Becoming a Monster

Chapter 387: Chapter 387: What’s Mine is Mine

The unease within the forest clung to everyone present more than before.

Their leader fell unconscious before anyone could understand what happened. No one knew if the monster and their leader had come to an agreement, if they were saved... or if they were only being spared for now.

The silence was their only saving grace. Silence meant they were safe for the time being, but that silence was also torture.

Each breath felt louder than it should be. The humans’ eyes darted between the monster and the creatures around it.

Noah still said nothing. He didn’t move, didn’t even glance at them. His calm was more terrifying than any threat could have been. The longer it stretched on, the more unbearable it became.

Finally, one of the younger women could take no more. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "Amara... please wake up."

But she didn’t stir. Her father just held her in his arms while he awaited the monster’s decision.

Noah had already finished digesting the information. Yet, he felt the information had opened up more doors than he had realized.

The information only described two functions of his Nexus Eye. It didn’t explain what the Eye was, reveal his identity as a herald of the underworld, nor increase the power of his Eye. But its potential was so much more than he could have expected, and it also made him realize that there was so much about himself that he needed to explore on his own.

Because of Anubis, Noah finally learned a truth the System had never told him. His Nexus Eye carried a function far different from what he had believed.

It wasn’t meant to simply watch, tamper with or merge the souls of others. It was capable of devouring them.

At first, Noah felt that the being behind the system had hidden this information on purpose. But in hindsight, the information made sense as to why it wasn’t part of the system. There was no skill that covered basic functions: none stated that eating cores would improve your abilities, nor that eating meat would nourish the body.

His ability to devour souls was represented in the same manner. It wasn’t some new trick or hidden upgrade waiting to be unlocked. It was a fundamental truth of what the Eye needed.

Every soul consumed would strengthen the essence that made him who he was, fortifying the core of his existence instead of his physical frame. His body wouldn’t grow stronger, he would. His will, his spirit, and his very being would grow into something that defied mortal common sense.

And when it came to the Eye, the souls served a different purpose. They were not simply fuel, but mortar. Each one devoured by the eye would feed into its growth, expanding its depth. It was similar to the system, feeding the Eye souls would increase the level of every skill associated with it.

The cycle of information was over, but Noah’s emotions had yet to die down. His earlier feelings about no longer having the need to kill were being reignited. For a moment his mind wavered. He didn’t view the people in front of him as humans, as living creatures, but as nourishment for his growth.

But he then shut his eyes. He drew in a long breath, forcing the feeling to fade.

It wasn’t fear that held him back. It wasn’t mercy either. Ever since he had accepted who he was, accepted the identity of being the devil his family saw him as, and not the devil bestowed upon him by those who feared and judged him. He understood there was no need for pointless slaughter.

Killing without cause would make him no better than the mindless beasts they accused him of being. To indulge recklessly would strip him of the control he fought so hard to claim. His strength wasn’t for proving their fears right; it was to protect the bonds that anchored him, for defining what it meant to be a monster on his own terms.

And yes, he knew every soul devoured would make him stronger, that each one could enhance his power and grant him more strength to protect his family. For them, he would kill without hesitation, if their lives were at stake, he would drown the world in blood and sin without a second thought.

But that wasn’t now. These people weren’t a threat, not yet. Slaughtering them here would be meaningless. Power gained for no reason other than indulgence would make him no better than the hollow beasts that wandered without thought. If he was to be a devil, even his cruelty had to serve a purpose.

When he finally opened his eyes again, it was enough to make the humans tense. A few of them flinched, some pressed closer together, but nobody dared to run. Not yet.

But before Noah could say anything, his gaze sharpened. Something in the forest had shifted. He felt it before he saw it, the subtle weight of killing intent.

His body reacted instantly.

A tentacle burst outward from his arm. It tore past the humans at speeds most of them could barely follow. Screams followed as warriors quickly braced themselves to fight against him. However, a sound erupted behind them, the sound of a creature that let out a pained cry, and was followed by the raging growls of creatures that made their expressions pale.

The humans gasped, moving out of the way as they silently watched a body being dragged through the air, lifted like a trophy. It was a creature they instantly recognized, and a creature they couldn’t forget.

A goblin was impaled on the other end. It was still alive, clawing at the slime that had pierced its gut.

Soon, dozens of goblins crawled from the tree line, their yellow and red eyes shining even in the night. And behind them stood two larger shapes.

The goblins shifted restlessly, as if waiting for a command to attack. The hobgoblins, however, didn’t move at all. They just stood at the rear, silent, their gaze on Noah before flickering to the other creatures and then finally landing on the drake’s almost hidden visage within its cave.

The hobgoblins were smarter than their lesser versions. They were only here to test the waters. They knew of the drake’s prowess, but they were also hoping that the drake’s territorial history would cause their prey to be sent back to them.

But now, seeing the drake seemingly allied with another creature, a creature just as dangerous, they didn’t want to provoke two predators at once.

So they waited. The hobgoblins were aware that the lone goblin was attacked the moment it crossed the boundary they were standing on. It wasn’t recklessness that pushed that goblin forward; it was sacrifice. A pawn meant to gauge where exactly the monsters stood when it came to their prey.

The hobgoblins didn’t flinch when the goblin was impaled. They didn’t mourn, didn’t even blink. To them, that one goblin proved its worth as a pawn. What mattered was what they had learned.

Now they knew where the line was drawn. They had tested the monster once. Unless they were ready to wage war then they would not cross the line again. However, they continued to wait behind that imaginary line. They would not leave empty-handed. They still wanted their prey.

Noah’s eyes swept across the horde as he noted this. His tone was flat but filled with warning as he spoke.

"There’s nothing here for you. The prey here is mine and mine alone. Everything within my territory is mine. And whatever comes for what is mine..." When the goblin finally was dragged towards him, Noah’s hand immediately pierced into its chest. The goblin was unable to defend itself before its body instantly went limp.

Within Noah’s hand, he placed the removed core towards his Nexus eye. No one could understand what was happening. It was only when he tossed the goblin’s body aside, revealing the eye that those nearby, and others with sharp vision, could see. The moment was brief, but those who saw it felt true fear, even the threat of being pursued and eaten by monsters didn’t compare.

As they saw it, the fear wasn’t from the body being discarded,; it was from what came after.

The goblin’s soul was inside the eye, struggling to escape. It thrashed against the inside of the eye, its mouth opening in silent protest that chilled the blood of everyone watching. Then, as if an unseen force was living within that same eye, the goblin’s soul was pulled deeper within, vanishing from sight.

The hobgoblins’ stiffened bodies indicated that they saw everything. No longer did they appear as if they had everything in their control.

Noah’s voice carried again. It was the same tone as before, but to everyone else, the voice felt as if it was touching them, tugging the edges of their throats.

"If you still desire to touch what’s mine... you can become mine as well. So if you understand, then leave, and make sure to tell the rest of your kind my message as well."

One of the hobgoblins slowly raised a clawed hand. The goblins hesitated, but then they remembered the scene they just witnessed. Step by step they retreated into the forest’s darkness, their eyes never leaving Noah.

The silence that followed wasn’t the same. The humans, who had only just met him, gave him the same name so many before had already branded him with.

A Devil.