Chương 239: Chapter 237 – Vengeance Continues.

Name: Gleam Classification: Small Greater-Silvergleam Ant [D] L1 Type: Insectoid Hit Points [HP] 498/498 Magic Points [MP] 881/881 Stamina Points [SP] 425/425 Strength 23 [D -] Agility 87 [D] {5} Dexterity 72 [D -] Constitution 71 [D -] Intelligence 88 [D] {31} Wisdom 87 [D] {30} Willpower 80 [D] {24} Durability D -"The changes are subtle..."

"(• ̀ω •́)✧""Yes, those antennae look… how do the humanoids say it? Oh right, quite fashionable..." Rusty was not sure what to say about Gleam's new appearance. While he had been training his new skill, she had finally evolved into the Small Greater Silvergleam Ant. The change was subtle, as her overall appearance had not altered much. The most noticeable difference was her antennae, which now had blue tips that glowed whenever she activated her magic.

Mana Enhanced Antennae Passive Skill This body part has been enhanced by mana, allowing the Small Greater Silvergleam Ant to cast spells faster, with greater precision, and with less concentration than before.

"It does look like a great evolution for casting spells, Gleam!"

"(•̀ ᴗ •́)و" The initial skill was impressive, but she had also gained another upon reaching the threshold of her last class. Iridescent Carapace Passive Skill The ant's gleaming exoskeleton reflects and scatters light-based and magical projectiles, granting a chance to partially deflect or reduce incoming magic damage. This skill required further testing, as they had proceeded with Gleam's evolution immediately. From the description alone, however, it was clearly a defensive ability against magical attacks.

Since it was passive, it permanently enhanced her resistance to magic, which was always valuable. The rest of Gleam's gains from her previous evolution were new spells, such as the defensive array she had cast during their attack on the mercenaries. Even though their levels were increasing, the number of skills they gained did not seem to rise as quickly. Still, this was not a cause for concern. Their older skills, acquired at F and E rank, continued to evolve alongside them.

When they reached level nine and advanced to another evolutionary stage, those abilities were usually upgraded as well. There did appear to be a limit for certain skills, but it was not something they worried about much.

"Great, I think that's enough for now." As Gleam returned, Rusty released the skill that was keeping Alexander's armor animated. Their test had succeeded, and he had managed to gain control over the Dash Step skill. This meant he could raise his skills much faster, as long as Alexander and Aburdon fought at his side.

"I wonder if sharing your skill with more than just me would make it level faster." Alexander floated in his wisp form, speaking once their test concluded.

"That... that feels like it could work. Wait, how much mana would that cost me? And how many times can I even share my skills?" Rusty directed the question to Alexander, but he had no answer.

"You will have to test it out. It is not like we have anything better to do right now. The mercenaries are gone, which leaves only the merchants and that noble." Rusty nodded. He planned to keep a lower profile from now on. The mercenaries were gone, and he did not believe anyone suspected him, but caution was still necessary. The merchants who had recruited him were still damaging his business, though it was not a major issue. The true enemy was the noble who controlled everything from behind his walls.

"It would be best to build more power first, my dear Rusty. We could also use that noble's greed to our advantage."

"Oh? We can?" Aburdon interrupted as his wisp drifted out of Rusty's helmet.

"Indeed. These lesser races are easy to read. There is nothing they love more than gold and their positions of power, gained not through true strength but through lies." Rusty was not truly following what his guide meant, so he decided to voice his concerns.

"I'm not sure I follow…"

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"Yes…"

"The ideal move would be to replace the mercenaries with our own and build an organization to topple them, but that is likely beyond your current abilities, Rusty."

"You want me to pretend to be a mercenary group?"

"Perhaps once you have grown stronger. For now, you could join one of their organizations. I suspect they will be recruiting for a new mercenary band or a guard unit. With your current power, you could rise to a respectable position in this city. You might even gain access to the noble district."

"Oh… I see. And once I infiltrate the noble district, I can gather information on the noble."

"Now you understand. Once we have more information, we can decide what to do with that piglet. We might even replace him with one of your puppet armors and rule this place." Aburdon cackled as he revealed his true plan: to kill the noble and replace him with an armor puppet. It was not a terrible idea, but Rusty was unsure whether his skill was strong enough.

"I do not think that will work unless the range of my puppets increases or they can act independently."

"All in due time. Your skill will improve, my dear Rusty." Rusty was not sure why Aburdon was so confident, but as a demon lord who may have once used similar abilities, he likely understood how such powers evolved. The thought gave Rusty something to consider. The noble would probably hire new mercenaries, though he might also recruit adventurers. Without mercenaries in the city, maintaining order would be more difficult, and an attack from the orc group was fast approaching.

"But… we could also do something else entirely."

"Like?"

"We could take the side of those Orcs. If you defeat their leader, they would see you as their new Chief. That would make things much easier." Aburdon's words gave Rusty something to think about, but Alexender was against it.

"If we side with the Orcs, what will happen to this place?"

"It will probably fall. But why should we care about some lesser beings? With the Orcs' help, we could easily topple that fat noble and take over everything." Rusty considered the plan for a moment. He did not have any real allegiance to the people living here, and there were not many he truly liked. If he became the Orc leader, he could simply order them not to harm the children and focus on killing the guards and mercenaries instead.

"A whole settlement run by me? I am not sure I want that. And would not the humanoids attack us with a proper army if I did?"

"It would take some time, but think about all the experience you would gain from slaying their armies. It is the fastest way to become more powerful, my dear Rusty."

"(•̀ - •́)""You do not like Aburdon's idea, Gleam?" Gleam's antennae flickered, the faint blue tips glowing as she shook her head.

