Sael ran a hand along the reinforced plates of his newly crafted exoskeleton suit, admiring the work he had put into it. The adamantite and mithril frame was sturdy, and the pistons and springs allowed for enhanced mobility. But as he stepped into the suit and tried to move, he quickly realized a major flaw—the suit had no power source. The mechanisms were too heavy to function properly without some form of magical or mechanical enhancement. With a sigh, he stepped out of the suit and stored it in his inventory for now, keeping only the mirror shield strapped to his back.

  He left the workshop and made his way toward the tavern, eager to find Rhea and discuss his next move. However, when he arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. He frowned, scanning the room, but all he saw were the usual patrons enjoying their meals and drinks.

  With no sign of her, Sael decided to head toward the Adventurers’ Guild. If she had taken off somewhere, she might have left word there. As he entered the bustling hall, he walked past the quest board, glancing at the various postings before making his way to the counter.

  A group of adventurers stood nearby, engaged in conversation about their latest ventures. Sael took the opportunity to ask, “Hey, any of you know how to power magical equipment? I’ve got something that needs a steady energy source.”

  One of the adventurers, a tall man clad in iron armor, turned toward him. “Magical gear usually needs an enchanted core, but the good ones don’t come cheap. If you’re looking for something reliable, you might want to try a monster core.”

  “Monster core?” Sael repeated, intrigued.

  “Yeah,” another adventurer chimed in. “They drop from strong monsters. The stronger the beast, the better the core. Most regular monsters don’t have them, though—only those that have built up enough mana over time.”

  Sael considered the information and turned toward the guild counter, where Garvin, the guild leader, was overseeing a ledger. Approaching, Sael leaned against the counter and asked, “Garvin, I need a monster core. Got any recommendations on where to find one?”

  Garvin raised an eyebrow. “That so? Monster cores aren’t exactly common. You’d need to take down something with a good amount of mana built up.”

  “That’s what I’ve been hearing,” Sael replied. “Any quests available that might give me a shot at getting one?”

  Garvin scratched his chin, then reached under the counter and pulled out a separate stack of papers. “We don’t hand these out to just anyone, but considering you two took down that dungeon, I might have something for you.” He flipped through the sheets and selected one, sliding it across the counter. “There’s been reports of a mana-infused beast lurking outside of town. It’s tougher than your usual hunt, but if you manage to take it down, there’s a good chance it’ll have a core.”

  Sael scanned the paper, noting the details. The creature was listed as a ‘Mana-Touched Behemoth,’ a rare variant of a monster that had absorbed large amounts of ambient magic over time.

  “This should do,” Sael said, nodding. “I’ll take it.”

  “Good. Just don’t get yourself killed,” Garvin said with a smirk. “You and your partner work well together, but even an Iron-rank can get in over their head with something like this.”

  Sael thanked him and took the quest notice, then made his way back to the tavern. As he entered, this time he spotted Rhea sitting at their usual table, tail flicking idly as she sipped a drink.

  “There you are,” he said, sliding into the seat across from her.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Looking for me?”

  He let out a breath and dropped into the seat across from her. "Yeah. I finally put together something I’ve been thinking about since we fought the bear." He leaned forward, excitement flickering in his tired eyes. "I used adamantite and mithril to craft a reinforced exoskeleton—layered it with padding from the bear hide, attached pistons and springs for support. And for firepower? I mounted the other cannon on the right arm. It’s built to take hits and dish them back out."

  Rhea raised an eyebrow, setting her mug down. "Sounds impressive." Her ears twitched as she studied him. "So why aren’t you wearing it?"

  Sael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because I realized I have no idea how to power it."

  “I figured out what I need to power the suit—a monster core. I asked around at the guild, and Garvin gave me a quest for one.” He placed the paper down on the table between them.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Rhea scanned it and smirked. “Sounds like a challenge.”

  “Think we’re up for it?” Sael asked.

  She leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with excitement. “You know I am.”

  Sael hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Actually, before we head out, I was thinking we should talk."

  Rhea tilted her head slightly, her ears twitching with curiosity. "Talk? About what?"

  "Come up to the room. I want to show you something." He gestured for her to follow, leading her up the stairs of the tavern to their rented space. Once inside, he pulled open his inventory and summoned the suit, the crafted exoskeleton unfolding before them with a heavy metallic thud. The reinforced plating gleamed in the dim light, pistons and springs interlocked with precision. The mounted cannon on the right arm gave the entire construct an imposing presence.

  Rhea let out a low whistle, stepping forward to run her fingers along the padding. "Damn, Sael. This is impressive. I mean, I already figured you had talent, but this? This is something else."

