I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 108: The Rise of the Insignificant

"Total Monsters Killed: 368"

"Goblins Killed: 241"

Gauss looked at the ground littered with dismembered limbs and let out a long sigh.

He had to admit, singlehandedly wiping out an entire Goblin village was still a bit exhausting.

Killing one or two wasn’t much, but once the number crossed double digits and reached fifty or sixty, things started to feel different.

After the excitement faded, what followed was a dual numbness of body and mind.

Fortunately, the Energy Storage Gland seemed to have sensed his condition and suddenly became extremely active,

as if all it needed was a single thought from him.

The stored energy within it would surge forth.

He decided to give it a try.

Gauss wasn’t particularly exhausted—he just thought this was a good chance to test the effects of the upgraded talent.

The thought passed.

The Energy Storage Gland opened like a dam, rapidly releasing the warm energy inside.

Gauss chose to convert half into magical energy and half into stamina.

A brief wave of warmth surged through his body.

He felt as though he were soaking in a scalding yet comfortable hot spring, the pleasant sensation reaching all the way to his cerebral cortex.

Within a few breaths, his slightly labored breathing had completely returned to calm.

At the same time, his magical energy had recovered from near depletion to just over a quarter.

After the brief enjoyment, Gauss focused on the restored magic and began to think.

This meant that under normal circumstances, if he converted all stored energy into magical energy, it should replenish about half.

So his effective magical energy had increased by about 1.5 times.

And the Energy Storage Gland would continue to grow stronger, increasing its capacity.

Gauss nodded.

After experiencing it firsthand, he became even more convinced of this talent’s effectiveness.

He returned to the Goblin village.

Kevin and the others had obediently remained huddled inside the Goblins’ storage building, not daring to take a single step outside.

Only when they heard Gauss’s voice calling from outside did they cautiously exit the not-so-sturdy wooden structure.

"You’re safe now."

Hearing Gauss’s announcement and feeling the sunlight pouring down on them,

Kevin and the others finally exhaled in relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.

It almost felt like being reborn.

Thinking back on their experiences over the past day, it still felt unreal.

Life was like that—full of ups and downs. One could never predict what might happen next.

Not long ago, they had accepted their fate, hoping only that death wouldn’t be too painful, and now they were safe and sound.

With that thought, the reverence in their gaze toward Gauss deepened, mingling admiration with awe.

The man before them was younger than they were, yet the overwhelming strength he had displayed against monsters was far beyond their reach.

Even standing near him made breathing feel difficult.

Once the battle ended, Gauss resumed scavenging for spoils as always.

Only this time, there were three more people to help, picking up scattered arrowheads, swords, and other weapons—saving a lot of time.

Kevin and the others had volunteered to help, likely because they had nothing to repay Gauss with. Helping him pack up the spoils of war was the least they could do.

With more hands, Gauss quickly scoured the entire Goblin village from inside out.

He bundled the spoils and packed them into his Pack.

Some crude wooden weapons couldn’t be carried and had to be left behind.

Kevin and the others picked out some spare wooden spears, bows, and arrows.

For new adventurers, starting with ranged weapons was a relatively good choice.

Though it did require some skill proficiency.

Bows still needed training to be accurate and effective.

The three carried wooden bows and wore crude vine armor woven by the Goblins.

Gauss looked at their ragged appearance—like oversized Goblins—and found them even poorer than he had been when first starting his journey. He couldn’t help but offer them an iron weapon each from the spoils.

But Kevin and the others all refused, firmly expressing that the wooden weapons were enough.

Wooden bows, spears, and crude vine armor might look ridiculous and be worth very little, but with some training, they could still provide decent combat ability.

"Then this is where we part."

Gauss led the trio out of the forest and back onto the open plains.

Kevin and the others planned to return to their hometown for a few days to recover before heading to Graystone Town to officially begin their adventurer careers.

"Sir Gauss, travel safely."

"You too. If fate allows, we’ll meet in Graystone Town."

Gauss watched the team clad in grass-and-wood equipment waving as they disappeared into the distance, then withdrew his gaze.

Though they might still face danger on the way home, neither he nor Kevin and the others suggested traveling together for protection.

After all, it wasn’t on the way, and Gauss wasn’t their babysitter—he couldn’t be expected to watch over them forever.

If they truly wanted to become adventurers, they would face more and more perilous situations where they could rely only on themselves.

In the end, the path of life could only be walked alone.

Hoisting his pack, Gauss also began his journey back to Graystone Town.

He had already completed three Examination Missions.

After submitting them upon his return to Graystone Town, he could officially be promoted from a rankless Low-level Adventurer to a respectable Bronze-rank Adventurer.

At the thought, his steps became noticeably lighter.

It felt as though the heavy pack on his back had lost its weight.

But thoughts were not reality. After walking some distance, Gauss’s steps grew heavier again.

The return journey was harder than the way there.

Gauss also discovered a drawback of the upgraded talent.

His appetite had grown significantly.

Before, it was enough to fill his stomach. Now, he also needed to replenish the Energy Storage Gland’s energy reserve.

And since he had shared some of his food with Kevin and the others, his provisions had dwindled quickly.

Fortunately, he managed to hunt a few small animals along the way with his crossbow bolts, supplementing his meat supply so he didn’t run out entirely.

Still, it reminded Gauss that once he returned, he needed to find travel food with higher caloric value.

Adventurer’s Guild Headquarters.

Gauss looked up at the flag overhead—bearing the sword, shield, and wand emblem of the Adventurers—and then, energized, stepped into the porch.

The Adventurer’s Hall was still bustling.

No matter when one visited, it was always filled with people and new faces.

They weren’t necessarily newcomers—many were adventurers from other towns.

For adventurers, operating across several nearby towns and taking commissions was very common.

Sometimes, the area around a town would enter a commission "off-season," where the mission board was filled with troublesome, low-paying jobs others didn’t want. At those times, it was necessary to look elsewhere for opportunities.

"Next."

After lining up for a while at Petra’s counter,

it was finally Gauss’s turn.

When Petra saw who it was, she greeted him with a surprised smile.

"You again? Didn’t the other receptionists tell you that with your current status, you don’t need to wait in line anymore?"

"They did. But I thought this might be the last time I queue up in this hall, so I wanted to experience it once more."

Hearing Gauss’s calm reply, Petra immediately understood.

"Mission completed smoothly?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks."

The joy on her face was genuine—her congratulations heartfelt.

For the vast majority of adventurers, the promotion from Low-level Adventurer to Bronze-rank Adventurer was the most significant leap.

It meant they were no longer replaceable nobodies but respected "big shots" wherever they went.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a form of hidden class advancement.

Calling over a colleague to take her place,

Petra led Gauss toward the inner office.

They stopped in front of the door to the female warlock’s office whom he had met last time.

Petra knocked on the door.