Becoming a Monster

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: New World

”Should I eat it?” The ever-simple Fenrir finally made his appearance, noticing the bizarre situation involving his creation. Until he marked the beast, allowing it into his pack, he barely perceived an ounce of kinship from it and didn’t hesitate in his decision to fully destroy it.

For a moment, Noah greatly considered the option, but alternatively, he still wanted the creature for Ailetta’s use. Silence lingered as Noah racked his brain. While reorganizing his thoughts, he couldn’t help but envision a scenario where Fenrir haphazardly created more abominations without considering the repercussions.

He pictured miniature, distorted Fenrirs terrorizing the world, their unnatural regeneration posing a higher threat than the current zombie takeover. The thought of hundreds or even dozens of evolved abominations swarming him made Noah wary of the creatures, prompting him to mentally note the importance of properly limiting Fenrir’s creations.

As he recalled the minute details he observed earlier, Noah remembered the pulsating veins. They weren’t that different in color from his own mana and blood. This realization led him to think of another alternative to permanently put down the creature.

”Arachne.” Hearing Noah suddenly call out to her caused the anxious queen to stop in her tracks as she was about to unleash another barrage of attacks on the creature.

”Take out its core.”

His vague order left both Fenrir and Ailetta confused about his request, unsure of how a core correlated to the ”dead” creature’s attempt at rebirth. However, Arachne was more accustomed to the importance of the cores, self reflection made her realize early on that the cores were the embodiment of their evolutions, and one of the major catalysts for quicker growth.

Being reminded of this important tid bit, her plethora of eyes shined with a malicious glint. She wanted to personally put the creature down before Fenrir played his hand, attempting to eat it whole, destroying her chance at redemption.

Her urgency reflected in the quickness she exhibited to fulfill the order. Her hand splurged through the beast chest in her attempt to ”cleanly retrieve its heart. And yet only her toughened nails penetrated through its exterior. The creature’s hide showed the resilience of a zombie that was converted into Fenrir’s abomination.

Seeing that the creature yet again thwarted her attempts to secure Noah’s approval over Fenrir, she fiercely thrusted on of her legs into the abominations chest while a barely audible emotional grunt escaped her lips.

——

”Should we go over now?” Ishii naively questioned the others, oblivious to the unnatural development.

They were all aware when Noah’s creature easily retrieved a zombie during their bitter struggle against the other zombies. They also knew that Noah had Fenrir transform the ’thing’ into the abomination before them.

What baffled them was the scene that played out next. The newly transformed creature looked immensely powerful. They couldn’t shake the feeling that Noah’s intentions were darker than they dared to imagine. The possibility of him creating his own miniature army of Fenrirs sent shivers down their spines, especially considering his past apathy for human lives. But then they saw Arachne kill the creature as soon as it completed its transformation, an action that left them severely puzzled.

Initially, they questioned his sanity and began to form their own theories about what they had seen. Half believed he was just testing Fenrir’s ability in preparation for a future world takeover, while the other half thought he aimed to transform the zombie into something more powerful to gain more experience.

Then there was the extreme minority, those who understood Noah and Ailetta best. They knew it was about more than just power; he was creating a weapon, a weapon solely for Ailetta to use.

It was because of their understanding that their reactions to Ishii’s suggestion weren’t taken well.

Alicia’s eyes habitually deadpanned, unlike the others who questioned Ishii’s sanity. ”Sigh... Ishii, I don’t think now is a good time. It doesn’t look like they are finished yet.”

Ishii, oblivious to the nuances of the situation, was undeterred by Alicia’s caution. ”But isn’t it better to approach them now? Maybe we can help,” he insisted.

Bailey, sensing the tension and recognizing the importance of timing, shook her head. ”Alicia’s right. We need to wait until they’re done. Rushing in could disrupt whatever Noah is planning, and we don’t want to be on the receiving end of his frustration.”

The group fell silent, watching as Arachne placed the core into Noah’s hand. Ailetta, still feeling the weight of her recent decisions, approached Noah cautiously. She wanted to prove her worth, to show that she could be strong and useful to him.

”Noah,” she called softly, not wanting to startle him. ”Is there anything I can do to help?”

Noah glanced at her, appreciating her willingness to stand by him even though his actions somewhat unsettled her. His glowing orbs glistened with expectations for what he had in mind.

”Actually, yes,” Noah smiled, adopting the demeanor of an evil scientist. ”I want you to control this creature with your skill. If the strain isn’t too much, then potentially this beast can be considered your own personal puppet.”

Ailetta’s eyes widened, her current emotions filled with anxious eagerness. The moment she began to doubt her strength, Noah presented her with a way to grow stronger. Determinedly, she nodded. This wasn’t just about proving herself; all she wanted was to meet Noah’s expectations. She took a deep breath and approached the lifeless abomination.

With her newly acquired staff, the moment she began her spell, she noticed the initial process was slightly quicker to perform than before. The alien blob materialized into existence, its form taking a shape much smaller than it had ever been before, no bigger than a marble.

Noah wasn’t surprised at all by the skill’s usage, having discussed her skill requirements beforehand.

Elemental Manifestation(Lvl 0); Form a spiritual link with an elemental spirit that is greatly attuned to your specific nature. The realm of which the creature is summoned from can only be bridge with the use of your mana, determining the amount of time allowed for the summon to traverse dimensions. For every 1 mana used, the summoned creature can be maintained for 1 minute; example: 5 mana = 5 minutes. Dismissing the summoned creature allows you to reclaim half of the remaining mana duration as immediate mana restoration, However, it’s important to note that mana regeneration is paused for the entirety of the time the creature is summoned. This means that while the creature is present, you won’t be able to naturally replenish your mana pool.

