I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 94: Emerald Forest

Back at the inn.

The decor inside the inn hadn't changed at all from when he had left.

It brought a strange sense of reassurance.

As if no matter how long he had been gone, he could always find the memories of the past here.

"I'm back."

"Welcome back."

"Do you want something to eat? There's still food in the kitchen."

"Already ate before coming back."

"Little Gauss, you..."Sophia suddenly realized something was off. Her bright eyes scanned him up and down suspiciously.

It had been many days since she had last seen Gauss, and now upon seeing him again—

She felt like his appearance had changed slightly, becoming more handsome than before.

But if she were asked to pinpoint exactly what was different, she couldn't quite say what had changed.

His eyes, brows, nose, and mouth all seemed to be the same, only more harmonious now—as if he had suddenly matured.

Could it be that during his visit to Wormwood and interactions with others, he had undergone some sort of special care?

She remembered that Wormwood's specialty was various herbs and medicines.

But why would he suddenly care about his appearance? That puzzled her.

Suddenly, a guess sprang into her mind.

Could it be... he had fallen for some girl? So he began paying attention to his looks?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Feeling she had guessed the truth, Sophia didn't expose it, instead smiling warmly. "Did something good happen while you were out this time?"

"Yeah, something great did happen. But I’ll keep the details secret for now. I’ll tell you once everything’s official."

Gauss didn’t plan to share about his advancement to a Professional just yet.

He thought it would be better to casually mention it after officially passing the examination to become a Bronze-rank Adventurer.

Bringing it up deliberately would feel a bit too intentional.

As if he were showing off.

Hearing this, Sophia became even more convinced of her guess.

Though, for some reason, a slight twinge of sourness stirred in her heart.

Like a son or daughter about to fall in love.

Although she wasn’t married, strictly speaking, she didn’t really know what kind of complex emotions that situation would entail.

Walking along the street, Gauss had a spring in his step.

That dungeon expedition had really refilled his tank.

With over four Gold Coins in his pocket, the shops lining the street seemed more approachable than ever.

Before formally setting off again, he needed to update his gear.

First was to purchase a better Hand Crossbow, along with a quiver of dedicated bolts.

During the final battle in the dungeon, he had realized the importance of carrying a Hand Crossbow with him.

Though he could still perform ranged attacks using Magic Missile, spells consumed mana. The Hand Crossbow, on the other hand, only required prepared bolts—after some basic practice, he’d likely develop decent accuracy.

And the fired bolts could be retrieved as well.

Next, he bought one Basic Healing Potion and one Basic Mana Potion.

He might not use them, but he couldn’t go without them. Carrying two potions brought a greater sense of security.

In moments of life and death, a pocket full of dead Gold Coins wouldn’t help you—but a potion could. They could rapidly restore vitality and mana in a very short time. Often, survival came down to that final gasp.

Although Gauss had the Rapid Digestion talent, allowing him to recover mana faster through food, that effect didn’t manifest instantly—at least not yet.

In addition to these items, Gauss also replenished the basic survival tools for Adventurers he had previously used: a waterproof tinderbox, salt blocks, a climbing hook and rope set for traversing terrain, snake and insect repellent, a first-aid medical kit, and a long, multipurpose hemp rope.

This shopping spree cost him a little over 1 Gold Coin.

Most of the expenditure went toward the Hand Crossbow and the two potions.

He packed all the gear and equipment into his backpack, which, now fully stuffed, stood nearly half his height.

Thankfully, his Stamina had now reached 7 points, so carrying it didn’t wear him down.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

During those two days, he had wanted to visit Andini and express his gratitude, but she seemed to be out, not at Thorn Cottage.

So he had no choice but to continue carrying out commissions.

After resting for two days and recovering to full health, Gauss stood feeling refreshed outside Graystone Town.

The last time he had gone to the Emerald Forest was when he had first arrived in this world.

Now, several months had passed, and he was embarking on the same journey again.

But Gauss’s mindset had changed completely—gone was the intense excitement that came after his first round of “equipment” shopping.

He still remembered that back then, to ease the excitement and nervousness in his heart, he had splurged at the tavern on a big bowl of noodles, stewed meat, and pickled fish.

Looking back now, maybe that decision wasn’t the wisest.

Thankfully, he hadn’t suffered any physical discomfort from suddenly eating so well.

