Becoming a Monster-Chapter 104: You’re just like me

[Detecting genes of a higher strain originating from the host Arachnid trait! Trait is undergoing an upgrade! Regular Arachnid genes have mutated into the genes of the mutated Arachnid consumed. The Arachnid trait has mutated into Tainted Monarch! New abilities have been inherited whilst old abilities have undergone a significant change due to your traits evolutionary genetics. Skill, Monarchs Armory has been obtained, while your other spider abilities have gone through mutations.]

[Caution! Body interference has been detected! The host’s current genetics has triggered both "The Fallen" and "The ring of the Fallen". Soulier and physical mutations are commencing.]

[Mutation stabilized, host newly acquired form has officially started the route of the Fallen. Your current genes are no longer considered human, surpassing your once weak race. Awakening was once your soul destination to power, now what awaits you is evolution. Physical stats have permanently increased by 25%!]

[Your old level of growth has been improved and integrated into your new genetic trait. You now gain +3 agility and +2 spirit per level instead.]

[You have achieved the first limits of 50 stats in strength, perk based on class Monster Evolutionist obtained; Muscle Tempering.]

[Muscle Tempering(Lvl 0): Monsters bonded to you through Blood Pact will receive a 25% increase in their strength stats, derived from your own attributes.

[Organ Tempering Level Up!-Monsters bonded to you through Blood Pact will now receive a 30% increase in their stamina stats, derived from your own attributes.]

Attributes

Defense: 40

Strength:42>53(58) +5

Agility:60>75(83) +7

Constitution:120>159(175) +10>+5

Stamina:82>103(113) +5

Magic: 145(160)

Spirit: 160(216) +25

[Monarch’s armory(Lvl 0): Through the advanced manipulation of your webs, you are able to control and create weapons and armor to fit your needs. The power, sharpness, and durability of your creations are all determined by the strengths of your webs. Each creation is inspired by your own ingenuity and creativity, giving you a plethora of options to secure victory. Mana consumption is based on the amount of webs supplied for creation while also taking 1 mana for every second manipulating the webs.]

[Undead webbing has been upgraded to Dominion Webs(Lvl 0): The Tainted Monarch’s webs are darkened threads of sinister magic, their strength and influence a direct reflection of your own physical vitality and dark will. These webs not only ensnare the body but subtly undermine the will of those caught within, making them susceptible to your dominance. Each use of the skill costs 10 mana, while each web is strengthened by 10% of the combined factors of your constitution and your inherited magic. Once used on a subject, the victim’s will becomes less susceptible to your orders, resisting your forced will entirely.

[Sensory hairs has been upgraded to Sensory Sentience(Lvl 0): Grants the user heightened sensory perception through specialized, spider-like sensory hairs. These hairs not only detect danger but also autonomously force the Monarch’s body to respond in the most advantageous way, becoming the Monarch’s first line of defense. This instinctual reaction ensures that the Monarch is always protected from unseen threats.

[Spiders Alertness has been upgraded to Monarchs Vigilance(Lvl 0): As the Tainted Monarch, your senses have ascended to a regal and preternatural level. The vigilant essence of a spider, fused with your tainted lineage, grants you unparalleled perceptual prowess. Your vision is not only razor-sharp but also endowed with the extraordinary capability to manipulate the flow of time through your second pair of eyes. Although the ability is always active, when using the secondary effect of your eyes, each second the ability is in use will consume 5 mana for a second to perceive time a tenth of a second faster.

Noah’s euphoria over his newfound strength consumed him, filling him with a sense of exhilaration. He reveled in the gains he had obtained from both Fenrir and Arachne, finding each equally rewarding. As he basked in his newfound prowess, vivid images danced through his imagination, depicting him performing even more miraculous feats than before. The contrast between his current strength and his past self after his awakening left him grinning like a madman, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Heh~ I’m broken, I’m officially broken," he laughed wholeheartedly, bewildering the person hovering above him, observing his every action.

"Noah? Are... are you okay?" The sudden voice directly above him interrupted his thoughts, jolting Noah back to reality. His previous emotional display vanished as if it had been an illusion. Abruptly, his eyes shot open, focusing on Ailetta’s concerned face. Although he initially thought to reassure her with his actions, something with his vision distracted him. Her speech seemed drawn out, each syllable lingering longer than normal, while her blinks appeared noticeably slower.

