Becoming a Monster

Chapter 107: Arachne's Showcase

Noah shook his head when he saw how distraught she looked over those people she believed weren't worth it, he just couldn't grasp her attachment. His assurance that they were "doing fine" wasn't a lie; from his perspective, they were. Despite the fact that their fate could be sealed if they were swarmed by sprinters, Arachne's swift elimination of many before they reached the group, coupled with Ailetta's overly determined use of her zombie, left them with manageable numbers to contend with.

Realistically, Noah's argument held validity, but it was rooted solely in logic, lacking any semblance of human empathy. Despite the mitigating factors, people continued to perish. The sprinters' suicidal tactics, charging straight into the group without regard for their own safety, forced the group into a defensive struggle where not everyone could be shielded.

But Noah didn't find their situation interesting enough to care, what he found more interesting was the situation at the gate. Noah immediately observed that Fenrir was engaging the unevolved zombies, while Arachne positioned herself to confront the unknown creature. Acting independently, Arachne seemed determined not to let Fenrir monopolize Noah's attention. Despite her impressive kill count and effortless dispatching of the swift tier 1 zombie, Arachne felt restricted, unable to fully demonstrate her capabilities that would showcase her Queenly status.

She wasn't fighting for pleasure; she intended to employ her best skills from the outset. Her eyes glowed with a purple aura, and the same aura enveloped the zombie before her. As she focused, a couple of zombies attempted to approach her, only to be swiftly dispatched. With four of her spider legs, she effortlessly eliminated four zombies simultaneously, finishing off the last one with her human hand, barely exerting any effort. To Arachne's perception, they moved at an excruciatingly slow pace.

With eight legs, not counting the arms she had previously acquired, dispatching multiple low-tier zombies simultaneously posed no challenge. However, she grew weary of constant interruptions, particularly since Fenrir was swiftly dealing with the remaining zombies. There was no doubt in her mind that Fenrir, with his simple-mindedness, would attempt to insert himself into her battle.

With a powerful leap, she landed behind the zombie, simultaneously facing it while elevating her body onto the tips of her legs. Then, she brought her bottom end under her and shot out her webs in one fluid motion. Noah was taken aback as he witnessed Arachne motioning her hands towards the zombie, her upright palms pointed towards the creature before webs sprayed out of her wrists, a direct resemblance to his own physical make-up.

The webs seemed to have no immediate effect, but the webs remained connected to her, melding into the cracks of the zombie's armor. As the zombie attempted to turn to face Arachne, she deftly stayed behind it, shooting out a couple more webs to secure the progression of her skills.

She contemplated encircling the zombie, unleashing a barrage of imbued webs to ensnare it completely and expedite her skill combination. Yet, she suppressed the impulse. Despite her evolution, which had doubled her once meager mana reserves, she didn't want to deplete herself entirely to showcase her strength. Her thoughts turned to Fenrir, still brimming with energy after his confrontation. She knew she needed to conserve her strength in a similar manner, otherwise, wouldn't that mean she was the inferior one?

As one of her six webs passed through the armor and took root into its skin, her skill 'Embodiment of Sins' took effect. With this accomplished, she continued to move in circles around the zombie, making constant stabbing motions with her spear-like legs into its almost impenetrable back. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Unlike the situation that would've played out before, where the strikes would emit sparks without any value. Her legs that were like miniature spears were able to pierce into the rough armor like skin, even if it was only surface level wounds. Due to her ability 'Sinful Decree,' she lowered the attribute that exceeded hers. However, in cases where multiple attributes met the vague condition, the next step was to lower the highest attribute among them. When activating her skill on the evolved zombie confronting Fenrir, it was evident that both its strength and constitution exceeded hers. Nonetheless, it was apparent that the zombie's highest attribute lay in its strength, making that specific attribute the target of her ability.

In this scenario, the monster's highest attribute appeared to be its constitution, which Arachne aimed to diminish significantly. However, despite her ability seemingly taking effect, the zombie persisted, its level and spirit working together to resist the effect by half the intended value. Consequently, instead of fully submerging her claws and legs into the zombie's hide and bypassing its armored figure, Arachne could only achieve a 15% decrease in its toughness. Dissatisfied with this outcome, she realized she needed to adapt; her previous strategy was no longer effective.

With every stab, a green liquid seeped from the inflicted wounds caused by her rogue ability 'Coated arms', allowing her poison to coat the ends of her many legs. The additional debuff from her webs, combined with her venom, gradually diminished the opponent's stats. Over time, the zombie's proud armor would deteriorate, leaving behind a mere husk of its former self.

Noah scrutinized the entire process, even employing his new vision to aid his observation. His mouth slowly gaped as he fully witnessed her unparalleled speed. Despite his enhanced vision, which marginally slowed down reality, he could only perceive a blur, catching glimpses of her figure only when she went in for her strikes. The monster, resembling a tank, could do little but endure her onslaught without retaliation. Noah concluded that as long as she maintained her speed advantage, she would likely emerge victorious. However, upon observing the array of skills she employed and the substantial mana required for them, he realized her heavy dependence on mana.

