He ventured deeper into the forest, beyond the familiar grazing plains. The trees grew denser, older, their canopies blotting out more of the sky. The air felt heavier with latent mana.
A rustle in the bushes. Not a Rabeer. Something bipedal. A small, green-skinned humanoid with beady eyes and a rust-pitted spear stumbled into view, sniffing the air.
Fuck. Isn't that a goblin? A disbelieving laugh echoed in his mind. What kind of fantasy kitchen-sink world did I land in?
The screen provided clarity.
[Forest Goblin]
[Cultivation: 3rd Tier of the Novice Realm]
Easy. Four small realms higher. There was no need to waste his new skills' cooldowns on this.
He simply charged. The goblin shrieked, its beady eyes widening, and thrust its spear in a panicked lunge. Thiago sidestepped with contemptuous ease, the rusty tip scraping harmlessly against stone. He closed the distance and pounced, his claws finding the leathery green throat.
Black hole. [Essence] this time. The goblin dissolved.
Familiar warmth spread through him, stronger than from a Rabeer. Then, something unexpected happened. The goblin's spear, forgotten on the ground, was caught in the lingering edge of the singularity's pull. It rattled, then shot into his mouth, disintegrating into a wisp of essence.
Weapons too? The realization hit him like a thunderclap. Of course! The description said 'whatever is sucked in.' Everything. I can literally consume the world to grow stronger. That's… hilariously overpowered.
[Congratulations! You have advanced: 8th Tier of the Novice Realm]
Perfect.
He spent the next hour searching for more prey, but his luck seemed to have run out. The forest in this sector felt empty, scoured. Mentally fatigued from the constant vigilance, he decided to return to the cave as dusk began to paint the sky. The other tiger was absent. He slept.
At dawn, he set out again with a new medium-term plan: find a den deeper in the forest to minimize travel time. On the way, he encountered a few low-tier beasts—a 1st Tier rodent, a 2nd Tier flightless bird. They were trivial to kill. He converted them to [System Points], barely feeling their essence.
He checked his status as he walked.
Cultivation: 8th Tier of the Novice Realm
System Points: 45
Skills: All listed, now at Level 1 from usage.
Thirty-five points from those weaklings. Not bad. The shop has more to offer now.
He continued his steady, predatory stroll through the ancient woods, his mind plotting his next power spike.