Let’s see. We got-
- Slimes
- Golems
- Kobolds
- The elemental spirits
There’s also the normal animals like bears, boars, deer, and foxes.
“Eh, let’s just focus on the magical ones.”
I leaned back into a long, satisfying stretch, feeling the tension melt from my muscles. The wind swept through my hair, cool and gentle, as Shade sprinted at full speed through the forest, his paws barely making a sound on the soft earth. I let out a deep yawn, the kind that seems to echo through your whole body, and I blinked lazily as golden beams of sunlight flickered through the thick canopy above, scattering light across the forest floor like little fragments of warmth.
It felt good, really good, to finally be back out here among the trees, breathing in the scent of moss and leaves, hearing the quiet rustle of life hidden just beyond sight.
It’s been two days since Roland, Elara, and Selene left. The silence they left behind still lingers in subtle ways, but my body’s pretty much back to full strength. Aside from the occasional headache that drifts in and out like a passing cloud, I felt great.
As for why I’m back out in the forest, it’s to finish my pok-
EH-ER.
Sys rapidly flew around my head with a huge red x on his face.
You’re not allowed to say that.
“Says who?” I crossed my arms with narrowed eyes.
The copyright people.
“Okay, how about Monsterpedia?”
Too basic.
“We’re not doing this.”
You need something cool that fits with your style………..like the “Soul Codex”!
“Soul Codex?” I leaned farther back. “That’s actually pretty good.”
Sys got up all in my face.
See what happens when you let me name things? Instead of some stupid term like “Soul Sense”, like what the hell is even-
I swatted Sys away.
Ouch.
Anyway, what I was trying to say was that I’m finishing up the forest.
As in, absorb the souls of any lingering monsters or creatures I haven’t already claimed.
I’m scheduled to begin private tutoring sessions with each of the three elders soon, with the first lesson starting in just a few days. Once that begins, I doubt I’ll have as much freedom to roam the forest like I used to. Not that I’m complaining entirely. The festival’s coming up, too, so things are bound to get busier all around.
As for getting permission to return to the forest on my own? It was…….a bit of a struggle.
Both of my parents were hesitant, understandably so. I had only just fully recovered, and the memory of what happened still hung in the air like smoke. They were afraid I might hurt myself again, or worse, fall back into that same broken state.
The elders spoke with them gently, urging them to consider letting me go. I added my own voice to the conversation as well. I told them I wanted to tame more creatures, which isn’t exactly a lie. It’s just not the whole truth. Eventually, they agreed, but only after I promised I wouldn’t venture as deep into the forest as I used to, and to return as soon as the sun begins to set.
Yet that promise, well, I may have to break it.
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“This rock smells funny.”
Shade poked his nose at a large boulder slouched within the roots of a large, ancient spruce tree.
“Funny as in?”
“Not like other rocks.”
I squatted down to analyze the rock.
It looked fairly unremarkable at first glance, despite its massive size. From a distance, someone could easily mistake it for a giant creature’s egg, with its smooth, curved surface giving off an oddly organic impression. Aside from the patches of moss creeping across its sides, the scattered leaves clinging to its base, and the fine layer of dirt dusting parts of it, the boulder had a strikingly clean, almost polished appearance. It gleamed faintly in the light, a glossy white that stood out quietly against the earthy tones of the forest floor.
I raised my hand and proceeded to knock on it.
As every Asian knows, you learn a lot by simply knocking.
GET BACK!
Sys suddenly yelled, trying his best to fly towards me.
“What’s wrong wi-” I turned my head to say, but before I could finish, I quickly jumped back in surprise as the boulder began to rise.
With a low grinding sound like stone scraping against stone, the boulder unfurled. Arms the size of tree trunks split from its sides, knotted with veins of raw iron. Two stony stubs similar to its arms in appearance slowly pushed themselves out within the boulder, allowing it to stand up straight. The bottom of the boulder rose to reveal its face, which was nothing more than a jagged ridge of granite. On it, two glowing hollows served as its eyes, which burned with a dull amber light like forgotten forge embers. Leaves and soil cascaded from its back in sheets.
