Stage 7 was unexpectedly an underwater map.
It seemed to be the middle of some sea, with no land in sight. Perhaps because of the shallow depth, the water wasn't very clear and visibility was poor. The shafts of light filtering through the waves looked rather dreamy, like curtains. Is that what they call the Tyndall effect?
A few players had already reached this stage by the looks of it. As word spread, the strategy forums were in an uproar. Unreasonable, impossible - not entirely inaccurate complaints for this game.
My first problem was buoyancy. The Links is surprisingly light, floating a bit if I don't do anything due to having a slightly lower density than water.
To avoid bobbing up and hindering underwater combat, I've equipped Tomahawks (lol) on both my leg racks as makeshift ballast weights.
The "Tomahawk (lol)" is exactly what it sounds like - an axe-like weapon. A rare item from the gacha with self-repair, so technically a rare weapon. The silly name is probably courtesy of whoever discovered it first, though I'd have gone with something cooler like Warhammer.
The issue is its abysmal performance. The dull blade means you can only bludgeon with its weight, and the attack power is just pathetic. Compared to the Buster Sword, it has short range, is unwieldy, and deals less than a tenth of the damage. Its high durability is the only upside, but it's borderline useless as a weapon.
I bought a few cheaply when they were dumped on auction just to try them out. They can kill the enemies on Stage 1 who don't fight back, but it takes so long the clear time bonus is wasted. I figured they might be event key items or due for a buff with such terrible stats, so I was just letting them rot in storage for a while. Never expected they'd come in handy as weights.
Boost dashing works for underwater mobility but is extremely inefficient. Swim-kicking to conserve energy could work, but walking the seafloor with weights is probably best. The Links at least has the wire anchors in its arms for mobility, better than most.
There are third-party launcher pods for the wire anchors that any unit with shoulder weapon racks can equip.
I assume "weapon racks" are just fancy simple racks, though I'm not sure since the Links only has simple racks to mount weapons. Above simple racks are weapon racks, then the top-tier weapon bays, or so I think. The fancier racks probably have power sockets and firing triggers integrated.
Most robots besides the Links have two shoulder weapon racks to equip heavier ordnance. One of the main criticisms of the Links on strategy guides is its lack of shoulder weapon racks.
Could the wire anchors integrated into the Links' arms be a compromise for not having shoulder racks? Well, whatever, I don't really need weapon racks. They'd probably just get in the way of mobility if they were mounted on the shoulders.
Dealing with underwater movement is one thing, but the biggest issue for underwater combat is most weapons becoming unusable. Beams obviously don't work, nor do beam swords. Ballistic weapons are out - no missiles, rockets, guns or cannons. Mines and throwable grenades seem to function, but that's about all that's viable. No wonder the forums are in an uproar. Aiming for realism is one thing, but as a game it's pretty broken.
The physical Buster Sword can be used, but thrusting is advised. The water resistance makes slashing impractically slow. What a mess.
I hear a high-pitched sonar pinging reminiscent of a dolphin's cry. Sonar seems to have a wider detection range than scanners underwater, meaning enemies can attack unseen.
Well, the direction of the sonar pings at least gives away the enemy's approximate position.
Speeding toward me is a torpedo-like underwater missile called a Torpede - an enemy-exclusive weapon not available for purchase yet.
I lure it in as close as I dare before evading, carefully destroying just the Torpede's fins with a sword thrust as it passes. Leave it be and the damn thing will stubbornly chase you forever.
The Torpede without fins drifted off the day after tomorrow. Three more shots to go. At least being limited to only four Torpede shots total is some consolation.
There are two enemy units on this stage - the mermaid-like Pisces and the crab-like Cancer.
The Pisces is armed with Torpedes. A slippery foe that swims freely through the water. If it was just the Cancer, I could probably win.
In addition to Torpedes, the Pisces is equipped with javelin-like spears, as well as an integrated underwater laser gun and wire anchors in its arms.
The laser gun dissipates heavily over distance, so if I can evade on impact from long range the damage is negligible. Sometimes it even does no damage, likely a bug.
