Ch.9009. Entrance Exam Simulation

Gilbert was quietly savoring the lingering sensation of operating a God-Machine after such a long time. Though he couldn’t receive support due to the activation conditions of his main skill, it would have been strange not to perform this well in the entrance mock battle, which was essentially a tutorial.

Being the first person in the world to achieve 100% completion of the notorious Tactical Combat was the result of his tenacious perseverance combined with natural talent. Born with an innate ability to control things, Gilbert had poured his talents and countless hours into a game with insane difficulty, ultimately reaching the pinnacle.

No matter how long it had been since he last piloted a God-Machine, that sense wasn’t something that easily disappeared. For him, piloting was like riding a bicycle—an ingrained habit impossible to forget.

After destroying all the enemy God-Machines in the vanguard, Gilbert returned to the base and took his position as commander. His adjutant Angelina stood beside him in her God-Machine, with other squad leaders surrounding him protectively.

It was clearly different treatment than before he had sortied, but he didn’t point this out. Considering his notorious reputation, he should be grateful they were following his orders at all.

“Commander! A messenger from Team 4 has arrived!”

In the distance, one of the squad members on lookout could be seen approaching with a God-Machine. Judging by the markings, it appeared to be from Team 4. In an actual battlefield, one would question allegiance even with proper markings, but that was impossible in the entrance mock battle, so it was correct to identify it as Team 4’s messenger.

“I’m James, messenger from Team 4.”

“Gilbert, commander of Team 1. State your purpose for coming here.”

With the mock battle in progress, he dispensed with formalities. He judged there was no time to waste, not knowing what moves Teams 2 and 3 might make.

“Team 4’s commander sent me to inquire if your alliance proposal is still valid.”

The man who identified himself as James showed remarkable composure, his voice unwavering despite being in enemy territory. Well, this wasn’t a battlefield where actual lives were at stake, so such an attitude wasn’t unreasonable. Even setting that aside, he certainly had courage.

“Of course it is. Are communications currently connected?”

“Yes. Team 4’s commander wishes to dissolve the alliance with Teams 2 and 3 and form an alliance with Team 1 instead.”

“Good. Then I’d like you to connect our magic channels.”

“I’ll connect them now.”

After a brief moment, Gilbert’s magic communication channel connected with Team 4’s commander. The main screen displayed the face of Team 4’s commander, whom he had seen before the mock battle began.

“Patrick, commander of Team 4.”

“Gilbert, commander of Team 1.”

Fundamentally, both were legitimate sons of baronial houses with similar standings in the Empire, so neither spoke formally to the other. Normally they would use mutually respectful language, but since they were in the middle of a mock battle, both spoke casually.

“I must have been blind not to properly recognize your skill.”

Gilbert was somewhat surprised to see this proud young baron so readily acknowledge him. In the game, Patrick had been skilled but served as a sort of power meter whose arrogance reached the heavens, so this was unexpected.

So games are games and reality is reality, after all.

Gilbert concealed his inner thoughts and shook his head.

“I think your judgment was objective. Forming an alliance with Team 1 from your position would have been tantamount to gambling.”

“You say some rather interesting things. I heard you were called the disgrace of your baronial house—was that an incorrect rumor?”

Though it sounded like a comment meant to grate on one’s nerves, Patrick’s eyes held curiosity rather than contempt. It was simply that his natural way of speaking came across as sarcastic.

“No. It’s accurate. I am indeed the shame of the baronial house.”

“Huh huh. I see. Well, that’s fine. That’s not what’s important right now.”

Patrick hid his slight smile and set aside his thoughts about the intriguing Gilbert, getting straight to the point.

“I was informed that your earlier proposal is still valid—is that correct?”

“It is. As commander of Team 1, I formally request an alliance with Team 4.”

“Having witnessed your skills firsthand, we welcome this proposal. Then shall we set the duration of our alliance to end when Teams 2 and 3 are eliminated?”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“I appreciate your directness. Which side do you plan to attack first?”

“Are you yielding the right to decide to me?”

“To be honest, having you at the vanguard would be ideal.”

“That sounds like you’re planning to use me outright.”

“Hahaha. You’re not wrong.”

As Gilbert continued communicating with Patrick, he had to admit he’d been viewing the other man through colored lenses. Patrick wasn’t as narrow-minded as he’d thought, nor was he particularly arrogant. Perhaps in the game he had reacted differently because the protagonist’s status was lower than his, but Gilbert was now Hart family’s Gilbert, not the protagonist character.

