Becoming a Monster

Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Desires Finally Obtained

”This complicates things....” Noah became lost in a trance, his only hand resting on his chin while he stared off into the distance. Ever since he encountered that entity inside him, everything felt like a race against time. Any strength he achieved or his creatures achieved felt incomparable when he imagined taking that thing on one day. He needed a plan, a plan to secure steady growth for him and the others.

Reflecting upon his own strength, everything he was able to achieve were because of two skills; his taming skill, and his chimera trait. Although the skills he gained from his two merged genetic traits, those skills were, in the end, only obtainable because of that very trait.

If he wanted to continue to get stronger than his first thoughts should be on leveling up those two skills. And thinking of those skills, Noah thought about the four skills he had upgraded previously;

[Infectious Leader (Lvl 1): This skill now costs 9 mana per use, allowing him to command a target for 1-15 seconds. If fully utilized, it could control a lesser bloodline zombie for 10 minutes at the expense of 90 mana.

Eternal Vassal (Lvl 1): This ability granted him the capacity to command an additional vessel in his retinue.

Undying Vigor(Lvl 1)- Restore stamina by 2% every five minutes, increasing the effect by 2 percent for every subordinate affected by the skills, Infectious Leader and Eternal Vassal.

DeathLords Domain (Lvl 1): Boosted his aura’s strength by 15% and extended its range to 20 meters, enhancing his presence in battle.

Sovereign Devourer (Lvl 1): Provided a 20% power boost for two hours when fully satiated, while also replenishing 20% of his mana and stamina reserves.]

He had believed that the upgraded the skills of his genetic traits would be the condition to prompt the level up for his genetic synergy skill, allowing him to ingest and merge with another creature’s genetics. But now he realized his assumption was wrong. The 50% progression he had seen previously was only there because he had met the requirement of upgrading two of one of his traits skills to level one. The other requirement was to achieve the same with his second trait, but even now he had yet to upgrade any of his spider skills.

Noah understood that as long he was able to obtain another genetic trait then his power would inevitably sore, far higher than what it was now. And as his thoughts dug deeper, he realized that his monster evolutionist class synergized very well with his chimera trait. Currently both of his genetic traits were traits that were obtained from his tamed creatures, and they had gone through further metamorphosis because of his ability to continually spur mutations within them.

And as he remembered, as long as his creatures continued to mutate, while also increasing their bloodline, that would also mean...

”Even without another trait, I can still receive a power-up,” he muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with menacing intent. His aura pulsed with anticipation, unsettling those around him.

His gaze shifted toward Fenrir and Arachne, who were still hard at work. They misinterpreted his intense stare, assuming he was dissatisfied with their efforts, and quickened their pace. However, Noah’s thoughts weren’t on their current tasks but on the possibilities their evolved bloodlines would offer him. He was fantasizing about how his own skills would mutate, evolving into something far more powerful when he integrated their new traits into himself.

Since their bloodlines were only mutations of their originals, Noah was confident that he wouldn’t lose his skill level progression as he had before. This allowed them to have high expectations for his skills that would also become stronger mutations of themselves.

Recalling Fenrir’s skills, Noah couldn’t help going back over Arachne’s skills before he went through with his impulsive plan.

[Player: Arachne

Race: Dreadweaver Empress

Class: Dreadweaver Empress

Subclass: Rogue

Lvl: 11

Exp: 12,700/25,600

Health:100%

Stamina:100%

Mana: 296/296

Attributes

Strength: 101>202(261)

Agility: 200>400(446)

Constitution: 50>100(185)

Stamina: 63>126(179)

Magic: 74>148

Spirit: 100>200

Majesty’s Chimera Legacy (Lvl 0): Harness your regal authority to birth powerful chimeric spiders, each a formidable blend of the creatures you have consumed. By laying an egg infused with your collected genetic essence and mana, you can spawn spiders of varying ranks and capabilities, reflecting the potency of your past meals and the mana invested in their creation. The skill’s effectiveness grows with your mastery, unlocking additional ranks and enhancing the spiders’ attributes.

Spawnlings: Produced with 1-50 mana. Basic chimeric spiders with foundational traits.

Minor Spiders: Produced with 51-100 mana. Enhanced spiders with improved attributes and abilities.

