Rusty's gears turned in tension as he assessed the situation. The wiry man, clearly the leader of the trio, had a cruel smirk plastered on his face. He was draped in ragged but functional clothing, the kind that suggested he was no stranger to a rough life on the streets. His companions, both stockier and wearing mismatched armor, had the look of seasoned thugs who’d seen more than a few bar brawls.

‘Who are these people Alexander, what do they want from me?’

His instinct was to ask his guide for help. He was still a living armor monster that had no idea how people operated. The man he was impersonating was Albert, an F-rank adventurer. It was normal for some people to have known him before he died.

"They must be old acquaintances of Albert - probably not the friendly kind. Be careful, Rusty. They look like they could be part of the thieves' guild, or be rogue adventurers, first examine their status so we might get a better idea of what we are dealing with. If this is what it is, they probably want money. Perhaps Albert had borrowed some money, this could be troublesome…”

Rusty straightened up, his metal frame creaking as he faced the men. He activated his identification skills and was able to peek at their basic levels and classes.

Name:

Var

Classification:

Thief L21

Type:

Human

Name:

Ethan

Classification:

Fighter L18

Type:

Human/Orc

Name:

Normann

Classification:

Fighter L17

Type:

Human

The information from Rusty's identification skills confirmed Alexander's suspicions. These men were low-level adventurers or criminals, perhaps seeking to exploit Albert's previous misfortunes. The wiry man was called Var and he had the thief class. The two that were with him were both fighters and one seemed to be a half-orc.

‘Their levels are relatively low compared to mine…’

While Rusty had recently undergone a new evolution and his level was low, monster levels functioned differently than human levels. Humans wouldn't change their forms as monsters did; instead, they would gain new classes. Each class had its limits, which were identified during the identification process. Rusty had gone through three evolutions, amounting to more than thirty-five levels. In theory, he was much stronger than anyone here.

‘I wonder what these guys want, I hope Albert didn’t have some type of gambling addiction, otherwise, this could go badly…’

Alexander noted a possibility while Rusty wondered what a gambling addiction was. Var, the thief, seemed to be the leader, while Ethan and Normann, the two fighters, served as muscle. The man who was partially orc was taller than the rest and had more pronounced muscles and the last one was somewhat average.

Var’s smirk widened as he noticed Rusty’s hesitation. He pushed himself off the wall, taking a casual step closer, his hands resting lightly on the hilts of the twin daggers strapped to his belt. The two fighters flanked him, their eyes fixed on Rusty with the kind of hunger that predators reserved for cornered prey.

“Albert, I know you’re in that tin can, you can’t fool me, I’d recognize that sniveling voice anywhere.”

Var strutted forward, his voice dripping with false familiarity.

“You’ve been gone for quite some time. We thought maybe you’d skipped town, forgotten about your little… obligations. But here you are, back in the flesh. So, what’s it gonna be? You planning to settle up with us, or are we gonna have to get… persuasive?”

Rusty's metallic body tensed as he struggled to decide what to do. It seemed that Albert owed these people some sort of debt, or at least, that’s how they saw it. He might have borrowed money from them or perhaps taken something that didn’t belong to him. Either way, Rusty found himself in a precarious situation, one he would prefer to avoid. Since coins appeared to be highly valued in this world of adventurers, he decided to try bartering.

“How much… Do you want?”

Var chuckled darkly, exchanging glances with his two companions. The sound was low and mocking, as if the idea of negotiation amused him.

"How much, you ask?"

Var moved, taking another step closer, his voice oozing with sarcasm. One of his blades moved up in a strange motion that Rusty didn’t understand. For some reason he started licking the blade before speaking further.

"Oh, Albert, you've been away so long, you’ve forgotten how deep in the hole you are. You see, it’s not just about the coin anymore. You owe us for time, for interest, and for the inconvenience of having to track you down. But since you’re so eager to settle… let’s say fifty gold pieces. Up front. That should suffice right boys?"

‘Fifty gold pieces? Is this thief insane?’

‘Is that a lot?’

