Chapter 15: Bonds, Quests, and What's Next
POV: Zai
"Just got out of sparring with him, and I fell back onto the carpet, still thumping with excitement instead of fatigue now—
That message was still floating in my system corner screen, with those gentle blinks like a murmur:
[SYNC BOND WITH MAC-ZERO: 12%]
"What do I do with that?" I grumbled, wiping the sweat off my forehead.
The system replied immediately—level-headed, unemotional as ever.
[SYNC BOND: Measure of your synch with your Subordinate on the mental, emotional, and combat levels.]
The higher you push the percentages, your ability to:
Respond faster to implied commands
Unlock mutual techniques and tag-assist skills
Enhance combat adaptability based on your strategy
Ultimately break free from base CPU level of thinking
SYNC LEVEL: 12% — Early Phase (Trust / Combat Coordination Forming)
So basically… the more we work together, the stronger we become?
This is insane.
I stood up, cracking my knuckles while Mac-Zero watched me silently. He only talked when I addressed him directly, but his eyes were sharp—calculating, computing. Always ready.
The system beeped again.
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED – "The Bond Test"]
Description:
A true leader's way is not just brute force, but to trust and fight in beat with one's allies.
Objective:
Achieve 25% SYNC with Mac-Zero
Win a two-on-two fight with team mechanics (location: random stage)
Bonus Objective: Throw a joint attack finisher
Reward:
+1 Stat Point (User Choice)
Unlock: [Duo Assist Command System – Lv. 1]
+3% System XP toward Level 6
I whistled low.
"So not only do I get stronger… but we get new tag mechanics too?"
I glared at Mac-Zero.
He nodded once, silently raising a glove.
"Guess we're headed back into the fire sooner than I thought."