Chương 133: Chapter 131 – Ugly Monsters.

"Like this?"

"(•᷄ ᴗ •́)""No? How about this then?" Little arcs of light energy escaped from Rusty's fingertips. They started to slowly take form before him, but just before the spell could finish forming, the light burst and all of the energy faded.

"(ᵕ– ᴗ –)" Gleam shook her head, her antennae brushing against Rusty's head as she tried to cheer him up.

"Tch, pathetic. I've seen goblins cast better spells than that. Are you sure you have part of my soul in you?" Aburdon's voice echoed in Rusty's mind, his amusement barely concealed.

"Don't listen to him, Rusty. You just need more time, that's all." Alexander interjected, trying to encourage him, though even he seemed uncertain. Rusty's eyes shone with the light of his guides, making it look as if he were squinting. He could feel the energy swirling within him, but every time he tried to shape it into something usable, it simply fizzled out.

"Why is this so difficult? I can do it with that other spell… did I imagine the circle wrong?" After invading the kobold settlement, Rusty and Gleam had ventured deeper into the dungeon. Instead of battling more monsters, he was focused on creating new spells. While he was limited to only two elements, there were still spells that shouldn't require any elemental affinity, like the mana bolt spell Gleam used or the silencing spell.

He wanted to learn the latter so he wouldn't need Gleam to stick so close to him, allowing them to explore different combat strategies.

"Why is this happening?" He muttered, clenching his fist as he tried to recall the feeling of energy coursing through him when he had used his first spell. It wasn't as if he lacked the ability—his body practically thrived on magical energy, and he had already wielded powerful skills that generated far grander effects.

"(╹ -╹)?"

"You don't know either?" Gleam shook her head, uncertain why Rusty was struggling to replicate spells. She had no trouble doing so, and if a spell was performed in front of her, she could easily recreate it.

"Fine, let me explain..." Before he could even ask, Aburdon sighed, his voice emanating from Rusty's eye socket. His tone was as mocking as ever as if implying they were fools for not knowing the answer.

"Monsters usually gain a separate organ for spellcasting. Our cute lady Gleam has one too."

"She does?"

"Indeed." Rusty looked at Gleam, and when he focused his mana sense, he noticed her mana was concentrated in her abdomen more than anywhere else. The magic seemed to travel from there to her antennae and head before she cast her spells, but it clearly originated from that spot.

"But I don't have organs…"

"That you don't, but… you have your core, which is normally responsible for handling such tasks."

"But I have a core, so… shouldn't it work?"

"Let me finish… Now, where was I? Ah, yes…" Aburdon did something akin to clearing his throat, which made little sense given his current form as a wisp of light.

"The way you gained the skill required for spellcasting was unnatural, so I assume your core hasn't undergone the proper changes to accommodate it."

"Is that so?" Rusty nodded as he listened, considering the explanation. It seemed plausible.

"You might eventually be able to cast simple spells, but unless your core changes, you're not going to be much of a spellcaster."

"The core has to change? … Then I just need to!" Before he could finish the sentence, Aburdon interrupted him with praise.

"Bravo, I see you understand." Rusty nodded again. The solution was simple. If his core needed to change, then there was only one path forward—evolution. Once he had gained enough levels and returned to the soul forge, he would be able to obtain a new body, one designed for spellcasting.

"Let's go, Gleam!"

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" After realizing that he just needed to evolve once more to gain control over his magic, Rusty felt invigorated. The dungeon he was in was the perfect place for him to reach D rank, and he could already feel the power at his fingertips. Once back at the soul forge, he was eager to see what new shells awaited him. Perhaps he could even add a fourth form to his armors. He already had the Ogre and Wraith types.

Maybe the third could be specialized for casting, or he could integrate everything into his existing variants instead. He was not sure yet, but the thought of experimenting in the soul forge again was enough to send a thrill through him. Without hesitation, he delved back into the mist-covered dungeon to find his true opponents. The mine grew colder and more humid. Eventually, he stopped and saw a strange creature before him, something he had never encountered before.