Rusty asked Alexander who seemed offended by the sum the man presented.

‘Of course it is, they are clearly lying or this Albert was a true moron to get himself into it… Well, considering where he ended up he very might have been…’

Var smiled at the two other goons that just started laughing. It was clear that these three wanted to get something from him and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“What? Goblin got your tongue? Do you not have enough? Don’t worry if

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Rusty stood frozen, his metal frame rattling slightly as the weight of the situation pressed down on him. He probably didn’t have fifty golden pieces as most of his coins were copper and silver. These thugs were clearly trying to take advantage of him.

‘Rusty, stay calm. They’re bluffing to some extent. We can’t give them what they want and they probably know it.’

‘If they know it then what do they want from me?’

Before Alexander could answer the leader brandished his dagger in front of his face to the extent of poking his metal helmet.

“This armor looks too good for you, it will probably go for a few gold coins, it should be a good start… take it off?”

“You want my armor?”

“Hah, look at this guy, he thinks this is the only thing that we want.”

Var chuckled while looking back to his men who just nodded.

He could feel the situation slipping out of control. The thieves were clearly intent on taking more than just money from him, and their leering expressions made it obvious they wouldn’t leave without getting something valuable. This was starting to annoy him; all he wanted was to summon his guides and discuss Gleam's situation. He wasn’t Albert, and Albert’s debts weren’t his. The armor he wore couldn’t be removed, as it would reveal the dead body inside.

Var, their ringlider, was getting uncomfortably close and seemed oddly at ease while scratching his armor. This was something Rusty had painstakingly worked on in the Soul Forge and wasn’t about to relinquish to some low-level thug. Alexander suggested that he should temporarily back away since they didn’t have enough information, but Rusty was becoming increasingly enraged. The fact that he couldn’t immediately save Gleam had already made him angry, and he refused to be intimidated by this peculiar individual.

“Huh?”

The thief paused as he noticed that he couldn’t move his hand. Rusty hand used his metallic gauntlet to just grab the dagger the man was using. His power was cleary above his opponents so even when Var attempted to pull it back, he found himself unable to. Then to make things worse, a metallic helmet made its way towards his face and collided straight with his nose.

“Argghh…”

A string of blood flew up as Rusty headbutted Ver away The room erupted into chaos as Var stumbled backward, clutching his nose, his eyes wide with surprise and pain. Ethan and Normann, taken aback by the sudden escalation, moved to draw their weapons, their expressions shifting from amused to alarmed.

Luck was on his side, as the inn was built in a minimalist fashion with barely enough space for two people to stand side by side in the narrow corridor. The men were on the larger side, so with their arms spread out, they needed to approach him one by one. Rusty took advantage of this and readied his shield. Seizing the opportunity, he bashed his shield into the leader, who was unprepared for his victim to fight back.

“You bas…argg….”

Var's chest almost caved in as Rusty's shield connected with it. The wiry man was shoved backward into the half-orc henchman, who tried to stabilize him. A contest of strength ensued, with the two men pushing Var from the other side in an attempt to topple Rusty. However, with his current evolution, Rusty's stats far outmatched those of the two fighters, who were now being pushed back.

Var, though initially confident, was now in a state of shock and pain. The headbutt had left him reeling, and the clash with Rusty's shield had only made matters worse. Eventually, the group of three were pushed away and tumbled together to the ground. Var shook his head and instantly went for his nose that had been broken by the collision with the iron helmet. However, just as he was about to get up a pointy sword found its way towards his eyes. There he saw the person he was trying to extort, ready to take his life.

“W-wait!”

‘Don’t do it Rusty!’

Rusty responded while glancing down at his foes. He could easily sink his sword through the man’s skull and be done with it. The other two men behind him weren’t a problem either and they didn’t seem too eager to confront him either. The only reason that he stopped himself was Alexander’s warning.

‘You can’t kill people openly in the city without reasonable cause, if the guards get here your identity will probably be revealed, just let these scumbags go for now, they probably won’t be coming back.’

“... Leave if you don’t want to die.”

