufficient. He liked the versatility of the code on offer here, and he swiftly began his writing.
He wanted some polished code on the arms to allow it to wield swords well. Along with that, he needed to polish its code for the legs to grant it phenomenal agility and efficiency.
With the blocks of code given to him, his greater creativity allowed him to form intelligent ways to bring them all together. Along with Level 2 Script Sage, he could understand the functions of the code slightly better but didn¡¯t understand it all the way.
As he began, though, he started to feel like he¡¯d neglected his programming too much. Even though the libraries were nice to work with, he had placed his gears mainly in assembly and design.
Looking back to his bot, he felt like the actual body was something that he could be much prouder of compared to the lines of code present in front of him. Cael continued to type with incredible speed, much faster than those without mana could type.
Some of the fastest mana users could type at around 1000 words per minute because their fingers and thoughts could simply move so fast.
Cael¡¯s was no where near that level, but it was around 250 to 300 words per minute. This probably meant that he had quite the edge over his fellow competitors that didn¡¯t possess mana.
Now, with 6 hours gone like it was nothing, Cael felt like he had conjured up something that was somewhat functional. His code still looked shabby, and he had run into several errors upon creating it. Most of his time was recently spent just ridding the code of errors instead of trying to fix it up.
However, he had purchased the Rapid Update skill. Using it, he could just fix up his code in a flash, but he wondered if that would be seen as cheating. He was also looking to use the quick-build to finish up his design, but he wasn¡¯t entirely sure.
With eyes on him, he felt conflicted between playing it safe or using his system to his advantage.
¡°Will I be kicked from this tournament if I use any of the system¡¯s skills?¡±
¡°...¡±
There was no reply.
Cael felt his conflictions and stress only increase even more from receiving this blankness, and he could see that his code would lead to some inefficiencies. He could blame it on the very limited time that he had, but it just felt wrong to give his autonomous bot this sort of code to work with.
He just decided to leave it and focused on getting everything fixed up with the time that he had left.
Meticulously and carefully placing the armour on his bot, he felt much happier with the bot that he had created.
He pulled the katana blades to place them within the holsters that he had given his bot and dragged its extended arms down to give it a final swirl and look.
Cael found a handful of imperfections with the inspection, such as misplacements of armour and complex internal design through the holes in the armour. He had half an hour to try his best to improve his code, but he placed just 10 extra minutes into fixing up the bot as much as he could.
Using his final 20 minutes, he made astounding progress through just using his mind and intellect to make his code as efficient as possible. Even if he did well, 20 minutes wasn¡¯t much in the grand scheme of things.
BEEP! BEEP!
[3 minutes remaining]
Cael stepped away from his code, giving the major functions a final glance. There wasn¡¯t enough time to check through the enormous collection of code, but he managed to make a single improvement before moving over to his design.
There wasn¡¯t any time for him to do anything, just for him to assert that he had done relatively well under the given constraints.
His bot was sleek and like a slim, athletic human being. It wielded two swords, each at the sides of its two legs. Its face was rather humanoid -like the WM-01 Valiant- with glowing yellow eyes to act as sensors. The metals that he had used were of a light silver, and gave this bot a futuristic, metallic exterior.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
[0 minutes remaining]
As Cael tried to manipulate his design, it remained still and didn¡¯t react to his input. The floating keyboard for his typing had also vanished, and Cael fell onto his cosy bed with slight fatigue.
However, he was a well-trained exosuit cadet. He was sure his competitors had designed their bots from the comfort of beds and chairs, but Cael had mana to invigorate his body.
Just standing around didn¡¯t even give him any feeling of fatigue in his legs.
His system panels appeared once the model was complete, but Cael didn¡¯t feel scared. The panels of his system weren¡¯t visible to onlookers, so he looked on calmly and named his model.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM-02 Slasher]
[Type: Mediumweight Attack Bot]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 50/100]
[Agility: 52/100]
[Strength: 33/100]
[Firepower: 30/100]
[Power Efficiency: 58/100]
[Intelligence: 54/100]
[Maintenance: 47/100]
[Versatility: 40/100]
[Framing: 43/100]
[Overall Rank: 48/100]
His design was completely average, but it wasn¡¯t bad from what they had to work with. The other bots that he was going to be up against couldn¡¯t even possibly be in the 80s or above. The components just weren¡¯t good enough to allow for that.
The face of another person, that looked more like an actual mechanic appeared. He had wild, grey and brown hair with a thick beard. Even with his wilder facial appearance, the man was clad in a clean, grey suit.
¡°Thanks for your input, competitors. In a few minutes time, we will transport the autonomous bots that we received to the terrains. I am also here to announce that 0.5% contestants that entered have been disqualified due to providing either insufficient code, an unfunctional bot or doing both of those things.¡±
Cael was surprised to hear that such a figure hadn¡¯t even managed to complete the process. This made himself a little more motivated and confident, as he managed to make an average level bot in that same timeframe.
Maybe, things were looking good for him.
Heavyweight Bot
There a few minutes of pause, as Cael believed that the instructors were just taking time to get everything ready.
Suddenly, a very large panel whizzed open with the sound of a classic notification. It reached near his knees and up to his head in height, while maintaining a widescreen aspect ratio.
The panel was quite bright and was just outputting white light for now. It had grey rims to show the colour scheme of this exam¡¯s operating system, so he knew this was still related to the exam in some way.
The light dimmed down, then revealed a third person view of his special drone. The WM-02 Slasher was in action.
Surrounding the bot was a vast, but dense forest of tall spruce trees, with dense and thick grass beneath its feet. The air was still, and the sky above was clear. It seemed rather tranquil as there wasn¡¯t any form of moving object within the view.
It resembled the view in third person games, and he had the option of manipulating his view of the scenery. Cael wondered about how he could adapt his bot to certain environments but since this was totally random, he saw no need to do so.
He decided to just vouch for a bot that could hold its own in various terrain, with its stable and nimble feet.
The Slasher remained robotically still as it awaited its deployment, and the event was soon to begin. Cael felt the anticipation within him growing, and the 1% odds was at the top of his mind.
No, those odds didn¡¯t apply to him. He was confident that he had a much better chance than those he was competing against. With his system, he¡¯d surely have the upper hand against most.
[60 seconds until battle begins]
¡°...¡±
Cael now rested on his bed, as he felt too intense to remain stood up. With his fist on his chin, he pumped himself up to see what his bot could do.
¡°Come on, slasher. Show me something.¡± He whispered to himself, anxious and slightly trembling.
[BEEP!]
Cael jolted back from this loud beep to commence the event, and was startled by it due to his anxiety.
However, once his attention was brought back to the panel, he could see that his slasher charged forward, seemingly ready for action.
It tilted its head around hastily, making sure to check for any hostiles and enemies. Cael was happy to see that his code was running somewhat well, as the bot could easily move in different directions on command.
Upon running a few hundred meters, the slasher ground to a stop upon hearing the presence of another bot.
A similar noise was heard from within the dense collection of trees.
Silence.
The two bots remained conserved, while the slasher held its left hand to its right katana.
Fwoosh!
Revealing itself from behind the tree, its sword was activated and glowed a golden-orange from the intense heat across its blade.
The other bot was revealed, which looked far less quality than Cael¡¯s own. It had a shoddy exterior, with openings all over the place. The bot was small and seemed to resemble a lightweight bot, but was just too dense to easily fall in that category.
It looked around 5¡¯7, but seemingly weighed around 200 lbs and above. The armour plates were placed in such a way and made so thick that they even inhibited the bot¡¯s movements in ways.
Its exterior was a dark black, and the fight had begun.
With a shoulder mounted energy rifle, several blasts were shot toward the slasher.
Using its katana and agility, not a single blast landed on its person. The final red energy blast landed on its blade, but only brought the robot to a halt.
It didn¡¯t cause any damage and the bot swiftly engaged in close quarters combat. It took several swings with its single sword, using both hands to deliver slashes with more force.
Slasher managed to dip under a punch coming toward its face, and drove forward with an elbow to its enemy¡¯s stomach.
POW!
The force behind the attack was immense, and it took the liberty of adding insult to injury by slashing at this point on the bot¡¯s body.
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The blades weren¡¯t going to pierce through the armour immediately, but damage had been done. Slasher reached for its second katana and held them in an X-formation as another wave of energy blasts were headed its way.
The bot had to rely principally on its agility to evade these blasts because its swordsmanship just wasn¡¯t quality enough.
Bots with good enough skills could even slice the blasts in half, leaving themselves unscathed.
Slasher just waited patiently for its moment to attack again, and the time had come. The bot¡¯s shoulder-mounted rifle had overheated and now needed to cool again.
This left it totally open, without its main weapon to keep the agile swordsman away.
Punches came Slasher¡¯s way, but its speed was too much for the enemy to handle. It could easily evade and block using its heated blades to cause the bot damage to its robotic knuckles.
Once the chance was there, it dipped down and swiped both swords outward in an X-formation. The slash managed to swipe through the armour plates across the bot, hitting the wiring underneath.
As this happened, the bot immediately began to malfunction. Clearly, the internals of the bot had been made in a terrible way and now, a vital part of its circuitry had been affected. Sparks of heated metal shot out from the open slash in its midpiece, and the bot shakily staggered away.
With a final stab through the opening in its stomach, the bot was finished. The heated blade caused only more damage to the internals of the bot as it remained lodged inside it.
Slasher waited patiently, even turning the blade like a savage to try and subdue its adversary more quickly.
Slowly, the enemy stumbled to the ground, and the lights in its eyes faded.
Cael¡¯s bot had gotten its first kill.
¡°Yes!! Let¡¯s go, Slasher!!¡± Cael roared, lifting up from his bed.
Upon feeling this, he felt far too much energy and excitement to remain seated. With his eyes glued to the panel ahead of him, he kept his hands on his knees -slightly bent- and watched on attentively.
Slasher continued its advance, searching within this forest for more targets. Generally, it was better to play riskier at the start of the game when less quality players were still in the game.
However, as time passed, the average quality of bot out of those remaining gradually increased.
Fighting would be riskier, and less valuable because one wrong event could boot you out. 10,000 people had started in this tournament, and he had to be one of the 100 in the end.
Donning the mentality of a brazen warrior would not let him reach that end goal.
Slasher decided to take to the trees, using their thick branches to traverse the forest more covertly but more quickly too.
There was no need to step around large trees and follow natural paths, as it could use branches to practically go whichever direction it desired.
Abruptly, Slasher landed on a branch and remained still. It had found a target.
There was a bot below, a darker silver than Slasher, that scintillated under the dim sunlight that managed to pierce through the dense foliage above. Its frame was dense, but compact. This was a mediumweight bot that neared the heavyweight class. It stood at around 6¡¯4 and had mammoth hands and limbs.
Slasher attempted to remain hidden within such foliage but the leaves around it rustled as it landed.
Its location had been revealed.
PEW!
An energy blast from a wrist-mounted energy rifle was shot toward Slasher, that had to leap down from the branch to evade.
Thud!
Charging toward its new enemy, Slasher utilised its elegance and speed to throw several slashes at the bot. Its feet moved gracefully, like it was in a dance as the heated blades slashed across the body of this bot.
Simultaneously, it was forced to try and dodge energy blasts from its two wrist-mounted energy rifles.
Suddenly, its movements were too slow and an energy blast landed square on its face. Slasher was hurled backward, being forced to take several steps to slow down. However, before it could do that, another punch was already headed its way.
The gargantuan black hand of the bulky bot shot toward Slasher, that was forced to use its blades to take the force of the strike.
Placing its blades in an X shape, the punch landed perfectly on the centre. Even with his katanas absorbing some of the impact, there was enough force behind the attack to throw Cael¡¯s bot over and onto its back.
¡°No!¡± Cael called out upon seeing this.
The bots stared deep into each other eyes and struggled against each other in a game of pure strength. However, this was a game that Slasher shouldn¡¯t ever be playing.
Cael had his hands cupped over his mouth and nose as he witnessed this. He wanted to get in there and shout for his bot to find a way out of the situation, but he could not. All he could do was powerlessly watch on in silence.
He couldn¡¯t lose. Not here. His relatives would¡¯ve been right then about him eventually amounting to nothing. How could he prove him wrong if he was booted at the start of just the qualifiers?
It was up against a bot that was not only larger but had the upper hand by being stood over Slasher. Its arms slowly bent in as the force was too overwhelming.
Before the fist could reach its body, though, Slasher pulled its arms outward, and the blades sliced at the bot¡¯s fist.
Sparks came flying out as the heated blade had dug deep into its extremity. Slasher remained slightly slanted, with its blades ready for any form of defence.
After that sequence of attacks, the bot was not willing to blindly rush in to try and land slices once again.
A single energy blast was shot at it as the heavier bot retreated, but Slasher promptly rolled to the side to just about graze past the blast. It caught onto the blade of its katana that it held in its left hand.
The force behind the blast almost forced the sword out of the bot¡¯s hand, but it lifted up to stand straight and swiftly caught the falling sword in a reverse grip.
Hastily reaching for the inside of its wrists, Cael knew exactly what this bot intended to do. It wanted to use its mana cores to power the swords.
VRMMM!!
Upon connecting the loose ports from its wrists to the openings in the superheated blades, they started to glow much more brightly. It vibrated intensely, and even Slasher could feel the heat coming off them.
Dashing toward the heavier bot, it rolled under two incoming energy blasts before slicing at its abdomen. Somehow, even with the extreme temperatures of the blade¡¯s edge, only a shallow cut remained.
BAM!
Slasher received a straight elbow to its face, being forced to the ground once again. Upon impacting the ground, it received further damage from a sequence of downward punches from the larger bot.
Cael¡¯s heart almost sunk into his stomach upon watching this. Before Slasher had managed to escape, but how could it do so in this situation?
By a Thread
The swords that it previously wielded tightly were now by its side, sizzling at the grass it laid upon.
It struggled and struggled, looking around to try and find options. Energy blasts rained down on its person, damaging the bot¡¯s shell and causing damage to the components inside it from the blunt trauma.
As its energy rifles overheated, Slasher reached for its superheated blades and managed to focus all its force into cutting deeper into the slash it had made previously. It had cut through some more important components, but the bot remained stood up as if nothing had really happened.
This only prompted it to fall back a step. With Slasher now free, it exploded away and began running through the trees as fast as it could.
Cael felt a glimmer of hope upon seeing his bot still in the game.
He pumped his fist to the sky upon seeing this and couldn¡¯t help but smile. Cael was still in this.
The fight wasn¡¯t over, though, as Cael reached out to manipulate his camera view. Upon doing so, he could see the bot speeding after his own. Its burly form moved with an alarming amount of speed, and the large gap between the two bots only continued to close.
The strides of Slasher were made with urgency and maximum effort. The bot was utilising the most energy from its mana stores that it could.
It turned corners and utilised its agility to try and gain the advantage over the bot that was chasing it, but this wasn¡¯t so easy.
Its massive legs allowed it to move powerfully and quickly in one direction. Following the bot¡¯s every route wasn¡¯t a necessity. Its energy blasters also made Slasher have to take unorthodox routes as it was forced to evade the blasts, while also moving forward.
If it could follow Slasher¡¯s general direction of movement, it would slowly cover the gap between them.
Seconds passed, and only steps now separated the two bots. Soon enough, Slasher ran forward as fast as it legs could go but only managed to remain an arm¡¯s length away from the larger bot.
With a final energy blast square on its back, Slasher stumbled forward and lost a large amount of speed. The heavy bot had got its adversary just in the right place to win.
It charged forward with heavy but explosive strides, then extended its arm toward Slasher.
Cael¡¯s hope was lost. His hands were now on his head as he witnessed this intense conflict unfold. His bot was about to be eliminated, and only at the hand of its second enemy.
Just before the bot could touch Slasher, a stray energy blast of colossal force and size slammed into its side. With its armour already in suboptimal condition from Slasher¡¯s superheated blades, the armour melted and burned away.
The internals of the bot were revealed, and it then received a heavy assault of large energy blasts from a gigantic bot. It stood at far above 2 metres and even 7 feet. Its size was massive, and it was definitely well in the heavyweight class.
A full black, with red components across its exterior, the bot stared down its injured opponent with glowing red eyes. Slasher gave one last look to the bot that had been chasing it down, and took this opportunity to run away as fast as it could.
This juggernaut of a bot was more invested in the fighter that already looked to be on its last legs. It gave Slasher an attentive gaze, but turned its head back slowly thudded forward instead.
Slasher was saved at the last second, and Cael had remained in by a thread.
As time passed, Slasher¡¯s aggressiveness slowly but steadily calmed. Cael was thankful for this, as he agreed with its decision.
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With 2 eliminations under its belt, there wouldn¡¯t be a need to continue seeking out enemies to attack. Now, his main task would be to remain covert and wait for the player count to slowly but steadily dwindle.
The chaotic din in the surrounding forest soon subsided and was followed by an unsettling tranquillity.
Slasher remained slow, traversing through the tree branches and staying still whenever necessary. With its sensors, it could detect moving bots in the distance but it managed to keep its movements hidden or hide behind objects to keep down its energy signatures.
In dense, dim environments like these, thermal sensors were the paradigm in forms of types of sensors used.
Minutes passed, and Cael felt glad because it was clear that the player count was steadily decreasing.
As this happened, though, Slasher could see a blue translucent barrier approaching.
[Fighting Zone has decreased to account for lower remaining players]
[Exiting the blue barrier will result in immediate elimination]
Luckily, Slasher was smart enough to discern the meaning behind that statement too and jogged forward upon seeing the barrier approach.
It resembled a veil of energy and looked to stretch infinitely into the sky.
As Slasher continued forward, though, it started to notice more and more players. It was getting tougher to keep himself hidden, as he had to take unorthodox paths and spring behind objects when seeing targets.
Soon, the barrier stopped closing, but the zone had gotten significantly smaller. Cael could tell from the curvature within the barrier he could see. It was slight, but with this much curve the total circle girdling the zone wasn¡¯t going to be very large.
Slasher came to an absolute stop upon seeing another bot walking past. It was a mediumweight, but significantly larger than Cael¡¯s creation. The mechanic expected it to weigh 230 to 250 lbs.
His arms were now behind his back, and he surveyed Slasher¡¯s surroundings to see where to head to next.
The forestry was shrouded in thick, tense air as Cael fearfully awaited what was going to happen next.
He was hoping for this bot to continue walking, but it did not. It scanned the surroundings, and looked puzzled upon seeing no targets.
However, it came to a stop as it faced Slasher.
Silence.
Cael wasn¡¯t even there but it was like even he could not move too. Him and his bot were frozen in place, as this bot slowly tilted its head in a mechanical way.
There was a slight vibration that filled the silence as it did this, struggling to form a clear image of what was ahead.
Vrrm!¡±
The bot immediately lifted its hand, and the energy rifle on its shoulder began to glow. Slasher was caught.
¡°Darn it!¡± Cael blurted out, upon seeing this.
Slasher saw this immediately, looking from side to side to try and find an escape route. There wasn¡¯t going to be any, and energy blasts could eventually tear through trees. Staying behind one wouldn¡¯t be the best protection.
Leaping to its left, an energy blast slammed into the tree that it was previously using to protect itself.
Making an elegant roll, Slasher grabbed the katana at its right side using its left hand.
Fwoosh!
It dashed toward the larger bot, just managing to evade an energy blast that came its way. The bot was daring, but able to do so due to its agility.
Fear did not alter its decisions. Even in the heat of the moment, it could think sharply and know when to take risks and when not to.
Dropping down to slide across the muddy ground, Slasher cut at the bot¡¯s flank with its superheated sword.
The sword wasn¡¯t being given power directly from the bot¡¯s mana cores, but was still hot enough to cut into the armour plate.
Nothing amounted from this slash, however, as it simply wasn¡¯t deep enough. He leapt up and swivelled around, upon seeing its opponent approach.
Clank!
Numerous punches were thrown at Slasher, that used its impressive sword swinging abilities to either block or parry away the attacks. It used the sharp edge of the blade, where it wouldn¡¯t snap off if something was to impact it.
It got the orientation of the sword just right so that hits would land on the sharp edge, also allowing it to deliver cuts when defending.
Although, the range between the bots was alarmingly close. Energy blasts rained down on Slasher from its adversary¡¯s energy rifle.
The force behind each blast forced Slasher back, while causing further damage to its armour plates. Each strike would melt the impacted area of the armour, while also cracking the other parts that remained hard and solid.
Each blast possessed enough force to knock Slasher back several steps. Its armour wasn¡¯t extremely layered, to give it the chance to use better agility. However, it had been caught by surprise.
Distance was created between the two battling bots, and Slasher was now resting on a tree. It used the time for its body to cool, which made sure that further injuries weren¡¯t incurred. Energy blasts wore down points on armour, making them even more susceptible to attack.
Keeping well back made sure its enemy couldn¡¯t immediately do that.
Utilising this time, it also connected both of its blades to the dangling wires from its wrists. They glowed more brightly, and Slasher was ready to go.
It didn¡¯t show any form of emotion to try and amp itself up but remained just as still and calm as before. This large bot¡¯s rifle began charging up an intense blast through its single, wide barrel.
There was a deep, intense vibration as this happened, but this readied Slasher for whatever was coming.
BOOM!
The Final Stand
A cloud of smoke blasted out the side of the barrel as a large energy blast was shot forward. Dipping down, the energy blast only managed to hit the tree that Slasher was previously resting on.
The collision tore straight through the bark and deep into the wood of the tree.
Small pieces of alight pieces of wood flew out from the point of impact, and the tree was holding on by a few fibres that remained connected to the lower trunk.
As it eventually began to descend, the flames rapidly brightened and grew across the upper tree, roaring in the process.
Waves of warm air were felt washing over the bot¡¯s body, and the fight continued in this burning terrain.
The two fighters exchanged attacks, while Slasher utilised its intensely hot blades to deal slashes across the torso. Its agility was proving to be quite effective, as it could deliver lethal slashes onto its mediumweight opponent.
Heavyweights had the luxury of being able to take on whatever was coming. Even if they had less agility, they were built to stand firm and tank attacks with their astounding durability.
However, this bot didn¡¯t share that same benefit. Its armour was rather thin and wasn¡¯t the best at taking direct slashes from this sword¡¯s intensely hot swords.
The heat being constantly supplied to the blade made it glow across the entire thing, making them resemble blades of a devil, formed from pure flames.
Even with the hot slashes, the cuts weren¡¯t deep enough to end the battle. Drawing straight from Slasher¡¯s mana cores, his energy reserves were depleting, and Cael was aware of this.
He intended for this special feature to be a last resort, but Slasher realised that the armour would be too tough to cut through using just the ordinary heat.
This large bot threw down its large arm, only to have its forearm stabbed right through. The tip of the sword stabbed into the bicep area of the bot, then Slasher viciously pulled its blade out from the opening.
A few minor sparks flew out, but all this bot did was shoot out an energy blast in response.
The stab wound clearly wasn¡¯t causing any problems, and Cael was concerned by this.
He couldn¡¯t directly see the power reserves of his bot, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t last long after this intense battle. The swords were simply drawing too much energy from its mana cores.
Suddenly, just as Slasher looked to be faring quite well against this robot, received a hefty strike straight to the head. There was a quiet but low crunch as this impact landed, and its sensors were aimed away from the opponent directly ahead.
Its large energy rifle was now aimed low, straight for Slasher¡¯s abdomen.
With a heavy shot, the red energy connected and launched Slasher into a tree, with the burning tree to his right.
Expecting to see his bot run right back into action, he was surprised to see it instead remain relatively still. Cael couldn¡¯t immediately see what was happening from his 3rd person view and began using the camera interface to look at the front of his bot.
The central armour piece for its abdomen had been melted open, revealing sparks that shot out wildly from it. The bot trembled and shook randomly after receiving this grave injury. Cael¡¯s heart sunk as he saw this.
There¡¯s no way enough time could¡¯ve passed. Way more than 100 people remained in the arena.
If Slasher went out now, it would all be over for sure.
Cael¡¯s memories resurfaced upon seeing this happen. He wouldn¡¯t prove his family wrong. Their opinions about him would be right.
He imagined himself stood alone, with the backs of his relatives slowly receding away, out of reach. Their heads didn¡¯t even turn to give him a glance, and his mind was now racing.
How could he even keep hope in this situation? Bots couldn¡¯t just take damage so bad and continue. He was even quite surprised that Slasher continued trying to fight, using its speed to hide behind obstacles.
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Infrequent energy blasts rained down on it, as it was struggling to keep the life-threatening injury under control. His design of the internals was much better than they used to be but were still below average.
Any sort of significant damage to the central framework of his bot would spell bad news.
With two intensely heated energy blades, more power was being sucked from it while it was achieving no progress in the battle.
In a flash, Slasher daringly charged out from behind the trunk it was stood behind and ripped a superheated sword from its direct on-body power supply. It swiftly sheathed the blade and placed both hands on the only one that remained.
Its legs fired forward and backward with intensity as it propelled itself forward.
During this event, Cael hadn¡¯t managed to see this bot reach its true top speed. With more than 20 metres to reach its opponent, the bot reached incredibly high speeds.
That¡¯s when Cael saw it. An opening in its armour just around the neck area.
A chance to end it all right here and right now.
Slasher swung its sword back and planted its feet completely. Using all that gained momentum, the actuators fired up and Slasher whipped the blade ahead. In this same moment, an energy blast was forming within this bot¡¯s energy rifle.
SHING!
With a single swipe, the sword managed to cleave through this gap in the bot¡¯s neck. Cutting through several vitals, the bot lost access to key sensors and processing units located in the headpiece.
In the same moment, an energy blast landed on Slasher¡¯s chest to launch it back. Without the ground to slow itself down, it meant that it was shot back like an arrow.
THUD!
Slasher slammed into the trunk of a tree before gracelessly halting to a stop.
The headless bot began spasming intensely, before it tilted back and crashed to the ground.
Its movements slowly came to a complete stop, and it was all over. Slasher had come out victorious.
Cael didn¡¯t even know how to properly react anymore. His bot had gone through thick and thin, using its intellect and skills to just keep on going.
The blue zone eventually approached the battlefield, cloaking the fallen bot in a sea of flowing blue energy.
Slasher slowly followed the barrier forward as it closed, and the curvature in the wall was getting frighteningly apparent.
Soon, the arena looked rather small, and you could easily see the barrier across the entire zone¡¯s diameter.
The zone had focused into a dense forestry, similar to the area that Slasher had been placed into. There were some surrounding grasslands, but those were gone now. Upon reaching this point, Slasher could hear intense battle as the zone was simply far too small.
Even for a few hundred bots that likely remained, this would be a zone more than small enough to accommodate just a hundred of them.
Boom! Clank! PEW!
Slasher even saw a stray energy blast soar across its field of view a few metres ahead. It crashed into a tree trunk a few tens of metres away but had lost a lot of force and energy to tear right through it.
Slasher was no longer wielding its sword and was mainly doing this to conserve energy. The bot looked lethargic and was entering a form of low power mode.
It wasn¡¯t hardcoded but was a smart ploy that the bot could implement to make it last longer in battle.
Its mana cores simply didn¡¯t have much energy left, and it was most certainly not looking for any fights right now.
A bot charged across its field of view with insane speed, far above even Slasher¡¯s. Its outer appearance looked sleek and fresh, surprising even Cael. He could tell that the bots that remained here were of top quality.
These were going to be creations of the best mechanics he was competing against, but this was a good sign. It wasn¡¯t going to be long before he made it.
Slasher managed to remain covert and avoided many of the major conflicts going on in the main zone. The destroyed, mangled bodies of destroyed bodies were strewn across the remaining area, and many trees were now ablaze from the astray energy rifles.
Afar, battles raged on but from the close by area, it was relatively calm and tranquil.
Tap! TAP! TAP!
Suddenly, a loud noise could be heard from Slasher¡¯s right and Cael immediately grabbed his camera to see a significantly damaged heavyweight bot charging toward his own creation.
Even with its massive frame, it still moved with impressive speed and threw a punch straight at Slasher. The nimble warrior managed to roll forward, but spasmed after placing a lot of stress on the open wound in its stomach.
Due to this spasm, it briefly lost control of its own body and received a blast straight to its frame. Landing on the melted and destroyed armour plates on its front, it was launched back and gravely injured.
Sparks flew out from the new point of impact, and it received another energy blast straight to its torso.
This large bot resembled a knight with its armour design and revealed a massive sword that had been fastened by its left leg. It had a wide blade and swung it down in a reverse grip down to the fallen bot.
Slasher just about managed to catch the silver blade before it reached close to its body. The edges of the blade were extremely hot, and this bot managed to grab the part of the sword that wasn¡¯t as hot.
The two bots struggled, but Slasher was fighting a losing battle. It received infrequent spasms, which would make it momentarily stop keeping the sword in place.
Therefore, the tip slowly edged down toward Slasher, until it was too overwhelming. The mediumweight¡¯s power couldn¡¯t compare to this heavyweight, that forced the sword down into Slasher¡¯s frame.
The blade was too wide, and the stab was a fatal one. It flailed around in intense spams, and the light vibrations coming from Slasher¡¯s active body ceased.
Cael was gutted to see his bot finally defeated, but he felt like his bot had fought for a decent amount of time.
He could see that the zone was closing even more, and eventually moved past the fallen Slasher.
This meant it had to be at least quite small.
[Your bot has been eliminated!]
[CONGRATULATIONS!! You achieved 98th place. You have qualified for His Majesty¡¯s Fighter-Mechanic Event in Oseron, Soburg Empire]
[The main event will begin in 24 hours]
Chapter 42: Arrival in Oseron
Cael screamed out in joy, dropping to his knees. He continuously pumped his fists out in excitement. He had managed to just make it through.
All his work, all of his dedication. It amounted to something.
This form of success and achievement was something he was new to. On the combat side of things, even victories in spars were something he came by extremely rarely.
However, during his time as a mechanic. He had been given time to shine. He could really see himself for the successful person that he was.
Nevertheless, he basked in his success for a time before realising that he now had less than a day to get to Oseron.
The capital was on a totally different planet to Carlo City, and the planet was almost an urban agglomeration in itself.
Luckily, large planes were able to distort spacetime itself to gain access to faster-than-light travel.
This meant that it really wouldn¡¯t take that long for Cael to reach the capital of the vast empire.
He was determined to perform at this upcoming event, but also felt eager to just see the vast capital. Just off pure population alone, the city was going to be 10X bigger than Carlo City and Cael looked out his window to see an extensive skyline that easily stretched across his expansive view.
The scale was hard for him to conceptualise in his mind, and he was greatly anticipating whatever was up next.
In half a day, Cael had already packed his things and bought a ticket to board the spaceship of the company, Cria Flights. This was a company servicing flights across the expansive area within and surrounding the Cria Star System.
This incorporated all the Soburg Empire, and covered its colonies found in other neighbouring star systems.
Arriving at the spaceport with his several pieces of luggage, he arrived at a large, resort-like spacecraft.
It was almost like a donut, with a central area that had straight walkways to connect the outer edge, and the inner dome. It was cloaked in an attractive silver gleam, with golden light appearing from the several windows located across it.
The craft was large enough to hold hundreds of people at once, and it made sense. Its maximum capacity was 1000, and wasn¡¯t exactly meant to make people feel like they had large amounts of space and room.
However, the craft didn¡¯t feel overcrowded either.
Still with well over 300,000 dollars to work with, his ticket of $11,000 really didn¡¯t put a dent in his earnings. He even felt tempted to have a better experience over the flight but didn¡¯t see a need to do so.
Utilising the power of immense speed, this craft could reach Oseron in about 10 hours. Oseron was within the same solar system as Saevis -the planet Carlo City was located- so it didn¡¯t have to use FTL travel.
That was only for reaching the empire¡¯s interstellar colonies.
Entering the ring-like aircraft through a wide flight of stairs, the massive vehicle slowly rolled out onto one of tens of space-pads that resembled helipads.
However, they were made of metal, and had to be much larger to accommodate the enormous spacefaring vehicles that existed.
Within, each person was designated a small room that was almost like a tiny prison cell. It was about 2.5 metres wide and tall, which was just enough to have a bed that people could sleep on.
These were rooms located in the ¡®ring¡¯ section of the spacecraft. In its centre, the ¡®dome¡¯, was the residential area.
This contained places like bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and the like. It spanned several floors and was the main cash cow for Cria Flights.
Each person was forced to remain within their own designated room, with a holographic individual instructing them on how to strap themselves in during take-off. The journey wasn¡¯t especially rough during this part, and consisted of durable straps being tightly placed from one side of the bed to the other, to keep the passenger strapped in.
Their arms could be left to freely move, though, along with their head and neck.
VRRR!!!!
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Vibrations could be felt from all around Cael, and he looked out to the circular window beside him. This gave him a clear view of the overcast grey sky of Carlo City, along with the several spacecraft slowly lifting along with this one.
Soon, about a minute after this slow take-off, it started reaching extremely high altitudes.
Its speed was barely noticeable, but was now extremely high.
The sky darkened until it was a complete black, and the thin ring of blue girdled the image of Saevis from Cael¡¯s view.
In a flash, the ship was off and left the planet far behind. Without air to act as resistance, it could move much faster and fuel wasn¡¯t as much of an issue during this stage of the journey.
Now in this stage of the flight, the passengers were permitted to free themselves of their restraints and explore what was on offer for them in the spaceship.
Cael decided to spend little to keep as much for his business as possible. Here, he just went window shopping, buying items like clothes and a new projector that he liked the look of.
The power efficiency was now significantly greater than his own, and it came with a month free of the TechForge Simulation Lab. Its computational power was substantially greater than his previous device and resembled a cuboidal device like phones of ancient times.
Soon, Cael could see the destination planet, named the Capital Planet. For short, people referred to it as TCP, since the capital planet was a little long-winded.
Surrounded by midnight black, the sea blue planet ahead of him was littered with several small islands and archipelagos, along with a major green-yellow landmass near its centre.
The glistening white stars surrounding the growing planet left Cael awestruck. All he could do was look out this rounded window in the halls of the spaceship with a smile.
¡°Oseron, here I come!¡±
For his stay in Oseron, he stayed at a standard 3-star hotel. Features within hotels became much cheaper and allowed people with more humble origins to still bask in the enjoyment of going to different planets and nations.
3-star hotels were still very accommodating, and services like included breakfast became a standard for almost all hotels. Extra features of hotelling had become standard too, so 3-stars no longer exuded a sense of mediocrity at all.
Before they landed, he was sure that he had noted over 150 helipads and several tens of runways.
Cael was luckily able to transport his luggage right to his hotel through the use of his teleporter. This then allowed to walk around Oseron¡¯s massive spaceport more spaciously.
The best way to describe the place was that it was like a collection of stadiums that had been connected through gigantic pathways for people to walk across.
The area was filled with the chaotic din. Thousands of people surrounded Cael and were chatting and clattering away, minding their business as they traversed this massive spaceport.
This was surprisingly one of the less busy spaceports. The main spaceports near the centre of the city were complete mayhem. Cael didn¡¯t have the patience nor desire to even put up with any of that, as this havoc was already enough for him.
The spaceport was large enough to be labelled a city on its own and had over 50,000 people working there.
Security was a hassle with so many passengers but was made slightly quicker simply due to the sheer size of the place.
In about 2 hours, Cael was free and ready to proceed. Leaving through a wall of automatic doors to open onto a main street, Cael was met by the massive skyline of Oseron.
Almost every single glass skyscraper that he noticed was tall enough to pierce the clouds.
They displayed animation advertisements along their glass walls, which were of vibrant, alluring colours. Just ahead of him, several aircars and airbuses whizzed past in the 8-lane road that remained ahead of him.
He could barely see it due to the volume of parked cars, and it looked to stretch on forever as he looked left and right.
Cael simply boarded the next airbus that took him to his hotel, and he was off soon after.
With not too much time before the next event, Cael had to be ready to go rather quickly. He made sure to sleep on the spaceship so that he didn¡¯t need to now, even if he knew that his jetlag would still mess him up.
Crossing planets was easy to deal with, because of time zones. However, crossing solar systems and galaxies always made this far more troubling.
The event was going to begin in the centre of the city, but it started at the early morning for times on this planet. This stopped competitors getting stuck up in severe congestion before arriving.
Cael managed to get an airbus that swiftly took him to the arena, and he was astounded by the city that he was drawing closer to.
The towers were not only tall, but exceptionally wide. The roads, even in the city centre, were five lines on each side, and the motorways surrounding the planet sometimes had as much as 10 lines on each side to make sure traffic never got too bad.
Even with so many people living on the planet, 10 lanes was enough since the road system of the planet was so dense. They made sure to have alternative routes to alternative routes, just so that roads wouldn¡¯t get congested when there was a common destination in mind for drivers.
Cael eventually arrived at the arena that stretched from one side of his view to the other. Not only that, but it was tall enough to eclipse some skyscrapers within Carlo City.
The stadium had a massive capacity of about 1 million people.
Of course, stadiums didn¡¯t grow much past this, because those at the back were usually just people with mana. Those without it would struggle to see so far into the main arena ring with unenhanced vision and perception.
Here, he was swiftly asked for identification before entering.
¡°Identification please.¡± A man at a counter monotonously replied.
He had several holographic panels in front of him and didn¡¯t show a shed of interest in Cael¡¯s presence.
Cael displayed his ID card in the form of a hologram, throwing the panel toward the man at the counter.
He then grabbed it himself, enlarging it to get a clearer view of the displayed information. Looking at the face displayed, he looked back to Cael and then revealed a camera drone that flew over the glass barricade between them.
The camera sent a thin line of laser light across the boy¡¯s face. It went from his head to his neck, then shone with a green light before returning to the counter.
¡°You¡¯re free to go. Enjoy your event.¡± The man said, without even lifting his eyes to meet Cael¡¯s.
Warrior Mechanic?!
In about an hour¡¯s time, he¡¯d be called to the stadium¡¯s main arena to begin the event. As for the time before then, he was given the luxury of trying out the different services that the stadium had to offer. With a million people that could be in the stadium at any one time, there were numerous restaurants, entertainment areas like indoor basketball courts and the like.
The area was filled with nerdy people was Cael assumed were mechanics just like him. They waited in the halls and different commercial spots available, anxiously waiting for the event to come.
It was a miniature resort, with almost everything that anybody could want here. Getting an energising meal with a shot of caffeine through a sweet cappuccino, he felt ready to go. Cael had been liking drinking coffee a lot more recently, due to his system¡¯s lack of care for his sleep schedule.
The tough quests would send him into deep hours of the night to try and complete them, which would decrease his focus, as a result. Caffeine was just what he needed to give him a boost for the following day.
The 60 minutes of rest came and went, and Cael felt startled upon hearing the alarm. It all came down to this. Even during these 60 minutes, he was struggling to take his mind off the following event that would take place.
With his skills, he believed he had received at least a few years of education¡¯s worth on mechanics. Especially for internals, he felt like he would be ahead of the bunch. However, the bottom 99% of the mechanics that wanted to enter this tournament were already gone.
How was he going to fare against the top 1% of those youth mechanics that were competing?
Arriving at the stadium arena, he saw a large grass field, with a square gridded arena for the students to walk onto. The surrounding stadium held hundreds of thousands of people that screamed and cheered as the numerous aspiring mechanics flooded out onto the massive arena.
Looking at these emerging students was the Emperor himself, on an elevated platform. He was stood in glamorous golden attire that had intricate embroideries laid across it, with diamond jewellery that scintillated under the blazing Oseron sun. His chest was also littered with several gleaming medals, as well.
Just looking above, Cael could see that several energy rifles were aimed not just at the students but at the stadium as well. If anybody even as much as tried to assassinate the emperor, they¡¯d be dead shortly after.
Cael could see that many of the mechanics were discomforted by the heat, but Cael had mana. His body was more robust and could take the temperature more easily. The heat wasn¡¯t exactly relaxing, but it didn¡¯t bother him much, either. Along with that, he received a lot of glances from the surrounding mechanics due to his impressive physique. He was nearing 6¡¯1, and had a lot of muscle mass for a person without mana, while having little fat to cover such muscle.
His physique was the norm in placed like cadet institutes but when surrounded by those lacking mana, it certainly wasn¡¯t.
About ten thousand of them stood facing the emperor, and the crowd came to silence as he lifted an arm.
¡°Thank you all for coming! As you know, this will be the beginning of the Fighter-Mechanic Event! To begin, I will brief the mechanics on what is to come. Don¡¯t worry, you all aren¡¯t alone here. In a short time, we¡¯ll bring the fighters onto the field to give them a debriefing before you all collaborate.¡± The emperor announced, making the crowd roar chaotically and frantically.
Clearly, these people were here for the fighters more than for the mechanics.
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¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get into how this whole event will play out. Firstly, our opening event will see direct collaboration between the fighters and mechanics. There will be a 1-to-1 pairing from each fighter to each mechanic. This will be skill-based, so you match up with somebody about your own level.¡± He explained.
¡°Then, the mechanic will have to create an exosuit to meet the demands of their fighter associate. In the fighting arenas under your seats right now, several battles will commence in the form of a bracketed tournament. With 10,000 accepted players, we will need to assess the quality of your exosuits to make this work. We need the number of participants to be a power of 2 to let the bracket work and so, we¡¯ll need to cut down the participating fighters to 8,192 from 10,000.¡±
¡°It isn¡¯t a very tough bracket to make it into, but just know that you all are the very best, competing against the very best. Don¡¯t think that you can cruise your way through this stage.¡±
With this, the mechanics were sent off the arena, and were then directed to large indoor rooms located higher up the stadium.
They were sleek and futuristic, with central screens that had holograms, and its own images displayed on it that could be touched.
Each table had a display of the TechForge Simulation Lab, and there would be translucent shields appearing to stop sound from passing through to neighbouring teams. With 10,000 mechanics hard at work here, they needed to economise, so the space wasn¡¯t very expansive for a single person.
There were a few minutes of silence as the mechanics awaited their collaborators. They had many different ideas on the type of exosuit to make but without a fighter to model around, they couldn¡¯t make any conclusions.
A few minutes after, Cael¡¯s room saw several people that looked a lot more like him physically, enter the room. Most of them were slightly younger than him from what he could see but had great muscle mass and athletic physiques.
As a group of these similar-aged warriors revealed themselves, one of them was directed toward him.
The room was practically silent, until he entered his section of the room.
¡°Hi there. My name¡¯s Lazarro Di Fonti. What¡¯s yours?¡± He asks.
¡°Cael. Cael Breckenridge.¡± He replies.
¡°Oh, right, I think I¡¯ve heard of that name before from somewhere. My dad¡¯s an exosuit warrior so someone in your family might be in the military with him.¡± Lazarro pompously stated, with a chest puffed up with pride.
¡°Yeah, my family¡¯s involved in the military quite a bit.¡± Cael replied.
¡°Cool¡¡±
¡°¡¡±
"..."
¡°So, where should we begin?¡± Lazarro asked, trying to break the silence as he rested on a metal wall beside Cael.
¡°Well, what would you like your exosuit to be like? Tell me how you fight and the weapons you¡¯d like to see, they have pretty much everything here.¡± Cael replied.
¡°I¡¯d like a mediumweight exosuit. Too heavy and I feel too slow then with light ones, I can only tap and not really wallop people.¡± Lazarro stated, emphatically.
He then gave a detailed description of his desires. Cael could see the meticulous thought that had been put into his wanted design, as he almost gave him a blueprint to work with in just words.
Besides just a mediumweight exosuit, he wanted a shoulder energy rifle along with powered gauntlets. For close range, he could resort to his fists while also keeping the enemy at bay with his ranged energy rifle.
With that, their idea was set, and all that they could do now was wait patiently until they could begin.
A few minutes later, a panel shot upward from the rectangular projector screen. It displayed a time, with a 180-second timer. The process would be completed in 2 3-hour blocks, where the mechanics would be allowed a refreshment break in between.
Even if they could share ideas during this time, many mechanics were very reluctant to reveal their ideas. All they could vaguely see were the other designs through the translucent barrier.
[Fighters are permitted to leave the area but must not communicate with any other teams. Any form of communication will result in immediate disqualification.]
Lazarro wanted to see how his exosuit would turn out, but that certainly didn¡¯t require him to be present for all 6 hours of creation. He just decided to be there for maybe the last 20 minutes or so, to see the suit fleshed out.
¡°I think I¡¯ll just go, so you can focus and all. I¡¯ll see you in the refreshment break.¡± Lazarro said to Cael, nodding at him before he left.
¡°Hmm, he looks a bit like a fighter too. That¡¯s cool.¡± Lazarro thought, walking out the area.
Just as he was walking toward the nearest restaurant, he stopped upon processing his statement once again.
¡°Warrior Mechanic?!¡± He blurted out, getting very concerned and odd looks from those that walked around him.
The Last 8192
Cael began manipulating the provided simulation lab once he was left to focus. Just as he had predicted, he was given a set number of items to assemble with.
What was most striking about the layout was the lack of extreme systems. Not a single system was either extremely heavy. He assumed this was because people under 18 wouldn¡¯t have the mass to handle such heavy equipment. It would hinder their speed too much to be of use.
From the sounds of things, Lazarro wanted an actuator system that wasn¡¯t too light, and had high strength for its weight. Of course, such marvels of technology wouldn¡¯t be readily accessible in this sort of format.
The technology to work with wasn¡¯t as rudimentary and outdated as with the qualifiers, but it settled right into mid-tier.
The nerves started to get to Cael as he could see the mechanics around him working with absolute ease. Many people were already adding internals to the frames of their intricate designs.
Even through the translucent barriers to obscure his vision, he had been making less progress.
His hands had a slight tremble to them as well, making his work on the exosuit much harder.
Luckily, exosuits weren¡¯t as intensive with internals compared to autonomous bots. The model wasn¡¯t dense and fleshed out but almost like a skin.
Being thinner was usually better.
Revealing an actuator system of the mediumweight class, it fit the requirement of having a high strength-to-weight ratio but had lacklustre power efficiency. For the format of the event explained to him just prior, he deduced that it wouldn¡¯t be a necessity.
1v1 battles never lasted long. There was no need for recuperation or discussion of tactics.
Just pure combat.
Off to a rocky start, his mind slowly started to calm, and was being filled with thoughts related to his own design instead of the other mechanics. His hands steadied slowly, and he could feel the effects of his increased focus.
Along with that, he was finding smart ways to use his current understanding to form unique ways of crafting his exosuit design. The process was going much more smoothly, and he had gotten through a large portion of the internals in just about 2 hours.
However, he found himself not sticking to his convictions. There were a large number and variety of components to work with, so trial and error would be a necessary procedure for the process.
Focusing on the shoulder energy rifle, Lazarro had specifically asked for one that was impactful. He didn¡¯t need energy rifles with a high heat efficiency and fire rate, since he would use the weapon discriminatively.
Principally, the fighter resorted to pure hand-to-hand combat to win fights. What he instead wanted was a body-stopping blaster to make sure that he could control the range in battle.
Placing a barrel on his right shoulder, the hefty equipment needed a counterweight to not affect Lazarro¡¯s balance. As a result, Cael resorted to placing numerous mana cores into parts of the exosuit near its left side.
As he began working the circuitry and internals for these new added components, the hour was over. It was hard to believe that so much time had passed in just that assembly process. It was weird, like his mind had entered a trance-like state.
There was a sea of nervousness and anxiety that surrounded these mechanics. In his chaotic mind, he had imagined these people as all gifted genii that he couldn¡¯t beat. However, those same individuals were doing the same to him and the surrounding mechanics.
During this time as he traversed the stadium in search of Lazarro, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking of improvements of his design. It seemed this rest period didn¡¯t serve as just a refreshment break but also a time for mechanics to analyse and critique their approach.
Cael could already think of slight efficiencies and improvements to his internal design, along with the component layout.
He met up with Lazarro after a somewhat short search, as he was talking to some other fighters of the tournament.
¡°Oh, hey Cael. How did it go?¡± He asked.
¡°Okay. Better than I expected. Of course, it¡¯s not complete, but it should meet your requirements. You can get a look of it whenever you want anyway.¡± Cael replied.
There was a short silence between the two, but Lazarro looked to be in thought. After a few seconds, he asked another question.
¡°Are you WarriorMechanic7914?¡±
This statement almost froze Cael. How could this kid even know his username on the Vault and marketplace? Was his name in the Vault Forum for some reason? Maybe, he was one of his unknown customers. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but that would almost mean that the stars had aligned.
How could this person, who could¡¯ve met him previously, also have been partnered up with him in this event?
¡°Yes, I go by WarriorMechanic7914 on the marketplace. I possess mana and my parents were both warriors, so I feel like it fits me quite well.¡± Cael explained.
Cael didn¡¯t tell a lie, but also made sure to not give information that wasn¡¯t required.
¡°Oh, right! I just want to say I love your stuff, that first drone really got me going in the LTM mode.¡± Lazarro replied.
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This thoughtful compliment of his made Cael felt a sense of warmth he wasn¡¯t accustomed to. A smile unintentionally grew across his cheeks.
It felt rather odd but very satisfying to hear another talk so highly of his works.
¡°I appreciate it. I didn¡¯t really know why it was so popular in the beginning but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s that LTM you speak of.¡± Cael jokingly replied, scratching the back of his head.
It felt slightly awkward to take such open compliments like that. Of course, thank you would be a standard reply, but it still made him feel slightly embarrassed ¨C but in a positive way.
¡°It was the Total War Mode, I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t take note of it somehow. Your drone wasn¡¯t that strong but there wasn¡¯t a lot of crazy firepower in the mode. With its speed, the lower tier battle equipment stood no chance!¡± Lazarro emotively replied.
As he talked, he almost animated every phrase that was stated, exuding his likeness toward the drone.
Cael nodded with awkward laughter before thanking him again. Even if it felt a bit weird, it was great to see that even one of his worse designs was receiving love.
With this boost of confidence, his mentality for the upcoming 3 hours had almost fully reverse. His mind was ridden of its previous self-deprecating musings, and he felt more focused on the design at hand.
Implementing many of his theories to changing his exosuit¡¯s general layout, he could see he was making positive progress. The total space that the main components and sleek framing took up decreased, while simultaneously decreasing the mass required for the suit.
Without any exterior sound but his own, this merely augmented his focus. There was no need for his hearing to mask out any of the background noise; there was none.
His internals were done and dusted by the fourth hour, and Cael was happy with his progress. For a person who hadn¡¯t received a single minute of mechanical education at any form of institute, he was doing exceptionally well.
With the main part done, all that was required was to place the armour plates down. With his metal, the virtual metallurgy system was now a breeze for him. He could easily melt the metals and form them into the needed shapes, without wasting time from eventually discarded faulty plates.
This didn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t an occurrence ¨C it still happened a handful of times. However, it was no where near enough to even minorly disrupt his flow.
With the final hour, he spent it finalising the armour shelling but mainly improving the overall design as much as he could. Cael moved with swiftness -as to not be hindered by time constraints- but this left him with a manageable amount of time left to tie a knot in his work.
While thinking of methods of improving his design, he thought back to Lazarro and his character. He imagined what sort of fighter he would be from his desires and build. Complete understanding of who he was building this exosuit for was key to make sure it would be as efficient as possible.
There was only so much the fighter could do when the fighter he was attempting to analyse wasn¡¯t present.
With half an hour to go, again hit by a strike of luck, the silver-haired boy had revealed himself. He gave a few quick glances to the other floating exosuit designs that surrounded him and was met with hostile glares from the mechanics that stood beside them.
Lazarro wasn¡¯t scared of those who couldn¡¯t even fight. What could they do to intimidate him?
Arriving at Cael¡¯s designated space, he immediately began analysing the exosuit and nodded with affirmation. This warrior couldn¡¯t truly take pleasure in viewing the intricacies of modern military technology, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t excited to give the exosuit a try.
¡°I like what you¡¯ve done here, it¡¯s exactly what I asked for.¡± Lazarro confirmed, walking around the central screen to see it from different angles.
¡°Thanks, that¡¯s what I was hoping for. I was actually going to ask you; how exactly do you fight?¡± Cael asked, zooming out of a certain portion of the suit in another floating panel.
¡°Well, I use mainly fists, I kick sometimes against taller fighters and things. Grappling¡¯s fun but it¡¯s not really honourable, I¡¯d much rather beat down someone with my knuckles instead of getting them in some ratty headlock.¡± Lazarro explained.
Cael chuckled at his last comment, and could hear the frustration of avid vault gamers in his tone of voice. Grappling was looked down upon in 1v1 matches, since it could just make a battle uneventful and ultimately unenjoyable for fighters.
Nevertheless, it was a crucial part of warfare in real life, so there was little that could be done to totally erase it from the vault.
However, those details were too surface level. Many fighters likely met the criteria of that vague description. Cael wanted not only to figure out how he fought in general, but to pinpoint his unique fighting style.
¡°I need more than that. I want the absolute specifics. For this to be your exosuit, I want to know your tendencies and style exactly.¡± Cael replied, with almost a bold and affirmative tone.
Lazarro felt a bit taken aback by his boldness and solemnness, since he felt like his previous descriptions were sufficient. Although, this was exactly what he wanted. With a mechanic like this at his side, he wouldn¡¯t be held back by them but lifted to greater heights in battle through their specialist designs.
With that, Lazarro began to lay the groundwork for his style. It took deep contemplation, since it wasn¡¯t something that most fighters were readily able to explain to pretty much anybody. A style was something that most people observed and didn¡¯t truly know.
In his mind, there was nothing important to it. It was just how he fought. With that, the time had ended, and the design had made some minor changes. Cael wanted to make sure the weight in the arms was as low as possible -while keeping the actuator system identical- to allow him to place substantial power into his punches.
Giving the exosuit a customary swivel, Lazarro nodded with satisfaction upon seeing it.
¡°Looks great. Can¡¯t wait to get in action with that thing.¡±
With his design complete, his system desired a name of it. Once again, he didn''t muse over the matter and just called it the first thing that came to mind.
[Exosuit: WM Di Fonti]
[Type: Mediumweight Exosuit]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 53/100]
[Strength: 55/100]
[Power Efficiency: 38/100]
[Agility: 57/100]
[Armor Integrity: 50/100]
[Framing: 48/100]
[Maintenance: 53/100]
[Overall Rank: 52/100]
For the items that he had gotten, it was certainly a job well done. With higher tech components to work with, he was sure the score could¡¯ve increased to at least 65 or possibly even 70 and above.
¡°Please may all participants remain in their designated areas. To begin the bracketed tournament, the number of contestants will have to drop to 8192. As a result, 1808 designs have to be removed.¡± An announcement called out.
¡°If your design platform totally darkens, you and your fighter will be eliminated from the tournament.¡±
Everybody within the room waited in silence to see the news. Nobody wanted to go home after all this designing, just to not even see their designs get put to use in the battlefield.
A few seconds passed, until the design platforms made simultaneous beeps.
Two platforms had gone totally black, while Cael¡¯s had not. Both him and his fighter associate sighed of relief upon seeing this, while the other mechanics looked distraught.
One¡¯s face fell right into his hands, while their fighter associate seemed furious at their lack of skill. It wasn¡¯t even their fault that they weren¡¯t able to continue, but were also eliminated from the tournament.
¡°Looks like we¡¯re in it. I guess this all falls down on me now.¡± Lazarro said, pumping up his chest with dauntlessness.
Other fighters looked slightly nervous upon contemplating the odds, but Lazarro seemed to rise to the occasion. The competitiveness exhilarated him. The pressure in the air did not suffocate him; it invigorated him.
He was ready to compete.
First Win
¡°Please may the remaining contestants make their way to one of the stadium hubs. On displayed billboards will be the created bracket for the tournament. The first matches will be detailed and if you are in one of these commencing battles, look for information on which indoor arena to head to in a timely fashion. Thank you.¡± An announcement elaborated, before harshly cutting out with a light fuzzing noise.
Cael and Lazarro did just that, and they could see their name on one of the upcoming matches. Lazarro Di Fonti was labelled, with Cael¡¯s name in brackets beside it.
They were going to be participating in Indoor Arena 9. With him being allocated to the 9th indoor arena of this stadium, the inherent size of the place was still hard to comprehend.
In Carlo City, many indoor arenas had a single stadium to themselves, even if they were rather miniature.
Lazarro swiftly headed to the area, and surprised Cael with the pace of his walking. Individuals with mana were known to have slightly more pace in their strolls, but this made Cael slightly uncomfortable ¨C but not tired.
It just wasn¡¯t a very relaxing speed of walk. It made Cael wonder just how strong this boy was ¨C he knew for a fact that he surpassed his level of strength. There¡¯d be no way Cael would have a chance of competing on the fighter side of this competition.
His cyberjutsu was unorthodox and somewhat effective, but his lacklustre physical abilities hampered his ability to truly perform well with the style.
From the descriptions of WarriorBot, it¡¯s true merits and advantages would only surface with a robust, conditioned body to work with.
The indoor arena consisted of a few elevated seats, centred around a single sand arena. The barricade was made of a clean, light wood, and neatly reflected the pure white light beaming down from the overhead lights.
Now, Cael and Lazarro had been directed to a locker room, where they were both able to see the exosuit in the flesh. Fabricated using some of the most advanced printing technologies in the world, Cael was spooked by its inherent precision.
The exosuit¡¯s dimensions were spot on, and Lazarro was ignited with a new sense of passion as he clicked in the exosuit over his body. Giving himself the final adjustment to seamlessly fit the piece to his skin, he was ready to go.
He slammed his metal fists together and smirked as he looked at the dark oak door ahead. Passing through this room would lead to a dark hallway, which would then open to the arena.
There were a few minutes before the whole event was to begin, but the calm silence from outside soon erupted into a chaotic, lively din. Lazarro only felt more hyped up by the filling stadium.
Cael would be reserved a first row seat of the whole battle, and promptly began to head over to see what was going to happen.
¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you, Cael. You gave me a nice suit, and now I shall give back. Just you wait.¡± Lazarro said, which warranted a nod of respect from Cael.
For a boy as young as him, his respect was surprising to him. He resembled a true, principled warrior; ready to respect those that deserve it.
¡°Here we have an opening match to His Majesty¡¯s Fighter-Mechanic Event. Two formidable warriors from across the solar system, please welcome Lazarro Di Fonti!!¡± The announcer declared.
As the door opened, Lazarro was revealed in his black exosuit. His mana was of a glowing white, which gave his suit quite the contrasting, but alluring appearance.
Lazarro pumped his chest as he stepped foot on the ring and took in a deep inhale. His energy rifle lightly vibrated upon surveying the surroundings, ready to blast any detected targets.
As he stretched his arms and wrists, his powered gauntlets flashed a glowing white colour before settling. The gauntlets gave his forearms and hands bulky appearances, since they were packed with circuitry toward power supplies, along with tough plating and actuators to deal more damage in attacks.
The audience lightly clapped, as they weren¡¯t fond of him. These individuals were more avid watchers of this tournament, just happy to see anybody fight.
¡°Please welcome Caspian Blakesley!!¡±
As the other towering entrance to the arena parted, the second fighter was revealed. He was very lean for an exosuit warrior; it was almost like he had no mana.
However, many of these ectomorphic types were renowned for their speed and skill. It was what they needed to compete against the bulkier, stronger warriors of today.
His hair was long and dark brown (pretty much black) and he had pale, clear skin. His exosuit was a gleaming grey, making it glisten under the white light above.
The two fighters had noted the third door to their right, which turned out to be a referee. This referee was a muscular person; even large for those with mana and had a bulky exosuit just for the purpose of breaking individuals up.
To get brawling exosuit warriors to listen to your command, you¡¯d have to be quite the powerful, imposing figure.
A few seconds later, the crowd grew quieter as the referee explained to them how this was going to go. It consisted of basic rules that both fighters were fond of, then they were both pushed back from each other before the match was begun.
This exosuit warrior would be rather lenient with his control ¨C many referees of today rarely needed to step in. Nanobot healing was a swift process and treatment against life-threatening injury was now top quality.
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¡°Begin!¡± The referee announced, along with a bell to begin the battle.
Both fighters closed in on each other, but Caspian decided to try and attack from the side. Upon seeing the fighter leap to his side, Lazarro couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile. If that was the speed that his opponent had, the fight would be over rather quickly.
Shooting to the side, Lazarro¡¯s smoothness was visibly superior to Caspian¡¯s.
He dipped down and landed a crushing elbow to his stomach, making his warrior gasp for air and cower away.
With this attack, his assault would not be over, however. Caspian lifted his right arm to reveal a wrist-mounted energy rifle, that was extremely miniature compared to Lazarro¡¯s.
