Instead, he let out a cry of agony. His voice deep and guttural. Raw like sothing ancient clawing its way to the surface.
He dropped to his knees, hands clutching at his chest.
His fingers dug in, not like he was hurt, but like he was trying to stop sothing inside from breaking free—or bursting out.
His entire body started to tremble. His green skin darkened by several shades, splotching almost black in places as if bruised from within.
Then his back arched sharply, and his fingers curled into tight spasms, twitching uncontrollably.
Thin wisps of steam hissed off his shoulders.
"What’s happening to him?" Thok asked, eyes wide.
He and the rest were also rattled by the sight they were seeing.
I didn’t answer. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what was happening.
But looking at the way Narg’s class -Acolyte- was glitching out, visibly straining against sothing, I had a guess:
Narg was evolving.
From what little I knew, goblins could undergo evolution once they hit certain thresholds. It depended on their class path and combat experience. And Narg? He had just crossed one by reaching level 10.
I glanced at the others. They were close to that threshold, too. If this was what happened at ten, then we were in for so serious upgrades.
"Aaargh!"
Narg scread.
It sounded agonizing.
I knelt beside him, unsure if there was anything I could do. "You’ll be fine, Narg," I muttered. "Just breathe through it."
He didn’t respond. Understandable. But it kind of hurt my feelings.
His jaw clenched tight, and his spine twisted unnaturally. His entire body seized, and I could see glowing blue arcs flicker just beneath the surface of his skin—mana, surging through his veins like lightning.
It was hard to watch. The poor guy was practically frothing at the mouth, his eyes rolled halfway back in his skull.
And yet, despite how brutal it looked...I was a little more excited than worried.
I really wanted to see what he’d beco after all this chaos.
We all stood frozen, watching as Narg continued to scream.
The glow from his body intensified, growing brighter with each passing second.
Then—just as suddenly as it began—the light snapped out.
Narg slumped forward. His staff clattered to the dirt. Steam hissed off his hunched form.
"...Narg?" I asked cautiously, stepping closer.
He lifted his head slowly.
And I blinked.
"Whoa."
Gone was the gangly, slightly deranged goblin who thought fireballs were the solution to every problem. Okay—maybe he was still that guy—but now he looked different.
Taller. Bulkier. His skin had darkened into a deep, earthy green, and glowing tribal lines now adorned his arms and shoulders. His eyes—once twitchy and dim—now glead with clarity and focus.
"Narg..." I crouched beside him. "You good?"
He looked up—and to my shock, dropped to one knee.
"Yes, Totem," he said. His voice was deeper, smoother... like soone had run it through a bass booster. I was instantly jealous. Next to Narg, comparing voices, I sounded like a wheezing insect trying to beatbox.
The other goblins stared at him differently now, with sothing close to reverence.
I activated [Analyze].
Narg - Level 10 | Goblin Shaman
Skills:[Fireball] [Mana Shield] [Fla Orb] [Warcry][Iron Fist], [Stealth], [Danger Sense], [Roar of Intimidation] [Call of the Damned] [Hex] [Buff] [Heal]
Loyalty:100%
"Well, damn."
I was impressed by the number of skills Narg now had.
Three new skill were now added to the list, other than the ones that i shared.
[Call of the Damned] [Hex] [Buff] [Heal]
Narg rose slowly, eyes faintly aglow.
"You’re a shaman now, huh?"
"Yes, Totem. I am now a Shaman. All thanks to you."
"Okay..." I leaned in, hands on my knees. "So, Narg the Shaman. What can you do now?"
[Analyze] couldn’t peek into his exact stats or get more details concerning his skills—thanks, system restrictions—so I had to rely on good old-fashioned dialogue.
He held up his staff, which now had faintly glowing runes etched along its shaft. "I can commune with spirits and channel their power in battle. But to bind them, I must perform a ritual."
"Spirits?" Dribb scratched his head. "Like... ghost summons?"
"Powerful ghost summons," Narg corrected, with pride. "I can also cast hexes, increase the strength of others and also heal injuries."
My jaw dropped. "That’s insane. You went from fireball spamr to team buffer and debuff wizard in one level-up?"
"Yes, Totem," he said with a respectful bow.
"I can also commune with Lord Drugar—but we must build an altar first. I need it to perform certain spirit rituals."
An altar. Of course. I rubbed my chin. That sounded like a whole thing.
"I can give you a list of the materials," Narg offered.
"Later," I said. "Right now, surviving cos first."
Honestly, Narg’s new skills would be ga-changing. But our current base was temporary—barely more than a fortified hole in the ground. There was no point building an altar we’d have to abandon. We’d prioritize it once we secured a permanent location.
For now, talismans and hexes would have to do.
Still... I didn’t expect Narg’s evolution to make him this strong.
Now I really wanted to evolve.
Sothing cool, obviously. Like... Deathblade Assassin Totem. Or Spirit King of the Goblins. Oh, and I’d better grow taller.
Can’t have my goblins outgrowing .
I looked up and caught the entire group staring at .
I cleared my throat. "Right. Our next move."
With the adrenaline from the python battle still buzzing in our blood, I decided to push the rest of the team to evolve.
They were all close to level 10. Just a little more XP to top off those bars.
So, we hunted.
Unfortunately, the nearby mobs were laughably weak. Level 5 scavenger lizards. Level 4 venom ticks. A gang of skeletal rabbits that might’ve been intimidating—if they didn’t keep tripping over each other.
Even Gobbo was yawning.
"We need sothing stronger," I muttered. "Narg? Got any ideas?"
The newly evolved shaman lifted his staff like a dowsing rod and pointed deeper into the woods. "There is a blood scent. And antler marks on the trees."
I raised a brow. "And that ans...?"
He turned to , voice serious.
"A Gnarlbeast."
The way he said it sent shivers up my spine.
The others stiffened as well. They knew what that was. And they feared it.
I narrowed my eyes. "What is this Gnarlbeast?"
Narg’s gaze stayed on the trees."We heard it from the forr chief. It is a forest predator. Deer-shaped, but it’s not prey. It feeds on blood. Marks its territory by goring trees. And its eyes. If you et them, you...
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