Chapter 5: Recuperation
Gauss focused and entered the Adventurer’s Handbook, and several prompts immediately popped up.
At the same time, a strange force surged through his entire body, finally flowing back and converging in his brain.
It was a warm current that surged through every part of his body—his brain, spinal cord, and limbs—as if he were soaking in a hot spring, countless invisible hands kneading and massaging every part of his body, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort that made him lose focus.
His brain kept buzzing continuously.
He opened his eyes, and everything became clear—his entire world appeared anew, as though some kind of veil covering his mental awareness had been lifted.
A special energy was also imprinted into his consciousness.
It was a spell named "Mage Hand".
Having just experienced a brief but intense battle, his previously somewhat fatigued body and mind were revitalized once again under this wave of cleansing.
Name: Gauss
Strength: 5 (Power, load-bearing capacity, explosive force, and other kinetic output)
Agility: 5 (Physical flexibility, dynamic coordination)
Constitution: 5 (Endurance, physical fitness, trauma recovery, cardiopulmonary metabolism)
Intelligence: 7 (Memory, thinking, mental power)
Perception: 5 (Senses, intuition, judgment)
Charisma: 5 (Temperament, affinity, appearance, posture)
Skills:
Cantrip: Mage Hand lv1 (1/10)
Gauss examined the changes in his handbook attributes.
His Intelligence, which had originally been 6 points, now had taken the lead at 7 points.
The most direct benefit of these 7 Intelligence points was that the memories of the original body he had to recall intermittently throughout the day were now completely digested and absorbed in an instant—Gauss felt his memory was better than ever.
However, this Intelligence value was not exactly equivalent to IQ in his previous life.
Although he did feel his mind became slightly sharper after increasing it, the effect wasn’t particularly dramatic. It was more of a boost to memory and a kind of mental strength.
And…
That faint magical energy now flowing through his body!
Yes, there was now a wondrous force coursing through him that made him incredibly excited.
The newly born magic was still weak, but it was real—like a child who had just arrived in a new home, running around everywhere.
With the spell Mage Hand and the presence of magic, he should now be able to try practicing magic.
However, considering it wasn’t the right time, he dismissed this fleeting idea.
The main storyline of the Monster Encyclopedia was now quite clear.
One aspect was the total number of monsters slain—as long as the cumulative number of monsters he killed reached a certain stage, he would receive some rewards.
The next stage was ten kills.
And the kills of a single race seemed to also offer corresponding rewards once accumulated.
After experiencing the changes in his body and handbook, his attention returned to the real world.
The Goblin was completely dead.
Next was the time to collect his spoils.
He picked up the stone spear that had been kicked away earlier and weighed it in his hand.
Surprisingly, although it wasn’t made of metal, its texture was sturdier than he had imagined.
He would take it!
His gaze landed on the Goblin's body.
Aside from a small piece of tattered cloth covering its lower body, it wore nothing else, and even that little cloth emitted a pungent and musky stench.
Gauss hesitated but didn’t reach out to strip it, thinking it likely wouldn’t sell for much anyway.
It was better to leave it to cover the Goblin’s corpse.
There wasn’t anything particularly valuable on the Goblin’s body, and since he hadn’t been commissioned to eliminate Goblins in a designated area, he couldn’t take any materials from its body to claim a bounty.
After a thorough search, he took the beast fang pendant hanging around its neck.
As for the Goblin’s corpse, he didn’t have the time to bury it.
Though their flesh and blood had a certain level of contamination, the natural forest would take care of it.
He briefly tidied up his belongings and, worried that the scent of blood would attract other monsters or beasts in the forest, he left quickly.
It was only after he returned under the oak tree where his package was buried that he finally let out a sigh of relief.
His first time killing a monster went much more smoothly than he had expected.
It was time to return to town and rest.
Reaching ten monster kills was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
The only reason he managed to catch this lone Goblin was thanks to the information left by the original body, coupled with a well-crafted plan and a successful ambush.
