Chapter 259: – Max Level D-Rank.

Heavy Metal

“And… I’m back!”

The dungeon mission was over, and even though it was short and lasted less than a day, he felt refreshed. He got to move freely through a familiar environment, and this time the dungeon did not order him around. Instead, it responded to his input. It even sent reinforcements in the form of red demonic skeletons, though most of the work still fell to him in the end.

“That wasn’t a bad dungeon. Maybe I had it all wrong about those dungeon hearts… but it’s not like I could leave the area.”

Even though this dungeon was not as harsh as the one he had been created in, he still could not exit through the main entrance. Still, that was fine. He was only a temporarily summoned creature, and if he truly wanted to, he could cancel the mission and return home. The helplessness he once felt was no longer there.

“Now then, did I get enough?”

He turned his attention to the reward window, checking if he had gained enough talismans to reach the final level before twenty-five.

“It should be enough… but that enchantment talisman is rather meaningless…”

The experience talismans he received were less valuable than those he gained while helping Teral, but this mission had been far easier and much shorter. The enchantment talisman also seemed pointless, as his body was already highly resistant to both light and dark magic. Still, he could probably sell equipment with such resistances to humanoids, since he did not use twilight metals in the gear he produced.

“And what about the summoner coins?”

This was where the real difference showed. While the experience gain was not far behind, the summoner coins told another story. He had gained only five, bringing his total to thirty-three. That was enough for minor upgrades like increased storage space, but nowhere near enough for additional loadout slots.

“Is this the downside of being summoned by a dungeon, or did I just not spend enough time there?”

Rusty considered the question and leaned toward the former. The mission had been straightforward, almost too simple. There was no prolonged boss fight, no desperate struggle for survival, and no extended objectives beyond eliminating the invaders.

Most importantly, his interaction with the dungeon had been minimal. He had already learned that time spent with the summoner mattered most, and interaction played a role as well, as seen when he punished the necromancer. Here, the dungeon barely responded, so their connection never had a chance to develop.

“So dungeon missions are good for easy experience, but not great for earning summoner coins.”

It did not seem worthwhile to invest in the dungeon to raise its stats. Like any other summoner, he could make it stronger and even give it the ability to summon living armors, just as his previous summoners had done. Yet he felt no real reason to do so. It was still just a dungeon like any other, and many like it likely existed. For now, he chose not to remove the option and decided he would make a final decision after gaining access to the summoning chamber again.

That would not be far off. After spending these talismans, he was sure his level would reach the required threshold after he used them.

“A shame my absorption skill is still on cooldown. Maybe I could have absorbed some dark-focused spells from the demonic humanoid. But that could be a waste… Maybe next time.”

As his body faded from the summoning chamber, his thoughts lingered on the fight. The demonic humanoids were aligned with dark magic and could possibly grant him skills tied to that element if he managed to absorb them. However, his absorption skill now had increasingly long cooldowns and had not recovered since the Varkas fight.

“If this continues, I will not be able to use absorption much. Still, it has already helped me get this far.”

While he enjoyed gaining new skills, he understood that the cooldown would eventually reach a yearly reset and stop increasing. At least, that was what Aburdon had claimed when he possessed this ability. For a demon king who had lived a long time, that limit meant little. For Rusty, who was still far from powerful, it was a serious constraint.

It seemed he would need to think carefully about which skills he truly needed and which he could do without or acquire through regular leveling. In the future, instead of relying on absorbing powerful abilities, he would need to focus on learning spells and crafting enchantments onto his body. To do that, he needed more research, and for that the Soul Forge library was his best resource. Once he evolved, he intended to create a proper battle plan with his guides for his next form, a prospect he eagerly anticipated.

“Everything seems fine upstairs.”

After returning, he used his life detection skill to confirm that all was well. Not even a minute had passed since he left for the summoning chamber. The city remained safe, and he had gained a measure of freedom by becoming second in command of the new mercenary group. Though he was uncertain how things would develop, he was not concerned. The time had come. It was time to evolve again.

“Just enough.”

He quickly looked over his status, then checked the new skill he had gained upon reaching level twenty-five.

It was a fascinating ability. Not only could it immobilize an opponent, but it could also drain their health and mana. It even restored HP, not just MP. That meant he might have another way to recover in the middle of combat, even without access to his storage.

‘This could help me a lot when I’m in my summoned form. I won’t have to depend on my summoner as much for healing anymore.’

With that in mind, he glanced at his full status screen, which looked quite imposing.

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Even though he was only a D-ranked monster, all of his attributes had reached D plus. If he evolved and gained the usual stat bonuses, he would likely hit the limit and begin accumulating overpoints. The upper limit for D rank stats was two hundred twenty-five.

‘Am I stronger than I thought? Could I defeat a C-rank monster after my next evolution?’

He did not have a clear answer. Stats were not everything. Higher-ranked beings possessed stronger skills and more refined combat techniques. Even if he matched the raw attributes of a weaker C-rank monster, he might still fall short due to his lesser abilities. Then again, maybe not.

His body was not that of an ordinary monster. He could apply multiple enchantments to enhance his attributes and manipulate magical effects. He also had his hidden storage, which allowed him to draw out restorative items at will. In theory, with all of these advantages combined, defeating an opponent one rank higher was not impossible.

“Oh, I can barely wait!”

Rusty could hardly contain himself. He wanted to enter the soul forge immediately, but then he noticed something. Movement in front of his shop, along with the chime of the bell they had placed by the door.

‘Who could it be?’

