Recaps

The Night Owl Squad reported that a Ghoul was prowling near the village, and Harvey promised to investigate and seek a commission to deal with it. After a restful night at the tavern, Gauss noticed his improved agility, while the squad worried about their lost loot and uncertain pay.

• Gauss steadied the terrified drunk, and Harvey brought the Night Owl Squad into a private room to hear their report.
• Leven told Harvey that the squad had encountered a Ghoul and escaped, and Harvey said he would consult the other managers about posting a commission.
• Harvey promised to investigate the water ghoul extermination job and offered the squad baths and a place to stay for the night.
• Gauss woke refreshed and noticed that his improved agility made dressing and handling gear easier.
• The squad discussed their lost water ghoul materials and extra reward, while Leven said Harvey's sealed statement should secure their full base payment.

Gauss planned his next steps, prioritizing Mage Armor training and weighing which spell to make his Core Skill. After Harvey verified the evidence of the fight, the Night Owl Squad left the fishing village with their payment and headed back to Grayrock Town.

• Gauss set a goal of reaching one hundred monster kills and decided to master Mage Armor before accepting another commission.
• Gauss considered extracting a Talent ability after recording a fifth monster type and remained undecided about choosing a Core Skill.
• The Night Owl Squad returned to the riverbank, where Harvey and his men inspected the remains and found signs confirming the Ghoul's presence.
• Harvey gave the squad the promised twenty silver coins and signed a certificate confirming twenty water wraith kills.
• Gauss and the Night Owl Squad set off for Grayrock Town, anticipating their rewards and return to safety.

Outside Grayrock Town, Gauss practiced Mage Armor and successfully formed a protective force field around himself. After testing it with his dagger, he found it could block cuts but weakened with each attack, and he began testing its limits.

• Gauss reviewed his knowledge of Mage Armor and focused on casting the Abjuration spell.
• Gauss successfully cast Mage Armor, forming a force field that required only a little concentration to maintain.
• Gauss tested the force field with his dagger and found it prevented a cut to his fingertip.
• Gauss concluded that attacks weakened Mage Armor and decided he should still dodge whenever possible.
• Gauss cut his hand again to continue testing the spell's protective limits, and the force field blocked the blade.

Gauss rapidly improved his Mage Armor through repeated damage-resistance practice and concluded that training under a real threat was more effective than safe drills. He decided to keep advancing and set his next goal as obtaining a fifth type of Monster Codex.

• Gauss tested Mage Armor against increasingly forceful cuts until its protective field shattered, and gained proficiency from practicing and taking damage.
• Gauss repeatedly cast Mage Armor and tested it against daggers, rapiers, punches, wrestling, and falls, finding that it blocked physical damage until it broke.
• Over several days, Gauss raised Mage Armor to lv2 and hired a balding middle-aged laborer to attack the spell during practice.
• Gauss suspected that real combat produced the best training results and wondered whether the world’s rules pushed living beings toward danger and slaughter.
• Gauss resolved to keep moving forward and made obtaining the fifth type of Monster Codex his next goal.

Gauss visited Black Anvil Workshop and learned that Marlin had quit to become an adventurer, then joined the Night Owl Squad at the Adventurer's Guild. The squad noticed Gauss seemed stronger, and Leven considered that their paths might eventually separate.

• Gauss bought a shortsword at Black Anvil Workshop and learned from the new shopkeeper that Marlin had quit to become an adventurer.
• Gauss left without interrupting Gron and wished Marlin safety, reflecting that adventuring was riskier than blacksmithing.
• Gauss went to the Adventurer's Guild, intending to hunt a common monster to fill the final slot in his compendium.
• Leven gathered the rested Night Owl Squad, and Doyle stared at Gauss until Gauss joked that he liked women, prompting Doyle and Oliver to protest.
• Leven noticed Gauss had grown stronger and worried the squad might eventually have to part ways, then asked if Gauss wanted the same kind of job as before.

Gauss and his party accepted a quest to clear kobolds from an abandoned mine west of Grayrock Town. After scouting the tunnels, Gauss and Meva reported the kobolds’ numbers, weapons, traps, and the mine’s hazards, leaving the party prepared to plan their attack.

• Gauss noticed that more professional-rank adventurers had recently arrived at the Adventurer Hall.
• Leven, Daphne, Gauss, and their teammates chose a quest to clear about twenty kobolds from an abandoned mine.
• The party reached the mine, spotted fresh digging near its entrance, and rested before entering.
• Meva and Gauss cautiously scouted the mine, using deodorizing potion and Mage Hand to avoid detection and check for danger.
• Meva reported that the mine held around twenty adult kobolds and a few young ones, with traps, complicated tunnels, and hidden passages; she credited Gauss with much of the scouting.

