Becoming a Monster

Chapter 271: Chapter 271: Merging Classes

Within a vast sea of trees, only one giant structure was towering in the center of it all. The structure was different than before. Nearby roots from the many trees were now layered outside the perimeter of the other trees, creating a fully enclosed gate of roots that resembled the same barricade as the gate created at the border of Noah’s Dungeon.

Inside that structure, Noah was lying in a bed of his own webs, the webs were not only silk but also merged with his slime as he laid himself down on the structure, he created that was no different than a giant bean bag, no smaller than Queen size bed. His body sunk within the comfort of the dense yet pliable material.

His eyes stared towards the ceiling in a pondering gaze. His eyes looked past the ceiling of webs, looking past the treetops, into the sea of endless stars in the sky.

His mind was stuck replaying the scenes, each moment looping in his thoughts, preventing him from having a steady state of peace.

The things that happened today were only the beginning. The appearance of the vampire by Eve’s side, his companions’ jealousy, and most unsettling of all, the presence of the gods’ energy.

All of these things led him to further think about what he needed to do; he needed to really consider the option he was going to choose in his following moments.

Giggles*

His eyes peaked towards the entrance of their home. He wasn’t able to see the owner of the innocent laughter, but he already knew who it belonged to. Despite her earlier frenzy, Eve was back to acting like herself, however, she was livelier than before.

Noah wasn’t sure what elicited her giggles, or who could be the sad target of her mischief, but he was happy he didn’t have to worry about it with Ailetta out there watching her.

And as his eyes were focused on the entrance, the lingering figure posted up at the doors entrance was impossible to miss. It was a new face, a face Noah had yet to grow accustomed to.

The man leaned against the wall with his back pressed against it, his arms folded in front of him while his eyes were closed. Their presence was almost human, almost.

The figure didn’t wear any clothing besides the silken robes that covered his bottom half. But as his skin was completely revealed, the layers of assumed chest hair could be seen to cover more than just his chest. Thick black fur covered more than just his chest, layering every inch of his body without obscuring the chiseled muscle beneath.

The man’s abnormal features weren’t just his heavily haired body, his hair was a wild giant bundle of a jet-black mane with fire ember streaks running within it. Hair that reached all the way down to his lower back. And within the bundle of hair, two wolfed shaped ears were nestled with the thick strands, twitching ever so slightly at the sounds happening around him.

Seeing the man, it made Noah relapse some uncomfortable feelings he was trying to get over as Fenrir’s new look made him revisit those emotions.

Fenrir, even with his eyes closed, was able to sense Noah’s gaze, his body slightly flinched, holding back the instinct to look. His eyes clamped down harder as he attempted to fake a deep slumber. His new form came with a power beyond his imagination, and with that power also came a stronger sense of identity and wisdom.

Even before his transformation, he understood he was in the wrong. And yet it was after he gained a heightened sense of awareness that he was truly able to empathize, making him feel worse about himself since then.

It was that feeling of guilt that helped Noah to move on. His eyes lingered only for a second longer before his eyes traveled back up to the night sky. His gaze flickered, thinking about Fenrir’s changes.

[Your creature Fenrir has consumed the item, Heart of Convergence. The process of merging his lost evolutionary path has now forcibly commenced.

[Retrieving genetic imprint...]

[Pureblooded Lycan path detected.]

[Warning: The lost evolutionary path is incompatible with the current form. Forced adaptation required.]

[Stat Increases:]

➡️ All stats increased by 25%

➡️ Strength & Constitution increased by 50%]

Dreadborn Lycan

Level: 14

Strength:300>450(592)

Agility:120>150(258)

Constitution:265>397(607)

Stamina:110>137(255)

Magic:132>165

Spirit:110>137

Phantom Rend(Lvl 0)-Fenrir channels his mana to amplify his senses, allowing him to perceive the vital weak points of his opponents. By spending 1-5% of his mana, Fenrir enhances his senses, perceiving the enemy’s vital areas (such as joints, arteries, internal organs, or mana cores) for a limited time (3-5 seconds). While the effect is active, Fenrir bypasses 20% of the target’s defense when attacking the weak point.

