Chuan Wenwu

Biodata

Power Progression

Shield-form acquisition and Ability Liberation are separate steps. A newly acquired form initially supplies its equipment bonuses while equipped; liberating its ability makes those bonuses permanent. Liberation can occur through repeated material absorption or keeping the form equipped for sufficient time 14.

Background / History

Wenwu grew up in a military family: both his father and grandfather were soldiers. Childhood training gave him strong physical conditioning and an interest in military affairs and history. He aimed to become a soldier who protected his country, earned excellent grades, and gained admission to the Huaxia National Defense University Fusang Branch 1 2.

Bruce was given to him when he was eleven. The two grew up together, and Bruce once saved him from drowning while he was playing near a river. Wenwu consequently regards Bruce as a brother and partner rather than a pet 1 10.

In the summer of 2050, Wenwu arrived in Fusang City early to familiarize himself with his future university surroundings. Bruce dug up the Japanese-language Four Holy Weapons Book, whose story described heroes summoned to fight calamity waves but left the Shield Hero’s section blank. When the book began glowing and turning its own pages, Wenwu attempted to escape with Bruce; the summoning nevertheless transported them both 1.

He awoke alongside three other summoned men carrying a sword, spear, and bow, while a small jeweled shield was bound to his own body. His status panel identified him as the Shield Hero. He later suggested that his desire to defend his people and country might explain why he received the shield 2 3 8.

Appearance

Wenwu is tall and heavily muscled, with a straight posture and a handsome, resolute face. Elhart remarks that he already has a warrior’s bearing before learning much about his Hero abilities 11.

• Hair: Short, tousled, and black at the beginning of his adventure 11.
• Eyes: Dark, bright, and alert 11.
• Early equipment: Light Iron Plate Armor, with its helmet initially placed on Bruce 12.
• Later clothing: Plain cloth clothes rather than upgraded armor; his companions mistake this for financial hardship despite his powerful defenses 31 76.

Personality

Wenwu combines an outgoing, joking manner with caution in unfamiliar situations. A childhood leader among neighborhood friends, he readily builds rapport with the other Heroes. His initial seriousness is partly deliberate: once comfortable in the new world, he openly admits that he had been managing his image while assessing unfamiliar surroundings 1 8 75.

His protective ideals distinguish ordinary people from their rulers. Even after persecution by Melromarc’s court, he refuses to abandon innocent civilians to the Waves. His opposition to slavery likewise centers on the freedom and dignity of intelligent beings, not merely whether the trade is legal 21 35.

He values practical improvement and experiments aggressively with the weapon system, commissioning different materials and shield shapes to accumulate bonuses. Although he enjoys the system’s game-like features, he rejects the belief that the world’s inhabitants or deaths can be treated as game mechanics 28 77.

His composure can give way to violence when companions or civilians are threatened. He injures Myne after she attacks Bruce and later assaults Aultcray when the apparent massacre of Rude Village suggests that villagers have been sacrificed to frame him 16 97.

Abilities & Skills

Legendary Shield and Book of Weapons

The Shield of the Hero provides Wenwu’s status interface and records forms, bonuses, and techniques through the Weapon Manual, also called the Book of Weapons 3 6 28.

• Material absorption: Suitable materials, objects, and monster remains unlock corresponding forms 6 22 65.
• Equipment copying: Copies finished shields without consuming them; tested swords and armor do not produce the same response 23.
• Permanent growth: Liberated equipment bonuses accumulate across forms 14.
• Input limits: Ordinary weeds, stones, mud, and sand initially fail to unlock forms. Changing a spike’s dimensions without changing its material does not create another entry 14 28.
• Translation: Allows him to understand spoken languages, including those of the other Heroes, but does not initially let him read local writing 4 50.

Defense and Physical Strength

Wenwu retains his trained physique after summoning, but the system initially prevents his physical strength from translating into meaningful attack damage 2 3.

• Withstands Orange Balloon bites without injury while wearing plate armor 13.
• Later takes Ren’s sword strike on his bare arm and blocks Motoyasu’s spear without injury 77.
• Advances into a soldier’s spear unharmed, bending its shaft through pressure against his chest 95.
• His body alone cannot withstand the Chimera Beast’s direct attacks; he must intercept their main force with the shield 88.
• Numerous enemies can immobilize him even when unable to damage him 86.

