The middle-aged woman was a cultivator at the second mortal coil. She was thinking about the two armors from the point of view of someone who could harden her flesh into stone with life force.
It was true that cultivators at the second mortal coil aren't afraid of blunt damage. They are not afraid of most types of damage, actually, and don't need armor, but piercing and cutting types of damage from a sword or spear are more effective against them than damage from a hammer.
He was still at the first mortal coil, so he overlooked that consideration. Now that he had been reminded of it, it helped him make up his mind.
He thought to himself, "My body is naturally tough because of my extraordinary nature. It is as strong as a cultivator at the second mortal coil, so I don't need protection against blunt damage."
He also remembered the last time he was damaged and how much he was damaged. At that time, he was surrounded by enemies and wild boars. Both the spears thrown at him by his enemies and the tusks of the boars were dangerous to him.
The two artificial and natural weapons injured him several times. They bypassed the defenses of his plate armor and his flesh to injure him critically. He doesn't want that to happen again, so he decided to get the second skin armor.
With the decision of the armor made, he could focus on the type of weapon he wanted. So he went back to the display to examine the weapons again.
As he went back and forth, the room was silent. Only his steps and the whispering of the onlookers in the background could be heard.
They were whispering about his actions, which appeared that he would be exchanging for rank 2 artifacts today. They began betting on whether he was just messing around or if he would really make the exchanges.
They were also betting on which weapon he would pick. The weapon most of them favored was the giant sword because they had seen him use something like that.
But some bet on other types of weapons. They were risking their money in hopes of a higher payout.
He ignored them and went through the displayed weapons. He liked all of them apart from the spear and the hammer.
The spear and the sword are pretty high in demand because of their capability to deal cutting and piercing damage, which are the weaknesses of the body of the second coil cultivators.
The bow is the weapon highest in demand because it can be used to attack from a safe distance and can catch a target off guard. As long as a cultivator is caught off guard, they won't be able to use their force to defend themselves and will be easy to kill.
The gauntlet is also very popular. It is on par with swords and spears because it can deal blunt, cutting, and piercing damage. What's more, it is easy to use in tandem with the life force.
Cultivators at the second mortal coil can only use their life force on their body and things that they are in immediate contact with. Spears, swords, hammers, and bows will provide the advantage of reach over a gauntlet, but the distance they create between the user and the enemy will also prevent the force of the user from making contact with the body of the enemy.
When he thought of this, he remembered how his mother had ripped the metallic plate scale off the python she had killed with her bare hands. If she were wearing a gauntlet, the kind of damage she could do with her hands would be amplified.
All of these weapons had their advantages. Even the unpopular hammer had its advantage in that it amplified strength with its weight, and it could force an enemy to use more life force to protect their bodies because of its large area of contact.
The dagger had the best piercing damage, while the whip had the best flexibility and longest range. The range of the whip is longer than the spear and has a wide area of contact.
So the whip can cause a large area of cutting damage. It is like the hammer in that regard. Even if it doesn't do damage and is blocked, it will at least force the enemy to use more force to defend themselves.
These advantages and disadvantages made it very difficult for him to make a choice from the array of weapons. He thought about going to Auntie May to ask her for her opinion. But he stopped himself from doing so.
He said to himself, "There is nothing wrong about the weapons. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. I should make my decision based on my fighting style."
"Now what is my fighting style?"
He thought about all the fights he has had recently. Most of them involved his giant sword or his hands. They were the two weapons he was familiar with. So he could use either one.
After deciding on the weapons he is familiar with, he decided to pick the one with the strongest damage potential. Unfortunately, he couldn't decide because both the gauntlet and the giant sword are capable of catastrophic damage once they make contact with the enemy.
Since he couldn't decide based on damage potential, he decided to pick one based on versatility. Unfortunately, this was a dead end too.
In terms of pure versatility, the gauntlet is the best. It is capable of all three main types of damage. It can even be used to block attacks very well. It is the best weapon for blocking.
The problem with the gauntlet is that he doesn't know how to use it and will need to learn. That is not a problem he has with the giant sword.
The giant sword is not as versatile as the gauntlet, but it has a longer range and a better amplification for strength. Its great weight and length mean it will have its own momentum when swung and used to attack. His effective strength will be better with the giant sword.