"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 boomed out, carrying that unmistakable joy that only he seemed 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 me 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 me. Though, now that I think about it, I could feel something... off. The mana in the air—it was different. Stronger. But I was too tired to care.
Behind me, 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 me down.
Before I fully drifted off, I told Titan to wake me up in three hours.
---
When Titan nudged me awake, the sun was already high in the afternoon sky.
After a quick wash and some food, I finally stepped outside—and immediately 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 some cases, way more intimidating.
"Wh-what happened?!" I asked, half in shock and half in excitement.
"Boss! You're finally awake!" Gorn came running up to me, 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 name? 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 seemed 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 me? I suddenly felt tiny again.
(╥﹏╥)
Here I was, thinking my recent evolution and 6'5" stature made me something 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 mean 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 come.
---
Back when I reincarnated here, I noticed something right away—I was the only female(?) among them. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but the more time passed, the more obvious it became.
I didn't know how Scarface and the others had found me, 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 mean mana. My siblings and the other villagers shared a connection, a bond I wasn't part of.
Still, they treated me like one of their own. They raised me without question, as if I'd always been part of their family. I assumed they'd found me somewhere and decided to take me in, but they never spoke about it. They didn't need to.
If they'd mistreated me, 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 home 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 dreamed of in my previous life.
To me, they're family. They annoy me and say those belittling words but I guess that's how we show that we care? The same could be said to Leah after all, she's annoying, she belittles me and sometimes 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."