"Ha... Finally!" I said, my voice dripping with exhaustion as I gazed at the sturdy wooden walls of the village.
I could see Scarface and the others standing near the gate, but honestly? My brain was too fried to process anything more than the fact that we were back. I felt like a walking corpse, and if my legs had any less willpower, I might have just collapsed right there.
Eight hours. Eight hours of walking. After the battle with the Pine Bear, we decided to keep moving. Who knew if more of those furry nightmares were lurking around? And now, here we were.
"Boss! You're back!" Gorn's voice bood out, carrying that unmistakable joy that only he seed capable of radiating. I could hear it, but I could barely lift my eyes to acknowledge him. Still, I caught a glimpse of him—and wait, was he taller?
"Yeah... Talk to later," I mumbled, dragging myself past him and into the camp. "I'm gonna go sleep..."
I trudged toward my house, ignoring everything and everyone around . Though, now that I think about it, I could feel sothing... off. The mana in the air—it was different. Stronger. But I was too tired to care.
Behind , I vaguely registered Leah gasping in shock, but I didn't even have the energy to ask why. Instead, I made it to my house, flopped onto my cushioned bed, and let sleep drag down.
Before I fully drifted off, I told Titan to wake up in three hours.
---
When Titan nudged awake, the sun was already high in the afternoon sky.
After a quick wash and so food, I finally stepped outside—and imdiately stopped in my tracks.
"Dang!" I blurted, my jaw practically unhinging. "Almost all of them have evolved!"
It was a sight to behold. The village was buzzing with activity, and everyone looked... different. Bigger. Stronger. And, in so cases, way more intimidating.
"Wh-what happened?!" I asked, half in shock and half in excitent.
"Boss! You're finally awake!" Gorn ca running up to , his face split into a wide grin. Except it wasn't just his face that had changed. His skin was a darker shade of green now, less wrinkly and more... well, imposing. And he was taller too! If before, he was the height of a twelve-year-old, now he was easily the size of a grown man.
"I evolved!" he declared proudly, puffing out his chest. "Now I'm a Hobgoblin Leader!"
Leader? Was that a title he gave himself, or was it part of the race's na? Either way, I could feel the pride radiating off him like sunlight.
I glanced around and saw that all the goblins had evolved into hobgoblins, even the female ones. They looked amazing—strong and confident, a far cry from the scrappy little creatures they used to be.
On the ogre side of things, it seed like Fen and Scarface hadn't evolved yet, which was surprising. Knowing them, they'd probably prioritized everyone else. But the others? They were massive! Nell and the other ogres, even Grumpy, had turned into Greater Ogres.
They were huge.
If Scarface used to be the tallest at around seven feet, Nell and Grumpy had now surpassed him. Nell, in particular, was a giant, her imposing figure making even the new hobgoblins look small. My seven siblings weren't far behind, each of them towering over seven feet now.
As for ? I suddenly felt tiny again.
(╥﹏╥)
Here I was, thinking my recent evolution and 6'5" stature made sothing to be reckoned with. But nope. Once again, I was the runt.
"Don't cry, sis," Shir, one of my brothers, said with a smirk. "You may be small now, but that doesn't an you aren't great."
The sarcasm in his voice was undeniable.
I glared at him. "I will punch you."
He laughed, dodging away before I could follow through.
Still, I couldn't stay mad. Looking at them now, I couldn't help but reflect on how far we'd co.
---
Back when I reincarnated here, I noticed sothing right away—I was the only female(?) among them. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but the more ti passed, the more obvious it beca.
I didn't know how Scarface and the others had found , but honestly, I didn't care much. What I did know was that I wasn't their child. There was a difference—one I could sense, even if I couldn't see it. By that, I an mana. My siblings and the other villagers shared a connection, a bond I wasn't part of.
Still, they treated like one of their own. They raised without question, as if I'd always been part of their family. I assud they'd found sowhere and decided to take in, but they never spoke about it. They didn't need to.
If they'd mistreated , maybe I would've left. But they didn't. These guys were too simple-minded for malice. In fact, I often overheard them late at night, talking about hunting farther east—away from the nearby tribes—just to bring back extra food for us kids.
They couldn't hunt close to ho because of territorial disputes, but they always made sure we had enough. For all their simplicity, they were my family—more than I ever could have dread of in my previous life.
To , they're family. They annoy and say those belittling words but I guess that's how we show that we care? The sa could be said to Leah after all, she's annoying, she belittles and sotis I just really wanna kill her. But this life and these people are much more than I could've dreamt of back in my previous life...
Little theater:
Shir *smirking*: "Wow, Sis, you're really embracing the 'Tiny Chief' role, huh?"
MC *glaring* : "Keep talking, and I'll remind you why I'm the boss—no matter the height."
Nell *grinning*: "Sure, Boss. Just don't get lost under the table."
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