Lyra limped over to him, holding her side where she'd been crushed against the wall. "You okay?"
"Ask me tomorrow," Satou muttered. "You?"
"I'll live." She sat down beside him, groaning. "That was insane."
"That was necessary," Satou corrected. "And it's going to keep happening. We're prey in this forest. Everything out here wants to eat us."
"Then we'll have to stop being prey," Grimnir said, walking over with his axe resting on his shoulder. Blood dripped from the blade, forming small puddles on the cave floor. "Today proved something—evolution makes a difference. Those four of us held the line while the others took down the stragglers. If we'd all been regular goblins, we'd be dead right now."
He was right. The difference between Hobgoblins and regular goblins was stark. Strength, speed, intelligence—everything improved dramatically. If Satou could evolve more of them...
But that would have to wait. His mana was still too low.
"How many did we lose?" Satou asked quietly.
Grimnir's expression darkened. "Three fighters dead. Two wounded badly enough they might not make it. And one of the injured from before died during the attack—couldn't handle the stress."
Four more deaths. Added to the twenty-five they'd lost in the cave escape, that brought their total casualties to...
Satou didn't want to do the math.
"We need to do something with the wolf corpses," Lyra said, changing the subject. "They'll attract scavengers if we leave them."
Satou's eyes fell on the dead alpha, its massive body sprawled near the cave entrance. An idea began forming.
"Wait," he said, pushing himself to his feet despite his body's protests. "Before we move them, I need to try something."
He stumbled over to the alpha's corpse and knelt beside it. The wolf was enormous up close—easily three times his size. Its fur was matted with blood, but beneath the gore, Satou could see powerful muscles and thick bones.
If I devour this...
"What are you doing?" Jessica asked, moving closer.
"Getting stronger," Satou replied simply.
He activated his newly upgraded Devouring skill—the Spatial Consumption version that meant he didn't have to physically eat anything.
He opened his mouth, and reality warped.
A black void materialized above the alpha's corpse—a sphere of absolute darkness that seemed to drink in light itself. The void expanded, flowing over the wolf's body like liquid shadow. Where it touched, flesh and bone simply ceased to exist, absorbed into the impossible space.
The goblins watching gasped and backed away, fear evident in their eyes.
"What is that?!" one of them shouted.
"Dark magic!" another whispered.
Even Grimnir looked unsettled. "What kind of skill is that?"
Satou didn't answer. He was too focused on the sensation flooding through him as the alpha's essence was absorbed. Power. Knowledge. Instinct.
The void consumed the entire corpse in seconds, leaving nothing behind. Then it collapsed inward and vanished.
DING!
[You have consumed: Alpha Dire Wolf]
[Multiple skills acquired:]
[Skill Acquired: Pack Leader's Instinct]
Effect: Enhances coordination with allies. Provides intuitive understanding of group tactics and formations. Allies within range receive minor stat boosts when fighting together.
[Skill Acquired: Enhanced Smell (Advanced)]
Effect: Superior olfactory senses. Can track prey over long distances, detect poison and disease by scent, and identify individuals by their unique scent signature.
[Skill Acquired: Predator's Gaze]
Effect: Creates an intimidating presence that can cause weaker creatures to hesitate or flee. Effectiveness depends on target's mental resistance.
[Skill Acquired: Night Hunter]
Effect: All physical abilities enhanced during nighttime. Vision, hearing, and reaction speed all improve significantly in darkness.
[Skill Acquired: Howl of the Pack]
Effect: Release a powerful howl that boosts ally morale and fighting spirit while demoralizing enemies. Range: 50 meters.
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 16]
[Mana capacity increased: 15 → 16]
[All stats increased.]
Satou blinked as the notifications faded, his mind reeling from the sudden influx of information. He could feel the new skills settling into place, becoming part of him as naturally as breathing.
The Pack Leader's Instinct was particularly interesting—he could suddenly sense the positions of every goblin in the cave, could instinctively understand their strengths and weaknesses, could envision tactical formations that would maximize their effectiveness.
It was like gaining the strategic mind of a creature that had led hunts for years.
"Satou?" Lyra's voice pulled him back to reality. "Are you alright? Your eyes... they're glowing."
"I'm fine," Satou said, though his voice sounded strange to his own ears—deeper, more authoritative. "Better than fine, actually. I just gained several very useful skills."
He turned to address the gathered goblins, and something had changed. When they looked at him now, they didn't see a fellow goblin who'd gotten lucky. They saw something more.
The Predator's Gaze skill was active without him even trying, making his presence more imposing, more commanding.
"Listen up," Satou said, and every goblin immediately fell silent. "We have nine wolf corpses here. That's food for days, fur for warmth, bones for weapons. Nothing gets wasted. Grimnir, organize teams to process the bodies. Lyra, take inventory of our wounded and make sure they're stable. Jessica, Kelvin—you two did well tonight. Get some rest."
Orders flowed naturally, and the goblins moved to obey without question.
As the cave buzzed with activity, Satou felt the weight of leadership settle more firmly on his shoulders. These goblins were depending on him now. Looking to him not just for survival, but for direction. Purpose.
He pulled up his status screen to review the changes.
[Status Window]
Name: Satou
Race: Goblin (Juvenile)
Level: 16
Health: 310/310
Stamina: 210/210
Mana: 5/16
Strength: 32
Agility: 39
Intelligence: 46
Vitality: 35
The stat increases were modest but noticeable. More importantly, his mana capacity had grown. In a few hours, he'd have enough to name another goblin. In a day, he could name five more.
Slow and steady, Satou reminded himself. Build strength gradually. Don't rush.
He walked to the cave entrance and stared out at the dark forest. Somewhere out there, humans were likely still searching for them.