I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 269: A Bountiful Haul of Magic Items

Gauss and the others waited for a moment until the heat from the molten pit had slightly dissipated before approaching.The scorched ground was still emitting smoke, and the once intensely hot flowing molten metal had now solidified into dark, hard lumps.

They began collecting these solidified pieces scattered across the ground.

Aria took out a small shovel and began digging carefully.

She wouldn't let go of any sunken patch of land, as in her eyes, these were all glittering gold coins.

Materials from transcendent monsters, regardless of type, were all expensive on the market.

Especially something like the Gorgon's steel-like shell, which was itself an excellent magical conductive metal.

It was top-tier material for forging magical armor and other high-quality weapons, making its value even higher.

This was also why Aria had looked so pained earlier when she thought about this matter.

Under everyone's diligent digging, the metal fragments scattered around were gathered up, roughly estimated at two hundred kilograms.

"The loss might not be as great as imagined. The steel that can withstand high temperatures is the good steel, the true essence material. Those that dissipated in the explosion simply weren't pure enough in quality and had limited value anyway."

Gauss offered some comfort.

"That's true." Aria nodded, her mood slightly improving.

The vast majority of this Gorgon's value lay in these two hundred kilograms of concentrated metal.

As for how much money it could sell for, or whether they should simply commission someone to craft it into equipment the team could use, they would have to wait until returning to town to consult and make plans.

After cleaning up the Gorgon's remains.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the hill not far away.

The Gorgon had entrenched itself here, clearly related to that place.

Was that its nest?

Although Gorgons preferred living in plains, their entire bodies being composed of metal shells meant they needed protection during rainy days, naturally requiring a natural shelter.

"There's a cave over there."

Aria had been observing it for a while.

"We might even scavenge some treasures there."

She was still thinking about the lost portion of profits, hoping to get some compensation.

"Let's go take a look."

Gauss spoke, while not forgetting to remind everyone.

"Everyone stay alert."

Although "one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers," and the possibility of other powerful monsters appearing near the Gorgon's territory was extremely low—after all, the Gorgon wouldn't be willing to live with another monster that could threaten it.

They still needed to remain vigilant.

One of the adventurers' principles was to never let their guard down, especially when they thought they were about to complete a commission.

The mission wasn't truly over until they returned to town and formally submitted the commission.

The group maintained a defensive formation as they approached the cave.

As they drew closer, the scene at the cave entrance gradually became clear.

The cave was located under a sun-facing gentle slope, where clumps of large needlegrass with pale green spikes had been trampled into a clear path.

A gentle breeze blew, causing the upright needlegrass to sway, and the creeping broom scattered among them emitted faint, subtle fragrances.

Admittedly, this habitat was quite nice, at least it looked livable, not like some Goblin doghouse.

Shadow was the first to transform into a shadow, merging with the ground as she went to investigate inside the cave.

A moment later, a wisp of black shadow swiftly swam out of the cave like a spirit snake, and Shadow reappeared.

"There are no living creatures inside."

"I thought there might be pups." Aria dismissed one guess.

"Gorgons have very low intelligence;even pups are extremely difficult to tame." Gauss shook his head;he hadn't held much hope from the start.

Gorgons were essentially savage beasts, not obedient, understanding old oxen from farmlands.

Let's go inside and look, Gauss walked at the front.

Raising his White Wand, with the release of the Light Cantrip, the top of the wand continuously emitted stable, bright light like a large lightbulb.

The interior of the cave was dry, scattered with some dry grass and fallen leaves.

The ground was littered with gravel everywhere.

Gauss knew these were the Gorgon's reserve food.

Besides gravel, there were some darker-colored, inactive stone powders—the petrification residue excreted by the Gorgon.

Looking at it this way, it wasn't much different from Goblins, except its excrement didn't stink.

"It looks like this is undoubtedly its den." Aria said while poking through the dry grass pile with her wooden staff, hoping to find some overlooked "treasures."

Gauss's attention was drawn to the surrounding rock walls.

The rock walls had formed a kind of rough, primitive pattern, as if someone had specifically carved them.

Had someone lived here in the past?

Just then, Aria in the distance suddenly called out.

"Gauss, look here."

Aria swept away the leaf and grass pile and unexpectedly discovered a small box on the ground bearing strong traces of age.

However, from the severely worn textures on the box's surface, it was clear it had once been an exquisitely crafted work of art.

Aria didn't reach out to touch it.

"Coming."

Gauss walked over.

