Chapter 119: Mission Preparations (2)

"Well," Orion said, gesturing grandly to the table, "Here you have it—everything you requested. And I must say, some of these items were quite a hassle to make... You really have an imaginative mind."Kyle smirked at Orion's sarcastic comment, before resting his hand on the table. Honestly, he couldn't exactly recognize all of the items he had requested for, and that meant that Orion had actually pulled it off!

"Let's start with this one," Kyle said after observing the items for a while, picking up the small, flat metal disk that glowed faintly in the light.

It looked like nothing more than a coin, and Kyle couldn't recognize it in his list.

Orion smirked, recognizing the item immediately. "The Pocket Mirror Shield. Took me ages to get the angles and reflection right," he said with a weary sigh.

"I nearly gave up on it. Do you know how hard it is to make something that small actually reflect energy?"

"Ohh..." Kyle remembered it almost immediately. "But I thought it would look more like a mirror?"

Orion rolled his eyes, clearly affronted. "A regular mirror wouldn't be worth my time. This can reflect or diffuse light-based attacks, to a degree.

I originally thought it'd be for a project in alchemy, but it turns out it's just as useful here."

Orion grabbed the disk and knocked it with some force. "It won't save you from getting scorched, but it'll buy you a split second. Enough to dodge or counter, if you're fast."

Kyle ran a thumb over the disk, feeling the cool metal. "Nice. I didn't realize you could engineer that kind of deflection."

Orion gave him a smug grin. "Few do. You'd be surprised how difficult it was. You need just the right metal for the surface layer, a bit of rune work for the reflective boost, and, well…"

He shrugged, almost sheepishly. "A fair amount of trial and error. I don't know how many times I had to adjust the angle so it wouldn't accidentally bounce light into my eyes."

Kyle chuckled, imagining Orion squinting at his own reflection, frustrated by each tiny misalignment. He could tell how much of Orion's meticulousness had gone into even this small piece.

As he set the mirror shield back down, Kyle reached for the next item—a compact grappling hook attached to a thin, flexible rope. He gave it a slight tug, feeling the tension of the braided cord.

Kyle recognized this one immediately. He had assumed it was one of the simple ones and maybe could be found in the mall, but he had wanted to trouble Orion a bit.

"Practical," he remarked, glancing at Orion.

Orion nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah... It's got enough length to scale a few floors or get you out of a hole. And don't underestimate the rope—it's woven with mana fibers, so it can hold a lot more weight than it looks."

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "Mana fibers?"

"Yes... They're rare, expensive, and, let me tell you, a nightmare to work with," Orion sighed. "I lost a week just trying to get the weave right so it wouldn't snap under pressure. Almost had a breakdown when it tangled halfway through."

Kyle gave him an amused look. "So, you've tested it out then?"

"Personally? I've hung from it off ledges, climbed cliffs, even used it to pull myself out of a pit during an arena match once." Orion grimaced at the memory.

"That was a tough fight, but having that hook saved me from getting absolutely creamed. The rope held, thankfully."

Kyle nodded, genuinely impressed. He coiled the rope and hook with care, stowing it in his pack. "If it's as strong as you make it out to be, then that's some serious utility. And knowing you've tested it out yourself... makes me trust it even more."

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Orion gave him a small, satisfied smile before pointing to the next item, a clear vial filled with a colorless liquid. Kyle held it up, peering through the glass.

"This is…?"

"Your Mana Mist," Orion said with a hint of pride. "Break it open, and you'll get a thick, smoky mist that lingers for a while—like you requested.

It's infused with a subtle mana signature, so if anyone tries to track you with magic, it'll give them a false trail."

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "A decoy mist. Clever. I can think of a few scenarios where this would come in handy."

Orion shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Took me ages to get the balance right. Too much mana, and it would've blown up when I sealed it.

Too little, and it wouldn't mask anything. I went through five prototypes before I got a stable mix."

Kyle couldn't help but smile, appreciating the understated brilliance behind Orion's work. "Sounds like a lot of effort."

Orion grimaced. "You have no idea. I almost inhaled the stuff when it leaked during testing. It lingers in your lungs for hours—thought I was going to turn into a ghost."

Kyle chuckled. "Honestly, I didn't have much hopes when I asked for this but you didn't fail to impress me."

Orion didn't respond to the compliment directly but gave a faint smirk as if accepting it in his own way.

Setting the Mana Mist down, Kyle picked up a tiny, silver whistle. It looked ordinary, but Kyle knew it wasn't—after all, he had requested it himself. Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Orion gestured toward it with a proud grin. "That's the Soundless Whistle. Humans can hear it, but creatures with heightened hearing will pick up on it much faster. And most importantly, like you requested, it serves well for attracting agro and annoying beasts," Orion explained.

"I've tested it in the Academy's stable and the reactions of the beasts were insane, they almost broke out of their cages if not for the attendant."

Kyle smiled fully after seeing that Orion had made it happen... This was another one he hadn't expected and Orion didn't fail to deliver.

He gave Orion a sidelong glance before asking:

"How difficult was this one to make?"