Becoming a Monster

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Return of the Birds

His expectations were not disappointing. The streets bore the scars of civilization’s fall, with nature slowly but relentlessly creeping back to reclaim what was once theirs. Cars lay scattered and flipped over; vines wove their way through shattered windshields and twisted metal.

Concrete cracked under the pressure of emerging roots, which pushed up from beneath the surface, creating uneven terrain. Young saplings and bushes sprouted in the most unexpected places, their green leaves a stark contrast to the gray ruins. Patches of grass had taken root in the cracks of the pavement, spreading slowly but steadily.

The buildings, once towering symbols of human achievement, now stood as hollow, crumbling husks. Windows were broken, their frames partially obscured by creeping ivy that inched its way up the walls, gradually overtaking the structures. Moss clung to the damp, shaded areas, giving the human shelters a mottled, greenish hue.

The air was thick with the scent of earth and the faint, acrid smell of blood and death. It was a world where nature was patiently reclaiming the remnants of human civilization, and nature could potentially become more dangerous than the undead.

As Noah beheld the apocalyptic city before him, a surge of excitement and relief washed over him. This bleak landscape confirmed his darkest suspicions, offering a grim reassurance that the world was truly as chaotic as he had imagined. There would be no swift recovery from the devastation that had unfolded just a day ago; no hope of restoring modern civilization within weeks. This new reality was here to stay.

Unlike Noah, the scene evoked a different emotion for the others. For them, life now foreshadowed a world that would be unbearable to live in; their peaceful existence before this had disappeared almost like a dream.

However, they were forced to wake up to reality. It wasn’t just the scenery that had changed. In place of the lively people who used to litter the streets, half-eaten corpses now littered their path. And further in the distance, more zombies could be seen, appearing agitated by something. The noise from their recent fight wasn’t enough to distract them from their current objective.

No matter which road they chose, they would encounter another large group of zombies. Most of them didn’t have the heart to face another life-and-death situation so soon.

”Where are you going? Are you leaving us?” Jas’s voice suddenly broke through the tense atmosphere. She had noticed Noah beginning to walk ahead towards the zombies down the road.

”That’s the quickest way to get to your destination, right? Then why are you all still standing around?” Noah replied, turning back to continue walking, leaving the others to watch anxiously.

Ailetta followed behind him, giving an apologetic smile before turning back around. If it were the day before, Ailetta would have tried to speak up for Noah’s actions. Her subtle change would’ve been easily noticed if her friends weren’t too disturbed by the approaching large group of zombies.

Noah responded to Arachne, who was looking up towards the sky. Even during their fight with the last horde, there were dark shadows in the sky. It wasn’t a problem before, but as they walked through the streets, they noticed an abundance of those shadows sitting atop the buildings, looking down on them all.

Seeing the birds perched on top of the buildings made Noah realize what was odd during their departure from the campus.

’The bodies from before were gone...’ He thought back to the time when he encountered a large group of birds feasting on the corpses. At that time, they were only slightly larger than their original counterparts, but now... Noah couldn’t help but notice one or two birds that stood out from the rest. They were grotesquely transformed, twice the size, and their talons actually pierced into the concrete of the buildings they sat on, leaving deep, jagged marks.

These avian monstrosities had elongated legs that gave them an unsettling, almost predatory stature. One, in particular, had grotesque, hand-like appendages at the ends of its wings, fingers tipped with sharp, claw-like nails that twitched and flexed as if eager to grasp something. Their feathers were darker, almost black, absorbing the dim light and giving them an ominous silhouette against the ashen sky.

What Noah found most disturbing was the way their gazes never left his figure. Their eyes, unlike the glassy black orbs of their smaller kin, glowed with a malevolent intelligence. It was as if they were silently communicating, plotting, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The air around them seemed to resonate with the unsettling tension, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of their feathers and the eerie, low caws that resonated like a sinister whisper. Noah could feel the weight of their stares, a cold, unyielding pressure that made his skin crawl.

Each movement he made seemed to be tracked with unnerving precision, their heads tilting in perfect unison, eyes never blinking.

It brought to mind the encounter with the ants and Arachne’s intervention just moments ago, when she stopped the zombie that had seemingly singled him out.

Noah couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. While it made sense for the zombies to be drawn to him, considering the allure of his blood when activating his skill, he couldn’t fathom why a bird would exhibit similar behavior. There was no apparent connection between them, aside from the strange attraction they seemed to have towards him.

