Chương 103: Chapter 101 – Searching For Bodies.

"Gaaahhh…" A ball of magical energy collided with a short, green monster, propelling it forward into a shining blade. In an instant, the monster's head flew through the air, landing with a dull thud on the forest floor. Goblin bodies littered the ground, their blood soaking into the grass and weeds. Congratulations you have gained a level. Rusty heard the familiar sound of the world's system announcing his level-up. Now that all the monsters had been defeated, he could finally stop and check his progress.

He opened his status window, along with those of his friends. She was leveling up quickly and would probably reach her next evolution before he did. Name: Gleam Classification: Lesser Silvery Magical Gleaming Ant [F] L5 Type: Insectoid Hit Points [HP] 37/37 Magic Points [MP] 67/67 Stamina Points [SP] 43/43 Strength 28 [F -] Agility 48 [F] Dexterity 34 [F] Constitution 32 [F -] Intelligence 51 [F] Wisdom 52 [F] Willpower 48 [F] Durability F"You've been steadily leveling up, Gleam!"

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)""Oh, yeah, I also did, It shouldn't take long, these outside monsters are quite high-level. But it's a lot harder to find them in this forest." Name: Rusty Classification: Twilight Iron Armor [E] L10 Type: Magical/Inorganic Hit Points [HP] 261/261 Magic Points [MP] 210/210 Special Points [SP] 50/50 Strength 107 [E +] Agility 80 [E] Dexterity 79 [E] Constitution 110 [E +] Intelligence 85 [E] Wisdom 87 [E] Willpower 86 [E] Durability D Rusty noticed that two of his stats had now reached E+ rank.

This iron form seemed to progress faster than his previous bronze one, with him gaining more and more stats with each level up. He wondered if this meant he could reach D rank soon or if it might be better to wait and spend another evolution in the E plus rank. His guides had given him a few pointers about this, advising that it might be wiser to hold off. If his stats were higher during an evolution, there was a chance of attaining a superior evolutionary form.

This applied not only to his physical form but also to his skills and abilities. However, now that he was out in the world with only Gleam to rely on, reaching D-rank more quickly might be critical to his survival. For now, he decided to hold off and make the final choice back at the Soul Forge.

"This is taking a while." Rusty muttered, his gaze scanning the dense trees.

"This forest seems endless."

"Well, they do call it the Everlasting Black Forest." Alexander replied from nearby. Rusty nodded as he bent down to pick up some crude iron weapons the goblins dropped. The iron content wasn't great, but it was still better than having to mine for it, as he'd been forced to do with copper and tin to produce bronze. He was free now - free of the dungeon that had given birth to him and far from the confines of the city he'd first known.

The vastness of this world, teeming with strange and fascinating creatures, was something Rusty had yet to fully grasp.

"So, this is true freedom?"

"(╹ -╹) " Gleam climbed onto Rusty's shoulder, giving his helmet a playful poke with her antennae. She seemed curious about what was on his mind. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"Oh, it's nothing," Rusty said, his voice thoughtful.

"I was just thinking about the future… and how it's not all that different from what I've already seen." Rusty was still close to a newborn existence. Just a few months ago, he had been created, and now he found himself set free in the vast expanse of this strange world. He was still trying to wrap his hollow brain around what he should do or what his purpose might be. One of his goals was to create a lair - a place to call home and return to after his journeys.

With that in mind, he was traveling toward the town of Ferndale. One thing he had noticed was how much empty space this world contained. There were vast stretches of wilderness with little in between. While raiding goblin villages and outposts within the thick forest, he found them scattered hours apart. It seemed that the large cities, particularly those built by humans, dominated the land, leaving much of the wilderness untouched.

Though Rusty appreciated the wide-open emptiness, the monotony was beginning to wear on him. The endless sight of similar trees and forest critters during his trek was growing dull. He found himself wishing he could reach the town faster. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the workshop he planned to set up. While the shop would serve as a cover for his more clandestine nocturnal activities, Rusty wondered how the people of Ferndale would receive him as a craftsman.

