Becoming a Monster

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: The Double-Edged Dungeon

The chieftain kept running.

Its massive frame couldn’t avoid the trees, branches, and full-grown trees that were broken and fell with each desperate stride. It didn’t dare to look back. The only thing that mattered was putting as much of the forest between itself and that place as possible.

Then-

Whoosh.

A sharp whistle of air whipped behind it.

Before the troll could react, something struck its back. Once, twice, then in rapid succession. Numerous needle blows dug into its dense skin, each one still managing to pierce its hide, achieving what many could not.

The chieftain didn’t need to look. It was fully accustomed to the pain accompanied by the attacker’s wounds. Despite knowing who it was and being fully aware that it could fight Arachne only on an even playing field, it didn’t stop.

Its troops’ annihilation, the small spider that had the power of a chieftain, the overwhelming burst of power it had sensed earlier. Each memory slammed its survival instinct until there was nothing left but raw panic. Fighting back wasn’t an option, not unless it wanted the owner of that aura to come its way.

Its disturbed mind didn’t even register that the attacks were weaker than before... far weaker than earlier.

But Arachne noticed it.

She flashed behind it again, her limbs carving only shallow lines across its skin. Not deep enough, not satisfying enough; her venom wasn’t able to prevent the wounds from staying open as they had before. Her strikes were losing the force they carried when Noah’s buffs flowed through her body.

And the realization thinned her patience.

She had thought she was stronger, strong enough to be the one who stood by Noah’s side, to be the one he would rather merge with against an overwhelming enemy. But she realized now that without Noah’s enhancements, the gap between her and the chieftain was no longer equal.

She couldn’t accept that.

If Ailetta could remain by his side, then she refused to be left behind.

Her attacks shifted. No longer seeking to pierce through the troll’s flesh. Instead, she vanished and reappeared, crossing back and forth around the chieftain’s arms, legs and body. Her weak attacks were dug deeper than before after reactivating her skill, empowering herself through the it’s own strength.

She had wanted to prioritize its eyes; however, the chieftain had already experienced the terror of not protecting what it learned was its only weak point. Its hand instantly latched onto its face, not even leaving a gap to allow Arachne to penetrate. It continued to run blindly, tree after tree continued to fall.

At the same time, with each wound she generated, Arachne shot sets of webs onto every wound she carved. She had no thought of using those webs to restrain the beast. Her webs weren’t capable of hindering it even for a second.

It was meant to weaken it, hopefully quickly enough so she could overcome it.

She had seen Noah fight opponents whose power was overwhelmingly stronger than his own... but he always found a way. Now, she wanted to do the same.

Her attacks picked up speed, not because she was gaining more strength, but her determination pushed her further than before.

The wounds began accumulating even more. The chieftain could feel the pressure mounting.

The damage was still manageable; it didn’t believe that the creature would chase it forever. If it could lead it to its tribe, it would be given a way out of its current situation.

No one would believe what it witnessed, the reason for its return alone, not only losing all its soldiers, but three elites at that. In the end, it gained nothing.

Even after their first bout against the drake, they returned without losing so much.

But now, if it were to bring the enemy with it, if it returned dragging this nightmare behind its heels...

Its tribe would witness what it had to battle against. It would lose more soldiers, but at least it would still retain its rule without question.

The chieftain’s pace surged.

Seconds passed. Arachne couldn’t find a method to overcome the disparity within such a short amount of time. Her venom and webs weren’t able to achieve a noticeable effect in time, not when the foe she was weakening was too strong.

Before, lowering an enemy’s strength by two per second would impact the fight. Even if she could now make the enemy lose eight per second, it didn’t matter if the enemy’s strength surpassed a thousand. Especially if the creature’s regeneration was cleansing the venom within it almost as fast as she was delivering it.

They passed the broken wall of roots.

Arachne’s body flickered to the top of the shattered barrier for an instant. She hesitated, barely even a moment. The sight of the ruined roots reminded her how far she’d gone from Noah’s side.

What if he needed her?

But she remembered the overwhelming surge of power he unleashed earlier, the one that shook every creature across the battlefield into silence. Deep down, she knew he would be fine. In the end, he always took care of everything.

Now she needed to come back with even more results.

She vanished again, reappearing behind the fleeing chieftain as they crossed beyond the threshold of the root barrier—

And a drastic change occurred.

Both felt it.

The cuts she carved still opened fresh lines of blood, but her venom, her strongest weapon, was no longer biting as deeply. The moment it entered the troll’s flesh, more than half of it was erased, burned away by an absurd surge in its regeneration. Even her webs that were embedded in the wounds were quickly forced out as the wound healed under her gaze.

Simultaneously, the troll barely felt a sting when her limbs dug in. It wasn’t until they moved beyond the barrier that it noticed the difference, so abruptly that it involuntarily stumbled.

Its hand didn’t lift from its eyes.

Its entire attention was locked on the sudden shift in its body. The pain was gone. The pressure was gone. Its panic... dimmed. The creature halted for the first time, confused by the abrupt return of physical clarity.

Seeing the split-second pause, Arachne took the opportunity to deal a heavy blow.

She blurred behind the chieftain’s head, aiming for the one place she believed could deal the most damage. The same strike that had reduced the elite troll’s brain to liquefied pulp.

Her legs thrust forward only to slide barely an inch into the back of its skull. She planned to pierce deep, to dig straight into its brain, or as close as she could. Her venom should do more damage inside its brain than anywhere else.

But the moment her limbs touched its head... she knew something was wrong.

The legs penetrated even less than they did before. The tip barely went through as she heard the ground cracking underneath the giant. Before she could press deeper, the chieftain’s hand was already shifting against the air.

Arachne quickly avoided it, but this time her body slightly stumbled in the air currents, caught by its swing.

It felt as if the troll was growing stronger. What she didn’t realize was that the chieftain’s unique ability wasn’t always active. And with it trying to escape, its defenses were weaker than before.

But now, it didn’t have to worry about expending more of its mana. This was where it was going to press the attack. It quickly foregone its plan to lead the spider to its tribe. If it killed her and brought back the body instead, it would still suffice and also prevent the enemy from knowing their location.

The moment Arachne regained her balance, her eyes narrowed. She knew that leaving the dungeon area had impacted her. But she had forgotten how difficult it was even to control her mana. Trying to infuse mana within her legs with her coating was more difficult than before.

Can I still do this?

She began to doubt herself. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t create a miracle, too. Why couldn’t she surpass her limits?

The doubt spurred her to keep denying reality. She was prepared to go all out, to seek the moment where she could push herself further.

When she was about to push off a nearby tree, a loud growl sounded not too far away.

Both Arachne and the chieftain looked over to the source, their expressions almost identical to one another.

For the first time, Arachne was happy to see Fenrir. And the chieftain was the same. After recognizing Arachne’s dramatic weakening after passing the area of purer mana, it understood their strength was not close to its own.

It was already planning to return with Arachne, but if it returned with another war trophy, this excursion might be deemed worthy. With the meat and cores of these enemies, it won’t be long before their elite numbers recover.

However, both their hopes were dashed when Fenrir spoke.

"Rachne, Master said, come back...Now!" The wolf nearly snarled when he noticed Arachne’s shock. Fenrir wasn’t worried about the chieftain; he was already upset enough that when he finished his side of the battle, he was forced to retrieve Arachne instead of rushing to his master’s aid.

Hearing the order came from Noah, Arachne didn’t dare delay. She took one last look towards the chieftain, imprinting its figure for the next time they met, before she disappeared.

This annoyed Fenrir even more, because now she would be able to help Noah before he could.