Gauss staggered over to Bell's side.
At this moment, Bell's face was terrifyingly pale from excessive blood loss.
Yet, the sword in his hand continued to sway unsteadily.
The two goblins did not come near.
They only turned their heads to look at the approaching Gauss.
Gauss was covered in layers of sticky, foul-smelling blood, almost crusting over.
He paid no attention to the filth on his body.
Taking advantage of the brief moment of walking, he had already regained some strength.
He looked up at the goblins, his gaze clashing with theirs.
The two goblins sniffed around until Gauss got close, catching a whiff of a familiar scent lingering in the air—the stench of their kind's blood.
An invisible pressure began to emanate from Gauss's body, as if the vengeful souls of the dead goblin imps still begrudgingly clung to him, claws bared, venting their vanished grievances.
Gauss seemed to wield a latent suppression against ordinary goblins, akin to a cat's genetic restraint over mice.
He summoned what little strength he had left and swung his dagger towards one of the goblins.
Unfortunately, even with the goblins intimidated, his strike carried barely a third of his normal strength.
The goblin staggered back two steps, dodging his unexpected attack.
The other goblin's murky eyes gleamed cunningly, Gauss's move rousing it from intimidation, realizing his current frailty.
The fear that had initially surfaced vanished, replaced by greed and a rising sadistic intent.
"Swoosh!!"
"Chit!"
At this moment, a black streak pierced the air, the arrowhead carrying a silvery-white moonlight, traversing over twenty meters, burrowing precisely into the chest of the goblin dodging Gauss's attack.
It was Haylir, bow drawn, who forcibly activated a skill to provide long-range support.
"From here on out, it's up to you..."
Haylir's arm fell, her right arm flushed red; using the skill once more had drained the last of her strength. At this moment, she didn't even have the energy to lift her arm. The aftereffects of excessive skill use made her chest burn painfully. Leaning against a tree trunk, she gasped for air, watching Gauss intently.
Gauss reacted swiftly, almost the instant the arrow hit its mark, clutching the dagger with both hands, placing it before him.
Enduring the stabbing pain underfoot, he rushed quickly toward the injured goblin.
With inertia powering him, he drove the dagger into the arrow-pierced wound on its chest.
The blade sank into flesh and bone.
Blood splattered!
Yet his steps remained relentless, pushing the screaming goblin several more meters forward.
The goblin, like being struck head-on by a massive truck, rapidly lost vitality, its consciousness slowly growing dim.
"Cough cough—"
A mouthful of fresh blood spewed from the goblin's mouth, spraying over Gauss's chest.
The mortally wounded goblin finally exhaled its last breath, its shadowy eyes dull and lifeless, slipping into silence.
It was then that text appeared before Gauss's eyes.
"Goblin killed *1"
"Total monster kills: 10"
"Next stage: Accumulate a total of 50 monster kills!"
"Reward earned, occupation skill 1st-level Spell [Magic Missile]!"
"Constitution +1"
"Current Constitution: 6"
In just a few breaths, an entirely new power surged through Gauss's body.
His once-parched body felt revitalized, as if nourished by sweet dew.
Instantly, he felt his breathing become more even and smooth.
His internal organs were visibly strengthening at breakneck speed.
His exhausted and trembling arms and thighs, their strained tendons and tissues, began to slowly relax under the gentle flow, abundant energy surging within him.
In mere seconds, aside from his external wounds, he was renewed.
"Indeed! Upon reaching the new stage, the Adventurer's Handbook granted a new reward."
Taking a deep breath,
Feeling the newly imprinted spell in his mind and his newly recovered strength, Gauss felt much more at ease.
The slaughter had provided him with the power to rise once more in this battle.
He turned to look at the goblin that had finally mustered courage, expressionless.
With a flick of his shoulders and body, he easily dodged the goblin's incoming club.
The increase in Constitution seemed to elevate his physical toughness, significantly reducing the delay between his powerful mind and his body's previous mismatch.
A single ordinary goblin seemed even weaker against him now.
The blade flashed with a silver gleam, and in the blink of an eye, the goblin's midsection was pierced by the dagger.
Gauss twisted his wrist, tearing through its innards, withdrawing the blade in one fluid motion.
"Goblin killed *1"
"Total monster kills: 11"
From a distance, Haylir, leaning against the trunk and gasping, widened her eyes at the sight.
Mere seconds ago, Gauss had been utterly exhausted, yet in such a brief time, he appeared reborn from bloodshed, leaving her unable to comprehend what had transpired.
