Becoming a Monster

Chapter 17 Cant Catch A Break

It began to apply pressure on all of its back legs before using the rest of its reserved strength to pounce towards its target who was unaware the entire time as Derrick was enjoying watching the thorn in his heart squirm.

”AHHHHHMOTHE-crying*I-IT HUUUURSSTSSS!”

The enlarged Derrick could be seen rolling back and forth on the ground holding his private area. The amount of blood showed just how forcibly his blessing was ripped from him, it continued to gush uncontrollably on himself and the ground. His cries permeated in the air, causing anyone to hear it to feel uncomfortable.

And for those, specifically males who looked over, it made them feel a subtle pain in ʼthatʼ area while they felt a small knot build up in their stomachs.

Derrick was far too preoccupied torturing Noah in the palm of his hands that he left out any room for his body to react. A jumping spider is known to be able to jump 10-50x its body length and the spider before it was by no means small. To only have to jump a few feet to reach him happened in less than a second.

All Derrick felt was prickly hairy legs pressing against his body when it collided into him, causing him to almost fall backwards. Just as fast as he felt the impact, he faced something else far worse than he could ever endure. First there was the initial pain of the spiderʼs enormous fang sinking into his privates before it was ripped off with an unbelievable amount of force. Not only was it ripped off from the base, but even the surrounding skin on his pelvis followed along with it. Itʼs already a miracle that the shock of the pain alone didnʼt cause him to faint. Or maybe itʼs more of a miracle that he was still conscious?

”Huff..huff…huff…” Noah took a moment to catch his breath. If it wasnʼt for his increased constitution then he wouldʼve been a goner. He felt that any longer and his bones would give if Derrick wouldʼve been serious from the start.

The first thing Noah took notice of was the estranged Derrick still madly tumbling about. The scene of an overly muscled man crying so deliriously made him want to chuckle but then when he turned his gaze towards his companion who was happily feeding on a sausage…His eyes winced and he felt a shiver creep down his spine. He quickly shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the disturbing and disgusting image.

He wasnʼt serious when he told the spider it would be delicious and yet the spider treated it as if his words were actually truthful. He felt that he may have created a disturbing fetish within the spider. He prayed to the poor souls out there.

Struggling to pick himself up from the aching pain in his body, especially in his left arm that was now completely stiff and uncomfortable. He slowly made his way to retrieve his bag that he left on the ground earlier and his two weapons.

He couldnʼt properly use his other arm so he placed the mallet into his bag as well and left the sword in his right. Not only did he need the sword to fend off the zombies and the like in the vicinity, but more importantly he needed it to tie up some loose ends.

While he was returning to Derrick, he realized two things. One, Derrick didnʼt appear to be suffering as much anymore, and two, that girl from earlier was by his side with her hands placed over his body.

ʼHmm? Is she a healer too?ʼ He questioned as he continued to walk towards them. He could notice a faint green light originating from her hands and an even fainter light overlaying Derricks body. He wasnʼt sure how to feel about the situation or exactly how to address the two. He was feeling cheated…this would be the time to claim his prize which was currently Derrick. His curiosity was dying to know if humans gave experience and drops, not to mention that Derrick just attempted to kill him not too long ago.

Heʼs already killed ʼgod knows how many zombiesʼ, whatʼs the difference between killing a monster and a human? I guess to Noah, the only difference would be that they can beg. But heʼs lived enough of a tragic life to understand that humans are no different than monsters. Especially the monsters that are good at playing human.

He decided to deal with it as it comes, heʼs already feeling drained, he didnʼt want to spend extra time overthinking things.

It seemed Isabelle finally became aware of Noah approaching them. When she saw him leaving, she sighed in relief before she made her way to Derrick. She assumed everything was finally over, but seeing him approaching and with a sword for that matter, she realized that he was coming back to finish what they started. Originally she wanted to see Derrick in pain, either emotionally or physically, she felt he deserved that much for hurting her. But she didnʼt want him to die!

She was starting to feel light headed after healing Derrick as much as she could. She wasnʼt a gamer, nor was she a reader of fantasy stories so she couldnʼt relate her drowsiness to her lack of mana. In her tired state it made Noah appear more sinister in her eyes when she saw him approaching, covered in dried blood, disheveled hair, covering one of his eyes while his other eye that exhibited nothing but emptiness, gazed into hers.

