Chapter 7: Colossus class
Lieutenant X pressed a button on his console resulting in the isolation of the screen dedicated to Team 19, with another one he magnified it to fill his private monitor.
His curiosity grew as he fished through the participant's information while questions began piling up in his mind.
What happened to his teammate? What is his Biocore? Why is he using a pulse gun with no piercing power when he could wield a deadlier weapon? Why rely so heavily on a knife? And why is he struggling this much against F-rank units?
He leaned forward, muttering to himself as the boy's movements unfolded on the screen. "He has good reaction time, his reflexes are good too... good discipline... good strategy..." He blinked, realizing he was doling out compliments to an outer city participant. That was unheard of.
A doubt gnawed at him, prompting him to pull up the boy's file. His eyes scanned the document as he digested the bare-bones data.
"The name is Nioh. No last name. Age fifteen and orphan. Survivor of the S-class attack ten years ago." Lieutenant X's voice faltered as he read the details.
"Deaf and paralyzed as a child, Biocore: Unknown Body frame: C-rank. Specialty: Biomechanical engineering..."
He paused, looking back at the screen. "So, he's a bookworm with a shitty physique. But what is his Biocore ability? Telekinesis? No, it's not the same. Those vibrations are too fast, and too precise to be purely mental force. He's fast, much faster than any C-rank should be."
His gaze shifted back to the action on screen, where Nioh was carving through the Mechanical Jaws like a relentless machine. Despite the efficient kills, Lieutenant X shook his head grimly.
"Unfortunately, his partner's a complete idiot," he muttered after reviewing footage from the landing. "He's not going to last long at this rate. That's over a hundred Mechanical Jaws closing in. With a busted right arm and a body frame stat that low this kid is done for."
The screen showed Nioh cutting down the fifteenth feral biocore and his movements were growing sluggish. Exhaustion was taking its toll on him, compounded by the relentless pain radiating from his injured shoulder.