Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Lupus
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Shards from the head parts flew up.
Even amid the chaos, Iolin tried to counterattack somehow, but Abel gave her no openings.
Boom! Boom! Crash—!
Finally, after a few punches, Iolin's Gigant went limp.
"Hoo."
Abel confirmed that his opponent was completely incapacitated before rising from his seat.
It was over.
He'd wrecked not just the head parts but every core component, so getting back up was impossible.
Next, Abel checked his own Gigant.
'What a mess.'
He'd taken down three in a row without allowing many hits, but the condition wasn't great.
He'd pushed it to its operational limits repeatedly, and even though he'd used his shield-holding left hand for the punches, smashing that sturdy head had taken its toll.
At least it was his left hand with the shield—otherwise, his hand would have been smashed like the head.
Whirr—.
Abel closely examined the damage before picking up his sword again.
Around him, wrecked Gigants lay in a row.
They probably weren't knocked out cold but waiting for full safety confirmation before exiting per the rules.
Abel soon turned his attention elsewhere.
'Hena, Rian, Iolin.'
Adding Daniel, whom Iolin had taken out, that made four retirees.
Three left.
Charlotte, May, Jun.
"Hmm."
With his Gigant's condition far from ideal, he'd need to move more cautiously.
Pushing too hard for a flashy show only to lose would be utterly embarrassing.
Abel pondered their locations before stepping forward.
Wandering the vast plain, he spotted someone sooner than expected.
'What the?'
What Abel found was Jun's Gigant.
More precisely, Jun's wrecked Gigant sprawled on the ground.
It looked slashed up all over, but the decisive damage was right in the center of its chest.
Boom!
About to inspect it closely, Abel froze at a sound from nearby.
The clash of battle echoed from not far off.
Clang—!
Thud thud thud thud.
Abel abandoned his inspection and charged toward the noise, shaking the earth.
The metallic clashes grew less frequent until they cut off abruptly.
'It's over.'
The signal of a fight's end.
Abel soon spotted a lone Gigant standing rigidly where the sounds had come from.
Whirr—.
Near the unsteady, wobbling Gigant lay a wrecked machine and a flag.
The traces on it matched those on Jun's Gigant.
He'd half-expected it, but seeing it confirmed was even more shocking.
Piloting the last remaining Gigant was none other than May.
Abel narrowed his eyes.
'Why?'
May did shine in the game sometimes.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have earned the "lazy genius" nickname.
But flaunting her skills this early? No route had that.
'Wasn't she totally disinterested right before the match?'
Whirr.
As his mind raced, May's Gigant began moving slowly.
Abel gripped his sword tighter. Intentions aside, he needed to settle this now.
Talk could come after.
May's weapons were dual swords—shorter reach than his single-hander.
'One shot.'
Neither Gigant was in top shape.
Plus, May's specialty was fluid combos. Best to end it in one clash.
Abel gathered his remaining power and charged.
Thud!
The gap closed.
No plans for a drawn-out fight—and judging by her Gigant, neither did she.
This exchange would decide it.
At arm's reach, three swords moved.
May's twins targeted his chest and head, and in that instant—
'Shadow Step.'
Abel's Gigant halted abruptly.
He'd reversed the skill's thrust against his charge.
Unprepared, May's two blades sliced empty air, and Abel thrust forward.
Crunch!
The sword pierced her head.
May's attack had been threatening as expected, but misses meant nothing.
Abel yanked his sword free.
May's Gigant toppled slowly.
Boom!
Abel confirmed it fully incapacitated, then picked up the nearby flag.
Fatigue crashed in. Even a Tito-grade Gigant couldn't mask it entirely.
But with it came exhilarating thrill.
He'd toppled the competition and claimed final victory.
Whirr whirr whirr—!
In the distance, engine hums approached with several Gigants.
Jacqueline and the other staff.
-Good work!
Jacqueline's cheerful voice followed, and Abel smiled faintly.
The brief battle was done.
* * *
"Then, Abel Klein cadet will lead the mock battle team. Any objections?"
No one responded to Jacqueline.
The skill gap was too clear to contest.
Hena and Rian fell in seconds; Iolin and May weren't much different.
Exhaustion and emptiness showed on his peers' faces.
Abel glanced aside—at May, diagonally across. She looked back; their eyes met.
May wore a strange expression, then pouted.
Then.
"None, then."
Jacqueline spoke again.
"Good work, everyone. Head back and rest."
"Yes."
"Thank you."
They bowed to Jacqueline before filing out.
The walk to the dorms was silent.
Lost in thoughts from the fight, they pondered deeply.
Abel walked quietly ahead. He had no choice.
Messages flooded his vision nonstop.
[Successfully left a strong impression on all and claimed the leader spot!]
[Brilliantly completed the first linked quest!]
[Rewards enhanced.]
Quest complete first.
A successful first step in the main quest.
Rewards came after all linked quests, but the enhancement alone pleased him.
And one more.
[Challenge 'Secure 1 Win in Mock Battle' achieved.]
[Reward: 'Mana Herb' granted.]
A minor challenge reward too.
No match for the random skill pack from meeting the Gigadeus Fragment, but with mana his top priority, it satisfied fully.
'Back home, open the skill pack and eat the Mana Herb right away.'
Just thinking of progress ahead thrilled him.
They soon reached the dorms.
"See you Thursday."
"Yeah."
Still wrapped in battle's afterglow, the kids exchanged dry farewells and dispersed.
Abel headed for his room.
No skipping evening training, but he itched to check rewards.
But before the first stair, someone called.
"Klein."
An oddly unfamiliar voice.