The Pisces will also attempt melee combat with its javelin, which is my chance to counterattack. But sadly, I'm at a mobility disadvantage underwater. Its long-reaching javelin thrusts are troublesome too.
The biggest issue is that even mid-swordfight, it will suddenly throw its javelin. Not too hard to parry with my sword, but the Pisces won't bother retrieving the thrown javelin, instead breaking off melee mode. It then resorts to an evasive tactic, circling while occasionally potshot laser attacks as an afterthought.
Having to destroy both enemies to clear is just too strict. Unless I can down the Pisces during its melee mode, it's pretty much impossible. If I could just find a way to prevent it from throwing that javelin, I might have a chance.
This time I'll ignore the fast-swimming Pisces and look for the Cancer. At least it relentlessly closes distance, making it easier to engage.
If the Stage 3 crab mech was a mini crab, the Cancer is a monster crab. Its bipedal form is outright grotesque, like a crab kaijin.
The Cancer's armaments are simple - just integrated arm weapons. A powerful laser cannon in the right arm, and an oversized wire anchor in the left.
More than integrated weapons, its whole arms ARE the weapons - true armaments. With no hands, it can't seem to use general-purpose weapons, but was this unit even meant for players? It would be useless anywhere but an underwater stage.
I block the Cancer's laser cannon as much as possible with the Buster Sword shield. There seem to be instances of no damage even on direct hits too, likely a bug. If so, I'm grateful and won't report it to avoid it getting patched.
What's really scary is its ridiculously huge wire anchor. Several times larger than the Links' with far greater range. The Cancer fires it not as a braking aid but as an offensive weapon, able to change direction mid-flight like a guided missile.
Wait, can wire anchors actually alter their trajectory after firing?
Testing it, the Links' anchors can do the same thing. I've been using them without realizing that handy trick all this time.
As we repeatedly change the direction of our clashing anchors underwater, the wires become entangled. Perfect timing, so I start reeling it in for a chain deathmatch.
The enemy also reels in the tether while sniping with its laser, the beam trajectory looking like a long, glowing sword. Sustained fire is easier to parry at least.
Reeling in the wires rapidly closes the distance at an alarming rate, the enemy's form swelling larger by the second. Over twice the Links' size, but just think of it as a bigger target.
I sink the Buster Sword's point into what looks like a joint seam on the head unit. A clean hit, but the impact shatters my blade.
Was its durability whittled down by lasers? Problematically, I didn't bring Xcalibur. Now I'm out of weapons.
No, I do have weapons - the Tomahawks (lol) on my leg racks, equipped in both hands.
Dual-wielding axes. Having just fought a dual-wielding player, the image is fresh. I hack away like pounding drums, rushing furiously to leave no openings for counter-attack. As annoying as it was being on the receiving end, it's kind of fun doing it. But the effect seems underwhelming - either the Cancer's armor is too sturdy or the Tomahawks (lol) just lack attack power.
The enemy won't just sit there and take it forever either. It starts watching for openings in my rushes to swing those spiked arms in retaliation. Are my attacks too predictable? I suppose a makeshift dual-wield style is bound to be. I should try anticipating its moves to vary my rhythm, but instead I'm the one having my timing disrupted by feints.
Still, I'm overwhelming it in volume of attacks. Even with the advantageous strategy, I'm slowly being whittled down - the damage differential is just too great. The Tomahawks (lol) might as well be those spikes for all their lack of attack power.
Giving up, I hurriedly hit the eject button - but a beat too slow. Challengers can't disrupt until the unit's shield hits zero, resulting in a game over.
Oh well, I'm just utterly drained in every sense anyway. I have no motivation left for PvP, let's leave it at that.
I crawl out of the pod and go limp for a while, blankly spectating the battle scenes on the wall displays. The skill level has really gone up lately. Melee fighters still seem to be a minority though. That Scutum close-combat variant I faced is apparently called the Leo, considered a separate model line despite being derived from the Scutum.
I should head home. But first I'll adjust my loadout at the terminal. I could do it in the pod before the next sortie, but that would just make other players wait longer, so it's better manners this way.
