Becoming a Monster

Chapter 443: Chapter 443: The Wrong Kind of Attention

Noah stopped a few paces from the doorway and looked over at the drake.

He had come out specifically for the drake. The rumble of its voice didn’t surprise him. He had expected the drake to react in some way.

But what surprised him was the immediate worry in its eyes. He knew what he did would be surprising, but it shouldn’t elicit such a reaction.

"What do you mean?" Noah’s expression grew solemn. There was a chance that the drake was over exaggerating, but he wasn’t willing to risk that chance. If it had knowledge that he was ignorant of, he wanted to know it.

His willingness to listen to the drake disrupted its momentum. Its frustration and fearful irritation didn’t have a target anymore, leaving it somewhat in a blank state before it regained its bearings.

It offhandedly cleared its throat before he spoke.

"First, tell me, were the trees your doing, or was it the cores’?" The drake made sure to clarify. It wasn’t willing to make the mistake of embarrassing itself again.

Noah followed the drake’s gaze toward the towering trees that now encircled the territory, then back to the massive creature in front of him.

"Both," he answered honestly. "The core can’t do what I don’t will it to."

The drake froze. It already had the feeling that was the case. The pride it had left couldn’t bear it if Noah told it that he managed to do it all on his own.

But having it confirmed stripped away its earlier restraint, dragging its hesitation back to the surface.

"...Then you’ve really been reckless."

Noah didn’t plan to interrupt this time. For the first time since arriving in this world, he truly felt that not having enough information could be detrimental, not just to himself, but to everyone tied to him.

"In this world, there are countless species. But out of them all, five in particular rose above the rest, becoming nations of their own."

Its voice shifts toward recounting history rather than its earlier accusatory tone. "Elves, humans, dwarves, beast kin, and demons."

The drake then began to recount some of the history of the groups. Summarizing the strengths of each nation without embellishment.

How each nation rose in different ways. How every nation had only allied together because they shared the same threat against the demons.

"But in the end," it said, "every one of them attained sovereignty through the same means."

It paused.

"A core."

Noah’s attention sharpened, but he remained silent.

"Us... ’monsters’, call these cores dungeon cores, while the nations prefer the label, ’Kingdom cores’.

Since you possess one, you have the potential to form a nation of your own. A land shaped by the traits your core inherited."

Its eyes narrowed in disdain as it reflected something that triggered its anger.

"From this alone, you should understand the value of a dungeon core. It doesn’t matter how strong the core is or what traits it has; all beings made of mana would seek its power."

The drake looked back towards the trees once more. A silence drifted through the air as it envisioned the chaos to come.

"But when it comes to greed, no beings are greedier than the five nations. Especially when cores are involved."

Its gaze returned to Noah.

"No one truly knows where cores originate. Legends claim they are the mana cores of our ancestors, beings who were akin to gods. Beings that broke limits that cannot be reached today."

Its eyes reflected subtle pride.

"And those legends don’t belong only to you...bipedal beings. My ancestors were the same."

"My racial lands also contain a core of their own. The same can be said for other powerful creatures who were strong enough to protect their territory. Vampires, for one, are known to have their own core."

Noah still hadn’t heard the drake’s point. Despite the long lecture, he found the information interesting. What was more interesting was how uniquely similar the particular knowledge was compared to multiple stories from his world.

Each story may not be 100% identical to this world, but the fact that humans were able to recreate stories and information from a world they didn’t believe existed was a little too much to be a coincidence.

"Devil, this is a serious matter!" The drake snapped. It couldn’t find anything that it had said that Noah could find amusing.

"You must understand this world’s history if you want to understand the danger you could bring upon yourself."

Under Noah’s gaze, the drake used its claws to carve rough shapes into the earth.

"This is us," it marked the central landmass.

"To the right, elves, humans, dwarves. To the left, the beast kin."

Its claw dragged downward.

"And here... the demons’ territory."

It looked to Noah as if it was hoping that this information alone would make Noah understand the position they were in, but in the end, Noah didn’t show the reaction that it was expecting.

The drake clenched its jaw. In the end, it could only assume Noah’s arrogance was too strong.

What being wouldn’t have the same amount of arrogance if they had their own dungeon core and the ability to create strong soldiers?

But the drake couldn’t allow Noah to remain this way. It wasn’t just depending on Noah; it was banking its entire life on him.

"You don’t have to get so angry," Noah finally spoke up. "I get it, if any of those nations find out that I have a core, then it wouldn’t be long before they try to take it by force."

Noah’s understanding wasn’t enough to placate the drake’s irritation, but at least now it could go on through its explanation without wanting to burn something.

"That is only half right," the drake went to each nation from before, drawing an X over every territory besides one.

"These nations will definitely seek to have your core, but not for the reason you’re thinking.

A dungeon core is unlike other cores. In a normal situation, these cores can not be used by an outside species. And the benefits normally will only aid those of the same species."

"So," Noah cut in when he made the connection. "You’re saying that my core is special, and that if others find out, then the chances they will attack us are even higher?"

The drake’s claw paused mid-air.

"...Yes," it said slowly. "But it’s worse than that. Just let me finish."

It closed its eyes, recounting its thoughts.

"If it were just that, would it make sense for other nations to want to go to war with one another over a core that they can’t use?"

It immediately answered its own question before giving Noah another chance to say anything.

"No, what truly matters is the energy that is within the core itself.

There are warriors from all nations whose main purpose is discovering and pillaging dungeon cores around the world. And these warriors eventually became the powerhouses of this era."

It stared deep into Noah’s eyes afterward.

"If you can understand this much, then you should understand that it doesn’t matter what traits your core has. As long as it’s a dungeon core, there will be someone who will try to take it for themselves."

"But not everyone will go through the trouble of attacking you if they believe that the risk outweighs the benefits. As long as you become stronger, your strength could act as a ward to all of those other nations. All except them."

It then dragged its claw to the only nation unmarked, circling the mark that represented the elves.

"The elves," it said quietly. Its tone had changed. Worry ebbed deep within its posture, making Noah understand that the elves were the source of the drake’s earlier eruption.

"They will view the core differently than the others... Like I mentioned before. Normally, a core would be used just for its energy. As a highly sought resource. But that is only under the condition that the core is incompatible with their own."

This was the part where Noah finally understood the gravity of the situation. Not just him, but Ailetta’s demeanor changed as well.

Although the situation was dire. Seeing Noah’s expression made the drake feel slightly better. It coughed twice, burying down the smile that was creeping up.

"Now you finally get it. What you did, what you are able to do, is no different than the elves’ core. If they found out, they would want your core at all costs.

Your core could be the difference that could tilt the scale in our world’s power balance. With your core, the elves will have the potential to make their core stronger than before. Just that alone will cause the elves to throw everything they have to get it.

If you don’t want to enter the elves’ sights, then you need to avoid doing something that could get their attention."

Noah didn’t reply immediately, and he didn’t take offense at the drake’s tone. Instead, he absorbed every word, understanding the drake’s concern. Their situation was precarious. In a way, Noah had announced his existence to the world.

If he was going to continue to improve his territory, he would have to start small. For now, his main focus should be gathering strength. Only through strength can one truly have freedom.

Noah decided to focus on the reason he came to the drake in the first place.

"If the problem is because I’m too weak, then help me become stronger."