I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 88:Huge Profits

Gauss also felt the effect of the simple, completely matte-black metal wand.

That was—its texture was extremely hard!

Yes, this was a very bizarre wand.

Other wands either enhanced spell power, sped up casting time, or extended attack range. This wand had none of that.

All it had was a slight boost to protection-type spells, and an exceptionally sturdy structure.

It didn’t feel magical at all.

Clunky and heavy, its only advantage lay in its durability like a melee weapon.

It would be suitable only in the hands of a spellcaster who possessed considerable melee capabilities, a strong physique, and the ability to cast spells.

The others, having sensed the wand’s effect, simultaneously looked at Gauss.

There were only two spellcasters present.

Clearly, with Lawrence’s physical build, he had no way of wielding this nearly 1.8-meter-long metal wand.

Gauss was just right for it, and he happened to be proficient in protection-type spells. It fit him perfectly, like it was tailor-made.

「Gauss, this wand suits you. Take it,」 Lawrence said after some thought, and the others exchanged glances.

「Yeah, try it.」

They were all well aware of who had made the greatest contribution in the previous battle.

Not to mention a wand they couldn’t use, even for general items, they didn’t have the nerve to compete with Gauss for them.

Seeing his teammates speak like that, Gauss nodded and gave his thanks.

He then jumped onto the platform, gripping the only slightly matte portion of the wand with both hands.

Exerting a bit of force, he pulled the staff out from the stone pedestal.

The first impression was—it was heavy.

Fortunately, his body was quite strong, so he should still be able to wield it.

He swung it twice in front of him.

From the wand, he felt a deeply reassuring sense of stability.

But the most important question remained—could it be compatible with his magical energy?

If it couldn’t channel his magic, then it would be nothing more than a pure melee blunt weapon, and its value would drop significantly.

Gauss hadn’t forgotten how picky his magical energy was. When adapting a wand at Andini’s place, it had taken him quite a while.

「So, is it compatible?」

Gauss guided his magical energy smoothly into the metal wand.

After a short pause, he realized—to his surprise—it went quite well.

There wasn’t much resistance. His magical energy flowed fluidly through the wand.

Could it be that his magical energy had no interest in ordinary wands, and would only accept unconventional ones like the Bone Wand or this Metal Scepter?

Gauss truly didn’t know what to make of it.

After all, the only two compatible wands so far were both unusually eccentric types, which couldn’t help but provoke deeper thought.

「Light Spell!」

Since his magical energy was currently running low, Gauss cast a Light Spell.

As his magic rippled outward, the metal wand began to emit a pure white glow.

The spell had been successfully cast.

Gauss let out a breath of relief.

Although in terms of feel, casting with this metal scepter wasn’t as smooth as with the Bone Wand, and the spell effects weren’t enhanced, it still had the huge advantage of being usable as a melee weapon.

So, it still had plenty of practical uses.

Behind him, Lawrence looked up. Standing atop the stone platform, Gauss raised the scepter high, the Light Spell illuminating the space. Envious as he was, Lawrence couldn’t help but sigh.

Though he didn’t know the exact value of this metal wand, judging from the strength of the Mantis Hunter earlier, it might be the most valuable item from this dungeon exploration. But beyond envy, what else could he say?

His and the others’ lives had been saved by Gauss, after all.

And this wand clearly wasn’t suitable for him. It was only suited for a special kind of Apprentice Spellcaster like Gauss.

Thinking of this, he suddenly recalled a rumor he’d heard before—maybe it was true.

That is, in the dungeons left behind by the Lost Kingdom, the underground cities adjusted the enemies and rewards based on the adventurers who entered.

And now, this reward seemingly custom-made for Gauss—didn’t it imply that in the logic of this dungeon, the others barely performed in the face of the Mantis Hunter, and only Gauss was worthy of a reward?

Thinking that far, Lawrence felt a bit helpless.

「Boom boom!」 Just as the group was still resting—

The entire dungeon began to shake.

「Let’s get out first.」

The dungeon seemed to be collapsing.

The others hurriedly gathered their belongings, then quickly carried the injured Liam and the body of the deceased Bianca out of the dungeon chamber.

Following the exit passage to the surface, and walking a short distance—

「Bang!!」

The surface where the dungeon had been shook even more violently.

As if collapsing in on itself, the tall stone pillars that had once jutted from the surface sank rapidly before their very eyes.

In the end, they completely disappeared.

It was over.

Seeing the entrance vanish completely, the group stood there a little dazed.

This six-day-long dungeon exploration had ended with one person injured, and one dead.

The loot collected from the dungeon took two full days to sort.

It was worth far more than Gauss had imagined.

A total value of 27 gold coins.

As previously agreed, Lawrence took a little over 5 gold coins. After all, he was the initiator of the expedition, had spent quite a bit on intelligence beforehand, and covered various organizational and transportation expenses. No one objected to this amount.