Normal Spiders: Produced with 101-150 mana. Advanced spiders with significant enhancements and specialized traits.

Each creature has free will of their own, their experience is not shared with their creator, nor must they follow their creator’s will if treated poorly.

Imperious Edict(Lvl 0)- Arachne can crush the strength of any who dare to rise against her. Her enemies are seen as heretics who must be brought to submission. For each enemy opposing Arachne, she can decrease one stat by 30% if that stat surpasses her own. Those of the same bloodline or genetic origin who betray her will have two different stats decreased instead. Not only will the effects stats be decreased but 15% of the decreased stats will be transferred to you for the duration of the ability.

The skill consumes 25 mana, while the debuff lasts for five minutes. If the debuff is resisted, the duration and the effect is reduced by half. The effects can no longer be rejected entirely.

Judgment of the Dreadweaver- Arachne weaves her webs with tainted mana, transforming them into instruments of judgment. Those who stand in her way and are deemed guilty of opposing her rule will suffer the consequences. The webs slowly burrow into their flesh, binding them not only physically but metaphysically. When the target’s stats fall below a certain threshold, their sin is exposed, and Arachne’s judgment is executed, delivering a punishment that affects the very core of their being.

Each web costs 5 mana to cast, creating a powerful judgment tether that binds their fate to their sentence.

Once a stat affected by Imperious Edict drops below 50% of Arachne’s corresponding stat, the sentence activates, unleashing a powerful backlash, more punishing than before. Judgements effects last based on the sentence activated.

Those who share the same bloodline or genetic origin will have the Judgment last twice as long.

Weaver of Eternal Damnation- While under the effects of both Imperious Edict and Judgement of the Dreadweaver, the target’s judged stat will be decreased by 1 point per second until the judgment is complete. The degradation can only be resisted by halving the decrease but cannot be resisted entirely by normal means.

Once the stat reaches 50% of its original value, the target must make choice; either submit to the their judgment, ending the continuation of the first two skills, or resist, which will continue the drain at an accelerated rate of 2 points per second while not only resetting the timer for Imperious Edict, but all extending the time by double its original until their sin is fully exposed, leaving them with an almost dire sentence when reaching 30% in their judged stat.

If even their last sentence is resisted, the drain will increase to 4 points per second while also permanently marking the heretic with Imperious Edict permanently until they reach 20%, turning them into a subservient creature under the user’s will.

Endless Corruption(Lvl 2)- Your poison evolves to become a potent and persistent force, continuously sapping the strength of your foes. The poison inflicted by you reduces the target’s body stats by 1 point per second, with a minimum reduction if resisted. Over time, the poisons impact intensifies, increasing in its stat reduction by .1 points pers second for every 10 seconds of continuous exposure.

Queen’s Absolute Domination(Lvl 3)-Your presence instills an overwhelming sense of authority that forces those under your gaze to act in accordance with your will. The disparity between your Spirit and that of the target not only increases the chance of manipulation but also enhances the depth of control you can exert.

Your skill now uses 15 mana to activate, but in exchange you are able to target more than one enemy for each individual your eyes are set to(one target for each eye).

Your effect is no longer just a chance occurrence but a guaranteed influence if the target’s spirit is sufficiently lower than yours. The effect can only influence an action and not control it. Each use against the same target losses its effectiveness upon subsequent uses.

Essence Devourer(Lvl 2)- Forego needing to feed to absorb your food’s essence. As long as a body no longer has a soul, you are able to bite into and absorb the residual vitality of your prey, converting that vitality into your mana reserves. For every 5 percent of vitality that would be absorbed, 2% is replenished instead.

Eternal Sovereignty(Lvl 1)- Both your human and spider halves contain a heart of their own. Not only can you regrow a fully lost limb within 24 hours, but as long as one of the hearts is in contact, your body will never truly die. For each limb and each organ needed to be replaced will still take 24 hours to regrow if fully lost.

Woven Dominion(Lvl1)- Your webs are no longer mere traps or sensory tools—they are an extension of your being, forming an intricate network under your complete control. Every thread weaved into your domain grants you omniscient awareness of movements and interference within its boundaries.

Each web costs 2 mana, allowing you to perceive not just the direction, but also the size, speed, and proximity of anything interacting with your webs.

