Chapter 1

It was already past 9:00 PM, and today I had worked overtime again.

Until recently, I would have gone straight home to sleep after this. Work at the office, and just going home to sleep in a cheap apartment—such a life had become ingrained in me without my noticing.

But now, I have a place to stop by after work. The biting cold wind didn't bother me as I walked through the crowd with a light step.

When I descended into the underground street, the stifling heat made my glasses fog up.

I passed through a narrow alley between a standing noodle shop and a yakitori stand. The savory smell of soy sauce seeped into my empty stomach, but I decided to eat later.

Drawn by the lively noise, I headed toward a nostalgic game center. Younger people these days call it an amusement center, I guess.

The store was a crucible of light and noise, but for some reason, it was comforting. I used to visit game centers almost every day in my student days.

I ignored the prize games and pushed my way to the back. The machine I was looking for was lined up against the far wall.

Four large white cocoons made of reinforced plastic. They were the dedicated cabinets for the robot action game "Guardian Troopers."

Inside the cocoons, the cockpit was packed with machinery, much like a spaceship's. Apart from the shiny stickers for decoration, everything was essential for gameplay. If giant combat robots really existed, their cockpits might look something like this.

Behind the four cabinets, a few people were waiting in line. According to the local rules among regulars, A and B were for player-versus-player battles, while C and D were for CPU battles.

I joined the line for the usual D cabinet.

"Hey there."

A familiar chubby young man called out to me. His pilot name was Jimmy, right? He seemed to be a student at a nearby design school, but I always saw him around. He probably spent the whole day in this place.

Because of that, Jimmy had become something of a face for the regulars. Well, being young is a good thing in itself. Having so much free time that you don't know what to do with it is, honestly, enviable.

"The D cabinet is free now, so you can switch back to CPU battles, Mr. Melee."

My pilot name is "Zack Balan," but lately, I've been called "Melee Uncle." I'm still in my late twenties, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me "uncle."

Because I didn't like it, everyone started calling me "Mr. Melee" to my face, but I wish they would have given me a cooler nickname.

In "Guardian Troopers," as with most games of this type, you can choose between CPU battles and player-versus-player battles at the start.

For player-versus-player battles, you can choose a cabinet in the same store or match with players from other stores.

If you don't specify a particular opponent, a random match is chosen from all the cabinets nationwide. You can also play CPU battles while waiting for a match, but if you get shot down during that time, it's game over.

By default, player-versus-player battles are one-on-one duels, with two rounds of 180 seconds each. A draw is considered a loss for both players. If you lose twice, it's game over.

There are also tag team duels and team battles, but I've never tried them.

The first stage of CPU battles is a tutorial stage where the enemies don't attack. If you can't clear it in 600 seconds, it's game over. On the other hand, if you leave the enemies alone, you can practice as much as you like for 10 minutes.

From the second stage onward, the enemies attack normally. If you're not careful, you can be shot down within a few seconds, which is why it's considered a difficult game. However, if you can operate the robot calmly, it's not that hard to avoid.

Well, that's if you can operate it properly.

The difficulty of operating the robot is what significantly narrows the player base for this game. Many players give up because they can't even maintain an upright posture, and the reviews on review sites are predictably terrible.

Even if you manage to walk, just picking up and lifting a weapon is a challenge. Most players leave, thinking, "This isn't what the game should focus on."

However, the sense of achievement when you finally manage to lift a gun for the first time is something you can't experience in other games. Most players who stick with it become passionate fans of this game.

Even after you can move the robot, it takes another effort to learn how to lock onto targets. Even then, there's no guarantee that you'll hit.

The enemies dodge, after all. It's not an easy game.

Currently, most players can't even defeat the minor enemies in the second stage. Beginners are recommended to learn how to move their machines in the first stage of CPU battles and then improve their skills by fighting other players in one-on-one duels.

In my case, I can reach the third stage of CPU battles without much trouble.

"Mr. Melee, the D cabinet is free now."

Spurred on by Jimmy, I climbed into the cabinet. Regulars want to play as long as possible, so there's no time to dawdle.

I sat in the pilot seat and swiped my pilot card, which I keep on a lanyard around my neck. The smart machine read my settings accurately.

