I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 276: Goblin-like creature's Town

The first official day of the commission was more uneventful than Gauss had anticipated.It was basically Shadow doing all the work.

They said they were on alert, but the situation on the surface was unexpectedly calm.

Throughout the entire day, they hadn't seen a single monster emerge from the mine shaft to get some air.

This desolate scene made it hard to believe that so many monsters were hidden underground.

"Something feels off."

Gauss stroked his chin.

Logically speaking, with such a large number of members in a monster nest, they shouldn't be this cautious.

Not a single monster had slipped out.

Could they be implementing military-style management internally?

Gauss shook his head.

Forget monsters, even if you tried to confine a thousand people in one place for a long time without moving, it would be impossible to achieve such absolute obedience.

At their temporary campsite.

A hand-drawn map with ink that had just dried was spread out.

Shadow would come out periodically to report her exploration progress and draw the network of tunnels beneath the Brennan Large Mine in graphic form.

Besides the channel they had stumbled upon by luck on the first day, through Shadow's prolonged efforts, they had discovered additional passages leading deeper into the nest.

The design of this monster nest was quite complex.

Not all mining tunnels led to the nest;after investigation, most passages were dead ends, and some were equipped with traps and mechanisms.

It was only because Shadow's abilities were too overpowered—ordinary Rogues would likely trigger the mechanisms in such harsh conditions, if not get injured, alerting the monsters in the nest.

"Something is indeed off about these monsters."

In response to Gauss's sigh, Aria nodded in agreement.

This wasn't their first time encountering a monster nest of this scale.

The last Goblin nest they burned had around a thousand monsters too, but back then, they could clearly observe signs of Goblin activity in the vicinity.

This time, if not for Shadow's on-site investigation, looking from the surface, they would have thought this was just an abandoned mine that had been deserted for many years.

"Their equipment is quite good." Shadow added. "They're all using iron tools—iron picks, iron swords, etc."

Although she couldn't conduct in-depth investigations of the nest due to the strange energy lingering around the central nest, observing from the periphery was like viewing flowers through fog because of the barrier's presence.

However, by observing the Goblin-like creatures distributed in the outer tunnels, she could analyze that the monsters in this nest were quite well-equipped.

"They forge their own weapons."

Gauss concluded.

Even though this mine had been abandoned for many years, in the hands of the naturally gifted "mining masters"—the Goblin-like creatures—it was like water in a sponge;they could always dig something out.

Moreover, he reasonably suspected that a self-sufficient mini-world had formed within the nest.

Otherwise, what would they eat while staying underground without coming out?

As night fell, the air began to cool rapidly.

Gauss and the others didn't stay near the Brennan Large Mine. Instead, they rode their mounts a bit farther away before setting up the "Fold House" to camp and rest.

The frequency of using the Fold House, this magical item, had been very high over the past month.

After getting used to it, it already felt like the team's home.

In contrast, staying at city inns felt less comfortable.

Gauss led Sif Albena, who was entering for the first time, to the second floor of the house.

"Albena, you can choose one of these two empty rooms for yourself?"

Fortunately, the Fold House had six rooms in total, so there was no awkward situation of not having space for an extra person.

"Master Gauss, which room is yours?"

Albena instinctively asked.

"Mine is downstairs."

"Can I choose a room downstairs then?"

Gauss fell silent for a moment.

"Sorry, they're already occupied."

The three rooms on the first floor were occupied by Aria, himself, and Serlandul.

Shadow lived alone upstairs.

"If you want to stay on the first floor, I can swap with you."

Gauss didn't have much luggage—just some mattresses, bedding, and a few clothes—so packing up would be quick.

Aria, who had followed them, seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

However, Albena just shook her head upon hearing this.

"Then I'll stay upstairs."

Aria nodded.

"Albena, I'll get you bedding and daily supplies." Satisfied with the outcome, Aria turned to fetch supplies for the "new resident" from the storage room.

"By the way, Sir Gauss, are you hungry?"

Albena once again produced food from somewhere and offered it to Gauss.

Although not very hungry, considering he had already declined several times today,

Gauss still reached out and accepted it.

This time, Albena offered a compressed nut cake.

Seeing Gauss accept it, she took one herself and began chewing.

Gauss took a couple of bites.

It tasted good, with substantial ingredients.

The only thing that bothered him was that Albena seemed to have developed a habit of feeding him.

Before she wanted to eat, she would instinctively offer him food first.

But in reality, his appetite wasn't as big as Albena's.

"Sigh..."

Just eat it.

At most, I'll meditate a bit longer in my room tonight.

........

Waking up early, the weather was clear.

The wilderness sky was azure and clean, and waking up from a soft bed in a comfortable room put everyone in a good mood.

