Becoming a Monster

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Unbounding the System

Noah found himself entranced by not only her transformation, but the power emanating from her, which felt much stronger than before. Deep down, he sensed that something else changed about her, not from her appearance, but he felt it in the depths of his soul, which was merged with hers.

”No-Noah?” Her voice, barely a whisper, sounded more haunting and raspy than before. The air around her seemed to ripple with unease. Even Ailetta appeared to sense the difference within herself, as a fit of coughing overtook her, as though she was struggling to clear something from her throat. She opened her mouth to speak again but suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in a flash of realization.

Noah watched as the imprints where her eyes should have been shifted. Slowly, they solidified, the faint outlines of human features growing into fully formed eyes, perfectly in place but smaller than their counterparts scattered across her body. The same happened where her mouth should have been, its outline forming into a smaller version of the gaping mouths spread across her form. It was as if her body was trying to remember its old shape.

Her human placed eyes blinked, though they were unsynchronized in their actions. Her face scrunched as she tightly closed both eyes before widely opening them again; successfully performing a proper blink as she shifted her body upright to speak once more.

”Noah...something unexpected happen....I no longer have a system...” She spoke with a somewhat confused tone; her voice and expression lacked the discomposure one might show at losing something so valuable, yet she was only mildly inconvenienced by the question of why it happened. Her gazes already flickering with curiosity, as if contemplating the implications of such a change.

Noah found himself lost, feeling as if he misheard her. He waited for her to clarify, but she continued to look towards him for his response, prompting him to ask for clarity himself. ”What do you mean you no longer have a system? Everyone has a sys-” At his own words, his head swiveled towards Arachne, who appeared more aware of what was happening.

”Arachne, do you have a system?” Noah felt his body heating up from an uncovered truth. There wasn’t any significance to whatever answer he was given, but deep down he always wondered about what exactly was the system, and he found himself questioning it even more after receiving Alietta’s revelation.

Arachne’s reply was delayed. She found herself looking around her, hoping that maybe she was overlooking this ’system’ somewhere. ”.....What’s a system?”

Noah found himself pausing, trying to find the right words. ”You know...that thing that you can see when you close your eyes. Sometimes it shows you your skills, and other other times it explains things that happen to....you?” He trailed off, the explanation becoming muddled as he spoke. A sudden realization hit him—how could a creature like Arachne have a system if she couldn’t even read? It was a thought he had never considered before, and he felt foolish for not questioning it earlier.

His mind raced back to Ailetta’s earlier revelation: the system really was imprinted only on human souls. But if that was true, then how...?

”No, Le, that doesn’t make sense,” he muttered, shaking his head in denial. The concept was slipping through his fingers, leaving him more bewildered than ever. He didn’t want to disbelieve her, but it was too much to process all at once.

Ailetta, however, seemed to have no trouble accepting it. Her head tilted to the side, her expression unreadable, through her eyes glimmered with an almost childlike curiosity.

”Well, it makes sense to me, Noah. If the system was merged with our souls, and what you did somehow got rid of my system, then that would mean your presence took its place. You became what the system used to be.” A mischievous smile spread across her face. ”If anything... you’re now my system. Hmm... I kinda like the sound of that!”

Her tone was light, almost playful, but the gravity of Ailetta’s words hit Noah with unexpected force. He stared down at his hand, his mind racing with the realization of what he had just done—and what it meant to possess such power. The magnitude of it all felt overwhelming, but instead of fear or doubt, he felt a surge of exhilaration. His gaze drifted upward, to the sky and beyond the clouds, as his thoughts fixated on the one responsible for setting him on this path.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Noah’s lips, the brief flicker of a thought passing through his mind. That smirk grew wider, transforming into a full-blown grin before a deep, uncontrollable laughter erupted from him, echoing through the ruined landscape.

”Why didn’t I realize it sooner?” he said between bursts of laughter. ”The Fallen? A god-like existence? The ability to make my own Fallen? I called myself a devil, but never would I have believed I was so close to the truth.”

Though Noah’s laughter bordered on delirious, Ailetta watched him with calm, unflinching eyes. She didn’t question his sanity for a moment. She could feel it, the doubt that had once gnawed at him was gone. In its place was a sharp clarity, an unwavering confidence that resonated through the bond they shared.

She watched as Noah placed his hand over his Nexus, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Ailetta could sense it—he had found his true path to power, a way to exist in the world with unchallenged freedom. His devilish smile began to fade as something crossed his mind, something he had nearly forgotten.

His gaze shifted toward Arachne, studying her from head to toe, lingering a little longer on the floating strands of eyes surrounding her.

”So, this change... does that mean...” he started, leaving the thought unfinished.

”Yes,” Ailetta interrupted eagerly, excitedly finishing his sentence. ”Now that my soul is no longer bound by the system, I was able to undergo an evolution.”

Noah’s eyes flickered with curiosity, wanting to see for himself what she had become. Yet, a reluctance held him back—he didn’t want to keep ignoring her. Sensing his inner conflict, Ailetta smiled softly.

”Noah, I know you want to check. Go ahead,” she said, her voice both reassuring and playful. ”And while you’re at it, check my skills too. I’m sure my abilities will surprise you.”

Her words only deepened his intrigue, but her awareness for his desires touched him more as he gave her a warm smile before closing his eyes.

