He reached out and clasped it.
"Partners," Satou agreed.
The watching goblins and orcs erupted into cheers—not enthusiastic yet, but genuine. The first real celebration of this strange new alliance.
Later in the night, after the celebrations had died down and most of the settlement had gone to sleep, Satou made his way back to the orc village alone. There was something he needed to do, something he'd been putting off.
During the duel with Urgak, several orcs had died in skirmishes earlier that day—conflicts with human patrols that had wandered too close to their territory. The bodies had been prepared for traditional orc funeral rites, but Urgak had granted Satou permission to use his Devouring ability on them first.
"They died as warriors," Urgak had said. "If their essence can make our alliance stronger, they would have wanted that."
Now, standing before three orc corpses laid out respectfully, Satou activated his Spatial Consumption ability.
The black void materialized above the first body, expanding to encompass it entirely. Within seconds, the corpse was gone, absorbed into impossible space.
DING!
[You have consumed: Orc Warrior (Level 12)]
[Skills Acquired:]
[Skill Acquired: Orc's Might]
Effect: Significantly increases physical strength and endurance. Muscles develop more efficiently, allowing for greater power output.
[Skill Acquired: Thick Skin (Passive)]
Effect: Skin becomes tougher and more resistant to cuts and abrasions. Provides minor protection against slashing damage.
[Skill Acquired: Battle Fury]
Effect: When health drops below 30%, temporarily gain increased strength, speed, and pain resistance. Duration: 60 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
The second body yielded similar results, reinforcing the skills he'd just gained. But the third body—an orc who'd apparently been a shaman—gave him something different.
DING!
[You have consumed: Orc Shaman (Level 15)]
[Skills Acquired:]
[Skill Acquired: Spirit Sense]
Effect: Can perceive and communicate with nature spirits. Allows for basic shamanic rituals and blessings.
[Skill Acquired: Elemental Affinity (Earth)]
Effect: Natural attunement to earth-based magic. All earth manipulation abilities cost 20% less mana and are 30% more effective.
[Skill Acquired: Ancestral Knowledge]
Effect: Can access fragmented memories and wisdom from consumed beings. Information appears as intuitive knowledge rather than explicit memories.
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 17]
[Mana capacity increased: 16 → 18]
[All stats increased]
Satou felt the new skills settling into place, particularly the Elemental Affinity. It was like his Earth Manipulation had suddenly clicked into focus—what had been difficult before now felt natural, intuitive.
With this, building the village will be so much easier,He then pulled up his updated status screen.
[Status Window]
Name: Satou
Race: Goblin (Juvenile → Adolescent)
Level: 17
Health: 380/380
Stamina: 280/280
Mana: 18/18
Strength: 42 (+10 from Orc's Might)
Agility: 44
Intelligence: 52
Vitality: 41
Skills:
Goblin Translation (Active)
Devouring (SSS-Rank) - Spatial Consumption
Goblin's Iron Stomach (Passive)
Demon Wolf Enhanced Senses (Passive)
Poison Fang (Lv. 4)
Stone Spit (Lv. 5)
Regeneration (Passive)
Minor Mana Sense (Passive)
Flame Spark (Active)
Basic Swordsmanship (Passive)
Shield Deflection (Passive)
Enhanced Bite (Passive)
Disease Resistance (Minor, Passive)
Tremor Sense (Weak, Passive)
Burrowing (Active)
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate, Active)
Magicule Bestowal (Unique, Active)
Pack Leader's Instinct (Passive)
Enhanced Smell (Advanced, Passive)
Predator's Gaze (Active)
Night Hunter (Passive)
Howl of the Pack (Active)
Orc's Might (Passive)
Thick Skin (Passive)
Battle Fury (Active)
Spirit Sense (Active)
Elemental Affinity (Earth, Passive)
Ancestral Knowledge (Passive)
The list of skills had grown significantly. Each one represented a life taken, a creature consumed, power gained through the brutal but necessary act of devouring.
Satou wondered briefly what he was becoming. He'd started as a human in his previous life, been reborn as a goblin, and was now accumulating abilities from wolves, orcs, and who knew what else.
Am I still me? Or am I becoming something else entirely?
But then he thought of Jessica and Kelvin's smiling faces. Of Grimnir's gruff loyalty. Of Lyra's steady support. Of all the goblins depending on him to lead them somewhere better.
It doesn't matter what I'm becoming, as long as I don't lose sight of why I'm doing this.
