Chapter 194 Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel, Plate-Chain Composite Armor

"Ding."

His fingertips tapped lightly against the surface of the Bone Armor on his thigh, producing a crisp sound smoother than striking metal.

Xia Nan stood in place, his expression largely unchanged, but inwardly he was exceptionally satisfied. This was his first piece of enchanted equipment obtained through "official channels"—custom-made at a smithy using his own gold coins and materials.

It hadn't been cheap, but its defensive capabilities were outstanding. The attached stat effects were highly practical, and since it didn't overlap with the roles of his other gear, he didn't need to replace anything else.

It was safe to say that those 500 gold coins had been perfectly well spent.

In front of him, after being informed of the greaves' extra effects and solemnly thanking Xia Nan, the burly, mountain-like blacksmith Barn of Rockhammer squatted on the ground without a care for his image.

He carefully scrutinized the details on the leg armor, as if trying to rely solely on his naked eyes to discern the reason for the equipment's unexpected mutation.

His wealth of forging experience, combined with the inherited knowledge of the dwarven Steelbeard clan, seemed to actually help him spot something.

Guided by Xia Nan's clear and detailed description, countless possible variations sparked in his mind.

He just had to wait until he closed up shop later; then, he could test them one by one on the anvil in the back room.

As if remembering something, Barn shifted his gaze from the greaves to Xia Nan, whose aura had grown noticeably denser. "Right, the Association Second Floor. You've been there already, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Xia Nan nodded. "I just came from there."

For the Class Holders of Rivervale Town, the Association Second Floor was a place they absolutely had to visit, so there was nothing to hide.

"The second floor of the Adventurers' Association has a lot of good materials available for exchange," Barn said as he stood up, his thick, radish-like fingers untangling two braided strands of his beard. "Things like special metals or materials from rare monsters."

"If you ever need equipment in the future—armor, magical accessories, that sort of thing—and you can't find anything suitable on the market..."

He glanced at the thin shirt on Xia Nan's upper body, his expression turning a bit subtle again.

"Ahem."

"If you trust me, you can place an order here at Rockhammer. I'll write out a list of the required materials, and you just have to exchange for them."

"After all, a lot of the materials in the Association are extremely expensive on the outside, and some you can't even buy at all."

"It's much more convenient to exchange for them using points."

"I have a lot of customers who exchange for materials on the second floor and then come to me to forge their gear."

Xia Nan, of course, deeply trusted the burly middle-aged man before him who claimed to have dwarven heritage.

Given his personality, it was just like when he first transmigrated: because he had his first hearty dinner at the White Chickadee, he ended up having all his daily meals there from then on.

Unless some sort of rift formed between them, or the gear he bought had some abnormal quality issue, he was already used to making his purchases at the Rockhammer Smithy.

So there was no question of trusting or not trusting him.

He didn't say anything.

Instead, he simply smiled and pointed to the two longswords strapped to his back, then raised his left arm to show Barn the Arm Shield.

The Decapitating Longsword was the first weapon he had purchased at the Rockhammer shop, and the scabbard for the wooden sword [Azure Pine] had been custom-made by Barn as well.

Not to mention the Snake-Scale Arm Shield; the two of them had spent ages discussing what kind of equipment to make out of that serpent scale.

Almost all of his gear came from Rockhammer. That alone was enough to show his trust.

Clearly, Barn also understood what Xia Nan meant.

As a blacksmith, having his work recognized by its user made this man—who had always upheld the dwarven forging traditions—burst into hearty laughter.

He declared that he was going to grab two sets of maintenance tools suited for bone equipment to give Xia Nan as a free gift.

Amid the laughter, he suddenly let out a sigh.

A look of regret appeared on his face.

"It's a shame. The material of that bone club doesn't match the serpent scale on your Arm Shield, so they can't be combined."

"Otherwise, given the scale's defensive strength, pairing it with that bone would've yielded a piece of equipment with genuinely impressive grade and quality."

In the very beginning, after killing the Red-Mane Bugbear in his promotion battle, Xia Nan had originally wanted to use its bone club weapon as a supplementary material for the snake scale to upgrade the temporary Arm Shield in his hands.

But after Barn inspected them, he discovered that the two materials were incompatible. Forcing them together would only produce negative effects, which was how the current leg armor came to be.

"It's fine. Opportunities like that will come sooner or later. Just let nature take its course."

Xia Nan didn't really have any lingering regrets about it. He waved his hand and simply followed up on the topic. "So, regarding this scale I have on hand, if I really want to upgrade it into a piece of Magic Equipment, what kind of auxiliary materials would be a good fit?"

