Throughout the better part of an hour, the Collector's evolutionary cocoon swelled to a size greater than it had ever been before.

An eruption of fleshy tendrils burst from the beating cocoon, hungrily latching onto any remnant biomass around it, pouring over grass, roots, trees, and any creatures left in the undergrowth.

The web of pulsating flesh roots tethered the cocoon to the trees surrounding it, and these trees rapidly faded in color, their green leaves going through their cycle of life in an instant, turning red then orange then finally decaying into shriveled gray.

The nutrients were unneeded but could still aid in the metamorphosis process.

The embryonic egg visible through the cocoon had now grown to the Collector's new form, huddled up and curled into a compact ball with its knees drawn up to its chest and its arms hugging itself.

The cocoon rippled for one last time and burst with a squelching pop. With a torrent of viscous, steaming amniotic fluid, the Collector landed to the ground on a knee, its carapace-plated body squelching with its every movement as it finished its solidification process.

>>>

[METAMORPHOSIS LEVEL 5 REACHED. UNLOCKING FURTHER CAPABILITIES OF THE EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEM.]

[-GENE BOOST RESTORED]

[-CAPACITY TO SPLICE TOGETHER UNIQUE GENETIC MATERIALS INCREASED FROM 3 TO 4]

[-CAPABILITY TO PERMANENTLY EXTRACT FOREIGN ADAPTATIONS GAINED. SENSING FOREIGN PLANET AND BIOMASS. SUBMENU UNLOCKED.]

Metamorphosis Level 4>5

Biomass Level: 124/100> 12/100

Stored Genetic Material:

-Black Ant

-Black Hobgoblin

-Human

-Lesser Oni

-Frostborn Hobgoblin

Adaptations:

-Ultrafiber Muscles Rank 4>5

*Sub-adaptation gained*

--Coilboosters

-Sensitive Hairs Rank 3>4

-Organic Hyperalloy Carapace Rank 3>4

-Monomolecular Claws Rank 2>3

-Pyrocatalytic Glands Rank 1>2

-???

Current Form:

Greater Oni/Jumping Arakka/Stonecrusher Beetle/Giant Scorpion

>>>

The Collector returned to a bipedal base utilizing the goblin champion's form.

Where the champion stood a little over two meters tall, the Collector stood close to three meters tall, utterly dwarfing any human or goblin specimen.

However, in total mass, it weighed slightly less than its comparatively larger boar form. A tradeoff of physicals strength and size for a more mobile and hide-able form.

The sheer number of carapace-plated creatures incorporated in the Collector's new form influenced its appearance.

Bone white, metallic hyperalloy carapace covered every single inch of its body in thick plates. The thickest hyperalloy plates wrapped around its head in a dome that fused down into the ends of its broad shoulders, almost making it seem like the Collector wore a huge, hooded helmet.

Under this helm, its four compound eyes glowed in the dark, deep within the folds of the helm – an adaptation of the beetle so that it could resist light for short excursions though, of course, the Collector itself had no such weakness to light.

The carapace helmet could also retract, revealing a smooth, red-skinned face with mandibles, prehensile ultrafiber tongue, and antennae.

From the top of this organic helm, the stonecrusher beetle's rock shattering, pincir-shaped horn emerged.

The stonecrusher beetle's horn already had the capability to withstand high-speed, high-impact charges, and combined with the Collector's hyperalloy carapace, this horn became an immensely durable battering ram.

The Collector did not tip the horn with a monomolecular edge for the structure did not suit it. The horn was meant for slamming and, if the pincers got a hold of something, crushing.

A monomolecular edge would thin the horn's ends and make it brittle.

Instead, the monomolecular claws burst out from the Collector's fingers with small spikes emerging from its elbows. When the claws reached rank 5, the Collector could fashion them into longer structures to increase the effective range of their deadliness.

And that would be soon, considering that the Collector had restored Gene Boosting.

With gene boosting, whenever it assumed a new form, if the bases it utilized were compatible with adaptations it already had, then it could add bonus points to their ranks.

For example, if the next form it took used insect bases, then it could add bonus points to its hyperalloy carapace rank.

A white-plated, five-segmented metasoma emerged as a new tail for the Collector. The scorpion's tail had enough length to stretch around the Collector and as it curled the tail around itself, it gazed at the black-tinted stinger the size of a man's head.

