The Mightiest Machine
Five days had passed since Vance's assistant had been arrested after attempting to entrap Commander Gideon. The short span of time had completely upended Icarus Technology's Far East Branch.
Inappropriate connections with Genesis, the conspiracy to steal the Genesis Seed project, and the attempt to oust the commander—all of it lay exposed before the eyes of the special investigation team.
Vance had confessed without hesitation. A newly appointed subordinate escorted him away under the watchful eyes of the inspectors.
As Gideon had warned, he would spend the rest of his life in a hell no one could imagine. The very thought made my skin crawl.
With all the loose ends now tied off, I answered Gideon's summons and headed to his office.
"Please, come in."
We settled onto the facing couches.
"The Vance case seems to be wrapped up nicely. It's all thanks to you."
"We all worked together."
Gideon chuckled lightly, then got down to business.
"Have you considered formally joining us? It's a shame to keep talent like yours on the sidelines as a guest."
"Your offer is truly appreciated. But I still feel more at home in the freedom of a lone mercenary."
Gideon fell silent at my answer. I could read the regret flickering across his face.
"What a pity."
He didn't press me further or try to change my mind. Instead, he offered a gentle smile as if acknowledging my choice.
"You've done me a great service. If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to reach out. Within my reach, I'll spare no effort to support you."
There was sincerity in his final words, along with warm encouragement for a continued good relationship between us.
With that, Gideon placed a credit chip in my hand.
"All you can do is hand out money, huh?"
"No. I'll accept it gratefully."
"So when are you planning to leave?"
"I'll be heading out today."
I had received word from Scarlet that the Bugbear modifications were nearly complete.
There was no reason left for me to stay.
"You're really leaving already?"
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"I need to go find my own machine."
"As a free mercenary, I look forward to your exploits. Just don't meet me on the enemy side, all right?"
He added that as an afterthought.
"If you ever need help in the future, can I contact you?"
"As long as you generously cover the reward, I'm always welcome."
At my teasing, Gideon smiled and nodded in silence before speaking again.
"Speaking of Yuna."
He spoke softly.
"That girl wasn't always so cheerful."
The sudden topic shift made me look at him.
"Yuna is from the war orphan planet of Elysia, destroyed in the war. Everything she had was lost in that horrific resource war."
"A war orphan..."
That wasn't a setting from the game.
Or perhaps I had simply overlooked it. Given her mysterious aura, other players had only speculated.
"Such a girl became an ace pilot at Icarus so quickly. Time really flies."
A proud smile crossed his face as he continued.
"Lately, Yuna's been smiling more often. Her expressions have softened. Maybe it's because of you."
"Is that so?"
"You wouldn't know."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Yuna, as an ace pilot for Icarus, shows strong responsibility, but she does act on impulse sometimes. She's still a girl who hides her soft heart."
Gideon spoke with a faraway look, as if imagining himself giving away his daughter in marriage.
"I hope you two continue to have a good relationship. A place where she can lean on someone and truly smile..."
He stopped, cleared his throat, and waved a hand.
"You may go now. Thank you again."
"I will remember your words, Commander Gideon."
Despite all his long-winded explanations, I couldn't simply pretend not to know. Politely, I replied.
With that, I left the office and walked down the corridor.
" Jinwoo. The story is over, then?"
Yuna stood there as if she had been waiting.
"Yeah. Mostly."
Her voice was calm, but her silver eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Scarlet contacted me. The Bugbear modification is nearly finished. Just the final test and inspection remain."
Yuna walked beside me naturally toward the main hangar of Icarus Technology's Far East Branch.
"She's truly amazing. To finish such modifications so quickly."
"Only a few days passed."
"Then, are you heading back to Terminus today?"
"I should start moving soon."
"I'll go with you."
When I gave her a puzzled look, Yuna added an explanation.
"I also want to see how perfectly the modifications turned out, purely out of curiosity. Besides, I promised Scarlet I'd show her my Silvera properly."
"Only that?"
I teased her, noticing her face flush slightly.
"Of course! That's all there is to it. No other reason."
"I'd feel more at ease riding the Silvera with you. Let's go together."
I manipulated my personal terminal and sent Yuna a credit chip.
[250,000 CR transferred from Kang Jinwoo to Yuna.]
