My skill, Memory Hijack, functioned exactly as its name implied. It allowed me to reach into the mind of a target and extract fragments of their memories, peeling back layers of their experiences like turning pages in a book that was never meant to be read by anyone else.
It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't always complete, but it was enough. More than enough to understand the kind of person I was dealing with.
In the case of the female goblin, I already had my assumptions. Her actions alone painted a rather vivid picture, one that didn't exactly scream innocence or sincerity. Still, I wasn't someone who liked to finalize judgment without confirmation.
Well… that wasn't entirely true.
I did jump to conclusions sometimes. Maybe more often than I cared to admit. But even then, I preferred having evidence to back up whatever conclusions I arrived at. It made everything feel more… justified.
And so, I decided to dig deeper.
Not the kind of digging the male goblin had been doing earlier. That was a completely different category of activity, one I had no intention of participating in or even acknowledging beyond this point.
No, this was a different kind of digging.
A mental excavation of sorts.
"You can't just barge into my abode in that manner. You have—!"
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Her chest heaved outward violently, her body tensing as though something had struck her from within. Then, without warning, she collapsed face-first onto the ground.
The timing was perfect.
Kaiden moved instinctively, his body shifting as though he wanted to step forward and help her. But he hesitated, his movement faltering midway.
The male goblin did not hesitate.
He rushed forward immediately, dropping to his knees beside her and placing his hands over her body.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I am fine," she replied, though her tone carried confusion. "Just now… it felt like something entered my body."
Ah. If only you knew how accurate that description was.
She grabbed his hand, using it to pull herself back up. The moment she regained her footing, the male goblin turned, his expression twisting as he redirected his attention toward Kaiden.
"You!" he barked, pointing accusingly. "You did something to her just now, didn't you? Tell me, what the heck did you do?!"
He stepped forward aggressively, forcing his presence toward Kaiden as though he held the upper hand.
Kaiden didn't respond.
He didn't move. Didn't speak. The frustrating son of a gun didn't even react.
His silence only fueled the male goblin's anger. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke, it all suggested a deeply rooted belief. One that placed him above Kaiden, regardless of appearances.
It didn't matter that Kaiden now towered over him. It didn't matter that the physical difference between them had become overwhelmingly one-sided.
In his mind, nothing had changed.
And that… was the problem.
Before Kaiden's evolution, he had been beneath this male goblin. That much was clear. The hierarchy had been established long ago, reinforced through repeated interactions, through habit and experience.
Even now, despite the drastic change in physical strength, that hierarchy still lingered.
Kaiden had changed on the outside.
But on the inside? He was still the same. The same tiny Goblin the Male Goblin and his fellow others used to stomp over and boss around like a slave.
A part of me found that almost fascinating. Evolution had granted him a new body, a new form, a new presence I dare say. Yet his mind remained trapped in the past, bound by memories that refused to loosen their grip.
It was like placing a king's crown on someone who still believed they were a servant.
Naturally, that made things… inconvenient.
Because while Kaiden remained frozen, unwilling to act, I was not burdened by the same limitations.
And thanks to Memory Hijack, I now understood everything.
Every interaction, moments even. Every twisted detail that connected these three individuals together.
The truth settled in my mind like a foul taste I couldn't quite spit out.
Disgusting. That was the only word that came to mind.
The female goblin, in particular, left a very strong impression. Not a good one. Her actions, her intentions, the way she had manipulated things… it all painted a picture that was thoroughly unpleasant.
Repulsive, even.
And the male goblin? He wasn't much better.
Together, they formed a pair that I found increasingly difficult to tolerate.
A punishment was in order. That conclusion came naturally and effortlessly. Owning of course to their terrible sins against my newly acquainted friend, Kaiden.
I drifted closer to Kaiden, positioning myself behind him. Slowly, I leaned in, bringing my mouth near his ear as though I were about to whisper a secret only he could hear.
"I hope you don't mind this," I whispered softly, "but I need to borrow your body for a bit."
There was no response from him. Not that I expected one to begin with.
From what I could tell, Kaiden had no intention of acting. Whether it was shock, fear, or something deeper, he remained locked in place, unable or unwilling to move forward.
I understood why. Strength alone didn't erase the past.
You could give someone power, but you couldn't instantly rewrite their mindset. The years of being pushed down, belittled, and treated as lesser didn't simply vanish because their body changed.
Kaiden was living proof of that.
Physically, he had evolved beyond what the Male Goblin can push around. Mentally however, he was still that same goblin who had once stood at the bottom.
And that was where I came in.
Because while he hesitated, I did not.
[Notice! Would you like to use Possession on the Named Hobo-Goblin, Kaiden]
[Yes / No]
"Yes," I confirmed without hesitation.
The system responded immediately.
[Attempting possession on Kaiden, the Hobo-Goblin]
[Ghost rank? D | Targeted organism rank? E+]
Later, I will try to find the time as to why one evolution pushed him from being an insignificant F- rank to now being an E+ plus rank.
That sulking and complaining will come later. For now, matters need to be properly addressed.
[Calibrating success rate?... 100%]
[Commencing Possession of the living creature, Kaiden...]
Almost didn't quickly pick up on it but it seems I have also gone from being a D- rank to being a D rank
Since when? I start to wonder.
That caught me off guard. I hadn't even noticed the shift from D- to D. Somewhere along the line, amidst all the experience gains and level increases, I had crossed that threshold without realizing it.
I am D rank now while Kaiden is E+.
Someone please tell me this is not the universe trying to pit us both together as every lasting bud bud.
From where he had been before. That was to significant a leap to say it's natural. F- to E+. His evolution had not been minor. It had been substantial.
Still, despite the advanced rank. The possession result remained the same. A one hundred percent success rate.
Good. Very good.
There was still a clear gap between us. It seems
Personally, I preferred it that way.
Call it preference, call it pride, call it whatever you want. But the idea of my vassal standing on equal footing with me didn't sit well. There had to be a difference. A hierarchy.
Otherwise, what was the point?
My thoughts were cut short as the process completed.
Seamlessly, I slipped into Kaiden's body with no resistance or struggle experienced.
It was as though he had left the door wide open and stepped aside.
Perhaps he accepted it. Perhaps he didn't even notice.
Either way, it worked in my favor.
Control settled into my grasp instantly. Muscles responded to my will, strength coursing through the body in a way that felt both foreign and exhilarating.
This was different. Better and much more grounded without a doubt.
I flexed my fingers slightly, feeling the weight of physical existence wrap around me once more.
Then I looked up.
The male and female goblins stood before me, unaware of the shift that had just taken place.
Unaware of what was coming next.
A slow smirk spread across my face as I cracked my knuckles, the sound sharp in the tense air.
You two really picked the wrong moment to exist in my presence.
Because now? Now, things were going to change. Trust me on that.