Chapter 208

“I-I was actually wondering…”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to ask for the cooperation of the students from Arsen Academy.”

“Huh? Cooperation?”

“You see, the examination for the Magic Armor has been postponed repeatedly because of some inspection items.”

The engineers at Plume Workshop get funding from the Kingdom for developing artifacts. However, to receive that support, they need to pass inspections, and the situation had them stuck right from the start with the Magic Armor.

“What kind of inspection items?”

“It’s about the output limits of the Magic Armor.”

Output limits refer to observing and reporting any changes when a magical device reaches its designed maximum output. This isn’t just for the Magic Armor, but is a mandatory inspection item for all magical devices that use power sources.

“But the problem is…”

“The output limit of the Magic Armor is pretty high, so we’ll need at least a Mage or an Expert to help figure it out.”

“As you well know, it’s tough to find someone with that kind of skill in the workshop.” Most of the engineers working there are low-level or intermediate Mages. The highest skill they’ve got rarely goes beyond High-ranking Mage.

Those Mages or Experts tend to be found in the capital of the Endrak Kingdom or in the Royal Castle, not out in the sticks like this. On the other hand, students from Arsen Academy are known for their outstanding talent in swordsmanship and magic, and just by looking at the professors leading them, you could easily spot some Experts.

“So, uh, I apologize for asking, but I came here to request your cooperation!”

“Sorry for interrupting your observation.”

“If there’s a student among those majoring in the Military Department or the Magic Department who qualifies, I’d greatly appreciate their cooperation.”

The engineers from the Hennes team bowed their heads in unison. Upon realizing the situation, Professor Melt nodded.

“Understood. I’ll ask.”

“Th-Thank you!”

After that brief exchange, Professor Melt turned to the students of Arsen Academy. He explained the Hennes team’s situation and posed the question.

“As I mentioned earlier, is there any student who would like to participate in the examination? Of course, there’s no pressure—feel free to speak up.”

……

But no students stepped forward.

While curiosity intrigued them, they were also hesitant to use a magical device that hadn’t even passed its inspections yet.

Did Professor Melt sense the atmosphere? He let out a small sigh.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to help as much as I could, but it seems we don’t have any volunteers…”

Just as he hung his head in embarrassment, someone’s hand shot up.

“I’ll do it.”

A deep voice resonated through the room.

The student who raised their hand surprised Professor Melt, who widened his eyes.

“You are…”

“Ulan Bator.”

Ulan boldly introduced himself.

His bright scarlet eyes sparkled with excitement like a kid encountering a fascinating toy.

And it was understandable.

The Magic Armor was something he’d never seen in his past life, just like a train, and he was curious how much it could aid in combat.

“Y-You mean Ulan…?”

“The youngest Master of Arsen Academy?!?”

“I can’t say about being the youngest, but I am a Master.”

Seeing the astonished faces of the Hennes team, Ulan simply nodded, prompting the three Magic Engineers to light up with excitement.

Getting help from a High-ranking Knight was already a stroke of luck; they never expected a Master to join the experiment.

Just as everyone’s eyes were wide with disbelief at Ulan’s offer, a second volunteer stepped forward, adding to the commotion.

“Then, I’ll cooperate too.”

A petite girl with silver hair.

She grabbed the attention of the students at Plume Academy immediately; it was the Duchy’s genius Mage, Delia Arpen.

Everyone was shocked by her sudden offer, and Delia casually revealed her reason.

“I found it a bit interesting.”

Delia was being honest. The moment she first discovered the Magic Armor, curiosity as a Mage had sparked within her. Of course, she didn’t plan to experience it herself.

‘But…’

Ulan’s offer changed her mind.

With their class split and their time together minimized recently, she wanted to do something with Ulan, and that’s why she decided to volunteer.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of this deeper intention, the development team looked on with grateful faces as they constantly bowed their heads.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“P-Please wait a moment!”

“We’ll prepare right away!”

Not wanting their two volunteers to change their minds, the three engineers bustled off to get ready for the Magic Armor testing.

Some time later.

Ulan and Delia, with the help of the Hennes team, donned their respective Magic Armors.

Ulan, being a big guy, looked like he was putting on gigantic armor, while petite Delia felt like she was climbing aboard a giant Golem.

“Wow, it looks different from just the exoskeleton.”

“Right? Wearing it makes it look way bigger.”

