Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Pectoralis
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thump, thump.
In the dim evening, Kang Geohan looked up at his giant, now moved to the mobility training field.
His heart pounded uncontrollably.
Height: 8.5 meters.
Shoulder width: 4 meters.
Thickness from chest to back: 3 meters.
Weight: 15 tons.
‘Big. Strong.’
To think this majestic war machine was his training unit!
No, calling it just a training unit didn’t do it justice. The moment he climbed aboard and took off, this overwhelming beast would feel like an extension of his own body.
‘Could this be what all bodybuilders unconsciously strive for?’
Overwhelming power. Incomparable size!
He would move this machine with his own blood and sweat. With his body and strength! He never imagined it would make his heart race like this…!
Clang! Clang!
“Slap on some more oil there!”
“Double-check the wiring!”
Kang Geohan’s giant was undergoing maintenance. With its thick armor plates opened, the interior revealed thick mana cables snaking through like muscles.
‘Even the insides are a work of art.’
Kang Geohan watched the process without a hint of boredom, practically drooling.
It wasn’t just him. Boys and girls stood around the training field, gazing up at their own giants with eyes full of awe.
While Kang Geohan was lost in admiration, a woman laden with tools sidled up beside him.
“You the lucky one who gets to pilot this beauty?”
She looked about 21. Thick glasses and cute freckles dotted her cheeks. She extended a hand for a shake.
“I’m Ren Engineer. Maintenance team leader for units 1 through 10.”
She looked young for a team leader position.
Moreover, units 1 through 10 were piloted by ranks 1 through 10. Given that symbolism, it was clear she was highly regarded among the team leaders.
Even more so,
‘Engineer… a semi-noble surname given to those exceptional in magitech engineering, right?’
Her status was above his. Kang Geohan clasped her hand politely.
“Kang Geohan Yellow. Yes, that’s me—the lucky one.”
He was in such a good mood that he didn’t bother hiding the grin slipping through his lips. Ren took it in stride, smiling back warmly.
“Yeah, you should be. Getting to ride something this awesome. Ah, I’m jealous. If only I had talent for mana affinity…”
She glanced at Kang Geohan for a moment, then began pointing out various parts of the giant, explaining them.
“Looks ordinary on the outside, right? But it’s a special one. It’s a used assembled model, yet all the parts mesh perfectly. See the armor joints and lubrication there? Top-notch. It’ll move as fluidly as your own body. Look at those plates interlocking and sliding… Ecstasy, isn’t it? Ugh…”
The armor plates curved smoothly in places, jutted out unevenly in others.
They meshed and slid in complex patterns with the giant’s movements, enabling fluid motion.
Next, she pointed to a white cylindrical component below the cockpit on the left, etched with faint circuits that glowed softly.
“And this sensory processing unit (SPU). It’s definitely an old model from about 30 years ago. But weirdly, it performs great—about 1.3 times better than in other training units. As long as you can handle it, you’ll get perception and reaction speeds like time itself is slowing down. But be careful. Having the SPU in the left abdomen means a stab or heavy hit there could cost you your sensory abilities.”
Ren Engineer warned him, then shifted her gaze to below the cockpit.
There, a golden orb pulsed slowly, connected to countless mana lines and tubes.
“This heart’s the same. It’s in ridiculously good condition. Look at it throbbing fresh like it was made yesterday. How does an A-grade part like this end up in a training depot? It’ll output at least 1.5 times more than other training units. 1.5 times! Totally busted. So treat it gently. The lower abdomen with the heart is the giant’s biggest weak spot—never let it get hit.”
She warned him again, then pointed to the thick blue cables branching out like veins across the giant.
“And they mashed together two used cooling stabilizers… but it’s miraculously well-balanced. Assembled perfectly too. Lets you overclock.”
“Overclock?”
“Yeah. Pushing the frame beyond its limits. 1.5 times normal output normally. Up to 2 times if you push it. Depends on how you handle it and the environment, but you could sustain it for a solid 10 minutes. You picked a real gem. Ah… I wanna ride it.”
Ren Engineer swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing.
She seemed a bit over-the-top, but Kang Geohan fully understood.
‘Output’s already 1.5 times baseline, and overclock can double that on top?’
Simple math: three times the power of other training units. “Off-spec” didn’t even cover it—this was overwhelming.
“So, what’s its name?”
“Huh? Kang Geohan Yel—”
“No, not you. This beauty. You’re not seriously just gonna call it Unit 2, right?”
Ren Engineer gazed up at the giant with dripping affection, even though it wasn’t hers.