He also recognized the strengths and weaknesses of both his creatures. In Fenrir's case, the current zombie wouldn't require as much effort as it would with Arachne, but he would face a similar challenge if confronted with the faster zombie from before.

And although Arachne wouldn't be significantly endangered against most newly evolved creatures, those with higher constitution or resistance to her effects would pose a greater challenge to her than compared to Fenrir, as he was witnessing now.

"But together….these two would completely dominate."

Noah couldn't help but entertain the thought. He envisioned how swiftly the tank-like zombie could be brought down if Arachne lowered its stats while Fenrir attacked it head-on. They complemented each other's weaknesses and strengths perfectly.

Minutes passed, and the fight dragged on. Fenrir had already returned to Noah, looking for praise, with the surrounding zombies already dealt with. Mark's group had finally established a rhythm to combat the zombies, though not without losing at least fifteen of their weaker members.

What caught Noah's eye were two unlikely women who stood out in the group's desperate struggle. One was Alicia; her power to control objects proved extremely effective against the zombies, especially those vulnerable to low-quality weapons. The zombies' own speed worked against them as they impaled themselves on the weapons she controlled. However, the knives were permanently lost, embedded in the zombies' skulls.

The other woman who piqued his interest was the one wielding a bow. Every now and then, he heard a loud thud followed by a zombie collapsing with an arrow lodged in its head.

That impactful sound was the main reason he took notice of their situation while Arachne was fighting. He couldn't help but wonder what those arrows were made of to create such a noise.

"Gggrrrrhh…"

Noah refocused on Arachne, feeling her growing impatience through their bond. He saw her becoming more daring, her strikes filled with the weight of her momentum. With every few strikes that pierced the zombie's body, she attempted to attack its face in a fierce attempt to destroy its brain.

Seeing that the battle was nearing its end, Noah quickly turned to Fenrir, grabbing his attention before parting towards the others. "Bring me one of those zombies, the err-the undead-no….just bring me one of those things that we've killed so many of, but don't kill it." Noah helplessly directed to the simple beast, at a loss on how to explain to Fenrir what a zombie was. This was the perfect time to try one of the experiments he had recently thought of. The shine in his eyes glistened intensely at the thought while continuing to observe Arachne's battle.

The damage was piling up, while the progression of her debuffs finally seemed to influence the outcome of the battle. At least six minutes passed with Arachne applying her venom repeatedly, the effects accumulating to the point that the zombie's deterioration became noticeably more pronounced. Its once terrifying swings, which had generated immense pressure, were now only capable of sluggish, half-hearted attempts to strike.

Analyzing the defeated creature, Arachne's impatience had finally paid off. After the initial use of Sinful Decree, she had only one more opportunity to use it before it became ineffective against her opponent. She could only activate the ability when her opponent's attributes were higher than hers; if her venom reduced their stats below her own, they would no longer be suitable targets. However, through her relentless strikes, she gathered enough information to confirm the zombie's toughness. Instinctively, she sensed that the zombie's constitution threshold was nearing her own, making it a critical moment to strike decisively.

During the final minute of their six-minute battle, Arachne once again used the skill Sinful Decree, this time successfully lowering the zombie's constitution by a full thirty percent. With Sinful Decree in effect, her webs, imbued with the aura of Wrongful Judgment and Embodiment of Sins, also began to lower the zombie's constitution every second, layering with her poison.

Within the next 60 seconds, the zombie underwent a massive transformation. A purple aura, similar to the one that appeared when she activated her skill, enveloped the creature with an intensity stronger than before. Then, the unexpected occurred: translucent chains began to snake around the zombie's figure, forming a web-like pattern centered on its core.

These spectral chains formed an intricate, web-like pattern centered on its core, glowing with a dark, otherworldly light. Each link pulsed with malevolent energy, tightening their grip with every heartbeat, as if drawing strength from the zombie's own corrupted essence.

Even Noah was unsure what was happening, but when he saw Arachne plunging her human hand into the zombie's chest, effortlessly reaching through its supposedly armored flesh and bone, he realized something significant had occurred. He deduced that Arachne's primary effect of Wrongful Judgment had finally activated, placing a curse on the attribute affected by her Sinful Decree skill. Intrigued, Noah rechecked the skill's description, focusing intently to uncover more details, revealing hidden information he hadn't noticed before.

Strength: Severe weakness, reducing physical damage dealt by 50% for 1 minute.Agility: Paralysis, reducing movement speed by 50% for 1 minute.Constitution: Frail, weakening body vitality by 50% for 1 minute.Stamina: Fatigue, increase the exertion of stamina related actions by 50% for 1 minute. Magic: Confusion, causing a 50% chance to fail spellcasting for 1 minute.Spirit: Disorientation, reducing resistance and accuracy by 50% for 1 minute.

