I was enjoying a rare, deep sleep when something bright stabbed straight into my eyes.
I groaned, rolled to the side, and covered my face with my arm.
"Who's the idiot shining a torch at my face…?"
But when I forced my eyes open, there wasn't anyone holding a torch.
Instead, a floating panel hovered right above me, glowing like it was proud of itself.
[Delivery System Starting…]
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
"What… the hell?"
Before I could even process it, heavy footsteps shook the ground.
Real heavy, like someone dragging a whole damn tree.
I froze. Instinct kicked in. Something big was coming.
A massive kobold, at least twice my size, muscles like carved stone, burst through the bushes. His eyes locked on me immediately.
I panicked on instinct.
"Oh no. No no no. "
I tried to scramble backward, but my legs didn't even fully react. It felt like my body belonged to someone else.
The big kobold charged toward me, and I swore my soul almost leaped out of my scales.
Then he grabbed me.
Not violently. Not with a punch.
He hugged me.
Actually hugged me. Tight.
"Ragnar! Brother, where were you! We looked all night! The clan's losing their minds!"
He was crying.
Crying.
A two-meter wall of muscle and scales bawling on my shoulder like a lost pup.
I just stared at him, completely stunned.
I wanted to say something, but my brain was stuck between who are you and don't squeeze my spine in half.
"I… uh… yeah. I'm here?" I said.
It sounded weak coming out of my mouth, but I had no idea what was happening.
Then I felt something warm on my forehead.
Warm… and wet.
I touched it with my claws.
Blood.
My head was bleeding.
And the moment I touched it, everything slammed into me.
Memories that weren't mine.
Scenes in the dark.
Running through the forest.
Panic.
Fear.
Branch.
Root.
Slip.
Crack.
I sighed inside my head.
"Did I really… die because I tripped?"
Out of everything… that was the cause?
No monster.
No assassin.
No dramatic last battle.
Just… gravity.
Great.
But at least now I knew: I wasn't just reincarnated into a kobold.
I had replaced a kobold who had terrible night vision and worse footing.
The big kobold finally loosened his grip and took a step back, wiping his face with embarrassment.
"Ragnar… the elders will be relieved. Come on, let's go back."
He tugged my arm gently, like he was scared I'd disappear again.
But my attention went back to the glowing panel still hovering in front of me.
It had finished loading.
[First Delivery Mission Generated]
Deliver 30 Valva to the nearby Goblin Clan.
Rewards:
20 Tomado
5+ Interaction Points
1 Evolution Chance
I stared at the words, then reread them.
Deliver fruit…
To goblins…
That hated us…
I rubbed my forehead again. The pain helped me think.
Valva and Tomado were both forest fruits the kobold clan usually traded.
Valva was sweet and common, goblins liked it. Tomado was rarer, more valuable.
If I delivered thirty Valva, the system would give me twenty Tomado. Not a bad trade.
But there was a problem.
This kobold body's memories were clear:
Kobolds and goblins were not on friendly terms.
At all.
Each tribe had its own patron goddess, and since those goddesses were sisters, goblins and kobolds followed the same divine path whether they liked it or not.
Still, both deities were considered low-ranking in the grand order of the world.
At the very top stood the Sovereign Goddesses, beings so powerful that even dragons were insects before them.
To see one, you'd have to reach the Astral Realm, a place where the pressure alone can crush entire mountains into dust.
Only the strongest of the strong could survive long enough to stand there.
We lived near each other in the same forest territory, and fights happened every other week.
A "delivery" between us wasn't just odd, it was almost impossible.
I muttered to myself,
"Right. Deliver fruit to a clan that wants to stab us on sight. Easy."
The big kobold, my supposed brother, tilted his head.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just thinking."
He looked relieved I was "acting normal."
I wasn't sure what normal for the original Ragnar was… but I'd fake it until I figured things out.
I read the system again.
1 Evolution Chance.
That was the line that hooked me.
Evolution.
For a kobold, that wasn't a small thing. Kobolds weren't weak, but we weren't exactly apex predators.
Evolving could mean better strength, better magic, maybe even a different form entirely.
But evolution required me to finish this ridiculous delivery.
I paced a little, thinking.
Kobolds and goblins hated each other, sure.
But there was another piece of memory.
Something important.
The goblins were in trouble recently.
A group of low-IQ orcs had wandered near their territory, causing chaos.
They weren't smart enough to organize a proper raid, but they were strong enough to beat goblins senseless for fun.
Goblins complained about it to everyone, loudly.
Even kobolds knew their situation was bad.
I tapped my claws on my arm while thinking.
"If they're getting bullied by orcs… then they're desperate."
Desperate meant negotiable.
Desperate meant they might accept help.
And help means opening a door.
A door I could walk through with a basket of Valva and a smile, a delivery.
"So that's it," I whispered. "I help them with the orc problem… they let me deliver the fruit safely."
My brother's ears twitched.
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Plans," I said simply. "Good ones."
He looked confused but nodded anyway.
I felt a grin forming on my face, a confident one.
Even in this small kobold body, the thought of turning this situation around made my blood heat up.
"Brother," he said timidly. "We… we really were scared last night. Why did you run into the forest? Did something chase you?"
I glanced at him.
Should I say the truth?
That the original Ragnar ran for no reason, tripped, and died like an idiot?
No.
I wasn't starting my new life with that story.
"I'll tell you later," I said. "Right now, we go home. I need to prepare something."
"Prepare what?"
I gave him a small smirk.
"A delivery."
His eyes widened, but he nodded slowly, trusting me completely.
We started walking back toward the kobold settlement together.
The forest smelled damp, the wind cool on my scales. My head still hurt, but my thoughts were sharp.
A delivery system.
Thirty fruits.
Goblin territory.
Orcs causing trouble.
And one evolution waiting for me at the end.
I didn't know who or what made this system.
But if it wanted me to deliver things…
Fine.
I'd deliver.
And I'd make everyone learn one thing:
Even a kobold can become someone dangerous if he plays the right cards.