Becoming a Monster

Chapter 527: Chapter 526: Promises

The moment Noah’s tendrils reached him, they split apart and drove themselves into the ground. They surrounded him until they formed a cage-like barrier that prevented him from moving more than a yard from where he stood.

Noah intentionally gave him enough space so he wouldn’t feel trapped like a caged beast, but not enough freedom for him to launch himself toward whatever caught his interest.

Dummy blinked several times before slowly pressing himself against one of the tendrils. He gave it an instinctive squeeze; the tendrils were now harder than any material he had interacted with before.

Somehow, the simple beast became distracted from being bested by the caged, and he became more focused on trying to break it just for the sake of it instead of getting out.

Fenrir couldn’t bear to watch. Having such a subordinate weighed heavily on his mind. He could only be satisfied with the fact that Noah believed that his subordinate had a lot of potential.

—

Meanwhile, Noah wasn’t particularly fond of doing this. But it had to be done.

Noah knew that this was only an isolated incident now, but what about the future? Before things could go wrong, he needed to start setting ground rules.

He wanted all of them to have complete freedom. He never wanted their home to feel like a prison, nor did he want them to become creatures who waited only for his permission to leave.

But that kind of freedom could only exist in a perfect world.

Unfortunately, reality was filled with imperfections.

The stronger they became, the more attention they would attract. Eventually, there would come a point where enemies wouldn’t attack openly anymore. They would wait, isolate someone, and strike when they were vulnerable.

And if one of them casually wandered outside the territory alone during that time...

Someone truly would die.

Worse, he might not even realize it until it was already too late.

Noah’s eyes slowly shifted back toward Dummy.

The gluttonous creature was still pressing curiously against the tendrils surrounding him.

Dummy noticed Noah looking at him. He paused his futile attempts to look at the others. It was only then that it dawned on him that he was the only one put in a cage.

”Why?”

Dummy spoke using his mouth within his torso. The sound was disturbing. If Noah had to give an example of what it reminded him of, he pictured a distorted demon baby the moment it registered in his ears.

Surprisingly, Dummy wasn’t mad; the creature was just confused that he was the only one being singled out like this.

He still didn’t understand what was going on.

Noah looked at him for a moment before finally speaking.

”It’s only a precaution. For right now, stand there without making noise, do that, and I’ll let you have one of the bodies we brought.”

Dummy immediately fell silent.

The change was so abrupt that several of the others stared at him in disbelief.

The gluttonous creature’s eyes slowly shifted toward the pile of corpses nearby before snapping back toward Noah.

”...Mine?” The distorted voice somehow sounded less unsettling this time.

Noah nodded once.

”But only if you stay there quietly.”

Dummy’s entire body trembled slightly.

Noah could practically see the internal struggle within the creature as he fought against his own impulses.

For a moment, it looked as though he might immediately fail. Then Dummy slowly lowered himself onto the ground.

Instead of facing them, he turned to stare at the corpses, salivating without embarrassment.

Fenrir stared at the scene, visibly in disbelief.

Arachne looked from Dummy to Fenrir and then to her Royal Guard beside her. She couldn’t help but feel more pride towards her creations despite her subordinates’ previous mishap.

At the very least, none of them had ever needed to be bribed with food just to remain still.

Fenrir noticed the look immediately.

The dreadbeast’s eyes narrowed slightly before shifting back toward Dummy, who was still shamelessly staring at the corpses while thick saliva slowly dripped from his body onto the ground.

Fenrir’s expression twitched.

Meanwhile, Dummy remained completely unaware that he was being ridiculed.

”...Quiet,” he reminded himself again in his distorted voice, sounding disturbingly proud that he was succeeding.

Noah found the scene as wholesome as it was hopeless. He didn’t bother correcting Dummy that muttering is still considered making noise.

Instead, he cleared his throat, gaining the others’ attention quickly.

”Diablo, Kratos, both of you come here so we can get this over with.”

Kratos stepped forward even before understanding why. It was only after he was approaching that he picked up on what was about to happen. His face didn’t show it, but his long, hurried strides were enough to showcase his eagerness.

Diablo’s was the complete opposite. He didn’t move immediately; instead, he looked down towards Eve seeking confirmation.