So, before this became the Gorgon's nest, it had another owner?

While thinking, his hands didn't stop moving;a Mage Hand smoothly materialized in front of him.

The invisible arm picked up the box.

Deftly opening the clasp on top, as the lid was lifted, the items inside quickly appeared before Gauss and the others.

It was a monocle.

The crystal lens was polished to sparkling clarity, with an overall elegant and slender design;the circular frame and temple were made of slender gold edges.

Unlike the box, the crystal monocle inside was bright as new.

"Some kind of accessory?"

Gauss pressed his White Wand against it.

The light of the Identify Spell soon enveloped the monocle.

The monocle quickly revealed a deep blue glow in his eyes.

【Eagle Eye Monocle】

Grade: Rare Magical Item (Blue Tier)

Description: Meticulously crafted by an ancient Elf master artisan, the lens is polished from mana crystal, with miniature 【Eagle Eye Runes】 etched on the slender golden temple, granting the wearer extraordinary farsighted ability.

Basic Enchantment Effect 1: Sharp Vision, when worn, greatly enhances farsighted ability, able to clearly capture details of insects flapping their wings over a hundred meters away, visual range can extend to over a thousand meters.

Basic Enchantment Effect 2: See Invisibility, when worn, has a certain chance to detect creatures or objects in the surrounding area that are under invisibility or illusion disguise.

Basic Enchantment Effect 3: Arcane Sight, when worn, occasionally able to detect traces of certain magical auras.

"Another wondrous item."

Gauss informed his teammates about the monocle's effects.

Everyone was very happy.

Obtaining a magical wondrous item was considered a pleasant surprise.

The only downside was that this delicate monocle was visibly unsuitable for long-term wear, especially during combat.

"Future reconnaissance for large-area intelligence gathering will be easier before commissions."

Aria spoke up.

Gauss now possessed flight capability.

He could completely fly to high altitudes and use this wondrous item's properties to observe the surrounding large area.

He could even learn a spell related to vision to further extend his visual range.

This way, for team intelligence gathering, close-range "field investigations" had Shadow's presence, and long-range "god's perspective" had Gauss;they were sufficiently equipped in the intelligence department for the short term.

Moreover, Gauss thought of another additional function that only he knew about.

That was, during travels, he might quickly complete the mental map of the surrounding areas.

Normally, he had to physically pass through for his mental map to light up.

Even after mastering the Fly spell, it remained the same, because Fly only allowed him to ascend, but still couldn't complete the corresponding map.

After wearing the 【Eagle Eye Monocle】, gaining more intelligence should allow him to gather information across a large range and complete the drawing of his mental map.

After obtaining a wondrous item, everyone's enthusiasm for searching the cave grew stronger.

Under their careful search, they found two more items.

Both were also magical wondrous items.

【Thief Gloves】 and 【Universal Key】

The former still showed a blue luster under the Identify Spell, but the latter, that ordinary-looking brass key, to Gauss's surprise, actually emitted a dazzling purple halo!

【Thief Gloves】

Grade: Rare Magical Item (Blue Tier)

Description: A pair of black soft leather gloves made from the belly skin of a stalking panther, thin as cicada wings. The fingertip areas are woven with fine light-absorbing fibers, and the palm lining is imprinted with a dexterity rune array.

Basic Enchantment Effect 1: Nimble Fingertips, greatly enhances the wearer's finger flexibility and stability, providing significant bonuses during activities requiring fine manipulation like lockpicking, disarming traps, pickpocketing, etc. (Periodically, can actively initiate one 【Steal】 skill, randomly stealing one item from the target.)

Basic Enchantment Effect 2: Silent Touch, when the wearer touches objects, most sounds produced by friction or collision will be absorbed, making their movements more silent.

Basic Enchantment Effect 3: Aura Concealment, masks the residual personal aura left by the wearer's hands.

When the effects of the Thief Gloves were interpreted, everyone present looked at Shadow;this item suited her very well.

Or rather, it could achieve the best effect on her, while they would have little use for it.

Finally, there was the mysterious key emitting purple light.

Possibly the biggest harvest of this trip.

The first purple-quality magical wondrous item Gauss had encountered.

Purple-quality wondrous items were already beyond the reach of ordinary adventurers, with most effects being very powerful.

【Universal Key】

Grade: Exceptional Magical Item (Purple Tier)

Description: Can open most locks and mechanisms. Current uses: 3/3

Compared to all other magical items Gauss had encountered so far, this purple-quality magical item had an extremely simple functional description.

