Becoming a Monster-Chapter 100: Decisions

This was definitely news to Noah, but he felt that it was also logical. They had guns, vehicles, and a better mentality to fight back the ongoing threats. Of course, he wasn’t aware of the fact that using guns not only would cause monsters not to drop any loot, but it would also lower the quality of their advancement. But as he was thinking these things, Ailettta pressed on.

"And remember when you told me to get a good ’deal’ from Jas last night? Well we thought that giving you rights to a certain amount of their loot would be nice, and...and not just that but if we go in a large group, then wouldn’t that mean that we would attract more things for you to kill? I thought that even you would like that.." she tried to find reason with what she was saying but noticed the dissatisfaction on his face. "I’m sorry Noah...I just want to make sure they get there safely..."

As Ailetta expressed her true feelings, she failed to realize that her words had sparked fear in most of the people present. They instinctively believed that safety lay in numbers, but they failed to grasp that their large group would inevitably attract more monsters. Panic began to spread among them as they considered the implications of Ailetta’s plea.

"Noah" Hearing Arachnes voice call out to him, he turned to hear what she had to say.

"Food attracts bigger food," she said, licking her bottom lip, clearly relishing the thought of all she would be able to eat. Her words, however, sent a shiver through the group, amplifying their fear.

"Maybe we should stay here and wait for the army."

"We should have enough food to hold out for a week."

"No! I can’t stay here another week!"

The discussions had started again, further lowering the morale of everyone one at a time.

Noah knew that the two had a point, but it was still hard for him to accept. Accepting would mean being around these annoying people even longer. However, he knew it meant a lot to Ailetta. If all it took for her to finally move on was to just take them to that location, then it didn’t seem like such a bad decision anymore.

"Fine," he agreed reluctantly. His agreement caused Ailetta to smile, and those who wanted him to join sighed in relief.

"But I’m not part of their group. If they die, it’s not on me, and don’t pull a stunt like you did last night. If you were to die saving them, wouldn’t they just die anyway when they find themselves in danger again? I’m not going to make you stronger just for you to sacrifice yourself for these pathetic people."

"H-hey," one of the newcomers protested.

"Why are you even coming, then?" another demanded.

Noah turned to see the angry faces of the newcomers pointing towards him. He also noted that a few from the original group clearly showed dissatisfaction.

"I’m not coming for you. Just act like I’m not even there. How about we start now?" Noah turned his back to them and began to address Ailetta again, wanting to hear her response.

"Grrrr!" The ones that were most upset with how Noah was treating them wanted to lash out. The thought of retaliating was tempting until they heard growling coming from the enormous beast beside Noah. They were smart enough to hold their tongues.

"...So it’s fine for me to still help them?" Ailetta asked to be sure, earning a slow nod in return.

On the outside, Ailetta was relieved that Noah agreed; inwardly, she was nervous about what could happen. Jasmine, who had been listening the entire time, thought this would be a good chance to interject.

"If you’ve decided, know that we will be leaving soon. But we all have to make a decision now before we go anywhere. After last night, we thought maybe it would be better to acquire transportation to reach the checkpoint. Or would it be better to walk there? We need to come to an agreement, and soon," Jasmine said, addressing the group.

"Of course we should go by car!" someone shouted.

"South Kenyastad is almost on the other side of the town! It would take at least the entire day to get there if we walk! Even longer if we run into those things!"

The masses began to murmur, the majority overwhelmingly in favor of using transportation. They just didn’t know that there was really only one person who had the final say.

"What do you think?" Jasmine asked Noah, worry etched on her face. She knew the difficulties they would face without his support. The best outcome would be reaching their destination with half of them still alive, and the worst? She didn’t want to think of it.

Ailetta looked to Noah and saw that he was frowning. She looked towards his creatures and immediately assumed that he would rather walk because of them. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

"Jas, That’s not fair to Noah, his creatures are too big, they won’t fit in a car.."

"Then they should just follow along. I’ve seen how fast that wolf is. It should be easy for it to keep up even if we are in a car. That spider... thing should be no different!" One of the newcomers argued.

"Right! If we all decide to drive there, then what does it matter what he thinks?"

Ailetta’s face flushed with anger as she listened to their ignorance. Noah’s frown only deepened, but his eyes were resolute as if he had always had his answer.

"Like I said before, you all are pathetic. Ailetta, I’m sorry, well not really, but I’m not going if killing themselves is their way of staying alive." He walked towards Fenrir and Arachne, prepared to leave if Ailetta still decided to follow them. His heart was restless, but he just couldn’t go through with what they were doing, nor could he follow Ailetta’s decision if she still chose to go through with their idiotic plan.

"No—Noah, wait!" This time, to Noah’s surprise, it was Mark who called out to him. Expecting more blabber about self-sacrifice, Noah turned, prepared for another argument. But what he saw in Mark’s face wasn’t arrogance or spite; it was genuine concern and confusion.

