CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

Phil, Jason, and Taylor walked over to the central stage.

As they did, Taylor stopped by at the front desk to grab an additional plug-in cord. The wire allowed him to activate one of the extra pods and join the battle.

However, Jacob stopped them. He grabbed Taylor's cord and shook his head apologetically.

"Ahh...sorry guys. I can't give you the central stage. We're doing Kid's Night tonight."

Jason started.

"Right!"

Taylor laughed and slid the cord back into Jacob's hand.

"Ah, my bad. I forgot about that."

The Good Game Shoppe did Kid's Night the last Thursday every other month. Anyone under eighteen was allowed to play on the center stage for free. Jason himself had originally learned about Overdrive via the Good Game Shoppe's Kid's Night, and he'd been hooked ever since.

Although the game store's community supported Kid's Night, the odd zig-zagging times meant that almost every patron forgot when the event was actually happening.

Jacob pointed back at the corner they'd just vacated.

"I heard you guys talking about your match. That sounds like fun...but I'm going to make you guys play in the warm-up area."

Jacob's face was always dramatically exaggerated whenever he had to deny something from his patrons.

Although he was only asking them to play in the warm-up area instead of the side table, he looked so sorry Jason would have thought he was kicking them out of the store!

The three pilots quickly assured him that everything was alright before returning to their usual position. After that, they briefly bid each other farewell as they put on their Overdrive virtual headsets and logged into the server.

Taylor quickly sent Jason a custom match invite for a two-on-one battle. Jason accepted the offer, and the data for his two opponents appeared on his screen.

Since this was a head-on match, Jason automatically got all the relevant information on the other two machines. There was still the possibility of hidden abilities, but he would enter the battle with a good idea of his foe's capabilities.

-- General Data --

Pilot: Dontdofinance

Machine: Scarecrow Envy

Class: Paragon

Sub-class: Artillery

Designation: Ace Unit

- Statistics -

Melee: D-tier

Shooting: A-tier

Speed: A-tier

Maneuverability: S-tier

Defense: B-tier

Cohesion: A-tier

- Weapons -

Beam Rifle [x2]

Turret Anchor

- Abilities -

Green Envy Aura

Jason smiled as he saw Phil's comical user name. Like always, the other man was constantly joking about his lucrative but challenging job. On top of that, it seemed like he also thought his new machine looked like a scarecrow.

Overall, his Mech had solid but unimpressive statistics.

Phil's machine had forfeited many of the Green Envy's powerful parts in order to fall beneath the 50,000 Credit Cap. It was easy to have overpowered statistics when you didn't need to follow the game's rules.

However, the Scarecrow Envy still had an S-tier in Maneuverability. Despite its scarecrow-like appearance, the stick that anchored it into the ground could jerk back and forth to avoid enemy attacks.

In addition, the flexible Turret Anchor allowed it to rotate three hundred and sixty degrees to shoot enemies from any angle. The flexible Mech was arguably even more maneuverable than the Green Envy.

Of course, there was one last major difference.

Before, Jason had been using the simple Vampire Brawler.

His Red Minerva had a much higher real-life dollar cost. As a result, he knew he couldn't take the Scarecrow Envy's stats at base value. Phil's Mech would be empowered by a deadly aura.

Next, Jason looked through Taylor's Mech.

The machine was a custom-created Ace frame.

The Mech was painted mostly white with a few red accents and highlights. The color instantly evoked an ambulance.

The entire machine had been built from scratch. The machine had a thin base frame that reminded Jason a little of a mannequin at the store. It was thin and simplistic without any special features.

However, the Mech had a bulging backpack that stretched far past its back.

The resupply pack reminded Jason of the Snail, a special support Mech. However, the purpose was completely different.

The Snail's backpack was designed to carry spare parts.

On the other hand, this backpack carried a large array of Mana Gatherer Spikes. Judging by the bright mint-colored glow shining through the packs, there had to be at least four Spikes in each pack, adding up to eight in total.

