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Veronica conversed with Shade as she absorbed the large Armored Crab King's exoskeleton, alongside the crown of jewels that it possessed. ​​

Both materials suddenly turned liquid as they crawled into Veronica's arm and were assimilated by her armor body as if they had disappeared.

[Armored Crab King Obsidian Exoskeleton] Material Successfully Absorbed; Health Points Restored]

[Please choose equipment to discard or synthesize into]

"Hmm… in what should I add this into? Ah! Aqua, do not eat everything. At least leave an intact exoskeleton from the weaker crabs, I think I can assimilate them if they are of a rank higher, even if it could be the same species… just like this King" said Veronica.

Aqua moved her formless and liquid body, similarly to 'nodding'.

"Well, it seems quite strong, you could add it into your armor," said Shade, from within Veronica's dark soul.

"You're right. I was just thinking the same, I will use the other Crab's exoskeletons to power up my shield" said Veronica, selecting her armor to be strengthened. Armor was the entire body of a Living Armor, so it was a priority to strengthen it and give it the best materials.

[The material [Armored Crab King Obsidian Exoskeleton] and the [Arachnid Venomous Scarlet Dusk Living Armor] equipment have been synthesized into the [Obsidian Exoskeleton Crimson Dusk Living Armor] equipment!]

[You gained +20 Health Points and +20 Defense!]

"Hm? Did I just get extra stats? This is new… Perhaps strong enough materials can permanently increase my statistics…" muttered Veronica.

"Hmm… you weren't increasing your stats when you evolved your armor or shield?" asked Shade.

"In the case of my armor, its sturdiness and weight would often increase, and it would also increase its mana storing capacity… but such changes never showed themselves through the System. Meaning that it is most likely a great enough power up to be detected by the System…" said Veronica.

"Oh? I see…" said Shade.

"Well, I doubt it will happen a lot… this King seemed to be a very rare evolution." Said Veronica, glancing at Aqua who brought her the last Crab for her to assimilate.

"Good girl. You can eat the rest of the crab king. I cannot eat so it's all yours" said Veronica.

"Guuu!" said Aqua, digging in. It seems that since she was born in the dungeon that she had never eaten such delicious meat before.

Veronica quickly assimilated the Crab exoskeleton and…

[Iron-Silver Armored Crab Soldier Exoskeleton] Material Successfully Absorbed; Health Points Restored]

[Please choose equipment to discard or synthesize into]

"It works, it seems that as long as it is an evolution, I can absorb the exoskeleton again, even if it's of the same species or subspecies…" muttered Veronica.

This time, she decided to power up her Shield, making it sturdier so it can take on the charge of the heavily armored creatures that roam the dungeon.

[The material [Iron-Silver Armored Crab Soldier Exoskeleton] and the [Medium-Sized Silver Centipede Carapace Shield] equipment have been synthesized into the [Medium-Sized Iron-Silver Crab Soldier Exoskeleton Shield] equipment!]

"No extra stats this time. I see that this won't be common…" muttered Veronica.

"Well, if you were to get extra stats from absorbing things, wouldn't it be too easy for you?" asked Shade.

"Too easy? Well, yeah… I guess…" said Veronica, beginning to roam around the floor for the last moments, as Aqua began to eat the crab flesh and organs.

"I saw that these crabs were eating human bones… here!" said Veronica. Finding a pile of broken white bones. The pieces were scattered all around, but by seeing the tattered clothes and destroyed equipment, it seemed to be a party of three people.

"I wonder how long their remains have been in here?" wondered Veronica.

"I haven't heard any notices about invaders from the outside from the other Spirits… so they might have come here years ago," said Shade.

"I see… I guess they were just forgotten, like any adventurer that puts their lives at risk. I suppose that is how it is for them. Well, they're dead so I don't think they would be missing these armor pieces and items…" said Veronica, beginning to grab on the items with a voracious expression in her soul.

"Hmm… most of the things seem of lower quality than the exoskeleton of the Crab King," said Shade.

"Not… everything… Look this!" said Veronica, grabbing on a small leather pouch.

"A pouch made out of leather… How's that useful?" asked Shade.

"It's not a normal pouch. It's an Item Pouch! My Appraisal is never wrong!" said Veronica.

"Oh?"

[Item Pouch]

[Item Grade: C]

A Special bag made out of simple leather that was enhanced with Space Attribute Magic Runes, which allows it to store more items than its appearance suggests.

[Storage Capacity: 04/20]

"Ah! There are even some items inside, lucky~!" said Veronica, opening the pouch and taking out the items.

"I feel like we are grave robbers now…" muttered Shade.

Veronica found four items inside, a small, gold coin, a little bottle filled with dark blue liquid, and two severed ears of a goblin.

"Well, this is disappointing… this is… an MP Potion? And a gold coin… and two goblin ears…" said Veronica, disappointed.

"Well, what did you expect? They seemed to be a weak party of adventurers." Said Shade.

"True… this potion may come in handy and this coin… I suppose, if it is the currency in the Human Kingdom, it may do. In the Demon Nations the currency was made of a different material, and gold wasn't as valuable… but perhaps between Humans it is?" wondered Veronica.

"And the two Goblin Ears?" asked Shade.

"Err… I will keep them, I guess. I know that Humans pay adventurers if they show proof of having eliminated a monster" said Veronica, saving all of the items inside the little pouch again.

She then put the pouch inside of her soul. Her soul was dense and semi-solid by now. The almost weightless pouch was floating inside, protected from any attacks from the outside.

"These clothes… I suppose I will save them. We don't know when they will come in handy" said Veronica, saving the tattered clothes, which included a short skirt, three pairs of boots, white shirts, and other things. There was also a dagger, two chest plates, a pair of greaves, and a small wooden shield.

"I will just save everything, I guess… Maybe if I get a new slot in the 'Armory' Skill, a dagger may come in handy, though I never trained Dagger Technique. Anyways, let us get going," said Veronica.

"Bloob! Guu!" said Aqua, jumping over Veronica's shoulder and then entering her hollow metallic body. She decided to extend her body into tentacles inside of Veronica's arms, legs, and helmet, acting as supplementary muscles and support.

"Hey, this girl is getting smarter, it may be beneficial to use her support to punch harder or move faster…" said Veronica.

"Blob!" said Aqua, extending a part of her body as a membrane made out of crystalline slime, covering most of Veronica's body and then activating the 'Stealth' and 'Camouflage' Skills.

"What did I tell you? She is a special slime. Not killing her was perhaps the best choice of your life" said Shade.

"I guess so," said Veronica. If she had a face, she would release a mild smile.

Then, the strange party of two monsters and one very talkative Light Spirit continued through the dungeon.

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