Gauss led his group through the kobold tunnels and into their main chamber, where he surveyed the tribe and waited for his teammates to assemble. When two kobolds became suspicious, he launched a Magic Missile at them, beginning the attack.

• Gauss guided the group through the cramped tunnels while they avoided traps and passed the kobold mining area.
• Gauss crawled into the main chamber and counted nine adult kobolds and seven or eight pups, while the rest of the tribe worked elsewhere.
• The group quietly joined Gauss in the dim chamber as two kobolds preparing food noticed something and looked around.
• Gauss aimed his Bone Staff at the two kobolds and cast Magic Missile, lighting up the cavern and starting the battle.

Gauss gained the racial talent Rapid Digestion after killing kobolds and fought alongside his team as they cleared the cave. The party defeated an elderly kobold that breathed fire, while Gauss left open the possibility of a self-sustaining magical combat strategy.

• Gauss killed two kobolds, earning the Kobold Hunter title and increasing his monster kill count to 52.
• The Monster Codex reached five monster types and granted Gauss the goblin-derived racial talent Rapid Digestion, which improved stamina and magic recovery through eating.
• Gauss considered combining Rapid Digestion with Mage Armor to sustain repeated spellcasting, then set the plan aside for later.
• Gauss and his companions charged the gathered kobolds and quickly defeated the first wave.
• Gauss spotted an elderly kobold preparing to breathe fire, warned his companions, and used Mage Hand to clamp its snout shut during its next attack.
• The elderly kobold's fire erupted in its throat, killing it and knocking its head from the ledge.

Gauss and his companions killed the kobolds guarding an abandoned mine and the miners who rushed to defend their lair. Afterward, Gauss examined the fire-breathing old kobold’s corpse and asked Leven whether it had an official Challenge Level.

• After the old kobold died, Gauss and the others realized the remaining kobolds had lost their will to fight.
• Gauss killed the adult kobolds and hatchlings in the chamber, though the hatchlings did not increase his Monster Kill Count.
• Kobold miners rushed in from the excavation area, but Gauss and his companions killed them, raising his Monster Kill Count to 59.
• While Meva searched the kobolds’ collected junk, Gauss examined the old kobold’s corpse and noticed its neck scales had been darker than the others’.
• Leven said the old kobold’s body might be worth something, and Gauss asked whether it had an official Challenge Level.

After defeating the kobolds, Gauss and the Night Owl Squad returned to Grayrock Town, turned in their quest, and divided the reward. With their salvaged goods still to sell and everyone hungry, Gauss considered asking old friends for support so he could improve his Rapid Digestion.

• Leven explained that the elderly kobold had used a mutated organ to cast a fireball, and Gauss reflected on the need to prioritize survival.
• The squad checked the mine for survivors, gathered their loot, and emerged into the sunlight before heading toward Grayrock Town.
• The guards inspected their cart, and the Adventurer's Guild paid the squad twenty silver coins for the kobolds.
• Leven gave Gauss five silver coins for his contribution to the job, and Gauss accepted the larger share.
• Doyle urged the squad to sell their salvaged goods so they could eat, and Gauss worried that Rapid Digestion would leave him spending more on food.

After earning money from the kobold commission, Gauss spoke with Sophia about the inn’s rising prices and his adventurer earnings, then went to find a swordsmanship instructor. He arrived at the courtyard Doyle had recommended and introduced himself to the instructor and the watching trainees.

• The squad sold their kobold commission spoils for 25 silver coins and 60 copper coins, and Gauss took home 11 silver coins.
• Gauss ate at a tavern, then asked Sophia about raising the inn’s room prices; she explained that more outsiders had come to town and nearby inns had raised their rates.
• Gauss told Sophia he could earn several silver coins from a commission, but she advised him to save his money.
• Gauss reviewed his improving spell proficiencies and decided to strengthen his basic sword skills instead of practicing spells that morning.
• Gauss followed Doyle’s directions to a swordsmanship courtyard, where a middle-aged instructor and a dozen young trainees watched him arrive.

Gauss hired David to teach him basic swordsmanship and quickly learned the fundamentals, gaining Sword Skill Basics. He returned to training Mage Armor, raising it to level two, and considered how his improved swordplay could help him fight while protected.

• Gauss agreed to pay David 50 copper coins for swordsmanship instruction.
• David taught Gauss basic rapier techniques, and Gauss quickly corrected his movements and mastered the fundamentals.
• Gauss left the training yard with Sword Skill Basics lv1 (3/10) on his Attribute Panel.
• Gauss resumed practicing Mage Armor over the following days and raised it to lv2 (13/20).
• Gauss continued practicing swordsmanship in his spare time, raising Sword Skill Basics to lv1 (5/10) and considering how it could support him in close combat.

