I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 68: Title Upgrade

Opening the Adventurer's Manual, Gauss discovered his goblin-related title had upgraded.

"You have killed 50 goblins in total. Title [Goblin Slayer] has upgraded to [Goblin Killer]."

The title upgrade brought completely new effects to the entry.

Current Effect: Bane. Against goblins and related advanced species, attack damage increases by an additional 20%.

(Includes critical hit effect: There's a chance to trigger critical hits where attack power increases dramatically. Cannot trigger again shortly after activation.)

The title upgrade improved the Bane effect's damage bonus from 10% to 20%.

Don't underestimate this 10% increase. Damage bonuses, compared to other flashy effects, represent the most direct and brutal improvement. Even the original Bane effect had made him nearly invincible against most goblins.

Now boosted to 20%, ordinary goblins would find it even harder to oppose him.

He even suspected that with his Basic Swordsmanship and the 20% damage bonus, he might now be able to face that mutated large goblin from his first mission head-on.

Moreover, the title upgrade added a critical hit effect to Bane - when triggered, attack damage would increase dramatically again.

Browsing the panel, Gauss felt he was truly walking further down the path of a goblin killer.

For now, he didn't consider this a bad thing.

His Adventurer's Manual required him to accumulate total monster kills, making goblins ideal targets.

Goblins were numerous, highly reproductive, and among the most common low-level monsters.

While most individual goblins posed little threat to him now, facing too many at once still carried risks.

Additionally, some goblins developed into powerful individuals with challenging levels. The enhanced anti-goblin effects would provide better security when handling related commissions.

He just wondered how many more goblins he needed to kill for the next title upgrade.

After some contemplation, Gauss returned to reality.

Surveying the area, he took out his dagger and skillfully began cutting off the goblins' large ears before searching for loot.

Unfortunately, these goblins were paupers.

Besides some wooden and stone tools, there were only a few tattered rags used for cover.

This was expected.

Generally, the weaker a goblin's combat ability and desires, the cheaper their possessions.

Only goblins that truly threatened humans and merchant caravans could steal valuable items.

However, deep in the cave, Gauss found a skinny wild female goat tied with ropes and wooden stakes.

This discovery left him at a loss for words.

The weak goat lying on the ground had a swollen belly. Upon closer inspection, one could see worm-like movements beneath its skin.

It was a pregnant goat.

Though Gauss had heard that goblins could reproduce using other species' females without reproductive barriers, witnessing it firsthand still shocked him with their exaggerated reproductive capabilities.

Goblin reproduction was... disturbingly unrestricted.

Looking at the bleating goat, Gauss decided to put it out of its misery.

"Slice!"

With a quick slash, his blade severed the ropes binding the goat while simultaneously ending its life.

After dispatching the goat, Gauss didn't stop.

Pressing his sword tip against the goat's belly, he made a light cut. The tender skin parted slowly, revealing the warm interior.

Inside, Gauss found green-skinned, rat-like offspring and methodically picked them out with his sword tip.

Counting the lined-up creatures, there were six goblin fetuses in total.

Not too many nor too few - apparently the number and survival rate of goblin offspring correlated with the host's size.

Gauss had heard that when goblins chose small animals like rabbits as hosts, they typically produced only one or two offspring. Larger animals could yield several, over a dozen, or even more.

Insufficient nutrition from the host also resulted in smaller goblins.

No wonder nearby goblins were relatively small - Gauss had found his answer.

Killing the six goblin fetuses, like the previous goblin pups, wouldn't count toward the Monster Encyclopedia, but Gauss still considered it necessary.

While eliminating these six wouldn't change the rampant goblin situation, it could temporarily reduce threats to nearby villages.

And it was just a minor additional task.

After thoroughly checking the cave for anything missed, he gathered his belongings and left.

The goat carcass remained in the cave.

Goblin flesh was toxic to humans and most creatures, making it inedible. The goat, having hosted goblin offspring, was likely contaminated too. Moreover, after what he'd seen, Gauss had no appetite for it.

Returning to the wheat field where he'd killed four goblins earlier, he collected their ears as trophies, removed the bodies from the farmland, dumped them in wasteland, then headed toward the village.

Greeting the watchman, he passed through the village's earthen walls and fences.

The village presented a peaceful scene.

On the dirt path, a freckled girl in a faded linen dress, her feet muddy with grass fragments, played with friends.

Stone and wooden houses stood with small fenced yards containing various flowers and shade-providing vines.

Pausing to observe, Gauss noted this northern village seemed more prosperous and tranquil than southern ones.

He became somewhat entranced, childhood memories from his original body surfacing gradually.

However, a sudden disturbance snapped him back to reality.

A girl, turning to play with friends, hadn't watched her path and collided with him.

Reacting quickly, Gauss steadied the stumbling linen-clad girl.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Initially nervous from bumping into a stranger, the girl relaxed slightly after glimpsing Gauss's handsome, gentle face. "Thank you."

"Be more careful next time," Gauss said, helping her up.

Watching the girl wave shyly before running back to her friends, he couldn't help but smile.

Unbeknownst to him, his Charm had quietly increased from 5 to 6.

While Charm improvements subtly enhanced appearance, the greater change was in aura and approachability. Higher Charm made it easier to gain others' trust when needed.

Gazing at the peaceful village, Gauss decided not to rush away.

He planned to clear surrounding goblins first, using this area to develop further.

Perhaps he could reach 100 total monster kills.

Moreover, practical spell training progressed quickly. Having found weak goblins, he needed to seize this opportunity.

Cantrip: Mage Hand lv3 (1/50)

1st-level Spell: Magic Missile lv2 (15/20)

1st-level Spell: Mage Armor lv2 (19/20)

Mage Hand had reached level 3.

Mage Armor was about to level up too. Lately when casting it, he'd noticed a strange warm current flowing through him - unless he was imagining things.