The scene proved aggravating, and Noah felt helpless to remedy it. He sensed his new vision slowly siphoning away his internal mana. Instinctively, he shut both eyes in a hurry to escape the strange sensation, eliciting another baffled gaze from Ailetta.

"Noah?" He heard her ask again, this time her tone carried with it an alarm that something was wrong.

Wanting to open his eyes, Noah covered the additional eyes located on his forehead while slowly attempting to open his "normal" eyes.

"Yes, Le, I’m fine... I just have to get used to the changes, is all," he replied before stirring out of her hold, determined to stand up by himself. He had wasted enough time; time waited for no one. Though unimaginably strong now, the words of the God continued to haunt him. If he could become so powerful so quickly, then so could someone else, and so could ’something’ else.

Sensing Noah’s attempt to stand, Ailetta felt the need to aid him, regardless of his capability. She wanted to continue standing by his side, to comfort him, but suddenly found herself tossed aside.

"Arachne?" Noah surprisingly felt someone rubbing over his body, almost caressing it inch by inch. He felt someone intensely watching him before, by now he was able to confirm who it was. There was an impulse to push her aside because of the intensity of the physical stimulation, but stopped when he heard her mumblings.

"You’re just like me, just like me...." Arachne muttered as she basked in Noah’s scent, continuing to pat down his body. However, when she tried to forcibly open his newly developed eyes, Noah had to put a stop to her charade.

"Arachne, please stop," he gently admonished her. He could tell by the way her body instantly jerked that she was lost in her own little world, so he couldn’t be too hard on her. He could only sigh deeply when he observed her dejected demeanor. To pacify her, Noah felt obligated to at least show her his new eyes, slowly opening his empowered vision and allowing Arachne to fully observe one of his new changes.

However, seeing her eyes staring so intensely, so obsessively, somehow made Noah more nervous than when Arachne invaded his personal space. Their locked gazes were intense, too much for Ailetta, who attentively watched everything unfold. Yet, when Arachne began to inch closer to Noah, wanting to dive even deeper into the soul of his eyes, a heavy thud accompanied by a sudden tremor landed beside them.

"Master! You smell different, you smell stronger, you smell just like me!" Fenrir’s breath quickened with amplified excitement, his labored breaths mixed with the whirlwind of his tail creating a sight to behold.

Normally, Noah found himself helpless in front of Fenrir’s clingy nature, but this time he appreciated the interference, unlike a certain someone.

"Stupid Fenrir...." Noah caught wind of Arachne’s small mumblings before he embraced Fenrir, who craved his attention.

Despite needing to pacify his creatures, Noah felt a more pressing need at hand. Looking down at his forearms, he noticed the armor bulging, threatening to burst. The stiffness, mixed with discomfort, made him aware that his body changes were more severe than he had realized.

"Noah?" Ailetta’s voice interrupted his thoughts as he was about to make his way into the cover of the dorms. Turning with a questioning look, he waited for her to continue.

"I know you just recovered, but...." Ailetta glanced towards the others, uncertain how to address her issue. "What should I tell them?" she inquired, her worry evident.

Though this question troubled her greatly, Noah waved it off, unconcerned for the others when he wished they would have just left on their own already.

"Just tell them to give me ten minutes, I’ll be quick. They don’t have to wait if they don’t want to," he responded before disappearing inside the building.

Breathless, Ailetta could only shake her head, yet simultaneously, she smiled, thankful that Noah still seemed to be the same Noah as before.

"So? Where’s he going? Does he still need us to wait?" Jasmine inquired when noticing Ailetta walking towards her.

"Sorry Jas... he said he just needs ten minutes. I’m not sure what for, but there shouldn’t be anything else stopping him after this," Ailetta explained, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment, earning an exasperated sigh in return.

"Okay... Well, we should at least start discussing what we plan to do from here then. The most important discussion is how to proceed when encountering those things. We can’t always depend on Noah; he told us himself that he would not shelter us, so we must mainly depend on ourselves. Any suggestions?" Jasmine asked, observing everyone, expecting someone to confront her about Noah’s inaction. Surprisingly, Mark stepped up to contribute directly to the conversation.