There was no need to reject or push away someone who wasn’t hostile toward him.

“Very well. We’ll attack Team 2 first. The attack will commence when your messenger returns, and I’ll take the vanguard.”

“Excellent. I wish you good luck.”

With that, the communication ended. Since this was a mock battle, the alliance was formed verbally rather than through elaborate document exchanges, but that was sufficient.

With a single show of force, the hopeless structure of the mock battle had changed.

From 3 against 1 to 2 against 2.

“Commander. I don’t think you actually believe his words at face value.”

“Adjutant Angelina. Why do you think that?”

After the messenger departed, Angelina immediately contacted Gilbert. When he connected, he saw her face with her brown bob hair neatly parted on both sides.

“The alliance just now was formed thanks to your earlier rampage. The structure of the mock battle has completely changed because of it, which is excellent. However.”

Angelina emphasized the last word.

“Because of that, you’ve likely aroused too much wariness. You single-handedly destroyed the entire vanguard sent by three allied teams. What good would it do them to remain alone?”

“Good point.”

Gilbert stroked his chin with the back of his right hand, acknowledging Angelina’s sharp assessment. It was certainly a valid observation. He had overlooked this because Patrick had made a better impression than expected, and he had naively assumed, like in the game, that they wouldn’t automatically gang up on him.

In fact, setting everything else aside, he had missed this point due to his confidence that he could cause havoc if things went wrong.

“Are you suggesting that the alliance proposal itself might be a smoke screen?”

“Yes. The purpose of the mock battle is not only to test God-Machine piloting skills, but also to evaluate the cadets’ judgment, political acumen, and ability to handle all possible situations on the battlefield. That’s why there are no regulations regarding alliances. So can an alliance formed with just a few words really be called an alliance? I don’t think so.”

Gilbert nodded at Angelina’s clean analysis. Initially, he had chosen her as his adjutant out of consideration for Hans, but he now felt that he was the fortunate one.

While Gilbert was tapping the control stick and contemplating, a communication came in reporting that Team 4’s messenger had returned to their base. Angelina, still connected, furrowed her brow, waiting for his next instructions.

“I’ll leave the main base to you, Adjutant Angelina.”

“Understood. What will you do, Commander?”

“I can’t avoid taking the vanguard. We’re at a numerical disadvantage, after all. We’ll reduce their numbers as much as possible, then break the alliance first.”

“That’s hardly a plan at all. But given the commander I just saw, it’s entirely possible.”

“Unnecessary comment. I’m heading out now.”

With those words, Gilbert ended the communication and moved his God-Machine to lead Squads 1 and 2, including Hans, volunteering as the vanguard. As they moved, he opened team communications to boost their morale. Fortunately, their spirits were already high after Gilbert’s one-man show, so there wasn’t much need for additional motivation.

Upon reaching Team 2’s base, Gilbert adjusted his squad members’ formation.

He positioned himself at the front of a delta formation—a pyramid structure.

As the formation took shape, God-Machines from Team 2 emerged from their base to meet Gilbert’s vanguard. Their formation was less orderly than Gilbert’s, but they maintained some semblance of structure. At a glance, it was similar to Gilbert’s formation, with one God-Machine positioned at the front like Gilbert’s.

Though Gilbert didn’t bother connecting communications, he immediately recognized that the pilot inside was the protagonist, Ian.

‘I should assume his trait skill remains the same.’

He thought there wouldn’t be any sub-skills yet since the tutorial hadn’t ended. It was impossible to acquire skills before the status and skill windows were unlocked, which happened after participating in the entrance mock battle.

Even so, Ian’s trait skill was Integration—a cheat-like ability that maximized synchronization with the God-Machine, fundamentally advancing piloting skill to the next level.

In the past, even the final tech tree God-Machines of Atlantica, which had perfected magical engineering, couldn’t match the synchronization rate of a machine operated by the protagonist after his Integration trait evolved into Unity of Mind and Body. No matter how advanced the technology, there was always a slight delay when controlling something other than one’s own body.

Gilbert calculated his chances in the imminent battle. Even as a veteran of Tactical Combat, he had never directly fought against the protagonist. Since Tactical Combat was played from the protagonist’s perspective rather than allowing character selection or customization, he had never encountered him as an enemy.

