CHAPTER 260: CRYSTALS

"What—why?!" Talia’s voice cracked. "Don’t you like me? I like you!"

She tapped her two index fingers together in the most painfully adorable, awkward way possible, her eyes wide and pleading.

Zarah didn’t even pretend to soften. She just answered flatly:

"You talk too much."

"Ouch..." Talia breathed, clutching her chest like someone had shot her point-blank.

Then she doubled down, wobbling a little as she asked:

"So is that a yes—you like me—or a no?" she asked hopefully.

"It sounds like a no," I added, deadpan.

Talia snapped her glare toward me, sharp enough to cut through steel, and then she turned back to Zarah, desperate.

"Don’t you want to get to know me at least?"

Zarah narrowed her brows, genuinely confused.

"Why would I want to do that?"

Talia staggered back a step, gripping her chest with both hands this time.

"How cruel..." she whimpered.

I couldn’t help the quiet chuckle that slipped out as I watched them.

Their dynamic was chaotic, lopsided, and strangely entertaining.

Talia begging for affection, Zarah rejecting her with the emotional range of a brick—it was like watching someone try to befriend a tree.

But I had more important things to address.

I stepped forward and looked at the armor again, then at Talia.

"Is there a way to equip all my combatants with armor like this?"

I pointed at the armor Zarah was wearing, the silver-threaded plates catching the light in a way that made it obvious how well-crafted it was.

Talia shook her head slowly.

"That depends," she said. "To create special armor like this one, I’d need magic crystals harvested from high-level beasts."

"Magic crystals?" I repeated, genuinely confused as to what it was.

"Yes," Talia continued, warming up as she explained. "These crystals contain concentrated magic. I can draw the energy out and infuse it into the armor. The stronger the beast, the stronger the crystal... and the stronger the effect I can create."

I glanced at Zarah to see if she knew anything, but she shook her head as well, her expression blank.

So we were both clueless.

That was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing existing in this world.

Though the name itself wasn’t foreign to me.

Back when I was human, magic crystals were practically standard items in games—currency for upgrades, ingredients for forging, or rare loot from bosses.

But in this world since I have appeared as a goblin, this was the first tome i was hearing of it.

"Without crystals," she continued, "there’s a limit to what I can do chief."

"And can they be found by defeating monsters?" I asked, my brows tightening as I tried to connect this new information with everything I’d experienced so far.

"Yes," Talia said with a nod.

Which only confused me more.

"I’ve killed plenty of beasts," I said slowly, "but not one of them dropped anything like that."

Talia gasped softly, like she finally understood why I looked lost.

"That’s because not every beast possesses them," she clarified.

A quiet breath of relief left me.

For a moment, I thought this was going to be another situation where I was left in the dark while every other Chosen walked around with secret knowledge. With how often I ran into anomalies, it wouldn’t have surprised me. But hearing that magic crystals weren’t common made the tension in my shoulders ease.

"So," I asked, "what beasts actually possess them?"

"I don’t know," Talia admitted with a shrug. "I don’t do the hunting. I only use whatever materials are brought to me. But I did hear that the beasts with magic crystals are rare and not easy to find. When they’re defeated, the crystals can be harvested from their bodies, and then I use them for the enhancements."

"I see..." I murmured, rubbing my chin as I processed that.

I’ll need to ask Gork about this.

If anyone knew which monsters were rarer or more dangerous, it would be those who had worked with Jael. He’d no doubt know something about it.

"So," I continued, "if we provide enough magic crystals, you can make as many special-effect armors as needed?"

"Of course," Talia said confidently. "As long as the crystal isn’t damaged and it comes from a high-level creature."

Then her tone shifted slightly, more realistic, a little less smug.

"But that’s the problem. Finding creatures with magic crystals is difficult. Jael struggled a lot to track them down, and even when he did, harvesting the crystal wasn’t guaranteed. Sometimes the crystal gets damaged during the fight and becomes useless. Other times, the beast is so strong that only Jael could attempt to kill it—and even then, it could go wrong."

She sighed, folding her arms.

"So realistically? Creating a large supply of special armor would be tough. Very tough. Maybe possible, but not without a lot of hunting and luck."

Her explanation painted a clearer picture:

This wasn’t something we could just farm.

But... if we could find even a handful of these beasts, if we got enough crystals to equip the core fighters with enhanced armor, our strength would skyrocket in a way no other clan could easily match.

I doubted taking these beasts down would be a problem for me, not at my current strength and with the many abilities I now possessed.

The real challenge was finding them.

I’d need to speak with Gork about it as soon as possible.

"Alright then," I said, deciding on the next steps. "We’ll start looking for these crystals soon so you can get to work."

I turned slightly, ready to leave with Zarah so we could plan our next move—

But Talia suddenly yelled, her voice cracking with urgency:

"Wait!"

I stopped mid-step and looked back.

She was standing straighter now, eyes bright with a mix of excitement and nerves.

"I also have something for you," she said, almost breathless, as if she’d been waiting for the perfect moment to bring it up.