Chapter 26: The Shadow Garden Arsenal
~!~
Cid Kagenou sat at his desk, bathed in the flickering glow of a lone candle. The dim light cast long, shifting shadows against the walls of his room, the high ceilings and elegant decor a constant reminder of his place in this world—a noble's son, yet shackled by expectations, by limitations. His hand tightened around the quill as he flipped through scattered sheets of parchment, each filled with rough sketches, calculations, and fragmented theories on materials. His notes sprawled across the wooden surface in a chaotic mess, but in his mind, a grand vision was slowly coming to life.
Armor.
Not just any armor, but something revolutionary—something suited not to the warriors of this world, but to those who would move unseen, strike from the darkness, and vanish before their enemies even understood what had happened. Highly mobile, highly protective, and capable of seamlessly conducting mana. It needed to be lightweight yet indestructible, flexible yet unyielding under pressure. But all of it, every dream sketched onto these pages, hinged on a single, unrelenting obstacle.
Money.
Cid let out a quiet sigh, leaning back in his chair, fingers pressing against his temple. His status as the adopted son of Gaius and Elaina Kagenou granted him access to nobility's privileges, but not its wealth. Every coin spent, every investment made—his mother, Elaina, had eyes on it all. A woman of sharp wit and shrewd management, she ran the Kagenou estate with an efficiency that left no room for waste. The mere idea of her youngest son, an eleven-year-old recently returned from the clutches of the Cult of Diabolos, suddenly requesting vast amounts of gold? The very thought was laughable.
No, it wouldn't just raise suspicions. It would bring everything crashing down before it could even take shape.
Cid tapped a finger against his desk, his expression unreadable as he stared at the parchment before him. Even indirect approaches wouldn't work. The noble circles were a web of power, influence, and deeply ingrained loyalties. Every merchant, every craftsman, every alchemist and enchanter—someone owned them, controlled them, and if he approached the wrong one, if he misstepped even once, the existence of Shadow Garden would be exposed before it even had the chance to take root.
That meant he had no choice.
He would have to create something from nothing.
His fingers traced the edges of his notes, mind racing through the assets he already had.
Alpha and Beta: loyal, skilled, adaptable, but without a means to craft what they needed. Limited materials: scraps of armor and scavenged weapons, barely functional at best. A hidden base: secluded, but lacking the resources for any large-scale production.
It helped that it was considered a derelict wasteland by his father, who recently became viscount of the land.
A dry chuckle escaped his lips. It was almost comical. Here he was, dreaming of forging the ultimate warriors, yet they didn't even have proper armor or weapons to call their own. No infrastructure. No supply chain. No wealth.
But therein lay the challenge.
Cid's gaze flickered to a worn ledger resting beside his notes, its pages filled with meticulously recorded shipments, trade agreements, and mining operations belonging to the Kagenou family and their allies. He had swiped it from his father's study weeks ago, poring over its contents for anything useful. If he couldn't buy what he needed, then he would have to learn how to make it himself.
His grip on the quill tightened, ink staining his fingertips as he pressed the tip to fresh parchment. Metallurgy. Enchantment theory. Tailoring. Leatherworking. The foundations of warfare itself, the very essence of what made a knight, a rogue, or a mage formidable—he needed to understand all of it. He needed to strip it down to its core, to take the knowledge of this world and twist it into something new, something beyond the comprehension of the stagnant minds that clung to their outdated traditions.
Could he use alternative materials? Could he create new forging techniques? Could he repurpose existing resources into something entirely different?
His heart pounded at the sheer scope of it all.
It was daunting. It was insane.
And it was exactly what he needed to do.
A slow, confident smirk spread across his lips as he wrote the first words onto the parchment, his strokes decisive, his purpose clear.
Step One: Research everything.
Step Two: Find materials.
Step Three: Build the foundation of Shadow Garden's arsenal.
The true challenge had just begun.
Cid flipped through the dusty tome in front of him, his eyes scanning lines of ancient script detailing the properties of various materials. It was frustrating—everything was based on outdated forging methods, inefficient mana applications, and medieval metallurgy.
He sighed, tossing the book aside. "This is useless. If I follow this, I'll be stuck making overpriced tin cans with some mana slapped onto them."
A voice echoed in his mind, calm yet amused.
"Of course it's useless. These people think layering steel and hoping for the best counts as innovation."
Cid smirked. "Yeah, no kidding."
He wasn't talking to himself. He was talking to Minoru Kageno.
A voice no one else could hear, a presence that had awakened in him during his captivity in the Cult's dungeons. Minoru was more than a voice—he was a genius hacker and craftsman from another world, a man who had walked in a world of technology, modern economies, and cutting-edge warfare.
More importantly, he was him—or rather, the person he used to be.
Cid leaned back, his fingers tapping against the wooden desk. "Alright, big brother, what do you suggest?"
"First off, stop thinking like these medieval blacksmiths. You want high mobility, high protection, and high mana conductivity, right? That means you need something lightweight yet durable, something that can react dynamically to mana flow instead of just holding it in like a glorified mana sponge."
Cid rolled his eyes. "I was getting there."
"Sure you were. Anyway, let's break this down. What do you have to work with?"
Cid glanced at his notes. "Iron, steel, some low-tier enchanted cloth… oh, and some supposedly rare minerals, but nobles hoard those like treasure. Unless I want to start raiding vaults, not an option."
"Tsk. If only we had access to polymers, nano-fibers, or even some good ol' carbon nanotubes. But, fine, we'll work with what we have."
Cid leaned forward, his mind racing as he and Minoru delved into theoretical concepts. What if he could create a synthetic mana-reactive alloy? Could he craft an adaptive weave using enchanted cloth and metal threads?
He needed more research… maybe its time the Cult started to pay him back for treating him like a science experiment!
