Becoming a Monster-Chapter 74: Loot from a Diamond Chest

"There’s actually two of them in one chest? Is this because of it being a diamond chest or because the creature was an evolved creature? he wondered aloud as he pulled out two round grey balls with the number one etched in the center, glowing with a white light. Leveling up his skills had been a concern for Noah for some time now, and he planned to use one of the balls when he advanced his class and the other to save for when he reached 100% proficiency with his taming ability.

As Noah continued to pull out the rest of the items from the chest, he noticed a scroll that stood out from the others he had obtained so far. Unlike the scrolls with multiple skills to roll for, this parchment was simpler, displaying only the class of the spell and the spell itself.

"This is a really nice change!" Noah exclaimed, appreciating the straightforwardness of the scroll. However, a thought crossed his mind: what if he wanted spells from other classes? Perhaps that was why he had been given the option to choose another basic class—to influence his loot.

He was about to grab the other loot which was a lot more than he usually received but he paused while the skill was still in his hands. ’How about I just learn this now before I find myself in a position again wishing that I learned it before.’

Redirecting his attention to the skill in his hand, Noah made the decision to learn it immediately, unwilling to be picky. When he examined the skill, he was glad he had chosen to do so.

[Skill ’Grant lesser strength’ Obtained]

[Grant lesser strength-Increase the strength stat of a tamed creature by 10 percent of its ’total’ strength for 15 seconds. Increases after the usage of the skill will still apply. Cost 10 mana to apply the effect. Can also be stacked with the same skill but only once, each repeated usage will double the mana used. Skill is also influenced by spirit.]

’Yes, this is exactly what I need. If I had this while fighting that zombie, Fenrir could have torn through its leg or even its skull without my help. The fight would have still been difficult, but at least it would’ve been easier than what it was... but...’ Noah’s mood sobered as he came upon a realization.

"If spirit also amplifies my skills, how much ’exactly’ are we talking about here?"

Now that the thought had taken root, Noah felt he wouldn’t be able to rest nor think about anything else until he found an answer. What better way to unearth more information about the system than to access it directly? As always, the system didn’t reflect the information he sought on a surface level. But when he honed in his will, determined to gather more specific details, the answer finally materialized.

Seeing the full description of what spirit entailed, Noah impatiently skimmed through the extraneous details before reading the crucial information aloud.

"For every 10 points in spirit, amplify or resist the effects and/or damage of a skill by 0.5%." He had to reread the line at least ten times before he came to terms with the information. The numbers appeared insignificant at first glance, but considering his high attainment in spirit, the information became invaluable. With his spirit alone, he could amplify his lesser strength ability by at least 5%! Given the fact that he could stack the ability, a 20 percent increase would instead be 30%!

With this mind-opening revelation and the acquisition of a valuable skill, Noah continued to sift through the rest of the loot with renewed interest and anticipation. Among the items, he found a small silver ring with a flat marble-like jewel bearing a strange symbol—a symbol that seemed to originate from a foreign or even ancient language.

He gulped when he thought about what would happen this time if he put it on. He still didn’t forget the ring he currently had was forever bound to him. He flinched after putting on the ring, but nothing happened. Nothing magical happened or there was no pain.

To his surprise, nothing happened. No magical sensations, no pain. Noah let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, relieved that there were no immediate consequences. However, his relief was short-lived as he noticed a notification waiting for him. Steeling himself, he took a deep breath before checking it.

[Obtained a spatial ring! Would you like to bind the ring to yourself?]

The prospect of owning a spatial ring, a dream for many light novel readers, excited Noah, but it also brought a concern to his mind. "What if I obtain a better ring in the future? Would I not be able to remove this one?" he pondered anxiously.

He envisioned scenarios where he might have to resort to extreme measures, such as cutting off his fingers and finding a way to regrow them, if he became unable to remove the ring. Despite his reservations, Noah recognized the practicality of having a spatial ring. Tired of lugging around a heavy bag and constantly having to set it down during fights, he made the decision to bind the ring to himself, closing his eyes as he confirmed his decision.

"Sssss!" Noah winced at the familiar sensation of the needle-like stab in his finger, reminiscent of his previous experience with binding rings. However, as he glanced down at the ring, particularly at the formerly black and colorless marble, he observed a remarkable transformation. The ring began to shift, its hue changing to a deep blood red, resembling a formless cloud. Moments later, the sensation of the needle dissipated, leaving Noah with the realization that he could now remove the ring as he pleased..