His current skills were limited to creating basic iron weaponry and possibly steel items without enchantments. Yet, he hoped that in the future, his abilities would evolve to include more advanced and magical creations. The idea of building something lasting and meaningful - both for his lair and his craft - kept him motivated as he pushed forward through the endless trees.

"These don't look too good either…"

"Another failure?" Rusty's thoughts were interrupted by Aburdon, whose black, orb-like form hovered over a group of human corpses the goblins had been devouring. Rusty frowned. He was still searching for a replacement body for Albert's but had yet to find one in good enough condition. It seemed well-preserved or mummified corpses were rare in this world - or perhaps he needed to search in a similar kind of location to where he had found Albert's remains.

"Bah, they're all half-eaten and already decomposing…" Aburdon's tone was clearly annoyed as he hovered from one half-eaten body to another.

"Perhaps we should just ambush a few adventurers and be done with it? If we can't find a good corpse, we can just make one!" Before Rusty could respond, Alexander's glowing orb form interjected sharply.

"That's out of the question, you bloodthirsty demon!" Rusty sighed as the two began bickering again. It wasn't the first time their opposing views on morality had clashed, but ultimately, the decision would fall to him. The thought of killing a party of adventurers lingered in his mind. He could assume the form of one of them and pose as a lone survivor. However, there were complications. Adventurers were often tied to nearby cities or guilds, and their sudden disappearance could attract unwanted attention.

It seemed wiser to find someone within the forest - someone disconnected from the cities - before moving forward. Slaying a local blacksmith was another option, but it posed risks of its own. People might become suspicious if he suddenly appeared clad in heavy iron armor. Every choice carried its dangers, and Rusty knew he needed to tread carefully if he wanted his plans to remain unnoticed. After witnessing the High Priest and the Paladins in action, he realized just how insignificant he was in comparison.

Unless he reached the level of that robed man, he could hardly hope to make himself stand out. Yet, there was a certain thrill in all of this; hiding among those who would see him dead was undeniably intriguing.

"Oh, these even have a golden coin here." While finding a dead body for his possession skill had been delayed, Rusty was making steady progress in regaining his lost wealth. His storage was now brimming with iron salvaged from goblin weapons, and the green creatures seemed to have a fondness for sparkly coins as well. Rusty's metallic fingers clinked softly as he sifted through the pile of coins the goblins had hoarded.

Most were plain copper, but scattered among them were a few valuables—lockets, amulets, and bracelets that he could pawn off once he settled somewhere. All of these items had been taken from the people the monsters had kidnapped and attacked. Sometimes, they were merchants passing through the woods; other times, bandits or simple farmers. From what he had heard, these small green creatures were a persistent plague.

They reproduced quickly and had an unsettling method to ensure their numbers: women of other races were used for this vile act, while the men were killed and eaten. It was a grim but effective tactic. Despite their cunning, the goblins were weak. Their crude weapons couldn't even scratch his metallic frame, and their poisonous arrows were useless against him. To them, he was like a neutral predator, hunting them day or night without fear of their defenses.

"Are there any spider caves nearby?"

"Hm… I think there might be some arachnids around here, but these won't be as easy to kill as the dungeon ones, Rusty."

"I've noticed. These monsters don't react well to my light or the dark." His elemental attacks weren't proving very effective against the creatures he'd encountered. It seemed his light abilities only worked well against undead or darkness-aligned monsters. Against anything else, they were limited to startling or blinding his enemies. Similarly, his darkness abilities weren't much use against the goblins, working better on humans or other intelligent races.

Still, the darkness could be useful for cloaking himself in a shroud to mask his movements and attacks. But it seemed most monsters had some kind of inborn protection against it.

"Arachnoid monsters usually preserve bodies." Alexander replied again.

"Slowly liquefying their insides while they drain them. So, if you're looking for preserved bodies, with not much on the inside, this might be our best bet." The two of them turned toward the black orb as Alexander spoke. Aburdon didn't have a mouth to show expressions, but his smug satisfaction was palpable. He clearly relished being needed for his knowledge.