In reality, low-level monsters encountered by adventurers in the wild often operated in groups.
Even if there was a gap in individual strength, multiple attacks from all directions could still be quite troublesome.
At his current level, he did not yet have the ability to fight multiple monsters without getting hurt.
He needed to go back and digest what he had gained and improve his strength.
While checking the map, he began retracing his path.
After leaving the forest and returning to the main road, he finally saw other people.
From then on, he simply followed the same path back.
By the time he arrived at the town checkpoint, it was already around dusk.
The setting sun hung low over the distant mountain peaks.
The last rays of sunlight bathed the town’s gray stone rooftops, giving the otherwise plain settlement a golden glow.
He reflected on his journey—most of his time had been spent on the road, with the actual combat being quite brief.
After a quick inspection, Gauss was granted entry and made a firm decision: he must acquire a mount.
Otherwise, if he kept relying solely on his legs, he would be exhausted before even reaching the mission location.
Especially now that he seemed to be developing in the direction of a spellcaster, with physical attributes like Constitution and Strength not much different from an average person, he needed to pay even more attention to managing his stamina.
...
After taking a hot bath at a local bathhouse run by the townsfolk—
Stripping off his cloth armor and changing into loose linen clothes, Gauss felt completely refreshed.
The hot water had turned his skin red all over, and it felt as if all the fatigue in his body and mind had been carried away with the steam.
After combat, it was necessary to relax and unwind one's nerves a little.
A person couldn’t remain tense all the time, or they would eventually break down.
The summer night in Graystone Town flowed with a breeze as refreshing as spring water, and the starry sky sparkled with a unique deep blue hue.
The marketplace at the town center was lit by torches made of pine resin.
The streets were lined with open-air stalls sheltered by canvas canopies supported with bamboo poles.
Wind chimes swayed in the breeze, producing crisp, pleasant sounds, while the clay pots filled with food emitted rich aromas.
Worried that he might lose control and spend too much, the original body rarely went out shopping at night.
Walking through this exotic night market for the first time, everything looked novel to Gauss.
Most of the stalls sold food, but there were also a few fortune-telling stands, cheap jewelry vendors, and a puppet show tent performing with string puppets—which had drawn the largest crowd.
The patrolling town guards wore longswords at their waists and stood at the edges, maintaining order.
All in all, it was a small town brimming with a sense of life, especially after nightfall.
“How much can I get for this?”
Gauss pulled out the beast fang pendant and stone spear he had taken from the Goblin and squatted in front of a miscellaneous goods stall to ask for a price.
“This was scavenged off a Goblin, wasn’t it?” The stall owner was an elderly man who leaned in to take a closer look as he spoke.
Though phrased as a question, his tone carried certainty.
Clearly, he often dealt with such primitive ornaments and items.
“Yes, I killed a Goblin in the Emerald Forest this afternoon and took it from its body.”
“I don’t want the stone spear, but I can give you 70 copper coins for the pendant. You know, not many customers are into this kind of primitive and savage style. Also, these kinds of ornaments aren’t particularly rare. I’m only willing to take it because the craftsmanship of these wolf fangs is decent.” The old man gave his price, and seeing Gauss hesitate, he added,
“This is the market price. You can check with other buyers in town who deal in such materials. The offer shouldn’t differ much.”
Gauss was generally satisfied with the price.
Seventy copper coins for a beast fang pendant was nearly a fifth of his previous savings.
Still, since he wasn’t familiar with the market rate, he didn’t rush to sell.
Instead, he planned to check a few more quotes and then sell to the highest bidder.
Earning a few extra copper coins would be worthwhile, and it wouldn’t cost him much time.
Money was extremely important for adventurers—equipment, weapons, potions, expert guidance, skill instruction.
As long as one had money, all of these could be obtained.
Equipping oneself to the teeth made battles with low-level monsters far safer.
After checking around various stalls and shops—
He found that the old man hadn’t lied to him.
The quotes from other vendors hovered around similar prices.
In the end, Gauss sold the loot for 78 copper coins.