Becoming a Monster

Chapter 615: Chapter 614: Don’t Forget Me

Noah stood before everyone after explaining what he intended to do.

Until now, he had deliberately avoided combining the werebeast and necrotic drake bloodlines.

It wasn’t because he doubted the strength they would grant him. Naturally, any form of evolution or mutation would prioritize what the body needs.

However, there were just too many unknowns.

His greatest concern had always been what his body would decide to discard in order to make room for something stronger.

Every mutation until now had followed the same principle. Some abilities evolved, others merged together, while a few disappeared altogether.

That uncertainty only became concerning after learning about the approaching attack.

On the off chance that one of his more important abilities vanished, or the mutation granted him an entirely new skill that required considerable time and practice to master, then he would be entering the most dangerous battle of his life while barely understanding his own strength.

It would be fine if only his life were on the line. But this risk would also risk the lives of his companions and the home they built together.

Despite those risks, that wasn’t what made him hesitate to this extent. His thoughts inevitably drifted toward the creatures connected to him.

Eve and Kratos, what would happen to his vassals if the mutation somehow removed the ability responsible for creating their bond?

Would the connection disappear? Would they survive?

Or would all of the bonds and attachments they shared for one another disappear with the connection?

Those were questions Noah couldn’t answer.

And because he couldn’t answer them, he had continued postponing the mutation.

Until now.

He could no longer afford to let uncertainty dictate his decisions.

If his body discarded something, then he would trust that whatever was lost was something it no longer needed.

And if he was wrong… Then he would bear the consequences.

When he relayed those same worries to the others, Eve took the news the hardest.

The color within her eyes deepened almost immediately, her expression stiffening in a way Noah had rarely seen before. Beneath her childish behavior, Eve had always been frighteningly perceptive.

Although Eve wanted to vehemently deny that she wouldn’t disappear, that her feelings for Noah would still stay the same, she couldn’t.

That possibility frightened her more than what Noah expected.

Without saying anything, Eve closed the distance between them before wrapping both arms tightly around him. Her grip only continued to tighten, afraid that letting go for even a moment would somehow allow their bond to break away.

Her face proceeded to bury itself into his chest.

“If I stay like this… then nothing will change. You won’t have to leave me, you won’t forget me, I won’t forget you. I won’t, I won’t.”

Her voice was quiet, yet it carried a desperation Noah had never heard from her before.

Noah knew that it wasn’t true. Holding onto him wouldn’t change whatever the mutation decided to do.

Even so, he found himself unable to tell her that.

He slowly rested a hand against her back before instinctively pulling her a little closer. He knew she should step away before he began.

Considering that the necrotic drake genes were also being used in the process, there was always the chance that he could lose control of his miasma, affecting her in the process. Being this close could only place her in unnecessary danger.

Despite his concern, he was still unwilling to push her away.

Off to the side, both Arachne and Ailetta watched it all with complicated expressions.

Ailetta had convinced herself that she didn’t care how unpleasant the process became as long as Noah emerged stronger. Yet seeing the little vampire break down affected her far more than she expected.

She found herself imagining what this place would feel like without Eve constantly trailing behind her.

Without the little ball of mischief following after her, arguing with her, or trying far too hard to imitate everything she did.

The thought created a strange emptiness within her chest that she normally only felt whenever it concerned Noah.

Noah couldn’t stand the heavy atmosphere any longer. The longer he delayed it, the harder it would become for all of them.

With nothing more than a thought, he finally began.

And just as quickly as he started, the changes that occurred were just as abrupt.

Mana erupted from Noah’s body with such violence that the air itself seemed to grow heavier.

The pressure swept through the chamber in an instant, making it difficult to breathe. Had an ordinary creature been standing nearby, the weight alone would’ve been enough to force them to their knees.

His aura rippled throughout the territory without the slightest obstruction. It easily reached everywhere within it, causing everyone to look towards the source.

Morvyr was no exception.

The elf was already deep in his thoughts, watching all the monsters prep for the upcoming storm.

