Chapter 49 Choosing

Xia Nan was still slightly surprised by Barn’s reaction.

His leather armor had been through hell.

At this point, even a roadside general store probably would not want it as scrap.

He had assumed he would simply have to throw it away.

Instead, Rockhammer had paid him three silver for it.

Not bad.

After putting the coins away, Xia Nan watched Barn carry the ruined leather armor behind the counter.

Then something flashed at the edge of Barn’s vision.

Iron-gray metal.

Barn stopped.

His eyes shifted toward the Decapitating Longsword on Xia Nan’s back.

“How’s that sword?” he asked.

The question was casual.

The interest behind it was not.

Xia Nan saw no reason to hide his answer.

“It’s excellent.”

He reached back and touched the weapon lightly.

“Sharp, sturdy, durable. Much better than the sword I used before.”

As he spoke, Xia Nan carefully watched Barn’s face.

There was something else he wanted to mention, but he had to phrase it without exposing the existence of his cheat ability.

“I’m not sure whether it’s because you mixed Graysteel into it, but the sword feels tougher than other weapons I’ve used.”

He paused, then added, “If you still remember the forging process, maybe you could reproduce something similar.”

The hint was not exactly subtle.

Barn completely missed it.

Instead, the smith burst into laughter again and slapped Xia Nan on the shoulder with one enormous hand.

“Hahaha! You’re giving me too much credit.”

Xia Nan’s body rocked slightly from the impact.

Barn continued, “Still, be careful with it. Don’t let that sword get you into trouble in a fight.”

Xia Nan blinked.

Barn had clearly misunderstood.

“Our smithy only sells premium goods,” Barn said proudly. “Equipment with uncertain quality and unknown details? There’s no way I’d put something like that into mass production.”

He frowned thoughtfully.

“And even if I really did accidentally forge one unusually good weapon…”

Barn’s gaze drifted for a moment, as though he were trying to remember the exact day he had made the Decapitating Longsword.

“Then it was probably just a low-probability accident.”

He shook his head.

“I can’t reproduce an accident.”

Xia Nan fell silent.

Well.

He had tried.

There was no point forcing the issue.

He nodded and moved on.

Then he drew the Green Pine wooden sword from his back and handed it across the counter.

“I need a custom scabbard for this.”

Barn accepted it with both hands.

“Price isn’t a problem,” Xia Nan added.

The blacksmith examined the wooden sword carefully.

Interestingly, he did not ask why anyone would commission a custom scabbard for a wooden weapon.

Instead, he turned it over in his hands while muttering.

“Hmm… Dark-brown wood. Very tough. Definitely not ordinary timber.”

Barn narrowed his eyes.

“Iron Oak from Ivelius?”

He looked again.

“Or Finch Willow from the shores of Velvetgreen Lake?”

Another pause.

“No. The color shouldn’t be this dark…”

Still studying the weapon, Barn reached into a cabinet behind the counter and pulled out several measuring tools.

“Any specific requirements?”

Xia Nan thought about it.

“Durable.”

Barn nodded.

“Nothing too eye-catching. Keep the color subdued.”

Another nod.

“And the design should be simple. Low-key.”

“Got it.”

A scabbard did not look like much.

In battle, it was easy to dismiss it as nothing more than something that held a sword.

But for an adventurer, the right scabbard mattered.

It protected the weapon.

Kept out moisture.

Helped prevent rust.

More importantly, a well-fitted scabbard could affect drawing speed and even influence balance during ordinary movement and combat.

Xia Nan had heard several drunk adventurers bragging in the tavern that truly wealthy high-level class holders sometimes paid professional spellcasters enormous sums to enchant their scabbards.

Automatic maintenance.

Faster drawing.

All kinds of convenient effects.

Of course, that had nothing to do with Xia Nan right now.

He was nowhere near that level of wealth.

Barn came from a dwarven clan, and his craftsmanship ranked among the best in Rivervale Town.

It showed.

In roughly ten minutes, he had already finished taking every measurement he needed.

Barn handed Green Pine back.

“The blade style is unusual, but making a scabbard for it won’t be difficult.”

He tapped the measuring tool against his palm.

“I’ll use Rock-Carbon Steel.”

Xia Nan listened.

“The color is close to the weapon itself, so it won’t attract much attention. It’s also good at resisting moisture, which makes it suitable for a wooden weapon.”

Barn thought for a moment.

“You can pick it up in three days.”

Then came the important part.

“As for labor and materials…”

Barn gave Xia Nan a look.

“You know how custom work is.”

Xia Nan waited.

“Ten gold.”

“Deal.”

No hesitation.

The price was the same as his old leather armor.

Expensive, but necessary.

Saving money on equipment tied directly to survival was not thrift.

It was gambling with his life.

Xia Nan secured Green Pine on his back again.

Then his gaze moved toward the armor displayed nearby.

The scabbard was settled.

Next came armor.

His old leather armor was gone.

He needed a replacement.

Xia Nan felt the reassuring weight of the purse at his waist.

Then he steeled himself.

This was going to hurt.

But after fighting the basilisk and surviving the constant pressure of the Misty Forest, one lesson had been carved firmly into him.

If he wanted to survive as an adventurer over the long term, he needed more room for error.

Much more.

High offense and low defense could work for class holders with terrifying offensive power.

But Xia Nan?

He was still a low-level adventurer who had barely mastered any real combat techniques.

Sacrificing defense for more damage at his stage would not make him bold.

It would make him dead.

So his goal was clear.

He wanted armor that provided meaningful protection without noticeably compromising his agility.

In truth, he had already considered this before his first visit to Rockhammer, when he bought that 10-gold leather armor.

Now he finally had the money to move up a tier.

His gaze passed over the light armor.

Excellent mobility.

Not enough protection.

Then the heavy armor.

Excellent protection.

Too much restriction.

Finally, his eyes stopped at the center of the display rack.

Medium armor.

Two options immediately stood out.

The first was a chain shirt.

Fine metal rings were woven densely and neatly into a leather base, with a flexible outer layer of cloth added for appearance.

The second was scale armor.

It also used leather as a foundation, but overlapping metal plates covered the surface like fish scales. A pair of greaves came with it.

Both cost 50 gold.

The chain shirt offered better protection against slashing attacks.

It was relatively simple to maintain.

It also made less noise when moving.

The downside was its uneven weight distribution, which required enough muscular strength to support comfortably.

It was also weaker against blunt-force attacks.

The scale armor was better against piercing damage.

Arrows.

Spears.

Similar weapons.

Its coverage was broader as well.

But it was heavier, noisier, and more expensive to maintain.

Same price.

Different strengths.

Different weaknesses.

Xia Nan stared at the two sets of armor.

This was not the kind of decision he wanted to make based on appearances.

He needed the one that actually suited him.