Turning, Abel spotted her and was inwardly surprised.
Purple hair, sleepy eyes. May.
The voice felt new because he'd rarely heard her speak.
Abel tamped down surprise.
"What?"
"...That. How do you do it?"
"That? What's that?"
No way to guess from vague "that."
May frowned at his question, then spoke.
"That... the thump thump from here."
She pointed at Abel's chest.
He nearly asked what, but froze. A fresh pattern had appeared there recently.
'What?'
Did May see something? Or...?
Mind spinning, he met her staring gaze.
"No idea what you mean."
"Something amazing shows every time you pilot a Gigant. Wanted to check it myself."
"What exactly did you see?"
May tilted her head slightly.
"Something burst out from there and got sucked into the Gigant..."
What the hell did that mean?
Abel swallowed words rising to his throat. She wouldn't give a straight answer anyway.
Reading his face, May said,
"You don't know either. Tell me when you figure it out."
"Yeah, sure."
May turned and walked off without hesitation.
He knew she was quirky, but talking confirmed she exceeded expectations.
'Still, we talked—so progress?'
Bemused, Abel climbed the stairs.
* * *
Next morning.
After dawn training and showering, Abel's first act was checking his status.
He had a great tool for objective self-assessment.
[Abel]
[Race: Human]
[Body Grade: C]
[Sync Rate: S]
[Mana: C]
[Owned Gigant: ?]
[Skills: Overflow, Shadow Step, Double Attack, Beginner Gigant...]
Body Grade and Sync Rate unchanged.
Sync Rate at S-grade was tough to raise anyway.
Body Grade needed more time too.
'Mana finally hit C-grade.'
The one upgrade: Mana.
Buffs from prior rewards fueled hard training, plus Mana Herbs helped immensely.
No longer far behind noble kids raised on premium training.
He could handle a Miles freely now.
One grade difference was huge.
Like Body Grade, reaching B was brutally hard.
But not impossible.
He'd keep advancing.
'The new skill's plenty useful too.'
Skills now included 'Double Attack' from the random pack.
True to name, it doubled attacks—or rather, spiked attack speed instantly.
Invaluable in real combat.
But more striking than Mana rise or new skill: the ? by Owned Gigant.
? marked unnamed Gigants.
Meaning: His Gigant was complete.
'Maybe see it today.'
First period was Gigant training.
With actual Gigants replacing dummies starting today, his guess seemed solid.
Smiling, Abel dressed and headed out.
Passing the hall and stairs, Daniel waited.
"Abel, let's go!"
"Yeah."
Daniel brimmed with energy despite exhausting dawn training.
Abel descended with him, half-listening to Daniel's chatter as usual.
At the stairs' base, he spotted someone.
Silver hair gleaming in sunlight.
Iolin.
Not classmates, no real bond—Abel naturally looked away.
But Iolin turned, saw him, and spoke.
"Klein."
"Huh?"
"After class today, got a minute?"
Abel thought briefly.
"Sure."
"Main hall, 8 PM."
Iolin turned and left, done.
Echoed yesterday's May.
'Both so out of nowhere.'
Barely-talking girls suddenly seeking chats? Odd.
"What?"
Daniel gawked at Iolin's approach, eyes wide.
Abel resumed walking.
"What."
"You two friends?"
"Nope."
"Then what? Hey, maybe..."
"Keep babbling, no sparring."
Daniel's engine stalled, mouth shut.
Peaceful walk to class.
First venue: Now-familiar spot.
Only one place for first-years to practice Gigants freely.
The vast clearing Abel called the training field.
Over ten Gigants lay there.
'Even with ten-plus, it's spacious. Academy scale stuns every time.'
Approaching, he saw a familiar gorilla—no, person—ahead.
"Alright! Ten exactly."
Five minutes early, but gorilla-like instructor grinned.
Kaul.
Game-original second-year handler, now first-years via headmaster's order.
'Surprised at first.'
Now just accepted.
Changes weren't one or two. Honestly, May and Iolin chatting him up consecutively shocked more.
Above all, Abel eyed one prone Gigant.
Kaul scanned cadets.
"Gigant practice today! Time for you chicks to pilot for real! With what you've learned, no more pathetic flops, right?"
No waiting for replies.
"First, to your Gigants. Abel! You, over here."
Abel approached.
Kaul grinned.
"Know why I called?"
"My Gigant's done?"
"Yep, that's it. Go check close."
Abel's gaze had fixed there already. Permission given, he rushed over.
All floor Gigants were Miles-grade, but designs varied.
Easy to spot his.
"Wow."
Awe escaped naturally.
Black coating everywhere; left shoulder bore a sharp wolf emblem.
Abel scanned the full frame slowly.
Mobility-focused design: thin armor, flowing curves.
Special parts on back, head, feet.
'Scarlett's triple set.'
Her promised Gigant gear.
He yearned to mount and test each.
But first, he recalled his prepared name.
For his second Gigant.
"Lupus."
Lupus.
Latin for wolf—the game Gigant he favored most.
[Owned Gigant renamed to 'Lupus.']
Message popped instantly.
Status confirmed: Lupus listed.
Abel gazed fondly. Kaul spoke from behind.
"Like it?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Kaul nodded, hand on Abel's shoulder.
"Today's lesson: power on, stand, walk."
"Ah, yes."
No clue why just to him, but he nodded.
Kaul's tone warmed.
"But not you."
"Yes?"
"You already can."
Glancing back: Human gorilla smirked wickedly.
"You're with me for special training."
At "special training," the gorilla's pecs twitched.
Abel felt foreboding.