~!~
Cid hunched over a series of glowing mana crystals, their faint light casting shifting patterns across the darkened room. The symbols embedded within the crystalline structure pulsed erratically, like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
"Alright, let's go over this again,"Minoru's voice echoed in his mind, his tone both dry and analytical.
Cid rubbed his temples. "Fine. Materials we know exist and their trade-offs: Iron? Too heavy. Steel? Better, but the conductivity is trash unless you enchant it, which drives up cost."
"Right. And then there's enchanted cloth—lightweight, but absolute garbage in physical protection."
Cid flipped through one of his notes. "Mana-infused leather? Good balance, but production is slow and nobles control the market. We'd have to poach from someone's supply chain, and that's just asking for trouble."
"And don't even get me started on rare ores—mithril, adamantite, or those fancy noble-exclusive alloys. Might as well ask your mom for her jewelry and melt it down."
Cid chuckled dryly. "Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather face the Cult again."
He tapped his fingers against the table. They were missing something—something sustainable, effective, and capable of conducting mana efficiently without costing a fortune.
The Cult Archives held the key.
The mana-infused crystals before him contained knowledge stolen directly from their captor, Petos—a vast collection of research logs, experimental failures, and forbidden texts, locked behind layers of cryptographic encryption.
"Let's crack these open,"Minoru said with a smirk.
Cid grinned. "Let's."
He placed his fingers over the nearest crystal, channeling his mana in controlled pulses. Minoru, ever the strategist, guided him mentally through the underlying patterns of the encryption, breaking apart the layers of security one by one.
It didn't take long.
Within moments, the first crystal's knowledge unraveled, flooding Cid's mind with the Cult's abandoned projects.
And there it was—Project Aqua Mantle.
Cid's eyes darted across the details. The Cult had attempted to develop a mana-based armor made entirely of water, using high-density mana constructs to form a full-body protective layer.
It had been a catastrophic failure.
The mana capacitors failed to sustain oxygen, leading to test subjects drowning in their own armor.
The water's constant instability made it unreliable in combat.
The mana diffusion problem rendered it ineffective for prolonged engagements.
"Idiots,"Minoru muttered."Water is one of the worst elements to try for armor. It doesn't hold shape naturally, and forcing it into a static form is like trying to freeze a river in place. No wonder they failed."
Cid exhaled sharply, leaning back in his chair. "So water's a no-go. But if they were experimenting with liquid forms for mana armor… were they on the right track?"
Silence hung between them for a moment.
Cid's mind drifted as he absently twirled a pen between his fingers, recalling old lessons from his biology studies with his father, Gaius.
"Cid, pay attention,"his father had once said, flipping through an old tome."Slimes are fascinating creatures. They don't just absorb attacks—they adapt to whatever magic they interact with. A water slime absorbs water spells, a fire slime absorbs flames, and so on. It's how they survive in mana-rich environments."
Cid blinked.
His breath caught.
His fingers stopped moving.
Minoru went completely silent.
And then, as if struck by lightning, both of them realized it at the exact same moment.
"Cid."
"Minoru."
They spoke in unison.
"Slime."
A substance highly responsive to mana flow. Lightweight. Adaptive. Self-repairing. Capable of being manipulated into different forms.
Cid's grin spread wide as he leaned forward, fire burning in his eyes. "Minoru, we just found our answer."
Minoru laughed, his voice filled with triumph."Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Cid slammed his notebook shut and stood up. "Time to see just how much potential these little blobs have."
The real work was about to begin.
Cid stood before his two most trusted subordinates (well, actually, his only two subordinates), hands on his hips, chest puffed out with absolute confidence. The flickering candlelight of their hideout cast long shadows across the room as he made his declaration.
"I have decided," he said, "to capture slimes and turn them into the ultimate battle armor."
Silence.
Alpha and Beta exchanged glances.
Alpha, ever composed, felt the corner of her eye twitch. Beta's fingers tightened around the notebook she always carried, her expression unreadable behind her glasses.
"…Slimes?" Alpha finally said, cautiously choosing her words.
"Yes," Cid nodded firmly. "Slimes."
Beta adjusted her glasses. "Master… forgive my questioning, but you do mean the same slimes that eat crops? The common farm pests?"
"The very same."
Alpha exhaled, pressing her fingers to her temple. "Master, with all due respect—"
"You doubt me."
Alpha paused. "No, I—"
"You think I've gone mad after days of failed research," Cid continued, crossing his arms, eyes filled with the fire of someone who absolutely knew what he was doing.
Alpha did not respond. Because, well… she did think that.
Beta, however, stepped forward. "Master would not make a decision without reason," she said, even as a bead of sweat formed on her brow. "But, may I ask… how exactly are slimes supposed to become armor?"
Cid smirked. "Ah, Beta. That is precisely why you are worthy to bear my teachings." He turned, dramatically flicking his cape (which he wasn't wearing, but the motion was still there in spirit). "Slimes are not just pests. They are the perfect medium for mana conductivity, adaptive shaping, and self-repairing capabilities. The Cult failed to create an armor using liquid constructs because their method was flawed. But we…" He placed a hand to his chest. "We will succeed."
Alpha squinted at him. "And you know this… how?"
Cid tilted his head. "Biology."
"…Biology."
"Yes."
Alpha resisted the urge to sigh. He was serious.
Beta, while skeptical, had unwavering faith. "Then, Master, if this is your will, we shall assist in the slime acquisition."
Cid grinned. "I knew you would understand, Beta."
Alpha groaned. This was happening.
And so, Shadow Garden began the Slime Hunt.
The early morning mist clung to the trees as Cid, Alpha, and Beta stood at the edge of a quiet forest clearing. Small, gelatinous creatures wobbled about in the underbrush, their translucent bodies pulsing with mana. Slimes.
Alpha exhaled through her nose. "Master, forgive me, but this still sounds insane."
Cid smirked, adjusting the straps of a barrel pack over his shoulders. "That's because you still don't see the brilliance behind it."
