章 34: Chapter 34: Obtaining more than I Bargained for

[User has been contaminated by a corrupted substance. Genes have been detected to already exist within the host, trait 'zombie' is now being modified.]

[Level progression from skills gained through the zombie gene has been increased]

[New trait gain, 'budding feeder'- Zombies main priority and their one and only goal is to feed. That same desire has been awakened within you, whether the temptation consumes you will depend on your will power.]

Moments flew by with Noah blankly looking off into space before he finally came to. He felt a chill run down his spine as he tried to comprehend what was happening.

'I don't know if I should be happy about this or not…Corrupted substance?….Is that when the zombie bit me? At least let me choose when I want to use the skill for goodness sake!' Noah whined in protest before his helpless gaze grew firm when reading the last notification.

As he read the implications of the new trait 'Budding Feeder', He understood now that the corrupted substance had altered something fundamental within him. The idea of sharing the same insatiable hunger to feed as the undead filled him with dread. He was unsure if the trait was beneficial at all.

'Maybe I would feel better about getting such a trait if it was at least my own decision…sigh.'

He mused silently to himself before picking himself off the ground. He decided that he should at least see how much his skills had progressed in their levels; hopefully, it would make him feel more at ease about his situation.

[Skills

Active

Monster taming(lvl 0)progression: 50%

Killing instinct (lvl 0) progression:1.8%->4.3

Passive

Rodeleros(lvl 0) progression: .6%

Soul cage(lvl 0) progression: .76%

Hunters sight (lvl 0) 10.4%

Stamina regeneration (lvl 0) progression:5.15%->11.2%

Immortal body (lvl 0) progression: 1.48%->3.5%

Genetic Synergy(lvl 0) progression:25%

Taming proficiency(lvl 0)progression:N/A

Budding Feeder(lvl 0)]progression: 0%

When he saw the progression, a frown immediately appeared on his face.

'The progression barely went up at all! Well, it did, but that's not enough after I had to be bitten just to get it. I would have to be bitten like…' He raised his hands to count on his fingers before giving up. 'Well, a bunch of times before it got to one hundred. I'm not a masochist!'

While he lifted himself up from the ground, he continued to think about any other options he could take to take advantage of the new discovery. Retrieving his bag and weapon before shifting his attention back towards the zombies. Facing them once more, he just happened to find Arachne doing what she was best at.

Noah only shook his head this time; he did promise her that she could eat them all, but what caused his distress was that she didn't waste any time to do so.

Recognizing that she would also gain back stamina and experience points for this, he decided not to rush her. They wouldn't need to rest long if she could recover faster. And he could use this time to check something he has always been curious about.

[Stamina regeneration (lvl 0) progression: 11.2%

Progression- Recover over 10,000% of stamina with only stamina regeneration: 37/10,000 in progress

Can also be aided with increasing the zombie gene.

Upgrade stone Lvl 1 required for upgrade]

[Killing Instinct(Lvl 0) progression:4.3%

Progression-Let yourself be absorbed in your instincts to kill while in the middle of combat for 100 hours: .25/100 in progress

Can also be aided with increasing the zombie gene

Upgrade stone Lvl 1 required for upgrade]

'….'

After looking at just two progression requirements, he was once again left speechless after examining just two progression requirements. The requirements were durable, but the amount of time required to complete them was a lot longer than he was hoping. It would take him more than a month to achieve 100 percent with the stamina skill alone, and that was if he was constantly gaining stamina. If he happened to fall asleep with his stamina full, then that would mean eight hours wasted that could've been used to progress his skill.

'This is just insane. Maybe getting that feeding skill isn't too much of a clutch after all, as long as I can still improve my skills faster.' Noah thought optimistically about the double edged skill. Recalling the fact that eating brought many benefits to Arachne, he considered that the skill might also benefit him in the end. His thoughts attempted to remain hopeful, but as he read further through the information his gaze settled a new unknown factor.

'What the heck is with this upgrade stone being required? Is it supposed to be a rare drop? What if I don't find one? What should I do then? Wait!'

He thought back to the shop and the never-ending items that it carried. He was positive that the stone would be in there, alas, the price itself was what he was unsure of.

