The man named Berton snarled, eyes filled with confidence as he launched another punch. His dark-metal fists moved with unnatural speed and power, denting Rusty's armor with every blow. Rusty staggered, his towering form momentarily off balance, but he refused to yield. His armor groaned under the strain, but the metal that comprised his form began to shift, repairing the cracks before they became true injuries. His stock of iron had become extensive and he was only limited by the SP he could use in this battle.
‘Careful, Rusty. This guy's dangerous - he’s a lot stronger than the others and much more experienced.’
Alexander warned his metallic master, but Rusty already knew. This man wasn’t like the common thugs he had crushed earlier. He fought like someone who had seen plenty of battles, a true fighter, and his strange ability made him a tricky opponent. Yet, Rusty wasn’t new to these things, even the strongest ability had a weakness or would falter eventually.
The large man pressed his advantage, hurling a series of rapid punches that clanged against Rusty's body, each one reverberating like thunder through the chamber. The force of the blows forced Rusty to step back, his metal limbs struggling to absorb the damage. For a moment, he just covered himself up, protecting his helmet where his monster core was from the damage. His forearms were especially thick but they were still dented under the onslaught.
His iron shell groaned under the pressure, it was clear that this Goliath was relying on nothing but brute force. His current form was primed for defense, and Rusty pitted it against this assault. He patiently waited, his opponent grinning as if he was assured of his victory. He even stopped regenerating his body to push his opponent into an unfounded sense of superiority. Eventually, his metallic back slammed into this chamber's walls and it seemed as if the battle was lost.
‘Rusty, this guy is a Brawler, the skill he is using is only limited to his hands and legs, don’t give him enough space to perform more strikes.’
Alexander called out to him as the hits continued to fly and his body continued to give out. Rusty had faced monsters before that used their claws and teeth for attacking but never a true striker. However, his guide knew of one technique that was effective against them. The man was punching and kicking but he was still keeping some distance between them and there was a reason for it.
“I don’t know who sent ya, but you’ve crossed the wrong man!”
The man shouted, convinced of his impending victory, as he charged forward. However, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Rusty, who appeared to be a man encased in a suit of armor, had something up his sleeve that the man hadn’t anticipated. Just as the man's fist hurtled toward Rusty's head, the living armor did something unexpected - he grabbed his helmet and flung it into the air, revealing that there was no human inside.
“Huh?”
Berton hesitated, stunned by the realization that he was fighting a monster. But despite throwing his head into the air, Rusty's body didn't stop moving. He could control it without being physically connected and seized the moment of Berton’s hesitation to his advantage. His massive hands reached out and gripped his opponent, activating a skill he'd stolen from a zombie. His grip tightened with unnatural strength, and he could feel Berton’s wrists nearly snapping under the pressure.
“L-let go of me!”
Berton stammered but Rusty wasn't finished. He followed up by increasing the weight of his body. With a powerful push from his legs, he toppled the man while maintaining a firm hold on his wrists. Even this muscular warrior from the Goliath race couldn’t withstand the sudden increase in weight. Berton crashed to the ground, the rocks beneath them cracking under the force. Now pinned beneath Rusty's bulky frame, he found himself unable to move.
Although Rusty couldn’t control two metallic shells simultaneously, he had a few seconds of partial control before the switch would occur. Despite being separated from his body, the loadout system was still active. Once triggered, a new frame began to materialize from the helmet Rusty had tossed into the air, while the old shell clung tightly to his opponent. Though the skill-binding Berton would soon deactivate, Rusty still had a moment to act.
As his helmet flew upward, it shifted, and Rusty switched to his regular all-rounder form. With part of his torso and one arm already formed, he had enough to finish this. Sword in hand, he plummeted toward the man’s exposed head, aiming to end the fight. Berton’s eyes widened in sheer panic as he realized what was happening. The towering goliath, who had seemed so confident moments ago, was now immobilized under the sheer weight of Rusty's old armor shell. His darkened fists were being clamped down by an unmoving force and his strength was not enough to move out of the way.
