I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 356: Bio-location technology is so useful, did you know?

For the next few days, Gauss wandered around the outskirts of Grayrock Town, taking the opportunity to test the effectiveness of the newly mastered [Locate Creature] spell.Gauss withdrew his gaze from the goblin lying dead at his feet.

A white snow owl descended from the sky and landed on Gauss's shoulder.

This owl had a round head and a cute appearance, perfectly compensating for the fact that cats couldn't fly.

It turned its head to look at Gauss, revealing a simple and honest smile, grinning like a mischievous imp.

"Found anything?"

"I found a small pouch of coins."

"Not bad."

This adorable owl was Aria in her animal form.

While Gauss and Shadow were dealing with the enemies, she had transformed into a bird and scouted around the monster nest.

Things like coins, even though monsters couldn't exchange them for needed supplies anytime like humans could, couldn't resist the fact that many monsters inherently liked such shiny, exquisite objects, so they were often collected anyway.

It was said that in some large monster tribes, metals like gold, silver, and copper could also circulate as currency.

They would even smelt their own currency.

"Locate Creature · Goblin-like creature."

Gauss changed the target and cast this fourth-circle spell again.

Soon, mana spread out from his body, rapidly covering a large surrounding area.

No trees, rocks, or frozen soil could act as a barrier to block this spell's detection.

Or rather, barriers capable of blocking or interfering with a fourth-circle spell's detection were not something ordinary monsters could master.

After scanning the area and finding no trace of goblin-like creatures, Gauss dismissed the magic.

Compared to the more adaptable goblins, goblin-like creatures preferred warm environments, so they would find relatively suitable wintering grounds with comfortable temperatures well before winter arrived.

"Total Monster Kills: 16998"

Unconsciously, after that battle ended, Gauss had accumulated nearly two thousand more monster kills.

Of course, achieving this so quickly was the result of a combination of factors.

Firstly, during those two days rescuing refugees from Blackwater Town, he killed a large number of pursuing monsters. Furthermore, after the Grayrock Town defense battle ended, a considerable portion of the defeated monster forces fled into the outskirts of the Emerald Forest. Having mastered [Locate Creature], entering the forest outskirts was like catching chicks, one after another.

These unfortunate monsters had barely managed to regroup and recuperate, only to be quickly hunted down by Gauss, the persistent monster hunter.

"4th-circle spell Locate Creature lv3 (6/50)"

Through continuous and frequent use, the proficiency level of Locate Creature also increased rapidly.

Skills were like that; the more you used them, the more proficient you naturally became. Moreover, the talent [Encountering Evil Hour] would occasionally drop some skill experience points, randomly adding to various skills, with the highest probability going to newly mastered, relatively lower-level skills.

Additionally, possessing powerful magical talent allowed Gauss, after mastering a spell, to often grasp and master it at a very fast pace.

However, skill upgrade speed was very fast for the first three levels, but once reaching lv4, it dropped significantly.

Even for a monster of his talent level, the highest proficiency skill currently only reached lv5, and even those were the most frequently used skills. They were respectively:

Gauss Field lv5 (145/200)

Magic Missile lv5 (77/200)

Fire Bolt lv5 (5/200)

Gauss Field naturally went without saying; it was his core skill with a very high frequency of use. To be precise, it was rarely ever deactivated from Gauss's body.

Even in his sleep, a layer of force field protection enveloped him.

Therefore, from beginning to end, this spell's proficiency level had been far ahead in his skill list.

Moreover, even when he activated special states, such as the energy dragon scales of the Sturdy Scale Bloodline or the ghost energy protection of Second-Stage Ghostification, Gauss Field had already merged with them.

Or perhaps, the reason they could develop protective forms was largely influenced by this core skill.

As for Magic Missile, no need to elaborate, just two words: useful.

If he encountered a few, or a dozen goblins on the roadside, he couldn't just toss out a third-circle Fireball or a fourth-circle Ice Storm.

Even though he certainly didn't lack that mana, using a cannon to kill a mosquito was one thing, and besides the waste, harming the surrounding flowers, plants, and innocent small animals wasn't good either.

Aria would be terribly upset watching from the side.

