After wandering through the forest for most of the day...
Gauss finally found signs left behind by goblins in the afternoon.
On a gray stone were several dried-up small footprints.
"Total Monsters Killed: 94."
After killing those five goblins the previous night, he was now just six away from his goal of reaching 100 kills.
If he could find a goblin nest, that number would be easy to reach.
Gauss wasn't the only one pleased—the two villagers who had been trekking through the woods with him all day were clearly relieved too.
With signs of activity discovered, Gauss expanded his search in the area.
Eventually, in a patch of muddy terrain, he found a small goblin group.
He observed them from a distance for a bit and noted that this particular goblin tribe was quite small—only eight of the green-skinned creatures were bathing in the mud.
He wasn't sure if the five goblins he'd killed the day before came from the same group, but even if they did, the total count would only be thirteen.
This group of goblins was also physically smaller than average, with most of them around one meter tall. Well-developed goblins could usually reach 1.4 to 1.5 meters in height.
That size gap made a significant difference, even among the same species.
And it explained why people often struggled to judge goblin combat capabilities—after all, even "normal" goblins had large variances in strength.
"Wait here. I'll handle this alone," Gauss said, concerned the two villagers might follow and "steal" a few kills—possibly preventing him from reaching exactly 100.
"Be careful, then."
In truth, Gauss was overthinking it. The villagers had no intention of helping anyway.
Gauss moved swiftly through the forest.
He silently approached the muddy clearing.
Perhaps because they were too immersed in enjoying their mud baths, the goblins' guard was down.
Gauss was nearly on top of them before one of them finally noticed him.
"Wah wah wah!"
As it raised the alarm to its companions, Gauss had already stepped into the ankle-deep mud.
With a powerful step, mud splashed, and his body surged forward.
A cold, narrow sword sliced through the air.
From above, it stabbed cleanly through a goblin's throat.
[Goblin Slain ×1]
[Total Monster Kills: 95]
The others reacted a beat too late, scrambling to grab their weapons.
Another panicked goblin was swiftly beheaded under Gauss's swift strike.
[Total Monster Kills: 96]
His swordplay had become more efficient and precise.
These nearly 100 kills weren't just numbers—they represented real improvement across all his skills: combat efficiency, mental stability, real-time strategy, awareness of enemy behaviors...
All of these intangible abilities had been honed through battle.
A few minutes later—
The last goblin jabbed a stone spear at Gauss's stomach, only to have it absorbed by an invisible force field.
In the creature's desperate gaze, Gauss raised his rapier and slashed its neck. The head fell with a dull thud into the mud.
Battle over.
With all goblins eliminated, Gauss eagerly opened his adventurer's handbook.
As expected, the system—just like with earlier milestones—granted him a reward.
[Goblin Slain ×1]
[Total Monster Kills: 102]
[Reward Unlocked: Trait – Magic Resistance]
[Magic Resistance: Based on the quality of your mana, you gain resistance to hostile magic, reducing the effects of enemy spells. The stronger your mana, the stronger the resistance.]
[Reward Unlocked: Strength +1]
[Next Milestone: 200 monster kills.]
A surge of mysterious energy rushed through Gauss's body—especially through his muscles.
The magic force soaked into his tissues like a thousand invisible hands massaging and reshaping him.
Muscle fibers became visibly more defined, and any slackness in his form vanished.
In mere breaths, Gauss felt his physical strength surge.
He opened his eyes and smiled. Not only had his strength increased—he had received something even more precious.
Unlike previous rewards of spells or attributes, this time he gained a new innate trait.
Magic Resistance.
Just seeing the words made Gauss's eyes light up.
Between spells and traits, it was obvious which was rarer.
Spells, in theory, could be learned from books, mentors, or other channels—even if not granted by the system.
Traits, on the other hand, were far harder to acquire.
As far as Gauss knew, most apprentice mages only gained their first trait upon advancing to full-fledged professionals, and even then, only based on their prior skill development.
But he?
He hadn't even advanced yet—and already had two growth-based traits:
Quick Digestion, tied to goblin kills
Magic Resistance, just earned now
According to its description, its strength was tied to his mana quality—so the more his mana developed, the stronger his magic resistance would become.
A terrifyingly powerful effect.
This also addressed a known weakness of his.
Earlier, when testing Mage Armor on others, he'd noticed it was more effective against physical attacks than magical ones.
When hit by his own Magic Missile, the clashing magic would destabilize the Mage Armor, leaving it vulnerable.
He had suspected either a flaw in the spell itself or that his mastery wasn't high enough.
But now—with Magic Resistance—he didn't need to worry about the cause.
He simply knew that, from now on, magical attacks would affect him far less.
And with Mage Armor layered on top, the resistance would likely stack, making him far tougher than any apprentice should reasonably be.
Once he advanced and Mage Armor became a core skill, it would evolve further—and his defenses would become fearsome, even among those at his tier.
After reviewing the trait's effect, Gauss glanced at his second reward:
+1 Strength.
Admittedly, he had hoped for a boost to Intelligence—his most important stat.
He now suspected the system's stat bonuses weren't completely random.
Still, Strength wasn't a bad outcome. The solid, energized feeling in his body was definitely satisfying.
As a mage apprentice, he had to admit: in these early stages, that sword of his was still pulling a lot of weight.
More strength meant more combat power.
And he was just fine with that.