Heavy Metal: Chapter 51 – Expanded Level Cap. (Patreon)

“Guild Master Husson, do you have a minute? There is an important issue we need to talk about.”

“Lorenda? What is it now? Come in.”

A grumpy-looking guild master looked up from a pile of paperwork he had to stamp. Most of it revolved around signing off on new adventurers, due to some new rules the guild master had to enforce. The brawny man with the eyepatch sighed, rubbing his temples as Lorenda stepped inside.

“It’s about that Irregularity we talked about earlier…”

“This again? Didn’t I tell you to deal with it? What could an E-rank monster do alone in the dungeon? Don’t tell me that more people have died. Are all the new adventurers just incompetent now?”

The man didn't seem too pleased at the mention of the irregularity again, but Lorenda pressed on, her tone insistent.

"No, sir, it's more than that. It’s not just about adventurers disappearing now.”

“Then what is it?”

Husson started sighing but managed to hold himself back from shouting at the guild worker. He knew that she was just performing her duties and that at least she thought that this issue was important. The lady didn’t relent but moved closer to place the papers on his desk where he could see and read them.

“We have reports of large groups of monsters vanishing, treasure chests appearing less and less, and even traps have been reported missing.”

“What? Let me see this.”

The guild master was perplexed by this issue. It was one thing when easily replaceable adventurers were getting themselves killed, but another when the dungeon itself was in danger. Without the dungeon around, their business wouldn’t be able to function correctly, and the guild master was aware of this. Soon, Husson was going through the report, which stated that the population of the monsters was starting to drop, something that very rarely happened.

“This is rather strange… but what could be causing it?”

Husson's mind raced with possibilities and he tried to remember if similar issues appeared while he was an active adventurer. Monster populations in the dungeon were usually kept in check by adventurers and not the other way around. There was danger in allowing the dungeon to exist without proper management as once it was left alone for too long, it would cause some problems. Not everyone knew this but there was a certain symbiotic relation between the dungeon and the adventurers hunting for treasures within it. Once the balance was broken, it could lead to a disaster.

“It might have something to do with that irregular monster…”

As the guild master paused the woman attempted to bring up that topic again. In his mind, one monster couldn't be responsible for such a drastic change. Monsters like a living armor weren’t known for their intelligence or capabilities to do anything other than attack the first thing they saw.

“That again? This report doesn’t state anything about it appearing, has it been spotted since the last incident?”

“Well… no but…”

“Then it’s probably been killed by someone already.”

Husson leaned back in his chair and was unwilling to even entertain that thought. In his mind, the reason had to be different.

“Lorenda, I’ll look into this, but don’t jump to conclusions. There could be many explanations. Perhaps a higher-ranking party has been clearing out the dungeon while not going through the proper procedures. It’s not strange for some of those bastards to farm for specific items in bulk. Here is what we are going to do.”

Lorenda nodded, though her concern didn’t fade. She knew that whatever the guild master would order wouldn’t address the irregularity she was concerned with. However, there was a possibility that she was wrong and that something else was happening within the dungeon. There had been cases in the past where dungeons had been stripped by large adventurer groups. In such situations, the dungeon needed time to restore its lost resources, much like how this dungeon was behaving now.

“.We’ll close the entrance for a few days and send in one of ours to investigate. We need to find whoever is responsible for this. Check if anyone is selling items in bulk that can only be manufactured from the dungeon’s materials…”

“Yes, Guild Master. I understand.”

There was not much to interject as the guild leader made the order. The dungeon would be closed for a few days to give the dungeon some time to regain its vitality. As long as adventurers stopped overhunting the monsters, they would respawn as always. Once balance was restored, they would need to check if their guards were sleeping on the job or if someone over-leveled managed to slip inside. This dungeon was meant for beginners and was not meant to be farmed excessively.

*****

Meanwhile, the one responsible for all this chaos was just rummaging through some adventurer belongings. His bronze hands moved quickly through the items that he placed down on the ground to examine. Each one of his victims had various items stashed on them, including something that resembled his inventory system but much more flawed.