“It definitely seems to absorb external impacts better.”

As a result.

Both Ulan and Delia in their Magic Armors took on a physique nearing 5 meters tall. However, some students expressed concern.

“But can we actually move properly?”

“Seriously. It looks so clunky.”

The sheer size of the Magic Armor was definitely a reason for concern.

But Ulan took a confident stride forward, bursting their worries.

“It feels surprisingly light.”

It hugged his body snugly.

Unlike regular armor, the feel against his skin wasn’t uncomfortable at all. He could move his fingers and execute intricate actions just fine.

“What a marvel.”

He’d never encountered armor that fit so well in his past life. Just as Ulan was sparkling with interest, a voice from the Hennes team broke in.

“Please take your positions.”

“We’re starting the test now!”

The first test was the maximum output check.

Delia released her mana as instructed. The Magic Armor immediately absorbed her mana and began changing color.

What was once a gray exterior turned bright green, deepening into a rich blue.

“What’s the current output?”

“It just hit 65%!”

“Delia! Please, give us a little more!”

At the request of the Hennes team, Delia released even more mana. Suddenly, the once-blue exterior took on a purple hue.

“Maximum output level reached!”

“Please stop there!”

Despite expelling a significant amount of mana, Delia showed no signs of fatigue.

The Magic Engineers, amazed at the vast amount of mana, simultaneously inspected the state of the Magic Armor that had reached its maximum output.

After verifying a few more actions, it was then Ulan’s turn.

“Please take it away, Ulan.”

“Just like Delia did before, release your mana or aura.”

Ulan moved as instructed.

Activating all three Spirits he had, he immediately released them outward. The Magic Armor absorbed the Spirits like parched earth drinking in rain, and it quickly began changing colors.

“Output limit reached!”

“Ulan! Stop now!”

As it transitioned from green to blue, then to purple, the engineers asked him to stop, just like they did with Delia.

But Ulan didn’t comply.

‘I still have capacity left.’

With his senses extending through the Spirits absorbed by the Magic Armor, Ulan realized there was still surplus output capability.

‘So…’

He was about to pour out the Spirits to a ‘real’ limit, not the so-called limit the engineers mentioned.

Unbeknownst to them, the Magic Engineers went into a frenzy.

“O-Over the limit!”

“It exceeds the design’s 100%!”

“At this rate, it’ll go into overload!”

Professor Melt promptly evacuated the students from Arsen back, anticipating any unforeseen events.

Moments later.

A bizarre phenomenon that nobody expected occurred.

Ulan’s Magic Armor turned from purple to red.

“Finally, it’s filled.”

It took on the entire amount of Spirits, which corresponded to a first-tier level, before finally reaching full capacity.

Once the Spirits were injected, the engineers hurriedly began inspecting the Magic Armor.

“Is there any overload response?”

“N-No, nothing at all!”

“What? So that means…”

“It indicates that the maximum limit is set higher than originally designed.”

This was currently the most plausible hypothesis.

Judging that further detailed questions could only be resolved once testing concluded, the Hennes team quickly delivered various commands to Ulan for testing how much energy he’d consume while moving freely at maximum output.

As Ulan began moving, an involuntary smile crept onto his face.

‘This isn’t bad at all.’

There were various constraints compared to being unarmed, but still, it was the most comfortable armor he had ever donned.

The movement was completely natural, and he could manage fine detailed controls effortlessly.

‘I want to try this out in battle.’

The only downside was the lack of a proper sparring partner. To fully utilize the performance of the Magic Armor, he required at least the skill level of Marquis Gorphant.

“Yes, the output verification operation is complete!”

“Next, we’ll measure the destructive power you can unleash while at maximum output.”

“We’re moving to the training ground at the back since it’s too dangerous here in the workshop.”

Simply put, it was a power test.

The method was simple.

Just attack the Magic Barrier, which calculates various power levels, and that’s it. It would automatically check the variance in power.

“Delia.”

“Please use an attack spell below 2nd tier against the Magic Barrier.”

Delia stood first again.

Nodding silently, she completed her spell in the blink of an eye. It was a 2nd-tier magic that concentrated the power of stars to unleash a lightning strike.

That was the Stellar Lightning.

Boom! Crackle!

Starlight lightning struck the Magic Barrier.