His attempt at hitting Lazarro was too sluggish, however, as a large energy blast had already fired toward him. It slammed into the affected part of his armour, causing cracks and melted sections of metal to appear on his abdominal plate.
Lazarro¡¯s energy rifle had poor heat efficiency, but it wasn¡¯t that poor. It still had the capacity to fire two more energy blasts and did so in quick succession.
BOOM! BOOM!
Caspian lifted his arms to block the incoming blasts and was forced back along the sandy arena floor with each incoming blast.
His forearms had already been melted down significantly, and sparks were flying out from the point of impact. Whoever had formed his exosuit for him clearly wasn¡¯t the most adept mechanic.
Their shelling was sleek and impressive, but Cael watched the fight on attentively and could see a glaring issue in his internals. Everything seemed to be interconnected, and interconnectedness was something that a mechanic had to avoid as much as they could.
Damage to one component could affect the next, and the next, and so on.
As Caspian looked down to the melted metal on his arms, he received a straight punch to his jaw from Lazarro¡¯s powered gauntlet. This attack was thrown rather confidently, however, and his body was left somewhat open in the process.
As his arm retracted, Caspian landed a whipping right kick to his left flank, followed up by a quick and precise punch to his face.
Taking the punch to the face, Lazarro just nodded back at his fighter and whipped his silky hair out of his vision.
He complimented how he¡¯d managed to hit him, but the only reason he did this was because the attack was incredibly weak. It hit his face, but it didn¡¯t really do much to him at all.
These two landed attacks gave Caspian a sense of confidence that he needed right now, and he rushed forward again to continue the battle. Shooting an energy blast forward, Lazarro received two quick laser-like blasts to his chest, before blocking a punch.
Another came in quick succession, but his attack was too predictable. His left fist soared toward Lazarro¡¯s face, but all he did was watch the fist whip right past his face.
The wind thrown out due to his swift-moving arm made Lazarro¡¯s hair flow back, but this gave him quite the clear view. His abdomen was wide open, and he activated his powered gauntlets.
Whirring into action, the gauntlet glowed brightly as he drove his fist into his ribcage.
Krak!
Lazarro was not over, however, as he pulled his fist over his retracting arm to land his knuckles right on his opponent¡¯s chin.
BAM!
Caspian¡¯s head jolted back as he stumbled away, then he continued fighting on the backend. He tried his best to remain out of the range of Lazarro¡¯s deadly punches, but his much larger energy rifle made his wrist-mounted rifle somewhat useless.
He was equipped with two -one on each wrist- but Lazarro¡¯s armour was too compact and strong for it to cause much overall damage. He was aware that the tournament would continue with this exosuit of his, so he didn¡¯t want to damage it too much.
Therefore, he tried his best to either shoot the energy blasts using his own or evade them.
Once Lazarro saw an opening, he unleashed hell on Caspian, causing uproar in the crowd. Many were looking to see a knockout, and Caspian remained in this fight, holding on by a thread.
His skill was there, but who could continue to fight technically after taking straight punches to the skull.
Lazarro was looking for the win here, and didn¡¯t want to exhaust himself. Therefore, he grabbed Caspian and slammed him into the wooden wall of the ring. A cloud of sand erupted around their feet from this impactful slam, and he followed up with a close-up energy blast to his chest.
¡°ARGH!¡± Caspian roared, upon feeling the heat through his armour.
Sliding down the wooden wall, the referee had arrived close by, and the fight surely had only seconds left.
¡°Come on! Finish him off!¡± Cael thought to himself.
POW!
With a final punch from his powered gauntlet, the fighter was sent right to sleep.
Lazarro had claimed victory.
Claps could be heard from the crowd including from Cael. Lazarro nodded to him, while Cael gave a thumbs up back.
¡°What a show! Lazarro Di Fonti has taken down his opponent in mere minutes, and advances to the next round, with 4095 other fighters.¡± The announcer stated, before the fight was concluded.
As Lazarro returned to the locker room, Cael was there to celebrate his first win.
¡°Good job out there, you did really well!¡± Cael said, getting a smile from Lazarro.
¡°Thank you, he wasn¡¯t that skilled. I feel like the warriors only get much tougher from here, though.¡± Lazarro realised.
Half of the fighters had been removed right away, weeding out the bottom 50%. After this upcoming fight, the top 25% would remain.
During this time, Lazarro and Cael were directed to a room like an area where Cael had created his exosuit design. It was larger and had metal machinery all around them.
However, there were several autonomous bots, as well as robotic parts modifying the components of his suit. They replaced the energy supplies within his body, while also replacing the plates of armour that had been damaged with perfect accuracy.
The exosuit had been fixed almost completely, but what was striking about the repairs was that any damage to internals or major components wasn¡¯t done. That sort of fixing would require much more skill and fell in the hands of the mechanics themselves.
There were a few tools for him to work with, but this wasn¡¯t really a viable option for mechanics of his level. Real-time repair was a true art of mechanics that needed to be taught through some sort of institution, and through several years of pure experience in the field.
Cael hadn¡¯t even performed that once, so didn¡¯t think that he could do much to aid his fellow fighter.
The other fights continued and fought valiantly. This was going to be an opportunity for fighters and mechanics alike to get eyes from some of the bigger corporations, and even private militaries.
The Soburg military kept an eye on what was going on but from afar. It was usually only the top 16 fighters of the event that would get significant attention from such a powerful, prominent military.
They would mostly focus on the better premiership edition of this tournament.
As Lazarro¡¯s exosuit received some adjustments, Cael and Lazarro waited patiently for their next battle. Weighing up different scenarios, Lazarro wanted to make sure he had a good strategy for encountering different types of foes.
Cael was a fighter as well and had been for pretty much his whole life. Along with his intelligence, his knowledge around the theory of battle was vast for an teenager that had never stepped foot on a battleground.
Now, the billboard had updated and both fighters eagerly looked toward it to see what would be ahead of them. Intently scanning the several fights that would take place, they could see Lazarro¡¯s name near the bottom of the billboard.
[Lazarro Di Fonti (Cael Breckenridge) vs Kegan Breckenridge (Davis Omand)]
¡°For god¡¯s sake.¡±
Kegan Breckenridge
Kegan.
Out of anybody in his family, it had to be Kegan that he was up to face?
None of the family¡¯s younger fighters were the best toward him. Most of them were indifferent, ridiculing his weakness in secrecy.
However, this fighter actively disliked him and tried to his best to affirm his superiority over him during their childhood. Whenever their family would meet him, he would rile him up and use his greater power to almost force Cael to keep in line.
After his parents died, being liberated from any sort of the scummy Breckenridge family events was great, principally because he would be saved from Kegan¡¯s mischief.
¡°Hey, cousin. Long time no see, eh?¡± A boy said from beside him.
Lazarro looked between the two fighters and was shocked by the resemblance. They had similar coloured black hair, but Kegan¡¯s was scruffier and lifted, while Cael¡¯s own was straighter and flowed downward.
He was clad in a dark black exosuit, with two shoulder-mounted energy rifles, and a wrist-mounted energy rifle on his right forearm. It was clunkier than Lazarro¡¯s and definitely had much more firepower.
As he said this, there was sheepish smirk on his face.
¡°What do you want, Kegan?¡± Cael bluntly replied.
He was sick of this veil of kindness that he would place over himself in situations like this. Upon reading up on his attitude, he could confidently say that Kegan was a raging narcissist. Ready to get boosts to his ego wherever he could find them.
¡°Why be so rude, we¡¯ve known each other our entire lives. I know we haven¡¯t seen each other in quite a while but I was hopi-,¡±
Fwoosh!
Cael leaped up from his seat, standing in front of his cousin. After all his training, and stat increases, Cael towered over Kegan.
He was nearing 6¡¯1, while Kegan was barely 5¡¯11. His MP increase had also allowed for his body to naturally hold more muscle, which made him more of an intimidating figure.
¡°I¡¯m tired of this ruse of yours. You always act this way when around others!¡± Cael said in an outburst, getting some looks from the surrounding participants.
¡°Why are you making a scene, I¡¯m just trying to say hello.¡±
After saying this, Kegan leaned in closer, with a maniacal smile as he whispered in Cael¡¯s ear.
¡°You better be careful standing there without an exosuit. One punch from me and it¡¯ll be all over for you.¡± Kegan said, before pulling back with a wide smile.
There it was.
The shameless coercion.
What he just said here was true, and Cael knew that he couldn¡¯t start a physical fight (no matter if every fibre within his body was urging him to).
¡°Woah, what¡¯s going on here? Do you guys know each other or something?¡± Lazarro asked, standing in between the two fighters.
Any human could read the room and could tell that there was something off about that exosuit warrior. He didn¡¯t like the way he was so polite, while Cael acted incredibly rude to him in reaction. There had to be a cause for his harsh reaction.
Kegan just gave off a overly exaggerated smile, before backing away. His mechanic was stood behind him, startled by the altercation, and had bright ginger hair. Cael took a good look at him and looked a little surprised by the rainbow-coloured socks that he donned.
Along with that, he was clad in a basic maroon hoodie with jeans, and bright white trainers that only made his colourful socks stand out even more.
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The mechanic, along with Kegan Breckenridge, retreated then left the hall as their match was soon to begin.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. I can tell that he¡¯s a jerk.¡± Lazarro stated.
Cael just laughed in response.
¡°Oh, you don¡¯t even know.¡±
The two didn¡¯t want to meddle here any longer with so many eyes on them and left to continue the match.
Unlike before, Cael had all his hopes in Lazarro that he¡¯d clobber Kegan completely. However, he knew his talent.
The Breckenridge family was known on Planet Saevis and even nearby planets. Many of them resided on TCP, and were successful, talented warriors. Kegan was poor talent for a Breckenridge youngster, but not overall.
Lazarro confidently entered the limelight of the indoor arena, shaking off his arms. Kegan confidently walked into the arena too, while the spectators were slightly more numerous than before.
They were further in the tournament, and many had seen the altercation between the teams beforehand. Eager to see how the conflict would advance, many cheered and clapped with excitement as the fight was soon underway.
Kegan¡¯s exosuit was rather sleek, but not the same quality as Cael¡¯s. There were some major gaps in the armour in places, while it looked a little clunkier. However, it didn¡¯t seem to slow the warrior down in his rapid advance.
PEW! PEW!
He cackled as his three energy rifles hurled energy blasts toward Lazarro. The sudden barrage of blasts left him flustered, forcing him to move speedily and think tactically to continue.
Even with that, he was hit by a handful of blasts and forced back into a stagger upon taking these impactful blasts. Lazarro had entered the fight confidently but, just after a round, the difficulty in the match had climbed quite high.
He wouldn¡¯t be able to breeze toward a victory any longer.
Just as the blasts ceased, he received a straight punch to his jaw before he could recollect himself. The force behind the strike was high, and Cael could immediately tell that this fight would be harder than he initially thought.
When they were younger, the gap between him and Kegan was quite big but visible. It seemed that that gap in strength only continued to grow as they got older.
Another sequence of attacks was hurled at Lazarro, who just about managed to block all of them by turtling up. The haymakers continued to land on his arms with power and speed, forcing him to remain in this position.
Each attack forced him to retreat a step to not fall over, and they were in such quick succession that he couldn¡¯t throw in a strike of his own.
Lazarro struggled to find an opening upon watching Kegan intently. Each time he could see an unprotected part of his body, another attack soon came his way.
Instead of resorting to his fists, Lazarro managed to land a straight energy blast to his chest, as he confidently threw punches without worrying about attacks he¡¯d receive.
Kegan grunted in pain, but also anger as he received that attack. He felt a surge of confidence from his flowing combination of attacks, and getting stopped in this manner infuriated him.
Swiftly throwing his next punch, Lazarro was now able to predict this incoming attack and parried it to the side.
Activating his powered gauntlet, he swung over the top of his extended arm and his knuckles crashed right into Kegan¡¯s cheek. His hair was thrown out of order and the droplets of sweat previously on his face were thrown off his face.
Kegan wasn¡¯t dumb enough to rush in again and blindly throw, while Lazarro felt the same way. He didn¡¯t feel like trying to block a seemingly incessant combo again, while Kegan didn¡¯t see the need to expend so much energy.
An energy blast was shot out from both of his energy rifles, and Lazarro only managed to counter one with his own rifle. However, the second one crashed into his chest, throwing him back significantly.
Kegan moved with immense speed, becoming a near blur to Lazarro. Even though he was aware of his advance, there was little that he could do. His arms were still by his side so even though he tried his hardest to predict what was coming, he could not.
BAM! BAM!
Two punches landed on his face, with the final causing blood to shoot out his fractured nose.
A miniature energy blast was shot at his face, from his wrist-mounted energy last a split-second later.
The crowd simultaneously hissed at this attack, that was generally seen as bad practice. It was looked down upon to use such heavy attacks on the face, but it looked like Kegan was merely here to win.
If anybody lacked the morals to take this into account, it would be Kegan anyway.
A smile cracked across his face as he could see the end was near. Lazarro held his metal-armoured hand to his cheek, grimacing upon feeling the burn now on his cheek. With his helmet deactivated, his body¡¯s skin had to endure that blast.
People with mana were able to do so ¨C certainly not painlessly, however.
The dynamic of this battle fell far in Kegan¡¯s favour. He was simply too strong, too fast and too skilled.
He eventually beat Lazarro into a corner of the ring, and it didn¡¯t seem like the battle was going to last much longer. The two fighters exchanged several haymakers, and Lazarro was doing better in that regard with the use of his powered gauntlets.
This forced Kegan to remain at range, instead of resorting to his usual flurry of attacks, but his energy rifles were simply more powerful. Lazarro struggled to evade and block the attacks, and his surface armour was gradually degrading.
Soon, a double blast of energy shot into his belly, piercing right through all the external layers of armour. He was launched into the ring¡¯s wall behind him and looked down to see blood seaping out from his abdomen.
Kegan Breckenridge (Part 2)
Blood also dripped down the side of his face, and mouth. He could feel pain from cutting and blunt trauma across his entire body. He felt weak, clobbered and fatigued.
However, he inhaled sharply and masked the emotions. There was no time for meddling or complaining about his injuries. The reason he was in this state was due to his very own weakness. Who else could he blame but himself for not rising to the occasion?
He hissed, gritting his teeth and tightening his hands into vibrating fists.
Cael continued to watch this fight on, with trembling hands. He so desperately wanted to defeat Kegan for good, and felt powerless watching this fight continue from the stands.
Lazarro was just beside him now, down and slightly to his left as he faced Kegan.
The arrogant Breckenridge even lifted to view his cousin, giving off a gloating smirk.
They were seconds from loss, and all three of the spectating fighters knew it. Cael could see the ginger mechanic before from the opposite side of the ring, with a smile on his face.
Would he just go back to Carlo City after this? Kegan would get the last laugh -like he always did- and he¡¯d have to run away with his tail between his legs.
What could he do?
There had to be something he could do, right? Even if there wasn¡¯t, he couldn¡¯t just sit here and lose without him trying at least anything.
While Lazarro continued to receive infrequent punches and energy blasts, Cael was brainstorming in his mind, searching for solutions.
Suddenly, his eyes shot open wide as he gasped. He even received a glance from somebody beside him, slightly creeped out by him.
¡°Mana stream!!¡± Cael realised.
From his events in the tournament where the boarman appeared, it didn¡¯t seem like others could see the stream of mana that connected him and his bot.
Therefore, he could likely connect his mana to Lazarro¡¯s and get by undetected.
Activating his skill, his light blue mana appeared in the form of a stream and threw itself over the edge of the ring.
Giving a quick glance to his surroundings, the spectators looked oblivious to what he was doing.
Go time.
The stream of mana had a maximum range of 15 metres but that was more than necessary for where Lazarro was right now.
The arena looked to be around 10 to 12 metres in diameter. Just maybe, he¡¯d still be able to reach him if he managed to approach that 15-metre limit.
VRM!!
His aura had latched onto Cael, and he could immediately feel the exosuit drawing from his own strength like a parasite. It was like he was being physically pulled forward, making him use his legs to remain planted.
Lazarro¡¯s exosuit lightly vibrated upon feeling this new power source, and Lazarro looked down as he felt this. It was like his exosuit was breathing with new power, and he smirked.
He assumed there was a hidden source of energy within the exosuit or something of that sort. Kegan looked down at his exosuit as this happened, and wondered what was going on with it. How did it seem to have just powered up significantly in a few seconds, and why at this specific moment?
He wasn¡¯t bothered by it though - no simple trick would be saving Lazarro now.
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PEW! PEW! PEW!
3 full power blasts of energy shot toward Kegan, all hitting him right on his torso. The forceful blasts pushed him to the centre of the ring, where Lazarro soared forward with both of his powered gauntlets foolishly activated at once.
¡°Crap!¡± Cael cursed internally, feeling the mana being drawn from his body at a much higher rate.
If Lazarro continued this on for even as much as a few minutes, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up.
BAM!
Kegan received a straight punch from his powered gauntlet, only to receive several more in quick succession. The punch that had landed on his melted armour cracked it, making him feel much more of its face.
It was a crushing punch, that made his ribs quake. Grabbing his chest in agony, Lazarro swiftly fired off with two more punches aimed for his face. To add insult to injury, his energy rifle aimed at the man¡¯s head, and swiftly fired off before he could protect himself.
Kegan received an energy blast straight to the face, just like Lazarro had done before. The tide of the match had totally changed in just a minute or so, and Kegan was now fighting on the backend.
The Breckenridge had relied on his energy rifles to try and break Lazarro down near the start of their match, but he was unable to do so. The valiant warrior almost seemed invincible. No matter the blasts or punches he¡¯d take, his legs never gave in.
Now, his energy rifles weren¡¯t really an option. Fatigue was starting to set in, and he could tell that his mana stores within his exosuit were nearly totally depleted.
However, Kegan looked up to Cael, and swiftly changed his attitude. Cael could see that he wouldn¡¯t be willing to lose, and was going to leave it all on the floor to try and claim victory.
The fighter roared and launched his energy rifles simultaneously, but Lazarro took them on daringly. Evading one, he used a gauntlet-augmented punch to strike one of the blasts.
This fearless strike drew the attention of the crowd, while almost totally negating the force behind the blast. All it did was char the outer layer of his finger plates.
Kegan stood there, struggling to maintain his ruse of confidence. His energy rifles were still cooling, and his wrist-mounted energy rifle wouldn¡¯t be doing much if his shoulder-mounted ones were rendered futile.
With those blasts, he could also feel the rifles directly drawing from his body. Each blast felt like a chunk of energy was being forcefully ripped from him, leaving him more fatigued.
Gasping for more air, nearly out of stamina, Lazarro sprung on him and unleashed his full fury. His intense combination of punches along with energy blasts to mix in were destroying Kegan completely.
The Breckenridge was not stupid and had battled before. He tried his best to circle Lazarro, to try and regain his senses and calm down. However, he wasn¡¯t given a break by this warrior. His attacks were ruthless and relentless; he was barely given time to breathe.
¡°What is he doing?!¡± Cael asked himself, grasping his chest as he could feel his mana being ripped out his body in this mana stream.
His breathing rate intensified, and he tried his best to act normal so it didn¡¯t seem like he was just having a heart attack in the stands. He couldn¡¯t even blame Lazarro since, for all he knew, there was some infinite power source that the exosuit was drawing from.
The fighter¡¯s own body barely shared the negative effects of such power abuse.
COUGH COUGH!
Coughing into his hand, Cael pulled back his hand to see blood resting in his palm. Luckily, the noise of his coughing was drowned out by the cheering of the crowd and the fight at hand, so he swiftly hid the blood before he continued watching.
Lazarro now faced Kegan, who was left kneeling at the edge of the ring. He helplessly held his arms up to protect himself, receiving punch after punch that he couldn¡¯t contain.
His face was now covered in blood, but he didn¡¯t want to stop and be defeated. The referee edged closer to these two fighters, watching intently to see if he needed to intervene.
With a final devastating right hand strike, his head slammed into the wall of the arena, and he lost the strength in his legs.
Thud!
Dropping to the ground, he incredulously looked up to Lazarro that was now stood overhead, along with the crowd that their eyes locked on him.
The referee stood over him, before waving his hand overhead.
The match was over. Lazarro had won.
Thumping his chest with excitement, he shouted to the crowd who were also rather electric after this. The previous commotion from before only made this fight even more exhilarating for them.
Kegan continued to gaze into the crowd with a lifeless expression, mainly staring at Cael.
It took more than 20 seconds before he had the energy and stability to get back up on his feet and remain on them.
Cael took a gasp of air in relief, swiftly drawing the stream of mana back to his weakened body.
His gasp was followed by a chuckle. The pain in his body had taken his mind off the fact that he had won. He actually managed to win and beat Kegan.
Cael eagerly waved at Kegan, who was still being helped by the referee to exit the ring. He could see the growing desire to curse at him in his face even from afar. Kegan¡¯s angry face was something that had been etched into his mind.
Seeing him in this state gave him a sense of satisfaction that he thought he¡¯d never have. He really did have the last laugh.
Ellis Alnwick
¡°Good job, there. Your exosuit was great.¡± Somebody said, from beside Cael.
This was the ginger mechanic -with the odd socks- that had designed his suit for the warrior.
¡°Thank you. Yours wasn¡¯t bad yourself. It was just Kegan that brought you down a little, in my opinion.¡± Cael replied, with a confident tone to his voice.
¡°I¡¯m sorry about him. He was a weird guy wasn''t he?¡± The mechanic replied, rather emotively.
¡°There¡¯s no need to apologise. It¡¯s not your fault that he¡¯s that way.¡± Cael replied swiftly.
There was a sense of guilt even in himself that this boy was apologising for his cousin. He certainly wasn¡¯t at fault for his character. It was clear that his amorality was drawn internally, or likely from his snobbish parents.
Yeah, it was likely a Breckenridge curse of some sort. Many of them he imagined would act as Kegan did if they had similar talent to him.
Soon after that, Cael returned to Lazarro in the locker room, where he screamed with celebration.
¡°We¡¯re actually through to the round of 2048. We¡¯re already like in what, the top 10% or something!¡± Lazarro called out with happiness.
¡°Well, we¡¯re like top 25%, it¡¯s just a half multiplied a half. 1 divided by 2 to the power of 2-,¡±
¡°Yeah, whatever that means.¡± Lazarro replied, cutting him off.
To him, Cael was speaking a different language, and it was a language that he had no desire to hear. He left his life of studies to become a warrior for a reason.
They both just chuckled in reaction, before leaving such locker room shortly after.
Lazarro had his energy supply swapped out, and his mech was fixed, for the most part. In this match, though, the damage had reached deeper into the exosuit and some of the internals were affected. He could feel the exosuit had lost its signature smoothness, and he also had lost significant energy himself.
Now, up against even tougher competition, Lazarro would have to find even more tricks to continue competing.
However, that would be a thought for the near-future. Cael just wanted to relish his victory over Kegan. He hadn¡¯t seen him after the fight and could tell that he silently exited the stadium with his tail between his legs.
The two fighters had their short break, but decided to both eat rather large meals to try and rejuvenate themselves.
Lazarro felt a little surprised that Cael was able to match the volume of food that he was consuming, and even outmatch it in the end.
¡°Did you skip breakfast or something?¡± Lazarro asked, watching Cael devour a fried chicken wing.
¡°Something like that.¡± He replied, still with a piece of chicken he was chewing in his mouth.
They both just laughed, as Cael continued to finish the meal that he¡¯d bought. Taking a breath of satisfaction, both fighters were then alerted to the next set of matches that were coming.
[Lazarro Di Fonti (Cael Breckenridge) vs Horatio Valle (Ellis Alnwick)]
¡°Alnwick? In the Championship tournament?!¡± Lazarro blurted out upon seeing this.
¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Cael asked, clueless as to why his surname drew such a reaction from him.
¡°The Alnwicks? Like The Alnwick Foundation? They¡¯re literally like a family of top mechanics in the entire country, their business even branches into neighbouring nations too.¡± Lazarro explained.
Cael didn¡¯t exactly feel scared, but this was just because he had no clue who this person was. Judging from Lazarro¡¯s reaction, though, he felt like he should be.
Well, if they were both at the same stage in the tournament -and were being matched up against each other- their skill couldn¡¯t be drastically different, right? Additionally, the mechanic¡¯s performance was limited by the fighter they were paired up with.
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Cael felt confident, and patiently awaited the next match while Lazarro¡¯s mind looked clouded in his lifeless gazes.
Their match wasn¡¯t within the first set, so the two of them took the chance to just let their bodies digest the meals they had, while also taking this short break to mentally prepare themselves.
The time of their break was gone in a flash, and they were called up to head to the subsequent match.
Lazarro took in deep inhales to calm himself, before hitting his chest and raising. Even when his mind looked cluttered with intrusive thoughts, he always seemed to find a way to calm his mind.
No matter the pressure, he looked sharp and ready when it came to battle.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve got this.¡± Cael reassured, tapping the boy on his shoulder.
Lazarro nodded back to him, before Horatio¡¯s name was called out. He would soon need to enter the ring, and Cael swiftly headed to the stands to watch the match play out.
This time, the stands were almost filled. He struggled to find the single seat that was reserved for him as the mechanic, and the crowd was quite frankly electric.
Sitting opposite him in the stands was a... boy? He was sure of it. Even from his distance he could see he didn¡¯t look a day over 13.
He had dirty blonde hair, and was clad in a sleek purple suit that glistened under the white lights shining above them.
The boy sat like a noble would, with one leg crossed over the other, and his hand resting on his knees. He gave infrequent, slow waves out to the crowd that looked at him as if he was royalty.
As for the seats adjacent to him, they weren¡¯t occupied by ordinary spectators but instead, muscular, burly bodyguards clad in all-black suits that protected the boy from all angles.
That had to be the mechanic, Ellis Alnwick. Just who was he anyway, if he drew such a reaction from the crowd?
Lazarro shook off his arms, and lifted them to his body as he saw the fight would soon be underway. Even after looking at the opponent, Ellis remained totally calm and serious.
Cael¡¯s vision was better than an ordinary human through his body being augmented by mana, but he still couldn¡¯t seem to discern the emotions that he felt. He felt unmoved by what was happening around him.
Horatio was clad in a sleek, but burly exosuit. It would surely fit into the heavyweight category, but looked almost perfectly made. It¡¯s military grade assembly left no gaps whatsoever, like each component and armour plate was made specifically for the user and suit.
Along with that, he had hefty powered gauntlets along with a wrist-mounted energy rifle from the looks of things.
Horatio had olive-toned skin, and stood at 6¡¯3, towering over the likes of Lazarro ¨C not that he was bothered by that in any way.
He shook off his arms in a similar fashion, but kept them relaxed and by his side. He simply smiled at Lazarro as the referee approached them.
¡°Begin!¡± He called out, making both fighters approach each other.
Horatio swiftly lifted his right arm and shot out a sequence of two red energy blasts. Lazarro managed to counter them with his own energy rifles, that were able to adjust themselves perfectly to meet the blasts before they could reach him.
The blasts harshly collided and exploded between them, releasing a small cloud of smoke. This obscured Lazarro¡¯s view for a time, but it was swiftly blasted apart by Horatio¡¯s explosive advance.
His opponent¡¯s speed, even wearing such cumbersome equipment, was hard to react to. In a flash, his hand had already been clenched into a tight fist and was shooting right for his face.
POW!
A straight punch -enhanced by his bulky gauntlet- to the jaw knocked him back a big step, and he could feel the immediate weight of his opponent from how much he was thrown back.
Before he could return to his senses, he received another combination of attacks on his person, forcing him to the ring¡¯s edge in mere seconds. Now, this was a strong fighter.
While he was constantly trying to run from his opponent, Horatio saw no harm in chasing after him with his arms practically by his side. Even when Lazarro tried to stop him with punches, he could evade them by moving his head out the way seamlessly.
Lazarro caught Horatio with a punch to the face, then an upwards punch that he drove into his gut. He could tell that he landed such attacks well, but Horatio didn¡¯t seem put off by them in any major way.
All he did was give him back a glare of anger. Lazarro swiftly followed up with three energy blasts in quick succession, but none of them managed to break through the durable armour protecting his forearms.
He seemed impossible to injure with such a strong layer of metal across his body.
Lazarro then received a surprise punch, slamming his head into the ring¡¯s edge. With his brain sent flying in his skull, it left him disoriented and prone to further attack. Horatio capitalised on this after seeing his weakening legs, and followed up with a sequence of punches.
Many of them didin¡¯t land as Lazarro was a seasoned fighter. He knew what he had to do in this situation and that would be to turtle up and stay put, blocking and dodging as many attacks as possible.
This only kept him going so long though ¨C he wasn¡¯t invincible. Some punches managed to find their way through his dynamic guard, making him lose even further control over his legs and balance.
With a clear wobble, the crowd turned electric as they could see the end of the fight was near.
He grabbed Lazarro¡¯s extended arm, only to throw him over his shoulder and throw him into the ground. With a loud thud, the fighter was left discombobulated as his head harshly hit the floor.
His eyes couldn¡¯t stay in one place, while he almost forgot where he was for a second.
Being woken up by the referee, he looked ready to go, and lifted his hands in the form of fists to show that he was ready. However, all he could see was his waving arm in his blurry but clearing vision.
¡°You were out son. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The referee said, trying to project his voice through the heavily animated crowd.
Finals
Cael couldn¡¯t have even helped Lazarro after seeing that his powered gauntlet strike was so weak at the start. The loss actually hurt less for him, for two main reasons.
Firstly, he knew the person that he was up against. If this Ellis Alnwick person was of this heavily respected, lauded family company, how could he have competed against him? It was likely that the younger boy had years more experience than himself.
On top of that, he had gotten decently far. For him to have reached this point, that would place him in the top 25% of people who qualified for the event. Compared to all of the mechanics who had taken part in this championship event, that number would be much higher.
Even if this was the championship event and not the premier event, billions of people would¡¯ve been watching this event play out.
There was bound to have been some people paying attention to his work and performance.
Lazarro was finally removed from his suit, and it would then be scrapped for parts later on. Cael felt saddened that his design that he had placed hours of strenuous effort into was now gone for good.
However, he was sure he¡¯d be able to recall some of the internal configurations and armour layout if he used similar components in the future.
Now, remaining in one of the booths of the stadiums, the two remained rather directionless. With their tournament now at a close, Lazarro just spent a short time trying to get over his loss. It turns out, after being knocked out and being in the thrill of battle, it was much harder for him to accept and move past his defeat.
Cael tried his best to console him -using his own words regarding the talented Ellis Alnwick- to show him that his loss didn¡¯t mean much in the grand scheme of things. He was up against a mechanic from a rich family, who was likely tutored by the best mechanics and professors from across the empire and even their star sector.
During this time, they just spent their time eating snacks, and waiting for the next set of fights to continue. They were mainly waiting for the final showdown between the last two fighters.
Cael lifted up to get even more snacks, surprised by his own edacity, and on the way was met by Kegan¡¯s mechanic, Leon Areno.
¡°Hey there man! I just wanted to say you did proper good out there. Your exosuit was like you spent a whole week designing it!¡± Leon said while animatedly moving his arms for emphasis, before extending his arm for a handshake.
The boy was clearly upbeat and bubbly. Even though they were an arm¡¯s length or so from each other, he talked in a half-shout. Cael was more of the reserved, introverted type and didn¡¯t feel any sort of resonation with this attitude, especially so for a stranger. He just awkwardly shook his hand and nodded with a smile.
¡°Thanks a lot. Your exosuit wasn¡¯t half bad, I just think the user wasn¡¯t so great.¡± Cael smartly replied, receiving a loud chuckle from the boy.
¡°HAHAHA! Maybe. What even happened between you two because you seemed to see red as soon as he talked to you.¡± He replied, using his muddy shoes to lift one of his rainbow-coloured socks.
¡°A lot of things I don¡¯t really have the time to go over. He just chooses to put on that fake attitude of politeness to hide how he really is as a person.¡± Cael said, surprisingly being very positive about his description.
¡°Oh, so he¡¯s one of them. I wish I could¡¯ve got an actual decent person to use my exosuit ¨C not that it was any good to be honest.¡± The boy said jokingly.
¡°Your exosuit wasn¡¯t bad. It might¡¯ve had a few faults but so did mine. We were working under really tough time constraints, after all.¡±
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The two continued their smalltalk for some time, before Leon decided it was time for him to go.
¡°Are you not staying for the final match?¡± Cael asked.
¡°No chance. I wanted to be in that match and I don¡¯t want to see others relish the glory that I want for myself. I think I¡¯ll just head out and head home. I do quite the way¡¯s back to Saevis if I¡¯m being totally honest.¡±
Cael¡¯s eyebrows lifted reflexively at his last statement. He was from the same planet as him and Lazarro.
¡°Hey, you¡¯re from Saevis? We are too!¡± Lazarro called out, upon hearing this.
He had just spent the time to himself for now, just watching certain matches and taking this time to relax. As soon as he heard another person from his own planet was here, he felt the sudden need to jump in.
¡°I¡¯m from a small city. It would be called a hamlet by anybody from this place. It¡¯s called Flemington. Has about a third of a million people there.¡± Leon explained.
Upon giving further description, the other two could get a general idea of where the place was. This made the three of them smile, due to being from a common birth planet.
The three decided to share some credentials so they could maybe meet up and just keep in contact. Worldwide transport allowed people to cross planets in lower than an hour, making a planet as connected as major cities were many millennia ago.
¡°Anyways, it was fun, you guys. Well, not so fun since you knocked my fighter guy out but from what I heard about him, maybe it was for the best. I¡¯ll catch you guys later!¡± Leon said, waving at the two.
Cael waved back, and Leon took his leave.
The number of fighters steadily dwindled, with even Ellis Alnwick being eliminated. He was a talented mechanic, but the fighter that was assigned to him simply wasn¡¯t on the same level as him.
The richkid made sure to berate and ridicule the man as soon as he was eliminated. With the numerous fans also on his side, they gave Horatio similar treatment.
As for the final match, Cael couldn¡¯t help but smile in awe at the masterpieces that stood before him. They were in the massive outdoor stadium that was used to first introduce the participants, and this match was watched personally by the emperor himself.
From the stands, you could see the glass room that was elevated above the other seated spectators, housing the emperor and his son, the prince that had announced the qualifiers. They looked similar, with clear and pale skin alongside silky black hair.
A fighter, with his helmet already properly engaged, had a glistening, black-tinted vice, with a unique but futuristic helmet design.
His armour was perfectly laid out, and each piece looked meticulously hand-crafted for the area it was to be placed on. He was clearly equipped with two powered gauntlets, along with two energy rifles placed side-by-side on the man¡¯s right shoulder. Even though it should¡¯ve been weighing the person down, his suit was skilfully crafted so that he would feel very little.
As for the opponent, his armour was a sleek white colour, and had two wrist-mounted rifles along with thick lower leg pieces. Cael wondered what that would do, since it would struggle to increase leg speed.
With the weight concentrated so far down the suit, he couldn¡¯t find a way for it to accelerate the user greatly.
The stadium was filled to the brim, and the chaos was quite intimidating to Cael. He had never been in an environment so animated like this, while Lazarro sseemed to fit in just fine as he joined in with the screaming, cheering, and applauding.
¡°Here we have it, folks. His Majesty¡¯s Championship Fighter-Mechanic Event has come down to this! First, we announce the mechanics letting their creations collide. The creator of the black exosuit goes by Marcel Delsarte, from the neighbouring Stohan Empire!!¡± The main announcer called out.
In an elevated seating area, reserved for nobles, there sat the mechanic responsible for the exosuit currently in use.
Cael couldn¡¯t properly see him, but he had olive-toned, tanned skin and dark brown hair. From his name and complexion, he could already tell that he wasn¡¯t from the Soburg Empire.
The Stohan Empire drew their roots from a specific area of Earth called The Americas.
¡°In the other corner, we have the older brother of the previous competitor Ellis Alnwick, Harry Alnwick!¡±
He was clad in an all-white suit, with some black areas on it. He sat in a similar noble way and received far more enthusiastic cheers and rallies from the crowd.
¡°As for the fighters, the man clad in the black exosuit is Colin Gilson! For the man that he is facing, he is an upcoming prodigal figure within the prestigious Lentini Family, Ardito Lentini!¡±
Upon hearing that name, Cael knew exactly which family the announcer was on about. The Lentini family were a noble house within the Soburg Empire, and he was sure one of their main members would¡¯ve been in this stadium watching the fight from the several elevated pods.
They were known for their characteristic red and ginger hair. Most of them had a paler red hair, with more diluted members of the family possessing ginger or even blonde hair.
¡°Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Let¡¯s begin this fight before we get bored shall we! Let¡¯s begin!¡± The announcer roared, placing his microphone right to his mouth.
Obar Rukkon
The two exosuit warriors charged at each other, with Colin using his double-barrel energy rifle to try and bring the fighter to a stop. Unlike Cael¡¯s hypothesis, his opponent ran forward with amazing speed, but not because of the stride speed.
However, each stride he took was far longer without causing a drastic decrease in his stride frequency, making him significantly faster overall.
The two red energy blasts shot in his direction but he dropped down to evade such blasts.
With his swiftness, he managed to land two weak but quick blasts from one his wrist-mounted rifles, following up with 3 from the other energy rifle.
Before the third blast could reach Colin, though, Ardito received a straight punch from one of his powered gauntlets. With very little weight added to the arms of the suit, his fists whipped through the air like bullets.
Using his powered gauntlets, three quick punches landed on Ardito¡¯s helmet, before he was given the chance to properly block and handle the attacks. Ardito didn¡¯t seem bothered or stunned by such punches, though.
He simply followed the plan that he had laid out from himself, and fell into a rather deep crouch. He then span around while shooting his right leg forward and -enhanced by the large components in his lower leg- the force behind the attack was much more powerful.
The kick caused Colin to slid back, while gritting his teeth as he has landed a straight shot onto his person.
The two fighters continued to battle not just with ferocity, but elegance. Their resolution and utter desire to win could be seen through their intense conflict, but none of them submitted to their flaring emotions.
They continued to rely on the techniques that they could, while putting as much effort into each one as they could.
The minutes passed, but the crowd -including Cael- were not bored. Each second was a spectacle, and it wasn¡¯t like these two fighters were having to fight purely with their own mana and stamina.
With on-site mana cores to act as extra power sources, they could then fight more intensely for longer periods of time. However, without any breaks, it wasn¡¯t long before their intensity was slowly declining.
From afar, Ardito launched a few energy blasts, that managed to land on Colin. His exosuit was heavier and had higher energy demand, meaning that he couldn¡¯t perform as well as he was doing a short while before.
Seeing his chance to win, Ardito decided to run in. The crowd became quiet and watched the fight on intently as the victor was going to be decided very soon.
With some of the last of his mana, Colin shouted and launched two -so four- consecutive blasts from his energy rifle, that had now become somewhat cumbersome.
The blasts landed right on Colin, with the final one scorching through some layers of his armour and forcing him to a knee. Hissing from the burning pain of the attack, he determinedly steeled through the pain as he saw how many spectators had eyes on him. It was clear a loss was not an option for the boy.
He continued forward with his powerful, long strides and landed a sequence of punches onto Colin¡¯s black exosuit. Following this combination, he landed two jumping tornado kicks straight onto his chest.
With the heavily amplified force from his exosuit, the fighter was launched back and nearly off his feet entirely. He grunted from the pain he could feel in his torso, and Ardito continued his intense beatdown until Colin could barely fight back properly.
He shot another pair of blasts from his heated energy rifle, making the barrels red with heat. Ardito had seen this coming, however, and simply let the energy rifles fly up into the sky. Before they could exit the stadium though, they hit into a translucent barrier that kept the projectiles of battles caged into the arena.
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Stomping onto his chest, Colin was slammed into the gridded arena floor, and the force behind the strike cracked it apart.
With a mixture of downward stomps and punches, Colin was struggling to fight back and could only land the occasional punch with his powered gauntlets. However, with his limited energy supply, the gauntlets couldn¡¯t operate at their very maximum power ¨C even for single strikes.
Ardito was tired of how this fight was drawing out and looked at the referee that scurried over to the current battle. He assessed the condition of Colin, as he received attack after attack until his arms suddenly fell by his side for just split-second.
He¡¯d been out.
Grabbing Ardito and pulling him away, he waved his hands, and the fight was over. Colin and Marcel of the Stohan Empire had been defeated, giving the win to the Alnwick-Lentini duo.
Cael was expecting that this would be the outcome. Since he had only heard of the Alnwick family for the first time that same day, he couldn¡¯t comment on Harry specifically. As for the Lentini family, he was a lot more versed with them since they were a noble family of formidable exosuit warriors.
They had several leading roles in the empire¡¯s military, and even had jurisdiction over some of the colonies scattered across their section of the galaxy.
¡°There we have it, folks! First, as a preliminary reward for these two fighters, they will be given a fast pass into the main part of the Premiership tournament in the next edition, since they will still be young enough to participate if they choose to do so. Ardito Lentini and Harry Alnwick will be given a reward of $75,000 each for their efforts, with all other participants receiving a customary $2,500, all funded by the emperor, himself.¡±
¡°Come on! That¡¯s got to get me something nice in the vault!¡± Lazarro called out with excitement.
The crowd clapped, in awe at the emperor¡¯s benevolence. Cael already had quite a sum of money to rely on but was still grateful for the reward he was given. Alongside this, he didn¡¯t quite understand the reverence for the kindness of the emperor. He wasn¡¯t exactly a tyrant, but he refused to believe that the citizens of the empire¡¯s colonies were treated in similar ways.
Their land¡¯s resources and people were still exploited to further benefit the central empire¡¯s components.
The two finalists received gleaming golden medals, directly from the emperor himself. As for Ardito, he received a special golden medal, with a ring of glistening diamonds. Both medals were given to the warriors, who received intense applause from the surrounding crowd.
After the ending ceremony, Cael was off back to Saevis.
Taking the same flight that he had done before, he was back on Saevis within about a day¡¯s time. Exhausted and jetlagged, he was finally happy to be back home in his cosy bedroom.
It wasn¡¯t long before his eyes shut, and he fell into a deep slumber after the lengthy tournament.
A few hours passed, and as he woke up early on the Saturday morning, he was met with an odd notification. This time it didn¡¯t come from his system, but instead, came from the projector that he¡¯d bought from Cria Flights.
¡°What¡¯s going on here? Breaking news?¡± He asked himself, looking at the massive panel that appeared.
As his eyes began to focus after his nightly sleep, he was shocked by what he saw. He jolted up from bed, throwing the covers off his body in shock.
On the panel was a conference held between the Emperor of Soburg, along with the King of the State of Verboram. The first conference between humans and boarmen in decades.
They were in a dimly lit but expansive conference room, surrounded by hundreds of officials spectating the event.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen here we have footage of the live meeting between Emperor Orson and Obak Rukkon of the State of Verboram. They are here with their noble associates to discuss the events that transpired in Amburg recently with the emergence of Gorkag, a Gor- caste boarman.¡± A news reporter announced.
Within the name of each boarman was a prefix that denoted their ¡®caste¡¯ within society. Gor- was the lowest level caste, reserved for the weak, working-class members of boarish societies. Ruk- was a prefix reserved for the most talented and respected individuals, like the Obak (basically meaning king) that sat before them.
The Obak wore expensive-looking, radiant silk with several intricate, gold-coloured embroideries. He wore a thick, heavy-looking necklace embellished with crystals of gold, diamond, and otherworldly crystals more scintillant that any other found on Earth.
Surrounding the seated Obak were several others wearing similar, but more toned-down outfits, but at the outer ring were stood boarmen of lower classes, that wielded weapons like spears and swords, along with large gauntlets. They wore similar armour to what Gorkag had worn before and looked on edge as they stared at the other soldiers that guarded the human nobles.
Both collections of guards looked on edge at they stared at each other. Silence befell the group, and the air was so thick that many of them remained frozen.
¡°Rmph!¡± A boarish guard grunted, causing the human guards to all lift their weapons in reaction.
There was a simultaneous whirring of exosuits as these heavily decorated, trained soldiers prepared themselves to attack.
¡°There¡¯s no need to do that now. Lower your weapons.¡± Orson commanded, lifting his right hand calmly.
In this group of soldiers was Leighton, who begrudgingly followed his father¡¯s orders and lowered his fist, while giving off glares of disgust and abhorrence at the group of boarish soldiers.
New Quest
¡°Greetings, Orson. It has been a while, hasn¡¯t it? I remember when you were just a little boy, still training under your father, Luther.¡± Rukkon called out, with a deep and beastly voice that made the hairs of the nobles on Orson¡¯s side raise.
However, Orson was trained to hold his position as emperor. To do so properly, he had to make sure to never falter. To never show fear.
¡°Anyways, we are here to discuss the emergence of the boarman known as Gorkag. Would you please explain to us why and how he appeared in our galaxy and on Amburg?¡± Orson demanded.
He remained polite in his words, but his question was still bold. They could tell by his demeanour that he was demanding the answer, and the truth for that matter.
¡°Well, that man was of the Gor- caste. Don¡¯t pay him attention, he was a peasant trying to go for glory. We had no intentions to cause such commotion, and the boarman has been properly dealt with. We can give you his head if you want it.¡± Rukkon replied, placing one of his legs over the other as he gave out a snort.
¡°We don¡¯t believe that to be true as of now. He seemed equipped with a special teleportation technology that seemed far too advanced for your previous capabilities. Wouldn¡¯t this sort of item had to have been provided by an established organisation of some sort, like a government?¡± Orson furthered, increasing the tension between the two groups.
¡°We can go on further to ask why an established government of that sort would provide an item to a boarman of the Gor- caste, without an ulterior motive?¡±
Rukkon laughed in reaction to this, but his voice was so deep that it sounded more akin to a grunt. He snorted before replying.
¡°That technology is no longer advanced for us. We may not use technology in military scenarios, but they are great supplements in other fields. He must¡¯ve found a way of stealing it to get a moment of glory. I mean, look around us. Hundreds of trillions, if not quadrillions of our people are watching this as we speak. This is the attention that Gorkag wanted all along.¡± Rukkon replied.
There was silence between the groups because he¡¯d made a fair point. The humans had assumed that their technology couldn¡¯t have advanced as fast, and Gorkag could¡¯ve easily just gone for show.
As Cael watched this, he felt like the explosion that gave off further strengthened their point. Causing as much destruction and chaos as possible was almost definitely going to cause a conference of this sort.
They continued to bicker and discuss the event that had taken place for a long time, and Cael¡¯s eyes did not leave the panel as they continued. He was sure that -just as Rukkon had stated- many quadrillions of humans and boarmen watched on in a similar manner.
Cael couldn¡¯t believe this was happening, since this was almost a once in a lifetime thing. For most humans of his age, they assumed that they would never see a boarman in their entire lives. From the previous wars and conflicts between alien lifeforms centuries ago, he wasn¡¯t bothered by that fact.
In history books, these species were depicted as devils and warlords. Of course, Cael was not blind to the propaganda but couldn¡¯t prevent the image of these malevolent boarmen being etched into his mind. Seeing them laugh and act positively felt alien to him, since they were always just war-mongering demons from his point of view.
The meeting was soon over, and the royalty were escorted out of the large conference room by their respective guards.
Cael couldn¡¯t believe what was happening, and soon saw that the internet had turned to chaos as this event was trending everywhere. Articles and comments were receiving billions of views in minutes, and his projector could barely keep up with the inexorably growing feeds.
Taking his mind off what was happening for a short minute, he noticed another notification that had been given to him from a Breckenridge.
¡°Oh, Uncle Asher. What does he want?¡± Cael thought hostilely, reading the title of the email
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After a few seconds of thought, he knew exactly what he was texting him for. After having no contact with his family for literally years on end, Asher was here to reward him for his recent performance in the Fighter-Mechanic Event.
¡°Congratulations on your victory at the Fighter-Mechanic Championship! Your innovative exo-suit design distinguished you in this fierce competition. You''ve demonstrated exceptional skill and creativity.
We look forward to your future contributions to exo-suit engineering.
Best regards,
Uncle Asher¡±
Cael couldn¡¯t help but scoff after reading that email. He could see right through the ruse of this double-faced man through the text.
Not paying the text much attention at all, he gave a short and quick reply before receiving yet another notification.
This time it was from yet another Breckenridge. Cael felt a little concerned because he knew this person was a little more important in the family. He was an esteemed warrior and lived in Oseron on TCP.
Why would someone like him be receiving an email from such a person?
Giving the lengthy text a skim-read, he saw that there was an upcoming event between the several young Breckenridges to test their skills. He was invited to the event to see what he was capable of.
Cael couldn¡¯t believe that he was invited to such a thing, because he¡¯d only showed off his mechanical skills. How would they know that he had gotten more able at fighting as well?
¡°oh, right!¡± He realised, clicking his fingers.
That was the whole point. They believed he was the same strength. They wanted to use this event to humiliate Cael, as a way of making sure that he would know his position.
He just laughed upon seeing the glaring character of this Breckenridge. It was funny to see that none of them had changed in the slightest.
A single second later, another notification appeared. This time, it was from his system.
[New Quest!]
[Combat Advancement]
[Your two-faced family have finally given you a chance to showcase your skills. Utilise the power of your system to illustrate your talent! Advance your MP to 10 and create an exosuit tailored to your needs for the battling event.]
[Punishment: MP halves, -250 Gears]
[Time to Complete: 90 days]
[New Quest!]
[High Supply]
[Sell 15 new copies of a new drone technology with a versatility rating of 70/100.]
[Punishment: -4 Creativity, -4 Dexterity]
[Time to Complete: 45 days]
A wide smile cracked across Cael¡¯s face upon seeing these notifications. He was back in the game now.
What he was most excited about was the first notification. If he could advance his MP then -hopefully- receive some additional rewards from the system, he could be in a much better position to fight in the event.
Looking at the basic description of the upcoming family reunion, he could see that the participants were permitted to bring their very own exosuits. This meant that he could do what the system had asked him to.
Utilising his own mechanic abilities to tailor to his own style, he could possibly gain an advantage. He suddenly felt a strong desire to prove himself at this event and was willing to spend a little extra to form a more advanced exosuit to power himself.
His higher MP would also allow him to do so.
However, the main issue would be the cost. As items got more expensive, there were diminishing returns. An item that was 10x as expensive as mid-tier equipment would only be 3 to 4x as powerful.
These increases simply didn¡¯t climb as much as the cost, so high-tier equipment was exponentially more expensive than their mid-tier equivalents.
If he wanted to give himself a good exosuit here, he¡¯d have to go for profit in his second quest. If he could amass enough revenue from the new technology he¡¯d sell, he could then move onto advancing his exosuit and providing it with the most advanced equipment his body could properly sustain.
Going overboard would just cause the exosuit to poorly follow his own movements and drain his stamina.
Giving the second quest deeper thought, he realised that 70 versatility was not going to be an easy task. Forming a drone to be so versatile would require many different sensors, but he still didn¡¯t know if that would be enough.
Opening the TechForge Simulation Lab, he began by looking at his old designs and trying to form alterations to hopefully increase their versatility.
Returning to his usual time at school, he continued with this design and felt slightly warmer treatment from some of the weaker members of his year group. After he destroyed Miles Larson, his power surge skill meant that he could easily take down people stronger than himself using exosuits.
This gave him more respect with those people, but just made the others even more confused. Growth as an exosuit warrior wasn¡¯t supposed to be limitless like Cael was depicting it to be. There was almost a ceiling, determined by your genetic aptitude.
From what he¡¯d been showing before, they assumed his ceiling was incredibly low, but it seemed that that was no longer the case, somehow.
After the first week back, he had fleshed out two main designs that he tried to improve the versatility on. He lowered the number of thrusters on both while basically jampacking them with different sensors.
He didn¡¯t put much work into the internals and other details, since he just wanted to see how high he could get his versatility stat.
Swarm
[Name: Vulture Test1]
[Type: Sensory Drone]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 28/100]
[Agility: 30/100]
[Durability: 23/100]
[Sensor Accuracy: 62/100]
[Sensor Versatility: 59/100]
[Range: 60/100]
[Overall Rank: 38/100]
[Name: Vulture Test2]
[Type: Sensory Drone]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 25/100]
[Agility: 23/100]
[Durability: 19/100]
[Sensor Accuracy: 63/100]
[Sensor Versatility: 61/100]
[Range: 60/100]
[Overall Rank: 31/100]
¡°Oh, gosh.¡± Cael thought, with laughter, upon seeing the awful ratings for the designs.
It just didn¡¯t feel right seeing such low numbers, but that wasn¡¯t what he was interested in. Cael¡¯s eyes opened in shock upon seeing that his second design was only awarded a 61 stat in versatility.
The number of different sensors and components he had added into the design was excessive to say the least. Its weight made it barely functional as a drone, while the lack of armour across it rendered it a sitting duck.
However, its various components only managed to increase its versatility up to a measly 61, a whole 9 points away from his target goal. It became clear to him that if he wanted to complete this tall order, he¡¯d have to put a lot of time and thought into it.
To prepare himself for this upcoming event, he looked into his skill tree and opened the ¡®Combat¡¯ section.
[Combat]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[The user can increase the maximum power output of a powered gauntlet by 25% for 10 seconds. Causes a significant drain to one¡¯s mana.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[Cost to Unlock: 30 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
[The user increases the durability of the armour plates of their exosuit for a duration of 30 seconds. Causes a significant drain to one¡¯s mana.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[Cost to Unlock: 30 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Flow State]
[The focus and dexterity stats of the user increase by 40% for 25 seconds, allowing for greater perception and battle intelligence.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[Cost to Unlock: 30 Gears]
It was clear that his system was prioritising the mechanical side of things for the time being. He couldn¡¯t think of why this was the case, but he also couldn¡¯t discern any of the intentions of the system.
Even after all this time, he was given no hint as to who even created this thing and why it was stored in some random helmet in the middle of Carlo City.
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Nevertheless, he still couldn¡¯t upgrade or unlock any skills because he hadn¡¯t met the criteria to doing so.
[Insufficient stats/titles for further skill unlock/upgrades]
[MINIMUM STATS/TITLES REQUIRED FOR FURTHER UPGRADES/UNLOCKS: Competent Merchant, 20 Intelligence, 10MP]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 4]
[Speed: 6]
[Durability: 4]
[Intelligence: 16]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 8]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 7/7]
[Skills]
Competent Merchant was still a title that he had no direct means of acquiring. From what he had observed previously, it was given as a random reward for achieving success at selling his creations.
All he could hope for was that the system would grant him the title once this first quest was complete ¨C if he could complete it.
Then, he could easily unlock the skills and even upgrade and unlock the other skills within the other sections of his skill tree.
He had $331,500 in his account that he had ready to spend on gears. He would need 300 to upgrade his MP, then a further 1,000 to then upgrade his intelligence fully.
1,300 multiplied by 50 meant that he¡¯d be paying $65,000 for all the items, which was a hefty price. He contemplated the numerous creations that he could sell with that money, or just how long he could live with that money in a place like Carlo City.
In his apartment, that would cover every other cost that he had more than 1.5X times over, with a significant portion left over for savings.
He also didn¡¯t intend to spend too much money since he knew that his own exosuit would cost a fortune to create himself. He hadn¡¯t been given the fabrication for this upcoming event and couldn¡¯t rely on his system giving him one.
[Would you like to convert $65,000 into 1,300 gears?]
Cael agreed and that amount was swiftly added into his system.
He then applied the necessary improvements to his stats page, making him feel a warm feeling throughout his body. The capacity of his mana increased even further, and he could feel his body being invigorated during this upgrade.
With more mana to power himself, the limits to his physical strength had been lifted even higher. Additionally, he could power even better exosuits smoothly and efficiently.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 4]
[Speed: 6]
[Durability: 4]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 8]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 10/10]
[Skills]
[MINIMUM STATS/TITLES REQUIRED FOR FURTHER UPGRADES/UNLOCKS: Competent Merchant]
Now that he had already met some of the other criteria, the notification only detailed the conditions that he had to meet that he hadn¡¯t already met.
Having no control over upgrading his title, he let that matter rest for now, and continued on thinking of a better drone design to increase versatility.
He scoured the web in search of unique drone designs that he could magpie from. There were certain attack drone designs that had various different styles of energy blasters and projectiles to attack enemy troops, but bases as well.
Other drones had greater resistance to electromagnetic pulses intended to disrupt their inner workings.
He formed other test designs, trying to incorporate the other components and models that he had seen from a superficial level, but couldn¡¯t even breach past the 65 mark. Whenever he would do so, the other stats of the drone would suffer too greatly.
It was to the point where almost all of his designs were pretty much unsellable. The quest was a true struggle, and a whole fortnight had passed during this time.
He cursed his system from preventing him from upgrading his skills, which would be a great help here. Of course, he could use his stats to try and improve his abilities, but he didn¡¯t want to waste the money that he had. The money he had stored up was for the exosuit he¡¯d have to inevitably design and purchase, and for the business he intended to expand.
Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t stop himself and spent 200 gears on upgrading his creativity stat to 10. While he was there, he decided to increase his base physical stats, which also had a more direct effect on his physical abilities.
Spending 400 gears, with 2 stat upgrades each in strength and durability, his strength, speed and durability were all 6.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 6]
[Speed: 6]
[Durability: 6]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 10]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 10/10]
[Skills]
He ended up spending $20,000 just to get those stat upgrades and told himself that he wouldn¡¯t get any more. It wasn¡¯t worth spending tens of thousands of dollars for just a single quest.
However, when he looked at the punishment of failing such quest, he was made to believe otherwise.
The following days, he felt himself making more progress in the domain of finding a new design for versatility.
He was stood in his room, with several descriptions of drone models surrounding him. He did not have the funds to buy alteration permits so that he could see the further intricacies of these designs.
He saw no need to do so and continued looking at the several types of sensory drone to try and find a way to come over this obstacle. Looking at a certain image, with several identical drones beside each other, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.
He swiped away the panels in his vision to try and focus more, placing a hand on his chin. A few seconds later, a smile appeared on his face.
¡°There¡¯s no way. I think I found a way to do this!¡±
The main word that popped up into his mind was ¡®Swarm¡¯. He imagined a system of drones, that were made up of individual models but functioned as a single system.
They would regularly communicate through electromagnetic pulses, and co-ordinate themselves in several different ways. If there were models with various purposes, like attack drones, sensory drones and other types of drones banded together, the versatility of the swarm would go through the roof!
Cael felt captivated by this new design that he had thought up, and spent the next few days fleshing out its functions.
WM Aero Swarm
He made out basic sketches and typed up basic descriptions to just record his thought processes when creating the model. In 3 days time, he had a solid model that he wanted to now create.
Within the centre of the swarm would be so-called co-ordinator drones. These would use EM pulses to communicate with the other drones within the swarm. They would advise the others in terms of formations, and other information that they couldn¡¯t figure out or process themselves.
Being the backbone of the swarm, he made sure that they would have significant armour and thrusters to avoid enemy fire.
Along with the co-ordinator drones would be worker drones. The worker drones would be the main attack and sensory force with the drones and could also convert into makeshift co-ordinator drones if they received sufficient damage.
With this swarm, he wanted them to work in units of around 15 to 20, with 4 co-ordinator drones and the rest being worker drones.
Cael meticulously mused over possible formations and co-ordinations that the drones could utilise in the swarm. Conducting ample research, he observed several different methods of organising the swarm.
There could be layers of drones so that they resembled a 3d object. Additionally, they could operate like a fleet, all at the same elevation but just in different orientations like a circular or arrowhead shape.
Each individual model didn¡¯t need to be extremely large or even impressive for that matter. The swarm¡¯s functionality derived from it being a unit, not from the utility of each individual drone.
Cael swiftly began to work on this design, and the creation process drew him in the longer that he did it.
With his greater intelligence and creativity, he could manoeuvre his way around the challenges of handling internals much more easily.
The managing of the metals and plates was also a relatively seamless process. The challenge was more on his mind, instead of his body failing to do what he wanted it to.
The swarm would consist of three different types of drone, so he decided to begin with the co-ordinator units since they were the most useful. They would be equipped with basic-to-moderate level sensory equipment, and energy blasters that would be described as self-defensive.
They weren¡¯t intended to cause substantial damage to enemies, but just to subvert harm being caused to the drone itself in the form of warning blasts.
Using co-ordination required him to write large volumes of code, and it was always a struggle. With other parts of the creation process, he felt it going a lot smoother. However, with code, he would just end up coding more complex functions as he advanced ¨C inevitably running into similar issues, as a result.
However, he had no desire to back down. Time was running out, and he had to squeeze out every minute from his day that he could.
He didn¡¯t even have enough time to further his skills in the vault, but he believed there would be ample time for that after completing this quest.
