Chapter 5993 The Virtue of Courage

Chapter 5993 The Virtue of Courage

Why specialize in light skirmishers?

Tusa was wondering about this ever since his uncle tried to nudge him in this direction.

In his impression, light skirmishers were not easy to pilot at all. Their mech frames may be smaller and simpler, but they moved and acted so quickly that the pilot in question needed to be incredibly sharp and responsible.

Light skirmishers had a reputation for being unforgiving machines. Though Tusa admittedly enjoyed it whenever he piloted a virtual light mech in a simulation program, that was because his clumsy operations and frequent mistakes never led to any permanent consequences.

He became a lot slower and more apprehensive whenever he piloted a light training mech during realspace practice sessions!

Even if the training versions of light skirmishers had been simplified to a very large extent in order to make them safe to control for younger mech cadets such as Tusa, he still performed worse than usual due to his constant worries! Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

"I like piloting light skirmishers." Tusa admitted. "I like the speed. I like how agile they move. What I don't like is how little it takes to ruin it and endanger my life in the process."

"No mech is perfect, Tusa. Many mech pilots regard light skirmishers as deathtraps, and they are not completely wrong about that. If you can overlook this fault, then you may find that they can offer a lot to you. In my opinion, you may have what it takes to do well if you decide to specialize in this mech archetype."

"Why? I don't understand, uncle."

"As I have explained to you before, having a good genetic aptitude and possessing faster reaction speeds definitely helps, but when people pilot light skirmishers in actual battle, it becomes clear that they are not the most important traits that decide whether you can win or lose a battle. This is because light skirmishers rarely fight protracted duels against other powerful melee mechs. Something has gone horribly wrong if they are forced to use their short blades to overpower a swordsman mech or a spearman mech."

"Huh?"

Tusa had yet to learn any lessons related to matchups. Even so, growing up in the Larkinson Clan already allowed him to learn a lot about which sort of mechs fared better or worse against other kinds of machines.

In his opinion, light skirmishers might not be the strongest in melee combat, but they could hold their own against other melee mechs.

The older Larkinson smiled knowingly at Tusa. "Don't think that all of those virtual battles are all accurate. Real light skirmishers do not dare to rush the melee mechs they see and try to outfight their formidable opponents or die trying. Actual light skirmishers are more akin to vultures. They pick on the weak and avoid the strong. The reason why they are so maneuverable is that they can do more by taking advantage of weaknesses spread across the battlefield. It is not their job to fight a standing battle and fight tough battles against melee mechs that are larger, heavier and possess more leverage."

Tusa looked thoughtful as he processed this information. "Are you saying that I do not have to possess a lot of skill in knife fighting in order to do well in piloting light skirmishers?"

"It helps, but it is not the most important quality a light skirmisher pilot should have. The advantage of specializing in light skirmishers is that mech pilots do not have to be highly talented, skilled or superior in mind and body. As long as they are decent enough, they can defeat many enemies, save the lives of many comrades and make their mark in the history of our state."

That appealed to Tusa. In the time he spent in the academy, he already recognized that he would never be able to imitate the likes of Ark Larkinson.

That might be fine if all Tusa wanted to become was a normal mech pilot.

"How?"

The uncle reached out and pressed his hand on Tusa's chest. "By believing in yourself. Nothing more is required. Every light skirmisher specialist has their own unique way of gathering lots of courage, but generally speaking, it is best not to overthink this. Just believe in yourself and go from there. So long as you can take the first steps in learning how to master the art of piloting light skirmishers, you will find that you are not as bad as you think. What you need to do is take this realization and use it to build up more courage. If you are successful enough, you will perform better with light mechs, which allows you to obtain additional courage, and so on. This is what people call a positive feedback loop. As long as you start it up, you will become good at this mech type just in time to start your career."

It sounded rather easy when the older Larkinson put it this way. Tusa did not believe it was that simple to gather so much courage.

However, he became convinced that courage may be the decisive factor that would allow him to attain greatness while piloting light skirmishers.

Many of his doubts and confusion faded away. Tusa still yearned to fulfill his original goal. If he did not want to turn his back on this, then the only way for him to go forward was to follow his uncle's advice and commit wholeheartedly to specializing in light skirmishers!

Even if his courage was not sufficient at this time, Tusa could still make up for it in the following months and years.

As long as he possessed the determination to become an expert pilot, then he could not allow himself to fail in this struggle!

The difficulty of breaking through to the rank of expert candidate was much greater than mustering up the courage to pilot a light skirmisher!

Tusa did not want to grow up to be a disappointment. Conquering the latter would give him much more confidence in conquering the former!

A fire burned in his heart. Tusa no longer felt as morose as before. Now that he obtained a solid direction on what he needed to do in order to fulfill his dream, he felt more motivated to do well in the academy than before!

As he stood up and faced his helpful advisor, Tusa made a sincere bow.

"Thank you for guiding me, uncle. I appreciate your efforts to cheer me up. You have helped me so much that I will probably remember this conversation for the rest of my life. If I ever achieve greatness... I will honor you as best I can. That is a promise."

The veteran Larkinson smiled in a good-natured manner. "I do not owe any credit for your success. You are family. Larkinsons should look out for each other. I offer my advice freely, so do not think you owe me anything. It is up to you to make something out of your mech piloting career. Any success you manage to attain in the following decades is largely thanks to your own hard work and effort. It will not be easy for you to build up your courage and avoid the many possible endings along the way. If you manage to make it through this difficult gauntlet, then do your best to use your newfound power for good."

Tusa respectfully nodded in agreement. "I can't waste my time anymore. I feel the urge to go back and practice with as many virtual light skirmishers as possible. Before I go, can I have your name? You vaguely look familiar to me, but I don't recognize you. You are not a resident of the Larkinson Estate."

The older mech pilot grinned in response. "I am not. After the last war, I chose to get away from the center of it all. I have settled on a quiet and boring planet called Cloudy Curtain. I have a son who is roughly your age who is just starting to become a mech designer. Perhaps he will design a nice mech for you one day. As for my name, you may call me Ryncol. Ryncol Larkinson."

Tusa reacted with astonishment when he finally learned the name of his benefactor!

"You... you..."

"Yes. I am 'that' Ryncol. I am the younger, less talented and less successful brother of Colonel Ark Larkinson. I have made my fair share of mistakes in my life and career, but... I do not regret any of them. I hope that my advice will serve you better. If you truly want to step on the path to godhood, then you must build up the courage to face greater challenges, or die in the process. I hope that you will embark on this journey with open eyes. There may be times where you are asked to confront threats so severe that they may lead to certain death. The strongest pilots are formed in these crucibles. Expert pilots, ace pilots and god pilots emerge exactly because they have mustered up the willpower to override their doom!"

Tusa remained inspired by Ryncol Larkinson's words for a long time.