I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 388: Extraordinary Centaur

In the bushes.“From now on, be even more careful with every move.”

The former Blackwater Town came into view, and Gauss warned again.

The town lay shrouded in a haze, occasional eerie roars emanating from within. Clearly, it had become a playground for monsters, hiding countless creatures.

Even Gauss did not want to stir up such a densely packed monster nest.

“Relax.”

“I’ll follow your lead, I won’t act alone.”

Grom noticed Gauss looking at him.

Of course he understood Gauss was mainly referring to him; after all, his two teammates had better tacit understanding with Gauss than he did.

So Grom proactively made his position clear.

Hearing that, Gauss exhaled with relief.

Some things were better settled in advance; it was good for both sides.

He looked at the distant nest.

The monsters had turned it into an impenetrable fortress.

On the walls, squads of gnolls were making round-after-round patrols.

Outside the town, wooden watchtowers stood every few hundred meters.

In the nearby river basin, monsters hunted fish while acting as sentry guards.

From time to time a wyvern flew overhead.

This was already the central area of Blackwater Town, and he had no doubt there were transcendent monsters inside.

Fortunately, his purpose this time was to rescue people, not to attack the monster town.

Otherwise, judging by the monster deployment here, they would have already turned back.

“I’ll scout ahead first and find the safest possible route out.”

“Okay, be careful.”

As always, Shadow acted as the party’s scout and was the first to enter the monster nest.

Grom watched Shadow dissolve into a silhouette and merge with the ground as she slipped away.

Even though he’d seen it before, Grom was still amazed.

This ability was a dream asset for any adventuring team.

Every party needed someone like that.

He wondered where Gauss had recruited these companions.

An Elf, a shadow-gifted scout, a Serpent-person, a warrior with giant bloodline—

From his perspective, they were all outstanding adventurers.

Of course, among them, Gauss was undoubtedly the best.

He could only explain it as geniuses attracting one another.

While they waited, Gauss found time to read.

Thanks to being a visiting professor at the academy, he now had more books than he could read.

Before departure he had borrowed many books on magical theory.

Reading magic texts also helped accumulate professional experience.

Not every book was useful, and the experience gained wasn’t massive, but it was effortless and could be done in spare moments, so it was a decent way to “cultivate.”

Grom blinked as he watched Gauss calmly flip through the pages.

To be honest, he envied Gauss’s composure.

The monster nest was right nearby, yet Gauss could still quietly read.

After a while.

Gauss snapped the book shut, and the next moment Shadow reappeared beside him.

“What did you find?”

He turned to Shadow.

Shadow, as usual, did not disappoint.

“I found a way in, but we need to be careful. I felt something off when I got near the town.”

Gauss nodded.

He could vaguely guess why.

In a monster’s territory, an adventurer’s abilities could be suppressed to some degree, and misfires could occur.

For example, a mage’s spell might fail, a warrior’s stamina might drain faster, footing could slip, and so on.

Monsters invading human territory had the same effect in reverse.

The deeper you pushed into the core, the higher the chance of such incidents,

unless war erupted like the months-ago case in Grayrock Town, which reset everything.

That explained why many adventurers, especially the weak, avoided accepting commissions inside monster lands.

Soon, under Shadow’s power, the group merged into silhouettes and flowed with the ground toward Blackwater Town.

They reached the base of the wall, and Shadow found a broken hole to materialize through and rest.

Grom’s heart beat a little faster.

At his peak he had only reached level 8; after so many years in retirement he likely could muster only around level 7 now.

Standing before this monster nest made him feel immense pressure—his physical decline was worse than he’d imagined.

Luckily...

Seeing Gauss’s unchanged calm face, he relaxed.

Thank goodness Gauss had been invited on this trip; otherwise, rescuing his close friend’s child—or even leaving here alive—would have been doubtful.

Gauss’s state was indeed solid.

That owed to many of his talents and his habit of constantly placing himself among monsters, which had tempered his mindset.

“Grom, you’ll probably need to guide us from here.”

Only Grom had been to his friend’s house; the safehouse was beneath that building.

“I got this.”

Once Shadow recuperated, the group moved again.

Crossing the wall, the scene inside changed.

“Wah—!”

On the pitted, uneven streets, Goblins scuffled with gnolls.

Different monster races each occupied their own territory.

Seeing this, Gauss knew there must be a strong “ruler” in the town.

Otherwise, multiple races couldn’t coexist in such a “harmonious” layout.

“Move forward, then take a left.”

Although Grom hadn’t been here for a long time, he still remembered the route.

Gauss watched the town.

What disappointed him was that useful supplies in shops and buildings on the streets had already been plundered by the monsters.

Otherwise he might have picked up extra income on the way.

“It’s right ahead—the three-story house with the blue tiles.”

Grom spoke up.

Shadow brought the group out at a corner of an alley.

At the same time her shadow-duplicate quietly and neatly dealt with four goblin-like creatures that had been lying there.

“There are fewer monsters nearby.”