Without waiting he activated his skill that would show him its classification and started reading. Classification: Lesser Mermlock E- Type: Aquatic Description: The mermlock is a bipedal, amphibious race of aggressive monsters usually spotted near bodies of water like coastlines or lakes. Their slimy, green skin glistens with moisture, helping them retain hydration even when venturing onto land for extended periods.

Their large, bulbous eyes are adapted for both underwater and surface vision, giving them excellent depth perception and the ability to track prey in murky environments. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Their most defining feature is their wide, gaping mouths lined with sharp, uneven teeth, evolved for tearing through flesh with ease. A single bite from a mermlock can inflict deep wounds.

Along their backs, they possess a series of spiny, fin-like ridges that help them navigate turbulent waters with surprising agility. This is enhanced by their webbed hands and feet.

'Now that's a long description…' Rusty took a moment to go through the description before closing the window. It was an aquatic species of monster, one he had never seen before. His Identify skill revealed one key detail: the creature was best suited for underwater combat. However, they were nowhere near a lake or deep water, and the monster carried only a crude iron spear. It didn't seem to be a match for him.

"You haven't seen half of it, Rusty. Once your identification skill evolves further, it will even reveal the monster's weaknesses and suggest strategies to defeat them." Alexander said as Rusty examined the description. Once Rusty realized the creature was only a lesser E-rank monster, he stepped forward with his sword and shield in hand. The creature let out a low hiss, its gaping mouth stretching unnaturally wide as it bared its jagged teeth.

Its webbed feet slapped against the damp stone as it crouched low, raising its crude iron spear.

"Looks like it's not running. It's not a natural-born monster like those kobolds," Rusty muttered. It was clear he was now facing the true denizens of this dungeon, likely his main foes for the next few days or even weeks. This creature showed no fear, and despite being two small ranks below him, it charged recklessly as if unaware of the danger it faced. The monster held its spear out and rushed straight at him, but he didn't panic.

Instead, he stepped forward and, at the right moment, thrust his shield forward and to the side, smacking the spear away and letting it slide along the surface. A shriek echoed through the cave as dark blood splattered against the damp stone. The creature stumbled back, clutching a bleeding stump. Rusty had brought his sword down swiftly right after deflecting the attack and severed the creature's webbed hands in a single clean cut.

He surged forward, his blade flashing as he drove it straight through the Mermlock's chest. The monster let out one final gurgle before collapsing to the ground, twitching as the light faded from its bulbous eyes.

"(•̀ - •́)""I'll let you have the next one Gleam, there seem to be more of them ahead." Gleam chirped in slight displeasure as she had little to do but perch on his shoulder, and the boredom was starting to get to her. Her small body bounced with excitement when she heard about another group of enemies ahead, and soon the two moved forward. The mist that had covered the bottom of the mining tunnels had turned into shallow puddles of water.

As they rounded the corner, they finally understood why this place was called the Sunken Mine. The tunnel opened into a vast chamber, the rocky walls slick from moisture. Shallow water covered the cavern floor, rippling as Rusty stepped forward. The air was thick with humidity, which he could feel attaching itself to his metallic body. The dim glow of luminescent moss clinging to the ceiling provided just enough light to reveal movement ahead.

Lurking further within were dozens of Mermlocks, their slimy, green skin glistening under the weak illumination. Their large eyes reflected the dim light, tracking Rusty as he entered their domain. Some crouched low, their webbed fingers gripping rusted weapons, while others shifted uneasily, their wide mouths opening and closing as if tasting the air.

"Only lesser variants, shouldn't be too hard…" He judged their power to not be above the monster he just slew. It had fallen just from one of his attacks so even if this group was large in numbers, they weren't much of a threat.

"Gleam, stay back and give me cover."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" She jumped off his shoulder and moved onto one of the walls but the moment her feet touched it, she noticed a small problem.

"(– ⌓ –)""Oh? You can't get a good grip?" While this posed a small problem, there were some parts that Gleam could climb on. Once she skittered over to a good position while trying to avoid the water the fight finally started. The creatures hissed and gurgled in their strange language, their webbed feet splashing through the shallow water as they tried to surround him. Some wielded crude spears, others jagged rusted blades, but all of them moved in a rather clumsy manner, something that he quickly exploited.

