Sigh... It has been an eternity ever since I managed to beat the liger. No, I mean it... It has been ages... I have been wandering around the forest but... There are no creatures nearby. It is like the forest had suddenly turned into a graveyard...

 

"Sigh... I'm bored! Can a wolf attack me or something!?" I shouted.

 

The goddess has also been radio silent after my battle against the liger... Seriously, how long does it takes to make some popcorn...?

 

"C'mon! There's a tasty goblin you may be able to eat here!" I tried to tempt a predator into attacking me.

 

Needless to say, it didn't work at all...

 

"Sigh..." I just sighed heavily.

 

I continued walking through the forest hoping to find any type of creature...

 

After a while, I managed to find a couple of red scaled snakes.

 

"FINALLY!" I shouted as soon as I spotted the snakes.

 

As soon as the snakes noticed me, they slithered away as if their lives depended on it...

 

"Hey! That's very rude! I just wanted to talk and perhaps kill you to prove I'm worthy of evolving!" I yelled as the snakes slithered away...

 

This is getting depressing...

 

"Sigh..."

 

I guess, I'll just lay down and take a nap...

 

I simply laid on the ground and closed my eyes... The forest was completely silent so I was able to relax easily...

 

My mind was slowly drifting away... I was about to fall asleep but...

 

"Hmmm... It seems you got comfortable. Mind if I join?" A feminine voice asked.

 

"Suit yourself..." I said to owner of that voice.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Wait a minute... Who's that?

 

I immediately opened my eyes to find out who was the one who just talked to me... I was immediately left speechless...

 

A girl was looking at me from above. She was 1.50 meters tall. Her hair was blonde and it was arranged into two large twintails. Her eyes are silver coloured. She was wearing a strange black dress and boots. I think it is a victorian-goth style dress... There was something similar to a cross decorating her hair. Her facial features were simply perfect... That's the only way to decribe them.

 

To be honest, she's pretty cute... She looks like a doll!

 

"So? What do you think? I really like this dress." The girl smiled.

 

She's adorable!

 

"Jeez! I will really get embarrassed, you know? Hehehe!" The girl giggled.

 

I was completely hypnotized by the cuteness of this girl...

 

"I guess, I should start by introducing myself. Can you please stand up?" She asked me.

 

"Okay." I did what I was told and simply stood up.

 

The girl was way taller than me, but for some reason I felt like I was older than her... I ended up looking straight into her eyes.

 

The girl smiled again before introducing herself.

 

"My name is Astera. I am the Goddess of Life and Nature. I am the older sister of Electra. I'm the second oldest daugther of the King of the Gods, Serent." She kept her warm smile.

 

Ehh? The Goddess of Life...? So I have been talking to her this whole time? That's kinda cool, I guess... I would have liked to know she was this beautiful beforehand though.

 

Wait a second... She introduced herself and showed her appearance to me...? Then that means that I...-

 

"You completed the trial. Congratulations! You're fit to evolve and to be a Hero. Good job!" She suddenly patted my head.

 

Ehh? That's it...? I thought that the trial was going to be even more difficult... I mean, the fight against the liger was difficult but... It is a bit anticlimactic to just end it like this...

 

"Well, the liger and your spider wife were the strongest creatures here. Since you managed to get rid of them, most creatures decided to avoid you... Well, I guess it is fine. You managed to beat the apex predator of the forest and then you became the apex predator, it is fine to just end the trial like this." She explained with a bitter smile.

 

"I see..."

 

It is a bit disappointing to be honest. I thought there would be more strong creatures here...

 

"It is not like it will be the last time you're going to be here though. There will be other strong creatures waiting for you next time. Anyway, congratulations for completing the trial!" She said cheerfully after reading my mind...

 

Astera suddenly got close to me...

 

"Hmm... I guess I can give you a gift since you managed to show me your worth... Yeah, let's do that." Astera nodded to herself.

 

A gift? I wonder what it is?

