Becoming a Monster-Chapter 61: A Monstrous Gaze

Noah’s gaze swept over the people on the second floor with him, noting their extreme caution and nervousness, which hinted at something they were trying to conceal. Intrigued, he made his way over to the ledge, peering down to see what everyone was yelling about. That’s when he saw the arrows scattered around Fenrir, some protruding from his fur.

But the damage was almost non-existent, prompting Noah to wonder if it would’ve made a difference if they changed the materials of the arrows. He couldn’t help but entertain the idea from novels and movies, where werewolves were depicted as vulnerable to silver.

Moving on from his scattered thoughts, his vision came upon Ailetta standing not too far from Fenrir’s close proximity. Initially, a knot of tension subtly made its way into his chest, their last interaction tugged at his estranged heart. Yet, alongside the twinge of discomfort, seeing her up and about again released a burden from shoulders that he was unaware of.

Noticing the unfamiliar and uncomfortable sensation Ailetta’s appearance imparted on him, Noah naturally sought a distraction, that’s when he recalled where she was standing. Noah’s brows furrowed with confusion, as he tried to find the reason for her to approach Fenrir when he wasn’t around.

Flashback

In the midst of Neal and his allies’ frantic efforts to thwart Ailetta’s suicidal plan, Noah’s impatience was thickening from the lack of infomation of the turmoil outside. Amidst the chaos just on the other end of the door, he found himself constantly bombarded by the commotion while in the middle of finalizing his purchases from the shop. It didn’t help that through his bond with Fenrir, he could feel the wolf’s desire to hunt rise. Coupled with the screams and Fenrir’s howls, Noah couldn’t take it anymore. He felt pressured to make the impulsive decision to not weigh out his potential options, only buying what he needed before venturing out to investigate.

Despite his desire to carefully assess the shop’s offerings and make prudent spending decisions, Noah’s haste led him to select only two items that he felt would allow him to advance further in the future.

The first, which he believed he would find in the shop after obtaining it the first time, was another upgrade stone. The stone’s price, however, mirrored it’s priceless usage, priced at a hefty two thousand gold coins, it stretched his budget thin, but Noah deemed it a worthy investment. Casting a glance at the next tier of upgrade stones, he noted with a hint of apprehension that the prices little more than doubled with each advancement, further reinforcing the significance of the stones for the future.

With his current gold reserves dwindling, Noah found himself with just enough to afford one core skill, priced at 1,000 gold coins. With only one option, he opted to go with lesser healing. While he felt adequately equipped with skills for himself, the pressing need for a healing ability for his creatures resonated deeply with him. The memory of Arachne’s disabled leg and the tragic fate of Grim weighed heavily on his mind, fueling his determination to acquire the skill that could have potentially saved Grim’s life.

With that in mind, he rushed to leave the shop. Although Noah didn’t believe that there was a student that could endanger his tenacious companion, his concern for Fenrir’s well-being still prompted him to leave in haste. Leaving the shop behind, Noah clenched his fist tightly around the upgrade stone, channeling his intent into the stone before it dispersed within his grasp, leaving him with the opportunity to designate the next skill to upgrade.

[Killing Instincts level up confirmed to Level one! The skills level up has increase the passive stat from 5-25% to 5-50% but the amount of sanity and spirit lost has also been increased]

Noah, preoccupied with other matters, didn’t have the luxury to ponder the implications of his newly upgraded skill, and consequently, he failed to notice the subtle changes occurring within his own body.

End Flashback

Returning to the present scene, Noah’s attention was fixed on Ailetta, who had just become aware of new suspenseful events taking place. Her realization dawned as she glanced up at Fenrir, finally noticing that the beast was no longer focused on her but instead was gazing intently in a specific direction. It was then that she noticed Noah’s questioning gaze directed at her, his expression reflecting deep contemplation.

Plop!

Ailetta’s legs, which were struggling to support her all this time, finally gave way, and she landed on her behind. Relief, despair, regret? All the feelings she was trying to hold in burst from within her while she cried them out.

Noah, observing the scene, watched as Bailey and Jasmine hurried to soothe Ailetta now that they realized the danger had passed. However, the sight caused Noah to frown, not because of the two girls, but because he remained utterly clueless about the current situation. Why did they attack Fenrir again? What motives propelled Ailetta to approach a creature that had nearly taken her life not long ago? These were the questions that Noah needed answered, ones that he wouldn’t be able to decipher just from speculation

He turned towards Neal on his left with a glare, the sudden intensity causing Neal to instinctively retreat further away. However, a new addition to Noah’s appearance nearly compelled Neal to take his chances and jump off the ledge. It was subtle, but unmistakable, a small red glow within the darkness of Noah’s four eerie pupils, sending a chill down Neal’s spine.

