The Power of Nine: A Mecha LitRPG Adventure (Overdrive Book 2)

by R. H. Tang

  There was a loud bang, and then another match ended.

  Once again, Phillips's shellshocked opponent stumbled out of the box. The fight had ended so quickly that Julian completely missed what happened. Against his better judgment, Julian joined the rapidly dwindling line outside Phillips's box.

  As Felix said, Julian was still far behind the best players on the server. But Julian knew he had the potential. If he wanted to improve, he had to challenge the strongest opponent here. Phillips had somehow lapped Lilac—defeating two opponents before the World Championship quarter-finalist managed to defeat a single one.

  There was another loud bang as a third opponent fell.

  Julian shook his head and stared right at the battle box. If he looked away, he'd immediately miss it. Something incredible was happening.

  The fourth match began.

  Phillips's Mech was a strange frame Julian hadn't seen before. She hadn't locked it in yet, but simply hovering it displayed all relevant information for the audience.

  - General Data -

  Pilot: Phillips

  Machine: Power of Nine

  Class: Kingbreaker

  Sub-class: Support

  Designation: Grunt Unit

  - Base Statistics -

  Melee: C-tier

  Shooting: D-tier

  Speed: D-tier

  Maneuverability: C-tier

  Defense: D-tier

  Cohesion: S-tier

  - Parts -

  Hidden [Grunt]

  - Abilities—

  N/A [Kingbreaker]

  Julian couldn't see the parts and how they enhanced statistics, but the base stats were weak. In comparison, the most popular Grunt Mechs—the CWT-141 Zombie, the Guardian X, and the Defender Mk. VI—had base stats in the B-tier. The Power of Nine had all Cs and Ds.

  The appearance was even stranger.

  Phillips's Mech was…boxy.

  There was no other word for it.

  It was built out of a set of olive green boxes stacked on top of each other. The machine had a rough humanoid appearance and then an extra set of twin boxes from the back, one over each soldier. Most Kingbreakers looked like machines from Pacific Rim or the Gundam series. This cartoonlike machine looked like the Iron Giant made out of squares.

  The frame must have been custom-built. Julian pulled up the Overdrive app and searched the shop, but it wasn't available for sale.

  To qualify for a spot in the official shop, you needed to sell a certain number of machines weekly. There wasn't a niche for a cute-looking Kingbreaker. Most Kingbreaker users liked tough-looking Mechs. Meanwhile, whimsical pilots like the Forever Brothers were usually drawn to Spell Titans because of their flashy abilities.

  With both poor base statistics and an undesired appearance, it was no wonder nobody used it.

  Her opponent's ranking flashed above his head.

  Name: Polygon

  Rank: 182

  Julian had heard of this guy before. He was one of Felix's good friends. The skilled tactician was comfortable playing any position. This time, the balding pilot loaded in a heavily armed Mech boasted sturdy cannons at the back and long rifles in both arms. There was a full battalion of Grunt-tier missile launchers attached to the shoulders and knees.

  It was an interesting strategy.

  In general, Ace units rarely carried significantly more weapons than Grunts. Although you could technically equip five times the weapons, it was better to focus on quality over quantity. After all, Mech weight was an important factor. Polygon's Ace had over forty missile launchers, but the strain significantly hampered its mobility.

  The veteran pilot was so nervous that he just shouted out his strategy.

  "You're not going to catch me with the leash like you did the others! I'll destroy you in a single shot!"

  Julian frowned. It sounded like he was going for a counter-strategy, but it was stupid to try and counter a Grunt. You had no idea what weapons they were going to bring.

  Julian's eyes widened.

  Oh.

  He smiled. Even if nothing else happened, he was glad he'd entered this line and stood close enough to hear Polygon's comment. The Selection was different. The mind-games at this level were obscene.

  Polygon wasn't nervous at all. He was bluffing and trying to push Phillips out of her comfort zone. She'd won the last three matches using a Grunt unit. Polygon was trying to force her into bringing an Ace unit. After that, he'd probably get rid of the needless missile launchers.

  Although it seemed stupid to try and counter a Grunt, the veteran pilot wasn't attacking the machine's individual items. He was trying to destroy the weak frame with sheer firepower.

  Using a variety of low-level missile launchers was a good strategy if you knew you were up against a Grunt. After all, their weaker armor meant you only needed to land a few good hits. That was why mass-fire units were so useful on PvE missions—the vast majority of PvE enemies were Grunts.

  A few high-quality missile launchers could be nullified with something like a radar-canceling particle cloak. A battalion of them had much better odds of landing a hit. Mass-fire was usually considered unviable in competitive play—you wanted machines with higher mobility or more team utility—but it was the perfect option to squash a single Grunt.

  Polygon was intelligently adapting to the sudden rule change. Even if he couldn't see Phillips's weapons, he could see her frame.

  Julian pulled out his phone and jotted down a quick note. He'd text Tyler with the tip once he got back to the hotel. Perhaps they could use a similar strategy to defeat Brandon. The two friends were still a long way off, but anything was possible if Julian and Tyler kept practicing and learning.

  Phillips and her opponent loaded onto the match.

