The Mage’s Hand smoothly carried the poison sack to the pool.
The next step of the operation proceeded very smoothly.
The poison sack was placed into the pool, and under the pressure of the Mage’s Hand, the sack burst open, allowing the venom to slowly seep out in delicate streams, silently dissolving into the water.
Mission accomplished!
Gauss controlled the Mage’s Hand to sink the sack to the pool’s bottom, pressing it down with a stone to prevent the goblins from noticing the foreign object.
He then dismissed the trick.
Now all that remained was to wait for the results.
Leaving the goblin village, Gauss returned to the forest, chewing on jerky while vigilantly observing the happenings in the village.
"Creak, creak!"
On a hot afternoon, the cicadas in the forest were incessantly noisy.
In the clearing, heat waves visibly rolled.
The temperature was gradually climbing.
Even in the shading forest, Gauss took out his water bag to drink several times, moistening his dry lips.
Much less the goblins.
In the following hour or two.
Under Gauss’s observation, the majority of goblins in the village had gone to the pool to drink water, then returned to their simple huts to rest.
After a while, the effects of the drug finally began to kick in.
The first victims were the sentry goblins on duty, as they drank the earliest.
The goblins, originally leaning against the wall asleep, were awakened by a severe abdominal pain, then squatted by the low wall under Gauss’s watch, relieving themselves right there.
Cloudy, brown mucus-like substances erupted like a flood beneath the goblins.
The grass at their feet instantly turned yellow-brown.
At first, it was one; then another followed the first one’s behavior, repeatedly excreting.
Although Gauss found it somewhat disgusting, he was also satisfied with the laxative’s effect, secretly deciding to revisit the shop to stock up more.
Soon, the goblins napping in the simple huts also crawled up on all fours, walking to the low wall to relieve their pain with pained expressions.
Those who couldn’t make it occasionally solved it on the spot outside the huts.
The numbers increased.
Within just an hour, over forty goblins succumbed at different times.
Several were visibly exhausted from diarrhea, returning to the huts like dead bodies to rest.
The only regret for Gauss was that the Red Hat goblin in the central big tent never came out to drink.
Whether it was more resistant to thirst or had a reserve of clean drinking water inside the tent was unknown.
"It’s time for a righteous assault." Gauss observed that almost all goblins showed varying degrees of diarrhea symptoms, knowing he could not wait any longer.
Further delay might bring nightfall, and it would allow the debilitated goblins to recover some strength.
He made a final check and prep of his equipment before the battle.
Gauss grabbed his Magic Wand and approached the goblin village.
Even before getting close, he smelled a strong stench by the wall.
Fortunately, he prepared a mask this time, shielding him somewhat from the smell.
With a kick, he smashed the makeshift wooden door, scaring the nearest sentry by the door, struggling to get up from the ground.
But with its diarrhea-induced weakness, it was no match for Gauss’s swift reaction.
Under its shocked gaze, a sword blade chopped off its pitiful little head.
The head rolled on the ground, leaving only its staring, muddy eyes, still speaking of its owner’s fear and shock.
"Goblin killed *1"
"Monster Kill Count: 186"
Seeing the defenseless goblin, Gauss felt no sense of an unfair advantage.
Instead, he felt that his efforts had not been in vain.
The laxative had drastically slowed the otherwise agile goblins.
The killing was effortless.
As for empathy for the goblins about to be slaughtered, he had none.
The goblin’s racial traits destined them to be eternal enemies with humans.
The few human legs dangling from the food rack in the plaza were the best evidence.
Killing goblins was the right thing to do.
"Kill!"
After entering the village, Gauss quickly charged forward.
The few nearest goblins hadn’t even picked up their weapons before becoming ghosts under his sharp blade.
Cloudy blood splattered all over Gauss.
But he didn’t care too much at the moment, since it wouldn’t be realistic to expect staying spotless after slaughtering a goblin tribe in the dozens.
"Goblin killed *4"
"Monster Kill Count: 190"
Just ten more to go!
Gauss turned his attention to the goblins further away.
At this moment, the goblins also discovered the uninvited guest, grabbing weapons and gathering together.
However, due to the laxative’s poison, their movements were flimsy, seemingly floating as they walked.
Their hideous faces were full of panic and uncertainty due to weak bodies and sudden enemy attacks.
