Unit Zero

Wang Qianduo looked at the scenery around him and suddenly had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Then he recalled the walkthrough and opened his status panel.

Nickname: Thousand King [V10]

Beginner Mech Pilot

Lucky: 7

Charm: 7

Talent: 7

Note: A distinguished VIP beginner pilot, but his skill...

"Uh... 777, huh? Couldn't be better! And you have no idea why my skills are bad?" Wang Qianduo looked at his stats and grumbled.

The three stats—Lucky, Charm, and Talent—were random. The game had been running for a year, and players still hadn't figured out what they did.

All they knew was that the three stats were about the same for everyone, adding up to around 20.

They could only be increased with special items, but even after boosting them, players couldn't tell what they were good for.

Wang Qianduo's total of 21 was about average.

Aside from the special V1 label, there was nothing unusual about Wang Qianduo's personal status panel.

Then he opened his Mecha stats panel, and a holographic projection of a Mecha immediately appeared in front of him.

The Mecha projection was entirely blue, white, and red, with sharp edges and sleek lines all over. It looked utterly flawless.

Beside the projection were his stats and equipment slots.

Zero-Type Starter Mech (0/100)

Durability (HP): 100

Magic Energy (MP): 100

ATK: 12

DEF: 3

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

Trait: Universal User (The Zero-Type Starter Mech can carry any equipment without restrictions, but its attack and defense are determined only by its highest stat.)

Equipment: None

Skill: Unselected

Note: The most primitive Starter Magic Mech has finally found its owner.

After checking his Mecha's stats, Wang Qianduo couldn't help but exclaim,

"Strong! Really strong!"

Although these base stats were all at rock bottom, comparing them with the stats of the other three Mecha available to regular players, as posted by other players on the forum, showed just how powerful his was.

The other three Mecha were the Prototype Mech Type I, which grew in Strength. Its initial stats were HP: 100, MP: 40, Attack: 10, Defense: 3, Strength: 10, Agility: 6, Intelligence: 4.

The Prototype Mech Type II was the Agility-growth model: HP: 50, MP: 50, Attack: 11, Defense: 2, Strength: 5, Agility: 10, Intelligence: 5.

The Prototype Mech Type III was the Intelligence-growth model: HP: 60, MP: 100, Attack: 12, Defense: 1, Strength: 6, Agility: 4, Intelligence: 10.

The Type I Prototype Mech was built to be a high-HP, high-defense tank or warrior. The Type II was designed as a fast, hard-hitting agility attacker, while the Type III was intended to be a highly destructive "mage."

Unit Zero had the highest stat from each of the three Mecha, giving it 12 more points than the others right from the start. It was fair to say it had won at the starting line.

It even had an extra trait, something that normally only appeared after a Mecha reached Level 10 and evolved.

Having no equipment was normal; nobody started with any. Players only received a beginner weapon after leaving the training camp and accepting their first quest.

In Mecha World, each Mecha could carry six pieces of equipment and three weapons. The six equipment slots were, from top to bottom: Reconnaissance Device, Core Engine, Energy Core, Propulsion Device, armor, and Energy Shield.

Equipment grades ranged from lowest to highest: Common, Fine-Grade, Rare, Perfect, and Legendary.

As for whether there were higher grades, Wang Qianduo could tell you for certain that there were...

Wang Qianduo's skills were different from everyone else's, too. Each of the three Starter Mecha came with one initial skill.

The Strength-type Mecha had Charged Heavy Strike. It consumed 10 MP to charge for one second and dealt damage equal to 120% of its attack. Cooldown: 5 seconds.

The Agility-type Mecha had Double Strike. It consumed 10 MP to attack twice in quick succession, dealing damage equal to 60% of its attack with each hit. Cooldown: 5 seconds.

The Intelligence-type Mecha had Energy Bullet. It consumed 15 MP to charge for three seconds, then fired an Energy Bullet at the enemy, dealing damage equal to 120% of its attack plus its Intelligence. Cooldown: 5 seconds.

It was obvious from these three skills what roles the Mecha were designed for.

Unit Zero was different. Its initial skill let him choose one of the three.

The game was much like a traditional online game. After all, when it had first launched, it really had been just a regular online game.

Wang Qianduo didn't rush to make his choice. Instead, he checked the items he had received for spending money in the game.

Raising his VIP level from 1 to 10 had earned Wang Qianduo a massive amount of rare materials, all kinds of items, Character Outfits, and a large quantity of in-game currency.

Most importantly, he'd received a set of Perfect-grade equipment, two Skill Chests, and a special Ultimate Skill Chest that could be used at Level 30.

The equipment was for Level 10 Mecha, so he couldn't wear it yet. For now, all he could use were the two Skill Chests and the items awarded for his first top-up.

Without hesitation, Wang Qianduo opened the Legendary Weapon Chest and began choosing.

There were three weapon sets inside the chest: a sword and shield, a long blade, and a gun—or perhaps a cannon.

The three weapons corresponded to the three Starter Mecha. After much deliberation, Wang Qianduo chose the long blade he liked best.

Minghong (Legendary 100%)

Bound

Long Blade

Usable by Agility-Type Mecha of Level 1 or above

Attack +50

Strength +20

Agility +30

Intelligence +10

Attack Speed +2%

Critical Hit Rate +20%

Cooldown Reduction +10%

Ignore Defense +5%

MP Recovery: 3/sec

Critical hits against enemies deal 30% more damage.

Note: Rumor has it that this weapon was forged by the Yellow Emperor in ancient times. Who knows if that's true?

"Now that's a Legendary Weapon. A single blade has several times the stats of a starter Mecha!"

Wang Qianduo admired the Famous Blade in his inventory, then happily equipped the Minghong Blade on his Mecha.

As soon as he equipped it, a gleaming blue Energy Blade appeared in Unit Zero's holographic image. It was clearly no ordinary weapon.

After equipping the Famous Blade, Wang Qianduo chose Double Strike as his initial skill, but he didn't open the other chests.

He still wasn't sure what path he wanted to take. For now, using a blade was just a hobby.

After finishing his weapon setup, Wang Qianduo checked through his inventory again and found the compensation equipment the NPC instructor had given him.

Phoenix Blood Heart (Common 100%)

LV1

Bound

Core Engine

Usable by Mecha of Level 1 or above

Strength +1

Agility +1

Intelligence +1

Growth: 0/50

Phoenix Mode (Common): Activating Phoenix Mode increases all Mecha stats by 5% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.

Note: A Core Engine with some rather underwhelming stats, but it can evolve. Maybe you could try raising it.

"This lousy piece of equipment is supposed to make up for my Starter Mecha? Is this Mecha really worth so little?" Wang Qianduo grumbled as he looked at the blank-grade equipment.

Equipment that could grow had unlimited potential, but that was true for other people.

There was still a set of Perfect-grade equipment waiting for Wang Qianduo at Level 10. Would this piece be able to surpass that Perfect-grade gear by then?

Still, he didn't have anything else to equip, so he put it on.

After equipping two pieces of equipment, Unit Zero's stats became:

Zero-Type Starter Mech (0/100)

Durability (HP): 310

Magic Energy (MP): 210

ATK: 91 (41 + 50)

DEF: 9

Strength: 31

Agility: 41

Intelligence: 21

Attack Speed: 2%

Critical Hit Rate: 20%

Cooldown Reduction: 10%

Ignore Defense: 5%

MP Recovery: 3/sec

Trait: Universal User

Equipment: Minghong, Phoenix Blood Heart

Skill: Double Strike

One Legendary piece of equipment had transformed Unit Zero. Wang Qianduo looked over his stats with satisfaction, then headed for the person who issued the beginner quests: the highest-ranking officer at this aerial fortress.

He was about to start questing. Before, he'd nearly given up on competing with those who had gotten into the game before him.

But life had just handed him such a huge surprise that he instantly felt fired up again.

"Hello, sir. I'm the new recruit reporting for duty!"

Wang Qianduo said this to a white-haired man in uniform. The man was the highest-ranking officer at the camp where Wang Qianduo was stationed: General Huang.

General Huang: "Hello, recruit. Yue Ming should have explained the camp's rules to you, so I won't go into them again.

"I happen to have a quest for you. Head to the Fourth Planet in the Third Star Domain and bring back a shipment of Energy Star Ore."

"System prompt: General Huang wants to give you a quest: 'Transport Ore.' Accept?"

"Accept!" Wang Qianduo said after seeing the system prompt.

"Good. The surroundings may not be very dangerous, recruit, but you should still take some precautions.

"Go to the storeroom and claim a weapon to protect yourself."

After saying this, General Huang stopped paying Wang Qianduo any attention.

Wang Qianduo knew this meant his part of the story was over. His next step was to follow the system prompt and collect his beginner weapon from the storeroom.