I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 107: Energy Storage Glands

Gauss looked at the Adventurer’s Handbook—just as expected.

The Rapid Digestion talent originally looted from a Goblin had already advanced from the Initial Rank to the Elite Rank.

He read through the effect description.

The Energy Storage Gland seemed to be a more advanced version of a hump, capable of storing more energy within the body in advance,

to be converted directly into stamina or magical energy in emergency situations.

So it was essentially a hidden backup power source?

Not bad.

Gauss felt as though his "blue bar" had invisibly been extended again.

However, the Adventurer’s Handbook was quite directive—it seemed to encourage him to slay more hosts of talent sources, namely Goblins.

The more he killed, the better the energy storage effect became.

And judging by the ranks—Initial, Elite…

It seemed to correspond with the monster levels in the Monster Encyclopedia.

In other words, this talent could later be upgraded further to Extraordinary Rank, Lord Rank, Legendary Rank, or even higher?

But then, upgrading from Initial Rank to Elite Rank already required slaying over two hundred Goblins. To reach the highest ranks, the numbers required would likely be unimaginable.

Forget it, one step at a time.

Gauss felt the effect of this talent was already quite decent for now.

What mattered most was its convenience—if an enemy believed they had forced him into a corner, he could silently activate the hidden energy source, restore stamina, replenish magical energy, refresh his condition and continue fighting. That was no small advantage.

Moreover, the more he advanced, the longer his reserve blue bar would become.

The Goblin village had already been temporarily wiped out.

From a distance, Kevin and the others, who had been hiding, had at some point found clothing to wear, and now approached the blood-soaked Gauss with trembling steps.

“Sir, is it safe now?”

“Mm.” Gauss collected his thoughts and looked at the three still pale-faced individuals. ”Are there only three of you here? Any other companions?」

“Just us.”

“Thank you, Adventurer, for saving us.”

“We're extremely grateful!”

Though their words were full of gratitude for Gauss, deep within, a lingering shadow and fear remained.

So much so that the three dared not meet Gauss’s eyes.

The ferocity with which Gauss had just slain the Goblins had left too strong an impression on them, and they had yet to fully recover from the shock.

To ordinary people, any creature capable of ending their lives at will—even just standing nearby—would instinctively trigger their survival genes to keep their distance.

This wasn’t about character. It was merely a self-preservation mechanism.

Especially now, with Gauss having just concluded a brutal killing spree, and not yet fully suppressing the aura on his body, the sense of oppression was even stronger!

Gauss took in their hesitant movements, their trembling legs.

A complex mixture of feelings surged within him for a moment.

They... feared him?

Was he already that terrifying in the eyes of others?

At that thought, a flicker of complicated emotion crossed his eyes.

Even the joy from the talent upgrade was somewhat diluted.

“Eat something.”Gauss handed over a few pieces of Black Bread and Dried Meat Strips. “Keep hiding for now. Once the Goblins who are out return, I’ll kill them and take you out of the forest.”

Gauss handed over some food.

Then turned away, walked off a short distance, found a clean stone to sit on, and quietly gnawed at his food to restore energy.

At the same time, the newly upgraded Energy Storage Gland began to function, storing more energy.

Only the three remained, exchanging looks, lowering their heads to glance at their trembling legs, hearts filled with shame and humiliation.

Even when facing their lifesaver, did their instincts still feel fear?

They could sense the friendliness beneath Gauss’s calm expression, but their bodies simply wouldn’t obey.

However, no matter how they thought about it, they couldn’t come up with anything to repay him.

They were too weak.

And he didn’t seem to need their help anyway—he alone had been enough to slay these enemies that were utterly impossible for them to defeat.

“Whitney, Wake.”

“What is it?”

“I want to become an Adventurer.”

“Are you serious?”

“Mm, I want to be like that Adventurer, to kill these monsters rather than just trembling like prey.”

“That could get you killed.”

“I want to try.”

