episode_0013

A massive steel door blocked my path.

According to the sensors, the door’s material wasn’t ordinary steel but a special superalloy several meters thick.

It would be impossible to breach even with most siege weapons.

I piloted the Bugbear, exploring along the wall to the right of the door, searching my memory.

And finally, I found a spot that subtly differed in color and texture from the rest of the wall.

When I lightly scraped the surface with the tip of my plasma blade, a small control panel hidden beneath the dust was revealed.

A faint status light was blinking, indicating that power hadn’t been completely cut off.

“Security code, please be the same as in the game.”

As I entered the code into the panel, the lights blinked rapidly, and a faint sound, as if something was conflicting within the system, could be heard.

With a short mechanical creak, the panel’s status light turned green.

“Got it!”

A cry of relief escaped me involuntarily.

Rumble rumble rumble…!

With a heavy vibration, the enormous steel door slowly began to open upwards.

It was a door that might have been closed for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years.

I hesitated for a moment, but then pushed the joystick, carefully guiding the Bugbear into the doorway.

The space beyond the door was more vast than expected.

The ceiling was so high that the light from the lamps couldn’t reach it, leaving it shrouded in darkness.

On all sides, walls were lined with massive, unknown machinery and intricately entangled pipelines, like the skeleton of a giant.

As I slowly advanced inward, activating the sensors to their maximum, an inexplicable noise flickered at the edge of the sensor screen, amplifying my unease.

‘I need to be careful. It might be different from the game.’

While relying on game knowledge, I simultaneously prepared for real-world dangers, not letting my guard down.

How far had I gone?

The wide passage suddenly ended, revealing a massive chasm.

The floor had completely collapsed, showing only darkness tens of meters below.

In the game, there was a temporary bridge here, but now there was no trace of it.

‘Damn it, there’s a variable after all.’

I carefully scanned the structural stability of the floor on the opposite side using the sensors.

Fortunately, a stable landing spot was secured.

The moment I ignited the boosters briefly and leaped over the chasm.

Dark ventilation shafts in the ceiling and hidden panels in the walls opened, spewing out nimble mechanical spider-shaped drones.

“Just as I expected!”

I reacted immediately.

I briefly activated ‘Movement Flow,’ evading the predicted firing trajectory, and simultaneously fired the newly mounted shoulder missile pods.

Two small interceptor missiles accurately struck and destroyed the two leading drones.

However, the remaining ones paid no heed, scattering in all directions and attempting a three-dimensional attack.

Some also tried to directly attack the mech with energy projectiles and sharp metal claws.

I cut down the incoming drones one by one with the plasma blade and intercepted them with missiles.

Thanks to the newly replaced actuators, my movements were much smoother and faster than before, but the drones’ numbers and attacks were relentless.

“Argh!”

One of them dove into the mech’s blind spot and bit into the leg armor.

I quickly rotated the mech, shook it off, and sliced it in two with the plasma blade, but a warning light started blinking in the leg section.

The sensors also seemed partially damaged, as the noise on part of the screen worsened.

‘These guys… they’re different from the trash mobs in the game. Much more aggressive and their coordination is better.’

After dealing with the remaining drones, I discovered a sparkling object near the wreckage of the destroyed drones.

Upon closer inspection, it was a damaged portable data pad.

I carefully picked it up and connected it to the Bugbear’s system.

Most of the data was corrupted, but fortunately, I found one recoverable log file.

[Prototype Name: Atlas V. Graviton stability rapidly decreasing during test operation, containment field collapse imminent, chain runaway risk. Emergency procedure: Power shutdown, urgent escape [Data corrupted]].

“Atlas V! Graviton!”

My heart pounded. It was the record of the exact part I was looking for.

So it was here after all.

But at the same time, ominous words like ‘containment field collapse’ and ‘chain runaway risk’ weighed on my mind.

“Still, it’s definitive proof that it’s here.”

Following the intensifying energy signal deeper into the facility, I arrived before a massive circular space.

It was the entrance to a place called ‘Zero-Point Containment Chamber’ in the game.

“Beyond that door, there’ll be a graviton damper, or at least a clue.”

It was the moment I cautiously approached the door to scan its surface.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Suddenly, the entire floor vibrated violently, and at the same time, dormant red emergency lights across the whole space simultaneously flickered on, followed by an ear-splitting sharp warning siren.

“Damn it!”

I reflexively gripped my plasma blade tighter and stepped back.

Then, the floor beneath a structure resembling an altar in the center of the space split open, and with a heavy metal grinding sound, something enormous began to rise.

It was Boss XG-01 ‘Aegis,’ known as the ‘newbie shredder.’

It supported its massive body with four heavy mechanical legs.

Its 360-degree rotating upper body was equipped with powerful twin laser cannons and multi-barrel missile launchers.

And it had a colossal hydraulic pincer arm, capable of crushing its targets.

A cold, red monocular optical sensor gleamed in its head section.

It was much larger and more imposing than its in-game model.

Without any warning, it fixed its red sensor on me.

The twin laser cannons on its arms began charging energy with a high-pitched whine.

The ominous sound of powerful energy concentrating echoed throughout the entire space.

“What the hell, I’ll just fight it.”

I gripped the joystick and muttered.

“I’ve memorized all its patterns.”

I repeated to myself, steeling my resolve.