With about 15 days left, his first design was complete. His code was functional and didn¡¯t turn out as he intended it to. It was more basic, and he couldn¡¯t realise all of the goals that he had in his mind but he just accepted that as a core part of the development process with writing code. It was hard to tell how hard it was to conjure up equivalent syntax for the ideas he thought of.
The co-ordinator was the largest of the drones, and he painted it a military-style dark green. it gave the drone an alluring aesthetic, and made it seem more professional as well.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM Swarm Co-Ordinator]
[Type: Sensory Drone]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 45/100]
[Agility: 64/100]
[Durability: 67/100]
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
[Sensor Accuracy: 60/100]
[Sensor Versatility: 35/100]
[Range: 29/100]
[Overall Rank: 58/100]
Cael felt a little surprised by how high the overall rating was. Also, he was confused about this drone being just labelled a ¡®sensory drone¡¯. He assumed the system couldn¡¯t find a great descriptor for this unique drone, but still gave it a high overall rating as if it had taken into account its co-ordinating abilities.
Nevertheless, he was happy with the rating and just hoped that he could achieve a design description for his swarm as a whole.
If so, his versatility would be bound to reach new heights. With only 2 weeks left, this was pretty much his last chance. If this didn¡¯t work, it¡¯d be game over for him.
Swiftly moving onto the attack drone, he found the designing process to be even more seamless than the co-ordinator. He was more well-versed with managing his designs with the thought of combat in mind.
At the end of the day, that¡¯s what he had been taught from a very young age. Incorporating that mindset into the mechanical sides of things augmented his designs a noteworthy amount.
After making significant progress on that design, he began working with the sensory drone alongside it. He actually decided to work with his Vulture XR-1 Titan as a base, allowing him to save a lot of time.
The framing design and layout was already decided by those that had made the Vulture XR-1 Basic and so, he could focus more on adding additional components and the external armour layout.
In a week or so more, Cael fell back onto his bed with a sigh of relief as his designs were complete. He attentively inspected the three floating designs within three platforms of the TechForge Simulation Lab. All of them donned a signature dark green spray on the exterior and varied quite significantly in shape and size.
The attack drone was the largest, followed by the co-ordinators in a distant second place. The sensory and co-ordinator drones were of similar sizes since they served similar purposes. Both drones would have sensory capabilities and would have to use agility to evade incoming fire due to their abysmal firepower.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM Swarm Attacker]
[Type: Attack Drone]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 58/100]
[Agility: 50/100]
[Durability: 63/100]
[Firepower: 54/100]
[Power Efficiency: 45/100]
[Range: 55/100]
[Overall Rank: 55/100]
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM Swarm Sensor]
[Type: Sensory Drone]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 41/100]
[Agility: 65/100]
[Durability: 45/100]
[Sensor Accuracy: 63/100]
[Sensor Versatility: 50/100]
[Range: 39/100]
[Overall Rank: 49/100]
The ratings for the items weren¡¯t all that bad, and it really didn¡¯t concern him that much. The value in these units would come from them working together, instead of on their own. He just hoped that the system would have a different sentiment upon forming these designs together into his envisioned swarm.
Cael decided to open a fourth panel, that was now at the side of his bed and not at the base. His projector had four different TechForge panels being simulated at the same time, and had no problem running each one smoothly.
This allowed Cael to move between them with absolute ease, forming the swarm while making micro-adjustments to the following three designs.
With the base swarm layout -a circular grouping of drones- the fourth panel donned the main formation of the swarm.
The co-ordinator drones would be snugly housed in the centre, while the attack drones took position at the ring of this circular grouping. In between these two drones were the sensory drones.
Depending on enemy fire, the drones could expand from each other to give themselves more room, or become tighter in other circumstances.
Co-ordinators could also broadcast new formations, and the drones would intelligently re-organise themselves into such new formation.
Cael smiled with accomplishment and achievement as he had realised this transformative design. He hadn¡¯t seen very much attention being brought to this design but didn¡¯t quite understand why.
Well, it wasn¡¯t like everybody in the world had a system quest specifically detailing them to make a design with above 70 versatility. Much to Cael¡¯s delight, a system message appeared to name the swarm design ahead of him.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM Aero Swarm]
[Type: Swarm Drone System]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 39/100]
[Agility: 71/100]
[Durability: 72/100]
[Sensor Accuracy: 48/100]
[Sensor Versatility: 74/100]
[Range: 80/100]
[Overall Rank: 63/100]
¡°WOOOHOOO!!¡± Cael thought, laughing as his eyes immediately latched onto the versatility stat for his swarm.
Cael was really liking the look of the number beside his sensor versatility stat and was grateful that his hard work ultimately paid off. Living off several cups of coffee, he felt like he needed a well-deserved rest to get his body back to a healthy level.
Endless hours of working against the clock meant that he would routinely work past midnight, and even into the early hours of the morning. With only a handful of hours to slumber, it gravely affected his performance in the exosuit cadet institute.
However, instead of being berated by Arlo for his lacklustre performance, he was a lot more understanding. He could see that Cael also had other ventures -like him being a mechanic- and was tolerant of his visibly apparent fatigue. He still did frequently advise him to try and get back to a healthy sleeping schedule as soon as he could.
Exosuit Design
The quest had specifically detailed for him to sell ¡®copies¡¯ of his designs. This allowed him to go down the virtual route, cutting down costs significantly.
The entire swarm of 15 drones came out to around a cost of $24,000. The items used within them were mid-tier and so, the system hadn¡¯t given him any resources that he could use in the assembly process.
What followed were a few exhaustingly long sessions of assembly, as he handcrafted the individual drones that made up this swarm unit.
Using the virtual platform, the metal forging process and internal manipulation was much more manageable, and he could do this practically anywhere where he could have privacy.
His hands moved with immense dexterity compared to his capabilities. It just made him try to comprehend the skills of the most venerable mechanics of the galaxy. He could only imagine how impeccable their designs would be.
With 15 drones in a few days -mainly a weekend- of hard work, he swiftly placed them on the market to have the highest chances of selling them. He only had days left to complete this quest, so could only resort to luck to make it out on this one.
After finally listing the items on the market, Cael took a well-deserved break from the intensive work that he¡¯d been putting himself through. During this time of break, the designing process of his exosuit commenced.
Powered gauntlets would be a necessity, but he didn¡¯t shy away from the other weapons that were on offer for him to use.
He could resort to superheated daggers, or even powerful energy blasts to possess lethal firepower. Upon thinking about himself donning such a suit, he struggled to foresee himself fighting in such a manner. He¡¯d much rather utilise his fists and another supplementary weapon to allow him to still fight in a similar manner.
The very next day, Cael was surprised to see that his items sold. he wondered who¡¯d done this but couldn¡¯t immediately do so due to the marketplace system¡¯s layout.
He felt delighted to see that he received another follower, and then his system appeared with a following notification that he was even more delighted to see.
The notification of his quest¡¯s completion.
[Quest Complete!]
[Title Upgraded!]
[Competent Merchant]
[New Ability!]
[Ability: Free Rider]
[The cost for running a merchant account on the ExoTech Marketplace and ExoTech Marketplace: Vault Edition will now be covered by the system.]
[New Ability!]
[Ability: Algorithm Manipulator]
[On the ExoTech Marketplaces, the user can manipulate the display algorithms so that their items appear higher up on displayed lists than they should do. This allows for more views on products.]
Cael liked the idea of these two new abilities. The first one wasn¡¯t all that great but was nice to have. He wondered how the system could just make the payments for him but then again, it seemed like the system could do anything it desired.
Luckily, his swarm units were counted as individual items, and not the whole swarm together. Making 225 or so drone units just to complete the quest would¡¯ve been literally impossible without some form of automation.
He did have his Quick Build skill but was able to manage without resorting to it. Then again, he would fall back onto using that skill whenever he could tolerate using a rudimentary assembly process.
The Quick Build skill saved him time -allowing him to increase his supply output- but each unit would receive a slight hit to its quality.
With the ability to unlock and upgrade more skills, he had a lot more to do. He spends a few minutes analysing where his weak points were, and identified his lack of skill when it came to armour assembly, along with compartment organisation.
No matter how he organised his components, his greater skill with managing internals meant he could almost work with anything he was given.
However, that wasn¡¯t going to get him to form stellar, quality designs. In the future, he was hoping to acquire contracts from massive firms and even private militaries to expand his firm.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
To do so, he had to make sure that he was up to par with his competitors.
[Combat]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[The user can increase the maximum power output of a powered gauntlet by 25% for 10 seconds. Causes a significant drain to one¡¯s mana.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[Cost to Unlock: 30 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
[The user increases the durability of the armour plates of their exosuit for a duration of 30 seconds. Gives the exosuit a slight glow. Causes a significant drain to one¡¯s mana.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[Cost to Unlock: 30 Gears]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Flow State]
[The focus and dexterity stats of the user increase by 40% for 25 seconds, allowing for greater perception and battle intelligence.]
[COST: 0.5MP]
[Cost to Unlock: 30 Gears]
His system had granted him a 100-gear reward for completing the quest, with 90 extra gears for selling the swarm. With 190 gears to begin with, he unlocked mana shield along with gauntlet overdrive.
[Skill Unlocked!]
[Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
[Skill Unlocked!]
[Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
It was almost as if the system resonated with his style of fighting. He desired using his fists to overpower his opponents and with gauntlet overdrive, that heavily catered toward his style of fighting.
Only costing him 60 gears, he had an extra 130 gears, along with a large amount of money to use for spending. He didn¡¯t want to eat into all his capital -he did have a business to run and enlarge- but he also didn¡¯t want to get stomped in this upcoming event.
He was hoping that his exosuit and skill upgrades wouldn¡¯t cost him over half of the money that he had, but that was a very vague, pie in the sky estimation.
[Skills]
[Skill: Power Surge]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Script Sage]
[Skill: Mana Stream]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Rapid Update]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Script Sage]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Internal Design]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Combat Specialist]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Alloy Mastery]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Compacting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Armour Fitting]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
[Abilities]
[Ability: Lv. 2 Discount Mastery]
[Ability: Market Savvy]
[Ability: Extra Profit]
[Ability: Permanent Combat Sales]
[Ability: Free Rider]
[Ability: Algorithm Manipulator]
Most of the level 1 skills would cost him around 80 gears to upgrade, with the level 2 skills being around 160. The higher skills had variable upgrade costs, but they all vastly higher than 160, being more than 2x greater.
He didn¡¯t want to leave those skills at just level 1 -of course- so he continued on with taking out $20,000 for 400 gears and increasing them to a sufficient level.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Mana Shield -> Lv. 2 Mana Shield]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Mana Shield -> Lv. 3 Mana Shield]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive -> Lv. 2 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Gauntlet Overdrive -> Lv. 3 Gauntlet Overdrive]
With these skills to start off, he would go back to increasing the combat skills¡¯ utility after at least a bit of training.
He could tell that his level 4 internal design was at play a substantial amount when it came to his internals. Compared to proficient mechanics, he wasn¡¯t all that great but when comparing it to his other attributes, it was a stellar attribute of his.
He aimed to improve his armour fitting to make his exosuit more compact, along with compacting and circuit routing proficiency. The skill came hand in hand with internal design, but still had its own perks.
Circuit routing fell under the umbrella term of ¡®internals¡¯, but was a specialised branch that many mechanics placed copious amounts of work into refining this strategy. Microscale manipulation could also help with this, and he wanted to make sure the strength-to-weight ratio of his exosuit would be elite.
Following this, before he made any upgrades to his mechanical traits, he wanted a clear idea of the exosuit he wanted to create. The first, basic weapons that he wanted to utilise would be the powered gauntlets. They were a standard weapon for warriors like him, and pretty much a must-have.
He relied on his own punching strength and needed to maximise that to be a formidable fighter.
However, Cael was feeling innovative recently. With his greater intelligence, knowledge, and creativity, he constantly thought of new ideas and creations that weren¡¯t properly seen on the market.
Of course, many of them weren¡¯t present for a reason like it possessing a glaring fault that made it unviable for combat use. However, he continued to think of a weapon that could be great for his use, and he then thought of his power surge skill.
He could greatly increase the power output of the weapons that he utilised, along with gauntlet overdrive. That quest would have to break the very laws of physics, since it would be almost generating energy from out of nowhere.
To appease Cael¡¯s scientific, calculated mind, he convinced himself that the quest would be drawing energy from some unknown source.
The first word that popped into his mind was the ¡®Extreme Blade¡¯. He envisioned a dagger placed within the wiring of his gauntlets, where he could utilise power surge and the gauntlet overdrive to provide the weapon with sufficient power to fuel it.
It would be similar to a superheated blade, but would just be much, much hotter.
He could use insulation materials and other equipment like liquid cooling to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t feel much of the heat, but this could make stabs and slashes more deadly.
He clearly wouldn¡¯t be going for the kill when fighting these warriors, but a human body would feel extreme heat from a mile away. Using an extremely hot weapon could get his opponents to back away and not act as confidently.
Lost Files
Within the higher tiers of technology and esteemed militaries, extremely hot blades wasn¡¯t uncommon. However, they were rarely seen in the lower tier creations because they required extremely high amounts of power.
The power would either hail from a heavy, cumbersome power source, or from a person with sufficient mana to power it. Either way, you would require a person with a lot of mana to be strong enough to wield those weapons. Fighters of such quality rarely resorted to inferior technologies in combat.
Additionally, it was just a very expensive technology. It would greatly increase the cost of things like exosuits, further reserving it for the high tier.
As for Cael, though, his system granted him a workaround to abuse so that he could achieve that same power output, without the same cost and quality equipment.
The boy rubbed his hands in anticipation, ready to create this weapon design. Before he could even lift from his bed, though, his system appeared with a unique notification.
It was dark green in colour, and he sat patiently as he awaited the text to appear.
[New Title!]
[Creator I]
[+2 Creativity]
[+1 Intelligence]
[New Quest!]
[Lost Files #1]
[Search the Galaxy to find the documents left behind by the Creator.]
[Punishment: N/A]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 6]
[Speed: 6]
[Durability: 6]
[Intelligence: 21]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 12]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 10/10]
[Skills]
¡°I wonder what this quest is about.¡± Cael wondered, perplexed by its unique nature.
There was no punishment, and the quest description is quite vague so there was literally no way for him to begin completing it. However, this didn''t stop a growing spark of curiosity growing inside him.
The lack of specificity in this quest made him eager to find more answers. From constantly working with as much brainpower as possible, he found himself trying to understand things around him more deeply and clearly.
¡°Who is this creator, system?¡±
[The Creator is the individual responsible for the creation of the system.]
¡°Woah!¡± Cael exclaimed upon hearing this, extending his arms.
This gave him a chance to finally find the complete genius behind this system of his. If he could somehow learn something from them, or just find these lost files that the system was referring to, he felt like he¡¯d unlock a new view of mechanics.
However, the galaxy was an impossibly large search space. What if these lost files were simply floating away in the incomprehensibly vast abyss of space? Then, they¡¯d be unachievable. The fact that there was no punishment made him feel slightly better, but he still strongly desired finding these files.
Maybe, he¡¯d even receive blueprints and other information pertaining to the creation of his system.
Cael was getting side-tracked, since he had originally intended to begin upgrading his skills. Therefore, he left the considerations at that and wanted to pursue that quest in the near future. Most likely, after this combat event with the other members of his family.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
With 240 remaining gears, he used them to upgrade his Armour Fitting Proficiency skill from Level 1 to Level 3.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Armour Routing Proficiency -> Lv. 2 Armour Routing Proficiency]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Armour Routing Proficiency -> Lv. 3 Armour Routing Proficiency]
The plethora of knowledge being inserted into his mind was euphoric yet again, and he felt the designs popping up in his mind were further augmented. Upon thinking about the internals of his designs to try and test the skill¡¯s improvements, he could see the major overlap.
This skill had also managed to improve his internal manipulation abilities.
Taking out a final $20,000, he received another 400 gears that he placed into other skills.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 1 Alloy Mastery -> Lv. 2 Alloy Mastery]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Microscale Manipulation -> Lv. 3 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Lv. 2 Compacting -> Lv. 3 Compacting]
Now, with a sturdy foundation to begin his crafting, Cael felt more than ready. He clenched his fist with determination and resolution as he imagined him leaving his two-faced relatives in disbelief.
After so many years of isolation, they¡¯ll be forced to recognise him. To recognise his true strength and talent.
With his right fist tightened in anticipation of this event, he received a message from one of his contacts through his teleporter.
Enlarging the panel, he was delighted to see that it had actually come from Leon Areno, the goofy mechanic that he¡¯d met in the Fighter-Mechanic event.
The two conversed for a short time after the event had taken place, and Cael could literally hear his classic animated, extroverted demeanour through just the texts alone.
[I actually texted you because I would like to have a favour from you.]
Cael analysed this statement, trying to anticipate what this favour could possibly be. It was just a habit of his to try and break things down logically, when he knew there was no need to do so. Cutting his thoughts short from seeing his ridiculous he was acting, he then asked Leon why he¡¯d given such a request to get a definitive answer.
[What type of favour?]
[Well, I have been running an independent mechanic firm selling virtual exosuits and construction drones but it really hasn¡¯t been kicking off. I don¡¯t really have a lot of money to start off and I¡¯m not getting the best support on my account. I saw that you seem to be quite popular for a person working on your own and I was wondering if we could do some form of association?]
Ah. Out of several scenarios, Cael was not expecting for Leon to ask such a question. From his demeanour, he viewed him as somebody that was quite independent and confident. However, his text was riddled with a tone of disappointment and defeat.
To be honest, Cael saw no need to decline. Of course, this association would have to wait for after his Breckenridge family event. For the next month and a half, he would absolutely have to focus on that with as little distractions as possible.
However, he saw no need to decline that agreement for even after that time. Cael was left in the dark in terms of what type of association he wanted and how successful his merchant account actually is.
He decided to give a brief reply, basically stating that he was busy but was open to an agreement in about 2 months¡¯ time. Leon was evidently desperate and didn¡¯t have many reasons to haggle or decline.
Therefore, Cael moved on to materialising this exosuit design of his, while keeping the thought of this request in the back of his mind for now.
*****
In the late afternoon, at Cael¡¯s school, he was training within the same training hangar as before, where he stood ahead from Miles Larson.
These two fighters had been toe-to-toe in these recent days. From being defeated by Cael in front of all of their classmates, a fire was invigorated inside Miles. This led him to increase the intensity of his training, to try and bridge the ever-growing gap between him and Cael.
Miles stood before him with a sense of conviction, confident that he had gotten strong enough to contend with the Breckenridge.
However, Cael had improved upon his MP and base physical stats. Now, had his musculature improved even more, his physicality had become even more impressive.
The crowd was much more accepting of these two fighters, as their spars became not only more technical, but their bodies were becoming even more improved. This allowed them to throw strikes more precisely, and powerfully.
This time -wearing no exosuits- the two fighters closed in on each other and started to circle around. Miles shot forward, trying to catch Cael off-guard with a jab.
Cael, with his greater MP, could perceive the incoming punch more easily. As it came soaring toward him, he smacked it away using his palm and followed up with a straight punch using the same arm, somehow.
Even with his awkward movement, his much superior speed gave him the opportunity to do this without getting hit himself.
Swiftly stepping beside himself, he incorporated the special Cyberjutsu to remain untouched, before driving his fist then knee into Miles¡¯ gut.
The final strike made Miles grit his teeth, while catching the attention of some of the unenthused spectators. There was an audible pop as this attack hit straight onto his stomach.
He stepped away in a hurried, unordered fashion but Cael gave him the space and time to recuperate. In these spars, Arlo reiterated time and time again that they here to let everybody improve. Nobody would be in it for themselves with their classes and training sessions.
Miles tried to become more aggressive, annoyed that he had been hit so easily. However, Cael was able to utilise cyberjutsu and his greater speed to flow past his attacks swiftly and seamlessly. The only parts of his body he managed to strike were his flowing hair strands.
Upon seeing his chances of succeeding in this spar were quite low, Miles leapt forward and threw down an explosive punch. His extravagant movements made his attack far more predictable, leading Cael to leap to his side.
Doing so in quite the acrobatic manner, he performed a lightning quick backflip, before planting his feet on his landing.
Miles was still landing and returning to his standard guard, so Cael observed this and struck.
Novice III
Shooting forward from his previously fixed position, a single punch was all that he needed to further display his power. His coarse knuckles landed right on Miles¡¯ chin, stunning him with the strike¡¯s inherent power.
With his nose bleeding from his fractured nose, Miles remained firm with his guard to try and minimise the damage from Cael¡¯s bomb-like punches. He managed to take some of the punches and kicks, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop each attack from inevitably breaking through his guard.
Haymakers landed on his gut and face, causing him to draw blood. Cael felt like he was truly in his element. With a faster, stronger body to rely on, his body and mind were more synchronised. Almost every technique that he thought of doing, he was able to.
He also felt like his attacks were more precise than usual. Even after so much training throughout his lifetime, he could tell that his accuracy had also improved.
Cael stood there, awaiting an attack from Miles with his head open. His right fist was tucked to the side, ready to be unloaded at a moment¡¯s notice.
Miles couldn¡¯t miss up on this chance to strike and threw a swift, snappy jab. However, Cael was stood far enough so that the strike couldn¡¯t even hit hm.
¡°Amazing¡¡± Arlo whispered under his breath, startled by the young boy¡¯s perception of range.
The only issue was that this wasn¡¯t boxing. His head lingering so close to his opponent left him vulnerable to any form of kicking attack. Miles was aware, hurling his right leg toward his chin with ferocity.
This would be to change the dynamics in his favour. However, Cael simply stepped back and parried the shot like it was a jab. Even with such a powerful strike hurtling toward it, he handled it properly and calmly.
The two fighters continued their fight, and Miles was starting to get tired from taking so many body shots and haymakers. The two fighters ended up grappling onto each other, pushing at one another in the form of a wrestling match.
The crowd was no longer as contemptuous as they were before. As much as they wanted to assert their superiority over weaker fighters, they had to admit this sparring match was quite entertaining.
Cael, pushing at Miles, soon felt his lack of strength. The boy was smaller and clearly less experienced. He could tell that his countless matches in the vault were helping him here.
Hurling Miles to the ground, a downward punch straight onto his nose was all Arlo had to see to break things up. Diving in between these fighters, a light shove from him launched Cael back several steps.
It was like he was wearing an exosuit from his monstrous strength. This made Cael wonder just how much mana soldiers and instructors like Arlo really had.
¡°Good job, Cael. You¡¯ve truly beaten the odds in recent times. After performing so well at the fighter-mechanic event as a mechanic, you still perform spectacularly here. Kudos to you.¡± Arlo praised, lifting Miles off the ground.
Miles nodded at Cael with a smile, wiping blood from his nose.
¡°Mechanic? Why would he waste his time with things like that?¡± Blaine asked, slightly envious of his diverse skillset.
Many of these warriors here were just warriors. They¡¯d have no hope of entering the field of mechanics, including Blaine.
There wasn¡¯t much care from the students, though, as they looked at mechanics with disdain. In their eyes, they were weaklings.
Near the end of the school day, Cael walked toward the four main skyscrapers of his institute to begin training in the vault. Even though his fighting abilities had improved significantly, he still had to make improvements.
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Cael was aware of some of the talents that were in his family. He wasn¡¯t very close to them -due to his previous talentlessness- but knew they existed in the family. If he was going to face them, he¡¯d have to work on everything about his game.
Just before he entered the game to begin competing, though, he sat in his pod and revealed his projector. Here, he began searching up current and historic scientists, scouring the internet in search of this creator.
Upon searching, he cursed the system for giving him no help in actually locating these so-called ¡®Lost Files¡¯.
After searching for a few minutes, he found no leads but wasn¡¯t concerned. He had all the time in the world to complete the quest, anyway.
Cael entered several matches, and was surprised with how easily he beat down his opponents. They simply couldn¡¯t match up to him and his overwhelming strength. He also found it easier to pick apart his opponent, identifying the glaring holes in their style much faster.
Cael still did meet true powerhouses, but could use his power surge to beat them down with ease.
Currently, Cael had his guard up against an opponent, fearfully remaining out his range. After receiving so many powerful strikes straight onto his person, he kept as far from Cael as he could.
This didn¡¯t help him, however, as Cael shot forward and landed a devastating punch to the man¡¯s helmet. Upon being hit so powerfully, he felt the need to land an attack himself. He swung wildly at Cael¡¯s head, but he was already bent down and stepped to the side out of his line of sight.
Whenever he received a strike, he¡¯d open his eyes to see that Cael was absolutely no where to be found. A split-second later, he¡¯d be hit from an odd angle, which left him unable to throw back himself.
Cael, activating his power surge, grabbed onto the much smaller warrior and hurled him into the floor with his greater power and weight. With such an impact, the already beaten down warrior couldn¡¯t continue. His body turned to nothing but blue particles and vanished.
[Match Won!]
[+7 Power Points]
[+4 Gears]
[Rank Up!]
[Novice III]
¡°Alright!¡± Cael said to himself with excitement.
Here, he was hoping the system would give him some form of reward after his next rank up into the skilled ranks. In a second, he just entered another match and was right back in another match less than 30 seconds later.
Cael remained focused totally on his opponent, trying his best to discern as much as he could before the fight commenced. The fighter, with username Sultank was clearly a brawler type, standing at 6¡¯5, with a clunky silver exosuit. Across its exterior were glowing white areas, and there seemed to be substantial actuators placed in the hips and arms.
¡°We¡¯ve got another one here.¡± Somebody stated, from the growing crowd around this match.
Match after match, Cael remained focused on his matches but didn¡¯t notice that the seats surrounding the arena ring were getting fuller and fuller. Now, over 25 people sat in these seats, watching over this fighter.
¡°I almost had him then he just used some weird power to get me down. I thought this mode had no weapons?¡± His previous fighter complained to the person beside him.
¡°That makes one more of us. He¡¯s been doing this for a long time, he¡¯s been in the forums too. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long until he gets banned.¡± The boy replied, watching the fight intently.
The match begun, and Sultank stormed toward Cael like a beast. He came in, throwing several powerful punches straight at his face. However, Cael managed to use his greater speed to dodge many of them.
In the end, however, he was caught with a great shot that landed right on his forehead. The strike rattled him quite a bit, and he felt surprised with just how much force this man could put behind his shots.
He felt the force behind the strike in his spine, leaving him stunned for a time. He was forced to lift his guard and stay put, receiving punch after punch onto his forearms. Luckily for him, the strikes that managed to break through his guard didn¡¯t have very much weight behind them.
Cael used this time to try his best to recuperate and recollect himself. He didn¡¯t want to get walloped like that again and fought in a more calculated manner. He couldn¡¯t continue with his increasing sense of relaxation and confidence.
If he fought in that way, he¡¯d be shut down with incredibly powerful shots.
A punch shot toward his face, but he slipped to the outside of his opponent while stepping forward. This allowed him to land a perfect hook to the open side of his body, before kicking at his left knee.
Kicking his knee, the fighter started to descend and this gave him the perfect opportunity to land a straight punch to his face.
The strike was fluid and powerful, knocking his head to the side as his armoured knuckles crashed into his chin.
However, only a split-second later, the massive warrior sprung back up to his feet and responded with an amazingly powerful strike. Cael was nearly knocked off his foot as he fell to his hands and knees.
Luckily, this wasn¡¯t just punching, and the fight wasn¡¯t going to end after this happened. Cael swerved around, using his hands and feet to keep balance; he was still struggling. Even though his body kept still, his vision continued to sway.
Code Weaver
Sultank charged at him and continued to throw haymaker after haymaker, trying to knock down Cael.
He didn¡¯t want to abuse his power surge skill, but his stamina reset after literally every match that he took part in.
There was no harm in using it again, and he felt like he¡¯d have to do so if he wanted to win here. Sultank drove his fist into his gut, making him wheeze as the air was knocked right out of him.
Crippled, he fell back onto a hand, and managed to receive another strike onto his open head. Sent rolling across the arena, he was seconds away from being defeated.
VRR!!!
His power surge was activated, and he launched himself up like he was on a spring. Throwing a full power right hand punch, he accurately connected and shook up Sultank. With his knees briefly buckling, this was his chance.
He continued with several tornado kicks onto his flanks, also landing spinning kicks to his face. Sultank tried to continue with his aggressive style but after receiving such heavy blows to the face, his co-ordination was gone.
Cael¡¯s power surge granted him much greater speed, which allowed him to simply outfight this opponent of his.
He slugged his fists at Cael in the form of relentless haymakers, but none could connect. In the end, he received a punch while Cael was also sprinting right toward him. The weight behind the strike dropped him to the floor, while also allowing him to drop his opponent.
His body transformed into a cloud of blue particles, and Cael lifted his vision with confidence due to his spectacular victory.
[Match Won!]
[+9 Power Points]
[+8 Gears]
¡°Ooh, those are some nice gears!¡± Cael thought, looking at these notifications.
With this, he was given a total 131 gears from his several matches in the vault. His extensive session of 1v1 matches took him well into the evening, and the fiery orange sun was now totally below the horizon, leaving just its bright corona to linger over it.
The sky was steadily darkening, and Cael lifted his eyes to meet a crowd of over 25 people. He felt great shock from finally perceiving these individuals that had been watching him over all this time.
Cael couldn¡¯t immediately understand why this had happened, and only a second later he was forced back to his lobby more quickly than usual.
In his lobby, however, was another person entirely. This individual looked like a divine being, giving off an enchanting glow. Their body was of a humanoid shape, but looked translucent in a way where their skin revealed a pure white light from within them.
Through the scarlet-coloured skin of this being, he possessed glowing white holes in his head that Cael believed were supposed to represent eyes.
Cael felt startled at first, but didn¡¯t see a need to be. Whoever this unique looking being is, he knew there was nothing to fear in this virtual world anyway.
¡°Who are you? I didn¡¯t invite you to my lobby.¡± Cael asked authoritatively.
The glowing individual only chuckled in response. His eyes remained fixed on Cael, and his demeanour was terribly bold. With a silent response, a smile cracked across his face.
¡°I think I¡¯ll be the one asking questions from now on. Just to answer your question, I am one of the game¡¯s developers. A code weaver.¡± He stated, with gusto and pride.
¡°A question I want to ask you is how you¡¯ve been managing to bypass our impenetrable code and use a weapon in the 1v1 basic mode.¡± The ethereal being asked.
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¡°I haven¡¯t bypassed anything. I¡¯m definitely not smart enough to break through the code for this type of game.¡± Cael stated.
His voice sounded truthful, and he simply tried his best to tell the truth to this developer. However, there was no need for him to hear of his power surge. He wouldn¡¯t have to and didn¡¯t want to reveal everything.
¡°That¡¯s impossible and you know it. We heard of you from a long while ago released a new patch last night to try and stop you from doing this. However, you¡¯ve managed to analyse the code behind the vault and bypass it in half a day!¡± The man claimed.
His voice sounded celestial and divine. It was like the weight of the world was behind each word he uttered.
¡°It¡¯s not. I promise you that I haven¡¯t even seen the code you guys use for this game. It¡¯s not available to the public so how could I breach it?¡± Cael asked, trying to prove his innocence.
The man didn¡¯t immediately reply because he¡¯d made a clear point. Only a select few individuals, known as the code weavers, could even see the code, let alone manipulate it. They were highly esteemed programmers, earning salaries of hundreds of millions of galactic dollars for their work.
¡°I can¡¯t believe it but I think I believe you. However you¡¯re managing to beat this system, stop doing it. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s against the rules to use supplementary equipment in 1v1 basic.¡± The developer ordered.
¡°Of course. Thank you for your understanding.¡± Cael said, with a bow of respect.
He felt it was particularly fitting from this coder¡¯s arrogance, and the glowing man nodded before disappearing into a cloud of dimming white energy until nothing remained.
Cael made sure to quickly agree to the terms because he was not willing to lose such a useful source of gears. Without the vault to rely on, he¡¯d be putting himself in a bad position for preparing for the Breckenridge event.
¡°That was quite the experience.¡± Cael thought to himself, with a slight chuckle.
Without his power surge to aid him, though, he¡¯d have a very tough time in the following matches. There were countless times where he had to resort to power surge to claim victory.
Nevertheless, there was no need for him to sulk over something that was out of his control.
Even if this was a setback, he could work back up to eventually achieve the skilled rank. To help him do so, Cael realised that his body now allowed him to use a higher quality exosuit.
The virtual market was far more affordable than the real one, and $50,000 or so could give him a high-tier, amply quality suit. That would likely be above, or near the limit of what his body could properly use.
However, after spending so much on upgrading his stats and things, he struggled to find a way to get enough money for both a virtual and physical exosuit.
Therefore, he continued pumping out units of his swarm design. He decided to use smaller swarm sizes, consisting of 10 to 12 units. Additionally, he resorted to his Quick-Build skill to make the production quicker and more seamless. This allowed him to pump out the models much more quickly. During this process, as well, he had to begin designing the virtual exosuit that he would hopefully materialise for his family event.
He wanted an exosuit with an actuator system built for powerful strikes. Along with that, he wanted to make it as compact as he possibly could. This created an immediate trade-off for him to confront.
After a long, scrupulous search for actuators to use, he settled on a set of mediumweight exosuit actuators. They were modelled against the attributes of a gorilla, using stocky, power-inefficient pistons for the movement of the arms.
Using up more energy wasn¡¯t something Cael looked forward to but tolerated it.
Swiftly arriving back home, he began applying his frame and actuator system. Cael¡¯s hands flowed as he began working on the design and he could easily connect the wires around the intricate workings of the internal frame.
Along his way, he performed necessary augmentations to make this design as compact as possible. The total weight of the system slowly crept up from the circuitry and wiring on its exterior but a slow increase was exactly what Cael wanted.
Placing down the major internal connections, he tried his best to decrease their size, while placing them in more protected areas. Major damage to the internals of any system would be a death sentence for any warrior.
Following this, he chose a special alloy between Dresium and a heavier metal renowned for its strength, Husnium. It wasn¡¯t commonly seen in the territory of the Soburg Empire, and didn¡¯t have the best strength-to-weight ratio.
However, the alloy was advertised to account for this fact through the lighter Dresium integration. The molecular arrangement of the alloy allowed it to become even stronger than expected, with a smaller increase in weight.
Forming the armour plates for his exosuit, he meticulously did this to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t waste any metal when actually forming the virtual model. This made it cheaper, and more compact.
After a few days of work, the design was finally complete. Cael felt surprised that he was actually behind such a model. Compared to his very first design, it was like night and day. With the higher quality exosuit components, he was sure this model would be above average.
Now that he was given the opportunity to give his exosuit a name, he wondered just what he¡¯d call it. He liked naming his designs -especially combat-based items- on ancient Greek mythology. Here, a name popped right into his head.
[Design Complete!]
[Exosuit: WM Hercules I]
Golden Exosuit
[Type: Mediumweight Exosuit]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 59/100]
[Strength: 63/100]
[Power Efficiency: 45/100]
[Agility: 59/100]
[Armor Integrity: 63/100]
[Framing: 53/100]
[Maintenance: 58/100]
[Overall Rank: 60/100]
¡°Ooh, this is a nice design that I have here!¡± Cael stated, taken aback by the system¡¯s rating.
To him, he¡¯d just been doing what he always did when it came to making a design. However, from all of his attributes getting significant improvements, it allowed him to just conjure up better quality models.
With this design complete, he couldn¡¯t help but begin modelling it. As he began the assembly process, he felt glued onto the idea of giving this exosuit a dark gold, gritty but metallic finish.
It would show off its greater quality, and wasn¡¯t a common colour used for exosuits. Using unique finishes could give his designs more of a unique finish and establish an identity around them.
The assembly process took only 2 days, as the design was laid out for him. Just a few-hour-block of hard, focused work split across 48 hours was sufficient.
The design floated above him, and he was more than excited to enter the 1v1 basic mode to see what it was capable of. Just as he had hoped, the exosuit smoothly simulated his own movement.
His greater mana allowed him to power a large portion of the components of the exosuit. This mode consisted of no weapons, but this design was tailor-made to don the extreme heated blade.
He had designed the dagger, where the entire blade would become a scorching orange from the intense heat. Plasma edges lined the metal blade, and with sufficient power the dagger could deal fatal slashes.
Cael stood in the greyed arena with his new, gritty exosuit. He wiggled his fingers and shook off his body to warm himself up, and his opponent arrived in the arena shortly after, called dynamite_diesel.
The fighter was slightly taller than him, but lean and dropped down to lay on all fours.
He bounced from foot to foot, showing off his flexibility and agility. Cael knew that this warrior would be a 3-dimensional warrior and would be quite the bother.
Even if he looked skinny, underestimation would only leave him disadvantaged.
The fight begun and dynamite_diesel leapt forward using all four of his limbs. He threw down a punch and only managed to hit Cael¡¯s tight block. The boy couldn¡¯t do anything against the fortified armour of Cael¡¯s compact suit.
Subsequently, Cael used his explosive power to land a punch of his own.
The strike made sure to keep dynamite_diesel away, as he didn¡¯t look as confident as he once did. He did still run straight toward Cael, but swerved to the side at the last second.
Slipping to his left, he sprung forward with a swift punch. Cael moved his forearm just a few inches to catch the impactful strike right on it.
BAM!
Dynamite_diesel was forced to hit this block, but didn¡¯t just give up. He lifted into the air and whipped his leg around to hit Cael straight in his chin with a quick aerial attack. Before Cael could hit him himself, he backflipped and landed on all four limbs to escape to range.
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Cael gritted his teeth in annoyance from this fighter¡¯s agility. These were the most infuriating individuals to share a ring with. Stronger people like Cael couldn¡¯t actually remain still and utilise their strength to knock down the opponents.
He managed to throw some attacks that he couldn¡¯t just bounce around, but dynamite_diesel employed a smart technique of parrying and blocking incoming attacks to minimise the damage that he¡¯d receive from them.
Additionally, he stepped in and out of range with exceptional speed to try and deliver attacks before retreating. The only issue with this method of fighting was that he wasn¡¯t wearing Cael down in the slightest.
Even when he could land lean punches and kicks, the force behind each strike was so low that Cael honestly wasn¡¯t bothered about receiving them.
Entering range once again, dynamite_diesel managed to catch Cael with a speedy jab before trying to continue with more attacks while he was there. Cael tanked this jab and didn¡¯t let it throw off his vision or focus.
With his adversary so close to him, this was his perfect chance to strike. He dipped under a swinging kick that was aimed for his face and grabbed dynamite_diesel before entering a grappling session with him.
From his attitude and desperation, Cael could tell that his opponent didn¡¯t want to have any of it. His strength was far inferior to his own, and the robust actuators situated higher up his torso.
They threw each other around with heaving shoves, and this went on for a few seconds until dynamite_diesel ended up losing his footing. His lighter frame and weaker muscles meant that he couldn¡¯t do much in this type of fighting.
He was hurled to the ground, and Cael used proper wrestling technique to keep his opponent on the ground. He tried his best to emulate the moves shown to him by Arlo, but could tell that they didn¡¯t possess the same skill or precision.
Eventually, he had managed to pin dynamite_diesel to the ground and was given the opportunity to unload with punch after punch onto his body. The assault was relentless and Cael didn¡¯t give him an inch of breathing space.
His guard was kept tight and high up, but there would always be gaps that Cael could find and exploit. With his body constantly moving, it wasn¡¯t like he could maintain a steady guard, either.
After a powerful downward strike, the body of dynamite_diesel was turned to particles and Cael won the match.
[Match Won!]
[+6 Power Points]
[+11 Gears]
¡°11?¡± Cael wondered, surprised by his large reward of gears.
Usually, the number of gears he¡¯d receive would be like, or less than the number of power points received. In this case, that wasn¡¯t true, and he didn¡¯t exactly know why it wasn¡¯t.
Following this, Cael continued his session with the exosuit and soon noticed that his competition was great. These fighters, that he previously could overpower using power surge, were able to defeat him because he no longer had such a luxury.
This left him stuck in a single position within the rank, but Cael was not concerned. It would take time for him to grow, and as long as he was earning gears it wasn¡¯t all too bad.
After this session, Cael started to think rather deeply about how he could find these lost files described in his second ongoing quest.
He told himself that he would leave it until after the tournament, but the thought of this quest constantly appeared in his mind. The possible rewards were simply too great to overlook, since the knowledge of the person that created his system would likely be worth the same as continents.
His system was able to literally create mass, a phenomenon that was equivocally thought to be impossible across all galaxies. Of course, nobody could hear of this from him but he trusted himself in revealing nothing.
As long as he kept quiet, everybody else would be left in the dark with his system and abilities. From a few minutes of deep thought, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.
How about he tried to find that helmet that granted him this system. In retrospect, he cursed himself for just leaving that broken technology on the floor, which could¡¯ve given him invaluable information about the system and its source.
¡°There¡¯s no need to berate myself. Hindsight is 20/20.¡± Cael told himself, lifting the vault pod in one of his institute¡¯s towering skyscrapers.
His body was suddenly illuminated by the golden evening sun, and Cael readied himself to venture back out into the city to see if he could find at least fragments of that helmet.
He knew that certain areas of Carlo City were renowned for being particularly ill-maintained and dirty, so there was hope that some of the helmet would still be out in the open.
Instead of heading back home, he took the same route that he had done before. Upon taking the same path, the memories of weakness and sadness filled his mind. The contrast between the way he lived back then and now was stark.
He simply smiled, relishing the better times that he was happy to be experiencing.
Swiftly entering the hallway where he had received this system, he scavenged through the surrounding bins and hidden corners to try and find something. Much to his dismay, there was very little for him to look for.
He continued for a few minutes, moving over to the other side of the alleyway where he hadn¡¯t even seen the helmet. Once again, he found nothing at all. There simply wasn¡¯t a single fragment of that black helmet, but Cael didn¡¯t lose hope.
File Transfer
Upon searching through this area, he could see how filthy the place looked overall. The hidden areas of the city really didn¡¯t get much attention from the urban maintenance bots, that were built to maximise efficiency.
He always detested the government that seemed to do the bare minimum in territories that didn¡¯t generate a lot of revenue for the empire.
This made him wonder just how impoverished the colonies of the empires were.
Cael gave the entire alleyway a focused look, with his hands on his waist. He was getting quite tired of constantly looking in the same place and decided that he¡¯d probably call it a day there. He had no other leads on where these lost files could be and so, this sent him straight back to square one for this quest.
As he prepared to leave, though, he noticed an odd glow in the corner of his eye. Turning, he could see that a hologram was being projected behind one of the bins.
Rushing over to the scene in a flash, he just gave a look back behind him to see the tens of metres that he had crossed in only about 2 seconds.
¡°Woah.¡± He thought to himself, looking down to his own body with incredulousness.
Getting his mind back to the topic at hand, he crouched down to pick up the fragment that almost perfectly camouflaged into the darker ground below.
There was a hologram being projected from this object, which showcased a spinning image that he deduced was the image of a certain file.
Pocketing the device, he headed back home as quickly as he could to try and discern the meaning behind this projection.
Placing it on the table in his bedroom, he jolted back upon seeing his projector spontaneously awake. It turned out its activation wasn¡¯t as spontaneous as he presumed, and he could see a file had been transferred over to his device.
Checking for the source of the file, it simply said ¡®Unknown¡¯. This had to be from that little fragment now resting on his table.
This surprised him, since any file transfer from an unknown source would prompt the user to agree to the download. However, in this case, he was given no such option. This scientist who¡¯d managed to create his system only surprised him more and more as time went on.
[File: 92166d3c.wcm]
Cael was spooked by this odd file name and type. It looked like complete gibberish, and the file type was also unsupported by his own projector.
Were these the lost files that his system was talking about? He assumed that they weren¡¯t so, since he wasn¡¯t given any sort of reward for finding this fragment. Seconds later, the fragment¡¯s projection faded and just resembled and broken piece of metal.
No matter what he did, he just couldn¡¯t get the projection to activate again.
Cael didn¡¯t see the need to delve deep into this matter right now, and just left the situation to rest for now.
Now, he had to focus on receiving sufficient gears in the vault so that he could go on to upgrade his skills and stats.
After a few sessions in the vault, he¡¯d received a total of 462 gears in his matches. Now, he was receiving much less gears for his performances - due to his better exosuit and the greater difficulty of opponents that he faced.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 6]
[Speed: 6]
[Durability: 6]
[Intelligence: 21]
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[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 12]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 10/10]
[Skills]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Strength]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Speed]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Durability]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 MP]
With this sudden improvement, he noticed an immediate bettering of performance in the vault. He was winning more fights, but he did reach a limit where the opponents he faced were around his level.
Whenever he climbed too high in the rankings, he¡¯d be sent down by stronger opponents and then sent back up when fighting those below his level. It was great to specifically know how he fared against other exosuit warriors.
Through playing several games, it allowed him to get even more gears, and improve his stats further. The much lower number of wins meant that he couldn¡¯t gain gears anywhere near as fast but he wasn¡¯t bothered.
Along with this, Cael employed the use of his Quick-Build to release his swarm drones and occasionally his Vulture XR-1 Titan.
Here, he was seeing steady profits, which also allowed him to receive gears from that. He made sure to make his swarms as small as possible, since it could allow them to sell faster.
Less people would be willing to spend such a hefty amount on drones, so he wanted to decrease the cost to make his product affordable to more customers.
Even though his items were more like bundles, his system altered the algorithm so that his items would appear near the top of people¡¯s searches. He could see that was having a clear effect on his number of sales.
During this time, he also received infrequent followers and ratings, where the overall ratings of his price, innovation and quality remained relatively stagnant.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 9]
[Speed: 8]
[Durability: 8]
[Intelligence: 21]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 12]
[Focus: 15]
[MP: 13/13]
[Skills]
Before the event began, he wanted to make sure that his MP would be at around 15, so that he could use his exosuit as well as possible. Instead of creating a whole new exosuit to handle his larger mana stores, he just wanted to perform slight augmentations to the design.
This could make it last longer, while he could use the weapons like the powered gauntlets and extreme-heated blade more frequently.
Cael put several hours into the vault to acquire as many gears as he could, but this was pretty much as fast as he could.
Slightly under 3 weeks remained until the event, and he decided to begin working on his physical exosuit at this time. Looking over his design, he made some minor readjustments that managed to improve the power efficiency and speed slightly. Its overall rating remained the same, and the changes certainly weren¡¯t significant.
Cael used his profits and total revenue to start purchasing the items that he needed to begin the assembly of this suit. They came flooding in through his teleporter, and he started laying out the items across the several desks laid out in the makeshift workshop.
Since he bought the items from various sellers, the weight of the suit was split and allowed the resources to come through his teleporter instead of through interstellar delivery.
Several ingots of Husnium, Dresium and other metals came pouring in, and the components like the energy rifles and mana cores also arrived.
For exosuits, these mana cores were flat and shaped like flat steel canteens to make sure they could be laid over the skin.
He felt slightly rusty -it had been a while since he was in this place- but he soon entered his flow.
It was just another day in the office for Cael. Of course, the physical assembly was more of an alien experience that he felt his body was lacking behind his mind in.
There was a disconnect between the two, but it didn¡¯t take long before he felt greater synchronisation between his ideas and their actual implementation.
Days went on, as Cael relentlessly worked on his creation. He handled it as meticulously as possible, determined to form the highest quality exosuit possible for him.
Along with that, he continued his intense training and felt more motivated than ever to continue. There was no time for breaks now ¨C this was his crunch time.
With less than 2 weeks left, he continued working and working the absolute hardest he could. During this time, he was even sent an email from his uncle detailing the specifics of the event.
This was something he was looking forward to knowing, as it could let him better prepare when the day came. Firstly, the email detailed where the event would take place.
As he expected, the arena hosting the event was in Oseron, on The Capital Planet. Along with that, it would consist of an individual event where the Breckenridge fighters would face each other in 1v1 matches.
Finally, the young talents would band together to try and fight a slightly older, more experienced Breckenridge. Cael kissed his teeth in annoyance after reading that he¡¯d have to try and work with these talents.
He¡¯d been working for these past 2 and a half months to defeat them, not to fight alongside them.
Cael, after taking a shower, looked at the very muscular physique that he now attained. With every slight movement, he could see his vascular muscles contracting and relaxing. It was quite a surreal, to see such an impressive build on his own body.
He always assumed that this sort of physique would be for others and never for himself.
Cael vs Keagan
The days toward the event passed on, and Cael began to receive significant attention from those of his institute. Now, he was no longer the weakest of the bunch and wasn¡¯t even average either.
In a heavily anticipated sparring match, Cael stood ahead of Keagan. He was the towering bold fighter that acted annoyingly loyal to the likes of Blaine. He hated to upset him and was almost one of the lead members of the clique that grew around him.
Keagan contemptuously stared down Cael and slammed his right fist into his other palm with utmost confidence. Arlo pushed for this spar to occur, and even Cael himself was quite reluctant.
He might¡¯ve grown stronger, but it did nothing to change his attitude. He felt more confident in his own abilities but remained humble.
¡°Begin!¡± Arlo declared, causing Keagan to rush forward with confidence and aggression.
He saw no need to give his adversary any sense of respect and distance. In the past, Cael was known to be the weakest of the bunch. There was no way he¡¯d climbed so much to challenge his own strength.
Wildly swinging straight at Cael, the nimbler fighter was able to evade the strike. He watched his fist soar straight past his face, and the wind behind the punch caused his hair to flow up and backward.
As for the next punch, though, Keagan used his smarts and aimed lower. He stared at Cael¡¯s face and looked like he was still aiming for that part of his body, but he drove his fist straight into his stomach, instead.
The punch knocked the wind straight out of him, forcing him back a step. Another sequence of punches came his way but he managed to catch them on his forearms, minimising the damage caused.
Cael was still struggling to steady his breathing after taking those hits, and had really opened his eyes to the raw strength Keagan possessed. His strength was second to only Blaine. For his lack of speed, skill and battle IQ he made up for it with pure muscle strength.
Keagan continuously slugged his fists toward Cael, occasionally catching him with powerful, devastating shots. He would take a few seconds as light breaks to ease off the intense assault but it still felt relentless from Cael¡¯s end.
Whenever he felt like there was an opportunity to attack back, he would be walloped by a haymaker.
Even though Cael initially fought in this form, the crowd were in awe. For most of the students, taking this many shots from an angered Keagan would put them straight to bed. However, this courageous gladiator-like warrior remained on his feet, taking the constant pressure head-on.
Arlo was astonished by Cael¡¯s valiantness, and couldn¡¯t bring himself to break the fight apart. Therefore, he stayed back and watched on like the other students, instead hopeful for Cael to turn the tide and gain the advantage.
Cael, even though he struggled against the powerful advance of Keagan, was calculating his next moves. As Keagan continuously unloaded, he was revealing his most stylish, useful combinations. Cael hid behind a ruse of timidity and fear, but was waiting for the perfect chance to strike.
Keagan cocked back his right fist and shouted, aiming it straight at Cael¡¯s bloodied face. Instead of feeling the skin of Cael¡¯s face, he managed to evade just in the nick of time and -in that same motion- landed a punch straight to Keagan¡¯s chest.
BAM!
With the large warrior literally walking onto the shot, it only added to its overall impact. Keagan stumbled away, holding his chest in pain and the crowd was in complete shock. The only person who could do damage to Keagan like that was Blaine.
Keagan couldn¡¯t stand for such humiliation, and his fury only intensified. He threw a punch straight at Cael again, but he managed to parry it and swiftly follow up with a whipping kick to the chin.
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KRAK!!
Blood shot out Keagan¡¯s mouth as he fell back in the same motion. The attack had totally rocked him, and he was in shock from receiving it. He simply stood there, holding his chin while he gave Cael an incredulous look.
After a few seconds of silence and stillness, he broke it with another one of his standard, beast-like approaches.
He simply thrusted forward his leg in the form of a front kick, but Cael leaped over it to strike him straight in his chest with a kick of his own. Keagan had once again run into one of his incoming strikes, causing him to fall back and hold his chest in pain.
He¡¯d internalised the fact that Cael could cause him no damage, and Cael could see his face scrunching up from anger. Even if this fight wasn¡¯t exactly going in Cael¡¯s favour, the fact that he was landing clean shots was still humiliating to the bruiser.
Shouting and vehemently slugging forward his fist again, Cael had simply seen enough. His punches were thrown in very similar ways, and all that he needed to do was duck under his fist and strike him right in his open flank.
POW!
Cael continued to use his wits and smarts to land punches of his own, still getting walloped from time to time. However, he was landing more attacks now and looked like he was faring better than his opponent.
Eventually, Keagan decided to switch his gameplan and grasped onto Cael before he had the chance to retreat and recalculate. Here, he could use his power to enter a grappling match so that he could hopefully get the win.
The fight had gone on for a surprisingly long time, and he wanted to end the show right here and right now. The two fighters struggled for a time, and Cael struggled to keep his footing when pushing against the stronger, heavier fighter.
Whenever he¡¯d push forward, his feet would just slide back even more so he could gain no new ground.
Keagan swiftly swept at his legs, hurling him straight to the ground and was able to control Cael due to his greater strength. He could get him exactly where he wanted him, so that he could throw punch after punch to deal the most damage during the grapple.
Cael spent this time analysing Keagan as much as he could, trying his hardest to find an opening to inevitably escape. Keagan lifted to throw down a downward punch, aimed for his face, but Cael took this chance to throw his body right out of the way and lift back up to his feet in the same motion.
Keagan wasn¡¯t fast nor alert enough to stop him from doing this, and Cael was free in one swift movement. The spectators gasped at this swiftness and skill, surprised that Cael was capable of such a thing.
His lack of strength and speed caused him to always hide behind a shell when fighting these students. Now that he had a stronger body to work with, he was better able to show off his skills.
¡°Rrr...¡± Keagan grunted under his breath, infuriated.
His gaze was still lowered, but Cael could now tell that this fighter was furious. In a flash, he launched off his large feet and charged toward Cael as powerfully as he could.
Each stride that he took was long and heavy, causing the ground to rumble with every step that he took. Leaping forward, he hurled every ounce of strength that he could into this attack, to hopefully take Cael down.
Before his fist could collide with Cael, he slipped his head right out of the way of his incoming punch, while throwing one of his own. Keagan had pretty much ran into his fist, and there was an audible crack once Cael¡¯s knuckles crashed into his skull.
Keagan fell to his knees and slid forward slightly, now with blood coming down the right side of his face. Seemingly unbothered by the strike, he lifted up only to stumble to the ground once again. His legs simply buckled and couldn¡¯t hold his weight any longer.
Cael had won.
Arlo soon stepped in between them, even though Keagan was more than eager to continue the fight. He staggered to their instructor¡¯s side, desperate to continue the fight.
A loss against Cael was clearly something that his brain couldn¡¯t even really comprehend. He continuously tried to push his way past Arlo, but his strength and figure didn¡¯t even budge under his frequent shoving.
¡°Stand back, Keagan! You lost, now accept your loss and grow from it!¡± Arlo commanded, bringing the large student to a stop.
The students were in such shock that many were completely silent. Even Blaine felt a similar way. His arms were crossed, and he tried his best to put on a ruse of indifference, but he internally didn¡¯t feel the same way.
¡°You did brilliantly, Cael. You fought like a true warrior here! Everybody, I want you all to emulate the hard work and dedication that Cael has shown in these recent times. After achieving a wonderful position in the Championship Fighter-Mechanic Event as a mechanic, mind you, he has also made leaps and bounds of growth as a fighter. Know that there is always progress to be made.¡± Arlo announced.
¡°How did you even manage to do that? You clobbered Keagan!¡± Miles, the green-haired student he had previously sparred, commented from beside him.
Cael acted humble and didn¡¯t celebrate wildly from this success. He couldn¡¯t say that he wasn¡¯t happy to have finally showcased his new talent, but he wasn¡¯t willing to gloat over his win either. It just felt wrong to him.
¡°Just training. I analysed his style quite a bit so I could pick it apart after some time. I only won because he underestimated me. If he thought more, I would¡¯ve been in big trouble.¡±
Enjoying Oseron
His comments were true, and he could sense that. His form was sloppier than usual, and consisted of just full power punches and kicks that were aimed to knock him out.
¡°Even so, he spars in the same way with other people here and absolutely clobbers them. You might be one of the strongest people here now!¡± Miles realised, with a surprised expression.
¡°Most likely not. I¡¯ve gotten stronger yes, but being one of the best here? No.¡± Cael bluntly commented, as the next two sparring partners stepped up to the plate.
*****
Days remained before his event in Oseron. Adding some finishing touches and finalising the assembly of his exosuit, it was now ready to go. Covered in a dark golden sheen, Cael wore it to then get a feel for his creation.
Upon wearing it, he felt that it was surprisingly smooth for its quality. Even with its demand for mana and the quality of the components that he used, his body could don this suit particularly well.
He threw a few light punches and kicks, and could feel his body almost floating as he did this. With the enhancements of his exosuit, moving around his body in this manner was complete child¡¯s play.
Gracefully landing back on the ground, he removed the exosuit and left it to rest in his workshop.
For the following days, Cael spent his time resting and just sharpening his mind for the upcoming event. He saw no need to overdo his training so close to what was coming, and he purchased a return ticket to Oseron.
The venue was going to be held in a specific borough, called Wesson Boulevard. Even though it was labelled as a boulevard and sounded quite small, it had a population of over 1.5 million.
Each borough of Oseron could individually function as a city. There would be a business district within each borough, of a respectable size so that people could live, work and pretty much do everything that they wished to within a specific borough of the city.
The day had come, and it was now a bustling Friday night. The event was to be hosted on the weekend to give everybody the opportunity to attend, and Cael was ready. He decided to wear his exosuit instead of storing it, since it was just an efficient mode of transport.
At the main spaceport of Carlo City, he was there at the early hours of the morning and so, didn¡¯t meet very much traffic at all. There were still thousands and thousands of people traversing the halls of this airport, but it didn¡¯t feel as cluttered and densely packed as usual.
Resorting to Cria Flights once again, one of their donut-shaped ships descended onto one of the landing pads, with its signature commercial centre in a central ball.
The ship was soon off on its path toward Oseron, and Cael took his time to enjoy the leisure activities of this ship, just like he had done before. There was even a special venue that allowed for playing mini golf against autonomous bots, which was quite the experience.
Cael didn¡¯t feel like it would be entertaining, but he was humoured by the bots and their odd eccentricities.
The ship landed with a deep thud, now in The Capital Planet.
Cael arrived at the same expansive road system that he had seen before, with up to 10 lanes per side of the road.
Taking an airbus, Cael was transported to the boulevard that the event would be taking place in. Cael wasn¡¯t even offered a place to reside in during this time, and was slightly infuriated with that lack of thought. However, he knew exactly who these people were.
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What else could he have expected from them?
He was even grateful that this meant he could have a place to himself, in the beautiful city of Oseron. The boulevard was about 100 miles away from the central business district of the entire city, which was close enough to let him enjoy the facilities within the Soburg Empire¡¯s capital before the event began.
He had about 12 hours to himself before the event was scheduled to begin, and Cael decided to take a trip to the central district of Oseron.
Entering a colossal airbus with three floors, each floor housed at least 20 bots that stood totally still at the back of them. Even though there were more than 200 seats available for passengers, there were only a handful of seats that remained for Cael.
Nonetheless, this large bus glided across the road paths of Oseron, headed straight toward the central district.
After a somewhat short journey of an hour or so, the bus arrived at the largest bus station in the entire country. This station was larger than some airports in the smaller planets of Soburg. It was bigger than any facility found in Carlo City or even the planet of Saevis as a whole.
Cael was surrounded by several skyscrapers that pierced straight through the clouds, embellished with several bright advertisements and animations that made the streets seem even more lively. The streets were densely packed with people and colourful, bringing quite the pleasing atmosphere to the place.
He arrived at one of the major markets within the city, that had several floors and buildings connected through special glass hallways.
There were exotic meats from some of the rarest animals in their entire section of the galaxy. Some of these meats were of animals where only tens of thousands of the species existed throughout the galaxy.
Cael¡¯s tastebuds danced atop his tongue as he tried out these delectable treats on offer, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from going from place to place to try out the several meats, pastries and confectioneries on offer for him.
The district was illuminated by the bright golden sun, that gave the several skyscrapers a glowing, divine gleam.
To pass the time, he found himself on a simple bus that took him through the several historical structures in the city. It talked through the establishment of the Soburg Empire as a whole, and the first human settlers in this section of the galaxy.
The Soburg Empire was a relatively old empire, which was formed by some of the ancient ¡®explorers¡¯. These were humans from an extremely long time ago, that were first to explore past the Sol star system and conquer new territories.
