Chapter 135…
[What is that…]
[Whoa, that looks so cool!]
[Our mech looks way cooler though!]
[LOL, the mech teachers are triggered!]
[But what if that thing can transform?]
[Since it’s a dragon form, does it turn into a dragon?]
[Whoa… I can’t handle a dragon.]
[No! No! A wolf is way cooler than a dragon!]
[But Ji-han’s got a wolf vibe lol.]
Unlike the chat full of fan excitement, Ji-han was moving slowly in the flow of time.
Wiiiiiiing!
He noticed the camera moving nonstop, as if inspecting Red Hood’s specs.
A chilling sensation ran through him, like he could see right through it.
Flash!
Ji-han moved his mech to escape that gaze.
Red Hood sprinted on all fours,
Bang! Flash!
Stepping off the cave walls, twisting in midair, aiming straight for the dragon’s neck.
For a split second—the tiniest instant—the attack landed, but the dragon
Fwaaah!
Sprayed flares like wings.
Babababak!
Incoming small missiles.
Ji-han gritted his teeth,
Tatatatak!
Manipulating the control board.
He dodged what he could and took hits in parts farthest from the cockpit,
like weaving and shoulder-rolling in boxing.
Instinctively, he was defending against the barrage.
[Whoa;]
[If that’s the case, the board probably only got scratched;;]
[He really dodges well.]
[He’s instinctively reducing impact too?]
[There’s impact mitigation?]
[Yeah, he’s dodging so the blows don’t hit the cockpit. If the cockpit gets hit, the pilot dies.]
[Ah, so that’s why he’s twisting while dodging?]
To the viewers, it looked like a daring acrobat performance.
Tension as if a tightrope walker balanced on a single line.
But Ji-han—he saw all of it.
[HUD]
[STATUS: ONLINE]
SYSTEM INTEGRITY: 96% | [GREEN]
PILOT SYNC_RATE: 97% | [DANGER]
PULSE-REACTOR OUTPUT: 82%
SUB-WEAPON SYSTEMS: 27% | [STANDBY]
“System damage is minor. Maybe because sync is up. The body feels heavy… but it’s okay. Weapons? Should I have prepped the main armaments?”
Observing, sensing, judging—he evaded every attack.
Especially as his sync with the mech increased, he felt completely one with it.
Each strike started to sting like a sharp impact.
“Still… really okay.”
He gritted his teeth, neutralizing the attacks,
Flash!
Charging.
Clang, clack!
Kiiiiiing!
Closing in.
Red Hood extended its Pulse Claw, and with the reactor’s roar,
Swoosh! Shreek!
It cut through the dragon’s armor.
[Whoa, he attacked through that!?]
[Noob! He’s insane! Who even calls this move newbie lol.]
[Wow, this…]
[More intense than Gangho Sword Record?]
[Lol, is the big bro here?]
[Came to watch his disciple play the new game… this is another world.]
[Hyung, hyung.]
[If you’re here, take a seat lol.]
[When did Kimbong come in?]
[All streamers left their own channels just to watch this lol.]
[Wha—LOL]
The chat was buzzing.
But in Ji-han’s extremely narrowed vision, all that existed was the devilish dragon design and the HUD of Red Hood.
Nothing else.
<Truly incredible.>
A low, unsettling voice spread for a moment.
[Huh?]
[Isn’t that the voice from the cutscene?]
[Wha—deep middle voice…]
[Lol middle voice is ccc lol]
[Then what about Leo?]
[Yeah… is he on there?]
<Seems like he came to save your foolish companion. That guy is a great energy source for me.>
Crackle, crackle.
A moment of radio noise, then a voice came through:
“Y-you… inferior… no, Ji-han. S-save… save me…”
Leo Martis, barely holding back pain, spoke weakly.
<Useless. Should have jammed the signal. Hmph. Anyway, if you want to defeat me, you’ll have to kill your companions in this cockpit first.>
[Whoa, what a dirty move.]
[But it’s Leo anyway, right?]
[Lol don’t just say “kill him”]
[But! If we don’t, this is gonna fail, right?]
[There’s probably a way to save him…]
[Yeah, but the story unfolds with the player’s choices.]
[Still…]
[Ugh, frustrating! Any way, mech teachers?]
[You gotta trust Ji-han. You guys said it too—why don’t you trust him lol.]
[That’s different lol, but situation… lol]
The chat roared, but Ji-han did not hesitate.
Flash!
Kiiiiiing, flash!
Two bursts of acceleration.
Countless HUD alerts flashed before his eyes.
[HUD]
[!!! CRITICAL WARNING !!!]
G-FORCE LIMIT OVERRIDE: [ACTIVE]
STRUCTURAL STRESS: 117% | CASCADING FAILURE IMMINENT
PILOT Vitals: [UNSTABLE] – BLACKOUT RISK DETECTED
[What’s that?]
[So much English lol!]
[Roughly, it means super dangerous;; he’s under G-force.]
