Heavy Metal

You have gained +3 experience points.

"Well, these aren't giving me much…"

"( ¬ _ ¬ )"

"They taste bad?"

Rusty stood over the dissolving remains of a monster. It looked like a clump of mud with a strange broken core hidden within, a Mud Slime. When it was alive, it had a glistening brown body made of an unusual goop. Normal slimes were transparent to some extent, allowing people to see their cores easily, but this one hid its core due to its different form.

"At least they fall easily to your magic, Gleam… I wish I could use magic too…"

There were several of these little creatures dead around them. They were the first monsters Rusty and Gleam had encountered. While they were unable to damage his steel body, they had made it quite dirty. He had used a simple mace to smash their bodies, hoping to hit their cores, and even when he missed, their bodies exploded everywhere, covering him in grime.

That was why he decided to leave it to Gleam to shoot them from a safe distance. Whenever a spell touched their bodies, the mana would somehow destroy the core instantly, which only made him long for magic even more.

"(´・ω・`)"

Gleam climbed back onto Rusty's shoulder, her antennae touching his helmet in a reassuring way as she tried to comfort her friend.

"You're right. I'll get it eventually, if not with a level-up, then with my absorption skill."

Rusty was confident that he would gain the ability to cast. He was only missing one skill to do so. His absorption skill had a drawback, though. The more skills he absorbed, the longer the cooldown before he could use it again. If he overused it, he would have to wait weeks, maybe even months, before trying again. That was why he limited how often he used it. Besides, there weren't many skills around that would make him significantly stronger. It was better to save this ability for other rare skills instead.

"So, you've said that they should be some mages here?"

"That is what that old dirty board said at the adventurer guild… but who knows?"

Aburdon replied from within Rusty's left eye socket, his dark glow radiating next to Alexander's who was on the right side. Now that Rusty was back in the dungeon, he had adorned his full monster form with no troublesome cloth parts to impede his movement.

" (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) "

"You're right Gleam, no use waiting here and complaining, let's go in deeper and see what this dungeon has to offer for us!"

Rusty pointed with his steel finger toward the next tunnel, and soon, his metal footsteps echoed through the corridors. Even though this place was called the Sunken Mine, he had yet to reach the sunken part. Instead, he was moving through various mining shafts.

"Wait… could it really be?"

As he turned a corner, he arrived at a dead end. At first, he considered heading back, but then he spotted a mineral deposit on the far wall, dark gray with streaks of rusty red. Approaching it, he quickly accessed his system and retrieved a steel pickaxe he had forged within the Soul Forge space. With a few well-placed strikes, he dislodged a chunk of rock and examined it.

"It's iron ore!"

"Well, this is a mine dungeon. It's normal for it to have metal ores."

Alexander commented as Rusty examined both the rock in his hand and the larger deposit within the wall.

"We might find something more valuable deeper inside, but don't get your hopes up."

"What do you mean?"

Rusty asked while using some SP to place the ore chunk into his storage.

"Most precious metals above iron have probably already been mined, and this deposit was likely left behind because it wasn't worth the effort."

Rusty studied the wall and the ore in his hand. He could tell it had a lot of impurities, which would need to be removed through smelting. Not everyone had a system like his to process it instantly. Iron wasn't particularly rare or useful for monster hunting either. Equipment above E-rank was usually made from superior metal variants, like black steel, which was said to be enhanced by dungeon mana to form a stronger alloy. This iron wasn't black iron, so he wouldn't be getting a head start from it.

"We should be careful, if the guild or the city lord has a contract to mine out the metals, if we get caught, we will be in a lot of trouble."

"Humanoid laws again? Those are really troublesome… wouldn't it be better if there weren't any?"

"( •̀ - •́ )"

Rusty nodded as Gleam agreed with him. The two of them were monsters, not truly part of humanoid society, so all these rules and systems seemed like a needless burden.

"If not for those laws, the world wouldn't be able to function"

Alexander replied. Having once been part of that society, he understood its importance. Without laws, the world would descend into chaos. Worse, without unity, the races might fall to the ever-present threat of monsters.

"Bah, who needs laws? The strong should decide what's right. Isn't that so, Rusty?"

