I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 32: Efficient Coordination

Gauss, who was hiding, had already silently activated Mage Hand.  

Because of concerns about scent exposure, the other team members hid relatively far away.  

Only Gauss stayed within about ten meters due to the casting distance limit of Mage Hand.  

However, Meva had already helped him handle his hiding spot and mask his scent.  

So the six goblins approaching did not notice anything unusual.  

As they walked up to Gray Rabbit, one of the goblins cautiously threw a stone in Gray Rabbit’s direction.  

*Plop!*  

The stone hit the ground beside Gray Rabbit, but nothing happened.  

Seeing this, the goblin visibly relaxed a lot.  

One by one, they observed their surroundings, confirming that within several meters there were no other creatures nearby, then eagerly came under the tree.  

The largest goblin, the leader, grabbed Gray Rabbit with both hands.  

Its face showed an excited yet cruel smile, thick saliva dripping from its coarse lips. Using its yellowed claws with force, it killed the barely breathing Gray Rabbit.  

"Waaah!"  

The other goblins gathered around, jumping up and down excitedly around the leader holding Gray Rabbit.  

It seemed this free meal made them very happy.  

After all, goblins are omnivores and don’t always get meat to eat.  

Before they could celebrate,  

*Clack!*  

A faint sound of a triggered mechanism rang out.  

The goblins that heard it raised their heads toward the sound.  

What they saw was a large net quickly dropping open.  

The capture net was released by the mechanism triggered by Mage Hand.  

Weighted magnets at the edges caused it to fall rapidly.  

In the blink of an eye, it came down over the goblins’ heads.  

Realizing what was happening, the goblins tried to run, but it was clearly too late.  

Huddled together and unable to escape, they were caught directly in the net.  

The net closed tightly like a tightening sack under the control of a special magnetic locking mechanism.  

"Waaah!"  

"Waaah!"  

The iron spikes entwined on the net pricked into their bodies, causing immediate screams of pain.  

Their instinctive struggles only tangled the trap further, with more spikes piercing into their flesh, tightening the net and trapping them even more securely.  

At the same time, poison pre-applied to the spikes began to take effect.  

“Just like that?”  

Gauss, who was closest, saw the clearest.  

The mechanism Meva, the rogue apprentice, made was even better than he expected.  

A group of goblins that could have caused some trouble for the team were directly trapped.  

But Gauss wasn’t sure how long the trap would hold.  

He noticed several goblins enduring pain, starting to cut at the net with their weapons.  

The other Night Owl Squad members began to emerge from their hiding spots.  

However, their speed was not fast because they were responsible for triggering the trap, while Gauss, being closest, moved quickly.  

On his way over, Gauss strode forward holding his rapier, charging at the goblins.  

This perfect opportunity for kills was not to be missed.  

Reaching the trapped goblins, his rapier mercilessly and swiftly stabbed at their vital points.  

Each stab pierced flesh!  

Every strike left a bleeding hole, thick and foul-smelling blood gushing out like a spring.  

He felt no sympathy for the goblins.  

His sword was as cold as a fish-killing blade.  

“Goblin Kill *1”  

“Total Monster Kills: 13”  

...  

“Total Monster Kills: 14”  

“Total Monster Kills: 15”  

...  

“Total Monster Kills: 18”  

All six goblins under Gauss’s ruthless rapier turned into accumulated kill numbers on his bestiary.  

He was one step closer to the next phase goal of 50 kills.  

And perhaps it was his imagination, but after killing those six goblins, the rapier in his hand felt much more coordinated and smooth.  

The extra tacit understanding felt like he had practiced rapier skills for several more days out of thin air.  

After Gauss finished “slaughtering” the goblins swiftly, the others arrived at the trap location slowly.  

Since there was no emergency, the group’s arrival was not rushed.  

Plus, seeing Gauss already holding the killing blade made them even less anxious.  

Whoever killed wasn’t important; Gauss’s rapier was unlikely to damage Meva’s trap.  

“Gauss, just to be clear, we don’t split task rewards based on the number of monsters killed,”  

Levin half-jokingly said.  

“Although you triggered the mechanism, you can’t take all the reward for these six goblins, okay?”  

“Understood.” Gauss nodded, pleased inside. He had already received the reward he wanted most; the rest were just extras. The task rewards would surely include his share anyway.  

“I just simply wanted to hone my sword skills on goblins,” he casually explained.  

He was quite happy inside. Compared to the exhausting goblin kills in Birch Village last time, these six kills were basically a free gift, effortless.  

It was all thanks to the pre-set mechanism.  

Gauss silently took note.  

As long as he made good use of tools and traps, even alone, he could easily wipe out a small goblin group without injury.  

He specialized in making small-scale animal traps, so for this large capture trap, he might have to learn some techniques secretly from Meva.  

As a half-baked hunter, his trap-making skills were obviously inferior to Meva, the rogue apprentice.  

Thinking of this, he suddenly understood why Meva didn’t fit in well with the team, avoided talking to others, yet held an unshakable position.  

Every team needed such a versatile member—someone who could scout, make traps and poisons, and provide offensive support from the flank with daggers and a one-handed crossbow during battles.  

Perhaps this gloomy figure shrouded in a cloak was actually the true core of the Night Owl Squad.  

Gauss glanced silently at Meva among the others.  

In the future, my team must recruit a strong rogue, he thought quietly.  

Thinking about how he could continue to effortlessly rack up kills like now, a faint smile appeared on his lips.  

This sudden smile made Doyle, who was silently observing nearby, shudder.  

“It’s just killing a few defenseless goblins, is it really worth smiling this much?”  

Doyle wondered if Gauss was some kind of psychological freak or had some unknown past, like a deep grudge with goblins.  

“Alright, everyone. Prepare for frontal combat,” Levin suddenly reminded everyone. “The enemy should be arriving soon.”  

“Understood.”  

“Understood.”  

“Got it.” Gauss’s heart tightened, pulling back his drifting thoughts.  

The earlier noises—the net dropping, footsteps, and the goblins’ prolonged agonized screams—would definitely alert the goblins in the ruins.  

Meva had scouted 15 to 22 goblins.  

Subtracting the six Gauss killed, about 9 to 16 remained.  

The group silently thought it over and formed their battle formation, ready for war.  

Before long, noisy footsteps came from afar.  

A group of goblins arrived.  

Five goblins holding small wooden shields and clubs took the front line.  

Behind them were three goblins carrying stone spears and two with steel blades.  

Four goblin archers stayed at the rear, obviously preparing for advantageous shooting positions.  

A total of fourteen goblins.  

Though none were abnormal like those met previously in Birch Village, this group’s discipline was much better, with simple yet complete professional division.  

Especially the threat posed by the four archer goblins could not be ignored.  

This was the kind of threat a goblin group close to twenty strong should have.  

The last time at Birch Village, the goblins were just two small teams merged, except for one abnormally large goblin, they had not formed enough combat strength.  

After observing the goblins’ numbers and formation, Levin briefly arranged tactics.  

“Meva, Oliver, handle the archer goblins. We take the front line.”  

“If needed, I can also support with Magic Missile from range,” Gauss added. He happened to want some real combat practice for his skills.  

To grow stronger, he would seize chances in battle to try and steal kills. After all, his original role in the team was to use Magic Missile to kill core enemies, and the rest of the time he was a free agent.  

Who said stealing kills wasn’t a form of support?  

“Good, thanks.”  

“Everyone get ready for battle!”  

“Kill them all!!”  

Levin slammed the oaken greatshield in front of him, and the group instantly entered battle mode.