Shield Bash and Shield Counter

Shield Bash adds damage based on a proportion of his defense whenever he strikes, shoves, rams, or smashes an enemy with a shield 30.

• Certain Cross Shield forms improve the defense-to-damage conversion ratio; not every Cross Shield does so 72.
• Shield Counter follows a perfect block with an enhanced Shield Bash calculated from his defense and the enemy’s damage 82.
• Enhanced Shield Bash tears into the Chimera Beast’s flesh while he withstands its attacks 89.

Thorns

Needle and thorn forms supply a thorns stat, giving Wenwu a means of retaliating through reflected damage 22 29 95.

• Gains additional thorns bonuses from shields made with different materials 28 29.
• Uses reflected damage against soldiers attacking his party at the victory banquet 95.
• A spiked appearance alone does not overcome his low ordinary attack stat 22.

Aura Shield

A technique obtained from the Rope Shield that creates a glowing blue shield at a selected location 58.

• Uses system targeting guides and draws power from the Hero’s SP-based skill system 58 84.
• Has a cooldown 58.
• Initially requires the Rope Shield form because its ability has not yet been liberated 58.

Earth Magic

Wenwu uses the sensation of spending SP on Aura Shield to perceive mana, then develops related earth spells 84.

• Rock Shields: Creates curved, spike-covered barriers; weaker than Aura Shield, but repeatable without a cooldown while mana remains 84.
• Earth Spikes: Detonates Rock Shields to scatter their spikes and drive back nearby enemies 84.
• Shields the fallen innkeeper during Rude Village’s evacuation and later protects his party at the banquet 84 95.

Taunt

Obtained through the Dimensional Ghoul Shield, Taunt forces nearby hostile creatures to direct their attacks toward Wenwu 88.

• Locks the Chimera Beast onto him, preventing its stingers and newly grown blades from targeting his allies 89.
• Creates the opening Motoyasu needs to charge his strongest spear technique 89.

Companion Growth and Utility Forms

Several forms improve his party’s development or supply tools outside direct combat.

• Companion Shield: Enhances Bruce’s growth and stats, helping him keep pace with a legendary Hero 24 28.
• Storage Shield: Holds supplies and loot, but transfers their total weight to the shield rather than eliminating it 31 90.
• Rope Shield: Fires and retracts a tough rope for retrieval and hauling. This exclusive effect remains restricted to the Rope Shield even after Ability Liberation 58 62 84.
• Lantern Shield: Illuminates a five-meter radius 58.
• Pickaxe Shield: Grants Mining Skill I 58.
• Copper Cross Shield: Grants Smelting I 72.

Weapon Restrictions

The legendary shield limits his offensive options beyond his low attack stat.

• Cannot leave his body, though he can move it between arms 2.
• Allows him to hold other weapons but prevents him from using them 11.
• Permits punches, slaps, and bodily slams, but shocks him when he attempts prohibited piercing or tearing attacks with his hands 60.
• Joint action with other legendary-weapon wielders carries a system warning about adverse effects; the notice advises acting separately whenever possible 5.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Shield of the Hero — Body-bound legendary weapon; originally a small metal round shield with a dark green central jewel 2 3.
• Light Iron Plate Armor — His first purchased armor. He chooses its weight as additional training and finds Elhart’s construction allows broad movement 12.
• Refined Light Metal Cross Shield Inlaid with Tungsten Steel — Custom shield copied into his legendary weapon and equipped for the Wave, with Shield Counter and major magic-defense effects 82.
• Hiking Backpack — Absorbed to unlock the Storage Shield upon reaching level thirty 31.
• Dictionary and study books — Used to learn the local writing system and guide Raphtalia and Bruce’s studies 50 68.
• Crystal Ball recording — Seized from Aultcray; contains footage apparently depicting Wenwu massacring villagers. He later shows it to survivors, who reject its portrayal of him 97 100.