Gauss and his team used poisonous smoke to force a cautious goblin group out of its cave. Gauss killed the first goblin to emerge and sensed that his [Rapid Digestion] Talent had grown stronger.

• Meva scouted the goblin lair and found no hidden scouts, but discovered two vents.
• Gauss's team decided to smoke the goblins out rather than fight them inside the cramped cave.
• The team burned damp wood with sulfur, poisonous herbs, and Meva's toxins, then blew the smoke into the cave.
• After enduring the smoke for more than ten minutes, the first goblin staggered out of the cave.
• Gauss killed the goblin with his Rapier and sensed that [Rapid Digestion] had improved slightly.

Gauss and the adventurers smoked goblins out of their cave, where he killed many of them with Magic Missiles and his rapier. After the battle, Gauss reported killing about sixteen goblins, leaving Leven stunned by how much easier the mission had become.

• The goblins resisted from inside their cave, but Gauss struck the first wave with two Magic Missiles and killed six of them.
• The party drove more goblins out with toxic smoke, and Gauss killed three who had collapsed near the entrance.
• Gauss joined the battle and cut down six more goblins, bringing the total kill count to 75 and raising his skill proficiency.
• After the fight, Doyle asked Daphne to check a minor injury, while Gauss ate jerky and reviewed his progress.
• Leven asked how many goblins Gauss had killed, and Gauss estimated sixteen, leaving Leven speechless because the group had numbered only around twenty-some.

After the Night Owl Squad celebrated their goblin commission at a tavern, Gauss reflected on how much he had come to enjoy life in this world. The next morning, he realized his strength might be preventing his teammates from getting the practice they needed.

• Leven invited the Night Owl Squad to share a meal after their easy goblin commission, and Gauss tried cheap ale for the first time.
• Gauss coughed at the sour drink, prompting the others to tease him and suspect that his background story was fabricated.
• After the meal, Doyle fought a man who had harassed Daphne, and the team fled before the patrol guards arrived; Gauss carried the unconscious Doyle home.
• Sophia served Gauss hangover soup the next morning, and he appreciated her thoughtfulness.
• Gauss understood from Leven's subtle remarks that his presence had been limiting the other teammates' opportunities to practice.

After parting ways with the Night Owl Squad, Gauss took a solo goblin-hunting job north of Grayrock Town. He killed four goblins stealing wheat and followed the survivor toward its lair, aiming to reach one hundred monster kills.

• Gauss accepted that Leven, Doyle, and Oliver needed to separate from him so they could develop their skills, and he decided to take simple jobs alone.
• Gauss traveled north of Grayrock Town, where powerful monsters were less common, and chose a job targeting goblins.
• Gauss found five goblins stealing unripe wheat and used his Mage Armor and rapier to kill four of them.
• Gauss let the last goblin escape so it would lead him to the others, then followed it after cleaning his blade.
• Gauss noted that his monster-kill total was 82 and planned to hunt goblins troubling nearby villages to get closer to one hundred.

Gauss attacked a goblin tribe, killing its leader and using a stink bomb to drive the remaining goblins from their cave. After wiping them out, he reached 50 goblin kills and sensed that something about him had changed.

• A goblin remembered the humans who had destroyed his former tribe before Gauss killed him with a Magic Missile.
• Gauss killed the goblin who had led him to the tribe, bringing his Monster Kill Count to 84.
• Gauss used Mage Hand to ignite a stink bomb deep inside the cave and waited outside.
• The goblins fled the cave, and Gauss cut down most of them while his Mage Armor blocked their attacks.
• Gauss killed the last goblin with a Magic Missile, reached 50 goblin kills, and sensed a change in himself.

Gauss upgraded his goblin-slaying title and cleared a nearby cave, then returned to a peaceful village and decided to hunt goblins in the area while developing his skills. He planned to raise his Monster Kill Count to 100 and continue practicing spells in combat.

• Gauss's [Goblin Hunter] title leveled up to [Goblin Slayer], increasing its Bane bonus to 20% and adding a chance to land critical hits.
• Gauss collected the goblins' ears and searched their cave, where he found a pregnant goat being used to carry goblin offspring.
• Gauss killed the goat and its six goblin fetuses, then left the cave after checking for other spoils.
• Gauss retrieved the ears of four goblins he had killed near a wheat field and carried their corpses away from the farmland.
• Gauss entered the village, helped a girl who ran into him, and noticed that his Charisma had risen to 6.
• Gauss decided to stay nearby to clear out goblins and pursue a Monster Kill Count of 100 as he practiced his spells.

Gauss stayed in the village after completing his quest and set out to investigate a neighboring village’s reported goblin sightings. As night fell, the injured hunter Randall was left helpless as goblins closed in on him.

