The Final Fireworks

Gauss staggered over to Bell.

Bell's face was frighteningly pale from blood loss.

Yet the sword in his hand was still swaying as he swung it.

The two goblins did not approach.

They merely turned their heads in unison to look at Gauss as he approached.

Gauss was drenched again and again in sticky, foul-smelling blood, which had nearly begun to scab over.

He ignored the filth on his body.

During the brief time he had spent walking, he had managed to gather some strength again.

He raised his head to look at the goblins, his gaze meeting those of the two creatures.

The two goblins sniffed. Only when Gauss had reached them did they catch the familiar scent lingering in the air—the foul blood of their own kind.

An invisible pressure spread from Gauss once more. The resentful souls of the dead goblin imps seemed to still cling unwillingly behind him, baring their fangs and claws as they vented their lingering hatred.

Gauss had faintly gained a suppressive effect against ordinary goblins, like the instinctive genetic dominance cats held over mice.

Gathering what little strength he had left, he swung his dagger at one of the goblins.

Unfortunately, even though he had intimidated it, the force behind his movement was less than a third of what it would have been in his normal state.

The goblin staggered back two steps and avoided his sudden attack.

A trace of cunning flashed through the murky eyes of the other goblin. Gauss's movement had shaken it awake from its fear, making it realize how weak he was at the moment.

The fear that had just surfaced vanished once more, replaced by greed and rising cruelty.

"Whoosh!!"

"Squelch!"

At that moment, a black streak tore through the air. Wrapped in silvery moonlight, the arrow crossed more than twenty meters and precisely buried itself in the chest of the goblin that had dodged Gauss's attack.

Hailiel had drawn her bow and fired, forcibly activating her Ranged skill once more to support him.

"From here on, it's up to you."

Hailiel's arm dropped to her side, her right arm flushed red. Using her skill again had drained the last trace of her strength. She no longer had the power even to lift her arm. The backlash from overusing the skill left her chest burning as she leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily while watching Gauss.

Gauss reacted quickly. Almost the instant the arrow struck, he gripped his dagger tightly in both hands and held it before him.

Enduring the stabbing pain in his feet, he rushed toward the wounded goblin.

Carried forward by his momentum, he drove the dagger into the wound the arrow had punched through its chest.

The blade sank into flesh.

Blood splattered!

Yet he did not stop, driving the howling goblin forward for several more meters.

It was as though the goblin had been struck head-on by a freight train. Its life force rapidly drained away, and its consciousness slowly blurred.

"Cough, cough—"

A mouthful of blood sprayed from the goblin's mouth and splashed across Gauss's chest.

The fatally wounded goblin finally stopped breathing. The dim light in its eyes went completely blank, sinking into silence.

At that moment, words appeared before Gauss's eyes.

"Goblin killed *1"

"Monster Kill Count: 10"

"Next stage: Total monster kills accumulated to 50!"

"Reward obtained: Class Skill 1st Circle Spell [Magic Missile]!"

"Constitution +1"

"Current Constitution: 6"

Within just a few breaths, a completely new power rapidly surged through Gauss's body.

His once-dried body felt as if it had been nourished by sweet rain, bursting back to life.

At once, he felt his breathing grow deeper and steadier.

The organs within his body were being strengthened at a visibly rapid rate.

The overworked tendons and tissues in his exhausted, trembling arms and thighs gradually relaxed again under the nourishment of that gentle current, while abundant stamina slowly welled up inside him.

In just a few seconds, aside from his external wounds, his condition had been completely renewed.

"Just as I thought! After reaching a new stage, the Adventurer's Handbook gave me another reward."

He took a deep breath.

Feeling the newly imprinted spell in his mind and his recovered strength, Gauss felt much more at ease.

Killing had given him the strength to rise again in this battle.

He turned to the other goblin, which had only just managed to muster its courage, his face expressionless.

With a shift of his shoulders and body, he easily dodged the wooden club swung at him.

The increase in Constitution seemed to have raised his physical capabilities by another level. The sense of delay caused by his powerful mind not matching his body had been greatly reduced.

A lone ordinary goblin had become even weaker in his eyes.

The blade flashed with silver light. Before the goblin, whose old force had faded and whose new force had yet to rise, could react, its abdomen was pierced by the dagger.

Gauss twisted his wrist, shredded its organs, pulled the blade free, and let the blood flow—all in one smooth motion.

"Goblin killed *1"

"Monster Kill Count: 11"

Hailiel, panting against a distant tree trunk, widened her eyes at the sight.

Just seconds ago, Gauss had been utterly exhausted. His blood-soaked rebirth within such a short time left her unable to understand what had happened.

But then, hope reignited in her formerly dim heart.

