I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 47: The Cautious Water Ghoul

After confirming to continue with the commission, the group had a simple meal at the tavern and then rested for a while.  

When the sun was no longer so strong, they began to head to the riverbank to search for clues.  

The afternoon sunlight shimmered on the river surface, casting a warm yellow glow. The breeze gently blew along the riverbank, causing the multicolored aquatic plants to sway.  

The group, just arrived at the riverbank, admired the breathtaking scenery in silence for a long time, almost forgetting the mission that brought them here.  

“This must be the battle site the tavern owner mentioned, right?”  

Gauss bent down and noticed some dried dark brown bloodstains remaining on the stones of the river beach, waving to the others.  

According to that stout tavern owner, Harvey, the sailors had fought with the Water Ghost here.  

“It should be here.” Levin and the others moved closer.  

“There’s the smell of human blood mixed with a disgusting fishy stench.” Meva leaned in and sniffed. Her eyes twitched briefly before she resumed her usual expressionless face.  

However, Gauss caught that fleeting change in her expression and couldn’t help but smile inside.  

He had recently learned that Meva, the rogue apprentice, had the skill called Awareness.  

This skill allows her to detect hidden enemies, clues, traps, and other subtle traces through sight, hearing, or other senses.  

Especially since she possesses some Elf Bloodline, her senses are naturally sharper, making her Awareness skill more effective than other rogue apprentices.  

If anyone besides Gauss in the team was most likely to advance their profession the fastest, it was probably Meva.  

Of course, Awareness not only helps the team find clues but also amplifies sensory stimuli, which is why Meva instinctively frowned.  

The fishy smell obviously came from their target, the Water Ghost.  

Gauss recalled the information stored in his mind about the Water Ghost.  

Water Ghosts are relatively common monsters in this world. Their overall appearance is a gaunt humanoid form with deep eye sockets, slender limbs, and protruding joints. They often stoop while moving. Their skin is gray-green and covered with a layer of sticky, rotting slime.  

Because of their human-like appearance, folklore says they are the spirits of drowned humans.  

They mainly inhabit areas around rivers, lakes, and swamps, relying on aquatic environments to hunt. They are not picky eaters, consuming whatever is available, including animal carcasses, human garbage, silt, rotten leaves, and fruit pulp.  

Sometimes they attack humans near water, such as fishermen, washerwomen, and anglers.  

They mimic human voices to lure targets, then drag victims into the water to drown them before ripping open their bodies to feast.  

Water Ghosts rarely operate alone, but they also don’t form very large groups. They usually move in groups of 10 to 15. This time, over 20 were reported, which is considered a relatively large Water Ghost group.  

“Not sure where they’re hiding?” Doyle, a bit impatient, picked up a stone and slammed it into the water.  

The stone splashed a large wave, but it was quickly swallowed by the flowing current.  

Though ordinary Water Ghosts are skilled swimmers, they cannot live entirely underwater and need to surface for air regularly.  

Moreover, compared to hiding in deep water, Water Ghosts usually prefer to dwell in shallow water areas like shallows, swamps, or muddy riverbanks unless absolutely necessary.  

So where are the Water Ghosts hiding now?  

“If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to wait until sunset. Water Ghosts are more active then.”  

Since the team accepted the Water Ghost commission, they were prepared for this kind of situation.  

If the Water Ghosts insisted on swimming deep into the river, given their underwater mobility, most low-level adventurers would be powerless against them.  

Fortunately, their intelligence is not very high, so they can often be lured out of hiding by other means.  

“This thing isn’t useless after all.” Levin took out two rotten Gray Rabbit corpses that emitted a foul stench. “We’ll set the bait later.”  

Having found no other clues for the moment, the group feared alerting the Water Ghosts and chose to leave first.  

A few hours passed in an instant.  

Upon returning, the group carefully set traps and hid cautiously.  

They had prepared bait traps and other setups on another section of the riverbank.  

The two Gray Rabbit corpses, long infested with maggots and treated with a scent catalyst, emitted an extremely strong stench.  

This intense rotting smell was exactly what Water Ghosts loved most.  

After finishing everything, the group could only hide quietly and wait.  

The sun set westward, finally sinking below the horizon.  

The night deepened gradually, but fortunately, the riverbank was still quite open, and the moonlight was enough to illuminate the river beach.  

Just as everyone waited for a long time, thinking they wouldn’t gain anything today and prepared to pack up and rest for the night,  

the sound of splashing water approached from afar.  

Under the bright moonlight, gray-black figures parted the reeds along the shallow riverbank, their dark toes stepping on stones as they crawled toward the shore.  

Dozens of black, slimy shapes silently emerged from the water, evoking a chilling sense of horror.  

The lead Water Ghost cautiously looked around, confirming no other creatures were nearby before leading the others away from the water’s surface, but they did not venture far from the water.  

“They’re surprisingly cautious?” Levin frowned.  

Their reaction didn’t match the description given by the tavern owner Harvey, nor did it fit Levin’s impression of Water Ghosts.  

They seemed more like they were wary of some unknown predator lurking nearby, trembling with fear.  

But since the traps were already set and the target Water Ghosts appeared as expected, Levin had to suppress his doubts and focus on the upcoming battle.  

“Clack clack clack!”  

After hesitating for a long moment, the group of Water Ghosts let out low hoarse roars and finally couldn’t resist moving toward the pre-set bait trap.  

The specially prepared enhanced stench of the rotten corpses was like a delicious feast to these Water Ghosts after going hungry for a day or two, irresistibly tempting.  

The group watched the Water Ghosts approach bit by bit but still did not act.  

Gauss silently counted their number in his heart.  

Seeing that he was just 10 kills away from triggering the next stage reward, naturally, he cared most about the count.  

Seventeen Water Ghosts.  

That seemed fewer than expected?  

The mission info said there were more than twenty Water Ghosts. Even if two were killed by the sailors, there should still be about twenty left.  

Where did the missing few go?  

Were they hiding somewhere else, not following the main group? Or did something else happen?  

Just like humans face unknown risks in the wild, monsters also encounter various threats.  

These might come from uncontrollable accidents like falling to death, being swept away by turbulent whirlpools, or being struck by lightning with low probability.  

They might also come from attacks by other large beasts or monsters.