"We will need to decrease their numbers around to avoid being attacked from several directions when the time comes," Terry declared. "That will help us get more used not fighting the trolls. We should be able to pull that off with Rebecca’s mobility."

Rebecca nodded, she would be forced to leave her siblings behind, but that base seemed peaceful enough for that, and the mood wasn’t so bad considering the weather conditions and the troublesome enemies around.

"We should take some turns just in case," Vanessa added. "It might be dangerous if we exhaust ourselves all at once. Besides, things won’t start for real for a while."

"It is noon, so we will unpack a few things and then leave in two hours," Terry said. "Make sure to rest as much as possible."

Everyone nodded, and then George guided everyone to a building that was completely empty. It had plenty of rooms for them, and it also had water and energy... the people there managed to hang in there despite the situation they were in.

Regardless, Terry wanted to take a nap before they left to hunt the beasts for who knows how many times, but soon someone knocked on his door, and then Rebecca showed up.

"Hey, I was thinking," Rebecca said.

"You could do a lot worse than that," Terry said.

"... That perhaps I should take turns with Vanessa when it comes to hunting the monsters," Rebecca said after a long sigh. "It seems that George is an Earth Mage too, so he should be able to do the same as me with the Earth platform, perhaps even more. So, Vanessa would benefit a lot if I were to let her use my armor."

"That is up to you; technically, the armor is already yours," Terry shrugged. "Just don’t regret your choices later."

"Do you think that she will betray us?" Rebecca asked.

"There are many things that could happen to her once you lent her the power armor; betrayal is just one of them," Terry explained. "You might only end up causing more problems than helping her."

Lending the power armor to Vanessa could potentially cause a few problems. The power armor was a valuable and scarce resource. It is a symbol of Terry’s strength and authority within the guild. Lending it to someone else, even to Vanessa, could raise concerns among the other guild members. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

They might question Terry’s judgment and prioritize, wondering why he entrusted such a powerful asset to someone outside of their core team. It could create rifts within the guild and erode trust and unity.

Despite the best intentions, there is always the possibility of unforeseen consequences when sharing such powerful equipment. Accidents, malfunctions, or misuse could occur, endangering Vanessa or others around her. The power armor’s advanced technology and capabilities come with inherent risks, and lending it out increases the likelihood of unexpected problems arising.

"I guess some people might want to get those from me, but they know that stealing from me or from the guild members wouldn’t be a good idea for them," Terry explained. "At the same time, any accidents that might happen with them will be suspicious, even more, if the armor disappears. Anyone with half of a brain would avoid that, but Vanessa isn’t a guild member; I wouldn’t have to do anything if something were to happen to her while she isn’t nearby."

"Even if she isn’t part of the guild, she still is our friend, and she also has many friends that are guild masters; I don’t think that anyone will do anything to her," Rebecca furrowed her eyebrows.

"I didn’t say that it would happen; I said that it could happen," Terry explained.

"In that case, I will hope that it won’t happen," Rebecca said and then left.

Terry shrugged. Rebecca was terrible at mitigating risk. Still, he knew that she was bound to learn a lesson about that sooner or later in that unforgiving world; he could only hope that the price wouldn’t be too high.

Blaze Greysteel Power Armor - Lv 20 (00/200 EXP) (Magic)

Attack Power: 240

Defense: 240

Magic Defense: 240

Magic Attack: 240

Attack Speed: 240%

Movement Speed: 240%

Mana: 1200/1200

Durability: 400/400

Attack Power Up increases attack Power by fifteen percent.

Defense Power Up: increases defense Power by fifteen percent.

Magic Defense Up: increases defense Power by fifteen percent.

Fire Resistance Up: Decreases the effects and damage caused by fire magic by fifteen percent.

"You guys surpassed yourselves again, nice," Terry said while he was equipping the armor.

"My apologies, guild master, we tried to maintain the specs of the armor, but it got weaker no matter how much we tried to keep the same specs. At least we can tell that its potential increased."

Despite its impressive design and capabilities, the power armor still held the potential for further upgrades and enhancements. One of its notable features was its compatibility with a wide range of materials, thanks to the versatile Greysteel.

Greysteel, renowned for its adaptability and strength, presented an opportunity to further enhance the power armor. The unique properties of Greysteel allowed it to seamlessly integrate with the new components of the armor, providing additional protection and augmenting its overall performance.

Terry was very satisfied in hearing that the skills of his blacksmiths were improving, so he could imagine that his armor would still grow for quite a while, and that was exactly what he needed. Still, it was about time for him to have another idea to make himself stronger. The power armor had been a pretty plain idea; even if it was working much better than he had expected... he still could do more.

Once he left the guild, Terry found Rebecca and those two brats with her waiting in a car. They were strangely quiet... Rebecca looked proud of that, but she was naive enough not to understand that they were only behaving now since they still could be sent home. Once that changes, they will show their true colors.