Heavy Metal

The strange monster's head spun a full half-turn, gears clanking, before snapping back into place with a sound like chains breaking. Its drill arm whirred to life, spitting sparks as it scraped across the ground. The other limb, a grotesque tangle of fused pickaxes, pushed against the stone floor while it began to heave itself free from the rubble.

"Well, so much for the stealthy approach."

Rusty muttered, tightening his grip on the mace. He wondered if it was the best weapon for the occasion or if something else might serve him better.

" ( •̀ _ •́) "

Gleam readied herself for battle. Her wings buzzed slightly, but she could not use them in the confines of this chamber. The ceiling was too low and the space for movement too cramped. Instead, she relied on an old tactic. She stepped back, choosing to lie in wait while Rusty made himself the bigger target. She knew her limits and understood that fighting a D-rank monster directly would be suicide.

"The core should be there!"

The black mass binding the construct pulsed faintly with violet light. His mana senses had already betrayed his presence, but they also allowed him to pinpoint a mana-rich area within the creature. The core was buried deep in its center, directly beneath the shifting gear-like face and inside the strange body that had now emerged.

"Is that… a mining cart?"

Asked Alexander as his light pulsed in Rusty's right eye socket. The monster had been partially buried in the ground but had now fully emerged. The Gearwork Miner's body was a grotesque fusion of scrap machinery and dungeon-grown metal. Its legs were the bent and fractured remains of a cart reinforced with thick black resin that pulsed faintly like veins. From the cracked basin of the cart, spiky wheels jutted out and spun slowly as the creature propelled itself forward.

Its other arm, the fusion of pickaxes, was used to help it move. It jabbed this arm into the hard ground with enough force to leave deep puncture holes, then used it as leverage to drag itself forward. The arm, shaped like a drill, whirred to life and was aimed directly at Rusty, clearly the monster's main weapon and a very dangerous one.

Even though the monster was making a lot of noise and its size was great, Rusty did not panic. Instead, he decided to face this monstrosity head-on, but not with his current body. He would use one of his other forms. He struck a pose and shouted for some reason.

"Ogre form, activate!"

"Why the strange pose?"

Alexander asked, unable to ignore Rusty's unusual behavior.

"I have seen some humanoids do this when playing. Isn't it cool?"

Rusty had spent some time moving through the city and observing the behavior patterns of the humanoids who lived there. Although his body resembled that of an adult, his mind was no more developed than a child's. He had learned much from his guides and knew how to fight, yet he was still very young.

"I see. Sometimes I forget that you are not even a year old. Just keep your eyes on that thing."

"I do not have eyes, though?"

"..."

Even though he was just a wisp of light, Arthur gave out quite a long sigh before speaking out again.

"Just concentrate."

"I will."

In an instant, his body expanded, growing larger and bulkier. There was not much physical change to the Ogre variant of his body, as the difference came from the enchanted mana flowing through it. However, his durability and weight had greatly increased. In his left hand, he held a massive tower shield, which he used to intercept the enormous drill that was hurtling toward him.

The drill rotated against his shield at an amazing speed, sending a high-pitched screech echoing through the chamber. Sparks burst where metal met metal, showering the ground with glowing embers. The vibration rattled through Rusty's entire frame, but the Ogre form's reinforced joints held firm.

The Gearwork Miner pushed harder, its spiked wheels grinding against the stone floor and leaving deep gouges in its wake. The black substance binding its body pulsed faster, like a heartbeat quickening in the midst of battle. Yet Rusty did not move even a millimeter. His feet were firmly planted in the ground, and even when cracks formed beneath them, he stood his ground and pushed back.

"Hah, if I were still an E rank, I would have been shoved aside. But now…"

If Rusty had a face, he would have been smiling. With the help of his massive frame and his weight-increasing skill, he absorbed the entire force of the attack without even flinching. In contrast, the monster in front of him was struggling. Its strange wheels dug deeper into the stone until they began to slow. The drill that served as its main weapon could not pierce his new enchanted steel. Every spark that flew was not from his armor but from the monster's own metal shaving away, while his defenses remained untouched.

