I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 3: Tracking Goblins

The dense Emerald Forest was filled with towering ancient trees that barely allowed sunlight to penetrate. The chilly atmosphere sent shivers down Gauss's spine, making him feel an eerie coldness creeping up his back.

Compared to ordinary low-level adventurers visiting the Emerald Forest for the first time, Gauss actually possessed a natural advantage. As a hunter active in the forest's outermost regions, he wasn't completely unfamiliar with this environment. He had several familiar "hunting grounds" and had left markers throughout the woods to guide him to these spots. Moreover, with the "Map" function from his Adventurer's Manual that illuminated explored areas, he wouldn't face the first hidden danger that plagued novice adventurers - getting lost.

Indeed, compared to monsters that attacked directly, this vast, boundless forest itself posed the greatest potential threat. The impenetrable trees and monotonous scenery made it impossible for ordinary people to determine their location, let alone find their way back to the main forest paths leading to human civilization. Countless novice adventurers lost their lives to this forest every year - Gauss himself had stumbled upon human remains several times during his hunting trips. Unfortunately, all clothing and equipment had vanished, likely scavenged by the forest's native inhabitants - various monsters. If not for those creatures' existence, Gauss might have realized his dream of buying a house just by looting dead adventurers' belongings.

While these thoughts ran through his mind, Gauss maintained a steady pace. Following both the original owner's memories and markings carved on oak trunks, he arrived at a rarely visited hunting ground. There were definitely goblins nearby, though probably not in large numbers.

Gauss had come here first based on relevant intelligence from a month ago - recent enough to still be useful. At that time, having caught no prey for several days, he had established this hunting ground, setting several traps with modest success. However, one early morning when the forest was shrouded in thick mist, he arrived to check his traps only to find bloodstains indicating triggered mechanisms - the prey had been stolen by "someone." He quickly deduced the thieves were goblins from the clear humanoid footprints left behind. Though not numerous, the prints were smaller than Gauss's own, about the size of a human teenager's bare feet - particularly distinct in the rain-softened soil. Obviously, it was highly unlikely an unshod teenager would be wandering deep in the Emerald Forest, leaving goblins as the most plausible culprits among humanoid monsters, given their commonness and matching footprint size.

After concluding this hunting ground fell within a small goblin tribe's territory, the cautious Gauss had abandoned the area, never returning until now. Bringing his focus back to the present, he reminded himself: "Must stay alert. Though I only saw a few footprints last time, probably from the same goblin, that doesn't mean there's only one around here."

Silently recalling goblin lore, Gauss remembered them as pointy-eared, green-skinned, dull-eyed, scrawny-limbed male dwarves - not particularly strong but living in groups. These notorious creatures subsisted primarily on meat (supplemented occasionally by berries), their low intelligence and inherent viciousness making them incapable of productive labor. From birth to death, their existence revolved around plunder. Even reproduction - a normal biological process - couldn't be accomplished within their own species, requiring them to abduct females from other races, particularly humans due to physical similarities. Consequently, many villages suffered long-term devastation from goblin raids targeting food, tools, and women - threats to human settlements and merchant caravans that left behind countless atrocities.

Regarding combat capability, Gauss's memories suggested these green-skinned pests matched his previous world's impressions - ordinary specimens weren't particularly formidable one-on-one, with armed farmers capable of handling single opponents. However, goblins compensated through numbers, excelling at ambushes and swarm tactics that became terrifying disasters at scale. Worse, their rampant reproductive rate rivaled rats or cockroaches - goblin mothers typically birthed multiple offspring per pregnancy. With exceptionally high survival rates, goblin young developed from mouse-sized newborns to sexually mature adults in under a year, thereafter driven by primal urges to abduct more females for further breeding. Essentially an ineradicable natural scourge.

Given their propensity for harassing humans (especially small villages), human knowledge about goblins surpassed that of nearly any other monster. Even illiterate village children could accurately describe several of their characteristics. "Goblins - you'll be my first targets!" Neither Gauss's original self nor his modern-educated consciousness could muster any pity for these creatures. Forget ecological balance arguments - complete extermination represented humanity's best outcome.

Despite this mental preparation, Gauss remained vigilant. Memory suggested goblins were weak, but practical experience was lacking - this would be his first actual confrontation. Life was precious, whether his or the goblins'. All living things possessed survival instincts. This wasn't adventure - it was genuine mortal combat.

Taking a deep breath, Gauss first removed his pack, burying it under leaves at a tree's base. His wooden spear tip already bore paralytic poison applied at noon - he'd deliberately positioned it in sunlight by a window to dry the herbal concoction, leaving the formerly black tip now glinting ominously green. He didn't place much hope in this cheap poison's efficacy - you got what you paid for. It might help slightly but wouldn't deliver instant results. Real combat would rely on the weapon itself.

Gripping the spear tightly, muscle memories from this body's previous spear usage gradually surfaced. After brief adjustment, he crouched to sweep aside leaf litter, searching for traces - a hunter's habit. All creatures left signs of activity, especially unintelligent ones that didn't conceal their tracks. Footprints, hair, droppings, food remnants, movement patterns - the seemingly tranquil forest teemed with hidden information. Though young, Gauss had trained with his father since childhood, making him at least competent in information gathering despite being a novice hunter. As a second son destined to make his own way, a hunter or mountain man's most crucial skill was intelligence collection. Hunting techniques and trap-making were secondary - without solid reconnaissance skills, no hunter could be considered qualified.

"Found it!" Gauss exclaimed quietly upon discovering another fresh footprint, likely made within the past two days - proof that goblin still frequented the area. "Maybe stealing my prey left such an impression that it keeps returning, hoping for more easy pickings?" Gauss felt he'd guessed correctly.

Following this lead, Gauss conducted a meticulous search of the surrounding area, soon finding more footprints and droppings. These subtle clues gradually led him deeper through the forest until, not far from his hunting ground, he reached a small pond. Carefully parting the shrubs, his eyes fell upon the target - a green-skinned creature leisurely sitting on a knee-high rock, sharpening its stone weapon (a crude spear).

Goblin - found you! Holding his breath, Gauss's eyes gleamed from his hiding spot. To him, this wasn't just a goblin - it marked the starting point of his otherworldly career path.