Beta, who had been adjusting her own barrel pack, looked up. "Master, you mentioned that we must collect the slime fluid after the core is destroyed. But why not simply extract the cores?"
Cid shook his head. "Because the cores are too unstable. They store and regulate the slime's mana, and the moment they're removed, the entire body collapses or detonates if exposed to external magic."
Alpha narrowed her eyes. "So we cannot use magic to kill them, or else they explode, making fluid collection impossible."
"Exactly," Cid confirmed. "Which means… we do this the hard way."
Alpha groaned, but a part of her was beginning to understand.
Cid unslung the modified weapons they'd scrounged together—blunt weapons, worn swords with dulled edges, and repurposed spears. Nothing that could deliver instant magical destruction, but enough to physically rupture a slime's core without triggering detonation.
Beta, always precise, furrowed her brows. "That means we have a small window to collect the remaining fluid."
Cid grinned. "Now you're getting it."
He tapped the barrel packs strapped to their backs—cobbled together from leftover metal and leather, reinforced to hold liquid mana. Minoru had helped refine the design, ensuring they could carry as much slime fluid as possible before returning to their hidden storage container back at their base.
Alpha crossed her arms, assessing the plan again. It was reckless. It was absurd.
But…
She glanced at the slimes shifting in the distance. If they really could turn these creatures into armor…
She sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
Cid smirked. It was time to begin the hunt.
~!~
The first attempt did not go well.
Cid, Alpha, and Beta crouched low in the underbrush, watching a small cluster of slimes wobble mindlessly through the clearing. They were simple creatures, oblivious to the world around them—until something threatened them.
Cid gripped his worn-out sword, carefully observing the movement of his target—a mid-sized blue slime, its core faintly pulsing within. The plan was straightforward: destroy the core without using magic, then collect the dissolving remains before they evaporated.
Easy, right?
Cid lunged forward, swinging his sword in a controlled arc. The blade sliced through the gelatinous body, hitting the core directly.
For a moment, it seemed like a success. The slime froze, its core cracking apart—
Then BOOM.
A burst of compressed mana exploded outward, knocking Cid back. He hit the ground hard, coughing as a thick residue clung to his clothes.
Alpha and Beta stood frozen as the remains of the slime… dripped off the trees.
Cid sat up, sighing. "Right. That's what happens when you apply too much force."
Beta adjusted her glasses, peering at the mess. "Master… this is not an efficient process."
Alpha pinched the bridge of her nose. "You don't say."
Cid, however, was undeterred. "Alright. First lesson: Blunt force causes mana rupture, leading to detonation. We need a way to break the core without shattering it completely."
Alpha sighed. "And how exactly do we do that?"
Cid thought for a moment. "We need something with precision. A method that can disrupt the core's integrity without causing a chain reaction."
Beta frowned. "Spears?"
Cid shook his head. "Too much penetration force."
Alpha hesitated. "Daggers?"
Cid mulled it over. "Close combat isn't ideal. Slimes are surprisingly fast when provoked. If we get too close, we risk—"
A high-pitched screech cut through the clearing.
Cid turned—just in time to see a much larger slime lurch toward them. It had been watching them.
And it was not happy.
The massive slime pulsed and trembled, its gelatinous body shifting and expanding, reacting aggressively to the group's presence. Unlike the smaller slimes they had encountered, this one was aware—and it was actively hunting them. It exuded a menacing aura, thick tendrils of slime undulating like grasping limbs, hungry and hostile.
Cid barely had time to roll out of the way before a thick tendril lashed out, slamming against a tree with a wet, resounding slap. The force sent splinters flying in every direction, the sheer power behind the attack undeniable. This wasn't just an oversized variant—it was a predator, intelligent enough to assess threats and react accordingly.
"Okay," he muttered, steadying himself. "Bigger slimes, more aggressive. Got it."
Beta, keeping a cautious distance, adjusted her glasses, her sharp gaze analyzing the beast's behavior. "Master, if we can't strike its core directly, then how—"
"—we weaken it first," Cid interrupted, his mind already racing through possibilities. An idea had begun to take shape, unorthodox but feasible.
His gaze flickered to the barrels strapped to their backs. The usual method of destroying a slime's core outright caused violent instability, making material collection difficult. But what if, instead of brute force, they drained it first?
Alpha darted in, her blade flashing as it sliced through the outer layer of the massive creature. The wound barely lasted a second before the gelatinous mass knitted back together, its resilience unnerving.
"We're getting nowhere," Alpha growled, stepping back, her eyes narrowing. "It just keeps reforming."
"Not for long," Cid smirked, gripping the strap of his barrel pack. "New strategy—we take its fluids."
Alpha and Beta exchanged incredulous glances. "We... what?"
Before either could voice their doubts, Cid lunged forward, sidestepping another viscous tendril as he wrenched the lid off his barrel pack. With a sharp pivot, he drove the container into the slime's body, scooping up a large portion of its gelatinous mass. The thick, semi-translucent substance sloshed inside the barrel, glowing faintly.
It worked.
The massive slime shuddered violently, its form visibly shrinking as the stolen mass failed to regenerate fast enough. A bubbling, unnatural wail reverberated through the clearing, its movements sluggish and faltering.
"Beta, Alpha—help me scoop as much as we can!" Cid barked, already moving to scoop another portion. His heart pounded with exhilaration—this was working better than he had hoped.
Alpha hesitated only briefly before relenting. Trusting in his instincts, she mimicked his actions, slashing into the creature and dragging her barrel across its surface, ripping away more of its substance. Beta, still skeptical but unwilling to be left behind, followed suit.
The slime quaked and writhed, its once-intimidating form dwindling with every stolen portion. Its tendrils lashed out in desperation but had lost their speed, their density compromised. The core, previously hidden deep within its gelatinous bulk, wobbled dangerously as its structural integrity weakened.