"Well, I would probably need to reach C-rank before we could even start thinking about taking over the Orcs." For the time being, he decided to set the plan aside. He was no longer the naive living armor he once had been, and he understood what Aburdon was trying to do. It was a clear attempt to push him onto the path of becoming a demon lord. If he chose that route, he would likely have to continue fighting the many humanoid races. Still, the idea was intriguing.

Leading armies, battling powerful adventurers and perhaps even heroes, all while expanding his forces.

"I could probably join the next mercenary group. Their leaders seemed to have plenty of free time as well." The alternative was not a bad option. If he managed to enter the inner circle of the new group, he would gain access to the noble district. Thanks to Gleam, he knew their previous leader had been summoned there multiple times, and even the sub-leaders had accompanied him as escorts. It would be a good way to gather more information. After that, he could decide what he truly wanted to do.

The conversation continued for some time as Rusty's group discussed their future plans. Eventually, he returned to experimenting with his new skill-sharing ability and soon discovered a few limitations. One of them was that he could share only one specific skill with a single set of armor. This meant that, for now, he could lend Dash Step to Alexander but not to Aburdon, at least not at his current level. Then there was the matter of the loot he had received.

The sword he had taken from Varkas was powerful but too recognizable to be used within the city. The same applied to his armor, which enhanced both wind magic and agility. However, with his forging skills steadily improving, Rusty was confident that he would eventually be able to reforge it into something usable. Perhaps a whole new frame focused on wind magic. Soon, news of the Black Hounds reached town.

Traveling merchants brought reports from the neighboring city where Varkas and his men had been expected to arrive. The news caused an uproar and, just as they had predicted, tryouts for new mercenaries and soldiers were announced, scheduled to take place in a few days.

"Hm… Do I really need to remove one of them?" A few days later, Rusty found himself in his summoning chamber late at night. They had spent the previous days exploring the dungeon, gathering crystals and mapping new areas. After returning, he had little to do besides working in the soul forge to craft items and occasionally glancing at the window of his summoning chamber. More than a week earlier, he had attempted to be summoned, but even after stepping into the chamber, nothing happened.

None of his three summoners had called for his help, so he decided to wait. Unfortunately, after exactly an hour, he was forcibly removed, and a countdown timer activated, forcing him to wait another three days before trying again. When he repeated the attempt, the same thing occurred, confirming his suspicion that he would not be able to use the summoning chamber again until his next evolution or unless he removed one of his summoners.

"If I had to remove one… who would it be?" There were several issues with the summoning system. It had become clear that he could eventually outgrow his summoners, which was confirmed when Gwen was no longer able to summon him.

"The boy or the old man…" Rusty still could not decide whom to remove. The elf he had helped on a single mission had not left much of an impression. Although the young elf could summon him, he seemed to have the least talent and lacked dangerous missions that would help Rusty earn experience talismans. His village had been destroyed, and he appeared to have no mentors. Gwen, on the other hand, was studying at a summoning academy and would likely grow stronger over time.

The necromancer he had served, though uncooperative, had allowed Rusty to earn many summoner coins, whereas helping the young elf had cost him some. Yet the old hag who had nearly interfered with his system still troubled him. What if he returned only to be imprisoned? Although the world system he relied on had never failed him, there might still be limits to its protection.

"Hm… why did I have to spend those coins? I wasted multiple summons already. I should have just gotten another slot." Rusty clutched his metal head with both hands, unable to decide what to do. It felt wasteful to get rid of one of them. Yet if he did not act now, he might have to wait until his next evolution to gain more summoner coins. Although he had gained many levels recently, his progress had now stalled. It would likely take a month or two, perhaps even longer, to reach the next stage.

He could shorten that time by acquiring more experience talismans from the chamber.

"I'll go with the boy… no… maybe the necromancer. He was really rude to me… but all those coins… Wait, what is that sound? I've never heard that before." Just as he was about to decide who to remove, a strange chime echoed through the summoning chamber. The console in front of him flashed several times before settling. When he looked at it again, a new mission had appeared. Quest: Vengeance Continues Difficulty: Medium Description: The boy's village has been destroyed.

Everyone he knew is gone, but this is not the end of his journey. Other elves suffer at the hands of humans. Aid him in his quest to free them and become his sword of vengeance.

"Oh? It's the boy. His name was Teral, right?" Rusty felt a surge of excitement. He would not need to delete any of his summoner slots after all. His metallic fingers now moved easily across the strange console, guiding the pointers with practiced precision. Before leaving, he confirmed the name of his summoner and examined his new feature, the loadout system. A new option had appeared within the console. When he opened it, he saw a list of his current loadouts.

They were numbered, though some had names such as his Goliath and Wraith forms that he frequently used. The rest were labeled only with numbers, which made selecting one simple. When he clicked an option, a checkmark appeared beside it, and the others were instantly grayed out. He could also deselect it and choose a different one if he wished.

"Nice, for the weapons, let's get the usual." Like many times before, he chose his weapons, and this time carried a shield and a halberd. His current form was the all-purpose one, while the Goliath form would serve as his secondary. Unless the mission involved sneaking, there was no reason to use the Wraith form. As soon as he stepped into the summoning circle, the usual glow enveloped him, and he vanished. His vision turned white, and he found himself appearing in a new area filled with trees.

He was not alone with his summoner. He instantly sensed the presence of many living beings.

"T-this one is different… could it be?" As his body materialized, an unpleasant sight greeted him. Many living armors stood nearby, crafted from bronze and iron. It was the skill he had given to Teral out of pity, and it seemed these armors were not enough to handle his current foe.

"So you've summoned me to take care of these guys? I hope there are more of them. I need many more experience talismans!" Rusty pointed his halberd toward a group of humans charging at them. One of them swung a mace at him, but after a quick block, the attacker was sent flying backward. The summoning had finally worked, and he was already in the midst of battle, something he would never grow tired of.