He turned away from the spot where the orc bodies had been and headed back toward the goblin settlement-in-progress.
Tomorrow, he would begin building in earnest. With his enhanced Earth Manipulation and the alliance secured, they could create something real. Something lasting.
A goblin village that could grow into a town. A town that could grow into a city. A city that could become the foundation of a civilization.
It was a long road ahead. There would be setbacks, conflicts, probably more death and destruction before they achieved anything resembling stability.
But for the first time since being reborn in this world, Satou felt something he hadn't allowed himself to feel before.
Hope.
Real, genuine hope that they might actually pull this off.
Far to the north, in a fortress carved from black stone, a figure sat upon a throne of bones and shadows.
The Demon Lord Malthar had ruled his territory for three centuries, crushing any who dared challenge his authority. His network of spies and informants extended throughout the region, feeding him information on anything that might threaten his power.
And today, one of those informants had brought disturbing news.
"A goblin?" Malthar's voice was like grinding stones. "A single goblin has convinced an orc tribe to form an alliance?"
"Yes, my lord," the informant—a cowled figure whose face remained hidden—replied. "The Iron Fang tribe, to be specific. Apparently, this goblin has the ability to artificially trigger evolution in other creatures. He's been creating Hobgoblins and even evolved the orc chieftain into a High Orc."
"Impossible," Malthar said flatly. "Evolution doesn't work that way. It requires specific conditions, intense combat experience, consuming massive amounts of magical energy..."
"And yet the reports are consistent across multiple sources," the informant said. "This goblin—they call him Satou—possesses abilities that shouldn't exist."
Malthar was silent for a long moment, his ancient mind working through possibilities.
"Interesting," he finally said. "Very interesting. A goblin with unique powers, building an alliance between traditional enemies, establishing a settlement in the southern forest..."
"Shall I send assassins, my lord?" the informant asked.
"No," Malthar replied. "Not yet. Let's see what this Satou can build with his little alliance. If he succeeds, he becomes a valuable asset to claim. If he fails, he solves himself."
He leaned back in his throne, a cruel smile crossing his features.
"Either way, this goblin has my attention. And very few creatures who gain my attention live to regret it."
Meanwhile, in the human capital city of Eldoria, a council meeting was taking place.
"The goblin situation in the southern territories has escalated," General Markus reported, spreading a map across the table. "What started as scattered tribes fleeing our extermination efforts has apparently evolved into something more organized."
"How organized?" asked Councilor Thera, a woman whose political influence rivaled even the king's.
"Intelligence suggests they've formed an alliance with the Iron Fang orc tribe," Markus replied.
"And there are reports of goblins demonstrating abilities well beyond normal parameters—magic that can trigger evolution, earth manipulation sophisticated enough to construct buildings..."
"That's concerning," another councilor said. "But they're still just goblins and orcs. Monsters. We've dealt with their kind before."
"Perhaps," Markus said slowly. "But something has changed. The attack patterns have become more strategic. They're not just surviving—they're building something. And if we don't address it soon, it could grow into a genuine threat."
"Then increase patrols in that region," Councilor Thera decided. "Monitor their activities. If they become a true problem, we'll deal with it decisively. But for now, we have more pressing concerns than a goblin playing at civilization."
The meeting moved on to other topics, dismissing the "goblin situation" as a minor issue.
But General Markus continued staring at the map, at the circled area representing Satou's growing settlement.
Something's different about this one, he thought. I can feel it.
--------
Back in the southern forest, unaware of the eyes now watching him from multiple directions, Satou stood on a hill overlooking the construction site.
In just three days, they'd built six structures. In a week, they'd have twenty. In a month…
"Big brother!"
Jessica and Kelvin came running up the hill, their Hobgoblin forms allowing them to cover ground quickly.
"What is it?" Satou asked.
"Urgak wants to know if you're ready to do more namings tomorrow," Jessica said. "He has five warriors who've proven themselves worthy, and they're eager to evolve."
"And Grimnir says the scouts found signs of deer herds to the east," Kelvin added. "He wants to organize a proper hunting party—mixed goblin and orc teams working together."
Satou smiled. Progress. Real, tangible progress.
"Tell Urgak yes, we'll do the namings after breakfast. And tell Grimnir to organize his hunting party. It's time we stopped rationing and started thriving."
The siblings saluted—a gesture they'd picked up from the orc warriors—and ran off to deliver the messages.
Satou turned back to survey his growing village one more time.