Becoming a Monster

Chapter 563 - 562: The First Domino Falls

”Are you sure?”

Just moments ago, Dobby claimed that he sensed a danger targeting them.

More specifically, targeting Noah.

Noah knew exactly how the feline’s ability worked, which was precisely why he asked the question.

Dobby wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions.

If he sensed danger, then there was danger.

The problem was the scale implied by his warning.

From what Dobby had described, the source of that danger was significant enough that he abandoned whatever he was doing and came directly to Noah the moment he felt it.

That alone warranted confirmation.

Dobby slowly closed his eyes. Several moments passed before the feline eventually spoke.

”The feeling remains... and it continues to grow.”

”Danger is coming... From who, I cannot see. Their strength prevents my sight.”

This was one of the rare times that Dobby showed a change in expression.

His ability should be able to allow him to expend enough negative energy in order to force himself to see an image of the source, at least.

Yet despite all of that, he still saw nothing. Which meant whatever was coming possessed enough great strength to completely overwhelm his ability.

The others didn’t fare well with processing the information.

Several creatures immediately became tense while others instinctively began looking around the territory as though expecting the source of the danger to emerge from the forest at any moment.

Kratos and Fenrir, however, arrived at a completely different conclusion.

The two exchanged a glance, seemingly coming to the same conclusion without speaking.

After spending the better part of the afternoon listening to stories about gods and god-slayers, their thoughts immediately traveled toward the same answer.

Gods.

Unfortunately, it seemed the stories had left a greater impression than Noah originally intended.

Meanwhile, someone else had reached an entirely different conclusion.

Bolas was caught shifting from Dobby back to Noah, and then back to the others, whose attention was no longer focused on what was most important.

Unlike everyone else, the drake wasn’t particularly concerned about whatever unseen threat was approaching.

There was only one thought occupying his mind.

The longer this conversation continued, the more Bolas began to suspect that Noah wasn’t going to finish explaining his name today.

His gaze gradually settled on Dobby.

The look alone made it abundantly clear who he blamed for this tragedy.

Danger? He’ll be in danger if Noah doesn’t finish his story today.

—

Noah, meanwhile, found himself paying surprisingly little attention to the reactions around him.

Most people would’ve been alarmed by Dobby’s warning.

Yet instead of fear, Noah found himself thinking about something else entirely.

Slowly, he turned his attention toward the horizon.

More specifically, in the same direction the humans had originally come from.

A danger that continued to grow. A danger powerful enough that could threaten him.

Combined with the timing, only one possibility immediately came to mind.

Noah couldn’t help but smile.

”The little tiger finally made its move.”

With tensions rising, it was impossible for anyone to miss what Noah had said, but the statement only earned confused looks.

But Ailetta immediately understood who Noah was referring to.

The realization caused her expression to become noticeably more serious.

If Noah was right, then they had even less time than she originally anticipated.

Her gaze instinctively drifted toward Arachne. The two of them had already planned to deal with the goblins.

Now that the objective had quietly shifted from important to urgent. The goblins needed to be dealt with before the day ended.

The more numbers they had at their disposal, the better. Even if their combined strength did nothing to change the scale of the upcoming battle, they would at least buy time.

And... Ailetta was going to use them as a backup plan. If the goblins died in the process, their corpses would be in range for her disposal.

Gwen arrived at the same conclusion only moments later.

The druidic monster’s expression gradually tightened.

Ever since Varkesh left the territory, the tiger had remained at the forefront of her thoughts.

After all, she knew better than anyone present exactly what kind of person he was.

There was nothing she could do about it now. The pieces had already been set into motion the moment the devil tempted him.

All she could do was hope that when everything finally unfolded, not too much blood would be shed.

——

Several hours earlier, far away from the forest and within the city of Ashenveil, the atmosphere throughout the Adventurer’s Guild had become noticeably heavier.

The lobby was filled with hushed conversations; no one could hold themselves away from the discussions.

Rumors had already begun spreading throughout the building, and it was slowly making its way throughout the entire town.

A large party made entirely of A-Rank adventurers had supposedly disappeared somewhere within the forest.

Nobody knew the full truth. In fact, they barely knew anything at all.

