The silence within my magnificent underwater fortress, built from ancient materials, felt almost perfect—interrupted only by the gentle hum of my magical reactor. From my intangible throne, a holographic screen emitted a faint light. Upon it, a detailed topographical map of the tangled Great Jura Forest was displayed. There, points of light representing various monster species flickered rapidly, indicating the relentless wave of violence and confusion. The forest, once a peaceful domain protected by the presence of Veldora, had now become an endless battleground, filled with monster screams, the scent of blood, and chaotic magic fluctuations.
Ah, the brutal beauty! What a truly priceless sight, a symphony of unorganized destruction. All of this was the result of actions I initiated from the shadows, the outcome of a failure, and a very valuable lesson.
A few months ago, after my manipulation plan against the Majin failed utterly, I sent Umbra, my first subordinate, to sow the seeds of chaos. I instructed Umbra to incite suspicion and hatred among the monsters, and... well, the plan worked perfectly.
The magic fluctuations and screams from a distance were tangible proof of my plan's success. Through Umbra, who was in hiding, every death, every shattered soul, was a data packet slowly converted into energy and funneled into my spiritual core. It was an incredibly efficient harvest, allowing me to replenish the magic energy that had been drained during my evolution experiments.
The humiliating failure against Caelus and the unexpected intervention of the mighty Dryad taught me a valuable lesson. I was too hasty. I was overly confident in my intelligence, and in the end, that arrogance nearly led to my demise. Failure is not a loss; it's data. Invaluable data that revealed the flaws in what I thought was perfect logic. I had tried to create a shortcut to power by relying on a powerful pawn like the Majin, hoping its strength would accelerate my plans.
However, a powerful pawn also attracts the attention of even more powerful entities. Hasty power can be a boomerang, and I will not repeat the same mistake.
Therefore, I decided to change my plan. I will no longer seek out pawns with significant strength. Instead, I will seek out the weakest, most desperate entities, whose presence in the world would not attract the attention of beings as strong as a Dryad or Luminous Valentine. I needed an inconspicuous "outpost" that could gather energy and data without causing even the slightest ripple in the world. A pawn that was weak, easily manipulated, and would never think of rebelling.
Goblins. Those fragile, frightened little creatures were the perfect candidates. Compared to the Orcs and Lizardmen, Goblins were the most vulnerable creatures in this chaos. I shifted the focus of my holographic screen to a hidden Goblin village, a few kilometers away from the main battlefield.
I could feel the tremors of their fear and see how they were hiding inside a cave, trying to escape the violence that threatened them. Their fear was a valuable resource, a sign that they would accept any "help" I offered.
I saw them not as individuals, but as numbers, as data, as potential. I had all the knowledge I needed, all the necessary tools, and most importantly, infinite patience. I had waited for over 50 years within the stream of pure mana at the bottom of the sea, and I could wait another 150 years if needed, until the main storyline began. I will use this time to gather energy, consolidate my power, and create an efficient and undetectable army.
I remotely instructed Umbra. Using my Manipulator skill, I interfered with Umbra's magicule frequency and the surrounding magicules, creating an invisible and undetectable effect. It made Umbra glide smoothly through the dense foliage, approaching the cave where the Goblins were hiding. Umbra made no sound, left no trace, just a shadow sliding through the darkness. I would make them believe that I was their savior. And in exchange for this "salvation," they would surrender their freedom to me.
I had learned from my most humiliating failure, and now I will move with extreme caution. I will no longer step into a trap; instead, I will create my own.
I let the holographic screen flicker before me. The chaos among the monsters continued, filling the forest with violent turmoil, but I no longer cared. My attention was now focused on a small Goblin village, where a new seed for my cruel plan was about to be planted.
Inside the damp, dark cave, every shadow seemed alive. The air was thick with the scent of earth and sweat, and whispers of fear were the only sounds that broke the silence. The Goblins huddled together, their large, round eyes filled with terror. They could hear the screams coming from a distance, the sounds of a much larger war in the Great Jura Forest. Among them was a young Goblin, smaller and more fragile than the others, trembling with fear. It had no name. It was just an individual, with no strength or abilities, hoping only to survive from one day to the next. It was nothing, a barely significant data point, but its destiny was about to change.
