[Species: Goblin[F Rank]
-Stats:
Strength: 4
Agility: 6
Perception: 3
Endurance: 4
Vigor:4
]
[Species: Goblin Chief[E Rank]
-Stats:
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Perception: 10
Endurance: 5
Vigor: 5
Mana: 6
]
[Species: Hobgoblin[E Rank]
-Stats:
Strength: 13
Agility: 12
Perception: 5
Endurance: 9
Vigor: 11
]
'Alright.' Amon nodded. 'And what about me?'
[Status Window:
-Name: Kin
-Species: Goblin[F Rank]
-Title: Evolving Monster
-Skill(s): Palm Of The Devourer[SSS-Rank]
-Stats:
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Perception: 3
Endurance: 3
Vigor:2
]
'Yeah, I am on the younger side after all. More importantly, tell me about that Skill, and that Title.'
Before Amon could get an answer, the Goblins surrounding him started pushing and grunting.
"Alright, everyone!" The Goblin closest to the platform on which the Goblin Chief was shouted. "Go into the forest and bring anything you find! We are having a feast tonight! For our guests, and ourselves!"
The Goblins started shouting and cheering in unison, before dispersing and running into the forest.
'This way I'll have some time alone.'
"Let's get some!" The Goblin that had previously talked to Amon shouted as he ran. "It's always like this! The one who brings the best offering will get to fuck her first! I want to be the first after our chief! The first!"
***
Amon wandered aimlessly in the forest. His only goals were to be left alone, and not to encounter a dangerous creature.
'Well? That Skill? And that Title?'
[The Evolving Monster Title allows you to Evolve into a different Species by expanding Evolution Points.]
[Evolution Points can be obtained by feeding on other creatures, or by using your Palm of the Devourer Skill.]
[The Species that one can Evolve into depends on the amount of Evolution Points obtained and on the variety of creatures ingested.]
'I see. If I had to guess, using high Evolution Points but low variety leads to evolving into a stronger version of the Goblins, while high variety and high Evolution Points leads to turning into a different Species, either one that I would have eaten or something else.'
[Correct.]
'Alright. What about that Skill? Palm Of The Devourer?'
[The Skill can be activated when coming into contact with a dead creature, among other uses.]
The moment that Amon was done reading, his eye caught a glimpse of a fallen rabbit.
'Naughty little System.'
He walked closer before raising his gaze up.
A bird of prey was circling the area, looking for where exactly it had dropped the hunted meal.
'Thanks for the delivery.' Amon chuckled as he took the rabbit into his hand. 'Cool. It has a horn.'
[Horned Hared: F Rank creature.]
'Since F is the lowest Rank, there's a big disparity between different F Rank creatures. Having seen a Goblin's Stats and those of the Goblin Chief, the difference in strength between a Horned Hare and a Goblin should be smaller than the difference in strength between a Goblin and the Goblin Chief yet one is F Rank and the other E Rank. Guess that means Goblins aren't at the bottom of the F Rank.'
[Correct.]
'So? What do I do now?' Amon asked, staring at the dead Horned Hare in his hand.
He thought about activating the Skill, and a strange sensation took over his right hand.
A tingling feeling followed by intense trembling.
'What the...?!'
The skin that covered his hand started moving as if it were a liquid being pushed by the wind. Waves.
'Freaky.'
Amon blinked, and his fingers fused together.
The amalgamation of flesh that his hand had become wrapped around the dead Horned Hare.
A second later, his hand took back its normal shape.
The Horned Hare was gone.
[The Palm Of The Devourer presents two choices.]
[1-Slightly Strengthened Bones.]
[2-Blunt Horn.]
'So with this Skill, I can change my body freely. Good to know. A Horn would make me stand out too much. Slightly Strengthened Bones it is.'
[The Horned Hare's bones were used to slightly strengthen your own.]
'Nice. Let's try to hunt something!'
***
"What are you looking at?" The female Hobgoblin asked one of the male Hobgoblins.
"The forest."
"Why?" She frowned.
"Just... Looking to have some fun." The Hobgoblin smirked as his hand tapped his Black Wolf's back.
The Hobgoblin that talked to the Goblin Chief approached, and both walked away.
'I don't want to watch this.' The female Hobgoblin thought to herself with a sigh.
Following their leader was the Goblin Chief.
"Come, don't be shy." The Hobgoblin mocked. "Check out the merchandise."
