Serum

“Can I watch you finish your helmet?”

“I suppose.”

Dirk shrugged while walking out of the room. 

Upon waking, he and Pandora hadn’t said much to each other. He was still processing their succinct talk last night, accepting the fact that, for once, he wasn’t going to doubt her every move. 

After they ate a morning meal, Dirk said that he was going to forge. Since Pandora apparently didn’t have anything to do, she wanted to follow him. 

So the two went back to the Palace of Bellows, getting a room. 

There, Dirk brought out his helmet. The overall shape was already there, so all he needed to do was sharpen it up and finalize the details. 

Pandora watched as he heated the helmet inside the fire pit with the living fire from his gloves. 

The helmet resembled not a knightly helmet, but a futuristic helmet from Earth. 

It covered the neck and had its own sleek shape that wholly covered his face. There were no weak points to exploit like openings for the eyes or mouth. 

And it was infused heavily with metal mana, leaving no room for any of the other elements. 

This was how many of the strongest armors were created. Such rigid metal mana would reject any form of magical or physical disturbance. It was so effective, in fact, that enough metal mana acted as a form of magic resistance. 

Of course, armor pieces like this also couldn’t be enchanted with other elements, denying any form of utility. For some, this was unacceptable. 

But to the side, Pandora was more so curious about Obsidius than the helmet. 

The blob could apparently absorb pieces of armor and add them to its armor body. How this integration occurred, she wasn’t entirely sure. Especially when it would come to pieces like this helmet. 

Thankfully, the wait wasn’t too long. 

Dirk finished the final touches within the hour, and then, he went through a tempering process. 

For basic metals, the tempering process was a way of hardening the metallic structure of the material, giving it certain properties that could make it tougher, more resistant to deformation, or the opposite. 

But working with magical metals was different. 

Sure, the atomic tempering still occurred, but there was also a tempering of the mana within the metal. If the mana was turbulent, then it wouldn’t be as effective within the product. 

The metal mana within the helmet needed to be solidified and hardened in its own way. This would make it several times tougher. 

And this tempering occurred through a series of steps that could be considered pseudo-enchanting. 

Dirk recalled some runic formations within his mind, ones that Tobasden had taught him when he had returned to Horizon. 

And he wrote them not with metal mana in the air, but with the metal mana already present in the helmet. 

His finger touched the back of the helmet before tracing, drawing a complex series of runes. It looked like he was engraving the helmet, and the impressions he drew covered its entire backside. 

Pandora watched from the side with interest. She enjoyed seeing Dirk become so engrossed in forging, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe seeing him show such passion for something other than killing had her a bit wondrous. 

Finally, once he finished engraving the runes, they melded into the helmet and disappeared. After that, all the mana within was locked to the metal before hardening. 

When that happened, the helmet rapidly cooled from a dull red to a deep silver. All the fire mana from the living flame was driven out. 

Just like that, it was finished. 

Dirk took a deep breath as Obsidius slid off his hands, bouncing around in glee. 

He smiled and grabbed the helmet with one hand. 

The helmet couldn’t actually be slid onto his head. It wasn’t built with that in mind. 

With a thought, Dirk willed the scale armor into his other hand. Like the helmet, it was a single piece that couldn’t be undone and slipped onto his body.

Obsidius continued to bounce atop the anvil. 

“Here. Do what you need.”

Dirk said that while laying the armor pieces beside the blob. 

Then, the blob suddenly grew. 

Its mass multiplied while engulfing the armor, swallowing it whole. 

Then, the blob shrunk back down, going still. 

It was like this for a while, and Dirk wondered if it was actually digesting his armor. 

But then, the body of the slime flashed as lines appeared across its body. 

These lines morphed into dozens of different forms, looking like wriggling worms across the slime’s surface. 

And the blob rolled off the anvil, hitting the floor before suddenly growing. 

Pandora watched with great interest. 

She saw the slime suddenly turn silver and expand. Before long, she actually saw the helmet appear, almost like it was built from the body of the slime. 

And then, from the neck came the rest of the scale armor. 

