"It’s fine."

I whispered.

Then extended my hand toward the Ice Lord.

"I agree."

Our deal ended quickly.

I handed the Ice Lord five kilograms of Vibrational Dolphin Belly Fat.

In return...

He carefully explained how to choose the right armor.

Of course, I didn’t tell him about the Unique Predictor ability...

The one that already gave me enough knowledge to make proper choices.

Still...

I let him explain.

Until I finally understood that to forge armor...

I needed to provide several things.

Armor, like weapons, was divided into classifications.

Common...

Special...

Unique...

Core...

Legendary...

Transcendent...

Celestial.

The last one was nothing but legends. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

No proof of its existence.

As for common and special armor...

Their creation depended purely on the materials used.

But higher classifications...

Had completely different requirements.

Unique armor...

Was what our agreement revolved around.

It required—

1. A core of the Lord’s energy.

2. No less than 100,000 Accumulation Points.

3. A weapon.

4. Additions from the Lord himself to grant the armor special properties.

I listened silently.

But...

At the third point...

I stopped.

"A weapon?"

I whispered.

The Ice Lord nodded.

"Yes."

"Every unique armor requires a weapon to melt into it."

"The weapon gives the armor its nature."

"If it’s a fire weapon... the armor becomes closer to fire."

"If it’s a stone weapon... the armor becomes sturdier."

"As for the properties..."

He pointed a finger toward me.

"They depend on what you personally add."

My eyes narrowed.

I immediately began thinking.

A weapon melted into the armor.

An energy core.

Massive accumulation.

Then additions that grant it special traits.

"So..."

I whispered.

"Unique armor isn’t just protection."

"It’s... living equipment."

The Ice Lord smiled.

"That’s why it’s terrifying."

"Almost every unique armor... is a one-of-a-kind piece."

I slowly drank the rest of my drink.

While my mind immediately started analyzing everything.

If I forged armor based on wind...

Then it would become lightweight.

Fast.

And perhaps...

Could later merge with my Air Shield.

But...

Was that truly what I needed?

I slowly exhaled.

My main problem...

Wasn’t speed.

It was the fact that my body was far too fragile compared to the other Lords.

One direct hit from someone like the Second Flame Lady...

Could end everything.

I raised my eyes toward the Ice Lord.

"What happens to the weapon after fusion?"

I asked.

"It disappears."

He answered immediately.

"It becomes part of the armor."

My thoughts halted briefly.

Then...

I smiled faintly.

"I see... afterward?"

"Once all requirements are provided..."

The Ice Lord whispered.

Then sighed before continuing.

"The final ingredient is added."

"Vibrational Dolphin Belly Fat."

At that moment...

The Ice Lord requested some time.

Then later returned.

In his hand...

Was a square object.

A metallic box with a glossy green color.

He handed it to me.

"Inside this container... you can transfer everything you want incorporated into your armor."

"You can even transfer your ideas about the armor’s nature."

"But—"

The Ice Lord whispered.

Then sighed.

"There’s no guarantee your ideas will become reality."

"Armor forging depends on how the materials merge together."

"And sometimes..."

"Even you won’t understand what happened."

I raised my chin in understanding.

Everything had become completely clear.

What remained...

Was choosing my armor’s direction.

I lay inside the cave.

Thinking.

Dozens of ideas danced through my mind.

Armor with wings...

Allowing me to fly through the skies with majesty.

Or an indestructible stone armor.

Armor granting greater wind affinity.

Or armor granting flames to support the Flame Art.

There were too many ideas.

Too many paths.

Eventually...

I raised the green cube.

Closed my eyes.

Transferred one hundred thousand Accumulation Points into it.

Then...

Added a large portion of my energy core.

What remained...

Was the weapon and additions.

Could I use a Mastered Weapon?

But...

That carried enormous risk.

Even though the Ice Lord assured me that anything placed inside the transfer box...

Would never reach the hands of the crafting Lord directly.

Nor would he know its contents.

Once forged...

The armor would transfer directly to its owner immediately...

Because of its bond to the Lord’s energy and rank.

Encouraging words.

If I trusted him.

But I didn’t.

So then...

The solution...

Was armor using an Ancient Weapon.

And the additions?

Could I add the teleportation stone?

Or healing flowers?

I truly didn’t know.

"But."

I snorted.

"Why am I hesitating?"

I could simply...

Forge more than one armor.

Yes.

That’s what I’ll do.

I sat upright.

Then began thinking differently.

Not like someone creating one perfect armor.

But...

Like someone building an entire arsenal.

A lightweight armor for mobility.

A heavy armor for direct combat.

Armor focused on reducing accumulation consumption.

And armor...

Built for maximum explosions.

My smile slowly widened.

"This is better."

I whispered.

