Finishing the evaluation.

A deep, guttural roar snapped Aksel out of his thoughts. His instincts took over as he partially morphed, his body shifting into a defensive stance. Adrenaline surged through him as he quickly scanned the area for Nioh, but his partner was nowhere to be found. Aksel's chest tightened, and beads of sweat began to roll down his face.

The roar repeated rhythmically, growing louder, like a warning drumbeat of an approaching predator. Aksel's eyes darted frantically through the dense foliage, but the swamp's shadows concealed whatever was coming. He was frozen in place, gripped by fear, his body locked in a standoff with an unseen threat.

Then, the sound of heavy footsteps broke the tension, coming from the underbrush ahead. A Mecha's presence. Relief flooded through Aksel as he relaxed his stance. Human beings, he thought. Likely a classmate from the evaluation team.

Just as he lowered his guard, a blur of movement exploded from the side. A massive wolf, easily the size of a small Mecha, lunged from the bushes and clamped its powerful jaws around his arm.

The pain was blinding. Aksel screamed, his cry echoing through the swamp. His mind raced as panic set in. His partner, Nioh, wouldn't hear him—Ekoh's deafness meant he was completely alone. Gritting his teeth, Aksel retaliated with a sweeping swing of his heavy axe. The feral Biocore, however, proved too quick. It leapt back, dodging the strike with unnatural agility.

The wolf snarled, grinding its sharp teeth. Sparks danced in its maw before it spat a searing fireball directly at Aksel. With no hesitation, Aksel activated his full transformation, his body expanding into a towering Mecha. The flames washed over him, but his reinforced frame tanked the attack without flinching.

Using the momentum of his charge, he barreled through the firestorm, smashing into the wolf with a shoulder barrage. The creature skidded back several meters, momentarily stunned. Seizing the opportunity, Aksel surged forward, his energy coursing at full capacity to heal his injuries. He raised his axe high, ready to deliver the killing blow.

But before his strike could connect, the sharp crack of gunfire pierced the air. Pow. Pow. Pow. Aksel staggered as several shots struck his frame. Emerging from the foliage, three Mechas stepped into view, their weapons trained on him and the wounded wolf.

A final shot rang out, silencing the wolf with a precise hit. The leading Mecha, a sleek and angular design, stepped forward. Through the open channel, a mocking voice sneered, "Well, well. If it isn't bootlicker Aksel. Sorry about that—I needed this kill."

Aksel's hands tightened around the handle of his axe as he recognized the voice. "Eric," he muttered, feeling a surge of indignation.

"I was the one who defeated it. That was my kill!" Aksel growled.

Eric's laughter echoed through the channel, cruel and mocking. "Ha! Look at you, trying to act tough. It's hilarious how something with no spine like you can talk back to me."

Aksel felt the heat rising in his chest. "What are you even talking about, Eric?" he demanded, his stance shifting subtly as he prepared for the worst.

Eric's grin was audible through his voice. "How many points is it to take out a whole team again?" he mused.

"Enough to make this worth our time," another voice chimed in, belonging to the corebinder of the third Mecha.

Eric leaned forward, his tone dripping with venom. "Where's your partner, anyway? Did that mute reject finally realize what a loser you are and leave you behind?"

Aksel glanced around, realizing the trio had already begun to encircle him. His grip on his axe tightened, his mind racing for a way out.

The three Mechas, though much smaller than Aksel's colossal frame, posed a significant threat with their superior weapons and coordinated maneuvers. The absence of a fourth Mecha solidified Aksel's suspicion—the sniper who had fired earlier was somewhere nearby. A well-equipped artillery Mecha, particularly a sniper, could annihilate even the most fortified citadel.

Aksel clenched his jaw. He could fend off the three attacking Mechas temporarily, but the unseen sniper was the true danger. He had only one trump card, and he prayed it was already operational.

The trio charged simultaneously, their thrusters blazing as they closed in. Instead of retreating, Aksel lunged toward the nearest Mecha, dissimulating his attraction net with practiced subtlety. One phrase echoed in his mind like a mantra: "Trade blow for blow."

As they clashed, Aksel released the net, its magnetic tendrils disrupting the enemies' systems and momentarily destabilizing all three Mechas. Recognizing the fleeting opportunity, he pushed his thrusters to their limit, accelerating with a speed that belied his machine's size. With all his strength, he hurled his axe like a scythe.

The spinning weapon slammed into the chest plating of the unprepared Mecha, piercing through to its core and cockpit. Sparks and shrapnel exploded outward as the incapacitated Mecha collapsed, its pilot rendered unconscious from the impact.

The two remaining Mechas quickly repositioned, retreating with a burst of their thrusters. Instead of engaging him directly, they unleashed a relentless barrage from their Gatling guns.

Bullets rained down on Aksel, tearing through the armor of his forearms as he tried to shield himself. The damage was overwhelming—his internal screens flashed red, all indicators critical. Forced to crouch under the assault, Aksel gritted his teeth, his systems struggling to keep up with his regenerative efforts.

"Fucking Nioh, where are you?" he growled, his voice laced with pain and frustration.

"Oh, the partner found some backbone," Lieutenant X remarked with a smirk.

"His healing factor is impressive," another recruiter noted. "If he'd had a shield or defensive module, he might've lasted longer. Such a shame to see good talent on the verge of elimination."

Murmurs of agreement filled the room, but Lieutenant X remained silent, his smirk deepening. He was waiting. That little devil hadn't appeared yet.

Then, a blur flickered on the screen.

Aksel braced for another wave of fire when a shadow flashed through the trees. An apex-sized Mecha emerged from the foliage, with its jet-black frame highlighted by glowing green accents.

Before the two assailants could react, the Mecha propelled itself into the air, using the recoil of a pulse handgun to launch upward. In a blur of movement, it executed a perfect somersault and landed behind the first Mecha.

The black Mecha's dagger plunged into the enemy's skull with precision. Aksel barely had time to register the attack before the pulse gun fired point-blank, blasting the enemy's cockpit and leaving it in smoking ruins.

The morphing Mecha collapsed, leaving its pilot unconscious on the ground. The remaining enemy panicked, retreating in the opposite direction at full throttle.

Relief washed over Aksel as he staggered to his feet, his systems still sparking and groaning under the strain.

He turned to Nioh, who had just undone his transformation.

"There's a sniper," Aksel said hoarsely.

"I already took care of him," Nioh replied flatly. "That's why it took me so long."

"And you're just letting him go?" Aksel asked incredulously, nodding toward the fleeing Mecha.

Nioh didn't respond. A moment later, a deafening explosion ripped through the swamp. Aksel turned, stunned, to see the escaping Mecha reduced to a fiery wreck.

His jaw dropped. I should never provoke this demon, he thought, sinking to the ground to conserve energy and focus on healing. The damage was worse than he had expected.

"We've collected enough points. We should extract," Nioh said after a moment.

"I think so too," Aksel agreed, his voice strained. "I can't fight anymore."

"Are they dead?"

"No. Desynchronization shock and physical injuries. Nothing the clinic can't fix."

The extraction ship arrived swiftly, medical teams tending to the wounded. Nioh and Aksel followed suit, boarding the craft. Their entrance examination ended successfully—in just eight hours, rather than the allotted twenty-four.

As the doors closed and the ship ascended, Aksel glanced at Nioh, a mixture of gratitude and awe in his eyes. For better or worse, he had offered him an opportunity and his life was about to change.