"Now Gleam, target the ground!"

"(•̀ - •́)" From afar, a large orb of flaming energy collided with the ground, sending water and steam flying everywhere. Gleam had been practicing her other elemental spells precisely for such an occasion. With the rise in heat and limited visibility, the enemies' numerical advantage was now working against them. He quickly rushed forward, smashing his shield into one of the confused monsters and sending it crashing into two others.

There was no need for any fancy elemental skills as his raw swordsmanship was more than enough. The screams of the Mermlocks echoed through the chamber as Rusty carved through their ranks. His blade, shining in the dim luminescent mosslight, cut through slimy flesh with precision. Though they outnumbered him, they lacked the coordination to overwhelm him effectively. Their crude weapons clattered against his shield and body, but they couldn't penetrate his defenses.

Gleam continued her support, sending bursts of fire into the water, creating thick steam clouds that obscured the battlefield. This only made the creatures more frantic, and it seemed to affect them in strange ways. Their gill-like appendages reacted poorly to the heated water. Once surrounded by it, they thrashed about in agony, making his battle much easier. Before long, their remains littered the cavern, and victory was his.

"That was rather simple… but…" Although victory was his, Rusty wasn't satisfied. Despite slaying nearly a dozen of the creatures, he had not leveled up. It was clear that his current evolutionary stage required stronger foes, monsters that were at least full E-rank or even higher. Neither the kobolds or these beings could probably fulfill this role, unless he could defeat them in droves.

"Do they at least have anything I could sell…" Once the monsters were defeated he looked at their bodies and asked Aburdon for what was best to harvest.

"These creatures? I suppose some produce aqua crystals but it's a rare find that materialises within their bodies."

"In their bodies?" If Rusty had a face, he would be frowning now. He had no desire to cut up the monsters in search of a rare drop, but he could likely speed up the process by using his SP and storing them in his inventory. Since he had already recovered all of his points, he decided to take all the monster corpses. They seemed far more valuable than the kobolds he had previously encountered. After processing them, to his surprise, one of them contained exactly what Aburdon had mentioned.

Classification: Lesser Water Crystal Type: Elemental Crystal Description: A crystal containing a small amount of water energy. When held close to one's ear, the faint sound of running water can be heard. It was a nice bonus to his trip, but all he could think about now was leveling up. He had gained the ability to control mana, but another evolution was needed to truly master it. After cleaning up, he delved deeper into the dungeon, hunting the same type of monsters for hours until he finally reached level four.

At that point, one of his guides reminded him that perhaps it was time to return.

"Rusty, why don't we go back?"

"Oh? Why should we?"

"Well… we've been in here for nearly two days. What if something happened to your lair?"

"My lair?" Rusty asked while pulling his sword from a Mermlock's head. Before he could continue, Aburdon's cackling rang out.

"Haha, you're bad at lying, hero. You're worried about those little thieves, aren't you?"

"So what if I am? Besides, people might start wondering where Rusty is. He's pretending to be human, and humans usually need to eat and sleep…" Alexander tried to convince Rusty to return, and for the time being, Rusty began to wonder if it might be for the best. He knew that leaving his home empty for too long could bring trouble. There was even a possibility that someone might have decided to invade the space he was trying to create. The battle with the kobolds had also made him think about the four children.

"Perhaps Alexander is right. Let's head back. Now that we have some monster parts, we'll be able to get better food for Gleam too."

"(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)" While he knew Gleam could sustain herself on water mixed with stones filled with mana, it would be best to get her higher-quality crystals or mana-rich food. There were probably some options in the city, so returning now before heading deeper into the dungeon seemed wise. Soon, the group made their way back. Thanks to Aburdon, it only took a few hours to return to the entrance, and before long, they were climbing out and heading home.

'Perfect, just before sundown.' Rusty made his way toward the city gate, gaining entry with ease thanks to his adventurer card. As he headed straight back to his lair, he wondered if the street urchins were still there and if they would be capable of eating monster meat if they were hungry. When he arrived, he immediately noticed something was off. The door had been tossed aside, despite the children's promise to fix it…