I'm not a Goblin Slayer

"Morning, Gauss. Want some breakfast today?"

"Next time, Sophia. I'm heading out!"

Gauss stepped out of the inn with a light pace.

After making decent progress in his Magic Missile training, he decided to swing by the Adventurers' Guild.

Now that he'd reached Level 2, the rate of proficiency gain through solo practice had noticeably slowed.

Compared to endless solo grinding, using the spell in real combat would be far more efficient.

Besides, the number on his Monster Index had been stuck for a while now:

[Total Monsters Kills: 12]

[Next Milestone: 50 Total Kills]

Practicing Magic Missile had been like sharpening his blade.

And now? It was time to test it.

Plus, and perhaps most importantly… his wallet was getting dangerously light.

Current Funds: 26 silver, 15 copper

In just a few days, over 2 silver had quietly disappeared.

Most of it? Spent on food.

And that was him being frugal—no tavern splurging, no luxuries.

"What happened? All I did was eat a little more meat!"

Gauss sighed, shaking his head.

Even though he stuck to "budget-friendly" food stalls and roadside shops, his spending still skyrocketed.

Sure, he'd been eating meat with every meal—but was it really supposed to cost this much?

He didn't blame himself.

He blamed this world's ridiculous meat prices.

Maybe the world should take a good look in the mirror—how had agriculture and supply chains not improved after all these years? Why was meat still considered a luxury?

But regardless, Gauss knew one thing:

His meat cravings weren't going away anytime soon.

With his mana reserves steadily increasing, he felt like a teenager going through a second puberty. He burned energy fast—and veggies alone weren't gonna cut it.

And really, after the hellish training and brutal fights, a guy deserved to eat.

He wasn't trying to live like a monk.

…

Inside the Adventurers' Guild, the hall was as packed as ever.

That was typical—mornings and evenings were the busiest. Adventurers swarmed the place like bargain-hunting shoppers on Black Friday, pacing back and forth, scouring the notice boards.

This wasn't Gauss's first visit. The Guild had lost some of its mystique.

He'd observed enough to notice a few regulars who always seemed to be here—decked out in decent-looking gear, lurking near the request boards, browsing but never acting.

He had a sneaking suspicion some of them were just extras, maybe even Guild plants, there to create a sense of urgency and stimulate more "quest grabbing."

Shaking off that thought, he walked over to the commission board and began scanning the listings.

He immediately skipped all gathering quests.

Hunting for herbs in the forest was time-consuming, inefficient, and required tools, knowledge, and preservation techniques he didn't have.

Escort missions? Also out. Too risky for too little reward.

Standard extermination quests issued by Grayrock's town hall?

Also pass. Those missions had been up so long that the monsters had either fled or been hunted to near extinction.

What he was looking for were monster subjugation quests posted by villagers.

In this world, many low-tier monsters like goblins had almost no material value. They didn't drop anything useful.

So their bounties usually came from rural communities pooling money to hire adventurers to get rid of them.

You might wonder:

Why would an entire village hire adventurers to deal with a few goblins? Couldn't they just do it themselves?

Gauss had wondered the same thing… until he talked with some villagers back in Birchwood.

Now he understood.

First: fighting in numbers is different.

Even low-tier monsters, when grouped, were dangerous—especially ones like goblins who'd evolved by battling wild beasts.

Second: bad terrain.

Forests, caves, and wilderness gave monsters a home-field advantage. Villagers weren't trained to fight in that kind of environment.

Third—and most importantly—risk.

Even if a village had 40 or 50 people, few were mentally or physically ready to fight. Farming didn't build combat instincts. And once someone got hurt or killed… morale would collapse.

Sure, Gauss made goblin hunting look easy.

But he had advantages:

A hunter's physique

Above-average intelligence

Near-bullet-time reflexes

Magic

And weapons

The average villager? Didn't stand a chance.

It was no surprise they'd rather scrape together some coins and hire adventurers.

Over time, this practice became so common it turned into an unspoken rule: "If it's a monster problem, call the Guild."

And Gauss suspected the Guild had helped encourage that mindset—after all, no quests, no business.

He scanned the board for a long time but found nothing ideal.

What he really wanted was a commission involving five or fewer weak monsters.

But jobs like that were rare.

If the monsters weren't that dangerous, villagers wouldn't waste money posting a quest. And most low-tier monsters tended to group up, driven by instinct.

Just like in nature: lone predators roam, but herd animals survive in packs.

"Besides," he muttered, "those kinds of quests probably get snatched up the second they're posted."

Safe, low-risk quests were the most competitive. Everyone wanted them.

That was the reality at the bottom.

"Maybe I should check over there..."

His gaze drifted to the most crowded corner of the hall.

If he wasn't mistaken, that was where adventurers formed temporary parties.

Not everyone had a regular team—and many quests required more than one person.

So they came here, hoping to join forces.

Just like he had with Hailier's team.