Chapter 327: The Predator on His Chest
Worldshell Carapace tightened again.
The vibration traveled through Martin’s ribs and settled behind his heartbeat. It reminded him of Leviathan’s Will awakening over the ocean, except the presence answering it now came from the Light Tree.
[Ancient Lineage Resonance Detected: Leviathan’s Echo]
[Bloodline State: Nascent Trace]
[No active bloodline trait has awakened.]
Angel lifted her head from the river.
Her sapphire eyes moved from the transparent woman to Martin’s chest. She came closer until her chin rested on the bank, then released a questioning rumble that made the skewers tremble above the coals.
"I’d also like an explanation," Martin said.
The Light Tree raised one translucent hand toward his armor. She did not touch it. Golden radiance gathered around her fingers, and the dark shell answered with another deep pulse.
"Worldshell remembers an ancient predator," she said. "The skill within it gave that memory a voice."
"Leviathan’s Will."
"Yes."
Rangar leaned so far forward that Robert caught the back of his shirt before he toppled into the grill. "What did Leviathans hunt?"
The Light Tree looked toward Angel.
Martin followed her gaze. "No."
Angel’s eyes narrowed.
"Long ago, fully grown Dragon Turtles carried soil, forests, rivers, and settlements across the seas," the Light Tree said. "Many islands marked on ancient maps were living shells. Humans and intelligent beasts built homes upon them and crossed oceans without knowing the land beneath their feet could wake."
Martin had heard that Angel could someday become an island. He had imagined a turtle with a hut on her back, not cultures mistaking her ancestors for geography.
Robert glanced at her crystal shell. "Best start charging rent, lad."
"She’d spend it all on fish."
Angel slapped the river. Water washed over the bank and soaked Martin from the knees down while leaving the Light Tree untouched.
"She disagrees," Rangar said.
"She has no income."
Another wave hit him.
The Light Tree waited until the water receded. "Dragon Turtles changed currents wherever they traveled. The oldest consumed enough life to alter entire seas. Leviathans evolved as their natural predators."
Nobody reached for the food.
Martin looked down at the armor bound across his chest. "Something hunted islands."
"Even an island remains part of an ecosystem. Leviathans hunted, fed, rested, raised their young, and died. They were beasts, not monsters."
Angel pulled away from the shore until only her eyes and the highest ridge of her shell remained above the water.
"The balance did not last," the Light Tree continued. "Humans and beasts living upon the Dragon Turtles began wanting more than a place on their shells. They wanted ownership of the creatures beneath them, then the seas around them. What followed is a longer history."
Martin waited.
She picked up another skewer.
"You’re ending there?"
"The rest should not be told while Rangar is swallowing without chewing."
Rangar stopped with both cheeks full. Robert laughed hard enough to cough.
Martin pointed at the river. "The Dragon Turtle over there is my baby girl, and you just told me I’m wearing the memory of something that ate her ancestors."
The Light Tree studied him, then Angel, and amusement brightened her golden eyes. "That is what I find so curious. A Warden carries a Leviathan’s echo while feeding fish to the Dragon Turtle he calls his baby girl."
Angel released a low, wounded sound.
"I’m not going to eat you," Martin told her.
She sank another inch.
"You eat most of my money. That should count for something."
It did not appear to count for enough.
Martin opened his equipment window and selected Worldshell Carapace. The command to unequip it remained grayed out.
"I can remove it if it bothers you," he said. "Or I would, if this thing wasn’t bound to me until its evolution finishes."
[Worldshell Carapace cannot be unequipped, traded, destroyed, or replaced until its evolution is complete.]
Angel could not see the system window, but his failed attempt seemed to convince her. She drifted closer again, still watching the plates suspiciously.
"A lineage cannot choose for you," the Light Tree said. "The armor remembers a Leviathan’s hunger, but what you protect is still your decision."
Martin rested one hand against the carapace. "Can you evolve it?"
"No."
Her immediate answer surprised him.
"Growth armor must recognize its bearer’s actions. I can reveal a path hidden from you. I cannot walk it in your place."
That sounded far more like the Light Tree Martin knew. It could bless, judge, and present trials. It never handed someone progress for asking politely beside a grill.
She held her palm near the armor. Gold spread across its surface without entering it, tracing an outline from his shoulders to his exposed forearms.
[The Light Tree has illuminated a hidden Worldshell condition.]
[Worldshell Carapace: Arm Stage]
[Preparation: Feed the Worldshell one piece of compatible Level 60 defensive equipment for the arms.]
[Trial: Protect an unbonded intelligent beast while enduring three distinct monster auras.]
[Restriction: No member of your party may harm an intelligent beast during the trial.]
[Completion: The Worldshell Arm Stage will become eligible to awaken.]
[Compatible equipment can now be identified through inspection.]
Martin read the notices twice.
Nothing changed on his armor. No growth bar moved, and no new plates formed over the gaps Raze had exploited.
"Unbonded means no player bond?"
"It must stand beside you by choice. The danger and your protection must be genuine, not arranged."
"And three distinct monster auras means three different monsters?"
"Three different manifestations of monstrous hunger. One powerful enemy may carry more than one, but surviving them will not be enough. You must be protecting the intelligent beast when each aura reaches you."
Martin looked at the restriction. "If an intelligent beast attacks us first?"
"Then your party must retreat, restrain, endure, or find another answer. If any companion harms one, the trial fails."
That condition would change how everyone entered a mixed territory. Area attacks, careless counters, and even a panicked swing could erase their progress.
"Can Angel be the beast I protect?"
"She is bonded to you."
Angel surfaced enough to look pleased that she had escaped mandatory danger.
Martin checked his level, then the gear in his inventory.
[Emperoar, Level 60 Warden]
Robert’s Crystal Warhammer was Level 1. Black Wolf Fangblade and Baby Trident were Level 5. Control Devil’s Shield remained in his inventory, but without its defining tether, it was no longer a serious Level 60 option. His practical shield slot had been empty since Broodtide Bulwark shattered against the Sea Dragon Monster. Worldshell covered his chest, but his arms were still exposed.
The Light Tree had shown him a path, and every part of it began with equipment he did not own.
He needed Level 60 replacements for his sword, warhammer, and trident, along with a shield that could survive more than one serious fight. On top of that, he needed compatible armguards that Worldshell would consume before he ever got to wear them.
Martin opened the regional travel map. Endless Rain’s Auction House glowed several routes away.
"Tomorrow," he said. "I’m going shopping."
Robert looked at the armor, then at Martin’s ancient weapons. "Bring someone sensible."
"I was planning to ask Rias."
"Good. Bring someone who can stop ye buying the prettiest mistake."
Martin closed the map. Before the Auction House, he still had an evening call that no amount of armor could make comfortable.