Becoming a Monster

Chapter 449: Chapter 449: Gaining a Family Member

The moment the suction began, the others mentally prepared themselves for a scene like the one when the core had first evolved.

Those like Fenrir who weren’t very sensitive to mana could feel the room grow heavier.

Mana thickened within the contained space, and the sensation pressed faintly against their skin.

But as time passed without blinding lights or sudden shockwaves, the wild surge they expected never came.

Meanwhile, Noah was fully invested in comparing his current capabilities with those he had when he did it alone.

He could already sense that the absorption rate was faster. But what surprised him even more was that he felt he could essentially keep this rate up for hours without running out of mana.

The mana regeneration supplied by both Pandora and the forest had made him a living battery.

The news alone should have been grounds for celebration. Yet Noah wasn’t satisfied.

Not because he didn’t feel it wasn’t enough, but to be able to aid the core in its absorption also meant that his consciousness would be synced to the core for the entire duration.

Just the thought of spending hours of his time each day generating mana when he could be strengthening himself made his brows knit slightly.

The rate was impressive, but this wasn’t sustainable.

After coming to this conclusion, instead of withdrawing his consciousness, his aura spiked.

The gathering of mana picked up as he expended mana without a care. If his mana could last for hours, why not just use everything in one go instead?

Noah fed his mana into the core in violent waves, burning through his reserves deliberately.

If he maintained a steady pace, he would gain more total mana over time. The efficiency would be higher, but it would still cost him time. Time was a resource that Noah valued even more.

If he accelerated the intake, if he forced the core to match his expenditure, then even if some mana were lost in turbulence, even if the conversion wasn’t perfect, he would still gain more than he could alone.

A small, turbulent storm of energy was centered around Noah. The mana that once occupied the room was now centered only around him.

The others should’ve grown numb to scenes like these by now, but each time left them in awe. Even as time went by, uncertain how long this expenditure would take, they continued to watch.

After nearly thirty minutes, the process began to slow.

Noah had drained nearly his entire reserve in one go. What he did wasn’t easy.

The strain, coupled with his mana being nearly empty, left him in a near-vulnerable state. His body trembled faintly, and his breathing was heavier.

But despite his exhaustion, he smiled.

The result was undeniable.

He had shortened a process that should have taken most of the day into half an hour.

He steadied himself and finally withdrew his tendrils from the core, separating from Pandora. The miasmic density in the room thinned gradually, allowing the others to step closer again.

"It worked," Noah spoke before any of them could ask. Many of them didn’t understand what Noah was referring to, but the satisfaction in his tone was enough to stir excitement.

In the joyful atmosphere, Noah suddenly frowned. He didn’t notice the person who helped him accomplish this, especially when that person loved validation.

"Pandora?" He hurriedly called out. Still, there was no response from her visually.

His gaze snapped toward her true body.

The great tree was duller than usual. The subtle pulse of life that usually radiated from her felt thinner than before.

Before Noah’s worries spiraled, he felt her emotions brush against his consciousness through their bond. The signal was faint, thinner than it had ever been, but it was steady.

She was reassuring him. At least, she was trying to.

This made Noah’s jaw tighten.

When he decided to burn through everything, he had assumed deprivation would affect Pandora the same way it affected him. Exhaustion, weakness, and temporary instability, nothing that would put her in any danger.

And if anything, he had believed she would fare better than him since she was also being supported by the forest. Even drained, she should be able to recover faster than he would.

That had been his reasoning, but he hadn’t considered that mana might not just be energy to her.

He could still function with low mana. His body may be impacted by it, but he could still manage. His body’s stamina would make up for what he lacked.

At the end of the day, even if he used up all of his mana, he still had a mana core.

But what about a tree?

Ever since he met her, he noticed that Pandora didn’t have a core. And it wasn’t just her. There wasn’t a tree in sight that had ever carried a core. And yet, including her, each tree contained mana that circulated through them.

What did that mean?

Noah never thought about it until now, but what if the existence of mana was interwoven within trees and plant life at a fundamental level?

If that was true, then draining her wasn’t the same as exhausting a reserve. It was closer to draining blood.

"Pandora," he said again, but softer. He knelt beside her trunk, placing a hand against the bark. He felt a slow yet steady pulse within it.

"I’m sorry, I won’t make you do this again," he murmured.

His apology triggered an even stronger pulse, and an even stronger rush of emotions reached him.

She wasn’t resentful. If anything, what flowed through the bond felt both alleviated and panicked. If she once believed that being needed gave her existence the most meaning, then now she understood that being cared for gave her safety.