There was soothing audio, explaining the structures that surrounded him and Cael found this weirdly relaxing and soothing.
Soon enough, it was time. Cael had a slight tremble in his hotel room as he wore his exosuit once again. He was preparing to leave the place and gave himself a final look in the mirror.
It was time.
To throw away all the previous stereotypes that he and others had placed on himself. To transform his image and to command respect from those that previously ridiculed him!
Cael threw his body away from the mirror by pushing against the sink placed just below it. Giving himself a final nod; he felt ready.
¡°Here it comes.¡± Cael told himself, cracking his knuckles.
He lightly stretched certain parts of his body, before performing an acrobatic front flip to land straight back onto his feet.
Cael took an airbus straight to the venue, which was more of a leisure centre compared to where the fighter-mechanic event was held. Of course, that still had numerous restaurants and resorts to pass time in, but that was simply because the stadium was massive.
Those facilities had to be there to keep over a million people entertained. Here, the venue was substantially smaller, with only a few thousand seats. The central ring resembled an ancient Greek battleground, with a sandy floor and rows of seats for people to spectate from.
Reaching the reception area, there were tens and tens of fellow Breckenridges stood around. They were all almost miniature families. They consisted of their contestants, along with the siblings and parents that would be watching.
Then, there was just Cael. A lone wolf, totally isolated.
¡°Welcome to the tournament, Cael. It¡¯s been a while since I saw you!¡± Asher Breckenridge greeted, approaching him.
Cael had to hold in laughter because this man looked like a complete shadow of his former self. He used to have lush black hair -similar to himself- and a muscular, lean body. Now, the hair on his head was kept quite short, and his beard was much larger and scruffier than it once was.
He still looked muscular, but resembled a Viking warrior that liked eating maybe a little bit too much.
¡°It has. It¡¯s great to see you again.¡± Cael fibbed, reaching out his hand to shake his.
¡°I must commend you for your efforts in the fighter-mechanic event. I knew that you possessed some form of talent somewhere, I mean everyone does.¡± Asher commented.
Cael took a few brief seconds to just stare at the man in his eyes. He could see straight through the jab at his weakness, and Cael was here to make sure that image of him would fade away.
¡°I guess so.¡± Cael bluntly replied, as Asher returned to his family.
Introductions
Only a few minutes more, and a tall, intimidating figure arrived at the reception room. The entire room fell to silence upon noticing his presence.
This was the son of the family patriarch. Leighton Breckenridge. His hair was a rich auburn, unlike the other black-haired Breckenridges. His father looked more like them, with their midnight black hair, but had married a beautiful blonde from another major family within the Soburg Empire.
This gave their children their unique brown hair colour.
¡°Greetings my fellow Breckenridges. My father is currently discussing matters pertaining to the boarish tensions with Emperor Orson and the other nobles. For that reason, I will be the one leading this event.¡± He explained.
Cael could tell that he had been trained to talk in this manner. He made sure to keep his posture perfect, and rarely slipped up on his words. He spoke in an amazingly articulate and eloquent manner.
The family members were directed to a large, palace-like dining hall. Here, this is where they would be having a nice meal after the initial event would take place. As for now, they used this area to let Leighton discuss the rules.
Cael was well-versed with the rules, as they had already been addressed to the participants. However, there was no harm in just reiterating them here for those who weren¡¯t participating and had possibly forgotten the rules.
The initial matches would consist of some 1v1 matches, with almost any type of weapon being permitted. There would be individuals on guard to stop the match before potentially fatal attacks could be delivered, but Leighton made sure to address that there was still a risk.
All these warriors had been taught to remain fearless in the face of death. It wasn¡¯t exactly something that could just be emulated by something after being told to act in that way, but they knew it was a vital trait of a valiant soldier. To live and die by the sword.
The tournament bracket was revealed with a billboard that possessed an alluring golden hue. The first match was going to be between Kegan Breckenridge and another lower-level member of the family, Silas.
He was younger than both Kegan and Cael, but was seen as more talented and could possibly compete with them. Well, he was definitely able to compete with Cael before his recent improvements, but the others weren¡¯t aware of them just yet.
Not much time was wasted before the fights were to begin, as they didn¡¯t want this to be boring and drawn out. Even if this was a reunion between family members, they wanted to be enthralled and excited.
In a few minutes¡¯ time, the two fighters stood ahead of each other in the sandy arena. Kegan possessed a similar exosuit to the one that he wore in the Fighter-Mechanic event. It was a midnight black, just like Kegan preferred, and had a shoulder-mounted rifle along with two wrist-mounted rifles.
¡°Those energy rifles are quite big for wrist-mounted and shoulder-mounted ones. I wonder where he¡¯s getting the energy for them with such a thin suit.¡± Cael wondered, in deep contemplation.
He couldn¡¯t help himself from doing this now, and he felt like he had to analyse almost every exosuit that he could get a good look of. From this distance, many ordinary humans wouldn¡¯t even be able to view these exosuits in the same detail as Cael.
With mana came greater perception, which allowed people to perceive their surroundings properly when moving at superhuman speeds.
On the other hand, the silver-haired Silas had an exosuit that seemed to be modelled off the anatomy of a tiger. It was black, with red claw-shaped streaks across its body in several places. It gave the suit an intimidating, beast-like appearance.
The fingers donned superheated claws, and there were also powered gauntlets to make slashes even quicker and deadlier.
¡°May the match begin!¡± The announcer called out, causing cheers to erupt from the crowd.
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Kegan lifted both arms, shooting forward a barrage of energy blasts ¨C a complete abuse of his energy supplies. It forced Silas to stay away from him, though, and Cael deduced that this was exactly what he wanted.
Getting assailed by those superheated claws would be the last thing that Cael would want to happen to him.
Silas used his nimbler, swifter body to try and evade as many energy blasts as he could. It wasn¡¯t a foolproof method of dodging them, though, and he was hit with several blasts from his imperfect movements. Kegan then launched two consecutive energy blasts from his shoulder-mounted rifle, with the final one slamming straight into Silas¡¯ chest.
Swiftly after this collision, Kegan charged ahead and leapt toward his target, hurling his fist forward for a power punch.
Silas managed to slip past his incoming hit and activated his power gauntlet along with the superheated claws.
Swipe!
His swipe melted through the outer layers of Kegan¡¯s suit, causing him great alarm. Cael knew that the slash wasn¡¯t deep enough to cause any damage to his body, but the blades were so hot that one could easily feel some form of warmth on their skin from even a slash this shallow.
Another slash came his way but Kegan made sure to pull himself back as fast as he could, creating significant distance between him and Silas. In the process, he launched a quick energy blast, which hit straight onto Silas¡¯ open chest.
From this exchange of attacks, the two continued to fight more defensively, not willing to carry on in such a reckless manner.
There were sixteen participating youngsters, and this would entail up to four matches for these warriors. The repairs they could make to their exosuits in between matches were terribly minor, mainly in the form of mana core replacement.
Silas was able to use his claws from time to time to cut at Kegan¡¯s armour, but the range that the latter was able to utilise with his energy blasts was too great an obstacle for Silas to overcome.
His exosuit was in a much worse condition than Kegan¡¯s, and Cael could see the vehement instructions coming from Silas¡¯ father in the stands.
His name was Pierre, and he was a low-ranking member of the Soburg Empire military. He continued to tell Silas how to continue on in the fight, but a fighter couldn¡¯t just perfectly follow commands in the heat of battle.
In the end, it came down to the training that they¡¯d received previously.
Silas swung his claws at Kegan with desperation, but he was simply too far away. He received an energy blast straight to his stomach as a result, which broke through the inner layers of armour placed across his exosuit.
Grunting in pain, he received another few minor energy blasts in that same area from Kegan¡¯s wrist-mounted blasters.
Kegan couldn¡¯t help but smile with arrogance and victory as he could see the end of this fight was near.
Silas seemed to just fall under the pressure and couldn¡¯t continue on properly. His mind was cluttered with intense emotions from his animated, primal style of fighting.
He was fighting as if he wanted just to survive, not to win. With his powered gauntlets permanently on, he continued to swing at Kegan with everything that he had left. He roared with every slash and ran straight after his opponent whenever he tried to retreat.
With such a one-dimensional style of fighting, it simply left him open to energy blast after energy blast, until one of the mediators deemed it enough.
An adult Breckenridge stormed into the arena, breaking up both fighters before the match could continue.
Waving his arms behind his head, facing Silas, Kegan was given the win. He screamed out with excitement, and waved toward his parents who were electric.
His brown-haired mother gave a sheepish look back to Cael, who was a few seats down from them. After Cael had managed to defeat him in the fighter-mechanic event, he could tell that his family didn¡¯t have the best view of him.
He simply clapped along with the other Breckenridges, giving back a firm stare without moving any other part of his body. Continuing to stare straight at the woman, he could see that she was looking slightly more awkward, and broke eye contact with him as her son jumped back into the stands.
Giving a quick glance back to Cael, it was like she was unable to maintain eye contact with him.
¡°Will the following individuals enter the ring for the next fight. Cael and Zacharias.¡± The announcer called out.
Zacharias possessed black hair in a long ponytail, along with a decently grown beard for a boy his age. He took a few steps down the stands to then throw himself into the ring, but Cael wanted to enter in fashion.
From the seat he was on, he front flipped and elegantly landed straight into the ring, facing Zacharias powerfully.
There was silence from the spectators as he did this, and many were surprised with his ability to do this.
Jumping from such a height would require a certain level of mana for it to not hurt you. Even for those with mana, if you didn¡¯t have enough, very long drops could break bones or potentially kill. It took a decently strong individual to handle drops at terminal velocity.
Zacharias just stretched arrogantly in the centre of the ring, as Cael approached. He was a few inches shorter than Cael and didn¡¯t have quite the same physique but was still fearless when facing him.
From previous battles and showings of his strength, why would there be a reason for him to be scared?
His exosuit was a dark blue hue, and had two large shoulder-mounted energy rifles as his main weapons. Due to the energy demand of those two weapons, he wasn¡¯t able to man himself with anything else in particular.
¡°May the match begin!¡±
Quarterfinals
As the match started, Cael could hear the whirring of Zach¡¯s rifles. They gave off a yellowish-green glow, not seen with rifles of lower tiers. This meant that the barrels were hotter, and would therefore be shooting off energy blasts with higher power.
Cael noticed this and ducked down as soon as the blasts were hurled in his direction. Just by luck, he managed to evade them and wanted to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t be hit by those blasts once again.
However, how was he going to use his extreme heated blade if he couldn¡¯t easily get into range. He had powered gauntlets that he could resort to using, along with stockier arms to work with, but to utilise his striking and slashing he¡¯d have to get into range.
With such powerful energy blasts keeping him away, approaching Zach was a tall order.
Cael continued to teeter on the outer range of Zach, evading his blasts while achieving very little.
¡°Who even invited Cael here, he¡¯s clearly not a talent. He can¡¯t even hit him!¡± One of the Breckenridge members claimed, receiving intense laughter from some of the other individuals.
Kegan looked to be abnormally cracked up by his comment.
Cael just grunted under his breath upon seeing how difficult this altercation would be. For him to deal damage, he¡¯d have to take some himself. His exosuit wasn¡¯t exactly the tank type, where it could take on high-calibre energy blasts and damage.
He made his decision and stormed forward like a mindless warrior, on his last legs. Watching two energy blasts soar toward him, it was much harder for him to change direction when he was already moving at such a speed.
As a result, he forced himself to his left as much as he could, being forced to take the leftmost orange-yellow energy blast.
The collision shook up his whole body and caused alarming damage to the outer armour shells of his suit. The very outmost portions of metal had been turned to nothing but brittle slag, and receiving another attack to that same area would spell trouble for him.
Soon enough, though, he was in range. With his energy rifles still overheating from their massive outputs of heat, Zach would be forced into hand-to-hand combat. He wildly swung out his right fist after entering a suitable stance.
Cael had been in situations like this countless times before. As a result, he slipped his attack like it was second-nature to him. His fist didn¡¯t come anywhere near close to his head, and now in a crouched position, he drove up his fist to land an upward gut punch.
Zacharias grunted in pain and slowly cowered back, but Cael was not done. His eyes opened as he disquietingly anticipated Cael¡¯s next move. Even if Cael assumed he¡¯d try to deny it, his body wouldn¡¯t be able to constantly take punches of that strength.
As he lifted, he activated his gauntlet overdrive skill and felt the power in his right powered gauntlet increasing significantly. There was even a slight sting in his skin from the amount of heat being produced.
BAM!
Throwing a clean right punch straight to his helmet, Zacharias stumbled back and the crowd were now in shock.
The connection was loud and precise. As much as the wanted to subconsciously form excuses to rationalise this event in their minds, they couldn¡¯t. Cael had simply gotten stronger and there was no way to look past that.
Shaking his head, he looked through his dark blue visor with eyes of fury and hatred. Being embarrassed in front of his fellow nobles against the likes of Cael wouldn¡¯t be an option.
Energy blasts were swiftly shot toward Cael, and lacked power as a result. Even with this, they slammed into Cael¡¯s stomach and it felt like he¡¯d been struck by a cannonball. The force behind the dual blast launched him off his feet and seared the surface of his skin.
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Hissing in pain, he was lucky that the burn was incredibly shallow. The pain was soon gone as his adrenaline masked it almost completely. There wasn¡¯t even time to dwell on this, though, as another pair of blasts were shot in his direction.
More eager to evade this time, he managed to leap forward and dodge the blasts before he could be taken down.
As he continued to run around and evade these blasts, he got caught with them occasionally and saw that the outer layers of his suit were degrading heavily. He had some rather nasty burns on his abdomen, which was making it agonising to perform certain movements like rolls and leaps.
However, Zach lacked the same skill that he did when it came to close-quarter combat. He was also taller and stronger than him by a significant amount, which let every attack that he¡¯d throw just hurt Zach more.
Seeing the opportunity, Cael thrusted himself forward and activated his power surge skill. His exosuit suddenly glowed more brightly, and vibrated in a more intense fashion.
In that same moment, he activated his gauntlet overdrive skill and closed the distance between him and his adversary in a flash.
Zach was totally flustered and didn¡¯t even know how to properly react. He held his arms out to try and stop Cael¡¯s assault, like a ball was being thrown at him.
This left him totally open to attack ¨C exactly what Cael wanted.
POW!
A powerful haymaker straight to the jaw knocked Zach back several steps. The attack rattled him and in this retreat, his knees slightly buckled. He¡¯d lost his footing.
Cael then swiftly continued with a barrage of punches and kicks that were surprisingly technical, but also extremely powerful.
He continuously beat down Zach and did receive some blasts and hits back on himself. However, the only thing that he had to worry about were his energy blasts. The punches and kicks he¡¯d throw just felt like nudges to him.
After sparring Keagan and getting a taste of his raw power, these attacks were a piece of cake to tolerate.
Seeing the match was nearing its end, Cael decided to hide the use of his unique extreme-heated blade. He¡¯d resort to it when he needed to.
With a powerful punch to the gut when Zacharias wasn¡¯t prepared, it knocked the wind right out of him. This attack dropped him right to his knees, and made him cough out blood into his helmet. His energy rifles were currently overheated, and were still glowing.
It would take several seconds before they could cool down. Clouds of steam and smoke emitted off them, and Zach had also expended alarming amounts of energy on blasts that didn¡¯t even hit the target.
Cael¡¯s nimbleness made him waste far too much energy and abuse these rifles of his.
Struggling to raise back up to his feet, he simply looked up to meet Cael¡¯s golden exosuit that brightly gleamed under the blazing sun. He powerfully stood over the fallen warrior, with his fists clenched tightly.
¡°Come on, Zacharias! What are you doing?! Get up and beat this clown!¡± His father exclaimed, standing up with rage.
The mediators at the edge of the ring were supposed to have stopped this fight a long time ago, but knew of Cael. Nobody wanted to lose to him. Even they were desperate to see him get pummelled somehow.
¡°Alright then. If you don¡¯t wanna finish off this fight, I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± Cael called out, clenching his right fist tightly.
Slowly cocking it back, he thrusted it straight into Zach¡¯s helmet, folding him right over like a beach chair. His body lifelessly flopped to the ground, and he remained motionless for several seconds.
It was only after ten seconds before there were some slight movements in his body in the form of jitters and shakes.
There was nothing they could do now. Zacharias was no longer fit to continue, and the win was handed to Cael.
He¡¯d succeeded in a spectacular fashion. After doing so, he just gave a piercing glare at Kegan who remained in the stands.
Even through his visor, the spectator could tell exactly who he was looking at.
Cael confidently strolled up to the edge of the arena, leaping into the stands with flair. Even with nobody to stand by his side, he didn¡¯t feel intimidated by those that sat beside him now.
There was an aura of pressure and boldness exuding from him, and those around him were not as quick to scorn him.
The following round of 16 matches continued, and Cael wanted to give it a nice watch to see what he was up against. Even though he had put so much training in, he was still a member of a literal noble house.
The patriarch of his family was a major figure within the Soburg empire¡¯s government. Some of the talents that he witnessed here had stellar performances, whilst even being several years younger than himself.
A fighter that stood out to him and everyone else was the prodigy of the Breckenridge family, Arthur Breckenridge. Younger brother of Leighton and the second-in-line to the position of patriarch, he possessed lush auburn hair along with clear skin and piercing blue eyes.
He was somewhat short for a person with so much mana, standing at 5¡¯8. However, he was only 14 and was decently tall for his age. He was around Cael¡¯s height at the same time too.
Even with a smaller figure, he wielded a heavy, powerful exosuit that caused significant damage to its opponents. His bottomless well of mana granted him the ability to completely overpower even grown men.
He easily arrived at the quarter finals and was matched up against Cael.
Second-in-Line
Before the quarterfinals commenced, there was a small break before the next stage of the tournament was to continue.
The exosuit warriors were escorted to another section of this venue, which consisted of several mechanical arms and workers strolling around a gleaming silver workplace. The walls, and practically everything inside was a similar type of metal, giving the area a futuristic, monochromatic appearance.
During this time, the fighters were attended to but weren¡¯t given the luxury of complete refurbishments of their exosuits. Not only were their abilities tested in battle but also their ability to claim victory while incurring the least amount of damage.
Cael¡¯s suit was not in a particularly good state, since he had taken several powerful blasts from Zacharias¡¯ super powerful energy blasts.
This caused him to receive slightly more intensive care, through minor repairments applied to his outer armour layers.
During this process, many of the surrounding warriors gave him scornful looks. After his performance in the event, the 7 other fighters that were here to attack him seemed to be very hostile toward him.
It was like they had made up their minds and were going to crush Cael if they had the chance.
He saw no need to entertain this isolation, and just continued looking forward as he kept his arms still and stretched outward.
He¡¯d let his hands do the talking.
As this happened, Cael tried to be quite attentive of how the repairmen would work with their suits. This field of repair -simply changing the exterior of this technology- seemed quite easy as there were no fiddly internals to work with.
However, it would be hard to incorporate different metals together, and add them in a way so that the exosuit would still remain relatively balanced afterward.
The different coloured metals seamlessly blended into the other parts of his suit through a simple finishing job though.
After a few more minutes of repairs to his exosuit, he was going to be the first match of the following quarter finals.
This was going to be quite the struggle.
Both fighters entered the arena, and Cael couldn¡¯t feel the same confidence that he had done before. He was trembling slightly and had a light nauseating feeling from his stomach.
This was going to be a very tough battle, and he¡¯d have to give it his all.
Cael immediately revealed his extreme-heated dagger, and was looking to use a lot of the power that he had here.
Beating this fighter would take everything out of him and he could easily receive an energy refill after he was over. Here, he¡¯d have to leave everything out on the battlefield.
Cael sped forward and whipped his dagger straight into reverse grip. Upon activating power surge, he could feel the heat from his dagger become more intense. However, this wouldn¡¯t be the maximum output to his blades.
Swipe!
Throwing a wild, swift swing, he utilised the power of his gauntlet overdrive to rev up his power output to the very maximum.
As his blade whistled through the air, it left a cloud of smoke and flames behind it from igniting the surrounding air.
He continuously whipped the blade around in Arthur¡¯s direction, but his feet were like those of a ballerina¡¯s. With the lightest, most graceful steps, he could stop himself from getting hurt entirely.
As Cael swung downward with desperation, Arthur stepped to his side to immediately close the distance. With his bodyweight thrown forwards, there would be nothing he could do to stop himself from receiving the next attack.
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Arthur hurled his fist straight into his flank in the form of a powerful hook. Cael could hear the vibrations of his thick exosuit as he threw out his fist, and he felt crippled by that hit. Cowering away, he continuously swung out the burning blade to stop him from coming any closer.
Here, Arthur revealed a thin-barrelled rifle mounted onto the outside of his wrist. It had two thin barrels and started firing several rounds of pellet-like energy blasts in quick succession. They just continued to fire out and flew with immense speed due to their lightness.
Cael was forced to take on several of these blasts and felt shaken up by them as they continued to land on his person.
His armour was receiving significant damage from these pellets, that he assumed would barely even make it through the outer layer of his armour.
Due to Arthur¡¯s large mana reserves, he could easily output large amounts of energy without feeling drained.
Cael soon felt a pellet slam into the inner layers of armour plates, making his skin burn from the intense heat. He nearly fell to the ground, holding that side of his body in pain.
The agony was hard to steel through, but he had to put his mind back in the game. He didn¡¯t want to lose here, and would try his absolute hardest to come out on top.
¡°Come on, Cael! YOU CAN DO THIS!¡± Cael roared, activating power surge once again.
He dashed forward, causing a cloud of sand to erupt behind him.
Swinging his blade with great speed, its raging flames managed to catch Arthur¡¯s helmet as he started to retreat. He could see that there was damage done to his armour and a surprising amount at that.
Activating gauntlet overdrive, he sliced his blade straight across his abdomen, aiming in an area that he wasn¡¯t looking at. This managed to bamboozle his adversary, leaving him unable to predict where he was going to slash. With this fiery, extremely hot blade, he literally slashed straight through the outer and even middle layers of his armour in one clean slash.
Near the centre of the gash, he had reached even the inner layers.
The crowd were dumbfounded by this weapon and achievement, as Arthur fell back with a hiss from the pain.
Many thought that Cael wouldn¡¯t even last seconds against this prodigy. However, he had managed to land an attack of some sort on him.
Cael was struggling to even believe it was true. He remained stood there, taken aback by his own capabilities.
In this moment, though, Arthur charged forward with a shout and left him flustered.
His speed was insanely great, and he landed a clean punch straight to Cael¡¯s face. Even through the helmet, he received a large bruise across the size of his face that started bleeding rather profusely from his skin breaking open.
A second strike was a straight punch right in the solar plexus, knocking the wind right out of him.
Finally, a swinging kick to his abdomen cracked one of his ribs and dropped him to his knees.
¡°Know your place you weakling! The fact that they even let you compete in this tournament is beyond me!¡± Arthur shouted down with disdain and tightly clenched fists.
Just as he was stood there, it seemed he was getting angrier and angrier from just looking at Cael. The sight of him and Cael being pit against one another in the same arena irked him.
With another punch clean to his helmet, Cael was out cold.
****
Suddenly, he awoke in one of the medical facilities within the arena. With nanobots coursing through his veins, the damage to his body was fading by the minute.
"Please remains sat, Cael Breckenridge. The nanobots will work most efficiently when you move as little as possible.¡± A doctor explained, lightly pushing him down to lay back on the bed.
Cael could feel a warm sensation stemming from within his body, which was a common feature of nanobot healing. When rather significant injuries were being healed by them, he could almost feel their activity in his veins through heat.
¡°Your fractured ribcage is the last main injury to heal. Any other pains and wounds should naturally fade in the coming hours or days.¡± The doctor furthered.
After about a minute or so, she went on to remove the nanobots through the opening that they had entered through. Scuttering into a large hovering medical drone, the drone gave off a positive ringing sound to display that all of the nanobots had been retrieved and returned to the floating medical kit.
It slowly floated away, and Cael was then allowed to raise and leave the room.
Upon touching his feet, he felt an overwhelming sensation of defeat come over him. It was hard to stomach at first, but he tried his best to rationalise it in his mind.
He had come against the best talent at the time. Even if he wasn¡¯t exactly trying his hardest at the beginning of the fight, he landed a slash on him and a good one at that.
His extreme-heated blade managed to slice through the metal on the outside of his armour like it was butter! His theory was totally correct that the extra energy would make it much better than it should be.
After exiting the small room, he returned to the arena to just spectate the fights that remained. It was hard to see the other fighters still in the tournament when he had been removed from it so quickly, but he had to remind himself of the family he was a part of.
They weren¡¯t exactly strong enough to be the leaders of armies or very high-ranking officials, but they weren¡¯t foot soldiers.
Some held more office-like positions in the military, reserved for the stronger members of the defence force. Arthur was destined to hold a position like that in the future from his great talent.
Rigging the Match
The quarterfinals were soon over and the final four were left. After the semi-finals came the finals, where Arthur had managed to reach.
Here, he was matched up against another one of the major subfamilies within the Breckenridge family.
As the two warriors stood against each other, there seemed to be a bitter rivalry between them. Their eyes didn¡¯t come off each other, and their bodies were totally frozen as the fight was soon to be underway.
Arthur¡¯s opponent was Preston Breckenridge, another talent who was a great candidate for the position of patriarch. His father had pushed for the position a very long time ago and was left bitter and furious when he was unable to acquire it for himself.
His cousin, Leighton, and Arthur¡¯s father always managed to outdo him when it came to talent and his combatant skills.
Now, he almost felt the need to live through his son to try and make him achieve what he could not. Cael was not a fan of such a mentality, but it seemed like Preston was fully on-board.
It wasn¡¯t like his father had ushered him down this path, but he had instead sent himself down this journey himself. He looked determined to take the position of patriarch for himself.
He had large cornrows, that dangled all the way down to his upper back. Even at the age of 15, he already had a sharp jawline and facial hair.
The two stepped back from each other, and the spectators were now on the edge of their seats to see what was to happen next. Even if Cael didn¡¯t care much -if at all- for such family dynamics, he felt the intensity.
This made him even more interested in seeing who would come out on top.
Preston possessed two shoulder-mounted energy rifles, along with a long, superheated blade that protruded out from his right forearm.
Arthur simply resorted to his gauntlets and wrist-mounted energy rifles, that functioned more as obliterating machine guns.
¡°May the final match begin!!¡±
Arthur and Preston remained vigilant, circling around each other instead of just rushing in. That would be the easiest way to get walloped and defeated. Through each other¡¯s visor, they closely examined the other¡¯s footwork and timing.
Feinting and pretending to attack, each one was feeling out the other to see the perfect opportunity to attack.
Suddenly, Arthur lifted his fist and started firing off with numerous blasts straight in his direction.
Blasts rained down on Preston, but his exosuit was much better at taking on the damage. With more mana reserves came greater quality exosuits, and Preston wasn¡¯t bothered much by these pellet blasts.
With a large roll, he was largely out of the line of fire then he charged straight toward Arthur.
In a flash, he zipped across the arena and caused the thin layer of sand on the ground to lift right up. After covering the distance between them in this short time, he clashed with Arthur and grunted as he pushed up against him.
Even if Arthur was quite the prodigy, so was Preston and he was a year older.
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With that, he possessed a more muscular, capable physique.
Arthur continued to push but his legs gave in. As he continued to push, he would ever so slowly slide back and lose his footing. Preston was just throwing his weight onto his adversary, making it ever more difficult for him to push back.
Suddenly, though, he hurled himself back and gave Arthur some distance. In the process, though, he was hurled forward from the great pushing force that he was just applying on him.
This left him on really bad footing and wide open to further attack.
VRMM!
Preston¡¯s rifles glowed a bright green, which was something that Cael had never really seen before. If a barrel of a metal was to glow that sort of colour, it was known to beware of what was to fire out from it.
BOOM!
Two large energy blasts fired out from the rifles and slammed straight into Arthur, literally lifting him off his feet. The blasts left some deep damage in his metal armour, and he¡¯d already felt the pain from the energy beams on his skin.
Thud!
Upon landing on the ground, Arthur did not grimace or grunt from the pain. Instead, he remained resilient and muscled through the pain, aiming both of his arms straight at Preston as he remained on the floor.
Roaring, he fired off numerous energy blasts straight at him and slid back across the arena floor in the process.
Preston, again, was not hard-pressed to evade these blasts but was certainly annoyed by how fast and pestering they were. Each one was fast and had quite a bit of force behind it and felt like miniature musket pellets constantly slamming into his person.
Nothing much seemed to have happened to his armour but steadily, its health was deteriorating. Cael could see this from the stands, and the outer layer or armour across his forearms and torso was degrading swiftly.
After a few seconds of continuous blasting, the match continued, and the fighters closed in on each other to exchange several punches and kicks.
Preston didn¡¯t have as much skill as Arthur when it came to fighting but was faster and stronger. His muscles were just better equipped for battle, and each punch that he threw just had significantly more weight behind it.
POW!
Preston managed to rock Arthur with a strike straight to his face, following up with a slash from the superheated blade that he extended out from under his forearm¡¯s armour.
It sliced straight through the outer layers of Arthur¡¯s amour, making him fall back and evade the following swings that came. Even though the blade didn¡¯t light on fire and look as chaotic as Cael¡¯s, it was of similar heat.
Cael was just emulating this sort of heat through the gimmicks that he possessed through his system, and made his weapon quite unstable.
As for Preston, he was generating this heat in quite an ordinary, safe way.
The two fighters continued to go at it toe-to-toe, degrading each other¡¯s armour plates. Their constant energy blasts were heavily damaging and the outer layers of their armour had been reduced to slag by this point.
Both were bleeding rather profusely under their armour, and their immediate family members were screaming, vehemently waving their hands and stomping as they watched on.
Leighton and their mother watched on from the stands, above the rest of the Breckenridge family, whilst Preston¡¯s father watched on from the other side.
They continued to battle, slugging their fists forward as their stamina had almost been totally depleted. With the constant use of their energy rifles, they didn¡¯t have much mana to rely on to continue.
Each fighter was forced to take seconds off, trying their best to get air in and recuperate. It wasn¡¯t enough, though, as somebody would end up breaking apart first.
Both of them was hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be them and so, continued on with just willpower ¨C the only thing that kept them fighting.
Panting through their helmets, they slammed into each other and began to wrestle, and Preston was given the immediate advantage. With his greater weight, he almost threw himself onto his opponent, constantly pushing him down with his larger frame. This forced his opponent to work much harder to keep himself up on his own two feet.
Both warriors managed to get back up to their feet, just standing against each other with heavy breath. They panted like they were suffocating, and it felt like that for both of them.
Their bodies simply needed more oxygen than they could provide. Now it would be a battle purely of who had the stronger mind.
Who wanted it more!
Cael was excited upon seeing this happen, and couldn¡¯t help but lean forward in his chair.
That¡¯s when an idea suddenly popped into his mind.
A mischievous smile grew across Cael¡¯s face as he continued to watch.
The fighters were near the edge of the arena now, and only a few metres from him. Both fighters would be in range for his mana stream skill.
¡°Now, who should I give the win to?¡±
Lance Corporal Warin
Cael pondered this for a short while and knew that he didn¡¯t really have much longer to make a choice. Even if the two fighters were still looking equally damaged, they were both hanging on by mere threads.
Any attack from either of them would likely take down the other, if it was decently powerful.
Cael decided to try and give Preston the upper hand in the race toward patriarch. He wondered how the dynamics would alter upon granting him such success.
His mana stream appeared from his body, covertly descending until it latched onto Preston¡¯s suit.
As this happened, his eyes opened wide from the energy that he felt flowing through his exosuit. It was almost like it had entered an odd overdrive mode. Smirking mischievously, both of the barrels at his shoulders started to glow their signature green.
As he gathered this mana for the attack, Cael once again felt like the mana was being ripped from his body. Such high mana demand was something his body wouldn¡¯t be able to naturally handle, so he had to try his best to mask the strain that he felt across his body.
Placing his hands firmly on his thighs with his arms straightened, he controlled his breathing and already started to sweat as the barrels grew brighter and brighter.
Arthur only watched on incredulously as the barrels glowed so brightly. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had enough energy left over to use such an attack. He had been outsmarted throughout this entire battle.
The blasts slammed straight into Arthur¡¯s body, slamming him straight into the arena wall. The blasts ripped through even the inner layers of his armour and caused his head to whip back into the wall with alarming force.
He was unconscious soon after, and the medics were forced to enter the ring in numbers to retrieve him. Nanobots entered his system as soon as they reached him, and Preston lifted his arms in rejoice as he managed to claim victory.
Cael was quick and relieved to finally have the chance to remove his mana stream. It surprised him that his energy rifles were sucking that much mana from his body. Cael¡¯s body would only be able to sustain a handful of those blasts ¨C the fact that they were shot out in pairs only made it worse.
Letting out a sigh of relief as the feeling of strain vanished from his body, he leaned back and sighed upon feeling the lack of pain in his muscles and body.
¡°Who would¡¯ve thought he could win that?¡± Cael asked the man to his side, as his mouth was still open with shock.
¡°I don¡¯t know myself either, Cael. I really don¡¯t know; this was supposed to be Arthur¡¯s time to cement himself as the rightful heir to the throne in his brother¡¯s stead. Maybe, that isn¡¯t the case anymore.¡± The flabbergasted individual realised.
It seemed that some of the members of the family were more willing to communicate with him from his successes. This made total sense to him. Let the arrogant soak in your achievements and once you are on their level, there can be no way for them to try and boost their ego from you.
Either, they remain in denial, or treat you like an equal and look for different targets.
¡°Maybe so.¡±
Following this event, Preston was given a scintillating trophy that consisted of a statue of one of the older patriarchs of the family. It was named the ¡®Leofstan Award¡¯, after Leofstan Breckenridge.
Cael was indifferent toward the history of his family after his parents died -he wanted as little to do with them as possible after they shunned him- so wasn¡¯t really aware of this person at all.
Anything that he would¡¯ve known as a child he had now totally forgotten.
After this event, the family were given access to an almost limitless buffet of food that constantly refilled as they finished up the items. For the fighters -that had just exhausted their mana reserves and fought several tens of minutes- were the second most ravenous eaters there.
Those with the highest capacity were the burly dads -Uncle Asher in particular- that seemed to be bottomless wells. No matter how much they shoved down their gob, they always looked ready and hungry for more.
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Cael spent his time here mainly keeping to himself. Without any immediate family to converse with, he just took liberties watching what the others were up to, whilst getting tastes of some of the foods that were on offer for him to try out.
There were delectable meats from across the solar system -similar to the markets within the city- but he could tell that this was of a higher quality.
The meats, no matter what they were, had a tender, juicy texture that only made him desire more and more of it.
Soon enough, after about an hour or so, the family were more than rejuvenated. Even Uncle Asher was minutes away from falling into a food coma, surrounded by more than ten plates of food.
Following this meal was a short break for the fighters, where they could enjoy some of the other things on offer in the stadium. There were a few party-style games on offer for them to try our, amongst other games that Cael was more versed with.
¡°Oh, they have Armour Cell V?¡± Cael asked himself, looking at the sleek, black arcade machine with four controllers held just under its wide display.
A historical first-person action game, it revolved around the use of ancient weapons that they used to brand as firearms. Now, they were referred to as ¡®legacy firearms¡¯ with things like energy rifles and weapons that shot out arrow projectiles as ¡®modern firearms¡¯.
It wasn¡¯t long after humanity started conquering other galaxies for them to find out that firearms were relatively useless against most extraterrestrial metals.
Even things like Dresium were levels above the likes of steel when it came to strength-to-weight ratios and malleability.
To pass the time, he started playing on this machine and felt surprised by the fun that he felt playing this. After his system had bombarded him with quests, it had made him game less and less.
Suddenly, he was called back to action and the 8 quarterfinalists were directed to the arena grounds to arrive by each other¡¯s side.
At the very front were Preston and Arthur, that didn¡¯t even give each other glances. Arthur¡¯s face was sour and bitter, while Preston just had a keen smirk on his face as he watched Leighton, who was stood against them.
¡°Greetings, our top 8 talents. Here, you will be up against one of our older fighters, that gained the position of Lance Corporal, specialising in fighting within energy-rifle battalions. Please welcome Warin Breckenridge!¡± Leighton announced, receiving an applause from the crowd.
¡°Alright, guys, you should all listen to what I have to say. You only do something if I let you to, and if I tell you to do something in this fight, you do it, okay?!¡± Preston commanded, shooting glares of arrogance and contempt to the other fighters that stood behind him.
Kegan nodded to him with a smile, but then scoffed as soon as he turned his head. The two-faced snake hadn¡¯t changed a bit.
Cael just didn¡¯t react to his order, and knew he wasn¡¯t going to listen to a word he had to say ¨C many of the other fighters stood before him probably had similar sentiments.
I mean, there were still two other semi-finalists, that managed to have decent fights against the likes of Arthur and Preston. Just because Preston had ended up taking the trophy instead of them, he immediately deemed them as weaklings compared to himself.
Warin walked onto the sandy arena, with two wrist-mounted rifles, and two shoulder-mounted ones. With the rifle on his right shoulder, it was double barrel.
¡°Excessive, much?¡± Cael thought to himself, looking at his large, clunky suit.
The fighter was extremely tall, standing at 6¡¯6. He was quite lean, and not exactly a talent of the Breckenridge family. His parents were below average when compared to other family members their age, and he¡¯d just managed to work somewhat hard and achieve a better position than they did.
His father was stuck at the position of private for his entire stint in the military, before he was demoted and ended up working as a police officer in a small borough of Oseron.
Warin slammed his chest, before aiming his fists straight at the crew. The barrels that were on his wrist glowed and started to hiss out steam as the match was soon to be underway.
Cael crouched down into a fighting position, revealing his extreme-heated dagger. His mana wasn¡¯t exactly at full storage, but the large meal he had just received managed to rejuvenate him a significant amount.
¡°May the battle commence!!¡±
Arthur and Preston sped forward, along with pretty much every fighter except for Cael. It seemed like the crew didn¡¯t really think much about attacking in a co-ordinated manner, and they were soon to get punished for their rashness.
Arthur leaped forward, outpacing Preston in that split-second, to land the first attack. He even gave a glance back to Preston with an arrogant smile as if he had gotten something over him.
Preston was almost immune to such petty gloating after receiving the trophy; he was certain that he was now the superior fighter.
However, Arthur received a barrage of powerful energy blasts that shot him back several metres. One of the pellets even managed to shoot right into the inner layers of his armour.
Preston, watching this happen, received a kick right to his chest before he had the opportunity to react. In his retreat, though, he gritted his teeth and activated his energy rifles as swiftly as he could.
Two green energy blasts were shot at Warin, who was already bent down near the ground before he¡¯d fired.
The blasts soared right over his head, making the arena wall shake as they impacted it.
Many more of the fighters were starting to receive similar treatment, and Cael expected this to happen. A lance corporal was likely to be a fighter from a B-Grade institute or higher.
Joining the military wasn¡¯t for everybody, and many of the fighters remained as privates, being simply too weak to climb the ranks.
Even if he was young and inexperienced in comparison to other soldiers, he had been promoted for a reason.
¡°Keep coming at me like mindless rats and you¡¯ll be killed on this battlefield!¡± He shouted, punching Kegan so hard in his stomach that he had to dismantle his helmet because he started throwing up.
Defeat
Warin didn¡¯t even give him the liberty to do that, and kicked him back toward the retreating 6 fighters that included even Arthur and Preston.
¡°So, what did you guys learn from that altercation?¡± Cael asked, with a smug smile on his face.
¡°Shut up, weakling. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re smart now just because you were too scared to actually fight. The fact that you¡¯re even here is a hoax!¡± Arthur berated back, giving him a glance of disdain before turning back to Warin.
¡°Keep having that mindset and you will lose. Do you not want to use every asset that you can to have the highest chance of winning this?¡± Cael pondered, still surprised by this boy¡¯s unfaltering ignorance.
¡°I don¡¯t care about your gimmicks. I don¡¯t need every asset that you have, so I don¡¯t care about what minimal help you can offer here!¡± Arthur roared, getting angrier with every word that he was forced to say.
¡°Fine then. Let¡¯s see how you can win without tactics.¡± Cael replied, standing back with his hands held up.
Without even giving him another glance, Arthur advanced only to receive two yellow energy blasts straight to his chest. Crashing into the ground, he grunted from the force and heat behind these blasts, and muscled back up to his feet being far too scared to show weakness.
The other fighters tried to continue in a similar fashion to how they had done, just being slightly more vigilant. Just like Cael had anticipated, they got beat down in the same way.
As the group retreated once again, this time even more injured than before, he hoped that these talents would be more willing to listen to him.
¡°Look! If you keep fighting him like mindless bloodthirsty Vikings, he could actually kill you! Do you think this is how the soldiers of Soburg fight in battle?!¡± Cael asked, getting scoffs from many of the fighters.
¡°What do you know about the soldiers that protect us?¡± A semi-finalist, Avery, asked him as he lifted.
He had silver hair, like Silas, and sky-blue eyes.
¡°What do I not know that you do? Is it preposterous to say that soldiers of our time use tactics and don¡¯t fight like brazen beasts. How do you think you could defeat anybody greater than yourself if you don¡¯t fight in a calculated manner?!¡± Cael asked.
This time, he received no retort. Progress was being made.
¡°Now, after analysing this fighter, I think I have an idea of how we can beat him.¡± Cael replied.
This bold statement caught the attention of some of the others from the crowd. Many were quick to just write him off, but the weaker family members started to see him in a different light.
Why should they follow the masses and scorn Cael when he¡¯s done something that they could only dream of? He¡¯s grown past the limits previously placed on himself.
¡°Warin¡¯s currently stood in a corner of the arena and hasn¡¯t pulled off the arena wall at all. His barrels look to be fixed and can only be shot forward right now. The power demand from all those rifles means that he most likely has no other noteworthy weapons at hand.¡±
¡°So? I could¡¯ve told you that by just looking at him!¡± Preston retorted.
¡°Well, that means he has poor protection from behind him. Attack him from angles, mainly the side and his back, and there¡¯s nothing that he can properly do. If we break through the armour in those areas, we can use our own energy rifles to destroy him.¡± Cael furthered.
Silence befell the group of soldiers, and none of them were quick to shut down Cael¡¯s proposition. It seemed rather well thought out.
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Of course, these fighters were not blind to tactics but wanted to win with flair and style. Warin, even if he was a soldier in the army, was not a talent within the Breckenridge family of their same calibre. Therefore, they felt it was necessary to defeat him through showing off pure power, talent and flair.
The fighters charged ahead, with Preston taking on the warrior straight on. Challenging him with his very own energy rifles, this only made Warin laugh.
¡°Don¡¯t think those rifles of mine compare to my own!¡± Warin shouted, lifting his arms, making his energy rifles glow simultaneously.
Even if he wanted to make himself seem valiant and fearless, Preston shot a few glances to his surroundings to see if any other people remained by his side. Much to his surprise, Arthur stood there with his own automatic energy rifles aimed right at Warin.
To his left was also Kegan, who stood there with his shoulder-mounted energy rifle whirring up into action. He didn¡¯t activate his wrist-mounted rifles, and Cael surmised that this was because he didn¡¯t want to abuse his mana.
The three warriors fired off with their energy blasts, taking on some themselves. After firing their own, they were free to try their best to evade the numerous blasts that were shot in their direction.
Cael rushed in from his side, activating his power surge and gauntlet overdrive once he was close to Warin. His extreme-heated dagger caught a light once again, giving it the appearance of a weapon straight from the depths of hell.
Swinging it forward, there was a large flow of fire in the process of him hurling his dagger forward, and he slashed it straight through the side and back area of Warin¡¯s suit.
Slicing through the outer layers of the armour, he didn¡¯t hurt Warin but certainly alerted him to what he was doing. Turning his attention to Cael, he shot out a kick in the form of a picture perfect side kick that was so forceful that he threw the boy into the arena wall.
Upon impact, it shuddered and looked like it was about to crack. With his eyes on Cael, this stopped him from being able to see the silver-haired Avery approaching him from behind. He possessed powered gauntlets, just like Cael did, and struck the back of his armour with numerous punches.
He rattled off with as many as he could, using up his mana resources as if they were endless.
Warin wasn¡¯t totally unbothered by these strikes, as the force behind them was throwing him forward. Annoyed by the lack of stability he possessed from this, he swung his left leg back and he forced his heel into Avery¡¯s helmet.
The force behind his sweeping kick dropped the boy to the ground, even if it landed on his helmet. The rattling force of his head in his helmet was enough to leave him disoriented, with blood running down the left side of his face.
Warin, even when being attacked from these various angles, was vigilant and skilled enough to handle the different fighters that were simultaneously attacking him.
His exosuit was of greater quality to their own, and he was far more skilled, fighting like a true soldier. He beat every fighter in practically every quality, far outshining the boys when it came to raw strength and speed.
Preston leaped forward with his heated blade aimed straight for his chest. They had infrequently landed a few energy blasts onto his armour, slowly shaving off the outer layers of such plating in certain places.
This made him think that this was the best chance to employ a stabbing technique to win. However, Warin stepped back and grabbed his wrist, throwing him right over his head to slam him into the ground.
With such a powerful drop, Preston¡¯s head slammed into the ground and he was knocked out by this attack for a few seconds.
In this time, Warin was able to take down some of the other lesser fighters that attempted to fight him. Using energy blasts to incapacitate them or strong blows to leave them discombobulated, they were slowly dropping like flies.
Soon, it was only Cael, Avery, Arthur and Kegan that remained standing. Avery had already received a powerful hit to his head and was no longer at his best. The others were also well on their way to defeat.
Cael had only managed to land a few slashes every now and again with his blade, but his energy reserves were depleting quickly. From constantly resorting to power surge and this power inefficient weapon, there wasn¡¯t much left that he could do.
Running forward, he managed to anticipate an attack from Warin and slipped past it with the use of his cyberjutsu. Dropping incredibly low, he managed to evade two more attacks that came his way in a spectacular fashion. He moved as if he was an annoying insect, stepping away from attacks just at the right moment to remain untouched.
Springing up with as much force as he could, he threw forward his heated blade with some of the last bits of mana that he had, slicing and nearly reaching the man¡¯s skin. The heat behind the ablaze dagger was enough for him to draw blood, making it run down his abdomen behind the thin layer of silver metal that protected him.
Warin grunted in pain, annoyed by this fighter¡¯s unique fighting style and intelligence. Seeking to outdo him with raw power, he managed to grab Cael before he could react and slammed him into the ground with just the power of his arms, throwing down a single punch to stop him.
File Unlocked
The following fighters fought valiantly, but collectively couldn¡¯t take down the ruthless warrior that was Warin.
Arthur was the final fighter to remain, wrestling him with every ounce of strength that he had left. Cael even used the last of his mana in the form of a mana stream, invigorating him and allowing him to resort to even more energy blasts.
Warin was hurt by the blasts since that his armour had been worn down by Cael and previous damage.
However, he wasn¡¯t even close to being defeated. Slamming Arthur into the arena wall and launching a dual blast of green energy at the fallen warrior, he was left down and eliminated.
Regardless of their loss, as the medics rushed into the arena, the crowd applauded their efforts and even Warin nodded at them all with respect as they were being pulled out the arena.
Cael was surprised by his face of praise, because he seemed like he had no care even for their lives.
It was now clear to him that he was just fighting in that way to make sure that he could see the very most from these fighters. They really left it all in the ring, as all of them were either gravely injured or far too exhausted to continue.
Cael couldn¡¯t even activate his powered gauntlets if he didn¡¯t want to run the risk of freezing up his exosuit.
The fighters were simultaneously healed, and the event was brought up to a close.
The fighters and watchers were given some nice souvenirs of the event to take home with them, along with the quarterfinalists being given a special feast for themselves.
The parents were in the room with them to praise their efforts, while Uncle Asher watched on with envy as he couldn¡¯t try out any of the food on display. Cael could almost feel his piercing gaze on the back of his head, along with his grunts of dissatisfaction and just chuckled as he ate.
¡°You know what, you actually did some good work there. I mean, how could a Breckenridge be weak, there was bound to be something inside you waiting to be revealed.¡± Avery said to Cael, stuffing a mouthful of giant chicken into his mouth.
With the advancement of technology, humans were able to genetically modify animals to the level where they could form chickens about as tall as legs, along with cows that resembled minotaurs from their massive, fatty muscles.
¡°Thank you. I guess so.¡± Cael replied, genuinely grateful for his respect.
¡°Well, you¡¯re not all that.¡± Preston quickly said to the two, receiving more support from the other banqueters.
Cael wasn¡¯t a fan of such disrespect, but could tell that there was a hint of acknowledgement of his power. Most people of Preston¡¯s type would mock him with far more hurtful, contemptuous remarks, so this somewhat neutral comment meant progress was being made.
After this long, tumultuous event, Cael returned to his hotel room and fell to sleep soon after, exhausted from the intense battling of the day.
Upon waking up, it was soon time for him to return to Carlo City but as he was packing up his things, he was met with a few notifications from his system.
[Quest Complete!]
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[New Title!]
[Warrior I]
[Ability Upgraded!]
[Ability: Lv. 2 Extra Profit]
[The user receives gears from matches within the vault, within all game modes and the number of gears received are higher for matches of the same difficulty and quality.]
[New Item!]
[File: introduction-file-key.wcmKEY]
Upon seeing these notifications, Cael was then surprised to see that his projector was suddenly activated once again.
In his downloads folder, he could see that something had happened with the previous file that he received from the helmet fragment.
The two files were no longer displayed individually but displayed in a folder, now holding a single file.
This introduction file that he believed was the key to unlocking the original file now no longer existed, with only a single file remaining.
[File: introduction-files-for-system.wcm]
What followed then, was a new projection from his projector as the file was automatically run without any interference from him.
¡°Hello there, system user. If you¡¯re managing to see this video, I must say that you have made astounding progress.¡± An old, croaky voice commented.
In this hologram, all he could see was the upper half of the person that he deduced was the creator. He had long, white hair with incredibly wrinkly skin, along with a long white beard and even long eyebrows.
¡°The reason that I can¡¯t thank you in person is because of those that are scared of my expertise. They wanted me to hide this system ¨C they wanted me to destroy it! Now, that you have this power and are continuing to harness it, beware of the threats that will soon come to you. I am terribly sorry that I cannot be there to protect you.¡±
¡°However, with this system, you should be strong enough. Within this file will be information about various theories of mine, along with a useful prototype. Keep on advancing your abilities to see more about my marvellous creations. You will see me again. Creator signing out!¡±
As he said this, the message fizzled out into nothing and vanished. As this message was removed, the folder contained various new text files with different titles.
[File: book-1-mana-fusion-reactor.wcmTEXT]
Cael felt a little overwhelmed about all of this information. What was he supposed to think about people soon coming for him because of his system? I mean, it was a technology that eclipsed every other creation that he had seen in this world.
It didn¡¯t surprise him that this creator managed to acquire many enemies. He was more than grateful to himself for hiding this system of his so that others aware of the creator wouldn¡¯t associate himself with him.
This allowed him to stay covert and to continue advancing his powers in secrecy.
Hearing from this creator made him want to actually see him so that he could thank him for transforming his life. However, from the style of message he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was killed not long after recording that.
Not letting himself get bogged down in his deep thought, he moved onto the list of files now displayed in this folder. He clicked on the first file listed, which had the unique file type of wcmTEXT.
Upon opening it, it did resemble a text file but had some unique formatting to it. It managed to contain several videos and separate projections, even though he was just running it using a simple notepad-like application.
This sort of technology fascinated him, and made him excited to continue reading the text that was being displayed.
The initial part of the file explained how, in ancient times, the idea of nuclear fusion was discovered after an event known as World War 2. It was a time before the technological revolution ¨C there was a great divide between life before that point and life after.
Pretty much everybody, including Cael himself, after that technological revolution had grown up around tech. Those before lived more traditional, industrial lifestyles.
The scientist went on to explain what the idea was, which Cael was vaguely familiar with from his studies many years ago. Those foundational studies didn¡¯t give him a very good idea of what it was, but he could understand the idea quite well from how it was being described to him.
Throughout this section of the paper, there was a hologram showing two atoms of hydrogen fusing together to then form helium, which was incredibly detailed and almost looked real in a way.
What followed was basic description of mana; this was something that Cael was far more versed with. Being in a cadet institute, this stuff was his bread and butter.
After, Cael started reading on and was blown away by the theories that were being described. As he continued to read on, it only made him question just how smart this creator had to be to come up with such innovative ideas.
Blueprints
The main idea displayed in this text file was a hypothesised mana fusion reactor. With mana being a source of energy just by itself, what if there was a method to fusing different types of mana to yield much greater power output.
With his estimations, he found that exosuits and support bots could be made to fly for much longer periods of time, and be made much larger. Exosuits of the high-tier were already capable of flight but this was in short bursts, and large support bots -known as juggernauts- couldn¡¯t last very long on the battlefield.
They were also a sitting duck, which meant that they required great durability, further increasing their weight and hampering their movement. It was a risky design and was only employed by a select few daring armies.
Suddenly, Cael¡¯s mind shot back into reality, and he was forced to rush out of his hotel room so that he wouldn¡¯t miss his spaceflight. Just about making it to the spaceport in time, he took his projector with him and continued reading on during this flight.
As he returned back to Saevis then his humble abode in Carlo City, he continued reading the other special text files within the folder.
Cael was mainly taken aback by the idea of the mana fusion reactor. If he could manifest that sort of idea before anyone else and patent it, he¡¯d instantly be in competition with some of the largest military tech firms out there.
Such a technology would just be too useful to be overlooked.
[File: book-2-kinetic-absorption.wcmTEXT]
Reading this book, there was another hypothesised ability of exosuits and support bots and this was labelled as kinetic reabsorption. Attacks like blunt trauma from gauntlets and other attacks of that sort were damaging through the kinetic energy they carried. Even energy blasts had the force behind them to knock people over, without even considering the explosions the blasts would engender.
If this force could somehow be applied to the exterior of an exosuit and stored, it could then be converted into a usable form of mana in mana cores, then extracted using etherisers. Even if this wouldn¡¯t be possible, he could use another storage type, like traditional batteries, to hold this energy then re-use it later.
Again, this idea was mind-boggling to Cael. It was quite surprising to him that other people hadn¡¯t thought of ideas like this before. Well, he was sure that they had done, but they just sounded too far-fetched to be possible.
However, he could tell that this creator had the mind to fabricate those ideas. There was no limit to what his mind would attempt to realise.
During this time, Cael continued on his training in his cadet institute, receiving sudden attention from his classmates due to his successes. Just like the Breckenridges, there were those that were unaccepting of his success and found methods in their mind to dismiss them. However, others just played the game of sucking up to those that were above them.
The only real reason that some people were ready to accept his success and talent was because he was of the Breckenridge family. His lack of talent was already odd to begin with, coming from a family where both of his parents were somewhat successful soldiers in the Soburg Empire.
They weren¡¯t high ranking, but even gaining a relatively middle-to-low level ranking warranted sufficiently large mana reserves.
Along with this, the utilisation of his cyberjutsu fighting style was something that many of the fighters that he went up against deemed awkward and annoying to deal with. His defence was so sharp to the point that once he landed an attack, he¡¯d be almost impossible to hit.
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He¡¯d spring right out of range and remain untouchable. For those like Vanessa and other talents, they were just too fast to deal with and they could still deal with him in similar fashion.
Even after his win over Keagan, he hadn¡¯t managed to defeat him since that point since he would take their spars very seriously.
Another idea described in the creators introductory files was the idea of a nuclear railgun. A long railgun, about 100 metres or so in length, could use the power of mana to accelerate a cannon-sized pellet at high speeds. Additionally, this pellet could then possess explosives like nuclear fusion explosions, and other forms to totally eviscerate whatever it would land on.
The kinetic energy behind the blast could be a main factor toward its destructiveness, and the exterior of the pellet could slowly shave off and ignite in the air, adding to the damage. Finally, the nuclear explosion at the end would only further the destruction, completely decimating a large area.
This idea even sent a chill through Cael¡¯s spine. The other ideas were obviously going to be used in malicious ways, but they just seemed far less brutal. The loss of life at the hands of this railgun would cause so much loss and suffering that he didn¡¯t even want to think about it very much at all.
Finally, there was one more file for him to read up on. He was quite interested in the previous ideas that had been explained to him, but they were all just theories. With a business to expand, he wanted something that he could immediately implement to make a profit from.
These were introductory files, and he was aware of how this system functioned. He was likely to receive more rewards and information in the future. However, these nuggets of wisdom that Cael was being left with made him even more adamant on fabricating those previous ideas.
Upon reaching the last file, he immediately felt excited upon reading its title.
[File: book-final-blueprint-energy-shield.wcmTEXT]
With the word blueprint specifically stated in the filename, he had his hopes up. He greatly anticipated what would be within, and swiftly got to reading it.
The first few pages introduced him to the functioning behind energy shields. It was quite the revelation to him, because a lot of what was being described to him was new. Even after working with these components for so long, he didn¡¯t truly understand their inner workings.
There was still a lot more to learn before he could become a well-versed mechanic.
After describing the main workings of the energy shield, the creator then went on to describe a new model that he had created, designed to drastically decrease the energy usage of such items. Along with that, he described that this model had the aim of making energy shields more common within lower tier exosuits and support bots.
The main system revolved around a low-energy power system located within the forearm of an exosuit or support bot. The complex explanations and needless jargon in his explanations made it somewhat hard for Cael to follow, but he was bright enough to piece things together as he read on.
As he continued reading up on this model, he was dumbfounded by its efficiency and elegance. He¡¯d somehow managed to totally transform the model of the energy shield, ubiquitous in military level exosuits, and make it seem even more innovative than it already was.
His model didn¡¯t exactly do anything that the common energy shield didn¡¯t already do. His idea was not to make the energy shields even more durable, or any different physically for that matter. What he intended to do, and what he achieved, was to make it extremely efficient.
There was a projection of the energy shield on a hologram of a person, along with another projection showing the smaller, intricate components that constituted this design.
Cael was truly awestruck upon inspecting its delicate, complex parts. Even with their complexity, there was order to the madness. With deep enough analysis, he could see the several described parts of the model, and just laughed as he realised that everything would work perfectly.
Not only was the energy shield model great for minimising the energy usage of an energy shield, but it could also be applied elsewhere. The main feature of these components was that they were very interchangeable, and utilised similar basic compartments, on which specialisations and slight alterations were applied.
If he could try and apply this efficient use of mana to other components in any way that was feasible, he could really milk this great innovation to the absolute maximum.
¡°Just who is this guy?¡± Cael wondered with laughter, after shrinking down the projections with a single finger swipe.
This creator was an absolute mastermind. Why would people be out to target and possibly kill him?
He understood the threat that he posed; any side in a war with him assisting them would be given the immediate advantage. However, wouldn¡¯t that make armies want to usher him toward their side, and not just eliminate such a brilliant thinker?
A Helping Hand
Regardless, Cael couldn¡¯t rest any longer and needed to use those blueprints as soon as he could. Forming components himself would take quite a lot more time, since he was only well-versed with the assembly of larger overall units. However, with enough work, he was sure that he could get the job done.
His internal manipulation skills were great, and that was what he would really need to form these energy shields.
Upon finishing the last file, a few more notifications appeared in front of him.
[Quest Complete!]
[+2 Intelligence]
[+2 Creativity]
[+2 Focus]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 9]
[Speed: 8]
[Durability: 8]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 13/13]
[Skills]
With these extra stats, Cael could feel that his mind had become even sharper than it once was. It was a frequent thing that Cael now found himself doing.
He would try basic arithmetic calculations and things of that sort to test how fast he could do them. Whenever his intelligence went up, he could feel that the time it took him to complete those calculations decrease.
Additionally, with his focus, it could allow him to increase the speed of his calculations once he entered a certain focused state.
Cael, once again, found himself somewhat directionless. He couldn¡¯t really think of where to go, and there were no quests to keep him directed for the future.
[New Quest!]
[Quest: Lost Files II]
[Find the other set of lost files left by the Creator by searching throughout the galaxy!]
[Punishment: N/A]
Well, Cael didn¡¯t feel the need to complain about this mission, but this couldn¡¯t be the thing that would occupy most of his time. After conducting some of his own research, he found that there was another event that he could capitalise on to get his name out there more.
This was the Ultimate Autobot Showdown. This was a special event where mechanics from across a certain section of the galaxy could come together to a host state and show off their combat autonomous bots. With that, they would compete against each other in what they dubbed an ¡®ultimate showdown¡¯.
