Reborn as shield hero with Garps Template

"Strange, why do I feel like something is off today?" The king muttered, as he sat down to lunch. The elegant dishes before him suddenly seemed tasteless.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?" one of the maids asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure... My heart feels heavy, like it's pounding harder than usual, and my chest feels tight. I can barely breathe," the king replied, placing a hand on his chest, his brows furrowed.

"Shall I call the doctor?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod, and the maid hurried away.

Before the doctor could arrive, a soldier rushed into the room.

"Your Majesty!"

The king scowled at the sudden interruption. "How many times have I told you not to panic, no matter what happens? Stay calm!"

Already on edge from the recent turmoil, the king was close to a breaking point, and the soldier's entrance only worsened his mood.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but something serious has happened," the soldier said, dropping to one knee.

"If this isn't something urgent, I'll have you punished," the king warned, slamming his fist on the table, his irritation boiling over.

"The Hero of the Shield... He's back," the soldier stammered.

The king's face turned pale. His confident, commanding presence evaporated as he nearly fell out of his chair.

"What? The Shield Hero is back?" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the room.

The soldier flinched at the king's sudden outburst.

"Quick! Raise the palace drawbridge! If the Shield Hero comes here, tell him I'm bedridden with a deadly infectious disease!" The king's hand trembled as he pointed towards the soldier.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The soldier, momentarily stunned by the king's frantic state, quickly ran off to carry out the order.

Once the drawbridge was raised, the king slumped back into his chair, still shaking. His eyes darted nervously around the room as if expecting a ghost to appear at any moment.

...

"Thank you for your help along the way," Melty said, bowing slightly to Jason and the group as they passed through the capital gates. Despite some of the misadventures, she still expressed her gratitude.

"Little Mel, will we see each other again?" Filo asked with a hint of sadness. The bond between them had grown during their journey, and Filo felt reluctant to part ways.

"Of course! If you have time, come to the palace and visit me. Goodbye for now!" Melty waved and walked off toward the palace.

"Bell, Irene, Lilith... You've all been away from home for a while. You can take a break. We've got about five days before the next wave arrives, so use the time to rest," Jason told the group.

"Understood!" they all responded enthusiastically.

After arriving at the weapon shop, the group dismounted from the carriage, each with a smile, excited to return home.

"Well, if it isn't the Shield Hero! And Miss Raphtalia! It's been a while... and look at how much Filo's grown!" The weapon shop owner greeted them warmly but was clearly startled by Filo's size.

"Hi, boss! My name is Filo," she responded with her usual politeness.

"She can talk!" The shopkeeper's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Come on, don't act so surprised. You're too old for that," Jason quipped as he approached the counter with a familiar tone.

"A talking Filo bird is still pretty remarkable, okay?" the shopkeeper shrugged. "I think I'm allowed to be surprised."

"Alright, enough small talk. The next wave is coming, and I need to upgrade my gear," Jason said, getting straight to business.

Jason placed his equipment on the counter, removing each piece with care.

"Hmm... the bonuses on this set seem higher than I remember," the weapon shop owner remarked, eyeing the gear with a discerning gaze. "Could I have miscalculated?"

Being a professional, the owner quickly noticed that the equipment had already been enhanced significantly.

"It's just a bit of luck," Jason replied, pulling out a few materials from his storage shield and laying them beside the equipment. "See if these materials can help strengthen it further."

The materials were valuable components he had gathered from the Corpse Demon Dragon and Tyrannosaurus Rex, knowing full well his current set of [Disciple of Hell] armor was top-tier, and ordinary materials wouldn't suffice for further upgrades.

"These are impressive... Where did you get them?" The shopkeeper's eyes widened, but then he waved his hand. "Ah, never mind. You probably dont want to explain. These materials can strengthen your [Disciple of Hell] set, but you're missing a crucial piece—a core. That's the tricky part."

"A core?" Jason asked, puzzled.

The shopkeeper explained, "The materials in your [Disciple of Hell] set are not only rare but highly complex. To optimize their effects without causing a conflict, you need a powerful magic core to act as both a buffer and an energy source. Now, if you add the materials from the Corpse Dragon and Tyrannosaurus Rex, the complexity increases, and the current core won't be able to handle it properly."

Jason nodded as he understood the analogy. The magic core was like the battery and CPU of a handheld console, and the materials were like a game—upgrading the game's performance meant needing a better battery and CPU to handle the increased demands.

"So, if I use the original core, can the set still be enhanced?" Jason asked.

The shopkeeper hesitated. "It can, but the enhancements will be minimal, and you'll waste a lot of top-tier materials in the process. Honestly, with your current strength, you could wait until you find the right core and then make the most of it."

"I see," Jason said thoughtfully. Then, a thought struck him, and his eyes lit up. He reached into his storage shield and pulled out a massive amethyst, larger than his head, placing it on the counter with a resounding thud.

"How about this as the core for [Disciple of Hell]?"

The shopkeeper's jaw dropped at the sight of the gleaming gem. His heart raced as he stared at the enormous amethyst, his mind struggling to process it.

"This... this might just work," the shopkeeper muttered, feeling the steady pulse of power radiating from the crystal.