The old kobold died so quickly—no one in the party even fully registered what had happened before it blew itself up.
But thinking it through, most of them figured it was probably Gauss's doing.
They didn't understand how exactly, but when something weird or magical happened, assuming the party mage did it was usually a safe bet.
"Threat neutralized," Gauss exhaled. Another hidden danger taken care of, no injuries.
His gaze shifted to the remaining kobolds.
Now trembling violently, the rest of them were clearly terrified by the elder's sudden, explosive death. One even dropped to its knees and began frantically bowing in the direction of the crude dragon idol, as if it believed the elder's death was divine punishment.
"Without overwhelming numbers or a strong leader, these kobolds really are just a disorganized mess," Gauss thought. "Getting in here's the hardest part. Took forever."
According to intel from Meva, this kobold den was actually one of the simpler ones. Many older, well-established kobold lairs were sprawling underground labyrinths. Some were so complex that newbie adventurers would abandon quests halfway, terrified of getting lost and dying in the dark.
Even blasting entrances shut rarely did more than collapse a few shallow tunnels. The deeper kobolds remained untouched.
That's why just reaching the central hall had already accomplished over half the mission.
Gauss refocused.
The adult kobolds left behind were now visibly shaking and preparing to run. But he felt no pity.
This mine might have been abandoned, but the land still belonged to the Carlos Kingdom. These kobolds were invaders—and leaving them unchecked meant more monsters would multiply and encroach on human settlements.
That was exactly why the Adventurers' Guild regularly issued extermination commissions, even in uninhabited areas. The kingdom itself ultimately paid for those missions.
Likewise, humans who ventured into the Emerald Forest often faced retaliation from the monsters there. That's why only licensed professionals were allowed to go deep into monster zones.
"Purge them."
Gauss didn't hesitate. His rapier moved with surgical precision.
"Schlk!"
A clean thrust pierced a kobold's throat. Its scaly body collapsed, twitching.
His improved agility made everything sharper—faster. He didn't even need to aim now.
"Slash!"
"Stab!"
[Kobold Slain ×1]
[Total Monster Kills: 55]
One by one, the adult kobolds fell.
When the last of them died, the party's eyes fell on the remaining kobold whelps—barely knee-high with oversized heads.
Gauss hesitated briefly, then—
"Swish! Swish!"
A series of fast slashes ended their cries before they began.
No kill notifications popped up.
He glanced at his status.
Still 55.
Apparently, killing kobold young didn't count. Probably because they weren't combat-capable. Still, he didn't regret it. "No mercy for monsters. No loose ends," he reminded himself.
Who knew how many would grow up to become a new generation of invaders?
Not long after, rapid footsteps echoed from the entrance tunnel.
Clearly, the commotion in the hall had reached the mining kobolds. Now they were rushing back.
But Gauss's group had acted too fast.
The first kobold burst into the room with a mining pick—only to freeze mid-step at the sight of carnage.
It wasn't alone. More kobolds spilled in behind it—and one by one, they all stopped, stunned. Their wide eyes locked onto the butchered remains of their tribe.
They were digging next door... and came back to find their home destroyed.
"RAH! RAH! RAH!!"
The shock didn't last long. The new arrivals roared in rage.
Their lizard-like tails smacked the ground in unison—not just from agitation, but to rally morale.
These were no sickly guards—they were workers, yes, but young and strong. Their desire to fight burned hot.
But... rage was not enough.
Minutes later...
Gauss wiped blood from his rapier with a cloth strip.
Thanks to Mage Armor, he hadn't taken a scratch. A few attacks had scraped him, sure—but the spell absorbed it all.
The armor's durable shielding still held strong, wrapping him in invisible safety. It gave him real peace of mind.
[Total Monster Kills: 59]
Kobolds couldn't overcome humanity with rage alone.
In real life, berserk power surges didn't magically manifest just because you were mad.
"Phew—exhausting."
The rest of the party slumped against the wall, catching their breath. The battle itself hadn't been especially dangerous—aside from the old kobold's fire attack—but crawling through those low tunnels beforehand had worn everyone out.
With the fight over, it was time to loot.
Kobolds loved hoarding "treasure."
Which... usually turned out to be literal trash. Gauss ignored the pile of shiny junk. Meva would sort through it—she had a sharp eye for valuables.
Instead, he walked over to the elevated rocky platform where the fire-breathing elder kobold had stood.
With a flick of Mage Hand, he pulled the charred corpse down to ground level.
Thud!
It hit hard.
Gauss crouched beside it, curious. He retrieved the lizard head from where it had rolled and placed it near the body.
The neck was a mess, completely blown apart—but the scales around it were darker than the rest. Thicker, more mutated.
"This elder kobold's body might actually be worth something," said a voice beside him. It was Laevin, approaching quietly.
"Was that one considered a challenge-rated monster?" Gauss asked, intrigued.
Challenge ratings were monster equivalents of adventurer ranks—used to denote the threat level of non-human enemies. If this kobold counted as a true CR-level enemy, it meant it had power far beyond normal beasts.