Nora's training methods were crude but undeniably effective.
Through repeated attempts and periods of unconsciousness, Reno gradually adapted to the mecha.
From that day on, every evening, Reno would go to the underground twelfth floor of the mecha academy to study mecha operations.
He would learn to pilot the mecha when he had energy, study the theoretical aspects of mecha operations when exhausted, and occasionally watch Nora train.
Nora was the most diligent trainee Reno had ever seen.
No one else came close.
She poured nearly all her energy into the mecha, immediately entering training mode whenever she recovered. The shadow mecha seemed like a black lightning bolt, ceaselessly racing through the valley. But more often than not, she would remain still, merging with the darkness in some secluded environment, motionless except for her right arm, which aimed the long barrel of her gun outside.
Even when she occasionally left the mecha, she would hold a Hunt God I sniper rifle taller than herself, sitting quietly in the darkness, sometimes practicing marksmanship.
No one knew what she was thinking.
Reno hadn't even seen her on the ground.
Nevertheless, Nora's instruction to Reno was both earnest and harsh.
Under Nora's strict guidance, Reno quickly gained a basic understanding of mecha operation, progressing remarkably. Though he was far from becoming a true mecha pilot, his improvement significantly aided his apprenticeship at the mecha workshop.
Now Reno could explain the basic principles and operating procedures of the mecha, and even knew some basic maintenance methods.
However, Nora was unimpressed by Reno's progress.
As a true mecha genius, Nora showed Reno what a gap truly meant.
Watching the Lithefire II running freely in the valley, climbing up and down like a monkey, and then looking at the Mini Thunder II, which moved slowly like a snail under his control, Reno could only sigh deeply and say to himself, "Work hard, young man!"
...
In the valley of the twelfth underground floor, a mecha was running swiftly on level ground.
It moved like an agile monkey, constantly charging forward, sometimes launching like a rocket, sometimes leaping high in the air, performing flips, and sometimes changing direction rapidly, instantly shifting from forward to backward, while its weapon swept in a strafing motion.
"Wow!" Reno exclaimed excitedly from inside the mecha, "This is incredible!"
Wrapped inside the two-meter-tall miniature mecha, 142 neural patches were tightly attached to Reno's body, making him feel as though the mecha was an extension of his own body.
He felt as if he were flying like the wind, with everything under his control.
At that moment, dizziness struck again.
It felt like needles were piercing Reno's brain, causing him pain and dizziness.
Reno knew it was the result of his mental exhaustion unable to support the consumption, so he had to relax his focus on the mecha.
The consequence of losing mental support was Reno losing control of the mecha.
The mecha, which had just been flying, slowed down and began to wobble.
"No, no, don't do this, move for me!" Reno shouted, trying hard to control the mecha, but no matter how hard he tried to move his hands and feet, the mecha refused to obey.
It wobbled like a drunken bear.
Then it began to tilt uncontrollably and fell forward, crashing to the ground.
"Damn it!" Reno cursed angrily, trying to push himself off the ground, but he couldn't budge.
He was out of strength.
In the distance, a black figure reappeared in the valley.
The massive steel shell was like a piece of clothing on Nora, she jumped and landed effortlessly in the valley, landing less than two meters away from Reno.
She wasn't afraid of accidents happening; if she jumped slightly too far ahead, wouldn't she end up smashing herself to a pulp? Reno thought angrily.
Nora obviously had no such concerns.
She squatted down, the large black mecha head approaching Reno, emitting a burst of laughter from inside: "Wow, what happened? Weren't you happy just now? Why are you down so soon? As a real man, lack of endurance is unacceptable!"
Reno snorted, "You're only nineteen, Nora, there's no need to speak so maturely. Those vulgar words won't help improve your taste, nor will they make you mature and sensible. And I didn't offend you, so why be so gleeful?"
"Because I want to, I hate anyone getting too close to Claire!" Nora said fiercely.
"I knew it," Reno muttered, trying to stand up.
