Becoming a Monster

Chapter 559 - 558: A Beautiful Darkness

Atlas’ name came with a responsibility that would pressure many into feeling as if they were shoes they could never fill.

And yet the pride that radiated from Atlas became almost tangible.

The royal guard’s posture had become impossibly straight, as though Noah had personally entrusted him with the most important responsibility in existence.

For the rest of the brood, their reactions all went from admiration to envy.

Despite their emotions, not one showed any negative emotion towards the leader.

They all desired a name, but they also became frantically driven to earn one.

Each and every one shifted their attention to Noah. And almost as in sync, they lowered themselves in a way to say that they were ready.

What had initially been anticipation for strength had suddenly become a goal for something else entirely.

Arachne’s expression was peculiar. On one hand, she tried to hold her cold exterior. A Queen shouldn’t become vulnerable in front of her subordinates.

On the other hand, her gaze grew more intense as she bore into Noah’s back.

Even when it came to her brood, Noah understood exactly what she needed, and he also understood them as well.

He was the perfect king.

—

Noah, meanwhile, finally extended his tendrils.

”Now then.”

Mana-infused blood gathered at their tips before slowly falling towards the waiting brood.

Every spider stiffened as the blood sought to correct their bodies.

Unlike the cats and dogs before them, however, the transformations were noticeably less dramatic.

Noah had already expected as much.

The brood had been shaped by Arachne’s higher existence from the very beginning. Compared to the others, there was simply less that needed correcting.

Several of the spiders gradually increased in size, their physiques becoming denser and more imposing than before.

Others developed longer and sturdier legs that appeared capable of supporting greater bursts of speed and movement.

The strangest changes occurred amongst several of the males.

The rear portions of their bodies elongated considerably, becoming far more pronounced than before.

At first glance, the mutations appeared random. However, Noah quickly noticed they weren’t.

The spiders whose physiques grew larger and whose legs became longer had all improved in the same direction. Their physical capabilities had increased noticeably more than the others, particularly their ability to leap and rapidly reposition themselves.

The males who underwent the opposite change showed an entirely different specialization.

Their change led to the specialization of their webs. The control and strength behind their webbing increased considerably.

Noah wasn’t surprised.

Arachne’s brood had always possessed distinct roles within their hierarchy. His blood simply appeared to reinforce the paths they were already best suited for.

There was, however, one exception.

One outlier.

Noah’s gaze settled upon a particular male whose damaged eyes had never recovered.

Arachne never considered the injury significant enough to warrant Noah or Ailetta harming themselves simply to restore its sight.

Now, however, the spider’s mutation had diverged entirely from the others.

Fine hairs gradually emerged across the majority of its legs, becoming increasingly visible as the transformation stabilized.

Noah’s Nexus Eye immediately revealed the purpose behind the change.

The mutation had nothing to do with improving the spider’s sight. Instead, it had adapted around its blindness.

The countless vibrations traveling through its web could now be interpreted far more precisely than before. Not only could the spider sense disturbances, but it could also form rough images from them.

Noah found himself slightly impressed by the result.

Each spider had been strengthened in the area in which they were already naturally suited towards.

Atlas, however, was different.

Unlike the others, Noah struggled to find any visible change at all.

The royal guard’s body remained virtually identical to before.

Noah didn’t allow himself to be blinded by that. Atlas was exuding an increase in strength.

And under his Nexus Eye, he revealed the truth of his awakened ability.

Atlas had received a weakened variation of one of Arachne’s own abilities.

The royal guard could now draw a small portion of the overall strength possessed by Arachne’s brood.

At first glance, the ability seemed almost disappointing.

There simply weren’t enough spiders for the effect to matter.

But that was only limited for now.

In the future, every new soldier Arachne created would strengthen him. Every evolution her brood underwent would strengthen him.

The ability suited Atlas perfectly.

After all, if the royal guard truly intended to carry Arachne’s burdens, hopes, and dreams, then it was only fitting that he also carried a portion of the strength of the kingdom she would one day build.

