I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 14: The Final Fireworks

Gauss staggered over to Bell’s side.

At this moment Bell was frighteningly pale from excessive blood loss.

Yet the sword in his hand still wavered as he swung it.

The two goblins did not approach.

They simply turned their heads and both stared at Gauss as he walked toward them.

Gauss was drenched again and again in the foul stench of his own blood, almost to the point of it crusting.

He paid no mind to the filth coating him.

Using the brief time it took to move, he had already mustered some strength again.

Looking up at the goblins, his gaze collided with theirs.

The two goblins sniffed the air, and only when Gauss reached them did they smell the familiar stench of goblin blood that lingered in the air—it was the scent of their own kin.

An invisible pressure once again radiated from Gauss, as if the wronged spirits of slain goblin children were haunting him, claws flailing, venting their resentment in death.

Gauss now exuded an aura that suppressed ordinary goblin individuals, similar to a cat’s innate dominance over a mouse.

He gathered the last of his strength and swung the dagger in his hand at one of the goblins.

Unfortunately, even though he intimidated the goblin, his swing was weaker than a third of his normal power.

The goblin staggered backward two steps, escaping his sudden attack.

The other goblin’s murky eyes gleamed with cunning as it once again shook off intimidation, realizing how feeble he was now.

Its earlier hesitance vanished, replaced by greed and rising cruelty.

“Shu!!”

“Sss!”

At that moment, a streak of dark light cut through the air—the arrowhead wrapped in silvery moonlight, soared over twenty meters and struck precisely into the goblin’s chest as it dodged Gauss’s strike.

It was Hailier drawing her bow and shooting, forcing the use of her ranged skill again to provide support.

“From here on out, it’s up to you…”

Hailier’s arm dropped; her right arm was crimson. Using her skill had drained her completely, and now she didn’t even have the strength to raise it. The aftereffects of overusing her ability made her chest burn fiercely.

She leaned against a tree, gasping heavily as she watched Gauss.

Gauss reacted swiftly—as the arrow struck, he clenched his dagger in both hands and held it before him.

Enduring the sting at his feet, he dashed toward the wounded goblin.

His body carried momentum, pressing the dagger’s tip into the chest wound made by the arrow.

The blade bit into flesh.

Blood splattered!

But his stride did not falter; the goblin, crying out in pain, staggered on for several more meters.

It was as if it had been struck by a large wagon—it quickly lost vitality, its consciousness fading.

“Cough cough—”

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from the goblin’s mouth and landed on Gauss’s chest.

The goblin, mortally wounded, finally lost its breath; its dimmed eyes lost all life, sliding into silence.

It was at that point that text appeared before Gauss’s eyes:

“Goblin killed *1”

“Total monsters killed: 10”

“Next stage: Achieve a cumulative monster kill count of 50!”

“Reward obtained, class skill Tier 1 spell [Magic Missile]!”

“Constitution +1”

“Current Constitution: 6”

In just a few breaths, a new power surged within Gauss’s body.

His parched body felt as though it had been nourished by rain, rejuvenated with life.

Suddenly, he felt his breathing become deeper and steadier.

His internal organs were visibly strengthening at a remarkable rate.

His trembling arms and thighs, whose tendons and tissues had been overtaxed, slowly relaxed under this gentle revitalization.

Abundant stamina surged within him.

Within seconds, aside from his external wounds, his condition had been completely refreshed.

“As expected! Upon reaching the next stage, the Adventurer’s Handbook grants a new reward.”

He took a deep breath.

Feeling the newly inscribed spell in his mind and the restored physical strength, Gauss felt reassured.

Killing had granted him the power to rise again in this fight.

He turned his gaze toward the other goblin, who had finally mustered up courage, expressionless.

With a flick of his shoulder and body, he easily dodged the wooden club thrown at him.

The boost in constitution seemed to have raised his physical resilience as well, greatly lessening the lag between his strong mental capacity and bodily reactions.

An ordinary goblin was now weaker before him.

His blade flashed with silver light, and in an instant, the goblin—one without the power of seasoned strength—had its waist and abdomen pierced by Gauss’s dagger.

Gauss twisted his wrist, crushing the goblin’s insides, withdrew his dagger to drain the blood, all in one smooth motion.

“Goblin killed *1”

“Total monsters killed: 11”

From the distance, Hailier, leaning against a tree and catching her breath, watched this scene with wide eyes.