In the chieftain’s big tent, the Red Hat goblin, awakened by the commotion outside, armed itself and bent, lifting a corner of the curtain, secretly observing the situation through the gap.
It silently slipped out from under the tent flap, tiptoed to the corner’s shadow, drew an arrow from the quiver on its back, quickly stringed the bow and arrow.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow tore through the air, accurately shooting towards Gauss’s side.
Its action was very covert; Gauss, focused on the frontal goblins, was somewhat caught off guard by the sudden side arrow.
Halfway through flying, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and reflexively blocked it.
"Thud!"
The continuous Mage Armor spell on Gauss was not just for show.
The arrowhead struck the side of Gauss, only to be intercepted by a layer of Energy Field.
After a ripple appeared near the arrowhead’s tip, the kinetic energy of the arrow was completely absorbed by the Energy Field and fell to the ground.
"Hmm?"
Gauss turned his head toward the big tent.
He realized that the Red Hat goblin had sneaked out at some point.
Sure enough, its intelligence was higher than that of ordinary goblins.
Without his Mage Armor, it would have been quite dangerous.
Although small in size, it was swift and vigorous, the strength of its arrows was twice that of an ordinary goblin.
The Red Hat in the distance saw its attack had no effect and looked with apprehension again at its slack subordinates.
Its mind became even more perplexed.
What exactly is going on?
After a moment of hesitation, it did not aim at Gauss again, a subconscious instinct informed it.
The man at a distance was an incredibly powerful adversary, unlike the feeble two-legged creatures it had slain in the past, and it seemed he came prepared.
So it chose to step swiftly into the assembled troop like an agile monkey, blending into the goblin "army."
Trying to hide and shoot me from the shadows again? Gauss shook his head.
Other novice professionals might feel troubled when faced with such a cunning goblin leader.
But he was different.
Moreover, the goblin army, which Red Hat pinned its hopes on, at this moment was merely a disorganized, vulnerable group.
Gauss grasped the Unbreakable Staff and struck it onto the ground.
A blue aura instantly condensed before him.
His gaze locked onto the few goblin archers on the far flank.
"Magic Missile!"
A double-shot Magic Missile firmly targeted the goblin archers.
In the next moment, the blue oval sphere traced a bright blue arc through the air, accurately hitting the chests of two archers.
"Bang!!"
The two goblins died almost instantly under the attack.
"Goblins killed: 2"
"Total monster kills: 192"
Not enough.
Gauss ignored the goblin battalion charging at him with forced morale under Red Hat’s shouting.
His focus remained on the remaining goblin archers.
In reality, if it weren’t for that excessively cunning Red Hat hiding itself constantly within the ranks.
Gauss would adhere to the strategy of capturing the leader first.
He exhaled, and magic power rapidly surged into his staff once more.
The blue aura again gathered, heralding death.
Ascending the low wall, looking down, the archer goblins who were ready to fire changed their expressions upon seeing the ominous aura.
But the power of the Magic Missile was irresistible to ordinary goblins!
"Boom!"
Another set of double-shot missiles fired!
After taking out the archers with precision, Gauss exhaled and focused magic multiple times in succession.
Finally, before the goblin ranks could reach him, he killed all eight of the archer goblins present!
"Goblins killed: 6"
"Total monster kills: 198"
Watching the goblins wielding spears draw near, Gauss gathered his magic calmly, without any remarkable change in his expression.
He even leisurely wiped his hands and chewed on a strip of jerky.
Because, in their current state, the goblins moved too slowly.
They hardly posed any threat to him.
He swung the metal Magic Wand in his hand in a circle before himself.
"Whoosh!"
The rough staff made a whooshing sound as it swirled around!
The few goblins running at the front, likely dehydrated, were instantly blown away by a heavy force the moment they touched the staff!
Gauss bent his knees slightly, activating the Enhanced Jump, the power in his lower limbs suddenly surged.
It seemed as though the wind was beneath his feet.
The goblins’ attacks became sluggish to him.
Too weak!
With a light leap, he dodged the ensuing spear thrust.
Then he plunged the staff into the ground and drew his sword from his waist.
Two points of sword light pierced the air.
"Puh!"
"Puh!"
Two goblins had their throats pierced before they could react.
"Goblins killed: 2"
"Total monster kills: 200"