I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 345: The Great Production in the Forest

Grayrock Town WeeklyNew Calendar Year 1015, December 26th, Year-End Special Edition

【Front Page News】

Rising Star Adventurer Returns Home in Glory, Crimson Dragon Knight Gauss Comes Back to Hometown.

This newspaper has learned that Lord Gauss, the "Crimson Dragon Knight" and "Bane of the Dragon Worshipers" who began his adventuring career in our town and has recently gained fame in the Barry City, Sena City, and Longdi Fort regions, has returned to Grayrock Town in recent days with his team members. It is reported that Lord Gauss and his team's purpose for this trip is to fetch their families and rest for the winter.

Yesterday afternoon, Lord Gauss was invited to the Adventurers Guild for a meeting with Guild Master Eberhard. His team members—the druid Lady Aria, the half-snake priest Mr. Serlandul, the warrior with giant bloodline Lady Albenia, and the highly mysterious scout Miss Shadow—all made an appearance in the guild hall, drawing much attention to the team's strength.

...

Border Situation Tightens, Guild Issues Warning.

Eberhard, the branch master of the Grayrock Town Adventurers Guild, confirmed at an internal meeting last week that activity has intensified in the areas bordering the Emerald Forest. Monsters are frequently gathering at the forest's edge with unclear intentions.

The guild advises all adventurers and merchant caravans active outside to increase vigilance, shorten their journeys, and pay attention to dynamic information released by the guild at any time. The town guard has already strengthened patrols along the city walls and vigilance at the four gates.

...

【Local Updates】

Preparations for this year's New Year's festival and Winter Veil celebrations are still proceeding in an orderly manner.

The town hall has announced that the central square bonfire party, the church's blessing ceremony, and the fireworks display will proceed as usual. The market management office stated that the supply of food, meat, winter-stored vegetables, and festival supplies is currently sufficient, with overall stable prices.

The Mayor reminds residents to not forget safety while celebrating the festival, suggesting to reduce solitary long-distance travel at night.

【Guild Bulletin Board】

Urgent Recruitment: The guild is long-term collecting intelligence on monster activities in the border zones of the Emerald Forest, especially the movements of tribes like trolls and ogres. Verified effective intelligence will be rewarded with generous gold coins and contribution points.

...

【Weekly Reminder】

Beware of Monster Flesh, Absolutely Do Not Consume!!!

Several cases have occurred recently where hunters, while out, mistakenly consumed the flesh of monsters like goblins, goblin-like creatures, or Water Ghosts, leading to severe poisoning, hallucinations, and even life-threatening situations. The Adventurers Guild and the town clinic jointly solemnly remind: The muscles, internal organs, and blood of the vast majority of monsters may contain unknown toxins, malignant parasites, mana residue, or corrupting substances, posing extremely high danger to humans and common livestock. They absolutely must not be used as a food source!

When handling prey in the wild, please pay attention to identification. If you cannot be one hundred percent certain of its safety, it is better to abandon it. If you have mistakenly consumed something and feel unwell, please immediately seek purification and treatment at the church or clinic.

Beneath the wall bulletin board inside the Adventurers Guild building, the content of the new week's weekly report was posted.

Some people were gathered in front of the bulletin board, standing on tiptoes to view the content.

Among them were young civilians who had come specifically to gather information; others were apprentice bards—at least that's what they called themselves. Their usual work involved collecting information and content from various places. Whether it was official newspaper publications, rumors, or strange tales and anecdotes, all could serve as material to expand their knowledge base, to be processed and output as stories or news in the taverns.

However, it is precisely because of these people's existence that some news can spread quickly, as if having grown wings, to ordinary households.

"Hey, look at the front page!"

"Lord Gauss has really returned. I'm telling you, my cousin used to work with him at the blacksmith shop. Back then, he was just a young apprentice. Apparently, they still keep in touch."

A young man bundled in thick clothing, his cheeks flushed red from the cold, pointed at the topmost content of the weekly report, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement.

No wonder, Gauss had become the hottest figure in Grayrock Town over the last month or two.

Objectively speaking, Gauss hadn't lived in Grayrock Town for an overly short time, as he had been engaged in hunting activities for about a year, so naturally, there were people who had come into contact with him.

However, back then, they most likely wouldn't have had much impression of this person. It was only after he became famous later that they belatedly realized they should have had some connection with this legendary name.

"Really? Your cousin worked with him?" someone beside him immediately pressed, eyes gleaming with gossip.

"Could it be false?" The young man puffed out his chest, his expression as if sharing in the glory. "My cousin said that although Lord Gauss was young back then, he learned things very quickly and was very steady, unlike an ordinary apprentice... Ahem, of course, who could have imagined back then that he would achieve what he has today?"

