Chapter 54 – 10th Floor Boss.

A massive armored figure began to move, the sound of its metal joints echoing through the chamber like a death knell. Its movements were deliberate and heavy, each step resonating with power. Rusty could see that this creature was not like the other living armors he had faced. This one exuded a strange aura that he had not seen before.

This was the first dungeon boss he had encountered, and even though the hero had warned him about the dangers of such beings, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement. This was the challenge he had been seeking, the key to his next evolution. His level was now fourteen, and this monster would probably be enough to push him through the threshold.

“My luck wasn’t good. I would have probably reached a higher level if it wasn’t for those adventurers. But at least, they can’t follow me here.”

Rusty knew that once a person was inside a boss chamber, it was impossible for anyone else to enter. Unless the adventurers chasing him had some digging tools, he would have time to dispatch this monster, reach the next evolution, and then either run away or confront his pursuers once he was stronger. The month was almost up, and this seemed to be the limit. If he didn’t make it out of this battle, all of his planning would have been for nothing.

“Is that going to be my next form? It looks a bit disfigured…”

There wasn’t much detail in the description, but the monster’s form was undeniably intimidating. It outsized Rusty in both height and width, its thick, reinforced plating suggesting it was built for both offense and defense. It held a massive greatsword with ease; the blade looked more like a slab of metal than a sword. The edge didn’t appear too sharp, but something that heavy would certainly penetrate through Rusty’s slashing resistance.

“Time to see what you’re made of and if all that skill training was worth it…”

Rusty muttered, tightening his grip on his mace. The battle would not be easy, but he was ready. His enemy was the same type of monster as him, which didn’t bode well. The floor boss was larger and heavier, attributes that usually determined victory between living armor types. However, Rusty wasn’t just a simple living armor; he had brains to complement his brawn. If he used what he had learned throughout these months, then victory could be his.

As the Iron Armor Knight advanced, Rusty activated his inventory to take out the correct armaments for this situation. The mace would be a good offensive weapon for this type of enemy as it was weak to blunt damage. To his left side he held his bronze shield tightly and would use it just like he did against the other living armors. The plan was simple, block with the shield and hit with the mace, what could go wrong?
The Knight finally approached and swung its greatsword in a wide arc, aiming to cleave Rusty in two. In response, Rusty raised his shield to block the incoming hit, just as he had done many times with other living armor monsters. Once he withstood the hit, there would be a window of opportunity to strike back. His mace just needed to connect with the enemy’s knee joint. Once this was mangled, the boss would be unable to move quickly, and the battle would be won.

This was the plan in Rusty’s metallic head. To his surprise, it didn’t quite go as he had foreseen. Once the large slab of iron connected with his shield, he was sent flying to the side. The immense force behind the Iron Armor Knight’s strike sent him crashing into a nearby pillar. His shield, while having absorbed much of the impact, was now bent and rendered almost useless. Without even looking at his system screen, he could tell that even though the shield had absorbed a large portion of the hit, he still lost some of his HP.

‘This won’t be as straightforward as I thought…’

Rusty pushed himself upright, his metallic body groaning in protest. He quickly discarded the damaged shield by throwing it in the direction of the charging iron knight. His opponent didn’t seem to mind as the bronze just bounce off without halting his charge in the slightest. While holding the sword with both hands it produced another wide slash, which this time around Rusty ducked. He sought protection behind one of the rocky pillars but this also didn’t suppress his opponent much.

The moment the huge greatsword connected with the pillar, it blew right past it. Chunks of rock pelted his bronze body as he continued to back away. His opponent was on the offensive and not giving him any openings that he could exploit. Rusty realized he needed a different approach. Relying on brute force alone wouldn’t work against a foe that outmatched him in strength and size.

Something like this was easier said than done. His opponent would certainly not give him any time to reorganize himself. The Iron Armor Knight was hot on his heels and another pillar burst open. Rusty ducked again and realized that these stone slabs would not be able to protect him from this enemy. It was as if someone placed them here to be nothing but a trap.

Soon, more and more of the rocky pillars were gone, and Rusty hadn’t even hit the other armor once. Both of them lacked a stamina bar, so waiting for the monster to tire was pointless. Eventually, he would not have any cover left to protect him; before that happened, he needed to strike.

‘I’ll get only one chance, I need to make it count.’

With only one pillar left standing, Rusty made up his mind and devised a plan. Even though the monster was blowing through the rough stones, they were halting its momentum. If he timed it right, he could knock his enemy off balance and launch a counterattack. To make this happen, he activated his inventory and took out a large iron tower shield he had previously taken from one of the other living armors. With it, he hoped to turn his plan into reality.

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While the monster was strong and could obliterate the environment with its huge sword, Rusty had noticed some weaknesses. To exploit one of its shortcomings, he needed the large shield and good timing. Holding the shield at the edge of the pillar, he waited for the right moment.