Becoming a Monster

Chapter 561 - 560: Names and Legends

Noah spent several moments staring at Pandora, yet his thoughts were elsewhere.

The implications behind her ability were enormous.

Being able to support the growth of a forest was one thing. However, turning the forest into a breeding ground for churning out plant monsters was something else entirely.

Yet despite the excitement threatening to run wild through his thoughts, Noah forced himself to calm down.

Despite Pandora comparing her ability to his blood, the two were fundamentally different.

His blood accelerated change, creating instant results with each use. In comparison, ability was a gradual buildup.

It would take time for her influence to accumulate a change, and even that time was unknown.

So he shelved the thoughts of her ability for now. There would be plenty of time later to see what Pandora’s ability was capable of.

And more importantly, he had to fulfill his promise.

With that thought in mind, Noah eventually led everyone back outside.

The moment they emerged from the home, his gaze shifted toward the nearby cave.

”Bolas, are you coming out?”

For several moments, nothing happened. Then the massive drake slowly emerged from the darkness.

Bolas tried to act as though he couldn’t be bothered.

Unfortunately, the fact that he appeared almost immediately made Noah suspicious that Bolas had been waiting near the entrance the entire time.

”What is it?” Bolas yawned. ”I was in the middle of taking a nice nap.”

Noah knew that was a lie. The drake wasn’t nearly as subtle as he believed he was.

Still, Noah couldn’t bring himself to care enough to call him out on it.

Nor did he acknowledge the excuse at all.

”Didn’t I say we were going to talk about everyone’s names?” Noah asked.

Then he casually gestured back toward the cave.

”If you aren’t interested, then you can go back to finishing your nap. Your sleep is important too.”

Bolas immediately found himself at a loss.

Instinctively, the drake narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He strongly believed Noah was messing with him. And he had ample reason to believe he was right.

Bolas couldn’t think of a time when Noah didn’t take a chance to play mind games.

And the biggest reason that Bolas couldn’t believe Noah was sincere was that Noah’s response came too quickly.

There wasn’t a trace of that annoying smug expression on his face either.

”Wel-well...” Bolas straightened himself slightly. ”Since you’ve already disturbed my nap, then I guess I can stick around to hear it.”

”That’s very considerate of you.”

Bolas somehow became even more suspicious.

Before he could decide whether Noah had tricked him or not, another voice suddenly interrupted.

”No more talking, Noah, we’re ready.” The little mischief vampire immediately moved to Noah’s side.

She had experienced far too many instances where Noah promised to do something only to become distracted by something else halfway through.

She wasn’t about to let this become one of those times.

In fact, judging by the way she positioned herself beside him, it almost looked as though she was worried he might somehow escape.

”What are you doing?” He looked down at his arm, held by hers. Her hold was too firm for someone just wanting to stay by his side.

”Just in case.”

”... Just in case what?”

”In case you wander off.”

”... But I’m standing right here, I wouldn’t need to wander off.”

”That’s what someone who wanders off would say.”

Noah stared at her.

Eve stared right back without the slightest hint of shame.

The vampire even tightened her grip slightly as though proving a point.

Noah looked down at his captured arm before looking back up at her.

”...You know that’s not how that works, right?”

”It is with you.”

Noah opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Unfortunately, Eve’s confidence made the accusation far more difficult to dismiss than it should have been.

Because when he thought about it...

There were an uncomfortable number of examples supporting her argument.

Just to be sure, Noah looked towards the others. Nearly all of them somehow gained the same interest in inspecting the trees.

The reactions alone told Noah everything he needed to know.

Meanwhile, Bolas snorted loudly. He found himself liking Eve more and more.

”Honestly, she’s making more sense than you are.”

Noah slowly turned toward the drake.

”Whose side are you on?”

”The truth.” Somehow, that answer made Bolas prouder than ever. And the silence that followed filled him with a pleasure that was almost addictive.

Then Eve immediately pointed at him.

”See! He’s worried you’ll wander off, too.”

For the first time since leaving the house, Noah found himself wondering if explaining their names was worth the trouble.