And according to the description, its number of uses was limited, only 3 times.

For a purple-quality magical item to actually have usage limitations was indeed very luxurious.

But in some critical moments, the role it might play could far exceed the value of the item itself.

The locks and mechanisms in this world weren't simply at the physical level;often, unless you found the one uniquely matching special key, you could only rely on similar magical tools.

As for some professional lockpicking skills, they might not necessarily work against special magical locks and mechanisms either.

Gauss's thoughts suddenly drifted far away;when he saw the 【Universal Key】's effect, he couldn't help but think of a location.

It was that mysterious birdcage-like emerald pavilion he encountered months ago in the maze outside Barry City.

Back then, he couldn't enter because he didn't have the key.

He didn't know if the 【Universal Key】 could open the lock sealing the emerald pavilion.

But the maze had temporarily closed, and he probably couldn't verify this conjecture in the short term. He could only wait until the maze reopened later to investigate the second-floor location, hoping the maze environment hadn't changed.

After thoroughly searching the Gorgon's nest and achieving bountiful harvests, the group left the cave.

"It seems the person who lived here in the past was probably a Rogue, Thief, or similar profession." Gauss couldn't help but speculate.

Look at the three items left behind in the cave;they all share similar functional styles.

【Eagle Eye Monocle】【Thief Gloves】【Universal Key】

Reconnaissance, target finding, item theft, lockpicking, and if they encountered truly tricky mechanisms they couldn't handle, there was still a Universal Key.

"I wonder why these items were left behind here." Gauss shook his head.

"The original owner probably died long ago, right?" Aria guessed. "Otherwise, the cave wouldn't have been occupied by a Gorgon as its nest just now."

"Maybe they died in some accident, and these belongings were left here. But regardless, they benefit us now."

Aria beamed with joy.

The others were in good spirits too.

They began further reconnaissance of the surrounding environment.

Besides killing this Gorgon, there were still some monsters and monster tribes entrenched in other areas outside the Gorgon's territory.

The recently acquired 【Eagle Eye Monocle】 could come in handy just at the right time.

Gauss continuously ascended, using the expanded visual range provided by the 【Eagle Eye Monocle】 to scout ground intelligence.

Soon, various somewhat sizable monster communities were gradually marked and locked by him.

However, the group wasn't prepared to continue fighting today.

After gathering intelligence, everyone headed back toward the village.

Rest for the night, build up energy, and continue tomorrow.

Since they had already conducted preliminary reconnaissance the previous day.

Gauss brought along some trained villagers, taking the opportunity to give them combat experience.

Along the way, Serlandul also gathered herbs, taking the opportunity to explain to the villagers which areas would grow which herbs, what effects these herbs had, what diseases they could treat, what side effects they had, and so on.

"Total monsters killed: 5655"

Only three hundred-something more until the next small stage of 6000 kills.

Then he could receive another small reward.

Gauss thought about the number of monster communities he scouted yesterday and shook his head.

Not sure if it's enough.

There weren't that many monsters near this village.

Perhaps he needed to put more effort into searching further directions at night.

Soon, Gauss and the others encountered their first group of monsters.

A small group of Lizardmen.

This was also a common primitive reptilian humanoid monster that liked to lurk in swamps, jungles, and other shady places.

They didn't have traditional moral concepts and would hunt any creature entering their territory, killing them for food.

Humanoids, humans, beasts, monsters—they saw no difference in their eyes.

Similar to Goblins, Goblin-like creatures, and Gnolls, Lizardmen were also natural Dragon worshippers.

Some high-level Lizardmen could even speak simple Draconic, rumored to be the sacred language taught to their ancestors by ancient Dragons, something Lizardmen took pride in.

Lizardmen living within Dragon territories usually regularly offered tributes to their Dragon lords, such as slaves, gems, metals, food, etc., hoping to win the Dragon's favor.

Therefore, Lizardmen were often raiders and plunderers to ordinary humans.

But when Gauss approached the Lizardmen, he found these upright-walking reptilian creatures holding wooden spikes, clubs, and turtle-shell shields, covered in forest-green scale armor, trembling all over when facing him.

Before he could even attack, most Lizardmen knelt on both feet, prostrating on the ground.

They were jabbering something incomprehensible?

Of course, the content wasn't important.

He could completely fly to high altitudes and use this wondrous item's characteristics to observe the surrounding large area.

Gauss slightly frowned.

