Heavy Metal

Rusty's iron frame remained perfectly still as he scanned the chamber, his glowing eyes dimming as they swept across the remnants of the caravan. The rhythmic tapping sound in the distance grew louder, carrying an ominous weight. It wasn't random; there was intent in the sound, as though whatever made it wanted to be heard - or was too large to move silently.

"Stay sharp, something's alive in here and it might be responsible for

Alexander commented, his voice more of a whisper. Gleam chirped softly, moving onto her usual perch on his shoulder. She didn't speak, but her silence spoke volumes. Even the usually boisterous Aburdon refrained from his usual sarcasm, knowing well that if Rusty died, then so would he.

The tapping grew closer, its echoes amplifying in the cavernous space. The acrid stench of decay intensified, and Rusty's grip on his sword tightened. He shifted into a defensive stance, preparing for the worst. Then it appeared.

Out of the darkness, something enormous moved into the torchlight's faint glow. The rhythmic tapping ceased as it stepped fully into view: an undead spider monster of grotesque proportions. Its once chitinous exoskeleton now bore the rotting marks of decay, webbed with necrotic veins glowing faintly green. Eight skeletal legs, jagged and splintered, scraped the ground as it moved, leaving faint trails of black puss. The spider's eyes were hollow, pits of greenish light that flickered like dying embers. On its back, webbing pulsated grotesquely, as though something alive and unspeakable squirmed beneath the surface.

"What's a corrupted arachnid doing in a place like this?"

Alexander whispered as if afraid the monster might notice, even though he knew no one could hear him conversing with Rusty. Rusty, on the other hand, remained calm. Instead of succumbing to fear, he used his identification skill to determine what kind of monster they were up against. There was still time to retreat; the monstrosity stood motionless, not yet lunging forward. When the classification appeared, it confirmed that Rusty was in over his head. However, there was one small detail suggesting he wasn't entirely out of options.

Rusty could see the mentioned absorbed victims sticking out of its abdomen. He was a monster who lacked a sense of disgust by Alexander was being quite vocal about it. Arms, legs and even faces were pushing out of its rear end, it was as if the monster fused bodies onto itself creating a grotesque patchwork of torsos and limbs, their mouths frozen in silent screams.

" ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! "

Gleam's antennae twitched violently at the sight of the monster. As an F-rank creature, she found an entity two whole ranks above her utterly terrifying. Rusty wasn't much better off - being only an E-rank himself, winning this battle seemed almost impossible. Yet, he wasn't backing away. There was a reason for that. By some stroke of luck, this monster might actually be something he could handle, despite its higher rank.

"Feeling adventurous, Rusty? What are you planning to do with those?"

Aburdon remarked, watching the living armor rummage through his inventory before equipping a bow and arrow. The monster's body, a chitinous arachnid form, appeared impervious to physical blows. Its undead nature only made it more daunting, allowing it to fight on even without a head or brain. Unless Rusty could locate and destroy the corrupted core within, the monster would likely continue to fight relentlessly.

"I might be able to win…"

"You might be able to win? I'm not sure if we should be doing something on a hunch."

Alexander retorted, his gaze fixed on the stationary target. The monster didn't seem to react to their presence, likely because Rusty was a monster himself - a living armor, not truly alive. Undead creatures were notorious for their hatred of the living, driven by an insatiable hunger to attack anything with a life force. Rusty's unique nature as a non-living construct granted him a brief advantage, but it wasn't one he could depend on for long.

Rusty nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring, the metal of his fingers creaking slightly. He aimed carefully, his glowing eye sockets seemingly narrowing as he searched for the creature's weak point. The corrupted core was likely hidden deep within its body, but he had a theory based on the necrotic veins pulsing across its decayed frame. The glowing green lines converged around its abdomen, which consisted of a grotesque mass of fused victims and writhing webbing.

"It should be somewhere around there… right?"

He wasn't quite sure about his theory but he was willing to give it a try. His situation looked dire but there were still several ways for him to survive. Previously he had noted a few smaller openings in the walls, ones that a gleamnig ant wearing a miniturised helmet could fit through. If all seemed lost, he was willing to retreat to hide. However, he did have one big trump card against this monster and that was his light elemental skill.

