When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 45 Underground Cave

“Wow, amazing! It’s a cave, a cave!”

An hour after resuming our search for the sacred artifact.

We had reached the edge of the Seven colored Forest.

In front of us, a small underground cave was visible, its mouth open as if inviting us in.

Peeking inside just a little, the interior of the cave was faintly bright.

The inner walls of the cave seemed to have something embedded in them, causing the walls themselves to glow dimly, serving as a light source, so it seemed we wouldn’t need torches.

“I had no idea there was an underground cave so close to the Seven Colored Forest.”

“Y-yes.”

Whether it’s an underground cave or just a small grotto.

We hadn’t heard any information about something like this being in the Seven Colored Forest.

But that’s understandable.

The cave in front of us was surrounded by a prickly thicket, and it was only by desperately pushing our way through that we finally reached it.

Without Gem’s guidance, we would never have known there was a hole leading to an underground cave here.

We probably wouldn’t have even tried to approach it in the first place.

“Gem, do you sense the sacred artifact from beyond here?”

“Yeah! Since the blessings are gradually returning to my body, there’s no doubt about it!”

Gem was clenching and unclenching her right hand, checking the condition of her body.

It seemed the blessings were steadily returning.

Which means, as expected, Gem’s sacred artifact must be beyond this point.

“Come on, let’s go! Let’s keep moving! The sacred artifact is waiting for us!”

“Ah, wait, please don’t go ahead on your own!”

As Gem charged into the cave, I desperately called out to stop her. I didn’t want her to get too far from us, as it was dangerous. This was uncharted territory for us, after all.

Just as I was about to follow Gem, who was already ahead—

“Hm?”

I suddenly stopped. Glancing back at the dense thicket we had pushed through, I saw only our footprints and the path we had carved out with great effort.

“What’s wrong, Rust?”

“…It’s nothing.”

I felt like something was watching us from the forest. But I couldn’t see anything unusual.

Was it just my imagination?

“Um, Gem is getting farther ahead, and we might lose sight of her soon…”

“Oh, sorry. Let’s catch up quickly.”

We hurried after Gem, exchanging these words. I still felt like we were being watched, but what was it?

Well, if Dia, who can sense danger beforehand, didn’t notice anything, it was probably just my imagination.

Thinking this, we finally caught up with Gem and resumed our exploration of the cave. At first, I found the place a bit eerie, but the beautiful light emanating from the rock walls made it look almost magical. It felt as if the beauty of the Seven Colored Forest had seeped into the cave.

I wondered, though, does this area count as part of the Seven Colored Forest? It seemed ambiguous. I decided to ask Charm when we got back to the guild, making a mental note of it.

“Keke!”

A short laugh echoed from up ahead. It was a familiar, mischievous sound, like a playful child’s giggle. As I peered into the dim passage, the expected figure appeared.

A gaunt face with a pointed nose, a hemp loincloth, and a pointed hat. It was the silhouette of a well-known little imp.

“Ah, it’s the one who took my sacred artifact!”

It was the ‘Snatch Thief’ that had caused us so much trouble. As soon as it emerged from the shadows, it flashed a sinister smile and lunged at us. It was likely aiming for our sacred artifact, our belongings, or perhaps even our lives.

I quickly reached for my Rusted Sword, drawing it with a sharp sound, and immediately evolved it into the Cursed Magic Sword. The rust fell away from the blade, which turned black in an instant.

“Haa!”

I slashed at the lunging Snatch Thief, countering its attack. It disintegrated into particles of light in an instant. Watching it dissolve into the air, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay, with this…”

Is it over?

Just as I was about to say that, from further down the passageway…

“Keke!”

I heard the laugh of another Snatch Thief.

…There’s still more?

Honestly, I didn’t want to tangle with them any more than necessary, but it seemed unavoidable if we wanted to advance deeper into the cave.

With a sense of resignation, I readied my weapon again, when suddenly, a cacophony of laughter filled the air.

“Keke!”

“Kekeke!”

“Kekekeke!”

“Ugh!”

There were numerous laughs. At least five, by my estimate.

This made me grimace automatically. Why, of all things, did there have to be so many Snatch Thieves? It’s the last sound I wanted to hear right now.

As expected, a group of Snatch Thieves appeared from the depths of the passageway. Seven in total. They all wore the same eerie smile and lunged at us simultaneously.

“Damn it!”

I prepared to face off against these demons.

“Hah!”

Determined to keep Gem and Dia safe,

“Hmph!”

I cut down every single one of them,

“Sei!”

with swift and decisive strikes.

Eventually, the laughter that had echoed within the cave disappeared along with the Snatch Thieves. This time, I let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing this from behind, Gem clapped her hands and called out to me.

“Nice, nice, Rust! That was really cool! And it looked like you were having fun!”

“…It’s not fun at all.”

Every time I fight monsters, my hands are clammy with sweat. The tension is overwhelming, leaving no room for enjoyment. I really wanted to find Gem’s sacred artifact quickly and get out of this cave.

With this thought, I reverted the Cursed Magic Sword back to the Rusted Sword, keeping it in my right hand without sheathing it. I wanted to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

Looking around once more and recalling the group of Snatch Thieves, I said,

“Since there are so many Snatch Thieves here, could this be their nest?”

“Probably, yes,” Dia agreed with me.

Although we often encountered Snatch Thieves in the Seven Colored Forest, we had never come across such a large group. The sheer number was significant.

Additionally, I noticed some old items scattered around the edges of the passage—shoes, gloves, bags. These were likely stolen by the Snatch Thieves from people.

Based on these observations, I speculated that this cave might be their nest…

“Rust!”

“Hm?”

Dia suddenly called out and ran to the side of the passageway. There, she picked something up and brought it over to me.

“T-this…”

“…”

In Dia’s arms was a single “doll.” It was a Gothic Lolita doll with a black dress and large black eyes.

There was no mistake. This was a “Test Doll.”

As Dia and I stared at the doll in surprise, Gem peeked over curiously.

“Hm? What’s that? A doll?”

“This is, well, a test doll used in the adventurer’s exam held a week ago. The test was to find and bring these dolls back, but because of the Snatch Thieves, it was quite a challenge…”

I quickly changed my words.

“I-it seems it was quite a struggle. The dolls were often taken first.”

“Oh, I see. So, it seems this really is their nest, then.”

“Most likely.”

I felt a cold sweat break out. Having played dumb initially, it was too late to reveal that we had been participants in that exam. Though it wasn’t something I needed to hide, admitting the truth now would probably seem awkward.

So, avoiding further discussion about the Gothic Lolita doll, I turned our attention to the task at hand.

“Let’s be careful of the Snatch Thieves as we proceed. There’s a risk they could steal our belongings.”

“Roger that!”

And with that, led by Gem, we continued deeper into the cave.