Chapter 386 – Harnessing The Frenzy.

Armand finished securing the gauntlets onto his forearms with a satisfied expression. He flexed his fingers experimentally and noticed how they moved fluidly within the unique design of the gauntlets. It was clear that Roland had put a lot of thought into the creation of these specialized weapons.

“These are amazing, Wayland. I can feel the power!”

The man thrust both of his fists into the air, infusing his mana into the pair of weapons. The runes started to emit a crimson glow, mirroring the effect of Arthur’s rapier. This weapon utilized a comparable runic system to the flame blade, allowing it to conjure flames and even flame whips. However, with Armand’s reckless behavior, the situation became increasingly volatile.

“What on earth are you doing? Stop waving your arms around!”

As Armand vigorously swung his fists, he triggered the whips, which shot out and initially collided with the ceiling before shooting forward. He was not the only person there, Lobelia was quite close by, engrossed in inspecting the mithril arrows, her attention elsewhere. One of these blazing lashes hurtled directly toward her, prompting Roland to swiftly invoke his runic authority. Just before the spell could make contact with the unsuspecting half-elf, it dissipated into nothingness, transforming into ephemeral wisps of red light.

Armand froze as he realized the danger he had just created. Sweat trickled down his face as he stared at Roland with wide eyes, the fiery whips retracting into the gauntlets. Roland, still controlling the runes with a stern expression while focused on his new brother-in-law.

“Armand, you have to be careful! These gauntlets can be powerful, but they can also be extremely dangerous if not used properly…”

This was precisely why he had brought the two of them down to his workshop. Individuals like this brute often lacked the finesse required for handling magical items with multiple active spells. To address this, he had designed them to function like game controllers, requiring everyone to master the correct combinations to execute special spells, akin to maneuvers in fighting games. These combinations weren’t overly complex, which sometimes led to situations like this, where a spell could be triggered randomly.

Lobelia became aware of the near-miss and turned towards them with a mixture of relief and anger. She approached her brother and Roland quickly with a clear scowl plastered over her face.

“What in the world were you thinking, Armand? Do you have any idea what could have happened? You nearly fried me!”

Even Armand who was usually unapologetic lowered his head in an apologetic fashion. It was evident that he had not anticipated the gauntlets’ abilities to manifest in such an uncontrollable manner.

“I uh… Sorry, I got carried away a bit…”

“A bit? How I get carried a way and shove this up your arse?”

“Hey now, hold on, I said that I was sorry.”

“An apology can only get you so far!”

“What do you want me to do then?”

“How about… you pay me for the emotional damage that I have suffered, a few gold coins will suffice.”

“Gold coins? Are you mad?”

The two of them launched into a heated argument, with it becoming increasingly evident that Lobelia had suffered no real injury and was now attempting to extort money from her brother. Their bickering continued, but Roland had no time for such disputes. He was operating on a tight schedule and needed to test another item he had prepared for the War Monk and his frenzied alter ego. Luckily it was more of an active skill and not a personality trait as he was able to hold himself back from going into a frenzy, at least while arguing with Lobelia here. Whether or not this self-control would persist in a confrontation with someone he truly despised remained to be seen.

‘From my research, it’s possible to alleviate the berserk and frenzy symptoms by meditating and other means, though I can’t imagine this idiot ever meditating so we’ll have to go with something else…’

He had consulted books and some old knowledge he absorbed to come up with a way of pacifying his brother-in-law. Despite the challenges posed by Armand’s muscle brain disposition, he recognized the potential of having him as a formidable ally. Elodia played probably the biggest role in this decision and he decided to give it his all.

In his quest to mitigate Armand’s frenzied state, he had crafted a harness designed to fit snugly over his robust chest. Initially, he had contemplated creating a full metallic breastplate, accompanied by a garment resembling a muscle shirt, allowing Armand greater freedom of movement. However, a complication arose as he unearthed certain hidden passive effects. He was well aware of the limitations imposed by the War Monk class on equipment load. Much like in old video games, monks couldn’t don heavy armor, and even lightweight armor would diminish the effectiveness of their passive abilities.

He recalled one of the passive skills that Armand had gained with his recent class ascension. The explanation in the system window was vague but it encompassed all sorts of armored pieces. Everything that was considered to be armor besides clothes would affect this passive skill that he had. It wasn’t the only one there as he also possessed passive skills like, Unarmored Defense and Unarmored Movement that boosted other stats.

The one he focused on increasing all the vital physical attributes like agility, vitality, strength, and endurance. However, if he burdened Armand with an excessively heavy load, it would nullify these crucial skills. Thus, he needed to find a workaround. Fortunately, after consulting with skilled dwarven craftsmen, he received a valuable tip.

Firstly, if he ensured that the harness, which only partially covered the chest, remained beneath a certain weight threshold, it would prevent it from being classified as heavy armor. Secondly, he discovered that accessories like belts, armbands, gauntlets, and even pants did not contribute to the overall weight calculation of the armor set. This realization opened up various possibilities. Ultimately, he opted for a harness over a belt, as it provided more space for the incorporation of runic components and the runic battery required for the device to actually function.

“Okay, that’s enough from you two. Lobelia, go practice with your bow, I need to explain a few things to Armand here.”

“Hah, see even Wayland has my back, I knew that I could count on you, my little brother!’

“I’m going to hit you…”

Roland responded in a disgruntled tone as he found the idea of being called a little brother by this muscle brain somewhat insulting. It was better to not argue if he wanted to move things alone so he just grabbed the harness and presented it to the test subject.

“Just put this on.”

“Wait, now that I look at this… don’t you use for that?”

“For that?”

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“You know, at the pleasure district! Did you have such tastes?”

“Just shut up and put it on already…”

After tossing the harness toward Armand, Roland observed as he began putting it on. The central piece took the form of a hexagon and was secured with specially crafted leather straps made from the leather of flame-resistant creatures. Embedded within these straps were metallic wires designed to accommodate the runic traces as a safety precaution. While ethereal pathways typically sufficed, the intricate mechanics of the spell required additional structural reinforcement. In the back, there were a few clasps to bring everything together and also to tighten everything into place.

‘If you gave him a bowl cut now…’

Roland rubbed his chin as his brother-in-law looked like a caricature of a superhero character from his own world. He was just missing a large sword that he could point into the sky to gather some power. Finally, after the piece of equipment was in place, he could begin with the test.

“How does it feel?”

“It actually fits nicely…”

“How about your skills, are they still active?”