After I confirmed the hit, I announced, “Target hit. Falling back.”
With that, my hybrid unit holstered its cannons, folded its arms like some Fist of the North Star warlord riding a black steed, and began its retreat (though only the upper body looked composed; the legs, meanwhile, scrambled awkwardly).
TLNOTE: Raoh
Roughly thirty minutes from the start of battle to retreat. Watching it all, the Second Division personnel began discussing the new model’s performance and combat style.
“In just this short time, it’s destroyed four large monsters, six medium, and over twenty small ones. And with that final incendiary strike, it’s inflicted massive damage on dozens more?”
“Unbelievable. What is that thing?”
“And what was with that movement?”
“Side-jumping on four legs? How are the joints holding up?”
“Switching cannons is fine, but shooting while airborne? How does he even hit his targets?”
“After sinking a large one with a 120mm railgun and thermite penetrator, he’s spraying incendiary rounds with dual-wielded 80mm howitzers? What kind of machine is that thing built for?”
“Hahaha! That’s right, that’s right! You’re surprised, aren’t you? You can’t believe it, can you? That’s the new model we created, Mikage!”
While the Second Division soldiers trembled in awe at the bizarre combat results, the one silently celebrating was none other than Takafumi Mogami, the head of Mogami Heavy Industries and the person responsible for building the new model.
Just moments ago, the same people were calling the machine a freak, but now they were singing its praises. A dream come true for its creator.
(Well, to be honest, this level of performance is probably a one-time thing.)
Takafumi, despite his pride, knew better than anyone that this trial was an extreme outlier.
Keita’s outrageous maneuvers were possible only because this was a test run with several unconventional shortcuts in play.
First, transportation. Normally, Keita would have to carry the unit within his magic core, but this time it had been airlifted, meaning Keita had only carried it a few kilometers from the airbase to the frontlines.
This drastically reduced the usual strain on his body that would come with real deployment.
Then, there was the weaponry. For this test, all ammunition was pre-loaded, with every weapon ready to fire as soon as the safety was disengaged. Of course, there was no spare ammo, meaning reloading wasn’t an option.
Even if it were, Keita had no reloading experience, so it would take an unreasonable amount of time.
(If they saw him fumble with reloading, it’d ruin the impression. Sure, some of the professionals might’ve already noticed, but if we can achieve this much with just the initial setup, nobody can really complain.)
On an actual battlefield, you can’t predict what might happen. That’s why the military prioritizes adaptability in its machines.
So, while this test demonstrated the model’s capabilities under ideal conditions, it wasn’t necessarily indicative of its real-world performance…
…or at least, that’s normally the case.
“The pilot has no experience reloading or resupplying. The maintenance team hasn’t worked on a unit damaged in combat. The commander has no operational experience. And there are numerous other issues to address. The real evaluation starts now. But if a student who’s only piloted this thing for a month can achieve these kinds of results…”
(Yes, this is it!)
For Takafumi, the biggest unexpected development—and also the greatest advantage—was meeting Keita, a Deviser with a rather unusual way of thinking.
Using weapons with the upper body while simultaneously moving the lower body may not sound too complicated at first. But when the upper body is human and the lower body is beast-like, the difficulty level skyrockets. Those familiar with the machine would go so far as to say that “it’s impossible to even move it.”
Of course, Takafumi was aware of this. He once asked Keita, who continued to achieve remarkable results in the simulator despite the major structural flaw in their company’s product, “How do you operate it?”
Keita replied, “If you do it like TPS, it works out somehow. Well, technically I’m manipulating visual information, so it might be a bit different? But it feels similar to that. There’s a bit of lag, and close combat becomes quite tricky, but I think you can manage if you get used to it.”
(At that time, I didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but now I get it a little. He has that special sense that excellent snipers are said to have – the ability to view themselves from an overhead perspective.)
It’s the skill commonly known as the “eagle eye.”
(In other words, in addition to the information from the camera, he can observe his own position from an overhead view with his innate ability. I think he’s using this to grasp the battlefield three-dimensionally and track enemy movements.)