Moments ago, an exhausted Gauss had, in a remarkable rebirth-like display, recovered in such a short time—it was beyond her comprehension.

But immediately, hope rekindled in her previously dim heart.

If Gauss could regain his strength to fight once more, perhaps…

“Roar!!!”

A roar reverberated through the forest, halting Hailier’s thoughts.

The large goblin’s greatsword unleashed overwhelming force; Mia, struggling to resist, seemed to hear the crisp snap of her own arm bones breaking.

The resistance she put up disappeared rapidly, overwhelmed by the pain of the fracture.

“Thud!!”

Mia was flung through the air.

Her small body slammed heavily against a tree trunk, spraying blood. She then tumbled to the ground.

The large goblin’s face twisted in ferocity; the sweet scent of human blood heated its entire body.

It stared at the distant, incapacitated figure, licked its lips, and slowly drew nearer.

One step, two steps…

Suddenly, a whoosh echoed from behind.

A brief thunderclap, then sharp pain seared through its back.

The dagger had struck through a gap in its leather armor and embedded in its waist.

Immediately, intense agony spread through its belly.

“Grrr grrr!”

The wounded goblin’s eyes bulged red.

It violently shook its head, its crimson eyes glaring savagely at Gauss, who had just thrown the dagger and stepped back.

Blinded by rage, it no longer cared why the once stumbling opponent now had renewed strength.

It only wanted to tear that human apart!

Rip out his intestines, carve out his heart, devour all his flesh—only then could it relieve the pain within its own body.

Its muscles bulged, skin reddened uncontrollably. Writhing sinew surged with terrifying power, turning it into a blood-thirsty beast!

It had grown stronger!

Unlike other goblins in their frenzy, Gauss met its gaze with frightening composure.

Never before had his focus been so absolute.

A night of battle had battered his mind into a singular, concentrated state—an elusive flow of consciousness that ordinary people could hardly reach.

“Thud!”

The large goblin moved!

It stamped on the ground, causing the earth to tremble. Its muscles erupted with power, charging toward Gauss like a roaring tank.

Even the wind seemed torn apart.

At the battlefield’s edge, the companions still breathing watched everything unfolding here.

Is... this still a goblin?

This frenzied, unfamiliar posture of the goblin was so powerful that they couldn’t believe it was still a goblin.

Hailier couldn’t help but hold her breath.

Mia and Bell, collapsed on the ground and powerless, managed to open their eyes with effort. Their chins pressed to the earth, they lifted their heads weakly to look toward the center of the battlefield.

“Can he do it?”

Gauss could not hear their thoughts.

He focused solely on what lay before him, holding one hand across his chest, his eyes steeled with intent, as though his will might materialize.

With 7 points of Intelligence!

It wasn’t just a few points more than 5.

It could mean a two- or threefold difference.

All along, he had not fully tapped into his mental capacity.

Seven points of Intelligence was not something a few days of spell practice could fully extract.

It was only at this moment, facing this terrifying opponent at its peak, that his taut mind finally broke through the invisible barrier!

Break!

Abundant mental power surged within his brain. His slender dark hair seemed to stir without wind!

The newly inscribed Tier 1 spell [Magic Missile] awakened simultaneously.

The key to successfully casting lay in concentration.

And now, under his fully driven spirit, the entire world became pure and simple.

The large goblin closed the distance!

Drool flew from its fangs into the air.

Its intent to crush Gauss assaulted him.

But Gauss’s will grew more refined!

In the next instant, a blue glow began to radiate from his palm.

At first faint, it rapidly expanded!

It poured forth dazzling light, devouring the darkness and illuminating the pitch-black forest.

By the time the blue orb had fully formed in his hand, the goblin was already five meters away.

At its speed, it likely needed less than a second to reach him and tear him apart.

But this one second felt like an insurmountable chasm.

The hefty blue orb of light was hurled fiercely!

“Boom!”

The heavy orb stretched into an oval beam.

It struck the muscle-laden abdomen of the large goblin at incredible speed.

“Thud!”

As the Magic Missile impacted, the goblin was like being struck by a train, unable to resist, flung backward.

The blue aura not only tossed the goblin—it also burst from its abdomen at high speed.

The aura ripped through skin, flesh, and bone; under this magical surge, the goblin’s corporeal body seemed shockingly fragile.

“Boom!!!!”

The blue magic pierced through the goblin’s body, detonating upon hitting the ground!

Brilliant blue light mixed with crimson gore, lighting up the forest like fireworks exploding in the night!