Gauss focused on the Adventurer's Handbook, and several prompts immediately popped up.
At the same time, a peculiar power surged through his entire body, eventually returning to his brain.
It was a warm current coursing through him, his brain, spinal cord, and limbs feeling as if they were soaked in a hot spring, countless invisible hands kneading and massaging every part of his body, a blissful sensation that left him lost.
His brain continuously buzzed.
When he opened his eyes, everything was clear, the entire world before his eyes was fresh and renewed, as if a veil shrouding his mental awareness had been lifted.
A special energy was also imprinted in his consciousness.
It was the spell known as Mage's Hand.
Having just experienced a short but intense battle, his slightly fatigued body and mind were revitalized by this baptism.
Name: Gauss
Strength: 5 (muscle power, carrying capacity, kinetic output)
Agility: 5 (bodily flexibility, dynamic coordination skills)
Constitution: 5 (endurance, physical energy, recovery from injury, cardiopulmonary metabolism)
Intelligence: 7 (memory, thought, spiritual power)
Perception: 5 (sensory faculties, intuition, judgment)
Charm: 5 (character, affinity, appearance and posture)
Skills:
0th Ring Trick: Mage's Hand Level 1 (1/10)
Gauss inspected the changes in the handbook attributes above.
Originally possessing 6 points in Intelligence Attribute, it now rose to a leading 7 points.
This 7 points in Intelligence most directly brought the benefit of, the past half a day still occasionally relying on the memories of his former self, now in an instant thoroughly absorbed and digested, Gauss felt his memory was unprecedentedly excellent.
However, this Intelligence might not entirely equate to the IQ of the previous world, although he felt a slight sharpness in mental capabilities after increasing his Intelligence, the magnitude was not particularly large, more so an enhancement in memory, spiritual aspect power.
And...
The weak magical power flowing in his body born in response!
Indeed, he now had a flow of magical power within him that excited him greatly.
The nascent magical power was still very weak, yet real and present, seemingly like a child newly arrived at home, scurrying around the house.
Pairing it with the newly acquired spell Mage's Hand, having magical power now, he should be able to attempt practicing Magic.
However, considering the present moment was not the appropriate timing, he dismissed this briefly arisen thought.
The Monster Atlas now had a clear main objective, one was the total number of monsters slain, as long as he accumulated the monster kills to a certain phase, he would receive some rewards, the next phase being 10 monsters.
And for single-species kills, it seemed possible to accumulate quantity and receive corresponding rewards.
After feeling the changes in his body and the handbook, his attention returned to the real world.
The goblin was completely dead.
Next, it was time for him to retrieve the spoils of battle.
He picked up the Stone Spear that he had kicked away from afar and held it in his hand to examine.
Though not made of metal, its texture was firmer than he had imagined.
Take it!
His gaze fell on the goblin's body, aside from a small piece of rag covering its lower body, no other clothing was found, and that small rag was exuding a heavy stench of musk.
Gauss hesitated, refraining from reaching to strip it, thinking that taking it would likely not fetch a price, better to leave it on the goblin's body to cover the remains.
There was nothing valuable in the goblin's body itself, compounded by the fact he did not have a commission to kill goblins in a specific area, making it impossible to take some body materials to claim a reward. After a search, he took the beast tooth pendant hanging from its neck.
As for the goblin's corpse, he didn't have the time to bury it deliberately; although its blood and flesh were somewhat polluting, the primitive forest would naturally take care of it.
After tidying up his personal belongings, worried that the scent of blood would attract other demons and beasts in the forest, he quickly departed.
Returning to the oak tree where he had buried his packages, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The first monster kill was smoother than he had anticipated.
It was time to return to the town to rest.
Killing ten monsters would not be an achievement that could be completed in a day or two.
The reason he managed to catch this lone goblin entirely relied on the intelligence left by his former self, coupled with a well-devised plan, the ambush's success was thus effortless.
