Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – Mecha Pilots Don’T Die By Bare Hands_1
He had successfully awakened the Abyss Rune!
Jiang Chen, seeing the eye pattern on the palm of his hand, showed delight on his face.
The initial appearance of the Abyss Rune was not fixed; it could appear on the face, neck, hands, arms, chest, and other various places.
However, the appearance was consistently that of a black eye.
This seemed to be the symbol of the abyss.
At the same time, the emergence of the Abyss Rune also meant that the awakened would enter the abyss in an hour to begin their basic trial and step onto the path of becoming a mecha pilot.
“According to what’s said online,”
“Everyone who awakens the Abyss Rune will stimulate the potential within their body and demonstrate their unique talents.”
“This kind of talent is the symbol of each person’s soul, unique and irreplicable, with incredible effects.”
“Just by touching the Abyss Rune, one can view their own talent information.”
“What is my talent?”
Jiang Chen was curious, made a fist with his right hand, and touched the black pattern on his palm with his middle and ring fingers.
A line of information appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Jiang Chen]
[Rank: 0]
[Talent: Undying Barehand]
[Absorbed Mecha: None]
[Owned Mecha: model Zero]
[Abyss Coins: 0]
[Items: None]
…
[Talent: Undying Barehand]
[Effect: When your Mecha breaks apart in combat, you can absorb the Mecha’s attributes and modules, gaining permanent enhancements accordingly.]
[The enhancement multiplier is based on the Mecha’s quality, starting at one times.]
Absorb the power of Mecha and gain permanent enhancements?
Jiang Chen was stunned.
He looked up at the silver-blue Mecha not far away.
So, if I wear that silver-blue Mecha to fight monsters, and the Mecha is damaged during the fight…
Then, when the Mecha falls apart, won’t my combat strength not decrease in the slightest, and I might even be able to rip through monsters with my bare hands?!
Moreover, powerful mecha pilots often possess several different types of Mecha to cope with various combat scenarios.
Going by the claim of “permanent enhancement,”
If Jiang Chen also had several Mecha, and all of them were damaged once,
Does it mean the attributes of all those Mecha would stack up on oneself, directly skyrocketing one’s combat power?
Furthermore, Mecha is external equipment.
Even if it breaks, it should be repairable.
If a repaired Mecha breaks again, can the attributes be stacked a second time onto the person?
Thinking of all these possibilities, Jiang Chen’s eyes nearly lit up with excitement.
This is just too thrilling!
Truly befitting my soul’s symbol!
But that being said…
The talent “Undying Barehand” can not only absorb the attributes of the Mecha but also the power of the modules.
Attributes are straightforward, but what about the modules?
Jiang Chen took out his phone and quickly found related information.
Modules, originating from the abyss, are special items used by mecha pilots to modify their Mechas, divided into core modules and auxiliary modules.
They can bestow different attributes and powers on the Mecha, bringing corresponding abilities.
For example,
The relatively common Thermal Weapon Module can modify the hands or eyes to possess the ability to consume energy and release thermal energy lasers.
Or the anti-gravity module, which can allow the Mecha to break free from gravity and obtain the power of flight.
“So, modules are similar to skills, bestowing different abilities to the Mecha.”
Can even these things be absorbed?
A scene flashed through Jiang Chen’s mind.
The silver-blue Mecha ascended into the sky, releasing a thermal laser, turning the enemy to ash.
He then propelled himself off the ground with both feet, taking off on the spot, and released a thermal energy laser from his eyes that charred the enemy to a crisp.
“Could it be that I am the savior of my motherland?”
Jiang Chen was quite satisfied with his own talent.
This talent not only enhanced his combat abilities but did not impact his primary duties as a mecha pilot.
After all, the more powerful the Mecha he built, the more attributes he could absorb, and the stronger his combat power became.
This was a directly positive relationship.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chen’s gaze fell on the mecha ownership column.
Basic trials for mecha pilots, naturally, would not involve hand-to-hand combat.
Therefore, after awakening an Abyss Rune, mecha pilots would receive a basic Mecha, which could then be enhanced.
However, as a basic Mecha, its attributes were quite rudimentary.
[Code: model Zero]
[Type: Light-weight Exoskeleton Armor]
[Quality: Ordinary]
[Rank: 0]
[Enhancement: Zero]
[Attributes: Strength 1, Agility 1, Defense 1, Enigmatism 0.]
[Armor: 10/10.]
[Energy: 10/10, Recovery Speed 0.01/s.]
[Core Module: Not mounted]
[Complementary Module: Not mounted]
With no rank, no enhancements, no modules.
Merely a solitary point of strength, agility, and defense, this was the absolute bottom of the barrel.
However, even at the bottom, it was still a real set of exoskeletal armor, possessing strength far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Jiang Chen looked around him, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly struck a pose, clenched his right hand, touched his palm, and silently chanted in his mind.
Transform!
White light streamed from his palm, enveloping his body.
In the blink of an eye, the light solidified into a suit of pure black battle armor with a helmet, and the exterior was wrapped in silver-black exoskeletal armor made from an unknown metal.
Overall, he looked like a special forces soldier straight out of a science fiction movie.
Reflecting on his current pose through the reflections from the vehicles on the road, Jiang Chen felt a rush of excitement.
Yes, this was the feeling!
Meanwhile,
The silver-blue Mecha in the middle of the road turned its head, a glint of light flickered in its eyes, and an electronic voice resounded inside the helmet.
“Scan complete, target identified as model Zero Mecha, non-threatening.”
A new awakener…
The mecha pilot within the silver-blue Mecha felt somewhat surprised.
If he remembered correctly, this awakener seemed quite young and appeared stunned, almost petrified, during the previous encounter with the abyss creatures.
He was the lowest quality survivor in this batch.
Yet, he was the first to awaken an Abyss Rune and gain the qualifications to become a mecha pilot.
“Poor psychological quality, even if he survives the basic trial, he might not have the courage to continue exploring the abyss…”
“Forget it, since he has awakened an Abyss Rune, he must possess some qualifications in certain aspects.”
“Even if he gives up on exploring the abyss, he can still work in logistics.”
The silver-blue Mecha took steps forward and approached Jiang Chen.
The pilot extended a silver gauntlet and spoke.
“Hello, newcomer, my name is Xie Minglei, I’m a mecha pilot for the alliance.”
“You have awakened an Abyss Rune, and in less than an hour, you will descend into the abyss and begin the basic trial.”
“The goal of the basic trial is to survive for twenty-four hours, and if you encounter a fatal attack inside, you will die completely as well.”
“I think… you need my help.”
Seeing the mecha pilot who had just saved his life, Jiang Chen readily extended his hand and shook it with his.
“Hello, senior, my name is Jiang Chen.”
Xie Minglei couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“I’m just a 3rd Rank mecha pilot, not much of a ‘senior’.”
“It’s just that, as someone with more experience, I’m here to explain the trial scenarios you might encounter and give you some advice.”