Chapter 146: The Four Sets, 2!

The first stage required materials, and fortunately, Damian still possessed a respectable collection of resources from his previous crafting activities.

Although not everything remained in a form suitable for constructing four personalized Adept-grade equipment sets, his Supreme Synthesis Special Power offered an excellent solution.

However, rather than attempting to work inside his study, Damian brought the Four Valkyries to the Mages Association and rented its finest available crafting room once again.

The facility possessed the specialized tools, protective arrangements and working conditions necessary to handle complicated magical equipment without accidentally destroying half the surrounding building.

Once inside, he began sorting his remaining resources by type and suitability, separating metals, enchanted fabrics, magical materials and other components according to the four approved designs.

Some materials were already suitable for direct use, while others required additional refinement or advancement before they could properly support his intended creations.

That was where <Supreme Synthesis> entered the picture!

Damian employed its Production, Upgrade and related functions to process compatible resources, combining appropriate quantities of identical materials whenever necessary to produce higher-grade alternatives.

The process consumed a considerable portion of his remaining reserves, but he had no intention of compromising the equipment’s quality simply to preserve a few resources.

After all, these were his women!

More importantly, his recently acquired <Myriad Artifact Insight> was proving extraordinarily useful throughout the process, allowing him to identify structural weaknesses and suitable material combinations with surprising ease.

His increased Intelligence further enhanced that advantage, making complicated calculations involving weight distribution, Mana conduction and defensive reinforcement considerably easier to manage.

The first equipment set gradually took shape, followed by the second, third and fourth as Damian worked with almost frightening concentration.

He alternated between physical construction, magical inscription, enchantment integration and final adjustments, using every compatible crafting method he possessed to bring the approved designs into reality.

Hours passed without interruption.

By the time Damian finally finished the last adjustment and inspected his completed work, nearly eight hours had passed since he entered the room.

He was thoroughly exhausted by the demanding process, but the four completed sets resting before him made the effort feel entirely worthwhile.

"Tsk, tsk, not bad, Damian Baines, not bad at all!" He praised himself with a satisfied grin, carefully transferring the finished equipment into his Exchange Storage.

He then rubbed his hands with anticipation. "Now, let’s see whether the ladies appreciate their husband’s magnificent craftsmanship!"

...

When Damian finally emerged from the crafting room, the Four Valkyries were still waiting outside, having spent the intervening hours resting, chatting and maintaining their usual vigilance.

The moment they noticed him, all four immediately rose and surrounded him with such enthusiasm that he nearly stumbled backward.

"Damian! Are they finished?! Let me see mine first!" Paulina demanded excitedly, her tail swaying so vigorously that Damian briefly wondered whether it might knock something over.

"Come on, don’t keep us waiting after disappearing for eight whole hours!"

Janet was equally impatient, while Julia and Eunice maintained slightly greater composure despite the unmistakable anticipation in their expressions.

Damian rolled his eyes at their collective enthusiasm before retrieving the four equipment sets and presenting each woman with her personalized creation.

Their excitement immediately increased.

Naturally, the next step was trying everything on, and the Mages Association’s private preparation facilities provided a perfectly suitable location for doing so.

Unfortunately, Damian had absolutely no intention of excusing himself from the process, much to the immediate embarrassment of the more reserved members of his little group.

"Damian! Surely you can wait outside while we change!" Julia protested, her pointed ears turning bright red as she clutched her new equipment against her chest.

"Honestly, you shameless bandit! Must you insist upon being present for absolutely everything?!" She accused angrily, pointing at him.

Damian responded with an expression of extraordinary dignity, as though Julia had just made a deeply unreasonable accusation against an innocent craftsman.

"My dear Julia, I am merely appreciating priceless works of art, and as their creator, I naturally possess a professional responsibility to ensure they fit their intended users perfectly!"

Eunice released a helpless sigh at his shameless reasoning, her cheeks gradually becoming pink as she accepted that Damian was unlikely to surrender voluntarily.

Paulina and Janet, however, appeared utterly unconcerned, both regarding his behavior as an excellent opportunity to tease him rather than something worth protesting.

The changing process consequently became rather chaotic.

Paulina confidently began putting on her equipment without paying Damian’s presence the slightest attention, while Janet deliberately exaggerated her movements simply to provoke reactions from everyone around her.

Julia eventually positioned herself behind the considerably taller Wolf Beastwoman, using her as an improvised privacy screen while directing increasingly murderous looks toward Damian.

Eunice adopted a different approach, attempting to preserve her dignity through sheer composure while carefully changing into her own equipment.

Unfortunately, her visibly flushed face rather undermined the impression, especially when Damian offered unsolicited compliments about how beautiful she looked.

Then Janet noticed something.

"Ahahaha! Ladies, look! The fellow has pitched a tent!" Janet suddenly announced with wicked delight, pointing toward Damian’s pants as her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Janet chuckled meanly. "And here he was pretending this was nothing more than professional appreciation!"

For perhaps the first time throughout the entire exchange, Damian found himself momentarily embarrassed.

However, rather than surrendering to the little Demoness’s teasing, the shameless young man straightened his posture and adopted an expression of outrageous pride.

