Becoming a Monster-Chapter 94: Call me what you Want

Noah couldn’t help but anticipate how much she would grow after her evolution. He already experienced how much of an impact Fenrir’s evolution had on his appearance and the sharpness of his nails when the process wasn’t done being completed.

He felt that once again he had to continue growing stronger so his creatures would respect him as a leader. Although he was aware that his creatures’ growth relied on his own, he also knew that this meant he would potentially always be considered the weakest link. His pride wouldn’t allow him to just become a bystander.

Noah once considered waiting to spend Arachne’s stats. However, he no longer entertained such a thought when he remembered that their stats could possibly increase after they evolved. There was no point in conserving them, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Attributes

Strength:66(76)

Agility:99>100(117)

Constitution:38(70)

Stamina:48>50(83)

Magic: 14>19

Spirit: 41>50

[Your tamed creature, Arachne, has achieved the first limits of 50 stats in stamina. Perk based on class Arachnid obtained: Recovering Leap.]

[Recovering Leap: Reduce the strain and stamina drain when leaping far distances by 10%.]

[Your tamed creature, Arachne, has achieved the first limits of 50 stats in spirit, perk based on class Arachnid obtained; Danger sense]

[Danger sense-Your sensory hairs is your final defense, but now you can avoid positioning yourself into danger in the first place now that you can sense a lethal threat targeting you. Only works on attacks that would kill you.

[Caught in the Eyes of the Spider has leveled up to Lvl 1! You can now perceive a target’s movements by a tenth of a second.]

Noah smiled in satisfaction at his work, witnessing Arachne grow stronger with his help brought about a sense of accomplishment that he wouldn’t think possible. He looked over to his first companion, briefly observing her seemingly in the trance to the revelations of her newly acquired abilities.

He was becoming anxious for the future. His attention was busy imagining his creatures future transformations as he walked over to the chest. As if it was natural, he reflexively bent down to open it, that’s when he noticed that the chest was mainly filled with gold. At most their seemed to be only three items.

Noah muttered in disbelief as he continued to open the chest. "Do they not give me better chests anymore unless I kill a whole army?" The recent fight had been perilous; without the skill that directly countered zombies, he would have been in serious danger. However, the fact that he was able to defeat a tier one zombie without relying on his creatures should’ve made him understand why the chest contained so little.

The first item he received, one that he would always welcome, was another attribute sphere that would grant him 25 attributes. Attributes to which left him a bit disheartened.

’Sigh...I shouldn’t complain, I shouldn’t complain, It’s my destiny to be a tank...’ With a resigned sigh, he crushed the sphere in his hands, releasing its power into his being. As the familiar sensation of attributes flooding his system washed over him, he couldn’t help but feel the weight of his role as a support tank. It was a duty he had accepted, a path he had chosen, but at times, it felt like a burden he carried alone.

[+25 constitution]

Feeling the effects of his improved stats, Noah found some solace in receiving the attribute orb, recognizing that a higher constitution would benefit both himself and his creatures.

The next item he uncovered was even more promising, one he knew he would need before the night was over. He gingerly picked up the upgrade stone, treating it like a precious treasure.

’After their evolution, I can finally upgrade my skill to acquire another creature!’ His excitement grew as he surveyed the contents of the chest, only to be tempered by disappointment at the sight of the next item.

In his hand was a glass vial resembling the murky green cure he had obtained before. However, this one appeared less polluted, with a lighter hue. Though not immediately necessary, Noah hoped it might yield something useful and tucked it away for safekeeping.

"Well, I guess I shouldn’t expect much from a gold chest...wait...no, I shouldn’t say that unless ’someone’ becomes petty," he muttered, casting a wary glance skyward. After the last announcement from the ’God,’ Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that he was dealing with a capricious entity and didn’t want to incur any further resentment.

With a sigh, he collected the gold from the chest before turning his attention to the remains of the zombie.

"Did I really do this?" he wondered aloud, surveying the scene in surprise. The once menacing creature was now reduced to a scattered pile of meat, making it difficult to discern any specific parts, like its heart.

Noah scanned the gruesome heap, but couldn’t spot the organ he sought. While he could take the time to search through the remains, he knew it would be a lengthy process, time better spent initiating Arachne’s evolution.

"Food!" Arachne’s voice echoed behind him, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of munching. Noah smiled to himself, knowing that Arachne was already indulging in her meal.

The zombie’s dismembered state made it easy for Arachne to feed without needing to use her venom to soften the meat. With her increased size, solid foods were becoming a more viable option for her.

Opting to wait for Arachne to finish her meal, Noah stood to the side, pulling a core from his storage and examining it closely.

’I wonder if using my skill on this will affect me too, or if it only applies to my creatures...’ His thoughts were interrupted as he was about to activate his skill on the core when he hesitated. Recalling the incident with the mana-infused blood attracting ants, he decided against it. The last thing he wanted was to attract any unwanted attention.

"Eh?" As he waited, lost in thought, Noah felt something strike his foot. Glancing down, he discovered a core lying there, the very one he had been searching for. Surprised, he looked over at Arachne, who was facing him, he picked up the core, curiosity piqued as he felt the urge to ask.

"I don’t get it...how do you know not to eat this, but you ate the one from the spiders?" he asked, half expecting no response. To his surprise, Arachne answered without hesitation.

"It doesn’t smell or taste good so it’s not food." She curtly said without a doubt in her mind.

"Hmmm..." Noah mused, accepting her explanation with a shrug. He knew better than to argue with Arachne’s instincts. Whether she understood the nuances of what made something edible or not was irrelevant; what mattered was that they had found what they were looking for.

