Chapter 60: Devolution!

After naming the speedy guy, I proceeded to name the two female goblins as well.

The red-haired girl’s appearance immediately reminded me of fire. Hot, blazing, and full of strength. So, after thinking about it for a moment, I decided to name her Gopuflammy.

Meanwhile, the other girl had a much cuter appearance. Her long blue hair and adorable face reminded me of blueberries.

And so, I named her Gopuberry.

Both girls seemed to absolutely love their new names. The moment I announced them, they accepted them without the slightest hesitation, clearly delighted to have names of their own.

Now then, with the three smaller goblins having successfully evolved and received both new forms and new names, I shifted my attention to the final one.

The goblin who had already evolved.

He had been quietly watching the entire scene unfold as his brothers and sisters transformed into superior variants right before his eyes. There was unmistakable joy in his expression, along with a hint of pride. But beneath all that, I could also sense something else.

A faint trace of jealousy.

He was already Level 13.

He had already undergone his first evolution.

To him, it must have seemed like there was no longer any chance of becoming a Super Forest Goblin. While the others had just taken a huge leap forward, he probably felt as though he had been left behind.

Fortunately for him, I already had a solution.

But before doing anything, I decided to check his status first. I was curious to see how his growth compared to Gopuro and Gopuran.

And just as I had expected, the difference was staggering.

The other two had gained roughly ten points in their core attributes per level after evolution.

This guy?

Only two.

I stared at the numbers for a long moment.

The gap was so absurd that it felt like the difference between heaven and earth. If things continued like this, he would inevitably fall further and further behind. Not by a little, but by a lot.

I see...

So that’s why the System gave me that skill.

Everything was finally falling into place.

I hadn’t understood why the heck I would need that skill before, but now, I finally did.

Without wasting another moment, I opened the Sovereign Shop.

Using the 100 Points I had earned from selling the bear’s materials, I purchased the skill I had been thinking about.

[Devolution]

Type: Active

Description: Reverts a citizen to an earlier evolutionary variant. 30% of the accumulated EXP lost during devolution will be refunded in the form of Powerstones.

Unlock Cost: 100 Points

****

Ding!

The purchase went through smoothly, and the skill was immediately added to my System.

Once I devolved him into his pre-evolution form, I would be able to let him evolve again, this time into the Super Forest Goblin variant.

And that sounded pretty damn awesome.

However, just as I was about to use it on him, I suddenly hesitated.

After all... this wasn’t some simple buff or minor upgrade. I was about to forcibly reverse his entire evolution, causing him to lose a bunch of levels that he had probably worked incredibly hard to obtain.

If I were in his position, I would want to be asked first.

So I did.

I explained everything to him as clearly as I could. I told him about the difference in their stat growth, explained how his current evolutionary path would eventually leave him far behind his friends, and then told him about the possibility of devolving so that he could evolve again into a much stronger variant.

The moment I finished explaining, he didn’t even pause to think.

"Big Boss!" he said immediately. "I want to devolve! I want to be strong! Like my brothers and sisters! I want to protect!"

His eyes burned with determination, his expression filled with fiery resolve.

For a moment, I was genuinely moved.

There was no fear in him. No hesitation. Not even a hint of regret.

This guy truly wanted strength, and not merely for himself. He wanted to become strong enough to protect the friends he cared about.

I still vividly remembered how he had faced that enormous bear while carrying a smaller, injured goblin on his back. At his level, he could have easily abandoned his companions and run away on his own.

But he hadn’t.

He had stayed behind and fought.

He had earned my respect.

A slow smile spread through my thoughts.

"Alright," I said. "As you wish. I’ll devolve you right now."

And so, with his wholehearted approval, I activated [Devolution].

The moment I did, his entire body began to glow. A brilliant white light enveloped him from head to toe.

Then, before my eyes, his body shrunk.

His broad frame rapidly compressed, his limbs shortening as his entire silhouette regressed into that of a small, unevolved goblin.

It was almost surreal to watch.

In the span of a few seconds, he had lost nearly half his height.

At the same time, streams of pale light began to peel away from his body, like mist being drawn out of him. Those glowing strands rose into the air, twisted together, and slowly condensed into solid form.

A moment later, they crystallized into two Powerstones, which dropped onto the floor with a pair of sharp clinks.

The process was complete.

Now back at level 9, the goblin looked down at himself in astonishment. He turned around in place, raised his arms, and examined his smaller body from every angle. His face then broke into a wide smile, one filled with pure joy.

I could not help but laugh at the sight.

"Haha... to think someone would be this happy to lose so many levels!"

But then, my attention quickly shifted to the two Powerstones lying on the ground.

"Hold on...! Wait a minute!"

"Something ain’t right!"

The skill description had clearly stated that 30% of the accumulated experience lost through devolution would be refunded in the form of Powerstones. If I had only gotten two back, then that meant his progress from level 9 to level 13 had only cost the equivalent of around 6 Powerstones in total!

In comparison, Gopuro had needed a whopping 7 Powerstones just to go from level 10 to 11.

That was a staggering difference.

The gap between the old evolution line and the new one was enormous.

Still, enough with the calculations. It was time to bring the guy his muscles back.

And by that, I meant evolving him again.