The projectile whistled through the air, glowing brightly white and struck the monster's abdomen. It struck the monster's abdomen with a sickening thud, embedding itself deeply into the writhing, grotesque mass. A ripple of energy surged through the creature's form, and for a moment, nothing happened.

Then, a small radiant explosion took hold and the monster screamed. The sound wasn't like anything Rusty had heard before. It was a layered echo, a mix of the shrill cries of the absorbed victims and a guttural, inhuman roar. The spider's massive body twitched violently, and its skeletal legs scraped against the ground, sending shards of stone scattering. The corrupted green veins across its body pulsed brighter, radiating a sickly glow as it turned its hollow gaze directly toward Rusty.

"So much for the element of surprise."

Alexander muttered.

"Nice shot, but I think you just made it angry."

Aburdon added with a dry chuckle while the undead spider charged. Its skeletal legs propelled it forward with a terrifying speed but there was something that he noticed, a limp. The light elemental arrow that he had used had done more damage than he initially thought. The Corrupter Arachnid's movements were erratic, and its right side lagged slightly, as though one of its legs had been weakened by the blast. Rusty quickly nocked another arrow, his focus sharp as he prepared to exploit the weakness.

The chamber shook as the arachnid's charge reverberated through the ground. Rusty sidestepped just in time as the creature's massive legs smashed into the stone floor where he'd stood moments earlier. The impact sent debris flying, forcing Gleam to cling tightly to his shoulder.

" ( ˵ •̀ □ •́ ˵ ) "

"Hang on tight Gleam!"

Rusty sprinted to gain distance, his heavy iron body eerily silent thanks to Gleam's spell. He kept his focus on the creature, firing another light-infused arrow into its side. Normally it would be impossible to harm this creature with his regular iron arrows, however it was luckily a monster type that was undead, something that his light elemental was highly effective against.

The second arrow struck true, burying itself in the creature's flank and unleashing another burst of radiant energy. The Undead Arachnid howled again, its twisted legs faltering as the necrotic veins along its abdomen began to dim. The light elemental damage was clearly taking its toll, and the creature's movements grew more erratic. Yet, it was far from defeated.

The corrupted arachnid retaliated, spewing forth a torrent of webbing from its distended abdomen. The strands glowed faintly green, pulsating with strange evil energy. Rusty dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the sticky mass as it splattered against the cavern wall, hissing and smoking as it corroded the stone.

"That stuff looks nasty,"

Aburdon remarked while looking at the stones melting.

"You better not let that touch you. I'd hate to see you end up part of its... collection."

Rusty ignored the demon lord's commentary, focusing instead on the battle. Though he had some spare iron to restore his body, the net posed a big obstacle to his escape. It appeared to have both acidic and sticky properties; getting entangled in it could spell his defeat. One wrong move could end everything, as this was the stark difference in strength between him and a being a full rank above his.

The corrupted arachnid reared back, its skeletal legs scraping against the cavern floor in frustration. Despite being an undead monster, it seemed to possess a mind that could feel rage. It continuously attempted to shoot Rusty down with its webbing, but he used the environment to his advantage. Large stalagmites provided good cover, and scattered boxes left behind by the merchants offered temporary protection, able to withstand at least one hit. However, the chamber was steadily becoming enshrouded in corrosive webbing. If he took too long, he would eventually be left with no choice but to move forward.

"( •̀ へ •́ )!"

"Are you sure? That could be dangerous"

Gleam chirped from the sidelines as she leapt onto the wall. She seemed to have a plan and quickly skittered away in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Rusty continued pelting the monster with arrows from a relatively safe distance.

To his dismay, the arrows were far less effective than he had anticipated. The simple undead he'd faced in the dungeons before had been purified outright by his attacks, but this creature wasn't. Perhaps it was due to the difference in ranks or its monstrous spider body. Regardless, he pressed on, losing arrows until his mana reserves dwindled, leaving him with little to sustain his skill.

"It's still not dead, Rusty. Perhaps a retreat is in order?" Aburdon's tone carried a note of skepticism.

The monster had lost a significant amount of health, its body riddled with holes and several limbs missing. Yet, it remained standing, still capable of fighting.