Then, with a final shuddering gasp, the massive slime sagged. The core, now barely anchored, rolled loose, teetering unprotected at the edge of the clearing.
Cid didn't hesitate. He lunged forward and kicked it with all his strength, sending it careening into a nearby rock. It shattered on impact, a sharp crack echoing through the forest.
Silence followed.
Alpha remained still, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. "...That actually worked?"
Beta wiped a glob of slime from her sleeve, adjusting her glasses as she inspected her now half-filled barrel. "It appears we've successfully collected a significant amount of fluid."
Cid grinned, lifting his own barrel filled with glowing slime essence. "Not just that—we just found the safest way to extract slime materials without needing to kill them outright."
Alpha exhaled, a mix of exhaustion and reluctant admiration flickering in her expression. "Fine. You win this one, Master."
Beta, still holding her own barrel, finally met Cid's gaze with something resembling newfound respect. "Perhaps this might not be as insane as I originally thought."
Cid crossed his arms, his grin widening smugly. "See? Have some faith."
The first real breakthrough had been made, and with it, a new method of material collection that could revolutionize their arsenal. The battlefield would never be the same again.
~!~
The trio made their way back to their hidden base, an abandoned village nestled deep in the forest. Overgrown paths and crumbling structures lined the area, but to Cid, it was perfect—secluded, forgotten, and his to command.
Alpha and Beta wasted no time in dropping their barrel packs with tired sighs. The smell of slime clung to them, thick and unpleasant, the gelatinous residue sticking to their clothes and skin.
"Master, permission to cleanse myself immediately," Alpha said, pinching the edge of her sleeve in disgust.
"Granted," Cid waved a hand absently.
Beta didn't even wait for permission, already heading toward the river nearby. "I feel tainted," she muttered. "This texture is unbearable."
Cid, meanwhile, watched them go with a knowing smirk.
They had no idea what they had just helped uncover.
Turning back to the large storage container he and Minoru had prepared earlier, he opened the reinforced lid and dumped the contents of his barrel inside. The viscous, mana-rich liquid shimmered as it settled, a deep black hue—the slime's natural color when unaligned to external magic.
He scooped a small amount with his fingers, channeling a thread of mana into it.
It reacted instantly.
The moment mana touched the slime, its form shifted, molding itself to match the texture and density of the material it was in contact with.
Cid's grin widened. They had stumbled onto something revolutionary.
"Minoru, are you seeing this?"
"Oh, I see it, little bro,"Minoru's voice hummed in his mind, equal parts amused and impressed."We just cracked the formula for the ultimate armor."
The slime was mana conductive, adaptable, and capable of imitating any material perfectly.
Steel. Leather. Cloth.
It could become anything.
And this was just the beginning.
As he grabbed a fresh set of tools and prepared for the next stage of testing, he heard the distant voices of Alpha and Beta complaining at the river about how long it would take to get the slime off their skin and out of their hair.
Cid chuckled darkly.
"Oh, just wait until they find out what this stuff can really do."
~!~
The first attempt failed spectacularly.
Cid had poured a concentrated amount of slime fluid into a mold, reinforcing it with mana while trying to shape it into something usable. At first, it hardened like steel, smooth and solid. He allowed himself a moment of satisfaction—until the instant he released his focus.
Splorsh.
The entire thing collapsed into a useless puddle, dribbling between his fingers like melted wax.
"...Huh."
"Well, that sucked,"Minoru's voice deadpanned inside his mind.
Cid wiped the dripping slime from his hands with a sigh, tapping his fingers against the table in thought. "Alright, so the structure doesn't hold without constant mana input. That's a problem."
"A huge problem,"Minoru agreed."We can't have armor that dies the moment you stop thinking about it. That'd be, oh, I don't know… completely useless?"
Cid frowned, rubbing his chin. "Yeah. We need it to retain shape even when not actively reinforced."
The second attempt?
Cid compressed the slime manually, layering it thinly over cloth to see if it could mimic leather armor. This time, the structure held—at least until he tried to bend his arm.
A loudcrackrang out as the material shattered at the elbow joint.
Cid stilled. Minoru sighed.
"Okay,"Minoru muttered, unimpressed,"so now we've made really brittle cosplay armor. Not exactly what we're going for."
Cid flexed his arm carefully. Pieces of hardened slime flaked off and clattered onto the floor like broken glass. He grimaced. "Alright. Too rigid. It needs elasticity."
Minoru let out a slow exhale."Yeah, kinda important for something you have to wear. You can't fight if your armor explodes every time you move."
The third attempt?
Cid, still determined, tried infusing the slime with metal dust, hoping it would simulate chainmail or reinforced plating. The idea was solid—stronger structure, better reinforcement.
It was also a complete disaster.
The slime hardened into something thatlookeddecent, but the moment he tested its durability, a single strike against a wooden post made the entire thing crumble like dry clay.
Minoru let out an exaggerated groan."Nope. Bad idea. Metal dust is interfering with its adaptive structure. Instead of strengthening, it's making it brittle. Next!"
Cid exhaled sharply, crossing his arms. "Alright. Back to the drawing board."
And so it continued.
Day after day. Trial after trial.
Cid adjusted mana flow, altered pressure levels, and tested different layering techniques. Some iterations lasted longer, some failed faster, and some… well, some outright exploded.
("Not gonna lie, that one was kinda cool," Minoru had admitted after an attempt resulted in an accidental mana detonation that left the lab covered in slime residue.)
Each failure brought them closer to an answer.
Until finally, on the seventh day…
Cid stood in front of his workbench, staring at the latest refined mixture of slime fluid, carefully layered and reinforced with controlled mana pulses. He exhaled slowly, steadying his hands as he poured the substance into a mold.
This was it.
He let it settle, pulsing mana through it at carefully calculated intervals, ensuring stability without constant reinforcement. A minute passed. Then another.
