Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

Rusty blinked, slightly surprised to find the small ant perched atop him. It seemed comfortable, its small body rising and falling gently with each breath. The white body had become enlarged and was now glowing, most likely a side effect of eating the mana crystals. Despite its initially peculiar behavior, Rusty found himself feeling a strange sense of warmth towards the creature.

“This creature is strange…”

For some reason he didn’t feel like moving as if disturbing the ant’s sleep would be bad. His body parts were sprawled out to the sides as he took a dive after passing out. It seemed that his body seized up in place and fell backward. This created enough force to send his limbs in all four directions, rendering him immobile and a torso. His head was dislodged as well but remained closer to his main body.

“Now I know what will happen if I ever run out of mana…”

It was good luck that this had happened inside of this cave and not somewhere else. It was clear now if he ever used up all his mana at once, he would be pushed into some kind of strange dormant state. He had no idea how long he was out but even the smallest monster would be enough to finish him off if he couldn’t move.

“They are really far away… but…”

Rusty possessed some degree of control over his body. If his limbs were separated, they could reconnect when brought close to his main body. However, in this scenario, he couldn't move his torso closer, as it was too far away. Without even a single arm, he couldn't crawl closer, leaving him with the option of perhaps rolling but he didn’t have a proper spine to turn to the side either.

“Hm… wait, there was that new skill, maybe I should use it…”

Before passing out, he noticed a new skill that could help him out in this situation. Gaining skills was a strange phenomenon as whenever he received one, he instantly knew how it worked. It was hard to describe but after using it once, it became part of his being. After passing out, his mana reserves had been recharged back to maximum. It was safe to use it and soon his body started glowing.

From within his chest plate, a strange emerald light emerged. It shot out from the holes that were made by his missing limbs. The glow first made its way inside the hollowed parts before enveloping them all. The Scattered parts then started to float up into the air while Rusty felt a strange sensation. He could feel the limbs as if they were connected to his body, even when they were all far away from his body. His fingers twitched and grasped at the empty air with some force behind them.
Eventually, With a focused effort, he willed his limbs to move and they responded. The dislodged metallic arm that was lying several meters away, twitched and rocketed back towards his torso. It soon collided with his shoulder and connected itself back into the correct place.

Rusty couldn't help but feel a sense of relief as his arm reattached itself to his torso. The sensation was strange yet satisfying, like pieces of a puzzle clicking back into place. With his arm secured, he focused on his other dislodged limbs, willing them to return to him. One by one, they obeyed his mental commands, flying through the air and reattaching themselves to his body.

Once all his limbs were reconnected he looked at the last issue, the small ant monster on his chest. For some reason, even while his whole armor was glowing and clicking around, it remained plastered to his chest. He wished to ask the glowing orbs about this Minuscule Gleaming Mana Ant but after passing out once, he was now reluctant to activate that Call Guide skill.

“Well, it has to get down one way or the other…”

Rusty moved his reattached gauntlet towards the Ant to give it a small poke. For some reason, it felt rude to interrupt its slumber but he couldn’t get up and look through his skill window otherwise. However, after his digit collided with the monster’s antennae a strange system prompt was given to him

“A bonding contract?”

He moved his finger away while going through the strange prompt. The ant which was fast asleep looked up to him without moving from its spot. It had no eyelids but its eyes turned to his form, it wiggled its antennae in what seemed to be anticipation. Rusty pondered for a moment as he had no idea what this contract entailed. The creature was quite docile and it seemed happy.

“... Fine? I guess?”

As he confirmed his decision, a radiant glow enveloped both Rusty and the Minuscule Gleaming Mana Ant. It was as if an invisible tether formed between them, connecting their fates in some unspoken pact. Rusty felt a surge of energy coursing through him, and a newfound sense of connection with the creature nestled upon his chest.

“What a curious feeling…”

He thought to himself while the ant moved down from his chest and started performing a strange dance between his legs. To make things even more interesting he was given a new window, one where he could see his new friends stats.

“Stamina Points, not Special Points?”

The monster's stats were quite low and in the G-Rank. When he tried to recall his original status screen, this monster was even below it. What he noticed was that this creature also had no name just like he did in the past and that he could see its status screen, as if it was his own. It appeared in a section called ‘Bonded Monsters’ that wasn’t really explained.

“Maybe I should ask the hero or demon king about this… but first.”

He looked at the name of this monster just like previously. The name was long but one word caught his attention. Then, just like when he had gotten his own name of Rusty, this ant had been named.

His new friend started dancing around as if he was given something tasty to eat. It was a strange feeling but for some reason, Rusty was feeling joy. He started his life alone and without much purpose but now things were changing. The two glowing orbs were there and so was this sparkling ant that had just been named.

“Gleam… can you talk?”

He attempted to communicate with his new friend but it didn’t seem that this creature could respond. However, it seemed that it had some intelligence as it responded by shaking its body as if it were trying to respond.

“No talking… then how about… you bring me that crystal?”

Rusty pointed towards a nearby mana crystal with his finger, gesturing for Gleam to fetch it. The ant, understanding the command, scurried over to the crystal with surprising agility. It grabbed hold of the crystal with its mandibles and struggled for a moment before managing to lift it. With a determined effort, Gleam dragged the crystal back to Rusty, presenting it at his feet.