With a powerful impact, dust exploded upwards. Delia, a bit taken aback, widened her eyes in astonishment.

‘The power…’

It was evidently different from what she usually used.

What was this? She hadn’t added extra mana?

As she pondered this, the reason became clear through the Hennes team’s conversation.

“Power measurement complete!”

“Compared to the mana consumed in the spell, the power increased by more than 65%! The magic amplification effect has been properly applied.”

Much like the Hennes team said, Delia’s Magic Armor boasted a magic amplification effect. That was why the power of the Stellar Lightning soared.

‘So this is the kind of effect it has.’

At the same time, a thought struck her. What if this Magic Armor were to be distributed across the Duchy?

Then Mages would be assured safety and could join forces with Rangers against the Demon Beasts on the battlefield.

‘That’s quite a decent plan.’

Should she consider making some later?

Delia understood the principles behind how the Magic Armor operated through the previous tests, even going so far as to grasp how it was constructed.

If she had enough materials, she was confident she could replicate it. Thus, Delia committed the structure of the Magic Armor to memory once more.

“Hmm, it seems quite lacking.”

“For a 2nd-tier magic, the maximum amplification should theoretically exceed 150%…”

“It’s likely because it’s Stellar Magic?”

“Hmm, that does make sense.”

After Delia’s tests concluded successfully.

Next, it was Ulan’s turn.

“What should I do?”

“Please pick any weapon you like and attack the Magic Barrier.”

Before him stood the massive wall.

The Magic Barrier that Delia had just struck.

The entire wall was imbued with the defensive magic equivalent to 7th tier, and the materials making it were no ordinary stone but minerals mixed with steel.

Meanwhile, Ulan chose his weapon.

It was a huge two-handed axe fitting for his massive build.

“How hard should I hit it?”

“Hmm, as we’re validating maximum output, please attack with all your strength.”

“Got it.”

All his strength.

He engraved that phrase in his mind as he concentrated all his power in his upper body. Then he sprinted toward the Magic Barrier.

Thump! Thump thump! Thump!

Upon reaching his destination, with his scarlet eyes sparkling, he swung the axe with all his might.

And as a result.

The Hennes team had no choice but to deeply regret what they had told Ulan.

Boom—!

For the first time, they heard a thunderous roar.

Like a star falling from the sky, it crashed into the ground, and the 7th-tier defensive spell protecting the Magic Barrier crumpled like a piece of paper.

“…!?”

However, it was too early to be surprised.

Ulan’s power didn’t stop there.

Crack! Crunch! Smash!

The wall, sturdy as steel, crumbled like a sandcastle, sending debris flying throughout the training ground.

“Uh, uahhh!”

“What’s going on? What’s happening?!”

“Everyone, take cover!”

The scene quickly devolved into chaos.

Fortunately, no one was injured. Delia, having sensed that something like this could happen, had set up a barrier around the training ground with the help of her Spirits.

“W-Ulan’s power…”

“We can’t measure it.”

It was an obvious fact. The collapse of the Magic Barrier meant they now had no means to measure power.

The only silver lining was that not all the Magic Barriers had been destroyed. Realizing this, Ulan aimed his axe at another one.

“Should I hit that one with full force too?”

“Eek! No!”

“Absolutely not!”

“Please, just enough so it doesn’t break!”

The engineers yelled like they were in a panic.

Ulan nodded as if to say okay and swung his axe just enough to avoid shattering it.

And as a result.

The Magic Barrier didn’t collapse like before but developed a small crack, and the Hennes team surveyed the change in power levels with solemn faces.

“What’s the power level? Is there any change?”

“…I can’t tell.”

“What? You can’t tell? What do you mean by that?”

“N-No matter how much I calculate, I can’t gauge how powerful it originally was!”

Which meant they couldn’t determine whether Ulan’s strength had amplified or not. The engineers emitted hollow laughs at the returned answer.

Frustrated that they had managed to demolish the Magic Barrier while achieving no results from the test left them feeling a bit dejected.

“Well, now that it’s come to this…”

“We can’t just throw in the towel.”

“For the sake of the collapsed Magic Barriers, we’ve got to make sure to recover something!”

The Hennes team, driven by the determination to salvage the situation, ignited their eyes and set about conducting various verification tasks.

After the various experiments concluded.

Finally, the last test approached.

48. The Secret Weapon of Plume Workshop