I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 105: Picnic and Goblin Celebration

In the verdant forest sea.

Perched on a large tree, Gauss carefully sliced off a chunk of the vivid green moss nearby using his dagger.

Within that thick, sponge-like moss were numerous tiny, plump, spherical beads.

【Berry Moss】

This was an edible ingredient, extremely sweet in flavor. When simply stewed or roasted with meat, it could impart a fruity sweetness to the dish.

Unfortunately, it spoiled quickly after being picked and could only be consumed promptly during an adventure.

Today’s lunch was settled.

Gauss wasn’t greedy. He didn’t take more than needed—wasting food he couldn’t finish would be pointless.

Better to leave it for the next lucky adventurer.

He untied the rope and slowly slid down the thick trunk.

Once he reached the ground, he coiled the rope and stowed it into his pack.

Ever since he had a lavish dinner with Andini at the Firefly Kitchen, he felt as though a door to a new world had opened. The usual trio of rations he carried during adventures had become increasingly hard to swallow.

Moreover, in the forest—especially beyond the areas frequented by ordinary herbalists and hunters—there were actually many ingredients conveniently ready for collection.

It was just that he hadn’t known before.

Luckily, he had bought a copy of 《Complete Guide to Ingredients around the Emerald Forest》, which made him aware of the rare wild ingredients nearby.

Some of them weren’t just useful for camp cooking but could also be sold at a decent price to medicinal herb vendors back in town.

This was important for someone short on money like him.

Simply cutting expenses wouldn’t suffice—he had to find new income streams.

「This isn’t the Emerald Forest, just a patch of secondary woodland. The danger level isn’t that high. Making a fire to cook a meal shouldn’t be a problem, right?」

Gauss looked around.

Coincidentally, there happened to be a clearing nearby, with plenty of dry firewood under the trees.

He still had a recently hunted hazel grouse in his pack, already bled, plucked, and wrapped.

Everything was falling into place, as if the heavens themselves urged him to begin cooking.

After circling the area to ensure it was safe, Gauss lit the firewood and built a bonfire.

Crackling sounds rose instantly from the fire pile.

He retrieved the hazel grouse from his pack, which had been wrapped in clean tarpaulin.

This plump bird, weighing about four pounds, had been shot with a hand crossbow an hour ago. It was barely enough for him alone. He had already prepared it while passing a stream.

Now it was ready for cooking.

He washed the freshly harvested berry moss and stuffed it into the grouse’s abdomen.

The bird’s surface was rubbed with coarse rock salt and sprinkled with juice from wild scallions picked along the way. Then it was wrapped in two layers of banana leaves.

He smeared mud on the outer layer and tossed it into the bonfire pile.

About half an hour later—

Gauss cracked the hardened clay. As the mud fell off, he peeled back the charred banana leaves to reveal tender, steamed-like chicken meat.

At the same time, a burst of refreshing fruity aroma greeted him—that unique scent of berry moss.

Gauss swallowed his saliva.

He could hardly believe such a delicious dish came from his own hands.

「Could it be… I have a bit of talent as a chef?」 Gauss murmured to himself.

Unable to resist, he took a bite.

The chicken meat, infused with the unique fruit fragrance, released sweet juices the moment it entered his mouth.

Gauss chewed a few times, a blissful expression appearing on his face.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt the chicken was digested much faster than the usual dry rations.

It was as though the Rapid Digestion talent in his body especially welcomed this kind of gourmet dish.

「Delicious, delicious!」

Gauss gulped down saliva, devouring the chicken in large mouthfuls.

While exhaling to release the scalding heat, saliva continued to accumulate in his mouth.

The heat current surged within his body, and he felt the stamina he had expended quickly recovering.

Could it be that this kind of highly nutritious gourmet food, paired with the Rapid Digestion talent, was the optimal combination?

After wolfing it down and gnawing the hazel grouse until it was unrecognizable—with even the bones crushed and spat to the side—Gauss rubbed his stomach, a hint of lingering desire still on his face.

If only that bird had one or two more pounds of meat, it would have been perfect. A pity.

Satisfied and full, he lay down for a while.

After tidying the site, Gauss shouldered his pack.

Though he had indulged in the simple pleasure of food, he had not forgotten the commission for his current trip.