 

I was completely surprised when she suddenly decided to kiss my cheek.

 

"Huh!?" I was bit dumfounded... Not gonna lie, I was happy to receive a kiss from a beauty like her.

 

As soon as got away from me, I simply touched my cheek and looked at her in confusion.

 

"Okay, all done! I would like to keep you here for a while and have a proper talk, but unfortunately, I have some other things to do. Hopefully we will see each other again soon!" Astera smiled and winked at me.

 

My body was now really heavy for some reason... I felt like I was about to faint...

 

"I'll be waiting to see you again!" Astera said with a cheerful tone... That was the last thing I heard before fainting...

---

 

"Ngn..."

 

My body was still feeling heavy...

 

Sigh... I would have liked to talk more with Astera... I'm a bit sad that I was only able to tell her "I see..."

 

You know what? Electra could learn a thing or two from Astera. Astera was really kind to me. Hopefully, I will evolve again to see her soon.

 

(...) I felt a strange presence in my mind but I decided to ignore it.

 

"Are you awake, Ru?" I heard Silvia's voice...

 

Ah... So that's why my body feels heavy... I am being tightly hugged by Silvia...

 

"Yeah." I answered.

 

I opened my eyes only to see the familiar ceiling of our room... Silvia's long blonde hair was covering most of the view though.

 

"That's good... I was worried about you... Mi and the others woke up several hours ago but you were still asleep... I was really worried." Silvia hugged me a bit tighter than before... She was about to crush my ribs...

 

So they evolved as well... That's good to know.

 

"A lot happened... I have an interesting story to tell you." I said.

 

I then told Silvia what happened during my trials...

 

"Ehh!? You killed a liger on your own!? I was not able to do that until I was 75 years old! I'm so proud of you!" Silvia was now crushing me with her hug... It wouldn't take long for her to suffocate me...

 

"Silvia... Please, let me go... You're going to kill me if you hug me like that..." I tapped on her shoulder...

 

"Sorry!"

 

Silvia stopped hugging me... I was able to finally see her beautiful face again.

 

I also was a bit surprised when I noticed the changes in my own body...

 

My skin was now golden... Yes, you heard that correctly. I am not green anymore, my skin is completely golden... There's also a strange feeling on my forehead...

 

I touched my forehead and...

 

"Is this a horn?" I was confused...

 

Silvia nodded.

 

"Mi and the others also grew horns all of a sudden. I was a bit surprised when your skin turned golden though... But now that I am able to take a good look at it, I must say that the colour really suits you!" Silvia smiled mischievously at me.

 

I also just noticed that I was completely naked... I think my buddy also grew a bit...

 

HAHAHAHA! I'm so fucking lucky! My monster-sized penis got bigger! This is the best!

 

"Is that so?" I tried to play it cool and tried to hide my excitement.

 

I really need to see how I look later... I need to ask Silvia to give me a mirror.

 

"Silvia, have you ever met the Goddess Astera?" I asked her trying to change the topic.

 

Silvia simply shook her head.

 

"Nope. I have met the Goddess of Destiny, but I have never met Lady Astera. I'm actually a bit shocked that she decided to supervise your trial..." Silvia tilted her head... She had a difficult to read expression.

 

"She said that she would give me a gift before since I finished the trial. Perhaps is my new colour of skin because of her?" I wonder if this had to do with Astera.

 

"I can't say that it was her for sure, but Gods are very whimsical beings... So it is probably her doing... Then? Are you feeling okay? Does it feel strange anywhere?" Silvia asked me.

 

"Actually, I feel better than ever."

 

You could say that my whole body felt stronger now... I think I would not have any problems if I had to deal with that liger again.

 

"That's good!" Silvia smiled warmly... She hugged me again.

 

Sheesh... She's so clingy. Not that I am complaining though. I personally like being hugged by her.

 

I suddenly heard how the door of our room was opened...

