"Tsk, those testers were really incompetent; how can they be overwhelmed by something so simple?" Leo mocked the testers as he was successfully able to wield all the prototypes without suffering from any severe side effects or mental damage.
However, it appeared that the prototypes had still taken a significant toll on him, as he was sweating profusely despite not moving much, and he was also starting to tremble.
"Leo?" I called him since he seemed too immersed in the act of testing his new toy.
"Yes?" he quickly answered.
"Your legs are trembling again." I pointed at them as I said so.
"Also… please, Mr. Shang, put those glasses away; we won't be able to get ahold of Leo if you keep them on. " I said to the researcher standing next to me.
Leo seemed to react almost immediately to what I said, turning around with an uncomfortable look.
"I just remembered something: he can teleport in front of any piece of any reflective surface. So long as they can reflect his entire body, he can use them to switch places constantly," I explained.
"The same goes for the rest of you. Watches, glasses, anything that could be used—put them away." I ordered the others.
"You're no fun," Leo protested.
"You're hurting yourself; I'm just taking precautions for your well-being." I responded as I also put away my watch.
I can never be too careful around you.
"Even if you removed all of those, I doubt you could keep up with me in terms of speed." He arrogantly stated as he let go of the current weapon in his hands.
"Want to test it? " I created a wall in front of the entrance door to block any possible escape routes.
"No, I'm good; let's try out the next weapon!" He quickly changed attitude the moment he saw the door sealed.
You may have speed, but in a closed-off environment, with barely half your total demonic energy, you would stand no chance against me.
"Ah, right, I forgot; the gear you requested is finally ready," I said to get his attention off the prototypes.
"What do you mean?" He asked genuinely, confused.
Don't tell me you forgot, especially after putting in so many requests…
"Well, they needed to be tested first to make sure there wasn't any malfunctioning or other unintended effects; our testers were working incredibly hard to make sure these were properly tested." I said as I headed back towards my desk.
Hidden under my desk was a small box full of demonic artifacts; those he requested along with a few additions. After fetching it, I quickly laid down the equipment on the table for him to see.
Within the box were a dark coat, a red suit seemingly made out of the same fabric, one that was seemingly on fire, a small handbag, a few rings, brass knuckles, a pocket watch, and a large pile of white coins.
"I do remember asking some things, but what's this watch? I don't think I ever asked for these coins as well; do you mind explaining yourself?"
"Oh, well, the watch can reverse any injury and make it so that it never occurred. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it so that this artifact would remain intact after using its ability, so I found an easy workaround. " I then pointed at the pile of coins.
"Whenever an artifact breaks, they break instead, allowing infinite use of the pocket, at least until you run out of coins," I explained.
"Wow, do the other work as I requested?" Leo didn't even bother to pretend to be interested; his "wow" sounded devoid of any energy.
"Yes, they're especially made to synergize with your crown and your other artifacts. " I proudly announced.
They were my masterpieces; no other piece of equipment came even remotely close to the quality of these few.
"How about their durability?" He asked worriedly.
"The cloak is a bit of a mystery; when used by our testers, it managed to reach a peak comparable to Uncle's Softie, but since its power varies depending on energy output, we could say we have yet to see the true limit of its durability," I argued.
It perfectly matched his artifact, the Frenzied Crown, an artifact that creates an everlasting flame, one that can generate demonic energy by burning away emotions.
"The rings are a bit dangerous; I would suggest you not use them without the crown; they'll make you experience terrible mood swings." I warned him because he almost put them on the spot.
A perfect loop, the energy consumed by the rings was minimal compared to the one produced by the crown.
"I don't remember asking for the rest?" He asked as he put on most of the gear.
"This is just a personal touch; the bag can store an incredibly vast amount of items. Think of it like a storage system in most sandbox games, while the knuckles, think of them as a birthday gift," I added.
"They're very simple to use. When you punch things with it, you can shatter them, even if they aren't solid. Don't test it on living beings; it doesn't look pretty." I explained as I put on the brass knuckles and used them against my chair, shattering it as if it were made of glass, sending sharp shards all over the floor.
"Can it shatter other artifacts?" He asked with a serious look.
