Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

Chapter 85 – Auction Approaches.

Rusty slipped through the hidden entrance, his heavy, metallic frame surprisingly silent as he descended into the old well. The stone walls were slick with moisture, and the air was thick with the pungent scent of damp earth and sewage. Rusty didn’t mind; as living armor, he didn’t need to breathe. His body moved more naturally than before, each step emulating the way a human would walk.

Aburdon, who had memorized the entire map of the sewers, became Rusty’s guide. He led him through the twisting, narrow tunnels that stretched beneath the city. The demon lord’s haughty and nonchalant tone was a sharp contrast to Alexander’s more compassionate voice.

"Take the next right, then descend the ladder. The black market entrance is just ahead. Aren’t you glad you switched to me? You’ve made a marvelous choice, Rusty, but it would be even better if you never called that fool again. I’m the only guide you’ll ever need~"

Aburdon silently congratulated himself for guiding Rusty back to the same black market entrance. On the way, they passed the area where Rusty had defeated the thief guild members. Unsurprisingly, someone was investigating the scene, and the guard there eyed him with malice. His armored body had been swapped to Albert’s armor - a fresh version that lacked any of the scents he had absorbed in this area.

Before Rusty could move forward, a strange creature approached him. It resembled a dog-like monster, but with an unusually large nose. The creature sniffed the air in his direction, its nostrils flaring as it tested the scent. After a moment, it seemed disinterested, as though the scent he gave off wasn't worth its attention.

‘See, I told you they wouldn’t be able to track you if you replaced your body completely. Use this tactic whenever you need to escape someone in the future.’

‘I will.’

It was a useful tactic, though it required him to spend resources on a new body and either discard the old one or store it. Once he completed the process, all traces of scent were erased, making him untraceable. He could even swap out his helmet, but for that, he needed to damage it first. If he simply changed his loadout, the helmet would shift into a new version but retain the old smells. However, restoring it replaced all the internal metals, allowing him to evade the noses of tracking hounds.

“Never seen you around here… are you new?” 

Asked the thief after pulling the doglike creature to the side.

“Yes,” 

Rusty replied in a monotone voice which was starting to sound more humane with each day.

“… I don’t suppose you’ve seen anyone suspicious, huh?”

The man was missing a few teeth and one of his eyes, giving him a menacing appearance. He leaned in as if trying to intimidate Rusty with his ugly face, but the living armor stood still, unaffected.

“No, I didn’t see anyone. Did something happen?” 

It was clear the man was irritated by Rusty’s nonchalant response. His expression darkened, and with a grunt of frustration, he spat to the side before waving him through.

“None of your business. Move along.”

The guard was initially suspicious, but after a quick look, he eventually let Rusty pass. There were some noises coming from around the corner but he couldn’t see the bodies of the people he had slain anymore. Now that the thugs that were after Albert were dead and he made it into the thieves guild, there were probably no more obstacles waiting for him here. He continued back to the black market entrance and used his coin to slip through the secret door and was right back where he started. 

The pungent mix of sweat, smoke, and rot greeted him, but now he wasn’t in a living body so it did not bother him anymore. Stalls were crowded together, with vendors peddling stolen goods, exotic weapons, and even magical artifacts. Shady figures negotiated in low voices, their deals drowned out by the constant buzz of the underground marketplace. Rusty’s metallic footsteps were masked by the noise, his armored form blending in among the assortment of mercenaries and thieves that frequented this place.

‘I need to become a permanent member first, how much should I give them for it to be only five silver coins?’

Aburdon peeked into Rusty’s inventory screen to assess their situation. Rusty needed to return some of the loot to the man who had lent him a temporary coin and exchange it for a permanent one. He had arrived around ten at night, and now, three hours later, the same man was still there. He approached the area that resembled an adventurer's guild again, though it seemed busier than before. 

Apparently, this guild operated more during the night. The burly man stood behind the same rundown bar, as gruff as ever. Rusty approached him just like last time but before he could present anything, the man spoke up. 

