A massive armored figure began to move, the sound of its metal joints echoing through the chamber like a death knell. Its movements were deliberate and heavy, each step resonating with power. Rusty could see that this creature was not like the other living armors he had faced. This one exuded a strange aura that he had not seen before.

This was the first dungeon boss he had encountered, and even though the hero had warned him about the dangers of such beings, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. This was the challenge he had been seeking, the key to his next evolution. His level was now fourteen, and this monster would probably be enough to push him through the threshold.

“My luck wasn’t good. I would have probably reached a higher level if it wasn’t for those adventurers. But at least, they can’t follow me here.”

Rusty knew that once a person was inside a boss chamber, it was impossible for anyone else to enter. Unless the adventurers chasing him had some digging tools, he would have time to dispatch this monster, reach the next evolution, and then either run away or confront his pursuers once he was stronger. The month was almost up, and this seemed to be the limit. If he didn’t make it out of this battle, all of his planning would have been for nothing.

“Is that going to be my next form? It looks a bit disfigured…”

Classification:

Iron Armor Knight [ E+ ] L15

Type:

Magical/Specter

Description:

A living armor monster, its armor is much heavier than regular Iron Armor’s.

There wasn’t much detail in the description, but the monster’s form was undeniably intimidating. It outsized Rusty in both height and width, its thick, reinforced plating suggesting it was built for both offense and defense. It held a massive greatsword with ease; the blade looked more like a slab of metal than a sword. The edge didn’t appear too sharp, but something that heavy would certainly penetrate through Rusty’s slashing resistance.

“Time to see what you’re made of and if all that skill training was worth it…”

Rusty muttered, tightening his grip on his mace. The battle would not be easy, but he was ready. His enemy was the same type of monster as him, which didn’t bode well. The floor boss was larger and heavier, attributes that usually determined victory between living armor types. However, Rusty wasn’t just a simple living armor; he had brains to complement his brawn. If he used what he had learned throughout these months, then victory could be his.

As the Iron Armor Knight advanced, Rusty activated his inventory to take out the correct armaments for this situation. The mace would be a good offensive weapon for this type of enemy as it was weak to blunt damage. To his left side he held his bronze shield tightly and would use it just like he did against the other living armors. The plan was simple, block with the shield and hit with the mace, what could go wrong?

The Knight finally approached and swung its greatsword in a wide arc, aiming to cleave Rusty in two. In response, Rusty raised his shield to block the incoming hit, just as he had done many times with other living armor monsters. Once he withstood the hit, there would be a window of opportunity to strike back. His mace just needed to connect with the enemy's knee joint. Once this was mangled, the boss would be unable to move quickly, and the battle would be won.

This was the plan in Rusty’s metallic head. To his surprise, it didn’t quite go as he had foreseen. Once the large slab of iron connected with his shield, he was sent flying to the side. The immense force behind the Iron Armor Knight's strike sent him crashing into a nearby pillar. His shield, while having absorbed much of the impact, was now bent and rendered almost useless. Without even looking at his system screen, he could tell that even though the shield had absorbed a large portion of the hit, he still lost some of his HP.

‘This won’t be as straightforward as I thought…’

Rusty pushed himself upright, his metallic body groaning in protest. He quickly discarded the damaged shield by throwing it in the direction of the charging iron knight. His opponent didn’t seem to mind as the bronze just bounce off without halting his charge in the slightest. While holding the sword with both hands it produced another wide slash, which this time around Rusty ducked. He sought protection behind one of the rocky pillars but this also didn’t suppress his opponent much.

The moment the huge greatsword connected with the pillar, it blew right past it. Chunks of rock pelted his bronze body as he continued to back away. His opponent was on the offensive and not giving him any openings that he could exploit. Rusty realized he needed a different approach. Relying on brute force alone wouldn't work against a foe that outmatched him in strength and size.

Something like this was easier said than done. His opponent would certainly not give him any time to reorganize himself. The Iron Armor Knight was hot on his heels and another pillar burst open. Rusty ducked again and realized that these stone slabs would not be able to protect him from this enemy. It was as if someone placed them here to be nothing but a trap.

Soon, more and more of the rocky pillars were gone, and Rusty hadn't even hit the other armor once. Both of them lacked a stamina bar, so waiting for the monster to tire was pointless. Eventually, he would not have any cover left to protect him; before that happened, he needed to strike.

‘I’ll get only one chance, I need to make it count.’

With only one pillar left standing, Rusty made up his mind and devised a plan. Even though the monster was blowing through the rough stones, they were halting its momentum. If he timed it right, he could knock his enemy off balance and launch a counterattack. To make this happen, he activated his inventory and took out a large iron tower shield he had previously taken from one of the other living armors. With it, he hoped to turn his plan into reality.

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While the monster was strong and could obliterate the environment with its huge sword, Rusty had noticed some weaknesses. To exploit one of its shortcomings, he needed the large shield and good timing. Holding the shield at the edge of the pillar, he waited for the right moment.

‘...Now!’

He shouted in his mind as the monster attacked the last column in the throne room. Normally, the monster would just cause it to crumble into dust again, but this time, there was another obstruction. Rusty utilized the large shield along with his shield bash skill, targeting not the monster but its blade tip instead. Once the greatsword collided with the pillar, its momentum slowed, allowing Rusty to perform a perfect parry without being pushed back. His body’s weight increased as otherwise, he would have been pushed back once again.

