Gauss staggered to Bell's side.
The swordsman's face was ghostly pale from blood loss, but he was still swinging his weapon in trembling arcs, refusing to give up.
The two goblins nearby didn't advance. Instead, they both turned their heads toward Gauss, watching him approach.
He was completely drenched in blood—the goblins' foul, stinking blood—coated in layer after layer, half-dried and crusting on his skin.
But he didn't care about the filth.
He'd used the time it took to walk over to catch his breath and recover just a bit of strength.
As he looked up, his eyes locked with the goblins'.
They sniffed the air. Only when he got close did they recognize the thick, pungent stench clinging to him—the scent of their own kind's blood.
An invisible pressure rolled off of Gauss.
It was as if the grudges of the slain goblins clung to him, roaring in silent rage, forming a suffocating aura behind his back.
In that moment, he radiated a natural suppression—an instinctive, predator-level dominance—like a cat staring down a cornered mouse.
Gauss raised his dagger and slashed toward one of the goblins.
But his strength was barely a third of normal. Even though he intimidated them, his swing was slow and weak.
The goblin stumbled back a few steps and dodged the attack.
The other goblin, eyes still murky, suddenly flashed with a glint of malice.
Gauss's sluggish motion snapped it out of its fear. It realized he was too weak to pose a real threat.
Its cowardice vanished—replaced by greed and cruelty.
"Fwoosh!!"
"Thud!"
A black arrow screamed through the air like lightning, gleaming under the moonlight, and slammed directly into the goblin's chest.
A perfect shot—Hailier had fired it from over 20 meters away.
That one shot had cost her everything she had left.
"All you now…" she muttered, arm dropping limp. Her right forearm was flushed red, fingers barely able to hold her bow. She had nothing left to give.
Chest heaving, she leaned back against the tree, watching Gauss.
He didn't waste the opening.
The moment the arrow hit, he tightened his grip on the dagger and pushed forward, ignoring the pain in his legs.
He lunged straight toward the wounded goblin, using his full weight to slam the blade into the arrow wound.
The knife sank deep. Blood burst out.
But Gauss kept charging forward, pushing the goblin several more meters before it collapsed like a ragdoll.
It coughed blood into his chest—then went still, breath gone, eyes dim.
[Goblin Slain ×1]
[Total Kills: 10]
[Next Milestone: 50 Total Kills]
[Reward Unlocked: Level 1 Spell – Magic Missile!
Constitution +1]
[Current Constitution: 6]
In just a few heartbeats, a new power surged through Gauss's body.
The exhaustion that had been crushing him evaporated like morning fog.
His breathing stabilized.
He felt warmth spread through his chest—his organs toughening, muscles repairing, energy returning like a wave.
His shaky arms steadied. His burning legs felt lighter.
He wasn't at full health—but he felt renewed.
"I knew it… hitting a new threshold triggered a bonus from the Adventurer's Manual."
He took a deep breath.
The new spell carved itself into his mind.
He had strength. He had magic. He was ready to fight again.
He looked up at the last remaining goblin nearby—the one that had dared to raise its weapon.
Emotionless, Gauss sidestepped its wild swing.
The goblin's attack missed completely. His improved body responded faster now—far more in sync with his enhanced mind.
Flash.
A glint of silver cut across the goblin's waist.
One twist. One pull.
The blade shredded through its guts and tore open its stomach.
[Goblin Slain ×1]
[Total Kills: 11]
From a distance, Hailier stared, wide-eyed.
Just moments ago, Gauss had been on the verge of collapse.
Now he was standing tall—revitalized, sharper than ever, as if he'd been reborn through blood.
She didn't know how. But suddenly, hope surged back into her chest.
"ROAR!!"
A deafening howl ripped through the forest, snapping her out of it.
The hobgoblin lashed out with a monstrous swing.
Mia, already on her last legs, heard a horrible crack—her arm had broken.
Pain stabbed through her, and her guard dropped.
"BAM!"
The cleaver slammed into her and sent her flying like a doll.
She slammed into a tree with a heavy thud, then collapsed, coughing blood.
The hobgoblin licked its lips, savoring the scent of human blood.
It stepped forward, one heavy step at a time.
One.
Two…
"SHHHK!!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain flared in its lower back.
A dagger had found a gap in its leather armor, stabbing deep into its waist.
The pain exploded through its stomach.
"RAAAHH!!"
The hobgoblin spun around, eyes burning crimson, and saw Gauss—who had thrown the dagger and stepped back to create distance.
Furious, the goblin didn't care how Gauss had recovered so quickly. It just wanted to rip him apart, devour him alive, tear his flesh and drink his blood.
Its muscles bulged, skin flushed red. It roared like a beast gone berserk.
It had become a monster in every sense—no longer thinking, just killing.
Gauss, however, was the exact opposite.
He was the calmest he'd ever been.
His mind was razor-sharp. He wasn't just fighting—he was flowing.
He'd entered that mythical "zone"—a state of hyper-focus only described in theory.
"THUD!"
The hobgoblin charged, feet smashing the ground, each step like a mini-quake.
Its roar tore through the trees like a cannon blast.
From the sidelines, every half-conscious ally looked on in awe.
Even Mia and Bell, barely awake, dragged their heads up to see the clash.
Can he do it...?
They didn't speak. But the hope in their eyes was clear.
Gauss heard none of it.
He raised his hand, palm forward—expression steady, eyes like steel.
This was it.
His 7-point Intelligence wasn't just a small edge over normal humans—it was a gap the size of a canyon.
He'd barely tapped into it before.
But now, pushed to the edge, his mental power unlocked.
Boom.
The magic surged to life.
Threads of energy coiled through his mind like wildfire.
His black hair fluttered upward—no wind, just raw magic pressure.
The Magic Missile spell—recently carved into his consciousness—ignited.
Focus is everything.
In this moment, the world fell away. It was just Gauss, the spell, and his target.
The hobgoblin drew closer.
Drool flew from its jagged fangs.
Death itself raced toward him.
Gauss's mind sharpened into one point.
A glowing blue orb lit up in his palm.
At first a spark—then a flash—then a radiant sphere.
It glowed so brightly it lit up the dark forest like a torch in the night.
The hobgoblin was five meters away.
At that speed, it would close the gap in less than a second.
But that one second was all Gauss needed.
He hurled the spell with every ounce of power he had left.
"BOOM!!"
The magic missile blasted forward like a comet.
The air warped. The trees shook.
It slammed into the hobgoblin's gut with a devastating shockwave.
"WHAM!!"
It was like getting hit by a freight train.
The goblin was launched backward, body folding around the point of impact.
The blue energy exploded outward, ripping through muscle, bone, armor—everything.
"BOOOOM!!"
The force tore through the goblin and detonated on the ground behind it, painting the forest in a brilliant blue flash mixed with blood and gore.
It looked like a firework had bloomed in the night.
A blaze of magic and death.