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Under Jason's guidance, Raphtalia had developed absolute trust in his words.
Especially upon seeing Motoyasu surrounded by numerous female adventurers, her conviction that he was a scumbag only strengthened.
As Motoyasu reached toward her hand, Raphtalia quickly withdrew it, repulsed by the thought of being touched by someone like him. Not willing to tolerate any more of his advances, she raised her sword high.
With the distance between them too close for effective striking, she swung the hilt of her sword toward Motoyasu's head instead.
Motoyasu never anticipated that Raphtalia would suddenly lash out like this. The hilt struck him hard, knocking him backward and causing a sharp pain to shoot through his skull, accompanied by a wave of dizziness.
"What are you doing?" he roared, bewilderment mixing with anger.
In response, Raphtalia raised her leg and executed a powerful kick straight at Motoyasu's groin.
"Aww~~~"
As he cried out, Motoyasu was sent hurtling through the air, his rough voice turning high-pitched with pain.
Witnessing this unfold, Jason felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for Motoyasu, a rarity since his arrival in this world.
"Ding! The selection conditions are completed. Reward: 2% completion of the Garp template."
The system's voice chimed once more, and Jason felt a surge of power course through his body. He watched as Motoyasu flew further away, ultimately crashing into a trash can outside the church, his legs comically left sticking out, twitching helplessly.
"Master Motoyasu!" the female adventurers shrieked in shock, turning to face Raphtalia before darting over to assist their fallen hero.
"Master Jason, how did I do?" Raphtalia asked, turning to him with a bright smile.
"Very good!" Jason replied, giving her a thumbs up.
In truth, Motoyasu wouldn't have been in such a dire position had he faced Raphtalia normally; his inability to defend himself against women—especially beautiful ones—only compounded the issue.
To put it simply, his intelligence was painfully low, and the [Halo of Reducing Wisdom] seemingly radiating from him was incredibly pronounced.
"Hey~~~ Jason, you're here to confirm the disaster wave, right? Do you know the exact time it will arrive?"
At that moment, Ren and Itsuki swept into the church, inquiring about Motoyasu's plight as they spotted Jason.
"Motoyasu? Maybe he found something precious in that trash can," Jason shrugged, casually throwing out the thought.
"Precious? That guy must be a fool! That trash can has 'hazardous waste' written all over it."
"Honestly, it's embarrassing to be a hero like that."
Both Ren and Itsuki wore expressions of disdain upon hearing Jason's words.
"The disaster wave is fast approaching, and I need to gather my gear. I won't chat any longer; goodbye," Jason said, signaling his desire to leave the conversation. He promptly departed with Raphtalia.
.....
With less than 20 minutes until the disaster wave arrived, Jason and Raphtalia entered the weapon shop.
"Brother Shield Hero, you arrived just in time! The equipment has just been finished!"
The owner of the shop greeted them warmly, although the fatigue etched on his face told a different story. Dark circles framed his eyes; it was clear he had stayed up late crafting Jason's gear in preparation for the imminent wave.
"You've really gone above and beyond for this!" Jason expressed his sincere gratitude, recognizing how few people would be so dedicated in this world.
"It's okay, it's what I should do. Now, let's take a look at your equipment first," the shop owner said, placing a set of gear on the counter.
Before them lay a set of pitch-black equipment accentuated with vivid red accents, comprising a breastplate, gauntlets, knee pads, shoes, and a cloak.
"The breastplate is crafted from the strongest rhinoceros horn and earth dragon scales. I lined it with the fur of an earth storm bear for comfort without sacrificing defense," the owner explained.
"The gauntlets and knee pads are made from the same earth dragon scales and fire eagle feathers, along with the claws of the earth storm bear. The right gauntlet has a unique structure that you'll discover when wearing it."
"The shoes and cloak also utilize earth storm bear and fire eagle feathers, so I'm sure you'll be satisfied with them."
"But before you try it on, you need to change into this suit."
After detailing the equipment, the owner tossed Jason a set of black clothes.
Although Jason wasn't entirely familiar with these materials, he could tell they were of excellent quality. The fabric felt incredibly comfortable against his skin and boasted breathability.
Approaching the counter, he gazed at the set of equipment, and Immediately the attributes appeared in his vision:
Disciple of Hell: Greatly increases defense, strength, and agility.
Both strength and agility buffs aligned perfectly with Jason's needs.
However, there were restrictions. The conditions needed to equip it were LV50, with defense above 180, strength above 70, and agility above 120.
While others might stare blankly at such requirements, Jason's current level was merely 30. Nonetheless, his attributes surpassed the necessary thresholds, indicating that he could equip the gear.
Once donned, Jason felt his entire demeanor shift; he exuded a fierce aura constantly, and in the shadow of the pitch-black armor, he resembled a demon god from hell more than a hero.
He was exceedingly satisfied, though he quickly puzzled over the oddity of the gauntlets.
The left gauntlet only covered his elbow and shoulder, while the right fully enveloped his palm.
"Boss, what's the deal with this?" Jason queried.
"Try making a fist," the owner replied, his smile enigmatic.
"Sure," Jason replied, then clenched his right hand into a fist.
To his surprise, four claws sprang out from the back of his hand, encasing his knuckles.
"Interesting!" Jason's eyes lit up. These claws turned his punches into something akin to weapons, significantly boosting their impact.
"What do you think? Are you satisfied? Since you can't use other weapons and must fight with your fists, I designed a small mechanism in the gauntlet. Being armor, it can be equipped without issue, just as I suspected," the shop owner explained, clearly proud of his creation. "The material for these claws comes from the earth storm bear, ensuring protection for your fingers and excellent durability. You can use them with confidence."
"Thank you so much, I'm genuinely satisfied," Jason replied, pleasantly surprised by the owner's ingenuity in exploiting the rules creatively.
"By the way, this set of equipment doesn't have a name yet. Even though I crafted it, the materials came from you, and since you paid for it, I think you should be the one to name it."
"A name? Let's call it the Disciple of Hell!" Jason proposed, and as soon as he spoke, the equipment information shifted.
Disciple of Hell: Greatly increases defense, strength, and agility.
"The Disciple of Hell? Doesn't that sound a bit ominous? It doesn't quite fit the image of a hero," the shop owner chuckled, his smile unwavering.
"One thought leads to heaven, another to hell. Good and evil exist in a constant interplay of perceptions. And unless you've been to hell, how do you know it isn't a good place?" Jason replied with a hint of a smile.
"That's pretty profound; I can't say I completely understand it," the owner shrugged.
"I think it sounds very cool!" Raphtalia said with admiration in her eyes.
"Haha… Raphtalia still has good taste, unlike some big brutes," Jason teased, affectionately ruffling her hair.
Jason turned to glance out the window and was taken aback to see the sky transformed into an unsettling wine red.
"Ding! Please choose!"
The familiar voice of the system echoed in his mind:
"1. Hide in the weapon store until the end of the disaster wave. Life and death in this world have nothing to do with you. Reward: 2% completion of the Garp template."
"2. Rescue Lute Village from the disaster wave. If the number of deaths is less than 10, reward: 4% completion of the Garp template."
"3. Eliminate the boss from the disaster wave yourself. Reward: 6% completion of the Garp template."
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