The messages, those strange, cold announcements, they felt oddly familiar. It reminded me of a scene from Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken, back when Rimuru died as a human. The detached voice guiding him through his transformation into a slime had fascinated me back then. Now, living through something eerily similar, it felt less like a fantasy and more like an unsettling reality.
I sat in the small, crumbling hut, the faint warmth of the fire doing little to comfort me. The notifications offered no explanations or reassurances. They were simply there, clinical and unfeeling.
Still, if this was my new reality, I had to make sense of it. My instincts told me the system had answers, even if it wasn't forthcoming. I focused on the faint energy I had felt earlier, closing my eyes and willing it to respond.
The air seemed to shift, and a glowing screen appeared before me, faintly shimmering in the dim light.
STATUS
[Click to Expand]
Name:
Level: 1
Race: Goblin
Attributes
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 1
Stamina: 3
Skills
[Click to Expand]
Unique Skills
[Click to Expand]
I stared at it, feeling a mix of fascination and frustration. No name was listed. Of course, I couldn't name myself, that privilege belonged to a being far stronger than me, as if the act itself carried power. Without a name, I was just another faceless goblin among countless others. The level of one didn't help my bruised ego either, though it wasn't unexpected.
The attributes were pitiful. Strength of two, Intelligence of one, it explained the sluggishness of my thoughts and body. It was a disheartening reminder of how low I had fallen.
I clicked to expand the "Skills" section, eager to see if I had anything useful.
Skills
-Basic Survival: Instinctive knowledge of foraging, hiding, and evasion.
-Low Light Vision: Ability to see in dim environments with moderate clarity.
-Minor Regeneration: Gradual healing of small wounds over time.
Basic Survival and Low Light Vision made sense. These abilities explained how I had managed to make my way into the village, despite everything feeling so foreign. Minor Regeneration, although the healing was probably not great since it's only minor, could save me a lot of healing time. It wasn't much, but it was something.
Next, I turned to the "Unique Skills" section. The faint glow intensified as I expanded it, revealing a glimpse of my potential.
Unique Skills
-Infinite Evolution: Unlimited potential for growth and transformation.
-Domination: An innate ability to assert influence over weaker creatures.
-System: Quantifies attributes. The ability to learn skills faster and level up when life is taken from another being.
I blinked, my breath catching in my throat. These were different, they where more special. Infinite Evolution was exactly what I needed. It was a promise that I wasn't confined to this weak, frail goblin form forever. Domination, on the other hand, sent a shiver through me. The implications of controlling others, bending them to my will, were both thrilling and terrifying. And then there was System. It quantified my attributes, giving me the ability to learn skills faster and level up by absorbing the life force of others. The possibilities were endless.
Closing the menu, I let the screen fade from view. My mind raced with possibilities. The villagers outside were still living their stagnant, pitiful lives, but I wouldn't join them. These skills, this system, were my key to something greater.
I wasn't going to waste this chance. No matter what it took, I would rise above this. This was only the beginning.