I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 81: Cantrip, Dungeon

Gauss continued browsing several similar stalls and shops, finding the quality uneven at best. Some stalls were slightly more "conscientious," selling cantrip learning scrolls for 1-2 silver coins, with some even priced at just a few dozen copper coins. 

However, the stall owners weren't entirely honest. When Gauss couldn't help but question their authenticity, one shopkeeper pounded his chest with solemn vows of "no cheating old or young, fake items compensated threefold." But clearly, what genuine items could be bought so cheaply?

There were also honest stall owners who, upon recognizing Gauss as a spellcaster apprentice and realizing he wouldn't be easily fooled, frankly admitted their trinkets, books and scrolls were sourced from other suppliers. With truth and falsehood intermixed, even these vendors themselves weren't entirely certain about their wares' authenticity.

Apart from scattered stalls, there were proper shops selling legitimate scrolls, but their prices were exorbitant and temporarily beyond consideration. Just as Gauss turned to purchase some adventure gear, his footsteps halted abruptly when passing one particular stall. His gaze lingered among the numerous fragmented pages on display.

At that moment, the Bone Staff at his waist emitted a warm, flowing heat. Approaching the stall and gripping the staff, he carefully sensed its guidance before inquiring about the price: "How much for these fragments?"

"1 silver coin per sheet."

"Any discount?"

"No."

Not bothering to haggle further, Gauss tossed a silver coin to the vendor, pretended to browse casually, and finally picked out the page that had caused his staff to react. Only after walking away did he examine the content: "Light Cantrip."

"Isn't this just a common level-0 cantrip?" Gauss glanced at the Bone Staff, now returned to its usual calm state as if the earlier guidance had been an illusion. So was this fragment genuine? Getting authentic goods for one silver coin naturally pleased him. If learnable, it would at least expand his magical repertoire. 

Yet he remained puzzled why the Bone Staff had shown such particular interest. The shop he'd passed earlier had numerous authentic cantrip and spell manuals for sale, and the owner seemed quite extraordinary too - though priced prohibitively, with cantrips generally starting from dozens of silver coins up to 1 gold coin. After inspection, Gauss judged those items genuine but still couldn't bring himself to purchase them.

Therefore, the staff's reaction couldn't be about authenticity, or else it wouldn't be mere wand base material but an excellent authenticity-detecting artifact instead. Was Light Cantrip somehow special? Shaking his head, Gauss circled the market once more, bought some inexpensive items, then returned to his rented inn.

Sitting on the bed, he began studying the Light Cantrip fragment. Though incomplete, the crucial spell model page remained intact. Upon review, Gauss realized that without the staff's prompting, he likely wouldn't have purchased this dubious-looking fragment with its missing information and uncertain authenticity. Even if genuine, there was significant chance of failing to learn the recorded cantrip.

But having bought it already, Gauss decided to attempt learning it anyway - one silver coin was affordable. Lighting an oil lamp and holding the fragment, he began reading carefully. Wealthier apprentices could purchase blank spellbooks and special ink for transcription to accelerate learning, but Gauss's limited means forced him to rely on traditional rote memorization. Fortunately, his 7 Intelligence provided some advantage over ordinary people.

Yet after several readings, he only gained a headache without much comprehension. This being his first self-taught magic, the difficulty proved greater than expected. The Light Cantrip model appeared simple yet somehow became elusive upon observation, let alone constructing a clear, stable mental model. Suddenly remembering the Bone Staff, he quickly retrieved it from the bedside table.

Holding the staff while rereading the fragment, Gauss noticed an immediate difference - the previously obscure knowledge now seemed more accessible. Moreover, under his gaze, the Bone Staff began emitting faint white fluorescence, flickering intermittently yet gradually maintaining illumination longer each time. 

"?" A question mark appeared above Gauss's head. Wait, I haven't learned it yet - why are you studying it first? Closing the window and drawing curtains, he watched as the staff completely "mastered" Light Cantrip within surprisingly short time. Observing its sustained bright glow, Gauss wiped cold sweat, feeling inexplicably mocked by a wand.

