Becoming a Monster

Chapter 273: Chapter 273: The Last ”Peaceful” Night

[Permanent Transformation Effects:

Base Stats: All increased by 25%.

Enhanced Attributes: Strength, Constitution, and Magic boosted by 50%.]

Attributes

Defense: 180

Strength: 396 → (455) +171

Agility: 338 → (389) +149

Constitution: 687 → (790) +118

Stamina: 365 → (420) +106

Magic: 732 → (841)

Spirit: 619 → (866) +185

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[Skills Primal Vessel, Elemental Synergy, Guardian’s Assimilation has been obtained.]

[All tamer skills have been modified to be able to affect you.]

Primal Vessel (Lvl 0)- By channeling your bond with a tamed creature, you can momentarily merge with them, while taking on their physical characteristics and abilities. This fusion enhances your form with a portion of their strength, but you retain your original consciousness and will. Upon activation, you merge with a bonded creature, adopting their physical traits and abilities, but you only gain 50% of their original stats (Strength, Agility, Constitution, etc.).

Elemental Synergy (Lvl 0)- The elemental nature of your creature’s begins to resonate with you. Based on the creatures you’ve bonded with; your body adapts to resist and manipulate elemental forces. Gain resistance to elemental damage types based on the creatures bonded (e.g., Fire from a dragon, Earth from a Troll, Nature from a Dryad).

Guardian’s Assimilation (Lvl 0): channeling the deep connection between you and your bonded creatures, you can momentarily draw upon their power, borrowing a fraction of their essence to enhance your own abilities. You gain 25% of one chosen base stat (Strength, Agility, Constitution, or Magic) from a bonded creature for a limited duration. Cost 1% of your mana for every 5 seconds activated.]

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Blood Essence (Lvl 0) → Blood-Forged Essence (Lvl 0)

Bloodline Extraction (Lvl 0) → Ancestral Bloodline (Lvl 0)

Guiding Pathways (Lvl 0) → Path of the Guardian (Lvl 0)

Blood Pact (Lvl 2) → Guardian’s Pact (Lvl 2)

Noah’s main taming skills didn’t change besides the name change and the addition of him being able to be a recipient of the skills. Instead, his attention looked over the only skill that actually transitioned through a change before he looked over the information of his upgraded perks.

[Meditative Temple has been modified to ”Living Archive”(Lvl 0)- Instead of stasis, you become their vessel. Stored creatures do not drain mana or enhance your strength, but you can temporarily use their abilities. Their bodies and souls rest within you, nurtured by your spirit, until released by will or by their own desire.

Only one creature can be stored within you, whilst the potency of their healing is decided upon the strength of your spirit and the level of this skill.]

All this time Noah never had a need for this particular skill before. Although it would benefit his creatures, having them out fighting would only benefit them more. Now it was different. He wasn’t sure how often he would use it still, but he had a greater amount of initiative to do so.

[Muscle Tempering (Lvl 3) → Guardian’s Strengthening (Lvl 3)

Tendon Tempering (Lvl 2) → Guardian’s Agility (Lvl 2)

Bone Tempering (Lvl 3) → Guardian’s Resilience (Lvl 3)

Organ Tempering (Lvl 3) → Guardian’s Vitality (Lvl 3)

Imparted Linguist (Lvl 4)→ Empathic Aura(Lvl 4) It retains its original function of helping you sense the emotions and intentions of your creatures and those of the same species. It also allows you to calm hostile creatures of the same species/type as your bonded creatures, providing opportunities to avoid conflict or turn potential enemies into allies.

Efficient Tamer (Lvl 4)→ Evolving Guardian(Lvl 4)-Your creatures gain 35% more experience when bonded to you. As the Evolutionary Guardian, you are now able to gain 35% more experience whenever you personally defeat a creature in battle.]

His thoughts continued moving forward towards his perks, now fully understanding the reason for the addition of his stats. The perks, just like his earlier abilities, still remained the same besides the changing of their names. However, unlike before, he also gained benefits from his creatures’ stats. The amount was small in comparison to what he gave his creatures, but this was only the beginning. When he continues to make his creatures stronger, when he obtains more creatures, how much stronger will he become then?