One play costs 500 yen, but you can also play for free by paying 5000 points of in-game currency. The exchange rate is 10 points for 1 yen.

I paid with points and started the game. The servomotors vibrated slightly, and the seat adjusted to my position.

The foot pedals rose up significantly. Damn, these young people these days have such long legs.

The game's controls use two joysticks and two foot pedals. Each joystick has 14 buttons, seven on each side, and the game also supports gaze and voice input.

You can customize the button assignments, but I haven't found any particular issues with the default settings.

"Welcome back, Sergeant Zack. Would you like your usual equipment?"

The husky voice of the navigator AI, Betty, greeted me. AI has become incredibly advanced these days. This Betty rarely misinterprets my voice commands.

A rough sword, the Buster Sword, emerged from the wall of the hangar. It's probably based on the bastard sword from medieval Germany, a two-handed sword that can be used with one hand. I don't know what it's made of, but it's supposed to be some amazing metal.

I extended the robot's arm to grab the sword. It's quite heavy, so the robot's center of gravity tilts. When you're not used to it, you might fall over and crawl around the hangar floor. I heard that if you dawdle for more than 10 minutes in the hangar, it's game over.

"The sword's durability is still good. Okay, let's start the CPU battle."

"Understood. Let's do our best today."

The robot was enveloped in blue light and warped away.

A Grand Canyon-like landscape appeared on the 360-degree screen. My robot was falling, or rather, descending. At this height, there's no damage, but I instinctively applied a light boost brake.

I landed softly and couldn't help but smile. Just descending and landing was incredibly fun. This is one of the good things about this game.

When I lightly pressed the foot pedals, my robot started running smoothly. The shaking view and the scenery streaming by made me feel like a giant.

My beloved LYNX is over 10 meters tall, I think. Well, the game's standard settings are pretty much irrelevant. What's important is its performance, which responds to my thoughts perfectly. It's not too peaky or sluggish, and it's my favorite machine.

In this game, you can only register one machine to your pilot card, and you can't have multiple pilot cards.

I thought the biometric authentication system for creating pilot cards was a bit much, but in some countries and regions, you can cash out score points, so that's probably the reason.

The problem is that, due to the card restrictions, you can effectively only own one machine. If you switch to a new machine, you have to give up your old one.

The initial machine registered was the practice machine, Orange Pegasus. To switch to another machine, you need to save up points and buy a machine from the store, but sometimes you can get a machine as a reward.

My LYNX is a rare machine not sold in the store. The LYNX II, which costs 120k points, is supposed to be more advanced, but I'm grateful that I got it for free.

In my case, I received the LYNX after clearing the second stage on my first play. I switched to it without much thought, but usually, it takes thousands of yen to get a store machine. Some people play for tens of thousands of yen to save 100k points, so I was quite lucky.

After a little practice, I fell in love with the LYNX's superior performance. It's not just stronger than the practice machine; it moves smoothly and responds to my thoughts perfectly. I have no intention of switching to another machine.

The LYNX has wire anchors built into both arms as fixed weapons. They're more for emergency braking or retrieving thrown weapons than for attacking. I don't use them much.

The fixed weapons of the Orange Pegasus were a beam sword in the right hand, a beam gun in the left hand, and a pulse beam gun in the head. In that sense, the LYNX's fixed weapons are weaker.

However, I prefer a real sword to a beam sword, and I'm not good at shooting, so it's not a problem.

My main weapon is a single sword, the Buster Sword, which costs 3200 points. Among the real swords sold in the store, this is the only one that's actually usable. The others are just terrible, so there's no choice.

There are far fewer types of close-combat weapons compared to guns.

Among the close-combat weapons sold in the store, I've tried two types of beam swords and a few bayonet types, but none of them felt right.

The bayonet that came with the Orange Pegasus was quite easy to use, but since it's not sold in the store, you can't replace it if it breaks.

Each weapon has a durability value, and it breaks when it reaches zero. You can repair it, but if the repair fails, the maximum durability decreases, which is a sadistic design.

I replace the Buster Sword when its maximum durability drops to about 30%. I replace it about once a week, and I think the cost-performance is not bad.

Recently, I've gotten better at handling the sword, so it doesn't break as easily. A blade lasts longer depending on how you use it.

