I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 87: Attribute Enhancement, Clearance Reward

Amidst the ghostly blue flames, yellow-green viscous blood sprayed from charred wounds, instantly burning into pungent green smoke upon contact with the fire. The cracks in the shattered carapace rapidly spread under the high temperature, emitting glass-like "crackling" sounds. The originally rock-hard chitinous shell began peeling off in pieces, exposing rope-like fibrous muscle tissue beneath, which released the burnt smell of proteins as the spore-fueled blue flames gnawed at it.

"Can we burn it to death?"

Gauss watched the mantis man blazing fiercely in the fireball. Having not yet received the kill notification from the panel, he first dragged the trembling Edith away to safety. After confirming she wasn't injured, he casually picked up the crossbow and scattered short arrows near her. Load the arrow into the groove, cock, aim, fire! One arrow after another shot toward the mantis man.

The others also gathered near him, equally unwilling to approach the mantis man. Even now, when it had been burned to a miserable state—especially its compound eyes, shattered into tiny fragments by the spore bomb's shockwave—the psychological shadow it left made everyone hesitate to deliver the final blow. They feared the heavily wounded mantis man might still possess enough strength to kill.

"Be careful, it's not dead yet. Don't go near it," Gauss warned. This was another function of the panel—as long as no kill notification appeared, the enemy wasn't completely dead. This prevented him from falling for feigned death and suffering a last-ditch counterattack.

"Got it."

Hearing Gauss's words, the others became even more reluctant to approach. Now that they had a moment to relax, they began recalling the details of the battle. After some reflection, they immediately realized one thing: without Gauss, none of them would have survived today's fight. This wasn't self-deprecation but a clear recognition of the vast gap between them and the mantis man. This was the terror of monsters with challenge ratings.

The warrior apprentices in the front couldn't effectively restrain the mantis man, while the archers and mages in the back struggled to contribute. Moreover, the mantis man's superior mobility allowed it to bypass their slow frontline and strike the more vulnerable casters and archers. If the mantis man hadn't focused on Gauss from the start, Bianca wouldn't have been the only one instantly killed.

Thinking of Bianca, the group showed traces of sorrow—especially Lawrence, who couldn't bring himself to look in the direction of her corpse, afraid of seeing the severed head lying on the ground. Edith also wore a look of lingering fear. Had Gauss not intervened in time, she would have shared Bianca's fate.

*Thunk!*

Unaware of his teammates' mixed emotions, Gauss mechanically continued delivering the final blows. The spore bomb's shockwave had shattered the mantis man's sturdy carapace, and the persistent flames widened the cracks, exposing its inner flesh. Now, every arrow he fired could pierce deep into its body.

Finally, after another shot from the crossbow, a translucent notification that brought him relief appeared before his eyes:

"[Sliklin Mantisman x1 Killed]"

"[Total Monsters Killed: 179]"

"[Breakdown: Common Monsters 178, Elite Monsters 1]"

"[First Elite Monster Kill Reward: Perception +1. Skill Reward: Enhanced Jump]"

"[Skill - Enhanced Jump: Consumes additional stamina to temporarily strengthen leg muscles, granting superior jumping ability for better terrain traversal and mobility.]"

"[You have killed 1 Sliklin Mantisman.]"

"[Title Obtained: Mantis Hunter. This title upgrades as more Sliklin Mantismen are slain.]"

"[Current Effect: Armor Break. Slightly improves armor-piercing effects against Sliklin Mantismen and their advanced subspecies.]"

Text flashed incessantly before Gauss's eyes, almost overwhelming him with information. Simultaneously, after one particular notification, his mind was enveloped by a cool, refreshing energy—an incredibly pleasant sensation. Then came changes in his five senses: vision, hearing, smell...

Each blink now captured more visual information—colors, details, processing speed—all enhanced. His hearing, as if freed from an invisible muffling cloth, suddenly made the world seem much quieter after a faint *pop*. Gauss felt like the world before him had been renewed. Was this what heightened perception felt like? He stood dazed, taking a while to adjust to these sensory upgrades.