“Then... then I’ll go too.”

Gauss remained at a distance from the trio.

But with 7 Perception, he still clearly heard their conversation within the deathly silent Goblin village.

Were there about to be three more new Adventurers in this world?

From the corner of his eye, Gauss glanced at the three of them, seeing that the panic on their faces had already faded greatly, replaced with the glow of newly found purpose.

Perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.

He withdrew his attention and turned his gaze toward the village gate.

His stamina and magical energy were both slowly recovering.

He patiently waited for about an hour.

Finally, under Gauss’s watchful eyes, a large group of Goblins returned.

Amid the clamor of footsteps and chatter, the Goblins skipped into their home with cheerful steps.

But before they could greet their companions, their expressions were replaced with a shock they couldn’t comprehend.

They had only been gone a short while.

So why had their familiar village become so utterly foreign?

Blood soaked the ground—entrails, severed hands, heads, infants cleaved in half, overturned cauldrons that had extinguished the bonfire, collapsed huts. The once lively village had become eerily silent, painted in a hue of despair.

And in the village, the only moving being was the man standing in the center.

At that moment, he slowly rose from the stone.

The "White Wooden Stick" in his hand flickered with a dangerous light.

「Waaaahhh!!!」

Behind him, the experienced Goblin Leader shouted frantically to warn its kin.

But the warning came too late.

「Boom boom boom!」

Three Deep Blue Missiles tore through the air, instantly blasting into the densely packed Goblin ranks.

「Bang!」

Six or seven Goblins were immediately blown to pieces in the explosion.

「Magic Missile!」

Gauss looked at the Goblins, now completely petrified in terror, and simply sped up his movements.

Low-tier Small Monsters huddled tightly in front of him were no different from suicides.

「Boom!」

Another round of Magic Missile achieved outstanding results.

Blood sprayed across his vision—only crimson remained.

The tallest Goblin in the group had red eyes.

It had witnessed its home fall, its kin slaughtered. A streak of crimson tears slid slowly from the corner of its eye.

Everything it had ever owned was destroyed by that man!

Hatred spread in its heart.

Gauss’s figure loomed larger and larger in its sight.

As if the entire world had been reduced to only Gauss.

He must kill him!

「Vmmm!」

A mass of dark and sinister energy rapidly expanded in its brain, causing its entire body to convulse violently a few times.

It seemed that some kind of primal power was awakening within its body.

「Boom!!!」

A fully charged Magic Missile tore through the air.

The blood surging through the Goblin Leader’s body abruptly cooled. It looked down at itself.

A massive, gaping hole had been blasted open in its once strong and solid chest.

One could even faintly sense a frigid gust of wind rapidly streaming through the wound.

「So cold! So chilly!」

The Goblin Leader, who had never felt his mind so clear, chattered its teeth, eyes brimming with unwillingness.

Just a little longer, just a bit more...

In the midst of its regret and resentment, its world was swallowed by eternal darkness.

The mass of dark energy also dissipated into the invisible void.

Gauss looked at the fallen Goblin Leader and furrowed his brow.

He kept feeling that just now, the environment had briefly undergone a strange fluctuation, as though some mysterious force had cast its attention toward that Goblin.

Forget it.

It’s completely dead—doesn’t matter anymore.

Prioritizing the leader’s kill had always been his standard strategy.

And this particular Goblin Leader, despite having lost its front-line cover, still dared not to retreat. It even stared at him with intense hatred, stepping forward to challenge. If he hadn’t responded, wouldn’t that have been a betrayal of its fighting spirit?

Gauss once again infused magic into his hand.

His current magical energy was enough for him to use Magic Missile to slaughter all the Goblins before him.

And so, as the Goblins fled in panic, he advanced, relentlessly unleashing missiles from his hand.

He pursued them from within the village to the wide open space outside.

「Boom!」

As the final missile was fired—

Gauss looked around. On the open ground, aside from him, no figures remained standing.