Nora's finger tapped Reno's back, and the Mini Thunder II, as if hitting a mountain, couldn't move an inch upwards.
"Damn it, Nora, you're blocking me!" Reno shouted.
"I know, but so what? Anyway, you can't get up." Nora replied, "Your mental strength is too low, destined not to become a master, no matter how you train."
"Mental strength only determines the time of controlling the mecha, it has nothing to do with driving skills," Reno argued.
"Idiot!" Nora's finger pointed at the back of Reno's head, "What do you think controlling time means? It means training time! The longer you can control, the longer you can train. What can someone like you achieve with just a few minutes of training before gasping for breath?"
Just as the saying goes, "Good marksmen are made with bullets," mental strength indeed isn't the standard for determining whether a mecha pilot is excellent or not, but the length of time it allows for training does determine how long people can practice. And with longer training time comes longer adaptation.
For example, Nora's mental strength was already higher than Reno's, and due to her long training periods, her adaptability was much higher than Reno's.
With just a bit of mental strength, Reno could only control the mecha for a minute, while Nora's bit of mental strength could control it for twenty minutes. Combined with her naturally higher mental strength, her continuous operating time was tens of times that of Reno's, and even her recovery speed was much faster.
Nora's crazy training was possible because her strong mental strength could support her.
"Well... but I'll grow eventually, won't I?" Reno asked unwillingly.
"Long-term training will indeed increase, but do you know how difficult it is to increase mental strength?" Nora's fingertip poked Reno's back, "My current mental strength is 18, I've trained for a full three years, with an average daily training time of no less than six hours, and it has only increased by three points."
"Damn," Reno covered his face.
In his current situation, his actual training time per day was less than an hour.
"And those three points are the best increase. The later it gets, the harder it becomes. The increase in mental strength is not endless; it's like human physical strength, it has its limits, but everyone's limits are different. A super genius like me may have a limit of 30, while yours, maybe 10 is the limit."
Nora laughed, "So you're destined not to become an excellent mecha pilot, just focus on being a good captain."
"You're really a devil who likes to crush people's spirits. But I have a flaw, I don't
give up until the end, even if I do reach the end... I still won't give up!" Reno said, suddenly pushing himself up, then swinging his left fist towards Nora's face.
Nora was surprised; she hadn't expected Reno to be able to stand up and attack her. Caught off guard, she was punched in the face by Reno.
The massive mecha fell backward, but Reno rushed forward with his shoulder, "Mastering driving requires not only mental strength but also body and willpower!"
Bang!
With a strong impact, the Thunder II and the Hunt God I separated, and the small mecha driven by Reno flew like a toy, tumbling down.
This time, he couldn't get up again.
The Hunt God I, however, didn't attack, it just stood there silently.
Inside the mecha, a girl was watching Reno intently.
Her gaze was sharp and focused, murmuring to herself, "Mastering driving requires not only mental strength but also body and willpower... Now I understand why Claire likes you. Since that's the case, then accept the training well!"
As she spoke, the black mecha grabbed the Thunder II and threw it into the distance.
The cruel training began.
Every day, Reno would be tortured half to death by Nora in the Thunder II, with his mental and physical strength constantly being squeezed by her. According to Nora, only by keeping one's body and mind constantly at the limit can one truly improve.
Such a gradual approach was not suitable for mecha pilots.
Although Reno wanted to say that he had no intention of becoming a professional mecha pilot and that learning mecha was only necessary for ship command, Nora obviously didn't intend to listen to Reno's explanation. She treated him as if he were a new toy, tormenting him relentlessly, making him experience what it meant to be on the brink of life and death, so much so that Reno felt fear every night for a while. Fortunately, after the exams, the academy had no courses for the time being, and everyone was on the verge of vacation, so no one cared even if Reno slept like a dead dog during the day.
Crazy training brought rapid progress.
In just a few days, Reno had become quite proficient in using the mecha.