Initially puzzled, but he quickly guessed the reason.

Was it the 【Sturdy Scale Bloodline】?

The Sturdy Scale Bloodline evolved from the Reptilian talent;theoretically, it belonged to a higher-tier bloodline among reptilian creatures in terms of hierarchy.

The future direction was clearly evolving gradually toward the Dragon path.

And the submission and fear toward Dragons were almost engraved in the genes of creatures like Lizardmen;feeling fear toward him who possessed the Sturdy Scale Bloodline might not be incomprehensible.

Among the Dragon's many evil servants, Lizardmen were perhaps the most devout group.

Of course, it was mainly due to the vast difference in strength between them.

And this group of Lizardmen only numbered about ten, not forming any real force. If it were a Lizardmen tribe with a Lizardmen leader present, the situation might be different.

Facing the Lizardmen who were kowtowing to him as if he were a Dragon, Gauss remained expressionless.

Whether they were showing reverence for the Dragon blood, worship, or fear of death, it had nothing to do with him.

He wouldn't show mercy and spare their lives just because the monsters in front of him were kneeling to him.

In the past, there had been a Goblin pup constantly kowtowing and begging for mercy, and he hadn't softened his heart either.

He didn't have that much time to guess monsters' thoughts.

He was just a ruthless monster killer.

"Ah!"

Amid the Lizardmen's terrified and bewildered gazes, a snow-white sword light swept across their scale-covered thick necks.

"Thud~"

A green head fell to the ground and rolled twice.

Then several more sword lights flashed, leaving several headless corpses on the empty ground.

"Lizardmen killed *7"

"Acquired title 【Lizardmen Hunter】. This title will upgrade as the kill count increases."

"Current effect: Natural Enemy. Lizardmen and related advanced races will experience a certain degree of strength reduction when facing you."

Speaking of which, this was Gauss's first time killing Lizardmen.

Although they were also a common monster type in past Monster Wars, unlike Goblins, they appeared relatively less frequently in human territories.

Most of the time, they holed up in monster territories, devoutly serving their masters—Wyrms, Dragons, or other Dragon-blooded creatures.

Only when their masters launched wars against humans would they invade the human world in large numbers.

The other few Lizardmen who saw Gauss and immediately ran away were forcibly controlled by Shadow using her Shadow Bind skill.

"Ross, you and the others pick up your weapons and try to fight them." Gauss looked at a youth and said.

Ordinary Lizardmen were somewhat stronger than ordinary Goblins in combat power, but Gauss's presence had weakened them, so for these trained villagers, they were suitable opponents.

Perhaps Gauss gave them enough courage, or perhaps killing the Bandits on the first day had completely awakened this village's fierceness;these youths, boys and girls, didn't hesitate much and quickly charged forward with their respective weapons.

Shadow also timely removed the Shadow Bind and stood behind the Lizardmen to prevent them from escaping.

Gauss stood behind the youths, his eyes locked on those cowering Lizardmen.

This situation was truly like being between a wolf and a tiger for these Lizardmen.

Especially Gauss's intense staring gave them tremendous pressure.

They could barely exert a fraction of their strength.

Under these circumstances, the youths "borrowing authority from the tiger's might," even though they were all rookies, unexpectedly managed to suppress this group of monsters with similar numbers.

The situation was better than Gauss had imagined.

He had prepared to intervene, since Lizardmen were nothing to him, but their actual strength was far beyond what ordinary novices could handle.

But he hadn't expected his suppression effect to be so effective.

"Splat!"

A splash of bright red, scalding blood splattered onto the excited-faced youth.

Soon, the other Lizardmen were also slain by their companions.

They stared at the enemy's blood on their hands, looking incredulous, as if they hadn't expected the fight to be so simple.

"Congratulations on completing your first battle in life."

"However, these monsters were already scared out of their wits just now, unable to exert much of their strength. If you encounter them in the future, be more careful."

Gauss reminded them.

Although he provided the battlefield effect, being able to kill Lizardmen also showed these youths' diligence in usual training.

Otherwise, the Lizardmen's necks wouldn't have actively collided with their blades, and the protection of leather scales wouldn't have weakened due to Gauss's title effect.

After successfully defeating the first group of monsters, Gauss and the others continued exploring other directions around the village.

They soon found other monster tribes.

After letting the villagers kill a few more monsters and seeing them panting heavily, Gauss didn't have them engage further.

Next, it was almost a one-man show for him.

The monster kill count rapidly climbed as a result.