Lucius waved his left hand over an empty area near the workbench as three desiccated corpses and various pieces of centipede carapace filled the floor in front of him. Jack tore his gaze away from his new miniature companion, looking over earnestly the moment Lucius began speaking about the new materials he had gathered.

"The skin of these apes should make for some strong leather. You can keep that and use it for whatever you want. These mandibles are all yours too—they're three or four times stronger than steel. Maybe you can think of a use for them. What I'm interested in is this thick piece of carapace. It's only [Enhanced] grade unfortunately, but if you can get it up to [Magical] for me with your aspect, I can use my upgrade token on it."

Jack walked over and ran his hand across the surface of the thick, black carapace, considering for a moment before crossing the room to grab a hammer and chisel. The two metal tools had obviously been recently created; they bore inscriptions of their own, and Lucius could feel the magic empowering them. Jack saw Lucius observing his tools and smiled as he explained their origin.

"Working with these materials gets harder and harder the stronger they become. I've had to create my own tools for just about everything."

Jack’s aspect worked by upgrading any materials he worked with by one grade—at least, that was what it had done so far with lower-grade materials. He wasn’t sure if the same would apply to materials that started at higher grades, but he would have to wait until he got his hands on such materials before he could find out. For now, he needed to alter the sheet of carapace in some way to allow his aspect to take effect.

Jack cleared off the top of his workbench and instructed Lucius to place the piece of carapace he wanted to use on it. Lucius reached out with his mind, using his upgraded telekinesis to select the thickest piece—the one that had come from the centipede's skull—and carefully moved it to the workbench.

Jack's craftsmanship talent had been leveling up rapidly ever since he began investing nearly every free moment of his time in the forge. The talent didn’t simply reflect his own ability though; it also sharpened his instincts about how a particular material should be handled. Additionally, Jack was blessed with a unique aspect. The second attribute of that aspect, Eyes of the Craftsman, synergized with his instincts to a marvelous degree.

This was why Jack could take one look at the centipede carapace—a material he had never worked with or seen before—and immediately understood how best to prepare it. Using his hammer and chisel, he carefully struck specific points along the outer edge of the carapace, breaking off shorn edges and removing any cracked areas entirely. By eliminating these weak points, he strengthened the material’s overall structure and durability.

As Jack worked, the telltale signs of magical influence began to manifest around him, at first slowly but then with increasing intensity as he continued to masterfully refine the material. Over the course of more than half an hour, the thick black carapace gradually became saturated with a glowing light. With a final strike of his hammer, the light flashed brightly before disappearing. Jack stepped back, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and motioned toward the enhanced material with his free hand.

Lucius approached the bench with a wide smile on his face. He could already tell that the procedure was a success. The magical energy radiating from the carapace had noticeably increased, and before even prompting the system for its description, he knew what it would say. Nevertheless, he asked the system to define the item as he ran his hand across its newly smoothed edges.

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Colossus Centipede Carapace - Biological - Quality [Magical]

This is a piece of carapace from a fully grown Colossus Centipede, taken from the skull where the creature's defense is the strongest. This material has had its grade enhanced through the powerful aspect of a budding artisan.

Lucius’ smile widened further when the description confirmed his expectations.

“Well done, Jack!”

He turned back as he reached out one hand toward his friend, stretching his thumb up toward the sky. Jack gave him a nod as he drank from a water bottle that was sitting in the corner of the room.

“Anytime, bud. Now hurry up and use that token—I want to see what you make.”

Lucius turned back to the carapace at Jack’s words, wasting no time as he placed one hand on the sleek black surface of the material and activated the [Magical] upgrade token he had earned after defeating the centipede. Another flood of bright lights filled the room, this time far surpassing the earlier display. A great, spiraling river of light gathered in the air around Lucius, forcing both young men to squint from the brightness as it swirled over the smooth surface of the carapace.

The advantage of using the carapace to craft armor instead of metal was its light weight combined with incredible durability, much better than any metal he had come across. This allowed Lucius to enjoy the benefits of solid armor without being slowed down by excessive weight. Before obtaining the carapace, he had planned to use leather for his armor, but now he had the means to create something superior.

As the glowing lights morphed and reshaped the material, Lucius held a general vision in his mind of what he wanted to create. When the radiant glow finally dissipated, the result was revealed: a piece of armor with a striking design. The centipede’s hard shell had been transformed into hundreds of small, scale-shaped pieces, intricately linked together into a flowing chest piece. This design was the best of both worlds, as it provided the blocking power of the carapace while allowing unrestricted movement.

Upon closer inspection, each individual scale was intricately carved with such fine detail that they almost resembled feathers, perfectly layered to form an eye-catching piece of equipment. The armor was large enough to cover Lucius’ entire upper body, shoulders, and upper arms, stopping just above the elbows.

Jack stepped forward, joining Lucius as he examined the item.

"I didn’t expect you to use the hard shell this way, but it makes sense with your fighting style to prioritize mobility."

Lucius felt quite satisfied with the finished product; the new armor carried an air of danger and power. While Jack inspected the item's craftsmanship, Lucius checked the details of his latest defensive item.

Tenebrous Scales - Carapace Chest Armor - Quality [Rare]

This is a piece of armor that was created from the carapace of a Colossus Centipede. It has been further upgraded through the use of a powerful aspect in addition to one system upgrade token. The carapace used to create this armor retains some of its biological qualities, including its original body's affinity for earth and its ability to heal on it's own over time.

Close to the Earth - +10% movement speed while traveling over soil, +25% movement speed underground.

Second Skin - This armor will self-repair as long as it has not been completely destroyed.

As Lucius reviewed the details of his new armor, Jack examined it with growing confusion. Finally, when he couldn't resolve his doubts he looked up at Lucius, scratching his chin as he spoke about his concern.

"This thing has no straps or latches. How the hell are you supposed to put it on?"

Lucius chuckled as he realized what Jack was worried about.

"So you noticed that. Watch, I’ll show you."

Jack’s brows furrowed as he observed Lucius closely. He saw as the armor suddenly disappeared from the workbench in front of him, vanishing into Lucius’ storage ring.

Lucius stretched his arms out to the sides as he summoned the armor back out—this time, directly over his body.

Jack’s mouth hung open as he saw the unique way his friend was able to wear his armor, glancing down at Lucius’ storage ring with envy before shaking his head.

"You need to get me one of those rings..."