I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 44: After the Storm

The next day.

When Gauss woke up, he sneezed several times in succession, feeling slightly chilled. 

Fortunately, his current physique surpassed ordinary people. If it were his previous life's sub-healthy state, he might have already caught a fever.

"Phew—"

Gauss drank some water.

With his current 6-point constitution, he rarely fell ill under normal circumstances.

He glanced at the Life Magic Stone hanging around his neck.

Besides the previous constitution point allocation, this stone also played a significant role.

It subtly enhanced Gauss's physique over time, especially when combined with the point allocation effect, like adding fuel to fire.

his height had now reached 1.8 meters and stopped growing.

More important than mere height increase was his much sturdier build. At least walking for half a day wouldn't exhaust him too much now.

Moreover, the rest time needed after battles had shortened considerably.

His sustained combat capability during fights had also improved.

These were all benefits brought by enhanced constitution.

For all professions—whether Warrior, Ranger, or spellcasters—constitution remained a crucial physical attribute.

Sitting on the bed, he immersed himself in the Adventurer's Manual deep within his consciousness.

On the Monster Encyclopedia details page, the image of the second monster had been unlocked.

A green slimy creature with its species name "Slime Slimes" written below, and the kill count "9" marked at the image's lower right corner.

He still needed 18 more kills of any monster and 3 additional new monster species.

Gauss pondered, feeling the former would likely come first.

Compared to drawing unknown abilities of uncertain strength, the attribute rewards from total monster kills were more straightforward.

He decided not to place too much expectation on drawing monster talent abilities. After all, the prompt had stated that weaker abilities had higher draw probabilities.

As the saying goes, no expectations mean no disappointment. Moderately lowering expectations was a good way to increase happiness.

After organizing his thoughts, Gauss got up from bed, dressed, and headed downstairs.

The heavy rain had come and gone quickly.

The weather outside had cleared now.

In the inn's first-floor lobby, several unfamiliar tenants were having meals.

Gauss wasn't surprised—the inn frequently changed temporary tenants.

Noticing Gauss's "elite" equipment, weapons, and generally intimidating appearance,

the chatting tenants at nearby tables pursed their lips and unconsciously lowered their voices.

Gauss noticed but didn't pay much attention, glancing briefly before looking away.

In this world, ordinary people generally avoided provoking adventurers.

On one hand, adventurers often carried superior weapons and armor, making conflicts unwinnable.

On the other, adventurers constantly faced risks and pressures from commissions and monsters, with some having short tempers—a single wrong look might set them off.

Although the town had guards and peacekeepers, in conflicts, distant water couldn't quench nearby fires.

The best approach was minimal interaction when unnecessary.

"Awake? Yesterday's rain was heavy—you should've rested another day before returning," Sophia said while tending to the potted plant she'd just placed on the counter.

"Couldn't be helped. The weather was fine when we set out—the rain caught us midway," Gauss shook his head.

Such sudden changes couldn't be predicted in advance.

"What plant is this?" He eyed the fragrant herb on the counter.

"Rosemary. The inn's been a bit damp lately—using it to mask odors and repel insects."

Gauss smiled, doubting its effectiveness.

After breakfast at the inn, he headed to the Adventurers Guild.

His morning priority was submitting yesterday's commission.

Walking along, he felt quite cheerful.

Though this was only his third commission, submitting tasks and receiving rewards always gave him the relieved feeling of handing in his final exam paper from his previous life.

The Night Owl Squad members lived scattered—some renting standalone houses, others long-term staying at tavern second floors—so arrival times varied.

When Gauss arrived, only Levin was present.

He always seemed to be the first at gatherings.

"Morning." They exchanged greetings.

The rain had left Levin somewhat listless, but perhaps fearing awkward silence, he forced himself to chat intermittently with Gauss.

"Monster commission numbers should increase significantly soon."

"Why?"

"After heavy rains clear, many monsters become more active—it's an observed pattern."

"Should we focus on more commissions these days?" Gauss's question wasn't baseless.

More commissions meant better tasks to choose from.

Adventurers couldn't blindly accept tasks—distance, monster types, potential weapon damage, payment, required medical preparations—all needed careful consideration beforehand.

Accepting recklessly might lead to troublesome tasks where they'd lose money after all efforts.

This analysis was always done collectively by Levin and the team.

"Mm, that's the idea, but depends on everyone's condition," Levin nodded.

"If possible, Captain Levin, could we accept commissions involving other monsters next time?" Gauss felt slightly embarrassed saying this.

"Non-goblin, non-slime?" Levin smiled knowingly from prior experience.

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll consider it next time." Though Levin didn't promise outright, he'd already started contemplating suitable monster commissions.

Seeing Levin's serious expression, Gauss guessed their next commission would likely involve new monsters and relaxed.

He needed to reach 50 monster kills quickly and hopefully draw a monster racial talent soon.

He sensed these two rewards would bring another power surge.

Then he could consider soloing smaller commissions.

He couldn't always rely on the team.

Frankly, he felt capable of handling about 10 low-tier monsters now—the simplest commissions usually involved such numbers.

But he couldn't guarantee no accidents.

His last commission involved nearly 10 slime kills, but with teammates tanking damage, drawing aggro, and providing ranged support.

Facing tenfold enemies alone would be much harder.

Prudently, he wanted more safe development time.

Unlike efficiency, his guaranteed growth meant prioritizing personal safety before fully maturing.

Adventuring wasn't a game with respawns—safety came first.