"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
After the first goblin summoned the courage to rush out, the others finally realized the enemy wasn't going to enter the cave. They started organizing to fight back.
A flurry of wooden arrows shot from the depths of the cave.
The party quickly retreated from the entrance, dodging the first wave of attacks.
"Get ready for combat!"
"Thud-thud-thud!"
Alongside the arrows came the chaotic sound of many hurried footsteps.
Listening carefully, Gauss crouched by the entrance. Once the timing felt right, he peeked inside—his white bone staff already pulsing with magical energy.
"Magic Missile!"
A glowing blue projectile quickly formed at the tip of his staff, drawing ambient mana and solidifying in an instant.
Just then, the first wave of goblins came charging straight into it.
"Boom!"
The missile exploded against the stomach of the first goblin, tearing through flesh like a massive bullet. It then continued with only slight resistance, crashing into several more behind it.
The second missile followed right behind, detonating again in the narrow passage.
[Goblin Slain x1]
[Goblin Slain x1]
...
Multiple kill notifications flickered across Gauss's vision.
In the cramped tunnel filled with tightly packed goblins, the two Magic Missiles proved devastating. He hadn't even aimed carefully—they practically ran into the blast themselves.
Unfortunately, only the tunnel near the entrance was straight. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to smoke the goblins out to begin with.
[Total Monsters Kills: 66]
Glancing at the notification, Gauss realized those two missiles had taken down six goblins.
A faint warmth surged through his body—his Quick Digestion trait was leveling up again.
So this is what it feels like to be a spellcaster, huh?
He was beginning to get it now.
Warriors had to slog through the mess, sword in hand, getting soaked in blood.
But mages?
As long as they had enough mana, the enemy could die before ever reaching them.
That said, maybe the Magic Missile was too effective.
The goblins, who had just started building up courage, immediately retreated deeper into the cave in fear.
"Keep smoking them out!"
With goblins once again in hiding, the group wasn't in a hurry. They restarted the fire and fanned the toxic black smoke back into the den.
Another ten minutes passed.
Finally, unable to endure the poison, the goblins charged the entrance again.
This time, Gauss didn't cast Magic Missile. He feared that doing so might scare them into sealing themselves in forever. They only had so much sulfur and toxins left, and a full cave raid would be far more trouble.
Through the black haze, a group of goblins emerged—armed and howling.
Their once-green skin now looked ashen, covered in soot. Tears streamed from their eyes, and some collapsed right at the cave mouth.
"Prepare for battle!"
Seeing the goblins finally surface, everyone sprang into action.
Gauss darted forward, locking onto three goblins who had fainted on the spot.
With his Basic Swordsmanship skill enhancing his control, his rapier precisely pierced each of their vitals, bursting out in crimson sprays.
[Goblin Slain x3]
[Total Monsters Kills: 69]
"Nice."
Finishing off downed enemies wasn't beneath him. And who knew? One of them might be faking it.
With those three down, Gauss turned to the field—his teammates were already cutting down goblins left and right. The ones staggering out were still delirious from the smoke—not much of a threat to seasoned adventurers.
He picked up the pace.
[Goblin Slain x1]
…
He weaved through the battle, rapier flashing, killing with practiced ease.
His Goblin Hunter title kicked in—his sword coated with a faint white glow from the "Bane" effect, boosting damage against goblins.
"Shhk!"
He cleanly slashed the last goblin's neck, sheathed his sword, and took a breath.
Like cutting through butter.
It had been a while since his last goblin fight—and it really showed just how far he'd come.
Surprisingly, his Basic Swordsmanship skill was proving more useful than expected in real combat.
[Total Monsters Kills: 75]
"Magic Missile Lvl.2 (13/20)"
"Mage Armor Lvl.2 (15/20)"
"Basic Swordsmanship Lvl.1 (6/10)"
All three skill proficiencies had increased again: one, two, and one point respectively.
Once this mission was over, he planned to focus training on Mage Armor—he was getting close to Lv3.
Gauss wiped his hands and pulled out a few strips of jerky wrapped in cloth, chewing slowly as he recovered his strength and mulled over the battle.
"Good work, everyone."
"Anyone hurt?"
"Check me—I think I got jabbed in the side or something." Doyle pointed at his waist.
Gauss blinked.
Seriously? Those goblins were half-dead when they came out. How did he even get hit?
He glanced at Daphne, and realization dawned.
Come to think of it, Doyle always had a "wound" after a battle. This guy wasn't injured—he just wanted the cute cleric to patch him up.
Pathetic.
Gauss shook his head, amused.
"Gauss, how many goblins did you get just now?" Leavin asked.
Gauss looked at his adventurer's manual and did some quick math.
"Around 15 or 16."
The actual number was 16.
He'd started with 59 total kills and now had 75.
His breakdown:
1 sneak kill at the start
6 with Magic Missile
3 while they were passed out
6 in direct combat
He'd gone in hard because these goblins were clearly weaklings—no decent weapons, just crude wooden clubs.
While others had to dodge attacks, he could afford to take hits with Mage Armor.
And the result?
Six goblins down in no time. Clean and efficient.
He didn't notice how quiet things had gotten.
Everyone stared at him in stunned silence.
Turns out, there had only been twenty-something goblins total.
Leavin looked at Gauss, a swirl of emotions in his eyes.
No wonder this mission had felt so easy.
Gauss had done most of the work.
"…Gauss?"
"Hmm? What's up, Leavin?"
"…Nothing. Let's talk when we get back."