Chapter 492 – Even More Help Arrives.

“Kya~ It’s a kitty!”

A woman’s voice was heard and was accompanied by words of protest.

“Young lady, unhand me this instant! I am not a common house cat! I am a Reputable professor and Rune Mage!”

The person in question was Arion, and he was in the process of having his head petted. Despite his loud protests, this didn’t deter his tormentor, Lobelia the half-elf. She had noticed a floating cat approaching and was instantly smitten by the small, cute creature. It didn’t matter that this person was a powerful mage from the Institute; she ran up to him and began scratching behind his feline ears.

“Hah, that cat is quite chatty. Are you sure it’s not some sort of monster? How did it get into the city?”

“I am not an ‘it’ you brute! Where is Professor Wayland?”

Not far from Lobelia was a large man, Armand. He was there leaning against a door leading to the temporary workshop. Roland turned from his workbench just as Arion’s indignant voice filled the room. The sight of the usually composed Rune Mage being manhandled by Lobelia was both amusing and concerning. He knew Arion well enough to know that he wouldn’t do anything drastic but he wasn’t sure how long it would take before a spell was cast in retaliation.

“Lobelia, let him go, that’s not a cat, it’s a person.”

Lobelia reluctantly released Arion, her hands falling to her sides as she sheepishly stepped back. Arion quickly floated up, regaining his composure and shaking out his fur in a huff.

“Finally! I don’t have time for this nonsense. I did not travel all the way to be mistreated!”

Arion muttered under his breath, shooting Lobelia a glare before hovering toward the door where Armand stood nearby. The temporary workshop had windows, but they were all sealed with layers of metal and runic spells. Roland didn’t want anyone to peek inside, so the door was the only way in. The runes on the door blinked for a moment before it swung open, allowing Arion to pass through. Once inside, he saw his friend Roland tinkering with some strange items, which immediately piqued his interest.

Arion floated closer, his curiosity overcoming his irritation. His sharp eyes scanned the various components strewn across the workshop. The intricate machinery, arcane tools, and partially assembled devices were a sight to behold. Roland was deep in concentration, adjusting a complex mechanism with a steady hand, seemingly unfazed by the earlier commotion.

“I received your message. This is quite the operation you’ve set up, Professor Wayland. I assume this is related to the trial? And that you’re planning something beyond the conventional?”

Roland set down the mechanical limb he had been working on. Its fingers wiggled and contorted unnaturally, as he had not yet installed the limiters. Without limits on the joints, the digits bent back at angles exceeding ninety degrees – something that would certainly injure anyone using this as a power glove.

“Yes, Professor Arion. I’m glad you could make it, I apologize about Lobelia there, she isn’t too versed around magic.”

Roland replied, his smile remaining unnoticed under the runic helmet that he was wearing. The possibility of people discovering his identity was quite high, so his armor needed to stay on.

“Your expertise will be invaluable for what I have planned.”

Arion’s eyes gleamed with intrigue as he settled onto a cleared spot on the workbench, curling his tail neatly around his paws.

“I must admit, your message was cryptic but enticing. A prototype runic apparatus capable of bridging the gap between tiers? Ambitious, even for you.”

Roland rose from his seat, his gaze moving to the large board stuck to the wall. There a schematic of what they would be building was already hanging and waiting for Arion’s input.

“You assume correctly, Arion. We’re building something that has never been seen before – a suit of armor that in theory should be enough to boost its wearer’s power exponentially, even allowing them to bridge the gap between tiers. But before we start, have others arrived with you?”

“Yes, they will be here after working out our accommodations at the inn.”

Arion wasn’t the only one Roland had called from the Institute. The dwarven craftsmen from the runic department were also highly competent helpers. Both Arion and the craftsmen were part of the runic department, making them ideal for completing this project. Since the craftsmen didn’t have much work at the moment, taking them away for a little over a week wasn’t an issue. With their help and nine days remaining, Roland hoped to have the suit combat-ready before the deadline.

While they prepared, Arion studied the schematic intently, his eyes narrowing as he took in the intricate details. The concept was audacious – building a suit that could amplify the capabilities of its wearer to the point where they could stand against an opponent tens of levels higher, even going past a tiers, it was nothing short of revolutionary. If successful, it could not only save Robert but change the way battles were fought.

“This… is beyond ambitious, Wayland, the synchronization between the wearer and the suit alone is a monumental challenge. And that’s before we consider the power source, the mana conduits, the runic stabilization required to prevent catastrophic feedback… It’s as if you’re trying to build a walking fortress for a single man, or something like a reactionary golem…”

Roland nodded, unfazed by the daunting task ahead.

“I know. But we don’t have any other choice. Robert doesn’t stand a chance on his own, and the count will make sure that he faces one of the more competent tier 3 class holders. I hope that he underestimates our chances to give us an edge but we can’t rely on that.”

Arion floated closer to the schematic, his tail flicking thoughtfully. The paper depicted detailed sketches of a bulky suit of armor, quite different from Roland’s usual designs. This one featured internal mechanical components designed to move independently. The suit’s internals resembled an exoskeleton, which would need to be built first as a framework. Then, layers of armor would be added over it for extra protection.

“Your design is solid, but it’s going to need refinement. The mana flow through the exoskeleton will need to be flawless, and we’ll have to account for the user’s natural latency. The runes here are similar to that marvelous runic prosthetic, are you sure it will work on such a large apparatus like this one?”

“It should and I’ll need your help with adjusting the soul to mana converters, we need to get the reaction times down or Robert will get himself killed. The armor will certainly boost his strength, speed, and defenses but it can’t do much for his natural reaction times but… I do have a solution for that, take a look at this…”

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Arion’s interest in all of this was immense, and he glanced to the side where another schematic was pinned. It depicted a strange circular device inscribed with various runes, some of which he wasn’t too familiar with. Above it, the codename “MPU – Mana Phantom Unit” was written, and he instantly realized what it was for.

“Oh! This is indeed ambitious!”

Roland had thoroughly briefed his friend on all his recent achievements. Arion had reviewed Roland’s research on rune prosthetics and was someone with whom he could discuss ideas. Although Arion couldn’t assist with the actual construction of the armor, he could provide valuable advice on rune assembly. With his impeccable expertise in rune magic, Arion’s help was crucial in minimizing lag between the user’s soul and the suit. Roland aimed to ensure that the suit felt like a second skin rather than a cumbersome piece of armor.

“If I’m not mistaken, this MPU will help the armor react to incoming attacks detected by the mana phantom you discovered?”

“Well, not exactly, but you’re close. While the suit is similar to a golem, making it react to external stimuli like mana phantoms in a precise way will be challenging…”

“Ah, it could disrupt the user’s balance if it started moving on its own, right?”

“Precisely. Instead, I’ve decided to send feedback to the suit’s main display panel, giving the user extra time to react accordingly. This method will make it much easier to complete within the nine days, and it’ll prevent complaints about the suit being just a battle golem that does all the fighting for him.”