“Well, that's impressive!“

Rusty remarked as he was impressed by the ant’s intelligence and order-following capabilities. Even without asking for confirmation, he knew that he received something similar to a familiar or a thrall. For one reason or another, the ant must have accepted him as his leader which he then confirmed with the contract.

“Could it have done it to survive?”

As Rusty pondered the reason behind the ant's behavior, he realized it was ultimately without meaning. Perhaps the ant perceived him as its mother, or perhaps it acted out of fear of the other monsters lurking outside. Its body was quite small and once it left this cavern, its fate would be sealed. Gleam stood little chance against the stronger monsters outside, and it would likely meet a swift demise if left alone for too long.

“Now then… did I learn any other skills besides Limb Control?”

Previously, Rusty only was able to absorb the shield bash skill from one of the dungeon skeletons but never got around to getting the passive. While holding the shield was fine, now he would truly be able to use it in battle.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything else…”

He expected to receive something more magical like the Elemental Charge skill or the Elemental Discharge one but perhaps later something good would arise. All his stats had gone up and he had access to a whole inventory filled with new weapons. He wanted to summon his arsenal instantly but needed to withhold. There was still a lack of any tin ore in this area, before finding a vein he needed to conserve his resources.

Only one more anomaly remained as his body had a strange addition. Previously he was just a hallowed suit of armor, without anything on the inside. However, now a strange orb resided within him and it was glued to the top of his helmet.

At first, he attempted to take it out but the moment he tried, a strange foreboding feeling washed over him. It was as if his very essence was inside of this very tiny orb and if he tried to remove it from within his body, something bad would happen.

This was a new weak point of sorts as previously to defeat him, his body needed to be mangled. Now on the other hand, if this was damaged he felt like something bad would happen. He needed to protect this small orb that was the size of a marble and luckily it was at a location that would be hard to damage.

“Not much that I can do about this, I should probably go test out that one skill and also this new body…”

The Basic Elemental Discharge skill was something that he hadn’t truly tested out yet as it was given to him when he maxed out his previous form. Now that he was transformed and had more MP to use such skill, it was time to take over the whole underground cavern. The strongest monsters that he had come across here were of E-rank, which he was now a part of.

“Should I go after the Centipedes first?...”

The memory of getting chased by the large Centipede Matriarch was still fresh in Rusty's mind. It was a scary opponent that was much larger and was quite swift. While he felt confident now, it was better to test his sword out on the lesser monsters first. Afterward, it would be time to take care of the Matriarch.

“Time for a hunt… Hm? You want to follow me?’

Rusty was on his way out of the cavern before he noticed that the white ant continued to follow after him. This creature was rather weak and would not last even against a slug but this didn’t mean that it was of no use.

“Good, then Gleam, you will be the bait!”

A devious idea crept into his metallic head as he set off to the watering hole where the monsters gathered. Even with the ant queen gone, the other monsters continued to respect their space. However, the centipede seemed to have multiplied since his last visit and perhaps with time, would also attempt to overthrow the other monsters here.

With Gleam by his side, Rusty ventured forth into the cavern, the echoing sound of his footsteps reverberating off the crystalline walls. As they approached the watering hole, the ambient noise of chittering insects and dripping water grew louder. The monsters looked in his direction and reacted in a rather novel way. Usually, they would ignore him but this time around, many of them started moving in his direction.

It was clear that their gazes were not focused on his metallic frame but on the gleaming ant, which was quite radiant. While Rusty had intended to employ his new little helper as bait, he hadn't anticipated that the monsters would react so aggressively upon seeing it. He had assumed they would avoid the radiance it emitted, as it was similar to the light he could produce with his sword.

However, the monsters appeared to be drawn to Gleam's glow like moths to a flame. They skittered and slithered closer, their eyes fixed on the tiny ant as if it were a tantalizing treat. Rusty watched as the creatures closed in, their movements becoming more frenzied with each step.

"This wasn't quite what I had in mind. Gleam, get behind me.”

Rusty knew that the situation was starting to spiral out of control. Nevertheless, for some reason, he didn’t feel that he was fully in danger. He was an E-rank monster who was being confronted by a bunch of F ranks. When thinking about those larger monsters that towered over the rest, he imagined himself as one of them.

He quickly assessed the scenario and raised his sword into the air. With the activation of Basic Elemental Charge, it started glowing with an intense light. The monsters were blinded and stopped in their tracks but this was not his plan. Soon after, he swung his sword forward in a sweeping motion while also activating Basic Elemental Discharge. When doing so, a torrent of light energy surged forth from the blade, engulfing the oncoming monsters within.

The creatures screeched and writhed as they were struck by the force of Rusty's attack, their bodies convulsing. They were still alive but they were stunned. Gleam scurried behind Rusty seeking shelter behind one of his metallic legs. It chomped with its mandibles but left the fighting up to its current master.

"Hm... not bad! Even though they aren't dead, it won't be hard to defeat them in this state!"

Rusty charged in, the monsters were down for the count and easy targets. With swift slashes of his sword, he dispatched the stunned creatures one by one, their weakened forms offering little resistance against his onslaught. Gleam watched from the sidelines, its glowing body pulsating before it too launched itself at one of the injured monsters…