NOVEL NEXT Chapter 88
Finally, the 28th. It’s been such a long wait.
“Well then, I’m off. I have to stop by the Magic Tower, so I’ll be staying out today.”
“Okay! Have a good time!”
“Be careful since the city is a bit chaotic these days.”
Peep! Peep!
“Ah! El! Come here!”
El slipped out of Yeriell’s arms and climbed onto my shoulder.
‘Looks like you want to tag along to the Magic Tower. You’re not just cute; you’re a clever little guy.’
As I looked closely, he bent his body, so I gently patted him with my index finger.
Peeep!
“Right. Let’s go together.”
Peep!
With El in tow, I moved toward the armory.
*
Creek.
“Hm? Oh, it’s just Aren. Come on in.”
‘What’s with this strange atmosphere?’
I sensed something unusual in the silence enveloping the armory and Huuton’s gloomy demeanor.
“You look a bit worn out since I last saw you. Is there a problem with the armory or the forge?”
“Problem… you say? Yes, indeed. A very big problem.”
What kind of problem could it be?
If I recall correctly, Rasheon Elshinoir…
In other words—
Looking at the Sirene mark etched on my forehead, I remembered the high-ranking elf who had smirked and handed me a token while saying he had witnessed something extraordinary.
He had a commission worth platinum coins, and because of that, my armor creation got pushed down the list… Huuton hadn’t taken on any other commissions besides the first two.
So, I couldn’t shake off the cold sweat trickling down my back, thinking something might have gone wrong with either the elf’s commission or mine.
‘Damn, just spit it out already!’
Yawn. “That is…”
What could it be?
“I’m just exhausted to death!”
“Huh?”
Oh shit.
“Hahaha! Just look at your shocked face! I wanted to play a little prank to wake you up and shake off that fatigue. If you’re surprised, apologize!”
Damn it. I worried for nothing. I thought he was just a jolly guy, but here he is pulling this kind of prank after seeing me a few times.
Unexpectedly, I let out a huge sigh of relief and said,
“Ugh. I was so worried that production would hit a snag. If I get fooled twice like this, my heart might drop!”
“Ahem. Be more careful from now on. Ah, today is already the 28th, huh? I’ve been living in front of the forge for weeks and lost track of time.”
“Yes. I couldn’t sleep last night from excitement. So, um, is the armor completed properly?”
Huuton uncrossed his arms and confidently pointed at himself with his thumb.
“Of course! Who do you think I am? I finished it spectacularly the day before yesterday. But…”
Here we go again. What now?
“Never mind. I think it’s better to see it with your own eyes while I explain. I’ll quickly go to the forge, so just wait a moment.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I stood still, trying my best to suppress my anxiety.
[Chaos says to calm down since the results won’t run away.]
Thud!
Leaning against the counter and tapping my fingers, Huuton slowly came in, pulling a cart covered with a white cloth.
Seeing the cloth draped over a human-shaped object, it looked like armor was hung on a wooden mannequin or something.
“Here! First, see it with your own eyes, and then we can talk more!”
Flap!
As his rough hands pulled off the white cloth, the much-anticipated armor finally revealed itself.
“…Whoa!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim like a child as I gazed at the high-quality armor before me.
A silver plate that seemed to glow subtly.
The mysterious patterns engraved across the metal plates made the armor appear even more sophisticated.
The underlying black leather armor showcased stunning finishing touches.
‘What kind of leather is this?’
Swish.
As I touched it, I felt a soft texture coupled with great durability, making it hard to believe it wouldn’t easily cut.
It must have gone through a hardening process, yet how could it be so soft? It seems contradictory.
…But while I appreciated all of it, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of doubt. The visible design was definitely different from the blueprint I had chosen.
Well, I figured Huuton must have made sound judgments during the crafting process.
‘Could it be that this quality armor doesn’t have any information?’
Until now, the spare gear of Derik’s party or the hard leather armor I had worn didn’t display any information.
But this time felt different, so I stared at the armor intently.
────
[Silver Radiance] (B)
An armor created by the master craftsman Huuton from the commercial district of Orarium.
Made through a commission from adventurer Aren.
