Wizard: Starts with Advanced Meditation

"Da da—"

After declining Delipe's offer, Hughes wandered around the display shelves of sorcerer's tools, selecting armor for his future adventures.

However, although these magical artifacts are very powerful, they are not practical, at least not for the Five Crown Trials that Hughes will be participating in later.

They can either be charged to raise a defensive spell or to cast a displacement spell.

The problem is that they all need to be charged, and once the spell is cast, they become ordinary armor and cannot provide real-time protection.

As for armor that focuses on defense, it is often limited by materials. High defense requires heavy materials, and because of high magic resistance, it is difficult to inscribe a large number of magic patterns and runes on it.

Hughes scrutinized each shelf of magical implements with such meticulous care, occasionally brushing his fingertips against their scales before shaking his head and continuing forward, finally stopping at the deepest corner of the corridor.

"Bang—"

"Um?"

Hughes's leg suddenly bumped into a wooden box in the corner. Looking down, he saw that the box was not big and was covered with a thick black cloth.

His hand unconsciously touched the black cloth, his fingers gripping one corner of it tightly. He gently pulled it down, and the black cloth quickly slid off, revealing the complete wooden box.

The wooden box was very simple, without any crystals or magic patterns. The dusty lid had been revealed when the black cloth slipped off.

"Click—"

Hughes bent down, untied the iron chains on the box, lifted the lid, and revealed the mysterious item inside.

Inside was a magical artifact, a complete set of armor gleaming with a cold light. The armor plates were smooth and shiny, with fine, hair-like silver patterns entwined at the seams.

However, beneath this understated yet luxurious exterior, there is a noticeable crack on the shoulder and neck area of ​​its breastplate, which is charred black, as if it had been burned by something.

When Hughes's fingertips brushed against the breastplate, the plate undulated slightly, and even the silver patterns trembled slightly, as if breathing.

"Dlip, introduce this witchcraft artifact."

Hughes turned around and asked Delipe, who was repairing the witchcraft tools.

Upon hearing this, Delipe slowly raised his head and, the instant he saw the silver armor, a flicker of memory flashed in his eyes:

"This is the 'Living Silver Armor.' Once the equipment is damaged, it can automatically absorb the surrounding magic and repair the damaged parts on its own."

Delipe put down his tools, came behind Hughes, and pointed to the armor.

"The Living Silver Armor itself has extremely high physical and magical resistance. It was thanks to it that I dared to fight in various parts of Maranthel back then. Even the patriarch of my family planned to provide me with the resources to advance to a formal wizard."

At this point, Delipe's tone was full of undisguised pride, but then his voice suddenly turned slightly regretful.

"But I overestimated myself. Back then, several families of the volcanic dwarves clashed with the Vomirai family, and our family was one of them."

"In one battle, I wore living silver armor and went with the team to the border of the central continent."

"We fought several squads of the Vomeri family there for days. Although we suffered heavy casualties, they weren't having an easy time either!"

"And I—I even cut off the heads of five third-class apprentices in succession."

His tone became slightly excited, but it quickly subsided.

"But an unexpected event occurred: a young third-class apprentice rode a fire dragon straight into our team's small battlefield."

Delipe's tone instantly became filled with fear, completely different from before.

"The dragon flames were truly terrifying. That ferocious dragon opened its mouth just a few times, and our team was immediately turned into a sea of ​​fire."

"Even we volcanic dwarves would melt under these flames."

"Our team's official wizard immediately flew into the sky, attempting to behead the third-class apprentice."

"But the fire dragon discovered this and aimed its dragonfire at our only legitimate wizard. When the scorching dragonfire struck him, he, despite being a legitimate wizard, was instantly reduced to ashes!"

"It was only then that we realized that the third-class apprentice could actually ride a fire dragon of full wizard rank on his own!"

At this point, Delipe's pupils dilated suddenly, and the scene from that time reappeared in his mind.

Hughes, standing to the side, fell silent, searching his memories for information about the Vomir family.

In his memory, the Womiri family, who lived in the center of the continent, was one of the five great families. They were particularly skilled in fire elemental magic and biological modification.

But the one most well-known to the people of Maransel is their future heir – "Dragon Knight" Lontagela Wormir.

During his apprenticeship, Lontagra tamed a fire dragon, which allowed him to kill a full-fledged wizard with the dragon even when he was only a third-class apprentice and in absolute safety.

He is now undoubtedly the next patriarch. Once he advances to the second level wizard, the patriarch of the Vomir family will voluntarily step down and hand over the position to Lontagra.

Rumor has it that the fire dragon has reached adulthood and its strength may have even reached the level of a second-level wizard.

Just as Hughes was lost in thought, Delipe was jolted awake by images of the war from years past. He touched the living silver armor in a daze and said regretfully:

"I was too arrogant back then. Because of the protection of the Living Silver Armor, I ridiculously shot a fire elemental spell at Lontagore."

"The result was obvious. I was scorched by the dragon flames. If the reinforcements hadn't arrived just in time, both I and the Living Silver Armor would have been reduced to ashes."

"However, the Living Silver Armor also suffered irreparable damage, and I was unable to advance to the rank of a formal wizard for several years afterward."

"Later, because we offended the Five Rings family, the fate of our volcanic dwarf families was also obvious - the leaders were all wiped out, and the rest became slaves."

"As for me, thanks to my identity as a wizard tool maker, although I became a slave, I was still able to study and research. Later, I ended my life as a slave ahead of schedule by improving a forging technique."

Delip crossed his arms over his chest, looked up through the skylight and into the distance, his eyes vacant, as if he were lost in the difficult days of the past.

"After settling in Kodia, I not only kept collecting materials to repair the Living Silver Armor, but also tried to enhance its defensive capabilities."

"After so many years of hard work, I have indeed succeeded."

As he spoke, Delipe pointed to the charred cracks on the shoulder and neck area of ​​the breastplate and said:

"Actually, the lingering effects of the dragon's flame prevented the living silver armor from repairing itself, and the method of repair is quite simple—that is, to 'feed' it dragon blood."