 

"Silvia! ♦♦♦♦♦♦ awake yet? ♦♦♦♦♦ lunch time ♦♦♦♦♦♦." I heard the voice of a girl coming from the door. I couldn't understand most of what she was saying. But I immediately noticed that she was talking in the Human Language.

 

She's probably the girl I saved from those wolves...

 

Unfortunately, we were not able to react in time. A girl that looked no older than 20 came into the room.

 

Her hair was brown and long. It was neatly arranged in a ponytail. Her eyes are blue and big. She has a bit of a baby face. She has freckles on her cheeks. You could use the word "cute" to describe her. At first sight, she looks like an extremely cheerful and kind young woman.

 

She was wearing a blue skirt, a white blouse, some black tights and some sort of brown high heeled boots.

 

"Ah, Elise! ♦♦♦♦♦! Ru, ♦♦♦♦!" Silvia spoke to the girl in the human language.

 

So her name is Elise... I think it suits her.

 

"♦♦♦♦♦! Interruption ♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦... Sorry!" For some reason Elise blushed and covered her eyes.

 

"Ehh? ♦♦♦♦?" Silvia asked her something.

 

"Sorry!" Elise ran out of the room...

 

I was left a bit confused... Why did she run away?

 

"She thought we were about to have sex." Silvia explained noticing my confused expression. She had a sassy smile on her face.

 

Oh right... I'm currently naked... Well, what a way to mess up a first impression... Things will be awkward now...

 

Oh well! You can't win all the battles!

 

"But well... Since we are already here, how about if we have some fun, Ru?" Silvia asked while keeping that sassy smile on her face.

 

Unfortunately, before I was able to respond, my stomach decided that it was a good moment to growl.

 

"Let's leave that for tonight, Silvia. Let's have a meal first... I'm starving."

 

Considering that the last time I ate was yesterday, that makes sense.

 

"Tsk... I thought I could have you all for myself for now... Ah, well no worries. I want the first turn tonight, okay?" Silvia didn't seemed to bothered.

 

I just nodded to her proposal.

---

We were currently at the dinning hall of the castle. Silvia, Mi and Elise had made some bear meat stew and some skewers with a few vegetables for lunch.

 

But before we get into that... I need to mention a very important detail...

 

I am 1.20 meters tall! I am taller than my father now! Man, evolving is great!

 

Also, I am now wearing a new loin cloth. So, I am not naked anymore!

 

Anyway, all of my sisters are currently busy devouring all of the food on their plates. What Silvia said was true. They had all evolved, just like me.

 

There are a few differences between us though. My sisters seem to be between 94 cm and 1.10 meters tall. So they grew a lot. Their skin is a bit of a light green. While mine is golden... I really look out of place, you know?

 

Ah, all of us now have a single horn in the middle of our foreheads. Our horns are not that big and I don't think we can use them to stab things, but they do make us look more menacing, so I like having a horn.

 

Nothing more changed apparently.

 

"Hehehe! My Ru became a big and strong goblin!" My mother was currently hugging me tightly... She was rubbing her cheek gainst my own cheek.

 

My father was crying... No, I mean it... He's actually crying.

 

Apparently, we are the first goblins of our tribe to evolve. Silvia told me while we were coming to the dinning hall that the reaction of the rest of the tribe was a spectacle to behold... All of the adult goblins cried in joy.

 

"Mama... I won't be able to eat if you keep hugging me..." To be honest, I'm a bit embarrassed to be hugged like this by my mother in front of Elise, the human girl.

 

"But you became strong! I always believed in you! Hehehe! My son is a strong goblin!" My mother was incredibly proud that I evolved...

 

My mother was not planning on letting me go any time soon...

 

"Ru... Play." A small little goblin was touching my leg.

 

It was my little brother, Go. He has black hair and brown eyes. He's 48 cm tall. He's very tall considering that he's a toddler.

