Becoming a Monster
Chapter 188: Tangled Appetites

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Tangled Appetites

Currently, Noah was being fervently observed by a group of spectators; their eyes hungrily urging him to start the process for preparing the cores, while another was only watching so she could understand. Fenrir, in particular, was so desperate, small urging whimpers escaping his contradicting size every so often.

Noah understood their impatience, but before he started the process, which would most likely take till the end of the night to finish, he needed to review his newly acquired skills. Just being able to use the skills weren’t enough for him, he needed to completely understand it; he needed to fully comprehend all of his skills so he could better make use of them in the future.

Slime Manipulation(Lvl 0)- Grants the user full control over the slime within their body, allowing them to freely shape and mold it to their will. The created slime can shift between fluid and solid states at the user’s command. The durability, power, and sharpness of the formed objects are directly proportional to the amount of mana invested. Only up to one fifth of the user’s total mana can be applied to the slime before overloading it. The effects of empowerment last for one minute.

Slime Organ Regeneration(Lvl 0)-Grants Noah the ability to completely regenerate lost or critically damaged organs using the slime within his body. By fusing the regenerative properties of the slime with his mana, Noah can restore his organs from even the most devastating injuries, ensuring full functionality.

1)Minor Organ Damage: 200-300 mana to fully regenerate smaller or partially damaged organs (e.g., patching damaged liver, lung tissue, or regenerating pupil). Regeneration takes a few minutes.

2)Moderate Organ Regeneration: 400-600 mana to regenerate organs with significant damage (e.g., a punctured lung or heart with multiple tears). This would take several minutes, depending on the severity.

3)Severe/Full Organ Regeneration: 800-1500+ mana to regrow fully destroyed or completely missing organs (e.g., lost kidney, entirely destroyed heart or lungs). The regeneration process may take 10-20 minutes or longer, depending on the complexity of the organ.

Slime Golem Creation(Lvl 0)- allows Noah to form a simple golem from the slime within his body. This golem acts as a basic puppet, capable of performing simple tasks under Noah’s control. The golem’s strength, durability, and utility are limited, and the effectiveness of the skill depends on the amount of mana provided for the skill.

1)Basic Golem: 50-300 mana for a smaller, standard combat golem with basic physical capabilities and resistance. Last 10 minutes.

2)Advanced Golem: 400-800 mana for a larger, more powerful golem, capable of being autonomous. Can perform simple tasks and make simple decisions. Gains the ability to sacrifice a portion of its mana to empower itself. last 20 minutes.

3)Elite Golem: 1,000+ mana for an elite golem with enhanced combat prowess, physical, and magical resistance. Last 30 minutes.

There was a reason that he needed to better understand his skills, especially after reviewing their descriptions. The ability that provided him the most aid when facing the Queen Ant was an effect of his ability that was not within the spell’s description. He was already aware that coming up with his own abilities was possible, but if he could start with just improving or modifying the skills he already has then he could have potentially found another way to increase his strength without the need of leveling up.

His thoughts made him unfocused to the task at hand, that was until a large, wet, rough and slimy tongue covered his entire body, even almost lifting him out of his seat.

"What the-!" Noah exclaimed; the weird sensation was one he recognized instantly. Fenrir didn’t try to hide the fact of what he just did. Instead, he began growling with rising frustrations.

"Why wait? What’s more important than food?" Fenrir asked in a demanding tone. "I’m ready to eat!"

Noah chuckled, shaking his head at Fenrir’s eagerness. "I get it, I get it already." He continued to smile as he grasped the closest core from the mound. His expression shifted to a serious demeanor the moment he was about to start his skill.

Without needing any reminder, Fenrir went prone, his muscular frame flattening against the ground as he obediently focused on Noah. The wolf’s ears perked up, capturing every sound, while his sharp gaze remained fixed on Noah’s movements. Arachne, standing by with her long legs folded, patiently watched the proceedings. Yet her eyes, while attentive, were not on Noah; she had made up her mind. Fenrir might be eager for his share, but as Noah’s first companion, Arachne believed it was her rightful place to be first in line.

The only two beings that weren’t occupied with what Noah was doing was Diablo, who always stood alongside Eve with his back facing towards everyone, keeping a watchful eye despite the fact that Noah and others would probably be aware of any danger first before he did.

Then there was Dummy. Because of its ability and perceived appetite, Noah allowed Fenrir to instruct it to clean up the surrounding corpses. Although the smell of the dead didn’t bother him, like any ’civilized’ being, no one likes spoiled food. The creature would scoop up anything that it considered food, stuffing it into its mouth that was centered in its stomach. Each time it consumed a corpse, the creature’s fur and patches of outer skeleton shifted and morphed, developing features that reflected the substances it devoured.

The moment Noah activated his ability, his ability commanded a silence for every monster bonded with him. Their breaths stuck within their lungs as they could completely perceive an insurmountable longing for the energy already seeping into the core.