With the core in hand and their mission complete, Noah turned his attention to Arachne. "Now that everything is done, we can finally retreat to the dorm to start your evolution," he said, a note of anticipation creeping into his voice. Meanwhile, Arachne was more excited than he was.

However, as he made it to the dorm’s entrance there was another problem brewing.

"Use it again! How could the skill not be working?? It worked before!"

Jasmine could be seen standing near Isabelle, Isabelle would be enveloped with a golden energy before the glow would transfer over to Mark’s sleeping body.

Noah didn’t know what the skill was. When he scrutinized Mark’s body he couldn’t find any wounds, but he did notice something, Mark was infected!

"I’m telling you it’s not working, my skill level either isn’t high enough or it’s not an infection. Yelling at me isn’t going to change anything." Isabelle responded back with an expressionless face, yet her eyes betrayed her growing annoyance.

Looking at Mark’s body, Noah observed that all of his puncture wounds had been healed, but they were now replaced by dark black marks resembling bruises. If it weren’t for the black veins spreading out from those bruises, it wouldn’t have seemed like an infection at all.

The current scene had Noah stomped. He couldn’t help but glance up at the sky while thinking. ’No fucking way...this is the second time i got the cure and they needed it.’

He tried to ignore them as he made his way towards Ailetta. Ishii and his group happened to be residing near her, keeping watch over her for any potential danger.

Bailey was consumed by grief over Blake’s death, her emotions too distraught to focus on anything or anyone else. Paul and Ibby, on the other hand, were doing their best to comfort her, their efforts aimed at soothing her anguish in the wake of their friend’s passing.

Noah’s interest briefly shifted between the two groups, but he was more curious about the skill Isabelle was attempting to use to heal Mark. From their conversation, he assumed it must be something to cure the infection, which could be extremely valuable, if not lucrative, if they were to find a bigger group.

"Why didn’t you help?" Noah stopped and turned when Jasmine addressed him. He knew it was coming; this scene had happened a lot to him lately.

Noah braced himself for an anticipated outburst of anger or resentment, but what he encountered was something altogether different. Instead of a fiery confrontation, he was met with the sight of a woman in tears, her expression a mixture of worry, sadness, and desperation.

"I know you hate him, but why does that mean he has to die? Hasn’t enough people died already? Would you care if any of us die? At this rate, it won’t take long for you to become numb to anyone’s death, even Ailetta’s." Jasmine hit a sensitive spot for Noah. He felt guilty because in the back of his mind, he felt that she was right. But who was she to judge him?

"Don’t spout your nonsense towards me." Noah’s voice was slow and deliberate, his hand clenched into a tight fist as he struggled to control his emotions. While his expression remained cold and indifferent, a flicker of resentment burned in his eyes. "When the others were dying, did you call for them? Did you try to ask for my help then? No...like everyone else, you also only care about the people who are close to you. That’s the reality of the world we live in now. I won’t risk my life for you when you won’t do the same for me. And I won’t be your savior out of the goodness of my heart."

Noah’s pulse steadily increased, calling out her hypocrisy only fueled his bitterness towards her attempt to manipulate his judgment, using Ailetta as his crutch. If he didn’t confront this issue head-on, he feared he would continue down a path of failure.

If I no longer care for Ailetta’s life, then that would mean she became dead to me even when she was alive. But until that happens, I’ll make sure at least she’ll be the one that gets to live..."

Talking to Jasmine somehow helped Noah realize what was bothering him so much. ’It’s not wrong for me to care about her so much. What’s wrong is if I continue to protect her when I no longer do.’ His troubled heart seemed to have lessened tremendously and a heavy weight appeared to have left his shoulders.

However, Jasmine didn’t share in his sense of relief. Noah’s words left her engulfed in heavy guilt, rendering her speechless and feeling like an empty shell.

"....you’re right....you’re right...maybe I deserve this. So many people died following us, but I....we, we were more focused on staying alive that we didn’t care..." With a heavy heart, Jasmine turned to gaze at her brother, still in the grip of a troubled sleep. His restless movements stirred her concern, unsure if it was the infection or haunting nightmares plaguing him.

Gently, she knelt by his side, clasping his hand tightly as tears streamed down her face. In a hushed tone, she repeated pleas for forgiveness, a mantra echoing in her mind.

Noah silently watched the scene as he contemplated. Only a few moments passed before he shook his head and began to walk again. He had yet to even take a few steps before yet again someone had something else to say.

"You really are the devil.." Isabelle said to him, her tone one mixed with bitterness and pain, her mind reliving the past events of her trauma.

At first, Noah was taken aback by her accusation, unsure of what she was trying to imply. But then, as the memory of Derrick and their ill-fated deal resurfaced in his mind, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly to himself.

"I guess you can say I am," he replied, an evil smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "But you can’t blame me for anything then, right? ’Never make a deal with the devil’—isn’t that how the saying goes." He smiled in amusement and began to walk away. Only his face showed visible annoyance when he heard someone addressing him for the third time. His patience was wearing thin, that was until he heard the contents of what they had to say.

"If I were to make a deal with the devil, can you really save him?" Jasmine looked to Noah with a determined stare that screamed she was truly willing to give anything. That was a look that Noah quite enjoyed, he felt it was a waste that she didn’t have the same mentality when it came to growing stronger.

He remembered rejecting her offer for help before, there truly wasn’t anything that he really needed from her. However he was interested in how far she would go. Part of him was already indebted to her for opening up his eyes even though she didn’t have the intention. While the other part felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with another emotional woman after Ailetta awakened.

What was a smile before, was a face of complete seriousness as he looked into Jasmine’s eyes, even then she didn’t back down if the slight falter in her stance wasn’t taken into account.

"Even if I said you have to become my tamed creature?"

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