“Go screw yourself!”

A young woman shouted at a stocky-looking man with a long red beard. He wore a blacksmithing apron over his clothes as he returned an item he had been given for appraisal. It appeared to be an old bronze gauntlet, corroded in several places.

"Wot ye want from me? It ain't worth that much, take the coins or don’t, I don’t care!"

“Hmph, you don’t care? I’m sure you’ll start to care after I take this dagger and shove it up your arse!”

The man was of the dwarven race and started shouting back at the unruly woman. Luckily she was not alone in this shop and soon one of her companions began to pull her back before

“Livi, calm down, you are making a scene…”

Other patrons within the shop began to take notice, their attention drawn to the unfolding scene. The presence of metallic weapons and pieces of armor scattered around made it clear that this was a place frequented by adventurers seeking to purchase such gear. The shopkeeper, a burly dwarf, furrowed his bushy brows, his hands clenched into fists as he glared at the woman named Livi.

“I told ye already, the gauntlet ain't worth much! Ye can take the coins or leave it, but don't ye dare threaten me in me own shop!"

The man repeated himself but this time his voice boomed through the entire shop. His thick accent made it difficult for some people to understand him, but the message was clear. Livi’s companion, a wiry human named Keyon, attempted to defuse the situation. He understood that if this continued, their group could be prohibited from shopping in the store, something he wished to avoid at all costs.

"Please, forgive her outburst. She’s just a bit tired from the last mission, don’t worry, we’ll just leave. Come Livi.”

The shop owner grumbled under his breath and adjusted his apron as he watched the group hastily leave his shop. He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head as he muttered curses in Dwarvish, clearly frustrated by the encounter. The other patrons in the shop returned to their browsing while the party of the adventurers led by the person that just wanted to stab a shopkeeper, Livi.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’ll find another place to get rid of that gauntlet, how about we try an alchemist instead? That twilight bronze has to be good for something, maybe they use it for something there?”

“Fine, I guess…”

Livi responded in an annoyed tone while trying to compose her nerves. The party had been trying to sell this one item for a while now but it seemed that it wasn’t worth much at all. They were at the end of their wits trying to find a buyer willing to pay a decent price for the worn-out gauntlet. They received it from a rare unique monster but for some reason, it seemed worthless.

As they exited the blacksmith’s shop, Keyon led them through the bustling streets of the city. There were many people here with various races and professions bustling about their daily tasks. The aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with the metallic tang of a blacksmith’s forge and added to the lively atmosphere in this city.

Keyon navigated the group through the crowded streets with ease, his keen eyes scanning the various storefronts for any signs of an alchemist’s shop. Eventually, they stumbled upon a quaint little establishment nestled between a tavern and a herbalist’s shop. A wooden sign hung above the door and depicted a bubbling cauldron. It indicated that they had indeed found what they were looking for and soon they were at the door.

“Dedrick, wait outside… or even better, go find Reistel before he drinks himself stupid again.”

Livi looked towards a third-party member that was wearing a steel suit of armor. His massive frame made it difficult for him to navigate through crowded places, and his presence tended to draw unwanted attention. Dedrick grunted in acknowledgment and stepped aside, his heavy footsteps receding as he made his way to the tavern that his dwarven companion frequented.

With Dedrick out of sight, Livi and Keyon entered the alchemist’s shop. The interior was dimly lit by flickering candles, casting eerie shadows on the shelves lined with various vials, jars, and potions. The air was thick with the scent of herbs and magical ingredients, making it clear what this place was used for.

“Someone should open a window…”

Keyon commented as a strange mixture of scents assaulted his nose. Livi rolled her eyes as she was accustomed to the complaints of her companion.

“Just focus, we’re here to get rid of this gauntlet”

Livi approached the counter where an elderly human with wild, wiry hair and thick spectacles stood, stirring a bubbling cauldron. The alchemist glanced up as they approached, his eyes squinting behind his glasses as he noticed a specific item in their hands.

"Welcome, travelers. How can I assist you today?"