Unlike before, when his blood transforms the core from its original state into a dark violet sphere of energy. This time, his blood completely changed the way even his old cores came about. The cores were oddly similar to the sphere within his soul, except the seemingly raging storms were non-existent. Within the vibrant gasses of violet energy were traces of crimson energy.

Fenrir, Arachne, and the others watched in awe, their eyes wide with anticipation. Even the Dummy paused in its task, seemingly entranced by not just the smell, but the potential to further its evolution.

"Noah! I want it!" Someone shouted out the moment Noah finished with his ability. One would instantly assume that Fenrir was the culprit behind those words; oftentimes his excitement and still maturing emotions could make him come off as selfish and pampered. But the voice was too high of a pitch to be him, let alone the voice being that of a male.

If Eve wasn’t aware of what everyone was so intensively waiting for before, now she wished that she was smart enough and already secured her position closest to Noah. She purposefully tried to use her naive charm to make her way to Noah, but there was someone else who was faster.

"Ah, ah ah!" Ailetta declared, shaking a finger towards the mischievous girl, as she now held the core within her hand. Fenrir felt betrayed yet again, but this time it was someone other than Arachne. While Arachne’s eyes narrowed, even after Ailetta took the core from Noah’s hand, he had yet to even attempt to recover it back. Was this his way of telling them that Ailetta was the one who deserved the first core out of them all? Were the thoughts that went through Arachne’s mind as she felt that her place really was replaceable. She truly believed that her recent failures were what led to this happening. If she had triumphed over the Ant, if she had beaten the skeleton before Noah arrived, then she believed that the situation right now would be different.

Ailetta wasn’t connected to Arachne in the way Noah was, but even then, she could quickly understand Arachne’s sentiments. From the moment Noah grabbed the core to use his ability, Ailetta was closely watching her.

"Out of all of us here, Arachne deserves to be the first to have one. The rest of us can wait until he creates enough for each of us to have one. Eve, you’ll behave, won’t you?" Ailetta asked the little girl with a surprisingly warm smile. But Eve didn’t see the smile like anyone else would. The two may have established a simple bond with one another, however Eve was aware that whatever twisted sentiments or thoughts she may have, Ailetta was closely similar to a nuclear weapon when it came to a certain someone.

"Mmmm! I’ll behave," Even replied, though her crossed arms and puffed cheeks showed how reluctant she was. She intended to project herself to be bold against Ailetta’s stare. But in the end, her eyes glanced away from Ailetta’s foreboding gaze.

"Arachne?" Ailetta’s remaining eyes all focused on the surprised spider, her hand extended with the core. "Please don’t keep us waiting; we also want our share."

If at first Arachne was going to hesitate, desiring for Noah to be the one to give her the core; Ailetta’s following words edged her forward. She didn’t want to be given the core first out of pity or because Ailetta was doing it out of a place of a higher position than her. But in this instance, Ailetta made it clear, no one else deserved to get their share before she gets hers. Although her words were sharp, they reaffirmed the respect of Arachne’s position among. The action alone filled Arachne with pride, leaving her unable to hold back a joyful smirk as she took the core into her hand.

Throughout it all, Noah appreciatively watched the interaction. He was already self-conscious of making the others believe that he cared about them less than another. And for someone like him, who still needed to understand how to form, maintain, and reassure trust and bonding; he appreciated Ailetta for handling the situation for him. His appreciation was something that Ailetta quickly sensed, shooting him a knowing look.

"My....my food..." Fenrir whined under his breath. Everyone was of one mind, not paying him any attention.

As Arachne ate the core, absorbing its energy, Noah silently took another core, repeating the process from before. The moment he finished; the giant puppy sprung up to try to take his share.

"Be patient, big guy. Arachne told me whose idea it was to go off without telling me. At Least behave this time." Noah addressed Fenrir this time. Unlike Arachne, Fenrir wasn’t someone who would continually allow someone to command him unless there was a clear rank of authority in their supposed pack; even more so if that person was to deny him food.

The moment Fenrir was reminded of his disobedience, his aggressively eagerness immediately dissipated. His ears and tail sagged while he laid down to show his understanding.

Nothing else had to be said. Noah redirected his attention back to the core. With the process taking only approximately five seconds to finish, the next four cores were quickly made to distribute.

Fenrir displayed his usual lack of restraint. The moment the core reached his mouth, it vanished without a trace, swallowed whole as he eagerly anticipated the next. His eyes glinted with barely contained excitement.

Ailetta calmly just placed the core into one of the mouths within her body. Her eyes closed as she speculated about the sensations brought about the energy being released.

"Papa doesn’t eat." Eve called out to Noah as she saw him trying to get Diablo’s attention. "He eats what I eat." She added on after Noah glanced her way, her way of explaining initially confusing him even more. But then he remembered the bond that the two shared; if their mana was tied in such a way, then the mana and the effects absorbed by Eve should also direct itself to Diablo.

Knowing that, Noah shrugged it off, placing the orb down to begin the next round of orb creation, stopping when he noticed Eve walk up to him with her hand out.

"I take his?"