Chapter 30 - Armory my beloved

The situation had taken a drastic turn in an instant. Everyone went from feeling quite anxious about the sudden appearance of this "Subplot" to finding themselves before a sea of treasures they had never seen before—and were even told they could take whatever they wanted.

Adam knew that, just like during their visit to the pirate Rook's private workshop, he would have to support the others as soon as they found something that caught their eye, providing them with a broader understanding of what they were actually encountering. However, before doing that, he indulged himself and approached an object that had drawn his attention from the beginning—a large shield adorned with a dragon's head in the center.

[Dragon’s Pride Aegis - Rank D ] ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠An imposing rectangular shield, forged from heavy steel with a golden dragon’s head in its center as a mark of the 15th Regiment of the Ironclad Armada. It gives the user the skills [Cogwheel Bastion Lv1] and [Onyx Hex of Envy Lv1].⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠Warning: It greatly reduces the user’s speed and agility.⌡ ⌠Hidden: It has an artificial “Soul fragment”.⌡

The description was almost exactly the same as that of the shield with the lion ornament, except for the fact that it had a lower rank and the skill it provided was different... "Hex of Envy". Adam could only wonder what this curse would do, but sadly he had no way of finding out or even considering taking the shield. After all, it was too heavy for him, he even tried once more to confirm, being especially careful not to touch the golden ornament, but nothing changed—it wasn't an item he could carry with him.

The thought did cross his mind to touch the dragon's head and see if the shield's curse would activate, allowing him to absorb the artificial soul residing within. After all, it wouldn't be a bad idea to head to such a dangerous place with some cursed energy stored up. However, the uncertainty and potential dangers outweighed the possible benefits. He certainly didn't want a repeat of what had happened during his encounter with Commodore Kathlene—or at least what he'd been told happened.

"Hey, Adam, I need your eyes for a moment!"

A voice suddenly spoke beside him, and before the boy could turn around, he felt someone grab his arm and pull him abruptly to the side. It was none other than Kazue, who, in her excitement and happiness, had forgotten all sense of prudence and personal space. This startled Adam, as he wasn’t used to such behavior; he couldn't even manage a response and simply let himself be dragged along until they reached several tubes filled with a strange liquid, inside of which were several spheres of different colors.

“What else do these things say? I want them, I need them!”

Recovering from his momentary shock and knowing that his teammate could only see certain information due to her [Analyze] skill, Adam prepared to examine the curious artifacts.

[PyroFlux Generator - Rank E ] ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠An artifact resembling a glowing core encased in brass and iron with intricate gears and vents. It emits intense heat, harnessed from its inner combustion of rare, high-energy materials.⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠Warning: It’s very volatile if damaged, it will cause an immediate explosion with a radius of approximately 1 km⌡

[ElectroFlux Dynamo - Rank E ] ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠An artifact resembling a glowing core encased in brass and iron with intricate gears and vents. It emits extreme voltage, harnessed from its inner electric conduction of rare, high-energy materials.⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡ ⌠Warning: Although stable, approaching it without proper protection causes the status effect “Paralyzed”⌡

“Wow, so those are the ship's power engines”

He clearly remembered that the description of the two ships they had seen at the start of the scenario mentioned these orbs as the power source that drove them, so it was certainly fascinating to see them in an inactive state up close. It didn’t take long for him to explain to the girl all the additional information the details provided, after which her eyes lit up as if she had seen the toy of her dreams.

“This, this, this! This is what I want!”

Kazue shouted as she repeatedly pointed at the tube containing the electric sphere, tugging on Adam’s sleeve like a little child. Adam understood what she wanted to do, but the reality was that none of them had the knowledge to manipulate these things, let alone install them in her gauntlet. Still, the girl didn’t give up. She vanished for a moment, only to return a few seconds later, dragging one of the scientists in a lab coat who had been around. The poor man seemed just as startled as Adam had been by her behavior.

"I’d like to ask how I can install one of those Electroflux Dynamos into this to provide it with power"

Kazue said eagerly, holding up her gauntlet while the scientist adjusted his glasses and examined the device she was holding.

"It's not possible, I'm sorry… That model of Steamgear Knuckle wouldn't be able to withstand the continuous voltage generated by a core like this. It would only result in an overload the moment it's activated. The only things that can handle it are a small vehicle or at least a caliber 5 power armor, but we don't have any of those here."

That was a shame, and Adam simply sighed in resignation, ready to turn around and look for something else. However, Kazue seemed unwilling to accept the answer and insisted once more.

