I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 113: Cheating, Genius Spellcaster

“Senior, did you use magic?”

Gauss set down his mug, eyes sharp as he looked at Andini, making no effort to hide the suspicion in his gaze.

Everyone had been drinking fairly—so why did she have to start playing dirty?

“Ma-magic? What are you talking about?” Andini’s cheeks were slightly flushed, but she vehemently denied Gauss’s suspicion. “How could anyone possibly study magic just for sobering up? Haha... haha, you don’t really think I used magic to cheat, do you?”

“Yes.” Gauss nodded with certainty.

Anyone who had seen her just a moment ago—her face red like a boiled shrimp, then the next second with her head lowered, cheeks suddenly pale again, and eyes clear once more—would harbor the same doubt.

“Hehehehe...” Andini let out a guilty dry laugh, her gaze evasive.

Gauss became even more certain of his guess.

Case closed!

No wonder she always claimed no one could outdrink her back in her adventuring days—it was all thanks to cheating with sobering magic! Who could compete with that?

Andini’s gaze swept over the other two at the table.

Sophia was already drunk, her neck red and her cheeks tinted with crimson.

She usually held her liquor well, but she couldn’t withstand Andini’s near self-destructive insistence on making her drink.

She, unlike Andini, didn’t know any sobering magic—so it was no surprise she got drunk.

And what about Gauss?

His complexion looked normal, his eyes clear, and his condition was even better than hers—despite her using magic.

“You little cheat, aren’t you the one who cheated?” Andini grumbled unwillingly.

How could Gauss be even more sober than someone who cheated with sobering magic? He must’ve used some trick too!

“Good natural constitution. Don’t be jealous.” Gauss shook his head, looking innocent.

After a hearty meal and plenty of drink, Gauss pushed back his chair, preparing to go downstairs and settle the bill.

But before he could move, Andini beside him suddenly vanished with a soft “pop,” like a punctured soap bubble, leaving behind only a triumphant voice.

“I’ll go pay!”

“Was that some kind of illusion-type magic?”

Using illusion magic just to fight over the bill? Gauss shook his head and chuckled helplessly.

He figured that if he went downstairs now, Andini would definitely have finished paying already, so he simply sat back down.

Sure enough, not long after, the private room door was pushed open, and Andini walked back in with light steps.

“Using magic to cheat again? That’s too sly, Senior Andini.”

“What do you mean ‘again’?” Andini wagged her finger, raising her chin proudly. “And besides, I’m teaching you something here—magic is a tool meant to improve efficiency! The spell I just used—whether at the table or while paying—you didn’t notice anything, right? That’s because my magical energy is more refined, and my control is more precise!”

Andini explained with full confidence, turning her cheating into an impromptu lesson.

“Dismissed!”

Andini popped the last few blueberries into her mouth, clapped her hands, and declared.

The three of them went downstairs and pushed open the restaurant’s front door.

“No need to see me off.” Andini waved her hand, pointing at Sophia who was leaning against Gauss. “Just see her home. You two live together anyway.”

“Don’t say things that might cause misunderstandings.” Gauss quickly reminded her, a little embarrassed as he noticed the curious glance from the innkeeper at the front desk.

“See ya!” Andini’s petite figure melted into the moonlight and soon disappeared down the end of the street.

Gauss sighed helplessly, gently adjusted his arm to support the weakened Sophia, and headed toward the inn.

In the night breeze, a faint and lingering fragrance slipped into his nose.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning—

Gauss sat on a tall stool at the inn’s front counter.

Sophia was still a bit weak and tired from the hangover, but her diligent nature meant she had already gotten up and busied herself in the kitchen.

Gauss withdrew his gaze and deliberately fastened the newly obtained Bronze-rank Adventurer badge to the most prominent spot on his chest, openly displaying his identity.

He flipped through several newly purchased Spell Learning Scrolls while keeping an eye on the surrounding activity.