“Ah… I’ve got one in mind.”
He’d been staring at it since dinner. No way he hadn’t thought of a name.
Even if it was just a training unit for three months… his feelings weren’t that simple.
‘This isn’t just a machine.’
It was another self. An expanded, more powerful body. Kang Geohan named it with affection.
“Pectoralis.”
Pectoralis. Chest muscles.
The reason every gym rat waits for Monday. A man’s pride.
Gazing at the thick, sturdy giant that matched its name, Kang Geohan couldn’t stop grinning.
* * *
Boom! Thud-!
Basic mobility training continued on the mobility field.
Nothing intense. The instructors demonstrated moves once, then left trainees to practice on their own.
Trainees trained however they saw fit. Some lumbered around with heavy steps, others sat and stood in their giants for push-ups or jumped.
“Train hard on your own. It’s just one week. One week. The only heaven you’ll get in this depot.”
The White knights serving as assistants wandered loosely, tossing advice to trainees without much oversight.
But even in that lax atmosphere, some trainees trained more fiercely than anyone.
Kang Geohan was one of them.
Drip. Drip.
Thick sweat drops trailed down his chin.
The cockpit, filled with complex mana circuits and spinning gears, blazed with light.
‘Overclock!’
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Overclock: drawing power beyond limits. As the cockpit lit up brighter, scorching heat and crushing pressure intensified.
‘Ngh…!’
A groan escaped his lips.
High output wasn’t all good. The rider had to endure every bit of it.
The dizzying weight crushing his body was a terror he had to face.
‘Grrraaah…!’
Ears ringing like he was trapped in dark ocean depths, screams boiled up from his bones.
Kang Geohan forced it down to his core. He clenched his mana and muscles, locking his abs tight so it couldn’t shake his head.
As he overcame the pressure and moved, the giant moved too.
Shing!
The perfectly lubricated armor plates ground together with a clear ring, like drawing a master sword.
Boom!
The heavy footfall shook the earth like an exploding shell.
Kwaaaang!
His fist shot out like lightning, whipping up a gale.
‘Huuuuh….’
Kang Geohan caught his breath.
Raphael White, watching his movements, advised via comms.
-Whoa… Pectoralis, right? No joke. But ease up on the max-output stuff. Start with lighter reps you can repeat more.
-Yes, sir.
-Riders are like the giant’s heart muscle. Burst power matters, but first master homeostasis—steady, consistent output anytime, anywhere.
-Yes, sir.
Kang Geohan answered obediently, but inside, he planned max-output reps even for repeats. Simple reason.
‘Mana’s like muscle. It grows fastest under heavy loads.’
Conclusion from days of checking his status window.
‘Specifically, a weight you can just barely lift 10 times. That resistance makes mana grow fastest.’
Mastering the giant mattered, but growing mana came first.
With that thought, Kang Geohan ramped Pectoralis’s output again. Pressure hit from all sides, making his body feel pinned.
But the giant didn’t slow. Quite the opposite.
‘Like max gear on a bike….’
Pushing heavy pedals makes it fly faster. Similar idea.
Giants basically followed the rider’s thoughts and intent.
Lift an arm, it lifts. Raise a foot, it raises—but because the rider willed it. Their movements didn’t have to match exactly.
No, the higher the output, the less they matched.
To make a giant sprint full-tilt, you cranked output, slamming the rider with brutal resistance.
Overcoming that to inch your body along made the giant speed up instead.
One agonizingly heavy squat from the rider sent the giant charging.
So…
‘Giants are the ultimate training machines.’
Sweat pouring, Kang Geohan jacked output again. Loading heavy weight onto his mana.
Beside him, others trained just as fiercely.
Especially the serf-born trainees.
Thoroughly thrashed by Gerot, they pushed self-training relentlessly for revenge ASAP.
Among them, the delicate-looking boy Harkrux trained at near self-harm intensity.
Raphael, noticing him, spoke up.
-Take it easy, huh? Official training’ll be brutal anyway.
-Then I’ll double down during official training.
-…Full of venom. That bad from Gerot’s beating?
-No. More curious.
-Curious?
-Why can he hit me but I can’t hit him? What’s the difference between his fist and mine…?
-…I like it.
Raphael grinned at Harkrux’s answer, glanced at nearby Kang Geohan deep in training, and added.
-Hang in there. Do well, and… you can pay back those who looked down on serfs tenfold. You guys… you can do it.
-Yes, sir!
To grow strong. To claim powerful giants as their own.
Trainees poured their all into that week of self-training.
They thought then it was their best.