Among the many chattering crowd, a tall, burly man looked dazed.

"Let's go, Captain Levin."

The woman beside him reminded him.

"Alright."

Last night, Gauss and the few members of his team in Grayrock Town had gathered again for a meal.

Before going out, Levin had actually been quite conflicted and had imagined the awkward scenes that might occur at the dinner table.

However, once the dinner started, he found that his worries seemed unnecessary.

Gauss was not as aloof or difficult to get along with as imagined due to the status gap. During the meal, he simply inquired about their current situations, including their daily adventuring activities, the status of the swordsman and priest who had left the team, and so on.

They also reminisced about many things that happened when the few of them teamed up in the past, reliving old memories.

He could clearly sense that Gauss had paid special attention to everyone's mood, so he didn't talk too much about his own adventures outside.

After everyone had their fill of food and drink, they all went their separate ways.

Levin withdrew his gaze from the newspaper.

It had to be said, Gauss had indeed become a significant figure now. And it was foreseeable that he would become even more dazzling in the future, perhaps even a legend among humans.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt somewhat relieved.

Although their life trajectories had briefly intersected due to chance, they had since diverged onto completely different paths, he didn't need to feel jealous because of it. Compared to many people, he was already very fortunate to have embarked on the path of a professional.

And his adventuring career needed him to continue walking it himself.

"Let's go, see what suitable commission work is available today."

This winter, the Grayrock Town Adventurers Guild had issued many extra commissions, including but not limited to assisting in repairing and strengthening city defenses, patrolling the main roads outside the city, escorting woodcutter teams going out to fell timber, and so on. The rewards were significantly higher than usual.

Therefore, many adventurers had stayed in Grayrock Town for the winter, planning to take this opportunity to earn more money, purchase equipment, and enhance their combat power.

Gauss felt much more at ease upon returning to Grayrock Town.

Perhaps it was because he subconsciously regarded this place as his hometown.

However, before officially celebrating the New Year, he still needed to make a trip outside.

After explaining the situation to Aria and the others, he left Grayrock Town, then switched mounts and boarded the red drake Hephaestus, setting off on the route to Shixi Village.

He planned to temporarily bring his family from the village to live in Grayrock Town.

For this purpose, he had already asked Aria to help purchase another property nearby.

Although it might sound strange—knowing that Grayrock Town might face the threat of a monster siege in the near future, yet specifically bringing his family to this "dangerous place" seemed like leading them into a pit of fire—that was actually not the case.

Firstly, if monsters really besieged the town, the surrounding villages would inevitably be affected. Although the attacks they suffered would certainly be less intense than those on the town, and due to being scattered across the vast wilderness, they most likely wouldn't be attacked, the villages' ability to withstand risk was poor. Once a monster squad visited, it could pose a great threat. At that time, they would either have to organize the able-bodied to resist, hide in cellars, or flee into mountain caves, trying to avoid the monster attacks.

Secondly, Grayrock Town's safety factor was actually higher. On one hand, the tall city walls and numerous defensive installations were barriers against monster invasion. Moreover, with garrison troops, adventurers, and the protection of powerful adventurer teams like Gauss's, it wouldn't be easy for a monster tide to break into the town. And even in the worst-case scenario, with Gauss right there, it would be easier for him to take evacuation measures.

In the past, this journey was very long for Gauss. When he first left home, he had to walk and ask for directions along the way, taking a full month to reach Grayrock Town. But now, with Hephaestus, the travel time was infinitely shortened.

Upon arriving at his hometown, Shixi Village, his family was very surprised by his arrival.

Like most remote villages, Gauss's fame from his exploits outside had not reached Shixi Village.

Fortunately, however, even without those "great achievements" to his name, his status as a professional held significant weight for his family, especially his parents.

After he emphasized that staying in the village might encounter danger, Gauss's parents, who prioritized their family's safety, decisively followed their youngest son's suggestion and quickly packed their belongings.

Although Gauss felt it unnecessary to bring too many things, his storage space was ample, so he didn't make the elderly couple abandon some clothes and old items.

While his family was packing, he also made a special trip to the Village Chief's house to have them prepare.

Although Shixi Village was located north of Grayrock Town, making the possibility of an attack relatively small, it still couldn't be ignored.

After leaving his warnings, Gauss took his family and left Shixi Village.

The return trip took considerably more time than the journey there.

Hephaestus maintained a low-speed flight throughout. Gauss activated the wind-blocking barrier of the dragon saddle and lit a bonfire in the center of the dragon's back for warmth.

Gauss's parents, his elder brother and sister-in-law, and his younger sister were all seeing a dragon—a creature of legend—for the first time, let alone riding one into the sky. They were very excited throughout the entire journey.

It was also the first time they gained a new understanding of his strength.