Crafted from the leather of the Celeratus and a special alloy with high magical conductivity, as well as a small amount of Aetherium, it possesses high durability while being incredibly light.
A top-tier product that skillfully conceals the drawbacks of its materials through high-level techniques, highlighting its advantages to meet its purpose.
Due to the properties of the rare metal Aetherium, it can recover through magical means.
─Increases health and durability one level.
─Can restore damaged parts by infusing magical energy at the user’s will. However, beware, as the amount consumed increases significantly depending on the level of damage.
─Once every 30 days, the ability ‘Blazing Radiance’ can be used.
────
“…!”
For a moment, I thought I must’ve seen it wrong and shut my eyes tightly.
But looking at the information again, nothing had changed.
Only the description of gear far too extravagant for my current level filled my vision.
“Hahaha! Your expression is priceless!”
I snapped back to reality at Huuton’s laughter.
I tried to stutter through my lips, “This, this is something else. It’s almost scary at this point.”
“Scary? What’s scary?”
“I may not know much about gear yet, but I can tell this isn’t something you make for four gold coins.”
Even when I picked out the blueprints, I was told the blueprint alone should cost at least ten gold coins.
It’s laughable to even say four gold coins is barely enough for my level, but could this armor really belong to that price range? I don’t think so.
“I think I get the gist of it. I didn’t expect something this grand when I first calculated the estimate. I was thinking it would at best be a C-grade item.”
Huuton scratched his head.
“But you remember that rude elf I mentioned last time? A few days ago, he came by to pick up the results, and I still had some materials left.”
“Wait, you mean those leftover materials?”
“Yep. I was planning to return them. No matter how you slice it, even though those materials were provided separately from the commission fee, it’d be unthinkable as a craftsman to use them freely. But he smiled and said.”
What could he have said that led to my armor being made from leftover materials?
“He asked if the next human who came after him had any other commission and if so, to use the last ingot for that.”
‘Wait, are you saying he not only gave me an emblem but also gave me that kind of favor?’
Huuton raised an eyebrow and continued.
“Otherwise, he said, just hand it over, and I told him I would do as you suggested.”
[Chaos is surprised that such a frivolous elf would be this helpful.]
“I’m fine working with rare metals again, and Aren, you’re getting an item that ordinarily you wouldn’t even consider. In the end, it’s a win-win for everyone!”
Rasheon… I don’t know when I’ll meet him again, but I want to express my gratitude.
Regardless, with only a few days left, it ended up looking more like plate armor than light armor.
But since he considered minimal intense movements during crafting, and since it was so light, Huuton was confident it might even work out better than the blueprint I had chosen.
I bowed my head in gratitude to him.
“Let’s wrap up the small talk here and try it on! If you’re done, I think I need to close up early today and rest.”
I entered a small room inside the armory and put on the Silver Radiance.
Click.
As I opened the door, Huuton’s exclamation reached my ears.
“Ho. Men must pay attention to their looks and gear! I was quite the catch back in my day too.”
[Chaos says that’s not right at all.]
“I was worried it might look odd without the gauntlets, but surprisingly, it looks nice.”
As for the gloves… I couldn’t wear them due to the merging of the armory’s effects, but I was glad he thought it looked fine.
[Chaos gives a thumbs up, saying it suits me well.]
“Thank you. This has been an indulgent experience thanks to you!”
“Ahem. For detailed information, get it appraised separately or check it with a scroll. So? Except for the minor changes in appearance, everything else should be fine, right?”
If there were any inconveniences, I should mention them now, but I shook my head, feeling too comfortable and reassured to find any problems.
“Then, once again, I sincerely thank you for making such gear, and I’ll take my leave. Until next time.”
“You’re welcome. As a craftsman, hearing the satisfied voice of a recipient brings me so much joy. You take care now.”
Bows.
I respectfully bowed and exited the armory.
*
With a heart full of unexpected gains, I hopped onto the carriage headed for the Magic Tower with enthusiasm.
Peep, peep, peep—
“Are you that happy about going to the Magic Tower?”
Flitting about with his little body, El was showing off, and while I momentarily closed my eyes to rest, hours passed in an instant.
Ignoring Vincent’s stern gaze guarding the entrance to the Magic Tower, I headed up to the 27th floor.
