Chương 181: Chapter 179 – Darkness Takes Hold.

Rusty's steps echoed as he followed the thin trail of blood across the cavern floor. It seemed to have begun on the ceiling, droplets falling and then leading behind the last remaining rock formation. His earlier triumph turned into unease, and he began to call out.

"Gleam?" He tried again as he approached, but no response came. The droplets grew heavier, and when he turned the corner, he froze. Pressed against the stone wall, Gleam writhed weakly. One of her glossy silver legs lay several meters away, snapped off cleanly where an arrow had pierced it. Another was pinned against the wall by a second arrow. She had not managed to dodge the full assault, and Rusty stood helpless, unsure of what to do.

"Gleam!"

"(>﹏<)""Wait, I'll get you out of there!" Rusty rushed forward, his first instinct to rip out the arrow pinning her in place.

"Stop, Rusty! You'll only make the bleeding worse!" Before he could act, Alexander's voice resounded inside of his helmet.

"But she's wounded. Shouldn't we take it out?" Rusty's voice was filled with worry. He wasn't knowledgeable about the physiology of monsters or humanoids. This was the first time he had seen Gleam seriously injured, and he had no idea how to handle it. He was a monster who could mend himself with metal, but his friend was different. She was made of flesh and needed other means to recover.

"First, calm down." Alexander shouted in an attempt to snap Rusty out of his worried state.

"Gleam, can you cast a healing spell on yourself? At least enough to stop the bleeding?"

"(•́ ᴖ •̀)" At first, Gleam didn't react, her body trembling in pain. But then her antennae twitched.

"(•̀ – •́)""That's it." Alexander said, encouraging her to continue. Rusty stepped back and let him take the lead. A glow of holy energy spread over Gleam, wrapping her in a soft radiance. Slowly, her wounds began to close, and at last they were able to remove the arrow that held her to the wall.

"(• ᴖ •)""I know… your legs…" Rusty lowered himself beside her, metal hands trembling as he picked up the severed leg from the ground. It still glimmered faintly in the cavern light, but the end was mangled, broken, and useless. He held it close, as though by keeping it near, he could somehow mend her.

"Two gone… c-can they be replaced?" He asked both of his guides while examining Gleam. Two of her legs were missing, and to make matters worse they were on the same side. Gleam was an ant with six legs, but on the left only the middle one remained. She could stand in place, though moving proved difficult.

"(•́ ᴖ •̀)""How troublesome. Unless we use some high-level magic or a potent elixir, limb regeneration is very difficult to achieve." This time it was Aburdon who spoke.

"Potent elixirs?" Rusty repeated the words and then remembered that he had just defeated four D-rank adventurers who carried many items. It was possible they had some kind of healing potion or elixir. At once, he turned his metal head toward their fallen bodies, and to his surprise, he saw movement.

"He wasn't dead?" Rusty muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the shaft of his mace. From the rubble, the barbarian Grahn rose. His chest was crushed and blood streamed from his lips, yet he clawed his way upward, dragging his mangled body toward the fallen axe. The enchanted halberd strike should have ended him outright, but the sheer vitality of the man kept him clinging to life.

"Careful! He is on the brink, but if he carries a berserker's trait he could still be dangerous. Finish it, Rusty!" Alexander's voice rang out, and Rusty gave a quick nod.

"Stay here, Gleam. This won't take long." He rose slowly, his glowing eyes fixed on the barbarian. Grahn spat more blood as he crawled forward, but his movements were slow and weak.

"You… monster… I'll… I'll kill y—" The words broke off, drowned by the blood filling his mouth. At first Rusty thought he should hurry, but the man seemed utterly drained of strength. A dark-red pool spread beneath him, and his legs no longer obeyed him. Still, he crawled, dragging himself toward his weapon. Rusty did not rush. Step by step he advanced, reaching the axe before the barbarian could, and now loomed above him.

"It's because of you that Gleam was hurt…" He raised his mace up high, and soon rage took over. Rusty's mace crashed down, shattering the barbarian's shoulder. Bone and flesh burst beneath the blow, and Grahn howled, his voice loud and gurgling from blood pooling in his throat. Yet even on the brink of death, his hand still stretched out toward the axe, fingers twitching in stubborn defiance.

