Becoming a Monster

Chapter 264: Chapter 264: The Divine’s Allure

Awakening options for subclass, Apprentice Mage;

Arcane Mage- A spellcaster who harnesses raw magical energy, shaping it into powerful spells through skill and knowledge rather than elemental affinity. Unlike elemental mages, the Arcane Mage embodies the very essence of magic itself. Attributes increased Mag, Spr, Spr.

Phantom Conjurer- A mage who specialized in summoning ephemeral, illusionary entities that exist between both material and immaterial realms. These conjured spirits, shadows, and phantoms mimic real creatures and objects, often used for deception, misdirection and even support. Attributes increased Spr, Spr, Spr.

Etherborn Magus- A mage who is a master of arcane currents that flow through the very fabric of existence. Unlike other mages who wield magical an external force; Etherborn Magus are intimately connected to the raw intangible mana that suffuses all things. This connection allows them to become one with magic, enabling them to draw power from energies of any and all sources. Attributes increased Mag, Mag, Mag.

Noah had yet to even recollect the details of his monster tamer options and he was already momentarily stumped after seeing the choices laid out to him for his potential mage ascension.

What was even more compelling with each option was that any decision he made was bound to make his magic or his spirit rise to unprecedented levels.

There was no question rather if any of the classes would be beneficial to him. However, no matter how great the abilities were, after his excitement calmed down, Noah had already made the decision to skip over them all.

Even if there was a chance that the mage classes were independently better than the tamer classes, the key difference that Noah had considered was the fact that the tamer class he would choose would ’merge’ with his current class.

The merge would not only mean a new class altogether, but his perks and current tamer skills would become greater than before.

He steadied his breath while his mind sharpened with certainty.

Monster Legionnaire was his first choice, a class that tempted him for good reason. If he could retain his current skill set while bonding with two or even three times as many creatures, he could command possibly over ten companions, each reaching the same, or nearly the same, level of strength as his current ones.

Beyond sheer numbers, this class would expand his options for creating Fallen and provide a greater pool of creatures to choose from when the time came to assimilate another gene into himself. The possibilities were endless, and the potential for growth was undeniable.

The sheer thought of it made his blood surge with anticipation. If he could raise an army of creatures as strong as Fenrir, Arachne or Ailetta, his position in this current world would be secured.

Although there was the argument that more creatures would mean more responsibilities, and also less experience gained since he would be forced to share experience with so many creatures, potentially limiting the growth of his current companions. Noah still found himself not against the idea.

And yet, he still forced himself to take a step back.

Monster Legionnaire was a good choice if he wanted to remain short sighted.

He had already learned not too long ago that Gods were real, not the being that gave him this opportunity, but actual gods who could potentially or already be his enemy. And then there was the entity inside of him.

’Numbers could work, but in the end....’ Noah’s thoughts stopped there. There was no other reason to entertain the idea any further.

In the end, when going up against a foe that has overwhelming power, he himself needed to be able to contend with that power with a power of his own.

[Choice to merge Druid Tamer with current class, Monster Evolutionist confirmed!]

[Warning! Merging your core class would leave you in a vulnerable state, would you still desire to confirm the merge now?]

The sudden warning came as a surprise, but after a moment’s reflection, Noah understood the reasoning behind it. Changing his core skill that his entire system was reflected around meant fundamentally altering his very essence as a tamer. His body, his bond with his monsters, and even his core abilities would have to recalibrate to accommodate this transformation.

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”Is everything fine now?” His gaze was drawn to Ailetta, back in her normal form, in her hands were the two cores that allowed her to obtain the strength to participate in the fight.

Noah’s gaze focused her figure, but his Nexus Eye was glued to the orbs within her grasp.

”For now, yes.....” His words paused, his eyes now shifting away from her, looking down at her hands. ”The cores....”

”I know,” Ailetta inspected her hands, the energy within him rotated slower than usual. Even without Noah’s sight she could tell that the energy within them was severely diminished. ”I was able to get a good use out of these two....Hmmmm...I’ll just have to get more.”

Her calculating amused gaze receded from the orbs to look around her, eventually returning back to Noah.

” I’m more interested in what could possibly have made you blank out when a chest is literally in front of you.”

Noah’s gaze quickly shifted, Ailetta was always observant. But it’s not like he was hiding anything. His mind was still processing everything.

He cleared his throat, attempting to straighten himself slightly until he realized a slight resistance in his arm. He turned, finding Arachne silently staring into his eyes.

For a moment Noah was lost in her gaze, a gaze full of desire, one that surpassed her usual need for acknowledgement. To his obliviousness, Arachne’s show of power manifested in her a desire to make Noah her’s on an instinctive level. It was a natural desire that she couldn’t control herself, a desire that she constantly fought against because of her inadequacy of showcasing the power that a true Queen should have. But now, those instincts were flaring at full force.

Noah perceived it all, her desires even overwhelming the senses from their bond. It was a feeling that was just a step less driven than Ailetta’s own. He wasn’t dense enough to completely miss the signs, but all this time he only believed that her feelings were just as deep as his. Feelings of someone that truly cared for the other, would die for the other, but not one of love and lustful passion this deep.

Noah’s breath caught for a fraction of a second as the realization settled.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. This moment was too important to skip over and yet he found his gaze traveling towards her hand.

”Is that what I think it is?” He muttered, awestruck. Arachne blinked, momentarily thrown off by his abrupt shift in focus. She followed his gaze downward, only then did she realize what he meant.

In her hand was the zombie’s core. Unlike the ones they had obtained before, the powerful rotation of its energy meant little to Noah, that much he expected. But it was the golden seams of energy that were contained within that drew his breath short. Noah’s Nexus Eye activated on instinct, seeing the energy for what it really was, and the sight was almost blinding.

”The power of a god,” Noah murmured, his hands subconsciously reaching for the orb as Arachne let him remove it from her curious grasp.

He rotated it within his hand, inspecting every inch as if the image of a god would appear within the core.

His first thought was how he could obtain that power for his own, the same power the zombie had used before that allowed it to not only escape death but made it powerful beyond its limits.

That’s when he thought of his ability to abstract a defeated creature’s ability. But that ability could only be infused into one of his abilities. At least that’s how it’s always been before.

”But a Druid Tamer is different...” His expression fought the urge to smile but he couldn’t hold it in. As a Druid tamer, all of his skills that once only affected his creatures would now be able to affect himself as well.

If that was the case, he could obtain the broken ability that would prove as a sense of insurance for the future.

His grip tightened around the core, taking one last look before placing it within his ring. Yet, it was then that the entity inside him began to stir, even more strongly than ever before. The strength of the entity’s actions caused Noah’s body to convulse, blood instantly spurted from his orifices. The entity seemed to be set on destroying the boundaries protecting Noah’s soul in order to control Noah to absorb the core.

The moment Noah’s body fell to the ground, both Noah and Ailetta had retreated into his soul, their gaze fixed on the entity whose hundreds of tendrils were slamming down into the runic barrier.

Ailetta was dying to know what was going on. Unable to wait for Noah to explain, the eye within her soul finally awakened, allowing her to feel, sense and share all of Noah’s thoughts and feelings. It was then that she quickly understood.

”Of course it had to be a god,” Her exasperation showed that she wasn’t too surprised about the information. She was, however, concerned about the entity’s reckless actions.

Noah wasn’t sure what to do, this wasn’t a fight that he could win. Even if he ”won,” he would still come out at a loss in the end.