[Player: Ailetta

Race: Abyssalith Mire

Class: Abyssalith Mire

Lvl: 10

Exp: 15,720/25,600

Health:100%

Stamina:100%

Mana: 770/770

Attributes

Strength: 90(164)

Agility: 110(167)

Constitution: 220(343)

Stamina: 130>(197)

Magic: 385

Spirit: 290 +69]

[Threaded Gaze of Prophecy(Lvl 0)- Perceive the flow of time a tenth of a second faster with your eyes. Using 5 mana per second to activate and maintain the skill. However each eye costs 5 individual mana to activate and maintain. For each eye that is activated, the flow of time is amplified by a tenth of a second more.

Abyssal Spawn(Lvl 0)- Channels abyssal energies to release a swarm of necroslimes from within her form. Each slime consumes 1 mana upon release. The duration of each slime’s activation can be extended by spending additional mana, with 1 mana spent extending its activation by 1 minute, during which time her mana is not restored. Having the slime return can allow you to reclaim the remaining mana stored. Additionally, each slime that actively controls a corpse consumes 10% of the total mana spent to create it per minute to maintain its necromantic control. These slimes can only be used to control beings that are weaker than the user.

Channeling the stronger slimes within you, forming abyssal slimes that retain its ability to devour and merge. And able to control corpses that are even stronger than you. Each slime consumes 5 mana upon release, its duration being extended by spending additional mana. With 2 mana spent to extend its time by one minute. 15% of the total mana spent to create it per minute for maintaining control. These slimes can be used on creatures even stronger than the user and allows for the use of your skill

Abyssal Assimilation(Lvl 0)- Abyssal slimes imbue the corpses they control with an eerie, necrotic power, allowing them to devour and merge with other corpses controlled by other abyssal slimes after consuming an additional 50 mana to initiate the merge. Upon merging, the combined undead form grows stronger, enhancing its physical power, durability, and resistance to damage. The process also consolidates the mana cost, making the combined entity more efficient to control.

Each successful assimilation increases the size and strength of the resulting undead, with its stats scaling based on the quality of the corpses absorbed. However, merging too many corpses may result in an unstable form, potentially causing it to collapse or rebel if not carefully managed.

Eternal Divide(Lvl 0)- Split your gelatinous form into two fully autonomous bodies, each sharing your consciousness and abilities. Both bodies act independently but are mentally connected, allowing you to see, hear, and control both forms simultaneously. Should one body be destroyed, your consciousness instantly retreats to the surviving body, allowing you to continue without experiencing full death.

Each split body retains a portion of your overall power, dividing your stats and mana equally between them. The split is temporary, costing 50 mana to activate, with a time limit based on how long her mana can sustain the division, consuming 5 mana per minute from each split for. Once the time limit is reached or if she chooses to end the skill early, the two bodies merge back into one, fully restoring her form.

Abyssal Molding(Lvl 0)- Gains the ability to further solidify and reshape her gelatinous slime form, allowing her to weaponize her body in various ways. She can harden her slime to the toughness of rock, sharpen her form akin to razor-sharp blades, or create blunt, durable appendages. The strength and effectiveness of these forms are directly tied to her physical attributes. Consumes stamina to create and maintain forms.

Phantom Strikes(Lvl 0)- Channel energy through your form, enabling you to enhance the reaction speed and momentum of your extended appendages beyond what your normal agility will allow. Channeling 50 mana to temporarily increase the strike speed and reaction by 100% of your base agility for 10 seconds.

Mirebound Elasticity(Lvl 0)-Slimes benefit from a portion of your Constitution, enhancing it by 20% of the user’s own constitution, only applied while actively controlling a corpse. This enhancement makes the slimes more durable and harder to destroy, allowing them to maintain control over their corpses for longer durations and withstand more damage. The slimes’ structure becomes tougher and more elastic, making them resistant to physical attacks and enabling them to reform after being damaged.

Necrotic Resurgence(Lvl 0)-Convert your mana reserves into stamina, consuming 10 mana to convert over to 1% total stamina, replenishing lost stamina to sustain prolonged combat.

Abyssal Absorption(Lvl 0)- Absorb excess mana from your fusion abyssal slimes when they return to you, not only replenishing your mana but also increasing your total mana reserves. Absorbs up to 10% of the excess mana they contain. Overuse of the ability can cause instability in magic.

Abyssal Longevity(Lvl 0)- Manipulate your abyssal energies to extend the duration of all your active skills by one-fourth of their original limitations. Consuming 30 mana that cannot stack with itself, nor will activating again extend its timer.]

By this time, Noah was used to seeing abilities that threatened the balance of power. Even then, he found himself slightly mortified of Ailetta’s abilities. It wasn’t that her individual skills gave her an outrageous amount of power. It was how well her skills synchronized with one another. He realized that if given enough time, her magic has the potential to even out grow his own.

”Fuuffufu,” Ailetta found herself joyfully chuckling towards Noah’s awed expression. His slightly gapped mouth closed as he irritably looked towards her amused smile. Her smile widened all the more seeing his face as she cheerfully responded. ”I told you you’d be surprised, maybe we were wrong all this time...Perhaps I’m the main character.” Her laughter was boosted even more as she hinted towards one of their many running jokes of their pastimes when they used to read their stories together.

Her words, and her joy caused Noah’s irritability to be replaced with a warm smile, finding himself slightly chuckling aloud.