The slime grew, and everything appeared one bit at a time, the armor growing with the body of the slime. Each scale, each chain, and each piece of leather appeared one segment at a time. 

Spyte appeared at this moment and analyzed the armor. Subsequently, she found that the armor appeared exactly as Dirk had built it. There were no flaws or deviations. 

The process took around 5 minutes to complete. After that time, Dirk saw the entirety of both pieces of armor. 

The scale armor looked just like the sleek body of those black lightning snakes in the major dungeon he and Pandora had gone through with the Grand Marshal Victoria. And each scale was blessed with the ability to easily conduct lightning and absorb copious amounts of heat, along with tanking lots of physical damage. 

Like a net that dispersed the force of an object across its entirety, this scale armor was able to absorb most of the damage that came its way. Dirk could barely put a hole through a single scale using the fullest extent of his Aura with a knife. So trying to destroy many at once would be far more difficult. 

Of course, the lightning snakes weren’t known for their defensive abilities. In fact, that was their downside despite everything. Their strength lay in their speed and lightning attacks. The only reason Dirk was able to use their corpses as materials was precisely because their defenses were weaker than others their level. 

But for Dirk’s level, after combining these scales with the metal from that monstrous turtle shell, he managed to make an exceptionally strong piece of armor that was more than good enough for the enemies he could fight. Anything that could easily break through his armor could also easily kill him. 

After forming all the armor, Obsidius shrunk back down once again, bouncing over to Dirk and sticking to his leg. 

Then, the slime covered Dirk’s body and spawned the armor, just like it would usually do with its armor body. 

After a few moments, Dirk appeared fully armored. 

Pandora observed the armor as he moved his limbs around. 

“Congratulations! How does it feel?”

“Just as I envisioned. Then again, I think Obsidius has a hand in how well its morphing to my body.”

As he moved, Dirk could feel the effects Obsidius had on the armor. 

For one, the black armor body of Obsidius formed the first layer around Dirk’s skin. Everything else was layered on top of that second skin. 

Not only that, but Dirk was able to sense how the armor was connected to Obsidius’ armor body. 

It wasn’t simply sitting atop the black skin. Instead, it had merged with the armor body itself, the entire thing becoming a single piece. Because of this, Obsidius could adjust the armor however it needed. 

And because Obsidius was integrally connected with Dirk, he could feel all the little details of the armor. 

He could feel the conductivity of the scales, the heavy metal of the helmet, and the strength of the chain links. 

With a thought, he raised his arm and sparks of lightning arced across the scales. They gave off heat, and Dirk could feel how easy it would be to launch a lightning attack using the scales as the medium. 

This, combined with the fact that Dirk completed muscle destruction, meant he could utilize lightning far more than he used to. While he may not use it offensively, using it to multiply his reflexes and power would become an integral part of his arsenal. 

At this moment, Dirk’s combat power had risen to a new height. 

Pandora recognized this as well from the side as she watched him clench his fists. She had a read on just about all of Dirk’s abilities, so besides himself, she knew the best just how strong he had become. 

Now, he would need to put it to the test. 

Pandora suddenly spoke. 

“I have a matter to discuss with you, now that you’re finished.”

“What is it?”

Hearing the serious topic, Dirk willed the armor away, Obsidius retreating to its nest atop his head. 

Pandora sat back in a chair while looking up at the blindfold over Dirk’s eyes. 

“Yesterday, I was scouting the stronghold a bit, getting a read on its population. And I found something both interesting and concerning.”

“The Church?”

“So you saw them too.”

Dirk nodded. While wandering the city and plotting escape routes, he had spotted several members of the Sovereign Church, along with a temple. 

Pandora sighed. 

“They seem to have a large presence here, no doubt because of their healing abilities. In fact, the Dwarven Haven as a whole is one of their main headquarters. I would say the only other place they have greater influence at is the hyprid empire Unity, and tied with them is the World Tree. This is a fact we need to keep in mind, since they’re basically our enemies in this War. They might be an obstacle in obtaining the Key Artifact.”

“Alright.”

“Well, that’s the only thing I really needed to warn you about. I’m almost done with my spell. However, even after finishing it’ll take time to lure the Artifact out of the Lair. In that time, I suggest you find some battles to fight. I’m going to be occupied with business and operating that spell.”