"Give me a few examples, just so I have a frame of reference when I'm out doing quests."

Hearing this, Barn's massive reservoir of knowledge meant he hardly needed a moment to think; a long string of names blurted out of his mouth.

"Deep-Sea Molten Crystal, Tree-Iron from the Nangel Region, Snow-Vine Platinum, Smoked Rock that's sat near a volcanic crater for over a thousand years..."

"There are far too many matches. It's just that they're quite rare in Rivervale Town, or even across Cloudclimb Province. On the rare occasions they do show up on the market, high-level Class Holders snap them up immediately. Very few ever fall into my hands."

"You can keep an eye out when you're up on the second floor. If you see something on the exchange list and aren't sure about it, write down the name and come ask me. We might just get lucky and put a set together."

When it came to special materials, Xia Nan was completely clueless. He simply nodded to show he'd memorized it, planning to head back to the second floor once he finished his business for the day to see if there were any suitable materials.

During his earlier trip, he had only taken a cursory tour with Molly, listening to her brief introduction of the various rooms' functions on the second floor. He'd glanced at the quest board but hadn't studied the exchange list in detail, so...

Wait a minute!

Xia Nan's expression suddenly froze. A fragment of memory—one that hadn't yet been buried deep in his mind since it had just happened—surfaced before his eyes in a flash of inspiration.

"This is the quest wall on the second floor of the Association... In addition to gold coins, commission rewards usually include points. You can freely adjust the ratio... Some quests might offer other types of remuneration, if you're interested..."

Echoing alongside Molly's crisp explanation was the memory of his own gaze landing on the quest board—

[Quest Number]: E-20279

[Type]: Investigation

[Rewards]:

30-300 Gold / 1-10 Points / 200g Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel

[Quest Summary]:

According to Adventurer reports, traces of suspected Lycanthrope activity have appeared in the eastern section of the Misty Forest, near the inner zone.

Interested Adventurers are requested to investigate. Upon verification, the Association will issue quest rewards based on the completeness and accuracy of the gathered information.

(Restricted to squads of 4 or more members)

[Time Limit]: 180 Days

...

'Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel...'

Muttering the name in his mind, Xia Nan suddenly snapped back to reality.

He stopped Barn, who was about to head into the back room to fetch his gifts, and asked, "Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel... would that match this scale I've got?"

Hearing this, Barn froze for a second before reacting, nodding his head repeatedly.

"Of course!"

"This metal is usually found in ancient battlefield ruins, or in iron ore seams eroded by undead power."

"Its mass and density are much higher than ordinary steel, but its ductility and malleability far surpass others, and its defensive strength is equally outstanding."

"As long as you can purge the ominous aura brought about by years of soaking in underground corrosive acids—which isn't a problem for me—it's an exceptionally good material."

"It's used when crafting certain high-grade gear. I've had a few experiences forging with it myself in the past."

Barn's words carried the distinct confidence of an experienced, veteran blacksmith.

"If you can really get your hands on Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel... 150 grams—no, just 120 grams will do—I can completely upgrade that Arm Shield of yours."

"Its quality and strength would perhaps... no, they would definitely be higher than the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves]."

At these words, a thrill ran through Xia Nan.

His leg armor was already a Green-tier equipment with three stat effects. If its grade was even higher than that, then it would be...

Blue-tier gear, or even Purple!?

And the [Snake-Scale Arm Shield]—even in its current "temporary," transitional White-tier baseline state—already possessed two overpowered attributes, "Greater Toughness" and "+300% Corrosion Damage Resistance," purely by relying on the serpent scale's inherent defensive capabilities and traits.

If he genuinely used it as the main material to craft a proper piece of Magic Equipment...

Without a doubt, Xia Nan's actual combat prowess would experience an explosive, massive boost.

It seemed this quest was an absolute must.

He had already made up his mind.

Of course, before officially accepting the commission and heading out on an adventure, some necessary preparations were indispensable.

Such as right now.

He couldn't possibly head out to work wearing nothing but a thin shirt.

He needed to buy a suitable set of armor.

And regarding this, Barn had already made a recommendation right when Xia Nan first arrived at the Rockhammer Smithy.

...

[Plate-Chain Composite Armor (Iris Patterned Steel)]

Category: Armor

Grade: Common (White)

Effects:

+5% Fire Resistance

+3% Slashing Damage Resistance

+3% Piercing Damage Resistance

Description:

A plate-chain composite armor forged from Iris Patterned Steel. Its excellent material and fine forging craftsmanship grant it solid defensive capabilities.