It was a detailed analysis of a bot, through several battles that it would have to partake in. It would be placed in gladiatorial formats with animal-like bots being pit against them. Along with that, there would be battle royales set up along with 1v1 tournament events.
In 8 months time, Cael had to be ready to go through with this event. The whole showdown was going to be hosted in a state called the Republic of Tecros. This was a very technologically advanced state that neighboured the furthermost colonies of the Soburg Empire.
In the Soburg Empire they were renowned for what the empire¡¯s citizens viewed as overly liberal and left-wing policies. Along with that, the empire would ridicule the state for its petty army.
The Soburg Empire drew pride from its powerful military and its people deemed states with inferior defence to themselves as inferior. However, this was only part of the truth.
The Republic of Tecros was part of a supranational union, the Aegis Confederation. This union was focused on uniting resources and the people of its constituents. A main feature of the union was that if one member was attacked, the other states would be obliged to protect them.
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This is what kept Soburg so close to them, but non-violent. The manifesto of insatiable desire for land and control didn¡¯t mix well with remaining so close to such a crushable nation, but the union kept them in check.
After a few short days of musing over his potential attack bot, he wanted to design a totally new weapon. The economical energy shield of the creator simply opened too many doors that he didn¡¯t want to keep closed.
Thinking of the energy shield¡¯s base, he thought of ramping the power up to a special electric baton. With the energy efficiency, lower-level exosuits could pump immense amounts of power into it and make it a deadly shocking weapon.
Along with an energy shield, that weapon combination would certainly be useful in the case of the gladiatorial match ups where this bot would be competing against powerful enemies.
After thinking over this tournament, the thought of Leon Areno entered his shortly after. The mechanic from the fighter-mechanic event that offered to work for him. With the thought of his expanding business, he could be of great use.
Cael was smarter now, and felt that his swarm design was in need of an upgrade or just an augmented alteration. The first idea that came to mind was a drone swarm solely focused on offensive capabilities. There would be no sensory drones, or at least very minimal, and the remaining drones would be various types of specialised attack drones.
They could use a wide range of different attack types, like explosive transporters or energy blaster specialists.
Along with that, to keep money flowing in, he wanted to make sure Leon could have some work to do with producing items for his merchant account. He would then make a fraction of the earnings on those items.
As to how much Cael was willing to give him, Cael wasn¡¯t exactly sure, but he felt it would be necessary to contact him and find out his preferences for himself.
[Hey there, Leon. It¡¯s been a while since you contacted me so I apologise but would you still be willing to do some work in association with me?]
It took about 10 or so minutes, and Cael was given a swift, enthusiastic reply.
[Hi, Cael. Of course I¡¯d be up for it, man. What could¡¯ve changed in just these few weeks?] Leon jokingly replied.
[That¡¯s fair enough. I was looking for you to produce some items for my merchant account. If you were to produce those items, I was thinking that you could get 40 to 50% of the profit on those items but what else would be a good reward for you?]
[That¡¯s quite a lot, I¡¯d be fine with that to be honest. As for anything else, maybe promotion of my own items would be great. I wouldn¡¯t be asking for anything much from the revenue of those, if any. The main perk to you making my own things would just be eyes on my stuff.]
[Ah, alright, I could do that. Well, what type of assembly experience do you have?]
Cael was willing to outsource his assembly but only to the right person. If he had sold rather shoddy products in the past, he did not want to do the same now.
[I almost got into the Vista Technical Academy in Oseron but they didn¡¯t cover my rent and things. Even when they covered the stupidly expensive fees, I still couldn¡¯t even cover my 1-bedroom apartment!]
Cael resonated with this, as Oseron wasn¡¯t the most forgiving of places for those who didn¡¯t have the money to live there. Before his parents died, living in Oseron was a possibility that his parents considered. However, after they were gone, he couldn¡¯t have those same opportunities.
Without the Breckenridge even giving him a penny to help with his living costs, he could only dream of living in such a place.
He was sure other people¡¯s situations were much worse than his.
[I ended up going to the Amburg T.A, which is pretty decent, but I didn¡¯t want to just go and work for some company that would squeeze me dry and just give me little pennies along the way. Business is a mechanic''s only way to the big bucks!]
Cael felt a similar way, and resonated with this sentiment even more. He felt great to be working with somebody that had a similar thought process to him, even with his rather unique eccentricities.
Nonetheless, the academy that he almost managed to get in to was a venerable institution. It was known for developing and having some of the most talented mechanics in their roster. To receive even any form of scholarship from that place would mean that they were very talented and intelligent. This was likely where many of the Alnwick family¡¯s talents would go to harness their technical skills.
Amburg T.A. was then the 3rd highest ranked technical academy in the whole of the empire. Within the several star systems that neighboured the Cria system and others, it was still around the top 25.
[How many years did you spend in that place?]
[Well, I stayed there until the first year of higher education but the costs for everything just got too damn high. I don¡¯t understand why those academies feel the need to charge so much for certain things]
Cael could hear the frustration, even through his texts and sympathised with him. With so much talent, he would¡¯ve likely seen those less intelligent than himself end up in better opportunities due to their background but that was just how the world worked.
Reality was painfully harsh.
With this, the two furthered their conversation until they settled on what was going to happen with both going forward. Leon Areno had designed a rather nifty autonomous bot that he¡¯d been aiming to sell virtually.
Without much, if any, capital to work with, he couldn¡¯t even enter that scene either.
Cael looked at the design himself and was taken aback with its intricate, sleek design. The autonomous bot was an attack bot, with special thruster systems that were designed for flight.
Here, with these lower tier components, flight was not going to be possible. Even if it was, it wouldn¡¯t last for much longer than a few seconds.
However, that was now what the thrusters were there for. Adding extra thrusting power to the back of the bot allowed it to have exceptional agility, and the compactness of its overall design meant that these cumbersome components didn¡¯t weigh the bot down significantly
The symmetry and balance of the design was also very high level, meaning that these thrusters didn¡¯t throw the bot dangerously off balance when they were activated.
[Name: Areno 360 V1]
[Type: Mediumweight Attack Bot]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 65/100]
[Agility: 73/100]
[Firepower: 42/100]
[Power Efficiency: 60/100]
[Intelligence: 56/100]
[Maintenance: 65/100]
[Versatility: 66/100]
[Framing: 65/100]
[Overall Rank: 68/100]
¡°What a design!¡±
New Opportunities
He could find a few minor issues with the design, but he usually found many more with his own. The first word that came to mind to describe this model was elegance. He could certainly make some good sales off this product, and allow for Leon to get his very own traction from selling this model.
All he had to do was explicitly state that it was designed by him, and he would get the support that he wanted.
Cael made sure to get Leon to sign some necessary agreements. It made him feel like he was coming off as untrustworthy, but he reiterated to himself that it was business. Even if Leon seemed perpetually jolly and welcoming, people had ulterior motives.
He didn¡¯t want to just let his innovative design get totally copied by someone else, and have him lose out on a lot of profit for it.
With that, the duo soon began their assembly. Cael began to work with his attack bot design and used the TechForge Simulation Lab to assemble the units for the ExoTech marketplace.
Both people were seemingly hard at work, and Leon had just as strong of a work ethic as him. They spent numerous hours daily spitting out these items, and the rewards came soon after.
Cael was allowed to see one of his test virtual drone models that he had assembled. Leon had almost made it exactly as it was in the design, and he could see the intricateness throughout the entire model.
Approving of such a creation, he knew he had put this responsibility in the right hands.
Cael had started with a relatively positive-looking merchant account; he had ample followers and his ratings were quite high for an individual seller.
With two people working behind the scenes to consistently and swiftly pump out these units, it wasn¡¯t long before they started receiving some significant traction.
They received numerous sales a day, and each unit came with its own amount of profit.
As time passed, they slowly edged up the prices because of the demand they were receiving; they wanted to make sure that they were getting the very most out of their designs. Along with that, Leon was getting some attention from the sellers for his works.
Cael¡¯s system was helping them quite significantly in this process; his Competent Merchant title came with the ability to bypass the code of the marketplace and push his products further up everyone¡¯s search engines.
However, his system was artificially showing products up to people that may not have been very inclined to purchase his things. Along with that, any significant performance on a market like this almost always entailed negative reviews and criticism of some sort.
A handful of individuals were keen to give exaggerated, contemptuous critiques of their creations. Now, that wasn¡¯t to say that these products were perfect, they certainly had a lot to improve on, but it sounded more like the reviewers were simply trying to put them down instead of lift them up.
Cael made sure to hand payments off to Leon¡¯s bank account every week. Giving him the first payment after a week, he was more than delighted to receive it and gave Cael a heartwarming message as a result.
It just made Cael¡¯s day that much better; he was aware of the situation that Leon was in and it felt great to give back to somebody that needed the money more than him.
He was already in a decent situation; the government gave him more money than he deserved to receive because of his background. With the extra profit coming in from the frequent sales from these items, it just made things even more seamless.
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It didn¡¯t take much time for Leon to create a whole swarm -a little over a day- and he managed to make 6 different swarms before the time was over. In the virtual marketplace, the creation process was quite smooth and creating the same thing over and over again made you more efficient over the repetitions.
With the several units that constituted the swarm, each one cost around 400 dollars to made. 10-drone swarms cost around $4,000 to make as a result, so Leon received half of the profit for his work. Transferring the $6,000 right away, Cael was surprised to see that he still had nearly $600,000 in his account.
For these numerous sales as well, he received about 100 gears from his system, along with another 100 for his sessions in the vault during this time.
With 200 gears to spend, he decided to dedicate it to increasing his mana. He had received several rewards to his mental stamina recently, and not so much was provided to his physical stats.
If he could increase those further, he would be on his way to even surpassing Blaine to be the strongest of his class.
He was already within the top few, and he could make a lot more progress with his system if he wanted to.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 9]
[Speed: 8]
[Durability: 8]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
Placing both of his 100-gear stat upgrades into his MP, he started to realise that a lot of his useful stats would require a lot more gears to upgrade. These were his MP, focus, Intelligence and his creativity was going to reach that milestone soon.
In the meantime, he wanted to make sure that his other stats would be up to par.
Cael, during this time, started working on his swarm design to transform it into an attack-based model.
With the swarm co-ordinators also acting as sensors, it allowed him to focus more on allowing the attack drones to specialise in several forms of drone warfare. Some would resort to explosives, others would utilise energy rifles.
[Design Complete!]
[Name: WM Swarm Warriors]
[Type: Attack Swarm Drone System]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 64/100]
[Agility: 73/100]
[Durability: 72/100]
[Firepower: 63/100]
[Range: 80/100]
[Overall Rank: 67/100]
Cael nodded with approval of this new design of his. Just as he intended, incremental improvements had been applied and he now had another form of swarm that could please other customers.
Getting to creating these virtual drones as fast as possible, he made sure that he was the only one creating these. He didn¡¯t want Leon to see any of the intricate designs, like he had done with the basic swarm model.
Week by week, Cael continued to send Leon the money that he had made through selling his swarm model, and consistently received thankful messages from him. It always made him day to see how happy he could make him and was grateful for the opportunity that he gave him.
At the end of the day, they were both helping each other; Cael was also being gifted with Leon¡¯s high work rate and apparent technical skills.
*****
Across the planet from Carlo City, in the smallish city of Flemington, there was a dark overcast, giving the area quite the darkened, gloomy appearance.
In a dense collection of decrepit, dilapidated apartment complexes, Leon rushed over to lean, middle-aged man on a sofa.
The distance from his bedroom to the living room of this place was so small that he could take only a few steps to fully cross the entire apartment.
¡°I have enough money to pay off your debt and this apartment now! I can pay for mum¡¯s care!¡± Leon declared, filled with excitement and energy.
¡°That¡¯s brilliant my son. I always knew you had it in you to do what I could not.¡± This man said, with his words getting broken as he continued his sentence.
¡°Leon, you¡¯ve always been capable of big things and I¡¯m sorry that your mum and I couldn¡¯t make things work. It¡¯s hard to succeed in this empire when all these people want is your money.¡± He said with praise, receiving a heartwarming smile from his son.
¡°I¡¯ve always just wanted to make you two happy.¡± Leon replied happily.
Standing up to meet his son, he had a wide smile on his face, and glints of true respect in his eyes. Rushing over to hug his son, he gripped him tight and patted his back as tears grew in his eyes.
¡°You¡¯ve done very well, son. You¡¯ve done very, very well.¡±
Industrial Unit
About 8 weeks came and went in a flash. Leon had received a total of $45,000 in a span of two months. Cael had made even more than that and felt shocked to see a total amount of $1 million now resting in his bank account.
He couldn¡¯t help it, but a smile grew over his face, and there was a warm, fuzzy feeling within his body. He¡¯d actually managed to succeed here.
Thinking back to how his life was just a few months ago, the stark difference was almost incomprehensible. The respect, the achievements.
It was always something that he could only dream about, but that was now the reality of things.
Standing in his workshop, he was soon dissatisfied with it. If he wanted to make larger attack bots and models in the future, he¡¯d need a bigger workspace to deal with. There was no form of storage here; he couldn¡¯t just keep ingots of Dresium ready to go and other things.
Therefore, he made sure to start looking for a new workshop to get going in.
As Leon and Cael were expanding their presence, he really needed to start moving into the physical market. If he could do so, there was a much higher chance that more established contractors would set their eyes on him.
Even if just as much as a small private military wanted to set a contract for him, he could start reeling in the big bucks.
He was planning to sell Leon¡¯s models and his own swarm units physically soon enough; it would take a much longer time to make all the models and there was a lot more room for failure. However, the overall gain in the long-term was too much for him to miss out on it.
During this time, he began searching for small industrial units that he could rent out for his creations. He needed nothing special ¨C just an area with ample space for storage. It would also be great if there was some form of compact living area so that he could sleep at the workshop to get a lot of work done.
The following morning, in the opening period of training with Arlo, a few students were held back as break came around. Many of them were confused as to why this was happening, Cael included, but they stayed silent to see what their instructor had to say.
¡°As you all know, I believe that you five are the strongest students under my tutelage.¡± Arlo explained.
Ahead of him stood Blaine, Vanessa, Keagan, Cael, and another student called Friso Drechslerg. He hailed from a different nation entirely, and was an absolutely massive fighter. Standing at nearly 2 metres, he had brown hair tied back in a ponytail and a bulky physique.
He was muscular but not as lean as Keagan was; he also was slightly beat by Keagan when it came to raw strength but he was faster, somehow.
The only place that he lacked quite a bit compared to the others was his overall fighting skill and intelligence. Very frequently he would resort to his raw strength and speed to just outmuscle his opponent, battering them with powerful punches and kicks.
Even though he was just as old as the rest of them, he had a beard that made him look several years older.
¡°You all have proven your skills and have made leaps and bounds in terms of progress recently. I can see the rivalry between you both as you all want to become the strongest here. It really ignites your passion to train and the results are there for everybody to see, including myself. As a result, you all have been given the amazing opportunity to exchange to a B-Grade institute in Lapra, in the Zarcona Colony.¡± Arlo furthered.
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Blaine gave Vanessa a smile of excitement, then did the same to Keagan. Cael was almost left out of this group; he was a newcomer here. The others were already established fighters and had received this status over several years.
It would take a while for those of this level to feel at home around him.
The exchange would bring some of the lower-level students from the B-Grade institute away to give them the opportunity to try out other places. With higher grade institutes, opportunities like these were almost reserved for the very best students.
Those who just didn¡¯t have enough talent to make their institute look better missed out on vital opportunities to experience different things and grow.
They would be training with them, and working with the colonial forces that were operating there. It would give them basic experience into the operations of organisations that most resembled the military.
Colonial forces were of lower grade than the true, standard military. These officers were almost in between the level of ordinary officers and full-fledged officers. It was still a great option to take for those who couldn¡¯t really make it in the defence forces.
¡°Before you all get all jolly about going, it won¡¯t be an easy task. You all have been sheltered in this institute from the true talents out there. I know that you all are capable warriors and could really cement yourselves as powerful fighters in the future, but you will meet numerous people that outshine you in almost every way. Be prepared for that.¡± Arlo declared, before the students were dismissed.
The other students didn¡¯t really take his last comment seriously, but Cael made sure to do so. These fighters were going to be seriously good if they hailed from B-Grade institutes. It only made him wonder just who the people in the compact, advanced A-Grade institutes really were.
He assumed that they¡¯d be the outstanding talents; the nobles and those almost built solely for battle.
After hearing this message, Cael had a mission to complete.
Today, he was going to buy his industrial unit.
Cael searched through the internet and had narrowed his listings down to a shortlist that he wanted to view more deeply. Continuing to view the several different units, he deeply scrutinised their different attributes.
These buildings would require an unnecessary amount of paperwork and money for him to get started so he didn¡¯t want to mess up with his purchase.
His search continued on and he eventually cut down everything onto a final option.
Located a few miles from his apartment complex -in another area of Carlo City- there was a large industrial complex made for small firms that needed to rent out units similar to Cael.
These units were incredibly miniature, much to the dismay of the reviewers that Cael could see but the small, compact size was something that he actually quite looked forward to. With a $22,000 per annum cost, it would be significantly more expensive than his makeshift workshop within his apartment, but it was a much-needed upgrade.
*****
¡°What is the status on our forces?¡± Obar Rukkon asked, viewing the several stars and planets that glistened like milky dots within the black abyss of space.
¡°Your Highness Obar, our land and navy forces have doubled in size since your order for expansion. Training is more intense than ever, and our military technology has been upgraded to the most cutting-edge technology of our galaxy. Your military will be more than ready for this invasion.¡± Another boarman explained, honking at the end of his long explanation.
He held a glowing translucent tablet, displaying various pieces of information across its glowing interface.
¡°That is brilliant. Hold your horses. I don¡¯t want an invasion any time soon. I¡¯m sure all of those human states have their guards all the way up after our first emergence. Next time we¡¯ll have to be more covert.¡± Obar Rukkon stated, swinging his body to the man that stood beside him.
¡°I understand your highness Obar. We will do exactly as you please and that will get us what you want.¡±
¡°Well, what are the targets that you¡¯re thinking of?¡±
¡°We have picked up on a few different states, and there are a handful of useful targets in our sister state of the Soburg Empire. They have a robust centre -as we realised before- and it won¡¯t be much easier to target areas within the nation¡¯s central zone. As for the edges of their territory, that mainly consists of their outer colonies. Those areas are far less protected.¡±
¡°Brilliant analysis. If we can manage to capitalise on one of those weaknesses and make a move, we can weaken the state even further to bring us closer to the end goal.¡± Obar Rukkon replied.
¡°Exactly your highness Obar. We will do exactly what you require of us in the meantime.¡± This advisor replied, receiving a nod of praise from the monarch
¡°I hope so.¡± Obar Rukkon lowly said, honking as he turned back to peer into the dark view of space ahead of him.
Industrial Unit (2)
To expand into the real market, he needed sufficient room and storage to work with.
Here, he wanted to disassemble the workshop in his living room and sell the components that he could to then put that money toward the purchase of the new industrial unit he wanted.
This process was rather swift. It took only a day for the needed construction bots to disassemble the workings in his living room and to transport the several machines within outside.
The items were still under his ownership and so, he sold them to receive some money that he kept to himself for now.
After looking at the industrial unit¡¯s exterior and interior scrupulously using his projector¡¯s high quality projections, he was sure that he was making the right choice here. However, it never hurt to see the place in real life to just get a feel of the place.
This is what Cael did, and he arrived at one of the industrial units that was used for viewers like him. Entering in, the working space was narrow but stretched further back than Cael expected.
Along with that, there was an upper room which currently located a control room consisting of bookshelves, a central desk, and a computer. Adjacent to that was practically a working bedroom.
These two rooms possessed windows that allowed people from inside to peer down to the whole small industrial unit, which made Cael smile with satisfaction.
¡°It¡¯s exactly what I want. This place looks great.¡± Cael said, continuing his inspection as he talked.
¡°I know. They¡¯ve just started making these units, so they use cutting edge technology like the projector there, and other things as well.¡± The viewer furthered.
After giving this place a view, Cael felt it was safe to decide. Buying the workplace for $22,000, he had to swiftly move on to decking it with what he needed.
Buying a specialised teleporter for the use of the TechForge simulation lab, that was located within the centre of the unit so that the projections could be easily pulled out in all directions.
Along with that, near the back of the room, he decided to place his furnace. What Cael needed now was a larger, even more advanced 3d printer. If he wanted to use his other 3d printer to print large attack bots, he¡¯d need to heavily compartmentalise designs to get the job done.
Additionally, working with more intricate and detailed components meant that there was a higher possibility for error with 3d printers.
Fleshing out the place with exactly what he needed, Cael lost $40,000 in the process. However, he stood at the large entrance to the facility, and brightly smiled at what he was seeing. The hard, grey concrete walls and pure, white lights that beamed down in the area gave it the appearance of a true factory. This is a place that he knew he wanted to work hard in.
With his facility ready to go, Cael began working toward fleshing out Leon¡¯s model physically. That required him to buy the necessary components and metals, costing him about $140,000. Cael was lucky that this design didn¡¯t rely on extremely high prices, and actuator equipment was cheaper for him regardless.
This meant that he could save quite a bit of money on that.
Cael equipped himself with a tight apron and a mask before beginning his work. His first job was to mix the right metals within the furnace. Using the ingots that he gained, completing this task was still a tough job.
He had to make sure that the ratios were bang on correct and wait for them to be of the perfect consistency and temperature before mixing.
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Even though it seemed quite basic from a superficial level, Cael was using an absurdly high amount of focus to keep himself from failing here.
Cael used his moulds to form the needed ingots that he could pop right into his 3d printer. They cooled quite quickly upon being exposed to the cold, dry air.
He utilised the software of the TechForge Simulation Lab to feed the design¡¯s components straight into his 3d printer. The transferring of this data was a very seamless process, and Cael could tell that this process was refined to facilitate 3d printer usage like this.
The hologram of its design started being projected by the 3d printer¡¯s own specialised projector, while it also highlighted areas that it was working to fabricate from that moment.
This assembly process of his was a little more seamless, as the armour plates were formed by his 3d printer instead of him. However, the assembly process required him to move around heavy objects and forced him to use his superhuman strength to power through.
As for those without mana, they were forced to resort to other techniques to assemble such large objects. Cael was just blessed with his immense strength to continue constructing this attack bot by himself.
After a handful of days, his very first model of Leon¡¯s attack bot was formed. Luckily, Leon had formed all the code that was needed to operate the thing. Cael felt annoyed that he had to skip this part of the design because he hadn¡¯t coded such complex things in quite a long time.
However, he was grateful that it was someone as smart as Leon that he had to rely on. His code was far more elegant and quality than anything that he could say he was capable of.
The number of lines of code used to operate this being made Cael realise that he had to step up his game.
This first model was left on his account and, unluckily, didn¡¯t sell immediately. That was fine for him and Cael was okay with waiting for the item to sell. It was currently listed for $189,000, and Leon wasn¡¯t asking for any profit.
Getting $49,000 to work with right away, he could throw that right into his next model and get to forming that.
Before then, Cael had main tasks. Firstly, he had to try his best to locate the other files of this creator. Without any other reference to guide himself, he was quite lost. That was going to be his least priority task; he simply didn¡¯t really know how to complete it.
Along with that, there was the ultimate bot showdown that was to come in the next few months. During the time that he had, he wanted to increase his skills as much as he could to get his name out there.
With a good performance in that event, that would kickstart his whole journey toward success.
Finally, there was the upcoming event that was closer ¨C his journey to the colony of Lapra. Cael had always heard about the Soburg Empire¡¯s colonies and his family was adamant on never taking him to those places.
Being much older, Cael was smart enough to read between the lines and realised that the people there simply weren¡¯t treated the best by the officers that operated on those planets.
The indigenous people located there (as indigenous as you could get for humans that originated from a single planet) were subject to their rule, with their hard work and resources being taken to fuel the main empire instead of their own land and people.
After a few days time, Cael¡¯s attack bot sold, and he was already onto making the next one in the background. Leon was also hard at work with producing his swarm units, and the profits were soon becoming stable and large.
There was always above ten thousand dollars being raked in for the business in a week, which was a dream come true for him. It was hard to believe that Cael had gone from not having a job to reaching the top percentiles in just this short period of time.
After these few days, Cael was currently pouring out molten metal into one of his fortified moulds when he received a message from an unknown person. Placing the crucible back into where it was located, he lifted his metal mask to give the hologram a more attentive inspection. He was a little spooked by this and thought that it was just some scam message that all of society was used to receiving.
However, upon amusing himself by reading this message, he soon found out that it was indeed a real person talking to him in specific.
¡°You need to be in the vault the evening after tomorrow. We¡¯re not going to Lapra without training up. Be there after school and don¡¯t be late. Vanessa.¡±
¡°Oh, right, that thing.¡± Cael remembered, taking off the thick gloves that he was wearing.
A virtual keyboard appeared ahead of him, and he sent back a message of confirmation before continuing his business.
Just after that night, the second of Leon¡¯s attack bot models was already being listed on the market, and he decided to call it a day once he was done there.
It was already quite late as he saw the glistening white light of the stars piercing through the clear windows of his industrial unit.
He gave a glance out to the scarily quiet streets outside and felt a cool breeze emanating from that area. Turning his head, he could see the warmer room above him, illuminated by a soothing, golden light.
Cael called it a night and slept in his unit, making sure to wake up earlier so that he could figure out his way to school.
Training Session
With Cael nearly 18 now, he could start learning how to operate his own aircar. Aircars were very efficient methods of getting around the place. These vehicles never contacted the road physically and with that, its acceleration and deceleration were very seamless.
He was used to going on an airbus to save his money, but there was no need for him to do so now. A single payment of about ten thousand dollars along with insurance could give him a nice aircar to rely on, which could get him around the planet rather easily.
Aircars had top speeds of around 40 to 60 miles per hour in dense urban areas, but the large highways of Saevis could have top speeds far higher than even that.
This was a worry for the future, though. There would always be time for him to do something so trivial like that, since learning how to operate one was now extremely easy for humans; it only took a few lessons to master their use now.
The following day, Cael¡¯s day flew by rather quickly and now, he needed to create the right weapons that he could use in this vault event of his.
First off, he wanted to fully create the creator¡¯s special energy shield. He could then incorporate that into his virtual golden exosuit ¨C the WM Hercules.
He was swiftly working on that and entered the component constructor mode of the TechForge Simulation Lab. With a user interface very similar to the standard assembly area, there were just different micro-components used here.
Cael was not adept at creating these items and so, he had to use the creator¡¯s directions to almost dictate his actions. It wasn¡¯t so great to begin with as some of his methods of describing actions were incredibly verbose and unnecessary.
His use of unnecessarily complex vocabulary forced him to use his brainpower to discern what he was saying, but he still managed to get there in the end.
Forming a single component really didn¡¯t take that long since it was quite a small item. His skill with using internals also made the process a little bit smoother.
Along with that, Cael had to spend the remaining bit of his time to design his new item; the electric baton. Using the same foundation as the energy shield, there was a silver plate that he was going to rely on to power this item.
He added several wires that would connect the weapon straight to the energy supply of the exosuit. Along with that, he placed a single cylindrical mana core within it that was made to be quite light so that there would be at least some local power to rely on.
Here, he modelled the baton after another basic baton exterior that he had seen on the internet and managed to form his very own weapon rather quickly as well.
Looking at the holograms of the two items, he felt ready to go. It was late evening this time, and it was just early enough so that he could return home instead of having to remain in his own workshop.
The next day, he headed to the vault rooms after school was over to find his four training partners sat there.
¡°You¡¯re on time. Great.¡± Vanessa stated, before sitting further back in her own vault seat.
¡°I¡¯m literally five minutes early.¡± Cael thought to himself upon hearing this remark.
It was clear this group were excited about their trip to Zarcona.
¡°We¡¯re gonna do some 5v5 and Hunter Mode, alright?¡± Vanessa stated, fastening herself in the seat.
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Cael felt a little surprised that she was the only person willing to reply to and talk to him. He was expecting either all of them to tolerate him, or for none of them to. However, there was a single spokesperson to incorporate him into this little group.
Cael slipped right into his own vault, and the members entered a party together. The first mode that they were going to take part in was referred to as Hunter Mode. There would be a large, powerful animal-based attack bot that the five warriors would be forced to combat together.
¡°What weapons do you have?¡± Vanessa asked, stretching in her own black exosuit.
Cael was clad in his own dark golden exosuit, with his black baton and a silver plate of metal across his left forearm. This was going to be where his shield would be projected from.
¡°I have an energy shield and a baton. It¡¯s electric so I can shock things when I strike with it.¡± Cael explained.
¡°An energy shield?¡± Vanessa then asked, also receiving eyes from the likes of Keagan and Friso.
Blaine was too unbothered about the likes of Cael and was too arrogant to even act like the conversation was taking place.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s quite energy efficient. It still gets the job done though.¡± Cael explained, while swinging his baton around in his hand.
With the wiring, it wasn¡¯t always connected up to his exosuit. Instead of using the super-heated swords with his Slasher attack bot from all that time ago, he added magnetic attractors on both his hand and the baton. Whenever he wanted to connect the wires up, he could activate the magnets on his palm to attract the wires which facilitated the connecting between his own exosuit and the baton.
¡°I¡¯m tired of waiting, let¡¯s fight already. I¡¯ll be at the front along with Keagan. The rest of you can talk amongst yourselves as to how you fight.¡± Blaine stated, without even glancing back at the other warriors.
These fighters sighed and looked annoyed at Blaine¡¯s arrogance, but Cael was indifferent to it now. There was hatred for the way he acted, but he knew that there was no need for him to be affected by his actions. Only he would be losing in that situation.
The five warriors were thrown right into the hunter mode, standing next to each other in a flat grassland.
There were a few sparse trees in the distance, along with a wide, awe-striking mountain range that looked to be several miles into the sky.
There was a bright blue sky that illuminated the area, and Blaine slammed together his large, powered gauntlets. Along with this, he possessed a gigantic shoulder-mounted rifle that Cael was sure was within the yellow-green light ranges for power.
Vanessa equipped herself with two daggers, two wrist-mounted rifles and Friso resorted to quite the unorthodox weapon. A large double-headed axe with super-heated tips to the blade.
As for Keagan, he resorted to his usual large, powered gauntlets, and nothing else. Cael, judging from their size and the noise from them as he moved his arms, these were extremely powerful blasts.
After Cael analysed the weapons of those that stood beside him, a massive autonomous bot appeared in front of them. As for these modes, a lot of these bots just weren¡¯t possible in the real world.
The power demand of a 5-tonne attack bot was just too high to make the thing feasible. Bots close to that level were found in the form of juggernauts, but those things could barely even move around. It took seconds for them to rotate and were usually equipped with unnecessary amounts of firepower to obliterate their opponents with superior destruction and brute strength.
It resembled a gorilla with its large arms, and stood at about 8 feet tall, with mammoth arms that were each bigger than two humans put together.
Above them was a countdown that steadily reached zero.
The gorilla beat its chest like a feral beast, and vehemently roared at the five warriors. Friso relayed this sentiment and shouted as he rushed forward.
He heaved up his axe and swung down with as much ferocity as he could, just about missing the gorilla¡¯s body. He continued with a sequence of wild swings but none of them could properly connect on the beast.
Even though it was so large, it was just as quick and agile as them. Blaine rushed straight past Friso and landed two energy blasts from his large shoulder-mounted rifle. He positioned himself almost in front of Friso so that once he started battling, he was almost out of action.
Amplifying his punch with the power of his glowing powered gauntlet, his fist shot toward his target only to land on its fortified arm. It lifted its arms like a human would and was strong enough to handle its own weight even with its shorter legs.
Blaine followed up with a sequence of punches that almost left the others stunned. Each one was incredibly powerful and sounded like a gunshot as it landed. The power of this man was unbelievable for his size, but the remaining fighters simply took this as the perfect chance to show off their skills too.
This gorilla beast wasn¡¯t going to just take attacks like this and not throw back. Swinging its gigantic arm outward, Blaine was caught by it and sent flying back even though he¡¯d blocked. The sheer amount of momentum behind that swing was just too much for him to resist.
5v5
Keagan rushed straight past him and hurled forward his gauntlet-enhanced fist.
Throwing a slow but devastating combination of punches, the gorilla seemed a bit more worried about his than Blaine¡¯s.
The strongest of their class, he managed to make the gorilla think twice about his attacks. However, its mentality still resembled that of a beast more than anything. Throwing back several haymakers itself, Keagan was not the swiftest warrior.
He was caught by several swings and Cael decided that now it was time for him to step in. With Keagan¡¯s stubbornness, he felt like he was going to just try and fight fire with fire (against a bot this large, that just wasn¡¯t the right way to go about things).
The bot was bound to weigh hundreds of kilograms and even if they have mana on their side, there were some things that mana just couldn¡¯t let you do.
Cael rushed by his side swiftly and quickly enough so that he wouldn¡¯t met with any resistance and backchat. Much to his pleasure, his procedure was smooth, and he had done just that.
Slipping right into this raging beast¡¯s domain, he knew that an intense assault was on its way. With its mammoth hands already balled up into tight, vibrating fists, they started being hurled at him an instant after.
The beast¡¯s punches were not just powerful but explosive and fast. It would be useless for him to try and evade these strikes with his energy shield.
Staying firm in place and holding the golden energy shield up to the beast, the others watched on incredulously as Cael took this combination of attacks head-on.
Each vehement blow from this gorilla-like beast caused a glowing ring to grow across the shield, and Cael found himself almost losing his footing from the immense force being applied onto him.
However, he remained behind his shield and watched on vigilantly for the perfect chance to strike.
The gorilla, annoyed by his cowardly and infuriating style of battle, sought to end this right here and right now.
Lifting its gargantuan arms above its head, the beast revealed its fangs in a showing of rage. Fuelling the power of its subsequent attack with a roar, it was clear nothing good was going to come out of what was coming.
Even the others seemed slightly bothered by Cael¡¯s intrepidity. However, in his right hand was his trusty baton.
¡°I hope this works. Wasn¡¯t smart for me to test this for the first time against a beast like this but oh well. It¡¯s only virtual, right?¡± Cael told himself, as electricity began to crackle and buzz around the baton¡¯s head.
ROAR!
With the beast shooting its arms down, Cael hurled forward his own weapon and caught it clean in its open head.
WHAM!
Swinging through, he managed to force the beast onto its side with a hit. The others, being mainly Keagan and Blaine, had managed to do some numerous times, but they were certainly not expecting this from Cael.
His attack wasn¡¯t taken well by the beast, and it threw back one of its own in quick succession. Falling behind his shield once again, his legs gave right in, and he was launched back as a result of the initial strike.
This gave the others the opportunity to chip in alongside him, though. These warriors were older than the young and rash talents of the Breckenridge family. After being trained for years under Arlo and possibly entering the military in a year or so¡¯s time, military tactics were ingrained into their fighting styles.
As Cael started to fall behind the beast, Friso followed suit. Along with that, the powerful warriors of Vanessa, Keagan and Blaine formed their signature trio to attack from in front. Blaine was situated in the centre, with Vanessa to his left and the towering Keagan stood boldly to his right.
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With these five warriors, they simultaneously closed in on the warrior and attacked it from all angles. They all had been training with each other for years on end and knew each other¡¯s abilities.
This allowed them to co-operate rather seamlessly ¨C it was a much smoother experience than Cael had ever imagined.
The fighters continued to battle it out and were starting to deal significant damage to the beast¡¯s. Its unfaltering rage was benefitting it very little, and they could continuously peck at its armour to break it down.
Cael charged a signfiicant amount of power into his baton and landed 3 clean swings, followed up by a downward slash from Friso. Managing to arrive at its internals in one single slash, several bright sparks flew out from the gash in its back.
The robotic bot let out a growl with a digital undertone to its voice, and Keagan threw a sequence of punches at its torso and face. Each punch was incredibly forceful, and the beast was no longer in its best state. Falling onto its knuckles, Blaine followed with three energy blasts that landed perfectly on the target in a row.
Taking the intense impact of each blast, the gorilla ended up flat on its back with a thin layer of hot smoke emitting from its metal skin. Slowly throwing over its body so that it could arrive on its hands, it was already too late. Vanessa thwipped around her daggers with immense speed and graceful swiftness, slashing through its metal armour.
Arriving at the internals with these super-heated blades, sparks continued to burst out from the newly created gash wounds.
With a direct connection to the internals of the creature, Cael saw this as a chance for him to finish it off. His baton chaotically crackled with the power of thunder as he approached the warrior.
Left in such a state, the only thing left to govern itself was the sheer desire for survival. Wildly swinging its arms at Cael, all he had to do was patiently wait behind his trusty energy shield. Stepping back whilst the beast threw its arms forward, the incoming swing even missed his shield.
With its arms all the way down, Cael dashed forward toward its neck and held the dark baton straight toward it. With that, several crackles of lightning soared into the open wounds, causing further damage to the internals present.
The lightning continued to break the beast down, making it shake uncontrollably and malfunction. After a few seconds, the beast was no longer fit to continue and thicker clouds of steam were emanating from its wounds; it had literally been cooked from the inside out.
Falling flat onto the ground, the fight was finally over and the warriors had triumphed against this beast.
¡°No wonder that thing would be so easy to take down.¡± Friso confidently stated, throwing his axe back into its strap on his back.
¡°We¡¯ll need a better challenge if we are to improve.¡± Blaine then said, cracking his knuckles.
¡°I recommend that we do 5v5. Some military soldiers play on that mode occasionally. I¡¯m sure we could find a great challenge even here after skill-based matchmaking catches up.¡± Cael replied, receiving glares like he had not read the room.
These gloaters simply wanted to relish their success, but Cael saw no need to do so; they were here to improve, weren¡¯t they?
Regardless, what followed was another training match. This time, they entered the 5v5 battle mode. Here, they would still be allowed their weapons as it wouldn¡¯t be more like a training match. Instead, this mode was meant to emulate the feeling of battle.
Cael remained using his baton and trusty shield, while the others kept their weaponry as well.
It didn¡¯t take long before they were thrown into their next matches, and they entered a large gladiator-style sand arena.
It was quite vast, and there could be tens of people fighting it out in an area so vast. The stands looked to fit thousands of people, and the ten warriors were stood right in the centre.
One warrior, with the username samurai_cleaver wielding a rugged sword, had a cleanly shaven bald head but looked to be in his twenties with his clear, unwrinkled skin. However, in his eyes, was the fire and evil of a demon. Cael couldn¡¯t help but feel darkness exuding from his presence, and the man activated his helmet shortly after arriving.
Cael was stood ahead of him and decided that this was going to be his opponent from judging the other warriors. There was some brief chatter between them, but they all reorganised themselves so that they would be stood against the fighter that they¡¯d initially engage with.
Cael whipped around his baton then gripped it tightly, allowing an intense charge to flow right through it. He was ready to begin.
With a short countdown ensuing, the fighters rushed straight toward each other as it reached zero. Upon rushing forward, Cael could see that this super-heated blade was hotter than most.
Samurai_cleaver rushed forward with aggressiveness, chucking down his sword. Cael saw no need to try and take risks and dodge that blade. For now, he was going to stay behind his shield. Instead of remaining firm, Cael decided to meet his slashes by pushing his shield forward and into the blades.
This nullified most of the momentum, while giving him time to calculate his movements and analyse his opponent.
Each slash was thrown vehemently and with bloodlust. He cackled in between slashes and put all of his weight into the wild attacks. The bald warrior just continued to hack at his shield, furious that it would not give in.
¡°Fight back you coward! Hide behind that shield forever and let¡¯s see how long you live for!¡± Samurai_cleaver taunted, throwing a sideways slash at the shield.
Lapra Colony
Catching it on its side, Cael was thrown off-balance, and ended up receiving a perfectly thrown cut right to the side of his body.
The tip of the blade slashed straight through the outer layers of his armour, but he managed to catch the next attack with his shield before taking a slight step back in retreat.
Just as he expected, Samurai_cleaver chased straight after him like a lion after smelling blood. Picking the perfect opportunity, Cael thrusted his baton straight into the man¡¯s helmet before throwing a swing straight to his chest in quick succession. The blunt force and the charge from his baton managed to let him break through the outer layers of his armour, while also knocking him back a step.
Even if this fighter was powerful and explosive, he possessed greater power and strength.
Samurai_cleaver remained still for a brief period; he almost seemed stunned that he had been hit in that way. Giving his head a light shake, he roared at the top of his lungs before grabbing onto his sword with both hands.
Throwing everything into his next shot, all Cael had to do was slip down to let the blade flow right over his head. Subsequently, he struck him powerfully with a hit from his baton, landing his hit right onto the side of his face.
As the warriors continued to battle, Cael only continued to rile up his opponent more and more. Not only did he outclass him in terms of skill, but his power also just wasn¡¯t a match for his own.
Along with his own shield to take most hits quite well, he could use his intelligence to throw out attacks at just the right moment before returning behind the security of his shield.
After landing several clean shots from his baton, Samurai_cleaver was on the floor with half of his helmet broken off. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth, as he crawled away from the advancing Cael.
With a firm strike straight to the back of his head, he was out cold.
As for the other fighters, they had dealt with their opponents rather seamlessly and all 5 were sent to the lobby, while none of them had been defeated.
¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡± Friso roared, amped up by the intense battle that they¡¯d just won.
Cael chuckled from his strong battle spirit, with the others also excited from their win.
¡°it¡¯s good you¡¯re holding your own. We won¡¯t be babying you if you can¡¯t keep up in Zarcona.¡± Vanessa stated, as the others prepared to return to their own lobbies.
¡°Thanks?¡± Cael replied, not sure how to take her mixed comment.
Vanessa didn¡¯t seem bothered with what he said or with how Cael reacted. There was simply no reply from her as they returned to the lobby.
Here, they continued their training for some time before returning to the lobby.
During this time, they continued to regularly train with each other if that was in the virtual game of the Vault or in real life. All of them were motivated to perform well in Zarcona, and Cael was already making significant improvements.
Constantly selling items on the market with Leon and playing in the vault, his steady income of gears grew significantly.
Soon, the day had come. The day that they¡¯d be off to Zarcona. Cael made sure to inform Leon of where he was heading to. it meant that he couldn¡¯t continue making physical models of Leon¡¯s exosuit, but he made sure to bring his projector along so that he could continue with his work in the virtual TechForge environment.
Now, Cael wasn¡¯t going to make any promises because he wasn¡¯t sure how laborious his upcoming days were going to be.
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Arlo reiterated to them that the institute were rather cryptic about what was going to go down, and they could not reveal the intricacies of their regime after being a part of it. This wasn¡¯t a rarity when it came to exosuit cadet institutes.
All of them were battling it out to receive larger endowments from the government for their efforts, and to improve their reputations.
The five fighters stood at the main entrance to the school along with Arlo, with several suitcases. It was currently a Saturday, so the institute was quite quiet. However, there were some people that lived at the place, so areas like canteens and gyms remained up and running.
¡°The day has finally come, you all. The flight will be about 36 hours so I hope that you have taken some things with you to pass the time. Our flight will be with His Majesty¡¯s Vanguard Space Initiative. I¡¯m sure many of you have had luxury in your lives but this flight will be a good experience nonetheless.¡±
The Vanguard Space Initiative was a main space agency of the Soburg Empire. They conducted large amounts of space research, and were given tons and tons of money by the government to continue their operations.
Having strong connections with the military, another main task of theirs was to supply them with quality spacecraft and space transportation in the form of a makeshift spaceport airline.
Arriving at Carlo City¡¯s spaceport, they arrived at a plane-looking spacecraft, that just looked extremely scaled up.
The spacecraft was certainly large enough to fit several of the very first commercial aircraft from earth inside of it. It could several hundreds of people for a single flight.
Here, as they walked toward the aircraft with some security officers by their side, soldiers filled the crowd that approached the spacecraft with them.
Many of them wore the customary camouflage uniform that Arlo was used to wearing, while others were wearing a similar that was only in shades of dark grey and black.
They wore special black military caps with white stars on them. These were the colonial officers of Zarcona. Many of them seemed very pompous and arrogant in their attitude; Cael immediately wasn¡¯t getting a very good feeling from them at all.
However, he just filtered it out and wanted to have a good experience with what this flight was going to offer him. Arlo had been saying a lot of exciting things, so happily entered the flight and arrived at the room he was ushered toward.
Here, he arrived at a literal apartment room all for himself. There was a bed, along with a pocket-sized projector mounted onto the wall and a luxurious ensuite toilet. There was a desk just beside the projector, with some pens and paper to utilise.
Cael couldn¡¯t have asked for anything more for a flight like this. With 36 hours, he felt like there was going to be quite a few things here to pass the time.
After strapping himself to his bed for the usual take-off procedures, Cael left his hotel-like room to explore the other areas of the spacecraft. Arriving at the end of his hallway, there was a balcony leading down to a garden-like area with a holographic spinning globe in the centre.
Aside it were flowing fountains and lush greenery, along with numerous shops and restaurants littered around it.
Heading straight toward a restaurant, Cael just decided to leap straight over the balcony to see what there was to offer here. Several other soldiers here acted in a similar way, using their powerful bodies to move in extravagant ways.
Behind a queue of colonial officers, there was a fast food shop called the Galactic Grill. There was a neon logo of a burger beside its logo, and Cael waited behind the queue of officers waiting for their own order.
He noticed several autonomous bots and other form of robotic technology operating at the back of the restaurant, which allowed for full meals to be conjured up in just 60 seconds at most.
This meant that even though the queue was quite large, it flowed in quite a seamless way. Cael arrived at the counter a few minutes after, ordering two full burger meals along with a large bottle of soda.
Cael found himself eating a lot more after training so much; individuals with mana simply exerted much more energy compared to those that didn¡¯t.
Powering an exosuit and training for hours a day meant that some people ended up eating upwards of 10,000 calories each day. Cael wasn¡¯t very large for somebody with mana, but he was still eating around 7,000 calories daily.
Finally reaching the end of the queue, Cael sat down in one of the resting areas of this ship and devoured his tasty meal. It was rather filling, and the fact that it was serving military men meant that the portions were insane.
People without mana would usually eat as much as Cael had just eaten in a whole day.
Cael then spent his time in some of the other places that were on offer. Cael wasn¡¯t very attracted to the overly energetic, lively entertainment areas on the ship -not that Arlo would permit them to head there anyway- and he just spent his time in some of the shopping locations and other areas.
After returning to his room for some sleep, there were only a few hours after his awakening before the spaceship was soon to arrive in Zarcona, Lapra.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen, the ship has 60 minutes until it¡¯s arrival in the St. Hubert Colonial Spaceport. Return to your rooms in 30 minutes for landing.¡± An announcer called out, with Cael hearing this through a speaker in his own room.
Zarcona Institute
Cael decided to just have breakfast in one of the restaurants outside before returning to his hotel room with 30 minutes on the clock.
The spaceport slowly descended into the planet¡¯s atmosphere, arriving at the colony¡¯s airport in the early hours of the evening. The planet¡¯s star was nearing the horizon, leaving a thin orange gleam across such horizon in its descent.
Upon exiting the spacecraft, the group regrouped and were suddenly hit with the intense warmth. Carlo City did get warm at times, but this was more of a tropical, humid warmth.
They could even smell that the air had changed drastically and wasn¡¯t what they were used to. It smelt more natural. It was akin to the smell of a rainforest, or some other natural area.
¡°Follow me, cadets. We¡¯ll be staying in the institute for the time being and they kindly gave you guys some of the ensuites on offer there in the central dormitories.¡±
The group followed behind Arlo, who was the man conducting all of the security measures and co-ordination to get them where they needed to go.
Making it through the unbearably complex procedures of security at these spaceports, the students were finally nearing the entire building¡¯s exit.
Arriving at the exit, the main road that was situated there wasn¡¯t as large as the one that Cael had viewed in Oseron. This was a given; Zarcona wasn''t the capital of the Lapra Colony, and was on a faraway planet of the empire.
Nonetheless, they were still stood before a 6-lane road, with numerous taxis waiting patiently for their soon-to-arrive travellers.
As for Arlo and the cadets of Carlo City, there was an airbus that slowed to a stop just ahead of him. It resembled a minibus from it¡¯s size, only being able to house 10 to 15 people inside it.
At the door was an official with a white star on his hat; a colonial officer. Another muscular soldier then stepped out as well, this time wearing a camouflage uniform just like Arlo.
¡°Greetings Sir Arlo of Carlo City. It¡¯ll be a pleasure to have your students with us.¡± The colonial officer called out, reaching out his hand to try and shake it.
¡°Of course. We can¡¯t wait to begin this co-operation between our institutes.¡± The soldier added, with Arlo shaking his hand after.
The students then followed Arlo as they entered this minibus, finding a seat to stay cosy in for their upcoming journey. None of the warriors sat beside each other except for Keagan and Blaine.
They seemed to be rather close to each other, but the three others were just focused on showcasing their strength in this institute. Vanessa was the best example of this sentiment, and she spent her time watching several videos made by soldiers explaining combat styles and different tips to use in battle.
Cael just decided to act somewhat productive himself, watching videos of mechanics and some of the newest inventions in the market. Cael did this from time to time after he spent so much time in the field.
Upon searching through some videos, he soon felt startled by one video that wasn¡¯t near the top of the video lists. However, it had already received hundreds of thousands of views in just a few hours.
[NEW VIRTUAL SWARM DRONE DOMINATES IN THE VAULT!!!]
Cael sat up in his seat upon seeing this, and a smile cracked across his face.
The drone swarm; his own creation. It was being utilised and lauded by somebody right here for him to witness.
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Almost unable to resist, he clicked on the video to see what it was all about.
[Hey everyone! Today is going to be a banger because, after some searching on the ExoTech Marketplace for a new weapon style to test out for you guys, I found a gem hidden away. Made by an artist called WarriorMechanic7914. From what I¡¯ve seen, he¡¯s an upcoming independent mechanic and boy, he¡¯s got some good stuff!]
The video continued on, and the guy in the video showcased his virtual avatar within the lobby of the vault. Following up from this, he entered a large game mode with other fighters similar to himself and showed off the technology.
What was striking about the swarm was its ability to remain active, even when under direct fire. The roles of each drone were able to be swiftly switched between them in case of one of the drones being gravely damaged. Along with that, it gave the users a lot of information pertaining to the battle at hand.
This helped them with co-ordinating themselves and proved to be very useful in terms of larger modes of battle with more than 10 fighters per side.
Cael was at a loss for words as he continued to watch this video, his eyes failing to lose contact with the hologram floating ahead of him. The praise that he received was incessant, and did wonders to boost his self-confidence.
Constantly creating products and releasing them, he¡¯d never really been able to contact those that were very enthusiastic about his creations in recent times. The only person that he could really think of was Lazarro, and it was just by chance that he was able to find him in the Fighter-Mechanic event.
If he never saw him or acknowledged his presence there, he would¡¯ve never really known any of his frequent customers. To receive such nice words on his own creations gave him a warm feeling in his stomach and caused him to smile lightly.
After passing the time with some over videos shortly after, his periphery was soon occupied by the towering buildings of the Zarcona B-Grade Institute. Similar to the layout of Cael¡¯s own institute, there were several central towers, with other neo-modern buildings surrounding it.
Alongside that, there were block-like traditional buildings, that resembled some of the ancient architectures from Earth.
¡°We don¡¯t expect your students to do any form of training today. I¡¯m sure it was quite a flight to get from Carlo City all the way here so you can all just rest for today.¡± The soldier announced.
Several officers stood guard at the institute¡¯s entrance permitted the vehicle to enter after the colonial officer permitted their entry. The guards at this institute were mainly colonial officers, who stood almost totally still as they were on patrol.
It was slightly creepy to any spectators, since their stance seemed so unnatural.
Arriving at the entrance to the institute, they were escorted out and toward their rooms. The colonial officer directed the students, while Arlo followed the soldier that brought him to the instructor¡¯s wing.
This was a smaller neo-futuristic building that resembled a dome from its exterior. This was the dormitory and almost the base of operations for the teachers.
Here was the residence of the headmaster, along with the more significant officials of the institution.
The colonial officer arrived at the centre of 5 skyscraper-like buildings, which had the logo of a star, with a crown situated above it.
This was one of the logos of the nation¡¯s defence forces.
Arriving at the floor of the room, the five students stood powerfully and confidently as the other students witnessed their arrival. Here, there was a specific boy that was broad-shouldered and looked to be 6¡¯4 to 6''5 from his size even when sitting down.
He had large muscles and was in between the muscular size of Blaine and Keagan. Cael was now rather comparable to Blaine¡¯s size in terms of musculature and was the same weight as him.
However, this guy certainly had more than 30 pounds over him.
He had pure, white hair and piercing blue eyes, along with a sharp jawline and masculine-looking face.
Blaine and this boy had a fearsome stare-down, with Blaine disengaging as they walked past.
Cael didn¡¯t pay these people much attention; he saw no need for such antics. His power would speak once they entered arenas.
After such a long journey and quite terrible jetlag, he just wanted to rest.
Jetlag was almost totally dependent on how long the flight was. If a flight arrived in a similar time zone to the starting planet, jetlag wasn¡¯t as significant.
However, they were offset by more than 8 hours across this flight. Therefore, their bodies felt like it was the early hours of the morning but instead, it was the evening.
¡°Here are your rooms. You can choose between you five for who gets which room but here are the keys for them. Enjoy your stay.¡± The colonial officer said, before giving the keys to Cael and exiting
Blaine was the first to take his choice, snatching the key for the furthest room from them. Keagan followed up and everybody took their own keys without discussion.
This left Cael with a single key to the last room on offer.
¡°Well, then.¡±
Reality Check
Entering the room, he was quite surprised with what he saw. This wasn¡¯t just an ensuite ¨C this was a studio!
At the far end of this open plan room, there was a kitchen with a small island, and large, glass windows that peered out into the neighbouring city of Lapra.
Along with that, you could see the surrounding verdant hills and lush greenery in between these urban settlements.
The orange sunlight gave this room a golden appearance, along with illuminating Cael¡¯s skin to give him an angelic appearance. There was a wall-mounted TV and a large, warm brown sofa that was situated just ahead of it.
This was far more impressive than even his own apartment. There was slightly less space, but the infrastructure of this building just looked more modern.
Along the wall was a projector that showed a special interface. This GUI showed the several controls that the user had over the room here. There was a control for the temperature, along with details of the humidity, amongst other less important parameters.
Cael wanted to spend more time reading and engaging with that interface, but he could feel his brain just slowing. Therefore, he decided to move away and just collapse in the king bed of this dormitory¡¯s bedroom.
For the following day, Cael was woke up rather early by a loud announcement in this studio¡¯s bedroom.
¡°Good morning students. Please head to the main canteen within 45 minutes for your breakfast.¡±
Cael just grunted in annoyance, slowly wiping his face, fatigued. After such a long flight, could he not even be gifted the chance of a proper sleep? To be totally honest, he had slept for nearly 11 hours but somehow, he just didn¡¯t feel like that was enough.
Nevertheless, Cael couldn¡¯t do a thing but follow their commands. This was a military institute to be honest. Cael was blessed with the structure of his airbus which meant that if he missed it, he just wouldn¡¯t even make it to school on time. No matter how tired he was, he had to get ready to catch that bus.
In about 40 or so minutes, he arrived at the canteen where about a hundred students were situated, receiving their first meal of the day.
Cael just sluggishly arrived at one of the grey tray stands to his left. Upon grabbing a tray, he was met by Vanessa.
¡°Oh, hi Cael. We¡¯re sitting over there, just to let you know.¡± Vanessa said, pointing to Blaine and the others.
None of them were caring enough to give him a wave back or even a glance longer than half a second for that matter. Cael was more than used to this treatment, and actually felt more concerned with the kindness that Vanessa was showing toward him.
Is this really how strong people treated themselves? It felt quite odd for them to be so kind to others like them, but then so contemptuous to those that they deemed as below them.
Cael just threw those thoughts into the back of his mind and continued his journey on to the several places on display, with different types of food. There was a meat and sandwich section with several types of breakfast meats like sliced ham, sausages, black pudding and sausage patties.
After choosing a somewhat light meal to begin his day, Cael moved himself toward the other fighters from Carlo City.
The five warriors pretty much sat in silence here. Their meal was quite awkward, since they weren¡¯t exactly friends.
Others of the lower classes of strength banded together to associate with others of the same status. However, for stronger individuals, they were in deep competition with each other.
Friendship for them felt almost unnatural.
While Cael was eating, his mind was drawn to the current quest that he had, waiting to be completed. He had to find the system¡¯s second file.
The chances that this file was going to be in this colony was very low, but he didn¡¯t really have any other place to look for it in.
Being within this military institute as well, he was sure that it would only be the weekend where he¡¯d have the time and freedom to search for it.
Along with that, going across an entire planet didn¡¯t seem like a plausible cause of action; he had to find a way to narrow the places down somehow.
After this breakfast meal, these thoughts still occupied his mind, but several soldiers and a few other colonial officers arrived and stood firmly.
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¡°Good morning students!¡±
¡°Good morning, Sir Agramonte!¡±
¡°Follow us to the training grounds. Your morning session will begin with spars for today.¡±
Following just as was instructed, they arrived at a vast grass field, with several gridded platforms designed for spars.
Along with that, there was a collection of special types of exosuits that were referred to as exoskeletons or just skeletons. These represented the basic framework of the exosuit, providing very little defence but providing most of the offensive capabilities of any ordinary exosuit.
It was used principally by militaries to train up their cadets but wasn¡¯t really seen with C-grade institutes. The skeletons were just an extra cost and could be easily broken down which required them to be routinely repaired.
Along with these weapons were just some basic weaponry, like weakly powered gauntlets and daggers that didn¡¯t have any super-heating properties. This allowed for students to really focus on their hand-to-hand combat so that they wouldn¡¯t just rely on armour to take attacks.
¡°Today, we¡¯re going to be doing some spars between you. After all this time, and with our amazing exchange students that are with us today, we want to record your strength to see how much you¡¯ve grown since our last progress check-up. Now, to begin with, we¡¯ll give the exchange students a shot against some of you.¡± A soldier stated, stepping back to hold his arms up to the skeleton.
¡°Will some students please help our exchange students with choosing these exoskeletons?¡± The same officer ordered, making a handful of students step up to the plate.
Cael was ushered toward some of the medium-sized exoskeletons.
Placing the arm frames over his own arms, the exoskeleton started to climb over his body until latching onto it and clicking itself back together.
After wearing this around his body, he could feel his increase in strength and speed from just throwing a few light combinations.
¡°Blaine Keaton and Viktor Holt, come up to the platform here for our opening match.¡±
There were some light cheers and encouragement coming from the crowd as the white-haired boy from before chose his exoskeleton and flipped onto the platform confidently.
The boys looked at him with endearment, while the girls were infatuated with his muscular physique and attractive face.
He just readjusted his hair using the glove pad of his exoskeleton, before making his battle stance. Blaine remained ready and didn¡¯t take his eyes off Viktor¡¯s own.
Blaine was around Cael¡¯s height and size, and this large fighter looked to have four inches on him. If Blaine wanted to take him down, he''d have to calculate his movements and act smart.
He wielded a short dagger in his right hand, and a light powered gauntlet on his left fist. As for Blaine, he just went for two powered gauntlets, being a relentless brawler in style.
¡°Begin!¡± Another official called out, causing Viktor to charge toward Blaine.
Whipping his dagger into a reverse guard, he somehow threw down his dagger with such speed, it was as if he was 40 pounds lighter. Blaine lifted both hands in an X-formation, allowing the dagger to land just on the crossing point of his arms.
The tip of blade was left to be mere inches from stabbing into his face, and he immediately began to slide back from the immense power of Viktor. Jerking back his dagger, he viciously punched Blaine with insane speed for somebody his size.
Explosion. This was the perfect description of Viktor¡¯s fighting style. Continuing on with a handful of dagger swipes and punches, Blaine remained behind his guard and used his elegant footwork to try and remain out of his range.
This man was much stronger than Keagan from what he could feel, and was significantly faster. Fighting this guy was going to be a problem.
Once he saw the opportunity, he dropped down into a crouched position and threw a straight punch right at the brute¡¯s gut.
Landing the shot perfectly, the members from Carlo City cheered him on for his strike. However, before he could retract his extended fist, Viktor threw two swift punches straight to his face.
The warrior looked to be rocked by those hits and fell back a step in an unsteady stagger.
Viktor then whipped his dagger right at him again, managing to clip him on the cheek. Pulling his dagger right around for another slash in quick succession, Blaine had to use all his speed to throw himself out the way in quite the unorthodox evasion.
