Chapter 219 – Crystal Hunt.

Rusty slowed his steps and raised a hand. Gleam immediately froze beside him, her antennae twitching.

“( ╹-╹ )…”

“Better not get too close. Some of those adventurers probably have high-level detection skills.”

While he was not planning on attacking anyone in the dungeon just yet, he was unsure how people would react to a lone adventurer emerging from the shadows. He knew from experience that the morality humans displayed in open cities often vanished the moment they entered a dungeon.

They crept forward until the tunnel widened enough to give them a clear view of the next chamber. Rusty pressed himself against a crystal-studded outcropping and peered around it. Gleam scuttled up his shoulder and settled there, her silvery white body blending almost perfectly with the pale glow of the cavern.

What they saw made Rusty’s visor widen with interest. A group of five adventurers was locked in battle at the center of the chamber. Judging by their equipment, posture, and coordination, they were all D rank.

“Poor formation. Mediocre gear. Overconfident.”

Aburdon’s voice echoed inside Rusty’s helmet, his dark glow emanating from one side of the visor.

“They are alive, though. They seem to be managing.”

Alexander replied quietly as they continued to observe the fight.

“They aren’t that bad… but neither…good.”

Rusty had only recently evolved and grown stronger, reaching the middle of D rank himself. Even so, as he watched the way they moved and fought, he was convinced that he could have defeated the entire group even in his previous form.

The monster they were fighting was unlike anything Rusty had seen before. It resembled a massive lizard, roughly the size of two horses standing side by side. What made it truly interesting were the crystals erupting from its flesh. Jagged growths of blue and violet crystal burst from its shoulders, spine, and tail, as if the creature had grown around them rather than the other way around. Each movement produced faint chiming echoes as the crystals brushed against one another.

Its scales were dark and matte, absorbing light instead of reflecting it and making the glowing crystal growths stand out even more. Mana pulsed visibly through the veins inside the crystals, flashing brighter as the creature grew more enraged. As the battle dragged on and it sustained more injuries, the glow continued to intensify.

“It’s around the strength of that bear, but not quite.”

After reading the description, he was intrigued. These were not ordinary reptilian monsters, but creatures that stored vast amounts of mana. They seemed similar to Gleam, and that resemblance quickly became obvious as the adventurers jumped back to protect themselves.

The massive lizard thrashed about, releasing mana from the crystals embedded in its body. The result was a dazzling light show, with small beams of energy shooting in every direction. To make matters worse, the beams began to bounce off the dungeon walls.

“It’s as if the dungeon is helping that big lizard!”

Rusty commented as he took in the adventurers’ predicament. Some were grazed by the attack, but fortunately, the beams were not that powerful, and each refraction weakened them further. Even so, it was an assault that would likely eradicate F and E-ranked adventurers and monsters alike.

He continued watching the fight. It seemed that the best tactic against these monsters was to shatter the crystals protruding from their bodies with heavy weapons. Two fighters in the party focused solely on that task, one smashing the growths with a large mace while the other wielded a two-handed great hammer. Once enough damage was dealt, the monster’s magical output dropped, making it much easier to target.

“It seems to have some kind of lesser mana veil surrounding its scales. Best be careful of that, my dear Rusty.”

Aburdon commented as Rusty slowly moved away from the area. The battle was coming to an end, and he did not want the adventurers to think he was waiting for the right moment to strike. Still, his research continued, as there were other parties farther ahead.

He crouched and peered through a curtain of crystal growths that jutted from the wall like frozen flames. Beyond them was another chamber, smaller than the last but more dangerous. This time, the adventurer party was actually losing.

A group of four D-rank adventurers had formed a loose semicircle, their breathing ragged, armor scorched and chipped. At the center of the chamber stood something that barely resembled a creature at all.

The monster was enormous, taller than his Goliath form, and the group fighting it was struggling. There were five of them, but the one who looked like an archer appeared to be down. It seemed the group had been attacked from behind, as their formation was odd and disorganized. They were packed far too closely together, and the fighters were having difficulty keeping the monster away from their physically weaker party members.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Maybe we should help them, Rusty…”

Alexander called out to him, but Aburdon instantly dismissed the idea.

“Why should we do that? It would be far better to wait and let that creature dispose of them. Then we can pocket their equipment and resources.”

As always, the two disagreed, and Rusty was left to decide whose opinion to follow. From what he could see, the group was struggling against a slow-moving yet powerful monster. If they had not started off on the wrong foot, they were probably capable of defeating it, but as things stood, they were about to be steamrolled.

“Hm… I do not really want to waste much time on this…”

In truth, Rusty did not care much either way, as he had his own plans. There was no real reason to use underhanded tactics against either the adventurers or the monster they were fighting. His monster rank had reached a proper D rank, and even if he simply walked over there, he would likely be victorious against all of them.