Chapter 1: Choice
Tight… Fill felt himself being ‘squeezed’ out of an enclosed space. He breathed his first breath of life as a living entity, rather than a spiritual being that was imprisoned in the breeding camps of Hell. When he opened his eyes for the first time, he saw a prompt.
[You have been born.]
[Your race is ‘Goblin’.]
[Please check your statistics.]
[Strong thoughts will display them.]
He did as the ‘system prompts’ guided. Feeling his body worked on different laws than of Hell. He had to adapt quickly. Understand his surroundings and exactly what it meant to be a ‘Goblin’ of this world he was born into. His gaze lingered on his own siblings.
Green skinned, yet small. They exhibited the same kind of instinctual intelligence he was familiar with in Hell. However, they also seemed a lot weaker than he remembered. Crawling around aimlessly while being unable to understand what was going on.
He could see similar prompts above their head.
Were they too young to read and understand it?
[True Name: Fill
Race: Goblin
Age: 0 (100)/ Infant
Special Traits: Mute, Strong Arms
Inborn Skills: Ocular Communication, Survival, Rapid Ageing, Corrupt Seeds, Group Mentality]
He could guess what three of these ‘Inborn Skills’ meant, but two of them were a first for him. He had quickly guessed that focusing on them will likely have the same effect as before. Allowing him to have a deeper grasp of himself through this blue system.
[Inborn Skill: Rapid Ageing
Description: This is a Goblin’s special trait that lowers the lifespan in return for quick maturity. The user’s body can only exhibit traits of adulthood at age 20. Usage of lifespan will not increase actual age of body, but will have the same effect of ageing.]
[Inborn Skill: Group Mentality
Description: Goblin’s share intelligence into the group and will instinctively assist each other. Those who have reached ‘Adulthood’ will completely be integrated into the group. Their role will be dictated by the level of competence shown in specific areas.]
Just as Fill grasped what these Skills meant, he quickly realised something. There were similar moaning sounds in this dark cave he was quickly adjusting to. However, there was a sense of pain layered into the moans rather than bodily pleasure.
“It is such low quality.” He heard a voice beside him.
Turning his head to see a floating spiritual flame.
His eyes widened when he heard the familiar voice.
“Surprised?” The flame seemed to jump up happily.
[True Name: None
Race: Evil Spirit
Age: 0 (1)
Special Traits: Lust Heritage, Earthbound Obsession
Inborn Skills: Spiritual Absorption]
Unlike him, his lover seemed to have been unable to be reborn into a living body. Her lifespan made him anxiously look at her. His eyes containing the words he’d intended to speak. Perhaps because of how long they had been together, she understood his gaze.
“I’ll figure something out.” She tried to assure him.
Only to notice an arrow hovering above his head.
It was a strange sight.
But she ignored these signs for the time being.
Fill took a deep breath. He quickly understood that worrying would not help her. Simply listening to her voice was enough for now. He quickly looked around to see where these moans were coming from. Only to see that there were older ‘Goblins’ inside this cave.
They were raping some women similar to Succubi.
No, they looked somewhat worse(?).
“These must be ‘Humans’ and females of races that have both sexes. Unlike us, it’s inefficient to breed with human women and the like. Their bodies are feeble and pregnancies are slow. Being alive also means birthing has complications.” She explained.
After understanding what she meant, Fill suddenly realised that he must have also been ‘born’ from the womb of a woman. He turned his little head to see that it was true. There was indeed a ‘human woman’ from where he was conceived. She was in pain.
He looked towards his lover.
“From what I know: Human infants are deeply connected to their mothers. You are not a ‘demon spawn’ like before… but you are also still a Goblin through and through. I can’t guide you here.” It was the best advice she could give as a low-rank demon.
Succubi had basic knowledge over their prey, but that didn’t mean it was anything deep. From what his lover described, there was a difference between being a ‘spawn’ in Hell and being birthed into the living world. A connection formed with the ‘mother’.
He looked towards his siblings.
They instinctively tried crawling towards the one who had conceived them. A total of three siblings were eyeing instinctively moving. Climbing towards a certain part of her body. He realised that they were aiming for her breasts. An odd scene in his mind.
Two siblings went for one of the two large mounds of flesh on her chest. They suckled and teethed on her tits with animalistic force. Drinking up a liquid that was being secreted from her nipples. It was after he’d watched this scene did Fill feel his first pang.
His stomach was groaning.
“You’re hungry.” His lover clarified the situation.
‘Hunger’. It seemed that he needed to do the same thing as them if he wanted to survive. Fill looked towards the last of his three siblings that was slower than the rest. It tried to push away its sibling, but was struck down to the ground by the one there.
Thud!
The infant goblin was injured, but no one paid any attention to this. Not the adult Goblins trying to breed more offspring, nor the unconscious woman that was having her breasts suckled. Fill grasped that this was ‘survival of the fittest’. It was a simple rule.
He simply had to go with the flow.
Three siblings… were simply three too many.
[You have grasped ‘Rapid Ageing’.]
His body started to grow.
The stubby little legs strengthened. He didn’t become taller in an instant, but his muscles were becoming more defined. Especially the tough arms he was known for in Hell. Fill only stopped his Innate Skill after reaching a certain level of aging.