Gauss warned.

That was not good.

Most powerful monsters, though they recruited minions, avoided close cohabitation with large numbers of low-level monsters.

Low-level creatures were basically feces-producing machines; places they inhabited reeked of filth and urine.

Most advanced monsters that opened intelligence cared about their living environment.

Clearly this spot was near some high-level monster’s habitat.

And once Gauss sent out a clay spider and shared its view, they quickly found the specific target.

The creature made no attempt to hide.

It stood on all fours in the vast open square, though its tightly closed eyes showed it was resting.

It was a massive centaur—but not an ordinary one.

Its equine body was covered in dense dark green scales, emitting an aura both familiar and strange to Gauss.

In its hands it gripped a seven- or eight-meter-long spear whose tip flashed a terrifying gleam in the sunlight, as if one thrust could pierce any defense.

A transcendent centaur with dragon-blood?

Gauss didn’t risk sending the clay spider too close.

Powerful monsters usually had sharp perception—an instinctive awareness.

“This is trouble.”

Gauss recalled the spider and shared his discovery with his teammates.

Grom’s friend’s house was only about forty meters from the square—very close.

If they were exposed, given the suspected transcendent’s speed, Gauss was certain it could reach them in the blink of an eye.

Ordinary centaurs were fast; this abnormal, tank-like centaur was far more so.

“At that distance, we must be ready to erupt into combat at any moment.”

Gauss warned.

Shadow’s concealment was strong, but at this range there was little difference from being right under the foe’s nose.

Monsters’ perception of threatening targets was especially acute.

“If we’re exposed, Shadow, you save the people and leave immediately. Don’t wait for me.”

“I’ll buy time.”

“But...” Aria still sounded worried.

“I have Dimension Door and Fly; it’s easier for me to escape alone.”

Gauss gave them a reassuring look.

His mobility was excellent now.

As long as he didn’t linger, even if they couldn’t win, they still had a high chance to escape.

“Let’s do that.” Gauss finalized the plan.

He created a micro clay spider and sent it to a rooftop as a distant camera, watching the square where the mutant centaur stood.

He and Shadow then moved quickly toward the target house.

Two hundred meters, one hundred fifty, one hundred, seventy...

When they were about fifty meters from the house and roughly ninety meters from the square,

Gauss’s attention to the spider “camera” caught something.

The centaur, which had been keeping its eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them, and its head slowly turned in the direction of the group.

Not taking any chances was correct... Gauss felt a flicker of relief at noticing this first.

“Execute the plan.”

At the same time Gauss and Shadow gave orders.

Then his body detached from the ground shadow,

and he shot upward.

Shadow and the others accelerated toward the target house.

...

On the square, the centaur Isentor’s opened eyes released a strong pressure that nearly manifested as a tangible glare.

Monsters at the square’s edge were flattened by the sudden aura, trembling.

Ignoring its incontinent minions, the centaur slowly raised a calm, masculine face and looked up at Gauss floating in the sky.

“Human Gauss...”

Gauss felt the hair on his arms stand up the instant he heard the centaur speak. The creature had called his name in perfect human Common.

Sure enough, his guess had been right—he’d already made a small name for himself among monsters.

Low-level monsters couldn’t access or understand that kind of information,

but this dragon-tinged centaur clearly held some status within the Green Dragon Queen’s ranks.

“You know me?”

Gauss’s clear, forceful voice echoed down.

He didn’t mind chatting with the centaur; drawing its attention along with other monsters could buy time and space for Aria and the others.

The centaur did not reply but stared at Gauss in the sky.

Like Gauss, it felt a familiar aura coming from him.

Moreover, even though he was human, that noble aura emanating from him was denser than that of this monster blessed by its mistress.

Indeed, as the reports had said...

Its body began to tremble.

Not with fear, but with excitement.

If it could capture him, it would surely earn a greater reward from the mistress.

Without further conversation, it turned, picked up its giant bow hung on its back,

and drew an arrow from the quiver at its side.

Its eyes never left Gauss.

In that instant, Gauss felt a prickling danger on his back.

A strong fluctuation of momentum rolled toward him.

If it had been a Master-level professional, they might have blacked out under such pressure, but Gauss’s strong will allowed him to withstand it.

“So strong!”

He was certain such crushing pressure could only come from a transcendent monster.

“Second-Stage Ghostification!”

Without hesitation,

Gauss activated the Ghostification talent to enhance mobility.

Two small horns sprouted from his forehead as black-and-white ghostly qi wrapped his body.

With the ghostly qi’s aid, his Fly felt quicker.

Still, it wasn’t safe enough.

He focused, and the qi behind him condensed into a pair of wings.

He chose not to trigger Dragon Breed embodiment now; Dragon Breed granted destructive power and strength, but it didn’t add much to speed and agility.

Also, being in the center of a monster nest, he needed to preserve energy.

His gaze locked on the centaur who had already fitted the bow.

“Fwoosh!”

A several-meter-long arrow tore through the air.

