Pain. That was the first thing he noticed.
His body felt like it was burning from the inside, his muscles throbbing violently, as if something was tearing him apart and remaking him from scratch. He groaned, trying to move, but his body felt heavy, rough, and unfamiliar.
'Where am I…?' he thought, his vision blurring as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
The first thing he saw was a dark sky, covered in black clouds that swirled like a hellish vortex. The scent of blood and wet earth hung in the air. The surroundings were filled with large trees that clawed at the sky, like a natural prison that imprisoned him.
Then, he saw his hands.
Not human hands.
Large, rough, dark green hands. With sharp black claws at the tips of the fingers.
'What is this?!'
Gorath tried to stand up, but his body felt much heavier than he remembered. As he looked into the puddle nearby, the reflection he saw was not a human face, but an orc—a ferocious monster that often fell victim to Hunters.
Its head was large, its jaws strong with fangs protruding from its lips. Its eyes were burning red, reflecting an anger that even he himself did not understand the origin of.
'I… reincarnated? No way…'
Faint memories began to return. Before, he was human. A fighter? A Hunter? No, not that strong. But one thing was for sure, he died in battle… and was reborn as a monster.
However, before he could process this reality, the sound of footsteps echoed in the distance.
Gorath turned his head and saw three small creatures with bright green skin and yellow eyes grinning at him. Goblins. Lowly creatures that usually roamed in large groups, preying on the weaker ones, or becoming prey for the stronger ones.
And this time, they saw Gorath as easy food.
"Grrr…!"
One of the goblins leapt at him with a rusty knife in its hand, aimed straight for Gorath's neck.
His killer instincts kicked in.
As if controlled by something more primal, Gorath's body moved on its own. His rough hands caught the goblin in midair, gripping its small neck.
CRACK!
A muffled scream before the sound of bones breaking filled the air.
The other two goblins widened their eyes in fear, but before they could flee, Gorath charged toward them. His massive fist smashed into the head of one of the goblins, crushing its skull. The last goblin tried to run, but Gorath swiftly grabbed the creature by the legs and slammed it into the ground like a rag doll.
THUGG! THUGG! THUGG!
Blood splattered. The goblin was no longer moving.
Gorath stood, breathing heavily. His hands were shaking, not from fear—but from excitement. He felt something strange…
Hunger.
A primal urge took hold of his mind, something he had not felt when he was human. His body needed more than flesh—it needed the essence of his enemy.
A strange voice whispered in his head:
[Devour has been activated.]
Without thinking, Gorath sank his fangs into one of the goblin corpses. The flesh was tough, mixed with a foul odor, but as the first bite entered his throat, something exploded inside him.
[Consuming Goblin. Basic ability gained: Agility Boost Lv.1]
His eyes widened. He could steal the power of the creature he ate?
Gorath immediately tore into another goblin's body, devouring it greedily. Blood flowed down his chin, but he didn't care. Every bite made his body feel stronger, faster.
[Consuming Goblin. Additional ability gained: Night Vision Lv.1]
A savage smile spread across his face.
A monster? Yes, he was a real monster now.
And he would use this power to destroy the human world.