Heavy Metal

'All of the stats went up. The difference in ranks is truly staggering. It's a miracle I managed to win against that monster at my current rank…'

Rusty thought to himself as he examined Gleam's new stats. She had just evolved into an E-minus monster, and both her health and magic points had increased significantly. Recalling his own stats from the same rank, he noticed that his body started with higher HP but a lower amount of MP than hers. However, not everything could be boiled down to numbers. His durability was far greater than that of most monsters he had encountered. Additionally, size and skills played a crucial role, often enabling bursts of power that surpassed the raw stats on display.

" ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و "

Gleam had climbed out of his metal body by now and was looking at her reflection in a puddle of water. She had changed slightly, her carapace had become sleeker and seemed to shimmer in the faint light. Her antennae were longer, more finely tapered, and pulsing faintly with a silvery glow. The transformation had left her with a more elegant and agile appearance, retaining her compact size while amplifying her magical prowess. She tested her agility by darting back and forth with sharp, precise movements, chirping happily as she adjusted to her new form.

With her evolution she had also acquired some new skills, one was the previously mentioned body that apparently absorbed the ambient mana in the surroundings.

In short, it was a skill that increased her passive mana regeneration, allowing her to regain MP faster. Unlike a trait, it was a skill, meaning it could be leveled up—likely by casting more spells and continuously regenerating her magical energy. However, this wasn't the only skill she had acquired; there was another as well.

Besides some new skills, she had also gained two new spells. One allowed her to create a barrier around her body, that could both deflect blows from weapons but also other spells. He had seen her generate it a few moments ago, illuminating the whole cavern with her light.

" (°〇°) "

Soon, a beam of light erupted from her mouth as she tested the second spell. The spell produced a bright white beam that shot out with incredible speed, traveling far before colliding with a wall and causing moderate damage. It appeared slightly more powerful than a mana bolt spell but consumed more than twice the amount of mana. While it seemed that its only use would be against undead monsters, it could also be charged for a prolonged period giving it some damage potential.

However, this prolonged use had a downside as Gleam's excitement was short-lived. Moments later, she collapsed to the ground, her mana pool completely drained from using the spell. He chuckled softly and brought over the mana-infused water they had leftover from the goblin shaman.

"I know you're happy, Gleam, but you really need to learn to conserve your mana"

"( • ᴖ • )"

She looked briefly crestfallen but perked up quickly after sipping the revitalizing water. Rusty watched as Gleam gleefully bounced around after recovering her mana. Her newfound agility and magical prowess would certainly come in handy during their adventures. Her evolution had clearly reinvigorated her, and Rusty couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. He felt like a big brother watching his little sister taking a giant leap in life. Now that both of them were E-ranks they could tackle bigger and badder foes.

The cavern now felt less oppressive with the monster gone and the morning light filtering faintly through the cracks above. Yet, Rusty knew this was just the beginning. Their journey to survive, evolve, and eventually reach the top was just beginning. From what he knew, no one could truly claim that they were strong until they at least reached the B-rank and he wasn't even close.

"Alright, Gleam, let's gather up what we can and get moving. This place might not stay safe for long."

"Rusty is right, once those forest spiders realize that this one is now dead, they might flood this cavern but while we are here, why don't I propose something?"

Aburdon commented as his black orb shone brighter in Rusty's eye socket.

"What is it?"

"Those Marchants probably came here for a reason, do you agree?"

"Um… sure?"

Rusty nodded, ensuring he had gathered everything worthwhile and stored it in his inventory system. The process had drained his SP, rendering him unable to switch loadouts for at least the next hour.

"Well, I'm sure if we head there, we'll reach our destination faster. And now that we have the blacksmith's head, why don't we just move along?"

Their purpose for venturing into this dangerous, spider-infested forest was to find a proper body for Rusty's metallic form. The blacksmith's head was already stored in his inventory, and he needed a few more moments to recharge enough SP to retrieve it. Rusty still hadn't delved into the memories of the man he intended to impersonate.

"But what about the adventurer? Wouldn't it be better to search the forest a little more?"

"Bah, we can find a dead adventurer somewhere else! The world is riddled with them!"

It was clear that Aburdon didn't want to linger in the forest any longer. He wasn't wrong - finding a dead adventurer to inhabit wouldn't be too difficult. If none were available, they could always target a living one. However, Rusty knew Alexander would be firmly against harming the living.

Still, with the blacksmith's persona, Rusty could likely begin building his lair. They had collected some gold and items during their journey, which could be used to purchase a building and convert it into a smithy as his cover. Money, the driving force behind all humanoids, was a concept Rusty didn't fully grasp but found undeniably useful. With his skills, he had numerous ways to earn money, and through wealth, he could acquire the materials needed to enhance his arsenal and grow stronger.

"What do you think, Gleam?"

" (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) "

"I see…"

Rusty nodded at Gleam's nonchalant response. She didn't seem to care whether they stayed or moved on; her focus was entirely on her new evolution. Even now she was looking at her own reflection, seemingly entranced by the sleekness of her new body. He needed to make a decision, and to be honest, he wasn't keen on scouring the forest for more bodies. The process was inefficient, and it didn't yield much experience either.

Rusty was close to reaching level fifteen, the cap for E rank. There was also the possibility that more dangerous monsters lurked deeper in the forest. Defeating another undead spider or something similarly challenging would accelerate his progression toward his next evolution.

"It could be dangerous inside"

"Yes, but it could shorten our journey exponentially. I'm getting bored of this forest"

Aburdon responded to Alexander with a hint of irritation. It seemed that he wasn't too fond of this place and perhaps he wished to return to a place with a speck of civilization. In the past he was a great demon lord, a king that had it all. The things that Rusty was doing would be tasks given to the lowest of demonic soldiers and perhaps he disliked the idea that he was now such a lowly being.

