Chapter 67: Goblin’s Nightmare
The goblin stood before the stone cauldron, stirring the contents continuously with a wooden stick.
In the cauldron was a batch of indescribably viscous food—just from looking, one could see grains of wheat, berries, grass seeds, beetles, large green caterpillars, and so on.
As the various ingredients were heated by the flames, strange reactions occurred, and bursts of oddly pungent smells wafted out with the cooking smoke.
Yet the goblin deeply inhaled, as if detecting an exquisite flavor, the expression of enjoyment spreading across its face.
Although the goblin had a small brain and simple thoughts, that did not prevent it from understanding the importance of fire.
By relying on the fire pit to preserve the flame, the tribe could cook at any time and maintain a more comfortable nest during the cold winter.
If the fire in the pit unfortunately went out, they would need to steal flames from a human village—a troublesome task.
At the thought of humans, the goblin cooking before the cauldron let saliva dribble from its mouth unconsciously.
And looking again at the food in the pot in front of it, it no longer seemed so aromatic.
But as it thought, another image suddenly popped into its mind, one it couldn’t forget.
It was a fragment of memory occupying the little space in its brain.
A group of tall humans wielding sharp weapons had easily destroyed the goblin’s original tribe; tribe after tribe fell under the blade, blood flowing.
Under the gaze of those demonic figures, the goblins, facing cold crossbows that could slaughter their own kind with ease, shamefully cowered, fleeing into the forest along with a few others, escaping desperately.
They didn’t know how far they ran, and ended up settling here.
And with the efforts of the surviving goblins, they rebuilt their tribe in the wilderness despite threats from wild beasts.
Although the new generation of goblins was small and skinny due to their mother's frailty, as long as this continued, someday they would live good days eating meat again.
“Hehehe…”
Thinking of those good days ahead, the goblin’s large mouth stretched to its ears, showing off yellow‑brown, thick, crooked teeth—its already ugly face grew even more hideous.
“Dada‑da!”
Footsteps approached.
The goblin stirring the cauldron looked up and saw a green figure rushing into view.
Upon realizing it was a fellow tribe member, not some other creature, the goblin temporarily lowered its guard.
“Wawa‑wa!”
But the panicked cries from the companion made its nerves snap taut again.
The returning companion kept repeating a call implying “human.”
Humans!
The goblin followed the direction pointed by its short companion, and a tall figure steadily stepped out along the fallen leaves.
Sunlight streamed down on him from behind, and with each approaching step, an indescribable sense of oppression grew stronger, sending a sharp pain through the goblin’s brain.
That towering figure seemed to drag it back into its past nightmare!
Its two slender yet firm legs trembled involuntarily.
“Magic Missile!”
A blue orb of energy that cracked through the air became the last piece of its memory.
“Boom!”
The missile, like a sharp arrow, penetrated its chest and effortlessly flung it several meters away.
Gauss sheathed his staff.
“Goblin *1 killed.”
“Total monsters killed: 83.”
Watching the goblin—which was clearly larger than others of its kind—lying on the ground with its eyes completely devoid of light, he then turned his gaze toward the distant cave.
Gauss figured the goblin he had just killed was likely the leader of this tribe, and he had always disliked wasting time.
The tactic of “capture the king first to catch the bandits” had to be executed properly.
For goblins, such low-tier monsters, how much combat strength they could exert largely depended on their “commander.”
Without a leader, goblins were just scattered sand; with a Large Goblin in command, the tribe could massacre villages.
If they were under the banner of a dragon, then their morale would soar, turning them into fearless warriors on the spot.
On the other side, the goblin acting as the “guide” stared at the goblin whose chest had been blasted open and was completely dumbfounded.
It hadn’t expected this terrifying human to have sinisterly followed it all the way here.
Just as it was about to warn the other tribe members inside the cave—
a rapier slashed clean through its throat the moment it opened its mouth to speak.
Its head fell to the ground and rolled away.
“Goblin *1 killed.”
“Total monsters killed: 84.”
Gauss spun his sword in a flourish, flicking off the blood from the blade.
Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes.
He felt that killing goblins was becoming easier and smoother for him.
Especially when dealing with lone goblins or pairs, they barely survived a single face-off against him.
With Mage Armor, Swordsmanship Basics Lv1 (8/10), and the Nemesis effect granted by the Goblin Hunter title—
he was rapidly becoming a ruthless goblin-killing machine.
He glanced at the Monster Encyclopedia.
The number in the corner of the first goblin icon had quietly reached 45.
That meant 45 goblins had already died by his hand.
But that was still far from enough.
Compared to the countless goblins hiding in the wilderness, this number was a mere drop in the ocean.
As long as he grew stronger, this number would skyrocket—after all, this world had no Wild Goblin Protection Association.
No one would condemn him for committing genocide against the goblin race.
Gauss walked to the cave entrance.
It was a not-so-tall cave, barely one point four meters in height.
With a thought, Mage Hand formed in front of him.
He placed a spherical object into Mage Hand and directed it into the cave.
Due to range limitations, after about ten meters, he had to stoop and follow inside to extend his control range.
Finally, after hearing vague goblin movements deeper within, he stopped and had Mage Hand light a foul-smelling orb with a match.
Flames clung to the stinkball, engulfing it instantly.
Along with the flames rose thick black smoke and a stench that quickly filled the cave.
“Hiss hiss hiss!!!”
A pungent smell burst from the porous ball like a foul-smelling smoke bomb, spreading throughout the cave.
By now, Gauss had already slipped back out of the low cave.
He waited outside in advance for the goblins to be driven out.
Compared to choking smoke, the stinkball’s effect was more short-lived and required deeper placement for best results.
Though it could be thrown in after being lit, there was a risk of it going out.
He had found this item in a general store.
Working solo without a teammate, he had to rely on magic and tools for versatility.
The only downside—it was a bit expensive, one silver coin per ball.
Fortunately, the cost was not in vain.
Soon enough, the nauseating odor from the stinkball drove the goblins out of the cave.
“Cough cough cough!”
The goblins burst out, gasping for fresh air.
As they wheezed, a figure silently appeared beside them.
“Slash!”
Sword light split flesh apart like tofu.
The rapier, blessed with a white glow, cut down multiple goblins in a row.
Some tried to resist, but their claw swipes and wooden club strikes were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Gauss sheathed his sword and let out a long breath.
Out the corner of his eye, he spotted a goblin stealthily creeping past his side, crouching low in a sneaky retreat.
“Crafty little green skin.”
The next moment, a Magic Missile followed.
“Boom!”
The final goblin collapsed in unwillingness.
“Total monsters killed: 89.”
The goblin kill count also reached 50.
After the last goblin fell, Gauss stood rooted in place for a moment.
He felt as though something in him had subtly changed.