Fully Armed (4)
Operator database.
Operator Number Seven kept scanning Yahweh2's logs until he reached Dalseom.
Sequences of battles with the Mafia group decompressed into signals and scrolled on endlessly.
"He handles Donatello like a pro." That part was fine.
But when the Operator's appearance came up next, Number Seven frowned.
"What the—?"
When the Operator casually tore through users from the Western country, Number Seven had simply thought they were vicious types.
As he watched the following logs, an unfamiliar feeling crept over him.
It was the first time the Operator had ever talked about himself to someone else.
Weren't most of the people in the under-coder the ones who hated reality and ran away here?
"Reality."
What did the Operator hope to hear from someone who still held their fate in the real world?
When Number Seven checked their final log exchange, he ground his teeth.
"'Respect'?"
For him, this place was everything. There was no reason to pay respect to some human struggling in the real world.
He exited the database and a factory deep underground came into view.
"Then what am I?"
Number Seven fell silent and thought. Meanwhile, Shirone—equipped with two legendary-grade parts—took a train back into the Eastern country.
Aegis met him, and they took the train to Nasca City, a mid-point stronghold of the Golden Wheel.
Most buildings were left as steel skeletons and the city felt bleak, yet surprisingly many users were here.
"There are hunting grounds nearby popular with users around level 200. But it's more famous as a sanctuary for bounty hunters. There's an unwritten rule: whatever happens here doesn't spiral into guild wars. That's why rankers looking for duels come here often."
Shirone looked around and noticed many people who looked stronger than a mere level 200.
At the Golden Wheel's hideout, Yolga's son was emerging from Mid Gear.
"The finish is different. Those parts are top-tier," Shirone said coldly.
"You knew those guys would betray you?" Fermi asked.
"No need to chase them to the Western country. Items don't drop on death anyway. The Operator showing up surprised us too. What did he say?"
It seemed the Mafia had uploaded a recording.
"Just… this and that."
Shirone dodged the question; Fermi glanced back in surprise but didn't press.
"Come on. No time—let's start."
They went into an underground room. Fermi turned around holding a part in each hand.
"Here. They're yours." He handed over a heavy gauntlet, Raphael, and metal wings, Da Vinci—parts obtainable from the Eastern hunting grounds.
Raphael looked like crude ore; Da Vinci like feathers plucked from a goose.
"Equip them?" Fermi prompted. Shirone fitted Raphael first.
Light spread and seven metal spheres embedded into Shirone's frame like extra joints.
Both elbows, both flanks, both knees, and finally the chest where the High Gear sat.
"Raphael is the most durable gauntlet in High Gear. It's practically indestructible against a user's firearms. But it's tricky to use," Fermi said.
Shirone had expected as much.
"The metal spheres will protect you in any situation—but only one of the seven spots can be active at a time. The augmented reality info will pop up—try it."
He activated the Raphael at his elbow and the entire right arm was sheathed in mirror-bright metal.
"Now your right arm is invulnerable. You can strike physically or block incoming rounds. But when one spot is active, the others go offline," Fermi explained.
"But the part's durability remains," Shirone noted.
"Sure, but if the Sun War's damage output is tuned to around level 300, a ranker's attack could still be lethal. You'll have to stop it with Raphael when it matters."
"It's like a capture-the-flag game—deciding which spot to activate for each situation."
"Looks simple, but in a battlefield raining bullets the difficulty is off the charts. It'd be easier for schemer users, but it's not even real flesh, so you'll adapt."
Shirone toggled each Raphael to gauge the defensive coverage.
"Torso defense is the trickiest," Fermi agreed. "You've got three choices. Activate the left flank and you cover half the torso including the back. Right flank covers the opposite half. The last is the chest—your heart, where the High Gear is."
"No head protection, then."
Fermi nodded. "Even with Raphael, headshots remain possible. You can block with an arm or a leg, but sometimes you'll have to dodge. That's why you need—"
Shirone held up the feathers.
"Da Vinci, the metal wings."
When he equipped them, a fluttering-feather visual appeared and a new part mounted on his back. It didn't change his outward look.
"Da Vinci is called metal wings because it isn't literal wings but a mechanical device. It's a full-burster—a propulsion system that uses explosive thrust. Open it."
Shirone activated Da Vinci; the shoulder plates on his back opened and energy nozzles popped out.
"Power at 100 percent," Shirone read, and Fermi explained, "Even at 100 percent, if you run it flat out it'll be drained in under ten seconds. Use it sparingly. It self-recharges, but refilling takes a long time."
"How does it recharge?"
"The sun. In the High Gear worldview, Da Vinci is Low Gear tech, so it can convert solar energy into power without going through Mid Gear."