"Oh my, what would you two ever do without me?" Aburdon cackled, fully aware that he was the only one with knowledge of the area's layout. His memorization skills were unparalleled, but Rusty couldn't help but wonder if relying on him so heavily was wise. Once he reached the city, he resolved to get his own map and start practicing navigation himself. Perhaps some of Aburdon's abilities had already rubbed off on him after their souls merged, along with Alexander's.

It wasn't such a far-fetched idea to think that, in time, he might acquire all the skills these two had possessed when they were still alive. He wondered if the tales they both told him were all true as they made them appear as the two strongest beings in the world. If he could gain all of their power, wouldn't that make him the most powerful being to ever walk this world? The thought of such a thing made him giddy with anticipation but he would need to go through several evolutions to get to such a point.

"Just tell me what you know, Aburdon."

"(¬_¬)" Gleam nodded as she to was starting to get annoyed with Aburdon's character. The demon lord seemed to be happy that he was getting under their skin but quickly answered as he was now compelled by Rusty's direct order.

"Well, yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there are giant spiders as some like to call them around but, you won't find them in caves." Aburdon paused dramatically, clearly savoring the moment as Rusty and Gleam waited impatiently.

"They live in the upper canopy of the forest high up in the trees, hidden among the leaves and branches. Their webs are nearly invisible to the untrained eye, and they rarely descend to the ground unless provoked or hunting. This makes them exceedingly difficult to locate, let alone kill." Aburdon lowered his voice, his glow dimming as if he was trying to tell a scary story at a campfire.

"They aren't that difficult to kill, I've hunted them before." Alexander interrupted which caused Aburdon to buzz with frustration.

"Fine, Mister Know-it-all. Why don't you enlighten us about these 'easy-to-kill' spiders? Since you've 'hunted them before,' I'm sure you have a foolproof plan." Rusty groaned inwardly and stopped the two from arguing again.

"Both of you, focus. What do me and Gleam need to know?"

"The spiders here are different from dungeon varieties. Their main strength is their environment. They use the height of the canopy to their advantage, descending on silken threads to snatch prey before retreating upward again. Their webs are their deadliest weapon—thin, strong, and coated with a paralytic toxin that affects most living creatures."

"Paralytic toxin? Then I should be fine?" Rusty retorted knowing well that substances like poison would not affect his iron body.

"Yes, your inorganic constitution will make you immune but…" Alexander turned slightly to point himself at the silvery ant on Rusty's shoulder.

"Gleam will, perhaps it would be better for her to remain in the backline for now and assist you with her spells."

"(¬`‸´¬)""It's okay Gleam, I'm sure that there is something that you can help with!" Gleam wasn't too happy to hear that she would perhaps need to sit this one out. Luckily, Alexander already had an idea of what she should be doing.

"There is something she could do, these webs are drenched in these toxins which are highly flammable, the weakest fire will ignite them like dry tinder. If Gleam can use her magical energy to produce a controlled flame spell, she can burn through the webs quickly, creating safe paths or even driving the spiders out of hiding." Rusty nodded, taking in Alexander's suggestion. Gleam perked up slightly at the mention of her potential role.

She tilted her head as if considering the challenge, then gave an enthusiastic nod of agreement. While she wasn't specialized in fire spells, she had gone through mana training. Shifting it to align to flames would be a challenge but after mastering the silence spell, this shouldn't be a problem.

"(•̀ᴗ•́)و""Great, then it's settled." Rusty said, looking up at the thick trees above them. While there were no spiders or webs there he was already looking towards the new challenge.

"So… will we have to keep an eye out for these webs, or do you know where these spiders gather?"

"Hah, leave it to me rusty, I'll guide you there!" Soon, the group departed for their next destination: the arachnid-infested parts of the black forest. As the trek continued, it became clear that these monsters would be trickier and more dangerous than the goblins. The villages that had once dotted the landscape ceased to appear and the ones resembling them were devoid of anything and covered in thick webbing.

It was clear that the apex predator was not the goblin anymore but something lurking deeper, just waiting for them to step into their territory.