He sat in the blue-tinged safety of his alcove, the image of the Lvl 7 [Tribe Bully] seared into his mind. The [Cowardice] passive was a cold, physical weight in his gut, a constant reminder of the chasm in power. He was Lvl 2. It was Lvl 7. A single blow from that nail-studded club would turn him into a smear of green paste.
Run? The thought was primal, injected by his goblin instincts. Hide. Starve. Die quietly.
No. His human intellect, now a formidable 12 points, crushed the instinct. Analyze. Adapt. Survive.
The [Tribe Bully] was a problem for later. A much later. His current problem was more immediate: he was 4 EXP away from Level 3. And his stomach was growling again.
He looked at his small, scavenged hoard. He had four pieces of [Roach Meat (Tainted)]. He had resisted eating them, wary of the 'Tainted' tag. But now, he had little choice. The goblin meat was gone.
Knowledge is power. He focused on one of the stringy, dark pieces.
'Appraisal.'
[Roach Meat (Tainted) (Consumable)]
Rank: F-rank
Description: The flesh of a [Cave Roach (Bloated)]. It is tough and has a sharp, acidic taste. Contains basic insectoid proteins and minor toxins.
Effect: Restores 0.2 Stamina.
Risk: Has a 20% chance of inflicting [Stomach Sickness (Minor Disease)].
A 20% chance. Far better than the 35% from the [Tainted Core Fragment]. He was a Scavenger. He had to live on the margins, and that meant eating the trash no one else wanted.
He picked up the "meat." It was glistening and had a faint, vinegary smell. He closed his eyes, divorced his mind from his senses, and ate.
It was, by every metric, the most disgusting thing he had ever put in his mouth. It was worse than the goblin meat. It was sour, gritty, and the chitinous shell fragments crunched. He gagged, his body trying to reject it, but he forced it down.
[You have consumed [Roach Meat (Tainted)].]
[Stamina +0.2. Vitality minutely restored.]
[Stamina Check (6) vs. Toxin (Difficulty 3)... Success!]
[You have successfully resisted [Stomach Sickness].]
[Your body is adapting to a new food source.]
[Your [Monster Evolution] parameters are being updated.]
His head snapped up. The last message. That was new.
He immediately pulled up his Status, navigating to the [MONSTER EVOLUTION] tab.
[MONSTER EVOLUTION]
Stage: 1st Evolution (Standard Monster)
Progress to 2nd Evolution: 0.3% / 100%
New Sub-Menu Available: [Evolutionary Path Log]
His progress had ticked up by 0.1%. He focused on the new menu, his mind racing.
He opened the [Evolutionary Path Log].
[Evolutionary Path Log (1st Stage)]
Description: A monster's evolution is not predetermined. It is a reflection of its environment, its actions, and, most critically, what it consumes. Your body is a canvas, and every meal is a brushstroke. All significant genetic and energy sources are logged here, creating a unique "profile" that will determine your 2nd Evolution choices when progress reaches 100%.
Current Evolutionary Profile (Influences):
[Goblinoid Essence (Cannibalism)]: 40%
Source: [Goblin Meat (Poor)]
Potential Paths: [Brute], [Tribal], [Hob]
[Insectoid Essence (Chitin)]: 40%
Source: [Roach Meat (Tainted)]
Potential Paths: [Chitinous], [Acidic], [Multi-Limbed]
[Toxin Essence (Tainted)]: 20%
Source: [Roach Meat (Tainted)], [Core Fragment (Tainted)] (Proximity)
Potential Paths: [Resistant], [Corrupted], [Plague]
He stared at the screen, a slow, sharp, utterly predatory grin spreading across his face. This... this was beautiful.
He wasn't just leveling. He was designing.
The System wasn't just forcing him down a "Goblin" path. He'd eaten one goblin and one roach, and his profile was now a perfect split. If he kept eating goblins, he would follow the [Goblinoid Essence] path and likely become a bigger, stronger version of the [Tribe Bully]. A dead end.
But by eating the roaches, he was unlocking new paths. [Chitinous]? An exoskeleton? [Acidic]? Like the [Roach Pus]?
This was his cheat. This was his advantage. The [Tribe Bully] was Lvl 7, but it was just a goblin. It ate other goblins, so it would only ever be a goblin.
He, on the other hand, was a [Field Scavenger]. He would choose what he became.
A surge of cold, fierce purpose filled him. He was 4 EXP from his next level. He needed to hunt. He needed more Insectoid Essence.
He grabbed his three [Corroded Bone Shards] and slipped back into the crawlspace. This was no longer a simple hunt for survival. This was a harvest.
The crawlspace felt different. His 8 Perception, now augmented by purpose, picked up every detail. He found a [Cave Roach] skittering over a pile of refuse.
He didn't hesitate. 'Junk Tossing!'