“Sure.”

The two stood with those words, leaving the forge.

“Oh, also.”

Pandora suddenly remembered as they walked through the city, switching her language to English. 

“The Key Artifact is sentient and mobile. When it comes out, we’ll need to subdue and grab it. This will happen on the battlefield, and the Artifact may catch the attention of those above us. Plan for that inevitability, because not only do we need to grab it, but we need to leave with it. And, here’s something you can use.”

She reached over and handed Dirk a black crystal, one filled with dark mana. 

After that, she explained what it was and how it worked. Hearing everything, Dirk realized what he needed to do. 

He took several more of those as they arrived at their residence. 

There, they saw Exos standing outside their door. Upon arrival, the dwarf faced them with his usuall prim appearance. 

“Lady Pandora, I was hoping I could ask something of you.”

“Yes?”

“I wish to go out and fight some beasts. You see, most of my augmentations are built with combat in mind. I would frequently go hunting in order to raise more funds for my projects. So I was hoping you could speak to the Generals and have me placed in a unit so I could get some exercise.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you were a skilled fighter.”

Pandora was pleasantly surprised, eyeing Exos with curiosity. 

He wasn’t built with layers of muscles like normal dwarves. He was lean, which would be considered skinny by dwarven standards. And in a suit with his precisely kept appearance, he didn’t seem like he could take a hit, let alone dish one out. 

But Exos seemed offended by Pandora’s words, frowning ever so slightly. 

“I may not be normal, but I’m still a dwarf, and my work is built for fighters. It would be worthless unless it could survive high level combat, and in order to prove it, I have personally tested it and succeeded in no small share of battles. I’m a Tier 5 Metal Mage and can kill a Tier 6 beast with difficulty. If I couldn’t do this much, then I may as well have given up on my dream.”

“I see…”

Pandora slowly nodded. And from the side, Dirk was reevaluating Exos. 

He had already seen Tier 5 power within him. It was nothing that Dirk would feel threatened by, but it seemed Exos hid more power than he initially realized since he could kill a Tier 6 beast at all. 

It was impressive for a kid who used to be so disadvantaged. 

Pandora turned to Dirk with a smile. 

“Well Exos, we just so happened to be on the way to see the Generals. Dirk here also intends to go test his wit in no man’s land. So it would be perfect if you could join him. At the very least, you wouldn’t need to worry about your life with him there.”

“I understand.”

Exos nodded, eyeing Dirk with the same curious gaze. Dirk had yet to show any of his combat ability, but since he was walking around with Princess Pandora, he surely couldn’t be some nobody. 

With that planned, the trio made their way to the headquarters where they met General Umangot. 

“How can I help you, Princess?”

He asked as they appeared in his office. Business was as usual, and people like him didn’t step out unless something seriously major was happening. 

Pandora was succinct, expressing their desire for Dirk and Exos to enter a unit to help combat the monster hordes. 

The General was surprised by this, not expecting guests to volunteer their services. But since they were, he didn’t see a reason to refuse. In fact, he was quiet eager to accept. 

“Very well. You both are close combat fighters?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll place you in a Reclamation squad. They’re headed by Rank 6’s, so you’ll be in good hands so long as you take care of yourself. But since you’re not trained in our standard procedure, you’ll also be responsible for preserving your life should you fail to keep up.”

Umangot warned seriously. He couldn’t expect to teach them how to operate with a squadron of dwarves, so it would be up to them to adapt accordingly. 

Pandora smiled reassuringly. 

“Don’t worry, General. If one of them dies, then they can only blame themselves. I don’t expect you to hold their hand.”

“Mm. Very well. I’ll send a message tonight. Report back here tomorrow and I’ll send you off from there.”

“Understood.”

Having those plans made, the parties bid goodbye for the day. 

Dirk decided to train his mana that night before going to bed. All he needed to do was comprehend the runes for the next step in his Mana Heart technique, so some hours were spent on that. 

And after settling into bed, Dirk went to sleep with Pandora curled beside him.