  Rhea narrowed her eyes as she examined the exoskeleton suit, trailing her fingers along the adamantite plating and mechanical joints. “How could you even think of something like this?”

  Sael folded his arms, a faint smile crossing his lips. “I’ve seen things like it before, where I come from.”

  She tilted her head. “You mean from another kingdom or something?”

  He nodded. “Something like that. Not exactly like this, but similar ideas. Machines that help people move, fight, or work—some more advanced than others.”

  Rhea smirked. “Well, you’ll have to tell me all about where you’ve been at some point.”

  "I will." Sael replied.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling both pleased and a little self-conscious. "I wanted to create something that could help in tougher fights. Problem is, I can't power it. The metalwork, the mechanics—that was the easy part. But without a proper energy source, it's just heavy armor."

  She nodded, then leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You know, I’ve been thinking about something too. We make a pretty good team, don’t we?"

  Sael met her gaze, intrigued. "You want to keep working together?"

  Rhea shrugged, but there was sincerity in her voice. "You’re clever. You can fight, you can craft, and—" she smirked, "—you’re not an ass about me being a demi-human. That’s rare."

  Sael frowned slightly. "People really make a big deal out of that, huh?"

  Rhea exhaled through her nose. "You have no idea. Most places, demi-humans are either treated like second-class citizens or just outright avoided. A lot of us take to adventuring because it’s one of the few places we can prove ourselves. Not everyone’s as open-minded as you."

  Sael thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Well, I don’t see a reason to care about anything but skill and trust. And you’ve more than proved yourself."

  She smiled, a genuine one this time. "Glad to hear it. Which is why I think we should get you what you need to power that suit."

  Before he could respond, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the door. "Come on. I know exactly where to go."

  The marketplace was just as lively as before, but this time, Rhea led the way with purpose, weaving through the stalls until they reached one covered in dark cloth, set apart from the others. Strange trinkets hung from the wooden frame, and behind the counter stood a merchant with thin, calculating eyes and fingers adorned with rings made of bone and metal. The air smelled of burnt incense and something faintly metallic.

  "Welcome, travelers," the merchant greeted, his voice smooth and practiced. "Looking for something rare, perhaps?"

  Rhea placed a hand on the counter. "We need a monster core. A good one."

  The merchant’s eyes gleamed with interest. "Ah, cores. A fine choice for those who dabble in power beyond the ordinary. I have a few in stock—varying qualities, of course. The stronger the beast, the purer the core. But such things do not come cheaply."

  Sael watched as the merchant carefully placed several small crystalline spheres on the counter, each pulsing faintly with an inner glow. One was a dull orange, another a deep blue, and the last—a brilliant violet that seemed to swirl with shifting energy.

  Rhea tapped the violet one. "This one."

  The merchant’s smile widened. "A fine selection. Twenty-five gold."

  Sael winced at the price, but before he could protest, Rhea pulled out the coin pouch and placed the required amount on the counter. "We’ll take it."

  The merchant chuckled, sliding the coins into his sleeve before wrapping the core in dark cloth. "Pleasure doing business."

  As they walked away, Sael gave her a sideways glance. "You didn’t have to do that."

  Rhea grinned and tossed the wrapped core into his hands. "Consider it an investment. That suit of yours? I want to see it in action. And if we run into trouble, I’d rather you have something that can tip the scales."

  He looked down at the core, feeling the faint hum of energy radiating from within. "In case of emergencies, huh?"

  "Exactly." She stretched, looking satisfied. "Now, let’s go put that thing to use."

  After finishing their discussion, the two made their way outside of town to test the suit properly. Sael stepped into it, locking himself into place as the monster core hummed to life within its housing. The servos and pistons engaged with a metallic hiss, amplifying his movements.

  He moved carefully at first, then tried a few heavier steps, a punch, and a shield block. The power was there, but the real question was endurance. As he continued testing, he noticed the glow of the mana crystal in the core slightly dimming—an indication that its energy was finite.

  After several minutes of experimenting, he powered the suit down and removed it. “Still hard to say exactly how long it would last in a real fight,” he admitted. “But I’d say it could hold out for a few battles before running out of juice.”

  Rhea crouched next to him, watching as he opened his system inventory. He frowned. Most of his materials were gone. All that remained was the slime incubator, a bit of leftover string, and some scraps of bear leather.

  “Well,” Rhea said, standing up and stretching, “if you’re running low, we should probably farm some lower-tier monsters. Can’t have you running on empty.”

  Sael exhaled and nodded. “Yeah, good idea. Let’s rest for today and stock up tomorrow.”

  With that, they gathered their things and made their way back toward town, already planning their next steps.