He applied so much force into just getting himself out the way that he threw himself right down onto his arms.
The fight continued on as almost a game of cat and mouse. The stark difference between their ability was apparent and Cael could see that Blaine was struggling to stomach it. He tried to force the style that he¡¯d been used to fighting with, but it just didn¡¯t work.
He almost utilised his greater strength and speed to take down his foes, but he was currently fighting a warrior that outclassed him in almost every physical category.
Blaine continued to receive haymakers, and was only managing to evade the dagger rather well with his nimble steps and footwork.
Grabbing Viktor¡¯s arm, the dagger being held in reverse grip stopped just before his head. However, Viktor improvised his movements and just hurled his leg ahead in the form of a vicious side kick.
Curling right over from that hefty strike, Blaine looked to be struggling to breathe. The white-haired student''s dagger whipped straight toward him again but he threw his torso back and out the way just in time to see the tip of the knife soar straight past his eyes.
As his right arm was moving in an anti-clockwise motion, however, he drove forward his elbow and slammed it straight into Blaine¡¯s nose.
The collision was loud and ended in a deep crunching sound.
Ooh. The crowd simultaneously gasped upon seeing this brutal hit, but all of the officers just remained firm and didn¡¯t even think about interfering.
Viktor then landed a knee to Blaine¡¯s gut, knocking the wind right out of him once again.
This attack was simply too heavy, and he even dropped down to a knee and hand. Every time that he tried to breathe, it was like air wasn¡¯t even coming in. He looked up to Viktor with eyes of rage but also defeat.
He slammed his fist back into the arena floor, while shouting. Cael could see that his mind was urging him to raise up, but his body just didn¡¯t follow his command.
Being unable to resist the incoming attack, Viktor leaped up slightly to then kick Blaine right in his chest with an explosive jump-kick.
He was thrown straight off the ring, and didn¡¯t even look to be getting up right away.
So, this was the true power of talent. The C-Grade cadets really had been boxed in. Vanessa¡¯s face looked devoid of emotion as she looked at Blaine who was still on the ground.
Emeline
If he had received such treatment, what would¡¯ve happened if she tried to face that same person?
Some soldiers rushed to Blaine¡¯s aid, and he hadn¡¯t even summoned the strength to get back up himself.
He needed the assistance of a soldier, but his exoskeleton was taking most of the weight of his body for him anyway. He was able to slowly stumble his way back, with nanobots entering his system to accelerate his healing.
Viktor haughtily stepped off the platform, dapping up one of the students at the forefront of this crowd before integrating back into it.
Blaine just continued to stare at him through the miniature gaps in these people from behind. He arrived by the other Carlo City members and couldn¡¯t take his eyes off him.
This was his first taste of true and utter defeat.
Being shielded from true talent his whole life hadn¡¯t done good for his mentality, and now his mind was beginning to crumble.
As Viktor turned to look at him, his gaze fell away from him, and he visibly cursed himself for having such fear. Cael was surprised that this fight would¡¯ve affected him this much, but it was understandable.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it man. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s like the very top of this school.¡± Cael said, trying to cheer him up.
However, thinking back to Blaine¡¯s character and his glare back at him, he could tell that he didn¡¯t really achieve what he wanted. Seeing his hostile reaction, Cael just decided to look back at the platform ahead of him to let Blaine handle this by himself.
Before any of them were given a shot to showcase their abilities, some of the other students had matches between them.
Most of these sparring events weren¡¯t anything for them to take much note of. However, there was one individual that seemed to be a level above the rest.
A redhead, with long scarlet red hair in a ponytail. She had a glamorous appearance and wore glasses. She stood at about 5¡¯7, being quite average for people with mana.
Even when being put toe-to-toe against people twice her size, she somehow found a way to overpower them.
Her body seemed to be a bottomless well of mana; this granted her a level of physicality that the others just couldn¡¯t attain.
Her punching power sounded akin to Keagan¡¯s; her speed was greater than even Blaine¡¯s. Her technique and fighting intelligence eclipsed even Vanessa¡¯s and reminded Cael of his own way of battling.
This fighter was strong enough to not have to rely on her smarts, but she still wasn¡¯t rash with the way she fought. No.
She fought with complete calculation and calmness.
A tall, lean fighter thrusted forward his fist, that seemed to be empowered by a glowing gauntlet at first glance. The fist whipped through the air, causing a gust of air to expand out, along with a trail of energy to follow. Before his fist could even reach in a reasonable enough proximity to the warrior, she was out of the line of trajectory.
The punch missed and missed her by mere hairs. In this same motion, additionally, she threw a punch of her own in the form of a more powerful right straight attack.
Her fist crashed right into the boy¡¯s chest, and sounded like a heavy, explosive impact.
Stumbling to the edge of the platform, this stellar warrior finished him off with a deadly side kick, hurling him right off his feet.
The spectators were lost for words, especially in the case of the fighters from Carlo City. Viktor already seemed inhuman, so how could they describe this handy fighter.
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¡°Good job, Emeline.¡± An officer stated, as she stepped off the ring.
¡°Could I have a go at fighting her?¡± Cael asked, much to the surprise of his companions.
If Blaine couldn¡¯t even defeat Viktor that snobbishly watched her battle as if he was inferior, what was he going to do to her?
Nevertheless, Cael was willing to take the challenge head-on. After watching her from afar, he was surprised by her amazing technique and intelligence. Maybe, that could be something he could gain for himself in the future.
The best way of figuring out her intelligence and talent would be through facing her in the ring directly; to view all the intricacies of her fighting style.
The officers looked to each other with slight confusion, but didn¡¯t see a reason to stop this. Emeline had clearly not overexerted herself, having defeated her previous foe within only a few handpicked combinations.
Emeline¡¯s face showed total indifference. There wasn¡¯t an iota of arrogance, annoyance, or even confusion in her face. All she did was stare at the soldier, awaiting a reply.
¡°I don¡¯t see why not. Go ahead.¡± He replied, giving him the green light.
Cael leaped right into the ring¡¯s centre, using the power of his exoskeleton.
Both fighters stood against each other, with Emeline tight in her stance while Cael bobbed from side to side with seemingly more confidence, somehow.
However, both fighters had clear, calculative minds. The fight began, and Emeline began elegantly approaching Cael with her picture-perfect footwork.
As she advanced, she continued moving her body to make sure that she didn¡¯t remain an easy target. That wasn¡¯t to say that Cael wasn¡¯t doing a similar thing. As she advanced, he slowly retreated until both fighters were just about out of range.
Snapping right into range, Cael threw an elongated jab that Emeline simply slipped right past.
Delivering a jab of her own, she stepped forward herself and connected with her first attack, simply possessing far greater speed.
Whilst she was in range, she continued with a right straight, followed up by two subsequent hooks. Cael felt dazed by these attacks, and was startled by her explosive power.
In this moment, his main task would be to try and just throw any attack to keep her away. Emeline was aware of this, and was already retreating by the time his fist was hurtling toward her.
His knuckles landed on the frames of her exoskeleton, causing no damage to her body. Following up with a punch then a jumping kick, his weight and power forced Emeline to take a step back.
However, as she turtled up and remained tight in her stance, she didn¡¯t move back as much as Cael anticipated.
Even if she was much lighter, her muscles were granting her a powerful foundation that Cael would struggle to just knock around. Revealing the short sword that her exoskeleton was equipped with, and Cael blocked hers with his own.
Clank!
Sparks flew out in all directions as the two metal blades collided. From this collision, Cael was thrown back and forced to retreat swiftly upon watching her advance.
Even in his retreat, Emeline was on him like the rash; it would take much more than a simple step back to remain out of her range.
She delivered a whipping punch to his body before shooting her dagger straight for his face. Reflexively falling back, he was able to move back just enough so that the blade only clipped at his cheek.
As the fight continued, Cael still couldn¡¯t find a way to triumph against her. Her far superior physical abilities were just too great a challenge to surmount.
¡°What did he even think going up there?¡± Blaine asked his companions, confused and slightly embarrassed.
This was the perfect time for the group to show that they fit in here, but they certainly weren¡¯t doing the best job.
¡°I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know.¡± Vanessa replied, also feeling a similar way.
During this time, though, he had spent great time analysing her techniques and marvelled at the perfection of her style. The incorporation of feints, countering and the predicting of her opponent made it almost impossible to hit her.
Whenever he did, it almost felt like she was letting him do so. Along with that, he¡¯d never actually hit her body. His punches and kicks would merely land on her forearms or shins, no other area.
Receiving a punch to his gut, followed by a hook to his cheek, she slashed right into his abdomen, reaching reasonably deep.
A wave of blood was released as she cut this deep, and just to add insult to injury, she finished off with one of her classic side kicks that sent Cael sliding across the canvas.
He strugglingly tanked her other attacks, but this was the last straw. The soldiers could see that the slash he received was reasonably deep and after the utter domination they¡¯d just witnessed, they called the fight off.
Emeline fell back and stoically leapt off the ring, whilst nanobots were launched into Cael¡¯s open wound to close it.
The pain in his gut after receiving that final side kick was bothersome and intense. In just about a minute, his skin was already sealed over completely and the nanobots were applying the finishing touches to the healing process.
Retreating back into the nanobot dispersion device, a high-pitched ringing sound denoting the healing''s completion resounded through the area as his wound was completely healed.
He returned to the others that had watched that play out, and Blaine felt too embarrassed to even acknowledge his presence.
Vanessa just looked confused as he returned.
¡°Why did you choose to fight her, you knew you wouldn¡¯t have been good enough to beat her.¡± Vanessa asked quietly.
¡°Don¡¯t know. It was just on a whim, I guess.¡± Cael replied, with a slight chuckle.
Colonial Guard
Vanessa¡¯s eye twitched as she struggled to even wrap her head around his reply, but didn¡¯t give the situation another second of her time.
As she turned her glance, the next fight was her own.
She was up against a rather confident looking boy, with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes. His hair was scruffy and spiky, looking like it went in pretty much every direction possible.
He was around 5¡¯10, and quite lean for an exosuit cadet.
However, he still acted as if he was more than capable of beating Vanessa.
As the fight began, Vanessa rushed forward with immense speed, thrusting her fist forward for a punch.
The confidence and arrogance of this boy washed away upon taking the impact. Even though he was taller than Vanessa, the two of them were of similar weight.
Her punch knocked him back a step, but she followed up with numerous more punches and a final kick straight onto his lifted forearms.
For the final attack, he was forced to grit his teeth, taken aback by the forceful impact.
The swift boy managed to catch Vanessa with a punch to the face, and followed up with another immediately after seeing that his jab had connected so well.
Vanessa wasn¡¯t going to get clipped like that a second time. Therefore, she dropped to her left and the punch flew straight past her. With the perfect opportunity, she delivered a powerful hook to rattle the boy.
Those of Carlo City looked happy to see her connect with such a blow, and her assault only intensified from there.
This boy couldn¡¯t match her explosion and athleticism. Vanessa was of the Di Fonti family after all. Even if she was one of the weakest out of that prominent family, she was still a talent.
Leaping forward and back into range, she punched him right in his solar plexus, before hurling her fist upward and into his chin.
His head was thrown back rather alarmingly, and a cloud of blood and spit was thrown off his face.
Vanessa subsequently descended and landed a wild-looking overhead right, empowered by her exoskeleton¡¯s powered gauntlet. The redhead was knocked right off his feet and sent stumbling away, leaving several metres in between him and Vanessa.
Seconds passed with him still on the canvas, and the soldiers approached the ring, ready to conclude the match. Cael and the others from Carlo City watched on with their heartbeats raised as they awaited the battle¡¯s outcome.
After strugglingly lifting onto his feet, it was only a split-second before he was sent falling right back onto his hands and knees.
A soldier swiftly stepped onto the ring and stood in between Vanessa and him. The match was over, and she had taken the win.
Cael began clapping along with the others of Carlo City and a handful of the other home students that watched on.
Many of them were too arrogant to show the girl the respect that she deserved. Even if this was ostensibly a nice chance for the students from both institutes to test their abilities against each other, growing in the process.
However, the competition aspect was inexcusable and ever-present.
After this event, the Carlo City warriors went through similar training to what they were used to back home. However, what was different was the intensity.
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With these warriors being stronger than C-Grade institute cadets overall, they could push their students harder since they had it in them to continue.
As a result, they found the training sessions to be even more intense and gruelling than what they were used to. On treadmills, they¡¯d find themselves crossing tens of miles in a single day, while having tens of 6-minute rounds on punching bags that weighed more than a tonne.
In this day and age, these warriors were hooked up to systems that were able to tell them the physical statistics of their body. It gave them more variables than the technology used in Carlo City, and they were immediately submerged into this more premium feeling of training.
They wore masks that were able to lower the oxygen levels of the air they¡¯d breathe in. Along with that, it would measure blood saturation, heartrate, breathing rate, amongst other things.
The treadmill itself also had the ability to measure the average force of the runner¡¯s strides, along with their average stride speed and length.
For the likes of Emeline, these statistics were just far higher than everyone else¡¯s. Her heartrate was kept to around the lowest for the entire group, and her speed was by far the highest. Her speed was absolutely unbelievable not just in explosive short distances but in the ultramarathon runs that they¡¯d take part in.
She could maintain her pace and just continue going with ease.
Whilst Cael and her group had marathon times of around 45 to 50 minutes, Emeline did hers in as low as 37 minutes.
As she trained, she didn¡¯t even consider the praise that she received. All that mattered to her was the training in Cael¡¯s view, and he found that endearing. That level of discipline and drive was something that he always strived toward and found it fascinating to see it first-hand.
She didn¡¯t speak much at all either; most words that she uttered were replies to officers or replies to attempted conversation with her from the other students training with them.
This gave her an even more mysterious vibe for Cael, it made him intrigued to hear more about her.
Her name was Emeline Murillo, whose father was a native to Zarcona. Her mother hailed from Oseron directly, and even though she retained the name of her father, she was a lot more involved with the noble Sanguis family, renowned for their scarlet red hair.
Even though she was daughter of one of the female members of the family, her talent still made her a valid contender for the head, which would change its title to matriarch. Of course, her gender made it much harder for her to claim this position and the pieces of the puzzle slowly started to fall into place for Cael.
It was clear that she was trying to grind against the adversity; to prove the other¡¯s wrong and show that she was great enough to claim that title over the other male contenders.
Being woken up annoyingly early for yet another day of training, the students were ushered to a training room to begin their morning. Many of them looked fatigued, including Cael, but were used to relying on caffeine to keep them going.
The urge for Cael to stay up late and work on his creations was hard to resist, but he just knew that he¡¯d have to literally drag himself through the training that would follow the next day. If he wanted to keep himself going with this strenuous training regime, he¡¯d have to make sure that he got his beauty sleep.
Military soldiers of the institute stood ahead of them in their usual ordered format, standing shoulder to shoulder.
Their posture was almost perfect; totally straight backs and muscular arms right by their sides. Each camouflaged outfit showed off the rank of each soldier, with the youngest-looking officer having the rank Lance Corporal and the eldest proudly and ostentatiously puffing up his chest to show off his Sergeant rank.
¡°Greetings soldiers. Today, we would like to explain to you what we have in store for the coming days. As a result of your amazing performances, the Colonial Guard want to utilise your talents to keep the peace here.¡±
¡°The roles that you will partake in won¡¯t be very serious as even if you all are talented, you are gravely inexperienced. The service will mostly consist of patrols during calmer hours and shadowing another officer on guard.¡±
The students seemed indifferent to what was happening, until a nugget of information was dropped.
¡°For this, you will all receive wages. Don¡¯t think you¡¯re doing this for free.¡± The soldier then replied.
Light chatter then festered between the students, and they suddenly seemed far more excited about the upcoming apprenticeship training they were about to take part in.
Even Cael was quite surprised about this, not because of the money he¡¯d receive but because of the fact that they were actually being rewarded monetarily.
Cael was already receiving far money than he knew he¡¯d ever get from such training through his business and with Leon still creating items for his merchant profile, he was steadily receiving income even during his stay in Zarcona.
The training for that day, since it was a Friday, was particularly light and focused on learning new techniques from the officers.
Their amazing level of experience continued to wow the students, and Emeline was very attentive as they showcased some of their wisdom.
Canedo Avenue
After this session for today, Cael was on a mission. He was going to try and find these lost files.
If they weren¡¯t here, then Cael would have to look elsewhere but first, he needed to at least get some form of information to narrow his options down.
Laying in the cosy bed of his studio¡¯s bedroom, he swiped through the various panels floating ahead of him in search of at least something on this creator. He didn¡¯t exactly give him a name, and this was what the system referred to him as so it kind of just clicked for him.
Just as he expected, he found very little. A lot of the information that he managed to acquire were just rumours and sounded like several different people being described.
There had been many ¡®mad scientists¡¯ in the past that were shut down and contained for their dangerously high intelligence. The notion of this smartness being put in the wrong hands was a fairly common theme in history.
He continued for hours and tried his best to remain focused, but it was incredibly disheartening as he found nothing along the way. However, Cael knew that he wanted these files. After seeing the marvellous creations within the first bulk of files, another drop of wisdom was something that could seriously help him soon.
¡°Come on Cael. You know that you want this. Have rule over yourself, and you shall be free.¡± Cael told himself, reciting a line from the Ancient Greek philosopher, Plato.
Cael powered through for about 20 more minutes but found that the steam powering the engine was steadily depleting. Every single lead that he thought he had turned out to be a dead end.
With such an intelligent and sought after being, he thought that he¡¯d at least hear of him somewhere, but the authorities were clearly doing a good job of hiding his identity.
Just as he was about to close down his projector for the final time, that¡¯s when he saw it. Glued to a specific article glowing ahead of him, Cael¡¯s chin fell into his right hand as he thought. This seemed rather interesting, and had certain information that he couldn¡¯t overlook.
[The greatest scientist of the modern age was silenced by the government for his threatening mind.]
Now, that was a near perfect description of the creator. Clicking on it, he found that it was an internet article that looked decades old. The format in which it was displayed was quite frankly ancient and even hard for Cael to surf through.
¡°Who decided to make the layout of this website 200 years old?!¡± Cael wondered, struggling to find the information that he was looking for.
Everything seemed overly blocky and the interface was like a minimalist coding environment; not the best on the eyes.
Nevertheless, he soon located what he was looking for and it consisted of a few text messages from various individuals in the form of a long chain of comments.
[Anonymous336: Wait, so you know who this guy is? It looks like he¡¯s been written out of history for some reason.]
[Veritas__Veritas: I know. Just because I know who he is, don¡¯t think that I know much. They¡¯ve done a very good job of hiding his achievements.]
The first two text messages got Cael hooked, and he readjusted the position in his bed with excitement. Now, this was where he wanted to be.
[Anonymous336: Who was he then? Why is he even being hidden away?]Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
[Veritas__Veritas: We don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s alive or dead, but he was born not too long ago. Probably over 50 but less than a hundred years ago. From what I¡¯ve found out, he created several pieces of technology that threatened to alter the dynamics of warfare and combat for centuries to come. He wanted to showcase these creations to his home nation, but they didn¡¯t trust his willingness to stay by their side.]
[Veritas__Veritas: Any side with him would win. How could they ensure his loyalty? As a result, they stopped his creations from coming into fruition and labelled him as a madman when all he wanted was to help his country grow to glory over the other growing, fearsome nations.]
Now, that was a description. With these comments, he could tell that this Veritas guy and him were thinking of the same person. This was definitely about the creator.
[Veritas__Veritas: To answer your other question of where he is right now, we don¡¯t know. To be honest, I believe that he¡¯d mainly be found in colonies, since that¡¯s where securities is the lowest compared to other areas. People without paperwork and true identification can thrive in those areas. My list has boiled down to the Asteria Colony and Ether Colony in the Shu Empire, the Arcadis and Chronos Colonies of the Imperial Terran State, and finally somewhere in the Lapra Colony, in the Soburg Empire.]
Jackpot.
Cael lifted to his feet upon reading the last bit of that final list. This was the narrowing of options that he needed. It honestly felt like divine intervention.
Well, he couldn¡¯t just trust this guy¡¯s estimations, and nobody was certifying that he wouldn¡¯t just find these files elsewhere.
However, these would be the best places to check up on first.
After checking these areas, he could then move on to other areas that he could find.
¡°Now my search space has been knocked down to a few... planets... Nice.¡± Cael realised, while sluggishly knocking away the floating panels.
Even with the narrowing of this list, he had several whole planets to rummage through, and he was annoyed to find out that the Asteria Colony spanned over two planets!
Nevertheless, Cael started his search and would devote his weekend to finding these files.
With that search, Cael decided to call it a day. He had stayed awake for much longer than he expected, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to fall into a deep slumber.
*****
KRRRRKKK!!
¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Cael wondered, staring into the infinite abyss of blackness that surrounded him.
Looking down, he soon found that he had no real body. Along with that, he couldn¡¯t even hear his own voice. It felt akin to a projection, not even a true sound.
Suddenly, he was in a bedroom that looked to be in a villa. There was a large pane of glass directly ahead of him that opened up to a scintillating seafront and a smooth, long beach that seemingly stretched on forever in both directions.
In the bed to his right, though was a man with grey hair, that had his eyes glued to the door directly behind Cael.
¡°What is this?¡± Cael wondered, struggling to make out where he was and what was even happening.
He approached the man that looked toward the dark oak door with eyes of trepidation, and soon recognised him. Even through the long white hair that he¡¯d seen on him before, he knew who this was. This was the creator.
Bang! Bang!
With every vehement slamming on the door, the man in the bed rattled until he lifted onto his feet.
As the incessant banging intensified, the door looked less and less able to resist it.
Cael continued to assess the intense situation and still had no proper clue what was going on or why he was here. After a powerful bang, a battering ram launched straight through the door, while simultaneously knocking it off its hinges.
The creator turned to the human-sized glass pane behind him that opened up to the tropical view. Simply leaping right through the glass, it shattered, and he leapt straight down what looked like four stories.
As Cael approached the window to see where he was headed, several individuals clad in dark exosuits seemed to just phase right through his body, leaping down there as well.
Cael, seeing this, decided to take a step down there to see what was going on.
The creator had taken off down the street, and he followed him in that direction, running at top speed. He wasn¡¯t able to keep up with these running warriors for long, since he wasn¡¯t powered by any sort of exosuit.
However, he put everything into his strides and was able to keep up with them for at least a few seconds. The creator took the first right that he could, sharply turning into the next residential street.
As he turned, Cael could feel his vision lightening up, while energy blasts were firing past and even through his body toward the creator.
Turning the street, his vision was becoming so bright that he could barely see anything of substance. However, the last thing that he witnessed was a street sign located just at the junction of this road.
Canedo Avenue.
******
Pinalejo Village
Just as everything turned to white, Cael shot up in his bed, overwhelmed by what had ensued.
He even started tapping down his body incredulously; he couldn¡¯t believe that whole scenery wasn¡¯t real. It most certainly felt that way.
He could literally see the intricacies of the scientist as he looked through the window, along with the heavily armoured soldiers that chased after him.
Upon landing on the empty road, he could feel the coarse tarmac ground beneath him.
What he knew for now was that he had to find this supposed Canedo Avenue as fast as he could. Luckily, there were impressive forms of transportation to travel across a planet so there were resources that Cael could rely on.
Firstly, he¡¯d have to complete ample research to save himself time.
Therefore, he ventured onto the internet once again and started searching Zarcona and the entire Lapra Colony for this Canedo Avenue that he had seen in his dream.
Just as he expected, there were numerous streets with that name but with the assistance of images, Cael could rely on the memories he had from his dream to identify the correct place.
Searching, though, he was annoyed to find that there were over 20 streets with this name, which seemed to be quite the common name on the planet. However, with so many people living on this planet, it made sense.
It didn¡¯t take long before he felt that he had the street right on.
Canedo Avenue. He¡¯d found it.
The image that he found displayed the residential street that resembled the last street he arrived at before he was returned to full on consciousness.
Cael was certain he had found the right place, which was located in a small city called Pinalejo. It had a population of 400,000 and was a beautiful tropical settlement on the planet. From the reviews of the place, he could see that it was even a regular holiday for people from Oseron.
The clear, gleaming waters and the soothing warmth were all qualities that drew people to the area, and Cael assumed that the creator felt drawn by these qualities as well.
Along with that, staying on a small colony of the Soburg Empire, where policing was renowned for being less intensive than other places, were definitely extra variables that attracted him here.
and so, was on his way. During the weekends, the students would be allowed to freely roam the city and the planet for that matter. They were prohibited from leaving the planet, but could go anywhere in the Lapra Colony as long as they met their 11pm curfew.
Leaving at around 9am, Cael wanted to give himself as much time as possible. He didn¡¯t really have much time to go to an airport to get to the place fast enough.
On a major continent of the planet, it would still take him hours to reach his destination using the global metro system of this colony. Unlike Saevis, the metro system was decades behind in terms of technology.
It just couldn¡¯t match the level of speed of the trains that Cael was used to back on Saevis, but it would have to do.
He swiftly took a train journey straight to the scene and followed his holographic map journey straight to the target area.
Looking around vigilantly, he constantly remained attentive to see if he¡¯d arrived at his destination. He absorbed the breath-taking ocean view, and the soothing warmth.
Waves powerfully crashed along the shore, where numerous individuals basked in the abundant sunshine.
Several marketmen traversed the streets in three-wheeled air vehicles, pulling along floating wooden stalls that sold various items like trinkets, gadgets and fish.
Suddenly, looking at the road more closely, he looked up to his right to see a barred off building.
It was made of a dark oak, and looked like a haunted building. There was graffiti littered across such building but what he was glued toward was a window opening that was barred off by metal.
Looking at where this window was on the whole building, he felt like that was the right place. Yes, this was the right place.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Now, being in the right location, he had to play his cards right to get the correct information.
Time was of the essence here; he didn¡¯t have much time on this planet to locate this device. He could always come back after returning to Carlo City, but that would be a nuisance.
With a business he had to run and his training toward joining the military or some form of combat institution, his time was getting taken up by that more as well.
Cael was nearing 18 and only had a year or so at the very maximum at Carlo City¡¯s institute. If he could prove himself, he¡¯d be ushered toward an institution before that point.
¡°You alright there son?¡± A croaky, middle-aged voice called out from his left.
Cael turned to see where this was coming from, and ahead of him stood a scrawny, short old man with a straw hat. His skin was of a bronze, tanned complexion and he was immediately hit with the strong smell of smoke upon taking a look at him.
In his mouth was a smoking cigarette as he smiled at him.
¡°I was just wondering what this whole building is about? It looks so out of place compared to the others.¡± Cael fibbed.
Well, it was partially the truth. The building was of a dark oak colour, while the surrounding structures looked more like a pale white and soothing pastel tone.
¡°Not sure, kiddo. It¡¯s been there pretty much my whole adult life, and it¡¯s looked the exact same.¡± He replied.
Upon hearing more from him, he could hear his strong accent. He was clearly a native here, from his accent and appearance.
The man did say he knew nothing about the building, but this was his best chance to get at least some form of information. Even if one did know the origin of the home, knowing of the creator wasn¡¯t something that he¡¯d think anyone would openly reveal.
¡°Did you ever hear of a scientist living here at some point in time?¡± Cael asked.
The man¡¯s face suddenly became solemn, and the happiness in his face was washed away in a flash. The silence was deafening as they looked at each other.
Cael soon felt his heart racing and felt like he had revealed too much. It made sense; this creator guy was wanted by nations. Surely, people aware of his existence would be of at least a similar concern.
Damn it! Why had he been so reckless?! He cursed himself for immediately revealing his identity, but tried his best to still act calm.
¡°It¡¯s fine, I heard some rumour about that from somebody here. I think my friend was just spouting nonsense.¡± Cael stated, beginning to walk past him with a slightly reddened face.
¡°No, kiddo. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s complete nonsense. Come along, I¡¯ll tell you what I know.¡± The man said, before turning and beginning to walk off.
Cael was stunned about his sudden change in attitude, and felt a sense of relief wash over him. The man then slowed, turning back to the frozen student.
¡°Come on. Don¡¯t you wanna hear more?¡±
¡°Oh, yes. S-Sorry..¡± Cael replied, awkwardly smiling of embarrassment before pacing after the walking man.
Cael walked along with the man at his pace, which was much slower than how he¡¯d usually walk. It felt like he was remaining still as he crossed the streets, but he knew this was because he had mana and this person didn¡¯t. Judging from his skinny physique, he was just an ordinary guy.
They walked past the larger, sleeker villa-like buildings near the waterfront, arriving at the working-class neighbourhoods that were built over the waters itself.
Standing on metal and wooden bases, there were wooden homes that had been built on them.
Cael was taken aback by the alien appearance of this neighbourhood. There were several small stalls being shown, selling fish that had been caught from the waters beneath them. Several autonomous bots were hard at work assisting these humans with manual labour and selling their caught items.
Many hawking sellers tried to catch their attention, but the old man seemed rather skilled at keeping his eyes forward and ignoring them.
After walking for some time, they arrived at a hut that Cael assumed was this man¡¯s home. It was smaller than even Cael¡¯s apartment, and had enough space for just a single bedroom.
On the exterior, it looked rather ancient and didn¡¯t look to have the facilities for any sort of electricity, but looked significantly different on the inside.
The walls were a pristine white, and there was a short staircase at the head of this building, with a cosy living room environment to their left.
Just behind the man¡¯s TV and sofas was a dark oak dining table, that the man pulled out a chair from.
¡°Please. Sit. Would you like some coffee?¡± The man politely offered, as he removed his cigarette.
¡°What kind do you have?¡± Cael asked, intrigued to see what was on offer for him.
¡°We call it Neo-Mocha here. It¡¯s like a mocha but trust me, everything is just better about it.¡± He explained.
Cael laughed upon hearing this, and agreed to test out this treat. The, warm, steaming aromas of the coffee hit him as the man approached him, placing the cup on the table.
¡°So...¡± The man said, looking through the select few windows around them before continuing.
¡°Where did you hear about this scientist again?¡± He asked.
Cael decided to just take a sip of this hot coffee, taken aback by its overwhelming sweetness and delectability.
¡°Well, I heard it from somebody on the internet. He was talking about this place and I then saw this building that seemed barred off for a reason.¡± Cael replied.
His words were intertwined with falsehoods and the truth, which made it much easier for him to make his statement. It made his voice sound calmer and more genuine, which the man seemed fooled by.
¡°Ah. I¡¯m guessing people felt like this guy was just a madman, right?¡± He asked.
Well, Cael couldn¡¯t say that but he could see that it was on some backwater forum. The claims made by Veritas__Veritas clearly weren¡¯t taken seriously by many.
¡°You could interpret it in that manner.¡± Cael then said.
¡°Well, that man isn¡¯t as crazy as you think. Now, what I say to you absolutely must stay between us, do you understand? For the wellbeing of your life, you cannot go around revealing this information like that if you want to keep those around you including yourself safe.¡± The man claimed, now looking at him with a firmer, more serious gaze.
Malachai Vaness
Cael could feel the pressure from this man¡¯s bold tone and stare, which he didn¡¯t feel was possible judging from the character he had shown previously. He¡¯d gone from this cheery old man to this solemn, firm character.
¡°Of course.¡± Cael replied, placing down his neo-mocha as he was ready to hear what he knew.
¡°There was a man that used to live in that building. I was a young man, working down in the fisheries near here and he used to live there. Unlike all those other absorbed rich guys, he had true character, but he was weird, I must tell you.¡± The man said, laughing as his eyes stared into empty space.
He could tell that he was deep in thought, but his gaze dropped, and he continued.
¡°Anyway, he started integrating himself into the life here. He even had a deal with the fishery I worked at, so we gave him a bit of our catch every time we¡¯d go out and get the fish, but he then vanished.¡±
¡°One day he was here with all of us but then he was gone, and never mentioned again. We had no clue what was going on until these people came to all of us in the fishery.¡± He explained, with his tone turning darker and more broken as he continued.
¡°These people with these massive guns rushed into our place and started telling us to never say a word about him. They threatened us with death if we ever came out, they even... they knocked down one of the workers because we talked back.¡± The man said, taking pauses in his statement.
His eyes were now glued to the table as he explained what was happening, and Cael could see that the painful memories were almost playing out in his mind.
¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, really. You didn¡¯t deserve to be treated in that way.¡± Cael stated, trying to calm this man down.
From what he was hearing as well, this creator didn¡¯t deserve to be treated in this way. Why were they trying so hard to silence and take him down? Hell, he was probably dead by this point.
¡°Anyway, before they got to his property I managed to scavenge some things from his home.¡± He stated, lifting from the table.
¡°I¡¯ll show you what I got.¡± The man stated, heading to his staircase.
Cael waited patiently, and was hoping that at least something to do with the next few files. He could hear some deep rummaging from above him and stayed optimistic.
Descending the stairs, he came back with a few files detailing a few things. He placed them on the table, and the first file was some documentation from the Lapra Colony.
It showed an image of what he presumed was the creator. He looked to be rather young, in his fifties and had a decently masculine frame. He could tell that he was lean, but he had a sharp jawline but had crazed eyes.
They were widened, and his face was deadly straight.
¡°I think that was one of his travel files for him to come here. Don¡¯t believe anything you see there except for his face. I¡¯m sure every single detail about him there is completely fake.¡± He stated, whilst Cael analysed the document.
[Name: Vaness]
[First Name: Malachai]
[Place of Birth: Oseron, TCP]
[Date of Birth: 04/11/4572]
[Nationality: Soburg]
If this birthdate was right or close to being right, that would make this guy over 100 years old. In the year of 4674, Cael felt taken aback by this date.
¡°I don¡¯t understand why he would even choose a date so off like that. When I saw him he looked to be in his early fifties, not his seventies.¡± The man jokingly stated, while pushing forward another document.
¡°Same here.¡± Cael stated internally, thinking back to the dream that he was inSupport the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
There was description of his purchase of the property that was now abandoned. He used the same identity as in the first document, and there were other files that just listed off documentation. However, there was no form of technological device that could hold any system files.
Cael was still more than grateful for this man helping him thus far. Now, he knew he was going in the right direction.
¡°Thanks for the day. You¡¯ve been incredibly helpful.¡± Cael stated.
¡°Don¡¯t worry man. You wanted the truth, so I gave you the truth, that¡¯s all.¡± He stated, lifting with Cael.
He nodded, shaking the man¡¯s hand with respect.
The man saw him to the door, before Cael left to return to the closest train station. He felt like he had overstayed in this place and would be back soon.
Thud!
The man went behind the door, and then revealed a phone projector. A panel appeared from its translucent screen, and the man had his fingernails in his teeth, as he waited anxiously.
¡°What do you want?¡± A deep, bold voice replied.
¡°Yeah, I want to give you some information on somebody. I sent you his face profile already. He knows about the creator.¡± He stated.
The call went silent after revealing this.
¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll take him in as soon as we identify him.¡± He stated.
¡°Thanks for doing what is right.¡± The man finally stated, before declining the call.
After this, the man sighed whilst readjusting his straw hat, clearly distressed.
Cael took his usual train back to the complex and arrived at the dormitory room in the middle of the afternoon. Arriving at this tower, the common room located at the ground floor was filled with relaxing students just conversing and having fun.
Trying to head for his own room, he was met by Vanessa before he could continue his journey.
She had a face of anger, and boldness exuded from her as she stared at him with her piercing blue eyes.
¡°Where have you been all day?!¡± She asked, with her arms crossed.
Vanessa looked clearly annoyed and was dressed in the training uniform of this institute. It was a dark grey hue, with white lining across it and the golden emblem of this institute across the left chest area.
¡°I had to check a place out across the planet. Why?¡± He asked, confused about her sudden infuriation.
¡°Well, we¡¯ve been training all day and you¡¯re just slacking off all day? We tried searching for you but found out that you just left after breakfast!¡± She replied, nearly shouting with her words.
¡°Sorry, I¡¯m here for training now if you¡¯re still doing that. I really was busy.¡± Cael insisted, with his arms up by his side.
Vanessa didn¡¯t reply and just scoffed, turning away.
Without even giving Cael another word, she started walking away.
¡°Come on then! Get ready, we¡¯re in facility 8.¡± She stated, before walking off.
After preparing himself, Cael arrived at one of the training facilities within the central towers of this institute. Here, there was Friso and Keagan sparring against each other on one of the white platforms. Both warriors were powerful strikers and mainly focused on punching strikes in their battles.
Along with their gargantuan physiques, they resembled super heavyweight boxers with their ruthless shots and musculature.
Keagan was getting caught with more shots from Friso, even though he was slimmer and leaner, but possessed more explosive power. His shots were more for Friso to worry about, allowing him to take more shots in the process of delivering them.
BANG! BANG!
In this facility, they could hear punches just as loud as those coming from the likes of these two brutes. Cael looked around to try and locate its source, and was stunned to find the lean, nimble Emeline at a punching bag.
Her long, scarlet red hair flowed around as she continuously attacked this punching bag ahead of her. Her footwork was excellent, and she¡¯d attack this bag from pretty much all angles. There wasn¡¯t an area of this bag that she couldn¡¯t find a way to attack.
There were a handful other students in the room, but the most intense fighters were Emeline along with the two fighters from Carlo City.
Blaine was on the sidelines, breathing intensely with a white towel across his neck as he had his hands on his knees.
¡°Oh, this lazy slob¡¯s back, is he?¡± Blaine asked, without even giving him a glance.
¡°He says that he was busy. It¡¯s good that he¡¯s here anyway.¡± Vanessa replied, before taking down the zip on her tracksuit top.
Just throwing it to the side, she revealed her athletic physique, stretching her arms as she prepared to step on the canvas herself.
Cael guiltily took his eyes off her physique in reflex, looking back to the fight.
Beside them, a floating panel showed a timer had ended, then Blaine jumped onto the canvas while signalling for Cael to follow.
Seeing the chance for Cael to face Blaine, he felt like giving himself just a slight advantage. With gears stored up from his sales and fights in the vault, he decided to see what stats he could upgrade here. He had 478 gears as of right now, which was just enough for 4 upgrades.
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Strength]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Speed]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Strength]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Durability]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Novice Merchant, Vault Novice]
[Strength: 11]
[Speed: 9]
[Durability: 9]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
Colonial Guard Patrol
¡°What are you looking at?!¡± Blaine asked, turning to look at what Cael could¡¯ve possibly been staring at.
¡°Oh, sorry, umm, the view¡¯s nice I guess.¡± Cael said with a chuckle, before pushing his system panels to the side.
He felt an immediate increase to his strength and prepared himself for the upcoming battle.
Holding his tight stance, he took a deep breath in anticipation of this intense battle.
Ring!
The timer started, and the fatigued Blaine remained at range, which wasn¡¯t his usual style of fighting. Routinely resorting to the use of powered gauntlets, he¡¯d rush right into battles and overwhelm his opponent with not just skill but superior power.
Blaine flicked out a jab that Cael swiftly took onto his already lifted forearms. In quick succession, a side kick was thrusted onto that same area, but he remained firm. Even with his great fatigue, the power that he possessed was still dangerously high.
Blaine rushed in, throwing a hook that Cael managed to slip under. In this same motion, he lifted with much greater speed than he would¡¯ve expected from himself and caught Blaine straight on his jaw with a right-hand strike.
Swiftly after though, he was rocked with a punch of the same nature. Both warriors backed up, with Cael more tentative after taking a punch of that calibre from him. As they continued their bout, Cael could feel that he was lighter on his feet, and punches that he¡¯d throw rather half-heartedly still had some decent power behind them.
The two fighters continued on with determination but also calculation. It felt like a novel experience to see Blaine fighting in this way.
He was certain that after his shocking defeat to Viktor a few days prior, he was more willing to incorporate his technique and intelligence into his fighting style.
Cael felt better able to compete with Blaine, as they exchanged attacks for a time, but the gap became apparent as time passed. Still weakened by fatigue, Blaine¡¯s physicality eclipsed Cael¡¯s.
Lunging forward, Blaine aimed forward for an elbow that Cael just managed to catch on his forearms. Instead of falling back, he remained on his feet and started to wrestle with him. With the two fighters being of similar weight, it looked like an even match to begin with.
Both sparring partners were finding opportunities to take the other down, but just couldn¡¯t complete the manoeuvres in the end.
However, Blaine¡¯s greater strength gave him the ability to finally bring Cael down onto the canvas. With him on this position, he started shouting and vehemently punching the fallen warrior with everything that he had.
He looked enraged, and didn¡¯t hold anything back in these powerful blows. Friso and Keagan seemed indifferent to the beatdown, and Vanessa was the only one that started to edge forward upon seeing Cael taking haymaker after haymaker.
His nose started bleeding, but Blaine was utterly relentless. He didn¡¯t even give his adversary half a second to breathe. After a few more seconds, Cael was saved by the bell.
Their 7-minute round was cut short, and Blaine sharply shot air out his nose, taking a deep breath as he raised up. Upon raising, there wasn¡¯t a hint of sympathy or respect in his face as he walked off the canvas.
Cael just stretched his face, taken aback by the burning sensation that he felt pretty much all over it. He felt a little unstable on his feet, but just tried his best to steel through this feeling, stepping off the canvas as well.
¡°You see. You need to be training with us the most.¡± Vanessa bluntly remarked.
Cael felt the desire to retort her claim but decided to stay silent instead. He never felt accomplished playing these people¡¯s game.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
¡°I¡¯ll make sure to keep it up.¡± He stated, just looking forward to the empty canvas that was then filled by Friso and Vanessa.
¡°I hope you do.¡± She stated, looking back to him with a snobbish smile on her face.
After their long training session, Vanessa didn¡¯t seem to be breathing as much as the other Carlo City fighters. Even Cael felt terribly fatigued after overexerting himself so much, and Friso could barely even walk.
Vanessa continued with her back straight, almost as if she had the energy to fight on some more.
¡°Come on guys, with tanks like these we¡¯ll be embarrassed every single day that we¡¯re here.¡± Vanessa boldly claimed, walking along with them in the open area of the institution.
There were rows of bushes along the cleanly paved walkways of this complex, and they arrived at the main staircase to the central five-tower area.
This view was still breathtaking to Cael, no matter how many times he took it in. These towers eclipsed the ones of his own institution in Carlo City with ease, and there were still numerous other large structures that surrounded this central centre.
Just before this five-tower structure was a fountain, with a white star made of quartz at its centre.
The weekend was soon over, and the group were woken up at the usual early time for the events of the coming morning.
After having breakfast in the capacious canteen that they usually dined in, they were directed to a certain building near the central towers of the institute. It was a dome and made purely of a black-tinted glass.
The building resembled a stadium in size and appearance and was quite intimidating from up close. Cael and those of Carlo City continued to be silently amazed by the grandeur of this institution compared to their own.
Even C-Grade institutions were some of the most futuristic structures found in the entire nation. B-Grade and A-Grade institutions clearly went above and beyond.
They walked through the large semicircular opening ahead, before working their way through the labyrinthian halls within.
They were illuminated with pure, white lighting and had several images of some of the most esteemed officials of the institution on the walls.
Arriving at the second floor, more students were present here and they could all assume they¡¯d arrived at their destination..
Instead of the birch doors they¡¯d seen previously, they could see an open double door of dark oak ahead. Several students flowed through these specific doors, and Cael followed the crowd to see what was happening now.
Two static colonial officers stood behind these doors, clad in their dark-grey camo outfits. They arrived at what resembled a lecturing hall, with seats raised up to their left and right.
Just ahead of them were four military officials, stood boldly and side-to-side.
Cael followed his schoolmates along to an available row, and the doors shut with a heavy thud as the last student arrived.
As silence befell these individuals, one of the soldiers stepped forward. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood forward, with greyed hair and a thick, grey beard.
¡°Good morning, students!¡±
¡°Good morning, Sir Agramonte!¡±
¡°Thank you all for arriving in a timely fashion. Now, for this following week, we are going to be sending you into a squad of colonial officers. 2 to 3 of you will shadow a specific member of these squads and follow their schedule.¡±
¡°This will consist of mainly patrolling but could also include administrative work and emergency responses. Be prepared for anything to happen because, from experience, the worst can happen in this world. The angel of luck cannot keep you safe from the demon that is chance.¡± He explained, with a firm, deep tone.
His booming voice almost forced the students that sat before him to remain seated and still. Nobody was willing to gain his attention.
¡°We shall call up names of 2 to 3 students, and when your names are called out, you shall walk outside with the colonial officer that will be stood at the doors ahead of me.¡± He continued.
After this, the students were then broken up into teams of three, with Cael, Vanessa and Blaine being thrown into a team. Their names were called out, just as expected, and they could see a single pale-skinned officer stood at the door.
He had dark red hair and black eyes, welcoming the incoming students with a smile.
This official stood at 6¡¯3 and had a much more muscular physique than was ordinary, even with soldiers. They could see the stark contrast in size between him and the officials at the door upon approaching it
¡°Just to introduce myself, I¡¯m Mr. Lennox. You¡¯ll be shadowing me for your patrols for the next week. When I tell you to do something, you do it and I don¡¯t want to see any of you faltering. In this field, just as Sir Agramonte described, the worst really can happen.¡± He explained.
¡°Where are we heading now?¡± Cael asked inquisitively, as they followed along.
¡°Well, we¡¯re heading to begin some patrols. You¡¯ll be given some needed uniform and an exosuit for patrolling, but we¡¯ll be on the streets from 12 to 5. After that, we¡¯ve got some paperwork to run through from 5-8.¡±
Cael was not liking the sound of what would be a tedious day, but it wasn¡¯t like he had a choice in the matter. He didn''t react, just like the others, but Vanessa just looked to Cael with a look of sheer disinterest as they walked along.
A slight smirk grew upon Cael¡¯s face as he resonated with her sentiment. Even through the silence, a thousand words were spoken.
Ruthless Detaining
They arrived at a rectangular tower-like structure, which was labelled ¡®B-Grade Zarcona Institute Garment Storage¡¯.
It was four stories in height, and was littered with individuals around it walking, now clad in exosuits of various colours.
¡°If you don¡¯t have an exosuit with you, please go in there. If you have your own, you can just go and get them. You must be here within 10 minutes so do not waste time.¡± Mr Lennox commanded.
They could hear that he was attempting to emulate Sir Agramonte with his tone of voice, but it almost sounded forced. It was like he attempted to command a similar level of respect as him.
Cael and all the people of Carlo City possessed their own exosuits for them to utilise, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any restriction on what they could utilise.
Many of the exosuits were the standard black colour, but Cael¡¯s stuck out with its dark golden hue.
Cael and the students followed the official into an airbus, along with several other students as they rode toward the dazzling skyline a few kilometres from them. Moving at the near sonic speeds of this airbus, it didn¡¯t take long at all for them to arrive at their destination.
They strolled through the streets, walking through the massive, futuristic buildings that surrounded them. Air vehicles rushed straight past them with immense speed, whilst remaining surprisingly quiet from not touching the ground.
With this official ahead of them and could feel a sense of fear exuding from any single person in their presence.
From the crowd of individuals here, they could discern which people were native. They had dark black hair, similar to Cael¡¯s, but had golden-brown skin. Whenever they glanced upon Mr. Lennox, they were keen to look away and not pay much attention to him.
As they walked, there was a young native boy that was stood in the centre of the pavement. This child stood in the way of them, and looked in their direction, exhibiting a mixture of fear and curiosity.
¡°Move your child!¡± Mr. Lennox then commanded, glaring at the mother who was stood beside the kid.
She rushed over with fear, grabbing her kid and lifting him whilst moving out of his path.
¡°I apologise, officer.¡± She replied, with a broken and terrified tone of voice.
Mr. Lennox didn¡¯t even give her another glance and scoffed before powering through the pavement.
¡°We¡¯re nearly here. It¡¯ll be another five minutes or so.¡± He stated, stood up firmly and walking forward powerfully.
They soon arrived at an oldish looking building. It was definitely far older than any sort of building that would be used for governmental purposes back in Carlo City or pretty much anywhere in mainland Soburg.
It stood at three stories, being of similar height to the buildings it was snugly level with. There were white pillars running up the walls, which were made of a red-orange brick.
¡°This is the base of operations we¡¯ll be conducting ourselves from. When you have a duty with me, report to this building first and you will find me here.¡± Mr Lennox explained before entering.
As he entered, there was another colonial officer at the door that seemed to be talking to some other person at this entrance area. However, upon catching a glance at the incoming colonial officer, he stood up straight and emotion washed completely off his face.
Standing up firm and unmoving, he held a firm salute to the man that walked past him. Mr Lennox gave him a respectful nod before continuing on his path, and many others greeted the redhead in a similar fashion.
Judging from the unconditional respect he received, Cael could tell that he was of a high rank. They arrived at a spiralling staircase located at the backend of this building, and they stopped off at the first floor before arriving at what they assumed was the man¡¯s office.
Inside such a building was some bookshelves, along with a large windowpane that opened up to the neighbouring skyline of Zarcona. The towers were so tall that you couldn¡¯t even see them fully through this rather wide view.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
It would have to require somebody to poke their head through to see the tops of these towers, and that was if there weren¡¯t clouds present to shield them.
The man dropped right into his chair, before revealing several holographic panels and a folder of paperwork.
¡°Now, this is what we¡¯ll be working with during this time. You¡¯re all going to be working in the neighbouring office with the other privates to weed your way through all this.¡±
The standing students approached him with curiosity, attempting to view these panels for themselves. Their eyes shot between these various floating documents, which highlighted the several forms of administration that they¡¯d have to operate and sign off.
The colonial officers seemed to receive taxes from the inhabitants of the nation, which would head straight for the main territory of the Soburg Empire.
Upon perusing these pages and looking more closely, Cael felt surprised by the rates that he could see. These colonies simply had their resources usurped from them and sent straight to the main territory, for their benefit.
He couldn¡¯t stop but look out to the glamourous view behind him. The towering structures and infrastructure of this place looked somewhat advanced but was far behind that of Carlo City.
When thinking of Oseron, the gap between the capital and this colony was even more apparent. Compared to the areas within the main territory, this place certainly looked like a backwater colony in its own ways.
Along with that, many of the manufacturing operations within colonies was state-owned. Within the large factories and depots of these factories, they would put the natives through strenuous work for extremely low wages.
These factories would usually produce items like luxury goods and technology ubiquitous in Soburg. Looking down to the redhead officer that sat to his right, his face showed nothing but indifference.
How could he cosign and condone this? How could anybody condone this?
The argument that they were advancing these territories always persisted. Many of these states would be doomed to become even more underdeveloped and primitive if the Soburg Empire were to leave them to their own resources.
Was this a good enough argument? Couldn¡¯t they work as associates, willing to at least work in co-operation with these colonies, not as dominating forces?
¡°You won¡¯t be doing any of this until 5. I¡¯ll give you all an introduction to how you conduct yourselves with this administrative work but for now, I¡¯ll explain to you how to patrol.¡± He explained.
Now showing panels of a different nature, he laboriously went through the protocol of patrolling and how they were to operate.
If they found a certain incident, they would be tasked with solving it, if possible. If not, they could refer to Mr. Lennox or other members of their patrol unit.
In addition to this, colonial officers would respond to certain emergency calls. Their patrol unit controlled a certain zone within Zarcona when on duty and they¡¯d cover calls from that area.
It was nearing midday, and the group descended the spiral staircase of this building to arrive at the streets of Zarcona.
Upon reaching the tarmac streets, Mr. Lennox revealed a large blue panel showing an aerial map of the surrounding territory.
¡°Use your projectors to download this map. This is the route that we take. Don¡¯t divert from it unless in the case of an emergency.¡± Mr Lennox furthered, as they began walking along this route.
The three of them were rather silent, since they weren¡¯t exactly close. Blaine was the most reserved, not even giving glances to the fighters by his side.
Instead, they sent strong glances and gazes to the surrounding to try and identify any questionable people and events.
Just their presence was enough to make the natives that they could see tremble, while also get as far away from them as possible.
Mr. Lennox looked to relish his identity of power that he assumed in this patrol. He showed not even an iota of respect to these citizens and seemed to be abusing his authority.
Taking a left down the street, they could see a hooded man storming out of a corner shop, holding two white bags.
He stared at the incoming soldiers, and looked on with gazes of trepidation. Turning to his left, the storeowner rushed out of the glass entrance, trying to grab the man. However, he rushed away in a sprint, and could easily outrun the overweight man.
The apron that he wore also blocked his movements, and he soon turned to the people behind him.
¡°Get hm!¡± Mr. Lennox shouted, before jogging forward.
Cael advanced, along with his friends but Blaine seemed to be the keenest. Also being the fastest out the three, he left the other two in the dirt as he shot himself forward at high speed.
Speeding across the streets, the man that presumably had mana was still no match for him. With his exosuit powering himself even further, there was no way for this man to run away.
The gap between them closed in just a second, and Blaine grabbed the man, thrusting him into the ground.
¡°Stay down and don¡¯t move!¡± He ordered with a bold, dark tone, before slamming the man into the floor once again.
The man groaned in reaction, struggling to try and free himself.
¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry, I just want to feed my kids! AAH!!¡± He shouted, struggling to try and get out from Blaine¡¯s powerful grasp.
¡°Stay quiet, you goon!¡± Blaine ordered, slamming him into the ground once again.
With his teeth gritted, Cael could see the fury in his eyes. Cael just bit his lip upon witnessing this treatment; it was hard for him to just stay back and watch this happen. For what he¡¯d done, Cael felt like the treatment was a little excessive, but Mr. Lennox seemed indifferent to his style of containing him.
His projector scanned the man¡¯s face, and he was swiftly identified.
¡°Cristian Valerio. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.¡± Mr. Lennox called out, placing thick, metal handcuffs onto the man.
System Files 2
He lifted the man with a pull using just his right arm, planting him onto his feet.
¡°I¡¯ll meet you all in due time. Follow the map and continue your patrol. I¡¯ll bring this guy to the detention centre.¡± He explained.
Blaine deeply breathed as he lifted, seemingly trying to calm himself. Cael could see the rage bubbling up inside him as it seemed to almost exude through his crazed gaze. His eyes remained stuck onto the ground, as he lifted, before the three of them continued this patrol together.
After a long, arduous five hours, their patrol was finally over. They could feel their mind had become dull through taking the same route through the streets of Zarcona over and over again.
For the finishing 3 hours, the group were introduced to the system of paperwork and looking over these documents. For them, they didn¡¯t have the authority to sign off anything of importance, but mainly just read through these articles to get the drafts finalised and sent out for use.
Cael daunted this part of their job even more and it was for good reason. With his chin steadily resting in his elbow, he used his free right hand to utilise the hovering keyboard and to navigate through these articles.
He struggled to push himself through the hours, and felt liberated once he noticed the time ahead of him become 20:00.
The students were soon sent to return to their dorms, and many were fast asleep soon after.
****
In these coming days, Cael continued his training and patrols, receiving a steady income of about $20 dollars an hour, which he wasn¡¯t upset with. It was certainly enough to fund his expenses in Zarcona, but he patiently waited up until Saturday.
This time, informing the rather intrusive Vanessa of his whereabouts the next Saturday, he was off. This time, he rode off as the sun was already approaching the horizon. With the time already reaching sunset, he wouldn¡¯t have much time before his curfew.
Arriving at the nearest train station, he took the expansive global metro network to arrive at Canedo Avenue once again.
He stood ahead of the abandoned property, scanning the area to look for any cameras or other forms of security. The street was a pitch black, only illuminated by outdated, flickering streetlamps.
This was his perfect chance to enter the property to see what he could find. He gave a few more cautionary glances at the surroundings and then his eyes were glued to the dark oak villa before him.
There were supposed to be colonial officers roaming these dark streets, but he could tell that many of them didn¡¯t take their job very seriously. This street had been empty for minutes on end, so this had to be his best chance.
It was go-time.
The villa was surrounded by a brick wall of about 10 feet. This would prove troublesome to covertly climb for the likes of ordinary humans.
However, Cael¡¯s body was no longer ordinary. With a muscular frame and tall stature, empowered by an above-average volume of mana, he no longer fell into that category.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
With a single, quiet leap he bounded over this brick fence, leaping over the sharp barbed wire placed over the top of it.
There was a small complex surrounding this large villa, and he felt more than curious to see what was lurking inside.
There were two large dark oak doors at the entrance, that seemed locked. With none of the other windows opened, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break them without causing a serious fuss.
Cael just stood there, troubled about his next cause of action. As he remained stood there, he felt as if eyes were staring at his nape from behind. Unable to see his back, anything here could happen.
What if they were already watching him? There could be hidden cameras anywhere recording his every move! Why did he even choose to do this; it was so rash!
Cael remained stood there, frozen and deep in his thoughts until he reached forward and pushed open the door. With a light push, the door creaked and opened wide, revealing the luxurious property.
¡°Moron.¡± He called himself, before entering.
Looking around, he decided that he wasn¡¯t going to see much at the base of this dream. He remembered the scientist residing on the fourth story, but still decided to look around to try and see anything that he could find.
The interior was incredibly decrepit and if it wasn¡¯t for his sharp vision, he¡¯d be lost in this dark environment. The corners of each room were covered by dense cobwebs, and he¡¯d be hit with a wave of suffocating dust when opening doors and touching items.
Arriving at the large kitchen at the base of this building, he found the cabinets to be rusted and empty. Opening one, he fell back in fright upon watching a mosquito buzz out of it energetically.
He felt like there wouldn¡¯t be much to find at the ground floor, and started ascending to the first floor. Each step on these wooden stairs made them creak, and he could even feel one dipping under just his own bodyweight.
Cael could tell that this place hadn¡¯t even been touched for decades on end.
He found absolutely nothing on these different floors until he arrived at the top floor, where the scientist resided.
Instead of it feeling like he was exploring a totally new place, he suddenly felt thrown into a familiar environment.
As soon as he perceived his surroundings, he could better judge where he was from his memories of this place.
He approached the door that he remembered the officers storming through. It was slightly open, and he pushed it open to take in the view.
Now, there was no mattress on the integrated bedframe, and none of the accessories that he remembered being in the area remained.
It was surprising to see the same room look so different as every item that gave it character was gone. Now, it didn¡¯t even look like a room he¡¯d seen before.
Cael just rested his back on the nearest wall, defeated. After searching the entire building, he¡¯d found nothing. Nothing at all.
His searching was scrupulous and meticulous, but he still couldn¡¯t find a single thing.
What was he going to do now going forward? I mean, he still had this area to search more intensively, but then he had the entire planet and then even more entire planets to search on after that.
sigh
Cael lifted off the wall, readying himself to leave the room after giving the area a light check. However, upon lifting to exit the room, he noticed a device snugly fitted under the bedframe.
¡°Was that there the entire time?¡± He wondered, looking at the black object that he could just about see through the frame¡¯s bars.
Crouching down to the area to give a more intent look at the scene, he could see that there was a device situated under the frame.
It resembled a large projector, and this was exactly what he was looking for. He felt downhearted from finding nothing but empty rooms, but this could be the worth in his trip.
Cael was able to easily break past the wooden frames in between him and the device, grabbing hold of it. It weighed about half a kilogram -which was pretty much nothing to the likes of Cael- and had a sleek, clean design just like a projector.
Upon holding it for some time, inspecting it, he could feel his mobile projector vibrating it. Revealing the device, there were some more files that had been forcefully sent to his projector.
As he looked at the glowing panels from his projector, the black device broke into nothing but shards and fragments. Breaking apart like fragile glass, it sounded like such as it crashed into the ground.
The once sturdy projector had now fragmented into black crystals, just like the helmet that granted him his system.
[File: system-files-2.wcm]
Special Forces
Upon seeing this file, it didn¡¯t seem like it was encrypted by any sort of key. It didn¡¯t seem to be a key since it wasn¡¯t of the wcmKEY filetype, so he tried opening it.
Much to his satisfaction, he could see the projector load the file right up and display its contents.
Cael was not greeted by an initial video but instead, two more text files appeared in his downloads folder.
He felt eager to peruse these files and study their contents, but felt more anxious remaining in this building.
Swiftly walking down, the steps of this large villa, he arrived at the ground floor in a flash. Revealing himself to the darkness of Pinalejo, there wasn¡¯t a sound or movement.
Seemingly undetected, he continued to eavesdrop on the adjacent street. The last thing he wanted would be to reveal himself to individuals traversing the pavement.
Therefore, he remained patient and vigilant for even the lightest footstep.
The silence that ensued was his green light; leaping right over the barricade to land on the street, he noticed nobody in the vicinity.
With that, Cael took his leave with this projector and returned to the institute at around 10:15pm, making it back before curfew.