“A new face? Are you a newbie?”

‘Ah that’s right…’

Rusty nearly made a blunder by calling out to the man. Previously, he had been disguised as one of his attackers, but now he was in the form of Albert. Catching himself, he decided not to say anything and instead pulled out his temporary guild token, placing it on the bar counter.

The man raised an eyebrow at Rusty's silence but eventually nodded, accepting the token without question. He likely assumed Rusty had received it from another guild member. These tokens possessed special attributes and a low-level enchantment, but Aburdon had assured Rusty there was no way he could be traced back to the now-dead thug he had inhabited for that brief hour.

“So, did you come to complete the registration?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s see it, I hope for your sake that you’re not wasting my time…”

There were other thieves around here looking at them. They seemed to be ready for something and smiling. Rusty wasn’t sure what it was about but it wasn’t anything good. It was possible that whoever was unable to bring in enough loot for a full registration got punished in some kind of way and if the items he took out didn’t satisfy this bartender, then he could be in for another fight. 

Rusty stood silently, reaching into his satchel and retrieving several items he had looted during the dungeon raids. Following Aburdon's instructions, he placed them carefully on the counter, trying to gauge the reaction of the burly bartender. Reading human expressions wasn't Rusty's strong suit, but he watched closely. The bartender’s eyes scanned the pile of valuables with casual disinterest at first, though something in his gaze shifted - there was a hint of recognition.

"Not bad, newbie…" 

The man grunted. 

"These items aren’t half bad. You’ve got a keen eye for value. You’re going to make a fine thief - or more likely a bandit, by the looks of it."

He chuckled, suggesting that Rusty's bulky, armored appearance seemed more fitting for a brute than a nimble thief. Rusty’s form, indeed, was better suited for intimidation than the stealthy approach or subterfuge. While there were thief classes that focused on stealth and agility, bandits thrived on brute force and fear. Still, this underground guild didn’t discriminate based on skillset. Fighters, brawlers, even priests could join as long as they proved their worth. It seemed Rusty had passed this test - for now.

“Did you take these from some dead adventurers or did you … Ah, it doesn’t really matter, here you’ve earned your membership.”

The bartender took away Rusty’s temporary thief coin and replaced it with a similar-looking one, but this new coin was made of a more precious metal. It lacked any specific markings and resembled an ordinary silver coin at first glance, but Rusty knew its true value. This coin granted him full access to the guild, where he could now freely sell all the stolen goods he had collected from robbing adventurers. With this permanent token in hand, Rusty was officially part of the underground network, able to trade and operate without the limitations of his previous temporary status.

As Rusty pocketed the permanent coin, a strange sense of accomplishment settled over him. Though he hadn’t been given any official title or recognition, it felt like he had completed a quest he had set out to achieve. It had been a multi-part mission that brought him all the way here, and now a new opportunity had opened up: he could finally start selling all the loot he had stolen. However, to be cautious, it was wiser to offload the items gradually, spreading out his profits to avoid drawing attention from the wrong people. He was still a rookie in this place, and some might target him once they noticed he was carrying a large sum of money.

The process was similar to selling items above ground. Although the black market merchants were more stingy than regular ones, Rusty was still able to get reasonable prices for the items he had taken. Enchanted armor and weapons sold the best, fetching prices only about twenty percent lower than what they would go for in a store. This meant they would fly off the shelves quickly, and he’d have no trouble making more money.

After another hour of making his way around the black market, he had sold a good portion of his loot. Even potions, lockpicking tools, and jewelry - some of which adventurers wore even though they had no enchantments on them - found eager buyers. It was a resounding success, with a third of his loot now gone.

‘I think that should be enough for tonight, you don’t want to seem too suspicious Rusty. People have been watching you but that’s normal but before we leave, let me glance at their mission board, maybe we can find something interesting there.’

‘Fine with me.’