He had a deep affinity with nature; because of it, he understood that this storm would be remembered for years to come.

Even so, he couldn’t help but feel that Noah’s creatures were preparing with almost excessive urgency.

To Morvyr, they worked as though the coming storm threatened to swallow the entire forest.

But his thoughts were completely turned upside down when he felt the devil’s mana flare out.

Immediately, his body tensed for combat.

Whether the devil had detected another enemy, or simply decided he no longer trusted them, Morvyr couldn’t tell.

His soldiers reacted the same. They spun around towards Noah’s creatures, preparing themselves in case fighting broke out without warning.

Yet what they saw only deepened their confusion.

Every one of them had stopped what they were doing to stare toward Noah’s lair with expressions no less alert than their own.

Even they didn’t understand what had just happened.

Several moments passed without the pressure subsiding in the slightest.

Eventually, Morvyr’s curiosity overcame curiosity. He was about to take a single step forward when Bolas’ voice came crashing over them all.

“What do you all think you’re doing?”

His booming voice caused every creature there to flinch.

The drake’s burning gaze swept across all the monsters who had stopped working.

“If Noah’s risking himself to make sure all of you survive, then why are you standing around gawking like idiots?!”

His massive tail slammed against the ground.

“GET BACK TO WORK!”

The hesitation vanished almost instantly.

Every creature immediately threw itself back into its work with even greater urgency than before. Some worked a little too quickly, only to create more work for themselves moments later.

Bolas’ outburst had been so imposing that even Morvyr’s goblins instinctively considered helping before remembering they had no idea what they were doing or why they were even about to help.

Morvyr remained standing where he was.

His eyes lingered upon the sealed entrance for another moment before he reluctantly looked away.

If Noah’s own companions weren’t concerned enough to interrupt him, then he had no justification to do so either.

With an unwilling sigh, he returned to watching the others work. It was then that his eyes settled upon a rather unusual figure.

She gave off the same feeling as an elf, but also the same energy as the dryad that resided here.

The contradiction immediately piqued Morvyr’s interest.

Without another thought, he quietly made his way toward Gwen.

—

Back within the lair, Noah’s transformation had only grown more violent.

It wasn’t just the mana that created a suffocating pressure, but his aura.

The two overly proud bloodlines were colliding relentlessly inside him. Neither was willing to yield.

The savage dominance of the werebeast crashed against the overwhelming arrogance carried within the necrotic drake, each instinct demanding to become the foundation of Noah’s new existence.

Yet with every collision, the resistance between them weakened.

They were no longer trying to destroy one another. They were beginning to harmonize.

The results, however, painted an entirely different picture.

Every muscle throughout Noah’s body had become taut beneath his slime. His breathing grew heavier with each passing second, while an aura of unrestrained savagery mixed together with an ancient draconic pride that made even those closest to him instinctively stiffen.

Dark miasma continuously seeped from his body, which threatened to spread throughout the chamber.

If anyone unfamiliar with him had witnessed the scene…

They never would’ve questioned why he called himself a devil.

Ailetta’s attention never left Noah.

No.. It never left Eve.

The vampire still refused to let go.

Even as Noah’s instincts steadily surfaced, she remained pressed tightly against him with her eyes closed, clinging to his waist as though the bond between them could be preserved through sheer stubbornness alone.

Noah’s arms had unconsciously tightened around her long ago.

The strength flowing through his body should have been more than enough to injure her, yet Eve never loosened her grip.

Meanwhile, outside the lair, Diablo’s body began producing a series of unsettling cracks.

It sounded as though every bone and plate of armor within him were constantly breaking apart before knitting themselves back together.

Then everything changed the moment Noah’s eyes snapped open.

His pupils contracted into narrow draconic slits as an overwhelming pressure erupted from his body.

A feral howl burst from his throat, shaking the entire chamber.

Then, without warning, every strand of miasma surrounding him reversed direction.

The black mist that had flooded the chamber rushed back toward Noah all at once before disappearing beneath his skin.

Along with it, every trace of slime that made up his body vanished into him as well.