Reborn as shield hero with Garps Template

"Where did this come from? To be honest, I can't tell how terrifying the energy inside this crystal is with my own eyes, but I can say for certain that even a small portion would be more than enough as the core for [Disciple of Hell]."

The weapon shop owner stared at the large amethyst on the counter, his eyes filled with shock.

This giant amethyst was actually a fragment of the Dragon Emperor, dug out from the body of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Perhaps it was this very fragment that had kept the Tyrannosaurus rex sealed for so many years without weakening its strength.

"I obtained this after defeating the legendary Tyrannosaurus rex that had been sealed. Afterward, I fought the Filo bird queen, which drained a lot of my energy. Now that I can finally use it, things will be much easier."

Jason spoke casually, but the weapon shop owner was terrified by what he heard.

"As expected from Brother Shield Hero, your experiences are extraordinary."

The shop owner's mouth twitched uncontrollably. A Tyrannosaurus rex was shocking enough, but even more so was the legendary Filo bird queen—something ordinary people had never seen, let alone heard of.

For Jason, though, a fight was just another day.

The owner sighed inwardly. Shield Hero was indeed Shield Hero—not an ordinary person.

"By the way... You mentioned only needing a small portion. Is there a way to cut off a bit? I have other uses for the rest."

Snapping out of his shock, the shop owner returned to the topic at hand.

"Oh... Cutting it shouldn't be a problem."

The experienced shop owner refocused on the Dragon Emperor fragment, but his brows furrowed as he examined it.

"It's not as simple as it looks. Although this amethyst contains immense energy, it also carries a curse. Even if the [Disciple of Hell] set has curse resistance, the outcome is uncertain."

"The ideal result would be that the curse resistance cancels out the curse within the amethyst. But if you're unlucky, the curse resistance could be overridden by the amethyst's curse, which would turn [Disciple of Hell] into a curse-laden set. While the attributes would be greatly enhanced, not even a hero could wear it without constantly being attacked by the curse."

As the owner explained, his expression grew more serious, and finally, he looked up at Jason. "You should know what happens if you're constantly under attack from a curse."

His words sounded convoluted, but Jason understood. It was like cursed equipment in certain games—while the attributes were high, the curse brought numerous drawbacks.

In this world, when a person is overwhelmed by a curse and loses their will, they turn into a mindless killing machine.

In short, using the Dragon Emperor fragment as the core for [Disciple of Hell] was extremely risky.

If it were anyone else, like Motoyasu or others, they would never take such a chance. They'd rather take the time to find safer materials for the core.

But a slow smile crept onto Jason's face. "Don't worry, boss. Go ahead, just remove the curse!"

"Are you sure? If the [Disciple of Hell] becomes full of curses, it won't be easy to handle."

The shop owner tried to dissuade Jason once more. He didn't want to see a brave hero turn into a mindless killing machine—a hero turned devil.

"Relax. I have the ability to suppress curses."

Jason wasn't relying solely on his willpower to fend off the curse. He had the [Shield of Will] to back him up.

With the [Shield of Will]'s total resistance now reaching 92%, Jason was confident it would completely suppress any curse from the [Disciple of Hell] set.

"Since you've already made up your mind, I'll do my best."

The shop owner sighed deeply. He understood that once Jason had decided on something, there was no changing his mind. If he refused, Jason would just find someone else to enhance the set. Better to do it himself than leave it to someone less reliable.

"Thank you for the hard work. Don't worry, the reward will be worth it."

"I'm not doing it just for the money."

"I know, but still—thank you, boss."

"No need to thank me. Just don't cause any more trouble in the future."

The shop owner sighed again.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Oh, by the way, is the equipment I asked you to make for Raphtalia ready yet?"

"Of course, it's already done. If you need it, I can fetch it for you right away!"

The shop owner nodded and was about to head to the back room.

"I don't need it just yet. There's still time before the next disaster wave. Strengthen it using the materials from the Corpse Demon Dragon and the Tyrannosaurus rex, but keep the original core. It just needs a little more reinforcement."

Jason knew that Raphtalia didn't have any resistance to curses, so he didn't want her equipment to use the Dragon Emperor fragment as the core, even if it would make the set stronger.

"Understood. I'll take care of this amethyst first."

The shop owner nodded and quickly got to work, cutting off a piece of the Dragon Emperor fragment. Jason took back the rest of the fragment.

"The processing and strengthening this time will be quite difficult. While the primary materials are already available, a lot of supplementary materials are still needed. Of course, I'll find a way to help you with those."

The boss placed Jason's materials on the counter and carefully put them away while calculating the cost.

"Just tell me how many gold coins you need," Jason said.

"It will cost between 10 and 20 gold coins, but the exact price can only be calculated once the work is complete."

"No problem. Here are 10 gold coins as a deposit."

Jason placed 10 gold coins on the counter.

"Brother Shield Hero, always straightforward," the boss said with a smile, as he pocketed the coins.

"By the way, Filo also needs her own equipment. I hope you can arrange that as well."

Jason gestured toward Filo, who had been waiting nearby.

"Warcraft equipment? That won't be a problem at all."

The boss spoke confidently, as he had considerable experience in crafting equipment for both humans and monsters.

"It might not be what you're expecting, though... Filo isn't an ordinary monster."

The boss glanced at Filo, noting her uniqueness.

"She's really something else. Most Filo birds aren't this... large."