Suddenly, the shadows in the cave grew darker. Not from a lack of light, but because a new entity had appeared in their midst. The shadow took on a humanoid shape, floating in the air, and had two empty white eyes, like two dead moons observing them. It was Umbra, acting as an extension of my will. Umbra had no hostile aura, but its very presence was enough to make the Goblins tremble in fear.
I did not speak with a voice, but through a mental whisper, a voice that came from nothingness and echoed within their minds. The whisper was simple, yet full of promise and hope.
"I can grant you power. I can grant you the ability to survive," I said. "However, in exchange, you must surrender all your freedom to me." The Goblins were too afraid to respond, but I felt a flicker of hesitation among them. An irrelevant flicker. They had no other choice.
I shifted my focus to the most frightened young Goblin. It was the perfect blank canvas. Its weakness was its greatest strength to me. It had no ambition, no attachments, just a pure desire to survive. This was a valuable resource, which could be molded at will. I didn't need to give it a name; a name is a ritual that consumes immense energy, as I experienced when I named Umbra decades ago. That experience drained all my magic energy and left me utterly exhausted, and I don't want to repeat it, since I don't have a walking power bank like Rimuru.
A simple psychic link was sufficient. A bond that didn't require much energy but provided far more efficient control. I don't need emotional loyalty. I only need logical obedience.
I sent a simple mental command to the terrified Goblin. "Follow me. And I will transform you from a weak creature into a strong one." I didn't force it; I simply gave it a choice. A choice that a desperate creature could not refuse. With a blank stare, the Goblin nodded.
I began the process. Through Umbra, I channeled magic energy from my spiritual core, activating the formula according to the Genetic Formula I had obtained from the ancient ruins. The formula was not created to make monsters naturally stronger; it was created to forge creatures that could be controlled remotely, to be used as pawns in an experiment. This was the perfect process for me.
I observed the Goblin's body through Umbra. Its bones cracked, its skin peeled, and it groaned in pain as every molecule of its body was forcibly altered. It was a painful, horrific process, but to me, it was just an accurate manufacturing process. In my analysis, the Goblin was merely a blueprint that needed to be changed. All its emotions, all its pain, were just data.
The evolution process took a few minutes, but it must have felt like an eternity to the Goblin. When the light dimmed, the once-fragile Goblin had been transformed. Its form was leaner, stronger, with darker skin and eyes that radiated a sharp intelligence. Although it was still a Goblin, its body exuded a much denser aura, a clear sign of the transformation that had just taken place.
I saw the data flowing in, and I smiled with satisfaction. I had created a perfect pawn, both mentally and physically superior to its species.
This evolution wasn't just about power; it was about control. All of its new abilities, all of its new strength, were programmed to work with me. I had built a foundation, a blueprint for my grander plan.
Here is the data collected during the evolution process:
| Evolution Analysis |
|---|
| Race | Phantom Goblin |
| EP (Pre-evolution) | 100 |
| Skills | Magicule Sense |
| EP (Post-evolution) | 1000 |
| New Skills | Energy Absorber (passive), Subtle Command |
This analysis showed that the Genetic Formula worked perfectly. I didn't just give it power, but also abilities that I could control remotely. Energy Absorber would absorb energy from monsters that were killed, which would then be funneled to me.
Subtle Command was the most crucial skill, as it meant I no longer needed to give complex orders; I just had to project my intention, and it would follow. It was a completely efficient and undetectable system, an underwater "corporation" that would passively gather energy for me.
The painful evolution process left the Goblin unconscious for a while. When it woke up, the first thing it felt was not power, but an emptiness. An emotionless voice echoed in its head, a voice it recognized, which made it tremble with fear.
"Welcome to a new world," the voice said. "You are no longer the weak one. Now, you are an extension of my will. Your purpose is to hunt. And I will guide you."
The Goblin could not fight back. It could not think. It could only nod and follow the given commands. I didn't give it a name. I didn't need a name to control this puppet. I only needed obedience.
Under my control, it got up and stepped out of the cave, walking with a much more confident stride than before. It no longer stumbled; now it was a hunter. The forest now felt different to it.
I started with the most basic. I instructed it to hunt the weakest monsters, those with an EP below 1,000, monsters too fragile to pose a threat. With its new strength, it could kill them easily. It no longer used foolish strategies like other Goblins; it used the strategy I had uploaded into its mind, a strategy that allowed it to hunt efficiently without expending unnecessary energy.
