Chapter 83 Snake-Scale Arm Shield

[Snake-Scale Arm Shield (Temporary)]

Type: Arm Shield

Rank: Common (White)

Effects: Greater Toughness, +300% Corrosion Damage Resistance

Description:

A temporary defensive item crafted from a scale belonging to some powerful extraplanar creature.

Note:

“Sss… (flicks tongue)”

…

The arm shield before Xia Nan was pitch-black and roughly the length of his forearm.

The snake scale he had obtained from the cave’s hidden realm had been preserved intact, set into the light but sturdy metal base like a dark gemstone.

The shield itself was diamond-shaped.

Its surface was smooth and slightly curved, while the edges tapered to sharp lines.

A combination of straps and a handgrip gave Xia Nan two options.

He could actively grip the shield to brace harder against incoming attacks, or fasten it to his forearm and keep his left hand free for normal movement.

Beneath the metal base was a layer of leather padding, which reduced the burden on his arm and helped conserve stamina during extended use.

Xia Nan took the shield from Barn and strapped it onto his left forearm.

He clenched his fingers.

Raised the shield.

Shifted his stance.

Then tried several defensive movements.

His eyes lit up.

Good.

For one thing, Barn had followed Xia Nan’s original request perfectly.

The snake scale itself remained intact and had not been deeply fused into the metal base.

That meant if Xia Nan ever obtained the right resources in the future, he could remove the scale without too much trouble and use it to forge a truly high-level piece of equipment capable of bringing out its full defensive potential.

For another…

The arm shield used plenty of metal, but it seemed similar to the steel used in the scabbard of the wooden sword on his back.

It was surprisingly light.

Of course, claiming it weighed nothing would have been nonsense.

But with Xia Nan’s current physical abilities, the weight barely mattered.

He could probably wear it while eating and sleeping without noticing much difference.

“I already thought that scale of yours was unusually tough.”

Barn watched Xia Nan test the shield, satisfaction appearing on his face.

“But once I actually started forging with it, the defensive performance was even better than I expected.”

He stroked his beard.

“Work hard. Save some money.”

“Material of this quality is more than enough to make a magic item.”

Xia Nan nodded absently.

His attention was already fixed on the attribute panel floating before his eyes.

Just as Barn said, the arm shield was still only a Common, white-tier item.

Yet perhaps because the snake scale itself was absurdly strong, the equipment had somehow gained two attributes despite its low rank.

[Greater Toughness]

[+300% Corrosion Damage Resistance]

Xia Nan had no idea how large the practical boost from either effect actually was.

Still…

“Greater.”

“300%.”

Those were not subtle numbers.

For a Common item, the thing felt more than a little overpowered.

“Well?”

Barn saw the look on his face and grinned.

“Want to test it?”

Xia Nan’s eyes brightened immediately.

The attribute panel already told him Barn’s craftsmanship was excellent.

He did not need an actual fight to know the shield had no hidden quality issues.

But new equipment was new equipment.

Of course he wanted to try it.

Besides, Xia Nan probably would not be taking another mission anytime soon.

This was a good chance.

“Let’s do it.”

…

Business happened to be slow that morning.

With time to spare, Barn personally led Xia Nan into the courtyard behind the blacksmith shop.

The yard was huge.

Nearly as large as two Rockhammer shops combined.

Unlike the neatly organized storefront, however, the courtyard was cluttered with metal scraps, unfinished equipment, and miscellaneous ironwork scattered everywhere.

Xia Nan ignored the mess.

He strapped on the arm shield, drew the Decapitating Longsword, wrapped both hands around the hilt, and swung several times through empty air.

His satisfaction grew.

The diamond-shaped shield extended much wider than his forearm on both sides.

Xia Nan had worried that it might interfere with his two-handed swordsmanship.

Now that he had actually tried it, the concern vanished.

No problem at all.

Scrape…

A harsh metallic noise sounded behind him.

Xia Nan turned.

Barn was striding over with an armful of oddly shaped metal objects.

They all seemed to be unfinished pieces.

The workmanship looked rough and incomplete. Several sword-like weapons did not even have guards, their bare blades joining directly into plain grips.

“Clang.”

Barn casually dumped the whole pile onto the ground.

Then he reached down and pulled out a one-handed sword.

Standing more than two meters tall, Barn was so enormous that the weapon looked almost like a short dagger in his hand.

He gave it a few experimental swings, then looked at Xia Nan.

“Ready?”

Xia Nan lowered his center of gravity.

His left hand clenched tight as he raised the arm shield before him.

“Come on.”

Clang!

A violent gust whipped Xia Nan’s black hair beside his ears.

The moment the sword struck the shield, a huge, concentrated force slammed into him from the front.

His planted feet skidded back.

One step.

Two.

Xia Nan immediately looked down.

The shield remained pitch-black.

Smooth.

Untouched.

More importantly, when Barn’s strike landed, the shield’s slightly raised, curved surface had seemed to spread the impact outward instead of letting all that force drive straight into Xia Nan’s arm.

“How’s that?”

Barn tossed the one-handed sword aside.

“Pretty good, right?”

He crouched beside the weapon pile and pulled out a short axe.

“We’ve tested piercing.”

A grin spread beneath his beard.

“Want to try chopping?”

Whoosh!

Barn’s arm muscles swelled.

Each one was nearly as thick as an adult man’s thigh, and veins rose beneath the skin.

The short axe tore through the air with enough force to make it shriek.

Its gleaming blade smashed down onto the arm shield.

Clang!

Sparks burst outward.

For a split second, the mirror-smooth black surface reflected something spinning through the air.

The broken axe head.

Xia Nan stared.

The arm shield did not have so much as a scratch.

…

With the pitch-black arm shield secured to his left forearm, Xia Nan tied his coin pouch back around his waist and left the blacksmith shop.

As part of his payment for guarding the caravan, Barn had waived the labor fee for the shield.

The customized work had originally been priced at thirty-five gold.

In the end, Barn had only charged a token material fee.

Seven gold.

Xia Nan even suspected the man had deliberately undercharged him.

Aside from the snake scale itself, the other materials used for the shield were obviously high quality.

As for the light plate armor taken from Ingram, Xia Nan had not brought it along.

It was still hidden in his room at the inn.

The sheriff’s disappearance might have been suppressed by some unknown force, but Xia Nan had no intention of becoming careless.

He planned to stick to his original idea.

Wait a few days.

Let the matter cool down.

Then bring the plate armor to Barn and have him alter its appearance.

With Xia Nan’s current physical abilities, as long as it did not interfere too much with his movement, he could wear the plate armor over the chain shirt.

Two layers of defense.

His survivability would rise another step.

As for the next few days…

No missions.

Absolutely not.

A completely ordinary guard assignment had somehow led to undead, a hidden conspiracy, a sheriff trying to kill him, and a church that was suspicious in ways Xia Nan did not even want to think about.

If he left town again now, who knew what new disaster he would stumble into?

Better to stay quietly in Rivervale Town until the class holder hired by the Half-Elf arrived.

Learn the combat technique first.

Everything else could wait.