Remarks:

"A good suit of armor is like an old horse: neither easily spooked nor restless. When it takes an arrow, it paws the ground a couple of times, and the next day, it carries you onto the battlefield as usual."

— Halberd Breaker, Shield Wall, "Veteran" Ademar

...

This was a cold, rigid armor composed of metal plating and iron chains.

Sharp lines defined the thick iron plates, which gave off a reliable, icy gleam. They stretched from the collarbone all the way down to the upper abdomen, double-secured at the edges with rivets and rings. Honeycomb-like iron links filled the remaining gaps, clinking crisply whenever they rubbed or bumped together.

Unlike traditional heavy plate armor, this protective gear—much like the Chainmail Shirt Xia Nan had worn previously—did not cover the entire body, shielding only the upper half.

Its main body was similarly composed of relatively lightweight metal rings.

However, an additional layer of thick, solid iron plates was overlaid across the chest, back, and both shoulders.

While maintaining overall flexibility, it drastically increased the protection provided to his vital spots.

Perhaps it was because Barn's aesthetic sense was similar to Xia Nan's.

The overall style of this Plate-Chain Composite Armor, personally forged by the blacksmith, suited Xia Nan's tastes perfectly.

On one hand, the entire suit lacked any superfluous decorations. Unflashy and resembling gear fresh off the battlefield, it gave off a sense of succinct, serious utility.

On the other hand, the clash of metal against metal, the clever combination of plates and rings, and the armor's fluid lines lent it a unique, steely aesthetic.

The Iris Patterned Steel material gave the armor a darker tone, displaying a matte, frosted grayish-black.

Even under the blistering sunlight outside, it only reflected a hazy, faint glimmer off its surface.

'Now this is truly badass,' Xia Nan praised inwardly.

With Barn's help, he donned the iron armor.

Feeling it out carefully, he noted that its overall weight was somewhat heavier than his previous layered combination of chainmail over light leather armor.

Yet it was nowhere near as burdensome as heavy plate armor.

It was entirely within his tolerable limit. Given his current physical attributes, neither his combat nor his daily movements would be hindered.

In fact, thanks to the armor's excellent weight distribution, his overall flexibility had noticeably improved, despite it being heavier than before.

The only drawback was that, due to the composite structure of the iron armor itself, he couldn't layer multiple pieces of gear together like he used to.

"How's the defensive performance?" Xia Nan asked Barn, feeling the reassuring touch against his skin. "Compared to wearing chainmail over leather armor, which is better?"

"The one you're wearing right now, of course," Barn answered with utmost confidence.

"Whether it's the plates or the chain links, they're entirely forged from Iris Patterned Steel. No cut corners at all. The defensive strength is much higher than ordinary armor."

"I had to pull a few strings just to source this batch of steel from over in Nym. It sold out mere days after hitting the shelves. If I had contacted them any later, I might not have even been able to buy enough material for this single piece."

In that case, the choice was incredibly simple.

Stronger defense, higher flexibility, an appearance that better suited his aesthetics, and it even added a few stat effects to his Attribute Panel.

It was superior across the board.

For Xia Nan, there was only one thing left to consider regarding whether he should buy this armor right now—

"How much?"

"Original price is 365 gold. We agreed earlier that all your purchases today get a thirty-percent discount, and I'll knock off the small change on top of that."

"For 255 gold, this armor is yours."

Xia Nan's head spun a little.

After all, combining everything he had on him with his savings in the bank, his total net worth was only a little over 500 gold.

Just one piece of gear was going to eat up exactly half of it...

No, no, no!

Money could always be earned back. It was just over two hundred gold. As a lone wolf, he didn't have to split his earnings with anyone else; a few quests would easily recoup the cost.

But he only had one life.

If spending a bit of cash could bump up his survival rate by twenty or thirty percent, it was absolutely worth it!

When it came to investing in himself, Xia Nan was never stingy.

His fingers trembling imperceptibly, Xia Nan maintained a normal expression and replied calmly, "I'll take it."

"Don't worry, you know the quality of our Rockhammer gear. It's absolutely worth every penny." Barn's face broke into an enthusiastic smile as the deal was struck. "I'll even throw in six months of free maintenance. When your quest is over, come straight to me..."

Barn paused suddenly mid-sentence, as if realizing something. He looked at Xia Nan with a rather subtle gaze. "This time, that free maintenance... you should actually be able to use it, right?"

Even Xia Nan couldn't guarantee that.

He simply patted the iron plate on his chest firmly, feeling the hard texture against his palm and the muffled thud it produced.

"Probably... right?"