Becoming a Monster

Chapter 594: Chapter 593: Everything Began to Make Sense

The atmosphere within the territory remained tense even after Noah agreed to continue the conversation inside.

Neither side lowered their guard.

The goblins and trolls continued observing every creature around them with undisguised hostility. It was as if they were hoping that Morvyr would change his mind at any time and order the attack.

Noah’s companions returned those same gazes without the slightest intention of backing down.

Even so, both groups quietly followed behind Noah as he led them farther into the settlement.

Morvyr couldn’t understand how Noah could be so trusting.

He had expected Noah to take an interest in what he had to say, but he hadn’t expected him to allow every creature accompanying them inside his domain so easily.

Did he truly trust them that much?

Was it naivety hidden beneath arrogance, or confidence born from believing that nothing they did within these walls could threaten him?

Perhaps this supposed devil believed that allowing them inside placed them at a greater disadvantage.

Morvyr couldn’t dismiss that possibility. The towering roots had already closed behind them.

Just from that alone, Morvyr became certain that this... devil believed they could deal with them if the opportunity arose.

Because of this, the elf leader was determined to scrutinize everything.

He didn’t lack confidence in his own strength. And judging by Noah’s earlier reaction upon hearing the Demon King’s name, he was almost certain the devil wasn’t ignorant enough to underestimate the forces standing behind him.

As he mentally tried to note everything he saw, he couldn’t forget to always keep the majority of his perception on Noah every second. A change in his aura, or a sudden twitch, and he would be ready.

And yet despite his wariness, he found himself watching the demon’s back far less than he expected.

Instead, his attention repeatedly drifted toward his surroundings.

The moment Morvyr crossed through the towering barricades, he had already sensed the unnatural amount of mana saturating the territory.

At first, he believed it to be the work of an abnormally gifted dryad.

That conclusion lasted only a few moments.

The purity of the mana made Morvyr painfully aware of every trace entering his body. Before long, he found himself consciously drawing in more, accelerating the process without even realizing it.

The sensation was too difficult to ignore. This had nothing to do with a dryad.

It could only be the influence of a dungeon core.

Morvyr didn’t reach that conclusion lightly.

Her Majesty possessed a dungeon core of her own. Although the effects of every core were unique, the mana they produced carried a quality that was impossible to mistake after experiencing it firsthand.

Yet the longer Morvyr remained within Noah’s territory, the more certain he became that this core was more unique than even his Queens’.

At first, the changes within his body were too subtle to understand.

Only after directing his full attention inward did he finally recognize what the mana was doing.

It was strengthening his elven bloodline.

The realization left Morvyr struggling to maintain the composure he had worked so hard to regain.

His elven blood had remained stagnant for decades, too weak to properly support the demonic bloodline fused with it. No matter how much stronger his demonic power became, his original bloodline had already reached its limits.

Yet after spending only a short time within Noah’s territory, that foundation was already beginning to change.

The process was slow enough that most creatures would never have noticed it. Morvyr only understood because he had spent decades examining the weakness that prevented him from progressing any further.

The mana was gradually building what his body lacked in preparation for his demon bloodline to further ascend his body.

For the first time in decades, the bloodline that had held him back was beginning to advance.

Morvyr immediately locked the discovery away as another piece of information Her Majesty needed to know.

At the same time, he quietly resolved to learn everything he could about the dungeon core before leaving.

Even then, his thoughts continued returning to the changes taking place within his body.

If he remained inside this territory long enough, the barrier that had halted his growth for decades might finally disappear.

Morvyr’s gaze shifted toward Noah.

He knew it would have been wiser to remain silent until he understood more, yet the question escaped him before he could restrain himself.

"Where did you acquire this dungeon core?"

Noah suddenly stopped.

The creatures following behind him did the same, causing the two groups to come to a gradual halt.

Noah turned his head slightly, his attention settling upon Morvyr with clear surprise.

The elf hadn’t asked whether he possessed a dungeon core.

He had spoken as though its existence was already beyond question.

"How did you know?"

The answer was more important than satisfying Morvyr’s curiosity.

If the elf had recognized the presence of his dungeon core after spending only a few minutes within the territory, Noah needed to know whether other beings of similar strength and experience would be capable of doing the same.

Did he fear that they would try to take it from him now that they had found out?

Now that they were within his territory, where he and his creatures bonded to him became even stronger than before, he would be happy if they tried.

Meanwhile, Morvyr had no reason to conceal the answer.

The more useful information he offered, the more difficult it would become for Noah to dismiss his questions without answering some of them in return.

"I have lived under the effects of my Queen’s dungeon core for many years," Morvyr answered. "The effects produced by each core may differ, but their influence cannot escape the notice of someone who has experienced one before."

Noah remained silent for a moment as he committed the information to memory.

Then he turned away and began walking once again.

Morvyr’s expression immediately darkened. He had answered Noah’s question without hesitation, only for the devil to continue forward without acknowledging the one he had asked first.

There was only so much disrespect Morvyr was willing to endure, even for the sake of Her Majesty’s mission.

"This core came from my original world."

Morvyr raised his head as Noah’s voice reached him from several paces ahead.

Any irritation he had felt disappeared almost immediately.

His original world... The answer created far more questions than it resolved.

Another world could mean many things.

It could mean Noah had come from the same world as the humans, unfamiliar monsters, and undead that had begun appearing here.

It could also mean that Noah was a natural demon whose origins had nothing to do with the Demon King or any ring he created.

Or perhaps the title Noah had used earlier hadn’t been chosen merely to provoke him.

Perhaps he had been telling the truth when he called himself the Devil.

"Is your original world the same one the others who have appeared here as of late came from?"

"Hm?" Noah glanced back at him. "I figured you would’ve already known that after looking into me. But yes, you could say that."

Morvyr was about to ask another question when his aura instinctively gathered around his body.

His head turned toward a large cave in the distance.

The darkness within made it impossible to see what rested beyond its entrance, yet the energy spreading from inside caused every instinct within him to sharpen.

Noah’s attention shifted in the same direction.

Of everyone present, he understood better than anyone that Bolas was capable of controlling his energy. The drake had no reason to allow so much of it to escape unless something had disturbed him.

Morvyr remained focused upon the cave.

He didn’t need Noah to explain what resided within it.

Long before the devil ever appeared in this world, the drake had ruled over the forest in all but name. Morvyr had never fought the creature himself, but he had learned enough about it through the demonic trolls and goblins stationed further south.

The aura coming from the cave bore little resemblance to the drake described within those reports.

That creature had been powerful, but the difference between what Morvyr remembered and what he sensed now was far too great to dismiss as ordinary growth.

A faint understanding flickered through the elf’s eyes.

His gaze moved across the creatures surrounding Noah once again, only this time he viewed them with an entirely different understanding.

The traces of demonic energy within their bodies.

The connection binding them to Noah.

The dungeon core is strengthening his own stagnant bloodline.

And now, the drake whose power had advanced far beyond anything it should have been capable of reaching on its own.

Whether the changes originated from the dungeon core or from Noah himself, Morvyr could no longer deny what stood before him.

The devil possessed some method of strengthening the creatures under him, allowing their bodies and bloodlines to advance beyond the limits they were born with.

That possibility alone filled in so many gaps.

It explained why so many different species surrounding Noah carried demonic energy despite the absence of a ring.

It explained why they obeyed him with a loyalty that surpassed the authority Morvyr maintained over many demons beneath his own command.

More importantly, it explained why Noah had allowed all of them inside his territory without hesitation.

The confidence Morvyr had mistaken for arrogance had never been based upon Noah’s strength alone.

It came from everything he had created around himself.