"Well, perhaps there are more valuable things further inside, it wouldn't be bad to get more gold. Alright, Aburdon. Let's follow the path the merchants wanted to take.

Rusty nodded and made sure that he had everything that he wanted from this place as it was time to move on. Gleam was still bouncing around testing her newly gained agility. However, once she saw him moving further towards the tunnels she quickly skittered after him and perched herself on his shoulder just like she did in her previous form. The moment she did, Rusty noted that her weight had slightly increased probably due to a sturdier carapace. .

With their course set, Rusty led the way deeper into the tunnel, his glowing eyes casting a faint light in the dim cavern. Gleam perched on his shoulder for a better view, her antennae twitching in rhythm with her excitement. The carved tunnel showed clear signs of human activity - smoothened walls, discarded tools, and even a few remnants of torches long since extinguished. It wasn't just a natural pathway; someone had deliberately created it.

"I bet those sneaky humans used this tunnel for smuggling"

Aburdon said with a sly chuckle.

"Smuggling?"

Rusty asked, his curiosity piqued, as Aburdon sniggered inside his helmet.

"Think about it. Why else would someone go to such lengths to create a tunnel like this?"

Rusty was still new to this world, but he had already learned one thing - merchants couldn't be trusted. They always seemed to offer him the worst deals possible, and he was certain he'd lost a large amount of gold while bartering with them. At that time he needed all the money he could get to save gleam, something a few merchants noticed and abused.

"What could it have been… drugs? Slaves? Perhaps even some forbidden demonic items? I wonder, who is the true demon here?"

"..."

Alexander remained silent, offering no input. His grumbling, however, betrayed his irritation. The former champion of humanity clearly didn't want to admit that the people he had once sworn to protect could engage in treachery akin to that of demons. However, as they passed further it became more obvious that the demon lord had been correct.

"Looks like a dagger wound, not one caused by a monster. They must have killed him and discarded the remains… Perhaps they left him here as a warning,"

Along the way, they had stumbled upon a half-decomposed skeleton slumped against one of the tunnel walls. It was likely someone who had met their end during a journey. Aburdon, intrigued, observed that this might have been someone who defied the merchants - perhaps a slave or an individual who opposed their ways. Whoever it was, they had been killed here and left to rot.

"Perhaps… could this be the source?"

Aburdon muttered in a somewhat contemplative tone.

"Did you realize something?"

Rusty asked, noticing the shift in Aburdon's demeanor.

"Well, the bodies of the recently deceased tend to attract monsters. Those who die with strong resentment generate a great deal of malevolent energy - enough to lure undead creatures"

"Would one dead body be enough?"

"Perhaps not but…"

They continued to walk and soon they discovered another secret of this place, more bodies than they had previously expected. The tunnel stretched on, revealing a grim tapestry of death. Skeletons lay in varying states of decay, some crumpled as if they had fallen where they stood, while others were bound with rusted chains that had fused to the walls. These were no ordinary casualties of war or disease - they were prisoners, discarded slaves, and nameless souls who had been left to rot.

Rusty knelt by one of the skeletons, his metallic hand brushing against the brittle bones. Many bore deep scars, some inflicted by blades, others by instruments of torture. It was clear that whoever had perished here had done so in agony.

"No wonder that creature was attracted to this palace…"

Alexander commented as he examined the discarded bodies. In this world, the undead were a grim reality, and some people failed to understand that leaving unpurified bodies exposed could attract vile creatures. On the wall behind the corpses, etched symbols began to draw their attention. Though distorted by claw marks, it wasn't difficult to piece the design together.

"The Thieves' Guild"

Rusty remarked as he was a member himself, he still carried his coin emblem as proof of his ties. Slowly, they were unraveling the dark truth about this place. Perhaps the blacksmith, who had unwittingly ventured into these tunnels, would have faced a grim future - enslaved or worse had he not fallen prey to the arachnid.

"I see. Quite clever. They probably rounded up unsuspecting commoners and turned them into slaves. No one would dare bother them in a forest teeming with monster spiders."

Auburdon sounded as if he was complimenting this group, Alexander on the other hand was disgusted.

"Is this what their new world order looks like? Do they even care?"

Rusty wasn't sure what his guide was talking about but it seemed to have something to do with his old friends. He wanted to ask Alexander to elaborate on his thoughts but suddenly, he noticed something. The group's exploration of the tunnel took a dire turn as the air grew heavier, the scent of decay had become intense, making Gleam shiver in fright.

'My life detection skill isn't picking up anything but would it react to dead corpses?'

Suddenly, the faint scraping of bone against stone echoed through the passage. Rusty halted, raising a metallic hand to calm his friend down. Gleam's antennae twitched, her light spell illuminating the way forward. They saw it - a skeleton shifting, its bony fingers clattering against the ground. One by one, other skeletons began to stir, an eerie green glow igniting in their eye sockets.

"Are they coming to life?"

The bodies they had passed were beginning to reanimate. A surge of greenish energy pulsed through the area as a strange phenomenon took hold. While Rusty had experience with dungeon-born monsters, this was something new. His metallic fingers tightened into fists as the skeletons began to rise. Each lifeless body moved with the same eerie green energy, the glow flickering like ghostly flames in their hollow eye sockets. Rusted weapons, still clutched in bony hands, scraped against the stone floor.

"Wait, those are…"

But the undead skeletons and ghouls were not his only problem. From holes in the tunnel walls, smaller spider-like creatures began to crawl out. Their bodies resembled spiders, but their heads were disturbingly humanoid with sharp teeth and empty eyesockets. They seemed connected to the monster he had just defeated - and perhaps the reason why these undead had started to reanimate.