Gauss marveled once again.

The【Fold House】that Serlandul had chosen was incredibly useful, greatly enhancing the happiness of carrying out commissions outdoors.

Gauss specifically got up earlier to prepare breakfast for everyone in the kitchen.

Breakfast was still the usual fare.

The main dish was a large pot of oatmeal porridge, with dried fruits, diced meat, and some vegetables chopped into it, cooked until very thick.

Hard-boiled eggs, grilled bacon.

A pot of brewed black tea for refreshment.

A full basket of white bread, accompanied by Aria's specially made wild berry jam.

Not particularly lavish, but the portions were generous and filling, plus it was clean and hygienic.

As he brought the food to the dining table on the first floor, the others gradually woke up, drawn by the smell.

Aria, still half-asleep, instinctively headed to the table and reached for an egg.

Gauss, wearing an apron, patted her hand and pointed to a corner of the living room.

"Wash up first."

"Oh."

This Fold House was fully functional;besides energy consumption from magic crystals, water needed to be collected and stored by Gauss and the others when they passed by water sources.

Albena, coming downstairs, saw this and turned to follow Aria toward the washroom.

"Thanks for your hard work, Captain."

Serlandul, already washed up, came to the dining table and sat down.

Soon, everyone gathered at the table to enjoy today's breakfast.

"Eat well, today we officially set off into the mine tunnels."

"Don't worry about us." Aria shook her head. "You and Albena should eat more."

"If a fight breaks out, you two will be the main force."

Of course, she had an unspoken implication.

"Don't worry, little Aria, when the time comes, you can confidently hide behind me. I'll protect you." Albena patted her chest and assured.

"Can you not add 'little'? Big Sister Albena, I'm already an adult."

"But you're still a child." Albena stubbornly shook her head.

She was the oldest in the team currently.

Yesterday, during leisure time, she had chatted and inquired about Gauss and his teammates' situations.

She found out that, except for Shadow who shook her head indicating she didn't know, the others were all young people under thirty.

"Gauss is even younger than me."

"Master Gauss is different."

Aria clicked her tongue, feeling frustrated.

This was pure double standards.

Watching this scene, Gauss found it somewhat amusing but also felt an inexplicable sense of steadiness.

Sunlight streamed through the Fold House's windows, illuminating the dining table.

Scenes like this always gave him a warm, family-like feeling.

The five people present had no blood relation, yet a strange fate had brought them together at this moment.

It was precisely because of this team's existence that the unease he felt upon arriving alone in this world had completely vanished.

Living in this world, one needs anchors.

If this kind of life could continue, it would be a pretty good experience.

He turned to look out the window.

The golden morning sun had already climbed over the rolling hills.

..

After breakfast.

Everyone became more serious.

None of the five were novice adventurers;they clearly understood the mindset needed for formal commissions and quickly adjusted their mental preparation.

Getting serious in advance was also responsible for their companions' safety.

"Alright."

"Today, based on the map Shadow painstakingly drew and the intelligence gathered, we'll attempt to enter through Channel Three."

Channel Three was the third passage to the monster nest that Shadow had discovered.

Considering factors like distance, tunnel height, monster density, and trap concentration, this was the most suitable one for the group to enter.

"We need to reach here."

Gauss circled a small point on the map with a pen.

Then, he marked crosses on the icons representing monsters and mechanisms along the way.

"Along the route, we need to eliminate these troublesome minor monsters and mechanisms without alerting others."

"Once we reach this position, we'll be within the visual sharing range of the Mud Statue creature. At that point, I'll send out miniature clay spiders to scout the situation."

Currently, Gauss's team still lacked sufficient intelligence on the nest's core.

Yesterday, Shadow tried to enter but quickly alerted some nearby Goblin-like creatures. Fortunately, her innate talent was stealthy enough, and she withdrew from the "barrier"-like area immediately. The strange fluctuation lasted only briefly, preventing a major response from the Goblin-like creatures.

"That unknown alarm barrier likely relates to the threat level of the intruder."

Gauss analyzed.

The Alarm spell, in function and principle, is a basic small-scale detection barrier.

Its effect isn't triggered by every creature entering.

Otherwise, the caster wouldn't get any rest all night.

Countless insects, mosquitoes, flies, birds, snakes, and even some microorganisms in Gauss's understanding would pass through the barrier countless times if one were strict.

In fact, any creature passing through it undergoes an initial assessment.

Except for those on the caster's pre-set list, other creatures won't trigger the alarm unless they exceed a certain strength threshold.

The level of this threshold is determined by the spell itself and the caster.

He speculated that the Goblin-like creatures' alarm barrier operated on a similar principle, just on a larger scale, and possibly maintained collectively by many Goblin-like creature spellcasters.

