9-10

Chapter 9: The Second Evolution (1)

Demon King

Not believing what I had seen, I rubbed my unsuspecting eyes and looked at the notification window again to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating.

I had learned magic!

I had gotten the Goblin Warrior's lightning ability!

After eating a Goblin Warrior, I now had the power to attack using only my mind! As well, I was previously just a beginner swordsman at Level 5, but now I had risen to Level 6!

It now became perfectly clear to me that the Predation Skill is not about merely absorbing the strength of the enemy that I eat, but also incorporating their skill!

I regretted my words when I said that predation was just a simple skill. It wasn't.

It was the best skill of all!

I also learned that despite eating a lot of Goblins, I didn't get any new skills because the Goblins didn't have any, and consequently, my existing skills didn't increase.

In simple terms, Goblins, without any useful skills, were more ineffective and barely gave any benefits other than first aid. But the Goblin Warrior was completely different because after eating just one, I learned lightning magic, improved my sword-fighting ability, and my level had increased.

Despite being weaker, the Goblin Fighter as well, still held swords, and once eaten, I can absorb their sword fighting skills and still raise mine.

"I can be stronger."

At that moment, I realized that I had more reasons to stay in this dungeon. The more monsters I eat, the more I will grow. Just the thought of it made me feel more motivated.

I remembered the mercenary in the inventory, who must have had higher sword fighting skills than the Goblin Warrior, but I shook my head to drive the thoughts away.

"Not now."

In front of me was a mountain of Goblin Fighter bodies, and I hurriedly ate all of them excited at the thought of how much strength I will gain.

[Strength has risen by 1.]

[Beginner Swordsmanship has become Lv7.]

[Predation became Lv2.]

I ate a total of nine Goblin Fighter bodies, including the bodies dragged to the safe area and those in my inventory. I also spared one body in case of an emergency.

I eventually got up after my stomach felt like it was going to explode from overconsumption. I wielded my sword, and several rusty knives were thrown all over. I thought to myself that a skill that consumes stamina rather than magic would be better right now. But then again of what use would it be to me?

Wielding my sword and throwing rusty knives around increased my skill level, so it wasn't so bad. It wasn't much compared to when I ate the Goblin Fighters, but it was still something because my Sword Level increased to Level 7! I was at Level 6 just a while ago! It was my reward for suffering and enduring death. Moreover, my predation level increased.

I asked myself, "Do other Goblin Fighters also have predation?"

No way! The basic principle of increasing skills was to use them as often as possible because the more you use it, the more the level increases and therefore, the stronger you become.

I assumed that my predation level increased either from eating stronger opponents like the Goblin Warrior or because the predation count had reached a certain number.

I had not yet attempted my lightning magic; there was no harm in completing the predation first. My mana was full anyway, and predation was one of my most useful skills.

I expected that something would change as the level went up, and I immediately read the predator skill information to know what to expect.

[Predation Lv2]

[Any creature can eat anything. The act of eating restores health and mana. Some toxicity is negligible. The efficiency of absorbing skills increased slightly.]

My eyes opened. Something had changed.

First, it was now possible to recover mana through predation. I previously thought it was essential to put the body in the inventory and use it to escape, but now that I have acquired lightning magic, this new mana recovery feature synergized well with it.

Second, 'slight toxicity' has been changed to 'some degree of toxicity.' It's a bit vague, but I guess that meant that I could evade more strain now.

Third, the efficiency of absorbing the skill of what I ate has increased slightly. In the future, this efficiency would increase as the skill level of predation increases, and this made me very excited.

As I was thinking about all these things, an idea crossed my mind.

I recalled that the more I used a specific skill, the more the skills level increases. Like with my swordsmanship and knife throwing skills, the more I use my lightning magic, the more it would increase! So I can use magic when my mana is full, eat the corpse to regain mana, and improve my magic by using it!

Anyway, my mana was full at that time, and without hesitating, I summoned the information of the lighting magic.

[Beginner Lightning Magic Lv1]

[The level of mastering a weak lightning strike from the hand. If you deal with a lot of Lightning Magic, your skill will develop. The higher the skill level, the stronger the lightning will become.]

As expected, the skill description confirmed my suspicion. The moment I had acquired the lightning power, I immediately knew how to use it.

I imagined my left hand reaching out into the air, like pumping out water from a gushing spring. I summoned the lightning from the depths of my body to my arm.

It transformed its shape to be lighter, sharper, and faster. And I shot it through my palms into the air!