His voice crackled and showed his advanced age. Livi didn’t wait much before throwing the severed gauntlet onto the store counter before asking for money.

“We have an item we're looking to sell, what can you offer for this?”

The alchemist peered at the gauntlet and his eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated. He picked it up slowly and started to examine it from all sides. Eventually, he pulled out a large magnifying glass with strange arcane symbols on the sides. He turned it over, examining the intricate details, and muttered to himself as he assessed its condition. Livi and Keyon watched while hopeful that this alchemist would see some value in this seemingly worthless item.

“Hmm... interesting piece. A bit worn and some corrosion have set in, but the interesting part is the metal in itself, Twilight bronze is quite a rare find…”

The alchemist's eyes sparkled with interest as he continued to inspect the gauntlet. Livi and Keyon exchanged hopeful glances, sensing a glimmer of hope. Perhaps this person would buy this worthless piece of equipment for a few gold coins, instead of the lower prices every other shop owner had offered them.

“Yes, Twilight bronze, it must be worth quite a lot, I bet you could melt it down and use it for enchantments or something!”

“Use it for enchantments?”

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The Alchemist looked at Livi as if she said something silly and quickly corrected her on the assumption.

“Young lady, while twilight bronze is rare, it doesn’t mean that it's worth much, I’m afraid that I can’t offer you more than a few silver coins and I don’t think you’ll get much better elsewhere. It’s simply not in high demand.”

Livi’s frustration flared up again, her patience worn thin after being met with disappointment yet again. She exchanged a glance with Keyon, who sighed in resignation. It seemed they had hit another dead end in their quest to offload the gauntlet. However, it seemed that the old Alchemist had noticed this display of negative emotions and decided to offer some advice.

"You see, while twilight metals are indeed very rare, they're not practical for most individuals. Their properties combine those of dark demonic magic and holy light magic, making them exceedingly rare and almost impossible to wield by any ordinary person. Even if you were to craft a weapon for a demon or someone proficient in light magic, they wouldn't be able to utilize it."

The alchemist's explanation brought a new perspective to Livi and Keyon. They had been so focused on trying to sell the gauntlet for its material value that they hadn't considered its potential properties. If it couldn’t be fashioned into a better piece of armor than regular bronze, then it wasn’t really worth much.

“But, you're saying that it does have some magical properties?”

The alchemist gave out a sigh before he continued with his explanation.

"Unless you find someone like a Nephalem to wield it, this piece of equipment is practically useless. You'd require a perfect balance between both light and dark magic to unlock the full potential of this metal. As far as I know, such equilibrium doesn't exist anywhere."

“A Nephalem?”

“Yes, an offspring between a demon and an angel.”

Livi and Keyon exchanged a glance and nodded in understanding. They were familiar with the concept of a Nephalem, an extremely rare species that was more myth than legend. While this rarity made the metal valuable and potent in the right hands, it held little value when sold to regular adventurers like themselves. At best, they could hold onto it in hopes of finding a collector willing to offer a better price. However, as it stood, the item was not worth more than a regular bronze gauntlet.

“Shit… how much were you willing to pay for it?”

The alchemist scratched his chin thoughtfully before responding.

"I could offer you five silver coins for it. It's not much, but it's the best I can do."

Livi sighed heavily, feeling the weight of disappointment settling in once again. Keyon gave her a nudge with his elbow and whispered into her ear quickly before she made her mind to leave again.

“It’s already more than what the blacksmiths offered us, lets just take it and go, we’ve lost enough time on this already.”

“Yeah, I know…”

Reluctantly, Livi nodded in agreement. They had been trying to offload this item for over a week now and it wasn’t worth the effort. She turned back to the alchemist and extended her hand, indicating her acceptance of his offer.

"Fine, we'll take the five silver coins.“

The alchemist nodded in response and reached under the counter to retrieve the coins. He counted them out and placed them on the counter. Soon after the gauntlet was given to him and the exchange had been concluded.

"Thank you for your business. If you ever come across any other rare items, feel free to bring them by. I may be interested."

