"Fay?" Malvorrak looked confused. He could speak Fay? Now that he thought about it, there had never been a time when his words sounded like this.
He could hear himself clearly, and it was different from before. What had happened to him? As he furrowed his brow, a hologram window appeared before him:
[Name: Malvorrak]
[Current species: Mutant Terragor]
[Wisdom: 20/100]
[Gene points: 7/10]
His brain was slow, but he began to put two and two together. After devouring the foolish human from before, he had begun to hear himself think more clearly. It had changed something in him. Plus, there was this system interface.
He didn't understand what it was, but could it have given him the ability to speak Fay? These questions ran through his mind for a few seconds before he snapped out of it.
"That's none of your business. Where is my treasure?!" Malvorrak growled as he glared at the four goblins menacingly. They had stolen from him, and they would pay. But first, he wanted his treasures back.
"See? I told you it wasn't me. Didn't I tell you?" The white lizard, filled with joy, became erratic. He danced around and waved his hands in the air, trying to get Malvorrak's attention.
If it had been only a few more seconds, he might have been killed by this big oaf. Luckily, the culprits had been caught.
"Hm?" Malvorrak turned to the little lizard in a daze. Why was this little creature still here? If it were him, he'd have been long gone by now. Was the little lizard brain-dead?
"We have them! They're still at our hideout, not too far from here," one of the goblins finally summoned the courage to speak and save their hides. It was a good thing they hadn't spent a dime of the loot yet. If they had, they couldn't imagine what Malvorrak would do to them.
"Take me there," Malvorrak growled. He wasn't interested in their attempts to curry favor. He just wanted his things back.
"Okay, okay," the four goblins quickly stood and started moving, with Malvorrak following slowly behind.
"Hey, wait for me!" The little white lizard jumped up and followed right behind Malvorrak. He didn't know where he was, and if creatures like Malvorrak were around, he wouldn't stand a chance on his own. It was safer to follow the big oaf for now.
---
At a campfire site a few kilometers away from Malvorrak's cave, a group of goblins lounged about, some lazing in their ragged clothes while others sat around small fires, preparing food.
Goblin life was simple—wake up, rob innocents, hunt, eat. An endless circle of meaningless activities.
"Like that?" One goblin thrust a stick through a cooked boar, causing its juices to splatter onto the fire. The aroma filled the air, making the other goblins drool.
—Gbam
—Thoom
—Doom
Suddenly, the earth shook. At first, the tremors were subtle, but they quickly became undeniable.
Something was coming.
"Run!!! It's Malvorrak!" One goblin pointed toward a nearby hill. There, a gigantic green lizard with razor-sharp claws and stone-like skin appeared.
"Roar!" Raising his head to the sky, Malvorrak let out a deafening roar, shaking the ground further.
At the sight of Malvorrak, the Brother Eater, the goblins panicked and scattered. Most goblins were cowards; they valued their lives above all. But in their panic, some forgot this.
"Don't let him steal the meat!" One goblin, wielding a club, reminded the others of what was apparently more important than their lives.
For a brief moment, twelve goblins banded together and charged at Malvorrak.
—Shing!
With a single swing of his clawed hand, Malvorrak sent the lot of them flying.
—Bang!
The goblins crashed to the ground together , struggling to rise back up, at this moment their minds had reset to reality. But it was already too late.
"Chomp!"
They didn't even see it coming. All they felt was the warm, wet insides of Malvorrak's mouth as he devoured them whole in seconds.
[Ding!! 1 gene point added]
[Ding!! 1 gene point added]
[Ding!! 1 gene point added]
[Gene pool limit reached — searching gene pool. Ding! Low-quality gene material detected. Only one new trait found.]
[Greed Eyes: Goblins are known for their insatiable desire for what belongs to others. With this ability, the host can gauge the value of treasure upon activating this skill.]
Inside his mind, Malvorrak heard a strange voice, causing him to pause. His gaze panned around the camp until it landed on the four goblins who had brought him here.
On their backs were four bags of coins that read:
{4,000}
{8,000}
{6,000}
{12,000}
Those were the exact amounts of coins and treasures in the bags—or their equivalent value. He could gauge it with just a glance? Others would need time to count, but he could do it with his eyes.
Though it seemed like a useless ability for a monster like him, the instinctual desire for treasure, much like a dragon's love for gold, filled him. He craved to be around it.
"Where's the rest of the gold?" Malvorrak's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at the four goblins.
"Yes, yes, yes!" They snapped out of their daze and rushed toward a deep hole at the back of the settlement. There, they pushed aside a rock, lifted a blanket, and revealed a hoard of gold.
The luster of the treasure illuminated the area completely, despite half-filling the hole.
{200,000}
Yet for some reason, Malvorrak was not satisfied at all. Instead, He turned to the four goblins and asked in a very furious tone,
"Where's the rest of it?"