My lightning lit up the air for a moment. I looked at it and with my eyes wide open with amazement! It was different from sword fighting and knife throwing.

Something that ordinary human beings could not do was now possible through my hands. An exhilarating sensation engulfed me.

The lightning was strong enough to hit an enemy one meter away. This test made me realize that I had wasted half of my mana, and I immediately regretted it.

The Goblin Warrior was different: he was fast and powerful, and it dawned on me that soon, I will be able to do it too. That one day, I will be more powerful that the Goblin Warrior.

Then I looked at the last notification window.

[Predation of Hunted Goblin Fighter 4/100]

Since I got the quest, I had eaten eight Goblin Fighters and killed only four.

Despite this achievement, it was disappointing to know that I still had to kill 96 more Goblin Fighters.

Instead of thinking about the disappointments, I decided to think about my newly acquired skills. The thought of it gave me some composure. The newly acquired Beginner Lighting was an absolute plus in my fighting capacity as it would tackle an enemy from one meter away. I knew too well of how much this magic would shock the enemy.

I don't know how much time had passed.

The dungeon was dark, so it was impossible to know the exact time. I didn't sleep. I desperately kept my stamina at a maximum in order not to fall asleep. I was so tired, and it was getting harder and harder to stay awake.

I was afraid to run into an enemy that was stronger than me. I will never forget my encounter with the Goblin Warrior. I made sure to be attentive of what was going on around me to avoid making the same mistake again.

Then I killed and ate a Goblin Fighter. Kill and eat. Kill and eat. Kill and eat. That was my basic principle now. I used my lightning magic, sword fighting, and knife throwing skills until I had low stamina and mana, and then replenished myself through predation.

It was so excruciating. I thought I would collapse. So I stopped thinking about myself and my situation. I only thought about finding enemies, ensuring my safety, killing enemies, and eating them.

Then, at some point, a new skill emerged.

[You acquired an introductory skill over the beginner status.]

[You have acquired the beginner detection skill.]

[You got a Beginner Surprise Skill.]

[Basic State Abnormal Resistance Lv1]

[You will be able to resist slightly on all conditions. The higher the skill level, the higher the probability of success in resistance.]

[Beginner Detection Lv1]

[Ground yourself; identify brain activity, and traps within a radius of 5m. The higher the skill level, the higher the range, and precision.]

[Beginner Blitz Lv1]

[Hidden attack on the enemy. Stealth, correction when attacking. The higher the skill level, the stronger the effect.]

I was used to making detection and surprise attacks, so I was thrilled to get it. However, I was yet to get accustomed to resistance.

But soon, I realized the mistake I'd been making so far.

I was constantly sleeping! It became clear that a day or two wouldn't pass.

I realized that during that long period of fighting with lack of sleep, I had regained my stamina with the power of predation and working while leveling up.

I knew then that I had to resist sleep. Whether I became cursed, paralyzed, or poisoned, I knew I needed to resist it. I was stunned by this revelation. The fact that I was driving myself to resist sleep! Acquisition of new skills made me stronger and this was my driving factor. Getting stronger was my prize for lack of sleep.

After that, as time passed, I felt a change in the environment.

Three Goblin Fighters had ganged up against one other Goblin Fighter. I was using the Detection Skill to grasp the situation before entering the passage.

The Beginner Detection Skill grew the fastest among my skills, and before long, it was at level 6. It was now possible to detect up to a radius of 10m around me.

"It won't be long till I complete the quest," I said to myself.

I was conflicted.

Honestly, I was confident about fighting three Goblin Fighters. Surprisingly, combining the powers of knife throwing and sword fighting, which were significantly higher than my lightning magic, was enough to win.

Most of all, while completing the quest, my level and status were growing faster than a typical Goblin Fighter.

If I moved to different passage, instead of fighting three Goblin Fighters at the same time, I could safely face one Goblin Fighter. It would be foolish to choose a more dangerous path when there were safer choices available.

I nodded at my thoughts and moved to another passage.

But the same was true for the three Goblin Fighters on the other aisle.

Chapter 10: The Second Evolution (2)

Demon King

I was confused.

"Why? Why was this happening? Is it because I went around killing Goblin Fighters?"

I asked myself.

All the Goblins in the past killed each other without hesitation. Even if they were of the same species, all they cared for was for their opposition to be exterminated. Were the Goblin Fighters doing this out of their own will, or was it because of the dungeon? No! I needed to calm down first.

