Chapter 463 - 437: Tailor-Made Power Armor

Chapter 463: Chapter 437: Tailor-Made Power Armor

Roland glanced at the sign that read "Defective Items" and shook his head with a sigh.

Still, with the thought that he might as well look since he was already here, he stepped forward and began to carefully examine every item on the shelves.

But just as the sign indicated, these things really did seem...

...a bit off.

He picked up a palm-sized metal disc covered in tiny holes.

He tried to inject a sliver of Energy into it, but it only warmed up slightly and let out a wisp of green smoke before falling silent.

’This thing... looks like a... failed hand warmer?’

Next, Roland picked up a cylindrical object with a trigger and a complex lens. He aimed it at the wall and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. There was only the CLICK of something jamming inside.

’And this one... a broken flashlight, maybe?’

Shaking his head slightly, his gaze fell on a small, exquisitely crafted box with ornate reliefs on its surface.

He instinctively opened it. Inside were several small metal reeds and gears.

’Is this... a music box?’

He gently plucked one of the reeds, but it only produced a dry, distorted noise, with no semblance of a melody.

Muttering self-deprecatingly, Roland pulled a relatively large and clean dust cloth from a nearby pile of junk and spread it on the ground.

Then, he carefully picked up these seemingly useless "defective items" one by one, examined them for a moment, and then gently placed them on the cloth, preparing to wrap them up and take them with him.

’What if I’ve misjudged them? Or maybe I just don’t know how to use them properly?’

With this thought, Roland once again picked up an item—a dark-silver bracelet of a simple, unadorned design.

"Hm?"

He paused.

The bracelet was forged from an unknown, dark-silver metal. It was warm and smooth to the touch. The craftsmanship was exquisite, with fluid, perfect lines, and the seam was nearly invisible. Its surface was polished to a mirror finish.

Compared to the crude or structurally imbalanced "defective items" around it, this looked more like a masterfully completed work of art.

Roland frowned slightly and brought it closer to his eyes.

The sphere of light circling him emitted a steady glow. He narrowed his eyes and looked closely at the inner side of the bracelet.

He saw, on the smooth inner surface, a line of tiny text, engraved in a somewhat messy but uniquely charming script.

To my dearest friend, may it guide your way.

Roland’s gaze lingered on the inscription, unmoving.

It wasn’t the warm, heartfelt blessing that captivated him, but rather...

’This Engraving...’

His fingers gently traced the grooves of the Engraving, his brow furrowing even tighter.

The edges of the Engraving weren’t smooth and uniform like those made by a machine; instead, they had the subtle roughness unique to handcrafted work.

It was as if someone had used an extremely fine file or engraving needle to carve it by hand, bit by bit.

’This handwriting...’

A strange sense of familiarity washed over him.

He was sure he had seen a similar style of handwriting somewhere before, but no matter how he searched his memory, he couldn’t clearly match it to any specific person.

The feeling was like looking at something through a piece of frosted glass—blurry, yet real.

Finally, he could only shake his head, temporarily abandoning the chase for that elusive sense of familiarity.

’Maybe it’s just a feeling of déjà vu...’

With that thought, Roland was about to place the bracelet into the cloth bundle on the ground.

However, just as his hand was about to let go of the bracelet...

An extremely faint, yet incredibly clear, strange sensation, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, suddenly rippled deep within his soul.

The feeling was not a fluctuation of Energy, nor a physical touch, but a more fundamental, more direct... resonance.

It was as if, deep within the cold bracelet, a sleeping "fragment" whose frequency was subtly attuned to his own soul had been stirred awake the moment he touched it.

Like a long-sealed lock meeting the only key that could resonate with it, it let out a faint, imperceptible chime that only the soul could hear.

Roland’s hand froze in mid-air, his pupils constricting slightly.

He suddenly tightened his grip on the bracelet, all his attention focused on this seemingly ordinary object that had now formed a mysterious connection with him.

’Strange...’

Roland was certain that the sensation from the depths of his soul just now was not an illusion.

He again raised the dark-silver bracelet before his eyes, examining it over and over. He even tried using the power of his [Source Law Engine] to perceive what was inside it.

However, the result was the same.

Aside from its fine material and the line of Engraving, it looked like a perfectly ordinary ornament, without even the slightest Energy fluctuation.

Roland scratched his head in confusion, then tentatively slipped it onto his wrist.

The instant the bracelet touched the skin of his wrist and closed, an indescribable sense of perfect fusion washed over his entire body.

The bracelet no longer felt like a foreign object, but had become a natural extension of his body. It fit perfectly, without the slightest feeling of being out of place, and even its weight seemed to have vanished.

Before Roland could even recover from this wondrous sense of fusion, a startling transformation suddenly erupted.