Goosebumps threatened to emerge on Noah's skin as he reviewed the effects. While he had always considered Fenrir to be a formidable opponent, Arachne now seemed even more terrifying—though only when Fenrir wasn't empowered by Ruler's Fury.

Boom!

Distracted, Noah snapped his head toward the source of the defeated roar, followed by a heavy thud. The zombie lay flat on its face while Arachne stood over it, attempting to dig into the back of its skull. The creature continued to growl and thrash lightly, but when the growling ceased, Noah knew it was finally over.

Even with the huge group of zombies they had to fight, the amount of experience wasn't enough for Arachne to level up. But Noah wasn't impatient enough to run off just to find something to kill. With how the world is now, living is a constant battle, there will always be more monsters to kill. By this time, Fenrir had finally returned, the battle on the students' side apparently over. Fenrir held one of the savage zombies in his mouth, treating it as a mere chew toy despite the trouble it had given the others. Noah was eager to start his plan but paused as Arachne approached him. Curiously, her first instinct usually involved feeding on her trophy, but this time something was different. Noah noticed something he hadn't seen before: due to her now-developed lips and cheeks, Arachne could smile.

To Noah, the smile was precious, though a half-human, half-spider creature with a predominantly spider-like head wasn't something most would find endearing.

Her smile was infectious, and Noah found himself smiling back without realizing it. This was probably the first time he had witnessed true emotions from his spider companion beyond the feelings he experienced through their bond.

He waited for Arachne to say something, but she stood there silently. If it hadn't been for Fenrir earlier, he would have struggled to guess what she wanted at this moment.

"Don't worry, I saw everything. You really have grown strong enough to be a queen." Noah continued to smile as he spoke, feeling Arachne's happiness growing. However, he couldn't let her pride swell to the point of complacency.

"But don't forget the reason you became this strong in the first place. If you slow down even for a little bit, you could potentially become a queen only in name."

His words caused Arachne's smile to abruptly vanish. Food and her status as a queen were two of her most sensitive topics.

"I won't let that happen! I'll always be a queen!" she responded with heavy emotion, refusing to entertain the thought.

Noah smirked before returning his attention to Fenrir, who still held the zombie in his jaws. "Okay, buddy, drop it."

At his command, Fenrir slackened his jaws, allowing the zombie to "softly" land on the pavement. As soon as it hit the ground, Noah quickly stretched out his hand, releasing his newly improved webs to latch onto the zombie, pinning it effortlessly. Despite the zombie's struggles, Noah's webs were impenetrable to creatures without sufficient strength. Nodding in satisfaction, Noah analyzed the creature, noticing signs of infection already setting in.

The undead, unlike most of the sprinters he had encountered, was a female. Her tattered clothing was almost shredded, courtesy of Fenrir's "gentle" transport. Her most sensitive areas were exposed, allowing Noah to observe the puncture marks from Fenrir's fangs, which were already showing signs of festering. Dark veins began spreading from the wounds, a clear sign of infection. As Noah looked closer, he noticed the wounds were slowly starting to heal, almost unnoticeable to an untrained eye.

Confirming the process, Noah remained unimpressed. The transformation was too slow; the faster it progressed, the quicker he could check his loot.

"Fenrir, I want to change this thing into something like you. Can you speed up the process?" he asked, hopeful that Fenrir would understand. Initially, Fenrir showed confusion, tilting his head to the side. But then, suddenly, his eyes widened in understanding, and his tail began to wag excitedly, eager to fulfill his master's command.

Reaching over the zombie, Fenrir flexed his massive paws, causing one of his already extended claws to grow even longer. A dark purple liquid began to form around the claw, turning its silver hue into a deep, malevolent purple. As Fenrir edged his claws toward the undead, a droplet formed at the tip and fell to the ground, sizzling upon contact, the acrid smoke curling into the air, a testament to the corrosiveness of his venom.

Before Fenrir withdrew his claw, the zombie's body jerked violently off the ground, only to smack back onto the pavement, restrained by Noah's webs. Despite this, the zombie's reactions persisted, its limbs jerking at unnatural angles, joints dislocating from the force of its spasms. The grotesque sight made Ailetta, who stood by Noah's side, grip his arm tightly, her fingers digging in with an almost desperate intensity.

Noah felt her strong grip on his arm, and although he already knew who it was, he naturally glanced over to confirm before returning his attention to the transformation. Within that brief interruption, the zombie had already begun showing extreme signs of mutation. Bodily hair gradually sprouted from its flesh, while its physical characteristics changed in real time. The transformation reminded Noah of the time Lucas had arrogantly displayed his own metamorphosis, though this change was slower and more exaggerated.

The air grew colder, and an unsettling silence fell over the scene, broken only by the wet, tearing sounds of the zombie's body contorting and reshaping itself. The stench of rot and venom mixed, creating a nauseating miasma that clung to the back of Noah's throat.