Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Elf Blacksmith, Rare Armor Set: Crystal Scorpion Armor

That was a little awkward.

A Dwarf blacksmith who had been smithing his entire life was told to his face that a young man he considered one of his own had taken materials to someone else to have equipment forged.

’What is this? Do they not trust my craftsmanship?’

Pascal immediately realized the consequences of his announcement and bowed in apology.

"My apologies, Mr. Sutton..."

"Having this equipment made for Mr. Jon was a heartfelt gesture from Miss Rhea. Aside from the materials themselves, all expenses were covered by the merchant house. Please, don’t blame him."

The old Dwarf’s knitted brow immediately relaxed.

’So it was a gift from the boy’s sweetheart. Well, that’s all right then.’

He glanced at the sheepish-looking Jon, then turned back to Pascal and smacked his lips.

"Alright then. Let’s all go have a look at what wonderful things this lucky lad got from that good girl."

Pascal didn’t reply, simply gesturing for them to follow.

The three then proceeded to the merchant house’s vault.

Since it was winter, trade was slow. The warehouse, which should have been packed to the gills, held very little and seemed rather empty.

A tall, slender figure sat on a wicker chest, idly trimming his nails.

He stood over two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and was dressed in a pale green, heavy-cloth robe.

The old Dwarf froze for a moment upon seeing the figure, then let out a roar.

"Ha! Claudio! So it was you!"

"Hm?"

The man turned his head, revealing a lean, handsome face and a pair of long, pointed ears.

He was an Elf!

The Elf’s long eyebrows arched slightly. His gaze swept past Jon and Pascal before he spoke in a puzzled tone.

"Why do I hear the voice of an old acquaintance, but I don’t see him anywhere?"

"Gentlemen, do you have any idea? Could there be someone else here?"

His voice was magnetic, and he spoke in a slow, deliberate manner that carried an elegant charm.

Jon recognized it for what it was: a Dwarf joke that probably wasn’t considered very clever even among other pointy-ears.

However, Sutton reacted as if his nerve had been struck, leaping up and shouting.

"What’s that you’re saying! You asking for a taste of my hammer?!"

Seeing Sutton’s agitation, Claudio finally allowed a faint smile to grace his lips.

"Old friend, long time no see."

"Hmph. It has been a while! Just thirteen years! To think you’re also in Heta County and didn’t even bother to visit!"

The Elf shrugged, apparently immune to such toothless accusations.

"Oh, it’s only been thirteen years. Why be so angry?"

"Bah! So pretentious!"

The old Dwarf glared at him, still fuming, then his eyes fell on the wicker chest the Elf had been sitting on.

"So, you’re the one who crafted little Jon’s materials? Hurry up and show me what you made!"

"If your work is shoddy, you’ll be famous for all the wrong reasons!"

"Heh. I’ve never minded being famous. It’s just that the stories people tell have always been of my renown."

Claudio rose gracefully. The chest he’d been sitting on flew into the air of its own accord. The vines that formed it came to life, their leaves retracting to reveal the true form of the meticulously placed equipment within.

The eyes of the other three men in the room immediately lit up.

Literally.

It was a complete set of ornate, Elven-style light armor in gold and silver, backed with dark green leather. The set was complete from head to toe and included a teardrop-shaped shield.

The equipment was covered in a layer of a crystal-like substance, giving the light armor a thickness comparable to heavy armor.

Within this crystal shell, tiny Elven characters linked together into lines, creating some kind of magical effect. This was the source of the light the three of them saw.

Setting aside its defensive properties, its appearance alone was stunningly impressive.

At least, Jon was quite fond of this flashy style.

’It’s not that a simple style is bad, but being eye-catching is its own kind of style, too.’

He rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.

"Can I try it on?"

"Of course, sir. This work is yours. You are free to do with it as you please."

Claudio waved his hand, and the vines unfurled, presenting the full set of armor to Jon.

"Additionally, the quality of the materials was quite good, so I took the liberty of adding a few extras. I hope you like them."

"Hmph. It’s nothing more than that Magic of you Elves... What’s there to be so proud of? Our Dwarven Rune-craft can achieve the same."

The old Dwarf snorted, but his body betrayed him as he reached out, picked up a gauntlet, and began to inspect it closely.

As an experienced main tank, Jon naturally went for his bread and butter first—the shield.

The shield was forged from the pincers of a Golden Scorpion Mother. It had an internal transformation mechanism, allowing it to be a teardrop shape when collapsed, but expand into a large round shield capable of covering most of his body.

——

[Crystal Scorpion Shield (Rare · Shield)]

[Set: Crystal Scorpion Armor (1/10)]

[Defense Value: 234]

[Extra Defense Value: 195/195]

[Attribute 1: Constitution +2]

[Attribute 2: Power +1]

[Crystal Shell: Gain extra, recoverable Defense Value. Total Defense Value is increased by 30%.]

[Set Skill · Crystal Shock: Consume Extra Defense Value to inflict a "Shatter" effect on enemies in a certain range (Inactive)]

[Durability: 120/120]

"Lasu·Abnam·Neava (Behold, the clear and sparkling crystal) — Elven Verse: The Dawn of Crystal"

——

He’d had his expectations when he first saw the armor, but when Jon saw the actual Attributes, he couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

"Such a high Defense Value!"

The "Crystallization" effect from the Golden Scorpion Mother materials had been utilized to its fullest potential, boosting the armor’s Defense Value to a level almost comparable to Official Level equipment!

But most importantly, it was a set, and a Rare Level one at that!

It didn’t just have an incredibly high Defense Value; it also provided a ton of Attributes!

The set Skills must have been the extras Claudio mentioned, using Magic to weaponize the armor’s crystalline layer against enemies.

Besides the shield, the leg armor, helmet, and chestplate each had their own set Skill.

[Crystal Step], [Crystal Vision], and [Crystal Shelter].

It was a whole series of abilities. Their effects were, respectively, increasing movement speed, detecting hidden enemies, and providing a powerful Shield. All of them were activated by consuming the armor’s Extra Defense Value—that is, the crystalline layer.

This design, which didn’t draw on the user’s own Power, was like having several extra Skills.

After equipping the entire [Crystal Scorpion Armor] set, it provided a total of 10 Power, 15 Constitution, and 1000 points of recoverable Extra Defense Value. On top of that, there was a full-set bonus!

[Crystal Impact: Consume all Extra Defense Value to create an area-of-effect Impact. The more Defense Value consumed, the higher the Impact’s damage and range. After use, this Skill cannot be activated again until the set’s Extra Defense Value has fully recovered.]

A one-time burst effect. It was surely a trump card, perfect for an all-or-nothing gamble at a critical moment.

This entire set of armor would be usable all the way up to the Official Level and beyond!

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