Its speed left a scorching white streak.

It was more like a mountain-splitting artillery shot than a simple arrow!

Even the surrounding air froze under it.

The air grew unbearably heavy.

It felt as if anything in the arrow’s path could not easily break free of its lock.

To Gauss, time seemed to slow.

His concentration had never been so intense.

“Fly!” “Haste!”

He triggered both almost simultaneously.

Combined with the wings formed by Second-Stage Ghostification, an astonishing propulsive force exploded from his motion.

He tore through the viscous, water-like air.

In less than a tenth of a second he flashed to thirty or forty meters away.

“Boom!”

The giant arrow shot into the clouds, punching a hole through them.

After narrowly dodging, blood began dripping from Gauss’s ears.

The sonic boom of that arrow had shattered his eardrums instantly.

“Whew—” he gasped.

The bleeding in his ears subsided.

After another breath, the ringing faded and his hearing returned.

His strong self-healing ability repaired the eardrums in a very short time.

The centaur who’d fired the arrow noticed Gauss had avoided it and showed a flicker of confusion.

It couldn’t understand why a nearly unavoidable arrow had been dodged.

Gauss checked the direction where Aria and the others should be and guessed they had likely rescued the people.

“Magic Missile!”

Like a torrential downpour, missiles poured out toward the ground.

Some struck the centaur but failed to penetrate its defense; others that hit clusters of monsters caused substantial damage.

Just as the centaur prepared to draw another arrow,

Gauss glanced at it, flapped his wings, and without hesitation vanished in the opposite direction from where they had come.

This centaur’s strength was terrifying; he guessed it might be level 12 or stronger—far beyond his ability to confront directly!

A bloody-red domain had already formed around it.

Gauss had no doubt that in close combat he would struggle to withstand a single hit.

Its seven- or eight-meter spear was clearly its main weapon.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to fly.

That gave him space to create distance.

Seeing Gauss disengage and fly away, the centaur furrowed its brow, then grabbed the spear placed beside it

and galloped after Gauss’s flight path.

“Thud!”

Buildings in its way collapsed like paper.

Scores to hundreds of monsters were crushed under its hooves, but its focus remained on Gauss.

At the same time, three wyverns attracted by the town’s commotion rapidly approached,

forming a pincer toward Gauss.

Gauss’s speed was high, but so was the centaur’s.

Listening to the earthquake-like rumble, Gauss did not dare slow even a moment.

At the same time his peripheral vision checked the wyverns above.

These wyverns were not trivial for him now.

Killing them would take effort, and more importantly, the centaur relentlessly chased below.

Its ranged reach was substantial.

More flying monsters from other directions were joining the encirclement.

“We have to withdraw.”

Gauss knew he couldn’t be delayed.

Even a few seconds of delay would let more flyers entangle him and make things difficult.

He’d already bought two minutes or more, drawing the centaur out of the town—time he judged enough for Aria and the others to escape from the other direction.

“Dimension Door!”

He stopped using flight to stall.

Blue light flashed over Gauss.

The next moment, his body abruptly vanished from the air.

“!”

A wyvern that had lunged at him lost its target and crashed into another wyvern.

“Gone?”

The centaur immediately scanned the surroundings.

Its razor-sharp eyes hunted for abnormal movement, but to its disappointment, there were no human figures—only monsters.

They had truly disappeared.

“Find that human!”

The centaur roared, and the flying monsters scattered to conduct a thorough search in all directions.

On Gauss’s side,

his body continued to flicker as he kept teleporting.

His maximum single-teleport range for Dimension Door was around three hundred meters; the farther the distance, the more mana consumed.

He teleported from high in the air to the ground, and while their attention stayed on the sky, he triggered a second, third, fourth teleport in quick succession.

He used eight or nine maximum-range Dimension Doors until he vanished completely from their sight and finally dared to rest.

This drained a tremendous amount of mana; when his mana was depleted, even a charge of Feast Power was used up.

Thankfully, the result was clear: he had escaped. Teleportation’s biggest advantage over flight was that it left no motion trajectory, greatly increasing the chance to break a lock.

“Phew...”

Hearing the roars overhead,

now in the river, Gauss didn’t keep teleporting blindly but dove down to the riverbed.

He had received Mete’s blessing and could breathe underwater.

With the Swimming skill he moved like an agile fish, quickly following the current downstream away from Blackwater Town.

“Transcendent centaur, I’ll remember you.”

When his power grew, he would seek the creature out. He believed that day wouldn’t be far off.

At a rendezvous point elsewhere,

shadows condensed into several figures.

“It’s safe.”

Shadow panted, catching her breath.

Two pale-skinned children cowered anxiously behind Grom.

“I don’t even know if Gauss managed to escape,” Aria fretted.

They had heard the terrible commotion clearly.

Half the town had trembled.

They had waited in place for several minutes, their hearts growing heavier, when blue light suddenly flashed before them.

“I’m back.”

Seeing the familiar form return, the weight on Aria and the others’ chests finally lifted.