I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 46: The Dock and the Disappearing Water Ghosts

“Are we almost there?”  

“Should be. Let me check.”  

At noon in the wilderness, on a seemingly endless narrow path, several figures followed a cart-pulling old horse, moving slowly forward.  

Gauss walked while observing the surroundings—not admiring the scenery, but comparing it with the map in his mind.  

Wherever he walked, the surrounding area on his map would light up.  

So, when traveling outside, he habitually named and marked landmarks or places with obvious features as he passed them.  

This made the map information look richer.  

Currently, except for the Grayrock Town area, the rest of the map was pitch black.  

From Grayrock Town as the center, several winding paths were lit, each connecting to multiple villages.  

These were all places he had passed during past missions.  

This map feature didn’t seem very useful at first, but when you’re lost in a vast sea of trees or endless wilderness with no man-made structures in sight, you truly appreciate knowing exactly where you are and how far the nearest town is.  

You never have to worry about getting lost.  

This itself was a powerful skill, especially for low-level adventurers.  

Moreover, when he became a professional with enough strength to explore more complex ruins, secret realms, dungeons, and so on, the map would bring even greater help.  

Mazes, caves, underground worlds, sea adventures—no matter the environment, as long as he passed through, he would never lose his way.  

After casually marking a water source, he exited the mental map.  

Before his eyes, the shimmering outline of a great river appeared in the distance.  

That was their destination for this mission, the Ennis River.  

This time, the task was to clear out a group of water ghosts lurking along the riverbank, about twenty in number. The team needed to search around the dock and kill the monsters.  

This was the second mission after the heavy rain; the previous one was clearing skeletons in the graveyard.  

Ordinary skeletons were by far the weakest monsters he had encountered so far.  

Unfortunately, there weren’t many, and Gauss had already killed a lot—only eight in the end.  

Also, skeleton-related commissions were rare, so it was lucky for Gauss and the others to get this one.  

Probably because skeletons were so weak that villagers didn’t even need to pay adventurers; they could just grab a pitchfork and handle them themselves.  

They were the pure shame of monsters.  

Fortunately, those eight skeletons helped advance Gauss’s monster kill count a little. Now he was just ten kills away from the 50 total monster kills goal.  

Ten monsters sounded like something achievable in a single mission.  

“Everyone be careful. This heavy rain might have brought some strange creatures besides the water ghosts,” Levin warned as usual before formally entering the dock.  

Gauss nodded in response.  

Many monsters already hid in the river, and with continuous rain, it was indeed possible that creatures from elsewhere had been brought here.  

Above the dock along the riverbank’s high ground sat a small fishing village.  

Below was a flat wooden pier, with dozens of small boats moored at the dock. Underneath the boats, colorful aquatic plants swayed, and sunlight pierced the water’s surface, creating a breathtaking view.  

Sailors, dockworkers, and fishermen labored diligently on the dock.  

“Looks like nothing unusual.”  

After a long look from their elevated position, they could see the entire riverbank scenery nearby but apparently found no water ghosts lurking as described in the commission.  

“Let’s ask in the tavern first.”  

The group headed toward the village’s only tavern.  

This mission had been issued by a trade guild from Grayrock Town, which also managed this dock.  

The tavern belonged to the same guild.  

Looking for someone in the tavern was definitely the right move.  

“The Merfolk Tavern.”  

The tavern sign depicted a beautiful fairy with a fish tail for a lower body.  

Even during the day, the tavern was already bustling with noise.  

Workers eating meals, merchants drinking, and some locals chatting and toasting each other.  

“Squeak—”  

Accompanied by the grating sound of door hinges, the door opened, letting blinding sunlight spill into the dim and noisy tavern.  

The sudden movement attracted everyone’s attention inside.  

Under the gaze of everyone, a group of fully armed men and women entered the tavern with measured, heavy footsteps.  

The leader was a burly man with a serious expression. Walking forward, he seemed like a cold, hard wall. The people following him looked equally intimidating.  