As long as she was needed, she would have a place, and as long as she did a good job, her position couldn’t be replaced. But right now, she felt that she should only have to exist, and it would be enough.

And although part of her felt that way, she still desired to help Noah whenever she could. So she couldn’t help but panic when he said that he wouldn’t seek her help again.

The rush of emotion caught him off guard. The relief, fear, and her urgency. He could understand them clearly.

"Even if you didn’t help me, your place here wouldn’t change." He closed his eyes to organize his thoughts.

"But... if you still want to help, then we can take it slower next time."

Her panic eased, but he could sense that it didn’t disappear entirely.

For now, that was still enough.

Noah exhaled slowly. He realized now that he’s getting too impatient. Although he has every reason to feel that way, it shouldn’t come at the risk of his companions.

"Rest well," he gave her one last parting word before gesturing for the others to leave to let her rest without disturbance.

When they all exited, they were welcomed by the sight of the drake skeptically observing them.

It sensed from the core’s energy that Noah was doing something drastic again. It was already staring up into the trees, just waiting for Noah to ignore its earlier warnings.

Yet nothing else happened. And when it saw Noah and the others pouring out of their den, it felt more assured that the Devil had actually listened to it.

It couldn’t let a good chance pass; a sarcastic remark lingered on the tip of its tongue. But then it noticed a somewhat negative atmosphere among them, making it hesitate to say what it wanted.

"What did you do?" It asked hesitantly. If the Devil was like this after what it had sensed, it believed that maybe it was too good to be true, and Noah had done something he shouldn’t have, ignoring their earlier discussions.

In return, it was met with a silent stare.

That stare made the drake feel uneasy. Devoid of the usual scrutiny that the Devil carried when he addressed it.

Noah thought about the strain he would have to endure if he continued accumulating mana through the core. About how easily he had overlooked Pandora’s condition under his own impatience.

He needed reassurance that would allow him peace of mind, at least to relieve the pressure.

To have someone else besides himself who could rise against an enemy that his current companions couldn’t handle alone.

That reassurance was the drake, and Pandora was the trigger that made Noah not able to wait anymore. If he was willing to make the drake wait to build more gratitude for making it stronger, now, he didn’t care about that anymore.

If he was going to make the drake one of his companions anyway, then there was no need for these roundabout games.

Instead of answering the drake’s question, Noah asked one of his own. "Do you have a name?"

"What? No- Wait, answer my question, what did you do?" The drake was now panicking. It truly believed that Noah had done something that would bring them danger.

It watched as Noah’s demeanor began to change. The wings that it envied suddenly flared from his back, and his weak aura somehow grew more dominating.

"I did something that I will forever regret, but now I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again." Noah stared intently into the drake’s eyes as he approached it with even steps.

Noah’s words were too ambiguous to understand. Under the devil’s Veil, to the drake, it sounded more threatening than anything else. Subconsciously, the drake faltered under Noah’s approach.

There wasn’t any time for the drake to process whether it should flee or stand its ground when it suddenly caught the scent of a powerful scent, one that was more potent than anything it had ever smelled before.

It witnessed Noah drawing blood from his finger. It was a drop that looked no different from the other drops of blood that strengthened his foundation.

Yet, although it looked the same, the allure was nearly ten times more tempting. The drake could sense that within that one drop was the power that it had sought all this time.

Its gaze finally matched Noah’s. Beyond its shock was that of one who was now pleading for an answer. And this time, Noah gave it one.

"This is the power that I promised you... But it will also become your promise to help me protect my famil- our family once you take it."

By this time, Noah was almost directly upon it.

The drake had long forgone the thought of retreating. Its breathing was already sporadic. Its pupils stretched into thin slits. Centuries of its life passed through its eyes within those few seconds.

The pain it had endured, the humiliation, all it felt as though it was preparing it for this moment.

"On the blood of my ancestors, I will take your promise to my grave."

Slowly, it lowered its body to the ground. Its tongue flicked forward to catch the drop. Not once had its eyes leave Noah.

When the drop landed on its tongue, it could already sense the unfathomable power. Its eyes watered uncontrollably. There was no longer any doubt now.

It closed its eyes before swallowing down its future. And the moment it did, a detonation of pure mana burst out from within it.

Its consciousness was almost completely taken over by the overwhelming energy. But before its awareness was completely stripped, it heard Noah’s voice rise.

"From today forward, you’re now part of our family... Nicol Bolas."