Chapter 220 – Guide Armor.

*SHHHZZ*

The sounds of crystals shattering resounded through the large cavern as another crystal covered golem crumbled to the ground. In front of him stood a large suit of armor, wielding a massive two-handed hammer, a weapon usually too big to be practical in underground dungeons with so little room to maneuver.

“There goes another one, Gleam. We are really getting a good haul this time around.”

“( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و”

Gleam landed atop the crystal-covered golem and wiggled her antennae. Before it was fully dead, she chomped down on one of the remaining crystals.

“Does it taste good?”

“(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)”

She nodded and continued to nibble and chomp. Even though the crystals on monsters and along the walls lost their mana rather quickly, it still gave Gleam enough time to eat them. This place solved his partner’s feeding problem, since she had previously been forced to sustain herself on diluted mana water and mana potions instead. Gleam still preferred the texture of crystals and other gems, so this cavern was perfect for her diet.

“That should be enough, Rusty. We should head back and fashion my… I mean our new forms.”

Aburdon’s light flickered within his helmet as impatience set in. They had been hunting monsters in these caverns for nearly a full day, and Rusty had used up all of his SP storing them. When it came to skill absorption, there had been no reaction from the lizards, and the golems he fought had no true heads, only crystals jutting out from their upper torsos.

His storage was now filled with various gleaming minerals, and he was not entirely sure what their purpose was. Thanks to his desynthesis ability, he could process an entire body more precisely than any adventurer, which meant he had to be careful. If he appeared with something that could not normally be obtained as a drop, it would raise questions.

He still remembered the fuss people made over a weaker adventurer party he had helped escape. They had discovered a rare drop and were subsequently hunted for it. If he showed that he had acquired too much, people would likely target him as well. He had already robbed the mercenaries recently, and people were on edge, searching for the perpetrators.

It was best to remain unseen until he reached higher levels, because even now, his D rank power was not enough. Monsters like the Orc leader roamed the lands, and there was also the humanoid army within the city. He was still far too weak. Perhaps when he reached C rank, his time would come, but for now, he needed to avoid being discovered at all costs, since fleeing would be his only option.

“Yeah, I think this is enough. Let’s head back.”

“( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و”

Gleam hopped onto his shoulder, and the two departed. This section of the dungeon was the largest of them all. They had previously obtained a map from the guild, yet their exploration had likely covered only five percent of its total size. While he could continue without sleeping or eating, it was best to return once the bodies of his guides were prepared. With a haul this large, he would be able to make exactly two suits of armor.

With that in mind, he made his way back through the winding corridors, avoiding any further fighting. With the help of the silence spell and Gleam’s tracking abilities, they were able to steer clear of most trouble. Rusty’s life detection skill did not fully function here. While it detected life within the large lizards, it failed to register the golems, as they were not fleshy lifeforms and fell outside the scope of the skill.

“Quite peaceful this time around…”

Rusty looked around as he reached the exit of the Crystalline Caverns. Adventurers filled the main chamber, but none of them paid him any real attention. He passed through without trouble and made his way out of the dungeon, appearing as though his work for the day had ended. Once outside, the scenery was familiar, and he headed back toward the city as he always did.

The day seemed peaceful, with nothing obviously out of place, but Rusty knew better. At any moment, everything could change for the worse, so vigilance was essential. As he walked through the streets toward the Adventurers Guild, he listened closely to the whispers around him.

“Why are the mercenaries so active lately?”

“I don’t know, but I heard the lord was angry about something. I think even the mercenary leader was punished directly this time.”

“Even him? Something big must have happened.”

The citizens spoke in hushed tones. Since Rusty was responsible for the robbery, it would be his metal head that rolled if anyone discovered the truth. Fortunately, there was nothing linking him to the scene of the crime. His suit of armor had also been upgraded to a newer model, so he doubted that anyone could successfully track him now.

‘Best to focus on getting stronger.’

Rusty thought to himself as he stood before the guild appraisal. There were a few other adventurers ahead of him, some of them also D ranks. They deposited a handful of materials, not much, but it gave him a sense of what the appropriate amount was to hand over without appearing suspicious.

“Next.”

“…”

From his spatial bag, he pulled out nearly the same assortment of crystals, monster scales, fangs, and claws, making sure the quantity was slightly less than what the others before him had offered. Even so, he received more money, as his system processed everything without causing any damage to the materials. It was a decent sum, which he promptly spent on additional supplies, steel in particular, since his reserves were starting to run low.

Once everything was taken care of, he returned to his lair. Just like before, the shop was nearly empty, with not a single customer in sight. Rolo sat behind the counter, looking utterly bored, and the other kids seemed no better off.

“It’s a shame. Children like these should be out playing, not sitting around all day in a weapon shop…”

Alexander commented with a sigh, and Rusty found himself thinking about the issue. He had the money and the means to earn more without relying on the shop, yet he still wanted to keep it running as a way to launder his wealth to some extent. Even if sales were slow, most of the resources he used had been acquired cheaply.

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“Who cares about them! Rusty needs to make my body!”

Rusty listened to the two bicker about the orphans as he descended into the basement. Ever since he started being summoned, his appreciation for humanoids had deepened somewhat. Gwen, his first summoner, was a good person at heart, and he wondered if she was tugging at his nonexistent metallic heart. Logically speaking, he did not owe those young humanoids anything, though he knew he would be saddened if they were harmed, just as he had been when Gleam was kidnapped.

“Sure, I’m going to make the ingots now. Just wait a bit.”

Rusty shook his head and brought up his system window. There, he saw that he could enter the smithing portion while the summoning chamber was still on cooldown.

“I wonder…”

Even before he could truly confirm whether his guides could inhabit the new suits, another thought occurred to him. What if he could bring both of the new armor bodies to the summoning world? Would he then be able to summon his guides there to help him at some point? There was no problem with taking armor pieces with him and increasing his storage, and with more summoner coins, this option might eventually open up.

While the smithy in his basement was not that bad, it was no Soul Forge. In his current form, he could remain there for quite some time. Without hesitation, he headed inside to work on the many mana crystals he had gathered from the dungeon.

The Soul Forge came alive with the familiar sounds of flame and mana. The furnace ignited, and enchantments began to glow as he entered its vicinity. His task was not particularly difficult this time. He only needed to create mana-infused steel ingots. Although his current body was made of enchanted twilight high steel, he would not be attempting that. Instead, he decided to take a step down and create mana-infused dark and light steel ingots, hoping for the best.