Chapter 239: Some Kind of Legendary Item?

When Magna had first asked that question years ago, Renna had tried to attack him, thinking he was just a little perverted brat.

Now, the memory made her chuckle as she answered. "It’s because of my robe. It’s resistant to fire."

The look of realization on his face gave her an idea of why he was asking.

"It’s not completely immune to fire, if you’re thinking of using it against that Desolation. It amplifies my existing fire resistance, then gives the robe itself the same resistance. Besides, I don’t think heat is the only thing we need to worry about when facing that being."

That existing resistance came from her Bloodline Trait, Blood Fever, which made her blood boil until her body burst into flames. Besides increasing her muscle strength and allowing her to release scorching flames from her body, it also passively increased her fire resistance.

Even after her clarification, Magna didn’t seem ready to give up on the idea. "How much amplification are we talking about?"

He didn’t have any specific fire resistance to use as a base, but his high stamina already provided some resistance to every element. If that could serve as the base, even a 10% increase against fire would be quite useful.

What interested him most, though, was whether the robe would also copy its wearer’s defenses, instead of providing a fixed level of protection limited to elemental resistance.

’Wouldn’t that mean wearing something like that would greatly increase my defense?’

Thinking about it that way, he was beginning to realize just how OP their artifacts were. Armor that could copy his durability, then add another 10% or more on top of it, would definitely be a legendary item or higher in any game.

"It nearly doubles my resistance."

Renna’s answer left his mouth hanging open.

The 10% he had been imagining now seemed like a joke compared to double. If Renna’s fire resistance was 10, her clothes would have a fire resistance of 20.

That reminded him of the mutation that had offered him 10% fire resistance before. He couldn’t help wondering how well it would have worked with an artifact like this.

"What about general defense? Does it increase the wearer’s overall durability too?"

A bonus against the elements was good, but if it could improve his physical durability as well, that would be even better.

Renna nodded. "Yes, but not as much as elemental resistance. The increases to defense, durability, strength, and speed are usually about half as much."

Seeing his interest, she explained further. "There are differences between what Witches and Shadows wear. Witches’ robes mainly increase elemental resistance and spell power, depending on their abilities and the color of their robes. Shadows’ armor focuses more on all-defense, strength, and speed."

The more Magna heard, the more he realized what he was missing most in his current life.

Clothes.

Well, not because he was half-naked. These artifacts were just so good that he wanted to try one for himself.

"We have a spare set now. You could take it." Renna’s voice grew a little sad as she looked toward the Shadows standing nearby, still holding the empty armor.

It was the armor belonging to the attack unit. Glowing lines ran across the dark red armor like magma was enough detail showing its connection with fire. It had been crafted mainly to increase attack power and overall speed, though it also provided a boost to general defense and some extra fire resistance.

Despite those benefits, Magna’s excitement faded as he looked at it. Wearing the armor of a dead man he had known wasn’t a pleasant thought.

’I don’t think even that armor would help me much against the monster.’ Which brought him back to the main issue.

He tried imagining the fight with that extra protection, but it still looked like he would be getting bullied without being able to do anything back.

He needed something more than armor. With no better idea coming to mind, he turned to the one who might know how to deal with the creature.

’Gaia, if you have any good ideas, now’s the time to speak.’

He hoped the silent AI might offer some advice, or at least tell him her child’s weaknesses. Unfortunately, no response came, even when he tried giving her a direct command.

Without her help, they were no closer to finding a quick solution for the approaching calamity. They finally decided to return to the tent and think things through more carefully.

Magna needed the rest too. He still looked worn out, and although he healed quickly, he couldn’t recover from all of this without giving his body some time.

As the Shadows and Witches returned to their duties, mostly dealing with the fires suddenly breaking out in the farms around the camp, Magna followed Renna to her tent to rest and discuss a better plan.

Thankfully, she also had some medicine for his burns that could help him heal faster.

Her personal tent wasn’t very large. It was only meant for one person, with a small bed and a cabinet inside.

"Sit there." She pointed to the bed.

Magna walked over, only to hesitate before sitting down as he looked at himself.

He hadn’t showered since arriving here. Traveling by jumping around hadn’t helped either, leaving dark ash clinging to him until he looked as though he had been working in a coal mine without proper equipment.

"Just sit." Renna noticed his hesitation and insisted until he finally lowered himself onto the bed.

Once he was seated, she opened a drawer in the cabinet, took out a jar of cream, then returned to him.

"My grandmother made this. She used to put it on me whenever I burned myself practicing spells." A bitter smile crossed her face as she opened the lid.

Her fire resistance hadn’t always been high enough to protect her. It had increased as she developed her Bloodline Trait, but before that, even the flames from her own trait had sometimes burned and injured her.

She dipped a finger into the white cream before looking over the wounds on Magna’s chest, arms, and stomach.

"They’re not exactly burns, but this should still help a little."

The wounds looked like a mixture of burns and corrosion, as though his skin had started to rust. Still, she began applying the cream directly to them.

Magna felt a slight sting at first, though it wasn’t enough to make him flinch. The cool, refreshing feeling of the cream soon followed.

Combined with her fingers moving gently over his skin, it was actually quite pleasant.

Watching her apply it, however, made him frown slightly.

"Don’t you need to sterilize the wounds first or something?"

He felt foolish as soon as he asked. It wasn’t as though ordinary dirt or bacteria could give him an infection. Anything capable of harming his body probably wouldn’t be something a little water could wash away anyway.

"Sterilize? What did you have in mind? I can burn your wounds again if you want them clean." She laughed as she continued applying the cream.

"Yeah, never mind." He glanced away, feeling a little embarrassed that he was still thinking by Earth’s standards.