I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 95: Goblin Village

"Plop!"

A blob of slimy dark green leapt onto the path in front of Gauss, blocking his way.

Gauss halted his steps and looked down. It turned out to be an old acquaintance.

Slime, a creature not commonly seen near human settlements, seemed to be quite numerous within the Emerald Forest.

They just popped out unexpectedly as he walked.

"Pfft!"

Once the slime noticed Gauss, the uninvited guest, its limp body suddenly compressed against the ground. Then, using the rebound force, it sprang up high, seemingly trying to land directly on Gauss's head.

"Swoosh!"

Gauss drew his rapier and sliced a crescent arc in front of him. Then, with a nimble hop, he retreated two steps.

"Popii!"

The slime, leaping through the air, had its core precisely slashed by the blade.

Its entire body instantly turned into a puddle of stinky slime, splashing onto the ground before Gauss.

"Slime defeated *1"

"Total Monster Kill Count: 180"

Gauss picked up the coagulated Slime Gel from the ground and placed it in the small pouch on the side of his backpack.

This was worth dozens of copper coins—enough for a meal. No reason to waste it.

It was clear now: the monsters in this Emerald Forest were indeed enthusiastic.

Even a mere slime dared to recklessly attack him alone.

Gauss raised an eyebrow.

He suddenly felt the monsters in this forest seemed far more aggressive than those outside.

But this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. These solitary low-level Small Monsters, no matter how many came, were just easy pickings.

He never turned away such encounters. After swiftly finishing off this crazed little slime, he continued down the forest trail while referencing his map.

The deeper he went, the denser the forest became.

The trees grew thicker and taller, often so large that even two people couldn’t encircle one with their arms.

This also made Gauss instinctively more cautious.

"Tsa!"

The sword in his hand suddenly stabbed into the soft soil. A snake as thick as a child's wrist was pinned down into the dirt.

Perhaps due to the forest’s remoteness, the resources of wild flora and fauna here were also quite abundant.

Along the way, Gauss had already spotted several Gray Rabbits, a Wild Boar, and a young Spotted Deer.

But since none of them showed aggression, he had no reason to attack them. After all, he came here for Goblins, not for deep-forest hunting.

Around noon—

He found a clearing with just enough sunlight trickling through to take a break.

Opening his backpack, he laid down an insect-repelling tarp on the ground and began rummaging for dry rations.

As usual, he ate the standard trio: Dried Meat Strips, Black Bread, and Meat Paste—all cold food.

Cooking while out on official business was a luxury, and the scent might attract other unknown creatures in the forest.

Chewing heartily, he felt the food warm him as it entered his belly and gradually flowed through his body.

He took a sip of water.

Then laid down a bit on the tarp, massaging his ankles and shoulders that had been wrapped and strained for half a day. After resting a while, Gauss felt his stamina fully restored.

The ability of Rapid Digestion played a vital role during his adventures.

Because of it, Gauss felt fatigue much less than other Adventurers.

Fatigue from stamina loss could be a serious problem. Not only would a Warrior, who relied on physical strength, suffer in combat performance, even a Mage would find it hard to maintain effective casting without ample stamina.

"Roughly 1–2 more hours of walking to reach the Mission Site."

Just as Gauss spread out the map to estimate the remaining distance—

The bushes ahead suddenly rustled, followed by a sharp whistling sound cutting through the air.

"Tch!"

Gauss grabbed the map and rolled to the side.

He nimbly dodged a Long Spear thrown from a distance.

"Crack!"

The spear pierced through the tarp and embedded itself into the soil.

Seeing a hole torn into his recently purchased tarp, Gauss furrowed his brows.

Then he turned toward the direction from which the spear had been thrown.

From the bushes emerged several inherently evil green-skinned little fiends.

At this moment, they were scanning Gauss greedily, drool dripping uncontrollably from their mouths.

Seeing the enemy's true face, the crease in Gauss’s brow eased slightly—but only slightly.

He was pleased to encounter these Goblins, but not at all pleased about his torn property.

"Five of them."

He counted the number.

Gauss had no interest in wasting time.