The tower shield collided with the sword, and Rusty could feel his body buckling under the pressure. Despite the force behind the enemy's strike, he managed to hold his ground, using his shield and skill to absorb and redirect the attack's momentum. The collision created a resounding clang that echoed through the grand chamber, causing a momentary pause in the relentless onslaught of the Iron Armor Knight.

Finally, the greatsword was flung back along with the monster holding it, and the time for his counterattack had come. He discarded the tower shield by throwing it at the stumbling monster. Both hands gripping his mace, Rusty aimed a precise power strike at the Iron Armor Knight’s knee joint. While aiming at its monster core within the helmet was an option, the monster’s arms were raised to protect it. Just like him, each living armor had instincts to protect their helmet from harm, and targeting its legs was the better choice.

The heavy mace connected with a satisfying crunch, but one hit was not enough to shatter the knee joint. The monster staggered back, its reinforced armor absorbing most of the impact. It used its large blade as a crutch and tried to regain its balance, but Rusty was unwilling to relent. With calculated precision, he swung his mace again and again, as many times as it took to shatter the joint. Even when the monster used its large fist to smack him away, he would not relent.

Rusty's repeated strikes finally bore fruit. With a final, resounding crack, the knee joint of the Iron Armor Knight gave way. The massive creature staggered, unable to support its own weight, and collapsed onto one knee. Rusty didn't waste a moment. He knew this was his best, and possibly only, chance to finish the fight.

He quickly maneuvered behind the fallen knight, where the greatsword couldn't easily reach him. The Iron Armor Knight swung its sword wildly, but the blows were erratic and lacked the precision needed to hit the nimble bronze suit of armor. Rusty darted around it, continuously hitting its body with his active skills. Even when his mace shattered, he just restored it and continued.

With each powerful blow, more cracks formed in the knight's armor. The greatsword flailed desperately, but the knight's movements grew slower and more uncoordinated as the damage accumulated. Rusty knew that if he was hit even once or grabbed by its large hands, the whole battle could shift in the monster’s favor.

His tactic might have been considered cowardly but it was effective. The monster’s helmet eventually flew upwards after one coordinated swing in an attempt to expose its core and end this. However, soon a problem arose as the monster core that should have been there, was nowhere to be seen.

‘Does it have that skill to move the monster core?’

Rusty knew that such skills existed, but it was also possible that this type of Knight armor variant had its core in a different location. Without knowing where to hit, this battle would become increasingly more difficult. He backed away from the chaotic swings, but the monster crawled after him. Its attack power and mobility had decreased, but even with one hand, a large greatsword like that was a deadly weapon.

‘Where is that core hiding… wait, I still have one of those left; I should use it!’

The monster was now without a head and flailing around wildly. Rusty was forced to back away as moving in close was dangerous. Victory could only be achieved once the core was destroyed, and he had one option left. His light and darkness elements were ineffective against living armors. Even if he blasted light inside its head, it would probably not crumble the core inside. Instead, he would use a different explosive solution in the form of a yellow potion bottle.

‘If this fails, I’ll probably only have one other option, and it would be better not to.’

After making up his mind, he charged forward. First, to make use of his opponent's lack of a helmet, he threw his mace at its body. The monster reacted instantly after being hit and started smacking the area the weapon came from. It hit nothing but air and stone tiles while Rusty circled around it with the potion in his hand. Then, with a precise throw, he launched it into the living armor’s chest cavity through the opening left by the helmet.

The potion, once inside, instantly exploded and turned the monster’s interior into a furnace. Smoke and flames erupted from the monster. Its arms popped off in a comedic fashion and flew to the sides. Rusty wanted to cheer, but something was wrong. Despite the explosion, the monster was still moving. The arms and helmet started to be pulled back as his enemy finally decided to use its limb-controlling skill.

He couldn't allow the monster to reform itself, so he charged forward with a longsword instead. Once he reached the injured body of the Iron Knight, he began searching for the core inside. The smoke made it hard to locate, and the monster still had its legs. Even with his weight skill active, it was challenging to hold the creature down, but eventually, he found the core, right below the waistline and between the monster’s legs. It was a strange place for a monster core, but there it was.

With all his might, he thrust his blade through the neck opening, carefully aiming for the spot he had identified. The blade pierced through and found its mark, driving deep into the core. Rusty felt a sudden vibration from within the monster’s body, which soon passed as the monster’s body dropped. The arms and helmet that had almost reached it crumbled to the ground with a resounding clang. The battle was over.

Congratulations you have gained a level.

You have reached the level limit, please choose a path forward.

There it was; he had reached the final level and was now ready to advance toward his next evolution. While he had achieved victory, there was no time to relax as he was not quite safe yet. Now that the dungeon boss was defeated, the path to this place would open, and those adventurers would certainly appear. He was unsure of what to do, as he spending time in the soul forge would put him at risk.

“Time flows slower here than in the forge, but how much slower?”

It would be quite unfortunate if the adventurers discovered his unmoving body while he was trying to evolve. Before he could go through with this, he needed to find a safe location. Soon after the defeat of his enemy, he heard a strange click coming from afar. The throne chair started to slide sideways, revealing a ladder leading down into another location.

“Is this the path towards the next floor?”

Just as this new path opened up, another one that had been shut tight started moving. The large doors blocking access to the chamber were creaking apart. It was clear he needed to think fast, as his previous pursuers were right behind him. Would he go down these stairs into a potential dead end or a new monster-infested floor? Or would he try to evolve quickly and face the adventurers first?

He looked at the ladder, then at the slowly opening doors. He could hear the distant clanking of the adventurers' armor and their muffled voices, growing louder as they neared the chamber…