Chapter 315: Living Dragon Gear

"How unfortunate. That shop processing our ores is gone. When that abyssal creature and I were fighting, it was knocked right into the building, smashing it to pieces. Honestly, if I hadn't dismantled their alchemy furnace, I might have still been able to get my materials..."

Back at their lodging, Wang Yu recounted his encounter in the wizard district to his companions, including the information about the abyssal creature he had gleaned from Astarte.

"I'm just glad you're safe. That creature was clearly hunting you. It’s highly likely that because you bear almost no trace of the Void, you are exactly what it meant by a 'Pure One'."

Avia checked Wang Yu’s physical state, finding nothing amiss. The contusions and minor fractures he had sustained were already fully healed within minutes of the battle's end.

The girl was primarily checking for any lingering toxins, curses, or hidden marks left upon him.

The golden apple he had once consumed, along with the silver dragon blood he had recently obtained, were actively influencing Wang Yu’s physiology. These substances contained what could be called "information"—blueprints for things like dragon bone composition and the optimization of organ connectivity.

Through training that pushed his body beyond its normal limits, forcing it to heal through damage and emerge stronger, Wang Yu’s physical constitution was rapidly improving: his bones grew denser, his muscles tighter and more powerful, and the life force stored within his blood grew vast.

This rapid physical evolution brought an unexpected side effect: a bizarre addition to Wang Yu’s diet.

Metal ores. In fact, about a third of the ore he had sent to the wizards for processing was intended for his own consumption.

Dragon bones are incredibly hard, and dragon scales possess immense physical and magical resistance; this formidable defense stems largely from the unique composition and structure of these materials.

Yet, these sturdy parts are not inherently so; dragons themselves cannot naturally synthesize these components.

Dragons generally acquire these materials through ingestion. Thus, metallic ores—alchemy materials—are a staple in the diet of most dragons. The first meal a hatchling receives from its own shattered eggshell ensures it develops the teeth necessary to gnaw through metal.

Once his physical prowess reached the level of a Great Knight, Wang Yu became capable of biting through metal. However, before obtaining the silver dragon blood, he could not digest it. Now, having fully assimilated that blood, he could consume and process metal with ease.

By eating specific ores, Wang Yu could absorb their essence, integrating them into his bones and teeth, making his skeleton—which had always been prone to breaking in battle—increasingly resilient.

With this "ore-eating" ability, Wang Yu would occasionally sense that certain minerals looked delicious; this was a sign that those ores were highly likely to strengthen his body.

So, the fact that all the ore he had sent for processing was now destroyed, leaving him with nothing to chew on for a while, was truly a stroke of bad luck.

"So, the Sky Mechanical City still harbors remnants of abyssal creatures. It seems their containment of these dangerous entities is quite effective; in these past few hundred years, no trace of the abyss has appeared on the continent."

"Even information regarding the abyss has been tightly sealed. The Night Blades, whose duty once included fighting the abyss, have no specific records, only vague descriptions. The information that entity named Astarte gave you is the first I've ever heard of it."

Zieg shared his knowledge of the abyss. Regarding the Sky Mechanical City’s practice of keeping and studying these remnants, he and Wang Yu held similar views: it was hard to say who was right, and only time would tell what the outcome would be.

"What’s worth noting is what it said: 'They want to make a breakthrough sooner.' Who are 'they,' and why are they in such a rush to achieve a breakthrough?"

Zieg seized upon the crux of Astarte’s words. For something as inherently dangerous as an abyssal creature to escape due to a lapse in security—that is no small oversight. What could be so urgent that it would drive "them" to such lengths?

"Considering the entity's identity, the 'they' Astarte referred to is likely the Central Council. If the Central Council is so desperate to conduct research on the abyss, could it be..."

Avia’s expression grew grave as she pondered. Given the widespread turmoil recently occurring across the continent, it was hard to say if this was a harbinger of the abyss’s return.

"Hmm... I don't think so."

Wang Yu rubbed his chin. He felt something was off. The girl’s deduction was logical, and he had similar suspicions, yet something still didn't sit right.

The three of them paused, falling into a few seconds of silence. With a tacit understanding, they abandoned their inconclusive speculation and turned to the important next step of their plan for the Sky Mechanical City.

Avia opened a phase gate, allowing Zieg and Wang Yu to enter the Eden Seed space. The red dragon girl, Noelle, walked over carrying a large chest. She placed it beside her brother, her incomplete dragon aura suppressing the activity of the contents within.

"Professor, prepare yourself. If the scholars of the Sky Mechanical City were correct in their analysis of the extracts from this armor, the raw material used to forge it was the flesh and blood of the ancient behemoth, Behemoth."