Enough to stand up.
[Age: 0 f80)/ Infant]
20 years of lifespan had been used up.
He flexed his arm muscles, then walked towards his third sibling still trying to struggle. It was about to attempt to fight for their mother’s breast milk. Those eyes may be little, but they were ferocious. Looking towards the last ‘sibling’ that was approaching it.
Unable to understand why.
Fill reached out his arms and grabbed its head.
Then…
CRUNCH!
The little head of Fill’s sibling instantly flattened between his hands. His sibling didn’t even have time to cry, but the blood that spurted out seemed to alert the adult Goblins in the vicinity. They stopped what they were doing momentarily to watch this scene.
A system prompt had appeared.
[You have extinguished a life.]
[You have earned the Trait of ‘Siblicide’.]
Fill did not care about the prompts that appeared,
He was simply hungry, so…
[An event is unfolding.]
He was stopped from acting by a system message.
A feeling of restriction on his actions occurred. It was the first time he’d felt such a thing. There was a much more complex system prompt appearing in front of him. It seemed to outline his current situation and the actions he could take right now.
[You are feeling hungry, and have killed your sibling to lessen the competitors for survival. This is a common act among ‘Goblins’ and is respected by the majority. However, you feel the urge to devour your sibling. Will you act upon these impulses you have?]
[Choices:
1. Devour your sibling to satiate hunger (Trait: Cannibal)
2. Leave him (Skill: Hunger Resistance)
3. Offer his body to an adult nearby (Skill: Survival Intellect)]
It seemed the act of making choices was what allowed living beings in this world to evolve. Fill felt his body would act out whatever he desired. What he chose would affect his future… It was too bad that the teachings of Hell already decided his choice.
[You have chosen to devour your sibling.]
Fill bared his teeth and bit into the younger and softer flesh of his sibling. A feeling of delight had hit his stomach for the first time. This feeling of having satisfied his hunger for the first time. It made him wonder if his other siblings would taste this good.
“How cruel…” His lover nearby was shocked.
She watched him crunch the soft bones of his infant sibling. It was the first time seeing this cruel side to him, but it didn’t disgust her. Survival was different for every demon, and she was simply experiencing what it was like to be a ‘Goblin’ for the first time.
Fill turned towards his other two siblings.
They went through the same fate as the others.
[You have devoured ‘Goblin Meat’.]
[Special Trait: ‘Cannibal’ is in effect and is adding growth potential to the user’s strength. Eating more of your own species will allow you to inherit their growth potential. Warning: Too much consumption of your own species will result in ‘Outsider’ Trait.]
The fact warned about the ‘Outsider’ Trait likely meant he couldn’t do this too often. Still, Fill found his siblings to be worthy nourishment. After having filled his stomach, he wasn’t too hungry anymore. It made him turn to look at the ‘Human’ before him.
Then looked at his lover.
Seeing that he was the only one who noticed her.
“What your siblings were fighting over is ‘Breast Milk’. It will likely be your only food source for the time being.” His lover’s words made him understand the importance of having a ‘mother’. Fill sat on his mother’s stomach and watched the surroundings.
Defending his new territory.
He watched the Goblin society without making a fuss after the initial slaughter. This silence had made the adults go about their business. Continuing to rape the women bound to the walls, and watching as they were acting in an organised manner towards a goal.
His lover hovered beside him.
She finally had enough curiosity to press on the arrow above Fill’s head. A series of choices had appeared before her, and it looked like Fill could also see the system prompt. Similar to how he was able to see he was the only one born with ‘Special Traits’.
His siblings having none.
[You have encountered a living being as a spirit.]
[Choice:
1. Possess the living body. (Skill: Body Possession)
2. Ignore it. (Skill: Spiritual Independence)
3. Form a spirit contract. (Skill: Spirit Bond]
Fill took one look at the choices and urged her with his eyes. She could see that he seemed to understand that ‘Spiritual Independence’ was a good choice. It could likely offset her lack of lifespan for a while. A tempting choice indeed, but not one she liked.
“Trust me.” His lover spoke while making a choice.
[You have chosen to form a ‘Spirit Contract’.]
[The spiritual body will slumber until the possessor of the contract reaches a certain level. The life of the contractor will be bonded with the Evil Spirit, and will gain benefits depending on characteristics. Your fate will now be in the hands on your contractor.]
As soon as she made the choice, his lover’s spirit body started to vanish before his eyes. Fill mutely tried to stop her, but his hands phased through her uselessly. Unable to stop what was put in motion. He understood why this happened, but frowned at her.
“Sorry… This is the only way I know how to ‘live’. I know how you feel, but please use me to your heart’s content.” Were the last words she spoke before vanishing. Fill felt his body being influenced by her status. A new skill was forming after she was sealed.
Still, he did not smile.
Fill had wanted to change how they lived, but the habits they had gained over a long period of time could not be ignored. A low-rank Succubus with no name saw themselves as tools, and low-rank Demon Spawns like him were nothing but cannon fodder.
Now that he was ‘alive’, he vowed to change this habit they had. No longer being submissive.
He would steal and take to rise above the ranks.