  Pitch black flooded the screen. It was virtually a guaranteed loss. Phillips hadn't changed her Mech, and Void was the perfect stage for a mass-fire strategy.

  It was empty space with no place to hide.

  The missile launchers clacked loudly as they loaded. The projectiles streaked through the air.

  Phillips didn't even move. The box at the thigh opened, and a strange circular attachment that looked like a laser pointer popped out.

  There was no sound, just a sizzle in the air. Moments later, the heavily armed Mech crashed to the floor, a hole burnt in the cockpit.

  The game ended right before the missiles would have hit Phillips.

  PLAYER 1 VICTORY

  The other pilot gaped as he left the battle box.

  "It's the box! You can't tell where she's going to attack from! You can't tell what the attack is!

  It was just the first match he'd watched, but Julian was learning more and more. Phillips's strange design pushed the Grunt-type's most significant advantage—its hidden status screen—to the next level.

  With other machines, you had some idea of the weapons they were using once you saw them. With the strange Power of Nine, everything was hidden inside. The hidden weapon depots had allowed Phillips to perfectly counter Polygon's counter. The narrow laser pointer looked like a Full Custom, but Julian recognized the base weapon.

  The One-Shot Laser. It cost 9850 Credits—just under the limit for Grunts—and, as its name suggested, could only fire once before overloading and becoming unusable. The shot was incredibly fast and powerful, but if you missed it, you were completely out of luck. A highly mobile unit could have dodged the laser and killed the box in a single strike.

  It only would have worked in that specific situation.

  Phillips kept on winning. Each match was the same. Her machine didn't even move. As soon as her opponents attacked, she'd use some sort of counter-strategy to destroy her opponent in a single shot.

  A swordsman charged forward only to get tangled by a strange leash fired from her arm. The electric shocks immobilized his Mech, allowing Phillips to destroy it in a single blast. That must have been what Polygon was talking about earlier.

  The leash was just as risky as the
One-Shot Laser. Once again, Julian recognized the base item. The Skewer Shock Spike was yet another noob trap—an item that only appealed to total beginners. The most popular traps covered as much ground as possible. The narrow leash delivered a much more powerful shock, but if it missed, you'd lose. Phillips wasn't just powerful because of her accurate item choices. She had incredible accuracy.

  Her fourth opponent brought a slow artillery Mech like Polygon's, but as soon as Phillips's laser pointer emerged, he ejected his armor and leaped high into the air. The suddenly mobile Mech streaked towards the skies.

  What a bluff!

  Phillips's Grunt unit had low base offensive statistics, likely due to lack of space for a generator unit. It looked like every part of the machine was dedicated to the weapon depots. It's only hope of landing a fatal kill was using weapons like the One-Shot Laser or the concentrated leash.

  It was no use.

  Phillips fired the blast exactly where her opponent jumped, landing a perfect shot through the cockpit.

  Julian blinked.

  How had she known?

  After the fourth instant victory by Phillips, the line around her box started thinning more and more. Julian grew increasingly anxious as he stepped forward.

  Should he leave too?

  No.

  That would be absurd. He wanted to see what she was doing. He wanted to improve.

  But was there any way to beat her?

  Should he debut the new Starlight R? He'd hoped to keep it hidden.

  Would it even help him? She was just killing people in a single shot! All of his new gimmicks were offensive surprises.

  The crowd thinned faster and faster as the pilots either fled or lost immediately. Eventually, they tried meeting Phillips with Grunts of their own, hoping to keep their strategies hidden.

  Typically, one-on-one battles between Grunts boiled down to a strange game of rock paper scissors were both players simply tried guessing their opponent's strategy. This was where a solid understanding of the fundamentals shone through. Brandon had battled back from countless unfavorable Grunt matchups before.

  Phillips was different.

  Somehow, she knew what weapons her opponents were going to bring.

  Eight different pilots had used Grunts against her, but she'd brought the perfect counter weapon every time. Her Mech never moved from its launch point. She simply destroyed enemy after enemy in a matter of moments.

  Julian had never seen anything like it before.

  A ninth shellshocked victim stumbled out of the box.

  He'd tried emulating Phillips's strategy by hiding his Mech's throwing knives in its sleeves until it got into range. It should have been the perfect surprise, but the strange box-like Kingbreaker had waited until the very last moment before making its move. A strange fishing-rod like weapon emerged from the thigh and skewered the enemy machine right through the cockpit.

  Julian had never seen it before, but the length wasn't a mistake. It was precisely a foot longer than a knife's usual range. The blades fell out of his sleeves, and the other Mech crashed to the ground.

  It was more than just knowing the weapons he brought. It was like she somehow knew where he was going to move. It'd looked like his Mech had run right into the rod on purpose.

  "How? How did you know?"

  Phillips smiled and laughed airily.

  "I'm psychic!"

  Julian shivered.

  It had to be nonsense, right?

  But it certainly seemed like she was psychic.

  He thought about fleeing again, but something just wouldn't let him leave the line.

  He turned back to the next box, where Brandon and Darren clashed and clashed. Edgar must have eventually fallen. Brandon had leaped at the chance to challenge the European champion.

  If Julian wanted to reach his level, he had to seek the strongest opponents.

