Becoming a Monster

Chapter 693: Chapter 692: No More Eating Dirt

The humans had already witnessed enough to recognize the danger the chieftain posed, but deciding what to do about him was another matter.

The life force he absorbed was still being incorporated into his body, gradually increasing both his physical strength and mana. For now, the changes weren’t enough to make him a greater threat than the monsters already fighting them, but there was no telling how much stronger he could become if the battle continued.

And that left the humans with a difficult decision.

They could attempt to kill the chieftain before he grew any stronger, but reaching him meant forcing their way through the monsters already fighting them. With the demonic elves protecting their forces from behind, there was no guarantee that even a concentrated attack would succeed.

On the other hand, continuing to fight meant allowing the chieftain to continuously empower the others while absorbing the remaining life force of every goblin and troll they killed.

It was a hard decision to make. Either way, the humans felt that they would overcome the battle. The problem was how many people they were willing to sacrifice to do it.

The demons didn’t seem to have that problem. If that was the case, perhaps it was better not to take the risk. To let the chieftain grow stronger after they finished off everyone else, and hope by then that one of their own powerhouses would be free to help them.

Unfortunately for the humans, the worst possible outcome occurred before they could come to a decision.

Two more monsters had entered the battle.

Under ordinary circumstances, their appearance might not have been cause for concern. The soldiers and adventurers gathered here were hardly inexperienced, with even the weakest among them possessing the strength expected of a B-ranker.

Most were A-rankers, individuals who had already proven themselves capable of confronting monsters that ordinary humans could scarcely hope to survive against.

But there was a reason the expedition had brought eight S-rankers.

The difference between ranks wasn’t something that could always be overcome through numbers, and while most of the people here understood that, there were exceptions.

The B-rankers the Baron sent had been brought along without fully appreciating what they were being asked to face. Their master had apparently believed that gathering enough capable warriors would be sufficient to compensate for whatever dangers awaited them.

And to some extent, the fighting until now might’ve reinforced that belief.

Even with the goblin chieftain’s curse strengthening their enemies, the humans hadn’t been completely overwhelmed.

Their mages were doing far more than simply hurling spells into the advancing monsters. Some reinforced the warriors fighting at the front, strengthening their bodies or dealing debilitating attacks whenever a troll threatened to break through their formations.

Others used earth magic to obstruct the monsters’ movements, creating openings for the soldiers to exploit or preventing the goblins from surrounding anyone who became separated from the others.

The more experienced A-rankers were particularly effective at taking advantage of that support.

A few warriors possessed enough skill to contend with the trolls without relying entirely on their companions. They understood when to press an attack and when to retreat, drawing the frenzied creatures into unfavorable positions rather than attempting to match their strength directly. Whenever one of the cursed monsters exposed itself, another warrior would move in to punish the mistake.

There weren’t many fighters capable of doing that, but their presence helped keep the human lines from collapsing.

And despite the casualties they had suffered, the humans still possessed considerably greater numbers. Their opponents were expending their own lives to maintain their newfound strength, while the mages and priests continued providing enough support to keep most of the wounded soldiers fighting.

Not to mention that the rain turned into holy water, healing them all mid-battle.

As long as nothing else changed, the humans had every reason to believe they could eventually exhaust the monsters opposing them.

But something had changed.

The first warning came from the ground.

Heavy tremors began spreading through the battlefield, growing more pronounced with every passing moment. At first, several soldiers mistook them for the distant exchanges between the S-rankers and the dragon. Yet the vibrations were growing closer.

It wasn’t long before they saw what was responsible.

Baka.

The enormous creature was charging directly toward the human forces, its body covered in hardened gemstones that added considerable weight to its already massive frame. And running alongside it was another monster whose appearance was no less threatening.

Dummy.

Its body retained much of its werewolf appearance, although the black scales covering portions of its limbs and the enormous mouth running vertically through its torso made it difficult to mistake for an ordinary beast. Its glowing eyes remained fixed on the humans ahead, and judging by the eagerness with which it approached, it appeared almost desperate to reach them.

That much was true.

For once, the creature had been given the opportunity to eat as much as it wanted, and unlike the countless occasions when it had been forced to satisfy its appetite with dirt, there was something considerably more appetizing waiting ahead.

Unfortunately, the soldiers had no way of knowing that the creature was more interested in eating them than fighting.

What they did know was that two monsters had appeared from a direction none of their commanders had anticipated, and neither showed the slightest intention of slowing down.

