Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 115: Tryouts..

The Gladiator's frontal cameras located in its 'eyes' booted, giving Suzuki a view of his environment while waiting for the last set of systems. He was not surprised to find himself in a narrow metallic corridor, about 6ft. wide.

Suzuki stepped out of the pod the Gladiator was stored in, then watched as it closed behind him, forcing him to move forward if he wished to exit this place. Suzuki continued down the hallway, flexing his fingers and familiarizing himself with the subsystems in the machine. The Gladiator he was in was of the agility model. Its sleek, skinny frame barely had any armaments for protection, relying only on the strangely flexible alloy which all the Gladiators had as a base, forming to form their 'flesh' as protection.

The tail, protected by several shifting plates, swished lazily behind him, its purpose to offer increased stability in 3-D environments. Suzuki drew the katana that lay in a scabbard magnetized to the back of his frame. His steps quickened while he examined the blade, impressed by the extensive craftsmanship that went into it. The katana was a single-edged curved blade, just over a meter and a half (5.5ft) in length, made from entirely black material. Its guard was simple: a metal carving of four gates to represent the four seasons, finally completed by a hilt with the kanji for 'Heart' carved onto the top.

The Gladiators were linked to their weapons, allowing Suzuki to feel like the katana was a part of him. It communicated its ability to him: the power of vibration. The blade possessed the unique ability to vibrate at different frequencies over tiny, micro-distances, invisible to the human eye. The vibrations significantly increased the katana's cutting power since it sliced materials at a near molecular level.

Suzuki could not hide his shock as he stared at the weapon in disbelief. Was James sure they were the ones getting invaded and not the ones about to invade? He quickly shook his head as he understood that there was no use wondering. Just because Genaco had mind-blowing advancements did not mean the other countries were sitting down and twiddling their thumbs. Especially America. Suzuki would sooner believe Gandhi was a warmonger before considering the States were not rapidly upping their military might.

Suzuki sheathed the blade along with his stray thoughts as the corridor opened to a much wider path. Suzuki eyed the turrets inlaid on the opposite walls then turned to the path ahead, which was fraught with randomly placed roadblocks designed to impede or restrict movement as much as possible.

The Gladiator flexed its fingers as it once again took in the position of the hanging turrets. Its controller knew they were only visible because it was the first stage in training. After it had memorized the turrets' positions, the Gladiator bold dashed into the hall.

The five people Suzuki had ignored at the observation room watched a Gladiator walk through the beginner 'adjustment' corridor with slow steps, causing a sneer to rise up their lips.

"With that attitude, I thought he was a bigshot," a thirty-year-old man sneered, his bushy jaw shaking with disgust. The man was called Takahiro Ken. For a gamer, he had a very robust body, which showed the hours he regularly spent at the gym. He was a member of the group Silver Spear. He had come to watch his leader train in the jungle. Never would he have expected to be insulted by a snot-nosed brat with no manners.