Becoming a Monster

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Not Good Enough

”Interesting....” Noah looked with a detached curiosity towards the veins. Even though his vitality was being drained, all he felt was just an unsettling coldness, while his energy levels were slightly lower than before that continued to diminish at a snail’s pace.

”Yes, very interesting,” Ailetta’s voice emerged on his side, her many eyes edging closer to different areas that his body was being siphoned from while at the same time she was observing the changes within the zombie. Unlike Noah, Ailetta was enjoying herself as she analyzed the new being.

”Whatever she’s absorbing from you, she is able to reabsorb it into herself. But what is it? Noah, what do you feel?”

Although Noah had already theorized what the veins were doing to him, he still closed his eyes to concentrate on the feeling. ”It almost feels as if my life essence is being drained, but!” Noah held out one of his spider legs in front of Ailetta to stop her from acting on the dangerous impulse he saw flicker in her eyes.

”I doubt it’s my lifespan, it’s more like my energy that she’s drawing from it instead of the essence itself. With this little amount that’s being drained, it’s no threat to me at all. Even now, only 1 percent of my health actually went down.”

Ailetta’s aura simmered down, but her expression remained intense as she leaned closer to inspect the veins connecting the two. ”There has to be more to it...Unless this isn’t her true ability, that her mutation is based off of...Wait!” The volume of her voice rose as she inspected the zombie further. ”Her veins...they’re glowing...but what does that mean?”

With her question, all of Ailetta’s appendaged eyes snapped towards Noah. ”Is it possible to command her to show us something else?”

During their entire conversation, the zombie in question never once tried to attack Ailetta, nor did she attempt to try to take a bite out of Noah. It was as if draining Noah of his energy took precedence of everything else.

”That’s because you’re not the one experiencing it,” Noah dismissively shook his head before he pointed towards one of the areas where the intruding veins were. ”If you look closely enough, you can see that the veins are constantly moving, but it’s not because they’re trying to spread....they are trying to penetrate deeper into me. Who knows how strong the drain would be if she was successful. But...”

Noah looked towards the growling zombie. Her glowing eyes weren’t looking at anything in the room; clearly, she was zoned into her unusual ’feeding’.

But then Noah activated his Chimeric Predation on her, forcing the zombie to not only stop in her actions but even withdrawing her veins from within him. Her low level made it incredibly easy for Noah to completely put her under his orders for the full duration of his skill that was prolonged further because of his abundant spirit.

”What else are you hiding?” Noah muttered aloud while ordering the creature to perform another ability. He could only hope that the ability she showed next would clarify the questions they had concerning her true potential.

A low, unintelligible noise emanated from her throat, her face staring intently towards Noah; not at his face, but more particularly towards the series of holes and damaged skin created by her. She started to advance forward, her veins receding back within herself, making the pulsating glow in her veins more apparent than before.

Her skin started to change, once pale, it almost undertook a translucent undertone, gaining a small ethereal visual about her. The transformation piqued Noah’s interest, making him engaged once more in what she could do.

However, as curious as he was, the anticipation was squashed by the sight of her bloodied tears resurfacing once more. No matter how grand the skill, he just couldn’t see himself being able to gloss over such an annoyance factor.

By the time she reached him, she had spread out her arms in the display of embracing him. Noah glanced toward Ailetta, whose expression was one of gleeful curiosity, her eyes practically drinking in every detail of the zombie’s new state, even ignoring the fact that the zombie was trying to embrace him in her arms.

As the zombie wrapped her arms around him, Noah’s body tensed. Her grip, far stronger than necessary, felt as though it could crush an ordinary person with ease. Despite the apparent desire for intimacy in her actions, it was clear that the creature had no control over her strength. The crushing embrace wasn’t malicious, but rather a symptom of her uncontrollable transformation; an embodiment of the sorrow and regret she had carried in life, perhaps as a failed mother, now twisted into this form.

His thoughts lingered on this theory, but only briefly. He could feel a shift within the creature; her skill had activated. A surge of vitality flowed from her into him, though it was a strange sensation. Noah glanced down at the zombie, noting how the ethereal glow in her veins and translucent skin was fading, slowly reverting back to its former, more human appearance. The transformation was puzzling, and even as the energy continued to flow into him, he felt no discernible difference in his physical or mental state.

Noah frowned, his body flinching, desiring to push the zombie away. But his arms continued to stay by his side. He could only think to himself that he had already committed to this, then he might as well see it out to the end.

Soon, the changes were coming towards an end, but before the zombie removed herself, Noah forcibly pushed her away, throwing her into the opposite wall.

”Don’t look at me like that...The control is over. I didn’t want her putting those things into me again.”

Ailetta giggled seeing the way Noah behaved. The two then turned their attention to the zombie, who was struggling to pick herself up.

”So, is that it?” Ailetta asked, confused and somewhat let down at not seeing anything worth the buildup she was expecting. What she now disliked the most were experiments that didn’t bring out substantial results.

Noah also felt the same way, but as the zombie made her way on her feet, Noah’s expression turned to one of surprise for the first time. Without saying a word, his instincts took over. His hand shot out, releasing a web that spread out in a wide cone, expertly latching onto the zombie’s upper chest and anchoring her against the wall. The sudden action startled Ailetta, but she quickly recovered and followed after him as he approached the zombie with purposeful strides.

”What is it?” Ailetta asked, her voice filled with anticipation. ”Did she do something?”

Noah didn’t answer immediately; his focus remained on the zombie, specifically the same areas that were eerily similar to something else. His gaze then went to his own body, observing the areas that the zombie had embedded her veins into him.

”Le, look at her wounds and look at mine.” Ailetta didn’t hesitate. She immediately shifted her focus, her many eyes darting between the zombie’s body and Noah’s. Her curiosity flared, but it was the sudden understanding that widened her eyes. The revelation sent a shiver of excitement through her.

”Did she replace your injuries?” Ailetta muttered at first, her tone laced with disbelief. But then, after a closer inspection, she shook her head. ”No, that’s not quite it. It’s more like she took on your injuries, but while doing so, she healed you with the energy she absorbed from you.”

Noah’s expression darkened as the pieces started falling into place.

”That’s why she cries...”

Ailetta looked at him in confusion, her many eyes narrowing slightly. ”What do her tears have to do with healing?” she asked, clearly not making the same connection Noah had.

”The ability to take on someone else’s wounds, her tears...I bet her ability before she was turned was this one. But considering that her last child turned, I’m guessing that the injuries she could heal were only physical.”

Ailetta’s eyes widened as realization dawned, but Noah’s voice grew colder, more detached. ”If this is it, if her ability is just taking on wounds, then having her around isn’t worth it. Sure, it’s a useful skill when we’re in battle, but what happens when we don’t need it? When there are no injuries for her to heal? Or worse, what if the injury is beyond what she could heal? This skill isn’t useful for someone as weak as her.”

He shifted his gaze back to the zombie, whose feral expression hadn’t changed. Now that he realized it, he finally understood what her eyes entailed, the glow that held nothing else within them.

”Even after becoming a zombie, you still remain a hollow shell. But at least with your death, you will at least be useful.”

Noah’s resolve was as sharp as the spider leg he swiftly thrust into the zombie’s glowing eyes. The moment his appendage pierced through, the light in her eyes flickered out instantly. She collapsed lifelessly at his feet, her body finally at rest.

A strange silence followed, as if the room itself acknowledged the end of the pitiful existence she had been forced into.

Ailetta, who had been observing the entire scene, tilted her head slightly. Her excitement from earlier had faded, replaced by mild intrigue and perhaps a touch of disappointment. She didn’t speak, though; there was nothing more to be said.