But suddenly, the hope rekindled in her once-dismal heart.
If Gauss could regain his fighting strength, then perhaps...
"Roar!!!"
A roar echoed through the forest, interrupting Haylir's thoughts.
The large goblin's longsword suddenly exploded with immense power, and Mia, who had been struggling to hold on, seemed to hear a crisp crack from her arm.
The resistive force in her hand was swiftly lost, overwhelmed by the pain of shattered bones.
"Boom!!"
Mia was directly thrown away.
The small figure heavily slammed against the trunk, spewing a mouthful of blood, and then rebounded onto the ground.
The large goblin's face twisted grotesquely, the scent of human sweet blood making its whole body seethe.
It looked at the figure in the distance who had lost the ability to move, licking its lips, slowly approaching.
One step, two steps...
Suddenly, a whistling sound came from behind.
After a brief explosive sound, a sharp pain spread across its back.
The dagger precisely pierced through the gap in the leather armor, stabbing into its waist.
Immediately, intense pain quickly spread through its abdomen.
"Roar roar roar!"
In agony, the large goblin's eyes swelled with redness.
It fiercely turned its head, glaring with blood-red eyes, viciously looking at Gauss who had just thrown the dagger and retreated to create distance.
At this moment, completely blinded by rage, it didn't care to think about why the opponent who had been staggering moments ago was now reinvigorated.
It only wanted to tear that human apart completely!
To yank out his intestines, dig out his heart, devour every piece of flesh until only then could it make up for the pain it was feeling.
All its muscles bulged, its skin unconsciously turned crimson red, knotted muscles surged with the terrifying power unleashed by extreme anger, becoming a bloodthirsty beast!
It became even stronger!
Unlike the goblin in a frenzy, Gauss, staring at it from afar, was terrifyingly calm.
His mind had never been so focused.
A night of fighting had completely pounded his spirit into a state sought after by ordinary people — a state of flow.
"Boom!"
The large goblin moved!
It stomped the ground, echoing with booms and vibrations, all its muscles exploded with power, advancing on Gauss like a roaring tank.
The wind seemed to be torn apart.
At this moment, comrades at the edge of the battlefield clinging to their last breath focused on the unfolding events.
Is this... still a goblin?
The goblin's maddened posture had grown so strong it was hard for her to believe it was a goblin.
Haylir involuntarily held her breath.
Mia and Bell, lying on the ground losing strength, also struggled to open their eyes, chin pressed against the earth, slightly tilting their heads to look at the center of the battlefield.
Can he do it?
Gauss couldn't hear his teammates' thoughts.
At this moment, he was solely focused on the situation before him, holding one hand across his chest, his gaze intent enough to almost materialize.
7 points of Intelligence!
Not merely a few percent higher than 5 points.
But possibly a 2-3 times difference.
Yet all along, he hadn't fully tapped into his spirit.
7 points of Intelligence couldn't be exhausted by a few days of spell training alone.
Only until this moment, facing an opponent in full strength, did his taut spirit break through an invisible barrier!
Break!
Abundant spiritual power surged rampantly in his brain, slender black strands moving without wind!
The 1st-level Spell [Magic Missile] recently engraved in the depths of his will, simultaneously awakened.
The secret to casting success lies in concentration.
And now, under full mental activation, the whole world starts to appear pure and simple.
The large goblin is getting closer!
Splashing saliva flew from its sharp fangs into the air.
It charged forward with the intent to crush Gauss.
Gauss's intent became even more condensed!
In the next moment, blue light began to glow from his palm.
The light initially dim, quickly swelled!
Constantly releasing blinding light, devouring darkness, illuminating the dark forest.
And when the blue orb fully formed in his palm, the goblin was only five meters away.
At its speed, it would take less than a second to reach Gauss and tear him apart.
Yet, this second seemed like a chasm!
The heavy blue orb was forcefully thrown out by Gauss!
"Bang!"
The weighty orb stretched into an elongated beam of light.
With a terrifying speed, it bombarded the large goblin's muscular abdomen.
"Boom!"
The goblin's body, upon contact with the Magic Missile, was like being hit by a train, without any resistance, flying backward.
The blue halo rapidly expanded from its abdomen as it struck the goblin.
In an instant, the halo shredded skin, flesh, bones; all the goblin's tangible flesh appeared frail under this wave of magic power.
"Boom!!!!"
The blue magic penetrated the goblin's body, exploding upon hitting the ground!
Brilliant blue hues mixed with crimson flesh illuminated the forest, like fireworks blooming in the night!