The biggest advantage of his Mud Statue creatures was their adjustable strength.

The miniature clay constructs he created were even not much different from many insects.

They would likely bypass the Goblin-like creatures' nest "firewall" and infiltrate the interior to investigate the depths of the nest.

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

"No." Aria shook her head.

The others had no objections either;they had preliminarily discussed the plan last night. Gauss's inquiry was just a symbolic formality.

After packing up the Fold House and completing all mental and magical preparations before departure, the group headed towards the surface entrance of Channel Three.

The mine was as silent as ever.

Except for Shadow, Gauss and the others were covered with Aria's Scale Powder Butterfly's dust, quickly turning invisible, their complex auras gradually concealed.

The team walked through this desolate land.

The marks of time's erosion became increasingly apparent.

A dried-up stone well, broken pottery jars half-buried in the mud, the large wheel of some facility completely rotten, scattered pieces everywhere.

It was like a graveyard.

"Stay close." Shadow at the front whispered softly.

They soon arrived at a tunnel entrance half-covered by weeds and fallen rocks.

Covered in butterfly dust and invisible, the group could still recognize each other's positions through the shared dust particles.

They nodded to each other, their figures slightly distorted in the sunlight, then quietly entered the darkness one by one.

......

"Tenth one."

"Done."

Gauss counted silently in his heart.

His hand pressed down on the Goblin-like creature's long snout, and with a slight exertion, he easily snapped the neck beneath its crocodile-like head.

The Goblin-like creature died from an unknown attack without any reaction.

This was the tragedy, yet also the fortune, of the weak.

Dying silently, and dying without pain or itch.

Storing the cold corpse of the Goblin-like creature in the Storage Bag, the others were spraying odor-neutralizing agents on the slight bloodstains on the ground.

Soon, an entire monster scout outpost was wiped from the cavern by an invisible hand.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

The group eliminated several such nodes without triggering any special situations.

As long as they were careful enough, the process of clearing monster scouts wasn't difficult.

Instead, some mechanisms and traps required a bit more effort,

but they didn't hinder the team's progress.

About an hour had passed since they officially entered the mine tunnels and traveled underground.

Gauss and the others finally reached the predetermined position.

"Is this spot okay?" Shadow asked in a hushed voice.

"If not, we can proceed a bit further."

"No problem, right here is fine."

Gauss had already reserved sufficient room for error.

Going further in wouldn't be safe either.

The monster density inside would only increase, and casting magic might attract attention prematurely.

This spot was perfect.

He took out the White Wand, a small piece of mud flew out from his sleeve, and then the trace amount of mana emitted from the White Wand's tip quickly merged with the mud.

After a brief transformation, the fingernail-sized clay wriggled for a few seconds, then turned into a tiny spider.

In the dark environment, it was almost impossible to see.

"Go."

Gauss activated his innate Hive Mind Form, projecting part of his consciousness onto the small spider.

The spider moved its legs, hopping and skipping as it hurried deeper into the mine tunnel.

It had been a while since he last shared the perspective of such a miniature creature.

Gauss felt somewhat unaccustomed;everything in his vision became exceptionally large.

But the advantage was that it was truly like being invisible;it could even hop boldly past Goblin-like creatures in the tunnels.

Although small and not very strong, the clay spider was quite fast in movement—after all, it wasn't a real spider.

Soon, when it reached the fork in the road that Shadow had marked in advance, the small spider stopped, then entered one of the paths.

"Hum!"

Upon passing through the entrance, the environment suddenly became incredibly vast.

Inside this massive underground cavern dome, faint green fluorescent light scattered from all directions.

The first thing that caught his eye were structures built from wood and stone.

In the distance, black smoke rose faintly.

However, when Gauss tried to observe deeper into the nest, he could only see a hazy scene, clearly an effect of the barrier's protection.

We're here!

The Goblin-like creatures' town!

Suddenly, Gauss felt his vision go dark.

He quickly hopped to the side.

"Thump!!"

A giant claw crashed down where he had been just moments before.

Looking up, it was a Goblin-like creature soldier holding a spear on patrol. It had spotted the small spider under the cave's faint light and seemed to have stepped on it deliberately.

But after Gauss dodged, it didn't pay further attention, just quickened its pace to catch up with its companion ahead.

"I'll remember you."

Gauss glanced at its back.

Then he headed deeper into the nest.

Before long, he indeed felt the mysterious energy barrier that Shadow had mentioned.

It was a special energy floating in the air, like an invisible mist.

Gauss, with a tentative idea, controlled the small spider to approach it.

After passing through the invisible energy barrier, his shared vision felt as if it had penetrated a layer of viscous water film, and the scene before him suddenly became clear.

"So many Goblin-like creatures..."