So when encountering scattered monsters, Magic Missile and Fire Bolt were often still the optimal choices.

With frequent use, the experience gain speed naturally increased quickly.

Lv1 was entry, lv2 was proficient, lv3 was mastery, lv4 was master. In Gauss's perception, lv5 was already the pinnacle level.

At the very least, these three lv5 proficiency magics in his hands were almost capable of being used in incredibly versatile ways.

Near-instant casting, reduced energy consumption, stronger spell effects.

Magic Missile and Fire Bolt could also be fired in rapid succession, completely breaking free from the basic effects of those spells.

Therefore, in his understanding, the lv5 level meant internalizing that skill into a spell uniquely his own.

It should also be a stage that very few professionals could reach.

So, he was now very curious about what level a lv6 skill could achieve. Transcendent perfection? Would other effects appear?

Currently, the closest to lv6 was Gauss Field. Unfortunately, as proficiency increased, even for a continuously active skill like Gauss Field, the growth rate gradually slowed down.

"How is your dream going?"

Gauss spoke to the owl Aria on his shoulder while waving to Shadow in the distance.

Before the new year, Aria had awakened the ability to transfer real-world plants into her dreams. The first test was a special magical plant variety, an olive dwarf tree potted plant.

She had called Gauss over to consult immediately, so Gauss was very clear about this too.

"It has already borne fruit in the dream."

"I brought some out last night."

"Do you want to try some?"

"Mmm, thank you."

Gauss nodded.

He then took a few fresh green olives from Aria's hand.

They looked no different from normal fruit, just more plump, with a rich magical aura emanating from their surface.

If not mentioned, it was hard to imagine they grew in a dream.

Gauss and Shadow each picked up one and took a bite.

The flesh of the magical olive fruit was tender white, very juicy.

Unlike ordinary olives which were astringent and slightly bitter, it was very sweet and refreshing, with the fragrance overflowing from the juice the moment it entered the mouth.

The unique special energy belonging to magical fruit instantly integrated into Gauss's body like a warm current.

"Delicious."

Gauss nodded.

"And very energy-rich."

The satiety and energy it provided were even greater than ordinary primary magic stones.

More crucially, magical fruit was gentler and harmless to the body. If processed into potions, the effects would likely be even better.

"It should be related to the environment of your dream, right?" Shadow also spoke up.

Aria nodded.

Although that olive tree was cultivated and modified by her own hands, such artificially bred magical plant varieties often had characteristics like low fruit yield and poor quality.

Because wild magical plants often grew in special places like magical ley lines, while Aria's garden obviously couldn't achieve similar effects. The reason it hadn't withered was still due to the special soil and natural energy she provided.

But in her dreamland, all of this seemed to be easily resolved.

That land appeared barren, but actually, when crops appeared, a strange power would inexplicably surge from underground to nourish these growing plants.

"However, currently it seems only magical plant varieties can be transplanted; ordinary plants cannot be transferred into it."

Aria sighed.

The cooldown time for transferring plants and the requirements for the types of plants that could be transferred prevented her from rapidly transferring large quantities of plants in a short time to achieve the goal of quickly revitalizing the barren dream soil.

"It's already very good."

"In the future, during our adventures, if we encounter magical plants, we can also collect them for you to transfer into the dream manor."

When Gauss and the others encountered wild magical plants in the wilderness, they would often leave the plant in its original place after harvesting the fruit or crop.

Because even if they wanted to take the plant away, it would most likely result in the plant withering after being separated from the ley line.

But now, they possessed a portable plant cultivation manor.

From now on, they could continuously produce fresh magical plant fruits.

...

Returning to Grayrock Town.

The town had completely restored order.

Time would heal everything; the dark clouds of war seemed to be leaving Grayrock Town.

After confirming that the Emerald Forest outside Grayrock Town wouldn't organize a new offensive in the short term, Sir Belock and the soldiers stationed on the town's outskirts were also preparing to return to Anvil Fort.

"Have a safe journey, Sir Belock."

"Gauss, come visit Anvil Fort when you have time."

"Definitely."

After seeing off this army at the town gate, Gauss and Eberhard entered the town.

The war was over.

