Becoming a Monster-Chapter 41: Old ‘Friend’

It wasn’t long before he received a notification.

[Your tamed creature, Arachne, has achieved the first limits of 50 stats in agility, perk based on class Arachnid obtained; ’Caught in the eyes of the spider’]

[Passive-’Caught in the eyes of the spider’]-Spiders already can perceivably sense danger, but what happens if it can anticipate its enemies moves? When activated, you’re able to perceive the target’s next movements within a hundredth of a second. Can only level up by increasing Agility.]

At first glance, the skill may not have seemed particularly useful. After all, what difference could a mere hundredth of a second make? But as Noah considered the extraordinary awareness and lightning-fast reflexes of spiders, he realized that the skill was tailor-made for Arachne. His curiosity piqued, he wondered what other perks he would receive when he reached fifty stats in his other attributes now.

"Aaahhhaaaa." Thinking up to here, Noah felt a yawn coming on and tried to stifle it, but the yawn was too overbearing, preventing him from holding it in. With relaxation finally setting in, mental and physical fatigue washed over him, and drowsiness abruptly hit him. Spontaneously rolling onto his side, he noticed his companions were already fast asleep.

"I should probably try to sleep too, at least rest my eyes for a few minutes..." he muttered to himself, his eyes slowly opening and closing during his mumbling before he fell asleep like the others.

Back in the locker room, it took the group more than a few minutes to barely disentangle the person trapped in Noah’s webs. Since then, no one felt safe to return to the area unless it was in groups. They hastily erected barricades using whatever they could find alongside the blockage of webs.

Currently, the shelter housed roughly fifty students, with the number steadily increasing as the majority of the runaway students returned in batches.

————

Meanwhile, what initially appeared to be a manageable challenge for Mark’s group quickly escalated into a dire situation. Unlike Noah’s earlier encounter, their battle took a turn for the worse. What had made Noah’s fight seem almost effortless was his ability to command his tamed creatures, enabling them to pinpoint and neutralize the most significant threats, particularly the fast-moving runners.

Moreover, Noah’s semi-immunity to turning into a zombie from bites and scratches, along with the decreased targeting of animals by zombies, provided an additional advantage. Although Noah couldn’t explain this phenomenon, he suspected it had to do with the ’zombie virus’ being referred to as corrupted mana in his notification. Perhaps animal mana was already corrupted or immune to corruption by zombies.

Initially, Mark’s group appeared to be holding their own, with Mark assigned as the designated ’runner’ killer while others focused on crowd control. But who there was near the same level as Noah? Sooner rather than later, their mana reserves would deplete. Mark, unsurprisingly, was the first to run out of mana, rendering his unique skill useless.

Without the increased agility, the Runners were now close to his speed if not faster. The scene grew tense as the runners darted through the chaos like shadows. It wasn’t long before the situation became dire, two members of the group were eventually killed, while the others’ fate didn’t look promising.

However, amidst the chaos, the presence of Ailetta and Jasmine stood out like beacons of hope. Jasmine’s nature spirit utilized the surrounding greenery to twist and coil around the runners like vines, ensnaring them in a web of grass and roots. Her eyes, usually calm and gentle, now burned with a desperate desire to protect everyone. Meanwhile, Ailetta’s expression remained stoic as she channeled her dark magic; the image of Noah being proud of her usefulness entered her mind as she resurrected a fallen runner as her own undead minion, slightly shifting the balance of battle with the reanimated corpse.

The display of their skills inspired the group to use theirs more proactively. The lone mage finally unleashed his fireball skill, while the two priest classes, endowed with both healing abilities and additional skills, joined the fray. One priest cast a thin holy flame onto Mark’s and two others’ weapons, infusing them with divine energy, while the other projected a semi-translucent barrier around only Mark and himself. Even though the spell would do better on someone fighting in close range, the priest valued his safety more.

The array of so many different skills being utilized helped to fend off the zombies, but soon, the disparity in levels started to play a role. Lower levels equaled less stats, which meant less stamina and magic reserves. Just a couple of spells from some classes were enough to drain them of all their mana. With not everyone capable of effortlessly dispatching zombies, their stamina dwindled even further.

And now, with the second casualty, it was clear they needed to retreat before more lives were lost.

"Mark, we need to leave! Now! We’ve already done enough. If we linger anymore, then coming here would have been pointless!" Jas, usually soft-spoken, screamed at her brother in frustration. The rest of the group was already motioning to retreat, but they couldn’t go too far. Everyone had to wait while Mark continued to be stubborn as he hacked down another zombie. The waiting group grew restless, but they had to consider their future. Without Mark, how long could they last unless someone else stepped up?

"Leave? LEAVE?? We haven’t even achieved HALF of what ’he’s’ done, and there’s more of us! Just a little bit lon-"

"No, Mark! This is why you’re not fit to be a leader. Everyone will die from your selflessness! We’re leaving NOW! Ailetta, use your zombie to help him retreat..." Jasmine’s voice, calm and rational at first, faltered towards the end. She felt helpless as she wondered what she would do if he remained stubborn. The weight of responsibility pressing down on her, would she have to leave her own brother behind?

Soon she sighs in relief when she sees him slowly making his way towards them, slowly because he was trying to accumulate experience along the way. For every few yards he ran, he would turn to fight more zombies.

Turning her attention back to the group, Jasmine scanned the surroundings for any signs of danger. Little did she know that in that fleeting moment, her world would once again be turned upside down.

"Ahhhh! YOU BASTARD! GET OFF ME!" Mark’s roar sent a ripple through everyone’s hearts. The scream of pain heightened their sense of self-preservation. Half of the group, not originally part of Mark’s team, made a panicked dash for the cafeteria. If the strongest person in their group couldn’t protect himself, then what chance do they have if they stayed?