Aburdon cackled as he rebutted the fallen hero. As a former demon king, he had ruled through sheer power, unchallenged and absolute. In his world, laws didn't exist, only his will mattered, and no one had been strong enough to oppose him.

Rusty struck the wall again with his pickaxe, dislodging more iron ore while listening to his two guides argue. He couldn't help but wonder what an ideal world would look like. Would more laws bring order, or would no laws bring true freedom? If he ever became as powerful as Alexander or Aburdon had been in their prime, could he shape the world with his strength alone?

Questions swirled in his hollow mind, but they quickly faded as he refocused on his current objective which was to find a mage. Ever since coming here he was sticking to the walls and using his skills to fade into the shadows when other adventurers approached. This dungeon was new and as before, he was more worried about adventurers than the monsters lurking inside. At least the monsters wouldn't try to fool him while the people in this world had many other agendas besides just being strong.

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"You might be right… this iron ore is probably not worth the trouble…"

After smacking the wall for around ten minutes Rusty decided to give up on this endevour. The quality of the ore was just too low for his liking, and unless he found a more valuable deposit deeper within, it simply wasn't worth his time. He stored away the few chunks he had mined and turned away from the wall, refocusing on his goal.

"Let's move on. We've wasted enough time here."

He adjusted his grip on his weapon and started backtracked to take a different tunnel. The deeper they ventured, the more the air seemed to change. The dampness increased, and a faint mist began creeping along the cavern floor, swirling around his metal boots. The mine shafts gave way to rougher terrain, and wooden supports became sparser, replaced by jagged stone walls and the occasional carved-out alcove where old mining equipment lay abandoned.

"Oh… Look Gleam, doesn't that one look similar?"

" ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! "

They arrived at a larger chamber filled with numerous holes in the walls. From within, crawling creatures began to emerge. They resembled the centipedes Rusty had faced before, but these were noticeably larger. Their carapaces looked more like they were made of rock rather than chitin.

Classification:

Rocky Giant Centipede E

Type:

Insectoid

Description:

A variant of the Giant Centipede, commonly found in deep mines. It has a rocky exterior that is highly resistant to slashing weapons, and its bite can paralyze its prey.

"It's stronger than that leader I faced and it's not alone!"

Rusty had fought a Giant Centipede before, but back then, he was still in his corroded bronze form. It had been a tough battle, but now he had reached the apex of E-rank, with stats that exceeded the usual limits. He had no reason to fear. Instead, this was the perfect chance to test his progress and see just how many of these monsters he could take down.

"They look angry. Get ready, Gleam!"

"( •̀ - •́ )"

Gleam skittered off his shoulder and moved toward one of the walls. The dynamic duo was back to fighting monster bugs, but their strategy had evolved alongside Gleam's expanding magical abilities. Rusty used his larger frame, metallic body, and skills to keep the monsters focused on him, creating the perfect opportunity for Gleam to strike from a distance. Soon the battle started and many giant centipedes launched themselves at the two.

The first centipede lunged at Rusty, its powerful mandibles snapping shut just inches away from his chest plate. He responded with a swift, calculated strike, his heavy mace crashing down onto the creature's rocky carapace. A loud crack echoed through the cavern as the impact left a dent in the rocky exoskeleton, the monster squirmed but wasn't quite dead.

Several more emerged from the burrows, their multiple legs skittering against the stone as they encircled him. Their movement was swift, their rocky hides blending with the cavern walls. Rusty knew better than to expect that these monsters would be slow so he took on a defensive stance and started smacking his shield with his mace.

Just as planned, the monsters focused on Rusty, giving Gleam more than enough time to finish casting her spell. A glowing blue projectile shot toward one of the centipedes approaching Rusty from behind. It struck the creature's rocky exterior, punching through but it wasn't enough to kill it.

"( °ㅁ° )"

Perched on the ceiling, Gleam stared at the monster as it squirmed. Her mana bolt had done real damage, but the rocky armor covering the creature had prevented a critical injury. While its underbelly was softer, the centipede moved fluidly across the ground, walls, and even the ceiling, making it nearly impossible to land a direct hit unless someone flipped it over.

