SPLAT!
A slimy, dark green creature landed right in the middle of the path, blocking Gauss’s way.
He stopped, looked down, and recognized an old “friend.”
A Sli. Sticky-type.
While not very common near human settlents, they were apparently everywhere in the Jade Forest. He’d seen several so far.
And this one had just jumped out of nowhere.
“Squelch!”
The sli, noticing the intruder, compressed its gelatinous body against the ground—then launched itself into the air like a spring-loaded projectile, trying to land squarely on Gauss’s head.
“Shing!”
Gauss drew his rapier in a smooth arc, tracing a crescent through the air before hopping back two steps.
“Splot!”
His blade cleaved through the sli’s core midair with precision.
Its body splattered across the forest floor in a foul-slling puddle.
[Sli Slain ×1]
[Total Monster Kills: 180]
Gauss casually scooped up the condensed sli gel and tucked it into a side pouch on his backpack.
That stuff was worth a few dozen copper coins—enough for a al. Waste not.
It was clear now: monsters in the Jade Forest were… aggressive.
Even a lone sli dared to leap at him head-on.
He raised an eyebrow.
Yeah, sothing about this place makes monsters more hostile.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If they ca at him one by one, he’d happily collect the XP and materials.
After cleaning up the slimy ss, Gauss checked his map and continued deeper down the forest trail.
The deeper he went, the denser the woods beca.
The trees grew thicker, taller—so so massive that even two people linking arms couldn’t circle them completely.
He instinctively beca more cautious.
“Strike!”
He stabbed his sword into the soil, pinning a thick snake—about wrist-sized—to the ground.
Maybe it was the lack of foot traffic, but the forest was teeming with life. Rabbits, boars, a young spotted deer… he’d seen several on the way.
But since none of them showed hostility, he didn’t bother attacking. He was here for goblins, not a hunting trip.
…
Around noon, he found a small clearing where sunlight barely filtered through the trees.
He rolled out a bug-resistant tarp, sat down, and pulled out so rations.
The usual trio: jerky, bread, and at paste. Cold food only.
Lighting a fire out here was a luxury he couldn’t afford. The sll could attract unwanted attention.
He chewed quickly, and before long, warmth spread through his stomach as the food was digested.
A sip of water.
A short rest, rubbing out the stiffness in his shoulders and ankles.
He could already feel his stamina fully restored.
His trait, Quick Digestion, was extrely handy out in the wild.
Thanks to it, he could recover faster than most adventurers.
Even mages needed stamina. Without it, casting spells was significantly harder.
“Probably another hour or two to the quest zone.”
He was just checking his map when—
Rustle.
Sothing moved in the bushes ahead. A sharp whistling sound followed.
“Whup!”
Gauss rolled to the side just in ti.
A spear flew past, narrowly missing his face—and punched straight through the tarp into the dirt.
He frowned.
That tarp was new.
He turned toward the direction the spear had co from.
Several green-skinned figures erged from the brush, licking their lips and eyeing Gauss hungrily. Drool dripped from their mouths.
Goblins.
Gauss’s brow furrowed—slightly. Only slightly.
Happy to see his quest targets? Yes.
Happy they tore his stuff? Absolutely not.
“Five of them.”
He counted quickly.
This wasn’t worth wasting ti over.
He was way past the point where five goblins could pose a threat.
The only question now was how to handle it efficiently.
Two of them raised spears, ready to throw.
Gauss reached for the Unbreaking Staff resting beside his pack.
At a single ntal command, mana from his class core surged through the weapon.
“Magic Missile.”
Two downgraded Magic Missiles shot forward after a brief charge.
They tore through the air and slamd into the goblins.
BOOM!
The blast sent both targets flying, massive holes in their chests the size of ostrich eggs. Blood and at gushed out.
[Goblin Slain ×2]
[Total Monster Kills: 182]
Magic Missile packed more punch now that he was a full-fledged Arcane Adept.
And best of all? He’d barely used any mana.
Gauss finally smiled.
These downgraded missiles were stronger than the apprentice version—and he could probably fire twenty more at this level of efficiency.
No more casting two spells and then collapsing from exhaustion.
In fact, if he used his trait to eat mid-fight, he could easily get off thirty or more.
Now this… this feels like a proper caster.
The remaining three goblins were already panicking. They turned and bolted.
Too late.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Two more missiles, two more kills.
The last one barely made it ten ters before a final missile slamd into its back and buried it in the mud.
[Goblin Slain ×3]
[Total Monster Kills: 185]
Gauss stared down at the bodies.
Five goblins dead in a few seconds—no blood on his robes, no need for cleanup.
Faster than using a sword. Cleaner, too.
Yeah… maybe he should start using spells more often.
As he felt his mana still pulsing strong within him, a thought crossed his mind:
I wonder if other newly advanced mages or warlocks can spam spells like this.
He hadn’t t many other first-rank professionals yet, so he didn’t have a fra of reference.
His mana had dipped slightly.
So he pulled out more food and started chewing again. Once he was fully topped off, he packed up and moved on.
In the dense forest, with no sun in sight, he couldn’t track ti accurately.
But after what felt like an hour, he arrived near the quest’s target location.
Like always, he ntally marked the spot—naming it “First Beginner Quest: Goblin Tribe” in his mind-map.
After a short rest, he stashed his pack in a hidden corner and went light, scouting the area alone.
It didn’t take long before he found traces—footprints in the soil.
A goblin tribe this large would leave signs over several kiloters, and they weren’t exactly stealthy.
Eventually, Gauss arrived at the camp.
This wasn’t just a small goblin group—it was a fully ford settlent.
The clearing had been obviously cleared and developed into what resembled a “village.”
A crude stone wall circled the area, sared with sothing that looked like either mud or… worse.
Peeking over the low wall, he saw them—green bodies moving everywhere, dozens of them.
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