New World

I overheard the cries of swamp birds chirping avidly above the treetops, composing a beautiful medley while marsh winds carry their mating call through the green thicket of the bald cypress tree. I was sunbathing beneath the lush bald cypress tree in an unconscious state.

Incapable of controlling my new demon body I've recently acquired from the God of Destruction Valdis. After the evil god murdered me in my bedroom's apartment back on earth.

He was the scumbag who brought me to this isekai nightmare after he forcibly removed my spirit from my human body and dumped my essence into a random demon's corpse resting on the demon forest floor near the Lake of Sorrow.

I was trap in the middle of nowhere in a lifeless body given to me by that satanist with no way of defending myself from the ravenous beasts roaming the wooded area, who would love to make a meal out of an unresponsive sightseer.

The only thing I could rely on right now was my sensory systems or what people in my world characterized as our seven senses. Despite that, even in my unconscious state, I can still sense the essence of wild beasts occupying the forest around me.

I prayed to God that they don't discover my whereabout under the large bald cypress tree.

The region the demon Valdis expelled me was the Great Demon Marshlands of Aewolan. It is a spacious wetland with endless waterways, diverse jungle vegetation, with an unnatural ecosystem that sits above the magical power spot known as the Dragon's Heart.

The Great Demon Marshlands of Aewolan is a dwelling place for the most deadly and untamed monsters that can devastate entire countries and drastically erase the existing mountains off the face of a map. Even the most robust overpowered protagonists and medieval infantry would be inferior against these bulky behemoths.

It is a dangerous territory stuck between two major countries, attached to the forests' south and eastern parts.

The Holy Empire Wraebuthan resided at Mt. Zoclagarth, protected by a significant stronghold called Greenthron, which protects Elves nation from the human race, and flying Magical Beast occupies the eastern forest highlands.

Next, the Human kingdom of Flimmaxar nestled in the south, maintained by the Great River of Wracceatall, joined to the demon swamp. It has many naval fleets safeguarding its waterways from marauding invaders and swamp monsters that terrorize their many fishing settlements.

However, both kingdoms desperately need safer trading routes to maneuver through demon swamp territory, which is overrunning with ravenous demon-ranked monsters.

Both countries engage with adventurers guilds to traverse through the hostile environment by subjugating monsters and exchanging goods to lower settlements occupying each country's borders.

Meanwhile, back at the Lake of Sorrow, I've already succumbed to the toxic gas leaking out of the deadly lake!

It was infected by a collection of black slime monsters residing inside the Lake of Sorrow, growing out of control! It prevents the microorganisms in the lake from purifying the water ecosystem and killing off all the plants and aquatic fish residing in the lake.

My demon body exposes to an unpleasant odor entering my nasal cavity. I felt nauseous, ingesting the impure bacteria entering my lungs and bloodstream from the harmful lake.

I cough hysterically, removing the gaseous residue from my nostril and lungs! The bacteria within the deadly lake weakened my respiratory system and gave me unbearable abdominal pain!

I tilted my head east while muscles in my eyelids twitched in discomfort as my body continues to cough up some of the harmful bacteria from my abdomen.

I violently spit up a translucent liquid from my mouth made out of an unusual amount of saliva and mucus. I eject it horizontally, inches away from where my head was resting, remedying myself of my ailment. I unintentionally regained mobility in his hands and fingers thanks to the antibody in my immune system.

While I was recuperating from my illnesses, I started noticing changes in my body. The coldness from my incapacitated body slowly began to fading away as my consciousness started to resurface and took over my limp body.

A few minutes later, I notice I was lying on a foreign land while slumbering calmly on the damp ground, regaining my strength. I realized by the touch of my skin receptors it was cold and moist clay underneath my pores as I dug rashly into the loose mound of earth with my fingernails conjoined to my left side of the arm.

I attempted to open my eyes out without even second thought and felt a slight gush of wind blowing into my line of sight as I opened my eyelids slowly to widen my vision.

"AARAGRHAH!!?" I roared, feeling dim light tearing my eyelids!

The sunray pierces through the bald cypress canopy, changing the leaves into emerald hairs above me while it stung my eyes directly!

