Chapter 26: Evolution!!!

...

Eh?

Super... Forest Goblin?

Is that really their official variant name?

I was a little confused.

No, actually...

I was very confused.

Honestly, I’d expected something like Hobgoblin.

That was how it always worked in the fantasy novels and movies I’d consumed. Goblins evolved into Hobgoblins. It was practically a law of the genre!

But no.

This time, I got...

Super Forest Goblin!

Just what the hell is happening?!

Anyway, names aside, his new appearance was surprisingly impressive.

I’d initially expected him to evolve into one of those tall, bulky yet still very ugly goblins that had attacked my castle before.

But instead, he looked... more human now.

Much, much more human.

His new body was lean and well-defined, with a noticeably stronger physique and clearly defined muscles. His face had also changed dramatically, becoming surprisingly handsome even by human standards.

Well, his nose was still a little large, his ears remained pointed, and his skin was still greener than grass.

Even so, the transformation was far beyond what I’d expected.

If anything, he looked like some strange combination of a goblin and an elf.

If I didn’t already know he was a goblin, I might have mistaken him for an elf at first glance.

...Wait.

Could this be because I evolved him?

A special evolution?

Did my influence somehow grant him a unique form?

But how?

While I was still trying to figure it out, the little goblin sister stared up at her brother in awe.

Her eyes were wide with wonder as she slowly took in his new appearance.

The newly evolved goblin smiled gently, before reaching down and gently patted her head.

The little goblin sister giggled, apparently delighted by the affectionate gesture.

"Aww!"

That sight warmed my heart.

There was something incredibly genuine about those smiles, filled with the quiet affection of an older brother who had just survived a life-or-death situation with his little sister.

And as if that weren’t enough, another achievement suddenly appeared.

[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: First Evolution!]

[+20 Points Earned!]

"Oh, damn! So I basically got my investment back for free?"

"Haha! This is amazing!"

I’d spent 22 Points raising him from Level 8 to Level 10, and the achievement had immediately rewarded me with almost the same amount.

For once, it felt like the System was actually on my side!

Anyway, after the initial celebration, the newly evolved Super Forest Goblin suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed deeply. He muttered something in Goblish that I still couldn’t understand. Probably praising or thanking me for saving their lives and evolved him.

"Haiz..."

"So even after successfully making him my citizen, I still can’t understand his language."

With this, I already imagined the language barrier would be a pain to deal with later.

But for now, I was still too happy about finally succeeding with Citizenship Granting to worry about it.

Then another thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Now that I’ve evolved the brother goblin, I should evolve the sister too!"

"It wouldn’t be fair to upgrade only the brother, right?"

And so, I did exactly that.

It cost another 38 Points to raise her from Level 6 all the way to Level 10.

Just like her brother, she immediately began to glow. Light wrapped around her small frame, and her body began to change.

She grew taller...

Her limbs lengthened.

Her figure became more mature and athletic.

Even her posture changed, becoming more confident and graceful as her transformation continued.

I watched in fascination.

What variant will she become?

A Hobgoblin?

Or will she become another Super Forest Goblin, just like her brother?

Judging by the shape of her growing silhouette... It looked like the latter!

Awesome!

I held my non-existence breath. Excited as hell.

A few seconds passed, the light intensified.

Then, with a sudden burst, it exploded outward.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! Your citizen (Unnamed) has successfully evolved!]

[New Variant: Super Forest Goblin!]

As the evolution completed, I was once again completely frozen.

This time, the transformation was even more surprising than her brother’s!

"Holy crap!"

"System?! What the hell?!"

"Hohoho! System, my dear brother... aren’t you actually "cultured" too?"

Because standing before me was no longer the small, scruffy goblin girl I’d met earlier.

Instead, she had transformed into a striking young goblin woman!

She was now tall and graceful, with a cute yet mature face framed by a long green ponytail. Her pointed ears remained, as did her distinctive green skin and white facial markings.

Her new physique was athletic and well-proportioned, with clearly defined muscles that gave her a strong yet feminine appearance. Her posture was more confident now, and even the way she carried herself had changed completely.

Compared to the small, scruffy goblin girl from earlier, the difference was simply enormous!

That gave me a silly thought.

Could it be... my System was secretly some kind of "Waifu and Husbando Maker" System?

Is it capable of turning every monster, and perhaps even every beast, into pretty anime-style monster girls and handsome monster dudes?

Muahaha!

Well, I certainly can’t complain about that!

*****

After the evolutions, I once again checked their statuses, curious to see if there was anything new or if their stats had seen any major improvements.

And sure enough...

They had gotten considerably stronger!

[Citizen Status]

Name: Unnamed (Designation Required)

Race: Forest Goblin → Super Forest Goblin

Sex: Male

Rank: ★ → ★★

Level: 8 → 10

Vital Status

- HP: 250 / 250 (Max ↑ +140)

- MP: 20 / 20 (Max ↑ +10)

- Stamina: 250 / 250 (Max ↑ +150)

Core Attributes

- Attack: 15 (↑ +7)

- Defense: 10 (↑ +7)

- Magic Attack: 0

- Magic Defense: 0

- Magic Capacity: 0

- Speed: 5 (↑ +3)

Recovery Rates

- HP Regen: 2.25 / min

- Mana Regen: 0.5 / min

- Stamina Regen: 5 / min

***

[Citizen Status]

Name: Unnamed (Designation Required)

Race: Forest Goblin → Super Forest Goblin

Sex: Female

Rank: ★ → ★★

Level: 6 → 10

Vital Status

- HP: 230 / 230 (Max ↑ +140)

- MP: 25 / 25 (Max ↑ +15)

- Stamina: 200 / 200 (Max ↑ +100)

Core Attributes

- Attack: 12 (↑ +6)

- Defense: 10 (↑ +8)

- Magic Attack: 0

- Magic Defense: 0

- Magic Capacity: 0

- Speed: 6 (↑ +5)

Recovery Rates

- HP Regen: 2.2 / min

- Mana Regen: 0.5 / min

- Stamina Regen: 4 / min

Not only had their HP, MP, and Stamina nearly doubled, but their Core Attributes had skyrocketed as well! On top of that, their Rank had increased from one star to two.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t gained any flashy new skills through evolution, such as Regeneration Lv.2. Still, at least the prerequisite for unlocking it had now been met. I had a feeling they would gain some powerful new skills soon.

Then I started wondering...

With their improved stats, will they be able to defeat those wolves if they ever encountered the pack again?

I had a feeling they would stand a decent chance now.

But considering how massive and terrifying those wolves were, I wasn’t about to take any chances.

Anyway, with everything settled and their evolution complete, I was feeling pretty excited. I wanted to give them a quest immediately. I’d even already purchased the [Quest Creation] skill from the shop.

But...

It was nighttime now.

Those two had already been through quite an eventful day. They had narrowly escaped a pack of monstrous wolves, nearly lost their lives, become my first citizens, and then evolved into a stronger variant.

Surely, they deserved a little rest.

So, as the most benevolent ruler ever, I decided to let them sleep peacefully tonight.

...

So that I could exploit their labor at full strength tomorrow.

Muahaha!