Chapter 02 – Your Skill Is Mine.

Three adventurers burst into a spacious chamber teeming with low-level monsters. The skirmish commenced as they swiftly dismantled an undead skeleton, triggering a small wave of other creatures to surge toward them. Despite being outnumbered, they showed no signs of perturbation in the face of adversity. As they advanced through the corridor, a fourth member of their party emerged before them. A woman, clad in light leather armor, had concealed herself from the creatures, clinging to the wall unnoticed.

“What’s wrong, you gave us the signal?”

“We have a problem.”

“What happened?”

One of the adventurers asked the woman who descended from the wall with a somewhat annoyed tone.

“One of those things ate the leaf.”

“It ate the leaf?”

“Yes, I told you that it ate it, so it ate it! It’s one of those living armor things!”

The adventurers exchanged glances, a mix of confusion and intrigue painted on their faces. They had encountered various monsters in dungeons before, but the idea of a living suit of armor consuming something was beyond their usual experiences.

“Are you sure? Living armor that eats vitality leaves?”

“I’m telling you, it happened! It picked up the leaf and put it in its helmet, and then the leaf disappeared inside!”

The adventurers redirected their attention to the open chamber, where a rusty suit of armor stood. The creature appeared to be observing them, its visor emitting an almost inquisitive vibe. It was encircled by various skeletal monsters and a few others of its kind, but it was the sole one that remained stationary, distinguishing itself from the advancing pack of creatures.

“Well, we can’t let it go. That leaf is crucial for our mission, and we need to complete it to get the money. Let’s take care of the undead first; try not to damage that rusty armor monster. Those leaves are delicate.”

The leader of the group who seemed to be the human clad in worn-out armor shouted out some orders while the other three nodded. The adventurers quickly formulated a strategy, efficiently dispatching the oncoming small horde of monsters while ensuring they avoided harming the peculiar living armor. Unbeknownst to them, the corroded suit of armor kept his eye on them, intrigued by how they behaved. The way they moved, coordinated, and fought together was quite fascinating.

‘Is this called strategy? The way they move seems to be with purpose…’

Rusty, the living armor, was among the group of monsters in this large dungeon chamber. Initially appearing ordinary, they cleverly utilized the rubble to their advantage. The adventurers observed how they strategically manipulated the environment, compelling the monsters to approach in a specific manner and avoiding confrontations with more than one or two at a time. Clearly, they were using the surroundings to prevent getting surrounded, something that seemed unfavorable.

Despite an initial urge to charge in mindlessly, Rusty managed to restrain himself from attacking the group of living beings. His previous encounter had imparted some valuable experience, leading him to believe that repeating the same tactic would yield similar results. Instead, he chose to observe while his more impulsive allies risked their lives. Eventually, an idea began to form in his mind. What if he used the same environment to his advantage and approached the group from somewhere the other monsters weren’t?

As the battle between the adventurers and the monsters unfolded, Rusty adeptly navigated through the shadows, applying his newfound understanding of strategy. Amidst the noise of clashing weapons, monster roars, and occasional shouts from the coordinating adventurers, the screeching sound produced by Rusty’s corroded armor went unnoticed. Stealthily advancing through the chaos, he approached the group from an unexpected angle. The adventurers, engrossed in the ongoing battle, appeared to overlook the lone suit of armor, which seemed indistinguishable from many others.

While Rusty got closer, he began to analyze the adventurers’ skills and tactics. The one in worn-out armor exhibited remarkable strength and durability, deflecting attacks with a well-worn sword. The archer with elongated ears showed incredible accuracy and agility, effortlessly dodging incoming strikes while firing arrows with precision. The shorter member of the party wielded a massive Warhammer, delivering powerful blows that could crush bones and armor alike.

‘KILL!’

His mind surged with animosity toward the group of four, the internal voice making it increasingly difficult to focus until it became unbearable. Sword in hand, Rusty finally succumbed to the urges and leaped out from behind a thick, collapsed pillar. Though his initial plan had been to take his time and approach while his brethren kept the adventurers busy, even with this hasty approach, he successfully closed the gap.

“Huh? Watch out!”