And finally, it hardened—not into a brittle shell, not into a puddle, but into something thatheld.
With bated breath, Cid slid his hands inside.
The materialshiftedandlockedinto place, molding perfectly around his fingers and wrists like a second skin.
He flexed his hands.
No cracking. No resistance. No loss of shape.
His heart pounded in his chest as he took a step forward. Slowly, he raised his fists—then slammed them against the wall.
A resounding THUD echoed through the room.
Cid blinked. Then he did it again, harder this time. The impact sent vibrations through the stone, but the slime gauntlets remained perfectly intact. No cracks. No deformation. Nothing.
Silence hung between him and Minoru for a beat.
Then—
"Minoru…"
"Yeah, little bro?"
A grin stretched across Cid's face, wide and triumphant.
"We did it."
Minoru chuckled, the sound rich with satisfaction."Oh, we more than did it. We just made history."
~!~
Cid flexed his fingers inside the slime gauntlets, feeling the smooth yet firm texture mold perfectly to his hands. The material was unlike anything he had ever worn—not stiff like plate armor, not brittle like enchanted leather, but fluid yet solid, shifting subtly with each movement.
"Time to see what you're really made of."
Cid clenched his fists and slammed them against the stone wall again—harder this time. A deep, echoing crack rang through the hideout. The entire structure shuddered, dust shaking loose from the ceiling.
Yet, when Cid pulled back his hands, the gauntlets were completely unscathed.
"No cracks, no strain… nothing,"Minoru murmured in awe."That's not just resistance. It's shock absorption. The material isn't just withstanding the impact—it's dispersing the force across its surface before neutralizing it."
Cid exhaled slowly. This was beyond even his expectations.
A gauntlet that could absorb kinetic force instead of transferring it—that meant punches, strikes, and even direct hits from a sword could be nullified. No traditional armor could do that.
Cid tightened his grip, then swung his fist into the wall again—this time with every ounce of strength he had.
The wall cracked. The gauntlet remained untouched.
He let out a slow grin.
"Yeah. This is gonna change everything."
Cid took a deep breath, stepping back and looking down at the gauntlets, his mind racing faster than ever.
If this worked for gauntlets, then…
Why stop there?
"Gauntlets are just the first step," he muttered, his voice filled with realization. "If we can shape it into gloves… we can shape it into anything."
Minoru's voice hummed with excitement."You're thinking it too, huh? Full-body integration?"
Cid nodded. "A flexible, lightweight mana-conductive suit that can withstand anything."
Cid stared at the pitch-black material shifting between his fingers, his mind racing with possibilities. The slime had already proven itself as armor, but…
"If it can mimic solid materials…"
A smirk crept across his lips. There was only one way to test this properly.
He took a deep breath, pouring his mana into the slime. The material responded instantly, molding itself over his skin, expanding past his gauntlets to form a thin, seamless layer over his body.
It was weightless, barely noticeable—until he flexed his fingers. The texture shifted and changed, transforming into smooth fabric, indistinguishable from fine silk.
Cid rubbed his sleeve between his fingers.
It felt real.
"Oh, now this is something,"Minoru murmured."If you refine this, you could make anything. Clothes, armor, disguises…"
Cid focused again, tweaking the mana flow. The soft silk texture changed, morphing into thicker, rougher fabric—wool, perhaps? No, a high-quality weave, something befitting nobility.
He grinned.
He could create clothes from slime. Clothes that looked and felt real—not just crude imitations but perfect replications.
"This changes everything,"Minoru said, sounding genuinely impressed.
Cid clenched his fists, shifting the texture again. The fabric softened, becoming as light as a feather, yet when he tested it with a knife—
The blade skidded off.
No tear. No cut. The slime held.
He pressed harder, increasing the force—still nothing. It was as soft as cotton yet as impenetrable as steel.
Cid's heart pounded.
Clothing that feels comfortable but is completely resistant to blades.
A disguise system where fabric can change at will.
Infiltration gear that adapts to any situation.
This wasn't just armor anymore.
This was the foundation for something greater.
He could walk into a noble's court wearing a perfectly tailored outfit made of slime—and no one would ever suspect that beneath the luxurious silk lay battle-grade protection.
"We just broke the game, didn't we?"Minoru mused, sounding delighted.
Cid exhaled slowly. "Yeah… we did."
The entrance to the hideout creaked open as Alpha and Beta returned from the river, fresh from their cleansing ritual of scrubbing away every last bit of slime residue.
Today's slime catch was particularly…messy.
"Master," Beta sighed, shaking out her damp hair. "I truly hope you've made progress, because if this all turns out to be for nothing, I may—"
She froze mid-step, her sharp eyes catching the deep cracks in the wall.
Alpha, equally perceptive, tensed immediately, her hand drifting toward her sword. "What happened here?"
Cid smirked and raised his hands, wiggling his fingers. "This happened."
Alpha narrowed her eyes. Beta adjusted her glasses.
They both stared at the gauntlets.
"...You're joking," Alpha muttered.
Beta slowly stepped forward, skepticism clear in her gaze. "Master, I understand that you are talented in combat, but unless you suddenly gained the strength of a giant—"
Cid threw her a gauntlet. "Try it yourself."
Beta blinked, startled. She caught it instinctively, slipping it onto her smaller hand. The slime instantly molded itself to fit her fingers perfectly, hugging her hand like a second skin.
Her breath hitched.
"...It adjusts its size?" she whispered.
Alpha frowned, taking the second gauntlet and fitting it onto her own hand. The moment she clenched her fingers, her keen warrior's instincts flared.
This wasn't normal armor.
She turned abruptly and drove her fist into the wall.
A thunderous boom rattled through the hideout as another deep crack formed in the stone. The entire structure trembled under the impact.
Alpha stared at her hand. No pain. No resistance. No damage.
She turned back to Cid slowly.