The thugs quickly realized they were outmatched and that their target had undergone several level-ups. In a world where power was determined by levels, resisting would be unwise. Var was sent flying by another shield bash, crashing into the wall. His back slammed against a wooden beam with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. He slumped to the floor, dazed.

“I’m not … going to repeat myself… leave!”

Rusty did his best thug impression while repeating the words that Alexander whispered to him. The two men looked at each other and then quickly helped their leader up to his feet. They let him lean on their shoulders while quickly retreating, their previous bravado replaced with fear. Var, still clutching his broken nose and gasping for air, glared at Rusty with hatred but also disbelief. Blood trickled between his fingers, but the look in his eyes made it clear that he knew they were beaten.

"You'll regret this, don’t think that this is over!”

Var hissed, his voice muffled by his injured nose.

"You think this is over? We'll be back, and next time, you won't be so lucky."

“I won’t?”

Rusty replied while taking a step towards them. Instantly, the three took off running as if a flesh-eating monster was after them. Rusty didn’t bother to follow but instead put his sword back into the scabbard and the shield onto his back from where he previously took it.

‘People are strange… was it really wise to let them go? They even said that they will be back…’

‘Don’t worry, Rusty. All low-level criminals talk big, but as long as we stick to the main streets, they probably won’t do anything rash. They likely only tried this because Albert was an easy target. They can’t afford to cause a scene in the inn either, so we just need to be careful from now on.’

‘If you say so…’

“But for now, let’s head back to the room. We don’t want to draw any more attention than we already have.”

As they spoke, a few doors creaked open, and some curious onlookers began to peek out. Rusty turned away from the escaping thugs, his footsteps echoing down the narrow corridor as he made his way back to the room. The onlookers quickly averted their gaze as he passed by, not wanting to get involved in whatever had just transpired.

Once inside the room, Rusty closed the door behind him, the noise of the latch clicking into place a welcome sound of temporary safety. The dim light from the small window cast long shadows across the floor, and the stillness of the room reminded him of the dungeon. He was now in Albert’s old room and could finally relax.

‘You handled that well, Rusty, but you need to be more cautious, don’t just attack start attacking before knowing everything.’

‘Hah, don’t listen to him Rusty, You should have at least gouged out that impudent swine's eye out. Now they will think you’re weak, they might even try to use a child to get closer to you before they stab you in the back!’

‘What nonsense are you spouting? Don’t listen to him, Rusty.’

Once Rusty was inside of the room he sat down on the lone bed and called Aburdon out. His second guide had seen the whole scene play out and from his perspective, Rusty had been too lenient.

‘You need to strike fear into the hearts of men! You can not show any weakness in these situations!’

‘Showing mercy isn’t weakness.’

‘Hah, this is why you were betrayed by your ally's hero!’

‘So? You were abandoned by yours!’

‘Do you two always have to argue…’

Even though he was a monster who didn’t feel any fatigue, the whole situation involving Gleam was exhausting. He had no idea what he should do or where to even start. This auction that they were speaking of seemed like the last hope but perhaps there were other ways of going around everything.

‘It’s just part of our charm Rusty, so what do you wish to know?’

‘Explain to me what this auction is and how am I supposed to save Gleam from it!’

‘I’ll leave that to you, little hero.’

Alexander didn’t respond to Aburdon’s taunts and instead started explaining everything.

‘Just like the name states, it’s an auction, but this one is far from ordinary. It's an event where the rich and powerful gather to bid on rare items, creatures, and sometimes even people. These auctions are sometimes secretive, illegal, and usually well-guarded. The only way to access such an event is through a fee of probably a golden coin. Once we are inside, we will have to wait until Gleam shows up and bid for her with the money you have…’

‘So it comes down to these coins? How many do I need?’

‘As many as you can get.’

Rusty nodded and quickly accessed his inventory, retrieving every copper, silver, and gold coin he had managed to gather. With the help of his two guides, he counted the coins several times. Judging by their reactions, it was clear that this amount wouldn't be nearly enough to bid on something as valuable as a Gleaming Mana Ant, he would need to get more…