Evolution 3

Satou drifted in and out of sleep, his mind caught in a hazy fog between dreams and reality. The faint sound of birds chirping reached his ears, their melodies soft and distant, signaling the arrival of morning. The air felt fresher, lighter, carrying the faint scent of dew and earth. He could feel the warmth of sunlight filtering into the cave, its gentle rays brushing against his skin. For a moment, he almost forgot where he was, lost in the peaceful sounds of nature.

But then, he felt it—something heavy pressing down on him. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable, like a weight pinning him to the ground. His eyes were still closed, but his mind began to wake up fully, curiosity mixing with annoyance. "What is this? Why do I feel like I'm being squished?" he thought groggily.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking against the soft light. The first thing he saw was a pair of tiny green feet right in front of his face. His gaze traveled upward, and he realized with a start that two other baby goblins were lying on top of him. One was a female, her tiny green hands clutching his arm like a pillow, her face smushed against his shoulder. The other was a male, sprawled across his legs, drooling slightly as he slept.

"What the—?! Get off me!" Satou tried to yell, but his words came out as a series of high-pitched gibberish squeaks. He flailed his arms, trying to push them away, but his baby arms were too short and weak. His tiny hands barely reached their sides, and his attempts to shove them off only made them snuggle closer, as if he were some kind of goblin-sized teddy bear.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous!" Satou thought, his frustration mounting. He wiggled his body, trying to squirm out from under them, but the two baby goblins were surprisingly heavy for their size. The female goblin let out a soft snore, her grip tightening on his arm, while the male goblin mumbled something incoherent in his sleep.

Satou's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to free himself. "Okay, okay, think. I'm a baby goblin now, so brute force isn't going to work. Maybe if I roll over…" He shifted his weight to one side, using what little strength he had to try and roll out from under them. The first attempt failed miserably, the two baby goblins barely budging. The second attempt was no better, and by the third try, Satou was panting from the effort, his tiny chest heaving.

"Come on, come on!" he urged himself, gritting his tiny teeth. With one final, determined effort, he managed to twist his body just enough to slide out from under the female goblin. She flopped onto the ground with a soft thud, her tiny hands clutching at the air as if searching for her lost pillow. The male goblin, now unbalanced, rolled off Satou's legs and landed face-first on the cave floor, his drool pooling beneath him.

Satou sat up, breathing heavily, his tiny body trembling from the exertion. "Finally! I'm free!" he thought, though his victory was short-lived. The two baby goblins began to stir, their yellow eyes blinking open as they looked around in confusion. The female goblin let out a yawn, stretching her stubby arms, while the male goblin rubbed his eyes and stared at Satou as if wondering where his comfy sleeping spot had gone.

"Don't even think about it," Satou said, pointing a tiny finger at them. His words, of course, came out as gibberish, but his tone was firm. The two baby goblins tilted their heads, clearly not understanding, and then the female goblin let out a giggle, crawling toward him with her arms outstretched.

"Oh no, no, no! Stay back, you ugly creatures!" Satou squeaked, scrambling backward on his hands and knees. But the female goblin was faster, latching onto his arm again with a happy squeal. The male goblin joined in, grabbing onto Satou's leg and pulling himself closer.

"Let go!" Satou squeaked, his tiny green hands flailing as he tried to pry the female and male baby goblins off him. The female goblin had a firm grip on his arm, her wide yellow eyes staring up at him with what could only be described as adoration. The male goblin, meanwhile, had latched onto his leg, his drool soaking into Satou's already damp clothes. "Why me?!" Satou cried out, his voice a high-pitched gibberish wail.

Just as he was about to give up and accept his fate as a goblin pillow, a voice echoed in his head, calm and slightly amused.

[Maybe they feel a familiar big brother vibe from you. Why don't you just let them be?]

Satou froze, his tiny body stiffening. He looked left and right, his yellow eyes darting around the cave. "Where are you? Who's talking?" he said, though his words came out as more gibberish gurgles.

[I am your personal assistant—or, should I say, the system within you. You may call me Sys.]

"Personal assistant? System? Does this mean I'm in one of those RPG games or isekai novels? I know I was isekai'd to another world, but… can I ask you something, Sys?" Satou thought, his mind racing.

[What is it? You can ask anything.]

"Why am I reincarnated as a goblin? The weakest creature of them all!" Satou demanded, his tiny fists clenching in frustration.

There was a brief pause, as if Sys was considering how to break the news. Then, the voice continued, its tone almost apologetic.

[Well, you see, the two gods who created me and gave you your skills… kind of forgot about you. They reincarnated everyone else as humans, but when they realized you were still stuck in the reincarnation stream, they panicked. They couldn't let the higher-ranking gods find out about their mistake, so they reincarnated you in a hurry. That's why you ended up as a goblin. But don't worry! They gave you some overpowered skills to increase your chances of survival by 10 percent. Isn't that a good thing?]

"10 percent?!" Satou shouted out loud, his voice a shrill squeak that startled the two baby goblins clinging to him. They blinked up at him in confusion but didn't let go. Satou took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "10 percent isn't motivating at all," he muttered, his tiny shoulders slumping. "But what do you mean by the gods giving me skills to increase my chances of survival? How can I see these skills?"