No one from the group of runaways bothered to turn back to see his situation, as fear made them assume the worst. The person who was supposed to be the voice of reason also wasn’t paying attention to stop them. Unlike the rest, she knew...the only things they were fighting were zombies. To get hurt means to become infected, and to become infected means death. If her heart could beat any harder, then it would burst from her chest.

Her gaze snapped back to her brother, catching him struggling to finally pry a runner off his less dominant arm. His condition looked dire as the arm dangled uselessly at his side.

"MARK!!" And her panicked state only worsened when she noticed two more runners approaching. Worry, fear, desperation? So many emotions were influencing her all at once, all of them held one thing in common, and that was to save her brother.

In the heat of the moment, Jasmine impulsively tapped into her skill, pushing it beyond its usual limits. There was no thought process to it; she ’needed’ for it to happen. Her skill was only strong enough to temporarily restrain her opponents, but it wasn’t enough, this time something different happened.

During the process of her skill, her spirit was summoned, and unlike before, where it aided her in her skill, the dryad seemed to sense its contractor’s emotions before an event occurred that wasn’t part of her skills. Without warning, the dryad began to merge with Jasmine, transforming her appearance. Her eyes glowed a bright green, and her hair transformed into vines and flowers. The surrounding grass responded to her aura, growing and swirling around her legs in a mesmerizing display.

"Go..." Despite the stressful emotions she bore, the voice that was projected from her was completely different. Her tone was surprisingly calm and soothing as she commanded her skill. However her voice was a drastic contrast compared to her impending actions.

Meanwhile, Mark’s situation continued to worsen. After he killed the zombie that bit him, he noticed another pair of runners closing in. The reality of his infection weighed heavily on him, eating away at his confidence. Though he struggled to accept the situation, the pain and adrenaline served as a harsh reminder of his predicament.

The weight of his sword felt heavier with each passing moment, and fatigue began to set in as he contemplated what would happen if he made it out alive. Yet, amidst his despair, a figure entered his mind, igniting a determination to outlive his predetermined fate.

"He was bitten too, and he didn’t turn, so why would I? My life won’t end here; this is just the beginning!" He vowed in his heart. His mana was running on empty, but he planned to use it all at once when the zombies drew near. If he could kill them, then he would turn to make a run for it and not look back.

But suddenly, he noticed the grass shackling both zombies mid-run, disrupting their stride and sending them crashing to the ground. He recognized the skill immediately, attributing it to his sister’s unique abilities. He has never felt more grateful to his sister than now. However, he noticed the skill wasn’t over. Streams and streams of grass continued to wrap around the bodies of the two zombies until they were completely covered.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Mark was stunned at her ability to completely impair them, especially considering the new zombie’s strength. Yet, mixed with his astonishment was a tinge of frustration and slight betrayal. Why hadn’t she employed this skill earlier, when it could’ve prevented him from being infected?

As Mark braced himself to flee, the shocking spectacle unfolded before him. The grassy figures, once vibrant green, began to darken as blood soaked every blade, painting them crimson. Suddenly, the masses of grass began to compress, reverting to their original state. When everything was done, all that remained were the skeletal remnants of the zombies.

Amid the chaos, the incessant cries of Jasmine and Ailetta calling Mark’s name snapped him back to reality. He shook off his daze and hastened to rejoin the group with everyone else, making their way back to the cafeteria. What awaited everyone in the cafeteria would be only more hardship and possibly the creation of a new and dreadfully powerful creature.

....

An hour after Noah fell asleep.

Boom!

"Hurry, they’re right behind us!"

"But Ella is still back there! We left her with those things!"

"Shut up already! This is the fourth time you’ve bitched about it. Why don’t you help her?"

"Now’s not the time! Everyone, we need to get what we can to ba-WH-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT??"

The trio was awakened by an onslaught of noise, instantly causing them to go on alert. Arachne had already been around a large group of non-hostile humans before, so even though she was vigilant, she was at least restrained, unlike Grim.

The voice singled out Grim, triggering its instinctive fight response. With his arms bared, brandishing its scythes, it spread its wings, flapping them manically.

The group consisted of at least 15 different people, armed with a variety of weapons, while some even obtained protective gear. Their attention was quickly drawn to the spider lurking nearby, with Noah standing among them.

Uncertain whether Noah’s group posed a threat or not, the sizable horde of zombies left them with few options.

"Hey! You five, start barricading the doors, now!" A man quickly took the lead, while three more, including him, stepped up to address Noah’s group. They all brandished their weapons for the worst-case scenario, but it still wasn’t looking good for them. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"Are you human?" The leading figure asked. He stood out from the rest, clad in minimal clothing that did little to conceal his muscled frame. His upper body was exposed, save for a pair of tattered jeans that revealed patches of skin. What was most striking, however, was the extensive amount of hair covering his arms, chest, stomach, and back. Wherever hair was supposed to grow, it grew excessively, creating an almost primal aura. Despite the figure’s rugged appearance, Noah was stunned that the man made it this far, but there had to be a reason.

’Most likely a unique skill, apparently it was given out like candy.’

Surprisingly, they didn’t immediately assume he was a monster. These individuals exuded an aura of hardened warriors, especially the one who posed the question. The man brandished a sword in each hand, and his body language screamed he was ready for a fight.

Noah hesitated in the beginning to answer. ’Would they even believe me if I said I was?’ Before he could respond, another voice interjected, and dread washed over him as he recognized it.

"Wait! Isn’t that Noah? It is you, isn’t it? What happened to you?"

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