The blade gleamed in the dim light, its sharp edge descending toward Berton's unprotected head. The man thrashed violently, his muscles bulging as he tried to break free, but the weight of the previous shell and the crushing hold Rusty maintained on his wrists made it impossible. For a moment, time stopped as Berton’s eye caught the blade's tip moving down as if in slow motion.
“N-no W-ait…”
His words were cut off by the sharp whoosh of Rusty’s blade slicing through the air, followed by a sickening crunch. The sword pierced through Berton’s skull with deadly precision, splitting his head open. His body jerked violently for a moment before going limp beneath the weight of Rusty’s discarded armor. The goliath’s eyes remained wide open, frozen in shock, as blood pooled beneath him.
Congratulations you have gained a level.
With the immediate threat neutralized, Rusty landed beside the lifeless form of Berton, his new body now fully solidified. He took a moment to assess the situation and reflect on his victory. The system's prompt informed him of the strong enemy’s departure. Despite his success, Rusty wasn’t sure if his actions had been entirely wise. After dispatching the four weaker foes, he could have retreated, but instead, he'd pressed forward, driven by an unusual sense of curiosity.
‘You did well, Rusty. If we’d been any slower, then this poor girl would have…’
Alexander didn’t finish the sentence, but Rusty understood the weight behind it. These people took such matters seriously. The act the man had been about to commit against his acquaintance was a grievous taboo in their society. It was something that should never happen, and yet, these beings of flesh seemed unable to fully control their darker urges. It was something that Rusty found baffling.
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‘A shame... He probably had some good skills.’
Rusty glanced down at the defeated Berton once more while retrieving his discarded shell, depositing it back into his storage system with a shake of his head. Berton had clearly been a person with a unique class. Perhaps he had possessed valuable abilities. The man’s proficiency with hand-to-hand combat had been admirable, and absorbing a passive skill to improve his own close-quarters fighting wouldn’t have been a bad outcome.
‘Does he at least have some coins?’
Rusty glanced at the nearly naked body of the defeated man. It didn’t seem like Berton had been carrying a coin purse. Members of the thieves' guild were known to stash most of their money in hidden locations, rather than carry it with them, especially when navigating these tunnels where anyone could be forced to pay a toll. There were likely some unspoken rules about not robbing each other too much, but such rules rarely applied to the strong.
‘Rusty, better switch to Albert. If that girl sees you in your current form, things could get troublesome.’
‘Ah, Okay.’
This wasn’t an issue for Rusty; he had planned to return to the guild in a form that allowed him to speak anyway. Odelette the Thief, his previous temporary companion, had advanced in her training and recently acquired the Rogue class. She had leveled up twice during their adventures and somehow gained the third later. Rusty had noticed that only individuals with at least two classes were permitted access to the underground area and its associated black market.
Name:
Odelette
Classification:
Thief L25, Rogue L1
Type:
Halfling
‘I bet the girl asked someone to vouch for her to gain access to the guild but she was fooled by these scumbags…’
Even now, Odelette remained dazed and out of it. While Rusty was immune to status effects, she appeared to be under the influence of something similar to the sleeping gas they'd encountered in the dungeon. As he looked at her, she seemed to be merely dozing off, completely unaware of the danger she had just narrowly escaped.
Rusty also found himself puzzled by the man’s choice of target. Berton, a member of the Goliath race, was more than twice her size, while Odelette was a Halfling, small and fragile by comparison. It was a peculiar combination that Rusty couldn’t quite understand.
‘Hey Rusty, that’s rude, you should not look at a lady in such way.’
‘In what way?’
‘Just put that blanket over her until she wakes up!’
Alexander was somewhat annoyed by the girl's uncovered body. Rusty had no sense of decency so looking at a half-naked woman wasn't something that registered as inappropriate to him. However, he respected Alexander's request and found a blanket nearby, draping it over Odelette's small, unconscious form. The blanket covered her completely due to her small stature and he was now free to look around this chamber.
‘Is there anything worthwhile here?’
