After easily taking out the nearest goblin, Gauss darted behind the warehouse, sticking to the shadows.
His strike had been clean—silent and precise. No one else noticed.
He glanced toward the bonfire.
Four goblins were crouched there, sharpening their blades against stones.
A communal feast after a successful hunt—turns out that's a cross-species tradition. Every goblin in the village wore an expression of joyful anticipation.
"Better save the captives first."
Gauss estimated the distance between his position and the bonfire. He also noted the goblins' placements.
If nothing blocked his way, he could sprint there in just a few seconds.
Why not use a spell?
Well, first—the range was a little too far.
Second—the goblins, the fire, and the tied-up humans were all too close together. If his spell triggered an explosion or knocked something into the fire, things could spiral fast.
Sure, if it were life-or-death, he wouldn't worry about collateral.
But right now? There was still time for precision.
The goblins left in the village numbered about thirty—half of the total population.
For someone like him now, that was nothing he couldn't handle.
…
Meanwhile, Wick, Whitney, and Kevin were barely conscious.
The screech of metal on stone rang in their ears as goblins sharpened blades nearby. The three captives sat bound, their faces blank with fear.
They trembled uncontrollably. A growing patch of urine dampened the ground beneath them—impossible to tell who had lost control. Maybe all of them.
The ropes had cut deep into their wrists. Their arms were swollen and bruised purple from restricted blood flow.
They all knew what it meant to be captured by goblins.
Especially now—some of the green-skinned creatures were filling a cauldron with water. Cleaning it. Getting ready to cook.
These impatient monsters didn't even plan to keep them overnight.
Kevin was filled with regret. If he'd known today would go so badly, he never would've left the village.
His throat was bone-dry.
Since being dragged here, the goblins hadn't given them a drop of food or water. Now, his body was failing fast.
In his blurred vision, memories flickered—his parents returning from work in the fields, the family sitting around the table eating runny oat porridge and coarse black bread. It never filled them up, but it tasted so good compared to his current state.
How ironic.
He was about to be turned into food… but all he could think about was how hungry he was.
His body's craving for food and water overpowered even the fear of death.
If I'm getting cooked anyway... might as well take a bite of something on the way out.
Kevin sighed.
He had long stopped hoping for a rescue.
As for fighting back? Laughable. They were just civilians—tied up, starved. What were they going to do against an armed goblin village?
He stared blankly into the distance.
And then—
Someone appeared.
A figure stepped into his line of sight.
A hallucination? He didn't give it much thought.
In the time since his capture, Kevin had already gone through the stages: resisting, begging, regretting, fantasizing about a hero saving him, then surrendering to death.
He'd imagined rescuers before. Then reality crushed those hopes harder than the goblins had crushed his face.
Thud!
The phantom moved fast. Almost like it blinked across the clearing.
Thud!
Another second passed. The figure was now only a few meters away.
Kevin even felt the faint shockwave in the dirt, traveling up his legs. His body, numbed by poor circulation, suddenly jolted back to life.
This hallucination… feels too real.
I must be losing it.
Slash!
A flash of silver.
A goblin's head flew into the air.
Blood burst from the clean-cut neck, arcing like a fountain in the square—spraying everything nearby.
Splurt!
Kevin's face was hit with warm, thick red liquid.
It trickled down his cheeks… and seeped between his lips.
"Ptoo! Ptoo!"
The overwhelming stench of iron jolted his mind like a slap to the face.
He gasped sharply. Wide awake.
"Wha… what…?"
His pupils dilated in shock.
The man was real.
And he moved with terrifying grace. One second here, the next he was slicing through goblins as if dancing. In the blink of an eye, the enemies near the bonfire were all dead.
It's real. He's really here. We're being saved!
Kevin trembled uncontrollably—not from fear anymore, but from adrenaline and disbelief.
The stranger glanced at him. Cool, green eyes met Kevin's.
Then, with a swift flick of his blade—
Slice!
The ropes fell loose.
Crack!
The others were freed just as quickly.
"Drink some water. Find a safe spot to hide."
Gauss tossed them a spare water pouch.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!!"
Without wasting more time, he turned back toward the goblin village.
The attack had only taken a few seconds, but he knew the commotion had drawn attention. The fire and captives had been the village's centerpiece.
Some goblins were already grabbing weapons.
But Gauss was faster.
"Magic Missile!"
He drew his bone wand from his belt.
This time, for speed and mobility, he'd left his heavy metal staff behind and opted for the bone wand and his rapier.
Three glowing blue orbs formed in front of him—locked onto distant goblin archers.
Boom!
The missiles streaked forward, crossing over 20 meters in a blink.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each struck a target cleanly. Even though they were weakened versions, they still carried his "Goblin Slayer" Title Buff—20% bonus damage.
The archers were shredded like paper bags.
From the corner of his eye, Gauss noticed a group of spear-wielding goblins rushing at him.
Huh. These goblins were bolder than the ones from the first two missions.
Even after seeing their comrades cut down, they didn't retreat.
They charged forward on their own.
All for a bite of human meat?
He could kind of understand them, honestly.
They were just like people who had a feast ruined by a rampaging thug.
Still—
That's no excuse.
Gauss raised his sword and wand.
When goblins got close, he switched seamlessly from casting to melee.
Clang!
He tilted his body. The rapier slid along a spear's shaft.
Flick! His wrist turned. The goblin's hand was sliced clean off.
Before the creature could scream, another flash of steel cut through its throat.
Too slow.
Gauss cut down the nearby goblins, then turned and fired another Magic Missile, sniping an archer aiming at the fleeing civilians.
Close range. Long range. He did it all.
That was what made him different.
By now, the rest of the goblins were realizing how screwed they were.
This human wasn't just strong—he was slaughtering them single-handedly.
And half their forces were still out gathering supplies.
Thirty goblins had started the fight. Fifteen were already dead.
Their strength in numbers? Gone. The survivors began to panic.
They turned to flee.
But Gauss didn't let up.
Only the strong had the right to choose when to fight or retreat.
He lunged forward.
Within minutes, ignoring their flailing counterattacks, he mowed through the remaining goblins.
And like before—he didn't spare a single child.
[Total Monsters Kills: 335]
[Total Goblins Kills: 208]
Gauss stood in place, panting.
Suddenly—a strange energy swelled from deep inside him.
[Sufficient trait potential absorbed from Goblin Origin Host.]
[Innate Trait 'Quick Digestion' is evolving!]
[Congratulations! Trait upgraded to Elite Tier 'Energy Storage Glands']
['Energy Storage Glands': Retains all effects of 'Fast Digestion', adds new effect 'Storage'—your body can now absorb and retain excess nutrients to be rapidly converted into stamina or mana when needed.]
[Storage effectiveness scales with trait strength. Continue killing the trait host to unlock further potential.]