The dysfunction wasn't helping, and for a moment, I almost fell into a panic. But soon after, rational thinking intervened, and I took a deep breath to dissect the situation appropriately.

So far, I killed approximately 90 Goblin Fighters one by one, and each passage had only one Goblin Fighter. But now there came a situation where there were three Goblin Fighters in two passages.

That couldn't be a natural phenomenon because it was against the Goblin's instincts; also, one of the Dungeons' rules made it so that it could not spawn more than one Goblin at a time.

Other passages will not be too different. I didn't know why this was happening, and I wouldn't know the answer because I was alone. I had to think about what to do, but that too, I didn't know.

There were usually two paths that I could choose from, but when faced with only one path with no other options, I was forced to advance forward. There was no turning back.

So I went into the aisle. The three Goblin Fighters were clustered in the middle of the aisle. I walked towards them as carefully as I could.

Their backs were towards me. I looked around and realized that unless there was a hiding place in the passage, the Goblin Fighters could easily spot me. All they would have to do was throw a knife at my chest then simply finish me off with a sword.

But the three guys didn't look back at me. It seems like they were scouting for something because they just walked side by side.

They were fools!

I rushed towards them, then struck a sharp iron sword in the barely visible neck of Goblin Fighter A!

That blow was enough. A fountain of blood rose from the Goblin's throat, and he shook his head to die.

[You received 100 experience.]

[You acquired 10 bronze.]

[Predation of Hunted Goblin Fighter 98/100]

[Beginner Surprise Attack has become Lv3.]

The quest automatically updated after the hunt, but that didn't matter at that moment. I removed all those thoughts from my head and focused on the battle.

That was the first step to survival.

I then attacked the other two Goblin Fighters after pulling the iron sword from the dead Goblin Fighter's neck. Goblin Fighter C immediately rushed towards me after evading it. He wasn't holding a sword, so I decided to use my lightning magic. After repeated use, it reached Level 3, and the lightning became more prominent. It struck Goblin Fighter C, causing him to fall into a daze for a brief moment.

I swung the sword without missing an inch. Blood rose from his chest.

"Kick!"

Goblin Fighter B then pulled away from his colleague. I rushed to Goblin Fighter C and struck his heart with my sword.

Goblin Fighter C, who had a sharp iron sword deep in his chest, fell and collided with Goblin Fighter B.

[You received 100 experience]

[You acquired 10 bronze. After collecting 10 silvers, it is possible to enter the exclusive shop.]

[Predation of Hunted Goblin Fighter 99/100]

I took out a long sword from the inventory, the longer and heavier sword of the two swords wielded by the mercenaries.

The Goblin Warrior used a bastard sword that was too heavy and long. The blade was 70 cm long, and I couldn't handle it yet, but after leveling up, I could somewhat manage.

Goblin Warrior B paused for a moment.

I smiled as I faced his flustered expression; I then swung the long sword.

[You received 100 experience]

[You acquired 10 bronze.]

[Predation of Hunted Goblin Fighter 100/100]

[Quest Complete!]

The moment I completed the quest, countless windows filled my eyes.

[You received 30,000 experience.]

[Your level has risen by a lot!]

[You acquired 10 silver.]

[You have obtained 3 Lowest Mana Potion]

[You acquired 1 Bronze Shield.]

[Beginner Swordsmanship becomes Lv10 and changes to Lower Level Swordsmanship. The power and speed of your swordsmanship have increased.]

I stared blankly at the glass window, forgetting my surroundings for a moment.

30,000 experience! That was equivalent to killing 300 Goblin Fighters! I was mesmerized! I couldn't believe it.

I also got 10 silvers, and can now enter the exclusive store. But I decided to think about that later.

The Lowest Mana Potion wasn't a desirable reward for me, knowing that I had nine bodies stored up for predation.

However, drinking a potion in a bottle might be more useful in an emergency, compared to eating a corpse.

Earning a Bronze Shield was delightful. So far, I had been wielding a sword without wearing any good armor. Having a shield meant that hunting would be a little safer. The downside was that it was too big for a Goblin Fighter.

Predating 100 Goblin Fighters also helped me accumulate the experience of sneaking up to an enemy, and the Beginner Swordsmanship finally reached Level 10.

I didn't imagine it would end, but I didn't expect that 'Lower' would come after 'Beginner'. It felt like I had climbed a mountain, but in reality, it was more of a dune in a local playground.

Anyway, I became stronger again. My chances of dying had been reduced again, and I was happy with that fact alone.

