Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 21: Expert Pilots

"You are Terra's second human Expert Pilot." After saying those words, the Examiner did not know what he expected, but Suzuki's even stare was undoubtedly not the reaction he sought.

Oblivious to the older man's thoughts, Suzuki plainly asked, "What is an expert pilot?"

The Examiner's brow rose as he examined the odd youth. There was no arrogance or pride as expected from someone who received a massive commendation. It was like the title of 'second human Expert Pilot' meant nothing to Suzuki. Shaking his head, the Examiner pushed the matter of Suzuki's psyche to the back of his mind—that was for the psychologists to figure out. Instead, he candidly explained, "An expert pilot is a pilot who has triggered their force of will, breaking the laws of causality in the universe. This grants them the ability to influence the plains of reality with special phenomena, a feat greatly enhanced by piloting special expert mechs." The Examiner brought up a picture of Cassia. "What you faced in this battle was an ace pilot. These pilots are countless times stronger than expert pilots. Their ability to influence reality in their field is enhanced by several magnitudes, and the mechs they pilot can take on several expert mechas at once." Looking at the reticent youth, the Examiner sighed. "Truthfully speaking, you were never supposed to win this exam. We designed this exam to reveal what you should be aiming for after suffering humiliation and damnation. Do you understand that your little stunt messed up this valuable lesson? How should you compensate for this loss?"

Faced with the Examiner's aggressive stance, Suzuki only shook his head. "Your intentions have nothing to do with me. You issued a mission, and we put everything on the line to complete it. That's all there is to it." Suzuki paused. His brows slightly bunched together and then added, "Besides, I don't need despair to know I need to get stronger. Just tell me why I need to get stronger."

The Examiner's lips twitched. The brat was even ruder than his files stated, or was he too frank? "I won't be the one to explain that to you. You need to know that as an expert pilot, your Neural Sync levels will be on another level. You should find it easier to master many things, such as languages, skills, etc.

"Furthermore, with training, you can pilot an expert mech, which is a massive advantage on most battlefields." Pausing, he added, "As for your alter-ego, being an expert pilot has perks in the game world. You will find that you can more easily control your ki and mana. Creating and mastering new skills will be as easy as breathing."

Suzuki's eyes widened in realization. "Syel. That's why he's broken. He's the first expert pilot, isn't he? Then there's also Shokō. I wondered how she could create so many original sword skills in such a short time."

"You are perceptive." The Examiner nodded. "Yes, but you are wrong. Those two are not simple expert pilots but proto-ace pilots. They only lack the necessary stimuli to break through to the next level—hm?" He suddenly looked away, brows slightly furrowed. After a moment, the Examiner sighed and turned to Suzuki. "I can't say any more on that topic, back to you. After a comprehensive evaluation, we decided to grant you a B grade. You were instrumental in defeating Cassia, but we cannot encourage wilful acts as they could backfire in a real war."

Suzuki nodded, accepting the evaluation. "I understand you do not encourage wilful acts, but do you discourage them? What I'm asking is: do you want soldiers or special operators?"

"I like you, kid!" The Examiner's lips spread into a wide grin. "Yeah! That has been a point of contention all the way to the top. An expert pilot is akin to a tactical nuke in terms of potential. Some higher-ups believe we should shackle these nukes and have them follow strict military protocols. Others want to train independent operators who can make snap judgments on the field without seeking approval from higher-ups. Which one do you think is better?"