“Can we hurry up? This place is giving me the creeps”

Eugene muttered while looking around nervously.

“Haven’t you gotten used to it, Eugene? You know we’ll have to come back here for other errands eventually. The Master likes fresh materials,”

Alanna replied while Eugene didn't seem too thrilled at the prospect of delving into the dark, monster-infested dungeon again.

“Yeah, yeah, but I just don’t like it. Let’s get this thing back to the Master and be done with it. We’d already be out if you hadn’t brought that thing along. Why do I still have to carry it?”

“Hey, don’t call Anty a thing!”

Alanna shot back, angry at Eugene's complaint about the strange white ant they had discovered. The ant was currently deep asleep, but carrying a monster made Eugene shiver with fear. He worried that once it awoke, it might attack him.

“Then you carry it! What if it has some poisonous skill that the cage can’t defend against, and my arms melt?”

Eugene retorted as the fear he was feeling was real and he wished to be out of this situation

“That’s not what a Gleaming Ant does... but I guess it could know a spell like that…”

Alanna grinned, watching for her friend's reaction.

Eugene flinched at the thought of the spell, but once he realized Alanna was toying with his emotions, he responded with annoyance.

“Very funny. Just get us out of here before I regret agreeing to this.”

He grumbled, adjusting his grip on the ant's cage and quickening his pace. They were nearing the stairs leading to the second level, and once there, it wouldn’t be long until they reached the exit. Despite the labyrinthine structure of the dungeon's tunnels, with a map in hand, it was easy to navigate through them with relative ease. However, as they were approaching the last larger chamber before the stairs, some noise resounded from behind them.

“There is something there…”

One of the adventurers called out, and they all quickly formed into a defensive formation. They appeared bored and tired, not expecting anything troublesome. The creature that emerged didn’t seem overly dangerous as it was just a piece of living armor. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, but one of the adventurers noticed something odd.

“Hey, doesn’t that thing look strange? Why doesn’t it have any holes or corroded areas…?”

The keen-eyed archer, accustomed to assessing details even in poorly lit chambers, observed some peculiarities. The monster resembled the living armors they encountered before, but it didn’t belong on this floor. In dungeons, monsters were typically limited to specific floors, and this version of the living armor should only appear around the fifth floor, not on the second.

“So what? Isn’t it just a Bronze Armor? It’s still an F-rank monster, leave it to me, I need some practice with these things.”

As one of the adventurers called out and began to approach the unexpected monster, their leader remained silent but vigilant, studying the new creature intently. He couldn't shake the feeling that something unusual was happening in the dungeon. Rumors of strange living armor spawns had circulated before, leading him to consider the possibility that this encounter was another instance of such an anomaly. Dungeons were known to occasionally shift, making this theory plausible.

The monster was acting strangely at first as it looked not at the man that was approaching it but Eugene instead. It had no eyes to speak of but could still turn its helmeted head, which gave the young man another scare. This was quite unusual as dungeon monsters were known for attacking the person that was closest to them.

There existed a concept known as a hidden hostility rating, which could be heightened by various means. The simplest way to increase this animosity of monsters was to provoke them by attacking or making loud noises. Then certain classes possessed skills that amplified this hidden rating, and they were known as tanks. These tanks had provoking abilities that diverted enemy attention, allowing other party members to focus on offense rather than defense.

In this instance, the monster should have immediately charged at the approaching man due to his proximity. However, its reaction seemed strangely delayed and indicated a deviation from the expected behavior. It was acting more as an independent monster than one seen in a dungeon, and also one that had a functioning brain, not something usually found in living armors.

“Watch out, it’s acting strange.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t lose to a living armor!”

The man called out to the adventurer leader, armed with a shield and mace, the standard equipment for dealing with hollowed-out monster armor. The weight of the mace made it effective for staggering monsters, while denting their armor would gradually impede their movements. Finally, the monster took off, running in the man’s direction as it attacked.

“Come on then!”

