Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Tito Flag Battle
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Thirty Tito Gigants were lined up in a row.
They had prepared far more units than there were cadets because of the variety of types.
The ones used in the previous test had all been standardized models, but the ones here were divided by purpose.
“Choose the Gigant that suits you best. The mock battle will be a huge help in deciding how to upgrade your Gigant going forward.”
Jacqueline said.
Gigants are generally divided into balanced, mobility, and heavy-armor types based on armor thickness, and into ranged and melee based on attack style.
In reality, they get more complex depending on the user, but that's the general breakdown.
Jacqueline told them to look around and decide for themselves, so everyone approached the Titos to inspect them.
“Hmm.”
More cadets were struggling to pick one that fit them than not, but some chose without much hesitation.
Abel was in the latter group.
‘First, a balanced type for the chassis.’
Specialized chassis had their advantages, but Abel had already established his style to a certain degree.
So he finished selecting his armament without much thought, too.
Buckler and arming sword. A classic melee shield-and-sword combo.
The others finished deliberating one by one and made their choices.
“I’ll take this one.”
“This one for me.”
Once the last one had chosen, Jacqueline spoke up again.
“The rules for flag stealing are simple. Exactly 15 minutes after start, hold the flag for 1 minute. Oh, and there’ll be just one flag.”
The reason it wasn’t over right at 15 minutes but after an extra minute was to prevent winning by luck.
You had to hold it for at least a minute with skill.
Hearing Jacqueline, Hena raised a question.
“Means don’t matter?”
“Just don’t intentionally inflict major harm on the rider.”
As long as they stuck to that bare minimum, they could go wild.
Jacqueline explained a few more details, and with no further questions, she smiled and said,
“Then everyone, mount up.”
“Yes-!”
At her word, everyone climbed into their chosen Gigants.
Abel squeezed into the cramped cockpit of his Tito and placed both hands on the core.
Soon, Jacqueline shouted.
“Sync start!”
Wooooong-!
The Titos’ eyes flashed with light.
* * *
The mock battlefield was quite vast.
Before starting the flag battle, Jacqueline and the other staff had positioned the cadets all over the field.
‘I’m in the left corner, I think.’
Abel retraced his steps in his mind to gauge his position.
With the start signal yet to come, he moved the chassis lightly to raise his sync rate.
‘It feels totally different, as expected.’
This was his second time in a Tito.
A single grade above Midget, but the feel was worlds apart.
The movements were much heavier, but paradoxically, piloting it was easier.
Unlike the Midget’s noticeable delay, this one allowed snappier responses.
Just more mana consumption, of course.
Midgets were designed to run on almost no mana to begin with.
As he pondered such things,
Piiiiiiing-!
A sharp noise pierced the distance.
The signal for the flag battle’s start.
Abel shoved idle thoughts aside and scanned his surroundings.
‘Let’s see.’
First thing he noticed: the terrain around him was a forest.
Not as dense as a real one, but magically conjured to feel plenty similar.
Abel heightened his focus and continued thinking.
‘In the game, flags were usually at 3 o’clock, 9 o’clock, or center.’
No telling if it’d match the game exactly, but better than wandering aimlessly.
‘I’m around 7 o’clock, so check 9 o’clock first.’
Abel began moving slowly in the decided direction.
‘It’s quiet.’
Titos were much smaller than Miles class, but they still made plenty of noise when moving.
Meaning no one else was nearby right now.
Still, no room for complacency.
‘They could be hiding stationary.’
A common tactic in the game, too.
So Abel advanced cautiously, sword and shield at the ready.
No need to rush.
The key was that final minute anyway. Just locate the flag before then, no problem.
About five minutes in,
After confirming no flag at 9 o’clock and heading toward center, a familiar sound hit Abel’s ears.
Thud, boom-!
Gigant footfalls.
Abel halted instantly, crouched low, and peered toward the noise.
Moments later, he spotted a hulking chassis wielding a brutal warhammer.
‘Rian.’
Gray hair, green eyes, timid face came to mind.
Hard to imagine from looks alone, but in the game, Rian’s nickname suited his current Gigant perfectly.
‘Berserker Rian.’
Quiet and timid usually, but in battle, he charged bull-like behind thick armor.
Like a berserker oblivious to pain.
‘He’s booking it.’
Rian was rushing somewhere. Didn’t look like fleeing.
Abel glanced the way he’d come and spotted a tall hill.
‘Saw something, huh.’
Perfect vantage for scouting below.
Lucky for Abel, the thick woods had blocked his view.
Abel judged quickly, waited for some distance, then tailed Rian.
Clang!
Boom!
Not long after, faint metal-on-metal clashes echoed from afar.
