Becoming a Monster

Chapter 633: Chapter 632: A Power Without Shackles

Noah’s suspicions about names resurfaced once again.

His worries about the dangers of what the name could bring were secondary to what he felt.

He was more focused on the power behind the name. Fenrir’s bloodline came from his original world devoid of magic, and yet his potential was this strong.

Both Eve and Kratos were in the same situation. In fact, Eve technically couldn’t be considered a Fallen, and she turned out to have undergone such drastic changes. Although, with regard to Eve, Noah also felt that it was that powerful vial of blood whose potential was being drawn out.

Despite that, Noah was still weighing the benefits of giving names if it meant opening a stronger path.

If that was the case, then what about his own name?

In fact, he was even beginning to believe that his powers and his appearance were resembling that of a devil more and more ever since he accepted the title of devil behind his name.

He was itching to try. But unlike the others, he didn’t want a title or a name that was already owned. The baggage those names could carry didn’t disappear just because he hadn’t encountered those gods yet.

There hasn’t been a second where he didn’t forget Edward, that zombie who was blessed by the goddess of victory.

Noah knew that those gods were out there, somewhere. Possibly in another world, just watching them.

If he was going to give his creatures names of beings who already had a path, then his path couldn’t be determined by gods. It had to be something of his own, a path created entirely by him.

But that will have to wait.

Noah had a feeling that the power behind a name wasn’t something that could be changed so easily. And as for the name Noah, he had never cared much for it to begin with.

It was the last shackle his parents had placed on him.

Eventually, it was one he intended to remove.

His thoughts about names naturally reminded him that two creatures had changed in suspiciously similar ways. They weren’t fallen, yet unlike most other creatures, they were given names, and their changes were uniquely like the beings they were named after.

Atlas and Ophis.

Atlas’s ability was more straightforward than any other named creature there. And out of them all, he was one of the few who obtained an ability rather than having one mutate.

Burdenbound

The ability was exactly what it implied. Atlas could carry Arachne’s burdens.

As long as the Royal Dreadguard remained within range, he could take on the burdens Arachne suffered, whether that included stamina and mana depletion, bodily harm, or even damage inflicted on her soul.

Atlas had to consciously activate the ability, but Noah didn’t have to worry about him refusing to use it when Arachne desperately needed him. One of the defining traits of becoming a Royal Dreadguard was complete loyalty imprinted directly onto their soul.

Then there was Ophis.

The serpent developed an ability that wouldn’t prove very useful right now, but Noah believed it would undoubtedly become important to them in the future.

Veil Sight

Ophis could now perceive the traces left behind by things that were meant to remain hidden.

Invisible barriers, concealed spells, wards, formations, and even effects specifically designed to avoid mana perception could still create distortions that Ophis was capable of seeing.

Noah wasn’t entirely sure whether the ability came from her name or simply what Ophis was.

His instincts told him it was the former.

And after his many experiences of his instincts being proven right, Noah wasn’t going to doubt them now.

‘Is that what hidden wisdom is supposed to mean?’

Noah stared at the serpent for a little longer.

As he thought about all his creature changes, he decided that what he should prioritize more is creating more Fallen, as well as experimenting with more names.

But that was something he could explore later.

For now, Noah finally allowed his attention to move away from those thoughts so he could appreciate what was in front of him.

So many of his creatures had grown so strong all at once.

The feeling welling up in Noah’s chest was too strong that he couldn’t resist smiling. Thankfully, his smile was hidden away.

Beside him was an expression that was nearly the opposite of Noah’s.

Morvyr expected a grand spectacle, but he didn’t expect anything like what he just witnessed.

Each and every creature there had magically grown stronger right in front of his eyes. And their growth wasn’t as simple as becoming physically stronger; all of their presences had increased, their auras becoming noticeably sharper than before.

From what Morvyr could estimate, the improvement alone was nearly a fourth of what a being would experience after being converted into a demon by one of their generals.

Comparing the two might’ve seemed benign at first.

