Goblins crowded the cavern like pests swarming a carcass.
Small fires burned inside crude stone circles with smoke clinging to the ceiling in a thick gray haze.
Around those fires sat thirty goblins. They were ripping apart charred meat with greasy fingers.
Bones cracked between their teeth. Half-chewed scraps fell from their mouths as they cackled in their harsh language.
"Grah! Kra-kree! Hik-hik-hik!"
"Shak! Shak! Meat! Meat!"
"Kraah! Hahahaha!"
Around them the others argued, fought, shoved, and laughed while eating the latest haul dragged in from the upper floors.
One goblin swung a burnt animal leg at another. Two other goblins wrestled on the ground over a half-crushed metal flask stolen from an adventurer.
A few younger goblins chased each other between the tents, yelping and shrieking with sharp grins.
Weapons like crude daggers, chipped stone axes, or rusted human blades were scattered everywhere within arm's reach. Every goblin here carried something sharp, even while stuffing food into its mouth.
Only a portion of the tribe occupied this nest at this point. Nearly half were outside the Dungeon hunting, scouting, or stealing from adventurers who were unfortunate enough.
In the far back of the cavern stood the largest structure, a massive tent stitched from scavenged leathers, torn cloaks, and monster hide.
Its entrance was decorated with bones like skulls from wolves, huge snakes, and humans. The bones rattled softly whenever mana winds passed through the chamber.
This was the dwelling of the Goblin Chief.
A pair of goblin guards flanked it, each larger than normal goblins, their shoulders hunched and arms thick.
They leaned on jagged spears, glaring at anyone who approached too closely even if they were the same goblins. No one dared disturb the chief while he rested.
Inside that tent lived the biggest goblin in the tribe, a creature nearly twice the size of its kin, known for ripping adventurers apart with its bare hands. Its presence alone kept the entire nest in order.
As the goblins feasted, argued, shouted, and laughed, none of them noticed the small slime inching forward along the side of a stone pillar.
None of them felt the mana fluctuation trembling inside its core or sensed the killing intent beginning to gather around it.
The slime observed them, remembering every kick, insult, and every moment it had been treated like trash.
The slime slithered down from the dark corner of the cavern wall, its body flattening to silence its movement.
Goblins bickered, laughed, and chewed noisily around their fires, too distracted to notice the faint ripple of green sliding across the stone.
It reached the shadowed edge of the chamber where a single goblin child sat alone, separated from the noisy crowd.
The small creature gnawed on a burnt bone, legs tucked close, back turned completely toward the approaching slime.
It was perfect.
The slime crept closer inch by inch until it was directly behind the goblin's bare feet.
Then it attack.
The slime leapt upward, its membrane snapping like a whip.
It latched onto the goblin child's head and wrapped itself around the skull in a tight, suffocating seal.
"Ghh—! Ggk—!"
No scream escaped.
The slime squeezed.
Its membrane tightened like a constricting band, crushing the air from the goblin's lungs and sealing its mouth shut.
Tiny claws scratched at the slime's surface, trembling weakly. Legs kicked for a few times, then stopped.
The goblin child went limp.
The slime held on for a few seconds longer to ensure the creature had truly died.
Then it dragged the small corpse back into the shadows, away from the flickering torchlight.
It began consuming.
Now that its Consume skill had reached level 2, digestion accelerated instantly.
The goblin child's body dissolved three times faster than before. Its bones softening, flesh melting, and mana flooding into the slime's core in warm pulses.
Within a minute, nothing remained.
A familiar sound echoed through the slime's mind.
[You used Consume skill]
[Absorbing Core Mana…]
[Core Mana acquired: goblin]
[Consume Skill Lv.2 : 2 / 100]
[Evolution Progress: 157 / 1,000]
The slime vibrated with satisfaction. This time, it didn't feel drained. Its new efficiency prevented exhaustion from overwhelming it so quickly.
It slid away again, deeper into the nest.
The goblins' laughter masked all sound.
Another goblin child spotted. This one was also alone behind a stack of crates, chewing on a rotten fruit.
The slime didn't hesitate.
It lunged.
The goblin gasped, but again no scream escaped. Its small hands grasped at the slime's slick body before they fell still.
A minute later, the corpse dissolved.
More voices filled its mind.
And through it all… that same mysterious voice inside its core kept ringing, telling the slime to eat, and evolve.
The slime kept moving along the dim edges of the cavern like a shadow. It slithering between tents, stone piles, and abandoned crates.
The goblins were too absorbed in their own chaos to notice that some of their kin were simply… disappearing.
It found another goblin child crouched alone, picking mold off a scrap of meat.
The slime surged forward, latched onto its face, and smothered the struggling creature.
A minute later, nothing but a damp stain remained.
Then it killed another child. Then an adult goblin.
Some of the larger goblins sat alone to eat out of fear. Any goblin who ate near the group risked having their food stolen or punched, or both.
So several adult goblins hid in the corners, eating their scraps of meat.
They were the slime's perfect prey.
The slime slid behind a broad-shouldered goblin gnawing on a bone.
It didn't even look up.
The slime wrapped around its throat and head with a violent snap.
"Gghk—! Krk—!"
The goblin's dagger dropped to the ground with a dull clatter.
Its legs kicked as it clawed weakly at the slime's surface.
Then its body slumped, then went still.
The slime dragged it back behind the crates and began consuming.
Faster than before.
Bones dissolved like wet clay. The flesh melted instantly. Mana poured into the slime's core in thick, intoxicating waves.
The slime's body pulsed with warm energy.
Then it kept hunting.
It found another adult sitting alone behind a pile of rocks, licking grease from its fingers.
The slime dropped from the ceiling and wrapped around its head.
The goblin choked, staggered, and fell. Then got Consumed.
Then another child.
Then another adult.
One after another fell silently into the darkness.
But the slime wasn't tireless.
Eventually the strain made its body sag and flatten against the ground.
Its membrane flickered weakly. Its core dimmed.
So it hid when it was tired.
It pressed itself into a narrow crack between the wall and a broken crate, its form thinning until it was no more than a pale smear.
The goblins continued laughing, arguing, and eating, unaware that a predator was lurking a meter away.
Minutes passed.
The slime absorbed ambient mana slowly, its stamina returning.
When its core brightened again, it slid back out, hunting once more.
Another isolated goblin died.
Another body Consumed.
More mana filled its core.
Hours passed.
The pattern continued.
Kill. Drag. Consume. Hide. Recover. And repeat.
The goblin numbers thinned slowly, unnoticed by the tribe.
Some goblins saw a corpse and assumed it had choked on food. Some of them blamed each other.
A few shrugged and kicked the body aside, returning to their meals.
And the slime kept devouring them.
It killed a lone goblin sharpening a stone axe, a goblin picking mushrooms near the wall, and a goblin curled up half-asleep near a tent pole.
Mana filled the slime until it felt like its body glowed from the inside.
The whispers grew louder, telling its progress.
The slime dissolved another goblin's corpse.
Then a crack echoed inside its core.
[Consume skill level 2: 100 / 100]
[Consume skill leveled up!]
[Consume skill is now level 3]
A surge of mana burst outward.
The slime trembled with overwhelming power.
[Consume Skill (Lv.3): Efficiency massively increased]
[Digest speed: x5]
[Core Mana absorption: x3]
[You got the Theft Skill]
The slime vibrated violently in the shadows.
—