[G-force?]
[Gravity? That fast?]
[Yeah, pushing limits…]
Flash!
High-mobility assault mech moved, targeting the dragon’s wings.
<W-what!?…>
The dragon roared,
Shaaak!
Pulse Claw sliced its wing.
The dragon staggered, losing balance. Ji-han did not miss the moment.
Clack, bang!
Clack, flash! Crack!
Clack, paang!
[Whoa, insane…]
[What… what is that…]
[Accelerating while switching modes?]
[Crazy… switching between wolf and werewolf mode like that?]
[Insane… this is it… this is it…]
[Mech teachers must be exploding with dopamine…]
[Our mech fighting this insanely well… of course we’re hyped…;;]
[But beyond imagination?]
[Is he even breathing?]
[Crazy… he’s focusing again…]
Ji-han’s eyes moved rapidly on camera.
His mouth tightly shut, eyes devouring every piece of visual information greedily.
[HUD]
[STATUS: ONLINE]
SYSTEM INTEGRITY: 80% | [GREEN]
PILOT SYNC_RATE: 99% | [DANGER]
PULSE-REACTOR OUTPUT: 51%
SUB-WEAPON SYSTEMS: 22% | [STANDBY]
“Not how it actually feels. This is the blunt sense unique to VR games.”
Still, he restrained himself from over-immersion.
Yet the tingling sense, the eternity of this instant, hellish heartbeat—kept consuming him.
Drip.
A drop of blood fell from Ji-han’s nose.
[Hey! He’s bleeding again!]
[Doesn’t even realize it?]
[Whoa… concentrating like that?]
[But can you still see?]
[Crazy, what is that?]
[Disassembling all limbs except cockpit?]
[Allowing only one flare to hit, dodging the rest?]
[…How is that even possible;;;]
Kiiiiiing!!!
The Pulse Reactor shook violently.
Even Red Hood seemed to scream in agony.
<Stop! Stop!>
The dragon, once confident, now shocked, begging, utterly collapsing.
Human-generated programs couldn’t keep up—utterly helpless.
Shreek!
The final moment: the dragon’s head with mic and camera flew.
[…]
[Wow…]
[That went nuts.]
“Haa… haa… haa…”
Before Ji-han’s bloodshot eyes, only the cockpit remained.
[…]
[How are we even supposed to handle this?]
[Wow…]
[This is gonna be a huge clip…]
[Can’t even say our game is alive again…]
[How could anyone follow that… I feel like a wall.]
[Even a Liberty veteran like me… can’t do this.]
[Is that a joke or real?]
[What template is that lol… can’t replicate this.]
Ding-ding-ding!
[‘Ji-han Nosebleed’ donated 50,000 KRW.]
Ji-han! Your nose! Wipe it, quick!
“Haa… ah, nosebleed. Yes, thank you for the 50,000 KRW.”
He wiped the blood off his nose.
[…]
[Don’t get hurt, Ji-han.]
[…But that’s kinda sexy?]
[Wiping nose in cockpit? lol]
[Old man… what does that mean…]
[But… really cool…]
[So badass… no wonder we’re hyped.]
He glanced at the viewers, rubbed his tired eyes,
and slowly walked toward the cockpit,
Crrrck.
Forcing the cockpit door open, inside, Leo connected to Gaia System gasped, looking up.
“A-ah… inferior… no. Ji-han.”
Through the external mic, Ji-han said flatly:
“Yeah. And don’t call me by name. You’re not that kind of character. Call me ‘Inferior Student.’”
His calm words. Leo Martis gave a weak, relieved smile.
“Sh-shut up, Inferior Student. Hurry, save me… dying here…”
He carefully reached out, opened Red Hood’s cockpit, and descended slowly along the hand.
“Grab my hand.”
Exhausted, but Ji-han didn’t hesitate. Leo, stumbling, was supported by his hand.
“…Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. Don’t pull this stunt again.”
Moved him into the cockpit.
[Lol amazing.]
[Wow… like watching a knot tied to a rock lol.]
[What happens when the knot’s tied?]
[Cut it lol.]
[How did he cut that?]
[Why can’t you cut this lol?]
[You guys are insane lol.]
[Lol, what do you even do about that.]
Closing Red Hood’s cockpit door, he exhaled deeply.
“Going back, right?”
Leo carefully opened his mouth from the cockpit corner.
[Let’s go back.]
[Time for test flight lol.]
[But didn’t we already test enough?]
[Back to the hangar again lol.]
[Machina dorm kids will hate it lol.]
Viewers were feeling warm at their return, but
“Huh? Not yet.”
He started moving.
[?]
[????]
[What?]
“Gotta pick up scrap first.”
[Lolllll]
[Hey!!! Ji-han!! Ruins the image!!!]
[But can’t resist talking about ancient mech parts lol]
[Insane lol]
Leo and viewers were shocked, but Ji-han quietly collected the scrap like nothing was wrong.