With a sharp shove, Rusty slammed his shield into the drill, knocking it backward. At the same time, he swung the halberd he had brought forth. The blade bit deep into the monster's inner body, and a surge of magical energy activated the weapon's enchantment. Arcs of electricity burst outward and coursed into the metallic frame. Just as Rusty had anticipated, the creature's body was much like his own, made of metal and highly vulnerable to lightning magic.

The gears that the monster was made from began to click. They moved at an erratic pace, and the strange black substance covering them started to thin. Just as he had expected, the attack struck the monster's core directly. He knew well how devastating this magic could be when it hit a weak spot, and it seemed that this creature shared the same flaw as the one he had before.

"Was that it?"

Rusty was surprised by the pop-up message. He had expected to fight at least a few more rounds against this monstrosity, yet one quick jab from his lightning-enchanted halberd had been enough to end the battle. Before he could process what had happened, a rumble echoed in the distance. It was similar to the sound made by the monster he had just defeated.

"Get ready, Rusty. More of them are coming."

"Good, that's what I'm here for, get ready Gleam!"

"( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و"

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Gleam reacted by preparing an attack spell. The monsters emerged from a distant corridor and were quickly met with a burst of flame magic. Their bodies resembled the creature he had fought earlier, but with noticeable differences. Some had wrenches for arms, while others were constructed from rusted conveyor belts and shattered wheelbarrows. Their limbs jerked with unnatural movements as they advanced. One construct dragged a chain with a heavy mass of metal at the end, using it much like a flail. Sparks scattered across the stone floor as they attacked in unison.

The flames from Gleam's spell washed over the first wave, causing the resin-like binding that held them together to bubble and peel away. This was another unexpected weakness they had just discovered, and soon the fight was fully underway. Rusty held the monsters at bay with his large, powerful frame, while Gleam continued to engulf them in fire.

"Was that all of them?"

"( – ⌓ – )"

"Tired? Do not worry. If any more come, I will take care of them."

Rusty proclaimed, glancing at the piles of scrap scattered on the ground. They had made quick work of the creatures, but that did not mean it had been easy. The enchantment on his halberd was nearly exhausted, and Gleam had no mana left. Even so, the battle was won, and Gleam had gained several levels while he had achieved one as well.

"Hm…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, everything is fine."

Rusty shook his helmet at Alexander's question. He was comparing himself to these creatures and to others he had encountered before. These monsters were slightly stronger than the D-rank orc he had once fought, yet still far weaker than the man he had faced during the adventurer's test. Although he knew he had grown much stronger, he also understood that there was still much work to be done.

"I do not think any more of them are coming. Let us take what we can."

"( •̀ ω •́ )"

"Do not worry. If there are any mana crystals, I will give you one."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)"

Scrap metal covered the ground to such an extent that Rusty was unsure where to begin. Fortunately, once he identified one of the monsters' cores, the system within him took over and allowed him to process the entire body through desynthesis. It was a strange sight to watch the scattered body parts vanish from existence as if they had never been there at all.

"Scrap metal? Can I even use this?"

"(ᵕ—ᴗ—)"

Gleam had no answer to his question, so Rusty continued examining the display. The materials obtained from these monsters were mostly categorized as scrap metal, but there were also simple cogs and even rusted mining tools. Nearly all of these components were made of metal, which meant he could smelt them into ingots.

All of the black substance that held the monster's parts together sizzled away the moment their cores were destroyed. Fortunately, a few mana crystals and other useful materials remained. Some of the cogs taken from their bodies were made of pure silver, and with the right buyer, they could likely be sold for a good profit.

