Chapter 2
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Crane Among Chickens
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When Rabbit kicked off the ground.
Lumberjack raised its massive axe right there before swinging it down with ferocious speed.
Kwaaaang-!
The axe smashed into the spot where Rabbit had been standing.
“Ooooooh-!”
[As expected from Rabbit! It dodges with nimble footwork!]
Abel’s Gigant, Rabbit, had thrown its body to the right the instant its opponent swung the axe.
Sharp directional changes were one of Rabbit’s main strengths.
Rather than charging in with its agile movements, Rabbit circled its foe first, as if sizing it up.
Whoooosh!
Whenever Rabbit entered striking range, Lumberjack swung its axe with surprising speed that belied its bulk.
Fierce attacks met acrobatic evasions.
One hair-raising moment followed another.
“Rabbit! Why are you so damn timid today!”
“Are you living up to your name? You coward bitch!”
The crowd jeered in response.
But Abel paid them no mind.
‘As I thought, it’s the type that relies solely on the machine’s power to charge in.’
Lumberjack’s frame seemed decent enough, but the pilot’s skill couldn’t back it up.
The stiff movements were proof of that.
A piss-poor Sync Rate meant it couldn’t properly utilize the machine’s specs, despite them being solid.
If Abel just kept dodging, his opponent would tire itself out and collapse on its own.
‘But that won’t do.’
Abel’s goal wasn’t just to win—it was to crush his opponent overwhelmingly.
That way, he’d catch Scarlett’s eye for sure, the one who’d come to watch the match.
To let her know: the gem you’ve been looking for is right here. And I’m that gem.
To drive the point home, Abel seriously ramped up his Sync Rate.
Thud.
At that moment, Lumberjack stomped and twitched its axe.
-Coward bitch! Come at me! I’ll split you in half!
Taunts flew from the opposing pilot.
Rabbit responded by raising the arm gripping its sword high—then spreading its hand wide open.
Thud-!
With a clatter, the sword dropped to the ground.
Not just Lumberjack’s pilot, but the audience too, wore puzzled expressions.
Dropping its weapon out of nowhere?
It made no sense.
Especially after watching Rabbit dodge and weave like it was scared stiff, the crowd groaned, thinking it had lost the will to fight.
But Rabbit hadn’t lost its will. Quite the opposite.
Rabbit charged straight at Lumberjack.
-Are you insane?!
The enemy pilot laughed mockingly as he maneuvered Lumberjack.
The massive axe swung in a diagonal slash, aiming to tear Rabbit apart. But instead of dodging, Rabbit leaped high to the upper right.
Kuuung!
“Wha-wha-what?!”
Gasps of awe turning to panic erupted from all around as the steel giant, Rabbit, soared into the air.
Its movements were as natural as a human’s.
‘Even if it breaks, I don’t care.’
Abel cast aside every restraint that had bound him until now.
Pushing the Sync Rate to its absolute limit, beyond all bounds.
Whoooosh!
The axe altered its trajectory, targeting Rabbit mid-air.
Rabbit didn’t evade—instead, it thrust both hands out and seized the axe handle.
Kwachik!
The left hand couldn’t withstand the impact and shattered. But the right held firm, gripping the handle tight.
Stunning as that was, Rabbit didn’t stop there.
It twisted its body, clamping Lumberjack’s neck between its legs. Then, using its weight and strength, it slammed the foe to the ground.
Kwaaaaaang-!
A roar unlike any before exploded out.
-Kuhk! Wh-what?!
The enemy pilot shrieked, face drained white with pain and shock.
This wasn’t just “fighting well.”
Catching an axe handle hurtling through the air, spinning to grab the neck, and toppling it?
Even a human would struggle; doing it in a Gigant defied common sense.
But Abel wasn’t satisfied yet.
Grgrgrng!
Lumberjack slowly began to rise.
Tough bastard. Probably expensive as hell.
Abel piloted Rabbit toward the rising Lumberjack and swung its broken left arm.
Kwang-!
One side of Lumberjack’s head caved in, sending it toppling backward again.
Of course, Rabbit’s swinging fist was mangled beyond recognition, but Abel didn’t care one bit.
-Y-you psycho fuck!
The opponent bellowed upon seeing it.
Abel laughed at the flustered foe.
-Crazy? We’re just getting started.
It wasn’t mere bluffing or intimidation. It was more like a declaration of war.
Kwang!
Rabbit kicked off the ground nimbly and dashed forward.
Not toward the fallen Lumberjack—but toward the shimmering blue barrier encircling the arena.
“Wha-what, what?!”
[R-Rabbit! What’s it planning to do?!]
Spectators in that direction leaped to their feet in shock, and even the seasoned announcer stammered.
Abel piloted Rabbit even more recklessly, as if putting on a show.
Rabbit leaped high and kicked the barrier dividing the stands from the arena.
Woooooong!
The shock-absorbing barrier shook violently, and Rabbit literally took flight.
The steel giant mid-air flipped end over end.
That flashy display carried Rabbit’s massive frame straight down—onto Lumberjack, just then struggling to rise.
Rabbit landed knee-first on Lumberjack’s chest.
Kwaaaaaang!
A deafening boom unlike any before rang out, and Abel felt a dizzying shock.
The flight suit wasn’t invincible.
It cushioned blows, but maneuvers this extreme would injure the pilot too.
Abel felt something warm trickle from his nose.
His hands on the core were pale, blood drained away.
‘A little more.’
But Abel still felt it wasn’t enough.
He forced the unresponsive Rabbit to its feet.
Its knees were on the verge of collapse, its whole body screaming at the limit.