He flung the [Corroded Bone Shard]. It flew with the familiar zip and struck the roach square in its bulbous abdomen.
Sssss!
The [Acid] damage over time kicked in. The roach didn't just die; it melted, its legs curling as the pus ate through its own chitin.
[Critical Hit!]
[You have slain a [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Lvl 1)]!]
[Experience Gained: 2 EXP.]
[Your Skill [Junk Tossing (Lvl 1)] has gained proficiency.]
Level 2 (18/20 EXP).
He found another within minutes. He repeated the process.
Zip. Sssss. Twitch.
[You have slain a [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Lvl 1)]!]
[Experience Gained: 2 EXP.]
[20/20 EXP Acquired.]
[YOU HAVE LEVELED UP!]
[Level 2 -> Level 3]
[All Base Attributes +1]
[YOUR CLASS [Field Scavenger] HAS LEVELED UP!]
[Class Level 1 -> Class Level 2]
[Intelligence +1, Perception +1]
[You have learned a new Class Skill!]
A wave of warmth and... clarity... washed over him. It was subtle, but profound. He scrambled back to his alcove, his small heart hammering not with fear, but with triumph.
He immediately checked his status.
[STATUS]
Name: (Unnamed)
Race: Goblin (Lesser)
Level: 3 (0/30 EXP)
Class: Field Scavenger (F-Rank) (Lvl 2 -> 0% EXP)
Title: [None]
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 5 (from 4)
Agility: 7 (from 6)
Stamina: 7 (from 6)
Intelligence: 14 (from 12)
Perception: 10 (from 8)
Mana: 4 (from 3)
His 5 Strength was now equal to a baseline human. His 7 Agility was above average. But his 14 Intelligence and 10 Perception... for a goblin, they were monstrous. He could feel the difference. The world felt sharper, less confusing. He could process the sounds from the main cavern, categorize them, and focus on the skittering in the walls simultaneously.
And the new skill.
[New Class Skill Acquired!]
[Analysis (Passive) - Lvl 1]:A refinement of [Appraisal]. Your high Intelligence and Scavenger instincts allow for passive understanding. Your [Scavenge] and [Improvise] skills now have a low chance to automatically [Appraise] an item or identify a material's core properties without a Mana cost.
He looked at the two fresh roach corpses he'd dragged back. As he reached for one, the new skill triggered.
[Passive: [Analysis] activated!]
[Target: [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Corpse)]]
[Core Properties Identified: [Chitin], [Acid], [Insectoid Flesh].]
No mana cost. No 10-second cooldown. It was just... knowledge.
This skill was, in a word, perfect. It streamlined his entire gameplay loop.
He activated [Scavenge] on both corpses.
[Activating Skill: Scavenge (Lvl 1)...]
[Your Skill [Scavenge (Lvl 1)] has gained 100% proficiency!]
[Skill: [Scavenge (Lvl 1)] -> [Scavenge (Lvl 2)]]
[Mana Cost reduced. Success rate increased. Chance to find [Rare] materials slightly increased.]
[Scavenge (Lvl 2) Complete! You have obtained the following:]
[Roach Meat (Tainted)] x 2
[Vial of Roach Pus (Poor)] x 2
[Chitin Fragment (Junk)] x 3
[Undamaged Roach Antenna (Common)] x 1
He immediately ate the two pieces of meat.
[You have consumed [Roach Meat (Tainted)] x 2.]
[Stamina Check... Success!] [Stamina Check... Success!]
[Your body is adapting...]
[Your [Monster Evolution] parameters are being updated.]
He checked the log.
[Progress to 2nd Evolution: 0.5% / 100%
Current Evolutionary Profile (Influences):
[Insectoid Essence (Chitin)]: 55%
[Goblinoid Essence (Cannibalism)]: 30%
[Toxin Essence (Tainted)]: 15%
He was now, officially, trending toward an insect. He felt a moment of human revulsion, which he quickly squashed. It was better than being a [Tribe Bully]'s chew toy.
He was stronger. He was smarter. He had better skills and a clear path.
He looked at the [Tainted Core Fragment] still in his loincloth. The 35% gamble.
He held it, feeling the diseased warmth. It promised a "rapid boost" of EXP.
He was Lvl 3. He needed 30 EXP for Lvl 4. The roaches gave 2 EXP each. That was 15 roaches. 15 hunts.
Or... one gamble.
He thought of the [Tribe Bully]. He thought of the weeks, maybe months, of this miserable grind, living on sour, crunchy meat in a filthy crawlspace.
His 14 Intelligence weighed the odds. 35% was high. But his 7 Stamina was higher than before. Maybe his resistance was better?
I am a Scavenger, he thought, his clawed fingers closing around the fragment. And sometimes, a Scavenger has to take the one thing no one else is desperate or stupid enough to touch.
He would not be a rat in the walls forever.
He opened his mouth.