"We should stick to what we have been doing in our last fights. The front line should consist of those efficient in close combat, with our mages and support in the back. However, we should have someone ready to aid our back line in case of a flank," Mark suggested, prompting everyone to nod instinctively in agreement. Yet, something didn’t feel right.

"What about them? Shouldn’t they be in the front instead?" someone pointed out, referring to Noah’s creatures. This comment brought wry smiles to those who had a sense of Noah’s character.

"That’ll be up to him. Don’t think of him as part of our group," Ishii responded, but his answer didn’t sit well with many.

"If he’s not part of our group, then why does he get to decide if we walk or not? And why does he get to choose to walk behind us while we confront the danger? Are you trying to say his life matters more?" Neal began to do what he does best, playing with words.

Almost everyone had witnessed Noah defeating the tentacle zombie and experienced the fear-provoking howl from his beast. If Noah was going to follow them, Neal preferred that Noah handle all their burdens while he was at it.

Naturally, those who feared for their lives the most agreed with Neal’s rant.

"He’s not deciding, we are. We also said that you didn’t have to follow our decision, just like everyone else here. If you don’t want to come with us, then don’t. We will also be there fighting with you, yet you don’t see us complaining. Now let’s go before we waste any more time," Mark surprisingly defended Noah once again, though he had other intentions.

If Noah was leading the way, how would he ever grow stronger? frёeωebɳovel.com

Despite feeling aggrieved by the decision, no one wanted to be left behind either. Reluctantly, they prepared to move forward, knowing they had to stick together if they hoped to survive.

Just as Neal had surmised, Noah finally emerged from the building, delaying himself before following in their footsteps. Ailetta deeply scrutinized Noah’s new appearance. His previous armor had vanished, replaced by a sleek, silk-like substance resembling latex, so profoundly black it seemed to absorb all surrounding light. This new attire clung snugly to his form, manifesting as a two-piece garment. The lower half was crafted from this compressed material, from which two long, flowing loincloths emerged at his hips, barely grazing his knees.

His torso bore the same material, evoking the appearance of a sleeveless "latex" shirt. The absence of sleeves revealed parts of his otherworldly transformation. At his shoulders and elbows, an exoskeleton, akin to that of an arachnid, articulated the segments of his four joints. Covering his forearms was a thicker, chitinous exoskeleton, resembling ornate bracers that fully encased his entire forearm. These joints, contrasting the silk-like material, possessed a metallic sheen that glistened under the sunlight, resembling the tough, reflective surfaces of a Black Widows exoskeleton.

Noah’s exoskeleton was a marvel of nature’s engineering. Each segment interlocked with microscopic precision, similar to the flexible yet sturdy plates found on a spider’s legs. The surface wasn’t merely smooth; it was textured with minute, almost imperceptible ridges and grooves, mimicking the intricate patterns seen on an arachnid’s exoskeleton.

Ailetta couldn’t help admiring Noah’s new change, both his physical appearance and his clothing attire. She marveled at how seamlessly his exoskeleton transitioned into his human skin, almost as if the two were one and the same.

Her curiosity got the best of her, making her eager to understand the entire process of his new changes and how exactly the blood absorption process worked. There was even a point in time where she was curious how their blood would affect her.

Does this happen just from drinking their blood? What would happen if I drink it?"

"Nonsense!"

Gwwwrr* ’You’re not part of the pack!’

Both Arachne and Fenrir immediately shut her down quickly. The anger and danger coming from the two made sure that Ailetta wouldn’t bring up the topic again.

But the question was something worth thinking about, Noah wondered if Fenrir’s blood would have regenerative properties or if Arachne’s blood would contain poison or some other kind of insidious effect if consumed by someone else. His theories were halted by the ever curious girl who continued to bombard him with questions, deeply diving into the concept of his blood mechanisms.

This went on until they arrived at what was supposed to be an empty lot. Instead, it was now teeming with zombies, their numbers rivaling their own group. Zombies both in the lot and those visible past the gate swarmed the area.

What was most concerning were the zombies that didn’t appear as ordinary undead. One in particular reminded everyone of the giant skeleton they had witnessed outside of the dorm.

Even Noah was taken aback by the sight. He began to have second thoughts and muttered loudly enough for Ailetta to hear, "My exp, my exp..."

This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eew𝒆bn(o)vel.com