"Although only a small portion remains, the life-level of Behemoth itself likely exceeds that of a dragon. It’s hard to say whether, once it receives sufficient nourishment, this nameless magic armor will stop being suppressed by dragon aura and attempt to seize control of your body."

Avia warned Zieg, who was about to manifest his dragon form in this space. Although she had been studying the armor since acquiring it and could largely control it, it was, after all, a living thing, and the upcoming process remained risky.

Indeed, the object stored in the chest that Noelle was suppressing with her dragon aura was the "Nameless Magic Armor" that Wang Yu and Avia had obtained from the orc Emon long ago.

The girl had been studying this armor, and now she understood its mechanism and had the means to modify it.

But one thing was certain: Wang Yu could not use it. Wearing this armor was essentially applying a permanent debuff to himself.

The reason was simple: the armor drained the wearer’s life force to restore some of the ancient behemoth’s power, thereby augmenting the user and granting them immense magical resistance. It was an incredibly powerful piece of equipment.

However, it came with a prerequisite: the wearer had to be able to suppress it. "Aura" is not unique to dragons; every creature possesses it, though the strength varies. Even a cat, though not powerful, possesses an aura that can strike fear into a mouse.

To use the Nameless Magic Armor without being attacked by it, one needed an aura strong enough to dominate it. The longer the armor is worn, the more life force it drains, and the stronger it becomes, requiring an even more potent aura to keep it in check.

Once the suppression fails, the armor attacks, attempting to hijack the wearer’s body. As for Wang Yu, he didn't possess even a shred of aura; even an ant wouldn't feel fear in his presence.

The moment the armor was put on Wang Yu, it would attack him incessantly. Wearing it was purely asking for trouble.

Because it was useless to Wang Yu, Avia had kept it in storage, bringing it out occasionally for study.

It wasn't until Zieg’s last battle against Arelian, where the magic arrays carved into his body were largely destroyed, that the girl remembered the armor. Since these were not Zieg’s natural mana circuits, they could not repair themselves, exposing a massive flaw in artificial magic circuitry.

This was Avia’s solution to the fragility of artificial magic circuits: to carve these circuits onto a living, self-repairing armor, creating an alternative, living magic array.

Zieg’s dragon aura, which surpassed that of almost all other creatures, was sufficient to suppress the armor’s aggression.

Furthermore, the armor itself was an excellent mana conduit. Behemoth was an ancient beast with immense spellcasting capabilities, and the "magical resistance" displayed by the armor was essentially a spontaneous "mana counter" based on the mastery of magic.

This Nameless Magic Armor seemed tailor-made for Zieg, created to mend his incompleteness. The only question was whether the armor, having gained a dragon as its host, might find the strength to resist the dragon itself.

"I believe I can do it. If I am to fill this void, I must endure the trial."

Zieg nodded firmly. He walked to the chest, removed his coat, opened the lid, and draped the living armor—which had been fed a large amount of Wang Yu’s blood and was now restless and surging with power—over his body.

Zieg then manifested his dragon form. The once-agitated armor, now blanketed by Zieg’s full dragon aura, ceased its rebellion and began to grow obediently over his dragon hide.

Rib-like structures sprouted from the armor, their numbers increasing as Zieg’s body transformed, fitting precisely and tightly against his dragon frame.

The gaps between these external bones were gradually filled by a pitch-black, leather-like substance emerging from the armor. Upon this flesh, complex engravings appeared—magic circuits, the result of the girl’s long study of the artifact.

From the spine of the Nameless Magic Armor extended a long, gelatinous neural cable. As Zieg offered no resistance, it slid along his dragon spine, connecting to the flesh beneath his scales. This vulnerable point was now protected by both the armor and the dragon’s own hide.

Ten minutes later, the Nameless Magic Armor had completely covered Zieg’s dragon form, turning his originally red scales entirely black.

"How do you feel?"

Wang Yu stood nearby, ready to strike. If anything went wrong, he would immediately use his Shattered Meteorite Blade to sever the armor’s spinal connection.

A glow representing mana suddenly ignited across the black armor, pulsing in rhythm with the dragon’s breath. Zieg opened his eyes, feeling the armor that was now one with his own flesh.

The magic circuits upon it felt as if they were growing within him, responsive as his own limbs, and of a completely different order of magnitude than the circuits previously carved into his scales.

"I feel wonderful. This armor has submitted to me. I feel good—better than I have ever felt before."

Zieg replied, experiencing a sense of power he had never known.

Living Dragon Armor...