Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

169 – Showcase

What astonished the trainees even more was that Masamune High-Tech wasn’t the only company presenting at today’s showcase. As soon as the impressive presentation by CEO Kato Daichi concluded, another individual took the stage to introduce their company’s power armor in a similar fashion.

ArmsTech, a military-industrial complex formed by the collaboration of Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor, and Northrop Grumman, the fourth largest, introduced their new power armor, ‘Titan.’ Additionally, Hanwha Defense and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) from South Korea presented their power armor, ‘Army Tiger Mk-1.’

Germany’s defense companies also joined forces to create ‘Zukunftspanzerung Tech,’ unveiling their new armor series, ‘Jäger,’ which further heightened the excitement in the auditorium.

“The design of the Jäger series is rugged but practical. I like the more military feel compared to other products.”

“I’m curious about its performance when worn.”

Not all participating companies brought results that dazzled the trainees. Some power armors from countries with relatively less advanced defense technology were so crude that they seemed to have applied only the basic design released by the Liberal Clan.

Some countries even showcased power armors with external protective armor made from thick titanium alloys instead of monster materials.

“The Grizzly series from Canada uses the powerful output of the mainframe to adopt titanium alloy armor that is over 50% thicker than the previous models…”

The trainees began to murmur among themselves, exchanging opinions. They speculated that Myung-jun had a specific reason for showcasing power armors with such clear performance disparities.

As expected, once the showcases concluded, Myung-jun took the stage again to explain the distribution method for the power armors.

“While we have prepared enough power armors for all trainees, unfortunately, not everyone will be able to wear the power armor of their choice. Since the quantities prepared by each manufacturer vary, we will leave the decision of who gets which power armor to the discretion of each manufacturer.”

A trainee raised their hand and asked, “Aren’t we the ones choosing?”

“Of course, we considered that method as well. One of the options we contemplated was allowing trainees to choose their preferred power armor based on their newly measured Gate Scores, starting from the top ranks. However, we ultimately decided on a method where each manufacturer contacts the trainees they want to wear their equipment and offers appropriate conditions for providing the power armor.”

“May I ask why?”

“That’s because the power armors you’ll be wearing are not fixed-performance items.”

Myung-jun explained that, as highlighted by the manufacturers during the showcase, each power armor reflected the unique technological strengths of its manufacturer. Therefore, the current power armors might not perform optimally if worn by someone incompatible.

“For example, you might think that the Grizzly series from the Canadian manufacturer Saberheart is significantly inferior to the Kabuto series from Masamune High-Tech. However, unlike the Kabuto series, which uses monster materials for its external armor, the Grizzly series has the advantage of being able to replace its armor with spare parts immediately if damaged.”

Myung-jun glanced at the CEO of Saberheart, who nodded with satisfaction. He continued his explanation.

“Heavier power armors will perform better when worn by Awakeners with strong physical abilities. Similarly, power armors with enhanced utility will be more effective when worn by Awakeners with high versatility scores. Moreover, the power armors you’ll be wearing are not in their final state.”

Myung-jun elaborated that each manufacturer would provide their power armor to trainees who matched their equipment, and as the trainees challenged higher-difficulty gates and provided combat data, the manufacturers would use that data to create improved versions of the power armor.

The core of Myung-jun’s new power armor development system was the collaboration between trainees and manufacturers to perfect custom equipment.

“When you tackle gates in the future, each of you will be equipped with a special body cam capable of offline recording inside the gates. These combat videos will be made available to the public online. Many Awakeners who couldn’t join Icarus will watch your combat footage. Seeing Awakeners similar to themselves, they’ll think, ‘I should wear that kind of power armor.’”

At that moment, a trainee raised her hand. The beautiful blonde was Sophie Müller, a national representative trainee from Germany who had previously challenged Byung-tae and faced a harsh defeat.

“I have a question. Does the lack of power armor selection apply to national representative trainees as well?”

“Yes, it does,” Myung-jun confirmed.

“So, what you’re saying is that, as a representative of Germany in Icarus, I don’t have the right to wear power armor made by my country’s manufacturer?” Sophie Müller’s words subtly hinted at a request for special treatment for national representative trainees.

Myung-jun sighed softly and looked directly into her blue eyes. “As I mentioned, the decision of which power armor a trainee will wear is entirely up to the manufacturers. If Zukunftspanzerung Tech decides they want to provide their armor to you, then you’ll be able to wear the Jäger series. However, let me be clear, there will be no special bonuses given just because you are a national representative.”