"Now then…"

With the monsters out of the way, he could now examine this area and the passage they had emerged from. From a distance, the walls appeared unusual, and if his suspicion was correct, he would need a pickaxe to confirm it. Rusty stepped closer, the dim blue glow of embedded ores reflecting along the edges of his armor. The mana veins were clearly visible and pulsed in slow, steady waves. Alexander flickered within his right eye socket.

"This is not ordinary iron. It is mana-enriched iron. We are fortunate"

Rusty nodded. He had read about ores forming inside dungeons. Some remained permanently, while others appeared at random locations and at specific intervals. Once a vein was mined, it could reappear anywhere, giving an advantage to whoever discovered it first.

Normally, such a find would be reported to the guild so that a team could be assigned to mine it. However, Rusty stood to gain directly from this discovery and had no intention of sharing it. Before any other adventurers came across the vein, he intended to mine as much of it as possible.

"Gleam, could you keep watch, call me if anyone approaches from that side?"

"(•̀ ᴗ •́ )و"

Rusty pointed toward the corridor he had entered through. If another party appeared, it would most likely come from that direction. His heavy steps echoed through the chamber as he retrieved a mining pick from his storage. The weapon-grade handle was far sturdier than those used by ordinary miners and had been crafted to withstand his immense strength. He raised it high and brought it down.

*Clang!*

The impact sent sparks spraying across the stone and shook loose small fragments from the wall. The mana-rich iron pulsed faintly in protest, as if unwilling to leave the dungeon's grasp. Rusty's ogre form, however, was not one to accept refusal.

"Let's see…"

Once a big enough lump was freed, he used his identification skill to examine the shiny rock. The ore had not been processed yet, but even now it pulsed with energy.

Rusty turned the lump of ore in his gauntleted hands. The faint, rhythmic glow mirrored the mana veins in the walls, which in turn resembled a heartbeat. Soon, the piece vanished from sight and slipped into his storage system. There was not enough of it to be processed with his SP, so he returned to work. Time passed, and before long he realized he had been working for half a day without stopping. At last, he reached the limit of this pocket vein.

Throughout his mining, the monsters continued to revive, offering him more materials and experience points. He was fortunate that no adventurers appeared to slow him down, allowing him to clear the deposit quickly. With all resources gathered and the enchanted steel ingot he had previously created, he successfully recreated it with the help of his system. The process drained his SP completely, so he would have to make more later, but for now, he was content with his progress.

"I think that is enough for now. Let's head back, Gleam."

"( ˶•⤙•˶ )"

Gleam sat on top of a defeated Gearwork Miner, eating one of the mana crystals from within its body. With this haul, she would not need to resort to drinking diluted mana water, which made her quite happy. Rusty waited patiently until she hopped onto his shoulder, still munching.

"We will have to leave these parts behind. I wonder if there is a way to recharge my SP faster. I am starting to need it more and more these days."

He looked at the remaining monster's body and the other items scattered around it. He relied heavily on his system to process these materials. Normal adventurers would need to carry everything in spatial bags or hire porters to do it for them. They would also have to pay processing fees and deal with other obstacles that he did not face. Even so, his system had a limit, and for now, there was no way to increase it except by evolving into a stronger monster.

"Well, let us head back then, Gleam."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)"

Gleam wiggled her antennas in appreciation. She was in a good mood, having received mana crystals to eat and gained several levels. If things continued this way, she would soon reach her next evolutionary point and eventually become a D-rank monster, just like Rusty.

The two departed, leaving the chamber and retracing their steps to the area where many adventurers had gathered earlier. From there, they quickly returned through the same set of tunnels, guided by Aburdon's impeccable memory. It did not take them long to reach the damp parts of the mine, but once there, something caught their attention. A group of adventurers seemed to be nearby.

'Seven life signals… but why are they using a silence spell? Something is not right.'

Rusty could tell that something was amiss. His skills revealed four strong individuals surrounding three weaker ones, three that seemed familiar…