Gauss drew his dagger and began cutting off the left ears of all the fallen goblins, casually delivering a finishing blow to any that might still be breathing.
Many ears were already blasted to pieces by his Magic Missiles, but thankfully, this quest was a flat-rate commission—he just needed to turn in enough proof to complete the formalities.
The sun continued to bake the land, and the goblin village became utterly unbearable.
The stench of excrement, blood, intestinal fluids, bile, and rotting organs blended into a noxious cloud under the heat, making even Gauss turn pale from the smell.
Still, he had to wrap up the job.
He set out to search the village, not just to gather loot but also to check for any hidden goblins or captured humans.
Unfortunately, after a thorough sweep, there was nothing.
Other than a few limbs strung on the meat racks, there were no survivors.
Savage. Caught humans had all been butchered and eaten.
From the size of the thighs, the victims had likely been adult males.
Whether they were local hunters, newbie adventurers, or simply people unlucky enough to be captured during a goblin raid—Gauss couldn't say.
To goblins, male humans were food. Female humans, however, usually faced far worse fates.
This was one of the many reasons why Gauss had always taken a zero-tolerance policy toward goblins—ever since his first mission.
He cut down the human limbs, gave them a simple burial, and offered a silent moment of peace.
As for the rest of the goblin-made jerky?
He wasn't touching it. Who knew how unsanitary their methods were? Just one bite could land him in serious trouble.
Now it was time to loot.
This was a goblin village with over 50 individuals—likely operating for a few years.
Sure, most of the supplies were trash, but with effort, some treasures emerged.
Most weapons were wooden, but a few were metal—daggers, short swords, buckets of metal-tipped arrows, scythes, and so on. Gauss estimated the metal gear alone could fetch 50 silver coins.
Add that to the 90 silver from the quest reward...
Just those two alone brought in nearly 1.5 gold.
This was the kind of payout only professional adventurers could get. Compared to beginner-level missions, this was on another level.
"Leave the onions. Keep the bandages. Spray bottle's still fresh—take that. Broken clay bowl? Nah…"
Using a stick, Gauss sorted through the rubble. His haul quickly grew.
Then, inside the Redcap's tent, he found something intriguing—two scrolls.
His eyes lit up.
They looked unusual. He didn't open them immediately.
If they were magical scrolls that activated upon reading, it would be a waste to trigger them by accident. Better safe than sorry.
"I'll bring them back for Andeni to take a look. I didn't get to thank her last time anyway. If she hadn't sent me to Wormwood Town, I might not have advanced so soon."
"Better pick up some fruit as a gift."
In the tent, he also found books on herbs and minerals. The Redcap probably couldn't read them but had kept them carefully tucked away, knowing they were valuable.
He kept searching and collected even more:
Some rolls of cloth
A few bronze bowls
Odd clay sculptures—probably stolen during raids
He bundled everything in the tent fabric and packed it.
Looking around at the now-destroyed goblin village and the backpack stuffed to bursting, Gauss felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
This run had earned him at least two gold coins' worth of goods.
Money from a proper quest like this? He'd never imagined it before.
The dungeon expedition had been exceptional. But his earlier missions? He was lucky to walk away with a few silver coins.
Even with his talents, most low-rank adventurers only earned 1 or 2 silver per job—sometimes less.
…
The sky was beginning to dim—it was almost evening.
Gauss decided to camp nearby for the night.
No point trying to trek out now. He wouldn't reach the edge of the Jade Forest before dark.
Besides, the forest was pitch-black at night—moonlight barely filtered through the canopy. It'd be dangerously easy to get lost or ambushed.
This place, chosen by the goblins as their village site, was probably safe from stronger predators. Goblins, as dumb as they were, still had basic instincts to avoid high-threat zones.
Still, to avoid attracting wild animals to the goblin corpses, Gauss set up camp a bit farther away.
He found a flat patch of ground, started a small campfire, scattered insect-repellent powder, and set up tripwire traps for safety.
Then, he finally sat down for dinner.
After an entire day of fighting and looting, even though he'd eaten between battles, he was starving.
Even the tough jerky and dry bread tasted amazing.
"Huh?"
He paused mid-bite, noticing something strange.
His digestion felt… stronger.
He opened his Adventurer's Handbook.
Racial Trait: Quick Digestion (Tier I)
Still the same rank.
But that warm surge of energy flowing through his body after eating was definitely real.
"Is it because I've killed so many goblins?"
By the firelight, Gauss checked the monster log.
[Goblins Killed: 123]
[Total Monster Kills: 240]
Goblins made up just over half.
"Wait—I didn't have this trait at the start. So, I must've killed about 100 goblins after I got it."
Maybe reaching that number enhanced the effect, even if it didn't officially rank up.
He made a mental note.
After eating, fatigue set in.
Gauss doused the campfire, stashed his gear and loot, then climbed a large tree he'd picked earlier.
It had a thick, sturdy branch—wide enough to hold his sleeping bag, which he secured with rope.
Once everything was set up, he let out a big yawn and crawled inside.
He closed his eyes—and quickly drifted into sleep.