Ch.134Rampage – Aftermath (2)

When I stepped into the temporary workshop, the makeshift base they had established in place of the location under repair.

The one who welcomed me was, naturally, Lord Falten, the only metal school mage with whom I was acquainted.

“Lord Falten, are the preparations complete?”

“Of course! This way, please!”

Judging by how strangely excited these mad mages, including Lord Falten, appeared to be, something was definitely about to happen. Nevertheless, having decided to trust them for now, I was following Lord Falten through this complex space.

And during that time, I brought up the three pieces of equipment I was supposed to receive.

“Lord Falten. The prepared items are a blunt weapon, a shield, and armor, correct?”

“Absolutely! Our metal school has put our heart and soul into preparing them!”

What I sensed in Lord Falten’s voice was a faint aspiration and a certain desire to see my reaction.

Therefore, when I arrived at our destination with mixed feelings of concern and anticipation… there lay what is commonly called a “mace,” a one-handed blunt weapon meant to replace my old electric oak club.

A solid metal club with an egg-shaped head the size of a human fist attached to the end. Judging by the magical power leaking from the grooves carved into its surface, this was clearly no ordinary weapon. As I gazed at it with cautious eyes…

“Please, pick it up.”

“…Very well.”

The moment I picked up this artistic mace at his request, I could feel information about the weapon flowing into my mind through some magic imbued within it.

Made of a special metal that increases in mass when filled with aura or magical power, the mace had an overall black tone. Its center of gravity was well-balanced, ensuring that when swung, the full force of my body would be concentrated on the egg-shaped head.

Particularly, this mace, which was human-friendly—specifically tailored to my body size—would clearly demonstrate overwhelming firepower disproportionate to its size simply by filling it with aura and swinging it.

But what truly made this mace valuable was its built-in discharge function.

If I were to release the function while the mace’s head was filled with aura or magical power to increase its mass, the grooves would open, releasing aura reprocessed into lightning form that would tear through enemies.

Additionally, with sufficient mastery, I could slightly open only the side opposite the impact point to release aura, creating an effect reminiscent of a rocket.

In other words, they had perfectly fulfilled my request to recreate—or more accurately, upgrade—my old electric oak club.

“…How is it?”

“It’s magnificent! I absolutely love it!”

Therefore, I lavished praise on the weapon with a mix of sincerity and flattery, causing the somewhat childish man to grin broadly before guiding me to the next item.

Specifically, to the adjacent building where the newly crafted armor made for me was placed.

※ ※ ※

Inside the neighboring building, which was half-collapsed and forcibly repaired with metal structures, hung a full plate armor almost identical to what I had requested, gleaming with a dazzling radiance on something resembling a mannequin.

A unique composition with a white base and the distinctive silvery? luster of metal. As if to prove it was indeed a work of the metal school, the material composing this armor, perfectly fitted to the body measurements I had provided in advance, was…

“…Lord Falten. Is this mythril?”

“Oh! You recognize it, indeed it is! We spared no expense!”

Mithril, also known as true silver in the Eastern Continent, is one of the three greatest metals commonly available, alongside adamantium and orichalcon.

Adamantium (black iron), the purely hardest metal in the world; orichalcon (divine metal), with excellent conductivity for sacred energy; and mythril, which is light, durable, and has exceptional magical conductivity.

Mithril in particular is incredibly light for a metal, yet possesses several times the durability of ordinary metals. Despite this, it holds magical power or aura exceptionally well, making it suitable for enchantment and enhancement.

To put it in easily understandable terms, it’s as if it has a buff like “Magical Power (Aura) Coating Efficiency Increase (140%).”

Anyway, despite these excellent characteristics, mythril is fundamentally a metal created through magical transformation of already quite rare silver.

In other words, it’s dozens of times more expensive than ordinary silver, even surpassing gold in value.

While mythril mines are relatively shallow but numerous, countless wars have been fought over them. Mithril is coveted not only by humans but also by elves and dwarves, often leading to conflicts.

Therefore, armor made with such a valuable metal so generously used was truly a precious treasure. Even if it was only used partially, I smiled with joy at receiving such a rare piece of equipment…

“My lord, please place your hand here.”

“All ri…ght?”

Feeling some inner expectation at what seemed like a sudden instruction, I followed his words and placed one hand on the back of the armor.

-…Swoosh. Whirr, click.

Suddenly, just as with the mace earlier, information was transmitted into my mind, and simultaneously, the armor displayed on the mannequin suddenly separated as if melting, then began to adhere to my body with a mercury-like texture.

This armor, created by combining liquid metal harvested from the destroyed golem armor with mythril-steel alloy plates, was, to put it simply, a kind of optimized equipment like a custom-tailored suit.

The liquid metal that clung to my skin was soft yet hardened upon impact, providing performance that surpassed ordinary armor, while the durability of the mythril-steel alloy plates fixed by this liquid metal was beyond question.

Particularly, it had some variable functions built in, allowing for physical shape transformation to a certain extent if needed, and was not only sturdy but also imposed almost no restrictions on movement.

Additionally, it had functions ranging from transforming into a bag-like form for carrying, to recognizing my soul so that it wouldn’t easily operate for anyone but me.

“Lord Falten. Perhaps… did this equipment receive help from the soul school?”

“Yes, that’s correct! You’re well-informed.”

Thus, Lord Falten clearly affirmed my cautious conjecture while simultaneously introducing me to the simple functions of this armor.

Of course, most of what he explained had already been conveyed to me, but for the sake of social relationship building, there was no harm in listening to an expert’s explanation.

Anyway, as I was smiling contentedly while wearing this splendid liquid metal armor, I… noticed that something with a certain “feeling” was approaching me.

Not an enemy. No hostile response. If anything, it felt familiar, like a friend.

“…It seems something is coming.”

“You have a keen eye. Actually, there was ‘mind metal’ in the golem armor that Lord Alzar defeated.”

“…Mind metal?”

“Yes. It’s a metal that resonates with the mind and can be manipulated, typically used as a controller to synchronize large golem armors with human minds. …Of course, we don’t have the technology to process it fully, but we can use it in this way.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than something was presented to me—a shield? that was somehow mentally connected to me.

‘Is this really a shield?’

A shield characterized by its size large enough to cover the torso, intricately assembled from about 12 identical metal components.

The moment my mind connected with this shield, whose pointed ends seemed perfect for piercing and cutting through things, I… finally understood why they had made a shield with that mind metal.

This must have been permanently bound to my near-maddened mind from yesterday when I was smashing that golem armor with only “cut” in my thoughts, like a sword demon, synchronizing with the mind metal.

“Try moving it.”

“…Yes.”

And the moment Lord Falten said that to me, who was trembling at the intangible connection I felt, I instinctively poured my thoughts into it and… noticed that the shield had begun to move according to my will.

Is this what telekinesis feels like? Although it consumed considerable magical power to move, the shield that freely moved according to my will naturally floated in the air, and then—

—Clicking!

With a crisp mechanical sound, the shield separated from the arm controller and transformed into 12 broad blade forms, and as I felt I could move each one separately and even infuse them with aura, I smiled brightly at this wonderful item.

“Well, do you like it?”

“Of course! It’s an excellent piece!”

After all, I now possessed something I had only dreamed of, something that would broaden the scope of my tactics.