The winner was decided.
The winner was Andrew McTate.
Silence dominated this mech hangar after the end of the mech battle.
Apart from Lucius Volstad himself who had blind hope and faith in his prime test subject, none of the other spectators present today would place their bets on Andrew winning.
But here they were, facing the reality of the situation, Andrew actually won.
Inside his mech, mech pilot Zigar felt like he was going crazy.
He lost…, he actually lost!
Despite feeling like banging his head against a wall, in the end, he was able to recollect himself. He could tell that his opponent winning was not a fluke but an actual display of skill and calculated actions.
The more he thought of it, the more he felt intimidated as he recalled how much of a weakling Andrew was in their very first mech bout.
'How on earth did he improve so much in such a short time?' He was amazed.
He finally opened the cockpit of his mech.
Whoosh!
Climbing out of the mech, this mech pilot looked at Andrew with a complicated look on his face before extending his hand out for a handshake.
Andrew took the handshake as he flashed a smile at him.
Zigar nodded to acknowledge him. "Good fight, but I'll win next time".
Andrew grinned. "Sorry man, I have no intentions of losing against you again".
And with that, mech pilot Zigar finally went to the back of the other mech pilots and their mechs currently in this hangar bay. He already lost after all.
Still inside the Lombubos Knight III, Andrew finally focused on the boss again with a grin on his face. "I told you I'd win". He boasted.
"So, my reward?"
At this moment, Lucius Volstad was all smiles, he clearly was in a good mood. "It's not yet time". He grinned.
He looked at the remaining 4 mechs. "The test is still on".
"The previous tests always ended so early because you could never pass through mech pilot Zigar, but you finally did it today, you went past him".
"Congratulations". Lucius Volstad's eyes gleamed as he dared to dream. "But perhaps, you can do even more today".
"Andrew, surprise me".
"If you surprise me enough, I will upgrade your reward".
Hearing that, Andrew's eyes lit up, that was all that he needed to hear.
And finally, his next opponent stepped out, it was the only Light Mech among the mechs currently present in the mech hangar, the dagger-wielding mech.
His computer system responded as soon as the mech stepped forward.
{Property of Lucius Mech Company detected: Speed Demon T99}
{Mech size: Light}
{Mech type: Light Dagger Mech}
{Weapon armaments: Mech-grade twin Daggers; Laser Pistol!}
Compared to the bigger and heavier Spearman mech, this mech was extremely light on its feet.
If the Spearman mech was likened to the great heavyweight boxer, Iron Mike Tyson, then this Light Mech was the floating Muhammad Ali.
Motivated by the prospects of an improved reward, as soon as the battle started, rapidly but cautiously, Andrew piled on the pressure and went on the attack against the Light Mech.
Mech pilot Amanda was a veteran when it came to Light Mechs.
The battle lasted a whooping 18 minutes, but more than half of the times, the Light Mech was simply floating around the heavy Knight mech like a butterfly as she dodged Andrew's repeated attacks.
Mech pilot Amanda attacked with her daggers only when a hit was guaranteed. Her combat style with her mech was so radically different from mech pilot Zigar that Andrew struggled to adapt.
She just kept on chipping away at his mech.
In the end, after 18 minutes of struggling against the Light Mech, a critical system of his mech was finally damaged, ending his mech's life for good.
Andrew lost to mech pilot Amanda but his performance was admirable.
And so, today's test came to an end.
Walking closer to his prime test subject with a bright smile on his face, Lucius Volstad patted Andrew by the shoulder, a gesture for a job well done.
And finally, he said it. "I've upgraded your reward".
"In just 2 weeks, the growth in your mech combat skills impressed even me".
"Initially, I told you that the day you managed to stall mech pilot Zigar for 10 minutes, I'll let you pilot a Rifleman mech again for the first time in over 6 months".
"Not only did you do that, you actually defeated mech pilot Zigar and went even further to pressure mech pilot Amanda".
"I'm beyond impressed". He grinned.
"So, I changed my mind".
"You're not only piloting the mech this time," With a smile on his face, he continued. "Congratulations Andrew, here's your first personal mech".
"I'm gifting you this baby of mine".
"…!"
Andrew was frozen in shock as he stared at the boss.
Reincarnating into this world, Andrew had nothing, literally nothing except himself. The only thing keeping him going was his love for mechs.
He never expected to get his personal mech so early.
"Whooo!" Andrew screamed in excitement.
And then, shaking in excitement still, he finally paid attention to the ultimate prize of his hard work for the past 2 weeks.
{Property of Lucius Industries!}
{1st Generation Modern Mech!}
{Poseidon's Gaze V-I}
{Weapon Systems: GT- Automatic Shotgun, Laser Rifle!}
Staring at this mech, Andrew felt like he was not just looking at another man's own but he was actually staring at his own Mercedes Benz at this moment.
Andrew felt emotional.
And finally, he climbed the cockpit of this Rifleman Mech.
~Booting process successful~
~Checking systems…, systems check~
~Trying to establish neural connection…, waiting for signal…~
~Mech connection established~
HUM!
Immediately as this giant machine hummed to life, Andrew felt something different. The feel of a Rifleman Mech was different from a Knight Mech.
The chair of the cockpit was far more comfortable than the one in the Knight Mech. Perhaps, ranged mech pilots didn't need to be as on edge as melee mech pilots since they were more exposed to danger.
Instinctively, Andrew ignored the Automatic Shotgun of this sleek mech as all the information filtered through his computer system into his brain.
Instead, all his attention went to the Laser Rifle.
Raising the Rifle up, Andrew pointed up at one of the light bulbs illuminating this mech hangar. And then, he asked his boss. "Do I have permission?"
Lucius Volstad grinned. "Carry on".
Hearing that, Andrew smiled, he felt safe knowing that someone had his back at this moment.
At this moment, through his neural connection, as he controlled the Laser Rifle, Andrew suddenly experienced something, a feeling perhaps.
'Is this…, muscle memory?'
He pulled the trigger.
VOOM!
Bullseye!
The light bulb shattered to pieces.