Jason held in his hand a large purple crystal, bigger than a fist. This object had been extracted from the magic dragon's body, and it was due to this amethyst that the dragon had turned into a corpse after its death, its power soaring to terrifying new heights.
In Jason's memory, this crystal was called the [Dragon Emperor's Fragment]. It was crucial for strengthening the Shield of Wrath in the early stages, with an even more significant role to play later on.
But now, as Jason pressed the Dragon Emperor Fragment onto the jewel of his Legendary Shield, he realized it wasn't being absorbed.
In the original tale, Iwatani Naofumi had absorbed the Dragon Emperor Fragment, which led to a new row of shield icons appearing, though they remained locked due to level restrictions. But here, Jason found himself unable to replicate that moment.
"Why won't it work?" Jason pondered, looking intently at the fragment in his hand.
Then it hit him. "The Dragon Emperor Fragment strengthens the Shield of Wrath, and my Shield of Wrath hasn't been unlocked yet. That's why it can't be absorbed."
He quickly pieced the situation together, but a new question arose: How could he unlock the Shield of Wrath?
"So far, everything's been too easy. I haven't felt any real anger."
Jason shook his head, resigned to the fact. "Guess I'll have to think about this later. Maybe someday, when I'm really pushed to the limit, the Shield of Wrath will awaken."
He sighed, glancing skyward as if to lament his strength. "Being too strong can be such a hassle."
If Ren or the other Heroes had known what was going through his mind, they probably would've coughed up blood in frustration. "I can't even get stronger if I want to!"
With a casual flick of his wrist, Jason stowed the Dragon Emperor Fragment into his Storage Shield and turned to Ren.
"Now, I hope you understand something," Jason said, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder, speaking with the air of a seasoned elder. "This world is real. It's not just about killing monsters and collecting materials. Corpses rot, mutate, and spread disease. If you keep thinking like a rookie Hero, you'll never rise above being someone's little brother."
Jason gave Ren a firm pat before walking past him. Watching Jason's departing figure, Ren seemed to come to a realization, bowing deeply as a sign of respect.
"Has everyone gotten their holy water or antidotes?" Jason asked the adventurers with a friendly smile.
To an ordinary person, that smile might have seemed harmless, but the adventurers shuddered. Moments ago, Jason had sold them holy water, which normally cost 10 silver coins, for 1 gold coin—ten times the normal price. Seeing him smile like that again filled them with dread.
"Thank you, Lord Shield Hero, for your assistance!" they shouted hurriedly.
"We're feeling much better now!"
Some adventurers began bouncing around, while others dropped to the ground, doing push-ups to demonstrate their renewed vitality.
What they didn't know was that Jason's holy water had cost him nothing—it had all been looted from the church.
"Good to hear. But if anyone's still feeling off, I do have some blood-replenishing potions on hand..." Jason started to say, but the adventurers quickly cut him off.
"No, no! We're perfectly fine!"
"Yeah, we're in great shape!"
In their haste to pay for the holy water and antidotes, some of them had even pawned their equipment as collateral. They weren't about to spend any more money.
"In that case, let's move out!" Jason declared, waving his hand to signal the group forward. True to his nature, he kindly escorted Ren and the adventurers back to Lü Village.
Jason felt quite satisfied with the spoils of this journey. Although the Dragon Emperor Fragment couldn't be used yet, he'd still pocketed dozens of gold coins and plenty of gear. Jack and the others would benefit from the new equipment, which they sorely needed.
Soon after, Jason and his group set off toward the west. Along the way, they came across a village that had been ravaged by mutated plants, the result of Motoyasu's Miracle Seed. The plants had grown uncontrollably, becoming monstrous threats to the village.
Naturally, Jason dealt with the mutated flora with ease, gaining some new shields in the process:
[Mutated Plant Shield]: Ability not yet unlocked; equipment bonus effect: Plant Transformation.[Demonic Human Grass Shield]: Ability not yet unlocked; equipment bonus effect: Intermediate Mixing 2.[Mandrake Shield]: Ability not yet unlocked; equipment bonus effect: Plant Analysis.
Among these, the [Mutated Plant Shield] stood out. Its ability to transform plants could be useful for cultivating valuable medicinal herbs or even poisonous plants.
Jason didn't linger in the village for long, heading southwest soon after. Over the next six days, he encountered numerous monsters along the way.
Not everything was left to Jack and the others, though. Jason needed to level up, too. Since Jack and his group were still relatively low-level, he didn't include them in the party just yet. Instead, he, Raphtalia, and Filo trained separately to maximize their leveling efficiency.
By now, Jason's level had risen to LV39, a significant boost. Every five levels would further complete his Karp template, and currently, the completion rate had reached 34%.
Jason's current stats:
Level: 39HP: 4090SP: 1185Strength: 455-539 (+60)Agility: 224 (+23)Defense: 500+Luck: ???
Jason's defense had surpassed the 500 mark, a stat he wasn't too focused on, but he knew it was significant—after all, he had withstood the corpse dragon's attacks with ease.
Raphtalia had reached LV39, while Filo was now at LV33.
As for Jack and the others, their average level was 28, and they were just one step away from completing their selection mission.
At that moment, you'll gain a 10% increase in the completion of the Garp template, and your strength will see a significant boost once again.
On this day, Jason and his group began to slow down their journey.
"Raphtalia, up ahead is the Seyaette territory... although I suppose it goes by a different name now," Jason remarked, standing atop the carriage as he gazed into the distance. He glanced at Raphtalia, who looked weary.
"Yeah... my hometown is just ahead. I wonder how everyone is doing now," Raphtalia said softly, lying weakly against the edge of the carriage. She was still feeling motion sick, and riding in the carriage had been particularly tough for her.
"Raphtalia, why don't you come down and rest for a bit? We're almost at our destination. No need to rush," Jason said kindly. Then, he turned his head and shouted back to Jack and the others who were trailing behind.
"Jack... take a few people and head over there to inform the lord that I am arriving!" Jason commanded with a confident tone.