By the avenue near Graystone Town—

Gauss stood steadily with his pack neatly strapped behind him, a Rapier at his waist, his Bone Wand tucked within his clothes, and a heavy Metal Wand gripped in his hand.

Groups of young Low-level Adventurers passed by now and then.

As they passed him, many gave him an extra glance. But once they saw the massive wand in his hand, envy flickered in their eyes.

Clad in refined gear and holding that oversized Metal Scepter, he didn’t look like a Low-level Adventurer at all.

Gauss had noticed the glances but didn’t mind too much.

In that moment, he could somewhat understand how that Professional clad in full Plate Armor must have felt when he had encountered him months ago as a greenhorn.

"!"

The sound of carriage wheels rolling across the ground came to a stop before him.

Gauss stepped onto the cart.

There were still a few people inside the carriage.

The outskirts of the Emerald Forest were about half a day’s walk from Graystone Town.

Even with Gauss’s abundant stamina, it would still take him two to three hours on foot.

To conserve his energy, he had booked a seat at the carriage agency in town for a ride to the Emerald Forest.

Obviously, he was not the only one with that idea.

He entered the carriage and found the only vacant seat to sit down.

He began cautiously observing the other passengers in the carriage.

Several of them might have, like him, concealed their Class Rank presence, as he could not sense their strength. He could only roughly judge their capability based on appearance and attire.

Sitting directly across from him was a pair of warriors in light armor, a man and a woman, seemingly close and likely a couple.

A man in a black robe, face hidden, unremarkably shrunk in the corner.

Next to Gauss sat a white-haired youth with a medium-sized suitcase by his feet, flipping through a hardbound book with a finely crafted cover.

Lastly, there was a blue-haired woman with a quiet demeanor. Beside her rested a wooden wand, and she leaned against the window, gazing at the scenery outside.

While Gauss was observing the others upon sitting down, the rest were also casting side glances at him.

Including that white-haired youth who appeared absorbed in his book — he was no exception.

Warrior? Mage?

The rapier bore obvious signs of use. That large metal rod looked like a melee weapon, but a crystal was embedded in it — so was it a wand?

Tall build, solid muscles.

Couldn’t figure it out...

After a brief glance from the corner of his eye, the white-haired youth quickly withdrew that trace of alertness.

His elders had told him — when out and about, avoid unnecessary trouble, especially with those you couldn't see through.

A carriage with six passengers. Aside from the couple occasionally whispering to each other, only the sound of the coachman guiding the horses remained.

Gauss gently closed his eyes amidst the subtle jostling, beginning to rest with his eyes shut.

"Dear passengers, we’ve arrived at the Emerald Forest."

After a while of restful stillness, Gauss opened his eyes upon the coachman’s shout.

He stepped out of the carriage.

The familiar green forest unfolded before his eyes.

It was early morning, and the hazy, milky-white mist had yet to dissipate completely, winding through the woods like ribbons.

Sunlight filtered through the overlapping layers of branches and leaves, scattering in streaks of gold across the moss-covered ground.

Taking a gentle sniff, he could smell the moist scent of plants and humus in the air.

When everyone had exited the carriage—

Gauss realized that the blue-haired woman and the white-haired youth, who had not interacted at all along the way, were actually a team.

Thus, among the six people, there were two two-person teams, the lone traveler Gauss, and the last black-robed man.

None of them made any effort to exchange greetings, not even a proper exchange of glances.

The black-robed man’s figure quickly vanished down a trail deeper into the Emerald Forest, as if melting into the lush green shadows.

After securing his pack, Gauss also briskly entered the forest.

"Screee!"

Noises from above — birds of some sort letting out raucous cries.

Gauss cast Mage Armor, then continued along the forest path while comparing it to the mission map in his hand.

At occasional forks in the path, he would stop for careful comparison, marking a spot on the mental map in his mind before—

Continuing onward.

Soon, he had ventured into the outer region.

The mission map provided by the Adventurer’s Guild had roughly divided the Emerald Forest into concentric zones based on distance.

The outermost ring was relatively safe, with the danger level increasing the deeper one went. It was said that in the forest’s deepest part, adventurers might even encounter a powerful Adult Green Dragon.

Fortunately, Gauss’s mission site this time was only slightly beyond the outer ring, with no need to go deeper into the Emerald Forest.

Of course, compared to the traps he had previously set up in the outermost area, this mission location was somewhat farther in. The probability of encountering a “dangerous creature” was also higher.