Every time it killed a monster, I could feel a small sensation. A sensation like a slow stream of water filling a vessel. It was the effect of the Energy Absorber that I had programmed into its spiritual core. A small fraction of the killed monster's energy didn't just disappear; it was channeled into my spiritual core. It was a slow process, but if repeated thousands of times, the amount would become very significant. I was in no hurry.
As time passed, it grew stronger. Its form evolved again, becoming leaner and taller, with sharp claws and unusual teeth. It no longer looked like a fragile Goblin; it looked like a powerful monster. Yet, it remained a Goblin, a reminder of its weakness that made it easy to control. I gave it a subtle command, directing it to seek out monsters with higher energy.
It no longer hunted for survival; it hunted for its master. Its eyes were empty, its mind focused on its mission, and it had no emotions. It was a puppet, controlled by a puppeteer from a distance.
It was the perfect pawn. It would not attract the attention of entities as strong as a Dryad or Luminous Valentine. It would just be a small ripple, a minor anomaly amidst the much larger chaos. It was a spy, a hunter, and an energy collector, all in one package.
I let it hunt and collect energy, while I sat on my throne at the bottom of the sea, observing everything. It was my eyes, my ears, and my right hand in the Great Jura Forest. Through it, I could gather information, analyze magic fluctuations, and find out about the powerful monsters. In this way, I could gather energy and consolidate my power without having to do anything myself.
My strategy was now very simple: to build an army slowly, without arousing suspicion, and use them as tools to gather energy and data. I had turned weakness into an advantage.
One month had passed since the evolved Goblin began its mission. It had become an incredibly efficient hunter, collecting energy from dozens of monsters it killed.
However, the instability in the Great Jura Forest, which had been beneficial, was now starting to become a problem. The Orcs had managed to eliminate a portion of the Lizardmen and Direwolves, and they were now the dominant force in the area. My harvest was about to end, and that meant I had to move. I would redirect it to seek more significant targets.
Just as I made that decision, I felt an incredibly powerful magical wave from a distance. A magical wave that was not natural, not generated from a battle, but from an entity. I shifted my focus from the holographic screen to a point on the map far from the main battlefield. I knew what it was. It was the aura of someone with immense power, moving with purpose. A Dryad. I knew its presence and I knew I had to be careful.
I ordered the Goblin to hide. I didn't want it to be found by the Dryad, who would surely sense its unnatural power. I had already lost my other pawn, that Majin, and I didn't want to lose this one too. I will keep it out of trouble, at least for now.
Then, I felt another magical wave. This time, it wasn't from the Dryad, but from an entity nearby. Something very powerful. I directed my attention to the Goblin, which was now hiding behind a large rock. I could see a figure approaching. It was an Ogre. Not a foolish Ogre, but an intelligent one. The aura it radiated was far greater than a normal Ogre.
The Ogre had no intention of attacking. He was simply curious. He could sense the unnatural aura from the Goblin, and he approached cautiously.
Suddenly, I felt a resonance from my spiritual core, a vibration that I could only feel from one source. A source of immense power, hiding in a cave beneath the Great Jura Forest. It was Veldora. I could feel his heart beating, and I knew he was still trapped within his seal. I smiled in the darkness. I knew all of this. I had knowledge from another world. I knew that Veldora, the Storm Dragon, would be trapped within his seal for 300 years, and Rimuru would arrive in about 150 years. I still had plenty of time. Enough time to gather power, build an army, and write my own destiny.
I realized that this Ogre was not a threat, but an opportunity. He was intelligent, strong, and he was interested in my pawn. I could use his interest to my advantage. He could become a bridge, a tool that I could use to connect with the outside world, which I would need to interact with the world without having to appear directly.
I was no longer just gathering energy. I was also gathering data. With my new pawn, and the possibility of another new pawn, I could observe every movement that happened in the Great Jura Forest without arousing suspicion. I will let the Ogre find the Goblin, and I will let him dance to the tune I play. I will turn his curiosity into a friendship, a friendship I can manipulate.
I will take over this storyline, and I will write my own destiny. I know everything, and I will use it to my advantage. I will become a force that cannot be ignored, a force that will change the world. I will no longer make the same mistake of rushing. I will move calmly, building my plan step by step. Veldora, Rimuru, and the ceiling of power in this world—they will witness how an insignificant pawn can change destiny. And with that thought, I returned to the depths of darkness, waiting.
A new game is about to begin.