"You should have stayed down!" The mace fell again, crushing the man's other arm. Grahn's body convulsed, but he refused to die quietly.

"Rusty, what are you…" Alexander tried to call out, shocked by Rusty's sudden brutality. He had never shown much mercy toward adventurers, but this was different. Rusty could have ended it at any moment. Instead of striking the head, he aimed at everything else. Once both shoulders were destroyed, he moved on to the knees, pummeling with unrelenting hatred. Smash. Smash. Smash.

"What a curious feeling…" Called out Aburdon as a strange shift began to take hold. Alexander's light within the right eye socket began to fade, but Aburdon's glow grew stronger. The once pale armor, caught between light and shadow, started to change. Black spots spread like spilled ink, darkening the metal. Each strike blurred into the next. Rusty was no longer fighting a warrior; he was tearing apart a corpse. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

His armor continued to darken with every blow. Veins of shadow pulsed across the metal, feeding on his fury. But, at last, Alexander's voice managed to break through.

"Rusty! Enough!" His voice thundered inside the helmet.

"Control yourself! You are losing more than your temper." The connection snapped back into place. The shadows receded, and the white light returned to its glow.

"No, continue, Rusty. Do not let this fool of a hero command you! Lose yourself more!" Aburdon had lost himself in the moment and only now realized that the transformation was quickly coming to an end. His words went unheard, for Rusty had managed to stop himself. In front of him lay a battered corpse that no longer looked human. Before he could fully grasp what had happened, a system message appeared before his eyes. You have gained +3816 experience points. Congratulations, you have gained a level.

The experience earned from this battle was far greater than anything Rusty had gained from the monsters he had faced before. He had leveled up, yet he felt no joy, as his friend was still gravely injured. His eyes moved to the system window showing Gleam's status. There he noticed something remarkable. She had reached a very high level and was now only one step away from level fifteen, the peak for E-rank monsters.

"Wait... don't monsters gain new bodies when they evolve? Could that fix Gleam?" Rusty pushed aside thoughts of his recent transformation and focused entirely on her condition. He knew that monsters experienced large and drastic physical changes when they evolved. His own transformation had been unique, but if he was right, then perhaps Gleam's limbs could be restored after defeating a few more enemies.

"It probably could, Rust. It's a well documented phenomenon, all injuries will be healed after an evolution." Answered Alexander who sounded distracted and weary. Aburdon stayed silent, still processing what had just happened and perhaps wondering about its meaning. Rusty, however, had already set it aside and hurried back to Gleam.

"(•́ ᴖ •̀)" Even though her level had risen and she had gained new skills, her body remained broken. None of the abilities she acquired offered regeneration, leaving them with only one path forward.

"Don't worry, Gleam. We'll fix you!"

"(•́ ᴖ •̀)" Gleam had tried to wobble forward to climb onto his shoulder, but she needed his help to get up. It was too dangerous for her to stay there while he fought enemies, so he placed her inside his chest cavity.

"Let's go!" Without thinking, he bolted into one of the corridors, but before he could leave, Aburdon called out.

"Are you just going to leave all that loot behind? Did you already forget what we came here for?" The demon lord spoke with unusual interest, for he normally cared little about such things. Soon, his true intent became clear.

"Are you really going to let these lowly adventurers get away with what they did to poor little Gleam?"

"Do not listen to him, Rusty. He is only trying to enrage you," Alexander shouted as he realized what Aburdon was attempting.

"Huh?"

"Lady Gleam deserves retribution, leave their bodies unrecognisable!" Rusty stopped in his tracks and looked back at the three human bodies that lay on the ground. Though he had defeated them, he had not mutilated them as he had the barbarian. Their bodies were mostly intact, and there was still room for his rage to find an outlet. For a moment, his anger stirred again, but the feeling vanished as soon as he felt a soft tapping inside his chest.

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" It was Gleam, telling him not to worry and that everything would be fine. Yet as he looked around the area, he noticed several items scattered near the adventurers. Some were enchanted, and they were far too valuable to leave behind. If he ignored them, it would make Gleam's sacrifice meaningless.