If Gauss had recovered his combat strength, perhaps—

"Roar!!!"

A roar that echoed through the mountains and forest interrupted Hailiel's thoughts.

The Large Goblin's longsword suddenly erupted with immense force. As Mia struggled desperately to hold on, she seemed to hear a crisp crack from her arm.

The pain of broken bones caused the force resisting through her hands to rapidly drain away.

"Bang!!"

Mia was sent flying.

Her slender body slammed heavily into a tree trunk. She spat out a mouthful of blood, then bounced off and fell to the ground.

The Large Goblin's face twisted viciously. The sweet scent of human blood made its entire body burn.

It looked at the distant figure who had lost the ability to move, licked its lips, and slowly approached.

One step, two steps.

Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air came from behind it.

After a brief explosive whistle, a sharp pain flared across its back.

The dagger had passed neatly through a gap in its leather armor and stabbed into its waist.

Then, intense pain rapidly spread through its lower abdomen.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The Large Goblin's eyes reddened from pain.

It whipped its head around, glaring with scarlet eyes at Gauss, who had just thrown the dagger and retreated to create distance.

Blinded completely by rage, it had no thought to spare for why the opponent who had been staggering moments ago had suddenly regained his strength.

It only wanted to tear that human apart!

Rip out his intestines, carve out his heart, and devour every scrap of flesh on his body. Only then could it make up for the pain ravaging its own body.

The muscles all over its body swelled, its skin unknowingly turning crimson. Knotted muscles surged with terrifying power born of furious rage, and it completely became a bloodthirsty beast!

It had grown even stronger!

Unlike the goblin that had fallen into a berserk state, Gauss, standing far away and facing it, was terrifyingly calm.

His thoughts had never been so focused.

A night of fighting had thoroughly hammered his mind into shape during this brief moment, bringing him into a state of flow that ordinary people could only dream of.

"Boom!"

The Large Goblin moved!

Its foot struck the ground, sending out a thunderous tremor. Power exploded from every muscle in its body as it charged toward Gauss like a roaring tank.

It seemed as if even the wind had been torn apart.

At the edge of the battlefield, every companion who still clung to life watched what was happening here.

Was that still... a goblin?

The goblin's frenzied and unfamiliar form had become so powerful that she could hardly believe it was truly a goblin.

Hailiel could not help holding her breath.

Mia and Bell, sprawled on the ground without strength left, forced their eyelids open. With their chins pressed to the earth, they slightly raised their heads and looked toward the center of the battlefield.

Could he do it?

Gauss could not hear his companions' thoughts.

At this moment, he focused only on what lay before him. One hand was held across his chest, and the will in his eyes had nearly condensed into something tangible.

7 Intelligence!

It was not merely a few degrees more than 5.

The gap might be two or even three times greater.

It was only that he had never fully tapped into his mental power.

7 Intelligence was not something whose deep reserves could be fully exhausted through just a few days of spell practice.

But now, facing that terrifying opponent at the peak of its strength, his taut mind finally broke through that invisible barrier!

Break!

Abundant mental power surged wildly through his mind, and his fine black hair stirred without wind!

The 1st Circle Spell [Magic Missile], which had just been engraved deep within his will, awakened at the same instant.

The key to successfully casting a spell was focus.

And now, with his mind driven to one hundred percent, the entire world became pure and simple.

The Large Goblin was getting closer!

Drool trailing from its sharp teeth scattered into the air.

It lunged at Gauss with the intent to crush him to pieces.

Yet Gauss's will became even more concentrated!

The next moment, blue light began to shine from his palm.

The light was faint at first, but it rapidly expanded!

It continuously released dazzling radiance, swallowing the darkness and illuminating the pitch-black forest.

And by the moment the Blue Light Ball had fully condensed in his palm, the goblin was only five meters away.

At its speed, it would probably need less than a second to reach Gauss and tear him apart.

But this one second was now an impassable gulf!

Gauss hurled the heavy Blue Light Ball with all his strength!

"Boom!"

The heavy sphere stretched into an oval beam of light.

It blasted into the Large Goblin's muscular abdomen at an utterly terrifying speed.

"Bang!"

The instant the Large Goblin came into contact with the Magic Missile, its body flew backward as if it had been hit by a train, utterly unable to resist.

As the blue glow sent the goblin flying, it also rapidly expanded from its abdomen.

In an instant, the glow tore apart skin, flesh, and bone. Every part of the goblin's tangible body appeared unbearably fragile beneath that magical surge.

"Bang!!!!"

Blue magic pierced through the goblin's body, struck the ground, and exploded!

Brilliant blue radiance mixed with scarlet flesh lit up the forest like fireworks blooming in the night!

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