His next evolution would likely incapacitate him for at least half a day, possibly longer. The higher the rank, the more time it required. He could not afford to leave his lair unguarded now. The orcs had only just retreated, and he had been allowed to return after submitting his report. He had assumed he would be able to rest for a while, but perhaps his new role as second in command of the mercenaries came with more constraints than he had expected.

“Is Edmund of the Steel Wolves present?”

“That depends. Who is asking?”

Before Rusty could step forward, he heard the youngest child’s voice echo through the room. He was not too concerned about the children. Through his life detection skill, he could tell that the visitor was not even a D-ranker. Gleam could protect the group without difficulty.

“Natia, you shouldn’t say that…”

Ria quickly placed her palm over Natia’s mouth and began dragging her away, while the two boys smiled nervously at the guard who had appeared.

“Do you need something from me?”

Rusty stepped forward. The man before him belonged to the city watch. Not much time had passed since he made the report, and he had expected at least a short period of rest.

“Ah, you must be Edmund.”

The guard nodded, his manner more cordial than Rusty was used to. In the past, dealings with city guards and mercenaries had often been rude and condescending. This time, the guard gave him a brief once over without any hint of contempt. If anything, there was a trace of respect.

“I have been asked to deliver a message.”

“A message?”

Rusty tilted his helmet slightly. Behind him, the children had fallen quiet, peeking from the doorway with barely contained curiosity. Gleam sat atop the counter, observing the scene. The man seemed slightly uneasy in her presence.

“Yes. From Guard Commander Arlin.”

That name immediately drew Rusty’s full attention. She was known to work with Varkas and was also connected to his current superior, the new mercenary leader.

“What does she want?”

“She requests your presence as soon as possible. She is waiting for you at her office. Please do not keep her waiting.”

The guard finished with a small bow of his head, then stepped back as if his task had been completed the moment the words left his mouth.

‘What does she want from me?’

As the guard departed, Rusty began to wonder. The report had been made with Aburdon’s help, and the demon lord had insisted on including a great deal of additional information. Rusty was not entirely sure what had been written. At some point, he had stopped paying attention. Perhaps there was a mistake, and she wanted it corrected. Or perhaps she was displeased that the person assigned to write the report had passed the task to him instead.

Either way, he needed to go. It was better to handle it now. He did not want guards arriving while he was in the middle of evolving.

“What was that about? Rude!”

Natia stuck out her tongue in the direction the guard had gone. The other children chuckled, and Rusty found himself smiling in the same way.

“It’s nothing. I need to go now. Gleam, take care of the place for me.”

“( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و”

As always, Gleam wiggled her antennae at him and told him not to worry. With that, he left his smithy and headed back into the city. People were returning to their homes, and merchants were reopening their shops. That alone convinced him that no orc attack was imminent, since the guards would not have allowed anyone to leave the shelters otherwise.

As he moved through the streets, he noticed more people staring at him. Their gazes carried something he could not quite identify.

“It’s not fear, I think… hm.”

He pondered it for a moment, then summoned both of his guides.

“Hey, should I be worried about this? Everyone is looking at me. Did they figure something out? Is this a problem?”

He continued down the street as he spoke. People kept their distance, but as he passed, many nodded or bowed in an odd way. Some even stepped aside, as though making room for someone important rather than avoiding a threat.

“I don’t think you should be worried, Rusty. This isn’t anything unusual. I’ve seen those looks before.”

“You have?”

Alexander, the fallen hero, was the one who answered.

“Yes. That is gratitude. They are thankful for what you did during the orc attack. It might not have meant much to you. You were just running through the streets to reach your lair, but along the way, you helped many of them.”

“Oh… was that it?”

Rusty recalled racing through the city, cutting down rampaging orcs. He had saved several people directly, and others must have seen him through the gaps in their boarded windows.

“Bah, we don’t need gratitude. Fear is a far better motivator.”

Aburdon scoffed, his voice thick with disdain. Alexander sighed, as if he had heard the same argument too many times to count.

“That kind of thinking is exactly why people rise up against beings like you.”

“They rise because the fear instilled in them isn’t strong enough.”

The two immediately began arguing, as they always did. Rusty let their voices fade into the background while he made his way to the guard commander’s office. When he arrived, he was admitted without delay.

“You wished to see me, Commander Arlin?”

The woman was sorting through a stack of papers, some of which appeared to be written in his own hand. Being living armor did not prevent him from writing. With the help of his possession skill, he could easily mimic the handwriting of those he inhabited, and Edmund, it seemed, had excellent penmanship.

“Edmund… or now you’re being called Second… Can you explain what all of this is?”

Arlin pointed to the stack of papers. One of them even had a sketch of the western wall, detailing how to reinforce it properly, along with notes on troop placement and recommendations for the best weapons against the orcs. It went far beyond what the report was supposed to cover.

“My apologies. Is the report not to your liking? If not, I can…”

“Not to my liking? I think you misunderstood something.”

Arlin tapped the stack again, more firmly this time, then lifted one of the pages between two fingers.

“This is not a report.”

Rusty remained still, unsure of what was coming next.

“It is a full tactical assessment. You identified structural weaknesses in three sections of the wall, proposed rotation schedules for exhausted troops, included supply chain adjustments for arrow distribution, and even outlined contingency plans. What I am saying is… why don’t you come work under me instead, Second? You are too good to be part of a mercenary band.”

Arlin slammed both hands onto the desk with a resounding thud. Her eyes were wide, fixed on him as if he were a prize worth claiming. It seemed he was not in trouble at all, but instead was being offered a new position.