• Gauss accepted the village chief’s hospitality, treated the goblin ears, and maintained his equipment while the chief’s grandson Jenus watched and asked about adventurers.
• The next morning, Gauss left the village after the chief told him where a caravan leader had reported goblin signs.
• In the forest, hunter Randall waited beside his own trap with a severe leg wound as goblins stalked him from the bushes.
• Randall thought of his young daughter Taylor and fought off his drowsiness, but he could not draw his bow effectively.
• The goblins realized Randall was helpless and rushed toward him in the darkness.

Gauss rescued Randall from a group of goblins in the jungle and treated his wound. He carried Randall back toward the village, where the chapter left them on their way to safety.

• A goblin lunged at Randall, but Gauss struck it with a Blue Light Ball and killed it.
• Gauss killed three more goblins with his Rapier and Bone Staff as their attacks failed to harm him.
• The last two goblins fled, but Gauss caught and killed both of them.
• Gauss checked Randall's wound, treated it with medical supplies, and carried him toward the village.
• Gauss reassured Randall that he knew the way because he had come from the village to search for goblins and the missing hunter.

Gauss rescued Randall and earned the villagers’ trust, then accepted their request to clear out nearby goblins. He entered the forest with two villagers, but their first search for clues found nothing.

• Taylor waited with the villagers for her missing father, Randall, until Gauss returned carrying him from the forest.
• The villagers took Randall to a doctor, and Taylor thanked Gauss for saving her father.
• Gauss collected five silver coins and accepted the village chief’s offer to hunt goblins for 90 copper coins per kill.
• Gauss entered the forest with two armed villagers and searched the place where Randall had been surrounded, but they found no clues.
• Gauss considered asking Ms. Andeni in Grayrock Town about scouting or perception magic.

Gauss found and wiped out a small goblin tribe, reaching 102 monster kills and earning the Magic Resistance talent and one point of Strength. He left the woods with a new defense against hostile magic and a goal of 200 kills ahead.

• Gauss found goblin tracks and located a small tribe bathing in a muddy patch.
• Gauss warned the two villagers to stay back, then attacked and killed the goblins alone.
• Gauss reached 102 monster kills and received the Magic Resistance talent and one point of Strength.
• Gauss considered how Magic Resistance could strengthen his defenses alongside Mage Armor and set his sights on the next milestone of 200 kills.

After completing a village commission and returning to Grayrock Town, Gauss turned in his quest and tested how the Adventurer's Guild identified proof of kills. He left with more money and realized he needed to replace his worn-out clothes and boots.

• Gauss confirmed that the two villagers had counted all eight goblins, collected proof and valuables, and received seven silver coins and twenty copper coins from the village chief.
• Gauss searched the area, killed two Slime Slimes and a little skeleton, then returned to Grayrock Town after saying goodbye to the village chief and Jenus.
• At the Adventurer's Guild, Petra recognized Gauss, accepted his quest items, and set aside the goblin left ears he had deliberately mixed in as extras.
• Gauss received eleven silver coins for his quest and concluded that the Guild used some method to distinguish the extra goblin ears from the required items.
• Gauss checked his money and noticed his boots were nearly worn through, so he decided to buy clothes, boots, and other necessities.

Gauss upgraded his gear, gave Sophia a tea set, and visited Andeni to ask why practicing Mage Armor made him feel warm. After consulting a tome, Andeni announced that she had found the cause, but had not yet explained it.

• Gauss bought new clothes, boots, a waterskin, and an adventurer's pack, then gave Sophia a tea set and a guide to brewing tea.
• Gauss noticed his Mage Armor proficiency had stalled at level 2 and wondered whether the spell was connected to reaching a Professional Path.
• Gauss returned to the Thorn Hut and found Andeni asleep in her chair.
• Gauss told Andeni about the warmth he felt after practicing Mage Armor.
• Andeni searched a large tome and said she had found what was causing Gauss's unusual experience.

Andeni explained that Gauss’s unusually active magic was resonating with Mage Armor and advised him to study the spell’s nature rather than focus on casting speed or strength. Gauss practiced slowly throughout the day, deepening his understanding and believing that mastering the resonance would eventually lead him to Level 3 and a profession.

• Andeni told Gauss that his magic was reshaping Mage Armor’s spell structure through an unusual resonance and advised him to guide it by studying his responses to different impacts.
• Gauss realized he had been rushing to cast Mage Armor faster and stronger instead of fully understanding the spell.
• Andeni asked about the Bone Staff, and Gauss said he had adapted to it as she sensed it had transformed and seemed perfectly suited to him.
• At the Thorn Hut, Andeni taught Gauss a magic-circulation route, answered his questions, and gave him two books on spell principles before sending him away.
• Back at the inn, Gauss practiced Mage Armor slowly all day and felt his understanding deepen, though his proficiency remained unchanged.