"As long as I possess the resources... why gamble everything on one choice?"

I raised the cube once more.

Then...

Started pulling out various items before me.

Mastered Wind Blades.

Pieces from Catastrophe Beasts.

Stones filled with concentrated energy.

Healing flowers.

Fire crystals.

Even several rare roots I had obtained previously.

The scene before me...

Looked like the table of a mad merchant.

I narrowed my eyes.

Then picked up a small wind blade.

Spun it between my fingers.

"You."

I whispered.

"You’ll become the foundation of the first armor."

I closed my eyes.

Then began transferring the idea into the cube.

Not through words.

But emotion.

Speed.

Lightness.

Constant movement.

Layers of air.

Fluidity.

Survival before endurance.

Suddenly...

A new idea flashed through my mind.

"An armor that grants accumulation."

I whispered.

Didn’t I already possess defense?

I already had the Flame Art...

It possessed powerful defense and even stronger offense.

But its issue...

Was its overwhelming accumulation consumption.

If I could obtain armor capable of restoring accumulation...

Then...

I wouldn’t need any other armor at all.

I immediately contacted the Ice Lord.

But his answer came instantly.

"There’s no such thing."

"Have you started hallucinating?"

His tone was mocking.

Bastard.

Why did this stupid world lack anything capable of restoring accumulation?

Damn it.

My genius plan failed.

And I returned to thinking about other armor types.

Hours later...

I finalized the requirements for the first armor.

Then sent them to the Ice Lord.

Afterward...

I requested ten more cubes.

The Ice Lord’s expression changed.

Surprised.

Well, whatever.

I took them and returned to the cave.

Then filled the containers with numerous materials.

After that...

I decided to acquire more Catastrophe Beast resources in larger quantities.

I headed toward the tree.

Accelerated time.

And quickly began harvesting numerous third-rank flowers.

During the waiting periods...

I alternated between training and sleeping.

Two days passed.

I produced a respectable quantity of flowers.

Meanwhile...

I also possessed a stockpile of Ancient Weapons.

I stood in the middle of the cave.

Before me...

Eleven green boxes.

Each one...

Contained an entirely different concept.

One was filled with defensive beast parts.

Another...

Contained wind blades and lightness stones.

A third...

Contained fire beast parts alongside absorption roots.

Even I...

No longer knew what some of them would eventually become.

"Heh."

I laughed softly.

"If someone saw me right now... they’d think I was opening an armor shop."

I raised one of the boxes.

My eyes narrowed.

"Speed armor."

Then placed another aside.

"Endurance armor."

Then the third.

"Drain armor."

The fourth...

"Support armor."

The fifth...

"Emergency armor."

The more I thought...

The clearer something became.

Other Lords...

Spent years crafting a single armor.

Meanwhile...

I was building an entire collection at once.

And the reason?

Simple.

The cave had shattered the natural logic of this world.

I exhaled slowly.

Then turned toward the flower tree.

"But."

I whispered.

"This still isn’t enough."

I raised my hand.

Several tiny wind blades appeared.

They slowly rotated around me.

"If I truly want to survive against monsters like fifth-rank Lords..."

My eyes narrowed.

"Then even unique armor alone won’t be enough."

Suddenly...

The system rang inside my head.

{ Hidden Condition Fulfilled }

My movement froze.

Then...

A new screen appeared before my eyes.

{ Secret Hidden Quest }

{ Create your first 100% complete equipment set }

{ Reward: Rare Evolution Material }

My smile slowly widened.

"There we go."

I whispered.

"The system finally started understanding me."

{ Ding... Ding... Ding... }

The system rang again.

{ To succeed, all three conditions of a complete equipment set must be fulfilled }

{ Healing Aspect — Completed }

{ Offensive Aspect — Completed }

{ Defensive Aspect — Missing }

"Hahahaha!"

I laughed.

Laughed violently.

Luck...

Was truly on my side.

I wouldn’t even need the armor itself.

And then...

I would complete the quest perfectly.

After several hours...

I sent all the cubes to the Ice Lord.

Then I returned once again.

I decided to check on the four Greater Catastrophe Beasts.

Upon entering the Boulder Beast’s domain...

It seemed similar to before.

Somewhat friendly.

And with any movement from me...

It immediately fled.

Afterward, my steps carried me toward the Flame Unicorn.

Its condition was unchanged.

Burning and destruction.

I left it alone and headed toward the scorpion.

It was still lying beside its eggs exactly as before.

Then...

I moved toward my greatest investment.

The Vibrational Dolphin.

I began searching for it.

Little by little.

Then...

I descended.

Quickly...

Very quickly.

"What the hell is going on?!"

I snarled in anger.

My eyes could barely believe what I was seeing.

"It’s—!"

"Dead."