Anyone else couldn’t have twitched a finger, let alone stood it up.
Controlling a half-wrecked Gigant took his sheer willpower—and a Sync Rate beyond human limits.
The more you knew about Gigants, the more insane this seemed.
‘Watch closely.’
That’s why Abel was sure Scarlett, watching from the stands, would recognize his true value. And think:
‘What could he do in a real Gigant, not some Midget?’
Plant that curiosity and interest, and the plan was a success.
Grgrgrng-!
The opponent struggled to raise Lumberjack. In the meantime, Abel maneuvered Rabbit behind it.
Thub!
Rabbit clamped its half-ruined arms around Lumberjack’s waist, which still couldn’t steady itself.
Kwaddddduk!
The thrashing Lumberjack slowly lifted into the air. Sharp metallic shrieks rang from Rabbit’s frame.
[Rabbit! Rabbit is lifting Lumberjack!]
Whooooosh-!
Lumberjack rose higher and higher.
[Wha-what is this, what’s happening······!]
Even the announcer couldn’t describe it properly amid the chaos.
Kwadduk!
Rabbit squeezed out its last reserves, gripping Lumberjack’s waist tight and arching backward.
The several-hundred-kilo Gigant fell from ground to sky—then plummeted back from sky to ground.
The moment Lumberjack’s head hit:
Kwaaaaaang-!
Kwajijik!
A colossal boom echoed.
Lumberjack’s head crumpled grotesquely, sinking into its body.
“Kuhuuuuup! Aaaak!”
A agonized scream pierced from the half-smashed cockpit.
But Abel spared it not a glance.
He couldn’t.
“Hup, huup.”
Truth was, Abel was in rough shape too.
Executing a pro-wrestling suplex—no, a German suplex—in a half-wrecked Gigant? Being fine would be the anomaly.
His head throbbed like it’d been stirred with a knife.
Muscles and joints screamed.
Yet Abel clenched his teeth and stood tall, feigning nonchalance.
Stunned spectators forgot to cheer, staring blankly at the arena. The announcer just gaped.
Fallen Lumberjack.
Rabbit standing firm on its own two feet.
The victor was clear.
Only after a long pause did the announcer finally shout.
[R-Rabbit! Victory for Rabbit!]
The shocking match—unlike anything the crowd had ever seen—ended.
Silence gave way to thunderous roars from the stands.
“Waaaaaaah-!”
Even after dozens of bouts, Abel had never heard cheers this frenzied.
A message followed.
[Progress 100%!]
[Your name will echo long in the Red Bear Underground Arena!]
[Fame slightly increases!]
[Frog in the Well quest completed!]
[Reward granted!]
Abel finished reading and turned to gaze at one corner of the arena.
There stood the red-haired woman, still watching with an intrigued smile.
Only then did Abel flash a satisfied smile and release the core.
* * *
“What do you mean? You’re not fighting anymore?”
The balding middle-aged man asked in horror.
Abel rubbed his throbbing temple and replied.
“Rabbit’s completely smashed. How am I supposed to fight?”
“You wrecked it that bad, of course it’s smashed······. We’ll lend you one. Yeah?”
“This is a Gigant junkyard.”
“Uh? Th-then we’ll get you a new one! Super cheap! Pay in installments! Hell, pay later! The crowd reaction was insane!”
Abel shook his head firmly, unmoved by the cheapskate’s unprecedented offer.
“No thanks.”
“Why! Fine, I’ll make one myself and lend it free! Just return it after the match!”
The offers kept improving.
Tempting if not for his real goal—but Abel ignored him completely.
Not just refusing, but outright dismissing, soured the middle-aged man’s face.
He was the manager, and this Abel was some nameless drifter.
No matter the skill or popularity, this was an underground fight club.
One beyond the law’s reach.
“You······.”
As the man’s face hardened and he opened his mouth, someone knocked.
“Abel! You in there?”
Another manager’s voice.
“Yes, I am.”
Abel, who’d answered the man only with silence till now, replied instantly.
The middle-aged man flushed red to his receding hairline.
But he never got to yell at Abel.
“A guest is here.”
The door burst open, and the manager dragged in a woman before hauling out the flushed bald one.
“Uh, Gupe. You’re here too. She says she needs to talk to Abel alone, so let’s go.”
Now the room held only Abel and the woman who’d come for him.
Red hair, red eyes. Sharp gaze tilted slightly upward.
A brooch shaped like an eagle.
It was Scarlett, the one Abel had waited so long for.
Scarlett stared at Abel before asking.
“You’re Abel, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Scarlett.”
His heart pounded at the name.
He’d half-guessed from her looks and features, but confirmation hit now.
The plan he’d refined in his head for over a year finally kicked into gear.
[Linked quest ‘Crane Among Chickens’ activated!]
Perfect timing on the message.
Abel tamped down his excitement and replied calmly.
“I see.”
Scarlett asked him in a voice laced with interest.
“Do you know who I am?”
She seemed to think his lack of reaction meant he didn’t recognize her.
Abel bowed his head slightly.
“Yes.”
How could he not?
Scarlett. He’d fought months in this shithole arena just to meet her.
He wanted to whoop in joy.
But he held it in.
Scarlett smiled faintly at his composed answer, clearly more intrigued.
Few would stay so poised knowing her name.
Frankly, Abel had worried she’d see it as arrogance.
But he stuck to it for one reason.
The Scarlett he knew wasn’t like that. Quite the opposite······.
“You.”
She’d be even more intrigued.
“No interest in enrolling at the academy?”
Abel suppressed a grin and looked up.
Scarlett’s eyes held only pure desire and fascination.
The plan’s first step had slotted in perfectly.