Battle Roar

"White Demon Ape, attack!"

Maurice was here to seize territory, so he wasted no time and commanded his beast to attack.

The White Demon Ape let out a roar, dropped to all fours, and charged toward Titan with ferocity.

As it got close, it leapt high into the air, raising its fist and striking down from above.

"Titan, hammer it!"

Leon's command was simple and direct.

With the skill Mechanical Control in play, Titan could interpret his orders. Its semicircular head tilted slightly upward, and as it faced the descending White Demon Ape, it didn't dodge. Instead, its steam engine roared to life as it raised its spherical metal fist and swung back with full force.

"You dare go head-to-head? Ignorant fool!" Maurice sneered at the sight.

As a Beastmaster, he had a decent understanding of the traits of various beasts.

Metal-type beasts, while physically tough, were generally hollow inside—hard but brittle.

With the White Demon Ape's strength, this clash could very well deform the metal beast's fist.

Bernal had the same thought and was about to speak up, but the White Demon Ape moved too fast for him to intervene.

Bang!

Titan and the White Demon Ape's fists collided with a deafening impact, drawing everyone's attention.

A strange silence fell over the scene. No one moved, unsure of what just happened. Both beasts stood frozen in place.

After a few moments, Titan remained motionless.

The White Demon Ape, however, had an expression of sheer terror.

It hurts!

This wasn't supposed to happen!

With a wretched howl, the White Demon Ape leaped backward, clutching its injured fist and hopping in pain.

Maurice's mind went blank.

The villagers watching were equally dumbfounded.

That little metal guy just punched the giant ape into retreat?

"White Demon Ape, attack from behind!"

Maurice quickly snapped out of it, giving his beast a second command as he eyed Titan's seemingly clunky frame.

Though unsure why the metal beast was so tough, Maurice was confident its slow movements would make its back vulnerable.

It's just a first-rank metal beast. How hard can it be?

"Roar—!"

Following Maurice's orders, the White Demon Ape gritted its teeth, enduring the pain as it raced around to Titan's back and delivered a punch aimed at its head.

But then…

Clank, clank, clank!

The sound of shifting metal echoed as Titan's head rotated 180 degrees within its frame. Its glowing red eyes locked directly onto the White Demon Ape, freezing it in its tracks.

White Demon Ape: w(ﾟДﾟ)w

What the—?!

Its head spun all the way around!

Clank, clank, clank!

The White Demon Ape was paralyzed with fear, but Titan didn't pause. Leon's command was clear: Hammer it!

Titan's iron fists rotated as its arms swung wide, aiming directly at the White Demon Ape's head.

Boom!

The White Demon Ape managed to dodge at the last second, and Titan's fist struck the ground instead. The villagers felt a tremor beneath their feet, and when they looked back, half of Titan's iron fist was embedded in the dirt, cracks radiating outward like a spiderweb.

"What kind of monster is this?" Maurice's confidence evaporated.

The White Demon Ape retreated to a safe distance, clearly unwilling to get close to Titan again.

"Titan, keep hammering!" Leon barked.

Seize the moment!

As long as Maurice didn't admit defeat, the battle wasn't over.

"Woo—!"

Steam hissed from the rows of vents on Titan's head, releasing a sound like a train whistle in response to Leon's command. Then it began closing the gap with its short, stubby legs.

"White Demon Ape, don't face it head-on! Evade!" Maurice commanded again.

The White Demon Ape seemed to understand that brute force wasn't an option anymore and started circling the field at high speed.

This created a wide gap between the two.

Titan's bulky frame and short legs couldn't keep up, which brought a sigh of relief to Maurice.

As long as speed was on their side, there was still hope.

But Maurice's relief didn't last.

"Titan, change form!"

Clank, clank, clank…

With Leon's command, Titan dropped to its knees. Its thighs retracted into its torso, and wheels emerged from its calves and ankles. It transformed into a steam-powered mini locomotive, instantly picking up speed.

The crowd: ?!

What kind of ability is that? It can accelerate?

"Run!" Maurice yelled, almost panicking.

He didn't need to shout, though. The White Demon Ape, sensing the danger, had already started sprinting.

Seeing Titan accelerating toward it with its fists raised, the White Demon Ape's survival instincts kicked into overdrive, and it began circling the arena in a desperate bid to escape.

It couldn't leave the designated area, or it would forfeit the match.

The chase was on. Titan swung its iron fists repeatedly, but the agile White Demon Ape managed to dodge each blow.

"Even as a broken-grade base mech, its attacks are too clumsy when moving, and its options are too limited," Leon observed from the sidelines.

From the perspective of someone who once piloted interstellar mechs, Titan had flaws everywhere. But given his current situation, Leon could only focus on addressing the most pressing ones.

Titan could hold its own in direct combat, even against second-rank beasts, but its speed was lacking, and its attack methods were overly simplistic.

For now, there wasn't much he could do about its agility, but for offensive capabilities, Leon could work on designing and assembling advanced mechanical equipment.

As for blueprints...

"White Demon Ape, Battle Roar!"

Leon's train of thought was interrupted by Maurice's loud command.

In the field, the White Demon Ape gained some distance from Titan before standing upright and pounding its chest with both fists.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

"What kind of move is that?"

Leon raised an eyebrow at the sight of the ape beating its chest so aggressively. Was it resorting to self-harm because it couldn't win?

But soon, Leon noticed something unusual.

With each chest pound and roar, a mysterious pressure seemed to emanate from the White Demon Ape, growing stronger with every strike. Leon could feel it—a force warning him that this creature was powerful and he was no match for it.

"So, this is its innate ability? Interesting," Leon muttered, feeling neither fear nor intimidation but a spark of curiosity.

The White Demon Ape's innate skill appeared to be some form of illusion, applying psychological pressure to its opponents and instilling fear.

Fascinating.

Truly fascinating.

Against most beasts, this might have worked to perfection.

But...

Clank, clank, clank…

Titan's momentum slowed as steam hissed from its head, finally coming to a halt before the White Demon Ape. It seemed to stop moving altogether.

"It's afraid!" Maurice exclaimed in delight.

The little iron guy had dared to chase and attack the White Demon Ape earlier, but now, under the pressure of its innate ability, it was utterly frozen.

That's right! Fear us! Tremble before the White Demon Ape's power!

Wait—what?!

Maurice's joy evaporated as Titan suddenly raised its iron fist with astonishing speed. The White Demon Ape, still focused on its skill, was unable to dodge.

Boom!

The punch landed squarely. The White Demon Ape stopped mid-action and collapsed on the spot.

[Your base mech, 'Titan,' has won the battle, gaining +10 free attribute points.]

[Achievement unlocked: 'First Victory.' Reward: +10 free skill points, Blueprint: Damaged Extendable Mechanical Arm (Broken).]