The town entered another lively period of development and reconstruction, with everything needing to be rebuilt.

To settle the refugees from Blackwater Town and the original residents who suffered losses, the town hall provided work as relief, offering many new positions.

Repairing and reinforcing the city walls, building housing, providing loans.

The victory in that battle also allowed this small town to seize considerable post-war benefits.

The lost population was gradually replenished by other residents who were continuously absorbed afterward.

It was foreseeable that after some time of development, Grayrock Town would reach a level of prosperity greater than before the war.

If it continued to grow, perhaps in another decade or so, it might have the opportunity to level up into a new border city.

Following the great victory of the Grayrock defense battle, Gauss's fame grew even more, and even Grayrock Town gained considerable renown.

He thus gained an additional title: "Guardian of Grayrock."

Originally, some people, especially residents of those large cities he had never visited, were skeptical of his story of "defeating" a Transcendent Dragon Priestess while out-leveled in Longdi Fort. But this time, his glorious achievement of taking the enemy leader's head amidst ten thousand soldiers was witnessed by many soldiers and recorded by the military's scribes.

For a time, Gauss's fame soared once again within the province.

Anyone wanting to climb up from the bottom would often go through this process, having to prove themselves with one achievement after another, building their own reputation.

Especially residents of large cities, even the kingdom's center, they often harbored a superior mindset, trusting more in the long-established powerhouses or rising geniuses from their own cities.

For new stars emerging from border regions, they usually held an examining and reserved attitude until his strength was confirmed time and again by indisputable battle records.

Village, town, city, province, kingdom, continent.

Famous adventurers needed to take it step by step until reaching the grandest stage.

Gauss currently had some fame, but his reputation should still be between city and province level.

It meant many cities and towns within the province knew of his existence, but he was far from being a household name. Those who talked about him with relish were mainly concentrated around his area of activity.

"Eberhard, I'm here to see if there are any suitable commissions."

"Got nothing better to do?"

Eberhard, after several busy days, had just found a little time today when he saw Gauss walk in.

But he was just teasing. Although he wasn't very familiar with Gauss in the past, after spending the last two weeks together, he already considered Gauss a friend.

Even though Gauss was considerably younger than him, his conduct and maturity were very sound, plus his strength was greater than Eberhard's, so Eberhard naturally wouldn't put on airs.

He had once heard that Gauss was a commission specialist, a monster slaughtering maniac, and he never expected it to be true.

A normal adventurer, having just ended a battle as the absolute main force, followed by being busy clearing out remaining monsters outside the city and receiving refugees, would probably need to rest for a week or two, right?

He never expected Gauss couldn't stay idle for even a day. He had just finished clearing the outskirts of the Emerald Forest near Grayrock Town this morning, and now he was already looking for suitable commissions again.

Eberhard couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Suddenly feeling he had grown old, not as energetic as the young people.

"What kind of commission do you want to take?"

"Combat commissions, preferably involving elite-level monsters."

"Want me to have someone pick out the elite goblin-related commissions?"

Eberhard inquired understandingly.

"No, not goblins this time."

Gauss shook his head.

He glanced at his Monster Encyclopedia. Unconsciously, the number of elite-level species in the Monster Encyclopedia had quietly reached 19.

It was really because during the war those past few days, he had killed too many monsters simultaneously, so he hadn't even noticed acquiring new species.

Now he only needed one last type to reach the target of 20 and draw a new talent.

Although a blue-quality talent probably wouldn't enhance his actual combat power much now, racial talents were something you could never have too many of.

Just like magic, the spells a spellcaster learned weren't all frequently used; the ones they used most were often just those few common ones. But the remaining spells became part of their magical foundation.

And who knows, they might come in handy someday.

Hearing Gauss's request, although Eberhard was somewhat puzzled, he didn't ask further.

He wasn't a talkative person, nor was he particularly curious.

Like during last year's Winter Hunt, when Gauss was still a level 1 professional, he had noticed this unusual young man, but he ultimately didn't make contact with Gauss, just quietly handled some trivial matters for him.

He simply assumed Gauss wanted to relax a bit. After all, they were just elite-level monsters, posing no threat whatsoever to Gauss now.