"...Master," she began, her voice calm but trembling slightly, "what... is this?"
Beta, meanwhile, had begun running rapid calculations in her mind. "Armor that molds to the user, never needs reforging, absorbs kinetic force, and maintains perfect structure?" She turned sharply toward Cid. "Master, this is going to change warfare."
Cid smirked, crossing his arms. "Exactly."
Alpha's grip tightened. She finally understood.
This wasn't just an experiment. This wasn't just some crazy theory Cid had pulled from nowhere.
This was a breakthrough on a level the world had never seen before.
~!~
Several weeks later, Cid stood before Alpha and Beta, his arms crossed as the two girls examined the shifting black material covering his body.
"This… is impressive," Beta murmured, adjusting her glasses as she closely observed the flawless fit of the slime armor. "The texture mimics actual fabric, yet its defensive properties are… beyond what I expected."
Alpha, always the practical one, tapped a finger against Cid's shoulder, feeling the density change in response to her touch. "It's not just flexible, but the way it shifts on command… this is like nothing I've ever seen."
Cid smirked. "And we're just getting started."
He concentrated, sending a controlled pulse of mana through the slime. The material shifted instantly, the deep black morphing into a sleek dark blue, then pure white, then a noble's embroidered pattern.
Alpha's eyes narrowed as she stepped back. "So it can change colors, too? That's… concerning."
Beta nodded. "This isn't just armor anymore. If you can control the pattern, you could mimic any noble's attire and walk into places unnoticed."
Cid's grin widened. "Exactly. Disguises, infiltration gear, camouflage—this stuff can do it all."
Beta hummed in thought before snapping her fingers. "Can you change the shape?"
Cid focused again, altering the structure. The sleeves elongated, then tightened, the material responding seamlessly to his thoughts. The cloak section extended, then retracted into a short cape, all within seconds.
Alpha's lips parted slightly in disbelief. "That… shouldn't be possible."
Beta pushed her glasses up. "This has the potential to replace traditional tailoring. Clothing that adjusts to the user? A noble would pay a fortune for that alone."
Cid let them process this before grinning mischievously. "Now let's try something more… practical."
Alpha cracked her knuckles, rolling her shoulders. "Alright, let's see how well it actually holds up in a fight."
Cid braced himself as Alpha lunged forward, delivering a fast, focused punch to his shoulder. The impact barely budged him, the slime dispersing the force harmlessly across its structure.
"Not bad," Alpha muttered, stepping back. "The impact is gone. But—"
Cid grinned, raising a hand. "Hit the same spot again."
Alpha didn't hesitate—she struck the exact same spot with more force.
This time, something unexpected happened.
The force didn't just disperse—it rebounded.
A visible shockwave pulsed outward, and Alpha stumbled back, shaking her hand in mild surprise.
"...What?" she blinked, flexing her fingers. "It reflected the force back?"
Beta's eyes widened. "Master, you layered the slime there before the second impact, didn't you?"
Cid nodded, fascinated. "Looks like when concentrated in a specific area, the slime doesn't just absorb force—it rebounds it back."
Alpha narrowed her eyes. "So if an opponent keeps striking the same area…"
"...They end up taking the damage instead," Cid finished, grinning devilishly.
Beta hurriedly scribbled notes, her mind already racing with applications. "If we refine this property, we could create counter-impact zones on armor—sections that redirect attacks back onto the enemy. If an enemy figures out the pattern… we could just change it, and leave them guessing forever!"
Alpha flexed her hand again, testing the tingling sensation left from her own reflected punch. She nodded slowly.
"Master… I think you just broke the rules of combat."
Cid chuckled, admiring the shifting material between his fingers.
~!~
Standing Before Alpha and Beta, Cid began his greatest test of his slime research.
The dimly lit laboratory hummed with the sheer weight of possibility. The slime—thick, black, shimmering with raw potential—swirled within the containment vat, awaiting its final test. The air was heavy with anticipation, the low flicker of arcane lanterns casting eerie reflections across the room's cold stone walls.
Cid stood at the edge, his fingers grazing the surface. This was it. Every failure, every recalibration, every dead-end experiment had led to this singular moment. He had studied, adjusted, and refined every aspect of the material, pushing past known limitations to unlock its full potential.
Now, it was time to transcend.
Taking a slow breath, he stepped forward, immersing himself fully into the boundless fluid mass of slime. A chilling sensation swept over him as the viscous substance enveloped his frame, flowing like liquid darkness, consuming him completely.
Darkness wrapped around him like a second skin, merging with his very being.
And then—he shaped it.
His mana surged outward, infusing the slime with his will. Unlike previous tests, there was no resistance. The material obeyed, bending and refining itself at his command. It compressed against his body, layering itself precisely where protection was needed, yet remaining light and flexible where mobility was essential.
A perfectly tailored midnight-black suit took form.
The texture was impossibly smooth, the fabric shifting with a seamless grace that felt both foreign and natural. It clung to him like shadow incarnate—sharp, refined, yet dangerously unyielding. It swallowed light, casting an eerie silhouette that made him seem more phantom than man.
Over his shoulders, the excess slime cascaded outward, shifting and solidifying into a flowing, pitch-black cloak. It did not reflect even the faintest glimmer; instead, it absorbed the surrounding darkness, making him one with the void.
He moved—and the darkness moved with him.
"Minoru…"
"Cid, you just became a shadow in human form,"Minoru whispered, awe clear in his voice."This is it. This is the Ultimate Armor."
Cid smirked beneath the hood of absolute darkness, lifting his arm and watching as the material shifted with perfect responsiveness. The suit was more than just armor—it was an extension of himself.
A suit befitting a ruler of the shadows.
But this was merely the foundation. Shadow Garden could not thrive if its warriors remained indistinct, appearing as scattered individuals without cohesion or identity. If they were to command fear and respect, they needed more than strength—they needed presence.
They needed uniforms that embodied their power.