I close them tightly to block out the searing pain of the sunlight. The intense glow of the star obscured my vision, which I found rather difficult to handle even with the foliage of the bald cypress tree concealing my presence underneath its many needled threads.

I gave myself a bit of time to recuperate, and I try again after I gather more endurance. This time I opened my eyelids a tad slower and gave them enough time to adjust to the brightness.

The daylight beams into my cornea, and I instantly repelled it with the flick of my right hand covered in dirt from the soil below, deflecting the overwhelming fireball. Upon doing so, I gasp in disarray and stare directly at my pale green skin color in horror.

I saw that the skin on my hand; was utterly green with onyx pointed nails on each finger. The same could be said about my right arm as it extended down toward my uncensored body!

Yes, that right I was utterly butt naked from the pelvis down to my green legs and black toenails on my feet.

Including an unerected penis draping helplessly in the center of my pelvis for the whole world could see for their amusement!

I rushed to get up, but my mind was still incapable of piloting my new demon body as I struggled to sit up while balance myself on my hindquarters, shuttering in skepticism by the sight of my inhuman hands and limbs.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME!" I yelled in frustration staring at my creepy green hands. All I could see was green covering every crevice of my newly obtained humanoid body.

Suddenly, a familiar odor ruptures my snout once again, as I quickly, without fear, covered my delicate nose and mouth with both my disturbing hands drowning out the repulsive foul gas coming from the deadly lake.

My eyes were shedding droplets of saltwater from each tear duct as I frantically turned over onto my posterior, curling up into a human-sized boulder shielding my airways from the putrid sewage water!

"GOD, DAMMNIT! This shit reeks," I mumbled, desperately holding my breath, trying not to vomit in disgust. In that instant, I decided to do the unthinkable since I couldn't walk physically.

Yet, I chose to crawl hands and knees like a baby and flee from the foul lake, exposing my anus to the birds and heavens above. This crawl wasn't very respectful, dragging my unprotected body through the brown sludge and grime of woodland carpet.

I tumbling helplessly in uneven mud wallows as I haul my hand and knees further away from the foul swamp water, cutting and jabbing my limbs randomly, shrubs and jagged rock embedded into the soggy soil banks. I hurt so much it made it difficult for me to escape the deadly smell of carbon dioxide marsh behind me.

A few hours passed after the dashed for my life. I started to feel sluggish after making my way to a clearing in the demon forest. I stumble upon an old rowan tree surrounded by several watering holes filled with rainwater, shielded from the prying eyes of others.

It looks like an excellent spot to rest and treat my wounds. I could also breathe properly again and have enough room to shelter myself underneath the large tree rootstock.

I rest my head against the base of its trunk while breathing in soothing swamp air while covered in a brown, hard mud suit that completely fastened to my skin.

I began to regain my composure from the ridiculous performance I did earlier, parading my body around like a wild animal through the brushes!

I was about twenty meters away from the deadly lake, and I was too weak even to move my fingers, so I decided to conserve my strength by taking a short nap underneath the old rowan tree before teaching myself how to walk correctly!

My eyes lids grew heavy as I drift off into deep sleep, and suddenly I begin to hear a faint noise ringtone playing backdrop as I rested under the rowan tree, but I was too exhausted even to attend to the matter.

I woke up an hour later, and it seems the swamp temperature became quite gracious when I fell asleep. Suddenly, I notice all the scrapes and cuts that form on my body earlier had healed entirely and vanished, leaving only the dry-up mud suit still attached to my humanoid body.

I squinted my eyes observantly and gave myself a slight patted down with my green hands to check to see if I had any more injuries while giving myself a proper physical. Like magic, I recover from injuries with no sign of dysfunction or tiredness.

"So I'm really in an isekai world," I answered coldly, clutching my fist, observing my nervures pop out of my wrist joint as I flexed my tendons in my left arm. I could feel as do my strength had developed during my leisurely downtime, along with self-regeneration powers.

I turned my eyes entirely to observed my new surrounding. My eyes widened when I looked back at the shrubs I cross after fleeing from the deadly lake. It took me to an unfamiliar sight; however, my vision was still obscure and immature to make out specific landmarks.

I gaze at the blue midday sky above and notice the sun beaming down from the heavens through the overgrown rowan tree while its branches were dancing freely in the dense winds.

