Chapter 85: Evolution Festival
Arthur was walking back toward the bonfire when the notifications arrived.
[Evolution Paths Discovered: 18]
[Evolution Paths Analyzed: 9]
He read them quietly and smiled without announcing why.
The line of Goblins had not gotten shorter.
If anything, it had acquired more people, because word traveled in settlements and the Goblins who had not been present when the first evolutions occurred had found out and arrived with the specific energy of people who had heard something remarkable and wanted to be near where remarkable things were happening.
Arthur was on his thirty-first hand.
"One more," he said.
Sun, who had been sitting against the wall since the first evolution and had not moved from his position of resigned observation, said: "That is exactly what you said thirty Goblins ago."
Arthur scratched his cheek.
He touched the next hand.
[Species: Goblin]
[Goblin Archer → Goblin Greatbow Archer → Goblin Phantom Sniper]
Arthur’s eyes widened.
"Another ranged evolution," he said.
Mithra leaned over from where she had been watching. "What is it?"
Arthur smiled. "Something really cool," he said.
Mithra looked at him. "That tells me absolutely nothing."
"I know," Arthur said.
He looked at Vedas. "I think I know a way to help them evolve."
Vedas walked over. "What do we need?"
Arthur listed. "Three Swift Birds. Four Camo Snakes. Three Moss Wolves. Then these goblins should be able to evolve."
He looked back at Vedas. "Can you help?"
Vedas nodded immediately.
Arthur pointed toward several Goblins who had been waiting nearby, and Vedas turned to them with the easy authority of someone who had been a Commander long enough that it had stopped feeling like a role and started feeling like what he was.
"You heard him," Vedas said. "We’re going hunting."
The Goblin straightened immediately. "Chief!"
Vedas looked toward every Hunter. "Right now... isn’t about proving yourselves. It’s about helping your people grow stronger! We will return together."
Every Hunter struck their chest. "Yes, Chief!"
Arthur smiled. "I like how easy this is," he said.
Sun folded his arms. "They’re listening because it’s Vedas," he said.
Mithra giggled. "You’d have chaos otherwise."
Arthur thought about this for a moment. "Probably," he said.
Vedas raised his spear. "Move."
Without another word, the Hunters rushed into the forest. Arthur ran after them immediately.
"So fast!" he said.
Mithra, running beside him: "You told him to hurry."
"I know. I didn’t think he’d actually sprint."
Vedas led.
Arthur pointed at the beast.
Vedas commanded.
"Riders. Left."
"Hunters. High ground."
The Goblins moved instantly into every position, the reorganization happening so quickly that the forest had not quite caught up to it yet.
Sun blinked. "They’re listening instantly."
Mithra smiled. "They trust him."
Arthur nodded quietly. "Of course they do," he said.
A Swift Bird shot between the trees.
It released a screech as it crashed into the ground. The Goblin hesitated before thrusting its spear down into the bird.
Arthur watched the notification climb.
1 / 10.
"Let’s keep it up!"
They continued moving through the forest and killing the beasts in the night.
Then 3.
Then 5.
Then 8.
The final Moss Wolf collapsed.
10 / 10.
Golden light.
The Goblin Archer’s bow dissolved. Golden branches wrapped around what remained of it, the wood lengthening and reshaping until something new occupied the space. An emerald bowstring formed from condensed mana, the glow of it visible against the surrounding forest. A dark green cloak settled over the Goblin’s shoulders, golden feathers appearing along its edges.
One eye briefly lit with gold.
The Goblin drew the bowstring and then released the arrow that punctured the tree.
[Goblin → Goblin Archer]
Arthur grinned. "Best one so far."
Mithra folded her arms. "Already?"
Arthur nodded. "Definitely."
The Goblin Archer slowly looked down at his own hands. Then at the glowing bow. "I actually hit that."
One of the Hunters laughed. "You’ve always hit things."