As expected, whenever the passing guests glanced his way, their gaze would linger on him for a few extra seconds. Especially when their eyes caught the indigo-blue emblem on his chest, many of their pupils shrank noticeably.

Bronze-rank Adventurer!

What kind of relationship did he have with the owner of this inn?

Seeing Gauss sitting leisurely near the counter, with the bearing of a host, all sorts of speculation began brewing in the customers’ minds.

They couldn’t help but overthink it.

In a frontier place like Graystone Town, a Bronze-rank Adventurer was already considered one of the strongest forces in the open.

Although adventurers of the same rank might differ vastly in strength between Class Rank 1 and Class Rank 5, to low-level adventurers,

they were all figures to look up to—existences they wouldn’t dare provoke lightly.

Feeling the reverent or curious gazes, Gauss nodded inwardly. The intimidating effect of this badge was even greater than he had expected.

With his goal achieved, he refocused and immersed himself in the contents of the scroll in his hands.

“【Prestidigitation】...”

He first studied this foundational cantrip, known as the “jack-of-all-trades” practice spell.

【Prestidigitation】 had a weak effect, but didn’t require practicing in a secluded corner.

After carefully reading the construction method and effect description of the Spell Model several times, Gauss found it surprisingly smooth.

This was completely different from the obscure and difficult experience he had while studying that damaged Light Spell scroll.

“So this is the benefit of advancing to the 【Mage】 Class Rank,” Gauss realized.

The Professional Talent 【Spell Mastery】 enhanced his perception and control over the essence of magic, and dramatically improved his spell learning efficiency. The results were now clearly evident in his cantrip training.

He studied the scroll repeatedly, confirming that the intricate structure of the model was now deeply imprinted in his mind.

Gauss closed his eyes, sank into his consciousness, and began constructing the Spell Model.

In the depths of his awareness, his mental energy acted like invisible threads, cautiously weaving, sketching, and stabilizing the model according to the scroll’s guidance.

Time passed quietly.

After an hour, and a couple of minor missteps, a stable and complete Spell Model for 【Prestidigitation】 was finally solidified in his spiritual world!

The hardest step was done!

Gauss activated his Attribute Panel with a thought.

Tier 0 Cantrip 【Prestidigitation】 lv1 (0/10)

It really worked.

A slight smile curved Gauss’s lips.

A cantrip that usually took months for an apprentice to grasp, he had managed to learn within just one hour. The combined advantage of Class Rank and Talent was remarkable.

“【Prestidigitation】!”

Gauss silently chanted in his mind.

At the same time, he imagined a breeze flowing through the air before him.

A faint yet clear disturbance of air brushed across his cheek.

A reaction? But still not stable. Gauss refocused his attention.

Come, wind!

This time, the air current was noticeably stronger. Gauss keenly sensed the difference between the two spell casts.

With a thoughtful look, he made a third attempt.

Wind, come again!

A distinct and perceptible breeze, carrying a cool touch, brushed against his face.

Success!

“【Prestidigitation】 Proficiency +1”

“Tier 0 Cantrip 【Prestidigitation】 lv1 (1/10)”

Gauss smiled.

Am I a genius?!

Not to brag, but wasn’t the Spellcaster Class kind of overpowered?

Learning a cantrip and succeeding on the third try—easier than drinking water.

The only difficulty was in memorizing and constructing the model, which took some time.

“But...” Gauss quieted his thoughts and focused carefully. “My mind feels... slightly heavier?”

A subtle feeling, as if something extra had settled into his consciousness, surfaced once more.

This was the second time he had felt this.

The first had been after he learned the Light Spell.

And both of these cantrips were spells he had learned on his own using scrolls—not rewards from the Adventurer’s Handbook.

“Seems like spells rewarded by the Handbook don’t place additional load on my mind, while those learned independently do,” Gauss compared the two and identified the key difference. Although he didn’t fully understand the deeper principle, he didn’t dwell on it.