Cid envisioned them moving in unison, an elite force clad in the same enigmatic armor, their very presence an omen of unstoppable force. No longer would they be mistaken for mere mercenaries or rogue agents. With these suits, they would be symbols of the unknown, harbingers of the unseen war in the darkness.
Each recruit, each disciple who would join him in his crusade, would don this second skin of shadow. It would be more than armor—it would be their mark, their banner, the very essence of their strength materialized into form.
The Slime Suit would not just be his—it would become the uniform of Shadow Garden.
A symbol of power, mystery, and absolute dominion over the darkness.
And with this, Shadow Garden would rise as an unstoppable force, unseen yet ever-present, ruling the unseen war from the abyss.
"Alpha. Beta." He turned toward them. "Now it's your turn."
Alpha and Beta stepped forward without hesitation, the deep abyss welcoming them as they submerged into the swirling void.
The slime embraced them, molding, shifting, responding to their instincts—not as something worn, but as something that became a part of them.
When they emerged, they were no longer just themselves.
Alpha stood tall, her armor settling into something sleek yet unyielding.
Her uniform was crisp, militaristic, with a flawless sleek look and fitted hand-to-elbow gauntlets, designed for perfect balance between protection and mobility.
Her arms, normally exposed, remained bare until she willed them to be covered—the moment she prepared for battle, the suit would encase her arms completely, shifting into its full combat form.
She flexed her fingers, feeling the way the slime adjusted, never restricting movement, always adapting.
"...This is incredible," she whispered, genuinely in awe.
Beta's suit took on a similar uniform style, yet with a softer, more deceptive silhouette.
The chest protection and gauntlets were hidden beneath the illusion of elegant layering, designed to blend into any setting, noble or battlefield alike.
Over her shoulders, a caplet draped like liquid silk, offering the illusion of high-class attire while concealing deadly armor underneath.
She ran a hand over the material, eyes wide with realization.
"This isn't just armor… this is perfection."
Cid smirked. "Now, let's see how well it holds up."
Alpha and Beta did not hesitate.
Alpha struck first, her blade flashing in a perfect arc—but the moment it connected with Cid's armor, the weapon shattered.
Beta followed, aiming for an exposed joint—only to watch her blade crumple on impact, as if striking a wall of pure nothingness.
Silence filled the chamber.
"...Master," Alpha murmured, her voice unusually quiet.
Beta lowered her broken weapon, her expression a mix of disbelief and awe. "This armor is beyond anything the world has ever seen."
Cid looked down at his perfectly unscathed suit, then at the midnight-black combat uniforms Alpha and Beta now wore.
He smirked.
"No," he corrected. "This is just the beginning."
As the last remnants of slime settled into its final shape, Cid exhaled, his mind racing with the implications of what they had just created.
This wasn't just armor.
This was the ultimate tool. The ultimate deception.
And the world could never know.
Cid turned to Alpha and Beta, both still marveling at their new suits, running their hands over the flawless material, testing how it moved like liquid yet held like the strongest armor ever forged.
"This," Cid said, his voice steady, authoritative, "stays between us."
Alpha and Beta immediately straightened, their instincts recognizing the weight of his words.
"Master?" Beta asked, adjusting her glasses.
Cid crossed his arms. "This is Shadow Garden's greatest secret. No one outside of us can ever learn how to make this."
Alpha nodded, understanding immediately. "If this knowledge spreads, the balance of power in the world could shift overnight."
Beta tightened her grip on her gauntlets. "If other factions learn of its existence… they will stop at nothing to take it from us."
Cid smirked. "Exactly. That's why only we will ever wield it. No one else."
Alpha and Beta exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
The Slime Suit was no longer just a discovery.
It was a hidden weapon. A shadow wrapped in secrecy.
~!~
Cid rolled his shoulders, feeling the slime adjust perfectly to his movement. It responded to his thoughts, shifting seamlessly back into a fluid state, ready to be shaped again.
That's when it hit him.
"If the slime can be anything… then why not hide it in plain sight?"
He concentrated, sending a command through his mana, and the slime began to shrink, retracting out of view.
It condensed, wrapped itself around his waist—
And became a simple black belt.
He grinned. Perfect.
Alpha and Beta watched as Cid's entire suit disappeared, leaving him in his normal noble attire, unchanged—except for the belt.
"…You're storing it on yourself?" Alpha asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Why not?" Cid smirked. "If the slime can be anything, then it might as well be where we need it most."
Beta's eyes widened as she realized what this meant. "Then, Master… we could—"
Cid nodded. "Exactly. Our suits can come from anywhere. Our disguises, our weapons—" He gestured toward the belt. "They don't have to know it's even there."
Alpha's gaze sharpened. "You're saying… we can create disguises out of it?"
"Not just disguises," Cid corrected. "Complete transformations. A different set of clothes, a new face, even a change in hairstyle."
Beta inhaled sharply, already envisioning the infiltration potential. "If we can perfect that, we wouldn't just be warriors… we'd be ghosts."
Cid smirked. "Exactly."
Alpha's expression turned serious. "How long will it take to master that level of control?"
Cid shrugged. "That's what we're going to find out."
They had created the ultimate tool for war, for deception, for domination.
Now, all that remained was to perfect it.
~!~
To Truly call it a success, one must include the counterpart for all of armorcrafting: Weaponsmithing.
In this case: Slime Weaponsmithing.
As they moved around in their new suits, Cid took a moment to flex his fingers, feeling the living armor shift against his skin. It responded instantly, waiting for his command. That was when the thought struck him—if the slime could be anything, why limit it to just armor?
Curious, he extended his mana into the material, shaping it with intent. In response, the slime coiled and stretched, forming a long, solid structure in his grip.
A longsword.
Dark as the void, sharp as a razor's edge, yet weightless in his hands. He swung it experimentally at a nearby boulder, expecting a strong impact—but what happened next exceeded even his expectations.