Shade lowered, ready to pounce at any sudden moves.
Sys hurried to my side.
It’s an earth golem. You must’ve awoken it when you knocked on its exterior.
“That’s a golem?”
I looked at the golem before me.
“Isn’t it……..a bit small?”
I stood at approximately four feet and six inches, or 137 cm.
Which is why I was surprised when the golem reached only up to my chin in height.
Hmmmmm.
Sys got up close and pulled up a magnifying glass.
“Where did you get-”
It looks like this golem is a newborn. Or rather, it was created not too long ago.
A newborn? I tried to imagine a female golem and a male golem making a baby……….
Let’s not make this one of those stories.
I carefully stretched my hand to the golem.
It paid no attention and simply stood still.
“It’s not doing anything. Are they usually this passive?”
Not really. Earth golems such as this little one are formed when a forest faces danger. From the culminated worries of the spirits, animals, and the essence of the forest, a protector is usually formed.
“And this protector is this little guy here?”
I poked at the golem.
It slightly moved back when I pushed it.
“Is this guy defective?”
I don’t even know.
I sighed. “Oh well. Hey little guy. I’ll make it quick.”
I backed up.
“Be merciful, King.”
My orc summon King appeared in a flash. His skin was a deep, bruised indigo, threaded with veins of midnight blue that pulsed softly beneath the surface. Faded armor clung to his broad frame, transparent steel that was laced with glowing runes. His face was sharp and still, tusks curving upward like carved stone, and eyes glowing a pale, ghostly silver. His pitch black club shone with an evil-like presence.
“Finally!”
With a smooth overhead swing, the golem’s body was shattered to oblivion. Specks and parts of the golem’s body now littered the ground like small pebbles.
A bit brutal.
“I said to be merciful.”
“But I was! I made sure to end it quickly!” King explained while waving his club.
I sighed as I prepared the process……….Pebbles?
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Since the moment I came into this world, I’ve had one purpose.
Protect.
I came across a group of humans hunting deep within the forest. Caught in one of their sacks was a small rabbit, trembling and helpless. I startled them by bursting from the underbrush without a sound, and I watched as they fled in fear, dropping everything in their haste. The rabbit darted away, vanishing into the safety of the thickets.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Protect.
Later, I spotted a tree leaning heavily, its trunk splintering at the base. If it fell where it was headed, it would crash into the nearby creek and choke the flow, damaging the delicate balance of the forest. I pushed with all the strength I had, redirecting its fall into a quiet, open clearing where it could rest without harm.
Protect.
A fire had broken out, originating from the blackened remains of an abandoned campfire that was still smoldering. The flames were spreading, eating their way through the underbrush with hungry cracks and pops. Without hesitation, I threw myself into the blaze, smothering the fire with my own body. I stomped out the embers, fought back the heat, and stopped the flames from taking more than they already had.
Protect.
Then I heard it—a deep, aching cry echoing through the roots of the forest. An ancient tree, older than I could even think of, called out in pain. Something was gnawing away at its roots, slowly killing it from beneath. I listened. I followed.
And there, curled beneath the tangled roots, was a rabbit.
What should I do?
Protect.
I raised a leg.
Why didn’t it run?
It was the same rabbit I had saved before.
Why hadn’t I recognized it sooner?
It had grown. Its fur was thicker now, and its eyes were no longer wide with fear, but calm, almost………..trusting.
I hesitated. I tried to pull my leg back.
Protect.
What… what am I protecting?
Protect.
Who am I protecting?
Protect.
What am I supposed to do?
Kill the rabbit.
I raised my leg again.
Still, it didn’t run.
It looked up at me, quiet and unmoving. It remembered. It knew I had saved it once. It trusted me.
And I stomped on it.