First, he went through the man’s belongings but regretfully he was the type that didn’t use weapons. Rusty scanned the chamber, stepping over Berton's lifeless body with the heavy clank of his metal feet. The room was sparse, hastily set up, with minimal belongings scattered about. He knelt down by a small chest tucked into the corner, prying it open with ease. Inside were a few silver coins, a dull dagger, and what looked like a map scribbled with rough lines. It appeared to show a series of tunnels, possibly a layout of the city’s underground network.
‘This looks like the city map and those red scribbles might be other entrances into the sewers. That will come in handy.’
The map displayed several other entrances to these underground sewers. It depicted where some traps were and even other entrances to the black market they could take. Now that they caused a scene here, it would be better to leave and come back through a different pathway. Someone would certainly notice the dead bodies outside and one entrance was quite close to this location.
Rusty swiftly folded the map and tucked it into his spatial satchel. The chamber now felt eerily quiet, with Odelette’s breathing being the only thing to offset the silence. It seemed that whatever they gave her was quite potent as even after a loud battle she didn’t even move a muscle.
‘Can I just leave her here, she will be alright, right?’
He turned to Alexander, unsure whether he should involve himself further in Odelette's situation. She had been saved, and all her belongings remained untouched and not far from her sleeping body. The token of temporary thief guild membership was also there, likely something the group of thugs had given her to earn her trust. Rusty suspected that Aburdon would oppose helping her any further. From his perspective, leaving her behind would be the safest option as other groups might retaliate if they discovered he had disposed of their allies.
‘Just take her with us. She won’t slow you down. If that map is correct, we just need to backtrack and take the next fork to the left. We’ll emerge at a barn. If she hasn’t woken up by then, we can leave her there.’
Alexander, on the other hand, urged him to take her along. Truth be told, Rusty realized that her small size wouldn’t pose much of a problem. He was also aware of some of the social structures in this world. If he helped her now, the small woman would be indebted to him in the future. He saw this not just as an act of virtue but as a strategic investment - something his two guides might not fully appreciate.
While Alexander seemed eager for Rusty to help others without expecting rewards, Aburdon believed it was better to impose on others without offering anything in return. Rusty, however, felt that a balance between the two perspectives was ideal. If he gave something to someone, he expected a favor in return; investing in future help could prove beneficial. Since he was still new to the city, having people indebted to him seemed like a smart move.
After nodding in agreement, Rusty began gathering all the items that belonged to the Halfling. He found a small spatial bag and dark leather armor that would fit her perfectly. Once he collected everything that looked usable, he placed the items near her body and rolled them up in a large blanket along with her. With Odelette securely bundled in the blanket, Rusty hefted her onto his shoulder and began the cautious trek back through the sewers.
His metallic footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls, blending with the faint trickling of water beneath him. The stench of the underground seeped through the air, thick and humid, but Rusty remained unaffected. He conversed with Alexander who proved to be worse at reading maps than Aburdon. They passed the bodies of the men he defeated earlier and after grabbing their purses and weapons, he made his way out of the sewers.
Odelette remained unconscious throughout the journey. Occasionally, her small body shifted as Rusty walked, but she remained otherwise still, breathing softly beneath the blanket. Following Alexander’s guidance, Rusty took the left turn, which brought them closer to their destination - the hidden barn entrance. He inserted his coin into a concealed slot in the wall, which triggered the space to open, revealing a ladder. Slowly, he climbed up, eventually arriving at their new destination.
“Moooo…”
Rusty was greeted by an unfamiliar creature. For a moment, he thought it might be a threat, but the animal seemed slow and docile. It appeared uninterested in him. First, he carefully pushed the rolled-up blanket with Odelette in it through the opening, and then he climbed up himself, emerging into a large barn filled with farm animals. The pen he found himself in was occupied by cows, but in the distance, he could hear the clucking of chickens and even the soft neighing of horses.
Rusty's current armor housed Albert’s mummified body within. He eventually noticed that his friend was beginning to wake. They had made it out this time, but Rusty wasn’t sure if his actions would come back to haunt him. There was always the possibility that someone had seen him, and once he returned, his life could be in danger. Still, without selling the numerous weapons he had taken from the adventurers, saving Gleam might be impossible and for his friend, he would even put his own life in danger.