The Archer slowly shook his head. "Not like that." He drew the bowstring again, staring at the iron arrow as though he still couldn’t believe it belonged to him. A smile slowly spread across his face. "This is amazing."
Several other goblins were staring. "I want to evolve too."
"So do I."
Arthur grinned. "We’ll get there."
Vedas nodded. "One at a time."
The Goblins immediately calmed.
Arthur looked at him. "See? They really do listen to you."
Athena quickly came over. "Can you shoot again?" she said, pen already moving.
The Archer blinked. "Again?"
"Please," she said.
Sun sighed. "She’s forgotten we’re in a forest."
The Goblin fired.
The mana arrow curved around three separate trees, following a path that no physical arrow’s trajectory would have produced.
Athena nearly dropped her notebook. "It bent?" she said.
Mithra smiled. "I don’t think she’s sleeping tonight."
Another Archer reported that he could see farther.
Arthur quietly noted the skill notification.
[Eagle Eye]
[Vision greatly enhanced. Long-range accuracy increased.]
Athena wrote it down. "Oh? You gain another skill."
Sun looked at Arthur. "Did you know that?"
Arthur scratched his cheek. "I had a feeling," he said.
Athena nodded as he turned the page before saying. "Next," she said.
Arthur blinked. "Already?"
She looked at him. "We’re documenting all of them. Obviously."
"Fair," Arthur said.
He reached toward the next Goblin.
[Species: Goblin]
[Goblin Healer] [Goblin Shaman] [Goblin Spirit Druid]
[Goblin Healer]
[Requirements:]
[Heal twenty injuries: 5/20.]
[Receive sincere gratitude from ten people: 3/10]
Arthur read the requirements twice. "This one is a little strange," he said.
Mithra noticed his expression. "What now?"
Sun looked over. "How strange?"
Arthur slowly reached for his knife.
Mithra’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t," she said.
Arthur looked at her with the expression of someone who had been caught before starting. "You don’t even know what I’m doing," he said.
"I do," Mithra said. "You have that face."
"What face?"
"The one before you do something ridiculous."
Arthur looked away. But he still took the knife out.
Sun immediately pointed. "There it is! I knew you were planning something!"
"I haven’t done anything yet," Arthur said.
"You took out a knife!"
"Fair," Arthur said.
Then he made a small, careful cut across his palm.
Mithra sighed. "I told you."
Arthur smiled in the way he smiled when he was right about something inconvenient. "It really is the fastest way," he said.
Sun pinched the bridge of his nose. "You’re impossible," he said.
Vedas walked over quietly. Without saying anything, he made a small cut on his own hand.
Arthur blinked. "Vedas?"
"If you’re testing something," Vedas said, "I’ll help."
"You don’t have to."
Vedas smiled. "Partners help each other. And this is for the tribe’s development as well."
Arthur laughed. "Good answer," he said.
Mithra looked at both of them. Then she lightly scratched her own arm. "There," she said.
Athena sighed. She held out her own hand and made a small cut.
Sun stared at her.
"For research," Athena said, without making eye contact.
Sun looked at the group. Then Kong proudly held out his fist with the bearing of someone who had decided this was a worthwhile activity. Athy lifted one wing, presenting its tip. Melo raised one small paw.
The Goblin began running between them all in the specific panic of someone who had been handed more tasks than they had arms.
Soon all the conditions were fulfilled.
[Heal twenty injuries:]
[20/20]
[Receive sincere gratitude from ten people:]
[10/10]
The golden light came quickly.
Simple clothes unraveled and flowing robes formed, leaf-shaped charms hanging from the sleeves. A wooden necklace grew as though the mana had placed it there. Green light drifted through the air around the Goblin like fireflies that had decided to stay.
The Goblin’s hands extended instinctively, and then warm green light covered Arthur’s cut. The wound vanished without a single scar.
Arthur blinked. "That felt nice," he said.
A small Goblin child suddenly ran over.
One knee was scraped from earlier while helping rebuild the village.
The newly evolved Healer looked down and without thinking...
