“Don’t tell me, this one is empty too?”

“Well, do you see any zombies around?”

“Why did we bother hiring a priest if there aren’t any zombies!”

“I don’t know, but you reckon he will give us a discount?”

Three adventurers looked at a man wearing priestly garb. He appeared to be in his thirties and was shaking his head while smiling.

“You won’t get a discount just because someone got to the treasure faster.”

The priest responded with a chuckle, causing the adventurers to slump their shoulders and sigh. He then moved towards the underground crypt they were trying to clear out, his hand brushing against the walls. The man closed his eyes and recited a prayer. Soon, the wall was covered in a golden sheen which quickly vanished.

“This divinity… how is it so pure? Was a High-Cardinal in this crypt? But that just makes no sense…”

While the adventurers and the priest were fumbling around in an empty catacomb, the being responsible was making his way down a flight of stairs. The seventh floor had been altered by his doing, and now that the mist had thinned, it was too dangerous to stick around.

“Finally, some hard ground under my feet.”

Rusty's bronze feet clanked against the stone steps as he descended deeper into the dungeon. The change in environment was a welcome relief from the damp, swampy terrain above. The walls here were smoother, intricately carved with depictions of ancient battles and scenes of worship. Torches with blue flames lined the walls of this staircase that descended for quite some time.

As he moved, his mind was busy calculating his next move. He had spent quite some time grinding on the undead zombies and exploring crypts. From them, he had managed to unearth some accessories. Most of them were gold-tinted junk, but he had found two that weren’t awful. One was a ring that increased his mana regeneration probably by five percent. It didn’t seem like much, but every bit added up. The second one was something new; it added a flat amount of stats to his own.

Classification:

Lesser Strength Necklace

Type:

Accessory

Description:

A necklace that increases the wearer’s strength.

It only added two points of strength, but it was better than nothing. Once equipped, it appeared under his chest armor, stuck to the top area near his metallic neck. If he removed his helmet and held it at the right angle, he could clearly see it there. It seemed to be glued to his bronze body, and when he poked it, the item wouldn’t move. Thanks to this effect, it was clear that these accessories would be hard to remove, but he wasn’t sure what would happen if his body part was damaged.

‘I don’t think I’ll be able to repair these accessories, they aren’t part of my body.’

Rusty assumed that if his gauntlet holding the mana regeneration ring were to be crushed, the ring would be destroyed with it. While he could restore his bronze body, he wasn’t sure about other items. It was possible for him to wield weapons dropped by other monsters, but repairing them was also impossible. At most, he could store them in his inventory for later. It seemed that unless he had created the weapon within the forge himself, he was unable to repair it.

After continuing his descent, the stone steps gave way to a vast underground area. The ceiling was quite high, and the swamp was replaced by decrepit temples. He could see large crumbled walls, statues with missing limbs, and more dead-looking trees. This area seemed quite vast and had a lot of open space, something he wasn’t too keen on.

The wide-open area was a stark contrast to the cramped, mist-filled swamp he had navigated before. Rusty had to move with caution as there weren’t many places to hide here. There were crumbled walls didn’t seem to provide much cover from the roaming monster or adventurers. To make things worse, once he took a few steps he heard some sounds from afar, someone was approaching him fast.

‘I need to hide… but where?”

The wide-open area was a stark contrast to the cramped, mist-filled swamp he had navigated before. Rusty had to move with caution, as there weren’t many places to hide here. The crumbled walls didn’t seem to provide much cover from roaming monsters or adventurers. To make things worse, after taking a few steps, he heard sounds from afar—someone was approaching fast.

‘I need to hide… but where?’

Rusty wasn’t far from the stairs leading to the seventh level. This area looked like a run-down church with a row of torches leading up to his location. On the ground, there were destroyed wooden benches. For a moment, he considered digging himself under the wood, but there wasn’t enough time. To the sides, there were some windows he could possibly squeeze through and some thicker columns he could hide behind.

‘Wait… what about that skill I just learned? I could probably use that!’

His level had progressed further, and he was now level nine. This had allowed him to gain a brand-new skill, which worked in a mysterious way. It had a drawback and a requirement, but luckily, this place fulfilled that requirement. Rusty quickly moved toward one of the columns in the corner with the least amount of light. Once there, he went down to his knees in an attempt to minimize his body size. He needed to ensure he was in a darkened area. Then, right before the footsteps reached the ruined church, he vanished from sight.

Basic Elemental Meld

Active Skill

Allows the user to merge with the elements they are attuned to. Unless a certain elemental density threshold is reached, this skill won’t be able to function correctly.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Rusty looked at the skill description as his body blended with the darkness around him. This skill required areas devoid of light or ones bathed in it. As long as he didn’t move a muscle, his body would be surrounded by either the darkness or light elements. This would, for some reason, make his body hard to see. It didn’t seem to have any combat purposes, but for hiding his presence, it was quite potent.

It had a different effect depending on the element he used to meld with. If he did it in darkened areas where the darkness element was prevalent, his body would be surrounded by a shadowy haze, allowing him to blend in with the environment and become perfectly invisible. He wasn’t aware of how it worked with the element of light just yet, as within the swamp, he hadn't found areas that met the skill’s requirements.

The footsteps grew louder, and three figures soon appeared at the ruined church's entrance. They were adventurers, judging by their gear and their movements, which indicated their potential strength. There were some wounds on their bodies, and they were clearly out of breath. It was evident that they had gone through a hard-fought battle and had perhaps fled here, seeking a safe spot where no monsters could wander in.

“We made it…”

“What do you mean we made it? Andrew, he… we left him to die!”

“So what? Did you want us to stay there and die with him?”