Relationships

• Bruce Dahuang — Childhood companion, brother, and combat partner. Bruce saved him from drowning, accompanies him through summoning, and receives Wenwu’s equipment and growth support 1 10 24 51.
• Raphtalia — Rescued companion who comes to regard him as “Big Brother Chuan.” He treats her illness, helps her confront her trauma, teaches her, and prioritizes her equipment 38 40 61 68 73.
• Elhart — Blacksmith, supplier, and adviser. Explains anti-Shield prejudice, manufactures experimental shields, and commissions Wenwu to help Rude Village 21 28 56 72.
• Motoyasu Kitamura — Fellow summoned Hero who considers Wenwu a buddy and supports him against the court. Wenwu challenges his assumptions about the world, then tanks the Wave boss so Motoyasu can attack 8 19 77 89 95.
• Ren Amaki — Fellow Hero whose courage Wenwu praises. Ren tests his defense and helps resist Aultcray’s arrest order, but initially challenges him after seeing the massacre recording 8 77 95 97.
• Itsuki Kawasumi — Fellow Hero whom Wenwu encourages to view his bow as a chance to oppose injustice. Itsuki supports him at the banquet and questions whether the recording was altered 8 95 97.
• Myne / Maddy — Former party member and Melromarc’s First Princess. Attempts to steal his money, attacks Bruce, and falsely accuses Wenwu of sexual assault 16 17 20.
• King Aultcray — Hostile ruler who persecutes him and later accuses him of colluding with monsters and massacring civilians. Wenwu assaults him before leaving to investigate Rude Village 19 95 97.
• Rude Village’s chief and inhabitants — Beneficiaries of his mine-clearing and evacuation efforts. Their gratitude is later complicated by a massacre that survivors fear was connected to the Kingdom’s campaign against him 62 70 84 100.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Court Persecution and Independent Training

After Myne’s attempted theft and false accusation, Wenwu exposes inconsistencies in her account and confronts the royal court. The other Heroes protest his treatment, while he warns Aultcray that continued persecution may provoke more than a verbal response 16 17 19.

Learning that Melromarc’s Three Heroes Church vilifies the Shield Hero helps explain the hostility. Wenwu stays to protect civilians, finances himself through monster materials, and trains in the wilderness while expanding his shield collection through Elhart’s commissions 21 26 28 76.

Raphtalia’s Rescue

A search for equipment suitable for Bruce leads Wenwu to a slave trader instead of the intended monster merchant. Appalled by the captives’ treatment, he purchases the gravely ill Raphtalia and transfers her slave mark only after being warned that immediate removal could kill her 33 35 38.

He initially plans to reunite her with family or find a trustworthy adoptive home rather than recruit her. As she recovers, he reassures her, addresses her fear of Bruce, and later helps her confront a Demon Hound associated with her childhood trauma 38 40 45 61.

Rude Village’s Mine

At Elhart’s request, Wenwu’s party investigates magical beasts occupying Rude Village’s mine. Revealing his level convinces the anxious villagers that he can attempt the task; the party clears the mine and displays the slain beasts as proof 56 62.

The village rewards him with three wagonloads of rare ore. He also carries the chief’s request that Elhart return home and visit his parents’ graves 70.

The Calamity Wave

After synchronizing with the Dragon Hourglass, Wenwu learns that the next Wave is six days away. When it arrives near Rude Village, he assigns the other Heroes to the boss while his own party protects and evacuates civilians 81 83 84.

He then joins the fight against the regenerating Chimera Beast. Taunt and his shield defenses allow him to hold its attention while the others attack. Afterward, he donates a hundred silver coins and urges the chief to arrange shelter before nightfall 88 89 92.

Banquet Accusation and Rude Village Massacre

At the victory banquet, Aultcray orders Wenwu’s arrest for allegedly colluding with monsters and slaughtering civilians. Wenwu protects Bruce and Raphtalia while the other Heroes refuse the king’s demand to help capture him 94 95.

A crystal-ball recording appears to show Wenwu killing Rude Village’s survivors. He denies the accusation, attacks Aultcray, and rushes to the village. Itsuki proposes that the footage may have been altered, and the other Heroes follow 97.

The survivors cannot identify the actual attackers. When Wenwu shows them the recording, they reject it and suspect its source is connected to the massacre. Learning that it came through the king leaves them fearing further attacks; one survivor turns his anger on Wenwu, blaming the village’s association with the Shield Hero 99 100.

Notable Quotes

“Dahuang isn't a pet. He's my partner, my brother!” 10

“I'm not helping this country. I'm helping the people of this world.” 21

“I have never harmed a single person in Rude Village.” 97