I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 15: The Village’s Hero

The beam of erupting magical energy dispersed.

A fist-sized hole was blown open in the abdomen of the Large Goblin.

"Boom!"

The Goblin collapsed heavily, its machete and body slamming into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Gauss remained in the same posture as when he had just cast Magic Missile, unmoving.

His gaze simply turned to the last three Goblins on the battlefield.

The Goblins who had been attacking the villagers were also drawn by the massive fluctuation just now. When they saw the powerful Large Goblin fall in an instant under that mighty spell, and then noticed Gauss casting a glance at them—

Each of their bodies began trembling uncontrollably, like sieves shaking beans.

Even though ordinary Goblins possessed only low intelligence, they still understood that this black-haired, green-eyed human male wielded a terrifying power capable of killing them with ease.

Without any hesitation, the Goblins abandoned their opponents and the mangled remains of their kin, fleeing in disgrace, shedding their gear and armor.

Goblins, as was expected, were just that kind of creature.

"It's over."

Gauss looked at the forest that had returned to calm and let out a breath of relief.

He had no intention of chasing after the three Goblins that had already escaped into the woods to eradicate them.

In truth, Goblins that became separated from their tribe usually struggled to survive.

Unless they managed to find and be accepted by another Goblin tribe and its leader, lone Goblins often died to wild beasts or other natural threats.

And, more importantly—

The magical energy within Gauss had been completely depleted.

In fact, before using Magic Missile, he still had a decent reserve of magical energy.

After all, Mage Hand, being a Tier 0 cantrip, consumed very little mana.

Even though his physical strength had been completely exhausted during the earlier battle, he still had a considerable reserve of magical energy.

But just now, after casting the spell that instantly killed the Large Goblin, all of that magical energy had been utterly drained.

Magic Missile seemed to require an astonishing amount of mana.

The depletion of mana brought severe physical and mental strain.

His brain throbbed in sharp pulses.

After defeating a formidable enemy, his spirit seemed completely worn out.

This was also the main reason he remained unmoving—not just to show off.

Fortunately, leveraging the aftermath of the magic, he had scared away the last three Goblins with nothing but a look.

Otherwise, in their current condition, they might have faced considerable trouble.

"Adventurer, are you alright?" Three villagers, though injured, were still able to move.

Ordinary Goblins didn’t have the advantage over humans, but the earlier fight wasn’t a normal one-on-one battle. Grouped-up Goblins could exert far greater strength, and the deep darkness of the night had added to the human’s difficulties.

Seeing Gauss not moving and not giving any other instructions, but looking off into the forest, the three didn’t quite understand his intent.

After a brief hesitation, they carefully approached him.

They now realized that this man with shabby gear and an unremarkable appearance was actually the true leader of the team.

His strength was also exceptional—especially that comet-like magical spell at the end, which left a deep impression.

In the future, Birch Village would likely have a new tale to tell over tea and meals.

"The battle is over."

"Go into the cave and look for the victims." Gauss still stood in place. "Also, please return to the village quickly and bring others here. My companions are injured and need medical help, and your fellow villagers as well..."

Gauss turned his gaze to the rest of the team. This adventure had been nothing short of tragic.

Bell, the swordsman, had a broken leg—it was unclear if he would ever recover.

After seeing Gauss release powerful magic and secure victory, the tension in his nerves finally gave way, and he fainted immediately.

Mia’s injuries were also severe, though internal. She too lay collapsed on the ground, unable to move, blood constantly gushing from her mouth.

The conditions of both were extremely dire. Even though the battle ended in a bitter victory, whether they could recover remained uncertain.

Compared to Mia and Bell, Gauss and Hailier were in better shape, but they too had lost the ability to act.

As for the villager who had been attacked at the very beginning—he had not moved for a long time and was most likely already dead.

Before long, the dark forest was lit up again by the flames of many torches.

...

Morning.

The crowing of roosters marking the time echoed as usual over Birch Village.

After an unrestful night—

The village was steeped in a strange, sorrowful atmosphere.

The good news was that the two female villagers had been successfully rescued. Though they were nearly naked, covered in filth, and bruised all over in the cave, their lives were not in danger.

As for whether they suffered other forms of harm, Gauss had enough emotional intelligence not to ask such inappropriate questions at such a time.

The bad news was that a villager had died.

The deceased man was Aisha’s brother.

At first, the villagers who had waited in town for news felt some resentment when they heard someone had died—especially since it was one of their own.

They believed the adventurer team couldn’t even handle a few Goblins, resulting in a villager’s death.

But when they arrived outside the Goblin lair and saw the carnage with their own eyes, those complaints caught in their throats and never came out.

The ground was soaked dark red with blood, the stench of gore was overwhelming. Severed green arms, hands, thighs, and unspeakable organs oozing foul, sticky fluids—intestines, livers—were scattered everywhere.

The stench of flesh, excrement, and rotting corpses hung thick in the air and refused to dissipate.

Many villagers with weaker mental fortitude vomited right on the spot upon seeing the scene.

Combined with Bell and Mia’s serious injuries and the detailed recounting of the brutal battle by the three surviving villagers, the villagers felt nothing but gratitude for Gauss and the others.

This adventuring party had become the heroes of the village.

Gauss and the other three were placed in the best stone house in the village to rest.

The village had no doctors, but an apprentice herbalist watched over the two injured throughout the night.

In truth, this apprentice herbalist could only perform the most basic bandaging and couldn’t offer much help beyond that.

Even so, Bell and Mia’s conditions were at least temporarily under control and had not further worsened.

This was thanks to Hailier feeding them a special red pill, said to stimulate the body’s life energy for a short time and temporarily stabilize injuries.

However, the pill could only suppress injuries temporarily and came with harmful side effects.

It could not be used repeatedly in a short span, meaning the two seriously injured still had not passed through danger.

They were still in urgent need of proper medical treatment.