Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Chapter 2040: Naysha’s Request

The students who had joined Ning at the table were not particularly subtle about why they were there.

Within moments, the questions started coming from several directions at once, most of them focused on the simulation and the parts of his run that had looked impossible from the outside.

Ning listened to them for a while before setting his utensils down.

"You are all looking for a specific trick that suddenly makes the simulation easier, but that is not really how it works," he said. "Most of what I did came from understanding how the Mecha moves and then planning far enough ahead that I did not need to waste fuel correcting myself."

One of the students leaned forward. "So we should memorize the layout before going in?"

"The layout changes, so memorizing it would not help much. What you need to learn is how to estimate where something will be by the time you reach it, because once you start thinking that way, you stop reacting to where the obstacle is now and start moving according to where it will be later."

Another student frowned. "That sounds much harder than simply learning the controls."

"It is, but the controls are only the beginning. Once you stop having to think about every movement you make, you have more attention left for everything else."

That explanation led to more questions, and Ning gave them a few basic suggestions about conserving ammunition, watching radio signatures before firing, and avoiding unnecessary movement whenever the Mecha’s momentum could do part of the work for them.

Eventually, one of the students asked, "How long did it take you to learn all of this?"

Ning considered the question before giving the safest answer he could.

"A while."

After a moment, another cadet sighed. "So there really isn’t some easy method."

"The easy method is training until the difficult parts stop feeling difficult."

That answer drew several disappointed expressions.

One of them leaned back in his chair. "That’s the problem. We only get access to that simulation once a month unless an instructor gives us an extra session. How are we supposed to constantly train when we barely get to use it?"

Ning shrugged slightly. "I cannot help you with academy scheduling."

A few of them laughed, though Ning could tell there was little mirth in those voices.

He finished the rest of his meal while answering another handful of questions, but there was only so much useful information he could give people who still needed experience more than explanations. Eventually, the students thanked him and left, taking his advice with them.

Ning remained at the table long enough to finish eating before heading toward the afternoon physical training area.

The next session was much less interesting.

Running.

The cadets were sent around one of the academy’s larger outdoor tracks and told to complete a fixed number of laps within the required time. This time around, they had to run 20 laps in an hour.

Ning thought of finishing it quickly at first, but decided that would be showing off too much.

So he ran at the pace expected of someone reasonably fit for his age.

A few laps into the exercise, someone came up beside him. Ning did not need to look over to know who it was.

Naysha matched his pace before speaking.

"I want you to teach me how to pilot better."

Ning glanced toward her.

There was no hesitation in her expression.

"That is a fairly direct request."

"I watched your simulation. You were better than everyone else in our batch, and pretending otherwise would be pointless. If you know something that can help me improve, I want to learn it."

Ning continued running while considering her words.

"How good are you now?"

"My best score is just under three hundred."

"How far under?"

"Close enough that it is annoying. Two hundred and ninety-three."

"That is not bad."

"It is not enough."

Ning understood why she cared so much about crossing three hundred, though she had no idea he already knew the real reason.

Passing that threshold would qualify her for the next stage of simulation testing, and eventually that could lead to legitimate access to a real Mecha.

Which was exactly what her System wanted.

"How long have you been stuck around that score?"

"Months."

"And you have not improved at all?"

"A few points here and there, but nothing meaningful. Every time I think I have fixed one problem, something else costs me enough points to keep me under three hundred."

Ning nodded.

That sounded less like a lack of ability and more like someone who had reached the limit of what she could improve through repetition alone.

"Fine. Suppose I help you. What do I get?"

Naysha seemed prepared for that question.

"Do you have any broken machinery?"

Ning looked at her.

"Broken machinery?"

"Anything mechanical. A helmet, weapon, vehicle component, communication device, whatever you have. I am good with machines, and if something of yours needs repairing, I can take care of it."

Ning almost laughed.

That was certainly one way to use the Upgrade System without explaining what she actually possessed.

"So you are good at repairs?"

"Very."

Ning thought through what he currently owned and quickly reached the obvious conclusion.

"Unfortunately, I do not have anything broken."

Naysha looked disappointed, though only for a moment. "Then I can offer something else. I can teach you how to fight properly."

That nearly made him smile.

Naysha continued, apparently taking his silence as consideration rather than amusement.

"You are clearly good at avoiding attacks, and your balance is better than most people here, but you still lost to me this morning. If you help me improve my piloting, I will help you improve your close combat."

Ning nodded slowly.

"That sounds fair."

Naysha looked pleased immediately.

"Then we have a deal."

"We do."

They continued around the track for a short distance before Ning asked, "When is your next simulation attempt?"

"Three days from now."

"Hmm, that’s soon," Ning said before nodding slowly. "Meet me after dinner. We can talk freely then."