’Phew, that scared me! Now how do I use it.?’ He quickly grabbed one of the stones and placed it near the ring. Nothing happened, but he had expected that. Just as he confirmed things with the system, he needed to will the action to happen. This time, he thought about the stone entering the ring while holding it close. Before he could blink, the stone disappeared.

Like a young boy mesmerized by a newfound toy, he played with the stone over and over, retrieving it from the ring and placing it back before he realized that time was being wasted. He looked into the chest to pick up the last item there. When he leaned forward and retrieved the item, he came out holding a giant red sphere, unsure how much the sphere would give him this time.

Noah considered using it for himself, as the penalty was still in effect, but he needed his creatures to be stronger since they couldn’t increase their stats with equipment and the benefits humans were able to obtain. Memories of the tentacle zombie flashed in his mind, and he knew he couldn’t defeat her alone. Fenrir could already absorb a lot of damage; if he could deal damage too, then he would be a force to be reckoned with.

Noah called, but the wolf was still preoccupied with the zombie’s bone. However, as soon as he heard his name, Fenrir’s attention shifted, and he bounded over, wagging his tail. Noah placed the sphere down and gestured for Fenrir to take it. He anticipated Fenrir to mimic Arachne by placing a paw on it, but Fenrir surprised him by attempting to swallow it.

"No, you idiot." Noah exclaimed, rising to retrieve the stone. To his surprise, the sphere dispersed, still managing to increase his strength. He quickly checked Fenrir’s stats to gauge the extent of the increase.

"Sigh, you could’ve wasted 25 free attributes, you’re gonna drive me crazy, ok go back to your bones." Noah exhaustingly ordered before heading back to the chest. That’s when he noticed Arachne from the side of his vision on top of the building trying to keep watch, but she couldn’t help herself as she eyed Fenrir being gifted something and not her. Her gaze sparked with jealousy.

"Don’t worry, I won’t forget about you. I’ll make sure you’re the strongest queen out there," he reassured her, shouting over to Arachne. It was hard to gauge her feelings solely from her appearance, but fortunately, their bond allowed for deeper understanding.

"Sigh, raising two creatures can be a handful. What will happen when I can get another?" Noah half-joked to himself before realizing the chest held nothing else but gold, which he gladly helped himself to. After retrieving everything, he leisurely grabbed his bag. Having already placed his heavy sword in the ring without issue, he then placed the bag inside as well. With a limp, he wobbled his way to the first dorm building, with Arachne and Fenrir in tow, but as they were walking.

"Arachne, what’s wrong with your leg?" he asked, noticing his spider walking strangely. Upon closer inspection, he saw that one of her back legs was bent and she wasn’t using it at all.

Arachne paused upon hearing Noah’s inquiry. It had been a while since her injury, and her pain tolerance had adapted to the broken limb. As if it were natural, Arachne gestured towards her other legs. "I still have more left. It’s okay," she responded indifferently. They had just overcome an existential crisis; a broken leg was the least of her worries. She could feel it, she grew stronger again.

Arachne’s indifference to her injury sparked an emotion in Noah that had been growing stronger ever since he bonded with her: concern.

"Dang it, Arachne! You have to let me know when things like this happen! Hold on, I’ll see if I can heal it," he insisted, determined to mend her injury despite her nonchalant attitude.

Thankfully, Noah didn’t waste any more mana during the fight, having just enough left to heal Arachne’s broken leg. He held her leg and tried to rotate it back into place before applying his healing skill. He was relieved to see that she didn’t seem to be in pain due to his actions.

Feeling a bit woozy from being low on mana after his capacity had grown so much, Noah was stumped by his spirit and increased magic once again after successfully healing the broken leg. The amount of mana used to heal such an injury wouldn’t be possible, even for a class suited for healing if not for his high spirit to enhance the skill past its initial ability. Despite the low mana induced dizziness, it was worth it when he saw Arachne walking normally again.

The trio quickened their pace to leave the area. The scent of blood was intense, and Noah knew creatures would soon be attracted to it, as he had witnessed earlier. He didn’t want to fight anymore until he recovered. It didn’t take long for them to reach the dorm’s entrance. Noah was relieved that Fenrir hadn’t grown any larger, or he would have had to sit outside alone.

"Grrrr," Fenrir growled as they reached the door, catching Noah’s attention.

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