The adventurer smacked his shield several times, creating an echo of noise typically intended to draw and hold the monster’s attention. The man hoped to divert the creature from Eugene, whom it was fixated on. However, to everyone’s astonishment, the monster's behavior took an unexpected turn. Just as it was about to engage the adventurer, it abruptly halted, glanced to the side, and swiftly bolted toward one of the side exits of the chamber.

“Huh?”

Inside the dungeon, confusion reigned supreme. The strange behavior of the metallic monster defied all expectations and their understanding. The Adventurers scratched their heads in bewilderment, grappling with the bizarre situation that just unfolded before them. Then, just as they contemplated retreating to the first-floor staircase, chaos erupted.

“Wait... what’s that sound?”

An ominous noise echoed from the corridor the previous monster had emerged from. The clattering of bones soon followed, accompanied by groans and the grating of corroded metal. Before their eyes, every known type of monster for this floor materialized before them, and they converged on the group with a single-minded focus.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Where did all these monsters come from?”

“Why are there so many?”

The adventurers exchanged bewildered glances as the horde of monsters approached them. While they were all low-level mobs, they were coming in numbers that could even overwhelm a well-equipped party. Panic set in as they realized their predicament, but their leader quickly regained his composure.

“Stay calm! They are just low-level trash!”

The man stepped forward, positioning himself as the first line of defense. His heavier armor and larger frame served as a barrier against the oncoming horde. The monsters consisted of various skeletal soldiers wielding corroded bronze weapons, slow-moving zombies, and corroded suits of armor following close behind. They advanced rapidly, and the adventurers needed to protect the two non-combatants in their midst.

“Form up! Protect Eugene and Alanna!”

The leader commanded, his voice cutting through the clamor. The adventurers quickly assumed a defensive formation around Eugene and Alanna. The heavily armored man braced himself, raising his shield and prepared to intercept the first wave of skeletal soldiers. His mace swung down with a resounding thud, shattering bones and denting armor, buying precious moments for the others to ready themselves.

“We need to hold them off until we can retreat!”

Another adventurer shouted, slashing at an approaching zombie. Despite the onslaught, the group worked in unison, their movements synchronized by years of training and experience. They knew their survival hinged on maintaining their formation and fending off the relentless tide of monsters. The situation might have looked dire but their leader knew that all these monsters were not their equal. As long as they defended against the initial push and then retreated towards the stairs going up, then they would be safe.

The adventurers fought valiantly, their weapons cutting through the swarming undead and living armor creatures. The air filled with the sounds of clashing metal, the groans of the undead, and the shouts of the adventurers. Despite their skills and coordination, the sheer number of monsters pressed them and threatened to overwhelm them. However, slowly but surely, they inched towards the exit, their plan to run once they created some space becoming their beacon of hope.

“That’s it, now everyone, into the tunnel!”

The two noncombatants they were hired to protect moved first, guided by one of their party members acting as their sole guard. The remaining four adventurers stayed back, forming a defensive line to hold off the monster horde long enough for the slower noncombatants to reach the safety of the tunnel.

"Go! We've got you covered!"

Eugene along with Alanna started running, the cage with the monster ant was slowing them down but they were unwilling to let their prized find go. The adventurer who assisted them kept a vigilant watch over them as it was always possible for more monsters to arrive.

“Let’s go, the stairs to the next level aren’t far from here, once we are there…huh?”

The man glanced back at the duo while speaking, a momentary lapse in his focus. From the side, unnoticed in his periphery, something emerged; it was not a monster, but a weapon hurtling toward him at incredible speed. Before he could react, his leg was struck, the force of the blow shallowly piercing through his armor.

"Argh!"

Pain shot through him as he shouted out, the sudden attack catching him off guard. As he struggled to regain his footing, the attacker revealed himself to be the same lone monster that had previously appeared. It was now standing in the corridor leading to the safe spot, holding a shield and a longsword…

*****

Rusty stood before the three humans he had lured here, his plan successful in separating them. He knew the first and second levels of the dungeon thoroughly, having been born here. Rusty wasn’t sure why, but the five adventurers were protecting the two people holding Gleam hostage. These two seemed rather weak but important to this group.