"But is it possible to use it as a power source? I'm not asking if it's safe or not, just if it's possible."

“We-well, I guess it is possible, but…”

“No buts! Please can you do it now?”

Kazue's insistence was fierce, so much so that the scientist seemed at a loss for how to respond since he clearly wasn't proficient in handling pressure. His eyes darted up toward Adam, silently pleading for help in persuading Kazue to reconsider. However, Adam merely shrugged, signaling that he had no idea how to change her mind either.

And so, after a few seconds of emotional struggle, the scientist reluctantly agreed to grant her wish, repeatedly emphasizing that he would not be held responsible if she got severely electrocuted or if her gauntlet exploded. Kazue simply nodded with a smile, undeterred by his warnings.

Adam stayed nearby, curious about the whole process. Even though it was quick and straightforward, it was still fascinating. First, the electric core seemed inactive and, according to the scientist, they kept them in tubes filled with a strange liquid to prevent them from activating. Once exposed to air, they would automatically power up after a few minutes.

Quickly, the orb was placed into the center of the gauntlet where it originally belonged. However, before doing so, the scientist gave it a puzzled look, noticing that the device had already been modified and now featured an additional battery. More electricity? Well, that thing was definitely going to explode. It would be best for him to leave as soon as possible and call for a medical and cleanup team.

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As soon as it was assembled, Kazue took it back and immediately put it on her right hand, examining it closely with a grin from ear to ear. Even Adam seemed a bit concerned about the warnings they had received. However, he was greatly surprised when a new window suddenly popped up before his eyes.

⌠Enhanced Steamgear Knuckle - Rank D⌡ ⌠Additional Information⌡ ⌠An enhanced version of a ‘Steamgear Knuckle’ powered by an ‘ElectroFlux Dynamo’. It has a foreign artifact known as ‘Thunder Energy battery’ that absorbs any residual electrical energy from its core, stabilizing the usage. Direct contact with the metallic part of the gauntlet causes the status effect “Paralyzed”⌡ ⌠Cursed Vision Knowledge⌡

⌠Hidden: The user can use the skill [Overload], it has a 50% chance of destroying its core after doing so.⌡

Adam's surprise was evident—the item had just ranked up! It was incredible and, certainly, something he had never imagined could happen.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

He asked, still trying to process what had just unfolded and surprised by the possible foresight his companion seemed to have.

“Haha, of course not, but it doesn’t matter! I knew it would work out one way or another. After all, things like this always tend to work out for the heroes in their stories.”

There it was again—that dangerous mindset that sometimes took hold of Kazue, making her believe she was invincible or the protagonist of some kind of story because... well, technically, they were in a story. However, neither she nor Adam realized just how incredibly lucky they had been. As the scientist had pointed out, if it hadn’t been for the coincidence of having the battery she had previously bought in the system store, the gauntlet would have inevitably exploded in her hand.

Nonetheless, armed with this new information and taking advantage of Kazue being distracted by her strange movements and nonsensical sounds, Adam made his way to the other side of the room. There, he found Drake, Sebastian, Nikolai, and even Li, all gathered around, examining various items piled up in that corner.

Trying to blend in as best he could, Adam glanced at some of the items the group was holding. However, no windows appeared for those, indicating they were just ordinary tools with no special functions. He wanted to mention what had happened with Kazue earlier and even ask Li about the possibility of an item increasing its rank and power if somehow upgraded, however, seeing how absorbed they all were in their own matters, he felt it wasn't the right time to bring it up.

While the others continued their search, Adam decided to do the same. Though he didn't find anything particularly intriguing, something suddenly came to mind—his torn page from the Necronomicon. Could there be a way to repair it in this place? The chances seemed slim, given the vastly different themes of the equipment around, but he figured it was worth a shot. After all, he had nothing to lose by trying.

"Excuse me, would you happen to have a way to repair a damaged item?"

Adam asked, approaching one of the scientists nearby, who had been jotting down notes on a clipboard. The scientist looked up, surprised by the boy's question.

"Oh, yes, of course. Please, follow me. I'll take you to someone who might be able to help"

In less than a minute, they reached another end of the workshop, where two other men were working. Although they weren't wearing white lab coats, their gear, and tools made them look more like mechanics than scientists. The man who had brought Adam there explained the situation and then excused himself, leaving the boy alone with the two who were now looking at him expectantly.