His emotions were a lot calmer than the time he had first awakened. He didn’t take his strength for granted, but now it was simply him feeling as if his current strength was the result of his hard efforts instead of feeling rewarded as he felt back then. He risked his life to get this far, his creatures even risked their own to help path his way to become as powerful as he is now.

He deserved this power.

Pride threatened to swell within him, but when his gaze returned to reality, when he faced the stares of the companions who allowed him to get this far, his family; his pride was dosed with responsibility. No matter how strong he became, he could not afford to forget why he fought in the first place. To live in a world strong enough to not allow anyone to dictate his life, and his newfound goal to live meaningfully with his family.

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That night, Noah and his creatures had the best sleep since the start of the apocalypse. Sleeping in their ’home’ had a larger impact on them that they were unaware of. And on top of it, Noah’s subconscious soothing aura filled them with a sense of serenity as long as they were next to him.

Ailetta was nestled within his chest, even in her sleep, her fluid form lost majority of its solidity as she melted in his embrace, instinctively molding to his warmth. Her usually active mind drifted into a rare, peaceful stillness.

The others had also settled in comfortably. Arachne remained above them in her nest, firmly tethered to her webs. For the one who always remained at Noah’s side, she loathed the fact that she was the furthest one away. But it was a decision she had decided on her own.

Her sleeping figure was rooted next to the two eggs she laid previously, and next to those eggs was an added addition, an egg much larger than the others. Unlike the two grey eggs, the new egg was eerily similar to her new exoskeleton. An egg whose surface appeared to be made out of hardened slime. The egg pulsated much more than the other two, the black exterior would light up its surroundings with a vibrant violet with each pulse.

Eve on the other hand fell asleep in a bed similarly built like Noah’s but smaller to fit her size. Her hand was stretched out, firmly holding onto Ava’s stilled visage. Even in her sleep, Eve found herself attached to the skeleton more so than Diablo, and even Noah.

By their side was the ever-loyal Diablo, standing firm and undeterred by Eve’s affection towards Ava. As long as Eve was content, Diablo didn’t seem to have any lingering desires. If that meant watching from the shadows, unnoticed yet ever-present, then so be it.

Outside of their home were where the other creatures originated. Dummy slept in the dugout den that Fenrir had created for himself, while Eve’s minions lined up lifelessly in a neat row, awaiting their next order.

Fenrir was the only creature out of Noah’s bonded companions that slept away from Noah’s presence. His guilt spurred him to be the one to watch over for the others for the night. His human form was replaced by his much larger intimidating form. But his new form was nowhere near identical to his old form.

With all three forms perfectly assimilating to one another, Fenrir’s form became a size smaller than before, an addition created because of its sleek centipede like exoskeleton that now reinforced his body alongside with his hardened carapace. The combination of the two armored shells made his new exoskeleton resemble a hide that was no different than metal.

His fur became more luxurious than before and wilder. The giant mane on his back spilled over his broad shoulders and his back, barely revealing the spiked ridges going down his spine.

The most notable difference was the loss of his second pair of arms. As a perfect Lycan, his body was made into a pure killing machine that revolved utilizing all of its strengths and not just its muscles. Having two giant arms only offset his balance and restricted his full potential. His remaining arms lost their bulkiness, the two gauntlet-like hands became sleek metal weapons that now fully enveloped his hands all the way to his shoulders. It’s dark glistening claws were almost as threatening as Noah’s now.

And along the seams of his exoskeleton, and running through his veins, that was even pronounced through his fur was the molten glow of fire that pulsed with heat emanating from every inch of his body.

His eyes were shut, but the twitching of his sharp ears was a sign that he was fully alert as he took his job seriously.

All the while, Pandora was left in deep thought. Her body never fully slept as long as she was connected to the forest.

All around the world, humans and creatures alike were able to make it through a new day, a plan already set in mind for what to expect the next day.

However, they all were startled to hear a voice again, the voice that was responsible for all they had to endure. The news he had for them was filled with foreboding.