Right in Rian’s direction.
Abel closed in swiftly.
He arrived at a wide plain, but hung back, hiding behind nearby trees.
Thud!
No sooner had he arrived than something sailed through the air and crashed.
A closer look: a Gigant with spear and shield.
‘Daniel.’
Only Daniel used that combo.
Deep gash on the chest plate—probably couldn’t move again.
Abel turned to see who’d flung Daniel like a paper doll.
There stood a chassis with a long two-hander.
Calm even after repelling a challenger—reminded him of the always cool, impassive girl.
‘Iolin, as expected.’
The girl who’d snatched second place right after him.
Also the one Abel saw as his biggest threat—and someone he wanted to clash with.
But he reined in his battle lust, stayed put, and observed.
Thud, thud, thud-!
Meanwhile, Rian stepped forward to face Iolin.
They held distance, eyeing each other instead of charging.
But those two weren’t alone.
‘Three in total.’
Across the way, amid a few trees like Abel’s spot, another chassis lurked.
Too far and obscured to ID, but he could guess.
‘Jun or Hena. Charlotte would’ve charged already.’
Charlotte lacked patience.
High odds one of those two.
Abel thought that far, then rose ever so slowly.
Cleanest way to snag the flag with minimal damage: play fisherman.
Wait for them to tire, grab and run. Classic game strat.
But just winning wasn’t enough.
‘They’d never follow a leader like that.’
Any “let’s see” talk was just self-joking.
No intention, and shouldn’t anyway.
Not just for this exercise—for the future, he had to crush their pride from the start.
No convoluted plans for that.
“Whew.”
Abel exhaled long, maxed his sync rate, and kicked off the ground hard.
Thud-!
As Abel charged, Iolin and Rian’s gazes snapped to him.
But seeing him veer elsewhere, they refocused on each other.
The hidden watcher, though, panicked visibly.
Not just another hider—but charging straight at them? Unthinkable.
Thud!
Abel closed in a flash and swung at the rising enemy Gigant.
Kwaaang!
But his sword halted mid-swing on a slender rod-like thing.
The instant he saw it, Abel knew the foe.
‘Hena.’
Only she mained the mana rifle, a ranged weapon.
‘Perfect.’
Abel thought.
Hena’s melee skills were abysmal.
She’d improve later, but not yet his match.
Abel swung fiercely again.
Clang!
Hena deflected at an angle once more, but couldn’t fully absorb—this time her arms flung upward.
Abel saw the opening and thrust at the exposed chest without pause.
Kwachik!
Tough armor tore like paper.
Hena fought to steady, but stumbled and crashed.
Cockpit parts shattered—won’t rise again.
‘Done.’
Gigants were powerful.
But not invincible.
They had weak points, and Abel knew them cold.
Years as a Gigant mechanic under Vulcanus.
‘Keep going.’
Abel moved without rest. Plenty of prey left.
Next: Iolin and Rian, just starting to clash.
They spotted charging Abel and slowly widened their gap.
No letting a third party fish.
Abel closed fast, targeting Rian first.
Straight charge? That warhammer would smash him.
Kagagagak.
But Abel anticipated, crouched low, and slid.
His chassis skidded across the ground, slashing at Rian’s side on arrival.
Kwaduduk!
One leg shattered.
Rian balanced mid-fall for a counter, but Abel was faster.
Rising, he swept the remaining leg.
Kwaaang!
Rian crashed.
No balance genius rises instantly one-legged.
Abel gave no chance.
No hesitation—he smashed down on the head.
Kwachik!
Head parts split.
Rian out.
Boom-!
But Iolin was there.
While Abel finished Rian, she struck.
Before he could yank his sword free, she closed and thrust.
Whiiiish!
Looked like Abel was done. To others.
‘As expected.’
But Abel saw what others missed.
Iolin’s swing—balance all off.
‘Lower body’s messed up.’
Chassis damage.
Likely from Daniel. She’d fought well despite, but battles turn on slivers.
Fatal: not noticing her own imbalance.
Torso lifted, arm angle wrong.
Whoosh-!
Her strike weaker than usual. Abel dropped his sword and ducked.
Kagagagak!
Perfect chassis? Maybe hit.
Irrelevant now.
Sword grazed his back cockpit.
Seizing the gap, Abel grabbed her legs and flung himself.
Kwaaang!
Iolin’s chassis lost center, head-planted.
Not totaled, but visibly wrecked.
Proof: couldn’t rise. Probably unresponsive.
Abel recovered quick, raised his fist.
Iolin was a genius. Top in Empire history.
Just—Abel was better now.
Boom-!
Solid fist cratered her face.