Satisfactory.

Boosted by the Collector's physiology, the neurotoxin became a potent paralyzing agent that could collapse lungs, stop hearts, and induce a rapid onset of neurological decay to even hobgoblin sized creatures. At this dosage, it might as well have been an instant death sentence for non-special humans.

The Collector retained its six arachnid legs it utilized as extra limbs, but replaced now with the arakka gene, these legs possessed a special 'jumping' ability generated from the hydraulic pressure systems in the arakka legs that would allow for bursts of high speed movement or an explosive jump.

Theoretically, the Collector could also now scale cliffs using these arms.

The six legs sprouted not from the Collector's back this time, but from the sides of its ribs and lower back. This meant that the Collector could switch between bipedalism or eight legged crawling depending on what was more appropriate.

Bipedalism was more combat oriented while eight-legged movement was faster and more defensive with the Collector lying lower to the ground, covering the thinner plating on its chest and front.

The positioning of the legs being more forwards also allowed the Collector enough space on its back to produce wings.

The Collector stretched its form, allowing blood to flow, and then unfurled its beetle wings. The elliptical dome of carapace covering its back split in half and unfolded as four sets of enormous insectoid wings fluttered, buzzing and flicking off the rest of the amniotic fluid away.

And, as the Collector realized in surprise when it moved, it realized that its strength had not been compromised by reducing its weight.

In fact, as it slammed a muscled, armored hand to a nearby tree trunk with a half-hearted effort and splitting it almost in half, it might have even been stronger.

Then had it successfully extracted the property that made the creatures here special? The property that allowed them to defy physical laws and maintain mass and strength beyond their natural means?

The Collector realized it did not know.

On its evolutionary status, there was indeed an abnormality. An adaptation marked as completely unknown under the submenu.

The submenu was meant to list all the adpatations it extracted from species of this world, but it appeared it could not sufficiently analyze the nature of what it had extracted from the champion.

In intent, the Collector desired to extract this special property. In effect, it knew not what this was.

The Collector clicked its mandibles in contemplation. This was unheard of.

The Collective's evolutionary system possessed an intricate knowledge of the fundamental bases comprising all life, allowing it to assess and understand anything once it was consumed.

But of course, the Collector reminded itself again, this world was aberrant. Anomalous at its core, its species possessing capabilities circumventing physical and biological rules.

It did not know how to uncover the nature of this adaptation, but at the least, it had extracted something, indicating that at some level, these special properties were biological.

Soon, the Collector would learn. It would know everything there was to this world. These special properties and, especially, this 'magic'.

The night was dark, the single moon orbiting this world shrouded in heavy, rain filled clouds. The Collector clicked its mandibles.

Good. In the dark, the humans would not see it coming.

The Collector began its investigation into 'magic'.

_______________________

The Collector traveled through the forest, investigating in order the two black goblin dens. For due to the disappearance of the three humans, one of which was special, capable of utilizing this 'magic', the Collector was sure that more would follow to find them.

The first den, nearest to the darkwoods, remained empty, just as the Collector had left it.

The other one, however, closer to human settlement, was littered with the stench and movement of humans.

Under the cover of night, the Collector, even with its current size, could stalk humans through these woods, especially if they knew not of its presence.

Behind a thicket of trees, the Collector stared at the clearing housing the goblin den.

It analyzed the situation.

Six humans. Slightly different in appearance to the others it consumed. Darker skin. All wore uniform armor. Primitive steel fashioned into linked scales. More flexible chain link vests underneath. Round helmets of uniform design. Pointed at the ends with tassels of hair attached.

Five humans with brown tassels. One with green.

Six four-legged beasts lay tethered to a log by ropes. Harnesses on them indicated domestication. Judging by design of harnesses and seats, beasts of burden meant for facilitating travel.

Analysis indicated the humans belonged to a military structure. Same armor. Slight differentiation via helm tassels to indicate chain of command, likely.

The humans gathered around the entrance of the den and talked among themselves, likely having already explored it.

The Collector listened intently.

Was it possible that the militaristic humans of this world all possessed the means to utilize 'magic?'

That they were all special?

Exactly what level of threat could the average military force of the humans residing within this anomalous world muster?

The Collector would know soon enough.