Becoming a Monster

Chapter 338: Chapter 338: Runic Loot

Demonized Angel (Lvl 0) – Merge with holy abyssal energy to take on a demonized angel form.

Activating this transformation consumes 50% of your total mana and causes a continuous drain of 2% total mana per second to maintain the form. Passively, your Abyssal Slime abilities increase by one skill level even when not transformed.

While transformed, all of your stats are increased 50%

-Sanctified Corrosion – Activate by spending an additional 10% of your total mana to empower all controlled slimes for 60 seconds. During this time, all slimes gain 25% resistance to all damage types. Slimes also gain Mana Osmosis: when physically touching a magical creature or construct, they drain 0.1% of that target’s remaining mana per second.

That was it. Out of the suspenseful transformation Ailetta underwent, she didn’t obtain a new race, and her stats didn’t significantly increase. All she received was one skill.

And after seeing the skill, he believed the skill was worthy of such a valuable chest.

But he still couldn’t quite grasp what was different from her ritual compared to the demons in his vision. Since he was never able to witness exactly what happened, he couldn’t definitively say what separated her transformation from the demons.

Were the demons able to gain permanent transformations? Did their strength get amplified more drastically than when she entered her new form? And were they too exempted from going through a new racial change?

Those questions lingered in Noah’s mind. He could only speculate. And it was those speculations that made him feel a hint of regret. What would’ve happened if I had taken it instead?

The moment the thought surfaced, Noah quickly admonished himself for thinking it. He was happy for Ailetta’s strength, and he wouldn’t let pride or greed ruin his happiness for her.

Noah took a slow breath as he made his way back to the chest. His gaze drifted to his other creatures. A responsibility for making sure all of them were given the same opportunity to grow stronger firmly set root in his heart. He would make sure that his creatures, his family, were given every opportunity to grow stronger despite himself having the chance to do so.

He couldn’t fathom the regret and guilt he would feel if one of them were killed, all because he didn’t help them grow.

He knelt beside the chest. His excitement for what to expect wasn’t as intense as before. He was methodical in his actions. His temptation drifted to necessity. He had a responsibility for his creatures the moment he bonded with them, and it was about time he took that role more seriously.

As his hand reached into the chest, he no longer felt that he was claiming his spoils, but he was choosing an item for his and his companions’ future.

His hands sought the second to last item, an orb that was all too familiar. A core containing a rainbow of auras, much more vibrant than its predecessor. It was a universal orb that increased all of his attributes. Last time it was by 50, this time he was sure it would be even more.

Initially he was already willing to give to one of his creatures, not wanting to go back on his vow. But he hesitated. Not because he wanted to improve his personal strength, but because increasing his mana and spirit would still greatly benefit his creatures more than what the orb would do if only one of them were to gain it. His buffs would grow stronger, his mana would increase, allowing him to support them further.

It was a difficult choice. His creatures watched him quietly, curiously, sensing the indecision.

With his last thought, he squeezed his hand, causing the orb to flicker strongly before dissipating into his body.

Noah’s eyes flickered as he felt a warmth settled in his chest, spreading throughout his body. The feeling was euphoric, a feeling that he could always lose himself to, but he resisted the urge to indulge.

Already he was reaching for the next item.

What he pulled out was another parchment. At least its appearances were almost the same as parchment, yet the texture of the ”paper” felt as if he was holding flesh.

It was suspiciously warm, and even before he could open it, he felt a slight pulse within his hand.

Caution made him hesitant to unfurl it, the parchment in his hand called out to him much more strongly than all of the other items.

The pulsing of the parchment increased, and as it did, the calling grew stronger with it.

He stared at it for a long moment, his fingers tightening slightly as if the thing might leap out of his hands and bind itself to him without his consent.

Is this the same kind of item like before? The thought surfaced, already he was thinking about allowing his other creatures to hold the parchment to see if they too resonated with it.

But before he made the decision, he opened the scroll to view its contents.

This is! Noah’s gaze widened in recognition. Once again, he was met with a sheet that was filled with indescribable runes. However, the runes didn’t draw his attention at all. On the center of the paper was a picture, not just any picture, it was lifelike, as if he could physically hold it in his hands.

And that picture was a heart, a beating heart. A living image was already grounds for shock, but Noah had seen that heart before. Because that heart was the spitting image of the heart that became his dungeon core.

Instantly he understood why he felt the item beckoning him, he and it were already connected.

He couldn’t read the runes to understand what he should do, what the parchment was even capable of. But he didn’t need to, not anymore.

”Relocation... connection...Don’t tell me...” He mumbled aloud as his Nexus Eye slowly dimmed after using his skill.

He didn’t finish the thought. He didn’t have to. The implications were clear. But the insinuation was groundbreaking. If what he thought was actually true, the parchment perhaps transcended all of the items in the chest combined.

Without thinking, his palm was already placed on the heart as he channeled his mana into it. He tried to stay calm, but his breath was already beginning to grow heavy.

The runes moved just as the other parchment had before.

And the heart beating within the confines of the parchment began to pulsate so fast that it threatened to burst.

Noah wasn’t able to focus. He felt a change occurring in his soul realm, his consciousness was pulled in against his will.

There was a lapse of confusion, until his awareness was drawn to the sight below him.

The budding leaf was growing.

Not its stem, but its roots were submerging from the darkness that acted as the ground. The roots coiled and spread in weird formations. They twisted into a circular rotation with a goal in mind, with some unknown intent Noah couldn’t decipher.

When the roots finished, Noah saw a diagram of sorts, one in a formation of a circle with a star spread across its center.

It was intricate, mystical, and from Noah’s understanding, inactive.

He stared, transfixed on the star. He couldn’t tear his gaze away.

”It’s an array.” Noah continued to watch, flabbergasted. His initial thought turned out to be right.

The words relocation and connection now made more sense than before. What he now had was a bridge between himself and his dungeon core. He could sense that as long as he supplied enough mana, he could relocate himself to wherever his core was as long as it wasn’t removed from his territory.

And if that wasn’t enough, those who were connected to him could also travel with him.

Though the details remained unclear, the sheer possibility was staggering.

Noah stared off into space much longer than intended, his frozen countenance allowed the others to truly take in the sights around them.

”Mark, you were here with him, weren’t you? What in the world happened?” Ishii eyes wandered around the area. The deep trenches, the craters, the nearly toppling walls. Ishii couldn’t understand, the aftermath looked as if it were a battle of equals. He didn’t believe for one second that the others could fight Noah to such extents.

At least he didn’t want to believe it.

And Mark couldn’t either. Because if that was true, why would they have allowed so many people to needlessly die in the first place if they already had such power? Why use the weak if they were already strong? Why hide behind walls if they had the power to openly walk out in the world the same way Noah is able to?

It didn’t make sense.

However, unlike the destruction Ishii took notice of, Mark was focusing on the other half of the room. The half that was bathed in golden energy. Even from where he was standing, Mark could feel its purity, its divinity.

He felt as if he was in the middle of a blizzard and on the other side of the room was warm welcomed fire ready to embrace him.

Slowly he found himself drawn towards it. And no one realized that someone else was already standing before it.