Throwing himself onto the sofa within his spacious studio dorm, he revealed his projector to investigate these files that he¡¯d received.
[File: prototype-kinetic-absorber.wcmTEXT]
Now, this would be a transformative creation for his firm. He couldn¡¯t wait another second without seeing what the creator had in store for him.
He opened the files, and was met with several descriptive, captivating animations and holograms to further illustrate the creator¡¯s points.
After taking a few minutes to read a bulk of information on this file, he was attempting to use a special type of alloy that could absorb the kinetic energy of strikes but not just dissipate it.
Instead, there would be energy storage devices directly connected to the exosuit¡¯s surface. This could suck the energy landing on it, to store it for good use.
Calling this transformative was somehow an understatement. He couldn¡¯t immediately think of a word to capture this sheer innovation. At first, he felt more able to comprehend his explanations as they were simply theories.
The first batch of files had described this same model but never backed up the theories with explanations and abstract models.
He could find all of that in these files.
Cael just continued to read on, with a smile pulling across his face.
The systems that he utilised once again were complex but elegant. He managed to formulate procedures to create things that outshined even the cutting-edge technology of all societies.
The only issue that he identified upon reading this long document was that the creator was working with very expensive metals and micro-components.
This was something he could understand and resonate with; any system as complex as this would need the best technology available to be realised.
It would cost a fortune, but he was adamant that the rewards would even outshine such large costs.
After continuing to read this article, his growing fatigue soon overpowered his obsession with this article and after another half-hour, he was fast asleep on his sofa.Stolen novel; please report.
*****
Upon waking up, Cael was disheartened to hear that they¡¯d be conducting patrols on this beautiful Sunday morning.
He was hoping for yet another day of rest or even training for that matter ¨C anything but that tedious patrol.
It wasn¡¯t like he had a choice in the matter, though. The students equipped themselves with their respective exosuits, with Vanessa, Blaine and Cael grouping up into their patrolling trio.
¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re doing this again.¡± Blaine bluntly stated, being the first proper phrase that Blaine had uttered to the group.
It seemed that after spending so much time training with them, he was slowly opening up. Judging from his lack of enthusiasm or engagement with them, Cael felt there was still much more progress to be made.
¡°I know right. We¡¯re supposed to be training to join the army. Like I¡¯d let myself do some weird paperwork behind a screen like some scrawny geek.¡± Vanessa replied, conveying her similar sentiment on the matter.
¡°Ouch.¡± Cael thought to himself.
Doing work behind a screen wasn¡¯t that bad, right? He could understand the detest for working through administration papers, but using technology surely wasn¡¯t that bad. Scientists were the reason they could battle to their heart¡¯s content with these exosuits.
Scientists were almost entirely responsible for the luxurious life that both talents lived.
¡°Yeah.¡± Cael forcefully replied, before they arrived beside Mr. Lennox.
¡°Greetings, cadets. We¡¯ll be going through the same patrols as before. This time, it¡¯ll be 9 til 2 and then 2-5 for paperwork.¡± He explained, as he stepped onto the airbus.
In a flash, they were rushed across the verdant hills surrounding Zarcona to arrive at the dense city centre.
Arriving at rush-hour, they were met with intense, nearly unmoving traffic. Surrounding them were several colonial officers, with even a handful of urban maintenance bots as they struggled to keep the peace.
The drivers of the colony were a lot more... brazen than those Cael was used to. They could barely even hear their thoughts through the incessant horning and yelling.
After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at their destination before beginning their patrol.
The streets swiftly died down from becoming almost fully occupied with air vehicles to being devoid of life. The streets were totally empty as Zarcona¡¯s inhabitants had already arrived at their workplaces.
Additionally, this made their patrolling even more tedious and uneventful. Each minute that passed felt like an hour, and Cael struggled to mentally pull himself through the shift.
Cael, checking his projector to check if the shift was nearing its end felt shocked to see that 2 hours remained. Looking to Mr. Lennox that lead the charge, his face was as insouciant and solemn as always.
Finally, they received a short break from their crippling boredom as Mr. Lennox found a hooded man in an alleyway vandalising a corner store with graffiti.
In a flash, the man was detained by the burly officer, and flopped to the ground with just a slight shove from him.
Mr. Lennox then left the 3 students for a time, and Cael just took in a big breath of air as he stood there.
¡°2 hours. 2 more freaking hours of this!¡± Vanessa called out, having had more than enough of this patrol.
Blaine grunted with annoyance, just walking straight into the corner store beside them.
Going into a store whilst they were on duty was against protocol, Cael almost heard the booming voice of the stickler for protocols that was Mr Lennox berating them. Nevertheless, both Cael and Vanessa were too mentally fatigued to say a word.
Just behind Cael, down the empty street of Zarcona, a soldier clad in a black exosuit positioned himself behind a silver aircar ahead of him.
¡°We have eyes on our target. Cael Breckenridge, currently on patrol for the Colonial Guard.¡± He explained, holding his hand to his headpiece.
¡°Affirmative. Hold your positions.¡± A soldier stated in his own headpiece, situated a few metres ahead of him in a nearby alleyway.
Five soldiers, in black exosuits of varying sizes and design, remained totally still and in silence.
VRMM!!
One of the soldiers, revealing himself from behind one of the aircars lifted his wrist, revealing a thick wrist-mounted energy rifle.
It made his forearms look excessively large, and Cael looked totally startled by the appearance of this man. He looked on edge, along with Vanessa, and they both adopted their signature battle stances.
The man aimed in and the barrel atop his firearm sizzled, whilst glowing brightly. However, no blast was fired.
He remained stood still and through his visor, his eyes were no longer on Cael, but glued to the sky.
¡°What the hell is that?!¡± He called out, as all of the other exosuit users revealed themselves from their respective hiding spots.
Cael felt totally off guard by the sudden appearance of these people, and was simultaneously terrified.
From analysing their exosuits, they looked high-tier and were equipped with powerful, lethal weaponry.
What surprised him even more was that as they revealed themselves, they did nothing at all. Upon doing so, it was like these soldiers were frozen into place.
¡°Move back! MOVE BACK!¡± The soldier at the head of this five-man crew roared.
BOOM!!
Invasion
A split-second after, there was a loud, heavy impact, followed up by an equally loud explosion
Cael felt a sudden gust of wind impact the right side of his body and trembled at the frighteningly loud sound.
Blaine stormed right out of the store that he was in, holding a bag of chips and a drink.
¡°What the hell is going on?!¡± He wondered, before they turned the corner just ahead of them.
The road almost formed a zigzag, and they turned right to be frozen themselves.
There was no way.
Again.
Cael couldn¡¯t believe what his eyes were staring at. Ahead of them stood two boarmen, with one standing atop an aircar that had erupted into flames.
The vehicle was totally crushed, and the surface was now a jet, matte black from the smoke.
The two boarmen ahead of them had maniacal smiles on their faces, and the students couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing.
¡°Soldiers, move out!¡± The man at the head of the group commanded, making them fall back along the street they occupied.
The students, however, were frozen with fear. They didn¡¯t have the same command over their bodies in a situation like this.
Flames roared behind the boarmen, and the one atop the aircar jumped off it to harshly contact the ground. They both stood at 2 metres, with hulking frames and sleek, compact suits made of soft padding and armour.
¡°Get them!¡± The boarman to Cael¡¯s left roared, rushing ahead.
Vanessa and Cael were the closest to this fighter and were therefore the first to engage in battle.
VRHH!!!
Cael¡¯s powered gauntlet powered into action, and he darted ahead as the boarman advanced. Enhanced by no such technology, the basic running speed of this boarman already eclipsed that of Vanessa¡¯s and Cael¡¯s.
Attacking Cael first, the boarman thrusted his fist ahead with such speed that Cael was slightly flustered. Even with his gargantuan size, he moved like a human half his size.
The boarman¡¯s fist shot toward Cael, who wasn¡¯t fast enough to evade nor block. With a punch of his own also being shot forward, he wasn¡¯t in the best position to dodge or block anyway.
The tough, coarse knuckles of this boarman slammed right into his helmet, making his head intensely jerk back.
Cael fell back several steps, losing his footing from that single powerful hit. He had to fall onto his right hand to stop himself from completely toppling over.
Vanessa then grabbed one hand of the boarman, subsequently grabbing the other as she attempted to outmuscle this large warrior.
Even with her exosuit empowering her, it was of no use. The boarman cackled and grit his teeth, taking a powerful step forward.
¡°You have no chance at overpowering me, small human!¡± The boarman called out with its deep voice, before snorting.
Peering over the boarman¡¯s shoulder, he could see other boarmen slaughtering humans that they found in the streets. The previous silence was now broken by the numerous wails and bellows of dying humans, along with the constant explosions that went on around them.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
In the sky, several explosive balls of fire could be seen falling from the sky as if they were asteroids.
However, the most striking thing that he could see in the sky was the supersized spaceship not too far from them. It was much larger than almost every commercial spaceship that was used for travel and was as big as a whole village or small town.
The shadow that the ship cast was insanely large, whilst it blocked out most of the light in that area.
Vanessa dropped her head as she pushed forward with all her might, shooting a glance back to Cael. He couldn¡¯t exactly see through the black visor that protected her face, but he still could somewhat make out that she wanted him to at least do something.
Therefore, Cael raced forward as fast as he could, walloping the boarman in the face while it remained preoccupied with Vanessa.
Surprised by his own strength, the boarman was knocked to the side a step, which allowed Vanessa to fire off three straight punches to the large fighter.
Each punch moved it and fuelled them with confidence. Unlike the first time they¡¯d encountered boarmen, Cael wasn¡¯t a total weakling. No. He actually had a shot at protecting himself this time.
After delivering these powerful blows to the boarman¡¯s face, it snorted and shook its head before standing upright. Cael¡¯s shoulder brushed past Vanessa¡¯s as he attempted to attack this fighter himself.
Just before he could get close enough, though, the second boarman joined the action. Cael was launched off his feet from a punch to his ribs and sent rolling away from the impact.
With the boarman¡¯s runup to amplify the power of its shot, it was like he was hit by a truck.
There was a sharp pain in his side, even though the punch landed on one of the more durable parts of his armour.
The second boarman took the liberty to continue the battle, wildly swinging his arm toward Vanessa. Even if the attack lacked technicality, it moved insanely fast and was visibly explosive.
However, the attack was easy to predict and as a result, she was able to slip right under the attack to totally evade it. With this boarman¡¯s body wide open, she landed a right hook to its body before throwing that same hook, this time aiming for the head.
The boarman¡¯s head was thrown back by the second punch that connected on its head, then Blaine followed up by launching numerous energy blasts at this boarman with his wrist-mounted rifle.
Shouting as he did so, he took powerful steps forward whilst Vanessa retreated to his side.
¡°Do something, runt!¡± Blaine shouted back to Cael.
As he gave this order, Cael arrived by his side and revealed his mana stream. His mana connected right to Blaine¡¯s, and he simultaneously unlocked power surge. The immediate strain he felt on his body was intense, but mostly masked by his adrenaline.
The need for power eclipsed the pain he felt.
Blaine took in a deep breath upon feeling his exosuit entering this satisfying overdrive mode. It felt odd and confused him, but it made him feel exhilarated.
¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He shouted, slamming his fist onto his chest.
After hearing this, all three warriors blasted forward at top speed, taking these boarmen off guard. Their sudden bravery coupled with this powerful assault was startling.
Cael thrusted his fist forward, empowering it with his powered gauntlet. The boarman to his left was forced to block this attack, taken aback by its speed.
He did not stop there, and continued throwing punch after punch, using the most of the power surge that he¡¯d activated. On his final punch, he¡¯d managed to break through the block of the large fighter and landed a powerful right hand to its jaw.
Knocking its head to the side, Cael jumped forward and thrusted his leg right into the large being¡¯s chest, knocking him back several steps.
Blaine and Vanessa continuously attacked the other boarman, attacking him from various angles to do the most damage possible.
Vanessa, receiving a clubbing punch to her helmet, fell back a step whilst Blaine used this chance to fire a sequence of energy blasts straight at their adversary¡¯s face. The blasts continued to fire straight on the target, with Vanessa adding insult to injury by leaping up and throwing a strong side kick straight on the boarman¡¯s snout.
The beast fell back a few steps and shook his head, annoyed at the fighter¡¯s successful assault. Blaine followed up with even more energy blasts as the boarmen were at a distance, with Cael gritting his teeth as he felt his mana being sucked right from him.
¡°Gor-Kag, you get the blonde one and the strong one. I¡¯ll kill this rascal!¡± The boarman that had fought Cael claimed.
¡°Fine, Gor-Puu.¡± He replied, before continuing their assault.
The boarman that had attacked Cael suddenly roared, snorting as he ran forward. Cael could see the rage in Gor-Puu¡¯s eyes as he thrusted forward his fist with immense speed.
The velocity behind this punch was too much for Cael to handle; he received a fist straight to his helmet before he could properly react. Subsequently, he was shut down by a knee that was thrown right into his gut.
Cael coughed out intensely, struggling to catch his breath upon being hit with this devastating blow. He could feel the impact of the hit flow back to his spine, and he tasted a warm, metallic taste in his mouth.
Blood.
War
Blaine placed his arms in an X-formation to block the incoming punch, making it land straight on the crossover point of his arms. The force was still so high that he was sent sliding back, and Vanessa was then hit with a ruthless combination of punches.
She remained behind her guard, promptly blocking or parrying any punches that came her way but it wasn¡¯t enough.
The final punch in the form of a right hand straight was hurtling toward her face at such a speed that it was too late.
She wasn¡¯t fast enough to properly intercept it and Gor-Kag¡¯s knuckles harshly impacted her helmet¡¯s visor. There was an audible crack in the glass as the punch forced her back several steps.
¡°Rrr! Damn boarmen!¡± Vanessa cursed, getting angrier by the second.
Blaine received a haymaker to his own head, but did not immediately retreat. It was never his style to retreat and with his exosuit in overdrive, he felt fearless.
Still invigorated by Cael¡¯s mana stream, he dished out a punch of his own, following up with numerous energy blasts to the point where his energy rifle was on the verge of exploding on him.
He was willing to take that risk, though, hoping to see Gor-Kag¡¯s demise.
However, even after the rapid explosions of his energy blasts, all he did was make the boarman take a step back.
Standing there, shocked, he couldn¡¯t believe that Gor-Kag had just taken that long of a sequence of blasts. He could even feel the intense heat in his forearm and a single blast coming out his rifle would surely blast it to smithereens.
Gor-Kag lifted and threw his leg out in the form of a powerful side kick. Drawing all of the force from his strongly planted right leg, Blaine was knocked right onto his feet from the bone-crushing strike.
Blaine swiftly returned to his feet in an elegant roll, ready to battle on. However, Cael was starting to feel the strain of his over-exertion. It was foolish for him to have tolerated the insane power demand of his rifles.
Retracting his mana stream, Blaine suddenly looked down to his exosuit as he felt it almost power down. The intense whirring he could hear before was gone, and the fighters all weren¡¯t in their best of states.
It wouldn¡¯t be long before the boarmen would overpower them. Maybe they could¡¯ve taken down Gor-Kag or Gor-Puu alone but with them working together to fight them, it was just too much for them to handle.
¡°Run!¡± Cael called out, dashing back as fast as he could.
After saying this, Vanessa dealt a final glance of rage at the two boarmen before turning. She couldn¡¯t help but follow him and they coursed down the street just behind them. Cael¡¯s will to escape powered his every step, and they soon found that almost every street was occupied with these boarmen.
This was nothing like the first encounter with that single boarman in Amburg.
They were everywhere!
Cael couldn¡¯t believe that their assault would be ramped up to this level, and each street had almost become a battleground, with colonial officers fighting from one side and the boarmen battling them from the other.
The students continued and were rather directionless. None of them were expecting such an insanely large assault to begin out of nowhere.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Corpses of civilians, soldiers and even boarmen were strewn across the streets, that had been painted red and black with their blood.
BOOM!
A stray energy blast slammed right into Vanessa¡¯s back, forcing her into the adjacent brick wall to their left.
¡°Are you okay?!¡± Cael hurriedly asked, rushing to her aid.
Vanessa grunted and shook her head, but raised back to her feet. Giving Cael a reassuring nod, she lifted off the wall but looked frozen. Immediately, lifting her hand, she pointed to a boarman that had just arrived by their side.
This one looked even larger than the ones they¡¯d engaged with previously. This boarman stood at 7¡¯0 tall, and looked significantly slower than the others they¡¯d faced. Even if he was slower, that still equated to the boarman being around as fast as them.
Grabbing Blaine who was caught totally off guard, he was thrown right into the building behind them and into the first floor for that matter.
WHAM!!
The force behind the slam was enough to send him flying right through the entire wall, and the boarman leaped over Vanessa and Cael, focused on Blaine.
Seeing the opportunity to slip right into the battle, Cael and Vanessa jumped onto the first floor from behind, which seemed just like a superstore. There were several isles of goods that surrounded them, and Blaine didn¡¯t look in the best shape.
Grunting in pain on the ground, he steeled through the pain and raised up, ready to fight.
Throwing two straight punches to the body, this mammoth boarman laughed and grabbed Blaine¡¯s head. His massive hand covered a large portion of Blaine¡¯s head, and he was slammed into an adjacent isle.
The immense power behind the swing caused the isle to be knocked right over, nearly knocking the isle shelf ahead of it over.
Several goods were sent flowing to the floor, and this ruthless beast let off a relentless flurry of punches.
Cael couldn¡¯t just remain back and watch this happen. No. He had to step in and help Blaine somehow. After using his mana stream, he just didn¡¯t know if he could let Blaine resort to that power again.
Blaine had no clue that he was the source of that power and used it recklessly as if it was just a feature of his own suit.
Looking to Vanessa, that was frozen in place from a mixture of fear and pain, he entered the battle himself.
Blaine was thrusted into another isle, with a bottle of vegetable oil falling to the floor. He attempted to take a step back but slipped right onto his bottom in the process.
In this position, it seemed like it was over for him. The ground would be too slippery for him to properly fight back himself, and all he could do was pull himself back and as far away from the threat as possible.
This slipperiness didn¡¯t seem to affect the boarman at all with its large, flat feet.
The boarman smiled upon seeing Blaine in this position; it was checkmate for him. The boarman lifted his muscular arms and threw them down with furiosity.
Blaine then lifted his arms to try and block the impact, but Cael was ready. Wielding a massive 250-kilogram refrigerator, he utilised his powered gauntlet to throw it forward as forcefully as he could.
He was stood just before the pool of oil on the ground, and the fridge slammed right into the boarman¡¯s head.
The insane force behind this hit from the quarter-ton device knocked it right off course. Sliding across the pool of oil on the ground, Blaine took this chance to slide forward in the puddle of oil to fall back and away from the fighter.
With the boarman down for the count, there was no need to continue fighting. Cael fell back and was looking to escape, happy to see Blaine shared his sentiment.
¡°Darn you humans!! Your galaxy will fall in due time!¡± The boarman roared as they leaped out the opening in the wall.
Landing in the streets, the group could see an approaching group of boarmen that were all above seven feet tall. There were seven of them, with the boarman at the front of this procession having numerous grey hairs in his boarish head.
¡°We now occupy the south-western territory of this city now, Krag-Bok.¡± A boarman called out.
Hearing that name, Cael immediately remembered that the names of boarmen fell under castes. The Gor prefix was held by the weakest boarmen, with Krag being a step above that. If all of the boarmen they¡¯d seen previously were of the Gor caste, they did not want any trouble with that aged boarmen across the street.
To their left, there was an alleyway and Cael almost threw himself into it upon noticing the advancing procession.
Blaine and Vanessa soon followed him, falling further and further into the narrow, dim alley. All three warriors weren¡¯t exerting themselves but were breathing heavily.
None of them expected their day to end up like this.
¡°What do we do now?¡± Vanessa whispered to the group.
¡°I¡¯m not sure. To be hone-,¡±
Capture
Cael fell silent and still along with his friends as they watched the group of boarmen walk past their alley. None of them were even daring enough to take a breath as they looked on from their concealed spots.
Once all of the boarmen had advanced past the alley¡¯s opening, Cael waited a few more seconds just to make sure they were safe before continuing.
¡°To be honest, we don¡¯t have much use staying here!¡± He said, before they all jumped from the sudden explosion near them.
¡°We can¡¯t fight those boarmen; all of us could barely take down one Gor-fighter! We need to head to the institute; it should be safe there!¡±
¡°Fine.¡± Blaine replied, before lifting.
Just as he lifted, he stumbled into a nearby wall, and Cael darted forward to try and catch him.
¡°Back up, Cael. I¡¯m fine.¡± Blaine bluntly stated, shoving him back.
Cael could see the weakness in his legs; he still hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the previous fighting. He respected his wishes but stayed close by his side just in case he¡¯d fall again.
Just as they started to approach the opening to the alley, they could hear approaching footsteps. All of them fell back in reaction.
They stayed close by each other, with Cael standing closest to the entrance.
Even if he felt fear, he knew there¡¯d be no need to fear a fight; they were in a war. If battle was inevitable, he¡¯d give it his all.
¡°Here! I found some!¡± A boarman shouted, entering the alley.
The boarman stood at 6¡¯6, which seemed more manageable for the group. After seeing much larger of this species, they weren¡¯t completely terrified. Maybe, in this compact environment, they could take the win.
¡°Get them, Gor-Zom!¡± A deep, boarish voice ordered from behind.
Gor-Zom cracked his knuckles, walking forward before entering a more intense run.
Cael wanted to make sure that this fight remained in this alley and fell back upon watching the fighter advance. In this same motion, he empowered Blaine with his mana stream. They¡¯d need all the power they could get to take this beast-like warrior down.
Gor-Zom whipped his hand straight for Cael, putting all of his weight behind it. The attack was sudden and fast, but Cael was able to fall back just fast enough to watch his mammoth hand soar straight past his face.
PEW! PEW!
Blaine followed up with several energy blasts, heating up his energy rifles yet again. However, he seemed to be doing some good work here, as Gor-Zom fell back in annoyance.
Holding up his palm at the hot energy blasts, he grunted and growled under his breath from taking these incessant, forceful impacts.
Cael, while the boarman was occupied with these shots, took the chance to approach it sneakily from the side. Once he was close enough, he pounced and could see that Gor-Zom only acknowledged his presence when he fastened his movements.
It was already too late for Gor-Zom; Cael landed a punch straight to the tall warrior¡¯s jaw, before swiftly following up with a kick aimed at its solar plexus.
The impactful strike launched the boarman across the lateral length of the alley, slamming Gor-Zom into the wall behind.
¡°DIE!!¡± Vanessa roared, before advancing and throwing all her strength and weight into a punch aimed at their adversary¡¯s solar plexus as well.
Receiving two straight attacks of this sort, cracks on the wall scurried out from the point of impact.
Gor-Zom didn¡¯t even lift himself off the wall and rubbed his snout whilst snorting in annoyance.
This was their chance!
Before Vanessa or Cael could do a thing, Blaine roared at the top of his lungs and lifted a large plank of wood from the ground.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Slamming it against the edge of a bin, the flat end of the plank was removed, revealing the sharper and pricklier inner wooden contents.
Blaine then shoved the plank forward and the plank¡¯s end impaled Gor-Zom¡¯s chest. The weight behind the shove managed to pierce his durable boarish skin, pushing through the tough, durable flesh and into the wall behind it.
Roaring in agony, black blood oozed out from the open wound and the boarman flailed around, falling into the opposite alley wall.
The three students backed up, watching Gor-Zom slowly die from the incurred injury. His intense movements became slower and weaker, until he came to an abrupt and complete stop.
¡°We have to get to the institute.¡± Cael stated, arriving at the entrance of the alleyway.
¡°Why don¡¯t we stay here and fight these disgusting boarmen?! We already dropped that guy back there!¡± Vanessa replied, as she followed along.
¡°That¡¯s stupid. I know you hate those things but they¡¯re just too strong. We barely managed to get that guy down!¡± Cael insisted, before signalling for his friends to follow.
Rage could be seen bundling up in her face, but she remained silent. As much as she wanted to destroy those ugly beasts, as much as she wanted to take out her pent-up rage, the gap was too large.
There was no reply from her, but she followed along silently.
Using their mobile projection, he managed to get a direct route toward their institution from where they were.
With the distressing din and ablaze streets, they immediately saw this journey would be quite the struggle. They could already feel the discomforting warmth from the explosions and flames around them.
The blood on the streets near these flames bubbled from being heated so extremely.
Edging forward in these burning streets, all of them were forced to come to a stop upon watching a car door come flying in from an adjacent street into a building to their right. The aflame door crashed straight through a glass pane, reducing it to shattered fragments.
¡°Krag-Bok, they¡¯re there!¡± A boarman roared from behind them.
In a split-second, as they turned around, it was too late. Cael could already see the elderly boarman arrive at their side, with a scar down his face.
Krag-Bok initially attacked Blaine, kicking him and launching him tens of metres forward. With each of his arms, he grabbed Vannessa and Cael to throw them to the floor.
Slamming the two fighters into the ground, the force holding them down was too much. Just as they thought they had a chance to escape, it felt like two cars were on their backs.
Vannessa flailed around with much more force and willpower, but it was still inadequate.
¡°Sedate them! Bring them with us!¡± The old boarman commanded, with these two fighters still held down.
A younger boarman arrived in front of them, crouching down. Cael and Vannessa had their helmets ready to go and stared them down through their tinted visors.
With a single forceful strike from both fists, their visors were shattered and broken down. As their eyes were open to the elements, they could see flowing white gas in front of them.
Upon his first inhalation, his vision started to blur. Every movement became slowed, as if everything was moving through resin until everything blacked out.
******
Rumble! Rumble!
Cael continued to see black, but could feel the rumbling of tarmac under a vehicle. This vehicle was not one that hovered over the ground, but he could feel that it was moving at very high speeds.
Attempting to talk, he suddenly felt the strong feeling of tape keeping his mouth shut. Throwing open his eyes, he noticed the glaring eyes of a boarman facing him.
Upon locking eyes with them for a few seconds, they leaned forward in their seat, glaring at him more intensely.
To his right, he could see Vannessa with her eyes wide open as well. It seemed like she had been awake for much longer than himself. In this dim area that resembled a boot, he surmised that they were in some form of van.
The ground was of a wooden colour, with the dark green lacquered wooden benches they sat on gleaming.
A few minutes passed, and Cael slowly started to feel himself gaining control of his mind again. He felt a lot sharper, and could see two boarmen across from them, along with no sight of Blaine anywhere.
It was just the four of them in the back of this van, rumbling toward some unknown location. He was not liking the look of this.
What was stopping them from being taken to get butchered? Cael didn¡¯t know how these boarmen conducted themselves with other species, but they were notoriously brutal.
He could tell this was the case from the sheer bloodshed in the city they were just in.
He had to get out of this van as soon as possible. Turning to Vannessa, they locked eyes for some time. After a few seconds, Vannessa nodded to him and he could get the message.
They had to fight back. He could feel his arms were tied back with some form of metal handcuff but he was sat freely on this bench. A split-second after seeing this nod, they both sprung up and pounced.
Vannessa went for the boarman on the right, and Cael did the same. If they could concentrate their powers on a single person, that would be the only chance of getting out of this place.
Vannessa slammed into the boarman with a muffled grunt from her taped mouth, and Cael activated his power surge before charging forward and head-butting the warrior straight in their chest.
His impactful strike did just as he intended. It threw the boarman back and totally took them off guard.
¡°Hey!¡± The other boarman shouted, before throwing a punch straight at Cael.
With his power surge and nimbler frame, he managed to throw his torso back so that the fist soared just inches above his nose.
He then whipped a kick to the boarman¡¯s body, with Vannessa doing something similar in quick succession. Their attacks didn¡¯t seem to cause much damage, but threw this fighter back into the wall of this vehicle.
Cael looked around vigilantly, feeling where the van was headed to see, to their left, was the exit.
This was their chance.
BAM! BAM!
Armageddon
Cael vehemently wacked at this wall, with Vannessa doing the exact same. He could feel his heart growing heavier and heavier upon seeing their attempt doing nothing.
Their full power strikes could do nothing to cave in this wall that felt like a ten-inch-thick wall of tough metal.
No matter how hard they kicked and slammed into it, it just didn¡¯t budge. They didn¡¯t have much time either; with the boarmen behind them angered and alerted, they had less than a second.
¡°COME BACK HERE!¡± The nearest boarman roared, throwing out his arm to try and grab Vannessa.
In this moment, though, Cael managed to break straight through the lock holding this double door shut. Vannessa promptly leaped out, just as the boarman¡¯s hands were inches from grabbing her.
Both warriors were sent rolling across the street so fast they couldn¡¯t even make out their surroundings. Upon slowing down, Cael could see the entire area was gloomily dim. Looking up to the sky, he noticed a massive spaceship hovering over them both.
As they slowed to a stop, they could see the truck they were just in lifting off the ground. Seconds later, it was sucked straight into the ship as if it was pulled by a massive vacuum.
Lucky they weren¡¯t still in that thing.
¡°What is going on?!¡± Vanessa blurted out, taking a big glance at this sight.
She strugglingly lifted to her feet with her hands still restrained, and looked simultaneously awestruck and frightened by the sight.
¡°Decades of peace, they said. Peace when this was brewing in silence all along.¡± Cael replied, also shocked by what was going on.
It just didn¡¯t make sense at all. He could tell there was some tension between Soburg and their sister state, but he just didn¡¯t know it was this bad.
Were the boarmen this evil?
The first battle between species in generations was bound to do something so bad he didn¡¯t even want to imagine it.
His thoughts continued to race, and the intimidating spaceship looming over their heads wasn¡¯t making him any calmer.
¡°At least we¡¯re closer to the institution.¡± Cael laughingly said, pointing to the main five towers he could see in the distance.
The two of them trekked across the open fields in between the city and the institution. Several plumes of dark, black smoke of flames could be seen around them.
The once clear sky now had a thin layer of greyness to it, from the collecting smoke and ash. Both of them kept their eyes open for any unexpected individuals in the distance.
As they advanced, they continued to survey the surroundings like hawks, looking for anything suspicious.
After a few minutes of their rapid walking, they arrived at one of this institution¡¯s owned fields. Arriving on this land gave them a greater sense of comfort and relief.
However, Cael couldn¡¯t help but continue to feel on edge because he had no clue where Blaine was. For all they knew, he was up in that spaceship with those boarmen and if so, he only dreaded what was going to happen to him.
Even if the two of them weren¡¯t the greatest of friends, he couldn¡¯t wish such torment and fear on anybody. Who knew what the boarmen were up to with any of the captured up there.
He turned to look at the slowly receding spaceship that occupied a large portion of the sky. It took Vannessa tapping on his shoulder to pull him from his thoughts.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re still not safe out in these open fields.¡± Vannessa stated, practically pulling him along.
They soon traversed the gravel pathways of the institution, until they walked up to the main five towers. Upon reaching this close to these structures, they could already hear chaotic chatter and din from within.
Everybody knew what was happening now.
At the centre of this five-tower centre, almost all the students present at the institution were stood outside.
The two of them slowly joined into the crowd, pleased to see Blaine here stood next to Keagan.
¡°Oh, you two survived.¡± Keagan called out, upon noticing them edging toward them.
¡°Yeah, just barely. Blaine, how did you get here?¡± Cael asked, now standing next to Keagan in this group.
He had to louden his voice quite significantly to let them hear him through the constant racket of chatter around them.
¡°I ran. Escaped before any of them could get to me.¡± Blaine replied, with relief but also pride.
¡°Students!!¡± Sir Agramonte called out at the front of them.
After all of these events, it didn¡¯t seem that the cadets were all quietening down.
¡°Students!¡± He called out again, this time with a much bolder, louder tone.
¡°We are aware of your fears and trepidations. However, within the confines of this institute, we affirm to you that you are safe. All of you are capable warriors and fighters, your abilities will allow you to survive.¡± He claimed, taking a step forward.
¡°I hoped for you all to see events like these later when you¡¯d be ready, but this is reality. Chance isn¡¯t always on your side, and you can never expect for it to be. This is war, children. You must take it in and adapt.¡± He ordered, looking at several trembling eyes in the crowd.
Fear exuded from almost every student stood before him, whilst he remained solemn and calm. Cael could see the utter experience that he wielded for situations like these. There wasn¡¯t a hint of fear in his voice or posture.
He didn¡¯t stutter once, and remained as firm as any soldier would aspire to be.
¡°The Colonial Guard are battling the boarmen in Zarcona, and some of our own soldiers have joined the fight. As for me and some other teachers, we will stay to protect you all.¡± He announced.
Protect them?
Even if these soldiers far eclipsed their power, so did the boarmen. As much as Cael wanted to remain confident, he saw them first hand. The power that Krag-Bok possessed was out of this world.
There was no way he could¡¯ve beaten him; he was sure that many of these instructors would meet similar fates against a boarman of that calibre.
Silence befell the group, until the chatter broke out again. Everyone surveyed their surroundings, totally frightened of what would happen.
Cael acted in a similar way and felt his mind clouded by the fear he experienced. Death was frightening to him at this time, and not when he had so many things to do. So many people to disprove.
This was the worst time to go out.
Rumble! Rumble!
The noise cut out almost instantly upon feeling this quaking underneath their feet. Cael and Vannessa activated their broken helmets as they did this, with numerous more students around them doing the same thing.
RUMBLE!
FWOOSH!
Looking to the sky, what looked like a fireball was hurtling straight toward the central tower situated behind them.
¡°AAAAHH!!!¡±
¡°WE¡¯RE ALL GONNA DIE!¡±
Many of the students screamed at the top of their lungs upon watching this glowing ball of mass approach them.
Cael retreated, along with the other fighters from Carlo City. Standing beside a building that was about to receive such an impact would not be a good idea.
¡°MOVE BACK STUDENTS! MOVE BACK!!¡± Sir Agramonte called out at the top of his lungs, only to see the ball of flames a split-second away from impacting the building.
BOOM! KRASH! KRASH!
There was the simultaneous, deafening sound of an explosion in tandem with the crashing of glass. A massive hole was created in the building on one side, with glass and other glowing material flying out its other end.
With one entire floor to the tower destroyed, the floors above it suddenly dropped.
DUM!
The students, terrified, all jumped and jolted back, and the broken tower began to slowly edge forward.
Creak!
The top of this tower slowly but surely bent forward until coming to a stop.
Silence. There was silence once again, and the students froze.
¡°RETREAT, STUDENTS!¡± Sir Agramonte ordered, with some taking heed of his advice.
Many flocked back to the wide staircase just behind them, and the tower slowly started to move again. It steadily sped up until it came crashing down toward the select few students that were too frozen to move.
As this happened, the soldiers sped toward the group, grabbing these panicked people and leapt out the way of the descending building before it could hit them.
They moved with immense speed, and still continued to move quickly even as they carried them.
BAM!
The tower crashed right into the ground and several shards of glass went flying out at the group. There was an additional explosion, setting the fallen top half of this building ablaze.
Looking back up to the sky, they could see more and more of these balls of fire descending toward them.
BOOM! BOOM!
Loss
An explosion went off near one of the other towers, with the second landing mere metres from the students. Cael was blown back by the explosion, being sent sliding across the ground.
As for some of the weaker students, however, they were sent flying into the air. Streams of blood followed their bodies until they landed gracelessly on the ground, unmoving.
Screams erupted in this crowd, and the chaos somehow grew even more unstable.
Cael, with widened eyes of shock, looked down to his blood-covered golden exosuit.
The soldiers continued to look around with alarm, rushing to the aid of these fallen students. Floating medical devices followed them, but many of the students had already succumbed to their grave injuries.
With weaker students, their exosuits were also of a lower quality and as a result, they couldn¡¯t stop powerful blasts of this sort. It was just too much for their bodies to take.
His body froze upon seeing the bloody corpses strewn around them. Now, surrounding the loose collection of students were soldiers fully clad in exosuits.
They wielded various weapons, such as large gauntlets and sizzling-hot blades.
After this ranged assault of explosions, they were sure some actual soldiers would reveal themselves shortly after.
¡°Remain back, students! Remember all the training that you¡¯ve endured and what you know. All of that training that you¡¯ve gone through must come into play now. Try your best or die, choose very wisely!¡± Sir Agramonte declared.
With his speech flooding the students with motivation, many of the students didn¡¯t look as frightened and scared as before. Blaine slammed his chest with his fist, whirring up his energy rifles in anticipation of the upcoming assault.
Vanessa roared whilst revealing two super-heated daggers, looking around her with hawk-like eyes of pure bloodlust.
Cael could see that she was dictated by nothing but rage. Most of these students were angry and used this anger to fuel them, but Vanessa looked different. It only made him wonder just what the boarmen had done to make her feel this way.
Nevertheless, his mind was soon thrown off these musings as heavy thud-like footsteps approached. The soldiers and higher-level students with keen enough hearing picked this up.
Many of them entered proper battle stances and looked in the direction of this sound, which was from behind one of the main towers that remained standing.
Patience.
Every student waited with trepidation and patience to see what was going to come of these mysterious noises.
¡°GRRAAAHH!!¡± A boarman shouted, revealing himself from behind this tower.
KRASH!
Another boarman threw himself right through the glass of the ground floor of this building. Numerous more boarmen revealed themselves, making their presence known.
They covered this group of students and soldiers from several angles, making them forced to split their resources.
These boarmen charged straight at this group of warriors, with many rashly bearing the brunt of energy blasts of various colours.
Many blasts didn¡¯t meet any targets, and many boarmen managed to make it past this initial wave of energy blasts to clash with several soldiers and students.
After numerous boarmen slammed into the periphery of this group, one of them managed to puncture the main outer areas to slam right into Cael.
Swiftly activating power surge to try and add some resistance, he was still overpowered. It usually felt like his legs would be planted in this state; unmovable. However, his body was thrown right back with ease.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
What could he really do to face a boarman of this calibre? Activating his powered gauntlet, it whirred into action before he thrusted his fist forward.
His attack was close to meeting the target; it seemed like being smaller granted him the ability of great speed and agility compared to his foe.
Nevertheless, his punch did very little to hurt the sturdy, genetically engineered flesh of the boarman.
Even the Gor- castes had gone through extensive genetic modification and engineering to reach the level they were at now.
Receiving a straight punch to his face from almost out of no where, he already felt dazzled. Stumbling back a step, he struggled to comprehend just how powerful this fighter was. Was the gap between the human and the boarman always this pronounced?
Deciding to aim slightly lower, his fist whipped through the air only to land in his adversary''s palm.
¡°Your puny galaxy will fall in due time! Is this all the resistance you can provide?¡± The alien asked, revealing his teeth in the form of a savage grin.
This fighter managed to deflect two more of his attacks but there was hope. Feinting with a jab, he delivered a powerful blow in the form of a right hand, before landing a sweeping kick to the beast¡¯s abdomen.
Before this alien could retaliate, he managed to land a swift elbow to his chin.
Cael could tell that these hits had at least done something. There was no smile of indifference or arrogance on the boarish face of this alien.
Feeling more confident than before, he threw a powerful step-in jab to try and startle his adversary. However, his gauntlet landed on nothing but its burly forearms. With a whipping, explosive hook to the jaw, Cael was thrown right off course.
Subsequently, a whipping uppercut landed right on his chin, which made him lose strength in his legs. He stumbled to one hand, retreating as to not get clobbered with even more hits. As he stand up and prepare for any upcoming assault, he soon found that his legs weren¡¯t following his command. They resembled jelly.
His legs were already buckling as another punch was heading toward his face. Without a strong foundation, he could do little to block or intercept it.
Bracing for impact, he soon heard the screaming of somebody from behind him. This scream intensified and drew closer to him. It was Blaine.
PEW! PEW!
Two green energy blasts slammed right into the beast, giving Cael just the time that he needed to raise and recuperate.
He still felt unsteady but all he needed was a brief time off to recollect himself.
¡°Where¡¯s the will in you?! I¡¯m not here to save you, Breckenridge!¡± Blaine called out, still focusing on their opponent.
Cael felt simultaneously flustered and motivated by Blaine¡¯s words. This was one of the first times he had directly mentioned him and even called out his name, but there was no time for gratitude or unnecessary thoughts. They were in battle.
Surrounding them, the group of fighters were now much less dense and occupied in their own battles. Several unmoving bodies of students surrounded them, with boarmen looking similar ways.
The soldiers had nearly maximised their mana reserves and possessed amazing technique. This allowed them to slowly defeat the more savage, brutish boarmen.
Their adversary snorted upon advancing, and both launched into action. Using their perks and fighting with high intensity, they could tell they were giving themselves a good shot.
Both possessed powerful striking, and had great technique when it came to that. They were able to find ways to evade incoming attacks, whilst delivering strong ones themselves.
Blaine assailed the beast with two straight energy blasts to the chest, revealing the black blood flowing behind it.
The alien¡¯s thin battle suit had also wore down considerably. This was their shot. With Blaine slightly crouched down to deliver these energy blasts, Cael leaped up onto his shoulders before jumping off as powerfully as he could.
Flipping in the air, he came diving down with a punch that managed to drop the boarman to his hands and knees.
Cael and Blaine stood triumphantly over their fallen adversary, with Blaine shooting numerous energy blasts straight to its open head. With such destructive blasts aimed right at the cranium, black blood splatted across the gravel-coloured flooring.
The boarman was no more; they had claimed victory.
After several more fights, the humans were gaining the edge. With so many of the boarmen dead, they started to retreat before they lost more men.
Being greatly outnumbered, they saw no use in continuing. Their energy blasts were the key factor in their success here. Boarmen didn¡¯t have such technology in their galaxy and didn¡¯t have any measures against it except for their incredibly tough bodies.
Sir Agramonte drove a large super-heated sword through the head of a Krag- caste Boarman, crushing it completely. Looking back up to what remained of the students, he dropped his visor.
He gave concerned looks to his fallen students and brethren before firming his glance. Emmeline, the redhead prodigy, managed to slice the head of a Gor- caste boarman right off with a super-heated dagger that she had scavenged from the ground.
The students that remained here were all the above average students. As for the weaker ones, they were either dead or gravely injured, soon to succumb to their injuries. A fleet of healing drones covered the bloodied grounds, using nanobots to try and heal the students.
¡°Students, drop your helmets. The nanobots here will try their best to heal you of your wounds. Not many remain ready for use.¡± Sir Agramonte announced, resting on his large sword.
Soburgs Reaction
Cael could see that he couldn¡¯t help but stare at the battlefield. Even after years of experience, he was sure, nobody was immune to blood, gore and death.
He felt shocked by the scene himself, struggling to really take it in. What he was more concerned about was what would come of this. This had to entail a war between not just nations but species. The quadrillions of humans that lived could easily combine forces to combat the quadrillions of the Andromedan boarmen.
The level of destruction and death would be unparalleled and truly terrifying.
With what was left of these warriors, they recuperated within one of the smaller buildings of the institution. One of the windows and walls had been broken down from a boarman running straight through it.
In one room and near the ground in that area was a collection of rubble from the impact, and everybody was getting healed and calmed down.
Some of the students were panicking, which was a given. Many of the soldiers didn¡¯t even look their best either.
With their bodies slowly healing and getting back to normal, the level of panic in the room slowly dropped down. Cael felt troubled by the incidents at hand but steeled through any sense of impediment to his mental control.
After working so hard for months on end, dictated by the philosophies of the great thinkers before him, his mind remained strong and intact.
¡°I cannot be the slave to my emotions. I can¡¯t be the slave to my emotions.¡±
Broken out from his focused attempt at remaining somewhat calm, Vannessa sat beside him.
A drone was floating just at her back, mending the injuries still present in that area. She received a pretty nasty wound to her back from a stray energy blast. Adrenaline did a wonderful job at the masking the pain from her, letting her battle.
Now, all that remained was fatigue and pain.
¡°This is absolutely insane isn¡¯t it. I mean, I knew those pesky aliens would do this at some point in time. Segregation can only go on for so long!¡± Vannessa voiced her opinions vehemently and animatedly.
Cael could see the anger oozing from her, but couldn¡¯t help but see the beauty in her face even with this anger. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, the colour of the sky. Her hair was no longer tied back to facilitate the use of her exosuit but now flowed to her shoulders, silky and luscious.
¡°It makes sense. This segregation only demonizes the other alien races in everyone¡¯s perspective. I don¡¯t think just using this sister nation program will be enough.¡± Cael replied.
It was clear that forming sister nations wouldn¡¯t be adequate. Each nation within a species would have a sister nation with a country of another species. Boarmen and humans were the ¡®closest¡¯ and most involved when it came to their sister states.
However, with other alien species in the universe, this association, in reality, was just words on paper rather than true co-operation.
*****
In the court of Oseron, there was total upheaval. The noise of furious officials and nobles was enough to send anyone crazy. Their ungodly mixture of insults and curses made everything they said practically untintelligible.
It was like a battlefield in the courthouse.
¡°Silence!¡± Emperor Orson announced, bringing the entire area to silence.
Many of the snobbish nobles had contemptuous grins and groans, looking down on the officials with conflicting opinions to themselves.
¡°We must go to war, father! I¡¯ve already said this, playing nice gets us played!¡± Prince Leighton whispered, trying to convince his father of his opinions.
"Silence, son." Orson whispered back, before looking to the ''common'' officials that sat before him.
In the elevated seats of the nobles, there were also seats that faced them in a amphitheatrical way. These wooden seats were occupied by the ordinary politicians of the Soburg Empire.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°I am aware of what has happened and this is clearly an act of war!¡± He announced, much to the pleasure of some of the people listening on.
They cheered on their beloved emperor, some applauding his statement. Then, Orson continued.
¡°We established a sister-state partnership between us to stop this from happening but it seems that the boarmen haven¡¯t taken that message very seriously!¡± He furthered, making these same individuals even more energetic and supportive.
¡°However..." He stated, lifting a finger to bring the courthouse to silence.
"Rushing into war could mean the end of the human species as we know it.¡± Orson replied.
¡°I!¡± One suited official, standing opposite the emperor, vehemently called out.
For one to contest the emperor meant they had strong conviction. Very few dared to debate the emperor¡¯s iron will.
The speaker, that sat beside the nobles, could choose who spoke, but allowed the emperor to do so, in fear. His authority and influence was too great in such heated debates like these. When Orson had his own convictions, the speaker almost felt like a spectator in the face of his dominant personality.
¡°Please.¡± Orson replied, waving his hand for him to begin.
The bald man shuffled and ordered the papers at his small wooden table before starting.
¡°That is what I believe the boarmen are banking on, sir. They are more brutal than us and if we don¡¯t fight fire with fire in this situation, they will steamroll us. Who knows how many other boarish states are on the same page as them? I think taking a passive status on this matter could mean the end of the Soburg Empire as we know it!¡± He announced.
As he talked, the emotion in Orson¡¯s face intensified. The nation that his ancestors struggled to rise to the top of and establish could be blown up in his face. The empire that he was destined to rule and is now ruling, could cease to exist.
Along with that, it could be destroyed at the hands of those he thought he¡¯d made peace with. He grunted under his breath, tightening his right hand that was under his chin into a fist.
¡°They¡¯re taking advantage of our kindness! The boarmen haven¡¯t evolved past their primal, warrior instincts and will kill innocents to get what they want. That¡¯s what happened in Zarcona wasn¡¯t it?¡± Another man added.
Following this, one noble couldn¡¯t help but step in and add some rebuttal.
The emperor waved his hand, also ordering for him to speak.
¡°I believe this rhetoric is foolish and stupid! I know you all are smart enough to know that the boarmen are brutal, yes, but they are also intelligent. Nobody wants a battle of this calibre. Even if they manage to win, they¡¯d lose more than three quarters of their population in the process. They¡¯ve seen our technology, and they know just how powerful we are!¡± A noble claimed, clad in a gold-embellished red cloak.
On his wrist was also a scintillating gold watch, with an earring made of the same 24 carat gold in the form of a cross.
There was heated back and forth between opposing groups, with many of the commoners possessing more of a hawkish sentiment on things, whilst the nobles contested them. The commoners wanted to bring glory to their people and species, but the nobles were fearful.
They didn¡¯t want to lose what they had built; for them status and power meant everything. Even Orson could feel this sentiment within himself but Prince Leighton felt no such way. After training in the army, showcasing his talents, he wanted to battle. Many would be willing to fight for their country.
For humanity.
¡°I believe we should come to a placeholder decision for the time being. It is clear that the floor is too divided to make a solid decision going forward.¡± Orson stated, before primly placing his hands on the arms of his throne.
¡°For now, the military budget shall be increased. For defensive purposes, we must increase the number of military soldiers in the colonies and outskirts of the empire. Also, alert all military agencies to prepare them for war. We shall not launch any assaults or enter the Andromeda Galaxy in any capacity. Contact Verboram and see if they are willing to make any negotiations.¡± Orson ordered.
To his right, a loud slamming noise was made with a wooden hammer.
¡°Emperor Orson has made the verdict.¡± The speaker announced.
¡°This house has been adjourned!¡±
****
After the brutal battle in Zarcona, the students of Carlo City were swiftly sent on their way home. In the airports, there was literal chaos. As they were leaving in a military spaceship, many military spaceships could be seen in the landing area.
Outside the massive, clear windows of the spaceport, they could see several soldiers in massive groups flocking toward the main building.
They got on one of the earliest flights possible, heading on their way back to Carlo City.
As Cael tried to rest in his bed during this flight, he struggled to take his mind off the situation at hand.
¡°From the proceedings of the most recent courthouse meeting, the Soburg Empire will not be declaring war on the State of Verboram. The military budget will increase but we are instead vouching for negotiations, instead of reacting with a battle.¡± The female news reporter annouced.
¡°More news will be available very shortly.¡± She ensured.
Instead of doomscrolling through these most recent articles, he decided to open up his merchant account to see what Leon Areno had been up to recently.
¡°Oh my lord!¡± Cael thought in his mind, readjusting himself on his white covers.
After this time, it seemed like his assistant was somehow making up for his lack of work with ease.
[Merchant: WarriorMechanic]
[Star System: Cria]
[Followers: 1,072]
[Items Sold: 472]
[Innovation: 4.5/5]
[Price: 4.3/5]
[Quality: 3.5/5]
Tough Sparring
After the moderately large influencer from before had praised his systems, it seemed like his traction was only increasing.
Having much higher followers compared to items sold usually meant that one had established an identity. Those without buying your item would still be aware of your quality and follow you for such.
For an independent creator, he was surely doing much better than he expected. After spending all of his money on his new studio and giving Leon more than ten thousand dollars a month, he still had over a million dollars in his account.
He was a millionaire now, and that was before his 18th birthday. Without any substantial inheritance to kickstart his work, that was a true achievement. There was the feeling to place all of his success in his head, due to the workings of his system.
However, he had to acknowledge the level of discipline he now had. His ability to focus and work for hours on end was helping him even in the combat side of his life. It meant that he could constantly be working at his very best, not being held back by his mind but his body.
During this time, he decided to get back into the swing of things, and continued his design. To begin with, there was a sense of rust in his work. However, he started off with creating a unit of his first swarm design and managed to create two individual drones before the flight was nearing Saevis.
Upon returning to Carlo City shortly after, he continued his workings before falling into his bed with fatigue, at what was 11am in the morning.
The group were given a few days to rest and recuperate. Their institute in Carlo City was aware with how much they¡¯d been through in terms of training and trauma.
Seeing people get blown to bits right in front of you would be a difficult thing to stomach.
During this short break of his, Cael just spent his time resting and letting his body recover. After using the mana stream on other¡¯s bodies, whilst powering his own exosuit, he felt knackered.
It took about three days before he felt ready for training, and found that the others that went with him to Zarcona had arrived back in school earlier than him.
¡°Slacking off, I see.¡± Keagan said to Cael, with his burly arms crossed.
¡°Not really. Just wanted to take some time off to work on my designs.¡± Cael replied, before integrating into the group of students that stood before Arlo.
¡°Of course you did. I bet you would¡¯ve taken off a week if you could.¡± Vannessa stated, looking him up and down with eyes of disdain and disappointment.
Cael just smiled at her, with Vannessa reacting in kind.
¡°Students!¡± Arlo announced, bringing the onlookers to silence.
They corrected their posture, and stood directly ahead Arlo to await his next statements.
¡°Today, we are going to be focusing on something special. You will be tasked with facing autonomous bots geared toward your weak points. As a soldier, you want to make sure that you have talents, but very little pitfalls. Any competent fighter can take advantage of those pitfalls and end your life.¡± Arlo explained.
¡°I know many of you like to resort to long, bladed weapons to keep your opponent at range. Others like to get close and maul their foe.¡± He explained, with Friso and Keagan receiving many glances upon his last statement.
¡°However, for every type of fighter there is a complementary style. Maulers without great speed can be overwhelmed by somebody that is too quick to be struck. Those who like to slice their opponent at range could be overwhelmed by somebody who is also quick enough to close the range and render their mid-range weaponry futile.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice, Creator I, Warrior I]
[Strength: 11]
[Speed: 9]
[Durability: 9]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
Before Cael continued, he looked upon his system to see 250 gears waiting to be used. After not using the vault for so long, he saw that the number of gears he was receiving was much lower.
Additionally, his system was rewarding him less and less for each sale, since it was easier for him to get them. It seemed that his system rewarded him not just for an action, but how difficult it would be to complete said action.
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Strength]
[Stat Upgraded!]
[+1 Strength]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice, Creator I, Warrior I]
[Strength: 13]
[Speed: 9]
[Durability: 9]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
With this extra strength, he wondered just how strong he was now. After beating Keagan rather far back, he knew he was at least stronger than Friso. As for Vannessa, it was a gamble, but he was confident in himself.
All that would be left for him would be Blaine. With some work and unlocking skills, he was closer than he previously thought. If he played his cards right, he could be the strongest of this institute in a week¡¯s time.
A warrior that stood before Blaine, who was clad in a midnight black and white exosuit, was a tall, lanky autonomous bot.
With a long lancer, with a large blade in its left, there was also a metal, rounded shield in its right. Just above the left chest area of the bot had the name ¡®LX-32¡¯ was inscribed on it.
¡°A typical lancer-style fighter. Blaine¡¯s gonna have some trouble here.¡± Cael realised.
Even if he did have a shoulder-based energy rifle, it still might not be enough. He relied on his pure punching power to fell his opponents. If he couldn¡¯t resort to that as easily, he¡¯d be much less able as a fighter.
¡°Begin!¡± Arlo announced.
Blaine¡¯s helmet manifested in fragments over his head before combining into a solid shield, with his visor falling down over his eyes.
The autonomous bot was black and red, and looked to be around two metres tall. For Blaine, this fighter was a literal giant, with especially long limbs.
The two fighters circled each other for about a second, before Blaine took the initiative and tried to strike.
Pouncing, the autonomous bot didn¡¯t look startled or swift in reaction. All that it did was stab its lance forward, cutting into the outer layers of his armour with a forceful stab.
The warrior possessed great form with the lancer, managing to deliver power into the stab whilst retreating. Its lance retracted slightly, but Blaine then followed with whirring up his energy rifle.
PEW! PEW!
The green energy blasts soared toward LX-32, that lifted its metal shield to take the impact. With the extreme heat of these energy blasts being nullified by the shield, the same couldn¡¯t be said for its force.
Each strike managed to knock LX-32 back, even in its sturdy stance.
Promptly after, Blaine took this as a chance to close the range. The powered gauntlet over his right fist was activated as he advanced, but it was of no use.
This lancer had already, somehow, landed its sharp, super-heated blade into his left flank. Swiping as well as pushing, this thudding slice left a deep cut in Blaine¡¯s armour, whilst also throwing him to the side.
Launching an energy blast with spite, it still fell cleanly on the centre of LX-32¡¯s shield.
As Blaine continued to try and break the distance, he could not. He tried to use his explosive speed, but all his adversary had to do was take a few calculated steps to nullify his advances.
The footwork of this bot was phenomenal, and reminded Cael of Emmeline as he watched on.
Whenever Blaine rushed forward, there were clear openings in his stance; he¡¯d always relied on his great speed and power to not get hit.
With a light spear at hand here, LX-32 landed efficient, precise slashes that almost always hit the mark. Blaine could block from time to time, but mostly couldn¡¯t see where the slashes were headed.
Growing more and more angry at this fight, the lancer pulled its weapon straight up across his torso, breaking through every layer of armour in a clean, smooth slash.
The glowing orange blade cut into Blaine¡¯s flesh, causing sizzling, bubbling blood to fly out from the wound.
¡°Argh!!¡± Blaine groaned, falling back in an unstable stumble.
It looked like the fight was over but no, Blaine lifted his hand and waved off Arlo.
¡°No! I¡¯m not done!¡± Blaine announced.
Surprise
Almost every single person looking at him thought otherwise. With a massive gash down his torso, it looked like he wouldn¡¯t be willing to continue.
Cael looked down with endearment for this strong will of his. It was clear that over in Zarcona, something had ignited the flame of willpower within him. A spark to turn the ember into a blazing inferno.
Blaine didn¡¯t seem to care much for range of defence. Taking a slash to his abdomen, he just steeled through the pain and powered on.
This second slash had also broken skin, but didn¡¯t faze Blaine.
VRRR-BAM! BAM! BAM!
Blaine fired off with a number of punches at the silver shield that LX-32 held. The bot fell into a crouched position to keep more of its body behind the security of this shield.
PANG! CLANK!
Blaine didn¡¯t let up with his relentless assault. Each punch that followed seemed to be stronger than the last.
His powered gauntlets were granting his punches unparalleled levels of strength, that led him to beat LX-32 across the canvas. Aiming lower, for a punch at the lower area of the shield, LX-32 foolishly kept it down to catch the punch on the centre.
It nullified the force of the strike completely, but left its head totally open for the next attack. Whipping his right hand around with all of his weight, his hard, metal knuckles crashed straight into the bot¡¯s face.
Just to add insult to injury, Blaine landed a clean energy blast to its head.
At such close range, half of the bot¡¯s face melted and solidified, leaving its grotesque and deformed.
The tables of the battle had turned right away. Even with this lancer¡¯s great technique and control, Blaine¡¯s overall fighting skill allowed him to stay in the fight. Cael started to look upon the battle more intently.
He believed that the fight would be over now, but Blaine¡¯s eyes exuded nothing but conviction and laser-sharp focus.
Blaine rushed right back into another few attacks, throwing all of his weight into his subsequent attacks. However, this lean fighter was still quicker than him. Before his fist could land on anything, LX-32 swiped its lance across Blaine¡¯s body, cutting through his metal armour like it was butter.
With the great force behind the attack, along with the extreme heat, the sharp edge was able to cleave right through the metal shell to slash open his body.
Even if Blaine had the willpower to continue, Arlo did not want to see anymore.
Using his great speed, even without his exosuit, he arrived in between this bot and Blaine in a split-second. Many of those watching him couldn¡¯t even perceive his swift movement.
¡°That¡¯s enough, Blaine. LX-32, stand down for now.¡± Arlo ordered, as a medical drone flied right over to them.
A translucent cloud of nanobots flowed into his body, numbing the pain of these wounds whilst also sealing them quite quickly.
Blaine was then ushered out of the canvas, and the floating drone followed him there as he continued to be healed.
Many other students followed, also facing bots with their complementary styles. This was where the students¡¯ hard work and conviction were revealed. Some were willing to fight through, like Blaine, and find a way out of the hard situation.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Others simply didn¡¯t have the same mentality. They folded under the pressure and couldn¡¯t perform as they would need to.
Cael was next up on the floor, and he gave a swift look to his skills to see what was at hand.
[Skills]
[Skill: Power Surge]
[Skill: Mana Stream]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Rapid Update]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Script Sage]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Internal Design]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Combat Specialist]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Alloy Mastery]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Compacting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Armour Fitting]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
His gauntlet overdrive would be quite useful when striking, but he was resorting to a baton and energy shield in this fight.
The bot that faced him was shorter than him, standing at 5¡¯10, but had a rather stocky build. It wasn¡¯t like the bot was built of muscles but had the general shape of a muscular person.
It was of a green hue, with silver finishes across its sleek, minimalistic design. It had glowing yellow-white eyes, and the title ¡®SPD-11¡¯ where one¡¯s cheekbone would be.
Cael wielded his energy shield and baton, along with his dark golden exosuit. Tightening his grip on his baton, electricity began chaotically jumping between different parts of the weapon.
¡°A baton?¡± A student asked, chuckling right after.
Almost everyone that watched on contemptuously judged his choice of weaponry. Most exosuit cadets strived for a tool that was seen as flashy, and entertaining. A simple club-like weapon with a shield wasn¡¯t going to excite or exhilarate anyone.
