Becoming a Monster-Chapter 55: Lack of Common Sense

Noah couldn’t afford to let Mark continue to irritate him, lest he end up mindlessly killing him, as he did with the man in the shower. He had hoped that giving into his monster inhibitions, allowing himself to feast on the Zombie King, would make the decision to kill someone less conflicting. Yet, even now, the thought of ending Mark’s life didn’t bother him. To his surprise, he even felt himself salivating at the image of blood spilling from Mark’s corpse. However, it was the reason for killing that still held him back.

Should he kill Mark just because he was annoyed? If he allowed himself to stoop that low, would he also start killing people for minor offenses? Noah aspired to become a monster like the Dragons in Legend or the epic boss Monsters in his stories, not a psychotic killer, controlled by his emotional desires.

He glanced at Mark, who continued to struggle with mild annoyance. If it wasn’t for him, Noah wouldn’t have to be confronted with such moral dilemmas.

"Arachne..."

"Aahhhh Fu-Fuck! Damnit!" At the sound of Noah’s voice, Arachne swiftly plunged one of her legs into Mark’s palm, piercing it cleanly. Unlike before when Mark was bitten, there was not much adrenaline pumping through his body to withstand the pain. He screamed out in agony and tried to grab for his hand, but Arachne’s towering presence made it impossible.

Jasmine nearly rushed to his aid, but stopped in her tracks when she noticed the pupils of all the three "monsters" staring back at her.

"Five hundred.." The random number caused Jasmine’s brain to go haywire as she panicked to decipher its meaning. She never bothered to look behind her to see the awkward expressions on some of the people who had experienced this before.

"E-Eh? Five hundred? Wh-what does tha-"

"Sigh! Five hundred gold, that’s what I want." Jasmine’s eyes widened in shock when she realized what he was insinuating.

"You won’t give Mark back unless we give you money??" She wasn’t expecting this outcome after all they had gone through, and the realization that they didn’t have the money added to her dismay.

However, confusion crept in when she noticed Noah’s questioning expression in response to her question.

"Why would I want money for him? He isn’t worth anything, but since he brought up the fact about contribution...Well, I think it’s fair to say that the chest now would be unobtainable by all of you if it weren’t for me, and all I’m asking for is just five hundred. Keep the weapons and the items and you may still have a bit of gold left over."

And almost as if it was planned, Arachne released her grip on Mark, who quickly seized the opportunity to scurry away. He was too prideful to show it but he was terrified with how powerless he was against Arachne. During the entirety of the time he was pinned under her, he stealthy channeled his unique skill, manipulating his mana to increase his strength. Yet, he remained under the spider’s control, unable to budge even an inch.

The rest of the group relaxed as Mark was released, but they still faced an unresolved issue.

"Noah? What if we also need the gold for something?" Bailey’s voice broke the silence as she confronted him about the issue.

To the question, Noah just shrugged it off, making his indifference to their needs clear.

"I’m not forcing you." He said, while he took out two glowing orbs from the chest and placed them on the floor, one yellow, and the other orange, in front of Arachne for all to see before turning back towards her.

"But don’t expect any kind of help from me again." He added, unmoved by the stares directed at him. If anything, their expressions affirmed that his message had been received.

The others believed that forgoing his help wouldn’t be a significant loss if they could keep their gold. After all, he had already dealt with two of the biggest threats present. Little did they know, panic etched the faces of not only Bailey but also Blake and Paul, who were finally on the road to somewhat full recovery.

Noah then continued to ignore them while he received the gold from the chest along with the rest of his items. Among them was a surprising find, an additional skill parchment.

’I haven’t received a skill in awhile...is it because the zombies are leveling up, or did I just get lucky?’ He mused, as he continued to receive the last two items, holding off on reviewing the skill. He didn’t want to be around the people here longer than needed if he could help it.

When he retrieved the first item, the item Noah found himself holding was an item he hadn’t seen before, but the people who just came from the cafeteria knew all too well.

"Is that the zombie cure?" Bailey’s shocked voice caught his attention, prompting him to look back at her.

’A cure?’ Noah examined the murky green liquid in wonder. While it held no value to him, given his situation. He could understand why the others would find it so valuable. He could use this.

"Is this something you need?" he asked, extending the vial towards Bailey. She continued to gaze towards it before slowly nodding her head. Since Paul’s encounter with the werewolf, she had worried about the scratches he received and the potential infection they carried. However she was positive that the saliva and the blood from the other zombies would cause him to slowly turn.

The group she led were the ones she trusted the most, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of them. With faltering steps, she began to approach Noah, only to see him withdraw the cure.

"Ah ah ah...first I need to know what it’s worth. Don’t worry though, as long as you’re honest with me then I’ll sell it to you cheaper." His plan this time was to prepare to leave this place since when the mystery shop keeper leaves, he wouldn’t have anything else keeping him here. But first, he intended to make use of the shop, leveraging every opportunity it presented..

Bailey hesitated to answer Noah, not because she wanted to deceive him, but because her friend’s life hung on the line. She feared that even if Noah agreed to a price, they still wouldn’t have enough.

"It’s a thousand gold! That’s how much the vial portion cost. I was the one to buy it earlier," Jasmine interjected, seizing the opportunity to make amends with Bailey for taking their money earlier. She tried her best not to break eye contact with Noah, which proved taxing on her heart, especially when his eerie eyes snapped to her, his gaze narrowing as if he was looking into the depths of her soul.