Knock, knock.
“The door’s open, come in.”
Just like last time, as I opened the door, Heins welcomed me while seated.
“Heins, how have you been?”
“Of course! I’m doing great. Thanks to you, the subsidies have been piling up, and life is feeling good these days. By the way, is the armor you’re wearing something for enchanting?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“It suits you well. Let me see; just by glancing, it looks like an item with a graded enchantment. Don’t tell me it’s not A-grade, right?”
Come on, does he really forget the precautions I mentioned last time? I told him it’s B-grade, so no need to worry.
“Then there’s nothing more to check. Please take off the armor in the next room and place it on the table.”
‘Since I’m bestowing it directly to the item, I can’t do it while wearing it, huh?’
Moving quickly, I slipped into the room to remove the armor and brought it back out.
“As you might guess, even if I’ve been granted permission to use enchantments, B-grade items require the help of another wizard, and I can’t show the enchanting process in front of someone who isn’t a member of the Magic Tower, so I’ll have to go alone.”
Got it. With a name like ‘enchantment,’ it makes sense to keep it tightly covered.
“I’ll be back soon. While I’m gone, you can have some snacks and check out the stones on the display. It won’t take long.”
Nods.
⋯
⋯
Sure didn’t take long at all, huh? It’s already been two hours.
Burst!
“Oh dear, sorry to have kept you waiting! B-grade seems to require more attention than expected. But it should be worth the wait, so do take a look.”
Since Heins was already aware I had the observation trait from Epusio, he didn’t concern himself with it and let me check the information.
────
[Silver Radiance] (B)
An armor created by the master craftsman Huuton from the commercial district of Orarium.
Made through a commission from adventurer Aren.
Crafted from the leather of the Celeratus and a special alloy with high magical conductivity, as well as a small amount of Aetherium, it possesses high durability while being incredibly light.
A top-tier product that skillfully conceals the drawbacks of its materials through high-level techniques, highlighting its advantages to meet its purpose.
Due to the properties of the rare metal Aetherium, it can recover through magical means.
Random additional ability has been permanently granted due to the Earth School’s enchantment.
─Increases health and durability one level.
─Can restore damaged parts by infusing magical energy at the user’s will. However, beware, as the amount consumed increases significantly depending on the level of damage.
─Once every 30 days, the ability ‘Blazing Radiance’ can be used.
─Constant slow effect applies halved.
─When hit, there’s a very rare chance of activating ‘Roar of the Earth Dragon.’
────
Kya!
The moment I saw the armor upgraded through enchantment, a smile bloomed on my face.
With this, the last piece of the puzzle needed for my next labyrinth exploration has been completed.
Not hiding my joyful expression, I returned to the previous room after putting the armor back on.
“If there’s no further business, shall we grab a meal together before heading somewhere that might not be fulfilling?”
“Sure. Is it that special dining room again?”
“Haha. It’s much better than most inns or restaurants near the Magic Tower. Let’s go.”
Successfully wrapping up all my affairs for the day, before leaving the Magic Tower, I had a light dinner with Heins.
*
“Feeling a bit tired. Maybe it’s time to head to the inn.”
[Chaos says that now only the labyrinth remains to visit.]
[Chaos praises that a month full of tough tasks has been overcome to reach this point.]
I appreciate the praise, but it came out of nowhere.
…Yeah. Looking back, there were so many things happening this past month.
I said goodbye to Jacob and unexpectedly received an item from Rasheon, then was astounded to discover Scarlet was alive and even ended up taking care of her familiar.
I even stirred up quite a ruckus with a god of evil after heading to a circus just for fun. Then, I met Sena, and our relationship became sisterly, leading to finally finding new party members.
Bang! Bang.
With a confident thud to my chest, I declared, “This is just the beginning.”
Getting stronger to the point where I can proudly announce I’m a transmigrator and live extravagantly.
Or even if I get swept up in a certain incident somewhere, no matter who tries to crush me with malice,
I won’t stop until I become the kind of person who can defend against it all and strike back.
To achieve that, I need to wrap up today first.
“El, could you guide me to the inn we visited last time?”
Peep!
With a trustworthy response from El that sounded like “Just leave it to me,” he started to fly ahead.