Rusty listened to their conversation, hoping they would leave soon. The skill he was using had a flat MP cost of forty points and would last for around five minutes. However, once those five minutes were up, his body would be revealed again. It was possible to recast the skill instantly, but for a moment, his metallic body would be visible. His reflective surface made him highly susceptible to being discovered by any light sources.

Time ticked by as Rusty calculated the remaining duration of his skill. The adventurers continued to shout at each other, oblivious to the possibility that a monster was nearby. While he was initially hesitant, the more he observed them, the more his intent shifted. They were completely unaware of his presence, and within his inventory were items like poisonous worms and potion bombs. It seemed more sensible to strike while the iron was hot as he needed to act before his skill ran out.

‘Those potions, I should use them before they recover more of their strength…’

While Rusty had mostly decided to avoid the adventurers in the dungeon, there was an opportunity to pin the blame on someone else. These adventurers had already been defeated by the monsters on this floor and had lost a member. They weren’t a well-put-together party, and if they disappeared, it wouldn’t even be that suspicious. It was an opportunity he couldn't afford to let slip away.

‘I have to do it quickly…’

Carefully, he accessed his inventory to select one of the potions he took from the goblin camp. He didn’t need his hands to navigate his status as even just as a helmet, it was something he was capable of. Once selected, a potion appeared in each of his palms, breaking his skill effect. However, this was fine, as no one was paying attention to this corner of the church.

With precise aim, Rusty lobbed the potion bomb toward two of the adventurers who were talking. They weren’t exactly close to each other, but he was sure he could at least get two of them. His power shot skill added momentum to his throw, and suddenly, an explosion rocked this supposedly safe area.

"What the–?!"

“What’s happening?”

Seizing the moment of confusion, Rusty took out a handful of poisonous worms and threw them in the direction of the third adventurer. The worms splattered against the ground and walls, causing poisonous fumes to fill the entire area.

The explosion had done more than just disorient the first two adventurers. Both were on the ground, bleeding. One of them was covering both his eyes, as some shrapnel had made its way inside during the explosion. The other one was holding his wrist, connected to a mangled hand, which he had used in an attempt to protect his face from the blast. Rusty moved quickly, his steps much more precise for a creature that was supposed to be a slow-moving living armor.

The injured adventurer cradled his mangled hand, eyes wide with panic. His partner groaned beside him, still clutching his bleeding face. The adventurer who had avoided the worst of the blast staggered backward, coughing as the poisonous fumes filled the air. His eyes darted around, searching for the source of the attack.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!”

He demanded an answer, but no one responded. Instead, the attackers revealed themselves by hurling a long weapon at the two other party members. The man wanted to shout to warn his companions, but it was already too late. What looked to be a sharpened poleaxe had pierced his neck. Then, the one responsible charged at the blinded man, finishing him off with a longsword.

“H-how is a monster here…”

The man was stunned by Rusty’s arrival, both his companions had been slayed in a matter of seconds and he was the only one remaining. This surviving adventurer, still reeling from the explosion and the sudden appearance of the living armor, fumbled to draw his weapon. Rusty closed the distance between them with terrifying speed, his shield raised to deflect any incoming attacks.

“N-no stay bac–”

He did not give the man any space to react. With his upgraded weapon-handling skills, he was a force to be reckoned with. The man stumbled back as he barely deflected a strike with his own longsword, yet this was not the end. Rusty continued his assault, his blade strikes coming from different angles, with powerful thrusts and slashes raining down. His increase in levels and MP was evident as he showered his opponent with multiple active skills.

The man, while trembling, attempted to parry the onslaught, but Rusty's relentless attacks overwhelmed him. Each strike from Rusty’s blade sent vibrations through the adventurer's weapon, sapping his strength and will to fight back. Desperation flashed in his eyes as he swung his sword wildly, attempting to land a hit on the living armor but even when he did, the slashes proved skin deep.

Then, in a swift move, the adventurer’s neck was opened, and blood sprayed forward at the bronze monster before him. The man grabbed his neck with one hand, his blade dropping to the ground as he coughed up blood. In desperation, he attempted to grab a healing potion from his side, but before he could, a shield bashed his face in, and he collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings severed.

Rusty looked at the defeated man, without any emotions. He did not feel sorry for him as any of those three people would have instantly attacked him if he made himself known. What he was more focused on was the prompt on the status screen which showcased that he had managed to level up.

Congratulations you have gained a level.

“Why is it like that? I’m level ten…”

The adventurers who roamed these dungeons usually provided him with much more experience than the monsters he slew. This time, he gained enough to advance from level nine to ten, but the familiar follow-up message that had appeared the previous two times when he leveled up did not appear. He should have been able to evolve by now, but despite reaching level ten, nothing was happening.

“The experience bar… it's partially full too, does this mean that I have to get to an even higher level than ten to advance further?”

He wanted to summon one of his guides to ask them this question, but his mana was mostly spent. Dangers still lurked inside the dungeon, so he would need to postpone this inquiry. Rusty desired to advance further and acquire a higher tier of armor-body, one made of either iron or steel. He had already encountered weapons and armor made from these metals. His current opponent wielded a steel blade, which he should have been resistant to, yet the cuts were deep, revealing that his body was nearing its limits.

“Other adventurers will eventually show up here, I should move their bodies outside this safe area.”

The bodies of these three needed to be moved, as he did not want others to discover he was here. It was likely his enemies were searching for a unique piece of armor rumored to be in these dungeons. If they found these three bodies, someone might come to track him down. Gleam possessed tracking skills and his humanoid enemies were capable of using them as well.

After peeking outside to ensure the coast was clear, Rusty began relocating the three bodies. Despite his high strength stat, their weight was becoming a problem. Without the weight control skill, dragging them away would have been impossible, but eventually, he managed to move them outside the safe zone and behind some crumbled walls where a few zombies lurked. Once he dispatched the zombies, it was time for some looting.