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Becoming a Monster-Chapter 96: Notice Me!
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Notice Me!
[Mana:290/320]
He checked his mana reserves, ensuring they were sufficient.
"If it costs only 5 mana for each tier 0 core, then this will be perfect! Maybe the effect will be slightly diminished since they’ll now be considered tier one creatures, but every bit helps."
The first step was drawing blood, a task made easy with his sword. As he prepared to do so, his mind flashed with recollections of the transformation triggered by activating his killing instincts.
"I wonder." He stared towards the sword, a moment later a change occurred on his face, his eyes held a slight savage glint, but it still held clarity at the same time. As he focused, he saw the mist emerge from the sword’s handle while the blood-red traces outlined the blade. During this time, he had activated his Killing Instincts skill, but he didn’t go the full 50%, he opted for only a fraction, around 10%.
Though the amount was small, it was sufficient to trigger the sword’s effect. A wry smile tugged at his lips, tinged with a hint of shame.
"There’s just so much more I can be doing better..."
He paused for a moment, reflecting on himself, before making a small cut on his finger. He noticed that he couldn’t easily slice through his hand like before and had to apply slightly more pressure, especially without activating the sword.
Once the cut was made, he positioned his finger just above the core and activated his skill, Blood Extraction. Similar to the Blood Pact, he stirred his mana to mix with his blood around the cut. However, this time, the scene unfolded differently. His blood seemed to come alive, mysteriously transforming into vapor and being absorbed into the core, merging with the mana inside.
Each mana core appeared distinct across different species, Noah observed. While the shapes of the cores remained uniform, their interiors varied significantly. Human cores emitted a subtle blue and white glow, while those from zombies emanated a faint black and red hue. Animal cores, like those from spiders, exhibited a faint grey coloration.
Noah used the term "faint" to describe the colors because they were barely perceptible, possibly due to insufficient mana or because the core itself constituted the mana entirely—he couldn’t definitively determine the reason.
As his blood was absorbed, Noah noticed the current orb, originally from a zombie, shifting from black to a dark purple. The transformation completed swiftly, taking only a few seconds, perhaps five at most. Noah couldn’t help but scrutinize the core in his hands after the anticlimactic event.
"Well, if it works, then that’s all that matters," he muttered to himself, setting the core aside and retrieving another. Engrossed in his task, Noah lost track of time, his focus undivided. He became so absorbed in his work that he forgot to placate Arachne. Although if he was to notice her now, he would find Arachne in a deep trance, a trance that left her salivating, creating a small puddle of drool underneath her.
Frustrated, livid, enraged, betrayed, Arachne wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the exact emotion Noah made her feel as he made her wait. She had half the mind to start the evolution on her own if he ignored her any longer. However, after the aroma of his blood entered the air, followed by the most enticing smell she ever witnessed after his blood mixed into the pearl she found utterly disgusting. She found herself unable to remove her gaze from the pearl, wanting to slowly digest it. But then she saw Noah placing the pearl on the floor before grabbing another pearl, repeating the process.
Arachne’s eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Noah place yet another pearl on the floor for her. ’Did he tell me to wait to feed me delicious food?’ she thought, her mind struggling to comprehend the unexpected generosity. The sight of the delectable treat before her sent a shiver of anticipation through her body, her hunger momentarily overshadowing all other thoughts.
Noah, engrossed in his task, was on his fifth pearl when a sharp object poked into his leg, startling him out of his trance. He looked up to find Arachne face to face with him, her saliva dripping from her mouth, her raspy breathing audible through the gaps in her pincers.
"Food... My food? Please be my food!" she repeated, her voice tinged with desperation as if she were in a trance of her own. Noah admonished himself for forgetting his goal in the first place. Yet, seeing Arachne so focused on the pearls, forgetting her priorities just as he had, brought a smile to his face. He reached out and grabbed one of the pearls, placing it gently in her mouth. As he did, he chuckled to himself, finding her one track mind adorable.
"Yes Arachne, all of these are yours. I need you to eat all of them before you can start your evolution, so eat as many as you c-can....."
The small smile on Noah’s face twitched at Arachne’s next action. Not only did she clamp onto the pearl in her mouth, but she also proceeded to drag the other cores placed on the floor with her, retreating a few feet away as if she feared Noah might change his mind.
———
A few minutes passed with Noah creating more usable pearls with the use of his skill, while Arachne continued to eat them as soon as they were processed.
By the time Noah finished processing all of the cores in his possession, he curiously checked Arachne stats.
[Paralysis Venom Level up!: A potent secretion, now containing a higher dosage of neurotoxic compounds that disrupt the nervous system of their prey upon injection. This venom induces temporary or permanent paralysis.
Cursed Silk Level up!: Each web is further fortified by the infusion of corrupted mana, as the webs intertwine through open wounds, the corrupted mana will attempt to absorb the prey’s mana, strengthening itself without the host’s will. Grows stronger with strength and mana infused.]
Spider Sense Level up!: Grants you heightened awareness of its surroundings, increasing your perception skill, enabling you to detect threats and prey that are even hidden or camouflaged.]
[Skill level is higher than absorbed mana core, skill progression is reduced by 90%]
Skills.
