But of the three branches of the Mechanic class, only Gunners were popular, considered a reliable source of ranged damage. Mechanics and Melee Mechanics were in an awkward position, barely appearing in competitions.

Needless to say, Mechanics without the vast experience of someone like Han, the Great Technician, were practically a support class, their combat ability making people weep.

Melee Mechanics weren't popular because their role overlapped with the Martial Artist class, and their equipment needed repairs when damaged, making them unpopular. In version 1.0, the Melee Mechanic style wasn't distinct, and the Martial Artist class overshadowed it.

Han Xiao disagreed. Actually, the combat ability of Melee Mechanics in version 1.0 was decent. As long as they had decent equipment, a set of melee weapons and armor, they could be both tanky and deal damage, adapting to various environments. Compared to Martial Artists, each had their strengths, but the Melee Mechanic required a much higher level of skill than the Martial Artist class.

Equipment and skill—two difficult points—resulted in almost no fully formed Melee Mechanic players.

The Mechanic class had a place in team battles, but in individual matches, they performed miserably. If the other two classes encountered a Mechanic opponent, they all felt like they'd struck gold.

In nearly a thousand individual preliminary matches, the Mechanic class appeared only sixty-four times, winning only eleven!

Forum discussions mostly agreed that the Mechanic class was the weakest in one-on-one combat. Han Xiao watched a few Mechanic individual matches and confirmed they fought poorly. The Mechanic class was slow to develop and required high skill. Most Mechanic players at this stage weren't adapted to the pace of PvP.

Also, the Mechanical Affinity bonus that the Mechanic class possessed at this level was not high enough; when other classes also used equipment, the difference between them was not obvious.

The Mechanic class was very dependent on equipment. As the versions updated, the mechanical equipment they could access became stronger, and the Mechanical Affinity bonus became more significant.

This day was Kuang Dao's individual match debut. His opponent was a random Esper player. Han Xiao watched the broadcast of the match.

Kuang Dao was a Melee Mechanic. Han Xiao sold him some of his outdated equipment. His armor was a magnetic-controlled metal armor, and his weapons were a heavy mechanical arm and power legs. He also had some spare mechanical equipment hanging on him, with jagged edges and a cold gleam, like a heavily armored knight, creating a strong visual impact.

His opponent's Esper ability was ice manipulation, leaning toward control. With a wave of his hand, a layer of slippery ice covered the arena, slowing Kuang Dao's speed, while he himself gained a movement speed bonus.

The Esper player was playing a kiting style, taking equipment from his back—an enhanced assault rifle—and unleashing a barrage of bullets, sparks flying as they hit Kuang Dao's armor.

"Ice control has a slowing effect, which is great for kiting with ranged equipment," Han Xiao nodded.

Players could all use equipment, and guns were easy to buy, but other classes didn't have Mechanical Affinity and could only use the basic power of the equipment, dealing low damage.

Kuang Dao rolled on the ice to dodge the bullets. He had armor for protection, so the assault rifle did limited damage, but the Esper player planned to slowly whittle down Kuang Dao with his speed advantage.

The bullets hitting the armor suddenly stopped. The Esper player had emptied his magazine and was about to reload when Kuang Dao seized the opportunity. The power unit in his legs made a mechanical sound, bursting with power and shattering a large area of ice!

Kuang Dao leaped into the air, quickly closing the distance to the Esper player.

The Esper player hurriedly dropped the assault rifle and took another grenade launcher from his back, firing at the airborne Kuang Dao.

Boom!

A cloud of smoke mixed with flames exploded in the air!

Suddenly, the sound of metal sliding came from the smoke. A slender metal rope shot out, entangling the Esper player. Then, the rope quickly contracted, pulling the Esper player toward Kuang Dao.

Bang!

The two fell to the arena in a tangled heap. Close combat was Kuang Dao's forte. He performed steadily, defeating his opponent with a series of dazzling combos.

"The smoke obscures vision, and then he uses the grappling hook to reduce the opponent's chance of dodging," Han Xiao nodded inwardly. He saw more details. Kuang Dao had a good grasp of Melee Mechanic skills and combat style, making him one of the best Melee Mechanic players around.

Players didn't have unbeatable abilities at this stage. Every class had different ways to deal with situations. For example, against the ice control in this fight, the Melee Mechanic relied on equipment to close the distance. Martial Artists could use Qi Explosion or movement skills, and Espers also had different ways to cope.

...

Kuang Dao's victory didn't cause a stir. He was just a nobody in the professional scene, and it was only the first round of the preliminaries, so there was little attention. However, Han Xiao believed that Kuang Dao had the strength to become a dark horse in the first league, but he didn't know if his results would be better than in his previous life.

Players from all walks of life showed their skills in the preliminaries. Soon, over twenty days passed, and the massive base of players was reduced by eighty to ninety percent, leaving only the outstanding players.

Kuang Dao passed each round with some close calls. His popularity gradually increased. There were very few Mechanics left in the individual matches, and as a niche Melee Mechanic, many viewers were curious about Kuang Dao. Recordings of his battles were dug up and watched.

"Is this the combat style of a Melee Mechanic? Using so much equipment looks complicated."

"The combos using a lot of mechanical equipment look kind of cool, but it looks very difficult."

"What's so great about this? He's just relying on good equipment. It's not fair to the Martial Artist class. If he dares to fight without equipment, let's see who wins."

"666, this is the first time I've heard of a Mechanic class fighting with their bare hands."

There were various opinions on the forums, but overall, Kuang Dao gradually gained fame. In the individual matches dominated by Martial Artists and Espers, he, a Melee Mechanic, was a unique presence.

However, the fame Kuang Dao had gained was not even a fraction of Hao Tian's.

The performance of Changkong Club in the preliminaries was like a pack of wolves. Hao Tian was extremely fierce in the individual matches, getting stronger and stronger, crushing all opponents. His team was also unstoppable in the team matches. The Changkong Twin Stars plus Flash Fried Rice were poised to become the new generation of "Three Musketeers" after "Fish-flavored Eggplant."

Apart from the three core members, the other Changkong players were also strong, with excellent teamwork, making them a definite seed team. Hao Tian's style was aggressive, and the whole team's atmosphere was the same.

In contrast, some of the big clubs' teams had also remained, but their style was more stable, as if they were hiding their strength and didn't have the overwhelming momentum of Changkong.

Whether in individual or team matches, Changkong dominated, having the highest popularity in the Aquamarine Star Region. In various program surveys, Changkong was one of the teams most likely to win the championship in the eyes of players, with a strong momentum.

Rou Bao's "Streamer Suicide Squad" was eliminated in the first round. Han Xiao watched their match recording and almost had his eyes burned.

All six members were Gunners, a pure ranged style, believing in firepower... and then they randomly got a jungle terrain that was unsuitable for shooting.

Even more tragically, their opponent was actually a foreign club professional team.

The outcome was self-evident; they died miserably.

Although he knew they couldn't qualify, Han Xiao had never seen anyone with such bad luck and was speechless.

"Now it seems that Hao Tian has the best chance of getting good results. Kuang Dao is doing well in the individual matches, but his team's performance is average, barely making it this far. I wonder if they can qualify..."