The Goblin Chief walked over to the cage.
He got closer and closer until his face was inches away from the iron bars.
The prisoner's fear had decreased slightly since the hundreds of Goblins had disappeared.
She thought that pleading for mercy could help. That asking for help was the right thing to do.
"P-Please, help me-"
A loud bang against the iron bars caused her to shudder and jump back until her body was stuck to the iron bars on the other side.
The Hobgblin laughed out loud, seeing the animalistic expression on the Goblin Chief's face as he stuck his head through the iron bars like a starving beast. And like a beast in heat, he had lost control of his hips, which were pathetically and disgustingly humping the air.
"It will always amuse me how disgusting you Goblins are." The Hobgoblin mocked. "To think that Goblins and Hobgoblins are somehow related."
Noticing his sudden instinctive outburst, the Goblin Chief coughed and slowly stepped back and away from the cage.
"Your previous messenger assured me that it wasn't just a Werebeast."
"Referring to the woman you want as -It-" The Hobgoblin chuckled. "How Goblin-like."
The Goblin Chief's eyes narrowed.
"Do you have any proof that it is what you say it is?"
"How about you show me this Stone you're offering in exchange?"
"The Stone is tucked away in a safe place."
"I want to see it. Our Chief made it clear. No Stone, no woman for you to breed."
"Woman?" The Goblin Chief shook his head. "If your Chief's claims are true, then this is no ordinary woman."
"Yes, yes. Her body is sure to be most pleasurable."
"It is sure to bear strong children."
"Right, Goblins don't give birth to females. I suppose that's for the best. With how beastly you all are."
"We shall go see the Stone after our feast." The Goblin Chief explained. "At night, when everyone is asleep. Your companions won't accompany us."
"Sure, sure. Wouldn't want to make you angry and get hit with a Fireball. My clothes might end up with a hole. Clothes... That's something you all need as well, isn't it?"
"We shall go after all are asleep." The Goblin Chief repeated as he started walking away, ignoring the mockery. "Your companions won't accompany us."
***
Inside the forest,
'They're really struggling.' Amon chuckled.
He was currently seated on a thick branch, watching from above.
Four Goblins were chasing a Horned Hare.
The latter was mostly going in circles, but its agility made it impossible for the Goblins to take hold of it.
'They're too dumb to catch the Horned Hare. Just a bit of synchronisation and they could easily grab it.'
A minute later, progress was made.
Amon almost wanted to clap when it was clear that the Horned Hare was about to be captured.
However, the moment that it sensed the danger couldn't be dodged,
'Damnnnn.'
A weak shriek echoed as the Goblin slowly fell to the ground.
'Nice Skill!'
The horn had been shot through the Goblin's heart.
'Using my Skill on a Horned Hare, I could obtain a Blunt Horn. To obtain the Skill to shoot the horn like that, I would need to assimilate many more Horned Hares.'
Amon's lips curled upwards, and he hopped off the branch.
Following their brethren's death, the other three Goblins ran away, too dumb to realize that the Horned Hare had lost its only weapon with that attack.
'Gotcha.' Too focused on those on the ground, the Horned Hare hadn't noticed the Goblin above.
It was quickly grabbed, and Devoured by Amon's palm.
He slowly walked towards the fallen Goblin. It had already stopped breathing.
Amon took hold of the horn and pulled it out of the Goblin's chest.
'It's not as long as I would like it to be, but I can probably use it still.' He thought while staring at the bloody horn. 'It isn't blunt though… Maybe Devouring more Horned Hare will lead to me getting a Sharp Horn option. Still, it's not super sharp either. The Skill that ejects it does so with a lot of power, which is why it could pierce the Goblin's skin. For now, getting a second one will allow me to sharpen them.'
He lowered his gaze towards the fallen Goblin and stared for a moment.
'Let's try it on something a little bit bigger.'
Amon lay a hand on the dead Goblin and, just like before, his hand changed and the flesh moved as if it had a mind of its own. The amalgamation of flesh grew until it covered the entire surface of the Goblin's body! A moment later, the size started decreasing. Slowly but surely, the whole Goblin was consumed.
[Your Strength Stat has increased by 1.]
[Your Agility Stat has increased by 1.]
"Perfect." Amon whispered with a smile. "Hope many more of them die."
Killing them himself was an option, but it would make him a traitor to the tribe. Something he was sure could cost him dearly.
For now.