A multi-legged mechanical spider appeared from behind a rock. It's a bit larger than my robot and quite imposing, but it's the weakest minor enemy in the game.

In the first stage, 16 of these spider-legged machines are placed. They just wander around and don't attack or dodge, making them good practice for beginners.

I fully pressed the foot pedals for a moment, accelerated with a boost dash, and slashed at the enemy with the entire machine.

If you keep the pedals pressed, you'll accelerate too much and lose control of the machine.

This game doesn't have a post-action freeze, but a large movement will create an opening.

The Buster Sword has a long blade, but its range is almost zero compared to a beam gun. In real combat, you have to charge in as if you're going to ram the enemy. Of course, you shouldn't actually ram them. You need to judge the distance and slide the blade diagonally as you pass by the enemy.

To finish them off in one hit, you need to destroy the core in their torso. The many legs can be a hindrance, but if you get the angle right, you can cut through the core and the legs together.

The Buster Sword is treated more like a blunt weapon in this game, but if you adjust the angle and slide the blade quickly, you can deal significant damage by cutting.

Beam swords are the opposite; the deeper you cut, the more damage you deal. It's more like a welding machine, and the key is to keep hitting the same spot.

I used to equip a beam sword as a sub-weapon, but I don't use it anymore because it reduces the time bonus. If you take your time cutting with a beam sword, the time bonus decreases.

The clear condition for the first stage is to defeat all 16 spider-legged machines. You get 100 points for each spider-legged machine, and there's a bonus when you clear the stage.

The details of the clear bonus are not public, but it's probably related to the number of enemies defeated, damage to your machine, hit rate, evasion rate, and clear time.

My clear time for the first stage is around 100 seconds, and I usually get about 3000 points.

My goal is to earn 7000 points, or 7k, in one play. With my low salary, 500 yen per play is a significant expense. Fortunately, you can play for 5000 points, so if you keep getting high scores, it's essentially free.

You also need score points for ammunition and machine repairs. The LYNX has a high self-repair ability, so it doesn't cost much to repair. If it's heavily damaged, it will automatically recover if you leave it alone for 8 hours in real time.

Of course, you still have to pay for sword replacements and repairs, and repairs if you get shot down, but if you can earn 7k each time, you can manage.

Therefore, you need to earn at least 3k in the first stage, where the enemies don't attack, or it will be tough later.

The second stage starts with the same enemy placement as the first stage, but the enemies will dodge your attacks and counter with beams.

However, the spider-legged machines have almost no close-combat ability, making them easy prey for me. Once you learn when they fire their beams, it's just a simple shooting game. It's not hard to avoid them completely.

The beam's speed is quite fast for a game. The damage calculation for beam weapons is unique; a glancing hit does almost no damage, but continuous hits to the same spot will quickly melt the armor.

I interpret it as a flamethrower. If you get hit, the armor display changes from green to orange and then red, warning you of danger. But if you have time to look at it, you should avoid it.

The key is to keep moving. If you're targeted while braking after a boost move, you'll be riddled with holes. That's why I don't use boost moves much.

If necessary, you can block enemy beam attacks with your sword. Real swords and shields are supposed to have materials that diffuse and reflect beams. I think the machine's armor should be made of the same material, but that's just the game's setting.

Thanks to this setting, real swords can beat beam swords one-sidedly. In return, beam swords have a longer reach and can block bullets without taking damage.

Blocking flying beams with a sword looks cool, but it's also a forced action. If you're blocking, you're already at a disadvantage.

Using a heavy Buster Sword to block enemy bullets can throw off your balance, and you might even fall over. If your arm's built-in weapon is a beam sword, you can use it for blocking. But I don't feel the need to switch to the LYNX II just for that. At first, I thought it was a waste of score points, but now I have an attachment to this old LYNX. I don't even consider switching to other machines.

The second stage has become routine, so I aim to clear it with the highest score.

Today, I cleared it without any mistakes. Good, I've already surpassed my 7k goal by the end of the second stage. The challenge starts from here.

My next goal is to consistently clear the third stage. In addition to the spider-legged machines, the third stage introduces crab-like enemy machines with pincers for close combat.

There are two of these crab machines, which makes them quite troublesome. If they work together, they can