Chapter 67 – Unpaid Dept.

Rusty’s gears turned in tension as he assessed the situation. The wiry man, clearly the leader of the trio, had a cruel smirk plastered on his face. He was draped in ragged but functional clothing, the kind that suggested he was no stranger to a rough life on the streets. His companions, both stockier and wearing mismatched armor, had the look of seasoned thugs who’d seen more than a few bar brawls.

‘Who are these people Alexander, what do they want from me?’

His instinct was to ask his guide for help. He was still a living armor monster that had no idea how people operated. The man he was impersonating was Albert, an F-rank adventurer. It was normal for some people to have known him before he died.

“They must be old acquaintances of Albert – probably not the friendly kind. Be careful, Rusty. They look like they could be part of the thieves’ guild, or be rogue adventurers, first examine their status so we might get a better idea of what we are dealing with. If this is what it is, they probably want money. Perhaps Albert had borrowed some money, this could be troublesome…”

Rusty straightened up, his metal frame creaking as he faced the men. He activated his identification skills and was able to peek at their basic levels and classes.

The information from Rusty’s identification skills confirmed Alexander’s suspicions. These men were low-level adventurers or criminals, perhaps seeking to exploit Albert’s previous misfortunes. The wiry man was called Var and he had the thief class. The two that were with him were both fighters and one seemed to be a half-orc.

‘Their levels are relatively low compared to mine…’

While Rusty had recently undergone a new evolution and his level was low, monster levels functioned differently than human levels. Humans wouldn’t change their forms as monsters did; instead, they would gain new classes. Each class had its limits, which were identified during the identification process. Rusty had gone through three evolutions, amounting to more than thirty-five levels. In theory, he was much stronger than anyone here.

‘I wonder what these guys want, I hope Albert didn’t have some type of gambling addiction, otherwise, this could go badly…’

Alexander noted a possibility while Rusty wondered what a gambling addiction was. Var, the thief, seemed to be the leader, while Ethan and Normann, the two fighters, served as muscle. The man who was partially orc was taller than the rest and had more pronounced muscles and the last one was somewhat average.

Var’s smirk widened as he noticed Rusty’s hesitation. He pushed himself off the wall, taking a casual step closer, his hands resting lightly on the hilts of the twin daggers strapped to his belt. The two fighters flanked him, their eyes fixed on Rusty with the kind of hunger that predators reserved for cornered prey.

“Albert, I know you’re in that tin can, you can’t fool me, I’d recognize that sniveling voice anywhere.”

Var strutted forward, his voice dripping with false familiarity.

“You’ve been gone for quite some time. We thought maybe you’d skipped town, forgotten about your little… obligations. But here you are, back in the flesh. So, what’s it gonna be? You planning to settle up with us, or are we gonna have to get… persuasive?”

Rusty’s metallic body tensed as he struggled to decide what to do. It seemed that Albert owed these people some sort of debt, or at least, that’s how they saw it. He might have borrowed money from them or perhaps taken something that didn’t belong to him. Either way, Rusty found himself in a precarious situation, one he would prefer to avoid. Since coins appeared to be highly valued in this world of adventurers, he decided to try bartering.

“How much… Do you want?”

Var chuckled darkly, exchanging glances with his two companions. The sound was low and mocking, as if the idea of negotiation amused him.

“How much, you ask?”

Var moved, taking another step closer, his voice oozing with sarcasm. One of his blades moved up in a strange motion that Rusty didn’t understand. For some reason he started licking the blade before speaking further.

“Oh, Albert, you’ve been away so long, you’ve forgotten how deep in the hole you are. You see, it’s not just about the coin anymore. You owe us for time, for interest, and for the inconvenience of having to track you down. But since you’re so eager to settle… let’s say fifty gold pieces. Up front. That should suffice right boys?”

‘Fifty gold pieces? Is this thief insane?’

‘Is that a lot?’

Rusty asked Alexander who seemed offended by the sum the man presented.

‘Of course it is, they are clearly lying or this Albert was a true moron to get himself into it… Well, considering where he ended up he very might have been…’

Var smiled at the two other goons that just started laughing. It was clear that these three wanted to get something from him and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“What? Goblin got your tongue? Do you not have enough? Don’t worry if

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Rusty stood frozen, his metal frame rattling slightly as the weight of the situation pressed down on him. He probably didn’t have fifty golden pieces as most of his coins were copper and silver. These thugs were clearly trying to take advantage of him.

‘Rusty, stay calm. They’re bluffing to some extent. We can’t give them what they want and they probably know it.’

‘If they know it then what do they want from me?’

Before Alexander could answer the leader brandished his dagger in front of his face to the extent of poking his metal helmet.

“This armor looks too good for you, it will probably go for a few gold coins, it should be a good start… take it off?”

“You want my armor?”

“Hah, look at this guy, he thinks this is the only thing that we want.”