After landing outside the city walls and helping his family down, they soon switched to a carriage and drove into the city.

Thus, Gauss finally brought his family to the town.

...

"Little sister Xisero, excellent, just like that."

Compared to the nine-year-old little girl Xisero, Albenia, who possessed giant bloodline, was like a mountain.

However, at this moment, this mountain was squatting beside her, watching her wield a wooden sword to chop at a cloth-wrapped wooden stake, while clapping her hands in applause.

Xisero did not have magical talent, but her physical fitness was quite good among her peers. Furthermore, over this past year, because Gauss occasionally sent money home, her diet had improved, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to become a professional warrior in the future.

Albenia had proactively taken on the task of being this mentor. Out of love for the owner extending to his pet, she was very doting towards Xisero.

Noticing Gauss looking over, Albenia hurriedly praised.

"If you praise her any more, her tail will be sticking up to the sky," Gauss shook his head helplessly.

Xisero was filled with motivation by Albenia's praise.

"Albenia, I'll leave it to you to take care of this little one."

"Shadow and I are going out for a bit."

"Alright, Lord Gauss, you can go out with peace of mind," Albenia made a gesture guaranteeing the completion of the task.

"Brother, Sister Shadow, bye-bye."

Xisero also waved to her brother.

Gauss and Shadow walked out the door.

Aria was busy furnishing the house purchased for Gauss's family. The family had just moved from the countryside to town life and still needed assistance.

Gauss then took the most agile member, Shadow, out to carry out a commission.

The purpose of their trip was to conduct a final patrol in the Emerald Forest area south of Grayrock Town before the New Year's festival, while also warming up their bodies.

When approaching the forest edge, he made Hephaestus land.

Hephaestus's presence was simply too conspicuous.

Although it was highly unlikely to encounter creatures capable of threatening it in the outer areas of the Emerald Forest, it was better to avoid trouble.

Switching to land mounts, the two looked at the map route and entered the forest.

The winter forest was rarely visited by people.

On the snow-covered path, only the footprints and claw marks of animals or monsters could be seen. These original inhabitants of the forest would also frequently walk on the paths used by adventurers.

Or perhaps it was hard to say whether these paths were opened by adventurers or trodden out by them.

"Thud!"

A few splashes of crimson bloomed in the snow.

Several goblins that had been ahead of Gauss and Shadow suddenly died violently. Shadow Ground Spikes burst out from underground, piercing through their bodies, taking their lives in an instant.

The two continued moving forward on the path without stopping.

Such scenes occurred frequently during the patrol.

Gauss couldn't even be bothered to make a move.

On one hand, Shadow could share the kills with him at close range. Her kills weren't much different from his own. On the other hand, Shadow's attack methods were more concealed and swift, often silently reaping the lives of monsters.

On one hand, Shadow could share the kills with him at close range. Her kills weren't much different from his own. On the other hand, Shadow's attack methods were more concealed and swift, often silently plundering the lives of monsters.

In summary, she was very useful.

That was the fourth-circle spell 【Control Water】 gifted to him by Praelius, or rather, Longdi Fort Magistrate Noah.

Since he was idle anyway, he might as well ponder this 4th-circle spell.

Normally, a 4th-circle spell requires a 7th-level spellcaster to master, but... Gauss wasn't normal.

He had spent some time recently learning this 4th-circle spell. Objectively speaking, it was somewhat difficult, but not to the point of being unmasterable.

At least he had made some progress by now.

Perhaps due to the Lake God's Blessing, his body had an extremely high affinity for water.

A small pool of water in his palm was slowly flowing, gathering into a small vortex.

Because he carried an extremely special water with him—the Godwater from the lake god Mete.

He had a premonition that this fourth-circle spell combined with the Water Transformation Armament would constitute a quite sharp, normalized combat method, even threatening the position of his most frequently used Magic Missile, becoming the next primary offensive choice.

As the two traveled at a fairly fast speed, they soon delved deep into the forest.

Shadow suddenly said warily.

In the snow-white ground, a bare clearing with tree stumps suddenly appeared.

Moving closer and brushing the snow off the stumps, the cross-sections showed clear felling marks.

"This is truly a great project."

Gauss blinked, murmuring to himself.

Before his eyes stretched the disappearance of thousands upon thousands of trees.

On the ground remained relatively clear wheel rut marks.

This was probably the work of that ogre tribe. From this aspect, one could also tell that this was indeed a tribe of considerable size.

Moreover, it seemed this tribe was carrying out vigorous, large-scale production, presumably preparing for the upcoming war.

It was said that the various tribes under the Green Dragon Queen all possessed smelting and forging craftsmanship. Although not as skilled as human craftsmanship, let alone the Dwarves who were naturally adept at forging, it was sufficient to forge weapons capable of killing.

