Inside the Armor Forge, the automated assistant, "Forge-God No. 1," was humming. Lawson, clad in protective goggles, held a specialized welding torch.
The tip spat out a brilliant aurora of light, sending sparks flying like miniature meteors as he fused polymer materials into the next generation of gear.
The heavy doors hissed open. Luther and Emma stepped inside.
"Master Lawson! Is my 'new outfit' ready?" Emma chirped, her earlier fear replaced by a child-like excitement for new gear.
Lawson looked up, his eyes a mix of exhaustion and professional disdain.
"It's done. Built to your... unique requirements. Behold the super-heavy slacker armor: {Bastion}."
"Wait, Emma?" Katie blinked. "You chose this... giant tin can?"
Emma stood tall, her expression solemn. "Master, since my legs and 'agility' are destined to be mortal enemies, I've decided! I will not move! I shall become a physical constant on the battlefield—a Super Weever!"
A deathly silence fell. Lawson's welding torch clattered onto his foot with a dull thud. He didn't even flinch. Luther's glasses slid to the tip of his nose.
"Okay! Super Weever Suit, initiate!" Emma cheered.
"Mr. Lawson, what about mine?" Luther asked, recovering from the shock.
"I'm specializing your headpiece," Lawson explained while working. "Given your 'Far-Sighted' vision, I've installed an automated tactical visor. When you need to see up close, just tap the button by your left ear. The visor will slide down, and the internal digital correction system will autofocus in milliseconds to fix your focal range."
"That's exactly what I needed! Thank you, Mr. Lawson."
[System Notification: B-Rank Heavy Armor 'Bastion' - Linking...]
The floor vibrated as a silver behemoth lumbered out. {Bastion} was encased in double-thick reinforced alloy, every plate as heavy as a city wall. It was coated in "Aurora Silver"—a high-reflectivity paint that acted as a beacon in the dark.
Floating beside the pauldrons were two circular mechanical knight shields, orbiting like satellites. The headpiece was topped with a "Triple-Blade Crown" of radar sensors—a 360-degree scanning system. But the most incredible feature? It had no joints for walking. Instead, the feet were fitted with Maglev Bases.
"Incredible," Luther praised. "It's a literal tank."
"Exactly," Lawson entered his 'Info-Dump' mode. "It turns laziness into a tactical art form. You don't walk, Emma. You glide."
"Hehe! I picked a good one, right?" Emma posed, the heavy metal letting out a melodic hum.
"Emma," Katie's voice dripped with playful menace.
"From today on, you are the team's Meat Shield. Every monster in the sector will swarm you like flies to honey. You see, every heavy armor has a built-in [Taunted] passive. To them, you're a giant, walking middle finger."
Emma froze. "Eh? Why... why would that happen? I only chose this so I wouldn't have to move! I don't want to be a target!"
Lawson coughed, looking a bit guilty.
"It's a core module, Emma. It can't be changed. But hey! The maglev does the running for you!"
"Master Lawson! Take it off! I'll pay anything! Waaaaah!"
Emma lunged forward, and the weight of the armor slammed into the floor—KRASH!!—shaking the entire Armor Forge. She clung to Lawson's leg with an iron, maglev-powered grip.
"I don't want to be chased!"
"Let go! My leg... my leg is going to snap!" Lawson screamed.
After Emma was finally peeled off his leg, Lawson turned to Luther.
"Wood-attribute Specialization: {Sniper Eye}. Initiate Link!"
As Luther stepped forward, the air in the room seemed to turn cold. {Sniper Eye} stripped away all bulk, possessing a "sickly" leanness. Its primary color was a glowing, fluid Emerald Green that pulsed through the gaps in the plating, making the armor look as if it might deconstruct into light at any moment.
The headpiece was a seamless physical lock, isolating the wearer from all noise and scent. It was the pinnacle of industrial biomimicry. When Luther entered stealth, the emerald lights dimmed, and the surface would perfectly mimic the textures of the surrounding environment, granting true physical invisibility. When the Pierce Cannon was ready to fire, the leg armor would deploy mechanical anchors, driving high-strength spikes deep into the ground. Even the recoil of a tank-flipping shot would feel like a mere vibration to him.
"Oh ho! Look at that curve!" Dodge circled Luther. "Wait, Lawson, where's the gun?"
"I only forge the armor," Lawson replied. "Weapon modules are in his own kit. Go to the Weapon Smith."
"This feels... amazing," Luther murmured. "I feel invisible."
"Haha! Then dance on the battlefield, kid!" Dodge struck a ridiculous "Super Cop" pose. Luther, surprisingly, mimicked him with total seriousness.
The veins on Lawson's forehead throbbed. "ENOUGH! Get out! Get your weapons, and kill some monsters! OUT!!"
Lawson drove them out and return to his Armor Factory" Dodge and Katie tried to stay and "help," but Dodge was a disaster in the factory. Within three minutes, he had knocked over part racks and flipped a workbench. Finally, Lawson's rage hit the breaking point. He pointed at the door and screamed:
"DODGE! YOU—ARE—FIRED!!"
"Now, leave at the speed of light! GET OUT AND FIGHT THE MOBS!!"
"Don't be like that, buddy! I'm just new to the business!" Dodge tried to argue.
Katie executed the smoothest move in history: she stepped in, pushed them out, and slammed the lock in one motion. Lawson, now locked out of his own factory by Katie, was stunned. He pounded on the door.
"Open up, Katie! This is MY FACTORY! How am I the one getting kicked out?!"
Lawson remained silent for a moment. Then, with a face full of dark lines, he began rolling up his sleeves, glaring at Dodge through gritted teeth.
"This is all your fault... Now Katie is absolutely livid. You're going to be the one to calm her down later—don't even think about pinning this on me!"
"Huh? You actually have the nerve to blame me?" Dodge jumped as if someone had stepped on his tail. "You're just as involved in this mess! This was my 'first time in the bride's sedan'—it's only natural my handling was a bit rusty, right? And yet, you scolded me like I was some useless piece of trash. Lawson, I've had enough of you for a lifetime!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Dodge whipped out his phone, his fingers blurring across the screen. He looked ready to link his armor right then and there for a round of "Mortal Kombat."
"Oh? So the muscle-head wants to play rough, huh? Fine by me. I've been itching to test the weight of this hammer anyway!" Lawson let out a cold snort, his palm snatching at the empty air. With a heavy, whistling wind, the {Mercy Hammer} materialized in his grip.
Who would have thought that two twenty-six-year-old men, who should have been as steady as mountains, would come to blows over such a trivial matter? The scene was arguably more ridiculous than the monster raid from the night before.
Just as these two "tough guys" were rolling up their sleeves, poised to stage a grand premiere of The Duel of the Idiots: Battle of Destiny, a gentle, slightly cramped, and trembling voice drifted weakly from the shadows of the waiting area:
"Um... excuse me..."
The two of them froze mid-swing as if someone had hit the pause button. They turned their heads stiffly toward the source of the voice.