Time worked differently in a goblin nest.
The days were short, brutal, and loud. The nights were somehow worse.
Seere didn't sleep much, partly because of the constant snarling and partly because his tiny green body aged like it was on fast-forward.
In just three days, the squirmy, squeaky goblin infant he started as had transformed into something resembling a 5-year-old human child — if that child had sharp teeth, sickly green skin, and ears so pointy they could double as letter openers.
His limbs were lanky but sturdy. His tiny claws grew sharper. His fanged mouth made sneering a lot more satisfying. His mind, thankfully, stayed the same — he was still Daniel White in there, goblin body or not.
The System chimed exactly 72 hours after his birth.
<< Tutorial Quest Complete. Reward Granted: 100 EXP. >>
<< Host has survived infancy. Basic System Functions Unlocked. Sketch ability is now available. Access the menu and Sketch function at any time. >>
A clean, semi-transparent menu hovered in his vision, simple and straightforward: Status, EXP, Sketch.
Seere's clawed hand instinctively flexed. With a thought, he opened the Sketch menu.
The moment he did, a glowing, rotating 3D model of himself appeared in the air in front of him.
It wasn't some polished, game-character model either — it was a perfect, mildly unflattering digital rendering of his current goblin body.
Short. Lanky. Sickly green skin. Sharp teeth. Slightly oversized ears.
The pose? Arms out to the side, classic default T-pose, like a character waiting for their textures to load.
Seere tilted his head, amused.
"Nice. I look like a low-level enemy in a budget RPG," he muttered internally.
The menu expanded beside the 3D model, listing options under the Sketch function:
Sketch ObjectSketch WeaponSketch ClothingSketch AbilitySketch AccessorySketch Markings(Tattoos, Symbols, Runes, etc.)Sketch Edit: Self
The System helpfully provided descriptions as he hovered mentally over each option.
<< Draw and define objects or abilities. Complexity determines EXP cost. Incomplete or poorly defined sketches will be auto-corrected based on the Host's memories and intentions. Detailed creations require precise visuals or mental imagery. >>
Seere couldn't help but grin faintly to himself.
His grin faded slightly as his eyes wandered away from the glowing menus… to the rest of the goblin den.
It was, to put it politely, a pit.
Jagged rocks jutted from the walls. Piles of filthy animal pelts served as bedding. Smoke and the stink of unwashed bodies filled the air.
The food, he quickly noticed, wasn't shared fairly.
Whenever the adult hunters dragged in some skinned animal, they kept the most significant portions for themselves — the fattest cuts of meat, the edible organs.
The rest? Tossed onto the stone floor like trash, left for the younger goblins to brawl over.
Seere had seen more than one scuffle over a stringy hunk of gristle or half-chewed bone. Sometimes, blood was drawn. Nobody cared.
And in one corner of the cave… were the women.
Humans. Maybe beast folk, maybe elves — hard to tell through the grime and malnourishment. All starved. All shackled. Some barely clinging to consciousness.
One of them, Seere realized grimly, was probably his mother.
Goblins weren't exactly known for loving family dynamics. They raided villages, dragged women back here, bred, and discarded them when they couldn't produce more. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't sugar-coated. It was how goblins survived.
Seere wasn't under any delusions. He might've been Daniel White on the inside… but his body? His biology? Goblin, through and through.
And this? This was reality.
Not a comfy fantasy tavern. Not a cozy starter village. Just filth, cruelty, and tooth-and-claw survival.
His eyes narrowed as he mentally closed the Sketch menu. His fingers itched to use it. To draw something.
But…
Not yet.
Drawing something flashy now? Spend his EXP recklessly? Flex his Bugatti, basically, and attract attention from the adults who have been used to hondas all thier lives?
Yeah, no.
The other goblins barely paid him any attention. He was just another scrawny brat as far as they were concerned. He watched them fight, steal, eat, and occasionally pass out drunk on whatever fermented sludge they brewed.
He learned the language quickly — goblin-speak was harsh, guttural, and weirdly efficient. No polite phrases. No flowery words. Just survival-oriented grunts and commands.