He reached out.
Warm green light covered the scrape and a moment later... the wound disappeared. The child blinked. Then smiled brightly. "It doesn’t hurt anymore!"
The Healer froze. He slowly looked at his own hands. "I really healed someone."
Another Healer, warmly. "You did."
The Healer’s eyes slowly became wet. "I’m useful."
"I know you can be. The healer job is the important thing." Elder Raku said with a smile.
[Goblin → Goblin Healer]
[Healing Touch]
[Natural healing mana. Sense nearby injuries.]
Athena’s pen moved. "Alright, let’s do the next one."
Arthur nodded before touching another set of Goblins.
[Goblin Rogue]
[Goblin Golden Stalker]
[Goblin Twilight Assassin]
[Requirement:]
[Reached Level 5: 1/1]
[Kill 10 monsters using traps: 0/10]
Seeing this, Arthur looked at Sun.
"Kill ten monsters using traps," He said. "You’re probably the best person for this."
Sun blinked. "Me?"
"You notice things," Arthur said. "You like tricks. And you’re very sneaky."
Sun looked away. "Keep talking."
Mithra laughed. "He’s already smiling."
"I am not."
"You are."
"Maybe," Sun said.
Arthur tilted his head. "You seem excited."
Sun spun Long once with the movement of someone who had been waiting. "I have been waiting all day for someone to ask me about traps," he said.
Mithra laughed. "I believe him."
Athena said with a sigh. "Unfortunately."
...
Later in the forest, with the moon shining down on them.
Sun then went on to kneel beside the Goblin Rogue.
"It should be good here," he said.
The Goblin tilted his head. "Why?"
"Wolves don’t look down when they’re running," Sun said. "And we will be chasing them through here, which should be enough to kill them.:
"Ahh, I see!" The Goblin quickly began making the pitfall trap.
Arthur watched. "You’re actually a really good teacher," he said.
Sun grinned. "I know," he said.
Mithra looked at Arthur. "Don’t compliment him too much. He’ll get smug."
"Too late,"
The Goblin kills quickly reached ten, and then a light began to shine over all of them.
Golden hood. Dark leather. Twin daggers that appeared as if they had always been there.
The Goblin’s footsteps became completely silent.
He vanished.
He appeared behind Arthur.
Arthur jumped. "That actually surprised me," he said.
Mithra laughed. "Mission accomplished."
[Silent Step]
Movement noise nearly erased.
The Rogue grinned proudly and then quietly disappeared again.
A few seconds later—
Kong suddenly jumped. "Ugh!"
Everyone turned.
The Rogue was standing behind Kong.
He blinked before slowly looking over his shoulder. "...Scary."
The Rogue immediately looked embarrassed. "I-I wasn’t trying to scare you."
Arthur laughed. "I think your skill is working."
Even Vedas smiled.
...
The Builder path had already met half of its condition.
[Rebuilding ten buildings: 10/10]
Only one was left.
[Reaching level 5.]
Arthur noted the workers had leveled up enough that the fight was mostly about letting them land the final blows.
Vedas organized it before Arthur had finished explaining.
Commands arrived in sequence: hunters spreading wide, Arthur and Mithra taking opposing sides, Sun covering the rear, Athena watching from above through Athy. The beasts were weakened carefully, each one left at the threshold where one more hit would do it.
Vedas stepped back from a stumbling Stone Boar and looked at one of the workers.
"Finish it," Vedas said.
The worker froze. "Me?"
Vedas smiled. "You can do it."
The worker gripped the hammer, ran forward, and slammed it down. The Stone Boar went down.
"I actually did it," the worker said, with genuine disbelief.
Arthur laughed. "Told you," he said.
The remaining workers found their confidence in the one who had just found his. Three hammers came down together, and three beasts fell, and the light that followed was the light of something that had been earning it for a long time and was finally receiving it.
A craftsman’s apron materialized.
