Becoming a Monster

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Choices of the Forest

The snake’s head drooped further, its once-imposing figure now radiating submission. For the first time in its life, the creature felt truly powerless. Though it had ruled its domain with unrivaled strength, it now found itself at the mercy of another, shackled by the webs of a creature it had underestimated.

The snake’s thoughts drifted to the spiders of the forest. Though it had always kept them at a distance, their absence now felt like a heavy blow. The ruler of the spiders had condemned its own children to the tree for its own benefit, and with their sacrifice and the ruler’s death, any chance of freedom from Noah’s web dwindled further.

There were still the ants and the bees, two formidable forces within the forest. The snake had avoided entangling itself with either faction, knowing their strength rivaled its own. Yet now, with desperation clawing at its pride, it considered the unthinkable. Perhaps their leaders, in their mutual disdain for Noah and his growing power, could be persuaded to act. But why would they risk their forces for a rival’s freedom?

The snake knew the answer even before it finished the thought; they wouldn’t. For them, the snake’s downfall would only be a boon, another obstacle cleared in their unspoken contest for dominance.

Resigned, the snake exhaled a low, rumbling hiss. Its gaze flickered toward Noah as itt lowered itself further, pressing its massive body against the ground to show that it would be obedient the moment Noah mentioned removing the webs. But then its body shook when registering the latest bit of Noah’s instructions. ’He’ll give me the fruit??’ Its surprise was clearly reflected in its azure glowing eyes. Its head jerked towards Noah, lingering on his back as he walked away.

It couldn’t understand why anyone would pass up the opportunity to gain more power. And it also couldn’t understand why the victor would not only allow mercy to its prey but also reward it with the same power that it decided to pass up? In the world of power it lived in, no other creature it ever encountered would even think of doing what Noah had said he would do. This only led the snake to believe that Noah was either insanely confident in his strength or he was toying with it, taking enjoyment out of giving the snake false hope out of a cruel sense of entertainment.

Instinctively, it looked in Ailetta’s direction, intending to gauge the authenticity of Noah’s words from her demeanor. It didn’t believe that a power hungry creature such as Ailetta would tolerate such an unconventional decision without protest. Surely, she would betray some sign of disapproval, annoyance, or even amusement at the situation. But what the snake saw in Ailetta’s demeanor only deepened its confusion.

Ailetta stood unmoving, her malevolent appearance radiating an eerie calm. Her expression remained unreadable, though her eyes briefly flicked toward Noah, then back to the snake. She didn’t appear surprised or opposed to Noah’s offer. Instead, there was a peculiar air about her, as though she fully trusted Noah’s intentions, no matter how baffling they seemed.

This reaction unsettled the snake even more. If someone as monstrous as Ailetta deferred to him without question, what did that say about Noah’s power? And what did that mean for its own situation?

Resigned, it lowered its head once more, its body pressing deeper into the ground. If this was the price for survival, it would endure it. But deep within, a new instinct began to stir, a faint whisper of ambition. Obtaining the fruit was no longer just a means of survival. In fact, it no longer was hard press trying to decipher Noah’s ambiguous words. The snake realized something after its gaze circulated around the area. The beasts that followed Noah, all of them were probably as strong as its own personal strength if not surpassing it.

The more the snake observed, the clearer the picture became. The fruit was a clear goal to obtain power, but could the power it potentially gain from the fruit amount to the same amount of power it could obtain from following such a person? The snake’s instincts urged it to reconsider the rigid worldview it had always known, where strength was singular and absolute, and loyalty was born of fear or submission. Noah and his followers represented something entirely different, something it didn’t yet understand but couldn’t deny.

Meanwhile, Noah had finally come face to ”face” with the tree. He stood before it, his eyes almost questioning the tree’s intentions. He could feel the unrestrained eagerness coming from the tree. Noah didn’t believe that it was a coincidence, nor was it simply happy to see him. His eyes narrowed on the fruit before pandering to the tree itself.

”Can you understand me?” Noah questioned the tree, despite the absurdity of the action. However, the intense flickering of its veins suggested that his assumption wasn’t as insane as it seemed.

”Interesting,” Noah murmured, tilting his head slightly. ”So you can understand me.” His motionless figure took another moment to contemplate before he took a few more steps forward. With each step, he could feel the tree’s eagerness rising even higher. Its intentions were obvious to Noah now, and he believed to understand how the tree’s mechanisms worked. It desired for him to eat the fruit, him more than any other creature currently in the forest.

”In that case...are you able to tell me what happens after I take the fruit? Will I truly gain power, or will I simply become another one of your slaves?

The tree’s veins pulsed in quick succession, almost agitated, as if it understood the accusation but refused to deny or confirm it.

”I see.” Noah stopped just short of the base of the tree, looking up at the tree with narrowed eyes. ”You’re not the only one capable of forcing others to fight for you. If you think that I’ll act like everyone else, moving to your whims, then I have to inform you that you are mistaken.”

For a moment, the tree seemed to falter, its pulse slowing and its glow dimming ever so slightly. Noah’s words carried weight. It was aware of Noah’s power the moment he entered into the forest. And right now, it was at its most vulnerable moment. Without anyone to protect it, its life would basically be forfeit the moment anyone decided to attack it.

Its roots moved with hesitation, there was a reason why it had yet to attack anyone, nor tried to defend itself. Its very nature had certain rules in play for it the moment of its existence.

”Let’s make one thing clear,” Noah said, his voice now carrying a hard edge. ”I’m the one giving the choices, and now I’m giving you the choice of bonding with me, becoming a part of my power. And in return, I will grant you both the protection and growth you have been aiming for all this time, how does that sound to you?”

The tree’s glow surged for a brief moment, as if trying to communicate something, but its inability to speak only deepened the mystery. Noah’s eyes narrowed. ”You can’t answer that, can you? Or maybe you won’t. Either way...” His demeanor took on a drastic change, his aura almost exploded from his sheer will that emitted his impulse to destroy the tree in its entirety.

”I plan on being the true owner of this forest, I won’t allow anyone or anything to challenge that. So be smart and accept my condition, Otherwise...”

Noah raised his hand, a faint aura flickering around it. ”I’ll end this now and make sure you never get another chance.”

The tree’s roots recoiled slightly, and its glow flickered erratically. It was afraid. Trapped within the rules of its existence, it couldn’t use its innate ability to drain Noah of his essence, no matter how desperately it wanted to. Yet, that limitation did not render it defenseless.

A sudden movement broke the stillness. Thick, glowing amber vines erupted from the forest floor, twisting and snapping toward Noah with terrifying speed. They carried a potent energy, imbued with the tree’s desperation to defend itself.

Noah’s figure didn’t falter in the face of tens of dangerous tendrils aiming to coil around him, potentially suppressing and crushing his body with its number advantage.

Instead of cowering, Noah disdainfully shook his head. ”Looks like you made your decision, you’ll regret it soon enough.” The moment he spoke, his aura festered into his webs, the webs that were used as the fabric of his clothing. They became laced with his overwhelming mana, shifting and writhing as if alive, expanding outward, growing thick and sharper in an instant. The webs became a vast network of razor-sharp strands that radiated an ominous shadowy aura of their own.

At the same time, Noah’s spider appendages began to become enveloped by slime, almost doubling their appearance and empowering them with mana, further increasing their strength and speed.

As the barrage of roots descended and surrounded him, the unimaginable took place. His spider appendages that were already known to act on their own, protecting Noah at the first sign of danger, were now working in tandem with his webs.