Hell, such a combo wasn¡¯t even popular in the military; the disdain toward him was just as it always had been.
The match began, and Cael swiftly lifted his arm to create his energy shield. The golden, translucent sheet of energy projected out from his forearm, covering a decent portion of his body.
SPD-11 sprung right into action, running with great speed and light feet. Cael took the first punch from this bot onto the centre of his shield, stepping back as a number of attacks followed.
He remained vigilant and tried his best to analyse the timing of his opponent. Watching the bot cock back its fist for a punch, he revealed himself and swung his baton straight at its head.
Reaching close to its face, he could see a few crackles of lightning jump between the gap of his baton and SPD-11¡¯s headpiece.
Nevertheless, it managed to pull its head and body back to remain practically untouched, ready to continue.
This game continued, with Cael catching most of the incoming attacks onto his shield and not landing many of his own. SPD-11 was not just fast but very, very agile.
It spent almost no time with a foot on the ground. Seemingly with infinite energy, it remained a moving target, hard for Cael to hit and to keep his shield in front of.
Cael watched the green bot charge at him, and leap ahead. Its mechanical knee was aimed forward, but Cael let the bot land its hit on his shield.
In quick succession, the bot landed back on the ground and explosively sidestepped to arrive right beside Cael¡¯s shield. Even when he strugglingly managed to track the fighter, its speed eclipsed his own.
A strong punch landed on his flank, followed with a swinging kick to the same area. It was all fine and dandy being able to track the fighter, but his body almost felt unable to follow his eyes.
It was infuriating to watch SPD-11 enter a position that he couldn¡¯t defend against; he felt like a statue when taking such swift hits like that.
Cael retreated for a brief period, and recalculated. With his mana shield skill, it could increase the durability of parts of his exosuit armour. That would be useful against slashing bots but SPD-11 was equipped with just powered gauntlets. Blunt trauma would be the least of his worries with his energy shield.
Gauntlet overdrive was pretty much off the table as long as he still used his shield and baton. The only option left for him was his mana surge skill.
VRR!!
The glowing parts of his exosuit started to shine more brightly, and the current in his baton intensified.
¡°What?¡± Blaine blurted out in a whisper, watching this happen.
¡°What is it?¡± Vannessa asked, confused about his sudden utterance.
¡°Nothing.¡± Blaine bluntly and sharply replied in a dismissive manner.
¡°He was holding back this whole time? Why would he do that?¡± Keagan asked.
¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s been hiding his exosuit¡¯s true power. Did Arlo make this bot too easy for him on purpose?¡± Friso furthered, also rather confused.
It was like his exosuit just seemed better; they could tell it was outputting more energy, and his weapons looked like they had been upgraded in an instant.
His energy shield grew as its component was receiving more energy; the fight was on now.
FWOOSH!!
Mass Upgrade
Cael caught the bot off guard with his heightened speed. After fighting him for a time, it had almost codified his fighting speed. With him now moving much more quickly, it was almost a glitch had occurred in SPD-11¡¯s artificial mind.
Swinging upward with his baton, he forcefully landed a hit on the bot¡¯s forearms. The strong force behind the strike, along with his baton¡¯s large current, affected the arm components just under the green metal shell.
Cael continued with even more ferocious, wild swings. Placing all of his weight behind each swipe, it kept his bot kept in one place and more wary of taking his attacks head-on. Sparks were now flying out of newly created cuts and damaged areas of SPD-11.
After his 10-second boost, Cael retreated again, not ready to just expend his energy. He could only continuously swing because he was faster and stronger.
Facing such an agile fighter without the surge of mana flowing through his suit would be a death sentence.
The fight almost returned to its original style of Cael struggling to keep the fighter in front of him. He¡¯d always learned to fight those in front of him and didn¡¯t employ 360-degree movement as much as he should¡¯ve.
Trying to play the game of catch with this cat-like bot couldn¡¯t continue forever. It was infuriating because it didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out SPD-11¡¯s style.
He had gotten down its timing and tendencies to a T, but there was little he could do with that analysis. Whenever he predicted a situation, he was just too slow to properly act on it.
The constant hits that slipped past his guard caused damage to accumulate, steadily wearing him down.
Swinging down his baton, he utilised his power surge skill to make his strike substantially stronger. Much to his annoyance, though, the light-footed bot just about slipped past his swing.
WHAM!
As his baton slammed into the canvas, there was a strong vibration that everyone watching could feel. Many of the spectators gasped and looked around in confusion, not even paying attention to the fight any longer.
SPD-11, now at Cael¡¯s side, delivered a long combination of thudding hits to Cael¡¯s body. Even with its short stature, its thick limbs and torso made it hit like a truck. Leaping up and extending its fist, Cael was struck right in his jaw, sending him flying off his feet and rolling across the canvas.
He managed to come to a stop, but the world around him continued to spin. SPD-11 looked ready to continue fighting, but suddenly stopped and remained frozen.
¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Arlo said to the bot, before walking past it.
A medical drone rushed over to Cael¡¯s side, scanning his skin.
As he removed his helmet, a cloud of nanobots rushed into his contusions to enter his bloodstream.
The damage was mainly in the form of blunt trauma, which nanobots were worse at handling. Nevertheless, he still felt the signature warm, tingly feeling across his skin as it steadily healed the damaged tissue.
Those watching what had occurred still couldn¡¯t believe the power that Cael had in that slam. Those that had went with him to Zarcona didn¡¯t say much but weren¡¯t surprised.
They weren¡¯t going to just hand him the glory that he deserved; but they knew how foolish these students were. Cael was no longer the weakling that he once was.
Cael Breckenridge was starting to live up to his title a little.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Even as the session continued, with other students taking the floor, many still couldn¡¯t get their mind off what Cael had done.
It was like Keagan had hit the ground! Even Keagan felt a little bit threatened from the commotion around his strike.
After everybody had their sessions against these various autonomous bots, Arlo took to the canvas as the final, golden bot left the hangar-like training area.
¡°I just want to thank you all for your efforts against these bots. As you can see, fighting is a true art that you need to perfect. It¡¯s good to rely on your strengths but you must not be limited by your weaknesses.¡± Arlo explained.
He continued to explain how different battle types could fight against those that seemed to be built against them. For those that relied on defence and shields that came up against speedy warriors would have to work on their speed and reflexes. With that, they¡¯d have to learn to cover all angles with the smallest movements possible.
¡°For the next fortnight, I want you to work on your style, and I¡¯ll give you some advice on how to perfect your skills.¡±
One stark difference between Cael¡¯s institute and the one in Zarcona was the contrast in training depth. Arlo was pretty much their only instructor ¨C it was rare for them to be taught by other instructors at the institute.
However, in Zarcona, they had specialist instructors that taught various types of fighters, like gauntlet users as well as shield-wielders.
Nevertheless, it felt like Arlo was a jack of all trades. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t adept at everything either, he had better knowledge about every martial art and fighting style than every student.
Cael, returning to his humble abode, started researching more about his Ultimate Bot Showdown. Preparation for that upcoming event had to become a major part of his life if he wanted to succeed.
It didn¡¯t just have people coming from the Soburg Empire; it was going to be hosted in the neighbouring Republic of Tecros.
This was a member of the greater Aegis Confederation, which then also had its members trying to participate in it.
To perform well, he¡¯d have to perfect his baton and energy shield design. He had two months, which was plenty time to really gear himself up for what was coming.
He scrupulously analysed his baton design, using the TechForge Simulation Lab to look deeply into the intricacies of the design.
Being honest with himself, there were several compartments that were almost above his paygrade. He had to then open his first folder of files from the creator to guide him.
Not only were the systems complex, but they were totally novel and so, he wasn¡¯t familiar with them. It took 100% of his brainpower to just look at the weapon and understand what he was looking at.
One feature he wanted to add was some form of super-heated blade. If he could make the baton capable of cutting damage, it would vastly increase its versatility.
The amount of power that the weapon would demand almost made him feel uncomfortable. Heating the sizzling-hot edge of a super-heated blade along with supplying the massive current to the baton would need a lot of energy.
With the transformative energy shield creation, though, the theory wasn¡¯t off the table. This whole design was already supposed to be impossible based on common, widely accepted science.
Additionally, it wouldn¡¯t hurt for him to work on his energy shield just to cut its energy demand even more.
To make sure that he could complete these objects as well as he could, he¡¯d have to look toward his skills and stats.
[Skills]
[Skill: Power Surge]
[Skill: Mana Stream]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Rapid Update]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Script Sage]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Internal Design]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Combat Specialist]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Alloy Mastery]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Compacting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Armour Fitting]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
Making an autonomous bot meant that he¡¯d have to spend loads of time on just his coding. The brains were what dictated the bot. It gave it a unique fighting style, so he had to make sure his design would make the best use of its body.
This meant he¡¯d have to increase his script sage skill. Additionally, microscale manipulation would help him even more with the smaller components of the bot. Getting better at handling those things had various benefits he was already aware of.
Whilst meticulously inspecting this page, he also felt like combat specialist could really do with an upgrade. He already knew that the bot he¡¯d have to create would enter various forms of combat.
Augmenting his knowledge on combat bots would only benefit him in this situation.
His Script Sage was 80 gears to unlock, with microscale manipulation and combat specialist also costing 180 gears each to upgrade.
With more than a million dollars at his disposal, there¡¯d be no need to wait for his upgrades.
[Would you like to convert $65,000 into 1,300 gears?]
[Conversion Complete!]
With 1,300 gears ready to go, he swiftly performed his upgrades.
Mass Upgrade (2)
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Script Sage] -> [Skill: Lv. 3 Script Sage]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Microscale Manipulation] -> [Skill: Lv. 4 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill Upgrade!]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Combat Specialist] -> [Skill: Lv. 4 Combat Specialist]
Upon making these upgrades, he was immediately hit with the overwhelming sensation of the thoughts flooding into his mind. The knowledge wasn¡¯t organised or structured like language, it was almost like the information was already processed in the form of abstract memories and concepts.
Down to 860 gears, he also upgraded his useful compacting skill. A much more valuable skill, it costed 200 to upgrade.
With that, he also upgraded his armour fitting, which would have some bearing on compactness. If he could use armour more efficiently, it would make his bot more durable but also let him use more armour to achieve the same level of durability.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Armour Fitting] -> [Skill: Lv. 3 Armour Fitting]
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Compacting] -> [Skill: Lv. 4 Compacting]
With those skills costing a combined 350, he was down to 510 gears that were ready to use.
[Skills]
[Skill: Power Surge]
[Skill: Mana Stream]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Rapid Update]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Script Sage]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Internal Design]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Combat Specialist]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Alloy Mastery]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Compacting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Armour Fitting]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
After these upgrades, the main feature that Cael had felt improve was his ability to minimise the space of his designs.
Looking at his baton, the technologies deduced by the creator still looked perfect to him. Even from a different, more experienced perspective, he left those areas untouched. However, as for his additions, he swiftly worked on moving apart different parts of the design to condense it.
He didn¡¯t do this for long, but only tried to cover the main flaws that he managed to pick up. Forcing himself to a stop, he moved onto his stats to see which of those he could upgrade.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice, Creator I, Warrior I]
[Strength: 13]
[Speed: 9]
[Durability: 9]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 6]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
The main stat that he noticed was lacking was his dexterity. Being honest, he could see that his physical stats were also lacking quite a lot. With those stats only taking 100 gears per upgrade, he felt it was right to focus on those instead.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Placing 400 gears straight into his dexterity, he managed to raise it all the way up to 10 in one go.
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice, Creator I, Warrior I]
[Strength: 13]
[Speed: 9]
[Durability: 9]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 10]
[Creativity: 14]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
Now this was a much better base for him to work on. As he tried to add some more micro-adjustments to the design for his baton, he could see that his arms followed his mind much more easily.
He could move his hands much more quickly but remain precise and controlled. He really did improve a lot from these upgrades
The game was on now.
Days passed, and Cael continued analysing his work and found that with time, he could use his creativity to find new, intelligent augmentations to his designs.
One thing he hadn¡¯t done was even fully read the second folder of files he received from the creator.
Opening them up once again, he finished his reading of the first prototype, the kinetic absorption. The prototype was established, but just a single one of those exosuit models employing those technologies would cost an absolute fortune, much more than even he had at the ready.
Since the technology was innovative and transformative, it would make sense for someone to have a large benefactor fuelling the fabrication of the model. However, who would believe a 17 year old kid about saying they could make this.
He did have at least an iota of credibility through the fighter-mechanic event alongside his somewhat successful merchant profile, but it wouldn¡¯t be sufficient to convince anyone, really.
To purchase and utilise these expensive materials, he¡¯d just have to increase his own capital to get to that point.
Firstly, he could work with the energy shield component base. He had capitalised on its energy efficiency to make a baton, so what if he could use it to create even more things too.
His first idea was some form of blade that would protrude from over the fist. It would work well with someone that mainly used punches in their fighting style. Instead of just relying on gauntlets and tough knuckles, adding a super-heated blade into the mix would change the whole game.
With this energy efficient model as foundation, he could make the blade much hotter than expected. This could make it almost like a knife cutting through butter with certain armours.
The baton he¡¯d created was a lot more chaotic in terms of its design. All it did was disperse current in any which way across its surface from the power source. With a super-heated blade, a greater level of precision and complexity existed behind it.
For him to translate the base for an energy shield into something for a heated blade wouldn¡¯t be easy. In his mind, it wasn¡¯t impossible, but it would be a serious challenge.
For these following weeks, it would be all about this challenge. Looking for a reference to work from, he decided to take a closer look at Leon Areno¡¯s autonomous bot design.
[Name: Areno 360 V1]
[Type: Mediumweight Attack Bot]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 65/100]
[Agility: 73/100]
[Firepower: 42/100]
[Power Efficiency: 60/100]
[Intelligence: 56/100]
[Maintenance: 65/100]
[Versatility: 66/100]
[Framing: 65/100]
[Overall Rank: 68/100]
The speed and agility of the bot was astounding. How he¡¯d managed to keep it so sleek and compact was honestly beyond him.
Mulling over the design, he could discern more and more, but knew the design was above what he could create.
Instead of just fawning over the brilliance of this model, he wanted to magpie and learn from it. He started to study the nifty techniques that he used, learning from them as he went on.
This carried on a few extra days, and this is when he really started creating his own design. The main model would consist of a bot standing at around 6¡¯0 tall. He was aiming to make it 180 lbs but found it could end up being around 200lbs when analysing his models more critically.
That wouldn¡¯t be much of an issue, though ¨C he didn¡¯t need to form an extremely swift or agile bot.
Hell, he even leaned more toward the idea of raw power and explosion for its key attributes.
Across its left arm would be an energy shield, with a baton snugly held in its right. Attached over both fists, he hoped, would be a form of his super-heated blade design.
He aimed to make the blade thin, almost like an over-extended claw just slightly over the knuckles. Making sure there was no hindrance to the speed or movement of the punch was a must.
As he continued with his designs, Leon felt excited to tell him that he was doing the same. He was instead opting for more of a heavyweight design, and Cael felt excited to see what its final rendition would look like.
That would be a tough job for him, but he felt excited to see what Leon could make of that type of bot. With his brilliant mind, he felt certain he''d fabricate a true juggernaut of a bot.
Silently, with utmost focus, he began assembling the components he wanted to use in the TechForge Simulation Lab. Several parts of the bot in a disassembled format floated all around him.
He started in pieces, working up the limbs and torso and headpiece into main components. After that, he then worked on the internals between these skeletal pieces before finishing off with the armour assembly.
As always, internals came first. Upon upgrading the other skills like microscale manipulation and circuit routing proficiency, which were very similar to internal design, it made that process even better for him.
Now, he could say the internals of his models were no longer a glaring flaw for them.
Standing back, with his hands by his waist, he felt like it was a job well done.
¡°It feels great to be back.¡± He thought to himself.
After so much time in the combat world, it felt great to return to the sphere of mechanics. Putting so much effort into his craft, he felt great enjoyment from just the process of making and assembling designs now.
It just got better and better as he improved, in addition.
During the weeks going up to the autobot showdown, the internet was filled with like-minded mechanics discussing their progress toward partaking in the event.
Cael and Leon held back from their work on the business side of things from several weeks before the event.
Surrounded by this atmosphere, Cael couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. How could he not? This was the best chance that he¡¯d had yet to really get his name on the map; the same could be said for Leon.
For independent businessmen like them, getting respect and credibility from their performance would be a dream come true.
Cael spent his time working on accumulating gears not just for his skills, but also for his stats. During this time, he managed to upgrade his dexterity all the way to the 15 limit and upgraded his Alloy Mastery then actually, his programming Rapid Update skill.
[Lv. 2 Rapid Update]
[Performs minor patches/updates to a block of code to improve its performance.]
Tough Spar
As he wrote code, he could just use this on parts of his code to increase its chances of running well. What he found was that, after using it on a block of code twice, nothing would change.
Additionally, he observed that the code wouldn¡¯t just fix any error. The description of minor updates being performed was certainly accurate; there could be massive syntax errors in the code but it would only affect the minor inconsistencies.
Finally, there wasn¡¯t really a way of this skill handling logic errors; his code didn¡¯t explicitly show what he wanted to do. If it worked, how could the skill know he wanted the program to work differently?
On the whole, though, it saved him a lot of time from identifying his slip-ups for him.
After upgrading those skills, he was met with the infuriating message from his system.
[UNABLE TO UPGRADE ¨C INSUFFICIENT SKILL UPGRADES/UNLOCKS]
[Insufficient stats/titles for further skill unlock/upgrades]
[MINIMUM STATS/TITLES REQUIRED FOR FURTHER UPGRADES/UNLOCKS: 2 Title Upgrades]
[User: Cael Breckenridge]
[Titles: Competent Merchant, Vault Novice, Creator I, Warrior I]
[Strength: 13]
[Speed: 12]
[Durability: 11]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Dexterity: 15]
[Creativity: 15]
[Focus: 17]
[MP: 15/15]
[Skills]
[Skills]
[Skill: Power Surge]
[Skill: Mana Stream]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Rapid Update]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Script Sage]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Quick-Build]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Microscale Manipulation]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Internal Design]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Combat Specialist]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Alloy Mastery]
[Skill: Lv. 4 Compacting]
[Skill: Lv. 2 Scarcity Crafting]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Armour Fitting]
[Skill: Lv. 3 Circuit Routing Proficiency]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Gauntlet Overdrive]
[Skill: Lv. 1 Mana Shield]
In his bedroom, working as usual, he lifted his hand to make an adjustment to the last bit of plating that he applied. What stood before him was a 6¡¯0, athletic-built autonomous bot with his bladed weapons above the knuckles.
After some work, he¡¯d managed to create the super-heated blade formed from the creator¡¯s model. In doing so, the richness and efficiency of the base compartments were lost partially but it was all for the greater good.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
He utilised expensive metals, resorting primarily to a heavier metal known as Fastian. Found mostly in the areas of the Aegis Confederation furthest from the Soburg Empire, the black-red metal had amazing strength and was relatively light for the strength it provided.
Its very impressive strength made it a very valuable metal across the galaxy, playing a large role in the economic success of the confederation.
Finishing off, he gave the outer layer a smooth, black finish with some other reddened components added to the exterior.
Falling back to look at the hologram at large, he felt like this was a job well done. This was the best that he could do. After spending his time increasing his stats and upgrading his skills as well, this was the peak of his ability.
Utilising all the resources he had at his disposal; it was satisfying to see visible results like these.
As always, he¡¯d have to think of a name for his bot before continuing. Several names popped up in his mind, like greek and roman gods but he decided to hold off on that for this design.
In the name, he wanted to capture the bot¡¯s explosive fighting style, along with the shocking abilities from its unique baton. It took a few minutes, and it just flew by as he mused over the possibilities.
It took a while before he realised how long he was spending on such a trivial matter. Chuckling to himself, he felt taken aback by his resolution in finding a name for this thing.
After spending so long on the design, though, it had to receive a worthy name. He couldn¡¯t just leave it with some randomly generated title after spending literal weeks creating it.
[Name: WM Shockraider]
[Type: Mediumweight Attack Bot]
[Evaluation]
[Speed: 65/100]
[Agility: 75/100]
[Firepower: 45/100]
[Power Efficiency: 75/100]
[Intelligence: 64/100]
[Maintenance: 66/100]
[Versatility: 71/100]
[Framing: 65/100]
[Overall Rank: 70/100]
Cael had also spent a lot more time crafting the intelligence behind his bot. He used many resources to magpie the best features of them. This allowed his bot to not just be more skilled in terms of fighting, but more analytical.
For a bot to handle and adapt to various situations, it needed that intelligence as a base.
This showdown would put it through so many different events so his bot would need to handle that.
[Is your bot done? I just finished mine yesterday.] Leon texted him just minutes before he completed his design.
[Of course, man. Good luck with your heavyweight, I can¡¯t wait to see how that plays out.]
[Yeah it¡¯s actually looking pretty good. I used to shy away from making proper heavy bots but it works when you think about assembly and internals and things. The firepower on this baby is insane!]
Cael chuckled upon reading his last text, and just threw himself into his bed. He felt like he was deserving of a nice, relaxing rest and this was exactly what he gave himself.
Already nearing midnight, it didn¡¯t take long before he fell into a deep slumber.
The following morning, Cael and his group were out in one of the institute¡¯s hangars once again, standing before Arlo.
¡°Today, we¡¯re going to be doing some spars again. Don¡¯t worry about any exosuits for now, just worry about your basic strength. I don¡¯t want to see you all going hard, I know you guys know how to spar each other. This is a chance for us all to grow, not to show off and dominate.¡± Arlo said, while looking particularly at Blaine.
He arrogantly stretched off his arms, receiving several glances from the admirers that surrounded him.
Cael, however, continued to look forward in silence. Blaine, looking around, saw his indifference and his eyes fell locked onto him.
After upgrading his stats, alongside his physical ones, for weeks on end, Cael was sure about it now.
He was the strongest person in this crowd.
No sense of confidence from his competitors would overshadow his conviction.
¡°For our first spar, let¡¯s learn from the best of the best. Blaine Keaton and Cael Breckenridge, would you please step up to the canvas.
In the centre of this hangar was a squared canvas, like the others placed in the vicinity.
Blaine leaped up onto the canvas, before turning and making his stance. He confidently fell into a light crouch, holding his fists up in a position similar to how boxers would.
Cael held a similar stance, and remained firm. He exuded nothing but calmness and insouciance leading up to this inevitable battle.
¡°May the match begin!¡±
Blaine shouted with anger, blasting forward to begin the fight. He leaped into the air and swiftly turned his body, shooting forward his right heel in the form of a spinning kick.
Cael took the impact and fell back about a step to better handle the impact, but felt surprised. Was this usually how hard Blaine hit?
No... No. There was no way.
He couldn¡¯t remain in his thoughts for long, though, as Blaine whipped his left hand around for a hook.
Almost reflexively, Cael¡¯s head dipped under and out the way of this fist in evasion. Blaine didn¡¯t even manage to catch his lifted hairs, and the dipped fighter followed with an attack straight for his abdomen right after.
BAM!
Blaine grunted upon taking the impact, and everybody could feel the weight behind that punch. Even Blaine was left dumbfounded.
Was this real? Was this really the Cael Breckenridge that they¡¯d known all this time?
Even Cael gave a look down to his fist, taken aback by his own strength. It felt different just hitting several-tonne bags and doing his usual exercises. It never gave him a clear insight into how strong he¡¯d become.
Blaine still managed to catch him with a powerful, but speedy jab to the face.
Following up, he landed a right hand in quick succession, pushing Cael¡¯s head far back in the process.
These two attacks made the fighter confident, but too confident.
Just as he usually would, he stormed in, intending to land several more haymakers in the process. As he did this, though, he was playing right into Cael¡¯s hands.
He hadn¡¯t intended to get hit in the face like that -he was caught off guard- but he could make do with this situation. There was always a way to counter and throw back.
New King
With Blaine just basically walking right to him, with his hands held even below his chin, Cael landed a significantly more powerful right hand.
Walking right onto the shot, Blaine didn¡¯t just take this attack and shake it off. Smiling at Cael, attempting to convey a sense of indifference to the blow, it was futile. He had fought hundreds of times in the vault at this point, and knew when a fighter was hurt.
Upon beginning his own assault, Cael felt astounded to find that he had the upper hand. Employing his nifty Cyberjutsu technique, he threw attacks only to fall very low and out the way of subsequent punches.
With Blaine mainly resorting to his fists, the synthetic fighting style was almost a perfect counter to him.
As the minutes went by, not one of them was feeling fatigued, but the effects of Blaine¡¯s accumulated injury were starting to show.
His face was covered with streams of blood stemming from his hair. There were also several bruises littered across his arms and body, which were hidden by his black clothing.
¡°Come on, Blaine!¡± Keagan called out, almost emotionally affected by the fight.
Blaine couldn¡¯t lose the throne, he couldn¡¯t!
What made it worse would be losing it to the former weakest out of them all.
No! He couldn¡¯t let that happen!
¡°Just throw back you coward!¡± Blaine roared, watching Cael fall into his signature crouched position.
Whenever he felt he had the chance to retaliate, he¡¯d always retreat and remain untouchable.
It was like he was fighting a spider at times, with quick feet that moved in any direction.
Swiftly stepping to his right, he reached out and kicked at the side of his knee.
Just as he hoped for, his adversary began to descend. This gave him the perfect opportunity.
With him slipping down, he lifted up and threw over a right hand strike straight on his jaw.
POW!
The cleanly landed shot sounded like a gun from its heaviness. Blaine stumbled to his side in a quick, unstable stagger.
Even falling onto a hand, it took a long second before he was back and stably on his feet. The primality Cael could see in his eyes were akin to that of a ravenous beast. He gave not a single glance to the surroundings and was focused totally on him.
Exhaling sharply -revealing his bloodied teeth- he blasted off his feet, intent on throwing something back. He wasn¡¯t going to let Cael get the last laugh.
With a shout, he cocked back his fist and Cael kept his eyes wide open, vigilant for what was to come.
Squeak!
Just as he did this, he lost his footing on one of his strides. This sent him into a sluggish stumble, nearly making him fall back onto the canvas.
¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Arlo declared, leaping onto the ring.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
¡°NO! I¡¯m NOT DONE!!¡± Blaine shouted, rushing straight toward Arlo.
He aimed to move past him, but Arlo just stood there with a solemn face, grabbing him by the neck of his black shirt.
¡°NO!! LET GO!!!¡± Blaine roared, with blood flying out his mouth as he roared this.
He flailed around, trying to free himself from the mighty grasp of his instructor but could not. The force pulling his shirt into a ball kept him tight in place.
¡°That¡¯s enough!!¡± Arlo shouted, with a clear, and authoritative boom to his voice.
The orotundity behind this statement almost brought him to silence right away. Blaine¡¯s face just fell down to the canvas, devoid of emotion and almost in shock.
Cael couldn¡¯t help but feel a similar way. He¡¯d beat Blaine? He almost knocked out Blaine Keaton?
¡°I know you want to fight and be the strongest but I can¡¯t let you get seriously hurt. It¡¯ll affect you and your training in the long run. Now, you¡¯re talented and know that but you need to know how to lose. How to lose and-,¡±
¡°Just!¡± He sharply replied, conjuring gasps from the crowd.
¡°Leave me alone...¡± Blaine dejectedly replied, walking off the canvas and toward the crowd.
¡°What are you looking at!¡± He whispered loudly, looking toward a student with a slight smile on his face.
¡°Sorry, Blaine.¡± They replied with a sombre, fearful tone.
Many of the other snickering students fell to silence, hiding their emotions as he approached.
As this happened, Arlo just watched his receding back and shook his head whilst doing so.
¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any attitude from you young man!! You are in a military institution training you for the frontline. You have the skill, but the bottom line is that you need discipline, are we clear?¡± Arlo asks, staring into his soul as he does so.
¡°Yes, sir...¡± Blaine said, his voice almost just a rasp as his body fought to keep the words in.
¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡± Blaine replied more loudly this time, trying to silence his instructor.
¡°Phenomenal performance, Cael Breckenridge. Your parents would be very proud with how far you¡¯ve come. The military would be honoured to have you on their side.¡± Arlo stated, nodding toward him.
Such praise sent butterflies through his stomach. He was the strongest now? It was almost like a dream.
He never felt he¡¯d be receiving commendation for something of this sort. It was almost incomprehensible how much things had changed.
Redness flushed through his face as he struggled to deal with the emotions. Shakily nodding back to his instructor, he looked back to the crowd to return there.
¡°Thanks a lot sir!¡± He said loudly to try and hide his awkwardness, only to exacerbate it in the process.
¡°No problem, Cael. No problem.¡±
*****
Returning to the crowd, the next sparring partners took to the canvas to battle to their heart¡¯s content.
¡°You did amazing out there! Who would¡¯ve known you had so much power held up in you!¡± Miles Larson, the shortish green-haired fighter stated.
He used to be similar strength to him, but those days were long gone.
¡°Yeah, thanks a lot.¡± He replied, smiling back at him.
¡°What does your training regime look like? How did you get to this point?¡± A female student with auburn brown hair asked inquisitively to his left.
Melissa Villalobos, a somewhat average member of their year. He hadn¡¯t spent much time around her, and resembled the bog-standard cadet in a C-grade institute, likely to never enter the military.
¡°I just train hard everyday and do a lot of different stuff. The vault helps a lot too.¡± Cael replied, hiding as much as he could about his system.
¡°Are you sure that would get you from the worst here to the best?¡± She asked, a little more confrontational this time.
Cael could feel the passive aggression in her words, reading through her ruse of politeness.
¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± He replied, with a slight bit of boldness to his voice.
He could see the girl was slightly taken off guard by his change of tone, and looked more timid almost instantly.
¡°I was just asking, maybe there¡¯s something else that¡¯s making you this good.¡± She replied, awkwardly shaking the back of her head.
¡°No.¡± Cael awkwardly replied.
As he tried to focus more on the match, there were just several voices asking him endless questions. It was like he was surrounded by the paparazzi; it felt like brick walls were closing in on him, thinning the air around him.
The room hadn¡¯t gotten any warmer, but it felt very much so for Cael.
It was hard for him to even keep his mind on the fights at hand.
¡°Students! Just because you aren¡¯t fighting doesn¡¯t mean that you shouldn¡¯t be watching. Everybody can learn from what is happening.¡±
¡°Finally.¡± Cael uttered in his mind, almost uttering such.
The intensity of the crowd that surrounded him calmed, and he could finally feel his breath coming back to him.
Sparring
¡°You did good.¡± Vanessa stated, watching the fight beside him.
Cael felt slightly uncomfortable from the compliment, but Vanessa looked no such way. She just continued watching the match, giving Cael a slight glance as he gave her no reply.
¡°Thanks a lot.¡± He replied, also keeping his eyes onto the match.
¡°Would you wanna train sometime? Just us. I want you to teach me a few things.¡± Vanessa offered, moving her head to try and get a better angle of the current spar.
Cael felt bemused by this offer from her. She was usually quite closed off in training and found it a lot more fun to train with the others like Friso and Keagan.
Whenever they sparred or trained together, she acted like she was forced to most times.
Once it was over, she¡¯d maybe give him a single word before not giving him another glance.
The session soon came to an end, and the day ended soon after.
Cael took his lone path not to his home but instead to his workplace. He decided to check in on the place, opening to see a large cobweb in the corner of the work area.
Along with that, he arrived at the control room in the upper area of the industrial unit to find dust covering the buttons used to control the lighting and heating of the place.
¡°It¡¯s been too long.¡± He told himself, as he blowed the dust off the different coloured buttons.
With some of the time that he had left in his day, Vanessa and Cael met in one of the training grounds to begin their sparring.
Vanessa was clad in her own training uniform, revealing her attractive, athletic physique. Just as Cael was starting to fight, he almost felt flustered and taken aback by her beauty. After so much time spent around her, it felt odd that he hadn¡¯t taken note of her attractiveness for so long.
Her blonde hair was kept up into a ponytail, with a few golden strands of hair flowing down over her face. She faced him with a face of seriousness, with her enchanting, hypnotising blue eyes.
Cael assumed his own battle stance, holding his fists up to just below his chin.
Vanessa crouched down slightly, with one hand pulled to her side and the other held lower.
¡°Let¡¯s go for 5 5-minute rounds. We¡¯ll have a few minutes break in between.¡± She stated with a calm, but somewhat bold voice.
She spoke with serious conviction, and remained totally firm in her stance as she talked. It looked almost unnatural to see her stood in such a way. Even the strongest of gales wouldn¡¯t have shook her.
¡°Alright then. That sounds good to me.¡± Cael replied.
With 5-minute rounds, he knew that fatigue would set in eventually. However, it was all for the greater good. Work now would only benefit him in the future.
Across from them, Vanessa¡¯s mobile teleporter projected a hologram displaying a digital clock. A 10-second timer was running down, and soon reached zero.
Fwoosh!
Vanessa rushed forward with energy and vigour, swivelling her body to throw her heel straight at Cael¡¯s arms.
He saw no need to do anything extravagant here since the attack wouldn¡¯t land on his actual body. He blocked the attack rather well, and didn¡¯t seem to move very far back from the strike, either.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Cael had just managed to take some of Blaine¡¯s full power strikes so these paled in comparison. They had some weight to them, but it wasn¡¯t anything he couldn¡¯t handle.
He wanted to attack back, but could see that Vanessa¡¯s assault was not over. As soon as she landed, she aimed to strike back with a punch aimed straight at his face.
Her fist was sent hurtling toward his head, but he had ample time to properly readjust himself and evade. The tight, advancing fist just slipped past him, merely inches from his left ear.
Now in this new position, he was given a better view of Vanessa. She was open in several areas but the place he went for was the head.
Throwing a swift, precise right hand straight directly after, his fist cleanly slammed into her jaw.
POW!
A sense of guilt washed over him as he watched her whole body fall back in response. The hair laid calmly across her cheek was shot up as her head jolted back.
Cael looked almost startled, and just stood there with his fist still lifted. His mind couldn''t let him hit her again after seeing what he¡¯d done.
¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked, almost furious with him from her intimidating tone.
¡°S-Sorry?¡± Cael asked, almost flabbergasted by her statement.
¡°Come on! Fight back!¡± She demanded, slugging her fist forward.
Cael just about managed to dodge that strike, but was unable to intercept the next strike aimed straight for his stomach. There wasn¡¯t enough time to assume his signature low guard, and he was smart with her moves.
Even if she wasn¡¯t the very strongest, she¡¯d received the best training out of anybody here being a Fonti family member.
Vanessa continued in this rather aggressive manner, which didn¡¯t play to her favour. She felt able to continue this swift flurry of hits, but Cael had already began to see through her movements.
He could discern a punch now aimed for his head and so, threw in a kick to her ribs before it could reach him.
Her arm was lifted in this motion, which gave him a perfect line of trajectory straight into the side of her torso. The impact was heavy, and once again knocked her aside.
Each attack he landed seemed to do some serious damage to her physically, but not mentally. Her eyes remained as resolute and fiery as ever, her eyes would lock straight back onto him after every hit.
Vanessa continued with her tactical but aggressive style of battle, but had almost met an insurmountable challenge. She was strategic, but Cael was even more so.
She had the slight upper hand with her first strike initially, but the tides strongly flowed in Cael¡¯s favour. He had almost broken down her style, knowing which attack she¡¯d throw from just the micro-movements of her body.
Vanessa grunted with anger, thrusting her leg straight for his face in an arc. He could tell that she¡¯d become more furious over this battle from her lack of success. It did make sense -he did just defeat Blaine after all- but it still infuriated her.
Reason and logic cannot calm the mind in the heat of battle.
Cael, lifting his arms up to his head and dipping down, slipped right under this attack before stepping to the side, still in a crouched position.
With her left leg coming crashing back down into the ground, she accepted this momentum and thrusted up her right leg.
The previously planted foot whipped through the air, with its heel on track to slam into Cael¡¯s chin. With a slight sidestep and dip, the leg flew straight over his head once again.
Finally, he saw the slight time-window that he needed to pounce. Leaping straight toward her, he lifted both legs and tightened up almost into a ball. His knees reached up to his chest, before he shot both legs out with force.
He landed a double drop kick, throwing her straight into the air. The collision sounded deep and heavy, with Vanessa being sent flying back into an intense roll.
Unlike before, where she was able to mask the pain and injury, she grimaced and grunted.
The damage she¡¯d amassed was reaching her limit. Instead of her snappy advances straight back to Cael after being hit like these, her raise to her feet was sluggish and weak.
A strong sense of guilt kept Cael still. If she didn¡¯t have the willpower or strength to charge at him, he wouldn¡¯t either. It would just be too disheartening to go all out with her in this state.
Fury started to grow in her upon seeing Cael just suspend the battle. Before she could say a word, she was saved by the bell.
Much to Cael¡¯s displeasure, Vanessa forced him to go through the rounds. During this time, he tried his best to act as if he was constantly trying his hardest to appease her. Even when she was so tired to the point where she couldn¡¯t even get words out, she¡¯d signal for him to advance.
It was almost sadistic. Cael thought he understood Vanessa up until now, but he saw a totally different side of her. She resembled a true warrior; never fearing the challenge ahead and almost eager for it.
With not much longer in the last round, Vanessa stumbled to a knee a few metres from Cael. Her lip looked busted, with a stream of blood trickling down her sweat-covered face.
The previous mental vigour and fortitude that she had was slowly slipping away. After trying so hard to beat Cael and being unable to do so, she looked and felt crushed.
Totally crushed.
¡°I do mean something!¡± She whispered, almost coming to tears.
Seconds later, the bell rang, and she whispered the same thing again.
¡°I do mean something...¡±
Thud!
NovaPlex
She fell onto her side, and Cael almost reflexively rushed to her side. However, as he advanced, he could see her roll onto her back, seemingly okay.
She heaved in and out with exhaustion whilst blankly staring at the ceiling, then she looked back to the approaching Cael.
¡°I¡¯m.. fine...¡± She insisted, struggling to even utter such words.
Over the several hours that he ended up spending analysing the design, he couldn¡¯t find much to tweak on it.
Whenever he theorised some adjustments that could help his design, they wouldn¡¯t amount to much in terms of overall improvement.
Only days remained before he¡¯d have to head over to the Republic of Tecros in the Aegis Confederation.
He spent the remaining part of his night planning his stay there.
The entire event would last a week, with participants being gradually eliminated from four days onwards.
Booking a spaceport flight and 5-star hotel for a week, the nerves took form again. The event was even longer than he¡¯d anticipated. It wouldn¡¯t be long at all before he¡¯d see his Stormraider bot take to the arena to show off its abilities.
During these last few days, Cael used every extra minute that he could to improve his work. Making sure it entered the ring as optimised as possible was a must.
Every time he found himself with nothing to do, it was almost like a reflex for him to spawn up the holograms to his design.
The more he augmented and worked on it, the more confident he became.
This was it. After all this time, he¡¯d have to rise to the occasion and relish the challenge.
Informing Arlo of the upcoming proceedings, he was once again proud to hear of the news. The military¡¯s flag was situated just behind Arlo, blowing in the slight breeze through the open window.
Behind him were the towering skyscrapers of Carlo City, along with the thick contrails of aircraft.
¡°You really are something, Cael. A rising star in the field of combat but also a proficient mechanic. Remember me when you make it big.¡± Arlo jokingly said, bringing Cael to laughter.
¡°If I make it there, of course.¡± He humbly replied.
Behind this humility, though, was teeming confidence. There was no arrogance; he knew individuals remained above him.
However, he knew that he had the ability to succeed. it was almost a given to him.
¡°Seriously, the growth I¡¯ve seen from you is something I haven¡¯t seen from anyone else before. The man that you¡¯ve grown to be shadows even the version of you from months ago. The sky is the limit with you, Breckenridge.¡± Arlo said with admiration.
His voice was more solemn now, with true intent behind his words.
¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Cael said earnestly, bowing in his presence.
Even after receiving compliments from him before, he couldn¡¯t hide the odd feeling that it gave him every time he heard this praise.
The feeling was still novel to him.
In a few days time, Cael packed his things and prepared himself for the departure to Tecros. Upon arriving, every mechanic would be given the same facilities to fabricate their designs into something great.
The ethos of Tecros and the entire Aegis Confederation for that matter was based on giving people equal opportunity. With that, they could really see those with talent and not just those with a strong, successful background.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
He boarded a similar spacecraft to what he was used to but boarding a different airline this time. This was Eastern Aegis Airways. He could feel the aircraft was a little smoother than the others he was used to, and it was slightly faster.
This was harder to gauge when just flying through the abyss of space, though. To him, it was light the spaceship wasn¡¯t even moving, really.
The flight was the longest he had ever taken, totalling to 44 hours before it reached Aesica, the capital of Tecros. The population of this city was a whopping 140 million; below him was almost a sea of skyscrapers and urbanity.
He arrived in the late evening, when his body was used to it being the morning. There were several dazzling lights illuminating the area, that was totally jaw dropping.
Some skyscrapers reached just a few hundred metres below the spacecraft, that was more than 1 mile tall.
He soon arrived at the spaceport and navigated through the complexity of the hallways to arrive at the aircar taking him to his hotel. The main thing he took away from his experience was the accent that surrounded him.
It was totally different to what he was used to back in the Soburg Empire. The accent seemed smoother, more elegant and posher.
There stood a neo-futuristic structure, with several swirling, smooth substructures that elegantly intertwined and flowed together. Around edges were several plants and other greenery, adding to the aesthetic of this place.
At its top floor were five glowing stars, illuminating the building within this growing darkness.
Just below it was the title ¡®Elysium Resort¡¯
It was very luxurious, and he was ushered by several suited men to his room, wearing clean, white gloves.
The ground had not even a speck of dirt on the ground, something Cael was not used to seeing with his sharp vision. After increasing his mana volume, objects just looked dirtier to him.
Arriving at his room, it resembled that of a pod. It wasn¡¯t very capacious, but it certainly made up for that with a sleek, futuristic appearance.
He opened up to a superking bed, with window doors that opened up to a wide balcony. In this balcony was a small pod, with multi-coloured fish happily splashing around in it.
There was a soothing warmth trickling up his body as he entered, almost calming him from the cooler exterior he had just walked through.
¡°Enjoy your stay.¡± The man behind him commented, with the new accent he was still acclimatising to.
He gave himself an extra two days for him to get used to the jetlag that he knew was coming. It didn¡¯t take long before he felt close to his best self, and he spent the evening of the last of these 2 days to explore the vast city before him.
On his balcony, as the sun reddened and approached the horizon, he just spent this time taking in the view and being taken aback by it.
Even through the dense network of skyscrapers and towers were dense collections of trees and greenery. Even vines flowed down many of the skyscrapers and towers, giving this place quite the unique aesthetic.
The first place that he arrived at was the history of the area. He found himself enthralled by how the entire area came to be.
It was one of the earliest states established as Earth started to explore past the Earth¡¯s dubbed local group. They stood close to the principals that Earth had gained, fond on the ideas of altruism, equity and kindness.
¡°Looks like the Soburg Empire needs to learn some lessons from them.¡± Cael humorously commented to himself, exploring the displayed history all around the place.
As he did so, he was almost startled by who he saw.
¡°Leon! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you here!¡± Cael said, dapping up his friend.
The smile on his face only intensified once he caught note of his classic rainbow socks.
¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you here, either. I didn¡¯t know this place had so much history. Compared to the Soburg Empire, it really is ancient. They¡¯re talking about stuff that happened before we even had teleportation, it¡¯s so crazy!¡± Leon said.
Spending some more time in this museum, they coalesced into a group to explore the city even further. They found themselves at restaurants, enjoying the international cuisine. It was different, but still amazing to try.
It seemed like there was just good food everywhere that he was missing out on.
To end off the day, they arrived at some of the science centres of the city, showing off the cutting edge technology the world had to offer.
¡°Here, the new and improved autonomous bot engineered by the Alnwick Foundation. The Phoenix Mark V!!¡± An announcement stated, with a man pointing his hands to a pristine, gleaming bot.
Its surface seemed almost glossy, and there were feathered wings that extended outward slightly after this announcement. Its main frame was lean, but extremely compact to the point where it didn¡¯t even seem possible.
The several abilities of this bot were showcased, like its overwhelming strength, speed and agile flight. As the two watched, those around them stood there in fascination whilst they subconsciously pieced apart the design, trying their best to understand how it functioned.
¡°These Alnwicks are always stealing the show. Who would¡¯ve known their business expanded all the way to Tecros?¡± Leon commented, with his arms crossed.
After their nice day in the city, Cael took this time to really take in the situation he was placed in. The nerves were getting to him, making his nightly slumber a little rougher than usual.
At midday the following morning, he¡¯d have to arrive at the NovaPlex. This was a site of various stadiums -including the largest in all Tecros- and other smaller sites used to host the Autobot Showdown.
To host the various parts of this event, the entire complex had to be expanded past its already vast size.
Desperation
At 11:30, Cael was already at the site and ready to perform. Once he arrived at the area, registering as a participant in the event, he was taken to a large interior hall of thousands of other people taking part in this event.
This wasn¡¯t even all of them from what he assumed, as the hall had the title ¡®Basement Hall D¡¯.
Just standing here, he could feel the nerves in the tense air. Many of those standing here talked to each other, with some very enthusiastic and excited to participate.
As for others, they seemed overwhelmed by the pressure and didn¡¯t even move in their positions. Cael felt like an alien amongst these people, where more than 90% of them likely had no mana to begin with.
His physique gained a few eyes, and stood out like a sore thumb.
Just like with the Fighter-Mechanic Event, these mechanics were directed to the main fields, that were now electric with hundreds of thousands of people looking down on them.
The lights were almost blinding, even if it was still the early afternoon. They seemed even brighter than the radiating sunlight illuminating them.
There were several flashing lights as pictures were excessively and incessantly taken.
Hearing the uproar around him, Cael couldn''t help but feel the weight of the pressure. Looking around to the nervous faces that surrounded him, he knew he wasn''t alone.
As they arrived, there was a row of officials, stood tall and with their arms behind their backs. They didn''t even move their heads upon the participants'' advances, their bodies remained totally still.
The mechanics arrived on a gridded canvas, that was so vast that around 10,000 of these mechanics fitted on it with no issue.
¡°Welcome everybody to the start of the show. Welcome to the ULTIMATE AUTOBOT SHOWDOWN!!¡± The announcer called out, standing forward from the row of individuals staring down the mechanics.
They were tall, with large and muscular frames. For many of them, they looked like giants but it wasn¡¯t anything Cael wasn¡¯t used to.
¡°Here are the contestants that will be entertaining the million of you in the crowd and the billions watching online. Before we get into the show, we¡¯ll give you all a briefing to show you spectators what you¡¯re here to watch, and the participants what you¡¯re here to do.¡±
As he said this, a large billboard appeared behind him, with copies of the displayed image being projected in four corners of the highest area of the stadium.
¡°The first event will be the first of a series that we refer to as the preliminaries. As long as these amazing mechanics here make a complete design, their design will compete in every section of this preliminary round. The first part will consist of the infamous Gauntlet!¡±
During his introduction, holograms were displayed in these four windows of autonomous bots, being slowly spun around.
¡°In this gauntlet, each of the participants¡¯ bots will be pit against increasingly difficult foes in the form of animal-like bots designed by the greatest designers in Tecros!¡±
¡°The next part of this series will be an obstacle course. The bot will have to cover harsh terrain and run into several obstacles and challenges along the way!¡±
¡°Now, to begin with these preliminaries, these mechanics have to actually make their bots. With their designs hopefully done already, we will give each of them a working area in some of our several hangar factories to get their bot up and running!¡± The announcer stated.
¡°What will then follow -after only the most talented mechanics get selected- will be a bracketed tournament in the form of 1v1s between these various bots to see which one is truly the best geared for combat!!¡± The announcer finalised.
With that, the announcer started to get into the less interesting rules and regulations of the event. The crowd didn''t seem as electric during this portion - the information was tailored more toward the mechanics than the spectators.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
After the thorough rundown, the mechanics were escorted off the large, circular ring and were taken to a secluded area of the enormous complex.
Here, there were several massive hangars, with robotic arms slowly moving apart heavy metals and other materials.
At the base of the hangar were rows and rows of squared pods with glowing holograms, providing a platform for them to produce their designs with.
¡°Each individual should have everything that they need. There are masks and several gloves for handling alloys and metals, and robotic arms to help with the heavy lifting.¡± The man at the front announced, with a strong Tecrosian accent.
¡°You will be allocated 10 hours 15 minutes from now. You can take breaks as you please but as you take a break, the 10-hour time limit will be running down. For you to request resources, use the pods assigned to you. Request a certain amount of material and the conveyor belt ahead of each student should deposit what you asked for in neat packages.¡± He explained, directing them to the sight of where they soon to work.
¡°Use the arms to hold the heavy materials that you require, and to stabilise your design when you want to work on them.¡±
¡°Good luck, mechanics. I hope you complete your designs to their very fullest.¡± The man announced, as the massive door opening to this hangar was slowly lifted.
Cael¡¯s breath was almost taken by the density and vastness of this hangar. It looked big enough to have its own clouds!
It stretched up more than 50 metres, and was around 80 metres by 40 metres in terms of ground area.
Each mechanic was given a platform to work with, and the several mechanics strapped up themselves with masks and gloves.
What Cael initially realised was that everybody¡¯s work was open for anyone to peek at. He felt like there was supposed to be some form of punishment for doing this and noticed tens of suited officials stood around the area, keenly keeping their eyes on each student.
It seemed like nobody was daring enough to place their eyes on others¡¯ work. As for the first few minutes, there wouldn¡¯t even be much to look at anyway.
The pod ahead of Cael lit up soon after his arrival at his designated spot. Just ahead of him was the number 046, which was likely the ID for his pod.
The first panel detailed several items that were available for request, stating that their arrivals would be in as little as 2 minutes. Along with that, there were several other materials that he needed to get his hands on as soon as possible.
Another main panel showed him that he could log in to his TechForge simulation account to download the required design files for his creation process.
Apparently, the system had some decent security measures if he was given the luxury of that much control.
When he began the downloading process, which lasted less than a second, he could see that the options available for him were extremely limited.
As soon as he downloaded the items, his already narrow access to the marketplace was severed.
In these few minutes, Cael started to receive his requested items. They came in large, metal boxes that clicked open to reveal his materials.
Across the white-walled factory, illuminated by beaming white lighting, a floating counter appeared across the furthest wall from Cael.
It showcased a 60-second timer, that steadily reached zero and the several mechanics rushed into action.
Cael felt calmer than he expected, being slightly affected by nerves but he relaxed as time passed. His mind was initially affected by the high-stakes tournament but creating designs was just far too natural for him.
It didn¡¯t take long for him to enter his element during the assembly process.
Spending a few minutes with beginning his alloy-forming, he scanned his surroundings to see that there was easy access to other¡¯s designs.
Each pod did have several metal arms and systems that obscured his view partially. Although, with keen and smart enough glances, he could magpie stuff around him.
For now, he didn¡¯t know if he was following the rules, or just being covert. Therefore, he didn¡¯t want to just lose this opportunity he was given. Additionally, he was confident in himself. He was sure that he didn¡¯t need to rely on others¡¯ designs.
A young mechanic to his left gave suspicious, prolonged gazes at the surrounding designs, almost trembling in place. Upon looking at him, he soon noticed that almost everybody around him seemed nervous and unstable.
Tap! Tap!
To his right, two suited officials advanced in confusingly robotic marches. The two men were in complete unison, grabbing the student by his arms.
¡°What did I do?! WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!¡± He roared, trying to free himself from his grasp.
Almost every surrounding mechanic stopped in place, totally bemused by the incident.
¡°You have been disqualified from the Ultimate Autobot Showdown due to excessive misconduct.¡± One of the men declared, tugging him away from his pod.
As this happened, the glowing, active parts of his workstation dimmed, with the pod number also vanishing.
This situation was almost enlightening to Cael. He was taking this tournament very seriously of course, it would do a lot for him if he performed well. However, for others, this wasn¡¯t just a good way to get eyes on them.
It was a way out.
A way to not just success but an actual, stable, successful lifestyle to begin with. Just doing well in the preliminary event would at least land somebody a decent job for an interplanetary mechanical firm.
Doing better than that would secure even more boons.
Stormraider is Born
As Cael returned to his work, the words of the official re-entered the forefront of his mind.
¡°You have been disqualified from the Ultimate Autobot Showdown due to excessive misconduct.¡±
¡°Excessive?¡± Cael asked himself internally, almost stopping in place as he placed an ingot of metal into his crucible.
Of course! These individuals were meant to stop the mechanics from going too far, but minor cheating was almost impossible to prevent unless they had cameras and drones surveying them from various angles.
This was something they didn¡¯t have, which meant they couldn¡¯t be totally stopped.
Cael just continued with his own exosuit design, working off the design hologram placed beside him to reference from.
The hours soared by, and many more mechanics were eliminated due to their ¡®excessive misconduct¡¯. Trying to see how much cheating was allowed was almost playing with fire.
However, the most desperate were more than willing to play with those flames to get even the smallest gains. At the end of the day, this event was player versus player.
A minor benefit could pit themselves tens of places ahead right away.
Even with his greater focus, Cael could not overcome his growing, encumbering sense of fatigue. 10 hours were allowed to them, and a little over five remained, but he simply sat into one of the comfy chairs available to them in his pod.
Since most of the participants didn¡¯t even have mana, many of them couldn¡¯t spend hours upon hours standing up and working without a break.
Cael had felt no physical tiredness, it was almost strictly mental.
Standing ahead of his design, he could see the upper body and lower body frames, with the dense network of wiring flowing over the metal frames.
Sitting down for about fifteen minutes, he decided to continue with his design and felt the time almost flow by. Giving a few glances to the other designs at hand, his keen eyesight meant that he could see quite a lot.
From what he glanced at, he actually performed some minor improvements to part of his armour assembly and the internals.
What he saw made a weird tingling feeling flow down his spine as he noted the technical skill of his competitors. Nobody here seemed to be a novice.
Everybody used skilled assembly techniques and did so with precision and speed.
This wasn''t going to be an easy event to perform in in any way.
After the long 10-hour creation process, the sun was starting to set across the horizon and his tall, 6¡¯2 exosuit design was finally complete.
It stood beside him, and he now had to install the programming modules that he had previously created for his bot.
The modules were installed into Stormraider¡¯s mind, and its dull eyes started to glow red.
¡°Greetings, my creator.¡± The bot stated to Cael, with a nod toward him.
¡°Greetings, stormraider.¡± Cael replied with a chuckle, taken aback by the robot¡¯s human greeting.
It felt weird talking to a being that he¡¯d almost created from thin air. 10 hours before, the bot¡¯s body was still just metal ingots and loose components. With his work, it was an intelligent, sentient being.
The surrounding mechanics were similarly exhausted, with almost everybody lying almost lifelessly in their seats.
Numerous stomach rumbles could be heard from within the hangar, and many of the mechanics looked visibly liberated by the time ending.
In this time, the bots were ushered away by more military-esque officials, to prepare them for the upcoming events.
¡°That is the end of your fabrication process. Please take the remaining time to rest, eat, and prepare for the gauntlet.¡± An official, looking back to the group of mechanics behind dark sunglasses.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Cael and the other mechanics were returned to a main centre of one of the stadiums within the complex. It wasn¡¯t the stadium where the tournament''s main events were going to take place. They were mainly here just to rest and prepare for the preliminaries.
Upon arriving at this area, Cael was surprised to see Leon meet him soon after.
¡°Hey there, Cael! How did your design go?¡± He asked, startling him as he approached him from behind.
¡°Oh, hey, Leon! It went alright, to be honest. The workstation was a bit of work to get used to but everything worked pretty well. The furnace melted my alloys pretty quickly too.¡± Cael replied.
The two just conversed about the whole creation process, with Leon clearly knackered from the whole process. Cael was, but was lucky to have a sturdy, durable body.
The group of mechanics were dispersed across this commercial area, but there was one area with a dense collection of participants. Leon seemed to know exactly what was going on here, but Cael looked clueless.
¡°What are all those people there for?¡± Cael asked, pointing in the direction of the large group.
Leon looked almost startled upon seeing his overt movement, almost grabbing his arm to put it down.
¡°Do you not know any mechanics at all? He¡¯s Roman Kirschbaum. In the Aegis Confederation, he¡¯s almost like a mini-celebrity. He made his first exosuit design at just 9 years old!¡± Leon loudly whispered in admiration.
For Leon to call another person a genius in such a way was almost scary to Cael. He already believed Leon to be one of the smartest people he¡¯d ever seen. If Roman was even on a greater level than that, how smart was he, really?
Judging from the amount of attention he¡¯d garnered here, he could tell there was something about him.
During his constant gaze toward him, he met eyes with the green-haired man. He looked young but was slightly older than them both, being 19 years old. Compared to the mechanics admiring him, he had a better physique.
Cael could almost tell that he had mana from his musculature. He was still almost skinny compared to Cael, but was still athletic and muscular.
The people surrounding him retreated, letting Roman stare the seated mechanic down. His gaze was controlled and exuded anger and utter confidence.
¡°What are you looking at?!¡± He asked, with his arms crossed.
He was clad in ripped jeans, with an expensive designer shirt, gleaming green tracksuit top and sleek, white trainers.
Across his left arm was also a crystal green watch that scintillated under the bright lighting of this area.
¡°Nothing, man.¡± Cael replied, nonchalantly.
His voice had not the slightest bit of fear in it, and he continued looking at Roman after saying this. Some of the spectators, including Leon, were terrified by this situation at hand. Leon¡¯s cheeks started to redden, and he awkwardly readjusted his position in his seat.
Roman slowly walked forward, continuing to try and stare into Cael¡¯s soul. As he approached, Leon almost reflexively retreated back in his seat but Cael didn¡¯t move an inch.
There would be no need to.
Roman stopped until they were both just an arm¡¯s length from one another.
¡°Keep looking at me like that and I¡¯ll get your position in this tournament revoked. Do you not know who I am?¡± He asked, staring down at him boldly.
Cael stood up, now towering over the boy that tried to previously scare him. His raising even caused the bench he sat on to creak due to his size.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m from the Soburg Empire so I didn¡¯t know much about you or anything in this place. I do apologise for my ignorance.¡± Cael replied, as Roman retreated by a step.
His eyes did not look off his target, and Roman seemed to shudder slightly upon taking his next breath.
¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you off for now. Don¡¯t annoy me again!¡± He ordered, turning away with his arms crossed.
After an hour of resting and getting a nice meal to rejuvenate, the mechanics were then given another announcement as to what was to happen going forward.
¡°For the first event, the gauntlet, each mechanic will be directed to a specific indoor arena where their own autonomous bot will begin facing the various level threats that we have on offer.¡± A message called out from speakers in the dining area.
Checking the various billboards and touchscreens littered across the stadium, the mechanics were able to find out where they had to go next. Cael was directed to the ¡®INDOOR ARENA 018¡¯, which was in one of the minor buildings of the complex.
Each of these arenas had a capacity of probably around a thousand people; these events weren¡¯t watched very much. The only individuals that received great traction were some of the more venerated mechanics taking part, like Roman Kirschbaum.
With Cael in a provided front-row seat, he was given a clear view of what was about to go down in the arena. Only a few hundred people scattered around this arena were sat, and didn¡¯t look very enthusiastic about the upcoming event.
This was a given, it was clear that Cael was going to be the most excited about what was to happen. It did actually mean something to him, whilst the other spectators were just here to be entertained.
¡°Alright, ladies and gentlemen, Cael Breckenridge¡¯s WM Stormraider autonomous bot will be taking part in the gauntlet. Let¡¯s see how far this thing goes!¡± One of the commentators announced, as his bot was revealed to the crowd.
There was a customary applause as the bot revealed itself, clinging tightly to its electric baton. The area was slightly dim, illuminated by the dimming sun and the white lighting over the arena.
The arena consisted of a flat, dusty surface, with a cage protecting the spectators from anything occurring in the ring.
¡°Come on, Stormraider!¡± Cael whispered, rubbing his hands together.
This was it. After designing his autonomous bot and working so hard to create the design, he couldn¡¯t wait to see what it was capable of.
Ahead of Stormraider were several gates that lifted, revealing the darkness behind them. Cael looked on with trepidation of what was to come but Stormraider felt no such fear. It held its baton even more tightly and entered a battle stance, solidly awaiting what was to come.
¡°Let the show begin!¡± The announcer shouted, as the gates were fully lifted.