Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]
Chapter 155 – Weak Summoner.

Rusty scratched the side of his helmet with a gauntleted finger, the sound of metal rasping against metal filling the brief silence. His halberd hung casually from one hand, the aftermath of battle already fading into the moss-covered forest floor.

“Hmm…”

He muttered, tilting his empty visor slightly.

“That was fun, but… was this really the point of the summoning? Just to swat some underleveled monsters?”

Last time, he had faced both a strong orc and a flame salamander. This mission, however, had been far too easy. The summoner brats had escaped after he quickly defeated two of their beasts. Only the snake remained, but it was long gone. He considered chasing after it, though before he could decide, the sharp snap of a branch behind him caught his attention.

He turned, the weight of his armor creaking softly as he faced Gwendolin or Gwen, as he had decided to call her. For a humanoid, she appeared unusually fragile. Her body was little more than skin and bones, possibly even in worse condition than the orphans he had helped in the settlement. They had shown more spirit than this girl did now. He wasn’t sure what had caused her state. Perhaps she was suffering from some kind of illness?

“Gwen.” 

Rusty called out as she had lost her footing and fallen to the ground. He remembered that humanoids often experienced something called stress or fear. Her legs were trembling slightly, and it seemed likely that this was what she was feeling now. Unsure of how to help her, he decided to ask a question instead.

“Was that… all?”

“...”

The girl remained silent for a moment, still seated on the ground and leaning against the tree where she had been trapped earlier by the three youths. Rusty tilted his head slightly and stepped closer. His metallic feet made little noise, the thick moss beneath them acting as a natural cushion. When he reached her, he extended his steel hand. From experience, he knew that young humans like her responded better to slow, gentle movements and calm gestures.

“I… T-thank you.” 

There was a moment of hesitation, but eventually she placed her hand in his. With his help, she rose to her feet.

“You… how can you speak?”

“I just can?”

After a brief pause, Gwen finally managed to ask him a question. Rusty didn’t quite know how to respond. He scratched the side of his helmet again, a gesture he was beginning to favor in such uncertain moments.

“I just can, I guess? I almost always did.”

When he was first summoned by the dungeon core and given a physical form, his thoughts had merged with those of his guides, giving him a certain level of intelligence. Over time, he learned the human language and began communicating with his guides, as well as with Gleam.

Gwen looked confused by the explanation, but Rusty wasn’t particularly concerned. His focus had already shifted back to the mission. After all, he was still here to collect the items offered by the summoning chamber.

"Could he be some kind of special familiar? Grandma said some creatures are highly intelligent and very particular about who they bond with as summoners."

"I'm a fam–iliar? What does that mean?"

The girl finally stood up and brushed the dust from her black robe, but she froze at his response, clearly stunned. It was as if she hadn’t expected him to hear her thoughts at all.

"You heard that?"

"Of course I did. You need to concentrate if you don't want me to hear your thoughts. Have you not learned that yet?"

The young girl blinked, momentarily startled. She had forgotten that she and Rusty communicated through thoughts rather than speech. It was an ability Rusty already knew well, having shared similar connections with his guides and with Gleam. It had taken him some time to learn how to keep his thoughts private, but now he was an expert at it. 

"It's quite easy once you get the hang of it. Just imagine placing your thoughts somewhere, like in a chest, and locking it with a key. It might feel awkward at first, but you'll figure it out eventually."

He didn’t know why, but speaking to this human felt refreshing. There was no need for a possessed head or any strange conduit. His body was still just a suit of armor, empty of flesh, yet it felt odd to carry remnants of his old human form inside it. Gwen, his summoner, could hear him clearly and was even taking his advice seriously. She was a spellcaster, something he was only beginning to understand. Perhaps he could learn from her, just as she was learning from him.

Gwen nodded slowly, trying to picture her thoughts folding inward, locked behind an imagined door. It didn’t work right away, but Rusty's presence was steady and grounding. For some reason, she felt safe around him. She tried again, this time visualizing a heavy iron chest sealed with an ornate padlock.