Livi gave a half-hearted nod of acknowledgment but her mind was already shifting to their next task. She scooped up the coins and stuffed them into her pouch before turning around to leave.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Keyon followed suit, offering a polite nod to the alchemist before turning to leave. Soon they were gone and the alchemist took the gauntlet into his hand while smiling. He took it to the side and placed it on one of the wooden shelves where other peculiar items of unknown worth were placed.

“Twilight magic… it is said that if someone mastered it, they could cut the very fabric of reality, even harming gods wouldn’t be out of the question... But alas, such power remains just a myth, and even if it wasn’t, bronze would not be able to contain such power. Hmm, maybe I can use it as a paperweight…"

He let out a wistful sigh, his eyes lingering on the gauntlet for a moment longer before he turned his attention back to his cauldron, stirring its contents with a long wooden spoon. The shop returned to its usual quiet ambiance, the flickering candles casting dancing shadows on the walls as the alchemist continued his work, lost in thought. However, at another location, deep underground a battle with a creature wielding strange powers was already taking place.

“Now that your friends are all gone, it's just you and me!”

A bronze suit of armor stood atop a small hill of now-dead slugs. Its blade was clad with a strange magical essence that illuminated this large chamber. This weapon was pointed at a large slug creature with a bulbous body that rippled with an eerie rhythm. The slug creature, sensing the threat posed by the armored figure, let out a guttural roar that echoed through the chamber.

Rusty, who was the living armor in question, remained focused while trying not to slip on the slug mucus that covered the entire area. He had managed to dispatch a large number of these creatures and now only had their leader to contend with. Thanks to his body that never tired, he was able to slowly accomplish this feat.

The slug creatures launched themselves towards him in a predictable pattern that he had grown accustomed to. Even if their bites connected with his body, he didn't receive more than one or two points of damage. In his current evolved form, there was nothing left for him to fear, and eventually, this became the outcome of the battle: a chamber filled with dead slugs and their leader the only one remaining.

With a swift movement, Rusty lunged forward, his sword slicing through the air as it aimed for the slug creature's soft underbelly. The creature reacted unexpectedly by compacting its body and launching itself forward with a biting attack. While the smaller slugs could only use their elongated mouths for attacking, their leader was different and could launch itself at fast speeds. Fortunately, Rusty managed to block the attack with the help of his new shield, and thanks to his newfound skill proficiencies, the shield remained firmly on his arm.

He pushed back against the slug's body, exploiting the fact that, despite its ability to launch itself at fast speeds, it took time for its larger body to contort and take aim. Rusty seized this opportunity and delivered a magically enhanced power slash to the monster’s side. The slice produced a large gash, accompanied by strange monster blood, but to his dismay, it began mending itself at a rapid pace.

‘Some type of regeneration skill similar to my own? But such skills always have a limit, I just need to continue and it will eventually run out of resources!’

He pressed on and his attacks became more frenzied as he sought to overwhelm the slug creature's healing capabilities. With each strike, he observed how the wound would close, but not entirely, leaving behind faint scars that indicated progress. Despite his efforts, the battle continued but eventually, his enemy started to falter.

The slug creature proved to be a formidable foe but Rusty was no longer an inexperienced combatant either. With each swing of his sword, he grew more confident in his own abilities. His tactics to exploit the weaknesses, along with a keen eye for his opponent's movements, allowed him to gain the upper hand.

Finally, with one last powerful strike, Rusty delivered a finishing blow that pierced through the slug creature's thick hide, driving his sword deep into its core. The creature let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing to the ground, its body twitching as it succumbed to its wounds. Rusty stood over his fallen foe, his sword still crackling with residual light energy that was now dimming.

You have gained +102 experience points.

Congratulations you have gained a level.

Rusty gazed at the defeated monster as the system message resounded. He had emerged victorious, marking his first step in the domination of this cave system. Next was the centipede area and then the beetles but ultimately, Rusty still harbored the desire to ascend back up into the dungeon from which he fell. There, he would exact his revenge on the adventurers who had sent him down here...