 

You know, I'm actually quite happy to have a little brother... I never had one back on Earth. Just thinking of the things we could do together to have some fun makes me excited!

 

Also, apparently two girls were born while I was out of commission. Their names are Ba and Za.

 

"Of course! Let's play after lunch!" I said while I was still trapped on the loving embrace of my mother.

 

Go nodded before happily walking away towards his mother.

 

"Silvia? ♦♦♦♦♦ , Ru. ♦♦♦♦?" Elise suddenly said something to Silvia... I couldn't understand what she was talking about.

 

"Ah! ♦♦♦♦! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦, ♦♦♦♦♦, ♦♦!" Silvia suddenly got all excited and started talking about something...

 

The two of them were looking at me...

 

What? Do I have something on my face? Man... I really need to learn the human language soon...

 

"Ru, Elise said that she would like to thank you for saving her life." Silvia translated to me.

 

Elised smiled bitterly at me.

 

"I see... There's not really need to thank me. It was just me being stubborn." I said.

 

I was recognized as Hero by Lady Astera... I must be humble unlike that bitch of a goddess!

 

(...) I felt that strange presence again.

 

"Elise, Ru says: ♦♦♦♦, ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦. ♦♦♦♦♦♦!" Silvia translated to Elise.

 

For some reason, Elise blushed... She was red as a tomato. She covered her face thanks to the embarrassment...

 

Hmm... Although I am a bit curious why Elise and those other two guys were here... I guess there will be no harm if I ask.

 

"Silvia, can you ask Elise why she and those two men were here for? I'm kinda curious about it." I said to Silvia.

 

"Hehehe!" My mother was still in her sweet little world... She was still hugging me tightly...

 

"Alright. Elise, ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦? ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦? ♦♦♦?" Silvia asked Elise.

 

Elise then stopped covering her face. Her embarrassment from before was completely gone...

 

"♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! Fucking ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! Idiots! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ tool! I swear, ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! ♦♦♦! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦...-" Elise suddenly started talking... Like a lot.

 

Silvia and I were left completely speechless. I barely understood a few words...

 

"Elise, I can't translate so fast! Slow down a bit!" It seems like Silvia was having trouble...

 

"♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! ♦♦♦♦! ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦! Bandits! Then ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦!" She continued to complain about something...

 

Bandits? Did I heard that correctly?

 

"I get it! I get it! Please calm down! I can't explain properly if you get so fired up about it!" Silvia tried to calm down Elise...

 

In the end, it was not possible for Silvia to calm down Elise.

 

The sounds of the food being devoured by my sisters, the happy giggles of my mother, the sobbing of my father, and the strange words of Elise were the only sounds that could be heard in the dinning hall...

---

Silvia was finally able to calm Elise for a bit... She told us the story of why she was here.

 

Elise is an adventurer. She was apparently in trouble, and the guild punished her along with the other two guys who died, who were also adventurers. Their punishment was a compulsory request imposed by the guild. They had to come to the small and newly established town of Norvek. Their task was to help the villagers get rid of some monsters and some bandits that have been harrassing the people of Norvek for a few weeks now.

 

The other two men apparently had the brilliant idea of coming to the forest to try and find the hideout of the bandits. They tried to use a counterfeit magic tool to locate the bandits but... Since it was a counterfeit magic tool, it exploded on their faces. Leaving all of them, minus Elise who was wearing a blessed veil, in a bad state.

 

A blessed veil is apparently a regalia given by the gods to their believers. Some of them have special powers, like a strong shield or a powerful weapon. They are apparently quite rare nowadays.

 

(Hey, bitch goddess. When are you going to give me a blessed veil?) I asked.

 

(...) There was no response.

 

Anyway... Elise thanked me profusely for saving her from those wolves. It was strange but when I apologized for not saving her friends, she said:

 

"Ah, don't worry about that! I barely knew them, so they weren't my friends. I mean, yeah... It is sad that they died but we were forced to work together so I didn't feel like their companion. Also, in this line of work, every job has that risk, so don't worry too much about that. You did what you could." That's what Silvia translated.