"I swear, you can do everything with money no matter where you are. The only thing that'll change is the form of currency. Ah! That reminds me, that chest should've dropped by now…"

The first place he looked was near the last zombie that was killed, and there it was. Disappointed to find it was only bronze, he still considered it a step up from the wooden one he usually obtained from killing ordinary zombies. He wished he knew the criteria that needed to be met to determine what type of chest appeared. As of now, it seemed that it depended on the number of monsters/creatures killed and the quality of said monster/creature.

Not expecting anything grand from the loot, he casually opened it to find a short bow with no arrows and a small pile of gold. While he didn't plan on using the bow yet, he also didn't want to discard something he worked hard to get, so he decided to place it within his bag. He made a mental note to find someone who would want to buy it from him when he got the chance. With less than ten hours before the shop disappeared, he needed to quickly amass enough coins to acquire that healing skill for Arachne if he was going to abuse his class more.

More importantly, he could probably buy himself an upgrade stone or two if he wasn't able to find one by then.

Now that he had a specific goal in mind and he was done recovering what was left of the gold, he walked over to the zombies' corpses. There was still something he had to determine. He peered down over two of the zombies that weren't being eaten while he pondered. He thought about how he should progress his zombie trait skills without being bitten. Should he resort to consuming their flesh or perhaps opt for drinking their blood? Each choice carried its own set of risks and consequences, forcing him to weigh his options carefully before proceeding.

Just the thought of eating human flesh made him feel repulsed; even drinking their blood caused him to grimace. Yet, he steeled himself and knelt beside the zombie's corpse anyway. While he was more than hesitant about what he needed to do, he knew that he needed to at least try. Running around and letting zombies attempt to eat him alive wasn't something he wanted to do, and he didn't have the necessities to wait a month to grow his skills.

To his astonishment, he noticed that the closer he inched to the bodies, the less unwilling he was becoming about the idea. In fact, the putrid stench he thought he would abhor now held a strangely alluring quality, causing him to lick his lips in anticipation.

"What in the world is wrong with me? Please tell me it's the skill causing this. I swear I'm not that messed up… Now I'm worried I might actually start enjoying this smell. Please don't let it taste good too…" Noah lamented, grappling with the disturbing changes within himself. Just the idea of deriving pleasure from such a morbid act filled him with dread.

At this point, Arachne stopped what she was doing to watch her master, which is very surprising in her case. Her curiosity piqued as she sensed his growing hunger stirred by the sight of her meal. Her eyes showed an intense gleam; she always wondered why her master never ate his own kind when they were so delectable. Even spiders ate each other, though the taste wasn't nearly as impressive as what she ate now.

The gleam in her eyes held a feeling of expectation to share more with her master, but she was also conflicted. There was a part of her that was unwilling to share her food with anyone. 'What if he starts to eat my share? Does that mean less food for me?' Were some of the thoughts going through her mind. She couldn't resolve an answer to her own question, so she decided to eat faster. If he couldn't eat as fast as her, then that would mean she can still eat her fill.

So far, Noah was completely in his own world, too preoccupied to mind Arachne's peculiar worries. He was disturbed by the idea of eating the zombie's flesh, but he felt that drinking the blood wouldn't be too objectionable. Although he loathed humanity, he couldn't possibly throw away all of his human morals so quickly, so he made a compromise with himself.

Trying not to delay any longer, he extended a trembling finger in the small puddle of the zombies' blood. He paused briefly when his finger neared his mouth, the gravity of his actions sinking in before finally closing his eyes and consuming the blood.

"Mmm!"

His eyes flew open abruptly as he savored the blood, which was surprisingly sweet. Unknowingly, his body reached out for more; it wasn't just the taste itself. Noah had yet to realize the significance of the skill 'budding feeder'; his body was craving more as it began to move of its own volition. It started with another finger, then two. Soon, he was using his palms to form a makeshift cup before he lost all decorum and face-planted himself into the blood spill.

Both human and spider silently fed until Noah broke out into a coughing fit from drinking too fast. That action allowed him to awaken from his hypnotic-like state.

Gasp!*

Gasping for breath, he blinked rapidly in succession, his primal urges dissipated now that his skill was no longer in use. A dawning sense of horror took place as he looked at his hands in shock and then down to the blood-soaked ground. Drops of blood continued to trickle from his mouth, splattering onto the ground, intensifying his shock.

