The forest never slept. Even after dusk draped the land in shadow and silence, life moved in whispers and flickers—creatures rustling through bushes, distant howls piercing the veil of night, and the occasional glint of eyes watching from deep in the underbrush.
I sat by the fire we'd built from half-dried sticks and moss. The flames crackled low, casting dim light across the jagged walls of the cave we'd claimed as shelter. Drek sat across from me, silent, arms wrapped around her knees. She always sat like that, guarded. But tonight, her eyes flicked toward me more often. Watching. Hesitating.
We had hunted three horned rabbits earlier. I'd eaten two of them whole. One of them had a skill—[Burrow Step]. Not flashy, but useful for dodging or quick escape underground. That made eight new skills in total since I was reborn into this strange, brutal world as a goblin. No signs of slowing down.
Drek—no, she hadn't eaten much. She said her stomach hurt.
"You sure you're not sick?" I asked, breaking the silence.
She didn't answer at first. Just stared into the fire.
"You're... different," she murmured. "Not just stronger. The others were always loud, stupid, aggressive. But you—"
"I remember my old life," I said quietly, finishing her thought. "That's why."
Her gaze lifted to mine, sharp but uncertain.
"Human?"
I nodded. "I died. Then woke up like this."
Drek was quiet again. Then she chuckled under her breath—a strange, bitter sound.
"I thought I was the only one," she said. "But no. Just another soul thrown here to crawl through the filth."
Something about the way she said that made my skin crawl.
"Wait… you remember too?"
Slowly, she stood up. The firelight danced over her rough, rag-wrapped body. Her silhouette shifted in the shadows—curves I hadn't noticed before became clear.
"I was a girl before. Still am."
She undid the binding around her chest. The dirty cloth fell to the cave floor, revealing soft, pale skin. Breasts. Slender shoulders. She wasn't just pretending. She was a girl—had been hiding it this entire time. Even her voice sounded different now, softer but laced with something dark.
"My real name isn't Drek," she said. "That's just what I told the others so they wouldn't tear me apart."
I rose slowly. My body tensed, not from fear, but from something deeper—heat pulsing just beneath the surface. She wasn't like the other goblins. Neither of us were. We weren't just monsters—we were people, twisted into the shape of beasts.
"What's your real name?" I asked.
She hesitated. Then said, "My name is Selis."
Selis.
It suited her. Beautiful. Gentle. Not meant for this ugly world.
She stepped closer. I could see her eyes clearly now. They weren't just red—they shimmered with something fierce, intelligent, and tired of hiding. Her hands touched my chest, rough fingers tracing the faint scar where I'd once taken a tusk through the ribs.
"You're stronger than me," she whispered. "Smarter too. I knew it from the moment you killed that first rabbit. You didn't scream or brag like the others. You thought. You're dangerous."
Her fingers slid downward. My body responded instantly, heat flaring. My claws clenched at my sides.
"You're not scared?" I asked, voice rough.
"Terrified," she said. "But I'm done pretending I'm not alive."
Her lips touched mine—soft, trembling, desperate. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was survival. Hunger. Rage. Grief. A need to feel something human in a world that wanted us to be nothing but monsters.
I pulled her close, letting instinct and memory guide me. She gasped when our bodies pressed together, her breath hitching in my ear. I lifted her with ease, backing her against the cave wall, my hands roaming her newly-revealed skin. Her thighs wrapped around me, her nails dug into my back.
"Say it again," I whispered between kisses.
"Selis," she moaned. "My name is Selis…"
Her hips rocked against mine, our bodies moving as one. Every breath she took was a cry against the darkness, every gasp a song of rebellion. She clung to me like I was the only thing tethering her to sanity—and maybe I was. Maybe we were all each other had.
We didn't stop until the fire died down to embers.
Later, I held her in my arms, her small body trembling against mine. She buried her face in my chest, hiding from the world. From the blood. The violence. The monsters.
"I'm tired," she whispered. "So tired of being scared."
"Then stop being scared," I said. "Be dangerous instead."
She laughed softly. "Easy for you to say."
"I'll protect you."
She pulled back and looked up at me. "Why?"
"Because I need someone who remembers what it's like to be human."
She smiled. A real one this time. Then pressed her forehead against mine.
We lay like that until sleep took us.
Tomorrow, we would hunt again. Eat again. Grow stronger.
But tonight, we were more than monsters.
We were alive.
The moon hung high, pale and full, like a ghost watching from the heavens. Outside the mouth of our cave, the forest whispered to itself—branches swaying, insects humming, distant shrieks echoing into the dark.
But inside... there was only silence.
Selis slept curled at my side, her breath steady, warm against my chest. The fire had long since died, leaving only a dull warmth in the stones. I watched her chest rise and fall beneath the soft hide blanket we'd stitched from horned rabbit pelts. Her hair was damp with sweat from our earlier hunt—or maybe from what happened after.