He was no longer who he once was. Defeating five Goblins was no longer a challenge.

The only question was which method would save him more time and energy.

Noticing that two of the Goblins holding Long Spears were currently crouching and preparing to throw—

Gauss casually picked up the Unbreaking Staff leaning against his pack. At the flick of a thought, Magical Energy surged from the Class Rank Flask toward the wand.

"Magic Missile!"

A dual-cast of downgraded Magic Missile, slightly charged, shot forth at high speed.

The missiles tore through the air—

Then struck the Goblins’ bodies with a heavy thud.

  "Bang!!!"

With a crisp explosion, the two targeted Goblins were blown several meters away almost instantly by the powerful impact force.

The ostrich egg-sized holes pierced into their chests continued to gush shredded flesh and bloody fluid.

"Goblin defeated *2"

"Total Monster Kill Count: 182"

Magic Missile had become significantly more powerful since he had been promoted to Professional Mage.

Feeling that hardly any Magical Energy had been consumed, Gauss finally cracked a smile.

These downgraded Magic Missiles were actually a few levels stronger than their full-power versions from his Apprentice Spellcaster days, and now he estimated he could fire more than twenty of them at this level!

At last, he was no longer in that apprentice state where just a few casts would drain him dry of magic.

Considering that if he managed to replenish during battle, fighting while restoring energy on the move, the number of casts could probably reach over thirty.

That felt satisfying.

Finally, he no longer had to calculate every bit of Magical Energy before casting.

Now he was beginning to look like a true spellcaster.

The remaining three Goblins had already been frightened out of their wits by Gauss’s two Magic Missiles and scrambled to flee on all fours.

Gauss’s gaze locked onto them.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Another double cast of Magic Missile accurately struck down two of the Goblins.

Then, after one or two breaths, Magical Energy once again gathered at the tip of the wand.

"Thud!"

The final Magic Missile blasted the fleeing Goblin deep into the dirt.

"Goblin defeated *3"

"Total Monster Kill Count: 185"

Gauss looked at the Goblins lying dead on the spot.

Within just a few breaths, he had slain five Goblins with spells.

This efficiency was even faster than using a sword.

And more importantly, he had remained clean throughout the process, avoiding being splashed by the foul-smelling Goblin blood—a real convenience in the wilderness where cleaning was troublesome.

It seemed he could afford to increase his spell usage from now on.

Feeling the Magical Energy still abundant within him, he silently pondered. He wondered whether other newly promoted Professional Mages or Warlocks could use magic at such high frequency. If not, to what extent could they manage?

So far, Gauss hadn’t had much contact with other Professionals at the same stage, so he wasn’t yet familiar with the capabilities of other Tier 1 Mages or Warlocks.

After using up some Magical Energy,

Having just rested, Gauss had to once again take out some food and continue eating.

Only when his magic was fully restored

Did he tidy up his backpack and proceed in the direction indicated on the map.

Sunlight was often absent in the dense forest, making it difficult to accurately judge time.

Gauss felt he had walked for over an hour before he finally arrived near the Mission Site.

As always, upon reaching a new location, he first left a marker in the mental map inside his mind and labeled it “First Tier 1 Entry-level Commission Goblin Tribe.”

After a short rest, he placed his backpack in a relatively hidden corner.

He then traveled light, starting to search for the tribe of over fifty Adult Goblins.

It wasn’t long before he found numerous footprints in the soil.

The activity range of a medium-sized Goblin Tribe could extend several kilometers. Moreover, Goblins had no concept of covering their tracks, making the search rather easy.

So as Gauss tracked the trail upstream—

The camp of the Goblin Tribe soon appeared before him.

It was completely different from those small groups of ten to twenty individuals he had encountered before.

In his eyes, this tribal camp was already beginning to take shape.

In a clearing with clear signs of human alteration stood what could only be called a Goblin “Village.”

Surrounded by a loosely stacked short wall of stones, the exterior was smeared with an unidentified substance—possibly feces or mud. Beyond the short wall, he could vaguely see the silhouettes of densely packed green-skinned little fiends moving about inside.