I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 63: Poisonous Smoke

Noon, in the forest.  

Cicadas were singing at their loudest, and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees, creating a soft rustling sound.  

“It looks like they’re all hiding inside the cave taking a nap.”  

“Watch out for goblin scouts.” Gauss added.  

Although it had been a while since they last encountered goblins, he had not forgotten that his first mission was compromised because of a goblin lurking outside.  

His gaze roamed the surroundings.  

Eventually, he fixed his eyes on a cave in the distance that didn’t seem very tall.  

After completing many commissioned tasks, Gauss had developed a basic understanding of low-level monsters and their ecosystems, unlike when he first arrived in this world, completely clueless.  

Generally speaking, goblins don’t dig tall caves themselves unless they occupy natural caves.  

The exact height of a cave depends on the average height of most members in the tribe.  

What use would a group of short creatures have digging tall caves? To make it easier for humans to enter and hunt them?  

Obviously not.  

Therefore, most goblin nests have ceilings barely over 1 meter tall, with the tallest rarely exceeding 1.6 meters.  

Only if the group has a special leader or a mutated individual will the cave height be higher.  

So, by the size and scale of a goblin nest, one can roughly analyze the strength of the goblin tribe.  

Of course, this is not absolute; some powerful goblins are of average size.  

The distant goblin nest was not very tall.  

Out of caution, the group did not approach the goblin cave.  

Instead, they patiently waited at a distance for Meva’s return.  

Meva had stealthily moved near the nest to scout, mainly to check if there were any lurking goblin scouts nearby.  

On the clearing outside the goblin cave, a small pot was set up.  

Many small goblin nests place their cooking utensils outside the cave.  

At this moment, the clearing was empty, with not a single goblin in sight.  

“Snap!”  

Gauss casually slapped a mosquito buzzing around his neck, irritated.  

Even after completing numerous outdoor tasks, he still couldn’t get used to the seemingly omnipresent mosquitoes and insects.  

Despite applying insect repellent, the effect was mediocre at best. He sighed inwardly.  

He wasn’t sure if he had bought fake products or if the world’s cheap insect repellents were just naturally ineffective. After all, the mosquitoes here might be different from those in his previous life, perhaps with stronger vitality and resistance.  

Actually, mosquitoes weren’t the main concern; more dangerous were venomous snakes and small poisonous creatures.  

Not long after,  

Meva quietly returned, shaking her head at the group.  

She indicated that she hadn’t found any goblins lurking nearby.  

This further confirmed that this group of goblins was relatively ordinary in strength.  

Though goblins are not very intelligent, they also share a natural laziness. Without a strong leader assigning tasks, in such scorching heat, they usually choose to lie inside their caves to rest, only going out when the sun dims to do various activities.  

“The goblins are inside; I can hear their voices.”  

“How do we drive them out?”  

“Let’s use the old trick of smoke fumigation.”  

“Meva, did you find any hidden ventilation holes in this nest?”  

“Found two.”  

“Then we’ll do it like this...”  

Gauss watched his teammates discuss the plan in an orderly manner, without interrupting.  

Although confident in his strength, he did not want to fight the goblins head-on inside that low cave.  

First, the narrow cave was unfavorable for Magic Missile attacks. If the goblins’ excavation was poorly reinforced, a single explosion could cause a collapse and bury everyone alive.  

Second, it would be inconvenient to move and turn around, limiting the use of his agility and size advantages.  

Third, goblins had the home advantage; their familiarity with the environment allowed them to bring out a large portion of their combat power inside.  

The group took out the commissioned supplies they carried.  

Firewood, sulfur powder, spicy poisonous herbs...  

These were standard materials intended to drive monsters out of their homes in such cave environments.  

Of course, this smoke and tear gas trick was not always applicable; it had to be adapted to the situation.  

The last time they had a goblin-like creature mission, they did not use this method because the nest was too complicated and deep. Even if they used smoke, the effect would likely be poor and might prematurely reveal their location, alerting the goblins to prepare for battle.  

After a brief discussion, everyone began preparing.  

Checking weapons, guarding ventilation holes, setting traps, preparing fires...  

They chose damp firewood because its high moisture content led to incomplete combustion, producing more smoke.  

When the firewood was nearly burning down, they sprinkled sulfur powder, spicy poisonous herbs, and toxins made from various monster organs Meva had collected.  

Then, they continuously blew air into the cave.  

Black smoke, pushed by everyone wearing multiple layers of masks, drifted deeper into the cave.  

During the entire process, except for some initial noisy movements, no goblin voluntarily came out.  

Different goblin tribes had their own subtle styles; some were aggressive, some sneaky, some cautious, others cowardly...  

This group appeared to be very cautious, preferring to keep the battle inside their nest rather than confront the enemy outside.  

Unfortunately, they were destined to fail. The stronger party always took the initiative.  

Gauss silently observed from the side.  

As the strongest fighter of the team, he didn’t need to do menial tasks.  

This was both a privilege and a responsibility.  

He needed to hold his magic wand and be ready in case goblins suddenly poured out.  

Watching the poisonous smoke flood the cave, he was somewhat reminded of how rats were driven out of fields in his previous life.  

The only difference was that this cave was bigger, and the “pests” inside were much more dangerous.  

After about ten minutes of smoke flooding, the cave finally reacted.  

He faintly heard coughing sounds from inside.  

“How can these green-skinned little devils endure so much?” Doyle’s arm was getting sore from blowing air.  

“I’ll take over for you.” Levin, who had been resting, patted his shoulder and continued the work.  

Goblins had strong vitality and higher endurance than ordinary creatures, but there were limits.  

After enduring the smoke for a while longer, they finally could no longer bear it.  

The first ugly green-skinned goblin staggered out from the depths of the cave, carrying a wooden stick.  

It was obvious the smoke was nearly making it lose consciousness.  

Rather than coming out to fight, it was driven by its desperate craving for fresh air.  

“Pfft!”  

The moment it rushed out, it was greeted not by sunlight nor fresh, crisp air, but by a sharp cold blade.  

Gauss, waiting at the side of the cave, swung his rapier.  

With a flash of cold light, the ice-cold rapier pierced its throat.  

“Ugh...”  

Gauss retracted his sword.  

The goblin clutched its throat, letting out a hoarse, wind-like hiss before staggering a few steps and collapsing at the cave entrance.  

“Goblin kill *1”  

“Total monster kills: 60”  

Another goblin left this world.  

Unlike previous goblin kills, Gauss vaguely felt a warm current flow into his body this time.  

He sensed his racial talent, Rapid Digestion, had slightly improved.  

This enhancement was subtle but would accumulate over time, gradually increasing.  

Feeling the sensation of growing stronger inside, Gauss looked toward the cave’s depths with sharper focus.  

At this moment, goblins were no longer just repulsive green-skinned pests to him, but walking experience packages.  

He wondered what more powerful effects Rapid Digestion would have after advancing from its initial level.  

Currently, it allowed him to quickly digest food, recovering stamina and mana.  

After upgrading, this effect might improve further—perhaps extracting more nutrients from the same food, or even digesting more types of substances?  

Although just beginning the “upgrade,” it didn’t stop Gauss from eagerly anticipating its effects.

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