When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was hunger. It wasn’t just a mild pang but a sharp, biting pain deep in my gut, clawing at me from the inside. It was maddening, like nothing I’d ever experienced. There was no room for clarity or reflection, only the burning need to fill the emptiness within me.

"Guguraa.."

A sound escaped my throat, but it wasn’t a word—not even close. It was a guttural noise, an animalistic growl that made my skin crawl. Yet, my mind felt too foggy to process it fully.

What… happened to me?

I tried to form coherent thoughts, to piece together where I was and what had happened, but all that came was the hunger, wrapping its claws deeper around my mind. My body moved on instinct, fingers scrabbling at the dirt beneath me, searching for something, anything to eat.

I couldn’t see much, only shadows in the darkness around me, but then I smelled it. The stench hit me first—the unmistakable odor of rotting meat. My stomach churned, but before I could think twice, something was thrust into my hands. Meat. Raw, decaying, disgusting meat. It should’ve repulsed me, but all I could think of was how hungry I was.

Without hesitation, I tore into it. My teeth sank into the flesh, pulling, ripping and chewing through the putrid taste. It didn’t matter that it was vile. It didn’t matter that the texture made me gag. It was food, and that was all I cared about. I devoured it, tearing at it like a wild animal, my hands trembling with desperation.

I ate. And ate. And ate.

But no matter how much I ate, it wasn’t enough. The hunger still gnawed at me, insatiable. My chest heaved with every breath, and when the last scrap of meat was gone, I licked my fingers clean, craving more. The stench clung to my nose, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was more.

Then I felt it. Something cold, something rough, gripping the back of my neck. I gasped as my body was lifted off the ground, my legs kicking weakly in the air. I could feel the wind rushing against my skin, and a blinding light pierced through my closed eyelids. The pain in my eyes was unbearable, so I kept them shut, letting the light fade into a dull red behind my lids.

What… is happening to me?

"Gugaaagu..guaha.."

I could hear strange noises, grunts, and guttural sounds from somewhere close by. Slowly, carefully, I opened my eyes, blinking against the brightness until my vision adjusted. When it finally cleared, I found myself staring at a thick forest. The world around me was shaking, like I was being carried somewhere. I craned my neck, trying to look at whatever was holding me, and what I saw made my blood run cold.

It wasn’t human.

The creature holding me by the neck had mottled green skin, thick and rough like leather. Its face was hideous—broad, twisted, with tusk-like teeth jutting from its lower jaw. There was no mistaking it. It was a goblin. And somehow, it was dragging me along like I weighed nothing.

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My heart pounded in my chest. Is this a dream? A nightmare? What the hell is going on?! I wanted to scream, to struggle, but my body felt weak, drained of all energy. I could only watch as the goblin carried me to the edge of the forest. Eventually, the goblin flung me down by a shallow, murky lake. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of me, but before I could gather myself, it spoke.

“You Catch Nothing. Stomach Empty. Death Coming.”

The words were crude, barely understandable, but their meaning was clear. If I couldn’t catch food, I was dead.

I lay there, stunned, as the goblin turned and lumbered away, leaving me alone by the lake. Slowly, painfully, I pushed myself up, crawling on my hands and knees until I reached the water’s edge.

I needed answers. I needed to understand what was happening. As I leaned over the lake, my reflection rippled on the surface. At first, I didn’t recognize what I was seeing. The face staring back at me was hideous—grotesque, with sharp, angular features and green, leathery skin.

For a moment, I stared, unable to comprehend. Then it hit me.

That face was mine.

A wave of disbelief crashed over me. I splashed the water, trying to distort the image, hoping that somehow it wasn’t real. But the reflection didn’t change. My reflection didn’t change. My hands—my hands were green, rough, with knobby joints and thick, clawed fingers.

No, no, no, no…

I shook my head, as if that could somehow erase the truth. But the reality stared back at me. I was no longer human. I had become one of them. A goblin.

How? Why? What had happened to me?

A part of me wanted to laugh—this had to be some kind of sick joke, right? Maybe I’d wake up any second, back in my bed, safe in my old, human body.

But I knew, deep down, this wasn’t a dream. It was real. The rough texture of my skin, the gnawing hunger in my gut, the weight of my monstrous body—everything screamed of reality.

I stumbled back from the water, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. How? Why? I should be at home, living my life, getting ready for work—this wasn’t how things were supposed to go! My chest tightened, anger bubbling up inside me, but it was quickly drowned by the hunger that still gnawed at my insides.

Could this be a punishment? Some twisted trial by fate? Or worse—by some god playing with my life like a game?

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

"Griguga..Guragua"

I wanted to scream, to curse the world, but the only sound that came out was a guttural cry—a beast’s cry.

I collapsed on the ground, staring up at the sky as the last traces of sunlight faded. Three moons hung high above, brighter and larger than I remembered. My thoughts drifted to the light novels I used to read. Stories about people transported to other worlds, given powers, turned into heroes.

But this… This wasn’t like that.

I wasn’t a hero. I was a monster. A goblin.

And I was hungry.

....

That insatiable hunger clawed at me again, stronger this time, overwhelming every thought. My mind became hazy, clouded by primal instinct. I couldn’t think, couldn’t reason. The only thing that mattered was the hunger.

I licked my dry lips, my eyes darting around, searching for anything that moved. Meat. I need meat.

My body moved on its own, driven purely by the hunger. The moment I saw a shadow dart across my vision, I lunged after it. My legs, stronger and faster than they’d ever been, carried me through the thick underbrush with ease. I could see perfectly in the dark, every detail sharp and clear.

It was a rabbit. Small, quick, but not quick enough. My body leaped with a strength I didn’t know I had, and in an instant, I was on it. The creature struggled, kicking wildly, but I was faster and stronger. My hands wrapped around its neck, and with a single, brutal twist, I ended its life.

The hunger roared in approval. Without hesitation, I sank my teeth into its flesh, tearing it apart. Blood gushed from its neck, warm and metallic, but I didn’t care. I drank it down, savoring every drop as if it were the finest meal I’d ever tasted. My jaws worked mechanically, crushing bones, slurping brain matter and devouring every part of the rabbit.

The satisfaction that flooded through me was primal, a sickening pleasure that made my skin crawl. But it wasn’t enough. The hunger had been sated, but only for now. I knew it would return, fiercer than before.

As I licked the blood from my lips, a thought crept into my mind. Wasn’t there a story about a man who became a bear? He lost himself to the beast within, devoured by the hunger, forgetting what it meant to be human.

Is that what’s happening to me?

I shuddered, staring at my hands—my green, monstrous hands. The blood smeared across them was proof of what I’d become. Will I lose myself, too? Will I forget that I was ever human?

The thought chilled me to my core, but the hunger had already begun to dull those fears. All that mattered now was survival.

I stood, wiping the remnants of the rabbit from my face. I’ll figure it out later. I had to survive first. I had to find more food.

The night was still young, and my hunger would return soon enough.