He added, based on his judgment, that for someone with her ability, ‘Mobile Turret,’ the Korean ‘Army Tiger’ series, which was specialized in long-range firepower, would be a better fit than the Jäger series, which prioritized mobility and utility.

Despite Myung-jun’s explanation, Sophie’s expression remained unchanged. She believed that as a national representative trainee who entered Icarus on behalf of Germany, she should fight in the Jäger series, regardless of compatibility. She was planning to request Zukunftspanzerung Tech to produce a custom power armor exclusively for her through the German government.

Myung-jun could easily read her thoughts from her expression, but he didn’t bother to instruct her otherwise. He believed that just as not everyone was born equal, those with background and influence should use it as a form of ‘ability.’ Of course, any consequences arising from such actions would be her responsibility to bear.

“With that, we conclude today’s announcements. Moving forward, you will have individual meetings with the representatives from each power armor manufacturer to determine which power armor you will receive. The exhibition hall in Room 18 next door has displays of each manufacturer’s power armor. Trainees, please proceed to the next room for your meetings.”

As Myung-jun left the conference room, a commotion erupted among the trainees. Each announcement made today was filled with information that would significantly impact their futures. Some trainees expressed dissatisfaction with the changes, but the majority viewed Icarus’s new direction positively.

Most trainees agreed that, since their teams would be disbanded after leaving Icarus anyway, it was more advantageous to gain experience in conquering gates with any team, as Myung-jun suggested. Moreover, Myung-jun wasn’t asking them to take risks blindly.

To fill the gap left by the lack of ‘teamwork,’ the trainees were given the opportunity to be the first in the world to wear the new power armors. Luthando moved to Hall 18 with his close friend, Lucas.

There, they encountered Ben Johnson, the CEO of Saberheart, the Canadian power armor manufacturer.

“Ben Johnson, CEO of Saberheart and head of the Grizzly Project.”

“Luthando Sithole from South Africa.”

“I’ve heard a lot about your reputation, Mr. Luthando. And this must be Lucas Gauthier, famous for your duo?”

“Lucas Gauthier. Nice to meet you. Are you here to recommend the Grizzly series to Luthando?”

“Yes, indeed. The Grizzly series was actually designed with Mr. Luthando in mind.”

Like many other trainees, Luthando hadn’t shown much interest in the Grizzly series. Its heavy appearance and plain design seemed inferior compared to the power armors from other manufacturers. However, Johnson’s statement that the series was developed specifically for him piqued Luthando’s interest.

“You mean this equipment was designed with me in mind?”

“Yes. Ever since the Liberal Clan sent over the data for selecting power armor recipients, I’ve been a huge fan of yours.”

“That’s an interesting story. So, you’re saying the Grizzly series will perform better with me wearing it than anyone else?”

“Absolutely. Just look at the size. Most power armors have internal adjustment mechanisms to fit various body types, but the Grizzly series doesn’t. Instead, we filled that space with additional muscle support systems. It’s designed to be significantly heavier yet capable of similar speeds compared to other power armors.”

“Can I try it on?”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

As Luthando approached the power armor with slow, deliberate steps, the front armor disassembled, revealing the internal structure of the Grizzly armor. Inside was a cockpit meticulously designed to fit Luthando’s muscular build perfectly.

“Unless someone has the exact same height and build as you, Mr. Luthando, this power armor won’t fit them. It would either be too tight or too loose somewhere. But for you, it fits perfectly,” Johnson explained.

As Johnson had said, the Grizzly armor enveloped Luthando’s body like a custom-tailored suit. Satisfied with the excellent fit, Luthando still showed a hesitant expression towards Johnson.

“Indeed. I can feel that this power armor was made precisely for my body. Just wearing it makes me feel several times stronger. The heavy-looking external armor feels light and manageable, adjusted perfectly to my strength. I think other power armors might feel too light in comparison.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Johnson replied.

“But…”

“But?”

“The design feels a bit too rugged,” Luthando said hesitantly.

Johnson burst into hearty laughter and looked at Luthando. “Mr. Luthando, the reason we designed the Grizzly series with a rugged exterior is that we didn’t know your design preferences. Since we’ll be redesigning it later, there was no need to focus on the design now.”

“You mean…”

“Of course, the external armor will be completely redesigned. We’ll create a design that reflects your preferences 100%.”

With that, Ben Johnson pulled out a notepad and pen from his inner pocket. “Just tell me. What style of design do you want?”

This moment marked the historical event when the first Grizzly series power armor, which would later be hailed as the best power armor among strength-type Awakeners, found its true owner who would make its name known to the world.