"True, they are quite tough but… so are we!"

Rusty planted his feet firmly against the cavern floor, his steel frame bracing against the skittering swarm of centipedes. His shield took the brunt of the next attack, a forceful lunge from one of the larger creatures. The impact sent a reverberation through his body, but he held his ground.

Once the monster hit his shield he pushed back to send it flying into the air. With a powerful swing, he slammed his mace into the creature's exposed underbelly, finally cracking through the softer shell. The centipede screeched, its segmented body twisting in pain before it collapsed, motionless.

Gleam, still clinging to the ceiling, took the opportunity to launch another mana bolt, this time aiming for gaps in the rocky centipede armor. The shot connected, and the creature recoiled, its movements frantic as it thrashed against the cavern walls, hitting some of its allies in the process.

"Keep aiming for the weak spots, Gleam! I'll keep them busy, just take your time and don't worry about me."

Rusty proclaimed as he activated his 'Provoking Shout' skill. Even though he had no organ to produce sound, a loud noise escaped from his armored form. The resonating sound of echoed through the cavern, vibrating the rocky walls and causing loose debris to tumble down from above. The centipedes momentarily hesitated before all turning their focus toward him. Their many legs skittered across the stone floor, their movements now more aggressive and frantic.

"Alright, come at me!"

Rusty taunted as he raised his shield once more, bracing himself against the oncoming swarm. Gleam wasted no time repositioning herself, crawling along the walls with swift steps. Her ant eyes locked onto the creature's weak spots as she began charging another mana bolt. The first centipede lunged forward, aiming to sink its venomous mandibles into Rusty's leg, but before it could make contact, he pivoted on his foot and brought his mace down hard onto its head. The impact sent the creature crumpling to the floor, twitching as it let out a gurgled screech.

A second centipede tried to coil around him from behind, its segmented body wrapping around his torso in an attempt to constrict him. Rusty struggled for a moment but soon realised that the monster was not strong enough to deform his metallic body. The durability of the twilight steal was much above what an E rank monster could handle. With a powerful burst of his strength gained from the Fury Skill, he pried the creature off and slammed it against the cavern wall. Cracks formed along its rocky exoskeleton before it slumped to the ground, motionless.

"( •̀ - •́ )"

Gleam, seizing the opportunity, released her charged mana bolt, striking the exposed underbelly of another centipede mid-lunge. The creature let out a high-pitched screech before its body convulsed and fell limp.

"Great shot! Keep it up!"

Rusty encouraged her as he continued to fend off the approaching swarm. Despite their rocky exteriors, the centipedes were beginning to fall one by one. Rusty's calculated strikes, combined with Gleam's precise magical attacks, were a testament to their progress. Even though they were outnumbered soon the entire chamber was riddled with close to twenty corpses of these insectoid monsters.

" (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) "

"You did great, Gleam, and congratulations on your level up."

The battle was over and his friend had even leveled up. However, Rusty wasn't quite as happy as these monsters didn't offer him nearly enough experience points to raise to the third level. It seemed that he would need to find higher tier monsters closer to the D rank to get anywhere.

"Not bad, but still not enough..."

Rusty muttered, shaking his head. He was beginning to realize that if he wanted real progress, he needed to face stronger foes. Gleam, still perched on the ceiling, wiggled her antennae in agreement. She had gained a level, but even she could tell that they needed more powerful opponents to push themselves further.

"Let's keep going. There's bound to be something stronger deeper inside."

Rusty turned toward the tunnel leading further into the dungeon. The mist in the air thickened as they progressed, As they moved, a faint noise caught Rusty's attention. He raised a hand, signaling Gleam to stay quiet. In the distance, there was a noise, something resembling footsteps.

Creeping forward, Rusty peered around a bend in the tunnel and spotted a small figure crouched against the wall. The creature had scaly, dark red skin and sharp, clawed hands. It wore tattered leather armor, and a small dagger rested on its belt. Its reptilian eyes darted around as it picked at the ground, seemingly trying to bury something.

"Is that a kobold?"

He wondered while keeping to the shadows. While this creature didn't look like a mage, perhaps if it was here, then another variant that could use spells was close by…