However, Jason didn't remember the specific effect associated with mint-colored mana. He would have to look at the data for more details.

-- General Data --

Pilot: Big Gulp Fan

Machine: The Walking Ambulance

Class: Spell Titan

Sub-class: Support

Designation: Ace Unit

- Statistics -

Melee: D-tier

Shooting: D-tier

Speed: C-tier

Maneuverability: C-tier

Defense: C-tier

Cohesion: A-tier

- Weapons -

N/A

- Abilities -

Flawless Restoration

Excommunication Barrier

Jason read through the details and grinned as a warm ball of excitement started building in his stomach.

Right.

Mint-colored mana suggested support magic.

He shook his head.

Healing and barrier abilities, alongside a fully powered Envy aura...

This was going to be a very challenging match.

As always, well-built Spell Titans were very skewed machines with dramatically emphasized strengths. In this case, Taylor had created a Mech that focused everything on support play. The build had abysmal statistics, but both of its abilities were well-known throughout the server for their high power and efficacy.

The Spell Titan had the strongest and most reliable healing and barrier techniques at its disposal.

As for Jason, he locked in his Red Minerva - Assault Configuration.

He was excited to practice his tanky machine.

After all the players locked in their Mechs, the server promptly announced the stage.

STAGE: FACTORY

Jason winced.

His new armor system had a very obvious upside. When playing as a mapper, he would be able to adjust his build on the fly, creating the perfect outer armor for each individual stage. He already had plenty of ideas for the next battle against the Knight of Friendship.

Unfortunately, that same upside was reversed in esports-style matches. Aces could not adjust their equipment after seeing the stage.

The tight corridors of the Factory stage were a very poor fit for his new bulky Mech.

The stage was filled with assembly-line treads and heavy machinery. Some of the equipment, including a high-powered hydraulic press, would be deadly for any Mech. In light of that overwhelming crushing power, armor wouldn't make much of a difference.

The stage's overall formation involved a set of eight assembly lines spaced evenly throughout the field.

Some of those assembly lines were vestigial - there were no construction devices at either end, and players could use them for free transportation.

Others ended in machinery, including the aforementioned press, as well as other traps like a trash compactor and an incinerator.

The narrow corridors between the assembly line were barely wide enough for a large Mech to safely walk through. Jason's Red Minerva was now on the larger side, and he'd have to watch his step carefully. If he hit an assembly line on accident, he would totally lose his footing.

In total, the arrangement of the assembly lines and the safe passages sort of resembled a swimming pool.

In addition to the assembly lines, the stage was also littered with various boxes of internal parts like gears, wires, and pistons. Some of those crates were made of cardboard. They'd break as soon as a Mech touched it. Others were made of metal and stacked on top of each other. They could be used as elevated perches to attack the foes throughout the Factory.

Finally, the Factory's floor was constructed of highly dense metal. Even with the Red Minerva, it would be extremely difficult for Jason to dig through it.

In sum, Factory was a stage that prioritized gaining the terrain advantage above everything else. It was an excellent fit for Phil's fighting style.

Of course, players could also destroy the equipment. From the assembly lines to the deadly mechanical devices, everything could be destroyed with enough gunfire.

That was the standard counter strategy for heavy assault Mechs. However, the more time he spent attacking the terrain, the less time he'd spend blasting away at the Scarecrow Envy.

Jason shook off his worries.

This was a practice match.

The more difficult the conditions were, the better.

The key thing was growth, not winning.

BATTLE START

Clank!

Clank!

Clank!

The three machines all spawned randomly on the stage.

Although Taylor and Phil were allies, the Overdrive server didn't give them any special advantage. The three Mechs were all located in different parts of the stage.

Phil had landed on a set of stray boxes. His Mech's Thruster Leg had punched straight through the cardboard, allowing his machine to land safely.

Green light flared across the battlefield as the Scarecrow Envy activated its aura. The rapidly expanding field swallowed up the whole battlefield, then vanished.