Fortunately, after prolonged luminescence, the staff eventually dimmed back to normal. Simultaneously, a peculiar awareness transmitted through Gauss's gripping hand into his mind. Re-examining the fragment's content, everything suddenly became clear - so that's how it worked? With the staff's assistance, Gauss immersed himself in the knowledge anew.

Next morning. "Level-0 Cantrip: Light LV1 (5/10)" Waking early and checking his Adventurer's Manual status panel, Gauss found his late-night efforts hadn't been wasted. Through diligence and talent, he'd self-taught a new cantrip within hours. 

Sensing the new cantrip within his consciousness, Gauss felt quite satisfied. While Light wouldn't directly enhance combat power, its core function of providing stable illumination in darkness could eliminate environmental disadvantages and aid exploration. It might even counter certain dark magic effects under specific circumstances - an immensely practical cantrip for travel.

The only notable effect was a slight increase in mental weight from the additional cantrip. So self-learned spells added some psychic burden? But the effect proved negligible unless carefully noticed, so Gauss dismissed further concern.

After morning ablutions and breakfast at the inn's restaurant, he hurried out. Today's schedule remained packed - having agreed with Lawrence to practice spells daily at the Mutual Aid Association, Gauss wanted to maximize Mage Armor proficiency in their precious training room.

Four days passed swiftly. "Mage Armor LV3 (23/50)" Feeling the renewed protective spell, Gauss wore a satisfied smile. The principles behind that magical resonance grew increasingly clear through continuous training and proficiency gains.

"You seem in good spirits today." Lawrence patted his shoulder. Several days' interaction had familiarized them. As the association's vice president and local resident, Lawrence came from a family owning multiple herbal medicine shops - a minor rich second-generation who divided time between organizing activities, practicing cantrips, and carefree leisure. Despite barely twenty, he already enjoyed an enviable semi-retired lifestyle.

Though Lawrence's abilities paled against Gauss's, he ranked quite capable among spellcaster apprentices, especially in necromancy cantrips. Augmented by his wand, many other professional apprentices would suffer burns and fear effects if careless. His magic also showed certain suppression against healing and recovery methods.

"Not bad." Gauss ate while recovering mana, smiling wryly. 

"By the way, Gauss. We're planning to explore a newly discovered micro-dungeon soon - interested?" Lawrence suddenly broached the main topic.

"Micro-dungeon?" Gauss blinked.

"You don't know about these?" Lawrence regarded him incredulously.

"No, please explain." Gauss admitted honestly.

After momentary stunned silence, Lawrence launched into explanation: Long ago existed a great kingdom - now called the Forgotten Realm - whose magical research peaked before sudden annihilation by unknown catastrophe. With lands shattered and civilization fallen, only occasionally "resurfacing" dungeons, caves and underground ruins remained as traces of their existence. Modern human civilization's rapid development path emerged partly through exploring these micro to large-scale ruins.

Micro-dungeons represented the smallest ruins, potentially containing unknown treasures and wealth alongside unpredictable risks. As friends acquainted less than a week, Lawrence's willingness to share this opportunity reflected both personal approval of Gauss and appreciation for his formidable combat strength that would enhance expedition safety.

"Who else is joining besides us?"

"A few other professional apprentices - six or seven total." Lawrence continued, "For micro-dungeons, too many participants complicate matters and reduce individual gains."

After further inquiries, Gauss contemplated internally. Having sparred with nearly every Mutual Aid member these past days, he'd largely exhausted Mage Armor's learning potential here. Continued stay would only yield diminishing proficiency returns. 

Exploring a dungeon might prove more rewarding. According to Lawrence, most micro and small dungeons posed manageable risks even for apprentices. With his current Mage Armor level, Gauss estimated it could withstand several professional-level attacks. Given reasonable safety margins, attempting dungeon exploration seemed viable - especially considering potential rewards like money, magical items, equipment and spell scrolls he currently lacked.

"Count me in then." After careful consideration, Gauss made his decision.