Chapter 63 – Trying To Speak.

“Guuuhhhhdd… moowwwnniiinnnggg?”

“HOooWWw Arrrrruuuu Yaaaahhh?”

“…”

“You might have to practice some more…”

“But there is no time… I need to go!”

“If you get out there like this, they will think that you’re a zombie or a death knight.”

The armored figure stood in the dimly lit room, its metal plates glistening faintly as the white orb of light hovered around it. The suit’s movements were stiff and awkward, each step producing a distinct clanking sound that echoed through the dimly lit corridor.

“Your movements also seem awkward, this might take a while…”

Rusty had spent the next few hours practicing his speech and movements, trying to become more accustomed to the new form. The dead adventurer’s memories provided some help, but it was still a challenge to move naturally. Aburdon and Alexander gave him tips and encouragement, their ghostly presences hovered around and were starting to take on the forms of spectral mentors.

“Remember, Rusty, the key is to blend in.”

Alexander advised while floating around him.

“You need to move like a human, not a suit of armor.”

His advice fell on deaf ears, as Rusty didn’t really know how humans were supposed to move. The body within his armor was quite stiff and sometimes flopped around, making movement quite difficult. Fortunately, there was one positive aspect of this possessed body. Once he had dressed it in adventurer-type armor, he was able to create a loadout with it inside. The body was considered dead and could be stored in his inventory without exploding upon retrieval.

“Oh? I think some uninvited guests are coming. Maybe we have overstayed our visit here Rusty, I’ll see you later.”

After the light vanished, Rusty stopped moving and saw some red eyes emerge from the corner. It was one of the Lesser Giant Shade Spiders that could be found in the chasm. It was not alone, as two others of its kind quickly appeared behind it. He reacted swiftly, changing his loadout to a more battle-ready form. These monsters might have threatened him when he was still an F-rank, but he was now at his second E-rank evolution.

It would have been simple to scare them away with his light elemental skill, but Rusty chose not to. There was no need to waste more mana than he already had. With Alexander’s disappearance, all light from the vicinity vanished, but he could see his three enemies crawling towards him clearly. In his right hand, he held a regular iron longsword, while in his left was a large kite shield.

One of the monsters stuck to the ceiling while the others approached from the sides. Eventually one of them jumped forward, aiming to sink its venomous fangs into Rusty’s iron armor. With a swift motion, Rusty raised his kite shield, intercepting the spider mid-air and smashing it against the wall. The creature let out a high-pitched screech as it crumpled to the ground, its exoskeleton cracked from the impact.

The remaining two spiders hesitated, their red eyes gleaming with caution. Rusty took this moment to charge at the one on the ground, precisely swinging his longsword. The blade sliced through the spider’s head, ending its life. Soon after another tossed itself in his direction but even when it clang to his body and bit down, no more than one point of damage was taken.

“Weak…”

Rusty swatted the remaining spider off his body with a quick, disdainful motion, sending it flying against the wall. The creature let out a desperate screech before collapsing and thrashing about. The third monster didn’t even manage to approach him, as its body was impaled by a swift javelin throw. Rusty then approached the squirming monstrosity to put it out of its misery.

“My skills have improved, but how strong will a place filled with those adventurers be?”

He asked himself while taking a few items from the monsters’ bodies. Alexander had reminded him to take things that could later be traded for money or information. He even implied that living life as an adventurer would be better than remaining as a monster. Aburdon was against that and was pushing him into a more chaotic life filled with battles and carnage.

The memories of Albert were more recent, showing him a bustling city filled with people. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals, far too many for him to defeat by himself. His tactics of hiding in dark corridors and waiting would not work outside. There were too many open spaces and seemingly no ceilings, something he would probably have a hard time getting used to.

After collecting some monster cores and fangs, he finally made his way through the chasm. Changing loadouts was starting to become second nature and was probably the best thing that came with his new evolution. He still had no access to the Soul Forge but if that ever became possible, then his bodies could be customized to fit all possible situations. However, before that time could come, he needed to rise above this dungeon and find Gleam.

“Time to go, maybe there is something that could help me with that speech impediment…”

Rusty muttered to himself as he made his way through the winding corridors of the dungeon, retracing his steps upward. The path was still familiar, but everything felt different. His connection to the dungeon was now severed, and he felt unshackled. The monsters that had previously vanished were coming back, and starting from the fourth level, he couldn’t see much of a difference. This meant the dungeon was beginning to heal itself, and this potentially meant that adventurers would eventually start returning.

“I should have a few days left…” he mused.

Rusty decided to wait and practice for now. He couldn’t go outside while speaking like a zombie. Alexander had already informed him that his face would pass for human, but only if he got used to talking with a mouth. There was one skill the adventurers had that could alleviate this problem, but he wasn’t sure about it. However, at this point, he was willing to try anything to make his departure safer.

First, he returned to the second floor, which he knew like the back of his hand. There, he used one of his old hiding places to train both his mannerisms and his guiding skills. With the help of Alexander and Aburdon, he attempted to absorb all the possible information about the world above. They painted a vivid picture in his mind and made him realize that the world was truly vast. Their tales ignited his craving for adventure and exploration, something he wished to share with his only friend, Gleam.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Hours turned into days as Rusty tirelessly practiced. His movements became more fluid, mimicking the natural pace of a human adventurer. His speech, though still requiring effort, improved significantly, allowing him to form some words without sounding like a zombie. Aburdon and Alexander did their best but time was running out and eventually, he decided to risk it for a drastic improvement.

Just as he had speculated, people eventually began to return to the dungeon. The party that had previously fled might have been among the crowd, but he made an effort to avoid them. With his hiding skills, he could not be spotted and made his way to the first level, where the weakest adventurers usually resided. There, he finally encountered a potential victim who would be his ticket out of the dungeon.

“Those guys look like new adventurers, the guild master in this city must be an idiot…”

Alexander commented while looking through Rusty’s visor. His little guide could lower the intensity of his light but if he hovered above his head, it would still be noticeable. Three adventurers who were probably in their teens made their way through the corridor. Rusty was using the shadows to stay still and silently communicating with Alexander. They were connected through their souls so no sounds were required.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, only an idiot would allow newbies to go down a dungeon where an irregular monster was discovered. Those guys probably informed him about everything and still, he opened the dungeon, damn bastard!”

Rusty noticed that Alexander was mad and that he also cared for the people he was hunting. The three adventurers were clearly inexperienced, their nervous chatter and clumsy movements gave them away. They seemed unaware of the lurking danger, their focus more on impressing each other than on their surroundings. Rusty waited patiently and before he could strike, his guide spoke up.

“Rusty, do you really need to kill them?”