The sun that was obstructing my vision cast its reflection on what appears to be several watering holes filled with rainwater occupying the forest floor.

I looked around indiscriminately, squinting my eye, realizing that I was near an open body of freshwater by the rowan tree I was leaning underneath. How I got here was a mystery? But I know I had to do something if I want to survive in this hostile environment.

Vladis might have brought me here for a reason, or maybe he threw me away because I wasn't any use to it and left me here to die!

But I know I'm not on earth anymore and won't go back to having peaceful life ever again. As I question myself, I adjusted my surroundings and then turned my attention to several waterholes next to me and the rowan tree I was lodging.

I overlooked it for a while, busy trying to figure out where I ran off to when fleeing from the Lake of Sorrow.

A suggestion pop into my brain to look at the new body in one of the watering holes. I forgot what kind of demon body I changed myself into after clicking on the mouse by mistake back into my bedroom computer. After running for so long in the demon forest, it slipped my mind.

Afterward, I will wash the hardened muck off my naked body to move better in my demon body. I squirmed over to one of the watering holes, looked at my reflection below, and tried to make out my image. I heave in terror at the creature looking back at me!

"No way, this can't be me-!" I spoke in disbelief while gazing at the murky watering hole on the woodland floor infested with earthworms and insects crawling along the muddy ledge filled with murky rainwater.

"I TURN MYSELF INTO A GOBLIN!?" I yelled in confusion, staring aggressively at that reflection through the watering hole!

I saw an image of an imp-like monster with green color skin and golden eyes resembling that of a turtle, gazing back at me from the muddy liquid. My ears were pointed like a leprechaun but much large earlobe and protruding outward from my head.

"I'm a Goblin," I quivered as my body trembled in panic by the gruesome demon I become in the middle of the lush canopy of the demon forest. I rub my hands across my bald scalp, shook my neck in disbelief, exhibiting my naked body to the forest elements while looking at the reflection in the water.

Out of all the monsters, I got the most hated and undesirable creature in all of the fantasy games and isekai genres. Also, it seems that I've shrunken to the size of adolescent youth! I was about 106 centimeter (3.47 feet) and weighed about 29 kilograms (63.8 lbs).

Any opportunist knows that goblins are the weakest and most troublesome monsters to exterminate! They are weak demihumans on their own but are more dangerous when in a group. Also, they're hideous as fuck when it comes to the appeal department.

I stare at my goblin face from the pool of rainwater again, pleading that I don't have any hideous warts covering my monstrous face or nostril.

I touch myself with my troll-like hands, afraid of what I would find on my large crown. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be; even if my face looks repulsive, it's not as ugly as I thought, or a least to my perspective. But my face was clear of any unwanted blemishes.

"Dammit, I have to live with it." I sigh in defeat, accepting my goblinoid body.

"There was nothing I could do about it. Instead of complaining about my appearance, I should be working on regaining my ability to walk appropriately like a proper person and figure out a way to survive in this harsh environment and find a way back to my world."

"Alright, from now on, this whole clearing will be my campsite! This will be known as the Yousuke's Residence. The large Rowan tree will be my personal savepoint. I declared it as my temporary base of operation.

"I will use the watering holes for drinking and bathing purposes only, I said, trying to use everything got so far after arriving in the isekai world."

Simultaneously, I decided to take a soak in one of the watering holes occupying the woodland enclosure where I stayed and gather as many dried leaves scattered across the forest floor from random trees and exotic plants. I found one watering hole that was large and deep enough to fit my goblinoid body without running out of rainwater and sinking myself in smelly water.

It was freezing to the touch when I enter the cold freshwater with my exposed body. I shivered as I sat in muddy water as it shaped itself around my navel area and concealed my lower body.

The rainwater smells sour as I started to wash away most of the hardened clay from my goblin body.

I rub around my goblin throat and torso to removing dry skin and muck off with my bare hands. While soaking the rest of my posterior in smelly rainwater below to loosen up, the mud suit stuck to my pubic hair attached to my genitals. The challenging part is washing my shoulder blades with my short goblin arms.

While soaking in the watering hole thought about what I should do next after regaining the ability to walk. I thought about saving and collecting most of the rainwater I've already had to make it a palatable drink and use it regularly for other tasks.

