This appeared to be a display room for weapons and armor. The cleaning and maintenance spells had persisted through the ages, leaving not a speck of dust.
Because the room had fallen during the collapse, everything was piled in a corner. It took the Puchis quite a while to sort the contents.
It was a set of armor-like equipment.
The reason it was “armor-like” was that it looked nothing like normal armor.
Ordinary armor covered vital areas. Some third-rate scrubs added scary-looking but useless spikes.
This armor had spikes too—but they pointed inward…
Lin Jun carefully counted. If someone actually wore it, they’d probably end up with forty-eight bloody holes.
An iron maiden!
And the shape was weird too.
Armor should prioritize coverage. There was never a rule that “less coverage = higher defense.”
Yet this set not only covered little but deliberately exposed several vital spots.
On the right breastplate was a line of dwarven script: *To my beloved.*
Lin Jun’s mycelium practically curled in disgust.
This wasn’t some pervert’s kinky gear, was it?
Found something unrecognizable while doing archaeology?
Ask the yellow-skinned book, obviously!
And the book actually knew.
[Boss, this is magic-crystal equipment.]
[See all those big and small slots? They’re for embedding magic crystals.]
“Sounds a bit like war golems?”
[Same root technology.]
“So how effective is this stuff?”
[I don’t know this exact piece, but fully powered magic-crystal equipment is basically an enhanced full magic set—stronger than almost everything these days.]
“That strong? Why haven’t I heard of it? Is this the last one left?”
[Because there are no magic crystals, Boss!]
[Count the slots—one full set of high-grade crystals per battle!]
[Not like modern mage staves that last until broken. This gear burns through an entire set in one fight.]
[And the crystals can’t be low quality—low quality gives bad effects, sometimes worse than modern gear.]
[Even back then, this was extreme luxury. After intercontinental trade collapsed and high-grade crystals became scarce, no one could afford it.]
[Plus big side effects: the power comes with heavy mental strain. Weak-willed users either get magic addiction or go insane after one use.]
[Other places might still have similar gear in dwarven or imperial vaults, but unless there’s no alternative, no one would use it.]
[Bottom line: obsolete technology. Far less practical than modern gear that activates material properties.]
*Clap, clap, clap—*
The Puchi beside the yellow-skinned book clapped its tentacles.
“Having a yellow-skinned book is like having a treasure!”
[Boss overpraises me. Serving you is my duty.]
After the explanation, Lin Jun remembered something—this tech wasn’t completely extinct.
At least the halfling mage Ivan from Silver Thorn had a similar abdominal slot device. Lin Jun had personally seen him insert a crystal against a balor.
But compared to this intricate set, Ivan’s was crude.
Thinking of Ivan, Lin Jun followed the fungal mat and found him still unconscious in Norwide next to Mushroom Capital, cared for by teammates.
According to Aidin, he passed out after inserting an S-grade crystal and nearly instant-casting a teleport.
Lin Jun was a bit curious about his coma dreams, but the gear came first.
This set had been specially stored in a sealed room—it couldn’t be weak.
He selected a few lucky D-class personnel for this meaningful experiment, including the blood-clan who had guarded the teleport array.
Just the inward-spike look alone scared the crap out of many.
Thanks to the selfless dedication of the D-class crew, Lin Jun quickly figured out the rough effects.
Blood-clan specialized magic-crystal armament.
Simple yet brutal: massively boosted base stats and blood manipulation. Even non-blood-clan wearers gained partial blood control.
When activated, gaps filled with hard blood-crystal armor—excellent defense, instantly repairable with blood.
The matching greatsword was terrifying. One D-class wearer even delusionally thought he could fight his way out.
Then Lin Jun grew mushrooms on him.
The side effects the yellow-skinned book mentioned appeared too.
Of the six testers (excluding the one executed for resisting), two non-blood-clan developed the delusion they were vampires and tried biting people.
One got magic addiction.
Fifty-percent failure rate—and that was only using B-grade crystals.
The least harmful part was ironically the scary-looking inward spikes.
After all, for mycelial people, a few extra holes weren’t a big deal as long as vital organs were avoided.
…
“So, what’s your choice?”
Among Lin Jun’s subordinates, only Little Pig fit this gear.
Whether she used it or not, Lin Jun was fine either way.
“How much boost?” Louisa asked.
“With full A-grade crystals, you’d probably crush temple-tier blood-clan.”
As for S-grade—no way Lin Jun would waste those just to test power.
“Boss, why are you so good to me!”
Louisa grabbed the spike-covered vambrace without hesitation and jammed it onto her right arm. Sharp metal pierced skin and bone. Her breathing quickened, sweat beaded on her forehead, but her lips split into a terrifying excited grin.
She didn’t stop the bleeding or slow down.
One piece after another, she equipped the entire “torture suit” herself, eyes burning with hunger for power.
“Mmm… ah… Boss, I will be your sharpest blade!”
Feverish eyes, constantly flowing blood.
Watching this, Lin Jun silently spawned a Puchi.
“Hm? This is… Fungus Lord! Do you need me to… EEEEK!!!”
No. 9 fainted on the spot, short legs twitching.
Lin Jun had meant to say “wear it only in battle,” but seeing Little Pig this eager, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
Actually, why was she so motivated?
It put a lot of pressure on him.
Lin Jun was silent for two seconds. “…Fine.”
Where Louisa couldn’t see, the yellow-skinned book quietly flipped a page with tiny text:
[I told you—vampires are all perverts!]
(End of Chapter)
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