—

Orders were shouted almost immediately.

Several mages abandoned their previous targets and began gathering mana, while the warriors nearest to the approaching creatures moved to intercept them. They weren’t foolish enough to allow monsters of that size to charge directly into their formations, especially when so many of their companions were already occupied.

The first spells struck Baka before it could reach them.

Flames washed over its body, followed by several concentrated bolts of lightning that exploded against the gemstones covering its frame. At the same time, thick walls of earth erupted from the ground, positioned to force the creature to slow down or change direction.

Baka did neither.

Its enormous body crashed into the first wall, shattering the hardened earth beneath the weight of its charge. The second lasted scarcely any longer, and by the time the mages realized their spells had barely affected its advance, the creature had already reached the warriors waiting behind their defenses.

One of the A-rankers stepped forward to meet it.

The man’s weapon struck the approaching monster with enough force to send a sharp crack through the surrounding air. Against an ordinary troll, the blow might’ve been enough to break through its defenses and leave it severely wounded.

Against Baka, it merely chipped away a small portion of the gemstones covering its body.

The warrior barely had time to recognize what had happened before the creature swung one of its massive limbs toward him.

He managed to raise his weapon.

It saved his life, but the impact still sent him hurtling backward, crashing through two of his companions before all three struck the ground.

The other warriors moved to surround Baka, hoping to prevent it from building up enough momentum for another charge. Several mages continued attacking from behind them, concentrating their spells on the same areas in an attempt to break through its gemstone armor.

And although the creature’s defenses were considerably more durable than those of the trolls, they weren’t impossible to overcome.

The gemstones could withstand most ordinary weapons, but sufficiently powerful blunt attacks were capable of cracking or even shattering them. Fire magic also proved effective when the flames were hot enough, although the amount of mana required to produce such temperatures made it difficult for the mages to maintain those attacks.

Fortunately, the gemstones didn’t cover Baka’s entire body.

Its eyes, nose, and mouth remained exposed, along with certain areas around its lower body. Several warriors recognized those weaknesses and began directing their attacks toward them, hoping to avoid having to break through its armor entirely.

Baka, however, wasn’t going to make that easy.

Whenever flames approached its face, the creature raised its enormous arms to shield itself, allowing the attacks to strike the gemstones covering its limbs instead. And when the warriors attempted to take advantage of those movements, they found themselves dealing with a monster that was more than willing to exchange blows.

Unlike the goblins and trolls, whose reckless behavior was being forced upon them by the chieftain’s curse, Baka had always fought like a berserker.

It swung its enormous limbs at anyone who approached, occasionally abandoning one opponent halfway through an exchange to attack another who had managed to injure it. Its attacks weren’t particularly refined, but the constant changes in direction made it difficult for the humans to coordinate against it.

Even the earth mages were struggling to find an opportunity to restrain the creature. They could raise barriers to obstruct its movements, but attempting to trap it required considerably more preparation and mana than they could afford to waste on a target that refused to remain in one place.

Luckily, the holy field was still having an effect.

The holy energy suppressing Baka’s demonic nature had weakened its physical abilities, allowing the more experienced A-rankers to withstand attacks that might’ve otherwise overwhelmed them. With enough cooperation, they could even force the creature backward, giving the mages opportunities to concentrate their spells on its damaged armor.

For a while, their strategy appeared to be working.

More cracks began appearing across the gemstones covering Baka’s body, and several of the stronger warriors managed to break away larger fragments with their attacks. The creature was sustaining injuries as well, though none had been severe enough to prevent it from continuing to fight.

But as the confrontation continued, something about Baka began to change.

Its movements were becoming faster, and the force behind its attacks was gradually increasing. At first, the humans attributed the difference to the creature growing more aggressive as it sustained injuries.

That explanation became harder to believe when one of the warriors attempted to block an attack he had successfully defended against only moments earlier.

The impact nearly knocked him off his feet.

The humans had been concentrating on wearing Baka down, believing that enough damage would eventually overcome its defenses. What they hadn’t realized was that the injuries they were inflicting were also making the creature stronger.

The Holy Field continued suppressing its strength, but it couldn’t prevent Baka’s power from increasing as the damage accumulated.

Unless they could inflict enough damage to incapacitate it, prolonging the confrontation would only make their opponent more dangerous.

While the warriors confronting Baka struggled to find a way to bring it down, those facing Dummy had encountered an entirely different problem.

And they quickly realized that the chieftain that was growing as its comrades died wasn’t the main problem after all.