The boy could only grit his teeth as he endured the light laser blasts digging into his Fantasia's rear armor. He only managed to endure until now because the enemy's Fantasia lacked the capacity to field heavier firepower. However, just its basic pistol possessed enough punch to eventually slag the 2R-E's armor into a puddle. Shifter66's own pistol had already been shot to pieces and he could only try to make potshots with his heavier but unwieldy marksman rifle.
"You asshole! Are you a monkey or a man? Stand still for a moment!"
The 1R ignored the complaint, and resolutely kept up its dodging. The boy knew he couldn't let this merry-go-round continue, so he activated his boosters and just rocketed into the trees. His mech crashed through the trees with minor difficulty, though he accumulated internal structure damage with each tree felled. He couldn't keep this up for long.
Nonetheless, Shifter66 managed to retake the initiative. The 1R's pilot panicked. Allowing the 2R-E to build up distance meant exposing him to powerful laser fire. He hastily followed after the rocketing mech, inadvertently lining up right behind the 2R-E's Gemini system.
"Behold my ultimate move!" Shifter66 yelled as he slammed his fist on the secondary ejection button. The Fantasia's twin cockpit whooshed forward from the Gemini model in another fiery blast. This time the cockpit kept up a straight forward trajectory. Changing that setting was the only thing the boy prepared in advance before he dove into his next match.
The cockpit rocketed backwards with a speedy but avoidable trajectory. The 1R could easily step sideways if it kept its chassis in the correct stance. Unfortunately the stock model chased after the 2R-E with full speed, allowing for very little leeway to dodge immediately. By the time the 1R managed to shift its torso, the blazing cockpit slammed its right shoulder to pieces.
The Fantasia 1R massed much less than the G-H, so the impact this time resulted in much heavier damage even though it occurred off-center. Practically half its shoulder and the entire arm blew apart. The battered cockpit flew off in a random direction with the Fantasia's gun stuck in its shell.
"Haha, you're mine now!"
The boy was ecstatic to see his gamble succeed. He stopped the boosters, causing his mech to abruptly slow down and trip. It took an embarrassingly long time to get his mech up its feet, but the kid felt too flushed with success to feel any bother about it. The 2R-E lumbered back to the crashed 1R model.
The loss of a shoulder and an arm shouldn't have crippled a Fantasia 1R. most of its essential systems rested in its waist, so as long as it possessed two functional legs, it could still outplay the 2R-E. The pilot eventually lacked the skill to compensate for its damage, as all he could accomplish so far was to run around in circles.
The boy stopped his approach and raised his mech's rifle. The beams had a little difficulty keeping up a consistent aim, but the sheer number of shots succeeded in punching through the 1R's poor chassis.
[Winner: Shifter66.]
"Hahaha!" The boy laughed as he raised his fist. He had won again, proving him that his gold was well-spent. Though clumsy, his mech held a few surprises, and anyone who thought he was an easy target would get a nasty present.
Triceratopssss on the other hand cursed Shifter66's luck. He felt a little glad that he wasn't the only pilot who fell for the 2R-E's trick. He kept spectating Shifter66 as he mindlessly doved into the arena.
Subsequent matches proved that the boy had celebrated too early. Matchmaking had adjusted Shifter66's opponents after he kept relying on cheap tricks. These slightly more seasoned pilots recognized the Gemini add-on and knew what it could do. Though they laughed at the 2R-E's rear-heavy appearance, they still treated their enemy seriously.
The lighter mechs generally ran rings around Shifter66, taking small bites at a time and leaving him with little opportunity to strike back. The heavier mechs proved to be easier opponents for him, as they were less capable of dodging his newly invented ultimate move. Only the heaviest 1-star mechs could shrug off the damage caused by the sudden collision.
Remembering that he had to go home for dinner, the boy eventually called it a day. Win a couple more wins than losses in his record, the potentate felt that buying the Fantasia 2R-E was one of the best decisions in his life. Before he logged off, he added the designer in his address book.
Oblivious to the potentate, Ves looked at his System's notification with a puzzled expression.
"The mission finished that quickly? I can't believe there's someone stupid enough to buy the mech I put on sale."
Lucky concurred with a meow while shaking its mechanical behind in Ves' direction. The young man playfully picked up the pet and cuddled him against his chest.
"At least the stuff you crap out can be sold."
Now that he finally received some Design Points, Ves switched back to the shop and browsed its catalog with greater attention. The previous time he just took a casual look, choosing to ignore the more unrealistic entries as pure nonsense. Now that he swept his eyes past them again, Ves widened his eyes.
"If the System is really capable of doing this with Design Points, then meeting the next interest payment is in my grasp!"
Ves reached an unconscious threshold in his mentality. He had always been a little bit skeptical of the System which suddenly intruded in his life. Now though, he felt ready to embrace it with all its oddities.
While some designers counted on their fancy degrees to start their careers, others threw money and connections at the problem. Ves only needed the System to pave his way to the top.
[You have received a new mission.]
[Mission]
Mission: Tutorial Part 3 - Mass Production
Difficulty: F-Rank
Prerequisites: Completed Tutorial Part 2
Description
A Mech Designer should not be content at selling a model once. Real designers must have flocks of people begging to purchase their products. Please sell a hundred virtual mechs of your own creation within a month.
Reward: 1 random 10-year combat mech production licence
The System screwed him for real this time. "How am I suppose to sell a HUNDRED of them in a month?!"