 

I still feel bad that I didn't save them but we can't change the past.

 

"Thanks!" Elise thanked me again... She was using a few complicated words before...

 

"No need..." I said in the human language.

 

Elise simply smiled warmly at me...

 

I'm not gonna lie... She's a cutie... I know I am thinking with my dick, but damn... She has some nice thighs. I want to bite them... Her chest is on the smaller side but I want to grope those breasts! Her earnest and cheerful attitude are probably the most attractive part about her... Also, her small ass is extremely alluring...

 

NO, RU! You're supposed to be a Hero! An ally of justice! You can't go looking at women like that!

 

Just kidding! I'm gonna be honest and just say that I find her extremely attractive. Call me whatever you want, but Elise is a real beauty!

 

"Ru! Are you listening!?" Silvia suddenly shook me.

 

"Ah!? What!?" I was a bit dumbfounded since I was still thinking about Elise's small ass.

 

"Jeez... I was saying that I was contacted by the Goddess of Destiny, Arrat."

 

Ah... Now that she mentions that name... Didn't I get her blessing?

 

"She needs our help with something and wants us to go to the town of Norvek. So, what do you think we should do?" Silvia asked me with a serious expression.

 

We have to go to the town where Elise is staying huh...

 

I thought hard about it...

 

I have a complicated relationship with gods. I despise Electra, but I like Astera. I don't have any opinions on Arrat since I haven't met her yet... Well, Lady Arrat gave me the title of Hero and helped me on my battle against the wolves... I guess I could repay the favour.

 

Hmm? Now that I think about it. Didn't Electra help me on my battle against that bear before evolving? Sigh... I guess I can recognize that she was helpful. I don't despise her anymore, I just dislike her a lot.

 

(!!!) The presence was there again... I ignored it again.

 

But besides that, I guess I could use this as an opportunity to see what this world has to offer. I mean, I like it here in the castle and this forest. I like being close to my tribe but I also want to explore for a bit.

 

Hmm.... I don't see any downsides on going to the human town... It is decided.

 

"I think it should be fine to go." I said to Silvia giving her my honest opinion.

 

For some reason Silvia grinned from ear to ear.

 

"Hehehe! It is my chance to show my hubby this world! I will be your guide!" Silvia said with excitement.

 

"I will be counting on you, Silvia."

 

"We should also go to the church and get married oficially!" Silvia declared.

 

"Very well then."

 

I mean, I have no objections. I like Silvia a lot so...

 

A pair of soft hands were wrapped around my neck.

 

"I also want to get married to Ru." It was Mi. Her voice sounded a bit more mature.

 

"Married to to Ru... It will be like that story..." Ta said with embarrassment... She was blushing a lot.

 

"What's a church!?" Ya raised her arm and asked.

 

"Isn't that the place where people store rocks?" Na asked while tilting her head.

 

"No! That's a storage! A church is a place where people go to mate!" Ra declared proudly.

 

Pffft! I could only chuckle thanks to that.

 

"Ra... That's a brothel. A church is where you go to get knives." Wa said with her usual poker face.

 

"You're wrong, Wa! A church is a place where you go to exercise!" Xi tried to correct Wa, but she was also wrong...

 

"I don't think that's correct... Hehehe..." La laughed bitterly.

 

"Can you play with insects in a church?" Gi asked. She had a curious expression.

 

"I dont wanna go..." La looked terrified...

 

"Gi! Stop bullying La! Sheesh! La, I'll help you out! Let's get rid of that fear of yours!" Da said with excitement...

 

The conversation only turned even more chaotic from there on... Their misunderstanding about the church made Silvia and I chuckle for a bit. Elise also laughed but she had no idea what we were talking about.

 

In the end, it was decided that we would go to the town of Norvek.

 

I guess my adventure as a Hero in this strange world begins now.