System Made Me a Tank [LitRPG-Evolution]

Boran, Noemi, and Boney continued walking away. No one spoke for a while. But Boran's anger was still fresh and intense.

Boran shook his head. "We couldn't do anything to save them."

Noemi touched his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. We completed our mission, and we did it right. The fault is theirs."

Boran took a deep breath before responding. "You're right. Let's return to the Hub and get our new mission. But before that, I need to get my armor repaired on the way. It took more damage than it should have in this last battle. Something's not right about this."

The pair made their way to the Hub. From there, they entered the largest building in the square, with a sign that read "The Mad Blacksmith's Forge — Repairs & Upgrades."

When they entered, they saw a young man singing while keeping rhythm with his hammer on an enormous anvil.

"🎵 BANG BANG! I forged the steel! CLASH CLASH! I bent the armor! DING DING! I sharpened the sword! And I never got tiiired! 🎵"

The man stopped his song when he saw them and put down his hammer. With a flourish, he tossed his hammer into the air where it spun three times. As he reached up to catch it, his fingers fumbled and the hammer crashed down onto his foot. He winced momentarily before a huge smile appeared on his face.

"Welcome, welcome!" he shouted, skipping on his feet while wiping his hands on his apron. "You've stepped into the magnificent forge of Mad Blacksmith Thorin! What can I do for you?"

Boran stepped forward. His armor was cracked in several places, its edges bent, and the metal surface covered with deep scratches and tears.

"Wasn't this steel armor? Why is it falling apart so easily?" he asked.

Thorin stood up and began examining the armor. He walked around Boran, probed the cracks with his fingers, and even at one point brought it close to his ear and tapped it. An increasingly concerned expression appeared on his face.

"Hmm... hmmm... interesting... very interesting..." he muttered. Then he suddenly looked at Boran. "Where did you get this armor?"

"From you?"

Thorin sighed. "My friend, you've been ripped off. This isn't real steel armor. It's just an imitation."

Boran's face reddened. "What? You scammed me?"

Thorin raised his hands and gave a short laugh. "No, no! This happened because of my good intentions!"

"Why would you do something like this?!"

"You were so excited when you saw the armor, I didn't want to turn you away!"

Boran's expression of anger deepened. Noemi grabbed Boran's arm.

Thorin continued. "I'm joking, friend. Calm down. Look, you're an adventurer, right? It shows. Adventurers are usually amateurs when it comes to armor and weapons. Dishonest sellers know this."

Thorin went behind the counter and opened a cabinet on the wall. He pulled out a piece of real steel armor.

"Look, this is what real armor is like. Heavy, solid, and properly forged. Yours, on the other hand..." He examined Boran's armor. "This is, at best, a display piece. Designed not to protect you in a real battle, but to make you look impressive while walking down the street."

Boran clenched his jaw. "You sold this to me!"

Thorin laughed. "Hmm, I felt like you were describing me!"

Boran and Noemi stared at him in astonishment.

"Yes, it was me," said Thorin with a shrug. "What I did was actually a test. I test adventurers who try to get by with cheap equipment before they come to my shop."

"A test?" Boran asked skeptically.

"Yes, son," said Thorin. "Look, quality equipment is expensive. But some adventurers don't understand this. They buy cheap goods and then die in their first real battle. By selling these fake items, I'm actually saving people's lives."

"How? By selling armor that could get us killed?" asked Noemi, her voice rising with anger.

"No, quite the opposite," said Thorin. "These fake armors still provide some protection against low-level threats. But they fall apart in the first serious clash. This teaches you a lesson: quality equipment saves lives."

Boran shook his head. "Give me back my gold."

Thorin grinned. "If you do a small job for me, I'll give you real, quality armor. Custom-made, too."

Boran frowned. "No way. I don't help people who deceive me. Give me back my gold."

"You don't understand," said Thorin, his voice suddenly becoming serious. "I'm not asking for help; I'll give you an item worth a hundred times the 1200 gold you paid! I've learned how easily you're fooled now, and if you go to buy armor from someone else, you'll get scammed again!"

Boran frowned. "What are you saying?"

Thorin lowered his voice. "Since I know how easily you were fooled, I'll take care of everything! The armor set I'll make with Steel Wyvern Scale has a special feature—they can evolve."

"Evolve?" Noemi asked curiously.

"Steel Wyvern Scale," Thorin explained. "It's a very hard and flexible material. When made into armor with its magical essence, it can transfer its changeable property to the armor!"

Boran's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Really?"

"Yes, son," said Thorin, noticing he had caught Boran's interest. "Also, the armor forms a bond with its owner. It 'learns' with you. It protects your weak points and supports your strengths."

"Sounds good, but why should I trust you?"

Thorin nodded. "Fair enough. But think about it: With the fake armor you're wearing now, you could die even on a normal quest. At least after this mission, you'll have armor that will protect you against real dangers and evolve with you."

Boran took a deep breath and looked at Noemi, and then Thorin. "So?"

"Simple," said Thorin. "I need special Steel Wyvern Scale for my forge. It's a material that drops from the boss of Wyvern Valley. Bring it to me, and I'll offer my apologies this way. Instead of 1200 gold, I'll make you something that people might pay 120,000 gold for at auction. Besides, I've already spent your gold—do you know how hard it is to run a forge that hardly anyone visits, son?"

"Son?" Boran asked angrily. "You're at most 25 years old! There's no age difference between us, stop calling me son!"

"Son."

Boran turned to Noemi. "What do you think? Our next mission will probably be to kill the Steel-Horned Queen Wyvern Boss anyway. Doesn't that material drop from her?"

"Yes, it drops from her," Noemi said and remained silent for a moment. "Boran... I think we should accept. The armor he's talking about sounds like a good thing, I think it would be useful for you. Let's accept."

Boran eyed Thorin suspiciously. The fact that this man had deceived him once made it difficult to trust him again. At the same time, he couldn't deny that the offer was tempting.

"I don't know," Boran said hesitantly. "You ripped me off once. I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Thorin shrugged. "Understandable. But think about it: you're already planning to kill that wyvern, right? I'm just saying that when you do, bring me the material and in return, I'll make you armor like no other."

"How do you know we're planning to kill it?"

"You just said so!"

Boran was silent for a while, weighing his options. Finally, he sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But this is your last chance. If you deceive me again..."

Thorin smiled. "Don't worry, son. I'll keep my word this time. Oh, and..." Thorin said, rubbing his hands together. "I need 300 gold for the necessary materials..." when Boran suddenly interrupted.

"I won't give you a single gold until you pay your debt to me!"

As Boran, Noemi, and Boney were leaving the shop, they started to hear Thorin's cheerful song again:

"🎵 BANG BANG! I took the gold! CLASH CLASH! I sold the armor! DING DING! I tricked the adventurers! And I'm not ashaaamed! 🎵"