Classification: Lesser Small Storage Satchel

Type:  Storage Item

Description: A satchel with a spatial enchantment placed on it. It’s bigger on the inside than on the outside. 

It was quite an interesting find as he reached inside and discovered more items than expected. Among them were several potions, a few throwing weapons, and some coins. The potions included basic healing and mana restoration varieties. Initially disappointed, he soon realized two things. First, he couldn't heal himself using the healing potion, which made sense since he was made of bronze and not flesh. Second, the mana restoration concoction actually worked to a certain degree as splashing it over his body regenerated some of his MP points.

Then another interesting anomaly caught his attention: when he attempted to add the storage satchel to his inventory, it created a small sub-storage. Once inside his stash tab, he could open it to reveal four additional storage squares. The item itself only occupied two squares, effectively expanding his stash tab capacity. This discovery would allow him to save some SP and he wondered if he could continue placing these items into each other for an infinite amount of space.

“I suppose there is some copper in this and this metal here is called silver?”

Rusty didn’t quite understand why these people carried coins with them. Their bodies were not metallic like his, so they wouldn’t be able to use the coins to restore themselves. However, his guides had instructed him to hold on to the coins as they could be useful once he left the dungeon. They were apparently used for exchanging goods, but Rusty wasn’t sure if any humans would be willing to barter with him. He was also not sure what a sentient suit could buy in the first place or how would he do it without being attacked.

“What else was there… the weapons aren’t bad, this steel longsword is better than the one I have on me.”

Among his finds, there were a few good things like the longsword made from steel and an iron shield. Both were sturdier than the armaments that he could produce but he wouldn’t be able to repair them or use his elemental skills. Without the metal being of the twilight variety, the skill would not function for some reason. For the time being, he placed all of the loot inside his storage before heading out into the unknown.

Once he finished gathering up the loot and placing it in his storage, it was time to leave. The adventurers had been stripped of their armor and would eventually be absorbed by the dungeon, a fate shared by anyone who died in this place. Rusty wasn’t sure what this place truly was, but it felt like the dungeon was consuming the people who fell within it. Perhaps it was just another kind of monster, much like he was, and the voice it used was simply its personality.

The skill he had just used, Basic Elemental Meld, required further testing. Rusty needed to understand its limitations and potential applications. It enabled him to merge with the shadows and become invisible, a capability he could utilize in the future. If pursued, he could seek refuge in dark corners where he would be undetectable. If adventurers couldn't see him, then it was likely that monsters with inferior detection skills within the dungeon wouldn't either.

“But I didn’t expect this. How much do I need to level up this time around?”

One big question remained: his level. His previous evolutions only required him to reach level ten, but now something had shifted. To get to the bottom of this problem, he decided to call upon one of his guides. Soon, a dark sphere of light appeared before him, and Demon King Aburdon materialized.

“Oh? I see that you have been busy. Are you sure you’re not a demon in disguise?”

The black sphere floated toward the three dead bodies that Rusty was responsible for. It seemed like Aburdon was trying to achieve something by getting closer and even flying inside one of the corpses, but nothing seemed to happen.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing, just trying to test if an old skill still works... Now then, how can this Dark Lord be of service?”

Rusty noticed the tone switch but knew that this black orb was sometimes untrustworthy. If it weren’t for the skill that compelled it to tell the truth, it might only tell lies. Nevertheless, Aburdon was very knowledgeable about all things related to monsters and demons. When a question about monsters arose, it was better to ask him about it than the hero.

“I’ve reached level ten, but I wasn’t able to evolve. Why did this happen?”

“Ah, did the Hero not tell you? Once you reach a new rank, you are able to level past the old limit.”

“Oh? What’s the limit for E-rank then?”

“It’s just fifteen, so you’re not that far from evolving again.”

“Oh, is it like that? So if I reach the D-rank…”

“Yes, the limit will go up again, once you’re a D-rank, it goes up to twenty-five, and so on.”

The orb chuckled while Rusty tried to comprehend the idea of having ever-increasing leveling limits. This leveling system was starting to get more complicated but if he just needed to gain five more levels to advance, then it was doable.

