The Emperor's "Grand Design," the Devil's Whisper

Just by putting on that armor, even a Low Mage could rival a High Mage?

Impossible!

The moment John said it, Kevin instinctively thought he was lying.

But John looked so composed that doubt crept into Kevin's eyes.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind. After a long silence, he took a deep breath and fixed John with an intense stare. "Governor, if possible, I'd like to see... no, personally test what your armor can do. Would that be convenient?"

Creak!

Two hours later, at the weapons testing ground outside Revival City, Kevin took off the armor, his face alight with excitement and fervor. John needed no words to know that Kevin now understood the Steel Bone Armor's true value. Yet he made no move to steer the conversation toward a deal. Instead, he smiled and asked:

"Your Highness, Kevin, what did you think of the Steel Bone Armor?"

"Excellent. Practically perfect. For the Empire, this is nothing short of an epoch-making military weapon!"

Kevin gazed at the Steel Bone Armor as though he could hardly bear to part with it, greed filling his eyes.

He had just worn it himself and tested its strength, speed, and spellcasting performance.

At first, he had been skeptical of the armor's enhancements.

But after experiencing them firsthand, he realized how absurd his initial doubts had been.

Without using any magic, relying solely on the armor's power supply, every punch he threw carried force comparable to a High Mage's full-strength blow. His speed even rivaled that of an assassin-type mage!

Most importantly, the armor had not hindered his spellcasting at all, as he had expected.

On the contrary, the mental-strength amplification arrays inscribed inside it had increased the speed at which he cast Upper Tier magic by nearly a tenth! The spells' power had even