Chapter 192: Worldshell Carapace
Let’s see if there’s any gear that requires the Warden class...
Since becoming a Warden only required mastering three different weapon types, Martin’s class was not particularly rare. There had to be plenty of other Wardens scattered throughout the game world, which meant the Auction House should have more than enough equipment made specifically for them.
Sure enough, gear restricted to his class filled page after page of listings.
Martin initially thought that would make his search easier, but then he saw exactly how much equipment he would have to check.
Heavy shields, reinforced armor, enchanted spears, defensive accessories, and complete sets covered the floating Auction House menu above the stone table. Some pieces were designed to protect party members, while others focused on controlling monsters or surviving attacks that would crush less durable classes. Several sets looked powerful enough to tempt him, but their effects were too straightforward for what he had in mind.
Even after narrowing the search several times, hundreds of listings remained. Martin leaned closer to the table and started examining every item that looked remotely promising.
I should plan further ahead, like Rias does.
Most of the available gear would have been perfectly useful to an ordinary Warden, but Martin had no intention of remaining one forever. There was little point in buying something powerful now if he would replace it the moment his class evolved again.
He wanted equipment that could grow alongside him, and finding something that might push him toward his next evolution would be even better.
Martin searched for unusual requirements, hidden effects, and descriptions that hinted at unfinished potential. He wanted an item demanding enough to force him to find loopholes and come up with solutions the developers might not have intended.
That was what he had enjoyed most about the Level One Hidden Dungeon. The challenge had appeared impossible at first, but Martin had found a way around the rules and turned the entire situation in his favor.
Now that sounds fun.
After scrolling through one listing after another, Martin finally stopped on a single piece of armor rather than a complete set.
The price should have made him close the window immediately, but the name held his attention.
[Worldshell Carapace (Dormant)]
[Type: Growth Armor]
[Rarity: Unknown]
[Required Class: Warden]
[Special Requirement: Hold the Line]
[Binding: Permanent upon awakening]
Wait, Hold the Line isn’t a skill every Warden gets when they evolve?
Martin had assumed the skill came with the class. When he opened the requirement details, however, he discovered that the armor checked whether its potential wearer had personally earned Hold the Line through a qualifying achievement.
That one condition interested him more than any legendary rarity ever could.
Most Wardens could not even awaken the armor, but Martin could. The childish sense of superiority that came with that knowledge only made him want the carapace more.
He selected the three-dimensional preview, and a headless mannequin appeared above the stone table. A broad piece of armor covered its chest, shoulders, and upper back, resembling a breastplate carved from the shell of an enormous sea creature.
Dense layers of overlapping plates covered its surface. They were dark blue, nearly black around the edges, with deep sapphire veins glowing beneath them. The armor looked ancient and rough rather than polished, and countless scratches marked the outer shell without cutting deeply enough to weaken it.
The plates curved across the chest and fit tightly against one another, leaving no obvious gaps for a weapon to slip through. Two thick shoulder pieces extended outward from the same layered shell, and blunt ridges along their surface gave the armor a heavy, threatening shape.
Thin lines of blue light moved beneath the surface in a slow, steady rhythm. The gentle pulsing made the armor seem alive even though it remained completely still on the mannequin.
Martin rotated the preview to examine the back, where dozens of smaller interlocking plates formed a circular pattern between the mannequin’s shoulder blades. The design followed the natural shape of a massive shell, but several sections ended abruptly around the ribs and waist, leaving unfinished ridges along the edges.
Those incomplete sections made the armor’s purpose obvious. The carapace was supposed to spread farther once it began evolving.
It did not include sleeves, gauntlets, leg armor, or a helmet. What Martin saw was only the beginning of something much larger.
He opened the full description.
[A fragment of living armor recovered from the remains of an ancient guardian.
The carapace does not accept ordinary warriors. It recognizes only Wardens who have proven capable of standing against overwhelming force without abandoning those behind them.
Once awakened, the armor will bind itself to its bearer and slowly spread across their body. Additional pieces may be formed by fulfilling hidden growth conditions and feeding the carapace suitable equipment.
Each completed stage will permanently occupy the corresponding equipment slot.
Current Form: Chest Armor
Growth Progress: 0%
Next Evolution: Unknown
Dormant Effect: Unyielding Core
Damage taken while defending an ally or designated area contributes to the armor’s growth.
Warning:
Once awakened, the Worldshell Carapace cannot be unequipped, traded, destroyed, or replaced until its evolution is complete.
It does not protect those who retreat.]
Martin read the warning once, frowned, and went through it again more carefully.
Fuck, that’s one hell of a drawback.
The armor would permanently claim one of his most important equipment slots. If its growth conditions turned out to be ridiculous, he could remain stuck with an incomplete chest piece for weeks or even longer, and he would not be able to destroy it and start over.
Even with that risk hanging over him, his eyes drifted back to the rotating preview. The dark shell plates made the mannequin appear broader and more intimidating, while every pulse of sapphire light added to the armor’s heavy, dangerous presence.
But it looks damn cool. It even has shell in the name, so I’d be matching Angel.
Matching Angel was probably the stupidest possible reason to buy it, but somehow, that thought nearly sealed the deal.
Then Martin looked at the asking price.
It was over thirty thousand dollars.
He slowly leaned back in his seat. Martin had enough money, especially after everything he had gained recently, but being able to afford something did not make buying it reasonable. Thirty thousand dollars was still thirty thousand dollars, and spending that much on a single in-game item genuinely bothered him.
Across the stone table, Rias sat with her cheek resting against one hand. Her golden eyes moved calmly from one expensive listing to another, while her medium-length blonde hair framed her face and rested in soft strands against her cheeks.
The prices did not seem to bother her at all.
Rias was fully prepared to spend just as much as Martin, if not more, and she would probably make every purchase with a better plan. Unfortunately, that did not make his own decision any less reckless.
The Worldshell Carapace was not even a full set. It was a single piece of armor, and no one knew how long it would take to evolve. The next stage could require him to block a thousand attacks, feed it legendary equipment, or stand in front of a world boss until every bone in his body broke.
It’s a huge gamble, but I’m in.
Martin pressed Buy before he could second-guess himself.
DING!
[You have purchased Worldshell Carapace (Dormant).]
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