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Chapter 30: Qualifiers
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The Mech Chapter 4: Behold My Ultimate Move
Engulfed by the satisfaction of a new purchase, Shifter66 hopped into the 2R-E's cockpit. Without even spending time to grow familiar with the modified mech, he entered the arena and initiated a search for an opponent. Shifter66 wanted to dive right into a battle with his new baby.As a fairly new and unskilled pilot, Shifter66 naturally got matched against a pool of similarly low-skilled players. Iron Spirit featured a sophisticated matchmaking system, and the lowest segment was the Bronze League.Every potentate who played Iron Spirit started from the Bronze League. Only by winning a sufficient amount of times would one gain the opportunity to promote to the Silver League, which most mech enthusiasts considered to be the real beginning of the game.That was because the developers enacted a lot of restrictions to the matches taking place in Bronze. Players could only earn a little amount of gold, though they also had few opportunities to lose it due to simplifying repair costs. Match
The Mech Chapter 5: Investment
After Ves finished freaking out, he read the mission description again and understood he missed out on an important detail. The mission demanded that he sell virtual mechs 'of his own creation'. What the phrasing implied was that he wasn't stuck with trying to peddle the ungainly Fantasia 2R-E to a group of idiots.As long as Ves spent the month designing a couple of decent variants and promoting them on the local net, he might reach the sales figure.A hundred sales a month might sound like peanuts to established virtual mech designers, but meeting it remained a hefty challenge to a nobody like Ves."I can't physically build all hundred models by hand." Ves concluded as he formulated a basic plan. "At this tier, pilots don't demand too much from their models. It'll be fine if I outsource the manufacturing to the game."The game made it easy to automate production of any design as long as the owner had fabricated it in the virtual workshop by hand at least once.It came with hefty dow
The Mech Chapter 6: Taking Flight
When Ves uploaded the new Seraphim design on the market, he quickly bought the required materials. Unlike the 2R-E, the Seraphim boasted a much more complex integration of disparate components. A working model demanded that Ves take much better care of the fabrication and assembly of parts. His increased proficiency in working with the 3D printer helped him in printing out parts with less deviation than normal, which further assisted him in making the assembly occur without many problems.commentVes received a nasty fright once he saw the final bill for the frame."I already have to spend 4,400 gold on the raw materials alone. If I let Iron Spirit automate its production, then the final price will at least be doubled."A 1-Star mech that cost 8,800 gold to buy was an absolute luxury in the game. It took an average player months to build up such a fortune.Ves decided to add a credit price to his model. "Since it's a high performing model, I can at least feel justified if I charge rea
The Mech Chapter 7: Queen of the Skies
TheSeventhSnake sat back in his chair, exhausted even though he had been playing a simulation. The desperate dodging, the careful shots, that impulsive dive at the end. The high-intensity action echoed with his heart.He did not even begrudge his loss to CassieTheFox. That final dive had been an attack that would have resulted in a Pyrrhic victory at best. Fighting in a way that killed 1000 men while losing 800 might be fine in Iron Spirit where repairs were cheap and fast. In the real universe, such a reckless action was a good way to find yourself in a coffin or retired to a desk job.[Triceratopssss: THAT WAS AMAZING! :O][TheSeventhSnake: I know. I'm going to pay for it in repairs.][Triceratopssss: Man, you really should have won. That dive was so brilliant, especially the way you contorted your mech at the last moment.][TheSeventhSnake: Nah, I deserve that loss. I was too caught up in the moment to realize the Fantasia's legs couldn't possibly penetrate the shell of an Excelsio
The Mech Chapter 8: Visitor
Chapter 8: VisitorVes' face soured as his eyes skimmed through his analytics page in Iron Spirit."Really, what am I paying so much crap for? I thought advertisements are supposed to work!"He only had twenty days left to complete the System's mission of selling a hundred virtual mechs. So far, Ves only managed to sell his handcrafted Fantasia 2R Seraphim. That meant the other mechs he sold lacked his personal care and attention. Not only did their specs degrade, they also sold for twice its already ludicrous price.When Ves visited the Seraphim's store page, he encountered hundreds of disparaging comments."8,800 gold XD! Do you lack a few brain cells? Are you autistic? Then go ahead and buy this gold-plated piece of turd!""Can anyone lend me 8,700 gold? I promise to pay you back once I dominate the arena. No one can withstand my secret weapon of crapping rainbows!""DON'T BUY THIS MECH! This is an over-engineered piece of shit that simply slaps a lot of extra parts together. Just
The Mech Chapter 9: Psst. Wanna buy a mech?
After a hearty talk, Melinda had to leave in order to catch her flight back to Bentheim. As Ves accompanied her to the door, she turned around and bumped her communicator with his wrist."What's this?" Ves asked as he activated his comm. It unfolded into a brochure."It's the Young Tigers Exhibition.""Isn't it a competition for younger mech pilots to showcase their skills? I hear the Mech Corps and the local mercenary corps organize this event to recruit outstanding pilots."The Bright Republic publicized the YTE every year. It had practically turned into a national holiday. His father even brought him to an event when he was little. Before he found out his aptitude made piloting mechs an unreachable dream."That was ten years ago." Melinda said and reached over and tapped the brochure, flipping it over to the next page. "In recent years they expanded the program to include a mech designer contest. It's not as thrilling as the mech battles, but the Mech Corps and a few big players pa
The Mech Chapter 11: Cash Woes
Ves made the biggest gamble of his life so far. If he won, he'd be able to produce a stellar mech and sell it for a hefty profit, making more than enough money to meet his impending interest payment. Success danced on a string, and each time Ves stumbled, he risked the whole scheme coming apart.First, Ves needed to grow accustomed to the Caesar Augustus. Fortunately, a real universe production license also counted as a virtual license in Iron Spirit's terms of service. He only needed to send a copy of the license agreement to the game's support to be able to tinker and sell the model in-game.As a lastgen mech in today's standard, the CA-1 counted as a 5-star mech in the game. This meant only older, more skilled potentates had the capability to buy the mech. The Caesar Augustus could be sold for a higher price, allowing Ves to earn some actual profits from his sales if he designed a good enough variant.Iron Spirit's tiered leagues put a cap on how good a mech you could play dependin
The Mech Chapter 12: Duo Queue
The battlefield finished loading, revealing a ruined city. Craters, broken mechs and other war debris littered the landscape. Eerily, no life moved in the city. All was still, except for the desolate wind howling between the cracks of fallen skyscrapers.The silence ended as a brilliantly colored streak rose in the air. The Fantasia R2 Seraphim readied its long ranged rifle and scanned the surroundings vigilantly."Come on! Let's stop hiding like rats." TheSeventhSnake publicly declared. "I'm right here! Shoot me if you can!"Nothing responded to his taunts. The slim, grey Phantasm that popped up from the side of a broken tank shook its head."I told you they wouldn't fall for it. Congratulations for revealing your position. Now get down and stop wasting your limited energy." Triceratopssss said as he tried to accustom himself to his new mech.The Seraphim cut back on its wing thrusters, allowing the mech to find some cover among the streets."This is why I hate 2v2. Everyone's consta
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