Mirror Match and the Birth of an Unexpected Group of Death (Skirt with Single Blade, Let's Go Mirror Match!)
Moon Naru decided to play more defensively this time. V-Killer entered the arena fitted with a skirt and a small single blade.
National Tournament Round 3. P3nTa9on versus V-Killer. The match begins.
(Let's start with a blade-to-blade clash!)
The two robots' blades slammed into each other. They were pushed back almost identically. It felt like they'd used nearly the same technique and the impacts had canceled each other out. Both machines protected their weak points quite solidly, making a KO difficult.
(Both of us have the same weak spot. The gap between the skirt and the spinning weapon!)
The only exposed area on either robot was that single spot—the section left open for the spinning weapon. The problem was that aiming there carelessly made it the perfect position to get hit by the opponent's blade.
(You're aiming for it too, huh? Well, I can aim for it as well.)
P3nTa9on targeted V-Killer's vulnerability. But V-Killer spun around quickly and counterattacked. It looked almost like using a 1.5x reflection skill from a video game.
P3nTa9on's left skirt began to shred. It looked like a plastic panel that had been repeatedly ground against asphalt until it crumpled.
(One more time! It's coming off now!)
V-Killer's follow-up attack felt like rubbing salt in the wound. P3nTa9on's left skirt tore completely away. If you had to describe the shape, it was like a single piece of fabric had been ripped from a skirt.
(Now the wheels are visible! Just a little bit…)
With the skirt gone, P3nTa9on's wheels started to show. Because the wheels were small and the ground clearance was extremely low, they weren't very exposed.
(Oh, so you've got a blade too?)
In a single strike, P3nTa9on ripped off V-Killer's right skirt.
The power was similar, but P3nTa9on used a double-edged blade. The larger moment of inertia meant its speed decreased less with each hit—an advantage. The downside was that acceleration took longer. Less speed loss per attack versus longer acceleration time. Once again, the weakness offset the strength.
If you kept increasing the number of blades just because the pros and cons canceled out, it would be a mistake. Battle robots have a strict weight limit, so each blade would become excessively light. Naturally, the destructive power would plunge from the East Sea straight down into the Mariana Trench.
(We're both undercutter types, right? The one who hits the underside first wins!)
With the skirts torn away, both robots lightly damaged each other's exposed wheels. There were faint cracks in the wheels and slight tears in the tires. Like reflections in a mirror, the two machines inflicted and received identical damage.
(You're turning your back? What are you doing?)
Suddenly P3nTa9on spun around and shoved its rear forward. V-Killer casually struck the sloped armor and was flipped upside down. It looked like someone punching a sandbag only to get launched backward themselves.
(Still, I can get back up right away!)
As expected, V-Killer drove into the wall and flipped itself upright. This was clearly an area where the judges favored P3nTa9on. Right after that, V-Killer immediately launched a self-righting attack.
(Let's clash blades again! Yeah, still the same, huh?)
Another blade-to-blade confrontation. Once again, they were evenly matched. Before they knew it, the three-minute match time had completely run out.
“Five, four, three, two, one! Match over!”
The match moved to a judges' decision. The scores were revealed first. It was split 2-1, which made sense for such a close fight.
(Two to one… It's seriously hard to tell who'll win…)
The two robots looked identical but had subtly different forms. They had inflicted the exact same wounds on each other. The judges' verdict for this impossible-to-predict match was revealed one by one.
P3nTa9on wins. V-Killer wins. And the final judge's choice was…?
“Kyaaaaaaa…”
It was P3nTa9on's victory by judges' decision. Probably because V-Killer had been flipped once. Moon Naru was about to let out another one of her signature pterodactyl screams but swallowed it in bitter disappointment.
(I lost… But it's too early to feel sorry for myself.)
“Referees! I have an objection!”
(With a 2-1 score, there's no reason it can't be overturned in review!)
Moon Naru immediately pressed the objection button and filed a formal challenge to the decision. At the same time, she traced a small square in the air with her finger.