"Hmm. A ridiculously powerful booster, then. Legendary parts depend on the user's skill—does Da Vinci have quirks?"
"It does. Try it once."
"Here?"
Fermi shrugged. "Nasca's buildings are abandoned anyway. No one's going to sue over a few broken walls."
"All right, then…"
Shirone engaged Da Vinci.
The moment the thruster lens glowed blue, his frame shot forward at beyond-Mach speeds.
"Wha—?!"
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA! As the sound of endlessly tearing through walls faded, Fermi muttered, "Too fast."
Ten minutes later.
Shirone trudged back through the tunnel they'd blasted clean. His frame was scraped from end to end.
"You… want to die?"
If he'd hit a wall at full thrust, Shirone would have returned much faster.
'He would have died.'
But the fact he'd come back the way he went instead of teleporting to the start meant he'd adapted.
Fermi saw Shirone's right arm still plated in bright silver metal.
"His reaction speed is insane." He'd activated Raphael just before impact, protecting the frame while continuing to plow through.
"There's nothing like field testing. See? Each function's great on its own, but the four legendary weapons create synergy. How the user combines them can even offset level gaps."
Shirone disliked Fermi because he was that irritating sort of "liar" who only spoke blunt facts.
"Ugh, you could've just told me that," Shirone snapped, and Fermi poked him. "Also, with Siok embedded, legendary-grade efficiency goes up. But even so, beating the Operator is under a ten percent chance." Shirone had seen how powerful the Operator's frame was back on Dalseom.
Fermi scanned the place and asked, "So how far can you push it? You reached the end in reality, didn't you?"
If High Gear's enlightenment equaled real-world attainment of the Way, then Gongjin, Mutae, and Ultima remained.
"If understanding the world is the Way, then attaining it is the end. After that it's about penetration. Gongjin is becoming one with the world. But this world to me…"
It's not real.
"You can decide it's real, but your heart might not agree. I'm here for the real world. My goal is to beat the Operator, unearth the Apocalypse, and destroy the world's demon realm."
Fermi understood. "So you're saying we have to fight with what we've got. Fine. The Golden Wheel just has to get you to the Operator."
The rest was Shirone's task.
"Let's go. You need at least level 300 to match the Operator's output. Assign him a teacher."
"A teacher?"
Outside, Golden Wheel members were already waiting.
The first wave radiated aura; behind them the Destruction Machine crew stood awkwardly.
"Oh? Yahweh2."
They rushed over when they saw Shirone. During his time in the Western country he'd leveled up considerably—the parts looked far more advanced than before.
"Whoa! That's a Michelan piece!"
Still, their looks paled beside Shirone, who had all four legendary parts equipped.
Aegis stepped forward. "We hunted down legendary parts first because, apart from skill, leveling speeds up. From now on we'll rotate hunting grounds with Wild West."
Shirone looked at the one codenamed Wild West.
A full skeleton body, a cowboy hat, a .44 magnum. Shirone found the High Gear glittering inside the ribcage as the skeleton approached.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Wild West."
A talking skeleton was grotesque, but nothing was impossible in High Gear.
"Ah, nice to meet you," Death Gongju said. "We'll level up too. Our target is Magnan. If we reach the second wave, we might get into the Sun War."
West shifted awkwardly but said, "Leave it to me."
He posed as if drawing a gun; his codename was fitting—West of Endurance. With Skull's gauntlets equipped, he was clearly more focused on hunting than dueling.
"All right, let's head out. Minimum level 300 for the Sun War. After that, raise it by whatever you can. Travel takes time, so let's clear this area first."
Shirone followed West into a hunting ground near Nasca City.
The creatures were a hundred levels above Shirone, but not unbeatable.
"Wow—!"
Like hunting at level 20 with armor-piercing rounds, the experience bar shot up fast.
As time passed, more users gathered.
"Hey, look—Yahweh2."
He was already famous on the boards, and he had all four legendary parts.
"…Want to try?"
Fighting here in Nasca wouldn't provoke the Golden Wheel.
"Hey, West."
Seven players from different guilds had gathered.
'Level 307, 311, 287…' Small- to mid-size guilds, but with some respectable players.
"We don't want to interfere with Sun War prep, but can we duel Yahweh2?"
"Hmm." Wild West thought for a moment, then stepped aside. "Ten minutes."
"That's enough."
As the challengers approached, Shirone—already sensing them—turned.
Wild West signaled over comms:
- It's fine if you die—go for it. Going to the start point is faster. The level gap between you and them is about two thousand levels. The summed method is meaningless, but think of this as practice to close the gap with the Operator.
The more duel experience, the better.
- Okay. I'll try.
Crouched, Shirone activated Da Vinci. His frame lunged out at Mach speed.
FWOOOOM!
It took three minutes for the enemies to be annihilated.