An opportunity came. It was also what I expected and hoped for the most.

[Evolution is possible.]

It was possible to have a second evolution.

[Choose a race to evolve.]

[1. Goblin Warrior]

[2. Goblin Knight]

[3. Hob Goblin]

My heart was full. Goblin Warrior. I could never forget that name.

I was now as strong as the insurmountable wall, who almost killed me. Of course, as soon as I evolved, it would be difficult for even it to kill me.

It was just a guess, but I assumed that it was a special Goblin Warrior because it used Lightning Magic, and not all Goblin Warriors could use magic. What was surprising was that there were two other choices besides Goblin Warrior.

The Goblin Knight who seemed to be stronger than the Goblin Warrior. Above all, the fact that I had never met one made it look even more unique. It meant that I had to go outside the Goblin Warrior Zone to run into one. Both cases support my idea that the Goblin Knight is stronger than the Goblin Warrior. Perhaps it is a rare species that doesn't usually move around.

But it was the third item that made me more confused.

The Hob Goblin. It was a superb species of white-faced Goblins that appeared as a smart and strong warrior in many novels and games.

Until now, the knowledge I gained from playing games have been generally correct, so I was right about many things. Conversely, there was always a chance that the Hob Goblin has little to do with combat power.

I had to bet on my life now and make a choice. This wasn't a game. I couldn't choose! Damn, can anyone explain to me what these are!?

Then, there was this huge glass window in front of my eyes.

[Goblin Warrior-Lowest monster. A variant of the Goblin that is particularly strong. Combat the enemy with a huge sword. Very rarely, there are Goblin Warriors with magical abilities.]

[Goblin Knight-Lowest monster. Goblin Fighters rarely evolve into a Goblin Knight. The Goblin Fighter must have a high proficiency in swordsmanship and self-defense. It handles swords and shields and has high intelligence, so it hurts a bigger monster than a Goblin.

[Hob Goblin- Lesser monster. The top species of Goblins. It is a little shorter than a human and has a well-developed body. It has higher physical abilities and intelligence than Goblins, and sometimes leads a group of Goblins to attack humans. It is not uncommon to possess magical skills.]

Unbelievable! Then, was I missing information that I should be having?

For example, am I provided with the weapon information for the long sword or the sharp iron sword? Would it be possible to know these things just by thinking about them?

[Sharp Iron Sword (14/76) – Attack 15]

[Hardened Steel Sword (147/253) – Attack 57]

As soon as I thought about it, information appeared in front of me. I saw the numbers representing the attack power, but it was clear that the steel sword was stronger than the sharp iron sword.

But what are the numbers inside the parentheses? After thinking about it for a moment, I wondered if it meant durability. When I compared it later, it was clear that the figure in the parentheses had decreased to (12/76).

Whether it's a weapon, armor, or potion, the description can be checked. I erased all the other alerts, and I read the information about my evolution.

The Goblin Warrior was precisely what I thought it was. A monster with strong physical strength and magic abilities that appear only in extremely rare cases. The one I met prior was special.

The information I had gotten about the Goblin Knight showed me that I wasn't the only one that can evolve. Evolution was not possible for every Goblin, but it was possible for a few individuals, like me, to evolve multiple times.

It was time to make a choice. Of course, there was no opportunity for concern.

I chose the Hob Goblin only because the Goblin Warrior and Knight were the lowest, and that it is a lesser monster.

More so, the Hob Goblin was a highly aggressive monster; it was clear that there would be a similar evolutionary form of the Hob Goblin Fighter, Hob Goblin Warrior, and Hob Goblin Knight.

I can be stronger! The Ebon Heart was beating violently.

I looked around. After confirming that there was nothing nearby, I chose Hob Goblin without hesitation. Then I closed my eyes.

The pain hit me like a storm. It would be a lie to think it would get better the second time around. But this time, the pain, as if to ridicule my earlier thoughts, was far worse than before.

My whole body felt like it was being ground into dust. I yielded, and countless rebars formed in my arms, legs, abdomen, and head.

I couldn't move while the excruciating pain cascaded through my body.

Finally, the pain slowly began to subside.

I woke up. The tears in my eyes flowed freely down my cheeks. Going through that was very precarious, as I felt like I would die.

"Why do I have to go through this kind of pain?"

I asked myself.

Soon after, the evolution process ended.

[You became a Hob Goblin.]

[Beginner Lightning Magic has become Lv4.]

[You got the Beginner's Leadership skill.]