Chapter 31 – Gleam Evolves.

“I think I’ve got it all now, I shouldn’t run out for a while now!”

A shiny suit of armor stood before a pile of ore while feeling good about himself. Rusty had managed to mine the whole tin deposit and then also returned to the copper vein he had previously left behind. It took him some days but without a need to sleep or eat, he was able to get this job over quickly. Now he just needed to transport all of this back to his lair.

Luckily, when he was at the Soul Forge, the hero had given him some good advice. Alongside the pickaxe and shovel, he had received schematics for something known as a backpack. It was a container crafted from thin bronze with leather straps affixed to it using rivets. With its assistance, he could transport a large amount of ore without making the inside of his armor dirty. Though his balance felt somewhat iffy with it on, once he had cleared the tunnels, there were few monsters left to halt his progress.

“Let us head back Gleam, light the way.”

His pet ant bounced around after receiving the order and started casting its one and only spell. The cave illuminated with a soft, gentle glow as Gleam activated its spell, casting light across the dark passages. Rusty followed closely behind, the weight of the backpack full of ore not hindering his movements as much as he had initially feared. His weight had increased since his new evolution and thanks to his increased strength, it wasn’t that hard to keep his balance.

Walking through these lengthy tunnels started getting somewhat plain. Even upon reaching the watering area, the other creatures swiftly scattered at the sight of light emanating from the caverns. It appeared Rusty had transformed into the apex predator and was now feared by the insects. Although, this brought a sense of satisfaction, confirming his strengthened prowess. Yet, it also brought a strange new emotion to the surface that he wasn’t quite sure about.

‘I wished they at least tried to fight back a bit… it’s no fun when it’s too easy…’

Rusty had gained some degree of strength and fighting these insect monsters had become easy. The only real threat he felt came from the larger E-rank monsters that still lurked within these cave systems like the Centipede Matriarch. She would be his next target, followed by the giant beetles who seemed to be the dominant species down here. Yet, once he vanquished them, Rusty harbored aspirations of ascending to face greater challenges once more. His sights were set on a rematch with the shadowy spider and the humanoid adventurers who had bested him before.

‘I wonder if I could defeat them now… I’m not sure…’

The thought of facing those formidable foes filled Rusty with a mixture of excitement and restlessness. He had come a long way since his last encounter with those two foes, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty. Despite his increased strength and the newfound abilities of his companion Gleam, Rusty knew that he still had much to learn and improve upon. If he could gain a new evolutionary stage before a confrontation with those old foes, he would stand a better chance. But for now, he needed to focus on the task at hand and bring these ores back to his base.

“Home sweet home!”

For some reason, Rusty began to appreciate the notion of having a home base to return to. After carefully unloading the backpack, he deposited the last of the copper ores he had gathered. The pile had grown in size, and was accompanied by a stack of ingots he had already transformed with his skill. Despite his inventory limiting him to only ten ingots, he decided to use up his SP since he couldn’t employ his absorption skill on the insects anyhow.

“Let me practice before I go confront that Matriarch.”

Rusty put the backpack away by returning it to the regular inventory. He had his regular stash tab along with his currently equipped items. They consisted of a bronze shield and his old but upgraded arming sword. It was possible to reposition this sword into the inventory tab and opt for a slightly weightier longsword with a longer blade.

“It takes a few moments to exchange but it could save me in the future!”

The inventory system he possessed could only accommodate a finite number of items. Initially, he could transfer items from the stash tab located beneath his equipped items screen. However, once it went over capacity, he would have to deposit the surplus of items into something known as a warehouse. Although the space there was much larger, it too also had its limits. He speculated that eventually, he would be forced to store any additional items in the real world.

At first, this didn’t appear to pose much of a problem, but Rusty soon encountered a drawback. Retrieving any item from the warehouse demanded an additional expenditure of special points (SP). This depleted his resources rapidly, making it smart to use this feature before embarking on an adventure. He could swap items inside the immediate stash tab without incurring further costs, and basic resources like bronze could be allocated to a separate resource tab but could not exceed the limit of ten either.

