No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

Damien Bloodbane stepped into the Sim Pod, watching as the others did the same.

The machine hummed to life around him and quietly scanned his body to calibrate, mapping his movements, posture, and reflexes to synchronize with the mecha's controls.

A wave of light washed over his body as the system booted.

[Calibration Complete]

[Welcome to Battle Gods Arena.]

[Confirm Team Registration: 5 Players]

He confirmed.

Within seconds, the system finalized the connection.

Every motion he made inside the pod would be mirrored by his mecha on the battlefield, transforming thought into action with minimal delay.

The screen flashed to life and unveiled a massive selection of mechas.

From lightweight scouts to towering war machines, each brimming with an arsenal of deadly modifications, the Sim Pods had everything.

Maru grinned smugly with his arms crossed as he admired the vast lineup.

"Hehehe. Impressed? I bought them from a bunch of Gold Ranked players. Every single mecha model, every single modification, all fully unlocked." His chest puffed up with pride. "It wasn't cheap, I'm telling you."

The screen showcased the three primary mecha classes:

Heavy Mechas – Walking fortresses, built like mobile fortifications, boasting thick armor plating, powerful cannons, and overwhelming firepower at the cost of speed.

Medium Mechas – The perfect balance of armor, agility, and weapon versatility, adaptable to most combat scenarios with a mix of ranged and melee options.

Light Mechas – Blazing-fast skirmishers, built for speed and maneuverability, capable of outpacing and outflanking heavier units but lacking in durability.

The elders watching from the door muttered among themselves and shook their heads.

"What a ridiculous waste of money," one of them sighed.

"I could buy a whole vineyard with that kind of cash," another grumbled.

"Fools," the thin elder scoffed, though even he couldn't look away from the selection screen.

Meanwhile, Damien Bloodbane's eyes lit up as a rare moment of genuine excitement flashed across his face.

"This is actually pretty good. No undead zombies," His lips curling into a slow grin. "No curses, no reanimated corpses trying to rip my face off… Just pure, metal-on-metal combat. Finally, something normal."

Maru raised an eyebrow. "That's what gets you excited?"

Damien Bloodbane nodded, completely serious. "You have no idea."

His eyes flicked over the choices.

Elite-class models, custom-painted beasts with special weapons, enhanced shields, advanced targeting systems.

The old men were laughing and browsing like kids in a candy store.

Maru grinned like a madman as he selected a massive artillery mech, a true long-range powerhouse with towering cannons mounted on its back and missile pods bristling from its shoulders. "Hah! I'll turn the battlefield into a meat grinder with these!"

Riki, always the reckless type, picked a sleek, high-speed duelist mecha, optimized for agility and close-quarters combat. Its razor-thin plasma blades gleamed on the selection screen, and its lightweight frame practically screamed speed. "I'm gonna be a blur of death!"

Xian Fei, the smooth talker and gambler, chuckled as he selected a high-tech stealth mecha, a unit packed with experimental cloaking technology and high-precision sniper weapons. "No need to play fair when I can play smart," he mused, already imagining himself picking off enemies from the shadows.

Hong Fei the bearded old man went straight for a colossal brawler-class mecha, designed for brutal hand-to-hand combat. Its thick armor, hydraulic-powered fists, and shockwave generators meant it could smash through enemy lines like an unstoppable wrecking ball. "I'll handle the front lines," he rumbled, his voice full of confidence.

As the others eagerly picked their powerhouse mechas, Damien's face twisted in mild disgust as he browsed the selection.

Too many bulky movement packages, covered in layer upon layer of reinforced armor plating.

Too many massive high-powered cannons, energy rifles that required targeting systems more complex than a mage's spell matrix.

Too many strange energy swords, oversized and glowing with unstable power cores, each one looking more unwieldy than the last.

It was all too much.

Damien Bloodbane preferred precision. Control. A clean, efficient design.

And so, he scrolled past all the expensive, high-tech monstrosities, and headed straight for the most overlooked part of the list.

Then, he found it.

A sleek, basic model.

Its name was 'The Battle God'.

In a virtual world dominated by high-powered mechas, it was a name that bordered on ridiculous.

A barebones frame with no advanced systems, no overpowered energy weapons, and no reinforced armor plating.

And yet, there it stood, unchanged for years.

Its ostentatious name had caused no small amount of derision from the world's users.

It was mocked in forums.

It was laughed at in professional circuits.

It was dismissed as a joke in high-stakes ranked matches.

To many, it was an insult to call it a Battle God at all.

It had no high-powered plasma launchers to blast through opponents.

It had no maneuvering thrusters to outrun mistakes.

It had no emergency shielding to cover bad decisions.

Just a frame, a pilot, and a single weapon.

A simple but enhanced titanium sword.

What sort of God is weaker than every single other character?

It was rarely seen in professional circuits, except in one notorious exception.

When a top-ranked player wanted to give a handicap to a lower-ranked opponent.

That was the only time the Battle God saw use in serious matches.

Because in a real fight, nobody in their right mind would willingly pilot it.

Except Damien Bloodbane.

He selected it without hesitation.

The moment his choice locked in, a stunned silence filled the room.

Maru, still admiring his artillery mech, turned. "Wait. What?"

Riki, strapping into his high-speed duelist, choked on his laughter. "You're joking, right?"

Xian Fei smirked, amusement flickering in his eyes. "A bold choice, or a foolish one?"

Hong Fei, who had just finalized his colossal brawler-class mecha, frowned slightly. "You don't have… anything."

Damien Bloodbane shrugged. "I have a sword."

Maru blinked. "And…?"

Damien Bloodbane smirked. "And that's all I need."

The old men stared.

Then they burst into laughter.

"This brat—"

"Hahaha!"

Damien Bloodbane rolled his eyes. "Just start the match."

The countdown began.

3… 2… 1…

The world shifted.

The moment the simulation loaded, Damien Bloodbane found himself inside his Mecha's cockpit.

A massive metal battlefield stretched before him, filled with towering buildings, open warzones, and burning wreckage.

His HUD flashed online.

[5 vs 5 Battle: Engage.]

His team of four excitable old men stood beside him.

On the other side—

Five unknown enemy pilots.

This was it.

The match had begun.

And Damien Bloodbane, sitting inside his Battle God, only had one thought.

"This is going to be wild."