The blade sliced through the stone as if it were paper, cleaving the boulder clean in half.
For a moment, Cid simply stared at the destruction, then slowly grinned.
"We can make weapons."
Alpha, watching from nearby, had already drawn the same conclusion. Without hesitation, she formed a knightsword from her own armor, gripping it tightly before testing its balance with a few calculated swings. A perfect replica of the weapon she had wielded in her former life—only better.
Beta, ever the analytical one, paused in thought. If they could create melee weapons, then…
She focused, reaching deep into the core of her slime armor, visualizing the weapon that best suited her.
Something long, sleek, and powerful began to form in her grip. When she opened her eyes, a slime compound bow rested in her hands, smooth and flawless, almost weightless yet sturdy beyond reason. Without thinking, she drew the string—an arrow of compressed slime and mana forming between her fingers.
The moment she released it, the arrow shot forward with blinding speed, embedding itself into a tree before detonating with a controlled explosion.
Beta lowered the bow slowly, her mind racing.
"Explosive slime arrows…" she murmured.
Alpha nodded, tightening her grip on her knightsword. "If we can create weapons on demand, we'll never be at a disadvantage."
Cid smirked. "Exactly."
~!~
Extra Chapter: A Day in the Life: Beta
The first thing Beta felt when she awoke was warmth.
Not from the sun—no, the abandoned village they had claimed as their hideout had no luxury of proper insulation, and the hint of winter's breath still seeped through the cracks of the wooden walls.
The warmth she felt was from within.
A quiet, steady heat in her chest—the knowledge that she had purpose, that she belonged.
She was Beta of Shadow Garden.
She opened her eyes, inhaling deeply as the first light of morning filtered through the mended curtains of her modest quarters. Outside, birds chirped in the distance, the soft rustle of trees whispering against the wind.
It was peaceful.
And yet, this was the heart of a revolution.
She sat up, stretching as she adjusted her glasses.
A part of her still struggled to believe that this was real—that just weeks ago, she had been another lost soul, condemned to suffering, and now, she was here, a member of an organization that would change the world.
And it was all because of him.
Her lord.
Her savior.
HerShadow.
Beta made her way to the small dining area they had set up in one of the more intact buildings of the ruin village. It was still rustic—chairs salvaged from abandoned homes, a table with one uneven leg, and a small cooking area that Alpha had somehow made usable.
Her lord was already there.
Seated at the table, one hand resting on his chin, exuding the very essence of a prince of shadows—effortlessly composed, unknowable, drenched in mystery.
Beta felt a small flutter in her chest.
This is my lord. This is the man I follow.
Then he took a sip of his tea and made a visible grimace.
"…Did Alpha make the tea again?" he muttered, frowning at his cup.
Beta, startled from her thoughts, glanced at the table and saw the charred remnants of overbaked bread and a pot of what looked like suspiciously dark liquid.
Alpha sat across from him, arms crossed. "I made it stronger this time."
Lord Shadow slowly set his cup down. "You… certainly did."
Beta stifled a laugh. It was far too early for this.
But despite the lack of luxury, despite the uneven portions and Alpha's questionable culinary attempts, Beta felt something else settle in her chest.
A warmth beyond just loyalty.
This feels… like home.
After breakfast—if charred toast and bitter tea could be called such—their training began.
Beta stood alongside Alpha, both of them facing Cid, their master, their leader—the unshakable force who had saved them both from despair.
"Your stance is too rigid," Cid observed as Beta tried to mimic Alpha's sword form. "Flexibility is key."
Beta adjusted herself, watching his every move.
Every motion he made was perfectly fluid, his swordplay a dance of shadows—controlled, precise, deadly beyond measure.
He fights like a legend. Like something out of the ancient tales.
She focused, pushing herself harder, moving in rhythm with him, even as her body screamed from the effort.
If this was the path to becoming stronger, she would endure.
She would match his expectations.
She would become worthy of his name.
Though… she would prefer a bow, she was much better at sharpshooting than either one of them!
After training, Beta found herself cleaning and repairing the hideout—a task that, despite its mundane nature, had become a strange sort of bonding exercise among them.
"I swear, these floors are a curse," Alpha muttered, hammering another loose board into place. "They creak even when I'm not stepping on them."
Beta sighed, adjusting her glasses. "I told you that your hammering is probably making it worse."
Alpha shot her a look. "And what are you doing?"
Beta gestured to her notes. "Cataloging our supplies. Unlike some people, I enjoy knowing how much food we have left before we start arguing over burnt toast."
Alpha grumbled. "That was one time."
Beta smirked. "Six times."
"Six?" She asked, eyes wide and aghast. If Beta could describe Alpha's feelings, it would be disbelief and horror at her realization of her less than… acceptable cooking skills.
Beta nodded. "I kept count."
Alpha narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
Beta adjusted her glasses. "For posterity."
Her lord, who had been listening in amusement, finally spoke.
"Beta, stop provoking Alpha."
Beta straightened immediately, her composure flawless. "Of course, my lord."
Alpha scoffed. "She'll do it again the moment you leave."
Beta's expression didn't change, but her lord could almost hear the smugness radiating from her.
Alpha sighed, rubbing her temples. Beta could just hear her thoughts now:
This is my life now.
But Beta—for all her teasing, for all her composed elegance—felt the same warmth deep inside her chest.
This wasn't just an organization.
This was family.
As the day wound down, Beta sat outside for a brief moment, watching as the sun dipped beyond the horizon, bathing the ruined village in gold and violet.
She still remembered the fear of being cast out, the hopelessness of believing herself damned.
But Cid, no… Lord Shadow; had given her something no one else had.
A second chance.
A purpose.
She pressed a hand over her heart, her devotion unwavering.
"I will follow you until the very end," she whispered to herself.
Because he had saved her.
And in return, she would be his blade in the dark.