The Greatest Mecha-Chapter 43: Old Friends, New Faces 2

Alto hopped onto the skill tree function of the Mech Designer Protocol. He invested 1,000 creation points each into the basics of robotics and circuitry. A rush of knowledge flowed into his head, causing him to nearly collapse. Alto didn’t know whether he would ever get accustomed to the influx of new knowledge every time he used that function of the Mech Designer Protocol.

After the transfer had completed and he had recuperated a little, he could now see things in a slightly different light than before. Left with 3,000 remaining credit points, he decided how to use them. He spent 1,500 credit points to increase his assembly skill proficiency from beginner to apprentice level. This would help him with the basics needed to operate the 3D printer, though not directly.

On the skill tree, right after his basic assembly skill was his 3D printer skill, which was previously greyed out. The moment he upgraded his assembly skill to apprentice level, the 3D printer skill appeared in color. This meant that he was now equipped with sufficient knowledge to access the skill.

Alto had completed his first mech with barely sufficient knowledge of basic assembly. Now left with 1,500 creation points—excluding the one he received from the system for completing an original mech design—he chose not to use it, saving it for future use if needed.

Alto looked at his knowledge tree with many greyed-out branches. He was currently at the base level, where he would have to nourish his skills to get better.

"Just take it easy, Al. You’ll get there one day," he told himself, as he usually had for the last three years—only now, it was more believable with the Mech Designer Protocol in hand. "Now let’s see my status page."

The Mech Designer Protocol responded almost immediately.

[Status]

Name: Alto

Level: Beginner Mech Designer

Specialization: None

Creation Points: 1,550

Attributes—

Strength: 1.0

Dexterity: 1.2

Concentration: 1.4

Intelligence: 2.1

Endurance: 1.4

Creativity: 0.7

Genote Aptitude: F

Mutant Gene: 1.0

Skills—

Assembly: Apprentice

Mechanics: Beginner

Metallurgy: Apprentice

Robotics: Beginner

Computer Science: Beginner

Physics: Beginner

Biomechanics: Unqualified

Circuitry: Beginner

Total Assessment: Trash

His assessment made him want to cough. Why did the system have to be so brutal? Not left with much to do in his room now that he had completed all his tasks, he decided to leave and take a stroll to the Mech Engineering Department. It was time to see his teacher and colleagues again. He would make sure to apologize to the professor for taking so long to finish the task handed to him.

Alto changed clothes and walked out of his room, heading in the direction of the Mech Engineering Department. On the way, he bumped into someone he never expected to meet again.

Alto was walking with a bit more sunshine in his steps than usual. He noticed another figure walking his way. At first, he didn’t pay them much attention—but he recognized the walking pattern almost immediately.

Alto came to a pause, the muscles in his body tensing, locking him in place. His face paled slightly, and his heart palpitated.

The figure coming his way seemed to notice his strange reaction and stopped as well. The figure had also identified him by his walk.

"Oh, it’s you, twerp. Been a while, hasn’t it?"

Alto looked at the figure and sighed, loosening his tense shoulders and responding in an easy tone.

"Hello, Kram. It really has been a while."

Kram had been heading to the training room to get some early morning work in before any of the officers caught him violating their order. He hadn’t expected to see a face he’d long since erased from memory—Alto, the little kid who had come with them to the mech division. He had once aspired to become a mech pilot but ended up losing the X-gene. His future had shifted, assigning him to be a mech designer. Kram had never thought he’d amount to anything.

What surprised him now was how different Alto looked. His hair was fuller, and he was almost as tall as Kram. But what stood out the most was the confidence in the eyes of the boy he used to bully.

Alto took a step forward and said,

"I hear you became one of the top three mech pilots in your class. I’m happy for you."

Kram didn’t know what surprised him more: the fact that Alto exuded confidence, the fact that he pretended to be happy for him, or the fact that he had been monitoring his progress.

"Something’s different about you, twerp. I’ve heard nothing about you for the past three years. I was sure you were dead."

Alto smiled lightly, hoping the calm mood would linger.

"You know me—I like to keep my actions private."

Kram looked at him with cold, stern eyes and said,

"Not as private as you might think. You met Amy recently, didn’t you?"

Alto looked at the light coming from the roof of the hallway for a few seconds, then back at Kram.

"Amy? It’s not funny, Kram. I haven’t seen her in years."

Kram didn’t suspect Alto of lying—he knew it wasn’t in his nature to lie to him.

"Well, then she must have seen you recently. It was after our test that I started noticing more life in her eyes—something she only ever shared with you."

They stood there in silence for a few moments before Alto decided to walk forward. Kram stood still and watched him silently. As they passed by each other, Kram spoke,

"Twerp, I won our bet, so you owe me one, right?"

Alto stopped, remembering the bet they’d made years prior. He had said he’d score higher than Kram—and failed spectacularly. He looked back at Kram, who now had his back to him, and said,

"Yes. It’s good to see you again, Kram."

Saying this, he started walking away.

Kram almost smiled inwardly.

"Let’s meet here, same time tomorrow morning."

They went their separate ways without any formal agreement. As Alto walked off, he couldn’t help but think,

"How did Kram get so big?"