I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 43: Gauss's Background

After resting to recover their stamina, the group returned to Valencia Village. They reported their success in eliminating the slimes to the village chief and showed him the fresh slime gel as proof. Around noon, they took a short break at the inn before departing from the somewhat rundown village in the afternoon.

"This village has so few people."

"Yeah, besides the bar and inn where outsiders like us gather, you barely see any locals elsewhere."

"These days, young folks prefer seeking opportunities in big towns. In a few more years, this village might become completely abandoned. I've noticed many villages showing similar signs."

"But my hometown village is still quite lively."

"Yet here you are, having left it too."

"Now you're just being difficult."

Sighing, someone added, "No wonder we've been getting more and more commissions in recent years."

During their return journey, Levin and the others engaged in casual conversation. Gauss had little to contribute since he was still new to this line of work, so he simply listened quietly.

"By the way, Gauss. What were you before becoming an adventurer?" Doyle turned to look at Gauss, who had been walking silently beside him, thus shifting the topic onto him.

The others also glanced subtly at Gauss in the middle of their formation, as Doyle's question reflected their own curiosity. Though this was already their second mission together as a team, Gauss's background remained shrouded in mystery to them.

All they knew was that Gauss was a rookie adventurer. Before temporarily joining their team, he had only completed one commission—and that hadn't gone particularly well. After the mission ended, his previous team disbanded, with everyone except Gauss heading to Barry for treatment while he remained in Grayrock Town.

If his record stopped there, he wouldn't seem much different from any other novice adventurer who'd suffered early setbacks. But the Gauss before them was clearly no ordinary rookie. Logically speaking, someone with such shallow experience shouldn't possess the "impressive" abilities Gauss demonstrated—especially when they compared his performance to their own years of adventuring experience. Their curiosity had finally gotten the better of them.

"Of course, you don't have to share if it's uncomfortable for you."

The path they walked was flanked by knee-high wild grass. Winds swept across the plains with a rustling sound, making the green blades ripple like waves. Gauss smoothed his wind-tousled bangs and shook his head.

"There's nothing I can't talk about."

He didn't consider his pre-adventurer life particularly noteworthy. His memories consisted of over a decade living as a mountain village farm boy—barefoot in the fields catching mice, fishing in rivers, and trapping rabbits and pheasants. Had his predecessor not refused his parents' arranged marriage upon coming of age and stubbornly ventured out to seek his fortune, he'd probably still be holed up in some mountain hollow, living a backbreaking rural life with some plain, broad-hipped farmer's wife.

Though Gauss found his past unremarkable, seeing his teammates so curious—and since it wasn't anything shameful worth hiding—he briefly summarized his story.

"...After leaving, I lived alone. As for magic, I learned it through sheer coincidence."

The moment Gauss finished speaking, his teammates exchanged glances with complicated expressions. His answer bore absolutely no resemblance to what they'd imagined. They'd privately speculated about his background—perhaps he was a noble's offspring (considering his limited funds, likely illegitimate), or maybe a mage's descendant or apprentice. Never had they guessed that just a year ago, he'd been an utterly ordinary farm boy.

"So you're saying you achieved your current strength in just one year?" Levin immediately noticed the unusual timeframe and asked in astonishment.

Actually, it was only about half a month... Gauss thought to himself, though his expression remained unchanged. After a brief pause, he nodded. In his view, taking a full year to reach his current level didn't seem particularly outrageous. Hadn't Grom, the blacksmith shop owner, mentioned that for ordinary people, becoming a professional typically took anywhere from one or two years to several decades? Since some could become professionals within a year, his current progress—not even having reached professional status yet—shouldn't be considered excessively fast.

"One year... You might genuinely be a genius," Doyle couldn't help sighing deeply. The competitive resentment he'd secretly harbored toward Gauss these past days suddenly evaporated. He realized someone like Gauss would undoubtedly become a professional—the only question was how soon. Perhaps in a few years, during some ordinary evening, they might coincidentally meet again at a tavern in some unfamiliar town, by which time Gauss would already be an esteemed mage professional, while Doyle himself might still be struggling as an apprentice.

The others fell silent too. Levin realized his chances of formally recruiting Gauss into their team were growing slimmer. Sighing internally, he comforted himself that at least being able to team up multiple times was better than nothing. Having someone like Gauss—exceptionally strong among low-level adventurers—greatly enhanced their team's safety.

Gauss glanced at the suddenly somber group, feeling as though he'd inadvertently dealt them a severe blow. However, this stemmed from his limited understanding of their situations. Though all were young men, Gauss was undoubtedly the youngest. Levin and Oliver, the oldest in the team, were approaching thirty. Even if they'd started adventuring at twenty, that still meant nearly a decade of struggle. The others had at least two or three years of adventuring experience. Moreover, compared to warriors or rangers, spellcasting professions had significantly higher entry barriers. Yet here was Gauss—younger than all of them—already far ahead in the more challenging field of magic and improving at a visibly rapid pace. This realization filled them with an inescapable sense of powerlessness. Sometimes, the gap between people was wider than that between humans and dogs.

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Just as they neared Grayrock Town, the clear sky abruptly darkened with storm clouds. Howling winds hurled pea-sized raindrops directly into their faces. The downpour turned the previously smooth dirt road into a pockmarked mess of puddles, each raindrop kicking up filthy splashes.

Caught completely off guard by the sudden storm and with Grayrock Town so close, they had no choice but to quicken their pace. Cloaks pulled tight and boots slogging through mud, they pressed onward, occasionally having to push their cart when its wheels got stuck in waterlogged ruts. By the time they finally reached Grayrock Town, it was already late at night. The drenched group couldn't be bothered to report their completed mission at the Adventurers Guild hall, agreeing instead to meet at the entrance first thing next morning before disbanding.

Gauss hurried back to the inn, glancing up at the still-thundering sky. He couldn't help marveling at how quickly the weather had turned—one moment clear skies, the next a torrential downpour. At least they'd brought waterproof tarps, so the cart's supplies remained dry. That, at least, was some consolation.