Chapter 4: One Goblin Loses Its Life |
Gauss didn't rush into action.
Instead, he first pricked up his ears and carefully observed his surroundings with vigilant eyes.
Beside the pond, apart from the rock the goblin was sitting on, there were no other obstacles—an open terrain perfect for direct confrontation.
Once he left the current bushes, about ten meters of distance would expose him to sunlight.
Ten meters sounded close, but if he dashed noisily, it would be enough for the goblin to react. So he needed to circle behind it and quietly close the distance for a surprise attack.
Time was of the essence—he had to strike while the goblin was sharpening its weapon. Even better if he could prevent it from grabbing its weapon and assuming a stance.
A prepared attack against an unaware target, armed against unarmed, plus his natural size advantage—the battle should be completely one-sided.
Gauss's mind raced.
Once the plan was set, he didn't hesitate. Crouching low, he began moving slowly to minimize noise.
In position now, he tightened his grip on the wooden spear. Whether from nervousness or excitement, his hands began trembling.
He swallowed hard.
Staring at the goblin sitting on the rock not far away.
The little green creature had its back to him, picking at its feet while absentmindedly grinding its stone spear, completely relaxed.
Soon, his wooden spear would end its life.
Gauss took a deep breath. In his previous life, aside from accidentally stepping on ants or insects, he'd never actively killed anything. Now he was about to take a living creature's life—he needed some mental preparation.
Moreover, goblins were monsters that somewhat resembled humans, making the moral burden heavier.
But this one truly deserved to die.
Gauss closed his eyes.
The moment he saw the goblin, a childhood memory surfaced in his mind like a reflex.
When the original host was a child, over twenty goblins attacked his village. Though the adults organized themselves and drove them away with pitchforks and sickles, an older girl from the neighboring family was taken captive and never returned.
Her fate went without saying.
And this was just one incident the original host personally experienced. Over centuries, countless similar tragedies had occurred on these lands.
When Gauss reopened his eyes, all hesitation was gone.
He pressed his right thumb's nail hard against his index finger's knuckle—the sharp pain steadied his trembling hand.
Holding his breath, he stepped lightly and slowly, emerging from the bushes in a half-crouch.
Left hand holding the shield, right hand gripping the spear.
Now, apart from birdsong and insect hums in the forest, there wasn't a single other sound.
Even the wind had died down; the pond's surface was perfectly still.
Gauss stopped when he was about three meters from the goblin—close enough to see the coarse hairs in the green skin's folds and the muscle movements from its breathing.
Rising slowly, he controlled his movements like playing statues in his childhood, letting blood flow smoothly again.
Once the stiffness faded,
He took a deep breath—then struck suddenly!
A large step forward!
His foot stomped hard on the ground, the recoil propelling him forward.
In two quick steps, he leaped onto the rock.
The goblin, engrossed in sharpening its spear, jolted at the sudden noise, instinctively reaching for the stone spear it had been grinding.
But Gauss, fully prepared, wouldn't give it that chance.
His right foot stomped down hard, his full weight pinning the spear's wooden handle.
The goblin grabbed empty air, then desperately reached again.
At that moment, Gauss thrust his wooden spear. The goblin twisted away just in time, but the sharp tip still grazed its waist with a "shhk" sound.
Seeing the goblin stagger back, still eyeing the stone spear,
Gauss kicked the spear away.
It flew several meters.
Now, to retrieve its weapon, the goblin would have to get past him.
But he wouldn't allow that.
Facing the disarmed goblin, he cautiously advanced two steps and thrust again.
Under threat of death, the goblin narrowly dodged thanks to its small size, even exploiting the spear's recoil to close in.
Gauss's heart raced, but his hands moved swiftly—instinctively bashing with the small round shield in his left hand, knocking the creature down.
"Gyaaah! Gyaaaah!"
The larger shield surface was unavoidable. The goblin was sent flying, only staggering up moments later, its wounded waist enraging it as it screeched wildly.
The fangs right before his eyes and the spray of foul saliva made Gauss's pupils contract uncontrollably.
Even weaponless, the goblin slashed with clawed hands, those gray talons seeking flesh.
Then Gauss's spear stabbed forward.
"Thkk!"
This time, the goblin couldn't dodge.
After slight resistance from the skin, the spear tip plunged into its body.
Bright red blood gushed from the wound like liquid mercury.
Instantly staining Gauss's arm and clothes red.
A soft, obstructive sensation traveled up the spear shaft as blood oozed along the wood.
"GYEEEE!!"
Even with its abdomen impaled and life fading fast, the goblin gritted its teeth and pushed along the spear toward Gauss.
In its final moments, it still tried to attack!
But its strength was mostly gone—the weak slash merely bounced off Gauss's shield.
"Gah...keh...gye..."
Its cries now came in broken gasps like a broken bellows.
After several seconds of struggle, its arms went limp, body collapsing onto the spear.
Its thrashing only hastened death.
Gauss swallowed hard. The violent resistance and ferocity made his breathing ragged, heart pounding as if trying to escape his chest.
Dead?
Seeing it motionless, he still didn't relax.
Planting a foot, he yanked the spear free, kicking the goblin off it. Then he stabbed its heart repeatedly until the chest was a mangled mess before finally stopping.
Surely dead now.
Suddenly, his legs gave way—like overexertion catching up—and he plopped onto the rock.
Looking down, his clothes were drenched in blood, hands stained red, the goblin's metallic stench thick in his nose.
Battles between low-tier adventurers and monsters were never graceful.
Gauss could still vividly recall the goblin's desperation and madness, scalp prickling.
His mental fortitude wasn't weak—he just needed adjustment time.
Glancing at the now-cold corpse and the sticky, glaring blood on his hands, it all felt surreal.
This wasn't a game or adventure, but real killing.
He sat quietly, calming himself.
As his breathing steadied, so did his unsettled mind after his first kill.
Humans adapt quickly.
Though still uncomfortable, he could now calmly accept having taken a goblin's life.
"Goblin x1 killed"
"Monster Encyclopedia officially activated!"
"Total kills: 1. First Blood achievement unlocked—reward: 0-tier cantrip [Mage Hand], +1 Intelligence. Next milestone: 10 total kills."
"Total goblins killed: 1!"
"Title acquired: [Goblin Slayer]. Title upgrades with kill count."
"Current effect: Bane. +10% damage against goblins and related evolved species."
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