Hold On Tight
“**That’s** the **Atlas V Graviton Damper**.”
Scarlet’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she examined the components I’d brought.
Her gaze drifted to the pile bunker resting beside it.
“**GX-Final Impact Pile Bunker**!! How on earth… did you acquire this in such a short time? Is there really a black market I don’t know about?”
Sweat prickled my brow at her sharp question.
I couldn’t speak of the system shop.
“I already had it. Anyway, Scarlet.”
I quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Integrating this into my Bugbear. According to the promise, you should do it for free, right?”
Scarlet stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Opportunities like this are rare.”
She glanced eagerly between the Bugbear and the parts.
“But it’ll take some time. Fitting that scrap-metal frame with this will require near full redesign. At least… a week?”
“A week?”
My furrowed brow showed surprise at the long timeline. Yuna, listening quietly from the side, jumped in with a shocked expression.
“You can complete that level of modification in just a week? Don’t lie. Even Icarus needs months for a custom job of that scale.”
Disbelief colored her voice.
Scarlet’s pride stung like a rebuke. She shot Yuna a glare.
“Who are you comparing me to, those stiff Icarus engineers?”
Scarlet blew a raspberry and declared confidently, “If it’s in my hands, a week will make it a piece of cake! I’ll show you the results.”
She glanced again at the Bugbear, graviton damper, and pile bunker, her mind clearly sketching endless customization plans like a child with a complex puzzle.
“Alright… put this here, connect that like this… output distribution like so… yes! The perfect part combo just came to me.”
She exclaimed with childlike glee, as if discovering a new toy.
“Though…”
Scarlet’s tone dropped a notch.
“If I modify it exactly as I planned with these parts, you’ll probably have to scrap long-range weapons and maybe even basic defense systems. The weight balance will be off-center too. Are you sure about this?”
She pointed at the Bugbear with her chin, probing as if checking whether I truly intended to proceed.
“In normal cases, you’d consider a massive shotgun or energy cannon for close-range firepower while preserving mobility… why cling so obsessively to this dangerous, inefficient ultra-close combat?”
Her concern was entirely reasonable.
It aligned with basic modern mecha combat principles.
Yuna nodded in agreement when she finished, adding her own voice.
“Scarlet’s right, Jinwoo.”
Yuna turned to me, her eyes carrying more than casual curiosity—a pilot’s serious worry.
“Surviving a modern battlefield with nothing but a pure close-range weapon like a pile bunker is almost impossible. No matter how agile you are, you’ll be utterly outmatched in long-range firepower and sensor duels.”
She crossed her arms and continued.
“The enemy won’t even give you a chance to close in, and if they do, the damage will be catastrophic.”
Both women were correct.
From a technical and tactical standpoint, their insights were spot-on.
If I were an ordinary pilot, I would have followed their advice without question.
But I was no ordinary pilot.
I possessed the special ability **Kinetic Flow**, and above all, I had survived the insane chaos of **Galaxy Titans World**.
I had stood at the very top by means others deemed impossible. It would work here too.
No, it *had* to work.
I met each of their concerned gazes in turn and spoke in a steady voice.
“The risk is already acknowledged. In fact, maybe that’s precisely why it matters.”
I looked at Scarlet.
“So focus only on delivering the best possible result. I trust your skill completely.”
My words held unyielding conviction—no room for further compromise or persuasion.
Scarlet stared into my eyes for a moment as if reading them, then shrugged with a smirk.
“Alright then, let’s get started.”
She brought up the holographic design again and began gathering tools around her, muttering to herself.
She waved us away with irritation, addressing me and Yuna.
“Alright, viewing time is over. I need to concentrate. You two can step out for a bit, okay?”
Her expression was genuinely annoyed.
“I can’t stand anyone hovering around me while I work.”
As Scarlet’s words ended, loud rock music suddenly blared through the entire workshop.
“Ugh! My ears!”
Yuna yelped and reflexively clamped both hands over her ears.
She frowned in pain, then without a single complaint turned sharply and bolted out of the workshop.
“I’ll be back in a week.”
Scarlet kept waving dismissively as if she hadn’t heard. I shrugged and left the workshop with her.
Outside, Yuna was still holding her ears, frowning, and waiting for me. The moment I stepped out she asked.
“So what are your plans now?”
“Actually…”
A week was a long time.
Without a mecha, there was nothing productive to do in this dangerous place called Terminus Station.
Take a job? Bare-handed? That was basically suicide.