Their presence made most of those present instinctively avert their eyes and return to their own business.  

The previously noisy atmosphere dropped in volume, as if someone had suddenly called for silence.  

Gauss observed without leaving a trace and deliberately looked seriously at Levin.  

He thought to himself that he had learned something.  

Properly putting on a tough front could reduce unnecessary trouble from others, especially in a tavern full of all kinds of people. If you looked too easy to bully, drunken ruffians might come pick a fight.  

What he didn’t know was that, to others in the tavern, he looked even less approachable.  

Leather armor, round shield, long sword at his waist—except for his striking emerald eyes, he seemed ordinary.  

But anyone who met his gaze would unconsciously feel a strange pressure slowly rising deep from their mind.  

That was the oppression caused by a mental strength rating of seven on ordinary people.  

Even if Gauss didn’t intend it, this sometimes happened.  

“You must be the adventurers who took the commission. I’m Harvey, the owner here.”  

“Hello.”  

After standing in the hall for a while, the tavern owner soon came over to meet them.  

“Let’s talk inside the VIP room.”  

To avoid disturbing the tavern’s normal business, the owner led them to the VIP private room.  

“We haven’t seen any water ghosts. Didn’t you say there were about twenty lurking by the riverbank?” Gauss asked casually after the door closed.  

“Heh...” Hearing Gauss’s question, tavern owner Harvey showed a bit of embarrassment.  

After meeting his gaze, he felt an unnamed pressure and quietly looked away.  

“That was true before, but yesterday some sailors from the village had a few drinks and, fueled by the alcohol, went to kill the water ghosts.”  

“Killed them all?” Gauss asked instinctively, thinking their trip might have been for nothing.  

Harvey shook his head with a bitter smile.  

“Of course not. A few sailors were injured. They left behind two water ghost corpses, but the rest disappeared somewhere. They haven’t appeared along the riverbank since then.”  

“Many merchant ships will dock here soon to unload goods. Warriors, can you help us quickly search for the hiding water ghosts and wipe them out completely?”  

The group looked at each other in silence.  

They were somewhat speechless—what were those drunkards doing, stirring up the snakes?  

Now the water ghosts were frightened and hiding, which only increased their workload for no reason.  

Perhaps seeing the silence, Harvey spoke again.  

“How about this: I’ll apply for an extra commission from the guild and offer you an additional 20 silver coins as compensation?”  

Hearing this, everyone started reconsidering.  

Water ghosts were relatively high-reward monsters, which was why they chose this task.  

The original commission was 1 silver coin per water ghost. Now with the extra 20 silver coins plus potential loot from the water ghosts, the total reward might surge to 60 silver coins or more.  

That could mean over 10 silver coins each.  

To be honest, earning over 10 silver coins from a single mission was quite substantial.  

“We need to discuss it further.”  

“Alright, let me know once you have a decision.” Harvey left the room tactfully, giving them space to talk.  

“What do you think?”  

“An extra 20 silver coins makes it worth continuing.”  

“Besides, we can also scavenge plenty of loot from the water ghosts—their weapons, supplies collected from shipwrecks, even their gallbladders, internal organs, tongues, and brains can be used to make venom materials.”  

“If no one objects, let’s proceed with the mission.” Levin nodded after collecting everyone’s opinions.  

“But everyone be cautious. I have a bad feeling about this.” Since arriving nearby, Levin felt his chest tight and a restless irritation lingering in his heart.  

His instincts as a shield soldier seemed to be kicking in again.  

But he couldn’t quite explain what the feeling meant, so he warned the team again to be careful.  

Everyone nodded but didn’t take his unease too seriously; after all, Levin often reminded them like this.  

Gauss was still pondering whether he could push harder to complete the last ten monster kills this time.  

Total monster kills: 40/50  

Monster kill types: 3/5 (Goblin, Slime Slimes, Ordinary Skeletons)