As he pondered this, Noah noticed that the surrounding birds didn’t fixate on him like the other two birds did. This realization led him to speculate that perhaps only evolved forms were drawn to him.

”Arachne, is there something attractive about my body?”

His sudden question caused the oblivious Ailetta to suddenly flush in embarrassment at the ambiguous question. Unlike her, Arachne took the question seriously, taking a few moments to look Noah over thoughtfully.

”Yes... your smell is really attracting. Even now, I have to contain myself from trying to have a taste,” she said, her expression unchanging, though a flicker of desire crossed her eyes, recalling the tantalizing taste of his blood.

Noah had much to ponder. His body’s allure seemed to be both a blessing and a curse. He wasn’t sure if this effect was unique to him or if every ’human’ who advanced would similarly affect creatures.

Gasp!*

Noah and his creatures turned around when they heard Ailetta, her face flushed red, even while she tried to cover it. For Arachne and Fenrir, the two just assumed that all humans behaved in unusual manners. Even Noah was momentarily puzzled about her current state of mind until he remembered what they were just discussing.

”Pft! She’s talking about my blood, weirdo. Haha, you just reminded me of Eliza.” Noah tried to stifle his laughter; their interactions bewildered the others, who couldn’t understand how they could behave in such a way when prying eyes were locked onto them from above.

It seemed that Noah’s comment touched a nerve. The bashful Ailetta became offended, but she didn’t have any words to deny his claims, which left her with puffed cheeks.

She recalled how Eliza was one of the main love interests in a particular story they liked. Eliza was a very shy and pure girl, but underneath that innocent exterior, she had a very dirty mind.

Ailetta, still blushing, tried to regain her composure. ”Moo...Stop teasing me, Noah!”

Caw!*

As the two were taking enjoyment out of their conversation, it seemed that the watchful birds took this chance to test them.

One of the larger birds let out a piercing cry and swooped down, its aim fixed on Noah. In a synchronized frenzy, the remaining birds joined the assault, their targets indiscriminate. With the exception of the seemingly evolved avians, the others attacked whatever crossed their path. The once-open sky became obscured as the flock descended in unison.

This scene was haunting for the others and even made Noah feel a bit of concern, though he had far greater worries on his mind.

While Noah had the confidence of defending himself when the need arose, the speed and coordination at which they attacked was beyond what he anticipated.

Noah’s speed hadn’t even reached a hundred, yet the two birds proved swifter than any evolved zombie he had encountered. Upon hearing their hostile intent, the first bird descended upon him with alarming speed, its aim fixed on his face, particularly his eyes.

Arachne remained ever watchful of the birds, particularly the two that incessantly shadowed Noah’s movements with their gaze.

With her innate ability to sense all threats to her hierarchy, Arachne was the first to react as the birds dive-bombed, their target set on Noah. However, to her astonishment, one of the birds seemed to quickly acknowledge her presence and swiftly changed course, avoiding her interception just in time.

At the same moment, the other evolved bird adjusted its trajectory, launching an assault on Noah from a different angle. Despite Noah’s awareness of its approach from behind, his response was not swift enough. The birds not only surpassed his expectations in speed but also displayed a level of coordination that bordered on flawless.

Caw!

Yet a tamer is never without company. Just as Arachne kept a watchful eye on the birds, Fenrir, driven by hunger, had his sights set on the other giant bird, unaware of its hostile intent toward Noah. With instinct guiding him, Fenrir leaped in front of Noah, intent on devouring the bird in one swift motion, jaws gaping wide. However, like its counterpart, the bird swiftly altered its course, evading Fenrir’s attack and preparing for another assault.

Noah grew immensely frustrated quickly, realizing he had been saved from a tricky predicament twice. Dealing with sentient animals was proving to be significantly more challenging than mindless zombies. Even though he wanted to rely on his creatures, he disliked the feeling of helplessness.

Meanwhile, the others struggled even more. Though the birds attacking them lacked the speed and coordination of their evolved counterparts, their sheer numbers rendered them equally dangerous.

”We can’t remain exposed like this, we need to get cover! Get inside now!” Mark called out, his voice strained with urgency, just before he felt the sharp pain of a bird tearing into his shoulder. Despite the injury, he fought off another bird aiming for his face with a fierce swing of his weapon, wielding his heroic aura to amplify his speed to keep up..