"Yes and no; it can, but it requires a substantial use of force, so I doubt you could leave a scratch on one of the legendary weapons even if you were to hammer them all day long," I replied.
"Force? Not demonic energy?" Leo tried to correct me.
"No, you heard correctly, Force." I repeated as I clashed the two brass knuckles, sending flashy sparks flying away.
"Ah." He didn't have an answer and quietly took the artifacts and immediately placed them in the pouch.
"Thanks, I wasn't expecting to receive this anytime soon, especially since I submitted the request two months ago." He said with a childish smile, admiring his new toys.
The last request you submitted was two months ago, but before then, you sent a request every week; don't act all sorry now.
"Yeah, Ilay and Elvis came down with their request at the same time, so I thought, "Why not? "I can put other projects on hold for the family; I doubt the uncle would really mind," I replied.
"No, he totally would." He quickly corrected me.
"Then let's keep this our little secret." I whispered to him.
"Can I try the sling now?" he asked, pointing at the artifact contained in the glass box.
"Why?" I asked him.
"Since it's contained in such a pretty stand, it's begging to be used." He answered with eyes beaming with excitement and expectations.
"Please wait, because that is… not a pretty weapon." I pulled him back by the arm before he could take out the weapon from its stand.
"Why not?" He complained as he tried to pull away.
"It's just… unfair." I couldn't come up with a proper explanation.
The original prototype was long since destroyed, and the current version still felt too overpowered in my eyes, a ranged weapon that can never miss; it was too much in my mind.
"What does it do?" he asked.
"Makes it so that it never misses the target." I explained.
"Oh, like the first sniper rifle you made." He tried to compare it to the last object I made even remotely familiar, but he was wrong.
"Worse, you can evade or block that rifle, but you cannot block that sling; the moment the projectile loaded in is fired, the opponent is already hit." I explained properly this time, and this seemed to only pour more fuel on the fire in Leonhart's mind.
"I probably need to see it to understand." His eyes were sparking even more now as he began to drag me along.
"So when will this weapon be sold?" He asked as he removed the glass case.
"It's going to be the prize for a tournament; at least that's what the uncle said to me. He personally organized the event and booked the arena; hopefully I'll be there to witness it," I commented.
"Want me to win it back for you?" he asked with the weapon in hand.
"It's not going to be the first prize, and I doubt the uncle will let you do so," I replied as I finally let him go.
"Why not?"
"This is to promote my weapons, so if people were not able to properly test them out, they wouldn't trust them." I explained.
"I can always be the one using them to gain fame." He proposed.
"True, true, but would it be as convincing? I mean, with the vast quantity of artifacts at our disposal, people might put my artifact capabilities in doubt." I replied as I took a long sigh.
"Should I show them this equipment instead?" He asked while pointing at the suit tailor-made for him.
"No!" I quickly answered.
"The fact that I can make artifacts with custom-tailored abilities should remain top secret and should never be leaked," I reminded him.
Otherwise, who knows what kind of attention it will attract?
"Can you trust that drunkard to keep the secret?" he asked me as he pointed his finger at the ceiling.
Which one? Probably the worst one, right?
"I trust his handlers," I replied.
"He shouldn't have known; many people will die because of his loose mouth," Leonhard commented.
Right…
He should really fix that bad habit of his; it's going to destroy his life if he keeps at it.
Then I saw the lion yawning.
Wow, this looks a lot more—
"Oop! So, want to spar a little? Just like we did back then?" He asked as he threw a couple of punches in the air, all fired up.
"No, with all that gear you would win. I don't have an artifact anywhere near that level for me," I complained.
"Come on, don't be such a wuss. I still haven't tested these; I need time to get acclimatized, so it probably won't be as one-sided as you think." He said to encourage me.
Then I felt a chilling sensation behind us, anger.
"If he's not up for it, how about I spar with you?" A familiar voice said, then a large hand appeared, grabbing Leo by the back of his head.
The uncle was standing behind us; with a single hand, he had lifted up Leonhart and was slowly dragging him away.
"Aouch! Ouch! Ouch! Dad, wait, I can explain this, just…"
"You shouldn't trouble your cousin too much; can't you see he's busy? Do you really want me to restrict your access to the deeper levels of the facility?" He yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room.
As he dragged Leo away, the beast got up to follow them.