Chapter 19:
Item Craft – New Armor
The day after, I have a meal and a good night's sleep.
"Cheep-Cheep-Cheep-Cheep-Cheep-!"
The noisy chirping of sparrows roused me from a deep sleep in the morning. It was a pleasant sleep, with no nightmares.
"Wow…! I slept well!
I got up and stretched my arms above my head, but felt no pain. I touched my body to look for my bruises, but they seemed to have already disappeared.
"Wow… this is the resilience of over 200 strength?"
The power hump on my arm is muscular. Where is my former self, the four-eyed otaku? I look in the mirror and can't help but think I'm a different person.
Anyway, mornings, when I don't have to worry about being late and don't have to suffer the hardship of being crammed into a crowded train, are a pleasant thing. I boil water on the stove and drink warm white water.
"Kuh~! The white water soaks into my gut!"
In this time of scarcity, there are no luxury items like coffee. Yes, luxury is my enemy. However, thanks to this, my body has been drained of caffeine, I have been able to sleep soundly, and I feel like I have more concentration than usual.
To get the calories needed to keep my body active, I had breakfast, which consisted of a fried egg and mayonnaise bowl, a calorie-priority dish. In terms of rank, it was a breakfast at the bait level. Hmmm, I need to go shopping.
And I won't dive in the dungeon today.
I was damaged yesterday, and I lost my armor. To dive into the dungeon again, I will need new armor. So today, I plan to clean my room and look for things that could be used for armor, while also organizing the front room of the dungeon.
In the morning, I hung out the futon, vacuumed the room, and took stuff out of the closet. However, I found nothing I could use as protective gear, except for a pair of motorcycle winter gloves that were stiff and uncomfortable in my hands, and a pair of pads that only protected my knees and elbows.
"Hmm, I thought there would be something more."
In the afternoon, I cleaned and organized the front room of the dungeon. However, the vacuum cleaner cord didn't reach very far, so I used a roller and wipes for most of the cleaning.
Then, I stood in front of a pile of massive cockroach shells.
"Generate Acid Solution. It would be great if I use this guy to make armor."
If I could make armor with this, I could use acid without fear of being hurt by the acid I produced.
The outer shell is similar in color to a ginkgo tree leaf and does not react to my acid. In other words, my acid does not work. However, the enemy is weak against [Acid] until it gets there. I have learned the usefulness of the skill [Acid] and become accustomed to a fighting style that relies on the skill [Acid], then a boss appears that [Acid] doesn't work… they do it.
If I had not realized the truth about that weakness, I'll die.
"Well, it's impossible. Let's also sort out the drops."
I threw the dropped items into a plastic bucket and sorted them into the trash bags spread out on the floor.
"But what in the world am I going to use these things for?"
The slime's drop, in addition to the magic stone, is a "dried out raw eight-bridge-like thing," the cockroach's is "cockroach skin," and the drops for the sick rat and giant slug, which I did not collect, are "yellow rat's front teeth" and "sticky liquid".
While thinking about these things, I was playing with the cockroach skin with my hand without thinking about it. I was getting used to seeing them, and I felt less and less resistance to touching them with my bare hands.
Then, I poured magic power into the skin of the cockroach I was playing with my hand.
It was an experiment I tried with a light heart, thinking it would not cause any reaction. However, after I poured the magic power into the skin. The skin of the cockroach, which was somewhat elastic and plastic-like, deformed in my hand.
"Eh? What is this?"
The monster material suddenly became soft as soon I poured some magic power through it. When I stopped passing magic power through it, it solidified in a deformed state, as if it melted by heat.
Oh, a discovery.
Can the monster material be processed by passing through magic power? I poured magic power through another skin once more to check the reproducibility. I got the same result.
"This!!!!"
Item crafting. Yes, it's the best part of the fantasy. The possibility of such a thing is right here in my hands! No, no, no, no! Isn't this exciting!
Armor that is extremely hard and resistant to acid corrosion.
That's a problem that I have to solve. When I use [acid], my equipment is affected by it. However, if I use metals such as iron, it will rust, and if I use leather, it will be damaged too. The leather gloves and boots worn in the dungeon were discolored and stained by the acid and had lost their original flexibility.
Then there is the outer shell of the massive cockroach.
It is extremely hard and extremely resistant to acid corrosion. It was the perfect material for my armor. I slowly imbued it with my magical power, and once it was fully absorbed, I began processing it…
["(huyo yyo yyo…)"].
Then, the outer shell surface looks like a yellow ginkgo leaf, softens, and turns into a shiny candy color. In this state, it seems possible to create parts while shrinking the size and shaping them.
However, it was a difficult and steady process that consumed a lot of magical power, and I lost consciousness many times during the process.
However, I used to be an otaku who worked hard at night building plastic models when I was a student. So I am used to this steady and solitary work. Yes, don't underestimate the persistence of an otaku.
And so, forgetting about sleep and food, I immersed myself in research and creation. Before I knew it, two weeks had flown by. But thanks to my efforts, I finally completed a new suit of armor.
The Bug King Exoskeleton is completed.
I named it the Bug King Suit. The outer shell color was like a withered ginkgo leaf, taken on a candy-colored luster by processing, and it is shining so brightly that it could be mistaken for gold.
First, I put it on, starting with the left arm.
["Sss… fukyu!"].
After my arm is passed in a relaxed state, the magic power flows into the left arm. Then, the loosened membrane between the outer shells is pulled tight and fits the arm perfectly.
Yes, this outer shell is dead, but its characteristics are still active. It is the same as wood that turned into a post, which is dead as a tree but still retains its characteristics as wood. That realization of this has made great progress in the complete exoskeleton project.
["Sss… fcuk! Fcukyuu!"]
Both legs, right bowl part, body, and exoskeleton are put on. Its body shape is similar to that of a tokusatsu hero, as I was influenced by various works and sculpted it. I am an otaku, so it's impossible. It's just cooler that way.
["Fcukyuu"]
Finally, I put on the helmet.
Massive Cockroach's eyeballs are like mirrored shields, so I can't see in from the outside, but from the inside, the view is clear and unclouded. The decorative horns extending from the forehead to the zenith of the head are a nice finish that tickles the otaku's fancy.
"Strongly decompose with the power of acid! Strong Acid (Shubi!) Warrior! (Shubaba!) Acidman!!"
I, fully clothed in my Bug King suit, was in high spirits and struck a pose along with my lines.
["Guchichichi…!]
"M, my movements are stiff…? I see. It's because it's too tight-fitting."
However, if I reduce my body's fitness of the body, it will be too stiff. After several minutes of trial and error, I solve this problem by injecting a lotion-like lubricating mucus between the suit and the body.
["(squeak!)]…squeak! kuchuun!)"]
"Ooh!"
The movement is smooth even when I try to move it quickly. However, the violent lubricating mucus movement caused strange water noises to emanate from various parts of my body.
"Hmm, well, this is impossible. If it still bothers me, let's discuss it in the future. Even metal armor makes a clattering sound when you wear it. I can tolerate this kind of noise."
Still, I was tired. I stayed up last night to complete the project, so my shoulders were stiff from all the work. I'm going to a super public bath for the first time in a while to relax and unwind.