Jimmy and what looked like his friends were loitering beside the terminal, manners somewhat lacking.
One guy had dyed his hair an outrageous color and was jangling with silver accessories all over. A classic case of youthful indiscretion. I used to be pretty scared of peers like this back in my student days, but why was I afraid, really? Observing them impartially, their flashy tropical bird-like fashion is just their style. Their faces still look so young, no doubt just trying too hard to appear mature.
"What's up, old man! Stop staring, damn it!"
Whoops, they zeroed in on me out of nowhere. How to handle this? The overconfident bravado of youth thinking they're invincible? No, that smirk reminds me of a child taunting a chained dog for amusement. The same scent as those juvenile delinquents emboldened by minor laws.
If they think salarymen never fight back, they're sadly mistaken.
"Jimmy, aren't these your friends?"
Let me try appealing through an acquaintance first.
"Oh, sorry about this. Hey Kimura, let's leave this guy alone."
"What, this old guy knows you, Endo? Then he can treat us to a meal."
No way, I only treat people whose company I enjoy. Why pay just to put myself in an unpleasant mood? Especially when this is practically extortion.
The monsters created by civil rights lawyers and the juvenile law. A slightly smarter kid goes a bit off the rails and this is the result. They don't really have ill intentions themselves, just play-acting as delinquents it seems.
Well, once they get past coming-of-age, most turn into respectable, socially-aware adults. Some do end up paying for a lifetime of privilege, but even they find their own place in society's fringes. Then once they have subordinates, they'll laugh about their youthful indiscretions over drinks.
But the ones who can never be redeemed are the ordinary victims cowering from these juvenile monsters. As a salaryman at a decent company, you just have to endure if targeted. Fight back and seriously injure one of them, and it's considered excessive self-defense.
For the real bottom-rung corporate slaves though, some revel in so-called excessive self-defense. The law in this country does go easy on perpetrators. Rumor is you can actually live more humanely in prison as long as you don't mind a criminal record.
"No, this guy's for real, one of the top rankers who even beats pros. He made it to the third round of the tournament too."
"I made it too, look." Kimura ostentatiously shows me his pilot card, numbers displayed in a sparkly section - must be his match records.
I take out my own card but the jumble of numbers doesn't make much sense.
"You're just a smelly old amateur who only plays against CPUs and gets full of himself, huh. Three wins out of one match, doesn't qualify you to look down on us."
Now that he mentions it, I've only really tried PvP mode a few times back when I first started. The stats must separate CPU matches from PvP infiltrations and tournament rounds.
"Ah, so there are those pathetic geezers who think they're hot stuff after fighting CPUs all day."
The waiting salarymen glare our way - no surprise, since most players at this hour are office workers. If only they could read the air better.
I can't help but get riled up by his dismissive attitude tossing my pilot card back.
"Be careful, there's a memory chip inside."
"Oh? And who do you think you're talking to like that? Let's get this hierarchy straight, shall we?"
The nerve, that's my line, punk.
"How about we settle it? If you lose, you become my sworn little brother."
"What's in it for me with a bet like that?"
Having him as a sworn brother would just be a pain.
"Did you hear that chicken talk?!"
Kimura does an overly theatrical gesture appealing to his lackeys for support, but as regulars they just shake their heads.
"Give it up, this guy's seriously strong."
"I once scraped a win against Kinchi by hit-and-run, but if I'd fought him fair I'd have been in trouble."
Hit-and-run refers to the tactic of firing one shot then fleeing endlessly. Not praised, but permitted by the rules. Too unsportsmanlike for me to try if I'm uploading match videos though.
"Doesn't mean he can't lose to a badass like me. I'll mop the floor with this geezer, no sweat."
This has taken an unfortunate turn. I'd rather not get into fights like this - win or lose, the aftermath is always messy. Maybe I got suckered into the provocation, but it beats potentially getting mugged in some back alley at least.
The waiting players offer up their pod for our impromptu match.
"You can do it, Melee Geezer! Put that snotty brat in his place!"
As I enter the pod, a gruff middle-aged man cheers me on. Who's the geezer here, really?