Gauss's Mage Hand successfully delivered the poison pouch to the water source.
Everything after that went smoothly.
The pouch was submerged into the spring, and under the gentle pressure of Mage Hand, it ruptured. Streams of toxic liquid slowly seeped out, blending silently into the water.
Mission complete.
Gauss sank the pouch to the bottom, weighed it down with a rock to hide any signs, and ended the spell.
Now it was just a matter of time.
He retreated from the goblin village back into the forest, munching on jerky as he kept a careful eye on the camp.
Cicadas buzzed loudly in the sweltering afternoon heat. Waves of hot air rippled through the clearing.
Even in the shade of the forest, Gauss found himself constantly sipping from his water pouch to wet his dry lips.
Let alone the goblins.
Over the next hour or two, Gauss observed as the vast majority of goblins took turns going to the spring to drink. They'd fill their wooden bowls, chug it down, and return to their crude little huts to nap.
And then… the poison started working.
The first to go down were the sentries—they had drunk the earliest.
Gauss watched as one goblin, snoozing against the wall, suddenly doubled over in pain, squatted, and began violently relieving itself right there by the wall.
Brown sludge sprayed like a burst dam, coating the grass beneath it in putrid goo.
Then came the others. One after another, goblins repeated the same horrific performance.
Gauss winced at the sight—but internally, he was pleased. The laxative was working. He made a mental note to revisit that alchemy shop and stock up.
Soon, the ones in the huts began crawling out, grimacing and groaning as they dragged themselves toward the walls or relieved themselves on the spot.
More and more fell victim.
In less than an hour, over forty goblins were visibly suffering.
Some were so dehydrated and exhausted, they collapsed in their huts, motionless like corpses.
The only downside? The Redcap Goblin hadn't shown itself.
Maybe it could hold its thirst longer? Or maybe it had a private stash of clean water?
"Time for a righteous ambush."
Gauss stood, watching as the goblins were now all sluggish and weakened. He knew he couldn't wait much longer—any further delay and some might start recovering.
He gave his gear one last check.
Gripping his metal staff, he walked to the goblin village.
Even before reaching the wall, the stench hit him—a nauseating mix of feces and rot.
Thankfully, he'd prepared a face mask this time, which took the edge off.
He kicked open the crude wooden gate.
One of the nearest sentry goblins flinched at the noise, struggling to get up.
But Gauss was far faster.
Before it could even lift its weapon, his blade came down—cleanly severing its head.
The head rolled across the ground, eyes still wide with fear and confusion.
[Goblin Slain ×1]
[Total Monster Kills: 186]
Looking at the goblin's pitiful state, Gauss felt no guilt.
This was the result of his careful planning.
The once-nimble goblins were now sluggish and helpless—easy kills.
And sympathy? That didn't exist. These creatures had eaten humans. The human legs hanging from the meat rack were proof enough.
Killing goblins was justice.
"Time to hunt."
Gauss surged forward into the village.
Nearby goblins tried to scramble for their weapons but were too slow.
His sword flashed.
Blood sprayed.
[Goblin Slain ×4]
[Total Monster Kills: 190]
Ten left.
He scanned the area—more goblins were scrambling to respond, grabbing spears and rallying. But they moved like drunks, barely able to keep their footing.
Their faces twisted with panic.
Inside the main tent, the Redcap Goblin had also been stirred by the commotion.
It grabbed its gear, bent low, and peeked out the flap.
Seeing the scene outside, it slipped out, hugging the shadows. With practiced stealth, it moved to a hidden corner, drew an arrow from its quiver, and loosed a shot.
"Whizz!"
The arrow flew toward Gauss's side.
He hadn't noticed—his attention had been on the goblins in front.
It wasn't until the arrow was halfway through the air that his peripheral vision picked it up.
"Thunk!"
It struck his magical shield—Mage Armor flaring to life.
Ripples spread through the energy field. The arrow's momentum was completely absorbed.
Gauss turned his head, eyes narrowing toward the tent.
He spotted the Redcap—sneaky bastard had tried to snipe him.
Yup. Definitely smarter than the average goblin.
That arrow packed more force than usual too—clearly this guy was no joke.
Seeing its shot fail, the Redcap's face twisted with concern. It looked to its weakened goblin troops, growing even more unsure.
What's going on?
It didn't fire again.
Instinct warned it: this man was dangerous. Far more than any human it had fought before.
Instead, it slipped back into the goblin ranks, trying to blend in.
Trying to hide and snipe me again?
Gauss scoffed.
Other rookie adventurers might've struggled with this—but not him.
And those "elite" troops the Redcap relied on? They were falling apart.
Gauss planted his staff on the ground.
A blue glow swirled before him.
His eyes locked onto a group of archer goblins hiding at the flanks.
"Magic Missile!"
Two glowing orbs launched from his staff, homing in on their targets.
"Boom!"
Both goblins were blown back, killed instantly.
[Goblin Slain ×2]
[Total Monster Kills: 192]
Still not enough.
He ignored the charging spear goblins and focused on the remaining archers.
If the Redcap hadn't been hiding, he might've gone straight for the head.
But the smarter move was to eliminate the ranged attackers first.
He took a breath, focused his mana, and cast again.
Blue light flared.
One goblin had just climbed onto the wall, preparing to fire—only to see that deadly glow aimed right at him.
His face went pale.
"Boom! Boom!"
Two more Magic Missiles.
Two more kills.
He repeated the process twice more.
Eight archers. All dead.
[Goblin Slain ×6]
[Total Monster Kills: 198]
Gauss exhaled.
He looked at the goblins running toward him, spears raised—slow, sluggish.
His expression remained calm.
He even had time to casually pull out a piece of jerky and take a bite.
These goblins were too slow to matter.
He grabbed his metal staff, spun it in a wide arc.
"Whoosh!"
The staff cut through the air with a howl.
The first few goblins—probably ones who hadn't drunk any water—rushed in fastest.
But the moment they got close, they were sent flying by a heavy blow.
Gauss bent his knees, activating Enhanced Leap.
Power surged into his legs.
He moved like wind.
The goblins were moving in slow motion.
Too weak.
He dodged a spear thrust, planted his staff, drew his rapier—
"Slice!"
"Stab!"
Two goblins—dead before they even saw the attack.
[Goblin Slain ×2]
[Total monster kills: 200]