Chapter 60: After the Mission, Predicament
Levin smiled and said, “No, no, of course not.”
He explained that if that kobold had possessed an official challenge rating—even just level 1—none of them could have dodged the fireball.
Gauss felt a little disappointed.
He had thought he’d just slain a creature with a true challenge rating.
But on second thought, the Monster Encyclopedia also classified the one before them as a normal kobold, meaning it hadn’t leveled up beyond its rank.
“We’ve encountered some monsters with weak spellcasting before,” Levin continued, “either using items or relying on mutated organs to wield foreign power.”
Overall, those were troublesome yet not unbeatable.
Although Levin’s power might be far below Gauss’s now, his adventuring experience was richer.
He was more than willing to share that knowledge with Gauss.
Even commonplace intel could earn the favor of a future professional spellcaster—anyone would make the right choice.
“That explains…” Gauss mused.
No wonder he hadn’t sensed any strong magical aura.
The elderly kobold must have drawn on its mutated organ to spit fire.
He recalled how, right after it released its first fire breath, it had aged instantly—surely that was the cost of its casting.
Magic truly was a fearsome power.
Even a kobold with a crude spell could endanger a squad with a well-timed ambush.
Of course, caster-type professions were very fragile.
If an enemy closed in, that elder kobold could be killed with a single sword strike—perhaps even struggling weaker than its kin due to its frail body.
Earlier, Gauss had used a simple Mage Hand to seize a momentary opening and effectively forced it to “self-destruct.”
Fortunately, he wasn’t such a fragile spellcaster himself.
Their comrade’s tragic death left Gauss deeply moved.
It strengthened his resolve that survival was essential for output.
No matter what, self-preservation in battle must come before offense.
After clearing the loot in the cavern hall and checking all rooms in the lair to ensure no kobold survivors remained, the party gathered the spoils and began the arduous climb outward.
About ten minutes later, they emerged from the mine.
Sunlight streamed across their faces, making everyone who’d spent prolonged time in darkness squint involuntarily.
“Finally out.”
Leaving the cramped, oppressive subterranean maze behind, even the bleak, eerie abandoned mine felt like pleasant scenery—and their spirits lifted.
Humans seemed to carry an innate dread of narrow, dark underground spaces; though unspoken, everyone had felt the oppressive pressure of that environment.
After a brief rest at a makeshift camp and glancing at the sun overhead to gauge time, the team set off toward Graystone Town.
They planned to minimize overnight stays in the wild.
Lighting fires, cooking meals, setting camp, and night watches were all exhausting chores.
Gauss eyed the cart overflowing with supplies and wondered how much profit this trip would yield.
Regardless of the kobold’s combat value, their knack for scavenging was undeniable.
This species seemed born with a strong hoarding instinct, filling their living space with a mess of junk.
Even Meiva couldn’t tell what was worth money, so they had taken everything.
The mutated elder kobold’s corpse also occupied a large portion of the flatbed.
It was precisely because of this body that they hurried back to Graystone Town—if postponed until tomorrow, it would surely begin to rot.
Pulling their load of scraps, they made it back before dark to Graystone Town.
At the town entrance, the guards stopped them to carefully inspect their cargo, and only after confirming everyone’s identity were they allowed through.
Next came the familiar routine: first stop, the Adventurer’s Guild hall to submit the quest.
“One adult kobold is worth 80 copper each, young kobolds 40 copper each—a total of exactly 20 silver coins. Please check and take it.”
After handing in the quest items, the guild receptionist handed over the commission reward.
Gauss looked curiously toward the lower part of the counter.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t see what the receptionist was doing underneath.
It seemed that every time a task was submitted, the quest items and commission coins were processed below the counter, out of sight.
If the beast ear tokens had no value, the receptionist wouldn’t bother taking them back out, but if any item had inherent worth, it would be returned to the adventurer along with the money after inspection.
“Is it magic?” Gauss couldn’t help but wonder.
Most things that defied common sense in this world were generally related to magic.
But he had closely observed the verification process several times just now, and never once sensed any magical fluctuations—he didn’t know whether it was because of his limited ability or something else.
Leaving the counter with the commission in hand.
Levin divided the money on the spot.
From this Adventurer’s Guild commission, Gauss received five silver coins, significantly more than the other five.
Yet none of the others voiced any objection.
If not for Gauss’s earlier warning and his quick elimination of the spell-capable kobold, the mission wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
Night Owl Team always distributed rewards by contribution, and those who played a key role deserved a greater share.
Gauss didn’t feign politeness—he simply thanked them and pocketed the coins.
Next came the disposal of the cart’s miscellaneous items.
“You guys are so slow.”
Doyle, who had been guarding the goods outside, was getting impatient and casually complained when he saw the group coming out.
“Hurry up and sell off this junk—I’m starving.”
Aside from a bit of emergency rations during the midday camp, no one had eaten anything else until now.
Hearing that, Gauss suddenly felt a little hungry too and rubbed his stomach.
He felt like he was hungrier than usual.
He recalled the racial talent he’d recently acquired—【Rapid Digestion】—and after thinking it over, he came up with a guess and shook his head.
Looks like that ability wasn’t entirely beneficial.
Hungrier faster?
He might end up as a bottomless pit.
Crap, his Engel coefficient was going to rise again.
At the thought of spending more money just on food, Gauss instinctively rubbed his barely recovering wallet, suddenly worried it wouldn’t last long.
The sword at his side also seemed eager for action.
Faced with such a tough situation, he figured he’d better hit up some old friends for support—especially since it would conveniently help train his Rapid Digestion too, killing two birds with one stone.