Before, there'd been no discernable effect, but this time, the Red Minerva's high value triggered the Paragon's hidden ability. Phil's scarecrow Mech had the same lizard-like head with shining green eyes.

However, the eyes gradually shifted, turning from lime green to void-like black. Afterwards, a green aura flared around the other Mech. The heat was so great that it started melting the metal around it.

After that, the empowered machine scrunched up its single leg to leap towards a better spot.

Meanwhile, Taylor had landed just behind one of the stage's many traps. In this case, he was standing near a trash disposal unit. Any machine that fell inside would instantly burn to ash.

Of course, it wasn't possible to spawn inside one of the traps - that was just too unfair. Nonetheless, Taylor was in a dangerous place. He had to move carefully to get to safety.

If Jason could destabilize him, he'd start the battle with an enormous advantage.

Unfortunately, Jason couldn't take advantage of their split position.

His partner had landed on an assembly line.

The Red Minerva was currently traveling rapidly to the left. The different assembly lines in the Factory stage moved at different speeds, and Jason was currently on the fastest.

Now that Jason had returned his Mech's traction abilities to full strength, the Red Minerva's mechanical goat feet had no problem balancing his machine. But even though he wasn't going to fall off the assembly line, Jason was still moving at incredible speed.

He couldn't aim and fire his weapons with any reliability.

A pair of green energy beams lanced through the air as the Scarecrow Envy fired at him.

Unlike Jason, Phil had landed on solid ground. Afterwards, he'd promptly leapt on top of an enormous metal box. Now that he had the high ground, he could attack almost any part of the stage.

The blasts were incredibly fast, and the shots sizzled the air. Even worse, the assembly line was taking Jason right towards the attack.

Jason yanked his control board thrusters back.

His Mech kicked off the ground and fell to the floor with a clatter. His Mech caught itself on its shoulders.

The attack instantly obliterated the steel boxes behind Jason. A storm of burning spare parts seared towards him.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Fortunately, the shrapnel inflicted minimal damage. However, the shot clearly demonstrated his foe's incredible power. The Green Envy's shooting stat was at least around the middle of the S-tier.

Jason briefly glanced behind him to confirm his suspicions. The twin beam blasts had destroyed the box of spare parts, but it hadn't pierced any further.

He needed to get behind cover.

His Mech would still get damaged by shrapnel, but that was far preferable to tanking a blast from those beam rifles head-on. The Red Minerva was tanky enough to survive some stray parts, and his Mech had its ever-reliable flame immunity.

Jason swiftly maneuvered his machine behind another set of spare parts. This set of boxes was piled high in the air, but Jason doubted he could safely leap on top of it. Although they were made of metal, he estimated that his machine would force the boxes to collapse.

The Scarecrow Envy fired again, obliterating the boxes.

Jason aimed his shoulder beam cannons and returned fire.

To his reliefs, the two red beams were on-point and accurate. His aim with the unusual shoulder-mounted location was gradually improving.

Bzzt.

A barrier emerged in front of the other machine.

Taylor had moved past another box for cover, and his Mech stood with both hands pointed at the Scarecrow.

Julian had already anticipated this barrier magic. However, he needed to discover the shield's strength level if he wanted to win.

He didn't have the time to target the Walking Ambulance. If Jason lost focus on his opponent, the Scarecrow Envy could take him out with a single full-powered blast.

To his surprise...

Twang!

Twang!

The two red beams went searing right back at him.

Jason cursed before hastily protecting himself with the Red Minerva's acidic flame breath. The fire and beam blasts met around fifty feet in front of Jason.

The explosion covered his Mech and sent smoke through the Factory, giving Jason the chance to withdraw behind yet another stack of boxes.

His Mech was slower than before, so he needed to take advantage of cover to escape.

As he ran, Jason mused to himself.

The Excommunication Barrier normally banished attacks by dispersing them. However, Taylor's version was powerful enough to reflect attacks right back at the enemy.

The situation was dire.

How was he going to get out of this one?