Becoming a Monster

Chapter 382: Chapter 382: Neighborly Exchanges

On the far end, the forest descended into chaos. Screams and monstrous roars bled into one another as if the forest was a picture of hell. But none of that noise reached deeper into its depths.

At its center, the scene was unnaturally still. Ever since the trolls had attacked them, not a soul had ventured deep within Noah’s territory.

Although they weren’t thrust into another battle, that didn’t mean their vigilance could slack. The world was still unknown to them. Every now and then, Pandora would alert Noah about a creature creeping around the borders of their territory. The creatures weren’t just the goblins, tall reptilian creatures crept about, creatures that didn’t seem to belong in the forest.

These reptiles had come late to the party, their homes were much further away than the trolls and goblins. Their homes were in the mountains, where they had a surplus of ores and minerals to digest. Despite being so far away, they were sensitive to the tremors in the ground. They were uniquely attuned to Drake’s roar that shook the forest.

Their bodies were covered in not just any scales, their scales were formed of different minerals of rock that seemed no different than armor. Their ’armor’ personified them, the makeup of what they digested and merged seemed to play a role in their strengths and abilities.Their armor was their essence.

The creatures, unlike the others, weren’t just curious about the earlier confrontation. They had a target in mind. For the longest, their target had always been the drake that resided there. But it wasn’t the core they were after, nor was it the drake’s nutritious flesh. What they desired... were its scales. Scales that could withstand the toughest of magic, the sharpest of blades. With the drake’s scales alone, their strength would ascend.

Because of this, the drake had always viewed them as a nuisance. However, they were still a nuisance that had to be taken seriously.

The drake still viewed itself as the strongest creature in the forest, but that didn’t mean it could fight an entire army of these reptilians, especially if the leader of their tribe was involved.

And right now, these very creatures continued to poke around Noah’s territory. Reptiles with black scales, dark green mossy scales, and then there were the ones that blended in nature itself. If they didn’t move, one would probably never know they were there.

Noah had watched them through the use of the core. And just like the goblins, his presence was noticed. However, the reptiles noticed him even faster than the goblins.

Even before this, the creatures could already perceive Pandora’s gaze. Yet, their awareness was almost immediate.

When the creatures felt Noah’s and Pandora’s presence, they had retreated. But not long after, they returned again, this time in another direction. They were cautious, probing. Whenever they felt their presence being noticed, they would back off again, relocating into another direction. But every time they moved, one creature would linger at the edge of the border.

The creature whose scales made it almost invisible. It never moved. It wasn’t clear whether it was testing if the presence would continue to watch it. If the creature was trying to determine what the presence it sensed actually was. Or if it was testing to see if the presence would retaliate.

The creatures continued to hover and probe them until Noah grew tired of waiting. He didn’t need to continue to guess what these creatures were capable of, and what other enemies were out there when he could go to his "neighbor" for answers. Now he was currently standing meters away from the cave. The drake still laid at its mouth, not intending to slumber in the cave’s depths.

Before Noah even approached, he could see the drake’s gaze looking in a direction that was coincidentally in the same direction that the reptiles were. Its nose drew in a deep, slow breath, and though its face lacked the muscles to show expression, Noah could still see the drake’s annoyance.

This made it easier for Noah to bring up the topic. Originally, he believed that he would have to give something in order to gather information on these creatures. But as soon as he brought up the creatures and their descriptions; the drake was quick to openly discuss its dissatisfactions.

"They disgust me," it snarled. "They are imbeciles who cannot stand on their own. They are pretenders gnawing at stone, scraping at dirt believing that they could deny our lineage."

Its tail slammed into the ground out of its frustrations when it thought about the first time it encountered them.

"They dared to covet my scales... The vermin even had the audacity to trade their "precious" rocks for them. The parasites!" The drake roared, uncaring of any creatures nearby. But soon, coughing sounded from agitating its wound.

"How could my scales, my bloodline, though impure, be likened to the same as... "rocks?" It spoke out the word with sarcastic venom.

"And what do you think those inferior creatures did when I denied their insufferable request? They attacked me!"

The drake huffed angrily, its gaze seemed to relieve that moment. And as intriguing as the story was, this didn’t give Noah any useful information at all, despite the creatures being able to grow by eating ’rocks’. But Noah wanted to hear more, and with a tone that suggested that he shared the drake’s fury, he asked.

"Did you make them pay?"

The drake didn’t even seem to care to determine Noah’s ploy as it without hesitation looked to Noah to boost its achievement. "Of course I did!" Its voice boomed once again. But after a while, there was silence, an awkward silence.

The drake was caught up in the moment, but as a creature with the pride of dragons, the drake was capable of lying, or at least its pride wouldn’t allow it to continue to lie. Its eyes embarrassingly looked away as it spoke.

"Not all of them," it finally admitted, the words dragged out as if it was the hardest thing it ever had to do. "Their bones remain in my home as a memory to those creatures that their bloodlines will never amount to mine. I crushed them! Heh, creatures that were supposed to hold the same ancestry as me were burned to ashes by my flames."

Its tail lashed again, but the gesture lacked its earlier force.

"But one... one of them was not as pitiful as the rest..."

The drake growled bitterly. Noah’s attention was fully caught; this was the kind of information he was waiting for. He needed to know what he was going up against, how much he needed to prepare, and where his current place in the hierarchy of this forest.

Noah didn’t speak as he waited. His eagerness was masked by his shadowed face. But when the drake spoke next, even the drake could see through Noah’s hidden expression as he changed the subject.

"Demon, don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. I may be weakened, but that doesn’t make me stupid," the drake snarled.

"Answer me first." Before its next words, the drake’s eyes changed; its breaths quickened as its anticipation grew fervent. "That scent from before... What was it? And what of that power that hides in that shelter you call home?"

Noah was initially surprised, but then his eyes calmed as he met the drake’s stare unflinchingly. He shouldn’t have been surprised by the question. He knew how special his blood was, it was just that he didn’t know that his blood was that enticing towards creatures who weren’t bonded to him.

For a moment, he thought about not disclosing everything. It was better for him to fabricate the truth. He had no reason to trust the creature. But, that wasn’t like him. Noah would rather reject the question than lie.

And if he wanted the drake to truthfully answer any of his questions, then he should also proceed with the same respect.

"That’s two questions, and you barely answered my first. So which one is more important for you to know?"

The drake’s head shifted, its jaw tightening. Its eyes glowed faintly, measuring Noah with a deep gaze. For a moment, Noah thought it might strike him down simply for the insolence. But instead, a low, gravelly chuckle rumbled from its throat.

"Hmph. Well played demon... very well." Its chest rose, air searing as it left its nostrils.

"The scent is what I want answered first. The power within your den can wait..."

Noah stood there, indecisive, pondering the drake’s choice. He would’ve believed that the core would’ve been more important. Was his blood more important than a dungeon core? Or was it only important to this drake in particular, who had reached a bottleneck?

He thought about the best way to answer the question. Simply saying his blood didn’t feel sincere, but he also didn’t want to explain its effects either, not without receiving appropriate information in return.

Instead, the armor around his hand receded to reveal human skin. And with that same hand, his slime pierced into it, letting blood flow from his palm as he cupped his hand. He didn’t imbue his blood with his mana, but even without doing so, the drake’s pupils unmistakably widened.

It didn’t need Noah to clarify anything. Its body confirmed the truth for it.

It wanted to ask another question, but before it could, both the drake and Noah snapped their heads towards the other end of the forest.