Chapter 245: The Birth of the First Magus Set (Part 3)

The Shadow armor, now turned into a Magus Robe, originally had the effect of doubling its wearer’s fire resistance, increasing their base defense by 30%, and doubling their muscle strength and speed.

Those were good bonuses, but after experiencing the Bleeding Desolation’s aura himself, Magna knew they weren’t enough.

’First, I need to improve the fire resistance and add corrosion resistance.’

The heat alone had nearly stopped him from approaching the monster, but it hadn’t been the only thing damaging his body. There had also been that strange effect that left his skin looking rusty.

Magna was sure it had something to do with the blood that formed the creature’s body. Its aura had felt like an invisible pool of blood dispersed through the air as gas. Combined with the unbearable heat, that corrosive effect had damaged his body faster than it could heal.

Even if he protected his skin from it, he would still be breathing that air into his lungs. His eyes had suffered too, so covering his body alone wouldn’t solve the problem.

With that in mind, he decided to start with the Magus Hat.

He pointed his finger at it and cast the spell again. Green light spread across the fabric, forming words along the broad brim.

"Preserve the existing fire resistance. Add resistance to corrosion across all material layers."

The words moved through the hat, tracing its woven surface. Magna watched his mana reserve as he pictured the material resisting the same kind of deterioration he had seen on his skin.

Of course, imagination alone wasn’t enough. To achieve that effect, he was replacing the materials in some layers with corrosion-resistant ones he had read about in Renna’s book.

That required more mana than his earlier changes. This time, he was changing the materials themselves and their properties, rather than just their appearance and form.

By the time he finished, this step alone had cost him 18% mana. He had expected as much, though. Once the hat itself could resist the corrosion, he moved on to protecting his face.

"Extend the inner lining into a detachable face covering. Use soft black fabric. Anchor it beneath the brim on both sides."

Thin folds of black cloth descended from inside the hat. They spread downward, forming a fitted mask long enough to cover his nose, mouth, and chin, with an extra section that would tuck into the robe’s high collar.

Magna adjusted its shape until there were no loose openings around the sides.

He didn’t want a rigid mask pressing against his face either. The fabric had to remain flexible enough for him to speak and make the sounds he needed to cast spells.

Once he was satisfied with the fit, he focused on what would pass through it.

"Keep the fabric breathable. Filter corrosive substances from incoming air."

Fine layers formed inside the cloth as he changed the materials within them, spending another 5% mana on the mask alone.

It was still a small price for the protection it would provide. The outer layer would keep harmful substances from passing through, while the layers beneath it would provide another barrier before the air reached his mouth and nose.

But even after being filtered, that air would still be hot.

To deal with that, he turned his attention to the glowing lines around the brim.

Those magma-like lines were made from the Volcanic Snail’s slimy flesh. Their purpose wasn’t actually to improve the armor’s fire resistance. They provided the wearer’s strength boost instead.

Magna decided he could sacrifice some of that extra strength for protection. Another material he had found in Renna’s book seemed suitable for replacing the snail flesh.

"Replace the Volcanic Snail flesh with Deep Frozen Sea Jellyfish blood. Route it through the brim and face covering."

As soon as he gave the command, his mana reserve began dropping rapidly. Changing a material this rare clearly required far more mana than turning ash into soil.

Fortunately, the snail flesh and jellyfish blood were similar in quality, allowing the spell to follow the principle of equivalent exchange. He was trading one material for another of equal value, so he only had to pay the mana cost of the conversion.

As the replacement took place, the orange-red glow slowly faded. A pale blue light flowed around the brim in its place, branching into fine lines hidden between the mask’s layers.

What he had in mind worked on the same principle as the liquid-cooling system in a computer.

Instead of letting heat collect in one place, the connected channels would carry it away while the frost effect kept the circulating fluid cold.

The mask would filter the air first, then cool it before he breathed it in. With the same cooling system running around the entire Magus Hat, it would help keep his whole head cool too.

Magna studied the result for a moment. His mouth and nose were covered now, but the space above the mask still left his eyes exposed.

For that part, he decided to use a material from Earth rather than this universe.

"Extend the protective covering around the eyes. Convert that section into transparent tempered-glass lenses. Keep the surrounding fabric flexible."

Since the spell couldn’t create something out of nothing, the cloth first extended over the eye area before changing into a pair of thin, dark-tinted glass lenses that followed the shape of the upper face. The surrounding fabric sealed around their edges, leaving no gaps for the hot, corrosive air to enter.

Unlike the previous changes, this one barely cost him any mana.

’Is it because I chose a material from Earth?’

Tempered glass wasn’t some fantastical material. It was made by processing a mixture of ordinary raw materials, which might explain why the spell could produce it so easily.

Whatever the reason, it was a welcome surprise when he had so little mana left. As long as the material was strong enough to protect him, that was all he needed.

From outside, the lenses looked like a narrow black section beneath the brim. From inside, he would still be able to see through them.

With his entire face covered, he made one final adjustment to the attachments. The covering could now move up and down like a motorcycle helmet’s visor, letting him lift it without taking off the hat. He could also detach it completely when he didn’t need it.

Magna carefully looked over the finished product.

The soft black mask sat discreetly beneath the brim, with most of the cooling lines hidden inside its layers. Around the hat’s edge, the former orange-red glow had become a thin blue line.

Whether those changes would be enough was something he still needed to test. The filter and cooling effect had limits, they wouldn’t make the air around the Desolation harmless.

But at least now, he had something meant to protect his eyes and lungs instead of simply hoping his body could endure it.

Of course, that protection hadn’t come cheaply. Modifying the hat alone had consumed almost as much mana as turning the entire armor set into cloth, leaving him with only 3%.

Still, it was worth it, not just because he now had new clothes, but because he had a design that was his alone.