Ch.12012. First Combat Rule. The God-Machine Soldier is Not Omnipotent.

When Gilbert opened his eyes in the Tactical Combat world and accepted that what he was experiencing was reality, not a dream, the first thing he did was check for the existence of a game system.

The game system had various functions to help gamers play smoothly, and if he could actually use it, he judged it would make it easier to survive in the brutal Tactical Combat world.

Fortunately or unfortunately, while the game system existed, after confirming the familiar message window stating that conditions had not been met, he eagerly awaited the entrance mock battle at Demeia Academy. According to his memory, the system unlock would begin with the tutorial chapter—the entrance mock battle.

As expected, the game system was generated simultaneously with the start of the entrance mock battle, and he began receiving system assistance, but there wasn’t enough time to confirm the exact information about it. In the game, players were given sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the system, but now this was reality, not a game.

There was no mercy for those who waited comfortably; he concentrated all his attention on achieving the best possible result in the rapidly progressing entrance mock battle.

The result was the system message now filling Gilbert’s vision.

[You have successfully completed the Tutorial Entrance Mock Battle.]

[Your overwhelming evaluation in the entrance mock battle has enhanced your rewards.]

[You receive bonus points for special ability increases for being the first to volunteer as commander in the entrance mock battle.]

[Achievement unlocked: Before Anyone Else, Faster Than Anyone Else.]

[A skill has been generated by satisfying special conditions in a special situation.]

Excited like a child with a birthday present before him, Gilbert left a quick “good job” to his teammates as soon as the award ceremony for the entrance mock battle ended and shut himself in his dormitory.

With anticipation, he opened the notification window.

<Tutorial – Entrance Mock Battle>

Type: Main

Clear Condition: Participate in Demeia Academy’s entrance mock battle.

Reward: Varies according to entrance mock battle evaluation

– Entrance Mock Battle Honor Badge awarded

– Commander Honor Badge awarded

– Special abilities Authority and Command increased by 10(+5) for volunteering as commander.

Failure Penalty: None.

Status: Cleared

*Additional badges awarded for achieving overwhelming evaluation in the entrance mock battle.

*Special abilities increased by an additional +5 for being the first to volunteer as commander.

Gilbert clenched his fists after checking the mission window. He had wondered how he managed to get the Commander Honor Badge with his ruined reputation, but it seemed he obtained it through the enhanced tutorial rewards.

Although Honor Badges were special items that only applied within the academy, they were tremendously helpful for academy activities. They were difficult to obtain, and getting two right after finishing the entrance mock battle was challenging even in the game.

The first condition was achieving an S-rank evaluation in the entrance mock battle, after which there was about a 20% chance of acquiring the Commander Honor Badge. Gilbert, who hadn’t been particularly lucky, had rarely started with the Commander Badge.

Now that this had become reality, it seemed the random probability had been changed to additional rewards based on evaluation.

Gilbert wanted to shout with joy seeing that his special abilities Authority and Command had increased by a total of 10 for participating as commander in the entrance mock battle. Special abilities, unlike regular abilities, couldn’t be gained through repetitive actions.

These were abilities determined randomly when first starting the game and could only be increased by achieving certain accomplishments or meeting specific conditions. They originally affected the number of units one could command and morale boosting, making them essential to increase if taking the commander route.

For Gilbert, the fact that such precious abilities increased by 10 was more important than receiving the Commander Honor Badge.

Satisfied with the tutorial rewards, he nodded and opened his status window with a hopeful heart. While he had memorized the initial abilities of the protagonist character except for the randomly determined Authority and Command, he was worried because he had never seen Gilbert’s abilities before.

<Status Window>

Name: Gilbert Lion Heart

Gender: Male (20)

Title: None

Fame: -10K

Possessions: Honor Badges (2)+

Abilities

[Combat]: [70]

[Physical]: [90]

[Piloting]: [100]

[Magic]: [30]

[Authority]: [40](+10)

[Command]: [50](+10)

Tactical Combat wasn’t the type of game where you grew your character by gaining experience like in MMORPGs. Rather, it belonged to the category where growth occurred when the gamer adapted to the game and increased their own skill. Even levels, which are absolutely crucial in MMORPGs, were merely elements for unlocking systems or customizing machines here, with virtually no way to improve abilities.