However, in reality, adventurers encountering low-tier monsters in the wild often face them fighting in groups; fists cannot defeat multiple hands, and despite individual strength discrepancies, attacks from all directions are quite daunting.
Presently, he did not yet possess the capability to fight multiple monsters unscathed; he needed to return and digest the gains of this venture, improving his strength.
Checking the map, he headed back the way he came.
Exiting the forest, returning to the main road, he finally saw human silhouettes again.
From then, it was returning along the original route.
Arriving at the town's checkpoint as dusk was approaching.
The setting sun hung over the distant mountain peaks.
The last rays spilled onto the town's gray stone rooftops, adorning the otherwise plain town with a layer of golden hue.
Reflecting back, most of his journey this trip was spent on the road, the actual fighting was not very long.
Upon inspection and passing through, Gauss resolved to acquire a mount.
Otherwise, every venture would exhaust him merely from walking before even reaching the task site.
Particularly with the current development seemingly geared towards becoming a Caster, attributes like Constitution and Strength being average to normal people, it emphasizes the need to manage physical energy allocation on a regular basis even more.
...
After bathing at a local-run bathing facility.
Shedding his Cloth Armor, re-dressed in loose linen clothing, Gauss felt invigorated.
The hot water soaked his skin red, as if the weariness of mind and body was taken away by the steam.
Besides combat, moderate enjoyment to relax and unwind the nerves was necessary; one cannot maintain constantly taut emotions, otherwise collapsing is inevitable.
The summer night at Gray Rock Town flowed with an agreeable breeze like clear spring water, the night sky glittering with stars, presenting a special deep-blue hue.
The town center's market square was lit by pine resin torches, street stalls with canvas canopies supported by bamboo poles, wind chimes swaying, emitting crisp sounds, ceramic pots filled with delicacies wafting rich aromas.
Fearing losing control and spending recklessly, his former self rarely had the habit of going street shopping in the evening.
Walking through this exotic night market for the first time, Gauss found everything fascinating.
Most market stalls sold food, but there were a few fortune-telling booths, stalls with cheap jewelry, while the tent showcasing the puppet show occupied the most crowd.
The patrolling guards were equipped with Longswords, standing guard to maintain order.
Overall, this was a town full of lifelike vitality, especially when night fell.
"How much is this worth?"
Gauss took out the beast tooth pendant and Stone Spear obtained from the goblin, squatting before a miscellaneous stall, inquiring about their prices.
"You got this from a goblin?" The stall owner was an elderly man, crouching closer and said after inspecting carefully.
Though stated as a question, his tone revealed certainty.
Evidently, he frequently dealt with similar primitive adornments and items.
"Yes, I just killed a goblin in Jade Forest this afternoon and took it from its body."
"I don't want the Stone Spear, but I can give 70 Copper Coins for the pendant; you know, there isn't much clientele interested in these rustic wild styles, and these ornaments aren't especially rare. I'm willing to take it seeing this wolf tooth craftsmanship is decent," the elderly man quoted his price, seemingly noticing Gauss's hesitancy, he added.
"This is the market price, you can inquire with other merchants in the town who buy these materials, it should not differ markedly."
Gauss was largely satisfied with this offer, a beast tooth pendant selling for 70 Copper Coins, nearly one-fifth of his previous savings.
However, unsure about the market price trend, he wasn't in a rush to sell, planned to ask several quotes from shops, then sell to the highest bidder.
Fetching extra Copper Coins is beneficial, considering it wouldn't consume much of his time.
For an Adventurer, money is highly important: equipment, weapons, potions, master's guidance, skill acquisition.
With money, all can be had.
Arm oneself to the teeth, fighting low-level monsters, life safety is better ensured.
After a round at surrounding stalls and shops.
He found the elderly man had not deceived him; other quotes hovered around several tens of Copper Coins.
Ultimately, Gauss sold the spoils for a price of 78 Copper Coins.