"…"

"I think you're getting it!"

He could sense that she was thinking about something, but he couldn’t quite tell what it was. If she kept practicing this technique, there would come a point when he wouldn't even be able to tell she was thinking at all. He wanted to praise her progress and maybe ask a few questions, but just then, a chime echoed through the forest. 

It was clear and melodic, ringing like a distant bell. Gwen flinched. Rusty froze as well and raised his helbard high.

"That sound…?" 

He asked, scanning the surroundings, but he saw no enemies and sensed nothing hostile. Gwen looked up, her eyes flicking toward the treetops.

"That's the trial timer. It means another thirty minutes have passed."

“Oh, right. The trial. What do I need to do to complete this quest?”

They had been standing around for a while, and Rusty still wasn’t sure what the objective was. He had expected more enemies to appear and attack, but none had come.

“Quest? You mean the test?”

Gwen looked slightly confused but figured her new summon was mixing up the terms.

“For the test, we need to g-gather mana. Wait a moment, I’ll show you.”

She pulled out a small, empty bottle covered in strange markings. The symbols resembled runes and magical glyphs, similar to the enchantments Rusty had just begun to study. Gwen moved forward carefully, taking small, cautious steps as if afraid that any sudden noise might cause something to go wrong.

“Oh.”

Rusty tilted his head slightly as something unusual happened. Gwen held the bottle above the area where he had defeated the ape-like monster. Tiny remnants of mana began to rise and swirl into view, slowly being drawn into the bottle. As the mana settled, a faint bluish liquid began to form inside. Only a few drops at first, but as she moved to collect the remaining mana from the second creature, the liquid became more noticeable.

“We were tasked with defeating the m-monsters in this forest. But you can also collect mana essence from other s-summoned creatures.”

She still stuttered slightly, even in her thoughts, but she was starting to open up. Rusty could sense it. There was a connection forming between them. In the past, he had been overwhelmed by anger, especially during the combat trial with the salamander. But now, the heavy emotions surrounding her were beginning to fade.

“I see. So that’s how I complete this quest.”

Rusty stepped closer and placed a gauntleted hand on Gwen’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. You should hide for now.”

He tightened his grip on his halberd and shield, then turned and sprinted into the forest. If all he needed to do was defeat creatures, this would be simple enough. Gwen did not seem ready for combat, and it made more sense to keep her safe while he cleared the area.

But something felt wrong. When he reached about thirty meters away, a strange sensation washed over him. At fifty meters, his body began to glow faintly. Bits of him started to dissolve into shimmering particles, as though he were being pulled apart into mana.

“Ahh. Wait.”

Gwen stumbled as she ran after him, tripping over a tree root. As soon as she got closer, the strange effect on Rusty's body began to fade, and he became solid again.

“This is… we cannot separate?”

Rusty looked down at his hands, flexing the metal fingers as the faint glow faded from his armor. Just moments ago, he had felt as if he were unraveling, being pulled away from this world. It quickly became clear that he could not move too far from his summoner. Perhaps he would need to protect her from the other students as well.

"Huh. That is inconvenient. So I am tethered to you."

He turned, his visor angling curiously as Gwen caught up, brushing dirt from her robes and panting softly from the exertion.

"Y-yes, Rusty. Summoned beings cannot move too far from their summoners. Unless..."

"Unless?"

There was a pause. Something in her tone made him think there was more to it. When he asked, Gwen looked down at the ground.

"Um... unless a special ritual is performed to anchor the summoned creature in this world. I do not think I can do that yet. Probably I never will. But I promise, if I become stronger, the range should increase. I just need to gather more mana."

Gwen looked genuinely apologetic, as if she blamed herself for being weak. The look on her face reminded Rusty of the status screen that had been shown to him back in the summoning chamber. He could still access it through his internal system, and one thing was very clear. Her level was extremely low.

Her core skill was Basic Summoning, which, surprisingly, had reached the seventh level and was far higher than her actual level, which was only three. It was clear she had spent time practicing summoning, but for some reason, very few creatures ever responded to her call.