Golden measuring cords wrapped around the waist. A rune hammer appeared in the worker’s hands, and without deciding to, the worker reached out and touched a cracked section of wall. Golden runes spread along the stone. The damaged pieces slowly returned to where they had been.
[Goblin –> Goblin Builders]
Everyone stared.
It looked newer and stronger.
Arthur blinked before walking over and pressed a hand against it. It felt smooth and even harder than the walls in Greenleaf Town. He looked at the old section beside it. Then back again. "You just didn’t repair it."
The Builder tilted his head. "I... improved it?"
"Yeah."
Athena blinked. "...That’s actually ridiculous."
Mithra looked equally amazed. "That’s incredible."
Sun immediately pointed at the Builder. "Hire them," he said.
Arthur nodded. "Okay. I changed my mind."
Mithra laughed. "I knew you would."
Arthur looked offended. "I was giving every evolution a fair chance."
"Sure you were."
Vedas put one hand against the repaired wall and pressed. Nothing moved. His expression shifted slightly.
"It’s stronger," he said.
The Builder looked down at the rune hammer.
"I made that?" he said.
Arthur smiled. "Looks like you did," he said.
[Master Craftsman]
Structures become stronger. Material usage reduced.
...
Athena slowly closed her notebook.
She looked at the village around them.
At the Goblin Guide walking beside Vedas.
At the Goblin Archer testing the draw of the emerald string in the firelight. At the Healer tending to the small cuts that everyone had contributed. At the Rogue who was no longer making sound with his footsteps. At the Builder whose hand left golden marks on every surface they touched.
"Every one of them," she said, "has a purpose."
Arthur nodded. "Nobody was useless," he said.
Sun looked at the village from a new angle.
Mithra smiled. "That’s probably why they became a kingdom," she said.
Without anyone telling them... The evolved Goblins walked over one after another, and first they bowed towards Vedas.
And then they began bowing to each other.
Arthur smiled. "...They all thanked you first."
Vedas blushed before looking away. "I only approved them."
Arthur shook his head. "No. You believed in them."
Vedas looked toward the village. A small smile slowly appeared. "Maybe."
...
The notification arrived quietly as they headed back to the bonfire.
[New Title Obtained]
[Evolution Pioneer]
Effect: Creatures whose evolution you personally guide naturally place greater trust in your instructions.
Arthur blinked. "Another title," he said.
Mithra looked over immediately. "What is it?"
"Evolution Pioneer."
Mithra smiled. "That actually sounds pretty cool."
Athena nodded. "It suits you," she said.
Arthur smiled. "...I wonder if there are people with titles for destroying civilizations."
Sun slowly looked over. "Why would that be your first question?"
Arthur scratched his cheek. "I was curious."
Sun frowned. "Still... Why do your titles always sound so much better than mine?" he said.
Arthur turned to look at him. "You have titles?" he said.
Sun immediately understood what he had done. "Forget I said that," he said.
Arthur tilted his head. "Now I’m curious," he said.
Sun was already walking. "Conversation is over," he said.
Mithra burst into laughter. "He’s escaping," she said.
"Did I say something wrong?" Arthur asked.
The Goblins nearby had only caught one word from the exchange.
"Pioneer," someone said.
"Prophet Arthur has received another blessing!"
Sun covered his face with one hand.
"It somehow," he said, "got worse."
A little Goblin child tugged on Elder Raku’s robe. "... Can Prophets evolve too?"
Arthur overheard. He thought about it seriously. "I hope so."
The child nodded with complete conviction. "I’ll become one too!"
Sun immediately pointed. "Arthur! Stop encouraging them!"
Mithra covered her mouth as she laughed. Even Athena had to look away to hide a smile.
The laughter slowly faded as everyone returned to the bonfire.
Arthur looked toward the eastern forest.
The King’s Mark suddenly pulsed once.
Only he noticed it.
He looked into the darkness between the trees. "...The Su Tribe." His smile slowly returned. "Let’s see what evolutions are waiting there."
The fire quietly crackled beneath the stars.
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