Chapter 7

Oh no, the Guarantee System is way too overpowered.

Just one match added nearly 300,000 points to my score. The number of accesses is still increasing, and at this rate, it looks like the score will reach around 400,000.

It seems that the opponent being a popular blogger made a big difference.

The pilot using that fluorescent pink machine was someone called Sakamaru, a charismatic blogger famous for his harsh game reviews. He has been hooked on "Guardian Troopers" since the location test and calls himself a Scutum expert. If he can fully utilize his skills, he is supposed to be quite strong in close combat.

Well, if he were a true expert, he wouldn't have let his guard down in a stage with poor visibility, right? I don't think I did anything wrong.

If I cash in 300,000 points, I'll get 30,000 yen. Wow, I can eat real beef.

By the way, the profits from the auction have accumulated to nearly 500,000 yen. Maybe I'll buy some rice and make sukiyaki for a change?

For a celebratory lunch, I went to a chain restaurant for a beef bowl. Meat is a treat, after all. It's nice to eat out once in a while.

When I got back to the office, my nasty boss scolded me for over an hour, saying I had been away from my desk for more than 10 minutes during lunch break. To top it off, he increased my quota, saying that having time to eat out means I have too much free time.

The law should recognize a certain amount of rest time for workers, but apparently, our company's local rules take precedence. I'm starting to think it's okay to quit this company.

I leave the office by 7:00 PM, having completed my quota. My colleagues were groaning, but they should try to do their best without relying on me once in a while.

Tomorrow, I'll probably be scolded in front of everyone, probably for lacking teamwork and company spirit.

The content of the scolding itself doesn't really matter. It's just a way to vent everyone's frustration and show what happens if you break the company's rules.

It's an old mind control technique, but it's quite effective. People who secretly enjoy seeing me unfairly scolded are gradually brainwashed into model company slaves, unable to defy the boss's orders or the company's bizarre rules.

Until now, just thinking about being scolded by my boss the next day would make my stomach hurt, but today, for some reason, I'm fine. I even feel a surge of fighting spirit, thinking about how to counter the unfair scolding.

Having some funds on hand gives me a sense of ease. Even if I get fired, I won't be out on the street immediately. I can probably make ends meet by playing games until I find a new job. If I don't have to do unpaid overtime, I can also make progress with my online auction listings.

My brainwashing has been undone, so don't think I'll remain a meek company slave forever.

When I noticed that the atmosphere at the arcade was different from yesterday, it turned out that the number of "Guardian Troopers" cabinets had suddenly increased to 12. The crane game corner had been removed to make space.

I almost did a fist pump. The arcade owner must have been quite bold.

According to Jimmy, the cabinets are rented, so if the current level of activity continues, the arcade will make a good profit.

What's more mysterious is the manufacturer's financial power. The large, intricately built cabinets can't be cheap, and the development costs for the game must have been substantial. It's impressive that they can keep funding it.

Still, it's a welcome development for us players. The manufacturer probably wants to keep the game running to recoup their investment. I hope they can keep it up for a long time without going bankrupt.

Thanks to the threefold increase in cabinets, I didn't have to wait long to play. The smell of new machinery hit me as I entered, but it wasn't unpleasant. It even made me feel like I was boarding a real combat robot, which was exciting.

"An invitation to the Christmas Tournament has arrived."

I was about to start a CPU match as usual, but it seems an event has started. Just participating in the event will earn me a Christmas-exclusive gacha ticket, so I'd be a fool not to join.

It appears to be a tournament open to players across Japan, with the final on Christmas Day. Losing once means you're out, which is tough, but that's the way it is.

The event matches are public and not subject to the Guarantee System, meaning no reward. However, there are cash prizes for the top finishers.

There are also luxurious prizes for each win, so I'll put in some effort.

The random stage doesn't matter to me; the equipment is always the same. I'll carry the X-Carver and head out with a broken Buster Sword in hand.

A spaceport stage? It's a new stage, but there are plenty of obstacles, so it shouldn't be a problem. There are buildings that look like warehouses and a lot of containers.

I thought the landing took an unusually long time, but is the gravity weak? It feels floaty. Maybe it's set on a spaceport on the moon or something. This stage should be good for swinging the X-Carver one-handed.

I don't plan to do anything unfamiliar in an important match. I'm going for the win.

I detected the enemy's active scan, so I have a rough idea of their location. They probably haven't detected me yet.

The biggest weakness of the active scanner is that it reveals your position when used.

In other words, a careless enemy is telling me their location. The active scan from a distance is not very effective against a stealthy Links.

Or are they luring me? If so, I'll take the bait but approach as close as possible while remaining hidden.

I approached while hiding behind containers. No matter how good the stealth performance, I'll be spotted once I enter their field of view.

The key is the timing to strike. Instead of creeping closer, how about a sudden aerial ambush? I'll act on the idea and leap over the containers with a burst of speed.

There, instead of a Scutum, was a Sagittarius loaded with missiles.

The lock-on warning sounded, and a huge number of missiles were launched, forming a wall that approached me.

My mind went blank, but my experience in CPU battles kicked in. I ascended while jumping, drew the missiles as close as possible, and then charged straight down to the ground with a boost dash.

The rapid descent boost with gravity is incredibly sharp. There's a risk of crashing into the ground if I make a mistake, but I can't do anything if I'm afraid of that. This stage has low gravity, so it's milder. It's perfect for impromptu practice.

I changed direction to pass inside the missiles' turning radius and fired a wire anchor at the enemy's feet.

With a wire, a 180-degree turn is possible, and even high-performance missiles can't keep up with this maneuver.

The enemy suddenly appeared in the anchor's line of fire, and the anchor hit by accident.

It seems I hooked the enemy's foot. When I reeled in the wire, they tripped and were dragged toward me.

Reeling in the wire at high speed, I naturally fell on top of the enemy.

Thinking about it, this was a perfect opportunity to stab with the full weight of the Links. However, I couldn't keep up with the unexpected turn of events and missed the chance. It was too late.

I collided with the enemy with the momentum of reeling in the wire. A field appeared on my fist at the moment of impact. It seems this is also treated as a punch attack.

It was a powerful collision, but it's just a punch, and the enemy's gauge only decreased by about 10%. Still, for a close-combat specialized Links, that's not bad. Other units would have shattered their fists.

The Sagittarius, struggling to get up, aimed its arm beam gun at me. I instinctively grabbed the enemy's arm, but I should have finished them off with the X-Carver. I've been making judgment errors. I need more practice. Maybe it's due to a lack of experience in player matches.

It turned into a wrestling match, so I applied an armlock. The Sagittarius must have some kind of weapon in its arm, probably a beam sword, but I won't let them use it.

I bent the enemy's left arm forcefully, breaking it. I shot a wire anchor at point-blank range into the enemy's mono-eye as they tried to escape.

I then stepped on them and pinned them down, finishing them off with the X-Carver. It was a messy victory.

Still, it's fine. I won, and the excitement and joy of winning a player match slowly welled up inside me.

The reward for victory was a large army knife-like weapon called a Sword Breaker. It has self-repair, so it might be decent.

The contents of the Christmas-exclusive gacha I was looking forward to were 10,000 score points and a small plasma launcher that looks like a pistol. It also has self-repair. The gacha ticket seems slightly more luxurious than the victory reward.