In hopes of separating them, Rusty devised a strategy to divert the attention of the other adventurers. The other monsters saw him as an enemy and he knew well how all of them operated. Once they started chasing a target, they would not relent and also call their friends for aid. In no time he had a large swarm of his old allies chasing after him.

Then, Rusty quickly retreated into one of the other many tunnels which the layout he was aware of. It didn’t take him long to reach the area before the stairs leading to the first floor. He anticipated that his enemies would attempt to flee and just as he predicted, they came. His bronze spear was thrown to injure the lone adventurer and now he just needed to take care of this man and Gleam would be saved.

With the lone adventurer injured and the others preoccupied with holding off the monster horde, Rusty saw an opportunity to rescue Gleam. His metallic frame moved swiftly as he closed the distance between him and the two individuals holding the cage containing Gleam. However, the injured man wasn’t down yet and he quickly put himself between the two people Rusty was charging at.

“Stay back, monster.”

As The two humans, Eugene and Alanna instantly panicked but the adventurer set up a solid defense. Rusty attempted to rush the two but had to deal with the adventurer first. His emotions were running wild and he could barely control his rage, his sword connected with the man’s shield to generate quite the loud tone.

“Ugh…”

The man buckled under the pressure of the hit, forced to take a knee. The injury was enough to allow Rusty to press forward, closing the distance between himself and the two individuals. His aim was not to fight here; he just wanted to take the cage that Gleam was in and then make a run for it. Unfortunately, the two people there didn’t know that, and the shorter of the two retaliated by throwing a strange vial in his direction.

“Get back!”

It was a sloppy throw and wasn’t backed by any skill. Rusty wasn’t aware of what he was dealing with so he pressed on without stopping. The thing didn’t even seem to be aimed at his body and it would just collide with the ground before him. However, once it did connect with it, an explosion ensued, sending a shockwave of force outward. Rusty was thrown back, his metallic frame clanging against the tunnel's walls.

Being a creature of metal, Rusty didn’t suffer any backlash from getting his body shaken around. There were no ears or brains to be rattled around. The injuries he suffered had been absorbed by his bronze body, and he was back on his feet in a matter of seconds. Gleam was right there, and he would not let her get kidnapped by these strange people.

“Alanna, you missed…”

“I can see that, you don’t need to remind me…”

“Well, throw another one?”

“I … I only brought one with me…”

He noticed the duo scrambling to their feet, their faces wrought with panic. He couldn’t let them escape with Gleam, not after everything he had been through to find her. Rusty charged forward, running straight at the two with the intention to cut them down if they dared to get in his way.

“Hey, this is a bad time to joke about, do something… That thing is going to kill us both!”

The man called Eugene was panicking the most as the two found themselves with no place to run. Rusty approached and the adventurer who had been injured would not be able to push through the pain. Everything pointed towards his victory, however right as he was about to close in on the two that were holding Gleam hostage, he appeared.

“Leader!”

It was the party leader; he had arrived at the scene and positioned himself between the two as their sole protector. Rusty did not stop and instead increased his pace. His sword slammed down forward, accompanied by his Power Slash skill. However, his opponent blocked his strike with their own sword, causing sparks to fly.

“This thing…”

The man’s tone indicated that he was surprised by the sheer power that the bronze armor could exert. Rusty was obviously not a regular bronze variant but a unique Twilight evolution. His might eclipsed any bronze armor that came before him, and his opponent found himself in a deadlock. None of them was budging an inch as it seemed that they were equals.

‘Get out of my way!’

Rusty pushed forward with all his strength, his mind focused solely on reaching Gleam and freeing her from captivity. However, the adventurer leader proved to be a formidable opponent, matching Rusty blow for blow. With each exchange, Rusty felt a growing sense of frustration. His friend was right there but he couldn’t get to her and with each passing second he wasted, would be one that his enemies gained. His frustration reached an apex and suddenly the aura around his being shifted.

“Wait, what is that?”

Alanna called out while pointing forward, and the adventurer leader could see it too. There was a change in his opponent, a dark substance started seeping forth from his body. It looked like a fog made of darkness and it exploded in all directions. Upon coming in contact with the man Rusty was fighting, it started causing his veins to blacken and his eyes to bleed pitch-black blood...