The skill had many drawbacks, but the effects of summoning summoned creatures was worth it when it was being fed a powerful material to use. Given the fact that Ailetta was unsure if they were leaving in the immediate future, she only wanted to test the abomination that she would be mainly using in the foreseeable future, opting to only use one mana for the summoning for testing usage.

The blob shows a sense of intelligence as it gestured for Ailetta’s command. No words were exchanged, but Noah theorized that the two converse on a spiritual level.

As if routine, the blob entered the abomination’s body. The blob left no room for suspense as it began to move the abomination’s limbs, gradually causing the creature to stand on its feet.

Its imposing presence didn’t diminish in the slightest even though it was just a shell of its former self. The creature was made to scan its surroundings before it took off on all fours in a surprising burst of speed. If the speed of a regular sprinter was between the attributes of 60-70, its speed now was even faster than Fenrir’s, breaking the 100 mark.

Despite its attributes surpassing its creator’s in certain aspects, the creature’s overall strength, constitution, intelligence, and regeneration still fell short. Yet, its mere presence was enough to unsettle the curious onlookers. As the majority grasped the implications of Noah’s actions, that he was crafting the beast specifically for Ailetta—their expressions twisted with envy.

The sight of Noah’s dedication to Ailetta, a woman perceived as obnoxious and fragile by some, soured the mood further. Resentment simmered, particularly among a few, notably the female contingent, who viewed Noah solely as a means to their own ends.

With the initial testing complete, Ailetta was pleased with her ”puppet,” commanding the slime to return the body to them with the same startling speed as before.

Boom!

As the abomination neared its destination, Fenrir intercepted it, forcefully slamming its body into the ground with a menacing growl, asserting his dominance.

”Stupid Fenrir...” Hearing the criticizing remark from Arachne, the same remark she would use when he did something his master disapproved of, Fenrir’s threatening growls shifted to a sharp whimper as he snapped his head towards Noah. His wagging tail abruptly tucked into his hind legs upon noticing his master’s deadpan expression.

At that moment, Ailetta was overwhelmed with sheer terror. Fenrir embodied her deepest fears, a haunting memory she wished to forget. The sudden attack on her creation sent her heart pounding with fear, prompting her to let out a startled yelp and seek refuge behind Noah, her mind racing with panic. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had somehow provoked the beast, causing Noah’s expression to darken even further, his eyes betraying a hint of disappointment towards Fenrir.

”Noah! I-I...” she stammered, her voice trembling with fear, her heightened emotions preventing her from forming a clear thought. ”I-I didn’t mean to—”

Noah interrupted her with a calm yet firm tone. ”Ailetta, it’s fine. Fenrir was just being...protective. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Relieved by his reassurance, Ailetta nodded hesitantly, peeking out from behind Noah as her fear began to subside.

Turning his attention to Fenrir, Noah addressed him sternly. ”Fenrir, stand down. That thing is now under Ailetta’s control. If it happens again, then Arachne will be the only one to get my personalized snacks.”

Fenrir lowered his head, whimpering softly, as Ailetta cautiously stepped forward, still feeling shaken but reassured by Noah’s words. Meanwhile, Arachne began to consider a diabolical plan to get Fenrir in trouble again so she could have the cores all to herself.

Now that the commotion was somewhat settled, Noah ignored the three when he noticed that the other group was now approaching them. Almost all of them were in somber moods.

”Are you ready?” Noah asked in a somewhat urging manner. Now that his business was done, he wanted to quickly make it to their destination to get rid of the baggage. However, his uncaring inquiry received unpleasant gazes in response.

”What do you mean, are we ready? You bastard! Our friends just died!” Noah looked to the source of the voice and saw that it was someone he couldn’t recollect talking to before. But the guy’s words seemed to trigger some of the others.

Noah’s emotions were beginning to become dull to these repetitive situations.

”So...you’re not ready?” he asked calmly, unfazed by the hostile response.

”Wha-are you making fun of me??”

”Quiet, why are you trying to make a scene? We need to get out of here before something else appears.”

Mark swiftly intervened before the confrontation escalated further, his frustration evident as he realized the group’s shortcomings. Few among them possessed the strength to contend with even a single zombie independently, leaving him to ponder their chances without Noah’s support. Although Ailetta was the only one helping them in their time of need, the zombie she used was due to Noah’s assistance, not to mention the monstrosities Noah’s creatures had taken care of. Knowing that the beginning of their outing would have already resulted in their deaths made Mark even more disappointed with everyone, especially with himself.

”Let’s just get going. We don’t know how long it’ll take us to get there, so we need to at least get far enough to think of a place to stay,” Jasmine addressed the group, attempting to change the subject. She couldn’t understand how anyone could be so brash in front of Noah after all he had just accomplished. Did their emotions make them forget that he’s more terrifying than the creatures by his side?

Noticing that the rest of their discussion didn’t concern him, Noah turned to the small pile of hearts stacked to the side, placing them in his ring. He would have to remove the cores at a later date.

Now that they had finalized their plan, Noah noticed their hesitance to take the lead like before. This worked in Noah’s favor, as he wasn’t planning on letting them take the lead any longer. He didn’t want to share in any of his experience or potential loot. He set out without looking back, ensuring that Fenrir carried the puppet in his jaws along the way so Ailetta could use that time to recover her lost mana.

He was already expecting a new world as soon as he left the gates.