Bailey was shocked to hear Jasmine lie about the price. At first, she assumed Jasmine was just trying to get over on Noah, but she quickly realized that wouldn’t be smart since he would find out eventually. Moreover, she didn’t think Jasmine was that kind of person. ’She’s doing this for me?’ Bailey quickly judged. However, before she could ponder Jasmine’s reasoning for doing such a thing, she had to correct the misinformation. There’s no telling if this would be Noah’s bottom line for turning on them.

"No! That’s not true, Jasmine is mistaken, it was 1,500 gold! But even then, I won’t have enough...is there another w-Ah!"

Her panic escalated as she saw the glass vial tossed in the air towards her. Confusion replaced panic when her mind finally comprehended what had happened. Tears filled her eyes once again, this time from gratitude. Noah respected her honesty, even when it meant she might not receive what she needed to save her friend.

"Don’t think this is free, I still expect to be repaid, that may be through gold, equipment, or you can give me skills that you happen to find. It’s not like I have a need for that anyways. However, make sure you pay me back before I leave, or I ’will’ find you."

There were a few key things they picked out from what he said. ’Not needing the potion’ is what Jasmine caught onto, however Bailey’s focus was on ’before I leave.’

"Wait...What do you mean you don’t need the cure for the infection? Is there a way to not get infected??" She almost ran up to hold him, but his unyielding gaze, devoid of any emotion, held her in place like an invisible force field. Jas, sensing the tension, instinctively shrank back, understanding Noah’s disapproval of her after her failed attempt at deceit.

".....Just get a skill for it, it’s that simple." Noah replied, his tone matter-of-fact. He returned to the chest to reach for the last item. His eyes shined for a moment before the interest dissipated. From the chest, he pulled out a shield big enough to cover his entire torso down to his knee. The shield was mostly bronze in color, with parts of the border adorned in red. Noah admired the aesthetic of the shield, especially the intricate molding designs on the top and bottom, but sadly he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pursue the shield route anymore.

’Maybe when I can hold that sword with one hand, then I can try using a small shield with it...’ He thought to himself, his eyes drifting towards the heavy bone sword laid near the chest.

The spectators watched in awe as Noah proceeded to stuff the huge shield into his bag, which was clearly too small for it.

"Wh-What on earth....?" The mystery surrounding Noah deepened.

Restrapping his bag, Noah picked up the sword with both hands and prepared to continue on his way. He still had plenty of time before the shop disappeared, but he wanted to quickly spend his gold so he could decide what else he needed to save for next.

’Sigh...I need to stay in one place. I try avoiding one idiot only to meet another; there’s no point in avoiding them now.’ He thought to himself while motioning for Fenrir and Arachne to come along again.

"Noah, wait! What skill? And that bag! Was it from the shop too?" Jasmine was pressed for answers. If she was going to help lead this group of people to survive, she needed more information. Information that Noah seemed to have plenty of. But instead of a direct response, she received unexpected advice.

"What’s the point of being so smart when you don’t use your brain? Books, games, movies, why leave your thoughts tethered to our regular standards? There’s not one answer, so find your own." Noah’s words were cryptic, leaving Jasmine puzzled. Nonetheless, he allowed Fenrir to enter the room ahead of him, wary of potential threats in his weakened state. With the newfound abilities gained from the zombie king, regular zombies posed little threat, but he anticipated challenges from the animals who went through their mutations.

As Noah made his way out, the group instinctively gathered. Mark’s hand was bandaged with torn clothe. Isabelle, lacking the mana to mend his injury further, could only offer a sense of relief that at least his hand was no longer a gaping wound. Meanwhile, Bailey and Jasmine spent the next few minutes recounting their recent exchange with Noah. Paul, with a hesitant expression, reluctantly accepted the vial containing the murky potion, his disgust evident as he downed the liquid in one go.

"I knew we couldn’t expect anything from that guy. Skills? Even I could’ve thought of that! He’s just too arrogant, Jas, don’t worry, I’ll become stronger than him soon."

Almost everyone in the room was becoming accustomed to Mark’s character. In order not to provoke him, they tried hard not to react to what he was saying.

"That’s not true..." Jas couldn’t help but say. One of her biggest goals has been to contact outside help, but all phones were down. Phones were their lifelines to the outside world, and without them, they were stranded. The landlines in the cafeteria didn’t work and she couldn’t access the internet on her phone either. But after talking to Noah, his answer may have been simple, yet after thinking about it, the answer really was simple.

"I was planning on trying to find a radio to call out for help" She mused aloud. "Since phones weren’t working, that would be our best bet. Now I’ve realized...why did we never check the shop for one? I’m sure if it had one then it should definitely work and the government would surely figure it out as well. We really have been thinking outside the box.."

Everyone took a moment to allow her words to sink in. If she put it that way then maybe they could even find skills in the shop too. Bailey’s eyes widened as she connected the dots, her gaze flickering between her companions. "Guys, it’s not just the shop. The chest....with so many of us, we have a higher chance of getting skills that way too. He was right, the answer may be simple, yet we weren’t thinking at all."

The group had a sudden realization when they realized that important fact. They witnessed Noah receiving a higher grade chest than them, but if they amounted all of their items together then they obviously obtained much more than him. With their new mindset, a newfound sense of purpose filled the room.

"Speaking of skills....I think I got one that might help."

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