"Standard defensive gear usually means armor and shields, but..."
Jin, who lacked physical strength, would never be able to wear them—and besides, they wouldn't suit him at all.
"In that case, I suppose it has to be accessories."
Jin absently sorted through the magi-crystals categorized on the shelf.
"Rings, pendants, things like that."
With that decided, he picked up a single rainbow-colored magi-crystal.
"Forming....Magi-formula, Write In....There, that should do it."
What he had created was a ring that shimmered with the colors of the rainbow.
"Reiko, are you there?"
"Yes, Father."
As soon as Jin called out, Reiko appeared at his side.
"I want to test this. It’s a Guard Ring."
He showed her the ring he had just finished.
"A ring... There is a complex magi-formula written into it in incredible detail. I cannot analyze this."
Even though she was highly skilled in magi craft as his assistant, even Reiko was no match for Jin, the Magi Craft Meister, in this particular field.
"Can you tell? It should theoretically neutralize both physical and magical attacks, but I’d like you to try attacking it."
"That is far too dangerous. If you require a test subject, let us use another golem."
Reiko objected immediately. It was only natural; Jin was suggesting he test it himself when it wasn't even certain if the ring could withstand an attack from Reiko.
"Hmm, I figured you’d say that. Fine then. Who’s available right now?"
Soleil and Luna were currently occupied with mass-producing aircraft and ships.
"The one who is free right now is... ah, Perido."
Perido was a golem maid primarily in charge of housework. Though it was a humble role, it was thanks to her that not a single speck of dust could be found inside the laboratory.
"All right, let's ask Perido, then."
They headed out to the plaza in front of the laboratory.
"Listen, Perido. Put this ring on and just stand there."
"Yes, I understand, Master."
After having Perido put on the ring, Jin moved a safe distance away.
"Perido, the activation keyword is 'Barrier.' Try saying it."
"Yes. 'Barrier.'"
It was invisible to the eye, but the defense should have activated.
"Reiko, start with a light spell."
Jin gave Reiko the go-ahead.
"Understood....Fireball."
A fireball about two meters across hurtled toward Perido. However, it was blocked about one meter away from her and vanished into nothingness.
"Next. Fire Bullet."
Dozens of fire bullets, each about thirty centimeters wide, shot out in rapid succession. Those, too, were completely blocked.
"Hmm, looking good. Reiko, next!"
"Yes. Flame Lance."
Flame Lance was an advanced-tier spell. It possessed enough power to inflict damage even on a beast like the Death Sea Serpent.
However, even that spell flickered out of existence a meter away from her.
"All right, that’s enough for fire. Next, try a lightning-type, please."
"Understood."
After confirming that it could block even advanced magic in that category, Jin was greatly satisfied. He proceeded to test water and wind magic, concluding that the ring possessed more than enough defensive power against magical attacks.
"Reiko, that’s enough magic. This time, try a physical blow."
Jin moved on to testing the ring's efficacy against physical force.
"Yes, I understand. Here I go!"
Reiko struck out with ten percent of her output to start, but her fist stopped abruptly about ten centimeters away from Perido.
"Hmm, I suppose it’s unavoidable that the activation distance is shorter for physical objects. All right, Reiko, twenty percent."
"Yes."
The barrier held firm against Reiko's twenty-percent punch.
"Finally, thirty percent."
"Yes. Here I go!"
Reiko rarely ever utilized thirty percent of her strength. At five percent, she could outmatch any adult; at ten percent, she was superhuman; and at twenty percent, she was something beyond human altogether.
The moment Reiko's thirty-percent fist collided with the field, a shower of sparks seemed to erupt, but the barrier somehow managed to endure.
"That’s enough, Reiko. Good work. Thank you, Perido."
After thanking them both, Jin addressed the golem maid.
"All right, Perido, I’m giving you that ring as a reward."
"It is an honor, Master."
Perido gave a polite bow and departed. Jin turned back to Reiko.
"Reiko, are you okay? Your hand isn't hurt, is it?"
"Yes, there are no abnormalities. Thank you for your concern, Father."
"I see. That’s good then. What do you think, Reiko? I think it's sufficient."
"Yes. Though I did not go so far as to test its absolute limit, it would likely withstand even the most sophisticated advanced magic, and it seems capable of blocking up to about fifty percent of my strength."
For an item held by an individual, that level of defensive power was exceptional—legendary, even.
In this world, the air was filled with free mana, or ether, which did not exist on Earth and could be manipulated through magical power. By 'stopping' this flow, one could create a barrier that nothing could penetrate.
"All right, let's head back to the laboratory."
Jin returned to the workshop with Reiko and produced ten more rings identical to the first. He planned to give four of them to the other Five-Colored Golem Maids and two to Soleil and Luna as rewards.
Once he finished the rings, Jin combined the same type of magi-crystal with mithril to create a pendant, writing in a magi-formula to produce the same defensive effect.
Then, he crafted a chain out of mithril to go with it.
"Reiko, this one is yours."
He held it out to her.
"Eh? For me?"
Reiko was taken aback.
"Yeah. You serve me well, and you're a girl, after all. It’s fine for you to have a pendant or two, right?"
At those words, Reiko smiled happily.
"...Thank you very much, Father. I will treasure it."
She took the gift and immediately placed it around her neck.
"Yeah, it looks good on you."
Jin looked just as happy as she did.
Finally, Jin set about making a piece for himself.
"I’m not used to wearing rings, so I’ll make it a bracelet."
He crafted a bracelet out of adamantite and plated it with mithril. He set the magi-crystal into it in a shape that resembled a wristwatch.
"With a crystal this size, I can write in attack magic as well as defense."
He thought of the wand Reinhard had possessed back in Port Rock. It had activation formulas engraved upon it, allowing the user to trigger magic simply by channeling mana.
"I’ll use that as a reference."
Instead of simply engraving formulas, he made it so the spells could be selected. He managed to program it so he could use fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, and darkness up to just below the advanced level.
"All right, and finally, I’ll set up a security lock so that only I can use it."
A piece of legendary equipment, the only one of its kind in the world, was complete.
"Shall we test it out?" Jin muttered.
"I shall be your opponent," Reiko responded.
Stepping out into the plaza once more, Jin unleashed various spells at Reiko.
Every single one of them was blocked by the barrier created by Reiko’s new pendant, but Jin was quite pleased.
"Now I can use an average level of magic, too."
It should be noted for the record that being able to use every single elemental attribute up to the cusp of advanced magic is in no way "average."
Jin had finally equipped himself with cheat-tier gear.
Of course, his actual physical combat skills remained utterly nonexistent.