Just like in the adventurer guild, this place also had their own board for missions. However, instead of monster parts it listed bounties, heists, smuggling operations, and even assassination contracts. Rusty approached the dimly lit corner where the thieves’ guild mission board stood. Several shadowy figures were gathered around, eyeing the various postings with a mix of greed and caution.

Aburdon hovered inside Rusty’s helmet, scanning the board for any particularly lucrative or strategic opportunities. The missions were organized by difficulty and payout, with some marked in red, signaling high risk or especially dangerous targets.

Similar to the adventurers' guild, the thieves' guild had its own ranking system, though it had one less rank, as only individuals with dual classes were allowed to join. Rusty was currently at the first rank - Obsidian -which was symbolized by the black coin he had received. The guild seemed to follow a particular theme with its rankings; the second was Jade, and beyond that, the prestigious Moonstone rank.

“Hmm… What have we here? This one looks interesting…”

Rusty followed Aburdon’s direction to a mission posted at the very top of the board, written in cryptic symbols and code. It was a high-level contract - one that likely required a more experienced team. The reward, however, was substantial: 200 gold coins for retrieving a specific magical artifact from a heavily guarded noble’s estate.

“But alas, I don’t think you’re ready for something like that… perhaps when you’re a C-rank monster.”

He wasn’t planning on committing any murders inside of the city but perhaps if an adventurer that was listed on this board appeared before him, he would reconsider. In a sense, this guild also bought up body parts, just ones belonging to people of the intelligent races. Each killing contract was only completed after bringing an ear of the person killed or one of their fingers. The guild would then identify the person who had been killed and only then would he receive the rewards. 

While these contracts were intriguing, Rusty knew he was ill-suited for breaking into people's houses while wearing his armor. He had a skill that allowed him to hide in the shadows, but he couldn’t maintain it for long. Eventually, he departed from the strange underground place. It was late at night, but the streets were still bustling with activity. After ensuring he wasn’t being followed, he returned to the inn to wait for morning. His pile of gold was slowly increasing, but it likely wouldn’t be enough to secure his friend’s release from captivity.

When the morning sun finally rose, he headed toward the auction house where Gleam was supposed to be sold. He still wasn’t certain if she was in this city, as the system wasn’t picking up her location, but there was little he could do except wait and grow stronger. If, for some reason, she wasn’t there, he wasn’t sure what he would do. However, for now, with his spirits high, he continued his daily adventures.

He spent another two days in the dungeon, hunting monsters and occasionally ambushing unsuspecting adventurers with his sleeping trap. However, word of his tricks was spreading, making theft increasingly difficult. Killing orcs eventually became his only source of income but the items he gained through his robberies were selling well and eventually, the day arrived.

“Hear ye, hear ye!”

Rusty returned from one of his dungeon dives, thrilled to find he had leveled up again. Finally, something was changing. At the auction house, he encountered a small group of people gathered around a well-dressed man. He held a large scroll in his hand, and it appeared he was about to announce when the next auction would take place.

“The Luxe Auction House is going to open its doors to the public in five days time! We will be showcasing a collection of rare magical artifacts, including rare elixirs, enchanted weapons, and - ”

The man paused dramatically, his gaze sweeping over the eager crowd. 

“ - the coveted Stellar Scepter, an artifact said to grant its wielder unimaginable healing power!”

Rusty felt a bit disappointed as the man continued to talk and only mentioned some obscure artifacts or potions he didn’t recognize. However, right at the end, he finally gave him the information that he desired.

“We shall also present a grandiose collection of magical beasts and monsters, ready to be tamed for the right price! The auction starts at sundown five days from now! Please remember that the highest bidder always wins and whoever isn’t able to produce enough coins, will be required to pay with their very freedom!”

The auctioneer's voice boomed through the crowd, making some of the participants excited. Rusty felt a shiver run through his metallic frame as this was it. He finally had a date with Gleam’s name on it and in five short days, he would finally be able to bid for his friend's freedom.

‘Five days… I must get more…’

He murmured to himself before venturing away, there were only five days remaining and he still needed to get more gold…