[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 96: Need a Light?

Lovejoy waited in his pod. His initial high at the news of his successful advancement made way for apprehension. He knew that he'd face formidable opponents from now on. Even those ranked near the bottom of the top 100 posed a threat to him with the right mech.

"Hopefully my designer has got a brain this time and provides me with a sword."

In order to ensure fairness, the pilots did not have any contact with the outside world. Cadet Lovejoy had no impression of his mech designer, other than his work was solid. If he could produce a mech like the Unicorn under three hours, it meant he was a viable contender.

He licked his lips. "If I manage to reach the finals and stand out, I might get an offer from the Carnegie Group's Mech Corps."

Every cadet from the Abelard Academy dreamed of joining the Mech Corps. Those employed directly in the Group's most prestigious branch enjoyed the most riches and authority. In return, they'd have to participate in the most pitched battles under their flag and had to live a regimented life.

"Even with the obligations, such an impressive job will set me up for life."

His pod lit up. His mech stood ready to receive his consciousness. Cadet Lovejoy opened up his mind and fell into the usual routine of letting his mind engulf his new mech.

"What the, it's there again?!" He muttered as he felt a tingling brush past his mind. "There's definitely something wrong with my neural interface. Why didn't I report this anomaly to the technicians yesterday?"

He swore to himself. He was about to enter a match. This was no time to fix his technical issues.

"Urgh. Next time then."

Once the connection process finished, Lovejoy cautiously extended his senses. He found nothing out of place, so he let down his guard and beheld his new mech.

The sensations overwhelmed him for a bit. The mech moved so smooth that he was confused whether it was his own body. Though he eventually calmed down when he experienced the usual sluggishness customary to mechs, he still enjoyed this new mech.

"This machine is a lot better than the training mechs of the academy!" He exclaimed once he got used to its movements. "Too bad the designer chose to accompany my mech with a longsword."

Mech longswords were characterized by their versatility. They could be wielded with one hand or two hands and they could both slash and pierce through well-protected sections if accompanied by sufficient force.

This versatility also turned them into the jack-of-all-trades of mech swords. Lovejoy preferred wielding larger two-handed swords. His fighting style revolved around generating rotational momentum in order to unleash a flurry of devastating slashes. Such a style put great importance on the durability of the weapon.

The match started before he could consider anything else. The darkness around him disappeared, revealing a desert arena environment.

Lovejoy was ambivalent about the environment. His mech did not rely too much on heat-generating weapons so he should have an advantage. On the other hand, the lack of obstacles meant he could be shot down from a distance. It all depended on the opponent.

When Lovejoy turned on his sensors, he spotted a very powerful signal. "That's got to be a heavy mech."

His brows furrowed at the discovery. Heavy mechs sacrificed mobility for armor and firepower. Each mech that wanted to take down a heavy boulder like that had to make a lot of sacrifices.

His Sword Dancer stepped closer. He took his time due to the limited size of the arena. The moderate pace also allowed him to adjust his footing on the sandy soil. Each environment posed different challenges to mechs, and sandy deserts played hell with footing. Fortunately, while his mech's legs were not too big, the soles were sufficiently wide enough to avoid sinking too deep.