Unfortunately, judging by the increasingly expectant stares surrounding him...

There was no escaping it now.

At that point, Noah realized he had already lost control of the conversation. The only thing left to decide now was whose name he was explaining first.

Noah’s gaze swept across the gathered monsters before eventually settling on the three responsible for turning this into a far bigger event than it should’ve been.

And somehow all three looked as though they were about to hear the greatest secret in existence.

—

The problem was deciding who to start with.

Fenrir would probably listen regardless of when his turn came.

Bolas would complain if he were last, but would stay anyway.

Eve, however... Noah could practically feel the vampire’s stare drilling into the side of his head.

If he ignored her much longer, she would undoubtedly find a way to make herself everyone’s problem.

Yet just as Noah was preparing to choose, his gaze drifted further back, stopping when it landed on Kratos standing there watching without a word.

It was only now that Noah realized that he had overlooked Kratos all this time.

Because just like the other three, he had never actually explained Kratos’ name either.

He told the Kaiju that it belonged to someone who believed strength was proven through battle. That suffering and hardship were not obstacles to overcome, but things that forged a person into something stronger.

But never once had Noah explained who Kratos actually was. And for some reason, Kratos had never complained.

He never asked or even hinted at wanting to know at all.

Noah was fairly certain that if he explained Fenrir’s name, Bolas’ name, and Eve’s name today, then Kratos would stand there and listen as though nothing was wrong.

It was difficult to tell whether he genuinely didn’t care or if the explanation Noah already gave him had been enough.

The more Noah thought about it, the more he found himself leaning toward the latter.

Which only made him feel slightly guilty.

His gaze settled on his loyal soldier.

”Kratos.”

Around him, several heads immediately turned. Kratos himself looked around briefly before realizing Noah was speaking to him.

The confusion on his face only confirmed Noah’s suspicions. The creature clearly wasn’t expecting to be chosen.

Noah didn’t bother explaining why he chose him. He began telling the story before any of the others could complain.

”Kratos was the name of a warrior.”

”An existence that became stronger the more hardship was thrown at him. The more pain he endured. The more impossible the opponent standing in front of him became.”

”Eventually, he would be seen as a monster that walked through battlefields, leaving mountains of corpses wherever he went.”

Surprisingly enough, as Noah spoke more about Kratos’ name, the others became absorbed in the story itself.

The earlier complaints about who should go first disappeared almost immediately.

”A warrior who refused to accept that anything was beyond him.”

Noah folded his arms as he searched through what little he remembered. And somehow, he began to twist the history of the minor Greek God to the more popularized version of Kratos he remembered.

”The stronger his enemies became, the more determined he became to overcome them.”

”Eventually, even gods became his enemies.”

”Gods?” Fenrir couldn’t help but ask.

Followed by Noah’s nod, the werebeast immediately looked toward Kratos differently.

Meanwhile, Kratos had disregarded everything else around him. He may have once believed that he wouldn’t care if Noah told him about his name, but now he couldn’t risk missing a word.

”Most beings would see a god and accept that they were inferior, that no matter what they did, they wouldn’t be capable of even reaching a god’s feet.”

Noah’s gaze settled on Kratos.

”But Kratos chose to challenge them anyway. He suffered, he bled, but every hardship only made him more determined to keep moving forward.”

”Eventually, he became the kind of existence that people feared to stand against. A being that refused to stay down.”

If Kratos ever resonated with anything before, it was now. The kaiju was filled with the desire to find this god to show Noah that his faith in him wasn’t misplaced.

There was more that Noah could say. Yet as he looked at Kratos’ expression, he already knew it wasn’t necessary.

So Noah simply nodded before shifting his attention elsewhere.

The moment his gaze landed on the others, he was met by three pairs of eyes shining with a fanatical desire for it to be their turn next.

Noah couldn’t help but smile.

It was somewhat ridiculous. These were creatures that both humans and monsters feared.

Yet right now, they looked less like terrifying monsters and more like children impatiently waiting for their turn.