This was already his third Examination Mission, and the target was still Goblins.

Yes, for his Bronze-rank Adventurer Promotion Examination Commission, the target had been Goblin groups all three times.

The second Goblin group was similar in scale to the first. However, the leader was slightly weaker compared to the Redcap Goblin from the first time.

And when he accepted the third mission, the Counter Receptionist gave him a peculiar look—probably thinking he had some deep-seated "blood feud" with Goblins. Otherwise, why would he be so focused on them?

This third mission, which was also the final Examination Mission, required him to face about 60 adult Goblins.

Gauss glanced at the current Monster Encyclopedia count.

「Monster Kill Count: 302」

「Goblins killed: 175」

「For Entry-level Missions, the kill efficiency is quite decent.」

Although the number of Goblins he had slain continued to rise, and his movements while cutting them down became increasingly fluid, he hadn’t grown complacent.

In fact, repeated encounters had made him—

Place greater importance on them.

In terms of individual combat strength, Goblins were very weak compared to his current self. However, their reproductive rate was horrifying. So long as there were Forestlands, their presence would never be lacking, much like some tenacious infectious disease.

However, strictly speaking, rampant Goblins weren’t a bad thing for him. Due to their migratory nature, he could achieve the required kill count without delving deep into the monster strongholds.

「According to the mission intel, this Goblin village has a large number of Goblin Archers. Very dangerous.」 Gauss reviewed the mission information.

In truth, for both low-level monsters and low-level adventurers, the importance of weapons could not be underestimated.

For example, Goblin Archers were more dangerous than melee Goblins. Their presence meant that his advantage of outmaneuvering Goblins with speed was significantly reduced.

Moreover, stray arrows spared no one. As long as enough were fired, they’d eventually hit him.

This was why, during his first Examination Mission, Gauss prioritized using magic to kill ranged Goblin Archers.

「Time to test my armor.」

Gauss patted his body.

Just because other rookie Professionals didn’t dare accept this kind of Examination Mission didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

「1 gold coin and 30 silver coins—quite a generous commission reward.」

「The captured bows and Arrowheads should also sell for a decent price.」

As he walked through the Forestlands, Gauss calculated in his mind.

After walking for another hour or two—

A Goblin village appeared on a clearing before him.

Gauss climbed a tall tree and looked far into the distance.

「Hm?」

While observing, he suddenly let out a confused sound.

Near the bonfire pile in the Goblin village, he saw several naked men stripped of their clothing.

Had someone been captured by the Goblins?

This was the second time in his adventuring career that Gauss had personally seen humans captured by Goblins.

Of course, that didn’t mean the situation was rare. It was just that Goblins usually dealt with their captives quickly—

They didn’t tend to keep them alive.

「Looks like I have to move fast.」

Gauss noticed that the number of Goblins in the village seemed fewer than indicated in the mission intel—likely because they had gone into the Forestlands to gather firewood and supplementary food for the captured humans.

At this moment, the Goblin village, due to an upcoming celebration, was severely lacking in defensive strength.

This was also a great opportunity.

A gleam of light flashed in Gauss’s eyes.

He had originally planned to repeat the laxative tactic from the previous two times, but seeing the current situation, he decided it would be better to strike while the other Goblins were out of the village.

Gauss carefully observed the layout of the Goblin village.

Once he memorized the internal layout—

He did not waste any more time and descended from the tree.

His equipment had already been fully prepared on the approach, just before reaching the Goblin village.

Taking a deep breath—

He silently crept to the Wooden Palisade surrounding the Goblin village.

Then, at a certain moment—

His legs suddenly exploded with force.

【Enhanced Jump】 activated.

His feet struck the ground, and his muscular thighs burst forth with power like coiled springs, propelling his body high into the air! Leaping over the palisade!

The nearest Goblin had just walked out of a storehouse, carrying a banana leaf full of berries, looking toward the bonfire where the humans were, a look of bliss on its face.

The next instant, a shadow loomed over its tiny figure.

Instinctively, it looked back.

What greeted its eyes was a flash of icy sword light!

「!」

In the final fleeting moment of its life, the Goblin saw the face of its killer—the tall man gazing down on it with indifferent eyes.

「Thud!」