Hellfire Frenzy(Lvl 0)-Fenrir channels his fire-infused mana, causing them to deal additional fire damage. The amount of mana spent determines the fire damage added to each strike, supplying 1% for each attack and being able to empower the attack up to 5%.

Hellhound’s Aegis(Lvl 0)-Fenrir begins to tap into his fire-infused mana

, creating a basic flame shield around his body. This shield provides 10% physical damage while mitigating both water and ice attacks by 50%. The flames deal damage based on the amount of mana being infused in its flames, up to 5%. For every 1% infused, 3 seconds is added to the shield.
Apex Dominion (Lvl 1)- In your human form, you can still create powerful abominations, but with a focus on intelligence and adaptability rather than raw power. These abominations, though weaker than their full-mutated counterparts, possess the ability to shift between a werewolf form and human form. This transformation allows them to retain their human abilities while also gaining a burst of strength when transformed. If abomination will still be granted a unique skill inspired by your bloodline.

Spawn of Brooding Aberrations (Lvl 1)-In your human form, the level of control you possess over the Spawn of Brooding Aberrations increases significantly. While in their feral, mutated state, these abominations are driven by base instincts and overwhelming aggression.

Transcendent Cataclysm(Lvl 1)-Through the depths of your monstrous nature, you have finally transcended the need for choice. Your human form is no longer bound by limitations, Dreaded Cataclysm has fully merged into a singular, all-encompassing transformation.

Primordial Hybrid:Increase your strength by 75%, stamina, constitution and agility by 25%. Gain enhanced regeneration, converting 25% of your constitution to your defense. And eject your claws and fangs with even stronger venom.

Fenrir’s power was now truly terrifying, his strength now enabled him to reclaim his position as Noah’s shield. Most of his abilities stayed the same, but it was his transformation skill that truly transcended all of his other skills.

It made Noah really reconsider the benefits of merging his class with something else. How exactly would the druid class merge with his current class? Would the merger give him powerful skills? Would the synergy be better than that of the merger of the legionnaire class? It was this reason that he had yet to fully make up his mind when he thought he had already come to a decision.

”Hesitance has gotten me nowhere,” Noah reminded himself, exhaling slowly, forcing the doubt from his mind. He had wasted too much time second-guessing. The what ifs would always be there, no matter how much he dwelled on them. Instead of agonizing over the unknown, he needed to trust his instincts and move forward.

”No matter what, I’ll still become stronger.”

_____________________

Outside the home, Ailetta watched as Eve circled around Ava’s skeletal form. No matter how many times Eve moved, Ava would instinctively turn with her, as if unwilling to lose sight of her. The cycle repeated endlessly, each spin earning a delighted giggle from Eve.

Ailetta could be considered both paranoid and apathetic all at once. Her eyes were thoughtful, yet pensive as the tens of eyes were analyzing the skeletal vampire with a silent intensity. She was curious if the mindless act was all a ploy. And if it was, Ailetta was even more curious what the vampire’s goal could be, and her true identity.

The skeleton’s identity made Ailetta take Diablo’s stance of the matter in mind. Since the vampire appeared, not once had Diablo shown an ounce of hostility or jealousy towards the newcomer that was taking Eve’s attention away from him. She couldn’t be sure if Diablo was even capable of having such emotions, but his lack of reaction was still notable.

Ailetta’s gaze continuously flickered between the two. Her thoughts were spiraling deeper, thinking of ways she could test whether or not the vampire was acting, but then her entire body jolted. It wasn’t just her; Eve was no different.

Inside their home, Pandora, who stealthy watched over them all suddenly withdrew the majority of her consciousness from around the forest. Fenrir no longer continued his act of fake sleeping, while Arachne just down from her nest of webs. Every creature was affected by the turn of events.

Something within Noah was changing, and that change was resonating through them. They could feel something within the soul further imprinting themselves onto Noah.

And along with that feeling came a surge of strength welling in each and every one of them.