It’s because he can track enemy movements that he can see the moment of attack.
If he can anticipate the moment of attack, he can avoid it with ease.
Because he has that leeway, he can calmly aim.
And once he can aim, all that’s left is to pull the trigger.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
There might be some shaking due to the recoil when landing or jumping, but that machine was made heavy to suppress that recoil in the first place. Also, if the sighting device is adjusted with this in mind from the start, it doesn’t become a major issue. And we shouldn’t forget the reassuring factor of having the elite Second Division right behind him.
These various factors contribute to his battle results.
By the way, Keita hasn’t actually acquired such a convenient skill. What he’s doing is just a small trick of zooming out the footage from the eye camera as much as possible to maintain a wide field of view, trying to recreate the feeling of that game as much as possible.
However, the fact that he can move like that with just this trick shows that Keita is a severe FOMSOFT brain patient. Of course, since companies like Fro don’t exist in this world, the fact that Keita’s soul is contaminated by those particles will never be known to others.
Setting aside the fact that Keita suffers from a disease that only other perverts can understand.
(For now, we’re relying on his special skill. But if we can collect more data by receiving funding from the Second Division and having them provide us with real combat situations, we should be able to mass-produce machines that perform more than adequately, even if slightly inferior!)
It was the moment when Operation V, which had only been issued in the pervert’s mind, became a reality.
If Keita himself had heard this idea, he would probably have pointed out the flaws while working out a specific plan, but unfortunately, there was no one here with knowledge of classic robot anime.
With no one to point out the issues, and Takafumi unwilling to share his knowledge of the weaknesses, what happens next?
“By the way, Mister Mogami. Is there still only one of those machines?”
The conversation progresses. And in the direction the pervert desires.
(Here it comes!)
“Yes. For now, we only have that one. However, we could build another one right away if we use spare parts. But as you’ve seen, even at this stage, there are many problems, and it’s a machine that’s very selective about its pilot. If we manufacture a second unit before improving these issues, it might cause trouble for everyone…”
“It’s a prototype, so problems are to be expected. However, let me say this with that in mind. Of course, the firepower that can take down large units single-handedly is impressive, but what’s really good is its evasion capability. For the soldiers who are put in machines called ‘coffins,’ it must be something to drool over. We’ll also submit a proposal from our end, so please hurry with the production of the second unit. Of course, we’ll cooperate with the operational tests, including providing test pilots and test sites. Please let us know anytime.”
“We’d be delighted to!”
Their new model, which had been ignored by everyone until now, was finally in the spotlight.
It was truly a moment of fulfillment for the manufacturers.
Not only that, but establishing a connection with the Second Division, which consumes a lot of weapons and ammunition due to being on the frontlines of national defense, has great significance from a company president’s perspective.
(Yes! Now I can feed my employees!)
Although they had created a test machine pursuing romance as manufacturers, from a company’s perspective, a lump of romance is just garbage if it doesn’t sell.
(We need to conduct more tests from now on, and we don’t know how the second unit will turn out, but the first unit will definitely be bought by the Second Division. Of course, that includes the weapons and ammunition it uses! That’s enough for now!)
With the success of this unveiling, the evaluation of the test machine improved. This also made it possible to promote other products. It’s all thanks to Keita.
(You’ve done well. I’ll make sure to repay this debt! Accumulate lots of achievements and get promoted more than any of your peers!)
“Now then, regarding the schedule and location for the next tests…”
Takafumi, who had been receiving cold looks from his wife, daughter, and even the accounting staff, decided to discuss the next test schedule with the Second Division representative who had become positive about the tests, aiming to achieve two goals: the company’s profit and repaying the debt to Keita. – Note that Takafumi doesn’t understand that Keita’s wish is not [to fight gloriously on the battlefield and get promoted], but rather [to work moderately as a test pilot and then be assigned to a safe and secure administrative position] –
Anyway, this is how the first battle of the hero, Keita Kawakami, who would later be known by his allies as the “Death-Bringing Reaper Pervert” and by his enemies as the “Black Pervert,” came to an end.
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