Congratulations Call Guide skill has reached level 2. 

Just before he deactivated his skill, a system prompt appeared before his visor. His Call Guide skill had increased. Rusty wasn’t sure what leveling this skill would achieve, but after some research, he realized that his magic points weren’t depleting as quickly as before. Perhaps, once this skill reached a high enough level, it would allow him to keep his summoned guides active without draining his mana resources.

“Now then Rusty, I think we might have to discuss something. I’ve noticed you’ve been putting yourself in some peril. I know that little precious Gleam is important to you but wouldn’t it be better to think about my… I mean your safety first?”

“... No …”

He replied in a monotone voice before canceling the skill and sending Aburdon back to the soul forge. It was evident that the fallen demon king’s existence was linked to Rusty’s, and he was concerned about his own survival. The activities Rusty engaged in within the dungeon were risky, and there was a real possibility of being discovered by adventurers. Rusty was playing a dangerous game, and Aburdon shared his worries about staying alive.

“Now then, just five levels to go… but did the stat requirements also change?”

Name:  Rusty

Classification: Twilight Bronze Armor [ E- ] L10 Type: 

Magical/Inorganic Hit Points [ HP ] 134/161

Magic Points [MP] 94/144

Special Points [SP] 30/40 

Strength 44 [ E- ] 

Agility 25 [ E- ] 

Dexterity 23 [ E- ] 

Constitution 46 [ E- ] 

Intelligence 28 [ E- ] 

Wisdom 29 [ E- ] 

Willpower 28 [ E- ] 

Durability E++

Rusty hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but the number of minuses was alarmingly high. Previously, once a stat passed thirty-three, its rank would shift to a higher one. However, the stats that had already exceeded this threshold were not changing at all.

“If it’s the same as with the levels… then that means that the stat limits have gone up as well?”

It started making sense as thirty-three was not a very high number. He was gaining up to three stat points from each level up, something that had increased since his F-rank days. If he reached an even higher evolution that gave him even more stat points, he would start reaching those limits too fast. It was some type of limiting factor and he started wondering how high these numbers would get once he evolved into something truly strong.

He stood up, his bronze frame glinting in the dim dungeon light, and decided to push forward. He needed those five levels to evolve again, and that meant more exploration and more battles. His main objective had not changed and Gleam needed to be rescued. His strategy was shallow but before the month was up, he needed to reach a new height and nothing would stand in his way.

As he ventured deeper into the dungeon, Rusty encountered more undead monsters. The seventh floor was more vast than the previous one, but with the help of his new hiding skill, it became easy to avoid larger groups of adventurers. To his surprise, this had only been a problem for a day or two until all the adventurers suddenly vanished. He had been contemplating moving to the next floor sooner, but now he could continue his previous tactic of grinding in an even easier fashion.

“I would be stupid to not use this chance.”

The hero had mentioned that the people above would sometimes block passage into the dungeon in dangerous situations. This wasn’t good news in Rusty’s opinion, as it likely meant a group of powerful adventurers would be sent to investigate. Aware of the potential threat, Rusty knew he needed to act fast.

“This is much better than the swamp area…”

Rusty said to himself while running through the decrepit temples and destroyed architecture. Behind him was a steady stream of zombies and skeletons, all chasing after his shiny bronze form, unaware of their impending doom. Previously, he had only cleared out small groups of around twenty or thirty in the cramped crypts, but the crowd he was pulling now was several times larger.

Eventually, he ended up at a demolished church with a missing roof. The monsters followed right after him, pushing through the large entrance, and those that couldn’t fit started to climb through the windows. Rusty, on the other hand, ran all the way to the middle where all the monsters could see him. Once they were just a few steps away, he threw his helmet toward a previously prepared safe location.

The monsters tackled his metallic frame to the ground and began their attack. He could see his hit points going down, but this didn’t matter. Soon, the entire church area was enveloped in a burst of white light…

You have gained +24 experience points.

You have gained +14 experience points.