Becoming a Monster

Chapter 274: Chapter274: Reckless Greed

”Mortals, be grateful for the humans who have risen above their limits to continue to give you a fighting chance. Their efforts have given you the chance to receive both time and preparation for what will come next. In 24 hours, the place that you know as the ’shop’ will be no more.

You have endured trials. You have fought, clawed, and survived. And yet, you have never truly been without aid. The dangers you have faced will be nothing compared to what is coming. The struggle ahead will not be one you can continue to avoid by fearful and cowardice means.

I have granted you the means to survive, not out of benevolence, not out of cruelty, but because it was necessary. That necessity is ending.

Be thankful that I have given you the opportunity to survive. When the time arrives, you will have only what you have claimed for yourself. If that is not enough, then you were never meant to survive.”

Throughout the entire world, a heavy silence followed the proclamation. Every survivor, whether they were feeble low-level humans who had no inkling of fighting for their own survival, or those that have risen up to challenge diversity, growing stronger to survive; everyone felt the weight of those words settling deep in their bones.

Noah’s expression remained unreadable as he listened. He had begun to suspect a moment like this would come. From the moment he first heard the deity speak on the day of reckoning, the image the deity painted in Noah’s mind was not that of a benevolent being. The being always spoke of them as if they were just pieces in a grand design that wouldn’t change the outcome no matter if they lived or died.

It was because the being made Noah feel that way that he never truly considered the system, the chest, or the shop as gifts. It all felt as if they were merely a loan, a loan that would need to be repaid. Sooner or later, they would have to pay a price.

In the end, that price was unavoidable. The people would still lose a valuable asset for their survival when each and everyday was becoming harder to survive.

Although Noah felt a bit aggrieved from losing the shop, he wasn’t angry, nor did he despise the being for their action. The power that the being allowed them to obtain may not be gifts, but he was still thankful to the being, he was thankful to be able to witness hell and be given the strength to overcome it.

They would make their own way, just as they always had. If the world was going to become even more merciless, then so would they.

”What do you want to do?” Ailetta asked, though the light amusement in her tone said she already knew. The amount of gold he saved up had to be staggering. Even if he didn’t make it known, she could tell what his next step was.

”Isn’t it obvious?” Noah merely smirked her way towards her rhetorical question.

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When Noah found inspiration to the beings’ decree, others were left scrambling, uncertain of their next move. It was the less fortunate who panicked the most, nor was it the brave and strong who were the most shakened; it was the very people who exploited the others.

Through everyone else’s efforts and sacrifices, they were able to continuously benefit; manipulating them into using the very gold they risked their lives for so they could use the shop. The benefits they gained from the shop were even greater than most of the people they exploited. And now, those benefits would be gone in 24 hours. What drastic measures would they take in order to maximize their profits before the being takes away their only path to a leisure lifestyle in this lawless world?

Hours after the mysterious being’s speech, Mark and his group had begun to truly realize the supposed ”backbone” of a civilized society was nothing more than a fragile structure held together by greed and opportunism.

Mark, the young man who seemed to age by ten years within a span of a day, now found himself rushing towards a particular office. Behind him were his most loyal friends and his sister, their expressions were just as grim as his own.

Outside the office stood a group of guards, far more than usual. Dressed in military attire, they exuded an air of authority, with the one leading them wearing an outfit that seemed uniquely suited to the specialized equipment dropped from chests. Upon seeing Mark and his entourage, the guards immediately drew their guns, despite recognizing the heroic figure before them.

Mark’s eyes narrowed as the rumors he’d heard earlier came rushing back into his mind. His gaze hardened further when the loud blare of a siren echoed throughout the entire fortified mall. The blaring alarm confirmed his suspicions. The very people, police, military, and government, who were supposed to protect the innocent, had instead chosen to recklessly attract all the creatures in the surrounding area.

Their intentions became painfully clear the moment Mark heard of their insane plan. If they couldn’t retain control of the shop after the day ended, they would force everyone to gather as much gold as possible by fighting all of the creatures in the vicinity, using it to buy enough supplies to maintain their rule for as long as possible.

Mark’s fist clenched around the hilt of his sword. The plan was even more reckless and heartless than he’d imagined. He could hardly comprehend how the very people they had once looked to as saviors could be such monstrous, devious beings.

His pulse quickened, dangerous thoughts of cutting down everyone in that room clouding his judgment. The desire to protect and lead the last remnants of humanity had evolved from a mere goal into an obsession, one that no longer allowed room for compromise. Anyone who threatened that obsession had become an enemy who needed to be put down.

The guards’ grips on their weapons tightened as Mark took a step forward. Their orders had been clear; do not let him through. If he refused to stand down, they were authorized to use lethal force.

”Stand down, Mark!” The lead guard’s voice was on edge, while the small evil smirk on his face was a clear indicator that the people behind the door were up to no good.

”Victor already knew you would come. Why aren’t you out there playing the hero? If you don’t, who knows how many people would die? And it’ll all be your fault.” The guard sneered. And on his side, there were others just like him. But within the rest of the guards, there were some who were hesitant with what they were doing.

Mark’s raging anger subsided quickly to the guards’ words, making it appear as if his earlier determination was empty bravado. His ears twitched, the siren was still blaring, but now that he focused on the noise, gunshots were ringing out in the distance.

His gaze towards the guards grew cold, the usual warm and boisterous aura from his ability became that of an oppressive field that couldn’t determine friend from foe. Instead of faltering, Jasmine and the others had all wielded their weapons in an organized fashion, no longer did they resemble the idealistic college students from the past.

Witnessing the ugly truth of the people who were supposed to protect them, changed them, being exploited angered them. And their actions today made them willing to do what needs to be done if they were going to survive.

The guards weren’t prepared for such a reaction. The confident smiles they once wore vanished, replaced by unease. Some of their weapons began to tremble in their hands. There wasn’t a single person at the base who hadn’t seen what Mark, and the others were capable of, making their attempt to stand up to them with mere guns seem almost laughable.

The standoff was growing tense by the second, any longer, and the guards might accidentally pull the trigger out of sheer fear.

But as the gunshots and explosion continued outside, Mark’s body sharply turned away, walking swiftly towards the direction of the battle. The others didn’t miss a beat as they followed behind him. Neither of the group spared a glance back.

”Mark....”

”I’ve made up my mind Jas,” Mark interrupted her without stopping his pace. ”When this is all over, I’ll make sure to kill them all...none of them deserves to live after this.”

His stride picked up; with his attributes his quick powerful strides were akin to a normal person’s full sprint.

Jasmine faltered slightly in her own steps, there was a slight hesitancy towards actually hearing that they were going to murder people. But hearing the battle occurring outside that would result in so many deaths made because of vile greed pushed her closer to accepting Mark’s decision.

The others were just as hesitant. They were ready to shred blood, but only against the ones holding the power, but Mark made it seem as if even those who were just following orders shouldn’t be spared either.

But there was no time for discussions or doubts. Mark’s focus was purely on saving as many people as possible. He knew this battle would be far from clean. Lives would be lost, and many would not be saved. But he had accepted that reality, his priority now was to save as many as he could and clean up the filth after.