"What do you mean by killing ourselves? What do you know?" He asked, but his face began to look distorted, Mark was trying hard to keep his real thoughts to himself. He couldn’t help getting upset seeing how selfish and uncaring Noah was, but he had to admit that Noah was stronger, stronger than him, stronger than their entire group, he had to respect his strength at least.

Noah was taken aback by Mark’s uncharacteristically earnest question. For a moment, he didn’t respond, but seeing Ailetta’s curious gaze on him as well, he decided to explain.

"Look at Fenrir here," Noah said, patting Fenrir’s thick leg full of muscle. "He can easily knock a car over and probably even cut it in half. There are creatures out there that could do the same thing, and yet you would gamble your lives in something where you would have no escape or no way to fight back to protect yourself?

"But most importantly, how will you grow stronger if you are avoiding the things that will make you stronger? Like I said, just pathetic."

Noah’s reason wasn’t enough to convince them all. Some still argued that if whatever danger could kill them while in a car, their death would be more certain if they had to fight it on foot. However, those who were slowly accepting the harsh reality of their situation knew that Noah was right.

And then there were people like Mark, Ishii and Ailetta who took his latter words to heart.

"Jas, we’re walking." Mark suddenly said to her. Surprising the masses.

"What? What about all of us deciding? You can’t make that decision!" Regina shouted in protest, but then, to her surprise, Ishii spoke up next.

"I think driving is a bad choice as well, I’m with Mark." With Ishii agreeing, the entire group that came with him from the library supported his decision too. Everyone else was too afraid to speak up.

"If only we decide to walk, will you still come with us?" Ishii asked Noah.

"Isn’t that what I said before?" Noah’s confirmation made Ishii’s eyes light up excitedly.

"Do our voices not matter! We don’t want this!" The people who were against the decision raged, leaving Jasmine to respond to their frustrations.

"Well, it seems this is where we part ways then. Who knows who is making the right decision, but I hope we all get to where we are going safely," Jasmine stated solemnly. She had already made her decision when Noah had taken his stance. He may not feel obligated to help them, but she had observed the way he operated, and she doubted he would abandon them entirely. His obsession with strength suggested that as long as they held their own, he might inadvertently save them.

However, her words placed the others in a tough predicament. Those people were the same ones who believed in safety in numbers, and now those numbers were halved. What was worse, the half that departed included most of their strongest members. Forget about encountering a creature that could destroy a car; they would struggle with anything they faced if fleeing wasn’t an option.

"He’s just one person... why are you doing this?" Neal’s voice trembled with emotion this time. He didn’t want this to happen. Who cared about getting stronger? They could focus on that after reaching safety!

"We’ve made our decision. There’s still time before we leave if you want to grab anything from the rooms," Jasmine declared, urging everyone to start moving. The girls needed to retrieve their belongings the most, but they wouldn’t go alone. Everyone had to stick together in groups.

While some individuals demonstrated the wisdom to reassess and opt to stay with the group, the majority of the newcomers, along with a few others, remained steadfast in their belief that taking vehicles was the best course of action. They were desperate to reach safety as soon as possible.

"I’m sorry..." Ailetta approached Noah with a guilty conscience.

"Just don’t make me regret this. Are you going to retrieve anything?" he inquired, but Ailetta merely shook her head in response.

"Then go put on that gear you put in the bag before we go." He motioned her back to the dorm.

As he surveyed the remaining individuals outside, Noah paid little attention to them. None of them held significance as he turned his focus to his creatures, particularly Arachne. After wearing a frown for the majority of the time, he finally revealed a small smirk.

"Now, let’s see how much stronger you’ve become."

Arachne displayed a proud smile almost as if she was completely assured that her new strength would please him.

"I’m stronger than Fenrir!" she declared triumphantly.

"Gr?" Fenrir looked bewildered, unsure why he was being brought into the conversation. ’What does she mean by stronger? How does she know?’ he wondered. His mind just couldn’t comprehend what was going on.

Noah couldn’t help but chuckle at Arachne’s declaration, "Arachne, I’m sure you’re stronger in your own way," Noah reassured her, trying to placate her enthusiasm. "But let’s not compare ourselves to Fenrir, okay? Strength comes in many forms, and each of you has your own unique abilities."

Arachne’s smile faltered slightly, but she nodded in understanding, though she still firmly believed she was superior, even if not in strength. "I’m a queen and he’s... well, he’s not, so that makes me better, hmph!" she antagonized internally, while Fenrir, still puzzled by the exchange, simply wagged his tail in confusion, content to follow Noah’s lead.

Noah made sure he was close enough to his creatures so he wouldn’t be interrupted as he went through his notifications. He was sure there would be a lot of information, just like there was with Fenrir.

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