I felt its fragile body cave in beneath the force. I heard the wet crunch, the spray of blood, the sickening squelch of ruptured organs bursting from within.
Well done.
It was later when I saw another rabbit. It was frantically fleeing from a wolf, zigzagging through the brush in a panic.
I heard nothing.
I wanted to save it.
But there was no voice. No command.
I wasn’t meant to protect it.
So, I slept.
I awoke to something touching my body.
It’s a human.
Protect.
……….
Protect.
……….No.
I’ll choose what to protect from now on.
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Shade and I watched in silence as a green slime slowly moved across the grass floor to a small flower.
Sys hovered down to join us.
So, what are we doing here?
“Letting it eat before I absorb it. Sort of how prisoners get a final meal before getting executed.”
Sys sighed.
We still have a lot more creatures to absorb, and the sun’s setting in a few hours. Don’t forget about your curfew.
“Fine.”
I raised a finger. “Sorry, dude.”
A burst of mana dispersed from my finger like a bullet, and it pierced through the center of the slime.
Instantly, the slime went from a circular blob of moving mass, into a collapsed puddle of some strange, green liquid.
I blew on my finger as if steam hissed from out of my gun.
Cornball.
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The moment I split off from the other, one truth rang loud and clear:
I was starving.
I was smaller and weaker. But I understood what needed to be done. This gnawing, cursed hunger inside me had to be fed.
I watched the other slime as it sluggishly slid out of the dark, damp cave. It was slow, unaware.
I followed.
We would leave together.
Together.
But as soon as the light touched us, I struck.
I began to devour it. I tried to consume it from the inside, pulling it into myself like a drowning breath. I felt it fight, writhing within me, trying to resist, to break free. It thrashed, clawing with every bit of its essence, trying to reclaim its shape, to make me stop.
But then it started to slow.
Then loosen.
Then fade.
And my hunger dulled, by just a little.
And I loved it.
After that, I devoured everything in my path. Filthy scraps of trash, soggy grass, crawling insects, delicate flowers, whatever the ground offered, I accepted. Every morsel, every fragment felt like a meal prepared just for me.
But satisfaction never came.
So I kept moving.
Eventually, I found another slime, hidden in the shadows of a cave. There was something familiar in it, something that echoed inside me. I could feel the same hunger pulsing through it.
Then it did something strange.
It split.
And both halves slid out of the cave together.
Together.
I watched as they fed side by side, sharing. Resting and satisfied.
Then it hit me.
If that wasn’t hunger………then what am I?
No.
I refuse to believe that.
If I couldn’t be satisfied, then they shouldn’t be allowed to be, either.
So, I made sure they never would be again.
They would never feel full.
But they would never be hungry, either.
As for me,
I was just a little less hungry after that.
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“We’re off to find a kobold.”
Whose stories have been told.
“Finding it is like finding gold.”
Or so I’ve been told.
“Hey, that was pretty good.”
And it actually was on beat.
My body suddenly lurched forward as Shade went to a full stop.
“Woah, what’s up, Shade?”
Shade growled. “I smell someone like me but not fully.”
Sys and I looked at each other.
A kobold?
I got off Shade. “Is it nearby?”
Shade slowly walked over to a bush. “Right here.”
I readied my hand for a mana missile.
Shade quickly lunged into the bush.
After what I heard to be a quick scuffle, Shade returned with a scrawny looking kobold restrained with his mouth.
The kobold was thin, little more than skin stretched over bone. It couldn’t have been more than three feet tall, with limbs like sticks and ribs that jutted out beneath its scaly, ash-brown hide. Its tail dragged behind it like a limp vine, nervously swaying back and forth. Its head was far too large for its frail frame, giving it a constantly hunched posture. A thin snout twitched with nervous sniffs, and two oversized ears rotated independently, listening for any sign of help. Beady red eyes darted around, frantic and alert, searching for any means of escape. Its claws trembled slightly as its hand formed a gesture of plea.
