Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

Chapter 02 – Your Skill Is Mine.

Three adventurers burst into a spacious chamber teeming with low-level monsters. The skirmish commenced as they swiftly dismantled an undead skeleton, triggering a small wave of other creatures to surge toward them. Despite being outnumbered, they showed no signs of perturbation in the face of adversity. As they advanced through the corridor, a fourth member of their party emerged before them. A woman, clad in light leather armor, had concealed herself from the creatures, clinging to the wall unnoticed.

“What’s wrong, you gave us the signal?”

“We have a problem.”

“What happened?”

One of the adventurers asked the woman who descended from the wall with a somewhat annoyed tone.

“One of those things ate the leaf.”

“It ate the leaf?”

“Yes, I told you that it ate it, so it ate it! It’s one of those living armor things!”

The adventurers exchanged glances, a mix of confusion and intrigue painted on their faces. They had encountered various monsters in dungeons before, but the idea of a living suit of armor consuming something was beyond their usual experiences.

“Are you sure? Living armor that eats vitality leaves?”

“I’m telling you, it happened! It picked up the leaf and put it in its helmet, and then the leaf disappeared inside!”

The adventurers redirected their attention to the open chamber, where a rusty suit of armor stood. The creature appeared to be observing them, its visor emitting an almost inquisitive vibe. It was encircled by various skeletal monsters and a few others of its kind, but it was the sole one that remained stationary, distinguishing itself from the advancing pack of creatures.

“Well, we can't let it go. That leaf is crucial for our mission, and we need to complete it to get the money. Let's take care of the undead first; try not to damage that rusty armor monster. Those leaves are delicate.”

The leader of the group who seemed to be the human clad in worn-out armor shouted out some orders while the other three nodded. The adventurers quickly formulated a strategy, efficiently dispatching the oncoming small horde of monsters while ensuring they avoided harming the peculiar living armor. Unbeknownst to them, the corroded suit of armor kept his eye on them, intrigued by how they behaved. The way they moved, coordinated, and fought together was quite fascinating. 

‘Is this called strategy? The way they move seems to be with purpose…’

Rusty, the living armor, was among the group of monsters in this large dungeon chamber. Initially appearing ordinary, they cleverly utilized the rubble to their advantage. The adventurers observed how they strategically manipulated the environment, compelling the monsters to approach in a specific manner and avoiding confrontations with more than one or two at a time. Clearly, they were using the surroundings to prevent getting surrounded, something that seemed unfavorable. 

Despite an initial urge to charge in mindlessly, Rusty managed to restrain himself from attacking the group of living beings. His previous encounter had imparted some valuable experience, leading him to believe that repeating the same tactic would yield similar results. Instead, he chose to observe while his more impulsive allies risked their lives. Eventually, an idea began to form in his mind. What if he used the same environment to his advantage and approached the group from somewhere the other monsters weren't? 

As the battle between the adventurers and the monsters unfolded, Rusty adeptly navigated through the shadows, applying his newfound understanding of strategy. Amidst the noise of clashing weapons, monster roars, and occasional shouts from the coordinating adventurers, the screeching sound produced by Rusty's corroded armor went unnoticed. Stealthily advancing through the chaos, he approached the group from an unexpected angle. The adventurers, engrossed in the ongoing battle, appeared to overlook the lone suit of armor, which seemed indistinguishable from many others.

While Rusty got closer, he began to analyze the adventurers' skills and tactics. The one in worn-out armor exhibited remarkable strength and durability, deflecting attacks with a well-worn sword. The archer with elongated ears showed incredible accuracy and agility, effortlessly dodging incoming strikes while firing arrows with precision. The shorter member of the party wielded a massive Warhammer, delivering powerful blows that could crush bones and armor alike.

‘KILL!’

His mind surged with animosity toward the group of four, the internal voice making it increasingly difficult to focus until it became unbearable. Sword in hand, Rusty finally succumbed to the urges and leaped out from behind a thick, collapsed pillar. Though his initial plan had been to take his time and approach while his brethren kept the adventurers busy, even with this hasty approach, he successfully closed the gap.

“Huh? Watch out!”

The leader of the adventurers called out to the long-eared person that Rusty was targeting. The man in worn-out armor swiftly positioned himself between Rusty and the elven individual. In this impulsive leap, Rusty felt a surge of excitement as he tightly gripped his sword with both hands and swung downward. Instinctively activating his skill, Basic Power Slash, a red glow enveloped his weapon. The speed of the downward swing hastened, and he sensed the weight increasing. This was his opportunity to defeat his enemy.