But one would have to reconsider after realizing that Noah accomplished this by simply giving each creature a single drop of his blood.

And that wasn’t even accounting for what happened to his main forces.

Morvyr felt as though he was becoming dizzy. His head snapped back and forth between Bolas and rest before inevitably returning to Noah.

This was different than what he thought he understood.

Until now, the elf had assumed that being blessed by the devil’s power also meant becoming shackled to his soul. It was the biggest uncertainty surrounding the possibility of asking Noah for that same power himself.

But from what he could sense, a lot of the creatures there still didn’t share a connection to him.

That only solidified the fact that the devil could make anyone stronger, and that strength came without consequences…

Morvyr’s breathing gradually intensified.

The implications continued piling on top of each other until his thoughts were moving faster than he could properly organize them. His breaths grew shorter without him noticing, and by the time the lightheadedness finally registered, Morvyr realized he had nearly forgotten to breathe properly.

Because suddenly, the possibility that the devil would accept his plea felt possible.

—

Noah would’ve remained oblivious to Morvyr’s behavior if it wasn’t for the elf’s intense stare boring into his back, making it impossible to overlook.

He could already foresee the questions piling up in the elf’s head. But unfortunately for Morvyr, none of them would be answered until he’d proven just how much Noah was willing to give.

Instead, Noah turned to his side. There was still one creature who had yet to receive his blood.

Dobby remained motionless beside him, but his attention had been on the other cats for most of the transformations.

The sage hadn’t needed to do much.

Noah’s ability to conceal the scent of his blood had prevented Morvyr’s subordinates from losing control again, leaving Dobby there as little more than a precaution.

So, instead, the feline had spent that time observing his kin.

He watched their initial confusion when the changes began. He felt the fear and uncertainty of the what-ifs that followed, only for those emotions to gradually disappear as their transformations came to an end.

What remained afterward was something Dobby rarely had the opportunity to experience.

Joy.

He couldn’t absorb positive emotions like he could the negative ones, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of appreciating the expressions of happiness on the others’ faces. If anything, the absence of all those darker emotions allowed him to experience a rare sense of serenity.

“You’re the only one left.” Dobby looked up at the voice by his side.

The feline gave a slight nod before he tilted his head back. A tendril was already floating closely above him before the blood fell directly into his mouth.

It didn’t take long for his changes to manifest. The tattoos on his body shone brightly, while the mana surrounding the feline rapidly became denser, continuing to increase until it had already surpassed the combined improvements Noah had witnessed from several of the other cats.

Dobby was clearly showing the difference between an ordinary cat and one who had become a Fallen.

But even that wasn’t where Dobby’s greatest growth occurred.

His soul.

Only Noah was able to properly perceive the difference, and if Dobby continued growing along this path, there was a genuine possibility that his soul would eventually become the second strongest among them.

And naturally, that growth had affected his strongest ability most closely connected to it.

Calamity Vessel.

Now, those emotions could become concentrated enough that he could use his mana and spirit to give them physical form.

Each manifestation would possess a rudimentary sense of awareness created from the emotion that formed it. In the end, these manifestations could better ensure the attack reached its intended target.

As long as the manifestation had enough energy to maintain its form, it could keep pursuing its target until it succeeded, was destroyed, or Dobby recalled it.

And once one entered someone’s body, the concentrated emotion comprising it would begin affecting them directly.

The more intense the emotion used to create one, the more powerful its manifestation became. With enough concentrated emotion, even its rudimentary intelligence would increase, allowing it to become considerably better at pursuing its target.

His current aura was as extreme as Noah’s main creatures. Yet most of that all had to do with the growth of his soul.

And being the last one to receive Noah’s blood meant there was nothing else to distract them from it.

Off to the side, there was someone who became genuinely worried by what he was seeing.

Fenrir was already feeling pressured by Arachne and Kratos over his position as Noah’s right-hand beast.

But now he realized that the weak creature that had barely entered his sight before had suddenly become a contender.