The leader of the adventurers called out to the long-eared person that Rusty was targeting. The man in worn-out armor swiftly positioned himself between Rusty and the elven individual. In this impulsive leap, Rusty felt a surge of excitement as he tightly gripped his sword with both hands and swung downward. Instinctively activating his skill, Basic Power Slash, a red glow enveloped his weapon. The speed of the downward swing hastened, and he sensed the weight increasing. This was his opportunity to defeat his enemy.

His opponent hastily raised his sword to guard, and Rusty’s sword connected. The man, slightly off balance and caught off guard by the surprise attack, couldn’t fully block the corroded weapon. Rusty experienced a sense of achievement, envisioning his sword connecting with the man’s shoulder and cleanly severing it. However, there was a crucial factor he hadn’t taken into account – the durability of the weapon he was wielding.

‘Eh?’

The adventurer leader wore a worn-out suit of armor that protected critical parts of his body, including the shoulder Rusty had targeted. At the moment Rusty’s sword connected with this metallic armor, the weapon gave out. Instead of witnessing the man’s shoulder being torn to pieces, the corroded sword was shattered. The only evidence left behind was an indentation where Rusty’s Power Slash had landed.

“Shitty piece of armor!”

His opponent seethed with rage; although the hit didn’t penetrate, the leader of the adventurers felt sharp pain emanating from the afflicted shoulder. Now without a weapon, Rusty attempted to tackle his enemy. However, just like before, a boot landed on his chest plate, propelling him back toward the collapsed pillar where he had been hiding. Despite the heightened stats from gaining the title, he was unable to react in time. As his back collided with the rubble, some of his armor pieces scattered to the sides.

“This is getting annoying, let’s clean these fuckers up!”

The battle continued with more vigor as the adventurers took it a bit more seriously now. It was impossible for the low-level monsters to even land one good hit on the party of four. The difference in skill, experience and power was too drastic, there was no way that the monsters could win. Even if they outnumbered the party five to one, they all fell after getting hit once or twice.

Rusty struggled to stand amidst the scattered armor pieces. Missing a leg and an arm, with some of the other plates fallen off, he found himself unable to reassemble as the connections between the pieces were lost. Before he could react, another blow struck his body, this time delivered by the shortest adventurer wielding a big Warhammer.

“Hey, be careful, one of them has the leaf inside.”

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The slender one from the group shouted at the stocky one, who didn’t seem to care that much. Soon the battle was over, with the adventurers emerging victorious against the remaining monsters. The chamber, once teeming with undead creatures and living armors, now echoed with the sounds of heavy breathing and the clinking of weapons being sheathed.

“Hah, that could have gone better, is everyone alright?”

“Aye.”

“Indeed.”

As the dust settled, the adventurers regrouped, assessing the situation. The leader, still nursing his injured shoulder, shifted his focus to the battered living armors they intentionally didn’t fully destroy. His attention honed in on one lying next to a pillar, exhibiting a hammer-shaped hole through its chest.

“That vitality leaf better be in one of these damn armors…”

Frustration marked the leader’s tone, aggravated by the injury to his shoulder. He then turned to the woman who had been in the chamber beforehand, noticing her annoyance with what he was insinuating.

“What? You don’t believe me? Why would I lie?”

The leader sighed, acknowledging the glare from his party member. Nonetheless, still seething from the encounter, he chose to vent his frustration on the armor that had caused him pain. With one smooth kick, the helmet went flying to the side and landed between the legs of the female party member. She picked it up, still frowning.

At this point, Rusty had not been slain, and could feel a strange sensation inside his broken body. The leader of the adventurers had thrust his hand through the hole, searching for the leaf that Rusty had swallowed. However, something else occupied Rusty’s thoughts as he came to a realization – he was extremely weak. The gap in power and speed against these humanoid creatures was insurmountable. Even after sneaking up and activating his strongest skill, he couldn’t inflict any serious damage on his opponent.

The situation was profoundly disheartening for the young monster, unsure of what course of action to take. Given a body and a set of skills that weren’t particularly impressive, Rusty experienced a peculiar feeling within his core, yet couldn’t fully comprehend it. The desire to become stronger and achieve victory welled up within him, but the path forward remained unclear. The situation felt increasingly hopeless, and a sense of impending demise lingered, reminiscent of his previous defeat.

“There it is… you were actually right…”