Hearing the screams of the others made Noah think of Ailetta. Although She was only as strong as the creature she was able to animate with her skill; Having the abomination at her disposal should’ve alleviated the danger posed on her considerably. The abomination clearly showed speed more capable than Fenrir’s base speed, if Fenrir was able to ward off one of major threats, then her powerful puppet should be able to do the same against the unevolved ones. Raising these points made Noah instinctively glanced for the puppet in question so he could satiate his concern after seeing its capabilities against creatures with conscious thinking.

With his acute eyesight, just a quick glance was enough to give him the information he needed, particularly given the size and noticeable traits of the abomination. However, the widening of his gaze was a clear sign that he didn’t like what he saw; the abomination wasn’t being controlled! A small, budding fear was awakened in him as he quickly searched for her, not realizing how panicked he was for her wellbeing.

That’s when he picked up on muffled cries on his side, his head abruptly snapping to the source of the sound, only to find a small swarm of birds surrounding her figure. Noah’s entire being shook when he saw this scene, his pupils constricted as a sudden fear for Ailetta’s safety washed over him. What made it worse was that even though she was in danger, not once did she ask him for help. He didn’t just want to save her; he needed to annihilate whatever dared to threaten her.

Without thinking, his constricted pupils began to dilate, the darkness of his eyes almost completely swallowed by his violet pupils. His second pair of eyes unleashed an ominous glow from their depths, a visible manifestation of his growing rage and desperation. His entire body trembled with the intensity of his emotions, the air around him seeming to crackle with raw pressure.

In that moment, his impulsive fury took over, and he activated his Ruler’s Fury ability to the max, a surge of power coursing through him. He launched himself towards Ailetta’s location with a speed that defied belief, a crazed look in his eyes that couldn’t overshadow the sheer desperation and rage driving him.

The world blurred around him as he closed the distance, his singular focus on reaching her, on saving her. The cries of the birds grew louder, mingling with the pounding of his heart and the roar of his blood in his ears. Each step brought him closer, the scene becoming more vivid, more urgent.

Fenrir and Arachne didn’t need to understand the reason behind Noah’s sudden shift; all that mattered was his escalating anger and chaotic emotions. The birds were the cause, and they were now the targets of his companions’ ire.

”AWWHHOO!”

Fenrir released an overbearing howl, louder and more oppressive than any since his evolution. The two evolved birds halted their attack on Noah, stunned by the sheer force of his howl, while some of the other birds fell from the sky, momentarily unable to flap their wings. Mark’s group was also affected; several students who hadn’t reached the nearby building collapsed, their bodies trembling as they cowered in fear.

As he howled, his body began to change, but unlike before, his body grew a quarter of a size smaller than his original size. And at the same time, Fenrir’s pupils seemed to replicate Noahs as it entered into a frenzy.

Both Fenrir and Arachne had decided to go all out. Despite the evolved birds’ speed, Arachne knew she was faster than them, preventing her from affecting them with her ’Sinful decree’ to lower their stats. But that didn’t deter her from her purpose. Blood surged into her legs, her body vibrating with the barely contained pressure as she pinpointed the bird she had targeted earlier.

Abruptly, she launched herself towards the bird in the air, but it was more than just a mere leap; she exploded from her location, closing the distance in an instance. Just like before, the evolved bird was aware of Arachne’s approach, all animals seemed to have an innate sense of danger. However when the bird attempted to evade her, it felt that it subtly moved towards Arachne, as if drawn towards Arachne against its will.

During that brief moment, no longer than a heartbeat, its life was no longer its own after Arachne sank her fangs into its head while she gripped its limp form firmly in her grasp. She landed on the side of a nearby building, her spider-legs deftly allowing her to plant herself long enough to ensure the kill before preparing to leap again.

——

Despite Fenrir decreasing his body size and further increasing his speed under the effects of Ruler’s Fury, he didn’t have the same success with his target as Arachne did.

As Fenrir charged towards the bird with everything he had, the bird’s sense of danger kicked in, and it shot into the sky with an elusive burst of speed. Undeterred, Fenrir’s eyes scanned for new prey.

Unlike Arachne, Fenrir wasn’t fixated on a single target; his goal was carnage, to kill as many birds as he could. The most dangerous bird may have escaped, but that only left Fenrir to target those that were slower, weaker, and still recovering from the shock of his howl. He trampled and crushed those on the ground, while snapping the slower birds out of the air with his powerful jaws. The air was filled with the sound of bones cracking and feathers scattering as Fenrir’s rampage left the weaker birds no chance to escape.

Caw Caw Ca-*