“See, I wanted to know if there’s any way to fix this”

After saying this, he summoned the fragments of his cursed page into his hands and carefully placed them on the table, wondering if it would be safe for them to look at it directly as he wasn’t sure if the madness effect would still apply, even with the object in pieces. Fortunately, it seemed it did not, and the two men examined the scraps for what felt like an eternity. However, much to Adam's disappointment, they both concluded that there was nothing to be done since it was "just a piece of paper."

It was somewhat expected but still a bit disappointing. He would have to look for a way in the system shop to repair it in case it didn't return to normal at the end of the scenario, just as the notification he received when it was destroyed had implied. He was about to store the pieces again when a hand rested on his right shoulder, startling him and causing him to turn with a jump.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just couldn’t help but notice that strange object you have there. Would you mind letting me take a look? Maybe I can help," the person said.

It was Thaddeus, who had appeared behind Adam with his usual smile and friendliness.

"Eh? Oh, sure, sorry."

Adam responded, still recovering from the shock, and allowed the man to approach the table to examine the pieces of paper— Wait, hadn’t Thaddeus been at the other end of the workshop? How had he suddenly "noticed" something happening so far away? But before Adam could think or say anything more, Thaddeus looked up and directed his gaze toward the two scientists still present.

"I think I know how to help. Could you please leave me and our guest alone for a moment, gentlemen?"

Once the two workers had left, Thaddeus rummaged inside his elegant jacket and pulled out a small test tube containing a glowing liquid. This left Adam perplexed, especially since, despite his intense focus on the substance, no information window appeared.

With a slow motion, the liquid was poured over one of the pieces of paper, and... Nothing happened, at least not immediately. It wasn’t until Thaddeus sealed the tube and put it back in his pocket that the reaction finally occurred. The pieces began to glow faintly and, to Adam’s astonishment, reassembled into a complete page.

⌠Congratulations!⌡ ⌠The treasure [Necronomicon Single Page [1/5] (Replica) - Rank F] has been successfully repaired, it has regained all its properties.⌡

The congratulatory window took Adam by surprise once again, and while he was grateful for it, his brain quickly reacted upon reading the last part, which frightened him immensely.

“Wait! Don’t look!... Eh?”

Adam froze mid-shout as he saw Thaddeus holding the page and examining it closely without any apparent difficulty. How was that possible?

"Eh... Thaddeus, sir? Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Replied the man without taking his eyes off the cursed object, to which Adam decided to just say things directly.

"Well, that page has the effect of mentally attacking anyone who looks at it directly. Only people with some sort of ocular implants are safe from it. Is that your case?"

Thaddeus didn't respond for a few seconds and simply continued observing the contents of the page, which made Adam quite tense. Finally, he replied.

"Yes, sure, but I’d like to ask you something. How did you come by this?"

“Oh, well… I just ‘found’ it”

“You found it? Where?”

Thaddeus's usually friendly and respectful tone had suddenly become more serious and inquisitive, which was concerning since Adam couldn’t answer the question directly without being censored by the system. Nervously, he could only manage to come up with a quick, fabricated response.

“I don’t know exactly where, I found it on the ground on the mainland, sorry”

Thaddeus remained thoughtful for a few more seconds, finally diverting his gaze from the object to look directly into Adam’s eyes for a moment.

"There's no need to apologize. I understand it must have been quite a fortuitous find Sorry if my words gave a false impression of insecurity; it's just my curiosity getting the better of me. I’m the one who owes you an apology."

The man apologized with another kind smile, handing the page back to its owner. Adam stumbled over his words, took back his item, and thanked him for the help, unsure of how to react at that moment.

"And you say you’re not affected by the properties of this object? From what I see, you don’t have ocular implants, which you said is the way to be immune."

Adam had never felt so nervous in his life, not even when he had to give an oral exam on a topic he hadn’t prepared for due to a schedule mix-up. All he could manage were basic evasions that wouldn’t fool anyone with half a brain. However, Thaddeus simply smiled kindly once more.

“I understand, my apologies. Could I ask you a favor? Could you hold this for me for a moment?”

He said as he pulled a small leather pouch from inside his jacket, pouring its contents into Adam's outstretched hand, which he had obeyed without even realizing it. A small purple stone touched his palm without any issues, which puzzled the boy, or at least it did until several windows popped up in front of his eyes.

⌠Warning: A direct contact with a fragment of ■■■ ■■■ has been detected.⌡ ⌠■■■ has begun to ■■■ ■■■ ■■■⌡ ⌠Warning: Skill [Cipher Shroud Lv5] is blocking information!⌡ ⌠User’s body has stabilized⌡