"What are you waiting for my dear Rusty? Let your rage seep through your metal!"

"Be silent for now Aburdon."

"..." Rusty refused to get affected by Aburdon's taunts. It was an obvious attempt to push him over the edge again, to see what would happen if he completely surrendered to the shadow within. Instead, he walked toward the corpses while his glowing eyes scanned the battlefield. The adventurers had been prepared and well equipped. Perhaps something among their belongings could aid Gleam's recovery or at least help prevent such a disaster from happening again. He crouched beside the archer's body first.

Sable's satchel had spilled open, revealing arrows carved from enchanted bone. Rusty gathered them and stored them in his inventory, then untied a small pouch at her belt. The moment he opened it, a faint glow spilled forth.

"That is a lot of coins." He quickly pocketed everything along with her bow and quiver. Next he moved to the rogue he had defeated first. Inside the man's pouch he found various strange items, some resembling bombs and others appearing poisonous. The rogue carried many vials, which suggested he had been responsible for healing the party. None of the potions, however, could regenerate limbs, so Rusty set them aside and continued his search.

The man he had pummeled into a paste carried nothing of value except the axe he wielded. Rusty placed it into his inventory and turned his attention to their armored leader. The man's armor was of high quality and forged from a metal unlike enchanted steel, one that Rusty could not identify. He had no desire to waste time examining it further. After packing it up and all his weapons, it was time to leave.

"Good, now let's go."

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" Gleam answered with enthusiasm, though Rusty was not sure if she was only pretending to be strong. He understood that fleshy creatures had a very different relationship with their bodies. He himself was a living armor monster, moving through magic, able to replace broken parts with little difficulty. Gleam's body, however, could not be repaired so easily. He could only speculate about the pain she was truly enduring.

"EUGH!" A monster crashed to the ground, its large eyeball slipping out of its socket as it was struck down. There was no mercy, and the E rank monsters had no idea what was happening. The blows came without warning, and within moments several corpses littered the floor. None of them were searched or checked for items. He simply moved on to another location to repeat the process. Although the monsters fell quickly, the experience gained was disappointing. Rusty refused to give up.

He followed new paths and focused on going deeper into the dungeon. The battle from earlier was already forgotten, and he gave no thought to the three younger adventurers he had rescued. His mind was fixed on one goal, to raise his friend's level once more. One hour passed and then another. He avoided other adventurer parties and restrained himself from attacking them for easy experience. Aburdon urged him to surrender to the thrill of battle, while Alexander, as always, argued against it.

Rusty chose the safest route, and after half a day of effort he finally saw it. Gleam had reached level fifteen.

"We did it, Gleam!"

"(• ̀ω •́) " With the job complete, Gleam was taken out of his chestplate and placed on the ground. While his little friend had previously evolved on her own, he now saw multiple choices for her next path, and the decision was his to make. Magical Gleaming Ant [Insectoid] [E +] A direct evolution of the rare Lesser Magical Gleaming Ant. This monster prioritizes enhanced magical attacks, featuring an increased body size to accommodate its heightened mana pool.

Mana Myrm Ant Soldier [Insectoid] [D-] A magical variant of the Myrm Ant Soldier. Its body remains roughly the same size, but its magical capabilities grant it enhanced power and speed. It can cast spells capable of devastating multiple foes. Small Silverwing Magical Gleaming Ant [Insectoid] [E +] A direct evolution of the rare Small Flying Silvery Magical Gleaming Ant. This monster focuses on magical attacks and aerial combat. Its silver wings are razor sharp and can cut through steel.

Horned Myrm Ant Queen [Insectoid] [D] A rarer horned variant of the Queen of the Myrm Ant species. Once fully grown, it becomes immobile to dedicate itself entirely to producing offspring. As always, there were many options, including ones that granted direct access to the D rank. Rusty knew better. He understood that it was wiser to stick to smaller evolutions, as they allowed overpoints to be gained. There was only one path, and soon he made his decision.

Once it was done, Gleam entered a state of suspended animation. All Rusty could do was stand guard and hope that when the process ended, her legs would be whole once more.