I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 12: Hunter and Prey

“Whoosh!”

Hailier obeyed Gauss’s command and chose not to use her skill.

But even without using skills, her archery, honed by years of practice, still allowed her to maintain fairly good accuracy.

While goblins continued to swarm around Gauss, Hailier, after missing several arrows, once again pierced a goblin’s upper arm and another’s side.

Using a wooden shield and spear to block attacks, and dodging with a sidestep, Gauss moved beside an injured goblin.

The goblin, as if realizing what he intended, shakily raised a crude wooden club with one hand to threaten him.

But Gauss appeared to ignore it; within his accelerated thought mode, he entered a calm state and slid behind the goblin.

He jabbed the wooden spear into the goblin’s chest amid its terrified screeching.

“Goblin killed ×1”

“Total monsters slain: 4”

He did not pause, evaded a swing, and then dashed toward another goblin pierced in the side, driving his spear into its wound.

He twisted his wrist; the spear’s white-glowing tip ripped viciously through the slimy body—one fatal blow!

“Goblin killed ×1”

“Total monsters slain: 5”

He felt himself becoming more proficient.

His wooden spear, strong and forceful, coated in a faint white glow, delivered an extra burst of power on impact.

It was this mysterious surge of strength that allowed him to slay goblins more easily.

“You have earned the title ‘Goblin Hunter’; the title will upgrade with more kills.”

“Current effect: Nemesis. In fights against goblins and related advanced species, damage dealt is increased by 10%.”

Gauss recalled that he had gained a title.

The Nemesis effect granted him greater power when facing goblins.

At this moment, his fear and panic in battle had been completely washed away.

He was bloodied all over; his breathing was heavy from intense combat and his stamina had drained significantly, but his gaze was steeled.

He looked again at the four goblins left alive.

The reflection of the burning fire in his green eyes somehow caused those goblins to feel inexplicable fear.

Goblins were inherently cruel yet cowardly creatures.

Their cunning nature made them inherently assess situations.

When they had an absolute advantage in numbers, their brutality would dominate.

At such times, goblins fought like fearless warriors, charging to devour enemies alive.

That was also why they dared come out from their caves to battle.

But now, as one companion after another fell under Gauss’s strikes, bled out, and became cold corpses—

Their cowardice inevitably surfaced again.

And now, a mysterious aura radiating from Gauss further unsettled them; the goblins facing him began to tremble uncontrollably, and panic started to spread among them.

Now then, who was the hunter?

And who was the prey?

Gauss glanced at the wooden spear still embedded in a goblin’s body—its tip had snapped.

Whether it was due to the strain from the white glow or its mediocre quality, he wasn’t sure.

His arm was aching anyway, so he decided to switch weapons.

He pulled out the dagger at his waist.

“Whoosh!”

After missing several arrows, one of Hailier’s shots pierced a goblin’s lower leg.

She provided support again.

Seeing this, Gauss dashed forward, his boots crunching against soil darkened by blood.

Now wielding a dagger, he became even more agile.

He noticed that with his accelerated thoughts—almost like low-end bullet time—lighter weapons suited him better.

Holding both a shield and a nearly two-meter spear had restricted his movements.

Meanwhile, the remaining three goblins stood frozen, seemingly scared stiff.

“Slash!!”

He raised the dagger high and brought it down diagonally.

White light enveloped the blade and surged on contact, exploding with power.

The goblin, unable to resist, was like a lamb to the slaughter.

Its neck, shoulder, and arm were slashed open in one massive gash.

Blood splattered, dyeing half of Gauss’s face red.

Another one!

“Total monsters slain: 6”

With a grunt, Gauss, emboldened by continuous victories, turned toward another nearby goblin.

“Bang!”

He lifted his round shield and clashed with the goblin’s wooden club.

Unleashing all his strength, he disarmed the goblin.

The club dropped to the ground.

Gauss inhaled deeply, gathered strength, and slashed the now-defenseless goblin across the belly.

“Total monsters slain: 7”

Up in the trees, Hailier stood dumbfounded, watching the scene.

What was with this guy Gauss?

So strong!

Gauss now seemed lost in bloodlust.

Though his brain throbbed, and his arms and legs trembled from exhaustion, his body and mind surged with excitement.

He swallowed the rusty taste of blood in his mouth and looked toward the last two goblins, who were already showing signs of retreat.

Their will to fight had been shattered by his savagery.

Their weapon-gripping hands shook violently.

“Mage Hand!”

Once again, magical energy formed in the air.

Mage Hand struck one goblin’s weakened grip, knocking its weapon from above.

More than ten pounds of force disarmed it instantly.

Then it disarmed another goblin.

Both of the last goblins were now weaponless.

Exposed before Gauss, they had no resistance left.

Gauss wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

Suppressing his heavy breathing and enduring the fiery pain in his lungs, he lunged.

Clutching his dagger tightly, he twisted his spine and drove his whole arm forward.

He sliced open a goblin trying to turn and flee.

Its belly opened wide, intestines spilling out.

“Total monsters slain: 8”

He didn’t glance at the halved goblin—the last one was fleeing.

He gritted his teeth and lunged forward, stomping through the bloody mess of guts.

In three long strides, he caught up with the goblin just about to leap into the forest.

“Shhk!”

The dagger stabbed into its back, then sank into the goblin’s soft belly like tofu.

Gauss twisted his wrist fiercely, churning the insides.

“Roarrrrr!!!”

The goblin let out a final unwilling wail.

Gauss yanked the blade free—his legs suddenly gave way.

Before collapsing, he propped himself with a hand, half-kneeling on the ground.

The high-intensity bursts had drained his stamina faster than expected—he was beyond exhaustion.

“Total monsters slain: 9”

Staring at his trembling limbs, Gauss gasped for breath.

His cloth armor was tattered, and he bore several minor cuts from stray blows.

“Hiss—this hurts a bit.”

With the battle on his side over, the rush faded, and exhaustion and pain flooded in.

He had gone beyond his limits.

Aside from the first solo kill of a scout goblin, he had just slain seven more in a row.

Of course, Hailier’s supporting arrows played a role—her shots pushed goblins back, forced them to reposition, and wounded them, creating Gauss’s windows to strike.

If not for her, the battle might have tipped toward the goblins early on.

But in the end, Hailier was a support—Gauss's unwavering willpower won the day.

Though it looked like he was butchering goblins cruelly, in terms of raw strength, he wasn’t overwhelming.

In fact, he might have been the weaker side.

His rapid thinking, the Nemesis effect, and the fear he inspired all combined.

Without those factors, the battle could have gone very differently.

As they say—when your body reaches its limit, it’s your will that pushes you through.

The goblins lost the will to fight, but Gauss, though drained, only grew fiercer.

That alone decided life and death!

Atop the tree, Hailier lowered her bow—drawing so often had strained her arms, now sore and swollen.

As both panted to recover, a sudden scream came from the other side.

It was Bell’s voice!

Yes—besides Hailier’s support and Gauss’s offense, the two of them had killed nine goblins in total.

But nine more were still surrounding Bell, Mia, and the remaining three villagers.