I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 111: Choosing Cantrips and Storage Bag

When Gauss passed through the Warrior section, he glanced at the prices of Apprentice-level sword techniques. The cheaper ones cost twenty to thirty Silver Coins, while the more expensive ones were only fifty to sixty Silver Coins.

Compared to Cantrips and Spells, Apprentice-level Warrior skills were not too expensive.

The Rogue section also displayed some stealth techniques, breath-concealment skills, and reconnaissance skills on the shelves.

“Is it possible for me to learn some skills from other Professions?” Gauss silently wondered.

Generally, Professionals focused on a series of skills from their own Profession.

Because even within their main Profession, the variety of skills was vast enough for deep study. To recklessly learn other Profession's skills was a futile and unrewarding endeavor.

Human energy was limited—too much, and you chew poorly. The same principle applied here.

Furthermore, it often resulted in half the outcome with double the effort—this was the conclusion of most people.

“But my Attributes don’t have any shortcoming, and with the existence of the Attribute Panel, perhaps learning some simple Apprentice-level skills isn’t that difficult?” Gauss planned to take another look later.

He continued inward.

The section for Cantrips and Spells that Mages could learn finally appeared before him.

According to level, Cantrips and Spells were neatly divided into several zones.

Tier 0 Cantrip, Tier 1 Spell, Tier 2 Spell.

Yes, in the Graystone Town Adventurer’s Guild shop, only up to Tier 2 Spells were sold. Spells of Tier 3 and higher were currently nowhere in sight.

Perhaps other large cities’ Adventurer’s Guild shops might offer access?

“Do not open the scrolls. Violators will bear the consequences.”

After glancing at the notice on the shelf, Gauss withdrew his hand.

No doubt, these skill books were protected by some kind of mechanism, which allowed them to be left out like self-service items.

Combined with the warning above, there might even be some small punishment.

Gauss had no interest in getting punished.

Fortunately, although opening was prohibited, the bookshelves clearly listed the type, price, and basic effects of the corresponding scrolls—enough for Gauss to make his choices.

Gauss first quickly scanned the shelves and gained a rough idea of the price ranges for each Spell tier.

Tier 0 Cantrips generally ranged from 60 Silver Coins to around 1 Gold Coin, with some going slightly over 1 Gold Coin.

Tier 1 Spells were priced above 10 Gold Coins.

Tier 2 Spells were over 60 Gold Coins.

In other words, Tier 2 Spells were for viewing only at present, and while Tier 1 Spells seemed affordable on the surface, they were still quite a stretch.

Just as he had planned when coming here, his best option now was to select a few suitable Tier 0 Cantrips as supplements.

Unfortunately, the Tier 0 Cantrips here didn’t seem to be complete.

Unclear whether they had sold out and were not restocked, or if the missing ones were simply rare.

Gauss began carefully reading the descriptions on the Tier 0 Cantrip shelves one by one.

Blade Ward, Dancing Lights, Light Spell, Mage Hand, Message, Acid Splash, Magic Stone, Prestidigitation...

Although not complete, it was enough to keep Gauss deliberating for quite a while.

It took Gauss a good amount of time to finish reading all the Tier 0 Cantrips sold in the shop.

If he could, he would have loved to master all of them.

But clearly, that was unrealistic.

Although he hadn’t yet felt much mental strain from Spells, trying to learn so many Cantrips was still an absurd idea.

Moreover, his wallet wouldn’t allow it either.

So, he had to prioritize and choose the most currently needed Cantrips.

“Rather than combat-specialized Cantrips,”

“What I need more are functional Cantrips.”

“Prestidigitation—this one is a must. Its effect may be weak and seemingly have no direct combat value, but its versatility is extremely high and provides many conveniences in daily life.”

Gauss confirmed his first Cantrip.

The moment he saw it, he knew it was a must-learn.

【Prestidigitation】

Level: Tier 0 Cantrip

Description: This Spell is a minor magical trick used for practice casting. It can produce a tiny spark, a gust of wind, a slight noise, a strange smell, clean a small area, slightly enhance flavor (cannot increase nutrition or change toxicity, only affects sensory experience), create a temporary mark or minor illusion.

Just from the description, Gauss could imagine many use cases.

First was lighting a bonfire—no more worrying about forgetting matches or flint and having to rub sticks like a caveman.

Second, after battle, he could do some minor cleaning on his body. While one use wouldn’t clean the whole body, the magic cost of a Cantrip was low—use it several times, and it would be enough. This directly solved a major issue in Gauss’s travels.

Moreover, it might even produce a small amount of water. While incomparable to Tier 1 Create Water, in a water shortage, he could at least use magic to generate some.

The price of 90 Silver Coins was not expensive.

Next.

“Should I buy Mending?”