Active
Paralysis Venom(Lvl 1):progression-11.5%
Cursed Silk(Lvl 1):progression-10.5%
Coated arms(Lvl 0):progression-100%
Passive
Spider Sense(Lvl 1)]:progression-11.5%
Stealth(Lvl 0):progression-100%
Caught in the eyes of the spider(Lvl1)]:progression-N/A]
Painful Death(Lvl 0):progression-N/A
Recovering Leap(Lvl 0):progression-N/A
Human tongue(Lvl 0):progression-N/A
Noah looked in bewilderment towards the information. He had expected to witness all of Arachne’s skills reach 100% given the fact that all of her skills were tier 0 skills and she had eaten a significant amount of cores.
What he didn’t expect was her skills leveling up without a catalyst to instigate the change.
’Hold on...This isn’t making any sense!’ Noah internally screamed, instinctively looking over his states to better understand what he was seeing. His "eyes" weren’t deceiving him, somehow Arachne’s skills were able to level up without an upgrade stone! At first, he felt that life, or specifically the deity that began all of this, was being unfair. However, he realized an important fact; if the creatures needed an upgrade stone to level up their skills, how would they get one if the chest didn’t drop for them, nor would they be able to interact with a shopkeeper?
Thinking of it this way, Noah’s jealous thoughts stabilized, enabling him to look at the information with a clear head which allowed him to spot an issue he once overlooked.
"I see that her skills have leveled up, but not the ones she received from her subclass. Why is that?" Noah scrutinized the skill progression, racking his brain to the point of frustration. He couldn’t find an immediate answer until a thought struck him.
"Maybe it’s because having a class meant for a human means she also needs to level it up the same way as a human? Hmm... I can’t think of any reason besides that. Urgh! Then why do I still need to use the stones for my chimera skills? It’s really not fair...." Noah sulked, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her skill progression, hoping that maybe he had overlooked something. His self-deprecating thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a subtle stab to his leg.
"There’s no more food! If no more food, can I start now?" Arachne’s voice was insistent, her hunger-driven focus shifting as she rushed him, oblivious to his brooding mood.
Noah looked up to see Arachne eagerly awaiting his response, her eyes bright with anticipation. Her interruption was a welcome distraction from his frustrations.
"Yes, we can start," he responded, suppressing a smile. Here he was, overanalyzing things he couldn’t change, even though the situation still benefited his companion. He took a deep breath, reminding himself of the bigger picture.
"Alright, Arachne, let’s begin your evolution," Noah said, placing a hand on her head reassuringly. He guided her to a more spacious area within the dorm, ensuring she had enough room for whatever transformation was about to take place.
Noah was about to start Arachne’s evolution, the choice already in mind, when he hesitated. For someone who relished freedom of choice, he wasn’t giving his creatures the same treatment. "Would you like to choose?" he asked gently, hoping to encourage Arachne to speak her mind.
"I’m not sure if you already know the cho—"
"Impure Queen! I want to be a Queen!" she shouted, her fangs moving sporadically with excitement, reflecting her emotional state.
"Do you even know what it does?" Noah asked, seeking reassurance, though he already felt somewhat resigned to her decision.
"Yes! It makes me a Queen! I’m ready!" she exclaimed with unwavering enthusiasm.
Noah hung his head in defeat, not bothering to try to sway her. After all, it was the choice he wanted anyway.
"Alright, Impure Queen it is," he said, a smile creeping onto his face despite himself. He focused on initiating her evolution, the air around them growing heavy with anticipation. Arachne’s excitement was contagious,
[Confirmed evolution path, Impure Queen. Beginning evolution!]
"Well, let’s see how you’ll look in the morning, Queen..." Noah muttered as he lay in bed, his gaze fixed on the comatose Arachne standing in the middle of the room.
Suddenly, a creak broke the silence. Though he wasn’t consciously aware of the noise, the sudden movement caught his attention, and he stared menacingly towards the door, his hand ready to grab his sword.
The first detail he spotted was auburn hair that seemed to be repeatedly shifting before he saw Ailetta’s face emerging from under it. He was so caught up in his work that he had half-forgotten about her. Even though he was initially surprised to see her come in unannounced, he was more surprised to see the changes Arachne was going through. Even Ailetta didn’t bother to address Noah as she slowly closed the door behind her and gawked at the current display. Unconsciously, she slowly made her way around Arachne to not only get a better view but also to be near Noah, where it was safe.
"Wha-what’s going on?..." She asked, her eyes still haven’t budged from Arachne’s location. Noah wasn’t sure how to answer, because even he was unsure at the moment.
Arachne’s body underwent a transformation reminiscent of molting, with another layer emerging from within her own body. Her entire form seemed to split apart, a sight that alone would have been shocking enough. However, it was what was happening around Arachne’s head that caused their irrational reactions.
At her head lay a cocoon, unlike the one she had surrounded herself with during her mutation. This cocoon appeared to be entirely composed of flesh and pulsed ominously. Ailetta struggled to maintain her composure; the longer she stared, the more nauseous she felt. Despite her actions, her hand instinctively sought Noah’s, even as she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
Noah, on the other hand, was half-tempted to touch the fleshy material but restrained his curiosity. This could be an important step for Arachne, one he didn’t want to disrupt. As time passed, both Noah and Ailetta found themselves sitting together on the same bed, unable to tear their eyes away from the unfolding spectacle.
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