  He must have watched Phillips play over twenty games. He had to think of a way to beat her.

  But he couldn't think of anything.

  None of the games gave her any information.

  Before long, he was the second person in line, behind only a nervously sweating woman he didn't recognize. The other pilot was furiously scratched her head as she tried to devise a counter-strategy.

  She murmured incessantly beneath her breath.

  "I'm trying, by the way. I'm doing all I can. I'm trying to beat her. Please give me credit for trying."

  Was she talking to The Mechanical King? The Overdrive CEO couldn't hear her. He was currently gaping at Lilac like all the other idiots.

  The woman in front of him let out a long sigh then entered the box.

  Pilot: Sunflower

  Rank: 203

  She was actually higher-ranked than Julian. However, he suspected it didn't matter. Control skills did nothing against Phillips. The petite pilot just stood in place and killed her opponents with a single perfect move.

  She knew what weapons you'd bring.

  She knew how you'd move.

  What could you do against such overwhelming power?

  Moments later, their Mechs launched onto the battlefield.

  Sunflower's Grunt unit had hidden her weapon during the loading screen, but now that the battle had begun, her weapon of choice was obvious. Her Mech was a pink Grunt-type Kingbreaker with two coiling beam whips instead of arms. The flexible weapon struck at bizarre and unreachable angles.

  Although it was usually considered frivolous, Julian had a lot of respect for the coiling weapon. Emma's father, Captain Maxwell, used one to great effect. Like Polygon, Sunflower was wisely focusing on countering Phillips's fighting style.

  The seemingly psychic pilot seldom moved from her starting position. In addition, it was far harder to predict the movement of a beam whip than the movement of a machine.

  The pink machine struck.

  The panel at the right shoulder opened, revealing a spray bottle filled with a thin purple liquid.

  Julian cursed under his breath.

  Defuse Mist was one of the many anti-particle weapons available in the shop. DISTINCTIONMAN coated his spears with it to cancel beam weapons, but using the actual bottle was almost always useless.

  Not only did it cost 8,000 Credits, it only lasted for twenty seconds. Your opponent could simply withdraw or fight with a solid-based weapon. Usually, trap-based items like mines were a far better option for countering melee machines.

  But in this one case, it was the perfect option.

  Sunflower's Mech was literally disarmed. Phillips drew three claws from her Mech's chest and lunged forward.

  The claws appeared to be modified daggers, which only cost 500 Credits apiece. The weapons were weak, but they were more than enough when your opponent was defenseless.

  A shellshocked Sunflower stepped out of the battle box.

  "Cheating. She has to be cheating. It's not my fault I lost. I was trying. You can't blame me."

  It was ridiculous. Somehow, Phillips kept destroying her opponents with niche items. The panels kept opening to reveal the perfect counter.

  Sunflower cursed under her breath.

  "She has to be cheating somehow..."

  Julian hadn't thought about that possibility. Cheating was a much more rational explanation than ESP. But who would be dumb enough to cheat using the Overdrive Corporation's equipment?

  Before Julian could think of anything else, it was his turn.

  He gulped and stepped inside the battle box.

  Instead, of instantly locking in, Julian took a deep breath.

  He still had the two minute loading time. It'd be best to make full use of it.

  The seconds ticked away as Phillips smiled confidently back at him.

  Despite all the battles she'd won, she remained as calm and relaxed as when she first entered the stage. She didn't even seem excited.

  Even if Phillips was cheating, she was almost certainly an experienced grinder—that was probably how she knew about all the niche items.
Things like a One-Shot Laser or Defuse Spray were virtually useless in competitive matches, but there was a reason they were in the game. They weren't just to trick beginners. There were certain missions when they were invaluable.

  The thought of grinding and niche weapons tickled something in the back of Julian's mind.

  Was there some kind of niche weapon that would help him win? Julian and Emma had reviewed most of the competitively viable items, but it felt like he needed something special.

  ONE MINUTE REMAINING

  Julian cursed.

  He had no idea what to do.

  At the very least, there was no reason to debut the new Starlight R if he was just going to lose.

  Felix would know. He'd spent so much time playing on random maps, thoroughly examining them with his bonus-gathering equipment.

  Julian blinked.

  Wait.

  He couldn't buy parts in the competitive lobby, but to his belief, the Overdrive app was coming in clutch for the second time in a week.

  Fortunately, he still had enough Credits remaining on his account. The Minesweeper unit was the perfect fit.

  Unlike the One-Shot Laser or Defuse Spray, which were sometimes used by complete beginners, the Minesweeper unit wasn't designed for player vs. player battles at all.

  The bulky equipment severely reduced your machine's speed and maneuverability. Even worse, the fragile Minesweeper would instantly explode if it took any damage.

  In a way, Minesweeper was sort of a misnomer. Although it could be used to find hidden traps, the powerful sensors were really an enormous X-ray unit. They scanned past metal to reveal hidden treasure.

  Like all the other bonus-gathering items, it was used to activate the hard mode on various missions. By sacrificing 8,000 Credits on one of your team members and hampering their abilities, you were rewarded with the opportunity to find hidden loot and prizes.