Mending was also a Tier 0 Cantrip and could repair minor damage on small ordinary items.

But how minor was “minor”? If his clothes got a small tear, could it repair that?

Gauss hesitated because he wasn’t sure about the extent it could repair.

And “ordinary items”—did that include damage on iron armor or iron weapons?

Gauss felt the severely rusted iron weapons he often found couldn’t be repaired by such a simple Cantrip. Otherwise, weapon prices would’ve plummeted.

Many blacksmith shops would also have shut down repair and recycling services long ago.

Gauss didn’t think he was the only smart one who had thought of using this Cantrip to make money.

“Never mind, I’ll still buy it—80 Silver Coins. Treat it as something to temporarily fix daily items while out in the field.”

He struggled a bit but decided to get it.

“Next are Message and Fire Bolt.”

Message’s core function was one-way communication—it could target a specific creature and transmit a short message.

The target would hear the content as if the caster whispered in their ear, and only the target could hear it—no other creature would perceive it.

If he teamed up with others later, or in situations like the last mission with Kevin and the others needing rescue, he could use Message to inform them in advance and facilitate coordination.

As for the final one, Fire Bolt—as the name suggested, it was an offensive Cantrip.

Gauss initially planned not to buy offensive Cantrips, but after seeing the shelf’s strong recommendation, he reconsidered. Although offensive Cantrips consumed more magic than functional ones, they were still less costly than Tier 1 Spells.

Having an extra offensive Cantrip to diversify his attack options wasn’t a bad thing.

Just these four Cantrips, then.

Gauss finally stopped.

Not because he thought the rest weren’t worth learning, but because these four were already enough to keep him busy for some time.

Once he fully mastered them and had spare money and time, he could return and choose more Cantrips or Tier 1 Spells.

After calling a staff member to help retrieve the four Cantrips, Gauss went to the Rogue section and selected one Apprentice-level skill: 【Insight Technique】.

Its effect was that upon Activation, it enhanced the ability to recognize the surrounding environment, aiding in discovering and tracking special traces in the wild.

He arrived at the counter.

Seeing the skills Gauss had purchased,

A staff member in uniform kindly reminded,

“Adventurer, this 【Insight Technique】 is a skill from the Rogue Profession. Are you sure you want to purchase it?”

From the four Cantrips Gauss bought, she could tell he was a Spellcaster. But the addition of a Rogue skill confused her.

The Mage and Rogue sections were right next to each other.

She was worried he might’ve picked from the wrong shelf, so she reminded him.

“Yes, please pack it together.” Gauss nodded without much explanation.

“All right. That’ll be 4 Gold Coins and 65 Copper Coins.”

Gauss took out 4 Gold Coins and 1 Silver Coin from his coin pouch. While waiting for change, he felt a bit reluctant.

This was, so far, his largest single expenditure.

Converted into missions, and excluding loot value, this sum would require 3 to 4 Tier 1 Entry-level Commissions.

“35 Copper in change. All your skill books have been packed. Welcome again.”

Gauss walked out of the shop and looked toward the nearby Magical Items shop.

If the skill shop didn’t stir much feeling in him, then upon reaching the Magical Items shop and seeing the dazzling variety of items, he couldn’t help but start worrying about his wallet.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I’d like to ask—where are the Magical Items with storage space?”

Upon entering, a staff member came forward.

Unlike the skill shop which required quiet selection and had clear shelf descriptions—thus needing no assistant,

The Magical Items shop needed a guide.

“Please follow me.”

The guide walked ahead.

Gauss browsed the surrounding Magical Items as he followed.

Some Magical Items were placed on shelves, while others were locked in transparent cabinets.

After passing through a corridor, they arrived in a display room.

“All the Magical Items with storage functions are here. See if there’s anything you like?”

Gauss looked toward the display rack the guide pointed to.

What first caught his eye were standardized Storage Bags. Their appearance was nearly identical—like mass-produced replicas. But the price tags made Gauss’s heart race.

【Small Storage Bag】

Selling Price: 25 Gold Coins

Storage Volume: Approx. 1.5 cubic meters (non-fixed shape)

Storage Weight: 500 pounds (approx. 227 kg)

Description:

1. Cannot carry items exceeding the stated volume or weight limit. Overloading will cause damage—use cautiously.

2. Regardless of content, the bag itself weighs a constant 10 pounds (approx. 4.5 kg).

3. Cannot contain other storage tools.

4. Cannot contain living beings.

5. Usage requires Magical Energy at a Professional level and daily Magical Energy input for maintenance. Common people cannot use it.

Its effects made Gauss’s heart race. This was the perfect tool for travel and storage.

But the price made him go pale.

So expensive...

“Would you like to purchase a Small Storage Bag?” the guide asked.

Gauss looked hesitant at the question.