I Am Not Goblin Slayer -
Chapter 69: Night Ghosts of Darkness
Gauss obtained the signed task commission document from the village chief.
The village chief had originally thought he would leave the village quickly like the other adventurers.
But he did not expect to hear Gauss say he planned to stay in the village for a while longer to clear out more goblins in the surrounding area.
A warm smile immediately spread across the village chief’s face.
When Gauss asked if there was an inn in the village where he could stay for a while, the chief waved his hands repeatedly.
With great enthusiasm, he led Gauss to his own guest room, specially prepared for him to rest.
He wholeheartedly welcomed Gauss’s initiative to stay and clean up the goblins.
Even if other goblins might not be that close to their village, or even in other villages, as long as goblins existed nearby, they were always a potential threat. Goblins were not like inanimate objects; once rooted in a place, they did not migrate.
And people like Gauss, who finished their commissions yet were willing to spend time on such thankless tasks, were rare indeed.
Gauss could not refuse the village chief and had no choice but to stay temporarily at his home.Besides the chief and his wife, there was a boy a little over ten years old with short, dark brown hair.
After hearing Gauss was an adventurer, the boy excitedly bombarded him with questions.
Questions like, “Do goblins bathe? Do they poop?” “Who is stronger, ordinary humans or goblins?” “How does one become an adventurer?”
Gauss responded while casually sharing some of his own experiences under the oil lamp, all the while performing preservative treatment on the goblin’s left ear, which was part of the task materials.
After all, if left unattended, by the time he returned to Grayrock Town to submit the mission, the bag of ears would likely have rotted beyond recognition.
After handling the task items, he washed his hands and began maintaining his armor and weapons.
Holding a piece of chamois soaked with oil, he gently rubbed the sword blade. Moonlight spilled through the window, reflecting off the polished blade with a beautiful faint blue arc of light.
Fortunately, although the village chief’s grandson was very curious, his character was not troublesome. He just lay nearby, eyes shining brightly, but made no move to grab anything.
So Gauss let him observe quietly.
“Jenos, it’s time to sleep!”
Only when the boy’s mother, a broad-shouldered woman with a kind smile, came to call him late at night did he reluctantly jump off the stool.
“Go back now.”
“Can I come see you again tomorrow?” The boy looked at Gauss with eyes full of longing.
“Uh...” Gauss hesitated. “You’d better get up early. I’ll probably be leaving tomorrow morning.”
“Can you take me with you?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
Seeing the boy’s mother smile and nod at him before pulling the boy away, and the boy’s stubborn, reluctant gaze at the door, Gauss shook his head. He knew he probably had affected the life of a rural boy.
Maybe years later, that young man would leave his hometown and set out on the path of an adventurer.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He wasn’t sure.
After the boy left, Gauss continued to immerse himself in equipment maintenance.
This was part of an adventurer’s daily life. One must always personally care for their gear to ensure nothing went wrong.
The next day.
Under the village chief’s warm hospitality, Gauss followed him to have breakfast.
Unfortunately, he neither got used to the food nor ate enough.
He could only secretly chew on a few pieces of jerky originally meant for emergency hunger relief.
“I’m setting off now.” Gauss bid farewell to the village chief and Jenos. “Village chief, you just said someone in the neighboring village saw signs of goblins, right?”
“Yes. A few days ago, the leader of a caravan mentioned it. After you leave the village, turn left and follow the path. The first village you encounter will be the one.”
After confirming the information, Gauss left feeling satisfied.
Though it was just a vague rumor, it was better than wandering aimlessly without any intelligence.
Leaving the village and heading in the direction the village chief indicated, Gauss continued on his journey.
......
The forest was suffused with dusk, the dense leaves coated in warm tones.
Beside the exposed gnarled roots of an ancient oak tree, Hunter Randell’s heart grew colder and colder.
He gritted his teeth, cold sweat streaming down his furrowed temples. The sweat dripped onto the cursed, grotesque wound, causing him to gasp sharply.
It was deeply ironic that the hunter was injured by his own trap.
Sweat soaked through his coarse cloth clothes. He nervously glanced toward the bushes growing darker with the setting sun.
About twenty steps away, in the shadows of the bushes, several pairs of eyes flickered with greed and hunger, staring intently at him. It was these few goblins that had trapped him in this desperate situation!
These green-skinned little fiends were skinny, filthy to the point of almost growing mold and moss, and among goblins, they were relatively short in stature. Normally, he might still be able to maneuver and force them back.
But now, the wound he had only just managed to stop the bleeding on was intensifying the pain, causing his vision and consciousness to blur bit by bit.
He looked down at the bow and arrow in his hand. If not for the weapon’s deterrence, the goblins would have swarmed him long ago.
Unfortunately, he knew the bow’s intimidation would not last long. Night was about to fall completely.
By then, not only might he have lost the strength to draw the bow, but even if he had it, it would be almost impossible to hit goblins in the pitch black.
Hunter Randell’s heart sank deeper and deeper.
He realized he might not survive this night.
Time passed slowly.
The stabbing pain in his leg numbed his senses, making him drowsy and sluggish, as if drugged.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness completely, the adorable face of his daughter, Taylor, suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Her mother had died of a serious illness years ago. Now he himself was dying, so what would happen to the little girl who was only a few years old?
He was originally an outsider, with no relatives in the village. Even if others kindly raised his daughter, would they treat her well?
Countless complicated thoughts surged through his mind. A powerful will to survive overcame his sleepiness.
Just as he was about to faint, the green-skinned little goblins crept closer, like flies attracted to a wound.
Regaining consciousness, he let out a frustrated roar like a trapped beast.
“Get lost! Scum!”
At the same time, he raised his hand, trying to draw the bow to push back the approaching goblins again.
Unfortunately, at the moment he lifted his arm to draw the bowstring even a little, he suddenly realized his strength was severely depleted. His arm, heavier than ever, went limp as he barely pulled the bowstring open a tiny bit.
A soft, powerless wooden arrow shot out, flying only two or three meters before sinking into the ground.
This is bad!
Hunter Randell’s heart jumped.
Sure enough, upon sensing his weakness, the cunning and greedy goblins understood his outwardly strong but inwardly weak state.
They accelerated their approach, no longer cautious, like a pack of hyenas smelling blood.
As they came closer, they emitted chilling gurgling and chuckling sounds. Their ugly little eyes were full of greed and murderous intent.
In the deep night, they looked like demons straight from hell.
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