Pain. That was the first thing I felt. A sharp, unbearable pain tearing through my entire body.
I gasped, my lungs burning as I inhaled the thick, damp air. My body felt… wrong. Small. Weak. Cold. I tried to move, but my limbs felt unfamiliar, my fingers too short, my skin rough and—
Green?
Panic surged through me as I lifted my trembling hand. It was small, clawed, and covered in dark green skin. My breath quickened. What the hell was happening? I scrambled to my feet—only to stumble, landing hard on the dirt floor beneath me.
That's when I saw them.
All around me, hunched figures with jagged teeth, beady yellow eyes, and grotesque grins were watching. Some gnawed on bones, others sharpened crude weapons, and a few simply glared in my direction.
Goblins.
My heart pounded. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't some delusion. I had been reborn as a goblin.
"Newborn wakes," one of the goblins sneered, revealing rotting teeth. "Weak. Won't last a day."
The others cackled.
I clenched my fists, my mind racing. The last thing I remembered… I had been walking home from work. A long, miserable shift. Rain pouring down. Then—pain. A blinding light. A truck's horn blaring.
So, I really did die. And now, I was here.
But before I could process anything further, something flashed before my eyes.
[System Initializing…]
[Welcome, Reincarnator.]
[Unique Skill Acquired: Devourer's Mark.]
[System Interface Unlocked.]
A system? My breath caught as strange translucent screens flickered into existence, floating just before my vision.
[Race: Goblin]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 2] [Agility: 3] [Vitality: 2] [Intelligence: 5]
[Skills: None]
It was just like an RPG. Stats, levels, even skills. But the part that stood out the most…
[Unique Skill: Devourer's Mark]
(Allows the user to absorb the essence of defeated enemies, acquiring their abilities and attributes.)
I stared at the words, my mind spinning. I wasn't just an ordinary goblin. I had a skill—one that let me steal the power of anything I killed.
For the first time since waking up, something sparked within me.
Hope.
I wasn't going to die here. I wasn't going to be some nameless goblin at the bottom of the food chain.
I was going to survive.
And I was going to devour my fate.