After all, for many low-level monsters, even the finest weapons in their hands were wasted, unable to exert much of their power. It was better to mass-produce crude, shoddy weapons. Even if their lifespan was short, as weapons for cannon fodder, they were sufficient to achieve their purpose.

This was a mixed unit composed of ogres, trolls, gnolls on outer guard duty, and goblin workers.

"Kill."

Gauss nodded.

Apart from eliminating these monsters, he also planned to follow their clear incoming tracks to find their camp and gather intelligence in advance,

completing the mission of this outing.

Knowing the numbers and racial distribution of this monster army in advance was extremely important for the possibly imminent great battle.

The monster army that had arrived at the logging site had already begun work.

Their division of labor was clear.

Gnolls wielding elite short swords maintained guard on the periphery, while the most numerous goblins were responsible for the specific felling work, cutting down trees with sharp axes, trimming off branches, after which the larger, stronger-bodied ogres would transport the timber onto the flat carts.

They commanded with guttural, chaotic sounds, wearing orc armor, thick white mist spraying from their large nostrils.

These massive creatures, generally 3-5 meters tall, did not participate in the specific work. They were the temporary leaders of this logging team, with challenge levels generally at level 5 and above.

Just as the trolls were overseeing the monster army, issuing orders.

Several black spikes suddenly thrust out from underground.

In an instant, they pierced from the soles of its bare feet, then pierced through its calf, blood spraying from the wound.

The intense pain from the foreign object piercing its body made the troll roar in agony, but its powerful vitality allowed it to still maintain sufficient mobility.

It controlled its body to break free from the black spikes.

However, the next moment, a figure holding a blue-gold water sword appeared before them as if teleporting.

Troll skin was very tough, especially some areas that had undergone special polishing. Ordinary weapons couldn't pierce the body, let alone leave a mark.

But the weapon Gauss held was no ordinary weapon.

The water sword swept across its neck.

Coordinating with the black ground spikes, it completed an instant decapitation.

Gauss's gaze went around the headless corpse, looking at the other two trolls behind.

The Monster Encyclopedia unlocked a new monster variety.

After several flashes, Gauss's figure arrived before them.

For Gauss, who had become a level 6 【Magician】 and level 4 【Sword Soul】, killing mere level 5 trolls wasn't very difficult.

Although the other two trolls were irritable and simple-minded, their companion's instant, miserable death made them immediately realize the enemy's sudden attack.

The troll closest to Gauss grabbed the massive axe several meters tall beside it, exerting all its strength to hack towards Gauss.

Their reaction speed was actually quite fast, but in Gauss's eyes, it was like watching slow motion.

He exploded with power underfoot, relying on his monstrously strengthened body, combined with the Haste effect attached to his body, his figure dashed out like a phantom.

Hope flashed in the troll's eyes.

But before it could feel joy, the afterimage it hit shattered.

The sword edge swept across the neck. A huge head, eyes wide with an unwilling stare, fell down, thudding onto the snow.

The last troll, seeing this, retreated several steps, already having thoughts of fleeing.

It wasn't cowardly, but the enemy was simply too strong.

Two companions hadn't resisted for even a single exchange before being slain. This bloody fact instantly cooled its blood-rushing brain.

It retreated several steps, while letting out a fierce roar, attempting to intimidate Gauss.

But Gauss would not be fooled by its bluster.

He exerted force underfoot, his body disappearing once again.

The water sword slashed against the troll's hastily raised large shield, leaving a deep mark.

The troll, renowned for physical strength and recovery ability, was actually forced back several steps by Gauss's power under the full enhancement of his monstrous strength and Haste.

Gauss, meanwhile, used the recoil force from slashing the large shield to leap high into the air, then landed behind the troll.

The troll's massive waist was cleanly severed by his exertion.

Gauss let out a long breath.

Continuously and quickly killing three trolls had also consumed some of his stamina.

Actually, he possessed more methods, but to reduce the commotion and time of the fight, he used this Lake Goddess Sword he had only recently obtained.

And this divine weapon didn't disappoint him. It was extremely sharp, with practical effectiveness better than expected.

He nodded in satisfaction.

Then he switched to the White Wand, entering artillery mage mode.

Shadow was already darting and weaving within the monster crowd, killing other monster minions. However, when it came to large-scale monster clearing, she was certainly not as handy as Gauss.

It could be seen that he slightly concentrated, his body slowly rising into the air. After reaching a height of several dozen meters, he remained still.

Letting out a long breath, he raised his staff over his head.

Magic Missiles continuously flew out from around him, pouring towards the monster army not far away, like a violent storm.

That Magic Missile shimmering with beautiful yet deadly blue light rapidly enlarged in their vision.

Monster bodies were sent flying like ragdolls. The originally silent forest was instantly turned into a river of blood.