"Of course! What kind of man wouldn’t appreciate having four gorgeous wives standing before him?!" Damian retorted with an indignant snort, refusing to give Janet the satisfaction of watching him retreat.

"If anything, you should all be flattered by my perfectly natural reaction!" Damian argued with a righteous aura.

Julia immediately covered her eyes with a scandalized cry, although the suspicious gaps between her fingers suggested that her curiosity had rather decisively overcome her indignation.

Eunice attempted to maintain her composure, but one involuntary glance toward Damian’s lower half left her blushing even more fiercely.

Paulina and Janet were considerably more direct.

Both women advanced upon him with mischievous smiles, apparently deciding that his impressive confidence deserved a more personal challenge.

Damian quickly found himself surrounded by two thoroughly shameless troublemakers, whose wandering hands and increasingly outrageous teasing forced him to retreat several steps before swatting them away.

"Alright, alright! I concede my loves, you win!" Damian ceded with an embarrassed laugh, delivering a playful smack to discourage their mischief.

Paulina burst into delighted laughter, while Janet cackled with the satisfaction of someone who had accomplished precisely what she intended.

Fortunately, the interruption allowed Julia and Eunice to finish dressing, and Damian finally recovered enough dignity to appreciate the actual results of his work.

And what results they were!

Eunice stood before him wearing an elegant white-and-gold ensemble combining flowing enchanted fabrics with carefully fitted protective sections.

In its ordinary configuration, the armor resembled a magnificent ceremonial Paladin outfit, with reinforced sleeves, a fitted breast covering, layered white skirts and golden details complementing her natural beauty.

However, its true defensive form remained concealed within the carefully integrated magical structure, ready to manifest additional heavy plate sections when supplied with Mana.

The transformation would allow Eunice to assume the appearance of a fully armored holy warrior without permanently burdening her comparatively modest Strength.

Her accompanying mace was equally impressive, possessing an elegant silver-white shaft and an ornate golden head built around a specially prepared magical focus.

Its construction allowed the weapon to function as both a practical melee implement and a suitable channel for her Divine Magic.

Paulina’s equipment took a considerably different approach.

Her armor consisted of a striking combination of deep violet and black, featuring a fitted armored bodice, flexible lower protection, high boots and dramatic shoulder pieces that complemented her powerful figure.

The segmented construction allowed her considerable freedom of movement, while the carefully adjusted rear section ensured that her tail could move naturally without catching upon the armor.

Most importantly, her gauntlets ended before the tips of her fingers, deliberately leaving her formidable claws unobstructed.

Intricate channels ran through their reinforced structures, providing a means of directing compatible magical energy toward the claws without interfering with her natural fighting style.

"Damn, Paulina, you’re going to give the enemy some serious problems! I honestly can’t decide whether they’ll be more terrified of your claws or distracted by how good you look!" Damian remarked appreciatively, studying the finished appearance with considerable pride.

Paulina responded with a delighted grin, clearly finding absolutely nothing objectionable about either possibility.

Julia’s equipment was considerably more restrained but no less beautiful, consisting of a lightweight medium-armor ensemble featuring elegant blue and dark-indigo sections, gold-edged protective plates and carefully fitted leather.

Its design combined the dignity of an Elven warrior with the practical freedom required by an accomplished Ranger, allowing her to move comfortably between archery and close-quarters combat.

A short decorative cape completed the appearance, while the armored overskirt and flexible protection around her limbs created an excellent balance between appearance and mobility.

Her beloved Elven Bow remained unchanged, naturally complementing the new armor as though the entire ensemble had originally been designed around it.

And finally, Janet!

The little Demoness wore a fitted suit of black leather armor whose sleek construction emphasized both her diminutive frame and her naturally elusive fighting style.

Subtle patterns resembling ghostly shadows adorned the surface, while the darker material seemed to possess an unusual depth that made her appearance particularly mysterious.

The armor incorporated flexible protective sections, reinforced boots and carefully positioned accessories without disrupting the fluid movements upon which Janet depended.

Combined with her usual wicked smile, the ensemble made her look less like an ordinary Halfling Rogue and more like the dangerous little shadow-dweller Damian knew she truly was.

Damian slowly looked over all four women, feeling an extraordinary sense of satisfaction as he admired the results of his work.

Each set complemented its wearer beautifully, and more importantly, each had been constructed according to her specific combat requirements rather than some generic equipment template.

"Now that’s what I’m talking about! Four beautiful women, four personalized masterpieces, and not a single piece of ordinary shop-bought junk in sight!" Damian declared, thoroughly pleased as the Four Valkyries gathered before him in their completed equipment.

The ladies naturally responded with enormous enthusiasm, admiring one another’s equipment while exchanging delighted compliments and occasional teasing remarks.

Damian allowed them to enjoy the moment, feeling that the eight hours of exhausting craftsmanship had been more than adequately rewarded by their reactions.

However, although the appearances were excellent, Damian had hardly spent so much effort merely to make his women look beautiful.

The actual equipment effects were what mattered most!

With an eager grin, Damian opened the relevant System interfaces and prepared to examine exactly what his four new creations could accomplish.