As Rusty contemplated his inventory management strategy, Gleam scuttled around him, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the small chamber they had designated as their temporary home. This brought back the next issue which was Gleam’s level which was already nine. Despite not having slain many monsters since defeating the slugs, it was evident that his ant companion would soon reach the threshold of G rank and be able to evolve into an F-rank monster, similar to his previous form.

“Gleam, do you wish to evolve and get stronger too?”

Rusty posed the question and his small friend replied by gnashing his mandibles around as if it wanted to bite down on an enemy. The Demon King had mentioned something about his presence potentially influencing the ant’s evolution, but perhaps it would also shape its character. It appeared that Gleam, too, harbored aspirations of surpassing its former self and perhaps towering over other ants that tried to suppress it.

“Then let us go, and let us become stronger, together!”

The duo of living armor and glowing ant emerged from their makeshift abode of radiant crystals, prepared to confront the trials that lay ahead. With confident strides, they made their way toward the territory of the centipede insectoids. Upon arrival, their gaze fell upon a rather small specimen which was clearly a level one monster.

“Stay behind me, Gleam. This will be over quickly…”

Rusty wanted to step forward to slay the small monster but he was stopped, not by other monsters but by his ant companion. Gleam appeared to be trying to communicate by gnashing his mandibles and wiggling his antennae in a manner that suggested something.

“Do you want to face it on your own?”

“!”

Gleam’s response came in the form of a happy dance. If Rusty had a face, it would likely be showing a smile at this moment. He was pleased to see that his companion shared his eagerness to test their strength against a formidable adversary. Despite the creature being an F-rank monster, its stats weren’t that superior to those of the ant. It appeared to be a foe that could be vanquished in a fair battle, so Rusty decided to humor his companion with this wish.

“If you are confident, then be my guest, and don’t worry, if it gets dangerous, I’ll help!”

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“!?”

It seemed that Gleam was a bit mad after Rusty insinuated that it wouldn’t be able to defeat this trivial foe. Rusty chuckled at the indignation his friend was showing but also admired his spirit. After nodding with approval, he stepped back and allowed Gleam to take center stage. The small ant wasted no time, darting forward with surprising speed. Its tiny form moved with agility as it closed the distance between itself and the centipede monster. The centipede, after sensing the approaching threat, reared up and was ready to strike.

With a swift motion, Gleam dodged the creature’s lashing attack, narrowly avoiding its sharp fangs. The ant retaliated with a quick jab of its own, sinking its mandibles into the centipede’s side. Though its attack was small, it seemed to have caught the creature off guard. Rusty instantly noticed that his friend was quite smart as Gleam did not go after the hardened exoskeleton but the creature’s legs instead.

The centipede hissed in pain as two of its legs were severed by Gleam’s precise strikes. Despite its size advantage, the centipede found itself struggling to keep up with the small but agile opponent. Gleam continued to dart around the creature, striking at vulnerable spots with remarkable accuracy. Making sure to focus on its many legs that weren’t as robust as the rest of its body.

Rusty watched in awe as his companion demonstrated its combat prowess. Gleam’s movements were fluid and precise and reminded him of his own poke-and-run tactics. With the slugs, he would usually bait out a forward charge before dodging and sinking his sword into the creature. His small friend seemed to have also taken a liking to this strategy, as it methodically dismantled their opponent, taking its time to ensure its own safety.

Before the battle started, Rusty intended to jump in as he was fearful for the ant’s life. Gleam didn’t really have any strong attack like a power bite and his spells could only manifest light. It was also not the type of light that would scare off the monsters like his elemental spells. However, with tactics and a resolve Gleam was showing that it was capable of defeating a foe that was larger.

The low-level centipede appeared to be thoroughly outmatched and each time it attempted to ensnare the smaller ant, Gleam deftly sidestepped its advances. Gleam even cleverly evaded the creature by ascending toward the ceiling, where the centipede’s fewer legs hindered its pursuit. As the battle reached its climax, Rusty witnessed something truly ingenious unfold before his visor.