Rusty remembered what he had learned from the Soul Forge library and an earlier conversation with Aburdon about summoners and how their magic functioned. One key detail stood out: just like elemental magic users, summoners had their own unique affinities. It was entirely possible that, despite her advanced skill level and sufficient mana reserves, Gwen lacked the specific affinity needed to attract powerful or responsive creatures. Perhaps, as a twilight-aligned entity, he was one of the rare few she was capable of summoning.

‘I wonder if raising my synergy with her would let me move farther away… but there’s no use worrying about that now. I need to finish this quest.’

Now that he understood the limitations tied to his existence alongside Gwen, it was time to focus on completing the mission. It was clear that he had to remain within thirty meters of her to function at full strength and that moving beyond fifty meters would cause him to begin fading out of existence.

‘...Should I just follow her? She knows what this test is about…’

His current summoner was weak. Her level was low, and even now she seemed to tremble slightly. But something was changing in her, something he could not quite define. It felt like a quiet determination, a desire to prove herself and grow stronger, something that reminded him of his own journey to gain more power.

"Well then, where should we go to find more monsters, Gwen?"

She paused for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by the question. It was as if she had not expected him to ask, or to listen to her at all.

"Ah… we can use the compass. It will help us navigate through the Mist Forest."

She reached into her robe and pulled out another magical item, a strange kind of compass. As he glanced around, he noticed a thin fog settling in the distance of the forest, and an eerie silence hung in the air. The compass pulsed faintly with light as Gwen activated it, the central needle jittering erratically before settling into a slow spin. After a moment, it locked into place, pointing northeast through the deeper parts of the Mist Forest.

“There.”

Gwen said, her voice steadier now. 

“That direction leads to the denser mana zones. Stronger creatures tend to gather there and also…”

“Also?”

“It’s where we’ll probably encounter more people…”

Rusty turned to look through the trees in that direction. The light was dimmer, the fog denser, and the atmosphere carried a prickling tension. Despite the ominous air, Gwen’s grip on the compass tightened, and her expression grew firm. For the first time since he’d been summoned, Rusty sensed something new in her thoughts, resolve.

“Alright.” 

Rusty said, resting the halberd across his shoulder. 

“Lead the way, Gwen… or should I call you commander?”

 “C-Commander?” 

Gwen blinked up at him.

“You’re my summoner, aren’t you, and you humans like to have a hierarchy.”

“J-just call me Gwen, please.”

If he had a face, he might have smiled, but instead he simply nodded, the motion subtle beneath his helmet.

“As you wish… Gwen.”

With the halberd resting lightly across his shoulder, he stepped beside her and allowed her to lead the way. The two figures walked side by side. One was a living suit of armor from an unknown place. The other was a trembling summoner, slowly beginning to awaken. Together, they moved deeper into the Mist Forest.

As they ventured farther, the fog thickened, curling around the trees like ghostly silk. Gwen gripped the compass tightly. Its soft glow acted as both a guide and a comfort. From time to time, her free hand hovered over the mana bottle at her side, a quiet check to make sure it was still there.

Rusty noticed her glancing at him often. It was not a look of fear. It was instead curiosity. Soon, distant sounds reached them. In response, Rusty stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Gwen. She seemed to appreciate the gesture.

From far ahead came the noise of battle. There were voices, both human and inhuman, mixed with the clash of weapons and the roar of spells. Rusty adjusted his stance, lowering the halberd and tightening his grip on the shield.

"Sounds like a skirmish. Could be more of those summoner brats."

Gwen moved closer, her fingers tightening around the compass. Her face appeared pale in the mist, and for a moment she seemed unsure.

“M-maybe we should go around them?”

“Why should we? We gain mana by defeating their summoned monsters, too. It makes more sense to take a look.”

Rusty had no interest in avoiding a fight. He had already seen how those people treated Gwen, and he believed there was only one proper way to deal with enemies. They had to be defeated in battle…