Opening his panel:

Name: Gauss

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Constitution: 6

Intelligence: 7

Perception: 6

Charisma: 6

His last weak point had been filled. Gauss, somewhat obsessive, found the panel now satisfying—aside from the 7 in Intelligence, everything else was a uniform 6. He could now jokingly call himself an ultra-low-budget "hexagonal warrior."

Next came skill proficiency changes. Clearing the dungeon's final room had boosted all his skills:

Skills:

- Cantrip: Light LV2 (7/20)

- Cantrip: Mage Hand LV3 (27/50)

- 1st-Circle Spell: Magic Missile LV3 (17/50)

- 1st-Circle Spell: Mage Armor LV3 (48/50)

- Basic Swordsmanship LV2 (12/20)

- Enhanced Jump LV1 (1/10)

Talents: Rapid Digestion, Magic Resistance

Light improved by 2 points, Mage Hand by 2, Magic Missile by 4, Mage Armor by 3, and Basic Swordsmanship by 2. Plus the newly acquired [Enhanced Jump] from the mantis man. With exploration support skills, ranged spells, defensive abilities, melee combat, and movement enhancements, his capabilities had quietly become well-rounded.

Opening the Monster Encyclopedia's second page, the previously obscured elite section now revealed its secrets. A tall, imposing dark-brown mantis man appeared on the first elite page. Focusing on it, Gauss was surprised to see a detailed profile card pop up.

"Huh? This is favoritism! Common monsters don't get these..."

Creature Name: Sliklin Mantisman

Challenge Rating: 1

Type: Humanoid (Insect Subspecies)

Size: Medium (Adult Height 1.8-2.2m)

Habitat: Deserts, Grasslands, Savannas

Social Structure: Solitary or Small Hunting Packs (2-3)

Lifespan: ~30 Years (Reduced Due to No Sleep)

Racial Traits: Chameleon Carapace, Super Jump, Quadruple Arms, Psionic Potential (Rare)

The encyclopedia provided Gauss with deeper insights into this previously unfamiliar creature. The one in the dungeon, serving as the final "BOSS," stood nearly 2.2m tall—meaning it was likely among the larger specimens of its kind. However, having never encountered mantis men before, Gauss couldn't tell if this one was particularly strong or weak for its species.

Closing the Adventurer's Manual, Gauss suddenly felt intense hunger. Casting Magic Missile had drained much of his mana, and his body demanded replenishment.

"It's dead now," Gauss announced while eating, realizing he'd forgotten to inform his still-wary teammates.

"Ah—finally dead?" Lawrence plopped onto the ground, his back drenched in sweat. The psychological pressure from the mantis man had been overwhelming—for a frail spellcaster apprentice, being approached meant almost certain death. Of course, Gauss didn't count. He was the only one who had withstood the mantis man's assaults head-on and dealt most of the effective damage. In low-level encounters, the gap between Gauss and the others wasn't obvious—everyone could handle weak monsters easily. But in this "high-level" fight, the difference between Gauss and regular apprentices became glaringly apparent.

"Is this the exit?" Gauss noticed a sloping upward passage on the side, likely leading back to the surface. But there was no rush to leave yet—there were still matters to handle here.

Approaching the mantis man's corpse, the lingering ghostly blue spore flames had weakened significantly after prolonged burning, leaving the creature thoroughly charred.

"What a waste," Gauss sighed. An intact mantis man corpse could have yielded valuable materials—its tough insect armor, razor-sharp quadruple forelimbs, complex compound eyes... Unfortunately, the explosion and sustained flames had severely damaged these organs, greatly diminishing their worth.

Then again, without the spore bomb's shockwave and flames, subduing it would have been far more dangerous. Reducing risk was worth the trade-off.

"Watch out! Something's happening!" Edith's sudden shout snapped Gauss out of his thoughts.

*Rumble—!*

Following her gaze, he saw a massive platform rising from the flat ground with a loud noise.

"Scared me half to death... Isn't this just the room reward?" Lawrence, startled by her alarm, relaxed upon recognizing the now-familiar clearance reward platform—just larger this time.

What would the reward be this time? The group gathered around curiously. On the one-meter-square platform stood a plain black metal scepter about a meter long, its top embedded with a dust-covered earth vein quartz.

"Unbreaking Scepter."

As before, information about the reward instantly appeared in their minds.

"The spine of steel unbroken, the will of the wielder unshaken."