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"Oi, Kid! Try these on."

Old Sam returned with a couple sets of gears. They were still worn by the mannequins that levitated and followed behind him like they were being controlled through telekinesis.

It’s not telekinesis; it’s an advanced application of chakra control. No big deal for experts, but difficult for Ren and those around the same level as him.

There were five sets of gear before him. The interesting part is that they looked like the kind of armors one would find in a medieval fantasy world, not a martial arts world.

Some were surprisingly bulky; others were light. Some looked uncomfortable at first glance, while others looked like they barely covered the things that needed to be protected.

Ren didn’t say a word nor display a change in his expression. He walked up to the first armor.

It was a bulky type of armor. One with pauldrons that followed the shape of a snail’s shell. The gloves run up to his elbows and the boots reach his calves. The chest armor had full coverage of his torso, mid-section, and back. It even had some protrusions around the neck, far enough not to poke him but able to still cover it from attacks. It doesn’t have lower armor, per se, but a battle skirt was included.

It comes with a helmet, thankfully. But it’s one with a T-shaped hole and a rather flashy red cockscomb pattern.

This thing looks heavy and uncomfortable. It also seemed like wearing this practically eliminates all chances of his sneaking around because he just knew that his movements would be loud and clunky while wearing this.

The whole thing had this black and red motif, truly high-profile. It looks fancy and expensive. It’s just too bulky for Ren’s liking and really looks heavy too.

However, when he touched and lifted it, Ren’s eyebrow rose. Because for some reason, it was lighter than he expected. He could carry everything, including the mannequin it was on, with one hand.

"Cloud wrought iron?" Ren asked, looking inquisitively at Old Sam.

"Oho? You know your stuff, kid." Old Sam nodded, slightly impressed when the kid successfully named one of the materials used to create this armor. "But it’s just one of them."

"It’s made from an alloy, actually: Cloud Wrought Iron, like you said; Coiled Dragon’s Beard; and Rubber Snail Ore."

"Oh." Ren put the armor down after hearing that.

Well, quality work indeed.

Cloud wrought iron is a sturdy and very durable metal that could only be harvested in dungeon environments filled with rich mineral deposits. It usually appears on top of stiff and tall mountain peaks, requiring a demanding and exhausting hike filled with dangers.

What makes this metal unique is that it’s very light, like a cloud or cotton. They could even be said to be weightless even. At least, that’s before they are used to forge something.

Despite its lightness, cloud wrought iron was dense and very durable. And aside from the steep requirements to harvest it, it’s not really difficult to find or to actually gather them. It just requires some tedious hiking, that’s all. That’s why it’s pretty cheap all things considered.

Coiled Dragon’s Beard sounds weird for a name, but it’s exactly as it sounds. It wasn’t technically rare since bearded snakes with faint draconic bloodlines could also drop them. But the most common monster to get it from was the Flood Dragon at the later stages of the dungeons.

It’s not a metal, per se. It’s a monster part that falls under the metal element. It’s highly flexible and capable of enduring immense stress because of said flexibility. When used in alloys, it leeches its properties to the final product. And Smiths doesn’t need a lot to get its properties; just about three to five pieces were enough for every ingot.

And finally, the rubber snail ore. Again, this is a monster part, not an actual ore. It’s a drop from one of the most annoying and hated monster types of martial artists, the rubber snails.

They could absorb so much stress and impact like they were nothing. Most people, parties included, exhaust themselves first before managing to kill one rubber snail.

Rubber snails aren’t aggressive. In fact, like slimes, they could also be domesticated because of their patient and oftentimes docile attitude. They weren’t strong either. At the first sight of conflict, they go into their shells and will only come out once the danger has passed.

Domesticated rubber snails don’t have to be killed to drop rubber snail ore. Those could grow on their shells like barnacles and be scraped off. That’s why the material wasn’t so rare. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

An alloy made from Cloud Wrought Iron, Coiled Dragon’s Beard, and Rubber Snail Ore was almost certain to be light, flexible, and durable. That’s why the armor was practically lightweight when Ren lifted it earlier.

It did look clunky, bulky, and uncomfortable at first glance, but when Ren actually wore it, he almost felt like he was not wearing anything at all. Sure, it was a little bit clunky because of its size and bulk, but it looked cool and he could probably make it work.

The helmet, on the other hand, bothers him. His major complaint is that he couldn’t see shit even with the t-shaped hole in it. He didn’t like the idea that it’s obstructing his vision.

But Ren didn’t voice out any complaints. He just removed the armor after testing for a bit before trying on the next one.

Just like this, Ren tried all five gear sets that Old Sam brought out for him.

In the end, Ren chose the most bland and boring, gray leather armor set out of the five.

The chest piece was a tunic that could go under his clothes. It’s weightless and covers his chest and back fully save for his neck. The gloves were open-palmed and fingerless and only went up to his elbows. The pants were light and cream-colored; the leather covers his thighs and calves. It comes with an open leather skirt to cover his crotch and a small utility belt. The boots weren’t looking impressive either. It looked like a pair of sandals.

Why did Ren choose this leather armor set instead of the metal ones? Well, because this leather comes from a three-headed lion king—a boss-level monster part/drop.

Three-headed lion kings are one of the laziest but also the most territorial and aggravating monsters to fight against. Its hide was so thick and durable that it could ignore harsh environments like they were nothing.

These lion kings can bathe and swim to the mouth of a volcano and leave just fine; they could take naps in extreme tundra, and they shrug off sharp winds, intense blunt trauma, and hell, even direct lightning strikes were a joke to them.

Moreover, a three-headed lion king is a patient hunter. When it decides on a prey, it rarely stops tracking and hunting it until its target is killed by its own jaws.

But outside of this, Three-Headed Lion Kings are lazy. They mostly just stay in their lairs until they go hungry, which is rare since most of the time, their lioness hunts for them. But when they go out, they almost always return with a carcass. Whether that’s a human or not depends on the situation.

As for the Three-Headed Lion King leather, Ren didn’t pick it because it’s the rarest out of the bunch. He picked it because it suits him better.

Ren didn’t like those shiny metal armors; even if they were light or offered a good amount of protection in exchange for extra weight, they hindered his movements.

He liked to be mobile. He wants his movements to be fast, decisive, and silent if need be. He can’t have that when he’s lugging those clunky armors around.

More importantly, it’s the lion king’s leather that actually offers the most protection for him out of these five.

Don’t be mistaken by the patches of his skin that looked exposed. Even if they weren’t covered by the actual leather armor itself, the armor set’s effect fully encases his body. Even better is that it doesn’t hinder his movements at all.

That’s why Ren chose it in the end.

"I had a feeling you’d pick that," Old Sam sighed.

He could’ve just gone out with this one right at the start. He already had a feeling that Ren would like this one; even Alex said the same.

But you can’t fault the old man here; he’s just trying to make a sale. The other armors he brought out were sets that he had been wanting to get rid of for quite some time now. Alas, his usual customers don’t like them either.

Oh well, at least he tried.

"I’m satisfied with this, Sir. How much would it be?"

"200,000 credits," Old Sam slapped the price right then and there.

"Hey, Old Man! You’re being dishonest here! I brought you a new patron, and you can’t even offer a discount? What kind of a miser—!"

"Deal!" Ren didn’t let Alex finish with his tirade and immediately agreed with the price.

He had no complaints; to him, this was already discounted. He knew the real value of this leather, so he didn’t hesitate to agree immediately.