"The mech competition generally falls into three categories."
Inside the small cabin of Belgarde Mecha Workshop, Imogen Garde was explaining some information about the Shigewani Mecha competitions to everyone.
"The first category is competitive events. Events like Mecha Flight Races, Mecha Shooting Competitions, Mecha Obstacle Races, and so on belong to this category. The second type of competition is combative, such as Mecha Combat Matches. There are many types of Mecha Combat Matches, including one-on-one, close combat, long-range combat, team battles, special environment battles, and so on. The third category is mixed. Mixed events are more complex and demanding than the first two. The most typical is the Survival Challenge. Participants place their mechas in designated dangerous areas and let them fight it out, with the losers being eliminated. Undoubtedly, these types of competitions carry the highest risk, but they also offer the highest rewards."
The amount of prize money is always linked to the audience. The more spectators, the higher the prize money. And the number of spectators is linked to the excitement of the event; the more thrilling and stimulating the event, the more spectators it attracts.
Of the three types of mecha competitions, the last one is always the most dangerous, thrilling, and attracts the most spectators, and consequently, offers the most generous rewards.
Conversely, if it's a Mecha Combat Match, you might have to participate in several or even dozens of matches, depending on the nature and scale of the competition. However, undoubtedly, the larger the scale, the more strong competitors there are, and the lower the chances of securing a good position.
If it's a regular competition, it's even more complicated. Even champions of large-scale competitions find it difficult to guarantee a million in earnings after a single league. Moreover, the mechas used in such competitions are generally specialized mechas. Mechas like the Silver Wing Angel, designed for combat and confrontation, would never be able to compete in terms of speed with mechas specifically designed for flight competitions, or in terms of shooting with mechas designed for shooting competitions. It's impossible for them to achieve good rankings based on their inherent design.
Therefore, Imogen Garde first eliminated the first category of competitions.
"To get a million, you can only choose from the last two types of competitions. Even so, a million isn't easy to come by. The higher-level leagues have more skilled participants. Sometimes, achieving the top ten in a high-level league is more difficult than the top three in a lower-level league," Imogen Garde explained.
"What about the third category of competitions?" Reno asked.
"The third category of competitions is much simpler. In some large-scale survival challenges, as long as you enter the top one hundred, you can earn at least several hundred thousand in prize money, and if you place higher, you can earn even more. However, these competitions also come with great risks."
Large-scale survival challenges are often unrestricted matches, meaning there are no restrictions on what methods participants can use, as long as they survive.
Compared to achieving the top ten in a large-scale combat competition, it's relatively easier to enter the top one hundred in an unrestricted match.
After all, some truly capable mecha pilots, who can earn large sums of money through other means, have no need to take risks. It's the choice of pilots whose skills are not enough but are eager for money.
Using risk to compensate for lack of skill!
Reno thought for a moment and said, "I choose the third category."
"No!" Old Belgarde replied. "You have to choose the second category."
"But..."
"No buts!" Old Belgarde rudely interrupted Reno. "This is what we agreed upon. If you want my help, you have to listen to me! I'm telling you to choose the second type, so you have to choose the second type."
"But I can't guarantee that I'll get the position I need in the combat matches," Reno hurriedly said.
"You also can't guarantee that you'll survive in the survival challenge matches," Old Belgarde said. "Between victory and survival, I choose survival."
He looked at Reno seriously, his expression resolute and unquestionable.
At that moment, Reno knew that if he refused, then the next moment, he might be kicked out of the room.
Most importantly, he would not get the Silver Wing Angel.
Swallowing hard, Reno nodded. "Okay, I'll listen to you. The second category, Mr. Garde."
Imogen Garde nodded. "Good, now let's decide which type of competition to participate in. In the next two months, due to the holiday season, various mecha competitions in Shigewani are at their peak. Approximately sixteen events will begin during this time, including five types of Category One leagues, seven types of Category Two leagues, and four types of Category Three leagues..."
Imogen elaborated on and analyzed the characteristics of the seven leagues.
"It's best to make decisions when the information is complete," he concluded.
They quickly identified the league that suited Reno best—the Winston Red Scorpion League.
The Red Scorpion League is primarily a one-on-one free combat mecha combat league. Sponsored by the Red Scorpion Company, which mainly produces small mecha engines and related parts, the competition venue is located at the Winston Red Arena.
The Silver Wing Angel's inherent tactical versatility is more suitable for complex terrain and can almost fight in any environment, making it suitable for this type of league.
However, there was one regrettable aspect: the scale of the Red Scorpion League was relatively small, and only the champion received a million in prize money.
"Although the league is smaller in scale, the opponents are weaker, which means we still have a chance," Imogen Garde said. "So now, let's determine the division of labor within the team. First, there's Bel, who is the head of the team, responsible for providing and modifying the mecha, subsequent mecha maintenance, and... the right to make decisions. After all, he's the financier."
Imogen Garde made a helpless gesture, eliciting a wave of chuckles from everyone.
"Alexander, you're Bel's assistant."
"Little One, you're in charge of mecha data. Before each match, gather as much information as possible about the opponents' mechas so Reno can understand the characteristics and countermeasures for each type of mecha."
"Li Zonghan, you're responsible for driver tactical analysis. A mecha consists of two parts, the mecha itself and the driver. Both need to be understood. Each driver's combat style is different, and you need to summarize them."
"Claire Jia, you're in charge of logistics arrangements."
"Nora Jia and Sveffield, I heard your mecha skills are the best here. If that's the case, then you're in charge of sparring. You can pick two mechas from the workshop, but be careful not to damage them; they belong to our clients. The workshop's responsibility is for the bad ones to come in and the good ones to go out, not for the bad ones to come in and worse ones to go out."
There was laughter again.
"Lastly, it's me. I'm responsible for overall coordination and finding sponsors. Since we can't guarantee that we'll win the championship, we have to find solutions elsewhere. If your performance is outstanding enough and luck is on our side, we might attract the attention of a sponsor and get investment. The reputation of Alpha Academy's top students still carries some weight."
Reno shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't work, Mr. Garde. The new headmaster has forbidden Alpha Academy students from participating in any form of mecha competition. I can't expose the identity of an Alpha student."
"I see," Garde frowned. "That's a bit troublesome. Registering for the league requires identity registration, and sponsors need explanations."
Nora suggested, "For identity registration, we can use fake identities, as long as they're not made public."
"What about the face?" Sveffield asked.
"How about wearing masks?" Little One suggested. "Clown masks, demon masks, even deity masks can work; it adds to the mystery of the contestants."
Imogen Garde rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Going for a mysterious style? That's interesting. If done well, it might attract some companies' favor. But this needs careful design... Hmm, I remember I have a friend who's quite skilled in this area."