Becoming a Monster

Chapter 470: Chapter 469: A-Rank Dungeon?

The closer the adventurers moved to the wall of roots in the distance, the more the others began to understand what he meant.

At first, it was subtle. But then the pressure became noticeable to them all. There wasn’t a person there who didn’t feel it, because each and every one of them there had felt the sensation before during their missions when they came across a powerful beast.

The forest itself seemed to grow heavier around them. Even the sounds of the creatures that had filled the forest earlier had vanished, leaving only the faint rustling of leaves.

The church members were the first to react properly. Their expressions gradually shifted as they began to sense the presence more clearly. However, it was not the presence itself that alarmed them.

It was the ominous mana behind it.

One of them slowly raised a hand and gripped the pendant hanging from his neck as his gaze sharpened toward the wall of roots.

”That’s not a monster... but it’s not a demon either...” He said quietly.

”No,” the priest from another party responded. ”It feels even darker... This mana isn’t the same one from the readings we were given.”

Several of the adventurers looked toward the two church members at once.

”What do you mean it isn’t the same?” the older man asked.

The cleric shook his head slowly, his grip tightening around the pendant.

”The reports only spoke of fluctuating spikes of mana, but this mana is more than just a spike. It should’ve been impossible to miss.”

The priest’s expression had grown far more serious, while her brows shifted with skepticism.

”That’s what concerns me. How could we have missed something like this?”

If the church had known beforehand that a dark presence of this magnitude existed within Ashenveil Forest, they would’ve ignored the guild altogether.

They would’ve sent out people from the church with higher ranks besides a priest and a cleric.

What they needed was an Inquisitor, someone whose existence was to hunt these kinds of dark beings down.

Or at the very least, a Templar.

The cleric continued studying the oppressive aura pressing against their senses.

”From the strength of that aura alone...” he said quietly, ”whatever is behind that wall is already approaching the level of a demon general.”

The words immediately changed the atmosphere among the adventurers.

Even Roy’s earlier arrogance faltered for a moment.

A demon general was not something an A-Rank party confronted lightly. Such beings commanded entire armies of demons and possessed a strength that was capable of leveling cities if left unchecked.

Every record had shown that a demon general was equivalent to an S-Rank being.

The older man did not appear as shaken as the others. If anything, his gaze lingered on Roy’s back before he finally spoke.

”Even if that’s true, the mission doesn’t change. First, we still need to learn the creature’s intentions.”

The elf from the four-person party gave a small nod of agreement.

”We spoke with the survivors from the forest only a few days ago,” she reminded the group.

”Their account may have sounded doubtful, but that does not mean we should reject it outright.”

Her eyes moved briefly toward the towering wall of roots.

”They may not have been lying when they said the creature saved them.”

Roy let out a dismissive snort.

”Who cares?”

Several heads turned toward him again.

”Even if it saved them, that doesn’t change anything,” he continued with a shrug. ”If it’s a demon, then it should still be killed. Demons shouldn’t coexist with the rest of the world.”

Before anyone else could respond, the tiger beastkin spoke.

”Your cleric just said that it wasn’t a demon.”

His eyes briefly shifted toward his own teammate, as though the cleric’s earlier words had somehow undermined him.

”He said that it wasn’t a demon, but the priest said it was darker than one. That sounds the same to me.”

He slowly turned his gaze back toward the beastkin. The look he gave him carried a faint edge.

”Or what?” Roy added casually. ”Are you trying to tell me we should leave it alone just because it didn’t kill a few people? Don’t forget that those people also said the creature had killed one of their own.”

His grin returned, though this one carried far less humor.

”You’re not starting to sympathize with demons now, are you?”

The beastkin reacted immediately. His lips curled back as his teeth bared in a low snarl, the muscles in his arms tightening around the hilts of his daggers.

Roy’s words had not merely been a question. They had been an accusation.

Everyone knew the history behind it. Beastkin were constantly compared to monsters, a reputation that had been smeared across their entire race by the actions of werewolves over generations. For many humans, the distinction between beastkin and monsters had always been convenient to blur.

The third member of their party, another beastkin, one with the appearance of a bear, stepped slightly forward with a violent stride.

”You know that isn’t what he meant—”

”Enough.”

The older man’s voice interrupted before the situation could escalate any further.

This time, there was no calm patience in his tone.

His gaze settled firmly on Roy. The frustration he had been suppressing until now was finally visible.

”You are letting your pride get ahead of your judgment,” he said steadily, choosing his words carefully to admonish Roy’s actions without outright humiliating him.

”What you are doing right now is no different from jeopardizing the mission,” the man continued.

”And if you compromise the mission, then you compromise everyone standing here.”

Roy’s grin slowly faded. Especially when the older man’s gaze continued to stare him down.

”We are A-Rank adventurers,” he said. ”That title exists because we are trusted to handle situations others cannot. If we begin acting like reckless novices, then we dishonor not only our party...”

His gaze briefly swept across the others.

”...but the rank itself.”

The forest remained silent around them. And for the first time since the argument began, Roy didn’t immediately respond.

They had intended to reorganize and continue forward carefully.

But before anyone could begin discussing their next move, another voice spoke.

A human male standing slightly behind the elf stepped forward. A hood covered most of his head, casting his face in shadow, while a long staff rested loosely in his hand.

”It’s too late for that.” He muttered the words quietly. Yet his voice carried clearly to every one of them.

Several of the adventurers frowned, slow to understand what he meant. Then they followed his gaze.

A group of monsters stood waiting at the wall of roots.

No one spoke. Their attention moved slowly from one creature to the next.

Each and every creature there carried an unsettling presence. It was not just the pressure they emitted that disturbed the adventurers.

What stood out even more was the sheer diversity among them.

Creatures of that level of strength rarely tolerated one another. Powerful monsters naturally carved out their own territories, ruling them alone or with their own kind. They did not gather like this.

Not unless something bound them together.

And that something was standing directly in front of them.

The figure stood slightly ahead of the others, and the moment the adventurers’ eyes settled on him, they understood where the oppressive sensation surrounding them was coming from.

He was the center of it all. The source of the prickling pressure crawling across their skin.

”Oi, oi...”

A younger man from one of the parties spoke for the first time, his voice strained as he stared at the scene ahead.

”We’re at the wrong place... right?” He swallowed before continuing.

”This is supposed to be a forest. When did it become an A-Rank dungeon?”

No one answered him because the thought had already crossed every single one of their minds.

—

On the other side of the forest, Noah observed the group. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but that didn’t matter. What he wanted to understand the most was their hesitation.

”Why are they just standing around? Are we supposed to go to them?”

He watched them for a few seconds longer before his gaze briefly shifted behind him toward his territory.

Currently, they were directly outside their territory. The most rational choice would be to hold their ground so they could use the enhancements from their domain to combat the intruders.

But that advantage came with a cost. If these humans stepped deep enough into his territory, they could eventually sense the source of that power.

The dungeon core.

Noah had no intention of letting that secret be discovered.

There was another reason as well.

If the adventurers fought him inside the domain, they would immediately notice the difference in strength. The enhancement provided by the dungeon would reveal far more about Noah and his creatures than he was willing to show.

Allowing an enemy to learn the full extent of his power was the same as giving them time to prepare for the next encounter.

And Noah had no illusions about the future.

If they fought and these beings are left alive today, they will definitely return one day with far greater numbers.

Because of that, it was better for them to see only a portion of what he and his creatures were capable of.

With those thoughts settled, Noah finally sighed.

”Forget it,” he said as he began walking forward.

”Let’s go to them. This is just wasting time.”