Chapter 200: Need a hand?
Martin had equipped the dormant armor knowing full well that his Broodtide set wouldn’t carry him far through the waters of the Level Sixty Hidden Dungeon.
At the time, gambling on the Worldshell Carapace had made sense. The armor had absurd requirements, some connection to Hold the Line, and enough mystery surrounding it to suggest that awakening it would be worth the risk. A battle like this should have given it everything it needed. Martin was facing a colossal sea monster while protecting his allies from the back of a dragon turtle in the middle of an ocean dungeon.
If it still refused to react, he had no idea what else it wanted from him.
Unfortunately, the Worldshell Carapace didn’t seem impressed. It stayed wrapped around his torso without showing the slightest reaction. No energy spread across its surface, none of the hidden plates spread over the rest of his body, and no notification appeared to tell him he had made any progress.
He struck the center of the chest plate with his fist. A solid metallic thud rang out, but the armor gave him nothing in return.
"Come on," he muttered. "Give me something."
Angel turned her large sapphire eyes toward him while continuing to paddle through the rough water. Cannon fire flashed overhead, and distant explosions sent faint vibrations through the crystal layers of her shell.
Pressing both hands against the armor, Martin focused on Hold the Line and imagined himself protecting Angel from the Sea Dragon Monster. When that failed, he pictured himself standing alone against an entire army, which seemed dramatic enough to satisfy even the most unreasonable legendary item.
Nothing changed.
Maybe the armor wanted him to take a direct hit while protecting someone. Testing that theory would have been much easier if their enemy hadn’t been several dozen times larger than him.
The Sea Dragon Monster twisted through the waves as spells and cannonballs burst against its scales. Rias weaved between the impacts on its back, striking whenever another explosion opened a crack in its defenses. One solid blow from a creature that size wouldn’t gently encourage the armor to wake up. It would send Martin tumbling through the ocean and probably end the experiment on the spot.
There goes the subtle approach.
He opened his equipment window again and selected the Broodtide Gear Set.
[The selected equipment cannot be worn with the Worldshell Carapace.]
Martin stared at the message. "Yeah, I know."
The system offered no further advice, but Harem Online was immersive enough that he didn’t have to rely entirely on its help to dress himself. He opened his inventory, pulled out one of the Broodtide pieces, and tried to slide it over his arm manually.
At first, it seemed to work.
Then the Worldshell Carapace grew heavier.
The sudden pressure drove his knees into the raised crystal ridges along Angel’s shell. He threw both hands forward to keep himself from landing face-first, but the weight kept building until his torso was pinned flat against her broad back.
Angel made a confused sound and tilted her head toward him.
"I’m testing something."
She blinked.
Martin planted his palms against the crystal and tried to push himself upright. The armor responded by pressing harder against his ribs and locking him in place.
"More specifically, I’m testing an uncooperative piece of garbage."
The crushing pressure vanished the moment he pulled the Broodtide piece off his arm. Once he could breathe properly again, Martin sat up and glared down at the Worldshell Carapace.
It refused to awaken, yet it apparently had no problem getting jealous.
The attempt hadn’t activated any of the Broodtide set’s stats, either. Martin could physically put the pieces on, but the game wouldn’t recognize them as equipped while the Worldshell Carapace occupied his torso. Forcing the rest of the set onto himself would only trigger the same crushing pressure without granting him any of its stats.
I took a gamble, and now it’s biting me in the ass.
A quick look at himself confirmed how ridiculous the situation had become. Only his torso had any protection, leaving his head, arms, hands, and legs completely exposed. He looked like a shipwreck survivor who had lost everything except one oversized chest plate.
The Storm Guild noticed almost immediately.
"What’s up with Emperoar?"
Several players had gathered along the railing of the nearest ship. They should have been watching the enormous monster trying to tear through their fleet, yet Martin’s equipment had somehow become more interesting.
"He has some new kind of armor," one of them said. "Where’s the rest of it?"
"Maybe that is the full set."
"That would be the saddest set I’ve ever seen."
"Did his pet eat the other pieces?"
Their laughter carried easily across the water.
Angel raised her head at the mention of herself, so Martin patted her shell. "Ignore them. They’re jealous because you have better armor than all of us."
She splashed her front legs through the water, which only made the guild members laugh harder.
Another player leaned farther over the railing and pointed toward the Sea Dragon Monster. "His other chick is doing damn well, though. She’s a beast!"
"She is!" Plume called out.
The captain strode across the deck while cannon fire shook the ship beneath his boots. Even as he moved, he kept watching Rias climb across the Sea Dragon Monster amid the guild’s bombardment.
She moved through the chaos with ruthless precision. Whenever the creature twisted, clouds gathered around her body and carried her toward another foothold. Her blades flashed against weakened scales as she aimed for the cracks opened by the Storm Guild’s cannons and spells.
After watching her for another moment, Plume stopped beside the railing and looked down at Martin. His mouth curved into a broad smile when he noticed the incomplete armor.
"Emperoar!" he shouted. "You found yourself a fine lass!"
Martin already disliked where this was going.
"Don’t fall behind, or she’ll find someone else who can keep up with her! Haha!"
Several guild members joined in. Rias was too far away to hear any of them, which was probably fortunate for everyone involved.
Plume slapped the railing. "Need a hand?"
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