Chapter 59: Challenge Level
The old Kobold died too quickly.
At that moment, everyone hadn’t even reacted to what happened before it self-destructed and perished.
But on second thought, they realized it was probably Gauss’s handiwork.
Not understanding the situation and attributing the reason to the caster in the team was most likely the correct answer.
"Crisis averted." Gauss breathed a sigh of relief.
It was considered a hidden crisis that was thrilling yet perilously resolved.
His gaze turned to the remaining Kobolds.
At this moment, the other Kobolds were trembling all over, scared by the sudden death of the old Kobold. One even knelt on the ground, facing the direction of the Giant Dragon’s stone statue, constantly kowtowing frantically.
As if the old Kobold’s death was the result of the Giant Dragon’s wrath.
"Without an overwhelming numerical advantage or a powerful leader among the Kobolds, they’re really just a rabble. It’s just too bothersome to come in; you have to mess around for half a day." Gauss couldn’t help but feel emotional at this scene.
According to the information from Medvedeva, this Kobold lair was relatively simple. Some lairs that had been dug and established for a long time were accurately described as underground tunnel mazes.
Faced with those more complex lairs, some rookie adventurers didn’t even dare to enter, abandoning the mission on the spot, fearing they would get lost and die from accidents.
Even using some tools to blow up cave entrances or tunnels, it couldn’t affect the Kobolds further inside.
You could say that when the group smoothly reached the lair’s hall, more than half of this mission’s progress was completed.
Gauss collected his thoughts, and facing the Kobolds who had lost the will to fight, with trembling legs and preparing to escape, he didn’t have much sympathy.
Though this was an abandoned mining area, geographically, it was still part of the Carlos Kingdom’s territory. As monsters, from the moment they set foot on this land, it was already further encroaching on human living space.
If ignored, the number of monsters would keep increasing, thus eroding areas that originally belonged to human activities.
This is why the Adventurer’s Guild regularly issues commissions, even if the location is for monster extermination tasks in unoccupied areas. In reality, these commission funds are ultimately paid by the Carlos Kingdom.
Similarly, humans venturing into the depths of the Jade Forest are also susceptible to attacks from other monsters easily.
Thus, there’s also a saying that non-professionals cannot set foot inside the Jade Forest.
"Kill!"
Gauss’s sword moved swiftly.
In a blink of an eye, it pierced through a Kobold’s throat.
After agility enhancement, his rapier manipulation seemed even more precise.
In the past, he’d probably have needed to aim a bit.
"Pfft!"
"Poof!"
"Kobold slain *1"
"Total monsters killed: 55"
The remaining Kobolds fell one by one under the sword blade.
After dealing with all the adult Kobolds present, the group looked at the knee-high, big-headed Kobold hatchlings.
The sword in Gauss’s hand paused, but moments later, it swung rapidly.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Several sword flowers pierced the air.
The Kobold hatchlings fell into eternal sleep amidst howls.
Sheathing the rapier, Gauss didn’t see a notification of increased kill count before his eyes.
He looked at the panel.
Sure enough, the total monster kills remained at 55.
The hatchlings didn’t seem to count.
Is it because of their small size and lack of corresponding combat ability?
Gauss shook his head.
But even without an increase in number, due to the principle of "removing evil at its roots," one must be ruthless.
Who knows if these lowly lizard creatures’ hatchlings would evolve into the next Kobold tribe.
Not long after the group swiftly killed the Kobolds in the hall, a series of hurried, short footsteps sounded from the entrance passage.
Evidently, the commotion in the hall reached the mining area, and those miner Kobolds were returning to defend.
Unfortunately, Gauss and the others were too fast.
When the first Kobold, brandishing a stone pickaxe, ran out of the passage and saw the remains of its kin scattered around, its steps froze instantly.
It was as if it saw something extremely shocking, its pupils contracted, and it stood dazed in place.
The Kobolds that ran out afterward were the same.
Who would have thought that while they were mining next door, their home was stolen in the blink of an eye?
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
After a brief shock, the Kobolds were utterly furious.
Even though they’re not known for being particularly ferocious, they couldn’t suppress their anger witnessing such a scene.
"Slap! Slap!"
The Kobolds’ lizard tails continuously struck the ground, both to soothe their inner unease and as a way to boost collective morale.
Unlike the old, weak, sick, or disabled left in the hall earlier, the mature Kobolds showed much stronger combat desire.
But that was about all they had, desire-wise.
A few minutes later.
Gauss looked at the now-extinct Kobolds while wiping the blood off his sword with a cloth.
Thanks to the Mage Armor on his body, he was unharmed during the battle. Occasionally, when attacks grazed him, the Mage Armor would nullify them.
Feeling the still resilient Mage Armor, he felt a strong sense of security from the bottom of his heart.
"Total monsters killed: 59"
Kobolds, relying solely on courage, cannot overcome humans far stronger than themselves.
The chance of getting so angry and blood-boiled to trigger an outburst of greater combat power is rare in reality.
"Phew—"
"A bit tired."
The others sat down to rest for a bit.
Aside from the old Kobold’s fire breath, the battle itself didn’t have other thrilling moments, but crouching down and crawling all the way exhausted everyone.
Now that the fight was over, they could finally relax a bit.
Gauss sat for a while, sweeping his gaze across the hall, and then it was time to collect the spoils.
Kobolds always had a habit of collecting "treasure."
Of course, within the collections of low-level Kobolds, it’s almost impossible to find anything genuinely valuable.
The majority are just some junk found in some unknown corners.
Gauss ignored the junk piled up by the Kobolds; Medvedeva would look for any potentially valuable items within it.
He walked to the rock wall platform where the old Kobold stood earlier.
Using Mage’s Hand, he dragged the Kobold’s corpse from the platform.
"Thud!"
The Kobold’s body hit the ground heavily.
Gauss was quite curious about this fire-breathing Kobold.
He picked up the grotesque lizard head nearby, placing it beside its body, and silently contemplated for a while.
Its neck had unfortunately been blasted to pieces, but from those broken pieces of scale-armored skin, it was clear that the neck’s skin tone was significantly darker compared to its kin.
"This old Kobold’s body should be worth some money." Levin approached unexpectedly.
"Is this a monster with an official challenge level?" Gauss asked casually when he noticed Levin seemed to know something.
The so-called challenge level of a monster, similar to human professions, indicates they possess power that ordinary people find hard to reach.