“You got to be kidding us!”

The brave man who was first to ask questions raged at Lavei. I couldn’t blame him because the situation was like that. We all stood huddled up behind him and surrounded the golden armored man. I stood among the ones in the far back.

“That’s right. How can you expect us to believe something as ridiculous as that?”

I looked at the young girl who stood among the active protesters in the front row. She had lots of studs on her ears and wore those punk-type clothes. Her black hair was tied in a single side ponytail.

After her, many more voices also rose. The large underground basement-like space quickly drowned in the curses of the enraged mob.

Is it because there was no one around holding a gun and threatening their lives that they forgot that they were kidnapped?

In the back row, people just stood and observed everything silently. Like me, they were aware of their situation and took upon testing the waters.

And perhaps, like me, they somewhat believed the earlier claims of the armored man, Lavei.

Apparently, this place is no longer Earth, and we were summoned here magically. That’s right, magic. The magicians of the Asiavell Empire used an ancient spell that could summon heroes from other worlds.

To be honest, it was hard to believe such a tall tale. Magic? Summoning? Hero? Those things only exist in novels and games. Would a person from the 21st century take such a fantastical explanation seriously?

“Dear heroes,” Lavei addressed the raging crowd calmly. Despite the raging mass, he hadn’t lost his temper. His professional attitude was praiseworthy.

Boom! Crack!

Suddenly, a bright light flashed in the middle of the hall, and a loud cracking sound of thunder followed soon after. I whipped my head and looked at my front.

There, behind Lavei, a pillar of cracking static thunder slithered like a snake as it tried hard to maintain the upward flow.

Words died in my throat as I watched the spectacle. Every logic I knew jumped out of a proverbial window as my brain tried hard to make sense of the situation.

Is it a light show? Laser show? Maybe a largescale faraday sphere setup?— I was grasping for straws to find a logical explanation for what I saw.

“Please be mindful of your status.” His voice seemed to carry physical weight. His every word pressed down on my shoulders, forcing me to kneel. “You are currently the subjects of king Auri. As yet-to-be citizens of our Asiavel, I demand you to keep silence.”

He didn’t shout, yet, somehow, his voice reached everyone’s ears despite the blasting noise of the lightning pillar slithering behind him. The crowd, which went quiet after the blast, went more silent than before—if that was even possible.

Well, even I, who stood at the very end of the crowd, heard it loud and clear. Others should’ve heard it too.

I grit my teeth, and fought back against the pressure. Breathlessness was gradually becoming obvious. I feared that, at this rate, I might pass out from asphyxiation. My entire willpower focused on one thing, to remain conscious. But, the reality was harsh. It was a losing battle I was fighting.

Moments later, my knees hit the hard stone floorings. Intense pressure didn’t lessen. I was forced to use my hands and knees to endure the overwhelming weight crushing my body from above.

Tenacious gained a level! Level 2 perk:- Endurance +5%

The gameUI-like box appeared again, bearing a message that’d forever change my life.

XXX

I was sitting against the dry walls, with my head sunk between my knees while my hands lay powerlessly on my sides. My shapeshifted appendages had not turned back to their original appearance—it was a voluntary process, after all.

I’ve to cancel out the changes to turn them back to their original appearance.

Anyway, the cause of my current mood was the meal I ate not long ago. No, to be more precise, the taste. It was…flavorful. It certainly had the spice of fried chicken from a certain fast-food chain.

It was raw meat. It shouldn’t taste this delicious. Am I losing my humanity?

Once the hunger satiated, guilt overwhelmed. Honestly, I’d not be feeling this way only if it wasn’t a goblin. It was hard to look past their close resemblance to a human child.

My wallowing would have continued if it was not for the sudden emergence of [System]

Bestial Diet absorbs the genetic data of a goblin.

Progressive Adaptability(corrosive poisons): 0.05%

It was the first time such a message appeared in these five days. I always assumed [Bestial Diet] was all about eating and digesting anything. Absorption of genetic data sounds like a sci-fi thing, but I was not aware of what it could do.

The second line, however, was something I could somewhat understand. Basically, I might be developing immunity(or resistance) to the poisons secreted by goblins. It was good news, especially in this goblin-infested place.

The [System] had more surprises.

Bestial Diet has absorbed vitality through flesh and blood.

Regain +1 HP/min for 10 minutes.

Extra HP will nourish the body.

There was more to this skill than it appeared. With my limited deduction skills, I understood one thing—eat more and grow strong. The more I consume, the stronger I’d get.

What a broken ability!

My look towards the half-eaten goblin changed. Guilt took the backseat as the desire to grow strong fueled my behavior. A voice in my head echoed, Eat! Eat!

Crawling over to the corpse, I threw morals to the wind and bit onto the remaining flesh.

Five days ago, I nearly died –again- to these goblins when I misstepped into their area. I was still getting used to waking up as a monster following an untimely death. Three goblins chased me all the way to this dark corridor and forced me to live in dark for five days.

To my knowledge, gained from reading a few books from this world, goblins were the weakest of all monsters. Even a child who only learned the basics of combat could kill them with ease.

I was weaker than the weakest.

The feast lasted for two hours. I took a few breaks in between to digest the already eaten stuff. My stomach can handle only so much, after all.

On the plus side, Progressive Adaptability rose to 0.25%. I was a bit disappointed because I thought I’d reach 1%... in the end, it was just my wishful thinking.

Another disappointment was the vitality absorption. Two hours of grinding only amount to 15 HP in total. Out of it, two points were restored to my HP bar.

The remaining 13 points went to upgrade my stamina…by 0.5 points.

Laying spread-eagle on the floor, I closed my eyes and summoned the [System].

Race: Infant Imp Talents: Shade Spawn; Evolution Omega Evolution Points:

10/100

Strength: 1

Speed: 0.5

Endurance: 1

Skills

Infrared Vision Lv 2; Shapeshift Lv 0; Beastial Diet Lv 0

HP: 30/30

Stamina: 4.5/4.5

Estimated Level

0

Aside from a few minor improvements, nothing major had changed. But I wasn’t discouraged. There was finally a way for me to climb up the ladder of the foodchain. The day I’d be able to walk out of this hellhole wasn’t that far.

Auri, Lavei, and Paul! You bitches! Just you wait! One of these days, this Alex Ford shall come for your heads!