"No, we'll stick to Gleam's plan!"

Rusty replied firmly, determination etched on his face.

The demon lord remained silent, suppressing the urge to comment on the absurdity of the situation. His advice had been cast aside in favor of an ant's whimsical deliberations - a notion he found both frustrating and deeply amusing. Rusty, on the other hand, activated one of his loadouts, shifting into his largest and sturdiest form. His body expanded, reinforced with thick armor, and a massive tower shield materialized in his grasp. He braced himself, fully aware of the risk, but resolved to trust in his friend's plan.

"Here I am! Come at me!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the cavern.

He struck his shield with his sword, the sharp clang reverberating as he aimed to draw the monster's attention. Everything hinged on it targeting him directly, buying Gleam the time she needed.

The corrupted arachnid's glowing, hollow gaze snapped to Rusty, and its massive body lurched forward, propelled by its remaining legs. Rusty stood his ground, gripping his shield tightly as the monster charged. With a roar of fractured, otherworldly voices, it launched a barrage of glowing green webs. They splattered against Rusty's massive shield, hissing and smoking but failing to penetrate the dense iron plating.

The shield was doing its job. The webs couldn't trap him, and the monster's attacks, though relentless, were absorbed by the bulk of the shield's enchanted structure. As the creature closed the gap, its legs crashed against Rusty's barrier, causing vibrations to echo through the cavern. Yet, he held it together and with his weight increasing to cover for the lack of mass he was successful in stopping this maddened charge.

The spider reared back, the part of the spider in front gnashing its fangs as it got ready to attack again. But that's when Gleam made her move. Leaping from a hidden crevice above, the glowing ant hurtled down, her tiny form landing deftly on the monster's grotesque, pulsating back. Her antennae twitched as she channeled her mana, the glow around her intensifying.

"Now, Gleam!" Rusty shouted.

Gleam's tiny frame shone like a star in the dim cavern as she unleashed her healing spell, the same one she had learned in that cult's underground dungeon. The spell wasn't meant to heal in this case. Against the undead, its effects were devastating. Once activated, it rippled through the creature's entire body, causing it to freeze in place.

The spider let out a screech that pierced the air, its voice a chorus of tortured souls as the radiant light spread through its body. The necrotic veins pulsing across its exoskeleton began to disintegrate, unraveling into ash. The writhing mass of absorbed victims fused to its abdomen and writhed in agony before fading into wisps of green mist, their tormented souls finally freed. The spell tore through its form, disrupting its very essence and leaving it paralyzed, vulnerable to Rusty's next move.

Rusty didn't waste a moment. With the corrupted arachnid frozen in agony, he dropped his shield and drew his longsword, its blade starting to gleam with a radiant glow. The weapon wasn't particularly special but with his elemental skill, it was more than enough to finish this creature off.

He thrust the blade forward, driving it deep into the monster's spidery head. Once embedded, he unleashed all of his remaining mana. The monster lit up from within, its dark, necrotic veins seared away by the purifying light. It shrieked again, a horrifying sound that echoed through the battlefield - still not dead, even with the blade buried in what should have been its cranium. Its core remained intact, hidden somewhere deep within its monstrous form.

The creature thrashed violently, slamming into Rusty. He summoned every ounce of strength and discharged his final elemental skill. With one last desperate effort, he drove the blade even deeper. The monster resisted fiercely, spewing corrosive webbing that splattered across his body, burning through his plated armor. Even though his body sizzled he refused to relent and finally, it was over.

The monstrous spider's legs collapsed beneath its massive weight, and its enormous body fell to the ground with a deafening thud. Its hollow eyes dimmed, the eerie green glow extinguished forever.

" (｡•́︿•̀｡) "

"I'm fine, Gleam, don't worry!"

His body was still sizzling from the webbing; one of his legs had fallen off, as had his left arm. Luckily, he did not have any internal organs. As long as his helmet and the core inside it remained intact, he could not be killed.

Now that the battle was over, he heard the message confirming that he had leveled up. Gleam had leveled up as well, and it seemed she was now ready to advance to a new evolutionary stage - one that would likely allow her to reach the next rank.