"This is bad… Budding feeder, my ass! The skill obviously bloomed already. What would happen if it leveled up? There's no way I could— WHA-WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME?"

As Noah rose to his feet, a newfound feeling began to overwhelm his senses, a deep-rooted fear latched onto his being when he realized something was wrong, but it wasn't the feeding skill that caused him to become so temperamental. When he gazed down at his hands, his vision seemed to warp while simultaneously split, yet oddly, he experienced no sensation of pain.

Moments later, he was forced to feel a terrible sensation, a reminder of when he first underwent his chimera transformation.

The pain surged abruptly through him, causing his body to instinctively recoil against the ground. Unlike previous experiences, however, he found himself unable to move. His body was no longer in his control as the change began to take place. It was impossible for him to understand what was happening, but he could hear it. His bones snapped loudly, each joint popping out on its own before he could feel his bones pressing against his muscles. Agony wracked his body, forcing it to contort and convulse in complex patterns.

Noah was gripped by primal panic, his very core seized with agony, yet his attempts to vocalize the pain were met with unresponsive silence. Even the muscles of his cheeks and jaws contorted and shifted, rendering him incapable of uttering even the faintest cry. It felt as though his body was succumbing to its own phase of rigor mortis, though he knew this wasn't the case. The unknown nature of his condition only fueled his fear, overshadowing the torture itself. He clung to the hope that this was just another transformation, like ones he'd experienced before, but the dreadful thought that this torment might be killing him haunted his thoughts.

Time continued, and while Noah was experiencing a turbulent crisis, Arachne was still busy devouring her food. Of course, she was alerted to Noah's movements originally, but she swiftly discerned the nature of his evolving state, prompting her to eat more frantically. 'If he was able to evolve from eating this, then so can I!' she seemed to believe.

After a considerable amount of time passed, Noah finally regained control of his body. However, his body felt foreign. Not only was his body still and sore from the internal changes, but it seemed that the transformation was not yet complete.

Tears formed within his eyes, continuing to travel down his face. Naturally, he attempted to wipe them away, and that's when he noticed the scent of iron before he observed the fresh blood on his hand; blood dripped into his palm, making him come to the realization that the source revealed to be his own eyes. In real-time, he noticed everything was becoming double. He observed as an extra pair of hands entered his field of view. Simultaneously, his perception widened, flooding his senses with an overwhelming amount of information that left him feeling intoxicated yet oddly aware, a throbbing headache pulsating at the influx of the disorited visual information.

The changes didn't end there; his body began to feel extremely itchy, almost driving him to the point that he was prepared to claw through his own skin. However, the feeling didn't last as long as he feared before feeling a prodding pain throughout his body. He could literally perceive 'something' protruding out of his body all at once. The pain wasn't too severe, it was comparable to removing a splinter, but when that pain was occurring all over his body simultaneously, he wasn't able to observe the changes as he was too preoccupied with bracing himself for the pain.

When he thought he was finally about to be given a break, he realized how naïve that thought was. Another sensation was happening to both of his arms at the same time. The pain from before slowly subsided during this new modification,giving him the opportunity to witness the unfolding of his latest modification transpiring.

While observing his arms, he witnessed his veins squirming before branching off, forming new ones. When the veins split, they began to branch off again before rearranging themselves on the underside of his forearms and intertwining to form a more intricate and thick tunnel that started to block off his blood in those vessels.

He wasn't able to feel that his blood was being cut off, but he could tell that the vein was losing all of its color before being refilled with an unsettling black substance. Believing that the changes were over, his initial instinct was to check his notifications. He was sure they would shed light on what was going on.

Before he could check, he felt a stabbing sensation in the location where the new vein had developed, seemingly puncturing through his skin. However, when he looked down, he found nothing protruding outward; his skin was only left with a miniscule hole that was blocking off whatever the mysterious black substance was.

After some time, he waited for something else to happen. After a minute of waiting, he finally felt relieved that it was all over. But his worries remained, and he took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for the information he wasn't ready for.

[Level progression from skills gained through the zombie gene has been increased]

[Warning, New gene discovered! Merging will commence, do you wish to continue? Y/N?]

[Continuing to absorb the new substance, merging has commenced! Incorporating the host body with the 'spider' genes]

"?? Spider genes? Where the he- Noooo! Her poison!""