1. One of the competitors presses the objection button.
2. The referee panel reviews the full match footage for 3 minutes.
3. A new decision is rendered based on the review.
(There's nothing that says it can't be overturned. Please…!)
Since the match had been so close, there was a real chance of reversal. What was the result of the review?
The score remained 2-1. V-Killer wins, P3nTa9on wins, and the final judge…?
(In the end, it's the same…)
It was still P3nTa9on's victory. Although two judges had changed their minds, the final outcome remained unchanged.
The forms of the two robots in this match could be described like this: “V-Killer is Jirisan, P3nTa9on is Hallasan.” Neither was particularly tall, and their heights were nearly identical. That tiny difference in form had decided the razor-thin outcome.
Group H had finished all its first-round matches. What did the standings look like?
“One win and two losses, but… it's a three-way tie! There's still plenty of hope!”
Looking only at the first-round results, an incredibly brutal Group of Death had emerged. When the groups were first drawn, everyone had thought it would be an ordinary, predictable bracket.
1. P3nTa9on and KonKoarde would battle for 1st and 2nd.
└ As professional third-string robots, they were expected to dominate in skill.
2. V-Killer and Scary would fight for 3rd and 4th.
└ As academy-affiliated machines, they were expected to be noticeably weaker.
However, KonKoarde suffered a catastrophic loss to V-Killer. It was a crushing KO in just 0:28—one of the worst blowouts imaginable. With that single upset, the group transformed into a three-way 1-2 tie: a true Group of Death. At least for the first round.
The second round would be held after a short break. Moon Naru collected the scattered remains of V-Killer left on the arena floor.
“This one I can bend back into shape… This one needs to be replaced with a new part.”
If something was only moderately dented, she planned to repair and reuse it. If the damage was severe, she would swap it for fresh components.
“It didn’t fall apart as badly as I thought.”
After the match, Moon Naru was resting in the lounge, chatting with Lee Cheong-bi.
“Naru, I had no idea we’d end up in the same group?”
“Cheong-bi, how on earth did you lose to KonKoarde?”
“I was trying to wear it down by toying with it, but since it uses linear motors, its power never dropped~!”
“Ah, I completely forgot it had linear motors.”
“They’re not that common, right~? In the end I lost by going out of bounds at 1 minute 42 seconds~!”
Linear motors weren’t a commonly used part. They were especially rare in battle robots.
“You stepped on it so hard that it looked weak, but that thing is no pushover~!”
“You couldn’t beat P3nTa9on either, huh?”
P3nTa9on. Everyone had expected it to fight for first place, but it had been even stronger than anticipated.
“Its style is similar to yours, but it fights more cleanly so it was really hard to break through~!”
A clean fight. It sounded like a contradiction, but such a thing really existed.
“I’m heading home! See you later!”
“Take care! Let’s meet again on the same pro team someday!”
On the way home, Moon Naru fell deep into thought.
(P3nTa9on? Scary? Who should I have beaten?)
(No, if I win both matches in the second round, I advance!)
(What should I equip for each opponent?)
No matter who she had failed to beat in the first round, winning both second-round matches would secure a spot in the round of 16.
“Home at last…! Time to rest!”
Back at her house, Moon Naru immediately turned on her laptop and went to the RCLK homepage. She was looking at the trainee recruitment notices for the various RCLK teams.
The final international tournament, the IRCA World End Fight Championship. From now on she’d just call it the “Ends.” All the teams that would be participating had now been decided. Whether a team had qualified or not, it was time to recruit new trainees.
“It’s hard to introduce a draft system to battle robots~”
> The only welfare system for weak teams in RCLK is the salary cap.
> It limits the total payroll of the roster; exceeding it incurs a luxury tax.
> With no shared rookie farm system, implementing a draft is nearly impossible.
“RTH, Schnals, LJ, IDS…?”
Moon Naru noticed that one team was missing from the list.
“Why isn’t Chongchon there? Are they disbanding because they finished dead last this year?”
“If a new team joins… maybe I could…?”
For some reason, Moon Naru’s hopes of turning pro suddenly surged.
“No way… They’d probably just inherit the entire Chongchon squad…”