It was only because the mission Varkesh and the others went on that was such a high-ranking mission with great rewards that they recognized Varkesh the moment he came back.

Varkesh didn’t speak to anyone when they asked, but his expression said enough.

The mission had failed. How? No one knew.

Where were the others? Many of the more experienced members already had an idea.

But that didn’t stop anyone from trying to create their own versions of what happened.

One rumor claimed the party had encountered a monster unlike anything ever recorded before. A creature created by the forest itself that slaughtered nearly every member, leaving only a lone survivor to escape.

Another insisted Varkesh never fought at all.

According to that version, the beast-kin panicked, abandoned the rest of his party, and fled the moment things became dangerous.

Following that, many claimed the entire story was fabricated from the beginning.

He was merely attempting to hide a mistake by blaming it on an imaginary creature.

The more people discussed the situation, the more versions of the story appeared.

Each one somehow became more dramatic than the last.

What remained consistent throughout every version, however, was the same uncomfortable question.

What exactly had happened in the forest?

That privilege belonged to a select few. And all of them currently occupied a room at the very top of the guild.

An emergency meeting had already been called the moment the guild had notified Elowen of the mission’s failure.

Under normal circumstances, the loss of a single expedition would never warrant such a response.

This was not a normal expedition. This was an S-Rank mission. A mission where nine A-rank members went missing.

And in such a small town, A-rankers were the foundation for the town’s stability.

Thalric sat at the head of the room while the highest-ranking members of the guild occupied the seats surrounding him.

Elowen was sternly by his side, alongside his other partners from when they were once considered an S-rank party.

No one initiated the conversation after what they heard.

The information itself was already difficult to understand. The real issue was who else occupied the room.

The guild had originally intended to keep the matter contained. Ashenveil forest was too close.

And after the recent attacks by the special undead that appeared out of nowhere, this new information could disrupt the entire order of the town.

That became impossible the moment the identities of the missing adventurers became known.

Representatives from the Church sat amongst them.

Several nobles occupied the remaining seats.

And both groups possessed reasons to care far more than the guild would’ve preferred.

The Church’s reaction was perhaps the easiest to understand.

Long before Varkesh’s report, they already suspected that a demonic presence existed within the forest.

Now they had lost both a high-ranking priest and a cleric.

Individuals capable of communing with angels and spirits from the heavens themselves.

The loss alone would’ve been enough to provoke a response.

Combined with Varkesh’s testimony, it had pushed several members of the Church beyond simple concern.

They wanted action, and they wanted it immediately.

In fact, before hearing the full report, they had already informed Thalric that the Church intended to handle the matter themselves, with or without his consent.

Unfortunately, that was precisely what worried the guildmaster.

Because, unlike the Church, Thalric had no intention of making an enemy out of a creature they understood absolutely nothing about.

Especially after hearing what Varkesh experienced.

The nobles were hardly any more reasonable.

Amongst those present sat representatives of House Ignivar, a powerful noble lineage whose influence extended throughout much of Ashenveil.

More importantly, they were related to the two A-Rank Flame Swordsmen who had vanished within the forest.

With Roy being the heir of their house and the future pillar of their bloodline.

And yet, that wasn’t the part of Varkesh’s report that troubled those present the most.

A failed mission was unfortunate, but not unheard of. The guild could have been blamed for inaccurate information, the forest could have contained an unforeseen threat, and the tragedy could have been written off as a disastrous expedition gone wrong.

There was only one detail that refused to fit that explanation.

Varkesh survived.

According to his testimony, the creature responsible possessed enough strength to annihilate an entire party of A-Rank adventurers without suffering any meaningful resistance.

If that was true, then there should have been no survivors.

Yet one adventurer had been allowed to leave.

That one distinction left an uncomfortable feeling in the minds of everyone present.

Needless to say, the family wasn’t interested in patience.

They wanted answers, and above all else, they wanted someone to blame.

Which left Thalric sitting at the center of a room filled with people who all wanted different things, while possessing only a single piece of information they could agree on.

Something had emerged within the forest that was powerful enough to force every organization present to take it seriously.

Because if what Varkesh had said was even remotely true, then they couldn’t allow such a creature to live.