Chapter 3

In "Guardian Troopers," the discoverer of a new item is given the right to name it. If the discoverer does not name the item within 24 hours, all owners of the item can name it, but in that case, it's a race to see who does it first.

The sword for Links was an item that could be named. This means I was the first one in the country to get it. I was probably the first player to clear Stage 4 in Links.

Since naming can be done from the official website, I decided to take a whole night to think about it.

It was hard to imagine what the weapon would be like since it was unused, and I should have at least tried it out in Stage 1. It looked more like a giant paper knife in the Art Nouveau style rather than a sword. Considering its enormous size, it was definitely a two-handed sword.

When it came to strong sword names, Murasame and Kotetsu came to mind, but the design was far from that of a katana.

For a strong Western sword, Excalibur was the first to come to mind. Actually, I didn't know any others. I could find plenty by searching the internet, but that would feel like a loss.

Well, Excalibur would be fine.

I typed it in with excitement.

"Name already in use"?

How about Excaliber?

"Name already in use."

So everyone thinks the same way. I started to feel that it didn't have to be Excalibur. I tried Xcaliber on a whim, and it registered. It somehow made it 50% more otaku-like.

I finished my overtime work and headed to the arcade, excited to try out Xcaliber. It might seem silly to get so worked up over a game item, but excitement is hard to control.

The durability of Xcaliber was on a different level from the Buster Sword, and it even had a self-repair ability. This convenient ability, which allowed durability to recover over time, was almost standard for reward items.

The maximum durability of a weapon decreases when a repair fails, so a weapon with a self-repair ability should never be repaired.

If the durability reaches 0, the weapon breaks, so if it starts to wear down, it should be left alone until the durability recovers. It takes time, but it eliminates the risk of the maximum durability decreasing, which is very helpful.

I would need to use the store-bought Buster Sword, which can instantly recover durability through repairs, and Xcaliber effectively.

In Stage 1, I was surprised by Xcaliber's overwhelming attack power. Xcaliber is a real sword, but it can also deploy a beam blade around it. It consumes a lot of energy, but the reach extends and the power increases significantly.

When used as a real sword, the edge might not be much different from the Buster Sword. However, its destructive power as a blunt weapon is several times greater due to its weight, so it can crush spider-legged mechs with a single hit.

Stage 2 was a breeze, and I was surprised that it could easily cut through enemy beams. With the beam blade fully deployed, it was even larger than a Scutum shield, so just holding it could block most attacks.

It wasn't without flaws. Swinging a heavy sword could easily throw off balance and increase the risk of falling. During boost movement, it was especially easy to fall, which would worsen the clear time. For score points, the Buster Sword would be better up to Stage 2.

In Stage 3, I could crush the crab mech with one hit, which I had struggled with before. It was too easy, and relying on it too much might dull my skills.

After some hesitation, I decided to use Xcaliber for Stage 4 since the durability had only decreased by 1.

I charged at the multi-legged battleship while cutting through all the missiles. It was more dangerous to try to avoid and fall.

I noticed a problem when I got close enough to use the wire anchor. With both hands occupied, I couldn't use the wire anchor.

I could hold Xcaliber in one hand for a short time, but if I failed, it would be disastrous, so I decided not to use the wire anchor.

Using Xcaliber with the beam fully deployed as a shield, I pushed forward to the safe spot under the battleship's belly.

The battleship's armor was meaningless against Xcaliber's cheat-like attack power. I pierced the reactor through the armor and hurried to escape. A moment later, the reactor exploded, sending countless debris flying. Being caught in the explosion was far more dangerous than being attacked.

In close combat, the most terrifying thing was being caught in the explosion of a defeated enemy. No matter how powerful the attack, this was unavoidable. In fact, destroying the reactor in one hit left almost no time to escape.

For Stage 5, which I was playing for the first time, I decided to equip the Buster Sword. I couldn't afford to lose Xcaliber.

The battlefield was a dried-up salt lake, and I was momentarily confused, thinking I had accidentally selected a PvP match.

The enemy was a single humanoid combat robot. It was called Sagittarius, a slightly expensive model sold in the store.

It was a top-heavy, sluggish-looking machine with weapon bays on both shoulders, both legs, and the left and right sides of the waist.

It was clearly designed for high firepower. If a player used it, the ammunition cost would be astronomical, but the CPU-controlled enemy mech wouldn't care.

What was I supposed to do in a stage with no cover against such an opponent? I might be able to win with Xcaliber as a shield, but the Buster Sword wouldn't cut it.

I could use the eject button to escape to a PvP match, but I decided to gather information just in case.

The enemy immediately fired a large-caliber beam at the start. I thought I had dodged it, but it swept sideways mid-way. It was like being slashed by a super-long beam sword; that was unfair. The damage wasn't severe, but it would be troublesome if it continued.

Then came a triple shot from the beam gun. I thought I could dodge it by walking, but guided missiles came at a bad time. I had no choice but to use boost movement, and the enemy placed a large-caliber beam at my destination. I jumped over it, and this time the enemy swept the beam upwards. The AI was excellent, predicting my movements.

Rocket shells rained down on my landing spot, and missiles and beam guns flew mercilessly.

I managed to change course with the wire anchor and escape. Such tricky movements were unexpected, and the wire anchor turned out to be surprisingly useful.

The weakness of projectile weapons was running out of ammunition. Once the rockets and missiles were gone, the enemy's weapons would be limited to the large-caliber beam and the beam gun.

Beam weapons don't run out of ammunition but consume energy. Continuous firing would deplete the reactor's output.

Finally, I cornered the enemy, who was almost out of energy and couldn't move properly.

Confident of a one-hit reversal, I charged, but my robot's feet suddenly exploded. It was a mine. How many weapons did this thing have?

The final blow was delivered by the projectile cannons on the enemy's shoulders.