"Weren’t you supposed to be dealing with the Frostland Druids? What’s this thing...?" Donkexes’s beard twitched, and you could just make out him licking his lips.

Colin said, "Things took a strange turn and we killed a weird Jackal Wolfman. I think it was called Yenogu the Poison Fang or something."

"The two of you could handle something like that?"

"A Priest and two soldiers helped hold off the other Jackal Wolfmen. Plus, the one we fought was missing an arm."

"Well, that explains it. If it was missing an arm, a creature like that is probably only about as strong as a Winter Wolf."

"So, are you going to take it or not?" Colin yawned.

’Speaking of which, that time we dealt with the Winter Wolf was a real hassle.’

’He and Kase had fought it twice in a row. The Winter Wolf had also been seriously injured by a giant bear, and then it had happened to step into a Beast Trap. Only then were the two of them able to finish it off.’

’But now, they could take down a Yenogu the Poison Fang—a creature on par with a Winter Wolf—in a direct confrontation, and with almost no unexpected Damage.’

’From that alone, Colin felt his little party had made some pretty significant progress. At the very least, their recent adventures hadn’t been for nothing.’

"Of course I’ll take it. You brought it all the way here, after all." Donkexes cleared his throat and suddenly asked, "How’s your grasp of Magic coming along? Cast a [Blade Ward] for me. Let’s have a look."

Colin obediently performed the Casting, reciting the incantation to complete the simple Cantrip.

"Hmm... close enough." Donkexes stroked his beard and nodded.

With a grunt, he hopped off the low stool behind the counter, ran to the nearby exit, and shouted, "Hey! Langgrin, get out here, quick!"

A voice answered from the dark doorway.

A moment later, Langgrin, clad in full Plate Armor, stomped over, complaining, "I was tending to the beer. You ever want to drink again?"

"Get over here and show my boy Colin the Armor Technique."

"’My boy Colin’? What nonsense is that? Since when are you two so chummy? Why should I have to perform like some clown...?" Langgrin looked up and saw the black heart still thumping on the counter.

He cleared his throat twice, walked over to Colin, and said, "Good evening, my boy Colin."

"Watch closely, my boy Colin." Donkexes leaned against the counter. "This is a technique those foolish nobles couldn’t learn for thousands of Gold Coins, and it’s what we’re about to teach you."

"I was hoping to get to bed early, gentlemen," Colin said.

"Just watch for now, my boy Colin."

As he spoke, Langgrin undid the straps on his Plated Gauntlets one by one. The all-metal gauntlets loosened, then fell to the floor with a CLANG.

Kase scoffed. "So this is your grand technique? Tossing your gear on the floor?"

Langgrin just wiggled his fingers.

The gauntlet that had just hit the floor began to emit a faint, pale blue Spiritual Light. It slowly floated up and fitted itself onto its master’s hand, the straps weaving through their buckles and tightening to the perfect length.

The whole process was completely seamless, as if an invisible pair of Ghost hands were doing the work.

"Is that Magic? But it didn’t look like there was any Casting or incantation," Colin said, suddenly wide awake.

"This is our technique."

Langgrin explained, "We use our own Magic to apply an Enchantment to our gear. No matter how heavy the Armor, the wearer can control it as easily as their own limbs."

"You can adjust the Armor to your needs—its flexibility, its Defense... you can even store a few spells in it ahead of time, or apply personal Enchantments that only you can use. And it doesn’t interfere with Casting whatsoever."

"Then it must be a lot easier to survive like this than as an Ordinary Mage, right?" Colin asked.

Langgrin seemed to deflate.

He shot Colin a look and said, "Obviously."

"Heavy Armor is an insurmountable obstacle for any Caster. Only our technique allows someone to wear heavy Armor while Casting," Donkexes added, holding up a finger.

Kase asked skeptically, "But is that really so special? Can’t those Mages just slap an Enchantment on their robes?"

At this question, both Dwarves’ foreheads instantly flushed red.

You didn’t have to see it to know the cheeks hidden beneath their beards were probably the same color.

"Stop asking stupid questions, Half-Orc, I’m begging you," Langgrin said. "Let me put it this way: even if an Enchantment Grandmaster put a Defense Magic Enchantment on a piece of cloth, it wouldn’t compare to what a novice could do with Plate Armor."

Donkexes chimed in, "Exactly. The strength of any Enchantment is compounded by the material it’s placed on. Otherwise, what would be the point of Plate Armor? We might as well all just wear scraps of cloth and hack at each other."

"Even if you don’t trust us, the Elves aren’t a bunch of fools, right? Their most famous Silver Knights are Mages in Plate Armor. It takes them hundreds of years of training to achieve that. According to you, they’ve all wasted their lives."

"Besides, all they can do is cast Magic while wearing Plate Armor. Compared to our technique, it’s night and day. You understand? Night and day!"

Kase grumbled to himself and said no more.

’Hearing all this, Colin had to admit he was tempted.’

’Just from the Dwarves’ description, it felt like learning this technique would let him skip a few hundred years of taking the long way around.’

’Even though he knew he had his Skill Level Golden Finger,’ Colin couldn’t help but ask, "So, can I learn it?"

"If I said you could learn it, guaranteed, I’d be lying. But as long as you’re still breathing, we’ll do our best to teach you. How much you master is up to you," said Donkexes.

"Fair enough." Colin nodded.

"In any case, your current Casting skill is good enough to be considered initiated. We can start teaching you the real stuff now. Follow me."

Colin followed Donkexes toward the training area in the sewers.

Once there, Donkexes rummaged in a corner and pulled out two pieces of Armor.

"First, I need to explain what an Enchantment is."

Donkexes cleared his throat. "Last time, we said that the key to Casting is to tie the Magic Net into a knot following a specific pattern. The energy released when that knot automatically unravels becomes Magic. Different patterns of energy release create different spells, right?"

"I remember."

"Enchantment, then, is casting Magic on a piece of Armor and extending the process of the Magic Net Knot unraveling indefinitely—forever," Donkexes said. "But because this process can only release Magic Energy slowly, an Enchantment on Armor is much weaker than an ordinary spell. Its greatest advantage is its permanence."

’That does make sense.’ Colin thought of his [Shield] spell.

’If a piece of Armor could be permanently enchanted with a full-power [Shield] spell, it would be incredibly powerful. A single Enchantment like that would be equivalent to the Defense of a full suit of Chain Armor.’

’Then again, he had no idea what the actual limits of an enchanted piece of Armor were.’

Donkexes said smugly, "A lot of people think our technique is just slapping an Enchantment on Ordinary armor. They even try to research a similar method for themselves—like those foolish pointy-ears."

"As it turns out, they are dead wrong."

"Our technique isn’t about simply enchanting Armor. It’s about making the Armor an extension of your own body. Understanding that distinction is the key to whether or not you’ll succeed today."