His opponent hastily raised his sword to guard, and Rusty's sword connected. The man, slightly off balance and caught off guard by the surprise attack, couldn't fully block the corroded weapon. Rusty experienced a sense of achievement, envisioning his sword connecting with the man's shoulder and cleanly severing it. However, there was a crucial factor he hadn't taken into account - the durability of the weapon he was wielding.

‘Eh?’

The adventurer leader wore a worn-out suit of armor that protected critical parts of his body, including the shoulder Rusty had targeted. At the moment Rusty's sword connected with this metallic armor, the weapon gave out. Instead of witnessing the man's shoulder being torn to pieces, the corroded sword was shattered. The only evidence left behind was an indentation where Rusty's Power Slash had landed.

“Shitty piece of armor!”

His opponent seethed with rage; although the hit didn't penetrate, the leader of the adventurers felt sharp pain emanating from the afflicted shoulder. Now without a weapon, Rusty attempted to tackle his enemy. However, just like before, a boot landed on his chest plate, propelling him back toward the collapsed pillar where he had been hiding. Despite the heightened stats from gaining the title, he was unable to react in time. As his back collided with the rubble, some of his armor pieces scattered to the sides.

“This is getting annoying, let's clean these fuckers up!”

The battle continued with more vigor as the adventurers took it a bit more seriously now. It was impossible for the low-level monsters to even land one good hit on the party of four. The difference in skill, experience and power was too drastic, there was no way that the monsters could win. Even if they outnumbered the party five to one, they all fell after getting hit once or twice.

Rusty struggled to stand amidst the scattered armor pieces. Missing a leg and an arm, with some of the other plates fallen off, he found himself unable to reassemble as the connections between the pieces were lost. Before he could react, another blow struck his body, this time delivered by the shortest adventurer wielding a big Warhammer.

“Hey, be careful, one of them has the leaf inside.”

The slender one from the group shouted at the stocky one, who didn’t seem to care that much. Soon the battle was over, with the adventurers emerging victorious against the remaining monsters. The chamber, once teeming with undead creatures and living armors, now echoed with the sounds of heavy breathing and the clinking of weapons being sheathed.

“Hah, that could have gone better, is everyone alright?”

“Aye.”

“Indeed.”

As the dust settled, the adventurers regrouped, assessing the situation. The leader, still nursing his injured shoulder, shifted his focus to the battered living armors they intentionally didn't fully destroy. His attention honed in on one lying next to a pillar, exhibiting a hammer-shaped hole through its chest.

"That vitality leaf better be in one of these damn armors..."

Frustration marked the leader's tone, aggravated by the injury to his shoulder. He then turned to the woman who had been in the chamber beforehand, noticing her annoyance with what he was insinuating.

“What? You don’t believe me? Why would I lie?”

The leader sighed, acknowledging the glare from his party member. Nonetheless, still seething from the encounter, he chose to vent his frustration on the armor that had caused him pain. With one smooth kick, the helmet went flying to the side and landed between the legs of the female party member. She picked it up, still frowning.

At this point, Rusty had not been slain, and could feel a strange sensation inside his broken body. The leader of the adventurers had thrust his hand through the hole, searching for the leaf that Rusty had swallowed. However, something else occupied Rusty's thoughts as he came to a realization - he was extremely weak. The gap in power and speed against these humanoid creatures was insurmountable. Even after sneaking up and activating his strongest skill, he couldn't inflict any serious damage on his opponent.

The situation was profoundly disheartening for the young monster, unsure of what course of action to take. Given a body and a set of skills that weren't particularly impressive, Rusty experienced a peculiar feeling within his core, yet couldn't fully comprehend it. The desire to become stronger and achieve victory welled up within him, but the path forward remained unclear. The situation felt increasingly hopeless, and a sense of impending demise lingered, reminiscent of his previous defeat.

“There it is… you were actually right…”

“See, I told you!”

It became evident that once the leaf was extracted from his body, Rusty would lose any significance to the party of adventurers. His brethren were undergoing the same fate, being searched and subsequently hammered to death. Rusty resigned himself to an inevitable demise, preparing to enter the void once more. Yet, to his surprise, one member of the party did something unexpected.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Never doubt me again you idiot!”

