Becoming a Monster

Chapter 468: Chapter 467: The Blood Trials

The days that followed passed quickly as Noah took on the task of strengthening the two leaders.

For five days, his attention was focused almost entirely on them.

He chose to rely on only one method.

His blood.

The decision served two purposes. First, he believed his blood could help build a stronger foundation for what he had planned for them. Whatever changes he intended to guide them toward would require bodies capable of enduring greater strain, and his blood had already proven capable of accelerating growth and adaptation in those connected to him.

Second, he wanted to carefully observe the results.

The creatures bonded to him, and even the subordinates beneath those creatures, could hardly be considered normal anymore. Their growth had already been heavily influenced by numerous factors.

The cats and dogs were different.

Compared to the others, they were still close to what could be considered ordinary beasts. Their growth had not yet been altered by the same layers of influence.

If Noah wanted to understand the limits of what his blood could truly accomplish, then they provided the clearest comparison he could ask for.

So for five days, he treated them differently from the others.

Their food was provided for them so they would not waste energy hunting. Their watch duties were reassigned to other creatures so their attention could remain on training and recovery. Every variable that could slow their progress was removed.

All Noah asked in return was that they endure.

The results were apparent as early as the next day.

Both Dog and Alexandria were already strong enough to defeat nearly any individual opponent when sparring within the group. However, as the fights continued, the differences between them gradually became clear.

They were not similar fighters at all.

Alexandria relied on speed and her calm responses. Against a single opponent, she was extremely difficult to deal with, as her ability to move through shadows allowed her to appear and disappear in ways that most creatures could barely react to. Her movements were surprisingly calculated, and she rarely wasted effort on unnecessary exchanges.

However, the strength of that ability also revealed its limitations.

The mana required to traverse shadows placed a heavy burden on her reserves, and the distance between shadows, as well as their size, had a significant impact on how efficiently she could move. Large shadows provided stability and allowed her to reposition without excessive strain, but smaller shadows forced her to expend far more energy.

Fighting within areas with deep or wide shadows increased her advantage. But when forced into prolonged confrontations against multiple opponents, the strain began to accumulate quickly, and her reserves could fall at an alarming rate.

Despite that weakness, her ability carried another advantage.

When facing a single opponent, Alexandria could attack their shadow directly. The strikes caused no visible damage to the shadow itself, nor did it inflicted harmful damage to the owner of that shadow. Yet the interaction carried over to the body it was connected to. A claw passing through the shadow of a limb could force the limb to falter, while a strike across the shadow of a torso could disrupt balance or breathing.

Against a lone enemy, the ability was extremely effective.

Dog, on the other hand, fought in a completely different manner.

Unlike Alexandria, who used shadows as an ally, Dog relied on light.

As a creature that constantly radiated holy energy, it would have been easy to assume that his abilities would focus on supporting others by healing or strengthening nearby allies. However, that was not how his power manifested.

Dog excelled in prolonged fights.

The holy energy within his body functioned less like a weapon and more like a constant reinforcement. His stamina was extraordinarily high, and his recovery rate allowed him to continue fighting long after others were catching their second wind.

At first glance, that advantage seemed significant enough to place him above Alexandria in overall strength.

But the reality was more complicated.

Aside from his endurance and regeneration, the rest of his capabilities remained fairly average. His strength was respectable but not overwhelming, and his speed was steady rather than exceptional.

When facing multiple opponents, Dog could outlast them through sheer persistence, yet he often lacked the means to end those fights quickly.

Where Alexandria relied on measured timing and overwhelming pressure against a single target, Dog relied on durability and persistence.

And it was under the influence of Noah’s blood that the two finally began to improve.

During the first day, even though they still struggled, their bodies were noticeably different. Both of them improved in ways that appeared to compensate for their weaknesses. Alexandria’s stamina was noticeably higher than before. The strain from using her shadows didn’t improve, but even without relying on her abilities, she remained active in fights longer than before.

Dog’s improvements were less subtle. His speed and strength were a notch higher than they were before, so much so that no one could risk ever putting him into a one vs one scenario.

By the third day, the change was no longer confined to what they lacked.

Their bodies had begun adapting to Noah’s blood. Their muscle density increased, and their reaction speed sharpened.

It was as if their foundation was now at a position where his blood began to focus on strengthening their assets.

Alexandria’s mana reserves were steadily growing, and her control over her ability to shift through shadows was night and day. It wasn’t the amount of times that she could traverse through shadows that was significant, but the speed at which she executed the movement.

Dog was nearly the same. Their mana reserves grew from both Noah’s blood and the territory’s influence. His aura emitted strong intervals of holy energy whenever he was injured. Wounds healed faster than before, while his stamina continued to rise alongside it.

With their growth, their group’s spars had changed directions. The two were too influential during the fights and now had to confront each other from the start.

By the fifth day, the balance was so one-sided that the battles were decided through their clash alone. Whoever won guaranteed the outcome of the battle, making their group clashes no longer meaningful for the two of them.

And now with the five days passing. The next day, Noah started the next process.

Currently, there was a large audience crowded around the center of their domain.

Everyone was watching what Noah was about to do next as Fenrir stood by his side and Dog sat across from them. His tail moved slowly across the ground while his eyes remained fixed on the great wolf. The anticipation in his posture was impossible to miss.

Noah had gained enough information from these days to understand just how powerful his blood really was.

But he also understood its limits.

In these five days. Both Alexandria and Dog were stronger. Stronger than any other cat or dog could compare. But at the same time, they were only as strong as to now contend with a hobgoblin, and that was only if they fought together.

If given more time.

Weeks, months, a year of giving them his blood, there was no telling how strong they would become. But Noah always believed time was against him.

And precisely because he felt that way, he didn’t feel that their current growth was enough.

If he continued like this, Dog and Alexandria would grow stronger over time. Weeks, months, or even a year of steady strengthening would undoubtedly turn them into powerful beasts.

But Noah had never believed that time was something he possessed in abundance.

Waiting for slow growth was never an option.

That was why today was different.

Noah had already considered another method.

His gaze drifted briefly toward Fenrir.

At first, he had thought about relying on his Soulforge ability. The fused shaman’s soul was still within him, and Noah had continued strengthening it little by little each day. If necessary, he could use it on either Alexandria or Dog, but not only were the soul’s abilities incompatible with them, its essence was too.

Their bodies, their instincts, even the type of energy they relied on were fundamentally different. Forcing that power onto them could possibly create a powerful creature, but with unstable growth.

So Noah had set that option aside. And that’s where Fenrir comes in.

Fenrir’s soul and spirit have improved to the point that he can now add an additional member to his pack.

And between Alexandria and Dog, Noah felt that Dog was the best choice.

As for Alexandria. Both Ailetta and Noah had made the decision to find an appropriate soul for her.

Fenrir stepped forward at Noah’s signal.

Dog remained where he was, watching as Fenrir closed the distance between them. He tried to remain calm, but Fenrir’s presence made it hard to.

Fenrir lowered his head.

His jaws were far larger than Dog’s, and when the bite came, it forced Dog to endure the pressure of fangs that seemed capable of piercing nearly a fourth of his body.

Dog whimpered from the pain, but his gaze remained strong. The holy aura around him surged violently for a moment as the power clashed with Fenrir’s venom within him, and gradually stabilized.

Dog’s body trembled as the energy moved deeper into his body.

His muscles began to convulse, hair falling out in piles. And the glowing whites of his eyes produced a violet vertical pupil.

Alexandria could only enviously watch as Dog began to change into something greater.