In that sense, the abilities shown in the status window served as indicators of character performance, and the system classified characters by grade according to these values.

Gilbert couldn’t help but open his eyes wide at the status window he was seeing for the first time. The reason was that his current abilities were very different from what he had imagined.

Gilbert’s status window boasted such impressive abilities that it would be no exaggeration to say he was already a fully developed character. He had expected his physical ability to be excellent because his concept was the Golden Sun, but he hadn’t imagined it would be nearly complete at a value of 90, having expected it to be in the low to mid-80s considering he was just over twenty years old with room to grow.

Given Gilbert’s past actions, he had been prepared not to be disappointed even if his piloting ability was rock bottom, but just as his physical ability reflected Gilbert’s body, his piloting ability showed 100—the theoretical maximum—perhaps reflecting not Gilbert but the “rotten water” Kang Do-jun. Or maybe it was influenced by his characteristic skill.

His combat ability was about average for an Imperial Knight, which seemed unreasonable for a cadet just entering the academy. It seemed to be an ability that interacted with his physical stats.

His rock-bottom magic ability was easily understood considering Gilbert’s past. He had expected someone who had spent more time womanizing than training to barely have enough magic to operate a giant mech, so 30 was satisfactory, perhaps due to innate talent.

The Authority and Command abilities in particular were enough to make him feel full just looking at them. These two special abilities were more volatile compared to other abilities that were already determined and difficult to raise—even if you raised them high, they could decrease significantly if you repeatedly made wrong judgments and actions.

In that sense, the entrance mock battle, which determined the minimum values, was important, and fortunately, he had stably reached the values he had expected. Adding the unexpected bonus of 10 made him grin involuntarily.

“I’m satisfied for now.”

He closed the status window with a feeling like he had taken out a solid insurance policy. The protagonist character was implemented with few abilities exceeding 40 except for piloting.

Even though the game wasn’t focused on character growth, the early stages progressed with academy-centered stories, so a development system was included with the intention of allowing players to grow their character as they wished.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the skill window, the last thing remaining. He was somewhat excited about what skill he might have obtained for the first time since coming here.

<Skill Window>

1. Three-Dimensional Maneuver(+)

Though it looked meager compared to the later stages, it was encouraging that he had gained a skill from the beginning. He couldn’t help but raise both hands in excitement at the fact that he had obtained Three-Dimensional Maneuver. To confirm if it was the skill he knew, he pressed the plus button for detailed information.

<Three-Dimensional Maneuver>

Rank: Unique (Lv.1)

Description: Allows movement unaffected by terrain features.

Effects:

– Reduces movement restrictions imposed by terrain.

– Greatly enhances spatial perception ability and provides high correction for movements that seem to defy physical laws.

– This skill applies constantly, and its direct effect can be activated once per hour.

– When the direct effect is activated, the skill is forcibly triggered with minimal conditions.

Attribution:

– Back Tumbling

As expected, Three-Dimensional Maneuver was exactly as he knew it. It was one of the skills considered essential for operating giant mechs, directly affecting mobility.

Three-Dimensional Maneuver was particularly versatile because it applied not only to giant mech operation but also to the pilot themselves, making it one of the skills players absolutely tried to obtain for smooth game progression.

Of course, Gilbert was confident he could handle most piloting without the Three-Dimensional Maneuver skill, but considering the effectiveness of its direct effect, it was a skill he had been determined to acquire. That was why he had demonstrated that unusual back tumbling in the entrance mock battle, and it seemed he had easily obtained it through the tutorial reward enhancement effect.

After checking everything including the skill window, he breathed a sigh of relief at having perfectly accomplished his first goal at Demeia Academy. Although his fame was running at a worse level than expected, he tried not to be conscious of it, as he didn’t think one success would erase his reputation as a good-for-nothing.

There would be plenty of opportunities to shine as the main story progressed, so it was right to focus on character growth, taking significance in the successful character creation. Having buttoned the first button well, he needed to push forward according to the plan he had prepared in advance.

Gilbert picked up his cadet uniform jacket he had taken off and the training clothes he had been issued, and opened his dormitory door. He couldn’t let his guard down just because he had achieved good results. The difficulty of Tactical Combat had always been hellish, and now it was reality.

That’s why there was only one place he needed to head to: the training room.