Yuna stared at me in surprise after checking the notification.
"You don't have to pay me back."
"Then I'll pay you twice."
"W-well, I guess..."
"Was that a joke?"
Yuna gave a light laugh.
We each went to our respective rooms, finished packing, and arrived at the main hangar of Icarus Technology's Far East Branch.
"You're really going?"
Titan lifted his sunglasses slightly and spoke with regret.
"Too soon to leave? Just to drink some booze and go."
"Yuna drank it all, apparently."
"Hot damn! That tracks."
"I look forward to your battle record as a free mercenary."
Doctor smiled faintly.
" Kang Jinwoo, you kept the secret of your strength until the end. What a cruel bastard. Next time we meet, I'll definitely beat you. Be prepared."
"Any mock battle, anytime you're welcome."
"Even on the battlefield, I'd win."
"You'd lose, idiot."
Titan placed a hand on Laser’s shoulder and added.
"We shouldn't meet as enemies. That would hurt."
After a quick farewell, Yuna and I boarded the Silvera.
The Silvera pulled away from the Icarus cluster and set course for Terminus Station.
Watching the scenery rush past the window, I closed my eyes.
*********
I opened the door to Scarlet’s workshop. Loud rock music blasted my ears, and welding sparks flew everywhere.
She was deep in work beneath a massive lift.
"Scarlet!"
I shouted, and she pulled off her welding mask, turning to us.
Her face, smeared with sweat and oil, greeted us.
"Good timing. I just finished the last system integration test."
She pointed proudly at the machine behind her.
"I only meant to do what you asked, but I ended up modifying it all on my own."
"Omigosh—"
I took a deep breath and looked up at the Bugbear.
What stood there was no longer the Bugbear I knew.
The old, bulky, dull frame had been replaced by a sleek, aggressive silhouette.
Every detail had changed—from the overall skeleton to the armor material and design, even the atmosphere it gave off.
" You changed everything."
The rectangular, stupid-looking head of the Bugbear had vanished, replaced by a sharp, angular one.
A satisfied smile on my face, I inspected the machine and then noticed the GX-Final Impact Pile Bunker mounted on its right arm.
"So? Isn't it perfect?"
"What can I say? It's perfect!"
Now I felt I was one step closer to the machine of my game.
This was it.
The fun of customizing it to my heart's content!
My heart pounded as I imagined piloting it right now.
"This can't be called a Bugbear anymore."
Scarlet smiled and walked over to stand beside me and Yuna.
"I suppose we need to give it a new name. Right?"
The name was already decided.
I simply didn't voice it.
"I'd rather have the others decide on the name than me."
At my reply, Yuna chuckled.
" Jinwoo is right. A machine's name isn't decided by the pilot. It's earned on the battlefield."
"Why don't you come for a test ride?"
Even if it hadn't been Scarlet's words, my body itched to climb aboard.
I immediately stepped into the cockpit and sat down, activating the machine.
[System synchronization complete. All systems nominal.]
The new system voice greeted me.
My hands tightened on the controls.
As Scarlet opened the workshop's massive main gate, the exterior of Terminus Station came into view.
"I'll be back shortly."
I sent a quick message, then slowly maneuvered the machine out of the workshop, ignited its boosters, and soared into the sky.
The first flight felt different.
The unstable shaking that used to cause nausea had vanished. The once-shoddy stability was gone.
I flew to a wide deserted lot and began to familiarize myself with the machine's senses.
I practiced sharp turns and sudden stops, slowly moving the pile bunker.
The heavy weight transferred through the controls, but thanks to the gravity dampeners, control was surprisingly easy.
"The point defense system too..."
After final testing of the shoulder-mounted missile launcher, I pondered what else might need to be added.
Money was no issue.
I could have bought defensive long-range weapons at the shop.
"But first..."
I held the system reward from my previous mock battle with Laser in my hand.
[Precision Strike Assistant System.]
I inserted the chip into my machine.
[System check in progress.]
[Precision Strike Assistant System updated.]
[Please manipulate the layers.]
I pressed the button to change the cockpit's layers.
The view shifted to black and white, with areas highlighted in yellow.
"Just like the game."
The skill that highlighted weak points on targets.
"Nice. Let's go back."
Earn more money.
Set a new goal to build the mightiest machine.