In a fit of anger, the woman stuck Rusty's helmet onto the party leader's head. She playfully stuck out her tongue in his direction, while the other two party members laughed at her childish behavior. It appeared that she was merely being playful, and no one made a big deal out of it. However, for Rusty, seeing his helmet on the man's head changed the perspective.

The voice that had been updating him whenever a skill or title was gained began to speak again. Time seemed to slow down as Rusty was presented with the opportunity to choose from the three options laid before him.

‘What is this?’

Rusty found himself pondering, having never seen something like this before. While he understood the concept of skills, acquiring them in this manner was something new. Weighing his options, he considered the first one, which would help him understand these creatures better, but deemed it unnecessary given the knowledge from the memories he was granted.

The Power Thrust seemed intriguing, likely an alternate version of his Power Slash skill. However, when he examined the third option, his decision was clear. What he needed were more potent skills, not ones similar to what he already possessed. Basic Swordsmanship offered the prospect of acquiring such skills, making it the obvious choice for him to pursue.

After concentrating on the third option, the voice resounded inside his head once more. It asked him if he wanted to learn the skill and presented two choices. There was a large green button with the word ‘Yes’ on it and another red one with the word ‘No.’ Rusty had made up his mind and quickly gazed at the big green button, waiting with anticipation. Soon after, he heard the voice again, and the process began.

“Haha, you made her mad again…”

“Hey… come bac… huh?”

The adventurer whose head Rusty now occupied felt that something was off. The moment the helmet settled onto his head felt strange, but he didn't think much of it. There wasn't supposed to be any danger involved since the creature had been defeated, and even if it were alive, without being connected to the body, the helmet wasn't deemed dangerous. However, as he tried to remove it, he found it unyielding.

“The hell? It won't come off? What is with this thing?”

“Stop pretending, if you think that’ll start feeling bad for you…”

“No, I’m not joking… this thing won’t come off… ugh … my head…”

To everyone's surprise, it didn't seem like their party leader was faking it. A moment after the helmet settled on his head, he found himself going down onto one knee as sharp pain took over. It felt like his head was being pierced by something, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Even after clutching the helmet with all his might, he could not pry it off, and it began to glow, indicating that something indeed was happening.

“G-get this thing off me!”

The adventurers frantically tried to assist their leader, but the helmet resisted all attempts to be removed. The glow intensified, enveloping both the helmet and the leader's head. They didn’t know what was happening but it wasn’t anything good. The dwarven member of the party finally decided to do something more drastic as he grasped his Warhammer and told the others to back away.

“Keep still, aye?”

“Wait, what if you…”

“There is no time, lass!”

“D-do it!”

There was no way for them to know what was transpiring, and their leader understood this fact. He lowered his hands so that his dwarven companion could take aim. The other two looked at the predicament with concern in their eyes, realizing that they couldn't simply pry the helmet off with her grip strength alone. Soon, the large hammer flew at the corroded helmet at a precise angle.

Thanks to the dwarf's excellent aiming skill, after the impact, the helmet flew right off and landed to the side. The human leader's head was bruised and bleeding, but he was still alive. Quickly, the others rushed to his side, pouring a red liquid over the wound. Miraculously, it seemed to alleviate the pain and mend the hole that had been left behind.

“Leader, are you okay?”

“Do I look okay to you?”

The man responded to the elven companion as his eyes scanned the chamber for the helmet that had caused him pain. Quickly grabbing the dwarf’s large hammer, he charged at the source of his problems. The helmet was promptly squished and shattered under the harder metal, leaving nothing but bent pieces behind. The other adventurers watched as their leader relentlessly flattened the piece of living armor until there was almost nothing left.

Out of breath, he moved towards the remains of the armor's body and promptly delivered retribution as well. At this point, the one responsible for his pain was no more, as Rusty found himself traveling through the void once again. Unbeknownst to the adventurers who believed they had defeated the monster, Rusty was being restored by the forces inside this dungeon.

In another corner of the dungeon, a new suit of corroded armor began to shiver as life was bestowed upon it. Occupied by the entity that had caused the adventurer leader a great deal of grief, for some reason, it held both of its metallic hands up as if cheering itself on. Despite having been defeated, it seemed unfazed, as this encounter had given it something new, and perhaps this was how it could become stronger.