Chapter 56 – Back At The Forge.

Rusty had finally managed to reach the point he was after. It had been close to a month since the incident with Gleam. Before him stood the Soul Forge, where he had previously evolved twice. However, there had been some slight changes, just like before. In the middle of the main chamber stood three bodies, each different from the other. It was clear that he needed to make an important choice now, one that could dictate his entire future.

“That one looks similar to the floor boss in the dungeon.”

“Yes, it was quite the surprise that it just appeared there. Did the Soul Forge react?”

Replied Aburdon, the fallen demon lord, while his orb form floated around the three metallic frames in the middle of the chamber. The question was posed to the hero, Alexander. He was the one who had been given this blessing in his previous life, but the white orb of light was unsure.

“I don’t know, this place is different from the Soul Forge I used, but… perhaps if Rusty defeats stronger living armors, the forge could have copied the designs to some extent? Or maybe it’s due to the monster parts? I think gathering new materials was a big part of this blessing…”

Alexander wasn’t quite sure as his memory of his past life wasn’t complete. Rusty nodded; right after the victory against the floor boss, he had quickly grabbed its parts and weapon. One of the evolutionary options was quite similar to the monster he defeated. It was taller than his regular metallic frame, the armor was thicker, and it had a somewhat more demonic design. Small spikes jutted out from the armor, and even the helmet had some horns, which seemed to make the demon lord quite happy.

“You’ll go with this one, right? It’s clearly better than the other two.”

Said Aburdon while floating around the demonic armor with evident admiration.

“Don’t rush him. This decision needs careful thought. Did you forget what is at stake?”

Alexander countered firmly and unyieldingly.

“Do you mean that ant? Are you still planning on going into the human city?”

Aburdon chuckled in a somewhat amused way. In the demon lord’s mind, there was no possibility of Rusty’s plan working.

“My dear Rusty, you’re a monster. How about you start acting like one? Once you’re powerful enough, I’m sure you’ll be able to avenge your dear friend. For all we know, little Gleam could be no mo–”

“Shut up!”

The whole chamber quaked as Rusty shouted in anger. Aburdon was compelled to hold his words back. Alexander sensed the danger from this emotional outburst and floated closer to Rusty in an attempt to offer some support.

“Don’t let him get to you, Rusty. Focus on what’s important. I’m sure Gleam will be fine; there is still time.”

Soon, the quivering walls began to calm down as Rusty steadied his metallic nerves. He knew that the demon lord was an older being with much more knowledge. Aburdon was right to some extent; at least from the outside, the demonic-looking armor appeared to be the strongest option. However, there was one problem with choosing this path, and the hero quickly brought it up.

“If you choose this path, Rusty, I’m afraid infiltrating the city will be impossible.”

“Why?”

Rusty asked while also looking at the two other armor variants. The rightmost was the demonic armor. In the middle was one similar to the iron variants he saw within a dungeon. It was a direct upgrade of his bronze body and quite similar. To the left was something quite different – a body he didn’t truly understand. The top half was humanoid, but the bottom half belonged to some type of beast with four legs.

Rusty had never encountered this type of monster before, but he had seen some depictions of this beast on temple walls. If he wasn’t wrong, the technical term for it was a centaur. This form was larger than even the demonic one on the right but the lower body was that of a horse with metallic legs. It would turn him into a quadruped with a human’s upper torso. While this form looked imposing, it would probably have limited function within tight corridors.

“Those other two choices make you look too much like a monster. Only with the middle one will you be able to walk among them… and even then, I’m not too sure about it. I think some people adjust those monster armors to be used as regular armor, but once they get closer to you, it will be over.”

The living armor monsters were quite distinct and would be identified as monsters quickly by Rusty’s enemies. Once someone got close, they would notice the lack of a person inside. Even if he went with the most humanoid-looking one, it might still give him away. If this was the case, then perhaps going with the horned one was better, at least for the additional power it provided.

“Aren’t you two forgetting something?”

While deliberating on the choice, the demon king’s restraint was lifted, allowing him to speak again.

“Do you actually have some proper advice this time?”

Alexander responded in a mocking tone, which made Aburdon react in anger.

“What is that supposed to mean? I always give proper advice, but for some reason, it’s not appreciated!”

“Maybe if you weren’t plotting something dubious each time, Rusty would trust you more.”

“I’m not plotting anything. I just don’t want our precious friend to get injured…”

The two started going back and forth as usual, so Rusty decided to stop it. It seemed that Aburdon had some kind of idea, and if it helped him rescue Gleam, he was willing to listen.

“That’s enough. What did you have in mind, Aburdon?”

“Hah, you won’t regret it, Rusty! Now, where was I? Ah yes! Do you recall the skill you achieved once you reached level fifteen, my dear Rusty?”

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“…The Possession skill?”

“Yes, that one!”

Rusty had received a new skill once he maxed out his level but had not been able to test it out.

“With the Possession skill, you might be able to fool those pesky adventurers, even if you stride through their precious guild.”

“Oh, is that true? Will I be able to do that?”

It sounded too good to be true but Rusty was intrigued. The Possession skill could potentially allow him to manipulate and control someone who wore him as armor.

“You want him to use one of the adventurers… like some kind of reverse inner suit thing?”

“That’s right, my dear hero. We both know that if he attempts to get close to any settlement, he will get killed… But! If he can manipulate one of those pesky adventurers well enough, then we can make the impossible possible!”

Aburdon cackled while explaining as if he was trying to formulate some type of dubious plan.

“Hm…”