I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 29: Heart-Pounding

The first step of the joint practice naturally started with Gauss.  

Everyone's gaze instinctively focused on him.  

“The magic I will demonstrate now is Mage Hand.”  

“Mage Hand!”  

Gauss’s thoughts flowed smoothly; he was quite skilled at casting Mage Hand.  

With magical energy twisting and forming before him, an invisible magical hand appeared.  

Except for the priest Daphne, the others couldn’t really feel the change in energy flow in front of Gauss.  

But they all sensed something inexplicably strange after Gauss spoke the spell’s name.  

Perhaps it was their so-called sixth sense.  

Since the others couldn’t see the Mage Hand, Gauss controlled it to lift his rapier and waved it around in the air to demonstrate the effect.  

“It feels pretty weak,” Doyle, the swordsman, commented without much thought.  

His judgment was based entirely on his usual sword swinging strength.  

Naturally, he found the slash soft and powerless.  

The others showed different expressions.  

Only Levin’s eyes lit up when he saw the Mage Hand.  

“No, no, it’s a very powerful spell,” he couldn’t help but praise.  

Hearing such a completely different opinion, Doyle shot Levin a surprised look.  

“It can help us detect traps and remotely trigger traps and mechanisms set by Meva. By the way, Gauss, how much force does your Mage Hand have?”  

“About ten pounds.”  

“That’s a bit light, but it’s enough. It can intervene effectively in combat,” Levin said thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hand.  

“Can it stick to powder?”  

“I think so,” Gauss replied, not having tried it specifically and uncertain.  

He controlled the Mage Hand back in front of him, bent down, grabbed some soil and dust, and carefully sprinkled it onto the Mage Hand.  

The dust quickly covered a thin layer on the Mage Hand’s surface. Though Gauss felt he could vibrate it off anytime, it could indeed stick.  

“It really is a hand!” Oliver, the taciturn archer, was curious and leaned in to take a closer look at the visible hand in the air.  

Though they had all been exposed to magic to some extent before, close-up observation was rare.  

“That’s great!” Levin suddenly clapped his hands.  

“Meva, give Gauss some of your specially prepared poison powder later.”  

The others understood Levin’s meaning.  

One by one, their expressions showed sudden enlightenment.  

If poison powder plus Mage Hand combined, even if it revealed the Mage Hand’s shape, as long as it was controlled properly, applying or sprinkling it on monsters’ vulnerable spots like their eyes could immediately cause negative effects and control. At least, it would weaken their combat ability.  

Against some poorly defended monsters, even a ten-pound force would be enough for a poison-coated dagger to break their defense.  

“We can later think of specific ways to cooperate with Gauss based on Mage Hand’s effect.”  

Though it was a support ability with limited direct combat power, if fully developed and covered by the team, it could play a strong role.  

Doyle and the others looked at Gauss with noticeably more enthusiasm.  

Even Doyle, who always valued brute strength and disliked cunning magic, had to admit that compared to straightforward warriors, mages sometimes seemed scarier.  

At least he definitely did not want to be suddenly blinded by poison powder falling from the sky or stabbed in the back by a hidden dagger during battle.  

And who could pay attention to so many things during a fight?  

Thinking that, his gaze toward Gauss involuntarily carried a hint of awe.  

Mages really were sneaky and terrifying guys.  

“All right, Gauss’s skill demonstration is over. Next, we will...” Levin was about to continue when he noticed Gauss hesitating nearby.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“Nothing, Captain Levin. I want to say I have another magic spell.”  

“?”  

“Another one?”  

The team, already preparing to warm up, all looked at him simultaneously, their expressions containing a strange indefinable meaning.  

Generally, as aspiring professionals with limited energy, time, and resources, most would choose one skill to focus on deeply.  

Occasionally, some warriors might temporarily learn an extra skill to boost their combat ability.  

But would mages also learn an additional spell?  

Daphne, the team’s healing priest, only knew one Ring 0 cantrip, Life Sustain.  

Its power was to stabilize injuries so they wouldn’t worsen, allowing her to perform further treatment with medical tools.  

The effectiveness of Life Sustain depended on the caster’s level.  

It was said that a high-level priest could stabilize a dying person hanging on by a thread, even when death’s scythe was about to strike.  

Gauss nodded.  

He still wanted to use Magic Missile in battle to improve his proficiency.  

If he didn’t demonstrate it now but used it later, it would only be embarrassing.  

Just as everyone subconsciously thought Gauss’s next magic would be a similar support spell like Mage Hand, Gauss spoke.  

“The second spell I have is called Magic Missile.”  

“Magic Missile...”  

“Magic Missile?”  

Everyone silently repeated the spell’s name in their minds.  

The next moment, before they could ponder it further—  

“Magic Missile!”  

Gauss activated his magical energy.  

A deep blue orb condensed and formed in the air before Gauss.  

At level 2 proficiency, he no longer needed to clutch it with his hand.  

The airflow seemed to change because of the orb’s presence.  

The wind began to slowly stir.  

“Make sure to keep a little distance; the power might be a bit strong.”  

Gauss reminded the slightly distracted teammates and confirmed they had moved to a safe distance.  

He fixed his mind on the casting target—a patch of empty ground far away.  

Then in the next moment, the Magic Missile launched!  

“Boom!”  

With a flash of thought, it accelerated continuously, quickly reaching maximum speed.  

This speed caused the Magic Missile to streak through the air, leaving a dazzling beam of light.  

At the beam’s end, the moment it hit the distant ground,  

a heavy explosion thundered loudly.  

“Thud!”  

It sounded like a heavy object crashing deep into the earth.  

Soil and dirt particles scattered.  

Dust was kicked up by the blast, accompanied by faint shaking beneath their feet.  

When the dust cleared, a shallow crater dozens of centimeters wide appeared on the ground, with a fist-sized indentation at its center.  

“So strong!!” Doyle and the others snapped out of their daze, swallowing hard.  

Their expressions toward Gauss completely changed.  

They hadn’t expected that the “mage” Levin casually pulled from the Adventurers Guild would have such power.  

This spell’s force was brutal!  

It was nothing like what a novice adventurer not yet at professional level could master!  

The Magic Missile had created such a large destructive impact just by hitting the soil; what if it hit one of them?  

It would probably kill or maim instantly, and its speed made dodging nearly impossible.  

They stared blankly at the crater, unable to suppress the chill running down their spines.