Eve noticed his gaze, but she tilted her head, trying to gauge why Diablo was waiting for her permission.

”What are you waiting for? Go papa go!” She pushed Diablo from the back without much success.

How could she not realize what Noah was about to do? Allowing Diablo to become stronger made her as excited as if it were herself up there.

Diablo didn’t bask in that same excitement, but he went nonetheless.

However, as Eve watched him go, she looked towards all the others, specifically those who had received a soul before her.

She was envious. If it were before, she probably would’ve created a big scene about it the moment Noah called their names. But ever since she merged with Ava and Diablo simultaneously, something about her changed.

She was still the same mischievous vampire Noah cared for, yet Eve began to care more about her image.

Instead of wanting to drag attention toward herself, her gaze shifted to Ailetta. Her eyes lit up before she suddenly bolted toward her.

Ailetta barely had time to react before Eve latched onto her arm.

”Ailetta!” Eve whispered loudly, though there was absolutely nothing quiet about her voice.

”When is it going to be my turn? You promised.”

Ailetta blinked once, clearly caught off guard by the question. But then she quickly remembered the promise Eve was referring to.

The two were supposed to find the perfect soul for both of them, but only she was given the chance to become a Fallen.

Her expression softened slightly as she looked down at Eve clinging to her arm.

”I didn’t forget,” Ailetta said quietly.

Eve’s grip tightened slightly.

”Then when?” she asked again, unable to completely hide the impatience in her voice this time. ”Everyone keeps getting stronger.”

Her eyes briefly shifted toward Kratos and Diablo before returning to Ailetta.

”And now Noah is doing it again.” There wasn’t resentment in her voice. If anything, she sounded left behind.

Ailetta noticed it immediately.

”Silly child, would you want the soul of one of those pathetic humans inside of you? Or how about an ugly, smelly troll?”

Eve’s eyes widen before narrowing in contemplation. She thought about how everyone who had fused with a soul had taken on some of their traits.

She then thought about how she would look if she had fused with a troll. Her face showed visible disgust.

”.... I think I’d be fine with a human’s..” she mumbled dejectedly. Ailetta only smiled as she brushed Eve’s hair.

”You should just trust in Noah. There’s a reason why he hasn’t given you anything yet. If you’re going to become stronger, then it should be with something worthy of you.”

Eve’s earlier frustration weakened slightly after hearing that.

Ailetta nodded, but then an almost sinister smile emerged.

”But don’t think you can fool me. We both know that Diablo receiving this is indirectly helping you.”

Eve’s eyes immediately shifted away, hiding her smile that screamed I was caught.

”That’s different,” she muttered weakly.

Ailetta’s smile only deepened slightly.

”Is it?”

Eve puffed her cheeks slightly before glancing toward Diablo again.

The skeletal guardian had already stopped beside Kratos. The two were completely different beings, yet they stood like perfect soldiers.

”...Maybe a little,” she finally admitted.

Ailetta lightly laughed under her breath.

Diablo growing stronger meant he could protect her better on his own. It also meant she would become stronger when they fused.

Even if Noah wasn’t directly empowering her yet, she was still benefiting from it anyway.

”That still doesn’t count,” she argued again, though this time there wasn’t much conviction behind it.

Ailetta brushed Eve’s hair once more before looking toward Noah.

”Don’t worry, even if you didn’t ask, I didn’t forget our promise.”

Eve’s head practically snapped as she looked wide-eyed towards Ailetta. She realized Ailetta had been teasing her from the beginning.

She was about to say something, but the atmosphere grew extremely heavy with mana.

When she looked over, she noticed that not only Diablo but also Kratos was changing.

Kratos remained standing despite the pressure tearing through his body. Veins bulged across his arms and neck, and dark energy pulsed around him with an unsteady rhythm.

Every pulse compressed tighter and tighter against his body, and each time, the surrounding mana distorted as though something invisible was cutting through it.

Diablo’s transformation was more theatrical.

Dark crimson energy nearly blazed through the cracks of his skeletal body while flames burned strongly along his spine.

Then Diablo disappeared beneath a torrent of black and violet flames.