Gauss received 4 gold coins as well—not including the Metal Scepter he had obtained—making him the biggest earner of the expedition.

The remaining members each received about three and a half gold coins. It could truly be called a bountiful haul.

4 gold coins were also the largest sum of income in Gauss’s life.

At the same tavern before departure, the 6-member team regrouped.

Gauss sipped a cup of apple cider, his gaze fixed on Lawrence in front of him.

「What about Bianca’s share? I remember she left an address and information for a beneficiary,」 Gauss casually asked with concern.

Bianca’s death had been unexpected by everyone, but after her passing, it was still up to her teammates to handle the aftermath.

Although it was a temporary team, aside from Gauss, the others were all acquaintances, so it wasn’t a truly random group.

「Mm, my family’s caravan will be passing near the village where Bianca’s home is in the next couple of days. I’ll personally see to the delivery of her body and belongings,」 Lawrence said heavily after a swig of hard liquor.

He likely didn’t know how to face Bianca’s parents and relatives.

「Thanks for the trouble.」 Gauss wasn’t close to Bianca, and only asked out of courtesy. Seeing Lawrence had already made arrangements, he didn’t want to interfere further.

「These three and a half gold coins, as long as they’re not squandered, are enough to support a family for a long time,」 Edith sighed. It was, in a way, a blessing in disguise.

Although Bianca had died, she left behind a substantial inheritance for her family. At least, unlike many low-level adventurers who, under financial pressure, died without a trace in the wilderness, her family wouldn’t have to face both the pain of loss and financial hardship.

Edith turned to Gauss, and though her eyes were dark with fatigue, they flickered with a complex and unreadable emotion.

「Gauss, you must be close to becoming a Professional, right?」 She still found it unbelievable when she recalled Gauss slaying the Mantis Hunter two days ago—a feat only a Professional could manage.

For the past two nights, she had been haunted by nightmares of the Mantis Hunter’s claws slicing off her head. The recurring terror even made her question whether her current survival was merely her final hallucination before death.

「Mm.」

Gauss nodded.

Mage Armor 1v3 (49/50)

He glanced at the information on the Attribute Panel of the Adventurer’s Handbook.

These past two days, he hadn’t been idle. He had used his free time to train again at the Spellcaster Mutual‑aid Association.

The others’ expressions shifted to sudden realization and deep admiration.

For every apprentice, the greatest dream was to solidify their Class Rank and officially rise to Professional level.

Apprentices and Professionals belonged to two completely different worlds.

Strictly speaking, when the Adventurer’s Guild was first established, there weren’t even any low-level adventurers like them.

Back then, only Professionals could register as adventurers.

Because to the upper ranks of the early Adventurer’s Guild, apprentices were just weapon-wielding nobodies, essentially no different from ordinary people—mere ragtag. Recruiting them was pointless.

The destructive power of a single Professional who wielded supernatural strength couldn’t be matched even by dozens of apprentices.

If not for the increasing frequency of monsters and special events, and the Professionals’ reluctance to handle trivial commissions, the Guild likely would never have relaxed its registration requirements.

Of course, even now, it was merely a shift in policy.

Benefits that were once available to all adventurers were now limited to those of Bronze rank and above.

Unranked low-level adventurers remained unofficial members, receiving no additional rights or benefits from the Guild.

「I really envy you.」 Warrior Apprentice Liam, whose injuries hadn’t fully healed, wasn’t drinking and silently ate his food. Upon hearing Gauss’s confirmation, he couldn’t help but express his jealousy.

「You two should be close too, right?」 Gauss shook his head.「If not, just spend some money to hire a Professional to tutor you for a while, yeah?」

Three and a half gold coins weren’t a small sum—it was enough to hire a Professional-level teacher for guidance and assistance.

「Hehe.」 Liam chuckled sheepishly, clearly having thought of this already.

As he laughed, he suddenly sucked in a breath of cold air—likely pulling on his wound.

「I’ll wait till I recover. Besides, becoming a Professional isn’t something you can just buy with money. You need luck, effort, and personal talent too,」 Liam added humbly.

「That’s because you don’t have enough money. The real scions of noble houses can brute-force their way through with potions and treasures,」 Edith shook her head, pointing out the flaw in his thinking.

“...”

As soon as Edith finished, the whole table fell silent—including herself.

Even the “wealthiest” among them, Lawrence, was far from such a background, let alone the rest.

Thinking about how they had to struggle for years without advancing to Professional, while some were born already destined to walk that path—

It filled them with a bitter sense of injustice.

Why should those noble scions, simply by reaching the right age and physical maturity, have their families smooth the way, provide famous tutors, expensive herbs and treasures, rare equipment—and become young, accomplished Professionals?

The more they thought about it, the more they couldn’t help but feel a biting envy.

「By the way, Gauss,」Lawrence suddenly turned to Gauss as if recalling something.