You can now influence the webs properties remotely by expending an additional one mana for each alteration. Either, tightening the threads, loosening them, or even causing them to produce small amounts of your toxins.

Royal Perception(Lvl 2)-Betrayal, schemes, never ending threats; As an Empress, your perception of danger reaches a new level of acuity. Able to sense threats from greater distances with greater precision while also allowing you to detect even the slightest signs of premeditated danger.

_____________________

Firstly, Noah wasn’t surprised when seeing the percentage increase of her stats compared to Fenrir’s. The material of souls was vastly different, allowing for Arachne’s stats to double.

And also, unlike Fenrir, Arachne’s changes weren’t as drastic as much as they were impressive. But just looking at her appearance and her race, Noah had an inkling that the reason was most likely because her original race was derived from his fallen essence, making it a more dominant bloodline than that of the Queen that he had merged within her. This allowed her to not only retain most of previous appearance, but also retain the essence of her original skills, mutating them into more advanced versions.

But what they did have in common were all of their abilities had gone through a qualitative increase in power. Observing their powers gave Noah a clear indication of what sort of abilities he would acquire after incorporating their new bloodlines within himself.

His urge for more stronger, personal power almost led him to start making his way towards them. His movement faltered, while he deeply sighed towards his own selfishness when he remembered why Ailetta was waiting for him so patiently. Internally, he shivered when seeing those same lovingly smiles still plastered on her face. What made it worse was the fact that she even re-exposed her human face. That smile, paired with such an innocent face made Noah eerily unsettled for reasons he couldn’t explain.

”Oh? Did you forget something?” Ailetta asked him with a tilt of her head. The human placed eyes morphing in crescents that barely showed her eyes. The aura she was emitting was a direct contrast to everything else about her.

In response, Noah caught himself embarrassingly chuckling to himself as he finally started to step closer to her. The moment he took his first few steps, his demeanor instantly changed; his embarrassment, their playful atmosphere vanished. He took every action afterwards with a seriousness that was just as somber as when he rebirthed his creatures.

One of fingernails elongated, showcasing a claw more lethal than a dagger. He used the claw to open his palm that began to quickly draw blood; blood almost pitch black in color if not for the hints of deep red and violet mixed within it. The blood began to collect within the wound, forming one collective drop of blood, a drop that gave a deeper richness in the violet and red hues of his blood. The blood began to radiate a dense halo before releasing an intoxication that was overpowering to all of the senses. Even Ailetta found her vision clouded but the sudden euphoria buildup of his blood.

Both Fenrir and Arachne found themselves frozen in place amidst their self-driven goal. Their eyes snapped onto Noah’s location. Their mouths’ already salivating to the delectable scent.

While at least a mile away, two distinct groups of silhouettes emerged near opposite ends. Each group was led by a presence that was almost on par with the Queen ant before its mutation from Noah’s mana.

The first group consisted of mutated cats of various sizes and auras, but the one at the forefront was the most spectacular. Its form was neither large nor small, but it was darker than darkness itself. Standing still, its figure blended seamlessly with the surrounding shadows, barely distinguishable except for its pure silver eyes. Its body seemed to merge with the shadows cast by the other cats around it.

And then there was the other group, a group that were the cat’s natural enemies. Dogs of various breeds and various sizes were also made up of their numbers. And in the lead, a massive dog, a Dog that was no bigger than when Noah had first obtained Fenrir, stood staring intensely towards the tantalizing smell. Its fur was entirely white, while its eyes glowed like the sun. While his body was showcased in pure muscle, it retained a small mane around its neck that traveled down its chest. The mane’s fur stood up and rooted as if energy was coursing through it.

Both groups desperately wanted to converge on the source of the tantalizing smell, but their instincts were aware that the smell was coming from the dreadful aura of that creature from before. The scent, still lingering in the air, marking that area as its territory.

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Noah wasn’t aware of these two potentially deadly groups, nor did he care, but Raven and the others were aware that creatures roaming around were just as powerful as the Queen, then maybe they would’ve second guessed leaving the base.

As the droplet of blood finally formed, Noah’s stern expression looked warmly towards Ailetta whose body was heaving from pure joy of finally getting what she wanted. She was finally....no...officially, going to become one of Noah’s tamed creatures.