While Noah’s overall figure still bore the semblance of a human, it was his eyes that truly unnerved Neal, making him believe he was facing a monster. The visible dark purple veins coursing beneath Noah’s skin only accentuated this impression.

As Noah emerged from the room, Neal’s gaze remained fixated on him, filled with worry about how Noah would react to the situation. Neal understood that their only chance of defeating Noah at this point would be with firearms or by leveraging the girl’s safety. Now, he could only hope that Noah wouldn’t seize this opportunity to unleash his monster’s on a rampage, his eyes subtly drifting to the spider at Noah’s side.

But when he saw those eyes, he almost broke character and was about to plead to be spared.

"I see you attacked my dog while I was gone, but what did you do to her?" Noah didn’t bother to specify who he was talking to, and he was right to assume he didn’t need to. He could tell from the changes in Neal’s expression that he knew exactly who he was referring to.

"W-we didn’t do anything!" Neal exclaimed in panic, his voice betraying his fear as he quickly responded to defend himself. But then he noticed how loud he was before attempting to regain composure.

"She went crazy and tried to approach that beast to get to you. We attacked it so we could save her!" As he spoke, he gripped the ledge as a precaution, he was ready to flee at any given moment.

Neal had noticed that Noah came out of the room unarmed. He at first considered taking advantage of the situation if necessary. However, it was the spider that stayed close to his side that made him hesitate.

Noah might have found Neal’s explanation believable if it weren’t for the state Ailetta was reduced to. Memories of the girl remained vivid in his heart, and Neal’s story fell short in many aspects. Nothing Neal said provided a sufficient reason for Ailetta to be in such an emotional state. Noah knew instinctively that there was more to the story.

"I’ll give you one more chance, tell me everything now...Or I will find out from her."

’Damnit!’ Neal cursed inwardly, feeling trapped and regretting his earlier actions. His grip on the ledge began to relax as he realized that for the first time in his life, honesty might be the best course. Running away by himself would lead him nowhere with the monsters roaming outside. He stood a better chance defending himself here with everyone present. If Noah still chose to attack after hearing the truth, then they would have to risk it all. The spider was only one creature and couldn’t protect Noah from both sides.

In his moment of decision, Neal overlooked the fact that Noah himself was also strong, and that his personal strength was the reason he was able to tame such strong powerful monsters.

After hesitating, Neal ultimately disclosed everything to Noah about the events that transpired in his absence. From the discussion with Mark, to trying to mislead Jasmine, up to the point where they talked about using Ailetta to get to him, and how they had to stop her from approaching Fenrir.

Noah didn’t know how to process what he heard. Despite his seemingly indifferent expression, his mind raced with questions.

’Why would she go so far?’ Noah couldn’t help but wonder. While he could understand her actions if they had continued to interact as they did in the past, they hadn’t spoken in years. Even when everything fell apart, he only acknowledged her in passing and practically avoided her.

’I just don’t get it...’ Deep in his thoughts, Noah ignored Neal’s confused expression and made his way towards the steps. The two men present hurriedly stepped aside, allowing Noah and Arachne to pass, but Noah’s thoughts remained fixated on unraveling Ailetta’s inexplicable actions. Meanwhile, Arachne became more emboldened of herself from the men’s display of sheer fear, acknowledgement of their status. To her, "food" should always behave appropriately in her presence.

’Does she not realize that she resembles the girls from our stories? Getting stronger should be more important than me right now, otherwise situations like this will continue to happen. This can’t go on...Either she seeks to grow in this world, or she will only become nothing more than a distant memory.’

By the time he reached the bottom of the steps, Noah made his way to the girls, passing Fenrir. Observing his master’s lack of vigilance, Fenrir naturally understood that he wouldn’t be able to eat anything anytime soon. With a resigned sigh, he reverted back to his lazy ways, lying on his stomach now that the commotion had subsided.

Bailey and Jasmine finally noticed Noah approaching, but they immediately detected the difference in his eyes. Instinctively, the two jumped in front of Ailetta, on guard against his approach. It didn’t matter what expression he wore; with eyes like those, Noah emitted a danger that made him appear as an enemy.

Noah saw the two rise to protect Ailetta, and contrary to their intentions, he smiled. However, his smile made the two feel extremely uncomfortable. It didn’t last long before his expression turned stern, the weight of his gaze boring into them like a mountain. The intensity of his gaze caused them to falter, unable to find the same bravery within themselves to stop his approach. He found their desire to protect their friend amusing, but that was all.

"I’m not here for you two. Le?"

Ailetta’s breath caught in her throat at the sound of her old nickname. The last time she heard him call her by that name was also the last time he interacted with her during school. She hesitated to look up, but she urged herself to anyway. Her face turned to shock when she saw Noah’s new appearance; it reminded her of the Demon Lords in the stories they read. That thought only reinforced her belief that she wasn’t going to like what she was about to hear.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel