Steel Arena

Entering the VR world, Sy had to use his real information to create an account. Upon log-in, he immediately chose Steel Arena amongst hundreds of others.

He created an in-game name of Vulcan444, after much thought, before selecting the Spectator status. To own a workshop in the game, he needed 2,000 gold(the game currency) or pay 10,000 real money which he did not currently possess.

After creating an account, one would have a starting gold of 200 - enough to buy a 2nd Generation Mech of the 1st Tier.

1st Generation Mechs are totally obsolete but can still be tinkered with. 2nd Generation which were the starting point of installed Neuro-Link - had three tiers. 3rd Generation are the ones in abundance with seven tiers. 4th Generation had four while the 5th Generation or the current gen were still kept in high secrecy - unavailable in the game.

Sy had no time in piloting mechs. He needed to be a mech surgeon - dissecting the machine and see what's inside. With this, he can learn about them faster and doesn't need to enter any mech school.

The young Pioneer's consciousness was flung into a street with old buildings labeled in the 21st era - which were a marvel in this period. He looked up and saw a blue sky which was the basis of his assumption that he was in a continental world.

"Alright! Let's make some quick money and snatch a few data." Sy stretched his body and felt that every part was functioning properly. He accessed his mini map and eventually found what he was looking for.

Cities were the only part where players can peacefully roam in Steel Arena. The combats had a fixed locations as well as the number of participating mechs. Sy met a few players with distinct pilot suits - designed in their own style - chattering in boisterous tone about their experiences in the battle grounds. One was suggesting a series of tactics and strategies which Sy considered as trash.

A few minutes later - using the mini map as a guide - Sy eventually reached a compound with huge structures towering above most of the buildings in the city.

At the entrance two men stood guard. Their silhouettes - giants amongst the crowd of people forming an orderly line. The duo were evidently acting as securities, turning people away and letting some inside.

Sy joined the line and attentively observed from the back row.

"I hope I'm qualified enough. " The person before Sy, sighed, "The Tyres brothers are offering a full pledge. I can make a killing just by working for them in the game."

Sy gently tapped the man's shoulder who was a head smaller than him. Expectedly, the smaller man turned with raised brows.

"What do you do?" Sy asked in anticipation.

After a brief hesitation, the smaller man answered, "I'm a mechanic in the art of Mecha."

Sy chuckled heartily. He began a friendly chatter with the mechanic, and soon found out that there was some kind of audition going on right now. The Tyres brothers seemed to be looking for able individuals in support for their new designs of mechs.

The line between Sy and the two hulking security grew small, the mechanic was let in after presenting some information, and it was finally his turn.

"Show us some identifications." The security on the left said in a blunt tone.

Sy briefly browsed his game interface and showed them.

After reading the panel which only contained Sy's name and age, the security on the left turned his gaze on him with a brow raised in slight irritation.

"I temporarily lost my license. If you could just let me in, I can display what I can do." Sy rapidly explained, hoping that he was not wasting their time in a prolonged conversation.

"Next."

"Oh, come on!" Sy protested, "Just give me a chance."

This time, the security on the right stepped in and forcefully shoved him to the side when he wouldn't budge on the spot.

With the competitive nature of the event, they couldn't afford to waste time and the absolute fury of their bosses by letting a random person in with no background - who could potentially cause a mess in the competition.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Sy sighed in defeat, leaving the compound for good. The young pioneer wandered around and ended up on the entrance of a workshop.

When he tried to walk in, a woman holding a toolbox - supposedly the owner of the shop, stopped him. She was wearing a brown suit with some tools hanging on her utility belt.

"How can I help?" Sy confidently asked, expecting a quick installment.

The woman, in turn, chuckled after a brief smile. She waved a hand and turned to the other direction, "Sorry, boy. I don't dig that way."

Being rejected at the very first step of his advancement, Sy could only accept his fate and left. Repulsed by a dozen of workshops later, the young pioneer degraded into a self-deprecating state.

"Ugh! This is a waste of time!" He muttered in a sheepish tone - his confidence decaying rapidly. He soon realized that his future was bleak. The crystal clear water he had imagined had suddenly became murky - like a random animal had violently trampled on the mud.

Shaking his head, he was about to log out from the game when a panel appeared in his vision.

[Awarded 10,000 U-CREDIT!]

[New mission!

Pioneer a mech!

Reward: 50 Pioneering Score]

Sy squinted his eyes in disbelief that he could still see the system inside the game. With a bit of hesitation, he checked his current balance in the Logria Union Bank.

[Balance: 11,780 U-Credits]

'How in the f*ck is that possible!?'

He decided not to think hard about it now that he had the money to buy a workshop. Whether there's someone behind the system funding him, he did not care as long as he could move forward. There were also some complications even if he had a workshop and he was tempted to keep the money instead. He already spent 5 hours in the game equivalent to 1 hour in real life which was a waste in his standard. He needed to make some progress.

After a careful consideration, he decided go all-in and bought a workshop from the game menu, bringing his U-Credits back to 1,780. He was instantaneously transported inside a building with a neatly placed huge fabricator -  1st gen model able to convert matter that was not above its pay grade into a desired material.

Sy inspected the machine with satisfaction. Now that he can buy the license of all available mechs in the game, he immediately started to browse the game shop. As much as he expected, he couldn't afford any. The lowest priced 2nd Generation Mech (1st Tier) was 5000 Gold or 25,000 U-Credits.

Although he couldn't buy any of the advance mechs, Sy had planned ahead. The 1st Gen Mechs were only priced at 50 gold or 250 U-Credits. Even though they were obsolete, it was enough as long as he dabbled in their forbidden knowledge in order to get the idea of the machines.

Sy sorted his search into the 1st Gen Mechs and flinched at their very presentation. Their bulk alone suggested their inflexibility. He had to scroll to the end of the list before going back.

In the end, Sy chose a mech based on his intuition - the Straggler S1 - not too big, not too small for his standard. It's an ambitious design to excell both on long range and short range. Twin cannons were donned on each shoulder - too overweight and ineffective in today's standard - while both arms were replaced by short range beam guns.

Upon confirmation of the purchase, a blueprint hovered in his vision. He could see a 3D data imaging - showing him the details down to the smallest ones about the mech. He was completely engrossed in the presentation before him that he was only brought back to reality when the thought of his bankrupted life came to mind.

"I see." Cupping his chin, Sy thought of all the possible ways to make amends for this monstrosity of a machine.

It seemed like he was sent back 300 years in time to correct these mistakes.

"The framework of this mech made it a whole. It's like a walking skeleton devoid of any flesh." He muttered to himself in scrutiny.

A much work was ahead of him. It's like being transported hundreds of years ago, and making a few adjustments on an outdated machine.

"Steel Arena is my volcano! Hahahaha" Sy violently shook from laughter.