Becoming a Monster

Chapter 515: Chapter 514: Prove Your Value First

Noah didn’t say anything as he turned, already moving toward the entrance of his home as if the decision had been made the moment she finished speaking.

Gwen hesitated for only a brief moment before following. Her eyes never strayed too far from Noah as the two gazes behind her bore into her with two contrasting yet unsettling stares.

The thick weave of roots blocking Noah’s home pulled back and sank into the ground, opening the path leading in. Light suddenly filtered outside from a vibrant light source inside.

Gwen was already mentally prepared for what she was about to do. If she failed, her fate was sealed. And if she succeeded, her fate would still be a mystery, but at least there would be a chance to escape death.

Noah followed just behind her, his presence steady as he stepped inside, and Gwen could feel the difference immediately the moment she crossed into the space after them.

The closer Gwen drew inside, the higher her heart rate climbed.

The mana wasn’t just pure. It was so dense that it pressed against her senses, making it impossible to ignore.

Ailetta and Arachne followed without needing to be told, their curiosity overriding any hesitation they might’ve had, and Eve lingered only a step behind them, her gaze fixed ahead with an interest she didn’t bother to hide.

Fenrir moved as well at first, but his steps slowed as he watched the others pass him, and by the time he reached the entrance, he stopped.

He let out a quiet breath before turning away from it, positioning himself just outside as if that had been his intention from the beginning.

Standing guard.

—

As he stepped in, Noah, just like Gwen, was also surprised. The scenery didn’t change from when he last left. Not even two hours had gone by before anything significant happened so quickly.

However, the density in the air was a shock even to him.

His eyes snapped to the core. The core’s appearance hadn’t changed, but the amount of mana it was absorbing and redirecting out was immensely different than before.

At this rate, the amount of time he believed it would take for the dungeon to level up again was reduced by more than half.

But that wasn’t the only thing he noticed.

There were a few times when the core would pulsate like a beating heart, but even then, it was the energy within it that pulsated.

Now, the core was pulsating like a true heart, expanding and contracting. The movement wasn’t fully formed; each pulse felt incomplete, as though it was trying to mimic life without ever truly achieving it.

It felt like something that existed in between.

’So it has improved at the same time my soul realm has grown stronger.’ He thought to himself as he recalled the tree within his soul realm. The tree was no different than the reflection of the dungeon’s heart and soul.

Maybe one day, the heart would truly become a tree itself.

Noah looked over to Pandora, who appeared by his side, staring at the core just as he was. Her "face" was expressionless as always, but Noah noticed through her emotions that she wasn’t surprised at all.

’Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?’ The question rested on his lips before he left it unsaid. There was barely any time between the time they were gone and the time that they arrived that she could’ve told him.

Even if she could, he doubted that she would even be able to explain what had happened anyway.

Even now, Pandora had already come to easily accept the change. It made her feel good, and that was all that mattered in her eyes.

Gwen, on the other hand, had the most drastic reaction of them all.

All this time, after encountering Pandora, she had thought it was the dryad for the territory’s pure mana, but it was a dungeon core all along.

The existence of a core in a place like this was already shocking. This forest had been explored countless times, and even a drake’s presence wouldn’t have been enough to prevent a nation from claiming it if it had been discovered.

But Gwen’s surprise didn’t end there.

This was the first time she had ever seen a core that didn’t resemble an object. From its shape to the way it pulsed, it resembled a living heart.

And more importantly...

She could feel what it was doing.

The core wasn’t just absorbing mana from the world around it. It was drawing it in continuously, pulling in the natural flow that filled the forest before refining it and releasing it back out.

The mana returned was purified to a degree that she had never encountered outside her homeland.

She could feel it settling into her the moment she breathed it in; it naturally strengthened her own essence. It didn’t force change; instead, it nourished and elevated what was already there.

And it wasn’t limited to her because of the fact that she was an elf.

She could sense it in everything around her.

The plant life responded instinctively, growing more vibrant, more alive, while the creatures within the domain absorbed it in their own way, their bodies adapting to it as if it were a natural part of their environment.

There had been many recorded cases of dungeon cores throughout history, and over the millennia, each had developed differently, shaped by their surroundings and the nature of their origin.

No core outside of her people’s own had ever been said to refine mana in a way that could nurture the land while also strengthening every being that drew from it.

Humans could grant people of faith greater power. The dwarves could enhance their creations, even granting objects "life". The beastkin had their own secrets, but it was understood that even their core could grant power to individuals.

The demons remained unknown, but the fact that the demon king wasn’t capable of creating endless generals made it clear that even their core was bound by limitations.

Out of all these cores, none of them could purify mana in the way that the Elf nation could. And it was this reason why Gwen was surprised to find a core so uniquely similar to their own.

"Elf, get on with it," Noah’s voice shocked Gwen from her thoughts. She was too tense to correct the monster she had a name for. Instinctively, she gave the space a quick look around now that her full attention wasn’t on the core.

From the ominous decorations to the nest of webs above them that carried two abnormally large eggs.

Finally, she laid her gaze on the tree that she came here for. Her eyes widened at the sight. There were just too many surprises.

Her head snapped back to Pandora’s illusory figure. Question marks were etched into her entire expression.

"Just how?"

"What is it?" Noah quickly demanded. If she truly saw something that was wrong with Pandora, he’d rather she didn’t drag it out.

"How can a dryad so young be capable of creating a spiritual sprite? It shouldn’t be possible... wait..."

"Is that why I can’t feel anything from her sprite?" She began to mutter to herself before turning to Noah. There was almost a subtle hint of rage in her eyes as she tried to keep calm. "Just what did you do to her?"

The question created a silence that left only the quiet palpitation of the core noticeable.

That silence helped Gwen recognize the accusatory tone in her voice as her breath nearly stopped.

"I... that wasn’t..." she started, her voice faltering under Noah’s reflecting gaze. But Noah stopped her before she could continue explaining.

"You seem to have forgotten where we stand in all of this... I owe you nothing. Your life is in my hands. And until you can prove to me that you are useful, then your opinions and your questions mean nothing to me."

His eyes bore into hers with enough pressure that she couldn’t hold his gaze, forcing her to look away despite herself.

"Continue," he uttered the last word with a chilling calmness.

Her shaking hands slowly steadied as she drew in a deep breath. She knew better than to try to correct herself now.

She didn’t see the outcome of this ending well for her, but even then, if her life could serve a purpose, then she would at least see it through to the end.

Pandora dismissed her illusioned form when Gwen approached her main body.

Gwen hesitated before raising her hands, her palms hovering just short of the bark as she held herself back, because even now, she wasn’t certain what she would encounter once she made contact.

Instead of touching it immediately, she focused first.

Her mana gathered at her palms as she extended her senses outward. Carefully, she probed the life force within it and the flow of mana that sustained it.

Her brows furrowed as she concentrated, because what she felt didn’t match what she had prepared herself for.

She remained still for a moment longer, extending her senses even deeper. All this time, she remained wary of allowing whatever was within the tree to influence her in return, but even with that caution, nothing changed.

The corruption she had anticipated wasn’t there.

Slowly, she released the last of her restraint. She placed both her palms on the tree, connecting her own mana with Pandora’s, risking the supposed corruption of herself to find out what was going on.