—

Noah wasn’t the only one observing the changes.

Arachne could feel them as well.

The improvements flowing throughout her brood naturally reflected back toward her through her own ability.

Yet strangely enough, Arachne found herself paying little attention to the increase.

Her focus remained entirely on the brood.

The satisfaction she felt watching them grow was far greater than the strength she personally gained from it.

The realization caused her to pause. Because the feeling itself was strangely familiar.

For a moment, Arachne found herself glancing toward Noah.

Was this how he felt every time he watched them evolve? Every time they grew stronger?

The thought lingered only briefly before she dismissed it.

Noah was Noah.

Comparing herself to him still felt somewhat ridiculous.

—

Meanwhile, Noah was feeling the drain on his body more than ever. Although his ability hasn’t changed, the amount of mana he used for so many creatures in one day quickly added up.

What’s more, there was a special sort of weight being added to his soul with each use.

The weight was negligible compared to the mana being used. However, he noticed that the stronger the creature, the greater the burden.

The feeling was just that, a burden. It didn’t make him any more tired than overusing his mana, but it did make him feel as though he wouldn’t be able to add onto that weight if he were to try to use his blood on ten more creatures on par with his main companions.

At least not if his blood was going to have a significant impact on them as it did now.

’So not only the strength of the creature, but also mutation affects how much I can hold...’

From what he could tell, if not for him becoming as strong as he did after his recent change, he would most likely be unable to give his blood to all of them in such a short time span.

Without having to worry about the consequences if he continued, Noah’s attention gradually shifted away from the brood.

The spiders were busy examining themselves now. Atlas was receiving enough admiration from the others that Noah suspected the royal guard wouldn’t stop standing proudly for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, another problem immediately presented itself.

Several stares were already waiting for him.

Noah hesitated, but slowly he turned his head anyway.

Eve.

Fenrir.

Bolas.

All three were staring at him... Again.

Noah immediately felt a headache forming. The reason wasn’t difficult to figure out.

He had just spent so much time before this telling everyone that they would need to wait until later to hear the origins behind their names.

Then he proceeded to explain Atlas’ name directly in front of them.

The three didn’t even bother hiding their thoughts through their somewhat exaggerated expressions.

And of course, Eve was the most expressive.

”Alright, alright...”

Noah rubbed the side of his head.

”I have no excuses, so let’s get this over with.”

The looks directed toward him immediately brightened. Unfortunately, Noah wasn’t finished.

”But! After I finish with Pandora.”

The hopeful atmosphere died so quickly that Noah almost felt bad. But that wasn’t going to make him change his mind.

Because, unlike everyone else, Pandora was still the only one having to wait to even receive his blood.

And she had already waited long enough.

—

A short time later, Noah stepped through the entrance of his home.

A few of the others gradually filtered in behind him.

Originally, the group intended to wait outside until he finished. That plan changed almost immediately after Ailetta heard it.

In her words, Pandora shouldn’t be treated like an outsider. If everyone else had people around to witness their growth, then Pandora deserved the same.

Noah supported that wholeheartedly.

His gaze naturally drifted toward the tree. The colorful hues flowing throughout her trunk and branches glowed brightly in anticipation.

Just as he always did, he dropped the mana-infused blood at the base of her trunk.

The energy flowing through her pulsed with greater strength than ever. And then suddenly, the entire house trembled.

Pandora’s roots bulged from the ground, creating mounds of dirt everywhere.

They all stared as the tree in front of them began to grow before their eyes.

One meter, two, three... the tree continued to grow until it stopped after four. Her branches expanded just as much as her trunk did. And what followed was a series of greenery that Pandora had never had before.

Countless leaves emerged until the tree was crowned with them.

Noah expected them to resemble the leaves of the dungeon tree within his soul.

Instead, every leaf was pitch black.

The sight should have been unsettling. Then the luminous veins running through Pandora’s trunk spread into every branch.

What should have been eerie instead became breathtaking.