At the same time, he felt that the small cup symbolizing his Class Rank within him had solidified slightly, and the magical energy flowing from it... perhaps it was just his imagination, but it seemed a bit smoother.

“So learning more spells can also accumulate experience for the Class Rank?” Gauss scratched his head. “Don’t tell me this system expects me to become a walking magical encyclopedia?”

Putting those thoughts aside for now, Gauss eagerly began testing the other effects of 【Prestidigitation】.

With his repeated attempts, all sorts of magical phenomena began to appear.

A tiny spark leapt from his fingertip, a faint magical imprint was left on the table surface, and the dust on a flowerpot was brushed away by an invisible force...

Gauss experimented joyfully.

Though the spell’s effects were still inconsistent due to low proficiency and his control was far from perfect, the proficiency of 【Prestidigitation】 was rising rapidly.

“Tier 0 Cantrip 【Prestidigitation】 lv1 (8/10)”

After trying out several of the main effects, Gauss set aside the scroll. The Spell Learning Scroll representing 【Prestidigitation】 now seemed to have lost its glow, as if some essential essence had been drawn from it.

It probably couldn’t be used a second time. Gauss shook his head and picked up the second scroll—【Message】.

With the experience gained from learning 【Prestidigitation】, practicing 【Message】 was even smoother.

  By the time lunch approached, Gauss had already become proficient in using the convenient communication cantrip.

"Hey hey, Sophia, can you hear me?" Gauss silently chanted in his mind.

"Hm? What is it?" Sophia, just walking out of the kitchen, instinctively responded. Then she quickly covered her mouth, glanced around, and only relaxed when she confirmed no one was watching.

The first time she received Gauss’s 【Message】, she had been startled, thinking Gauss was whispering directly into her ear.

Now that she had experienced it several more times and knew it was a magical effect, her body relaxed as she cooperated with Gauss’s practice. Yet this one-way telepathy still left her slightly embarrassed, because responding meant she had to speak aloud—doing so repeatedly made her feel like a fool talking to herself.

Over the next two days, Gauss devoted himself fully to learning new skills.

The four cantrips—【Prestidigitation】, 【Message】, 【Mending】, 【Fire Bolt】—and the Rogue Apprentice-level skill 【Insight Technique】 were all mastered one by one.

"Tier 0 Cantrip 【Prestidigitation】 lv2 (6/20)"

"Tier 0 Cantrip 【Message】 lv2 (3/20)"

"Tier 0 Cantrip 【Mending】 lv2 (1/20)"

"Tier 0 Cantrip 【Fire Bolt】 lv1 (9/10)"

"【Insight Technique】 lv1 (4/10)"

Among them, 【Insight Technique】 took the longest time to learn.

Even longer than all four cantrips combined.

Because it couldn’t benefit from the Mage’s Professional Talent 【Spell Mastery】, Gauss had to rely purely on his own comprehension and the assistance from the Attribute Panel to grind through it.

Fortunately, he was gifted. With a bit of “gentle help” from the panel, he managed to learn it successfully in the end.

Looking at the long list of skills on the Attribute Panel, he felt an unprecedented sense of "abundance."

He had promoted to Bronze!

He had also gotten his hands on a 【Small Storage Bag】!

His skills were more or less practiced to a decent degree.

Next up was to officially step into the world of Bronze-rank Adventurers and make a big splash!

The moment he thought about the 20 gold coins of heavy debt still on his back, Gauss felt a surge of motivation.

Clearly, his ability to make money had increased after his promotion to Bronze, yet why did he feel even poorer?

After some thought, he figured this must be the endless greed of human nature.

In the past, a tavern meal costing just a few dozen copper coins could satisfy his taste buds. But now? At the very least, it had to be several dozen silver coins.

Desire was like an ever-expanding circle. The more one obtained and came into contact with, the more there was to long for—things unknown and yearned for.

One could never be truly satisfied.