I should have been resting. But something was off. My body buzzed, every muscle thrumming like a plucked string. My skin felt tight, too small for what churned beneath it. My breath grew short, shallow.
Something's wrong.
No. Not wrong. Different.
My vision flickered—just for a moment—and then I saw it. The faint shimmer of glowing text in the darkness. The system.
> [Notice: Evolutionary Condition Met]
Primal Consumption Threshold: 23 Unique Organisms Consumed
Skill Capacity Expansion: Exceeded Normal Limits
Core Instinct: Activated
Reproductive Drive: Initiated
Evolution Path: [Goblin Devourer] Available
Evolution will commence in 10 seconds.
WARNING: Pain Threshold Exceeded
Physical restructuring in progress…
"What the—?"
A pressure like molten iron slammed through my skull. I dropped to my knees, clutching my temples, teeth bared in a silent scream.
Selis stirred beside me.
"Raizel?" she mumbled, half-asleep.
I tried to answer but couldn't form the words. My spine arched, muscles spasming. Something inside me twisted and pulled—bones cracking, organs burning. My mouth filled with blood, fangs growing sharper, longer. Claws split through the tips of my fingers like razors.
> System Message:
"You have begun your first evolution. Remain conscious if possible. Suppression of instinct is not recommended."
My vision blurred again, the cave spinning. Selis sat up, eyes wide.
"What's happening to you?" she cried, reaching out.
But I couldn't respond. I collapsed to all fours, panting, growling. My throat was raw, my insides boiling. It was like being reborn all over again—violently, painfully, awake.
Images flashed through my mind: every creature I had consumed, every drop of blood, every skill I had stolen and made mine.
> Skills Absorbed:
[Claw Swipe]
[Predator Sense]
[Burrow Step]
[Lung Crush Bite]
[Rabbit Sprint]
[Night Vision]
[Rage Howl]
[Reinforced Hide]
[Bone Carver]
[Thermal Vision]
[Venom Resistance]
[Blood Memory]
… and more.
A low growl rose from my chest—deeper than before. My voice changed. My limbs thickened. My skin, once green and thin, darkened into something tougher, mottled like stone and leather. My fingers flexed, twice as long, tipped in wicked black talons.
I could feel the shift. My body growing stronger. Taller. Hunger now pulsed through me in rhythm with my heartbeat. But it wasn't desperation anymore—it was power. Control.
> Evolution Complete.
New Race: Goblin Devourer (Tier 1 Mutant Variant)
Traits Inherited: High Adaptability, Extreme Skill Assimilation, Hunger Core
Unique Trait: [Predatory Eater] – All consumed enemies may transfer one skill regardless of rarity. Passive.
New Title Gained: First of the Devourers
Current Size: +45% Increase
Muscle Density: +62%
Sensory Range Expanded
I collapsed to the ground, gasping. My entire body throbbed, but it wasn't pain now. It was something else—clarity.
I opened my eyes.
The world was… sharper. I could see every detail, from the faint cracks in the cave walls to the slow twitch of Selis's pulse beneath her skin. I smelled her fear—but also her relief. Her scent was stronger now. Sweeter.
"Raizel…?" she whispered.
I sat up slowly. My hand—larger, stronger, wrapped in new blackened flesh—touched her cheek. Her eyes widened.
"You evolved," she breathed.
I nodded. "I didn't choose it. It just… happened."
Selis looked at me, uncertain. "Are you still you?"
I didn't answer right away. Something inside had changed. Not just my flesh, but my instincts. My thoughts were clearer, more analytical… but also darker. Hungrier.
"I am," I said finally. "But I'm not the same."
She touched my arm, feeling the muscle, the rough skin. "You're not a normal goblin anymore."
"No. I'm not."
Selis exhaled, then gave a shaky laugh. "Good. Because the world out there won't show us mercy. It's time we stopped crawling and started climbing."
The old me—who had died with a bullet to the back in a cold alley—would've laughed at that. But now, I only nodded.
"We start tomorrow," I said. "We'll hunt. I'll eat. Grow."
Selis met my eyes. "And what about me?"
"I protect you," I said. "And when the time comes—you'll evolve too."
She blinked. "Even if I'm not like you?"
"You're stronger than you think," I said. "But if you want it, I'll help you get there. No matter how long it takes."
Her gaze softened. Then she leaned in, pressing her lips to mine. Not with fear. Not with desperation.
But with purpose.
The world may have turned us into monsters—but we'd become gods of this hell before it crushed us.
Tomorrow, I would begin testing my new body. Pushing limits. Hunting stronger prey. Goblin Devourer was just the first step.
I wasn't just surviving anymore.
I was evolving.