“You’re not joking, right?”
Yuna’s eyes scanned me suspiciously.
*Probably not.*
I pulled the data chip containing Icarus’s temporary facility access code from my pocket and held it out to her without a word.
Yuna glanced at the chip in my hand, then offered me a faint smile.
“Considering joining our company?”
She asked, checking.
I grinned and answered, pretending to take the tempting offer at face value—I had no desire to look too eager.
“Just sightseeing. Since I’ll have nothing to do for a week. I want to see firsthand how impressive your company really is.”
“Joke’s on you. No tests, no hiring—even if it’s you.”
“As I’ve said before, I value freedom.”
Yuna’s smile grew warmer at my clever reply.
“Whether it’s sightseeing or something else… you’re welcome.”
She gave a curt nod.
“Let’s head to the hangar.”
We crossed Terminus Station’s crowded corridors toward the upper security zone.
There stood her **Silvera**, exuding overwhelming majesty.
Yuna passed the security lines without a second glance, and I followed her to the front of the mecha.
Up close, **Silvera** was even more breathtaking. It dwarfed my Bugbear by comparison.
Yuna opened the cockpit hatch with practiced ease and climbed inside, then beckoned to me.
“Get in. This is the first time I’ve taken **Silvera** with someone else.”
I hesitated briefly before steeling myself and climbing the narrow ladder into the cockpit.
Inside, it was exactly as expected—an advanced technology showcase.
The spacious, comfortable interior far exceeded the cramped Bugbear cockpit, with its ergonomic holographic interface and faint scent of freshener.
Sitting in the co-pilot seat felt nothing like being squeezed, even if two of us were aboard.
Everything was neatly arranged for efficiency, and the air carried a clean, pleasant aroma.
“**Grip tight**.”
Yuna spoke shortly and took the controls. Her hands moved with smooth precision, no hesitation.
**[Autopilot set. Destination: Icarus Technology Far East Branch.]**
**[Takeoff sequence engaged.]**
**Silvera** lifted off almost silently and smoothly, slipping easily through Terminus Station’s intricate structures before ascending into the gray wasteland sky to begin automatic flight.
“*This* is something else.”
I thought it was like riding a Lambo after a heavy tank—power on a completely different level.
The difference was unmistakable. Each gust of wind sent **Silvera** soaring without the clunky, anxiety-inducing thuds of my Bugbear.
“Pretty nice, right?”
A faint smile curved Yuna’s lips as she caught my praise.
“Different dimensions altogether.”
I admitted it honestly, and she added,
“Don’t get too carried away. To me you’re still just another dimension-below pilot.”
She took my earlier comment in stride without embarrassment.
“I scratched my own **Silvera** and shot down an **XG-01 Icarus**—a mass-produced Bugbear at that.”
I retorted gruffly, “Well, say whatever you want in front of the person involved.”
“It’s the truth. Oh, by the way, the spot you scratched it isn’t fixed yet. Every time I see it I remember that day’s humiliation… no, experience. A promise I make to myself.”
She shot me a glance that seemed to say *how embarrassing*.
I mulled it over for a moment, then remembered the workshop incident and asked,
“So how did you and Scarlet become so close?”
“We clicked right away. Her skill at analyzing mechanics is outstanding, and her passion is insane. Any corporate technician can go jump in a lake.”
After several hours of flight we arrived at the Icarus Technology Far East Branch.
Kinetic Flow
Redirects excess mecha energy to propulsion and inertia systems, slowing time perception for fluid high-speed evasive maneuvers and reactions.
With Kinetic Flow humming through my veins, I felt the mecha respond like an extension of my own body—faster, smoother, more intuitive than any controls I’d used before.
Scarlet had once called me a dimension-below pilot, but right now that label felt like a badge of honor.
I wasn’t just surviving here anymore.
I was becoming the apex predator the corporations feared.
And the week ahead would only sharpen that edge.
After a few more hours of effortless flight we touched down at the Icarus hangar, the massive doors sliding open to reveal rows of gleaming mechs under bright lights.
Exits through the cockpit and we stepped out together.
Yuna stretched her arms with a satisfied sigh.
“See? Told you it was different.”
I nodded, still catching my breath from the adrenaline.
“Yeah… different.”
She led me toward the main terminal building, the hangar’s roar fading behind us.
Her silver-white hair caught the light like a halo, and for a brief moment I forgot all about the week of waiting and the danger waiting outside Terminus.
Here, with her, it almost felt like we might actually make it through.