“Please, let me go.” It asked in a raspy, high pitched voice.
It can talk?
Kobolds are similar to goblins. While they both have the same internal organs as a human, kobolds are more intelligent and agile than goblins. Goblins on the other hand are more physically oriented.
I squatted down to its eye level.
“Who taught you how to speak?”
“The El-Elders.” It sputtered.
So, there are more of them.
“Where’s your pack?”
“My pack?”
Shade bit harder.
The kobold screeched in pain.
“I’m not asking again.”
The kobold’s mouth quivered. “Up ahead, past the stream, there’s a large oak tree. If you go to the right, you’ll end up at the den.”
“Sys?”
Got it. It’s marked on the map.
Good………Actually-
“Have you seen any elemental spirits nearby? Sprites, pixies, anything of the sort.”
“Spirits? They usually group up together near the oak tree I mentioned.”
Lucky.
“Shade. It’s time to move.”
Shade let go of the kobold.
The kobold fell to the floor with a soft thud. “Thank you! I’ll always remember your kindness.”
The kobold turned to leave, but it was stopped by Shade.
“I never said I was going to let you go.”
I raised a finger at its head.
Before it could turn back to me, I shot and silenced it before any further pleas could be made.
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I was born beneath the roots of a dying tree, in a cave that stank of mold and old bones. The earth was cold. The walls were wet. We lived like worms in a rot-soft tunnel, stacked atop each other like broken twigs. The den was quiet, except for the hiss of arguments, the snap of bites, and the sound of someone always scurrying, always stealing.
The others were cruel. Not cruel because they wanted to be, but cruel because they had to be. Kobolds didn’t get to be kind. Kindness didn’t get you closer to the dry corner of the cave, or the half-eaten beetle someone dropped.
I was smaller than the rest. My bones jutted out at the wrong angles. My claws cracked easily. I could barely lift a rusted knife without shaking. When the stronger ones came back from hunting rats or scraping fungus off stones, I got what was left in their teeth. Sometimes I wished I was a rat. At least rats had fur.
I knew early on I wouldn’t be a tunnel-digger or a trap-setter. My hands were too shaky, my tail too stiff. I tried being useful—watching the eggs, fetching things—but even the eggs were stronger than me. One cracked in my hands, and I was beaten until my scales flaked off like dust.
So I learned to hide. That’s what I became. A shadow inside a shadow. I curled into crevices no one else fit. I stole crumbs dropped from the mouths of those who slept with full bellies. I never looked anyone in the eyes. I never spoke unless spoken to. Even then, I flinched at my own voice.
I wasn’t as strong or smart as the rest. But I was still a kobold. I had the same hunger and thirst as them. I had the same greed. I had the same hatred.
Even if I had gotten used to this lifestyle, I hated it.
I hated them.
I had to adapt to this cowardly way of living because of them. If they had simply let me eat more, trained me, and given me adequate time, I could have become stronger.
I could have become better.
This is their fault.
They made me scavenge one day. I found a few berries in a bush.
That’s when I heard it.
A huge wolf.
I tried my best to be quiet, to avoid the wolf’s detection.
I was good at hiding.
But it seems I wasn’t good enough.
The wolf leapt at me and bit me hard. I let it get me.
I couldn’t possibly fight back.
It’s a human.
It’s okay. I can trick him. I can get free.
He wants to know where my pack is………?
Perfect.
If I tell him where they are, maybe he’ll release me. Maybe he’ll let me go.
Yes. I can finally get back at them.
I can get rid of them.
The human seems satisfied, and the wolf releases me.
Yes. I’m excited and grateful.
I can live however I want to now. I’m free from those stupid and barbaric kobolds……..No. I killed them. I killed my family.
And I’ve never been happier.
Thank you human. I hope that you’ll obliterate them all.
But what’s this?
Why is the wolf blocking me?
Oh. That’s it. The pack wasn’t the problem.
It was me.