Even its basic attack patterns and weaknesses, yes, I know this guy.

[Warning! High-output energy response detected!]

Simultaneously with the system’s warning, Aegis finally launched its first attack.

The reactor boosters roared, spewing energy, and with a subtle sensation of the world slowing down, the Bugbear slid to the right.

At that very moment, two thick laser beams fired from Aegis’s arms scorched the spot where I had just been.

“Just as predicted!”

I didn’t miss the opening when Aegis was briefly rigid after firing its lasers, and I launched the shoulder missile pods.

Two small missiles flew accurately towards its red monocular sensor.

-Boom!

The missiles were blocked by the transparent reinforced shield covering Aegis’s sensor, exploding harmlessly.

Even in the game, that sensor cover had considerable durability.

Aegis immediately opened its shoulder multi-launcher, unleashing dozens of small missiles at me.

It was a barrage of difficult-to-evade guided missiles, notorious even in the game.

I maintained ‘Movement Flow,’ pushing the mech’s agility to its limits.

Using the surrounding collapsed pillars and debris as cover, I narrowly dodged the missiles.

Thanks to the newly equipped sensors, the missiles’ predicted trajectories were faintly visible, and ‘Movement Flow’ almost synchronized my reflexes with the mech’s movements.

However, the Bugbear’s fundamentally sluggish movements couldn’t be helped. Several missiles couldn’t be dodged in time and struck the mech.

Bang! Bang!

“Argh!”

Missiles exploded on the reinforced armor plating, causing the mech to stagger violently.

Fortunately, critical damage was avoided, but warning lights blared loudly from various parts of the mech.

Part of the system became unstable from the impact, and the energy shield must have been depleted long ago.

‘Damn it, if this were Asura, I would have easily dodged this and landed a counter…!’

With this pile of junk, I couldn’t replicate the perfect gameplay from the game. The wall of reality was high.

I briefly caught my breath behind cover, waiting for the next pattern.

Aegis began charging its laser cannons again.

This time, it wouldn’t be a sweep, but a high-output blast focused on a single point.

And immediately after that attack, there was a timing when the armor on its leg joints would temporarily open to secure mobility.

That was its weakness.

As expected, a powerful laser beam shot out, shattering the pillar I was hiding behind, but I had already moved from that spot.

And at the very moment Aegis moved its leg joints for its next action.

“Now!”

I ignited the boosters to maximum output and charged low.

And pulling out the plasma blade from my right arm, I plunged it deep into the part of its left front leg joint armor that was thinnest.

Grinding! Sizzle!

With a sharp metallic grinding sound, blue sparks erupted, and Aegis’s massive body staggered and reeled.

“Yes!”

But my cheers were short-lived.

Aegis regained its balance much faster than in the game.

And as if enraged, it swung its massive hydraulic pincer arm at me.

“Damn it! Its recovery speed is different!”

I recoiled in shock, hastily retreating.

The pincer arm slammed down into the space directly in front of me with a mighty crash!

The force was enough to dent the floor.

If I had been hit by that, my Bugbear would have been compressed into scrap metal.

‘Memorizing patterns wasn’t enough. Reality is different! It’s stronger!’

I put distance between myself and Aegis, regrouping my formation once more.

It was definitely stronger and faster than in the game, and its AI also seemed superior.

It wasn’t simply relying on patterns but reacting to my movements.

From now on, it was a battle of attrition.

I had to conserve ‘Movement Flow’ as much as possible, dodging its attacks and aiming for its weaknesses to steadily accumulate damage.

I scraped off its armor with the plasma blade and targeted the unarmored connecting parts of its joints with the remaining missiles.

Aegis also relentlessly pressed its attack with powerful lasers, missiles, and its heavy pincer arm.

How much time had passed?

During the fierce battle, the Bugbear’s energy reserves rapidly dwindled, and all missiles were expended.

The mech was battered all over, and warning lights blared from almost every system.

But Aegis didn’t look to be in good condition either.

Its left front leg was almost immobile, and deep gashes from the plasma blade remained around its sensor and in various weapon connection points.

The light from its red sensor also seemed fainter than before.

‘Almost there…!’

I squeezed out the last of my remaining energy.

Just then, Aegis lunged at me, trying to grab me with its massive pincer arm, as if in a final desperate struggle.

In an unavoidable head-on confrontation, I did not evade.

The very moment its colossal pincer arm was about to seize me, I slid the mech downward, beneath its abdomen.

I plunged towards the cooling system exhaust port, which was its only unarmored weak point in the game.

And with all my remaining strength, I thrust the plasma blade deep inside the exhaust port.

KABOOM-!!!

With a deafening roar, as if something exploded inside Aegis, its entire body began to convulse violently.

It staggered for a moment, then lost all power and toppled forward with a heavy thud.

Thud!

“Haaah.”

Clutching the joystick, I panted heavily.

It was finally over.

Leaning against my battered mech, I gazed at the massive, motionless wreckage of Aegis.

‘Finally….’

Just then, a familiar blue system window appeared in my vision.

As if to encourage me after the grueling battle.

Boss unit ‘XG-01 Aegis’ eliminated!

[Special Reward: 20,000 CR]

[Items Acquired]

-XG-01 Armor Shard x5

-Damaged Aegis Laser Core x1

-Ancient Power Cell x3

-[Key] Zero-Point Containment Chamber Access Keycard