The dark-silver bracelet, as if granted life, instantly liquefied, turning into a stream of liquid metal that shimmered with a faint, star-like light.

This liquid didn’t drip down, but instead, as if conscious, spread rapidly up his arm at an unimaginable speed.

Wherever it flowed, a cold sensation flashed by, replaced by a strange feeling of being tightly enveloped, yet not restricted in movement at all.

The liquid metal quickly covered his entire body.

Torso, limbs, and even his head.

The entire process was silent and completed in an instant.

When the last wisp of liquid metal settled into place around the contours of his face, Roland looked down at himself, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

His original clothing was completely covered, replaced by a visually striking suit of full-body Armor.

The main body of this Armor was a deep, dark silver. The material looked like metal, yet it had a faint, flowing luster like ceramic. Its lines were fluid and sharp, filled with a sense of power and speed.

The pauldrons were asymmetrical. The left was heavy, shaped like a slightly lowered dragon’s head, while the right was relatively light and agile, its edge as sharp as a blade.

The breastplate and faulds were composed of multiple, overlapping ergonomic plates. A faint, ethereal blue light pulsed from the seams, as if Energy coursed within.

The Arm Armor and leg guards fit snugly against his limbs. The joints featured a complex, layered structure resembling Scales, ensuring maximum flexibility. Slender energy conduits, emitting the same ethereal blue glow, were inlaid on the back of the gauntlets and the outer side of the greaves.

The entire set of Armor was a perfect fusion of the heavy aesthetics of Western fantasy and a sense of precision technology that transcended the ages. It resembled both the heavy plate of a Knight from ancient epics and the high-tech Power Armor of the distant future.

It rested silently on Roland’s body, circuits of ethereal blue energy flowing slowly across its surface.

Roland stood still, slightly raising his armored arm. He was filled with awe as he felt the suit, which had appeared so suddenly yet felt as if it had been tailor-made for him.

"Whoa!"

Tress let out an amazed cry, flapping her wings as she circled the armored Roland twice.

"Roland! This... this Armor is so cool! It’s all shiny! What just happened?"

Roland gently shook his head.

"I don’t know either, Tress. It... just transformed."

After replying softly, he walked to a relatively intact metal shelf nearby and used its smooth, mirror-like reflective surface to carefully examine his current appearance.

Only then did he discover that his neck and head were now covered by a fully enclosed helmet.

The helmet had a futuristic design with sharp contours. In the center of the forehead was a slightly recessed, diamond-shaped crystal that was emitting a calm blue light.

The face was a single, smooth, dark faceplate with no visible seams. However, where his eyes should be, there were two horizontal, narrow optical visors that were currently glowing with an icy blue light.

Even with his discerning eye, he had to admit that the design of this unexpected Armor was stunning. It managed to convey both Power and speed, and the flowing, ethereal blue circuits of light added an air of mystery and majesty.

’Time to test its capabilities.’

Roland composed himself and began to test the Armor’s actual abilities.

He first focused on his own Power, speed, and the operation of the [Source Law Engine] within him.

However, the results were somewhat disappointing.

This suit of Armor didn’t grant him any substantial boost in Power. His basic Attributes and overall strength remained at the same level as before he’d put it on.

Shaking his head slightly, Roland drew the Moonlight Longsword from his waist with a sharp SHING.

Without using any Energy, relying solely on the pure strength of his arm, he tentatively scraped the razor-sharp edge of the blade against the outer side of his forearm, which was covered by the Arm Armor.

SCREEECH!

A piercing sound that set one’s teeth on edge, like metal grinding violently, rang out, even sending out a few sparks.

However, when Roland pulled the blade away and looked closer, he was inwardly stunned.

The smooth, dark-silver surface of the Arm Armor was completely unscathed, without even the faintest scratch.

’The defense is impressive, at least.’

Roland noted internally.

Even the sharpness of the Bright Moon, without being augmented by Energy, couldn’t breach its defense.

The Armor’s physical defense was monstrous.

Sheathing his sword, he once again examined himself in the reflection of the shelf.

His gaze swept over the fluid lines of the armor, finally settling on a belt at his waist. It was seamlessly integrated with the Armor, apparently serving as both a girdle and a support structure.

Set into it was a circular socket.

This socket was about the size of an egg, with smooth edges. Inside, there seemed to be an extremely precise locking mechanism and several tiny energy contact points.

Its shape, size, and internal structure...

Roland’s gaze sharpened.

’The design of this socket...’

He recalled the details of his previous encounter with the Rusted Knight Order.

Whether it was Hagry’s dilapidated Power Armor, the roaring vehicle he rode, or even his Chainsaw Sword and Corrosive Hand Cannon—the core component that served as their energy source had a design remarkably similar to this socket.

A theory instantly formed in his mind.

’Could it be... that this Armor is missing a Power Core to run it?’