The only thought in her mind was to run away, but her hands wouldnʼt leave Derrickʼs body who was now only moaning in pain. Thatʼs when a change occurred in Derrick which made not only Noah pause in his steps but it also helped to stabilize her mind so she could think accordingly. The skill seemed to finally deactivate, returning his body back to his original size, but after the changes finally resided, Noah could see why the skill was so overpowered. The side effect was too overbearing. Derrickʼs breathing became more labored and his skin became extremely pale, Noah could still make out the purple veins in his body that seemed to squirm. Derrick appeared extremely feeble in the state he was in now, no one knew how long he would be in that state. Seeing Derrick appearing so vulnerable in front of Isabelle instilled a desire to protect him even more. She doesnʼt know why he treated her in such a way but seeing him in that condition brought about all the warm memories she cherished with him.

”Noo…yo-you…I wonʼt let you hurt him anymore.” finding the strength to preserve, she stood up staggeringly and stood in front of his body to intercede Noah.

The action of defending a loved one when she herself was abandoned by him caused Noah to feel an uneasy feeling build within him. He was a little envious, perhaps jealous that humans could find solace within each other yet he was always treated so harshly. Staring at her determined posture began to make him irritated with the situation.

”A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. He tried to kill me and yet because you said no, Iʼm supposed to just let it go? Wake up, actions now come with consequences, decided by the ones with the strength to dish out the punishments and you two are looking pretty weak right now.”

His words, alongside his appearance and gigantic spider caused Isabelle to falter as she took a step back. Her mind has yet come to terms with the new reality, thereʼs no laws and no system to protect the weak. Tears dropped down her face while she held back her need to cry. She just couldnʼt believe that someone could kill another human being so unjustly, she didnʼt want to believe it.

”B-but Derrick isnʼt like that…r-right! We could give you money! Annn-And, ohh! I can heal wounds! I can heal you and your spi-spider if you leave him alone…please…”

She was beginning to become desperate. When she spoke about money, she could see the amount of disinterest in his expression. Then she noticed his arm that laid on his side and the spider, who not only received cuts and bruises, but was also missing a few parts of its legs. She felt this was a really attempting offer. A glimmer of hope reached her eyes when it seemed as if Noah was contemplating on the matter.

ʼUrgh…why canʼt everything just be simple…wait! What if I just kill him and then force her to heal me? Hmmm…no then Iʼll have to get her to calm down over his death, I donʼt think I can do that.ʼ In the middle of his thoughts, Noah looked back between Derrick and his spider who seemed to have finished with his meal and yet! Was bending over another body nearby. He could already guess what it was doing, but let it be for now.

ʼFuck it…Iʼm sure Iʼll just find someone else who deserves to die. With everything thatʼs happening, humans will finally start to show their true colors. Besides, Iʼd rather hunt all the monsters I can sooner and keep getting stronger.

That goal would be a whole lot easier after weʼre both healed up and we-cough! At least ʼIʼ get some food in my belly since someone ate without me.ʼ

He stared towards his spider for a few more seconds before returning to Isabelle, he could now easily make out the sweat flowing down her face from nervousness.

”Ok, Iʼll accept your deal but not here. For now Iʼm heading there.ʼ He pointed towards the direction of the cafeteria that was only a little of half a mile away from them.

He knew his limits and knew that his stamina was running low, he needed to rest.

Knowing that they would be heading to shelter relieved Isabelle, even more so that he actually accepted her plea to not harm Derrick even further.

Her mouth drew a small smile before it wavered when she looked again at the distance towards the cafeteria. She didnʼt know how she would get there carrying Derrick. She wasnʼt exactly strong nor did she put any of her stats into strength. She looked towards Noah with a pleading gaze before her eyes opened up in horror.

”Whatʼs that look for?” He asked vigilantly. He thought she would be happy to not have to stay out here with zombies crawling around them. But then she looked towards him with fear clearly evident in her eyes. It reminded him of the cliché scene where a person gets killed because instead of warning the person, their companions would just look towards them and point.

He quickly turned around, prepared to take care of whatever tried to sneak up on him, but….

”Th-thatʼs cheating! Itʼs cheatinnng!” Noah yelled hysterically when he witnessed what caused so much fear in the woman.

Approximately 50 yards away from them he could make out a gigantic dark figure. It towered about 8 feet high as it stood facing away from them and stood over the corpses of zombies in the like. It was most likely the reason why he hadnʼt heard any people nearby or why zombies didnʼt approach them yet.

Still, he didnʼt know what it was until it stretched out its sides that were almost twice as long as its body. The sight was mesmerizing…until he figured out what it was.

”Itʼs a goddamn bird! We gotta go, hey! Stop eating dummy!”

Noah didnʼt know what kind of bird it was, but that didnʼt matter. All he needed to know was the bird was a carnivore and it was HUGE. He wasnʼt determined to try his luck with it at all. He wanted to quickly get away, but his companion was preoccupied. It only further irritated him because spiders are supposed to always be vigilant right? How could the spider he tamed be such a foodie?

”W-WAIT! I…I canʼt carry him on my own…”