And then, on the third evening, one of the adult goblins made an announcement — loud, rough, barking in the crude tongue everyone understood.
All the newborns — Seere included — were to be gathered.
In a few days, they'd be taken on their first hunt.
A test, basically.
The weak would probably die.
Seere's eyes narrowed.
Sitting on a patch of cold stone near the cave wall, Seere's clawed fingers tapped rhythmically against his leg as he pulled open the Sketch menu in his mind. A wicked little grin crept across his face as an idea hit him.
Super Human Serum.
Classic. Every web novel, every superhero origin story, some version of it existed. But when he mentally traced the design — a small glass vial, glowing blue liquid — and slapped the description in…
"Permanently enhances user's physical attributes to peak human levels. Grants increased strength, speed, endurance, and optimal physical growth potential."
EXP Cost: 650
Seere winced.
"Figures," he muttered. He only had 100 EXP.
Time to be realistic. He revised the description, tailoring it to his current limitations — and his current body.
"Permanently enhances user's physical attributes to peak goblin levels. Maximizes strength, speed, endurance, and physical resilience for a goblin. Supports optimal muscle growth and stamina for life."
EXP Cost: 100
"Perfect," Seere thought. It wouldn't make him some OP anime protagonist — but it'd push his frail, fast-growing goblin body to its absolute biological limit. He finalized the sketch.
In a shimmer of faint blue light, a small glass vial materialized in his hand, filled with murky greenish liquid that looked somewhere between pond water and radioactive slime.
Super Goblin Serum.
Seere decided to use the save for later features and decided to use it at night.
First, groundwork.
He glanced over at the other goblin kids huddled nearby — about six of them, in the same age range as him, scraggly, wide-eyed, and dumb enough to be useful.
It's time to make friends—or, well… meat shields.
He shuffled over, wearing his best "trustworthy goblin" grin. The group turned, wary at first but curious.
"Oi," Seere greeted casually, crouching beside them. "You lot heard the adults? We're getting thrown into the wild soon."
One of the braver ones, a goblin with crooked teeth and a permanent sneer, grunted. "Good. Time to show I'm strong. Get good food. Get a good place to sleep."
"Sure, sure…" Seere nodded like he agreed, but his tone dripped with subtle sarcasm. "Or… get eaten by wolves. Or stabbed by other tribes. Or starve in the woods. But hey, bold strategy."
The group shifted uncomfortably.
Another, smaller goblin — scrawny even by goblin standards — frowned. "We fight. We strong."
"Yeah, yeah," Seere chuckled. "But smart survive, too. And sticking together? Makes us… harder targets."
They exchanged glances, their simple little goblin brains grinding away.
Seere leaned in slightly, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "See, if we work together? Stay in a group? We don't gotta outrun the monsters. Just outrun the other idiots."
The sneer-goblin barked a laugh, getting it. "Make others get eaten."
"Exactly," Seere smirked. "We shield each other. Keep the dumb ones in front. You lot? You're not dumb, right?"
They puffed up a little at that. The Manipulation seemed to be successful, and Seere fucked off exploring the cave a bit more.
Hours later, as the den settled into uneasy sleep — the distant snores, occasional grunts, and low growls filling the silence — Seere quietly pulled the Super Goblin Serum from the System.
"Here's to artistic shortcuts," Seere whispered, popping the vial and downing the murky green liquid.
The taste hit first — sour, metallic, almost like chewing on blood-soaked moss.
Then the pain hit.
Heat surged through his limbs like fire under his skin. His muscles spasmed violently. His bones ached with an audible creak, joints popping, spine arching as his skeleton subtly rearranged itself.
His vision blurred as his skull throbbed, his jaw grinding painfully as his teeth realigned — sharper, stronger.
Every nerve screamed, his small green body shaking uncontrollably as strength flooded muscles not yet ready for it.
Seere grit his teeth, eyes squeezed shut but never panicked.
If he learned anything, being a novel reader, transformations never came easy.