A custom mode was unlocked after completing all achievements, creating an opportunity to try it, but Gilbert had been pulled into this world right after creating his custom character, so he never had the chance to experience it.

Seeing Team 2’s God-Machines gradually increasing in number, Gilbert issued the charge order without further delay.

Simultaneously, he rushed toward the protagonist’s God-Machine with high-speed maneuvers.

Clang!

He swung his great sword, but unlike before, Ian blocked Gilbert’s blade with his own. As if to prove his protagonist title wasn’t just for show, he did so without apparent difficulty.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He was clearly different from the cadets Gilbert had faced earlier. After blocking Gilbert’s consecutive strikes following the high-speed maneuver, Ian began to counterattack, pressuring Gilbert.

Gilbert easily blocked as well, but realizing his machine was responding slower than his opponent’s left him feeling bitter. He hadn’t noticed when using Integration himself, but experiencing it from the other side made it the most infuriating skill imaginable.

Meanwhile, Ian was surprised to find his opponent’s skill exceeded what he had observed through the communication magic. He already knew he was a trait skill holder and had developed his skills by operating God-Machines with his family’s support.

With exceptional talent not only in his trait skill but also in God-Machine piloting, Ian could hold his own against 5th-rank knights in his domain, so he never thought there would be peers who could surpass him.

The current clash was no exception.

He clearly realized through several exchanges that his machine’s response speed exceeded Gilbert’s thanks to his trait skill. The difference was visible—Gilbert’s movements lagged by half a beat at best, a full beat at worst.

After confirming this difference with his own eyes, Ian had absolute confidence in his victory. When controlling a God-Machine rather than one’s own body, a difference in response speed meant inevitably moving slower than the opponent.

If the God-Machine couldn’t keep up with what the eyes perceived, it was natural that attacks couldn’t be blocked. This made Ian fully aware of how blessed he was to have his trait skill.

However, the more he fought against Gilbert, known as the baronial disgrace, the more he felt something was wrong.

Gilbert should have been unable to keep up and been defeated, yet somehow he was matching all of Ian’s movements.

No, it wasn’t just keeping up. Gilbert’s high-speed movements using magical boosters frequently exceeded Ian’s predictions, and countless chilling attacks targeted his blind spots.

Whoosh!

The steel sword that narrowly grazed the cockpit in his chest area was one such attack. If it had hit directly even a moment later, it might have depleted his magical barrier to dangerous levels.

“How is this possible?!”

Shouting in frustration and indignation at experiencing something unprecedented, Ian pulled the lever.

Ian’s God-Machine deflected the downward slash of the steel sword and rammed his shoulder into Gilbert with speed half a beat faster than normal.

And that was exactly what Gilbert had been waiting for.

The moment he felt the upward deflection, Gilbert manipulated the control stick to execute an acrobatic backflip evasion maneuver.

Ian was astounded, while Gilbert smiled. Though it wasn’t difficult for experienced players, this original technique was popular among veterans because it was good at inducing complacency and shock in opponents.

A massive God-Machine lightly executing a backflip evasion followed by a high-speed movement attack was partly performance, but also a dagger that pierced the opponent’s guard.

Using his magical booster to spring forward instantly, Gilbert delivered a powerful thrust with his upright steel sword. The tremendous physical force reduced Ian’s magic battery to zero, resulting in his defeat.

“Ugh!”

Ian struck the control stick as he watched the screen flickering and going dark. Having been defeated helplessly for the first time, he burned with determination to face Gilbert again.

With a promise to win next time.

The chaotic battle intensified as Gilbert, freed from the protagonist Ian, joined forces with Team 4 to push back Team 2.

Particularly dazzling was Gilbert’s performance, displaying evasion maneuvers that seemed impossible for a newly admitted cadet.

Beside him, Team 4’s commander Patrick also showed piloting skills unbecoming of a freshman, but he was clearly outmatched compared to Gilbert.

Clang! Clang! Boom!

Thirty minutes after the battle began.

Gilbert cut down the enemy God-Machine before him with a swift diagonal slash.

“All God-Machines of Team 2 in the entrance mock battle have been lost. Team 2 has been eliminated from the entrance mock battle.”

The announcement rang out as Gilbert’s attack proved to be the final blow.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh, realizing the battle with Ian and the ensuing melee had ended.

Now only Teams 3 and 4 remained.

***

Entrance Mock Battle.

Team 2 eliminated.

Remaining teams:

Team 1, Team 3, Team 4.