Not only that, I might have to guard it against other creatures who might wander into my campsite and try to consume rainwater and loose vegetation concealing my encampment.

It took a lot of perseverance to grapple with my new vertebrae and maneuver across my spinal column with thin arm muscles to clean the rest of my backside.

It made me wish for the convenience of a modern-day shower or even an open bath with clean, heated bathwater and a bar of ferment soap to ease my distress in this bizarre bathing ritual.

It was unusual that I discovered so many watering holes that were big enough to fit me even in this dense jungle. However, I chose a watering hole close to greenery and trees to keep me hidden from predators.

Still, I yet to comprehend that I was actually bathing in an Earth Dragon pawprint.

The rainwater starts to absorb some of my body heat and the sunlight from the bright star above, increasing the water temperature to a warmer state. So I took the time to unwind a bit in the makeshift bathtub to gather my thought and recover more of my strength.

The rainwater starts to absorb some of my body heat and the sunlight from the bright star above, increasing the water temperature to a warmer state. So I took the time to unwind a bit in the makeshift bathtub to gather my thought and recover more of my strength.

Suddenly, a group of red squirrels wandering out of the bushes, catching me off guard while I was still soaking in the watering hole with their silent moment through the foliage.

They looked at me with uncertain stares and began to feast on the shrubs they emerge from and then wander over to random watering holes to sip from murky rainwater and eating insect that crewed around the muddy banks.

Abruptly, a small translucent menu screen materializes in my head, right above the family red squirrel's head. I was shocked to see the red squirrel's stats appeared in my head without warning. It gave me chills about how powerful the little rodent was individual.

Red Swamp Squirrel (Lesser)

Level: 7

HP: 56/ 56

SP: 25/25

Explanation: Swamp beast that dwells in the canopy of the Great Demon Marshlands of Aewolan. It is a rational and nimble creature that lives in pairs of it on the species. They make an exceptional familiar for Ranger and Scout class adventures.

Monster Drop:

Swamp Squirrel Meat x1

Swamp Squirrel Pelt x1

Swamp Squirrel Bones x1

[XP] Experience Point Reward: 45 XP

[ATT] ATT Point EV 2

[AGI] Agility Point EV 2

[INT] Intellgent Point EV 2

[LUK] Luck Point EV 2

Red Swamp Squirrel (Lesser)

Level: 8

HP: 67/67

SP: 33/33

Explanation: Swamp beast that dwells in the canopy of the Great Demon Marshlands of Aewolan. It is a rational and nimble creature that lives in pairs of it on the species. They make an exceptional familiar for Ranger, Scout, Huntsmen, Beast Tamer, and Scout class.

Monster Drop:

Swamp Squirrel Meat x 1

Swamp Squirrel Pelt x1

Swamp Squirrel Bones x1

[XP] Experience Point Reward: 56 XP

[ATT] ATT Point EV 2

[AGI] Agility Point EV 2

[INT] Intellgent Point EV 2

[LUK] Luck Point EV 2

Great Red Swamp Squirrel (Elder)

Level: 15

164/164

SP: 107/107

Explanation: Swamp beast that dwells in the canopy of the Great Demon Marshlands of Aewolan. Unlike its lesser counterpart, it is much bigger and known to fight a monster much large than itself with its own kinfolk to defend its dominion. It is difficult to tame as familiar except Huntsmen and Beast Tamer.

Monster Drop:

Great Swamp Squirrel Meat x 1

Great Swamp Squirrel Pelt x1

Great Swamp Squirrel Bones x1

Unique Skill: Canopy Walker LVL 1

[XP] Experience Point Reward: 156 XP

[ATT] ATT Point EV 13

[AGI] Agility Point EV 15

[INT] Intellgent Point EV 15

[LUK] Luck Point EV 25

[EVA] Evasion Point EV 27

They weren't frightened of me even do I was a goblin. I didn't show any hostility towards the group, remembering that they were still monsters that resembled wild rodents from my world.

It was better to leave them alone and split the waterholes instead of getting bitten to death by a group of pudgy woodland creatures. After the family of squirrels had their fill of insects and water, they retreated into the forest, leaving me behind with a perplexed expression.