Chapter 50 Shield

Xia Nan took armor seriously.

Very seriously.

His body had become much tougher than before, and Bronze Sinews and Iron Bones gave him a certain degree of physical damage reduction.

But he was not delusional.

If someone hit him head-on with a sharp enough weapon and enough force behind it, he was still going to have a very bad day.

For a low-level adventurer, good armor was practically a second life.

So the moment Xia Nan realized he could not confidently choose between the two sets of medium armor, he did the sensible thing.

He asked the expert.

“First, think about weight.”

Barn stroked the thick beard braid hanging over his chest.

“They’re both medium armor, but the scale armor is noticeably heavier.”

He gave Xia Nan a serious look.

“Protection matters, but not if the armor interferes with your movement.”

Reasonable.

With Barn’s permission, Xia Nan took down both sets and tried them on one after the other.

The result surprised him.

Neither was a problem.

With his current physical condition, even the heavier medium armor felt only slightly heavier than the leather armor he had worn before his second quest.

It was nowhere near enough to hinder normal movement.

Barn nodded after watching him move around.

“Then the next thing to consider is what you actually do.”

Xia Nan listened carefully.

“If you’re a bounty hunter who mainly takes Association jobs targeting bandits and outlaws, I’d recommend the scale armor.”

Barn gestured toward it.

“It covers more of the body and performs well against arrows and spears. That’s especially useful when you’re fighting intelligent opponents.”

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

“But if you mainly make your living hunting monsters in the Misty Forest…”

Barn tapped the chain shirt.

“This is the better choice.”

“It makes less noise while you move, so you’re less likely to attract monsters unnecessarily.”

He continued, “And because the structure is relatively simple, maintenance is easy. Even if you’re stuck in the forest for ten days or half a month, you won’t have to worry about its defensive performance dropping too much.”

That explanation settled the matter.

Xia Nan’s hesitation vanished.

Between fighting vicious bandits who used traps, ambushes, and underhanded tricks…

And fighting the greenskin goblins in the Misty Forest that he could cut down with one strike…

He knew which he preferred.

“The chain shirt.”

Barn nodded.

The ruined leather armor was already gone, so there was no reason to package the replacement.

Xia Nan paid the 50 gold and put the chain shirt on immediately.

Metal settled against his body with a reassuring weight.

A faint sense of security rose from somewhere deep inside him.

Xia Nan adjusted the fit.

[If I stopped dodging entirely and just traded blows head-on…]

A bugbear flashed through his mind.

[How many hits could I take now?]

It was a dangerous question.

But a strangely satisfying one.

Even after upgrading his armor, Xia Nan did not leave Rockhammer.

There was still one more thing.

And in some ways, it was the most important purchase of all.

“Hm?”

Barn’s eyes widened slightly.

On the counter lay a black scale.

Sunlight struck its surface, but instead of shining brightly, it reflected a deep, muted gleam.

Barn’s years of experience told him immediately that it came from some kind of monster.

But that was only the beginning.

“Ding!”

A small, finely made hammer struck the scale.

The sound that rang through the smithy was crisp and metallic.

Barn’s expression changed.

He had handled more forging materials than most people would see in a lifetime.

Even without conducting any proper tests, his rough hands could already feel the scale’s extraordinary hardness and toughness.

He looked up.

“Where did you…”

The question stopped halfway out of his mouth.

Barn closed it again.

Then swallowed the rest.

In his profession, especially when dealing with adventurers, knowing when not to ask questions was an important skill.

Xia Nan appreciated that.

“What do you think?”

He kept his expression neutral.

“If I use this scale as the main material, can you forge a piece of equipment from it?”

He had never forgotten the snake scale he had found in the cave.

If anything, this piece of material ranked even higher in his mind than the scabbard and the new armor.

Back then, Xia Nan had attacked the enormous snake with everything he had.

He had even used Spinning Slash.

And still, he had failed to leave so much as a mark.

That absurd defensive power had made a deep impression on him.

Almost the moment he returned to Rivervale Town, he had started wondering what kind of equipment could be made from the scale.

“Give me a minute.”

Barn’s entire demeanor changed.

The moment the problem entered his professional territory, curiosity and excitement took over.

He picked up the scale, held it beneath the sunlight spilling through the entrance, and narrowed his eyes.

“Could set it into the center of a breastplate…”

Barn muttered to himself.

“Use it to reinforce the vital area. Even with a plate armor design, it could keep the protection high while reducing weight.”

He frowned.

“But that feels wasteful.”

He turned the scale over.

“Cut it apart and make scale armor?”

Another pause.

“The edges are sharp enough. Could make a dagger, maybe a short sword…”

Barn immediately shook his head.

“No. No, that’s even more wasteful.”

Then his gaze stopped.

The scale had an unusual shape.

Long and diamond-like.

Wide toward both ends.

Narrower through the middle.

Barn’s eyes lit up.

“An arm shield!”

He suddenly looked at Xia Nan.

“How about an arm shield?”

Before Xia Nan could answer, Barn hurried to one of the display racks.

He rummaged around and pulled out a finely made round metal shield that gleamed silver in the light.

“Something like this!”

Barn held it up.

“Of course, if we’re using your scale as the main material, the finished shield won’t be round.”

He glanced back at the black scale.

“The color will be different too.”

Xia Nan was already interested.

He knew a little about arm shields.

Essentially, they were small shields strapped directly to the arm.

Compact.

Lightweight.

Convenient.

Most importantly, they would not interfere much with his current fighting style.

His main weapon, the Decapitating Longsword, required two hands.

A full-sized shield would be awkward.

An arm shield was different.

When he needed to defend, he could angle the shield on the outside of his forearm toward the incoming attack.

And depending on the situation, his other hand could still look for an opportunity to strike.

It would also reduce how often he had to block attacks directly with his sword blade.

The more Xia Nan thought about it, the better the idea became.

The snake scale already had a long diamond shape.

Combine that with his fighting style…

An arm shield really did seem like the best use of the material.

“All right.”

Xia Nan nodded.

“Make it an arm shield.”

Barn should have looked pleased.

Instead, a trace of regret crossed his face.

“Unfortunately, the Association has placed a lot of orders lately.”

He sighed.

“I’ve used up quite a few materials.”

Xia Nan waited.

Barn looked down at the scale again.

“Otherwise, with material this strong, if I examined it properly and matched it with the right components…”

His eyes gleamed.

“I might be able to make a piece of magic equipment.”

Xia Nan froze.

“Magic equipment!?”

Then his brain caught up.

The answer came instantly.

“That’s fine. I can wait!”

He leaned forward.

“How much will it cost?”