I Am Not A Goblin Slayer

Chapter 463: Chapter 269:

Sure, here is the translation:

Survey the environment, find the target, steal items, unlock doors, and if you encounter an insurmountable obstacle, there’s also a master key.

”I don’t know why these items were left here,” Gauss shook his head.

”The original owner must have died a long time ago, right?” Aaliyah speculated. ”Otherwise, the cave earlier wouldn’t have been overtaken by a Petrified Bull as a nest.”

”Maybe due to some accident, these belongings were left behind here. But anyway, now they’re ours for the taking.”

Aaliyah beamed with delight.

The rest were in good spirits as well.

They began further surveying the surrounding environment.

Besides having slain the Petrified Bull, in regions beyond its territory, other monsters and monster clans still lurked.

The recently acquired [Eagle Eye Monocle] could just be put to use.

Gauss continuously ascended into the air, utilizing the magnified vision effect provided by the [Eagle Eye Monocle] to scout the ground for information.

Soon, he began marking and locking onto several sizable monster communities.

However, today, they were not planning on continuing the fight.

After gathering intelligence, they headed toward the village.

They rested for a night to recuperate, planning to resume the following day.

...

Because they had already scouted ahead the previous day.

Gauss accompanied some trained villagers, engaging in some training along the way.

On the road, Serdur also gathered herbs along the path, explaining to villagers where various herbs grew and their effects, what diseases they could treat, and their potential side effects.

”Total monster kills: 5655”

There’s still more than three hundred to go to reach the next minor milestone of 6000 kills.

By then, another minor reward would be received.

Gauss recalled the number of monster communities he had scouted yesterday, shaking his head.

Unsure if it’d be enough.

Near this village, there aren’t that many monsters.

Perhaps he needs to explore further distances at night to find more.

Soon, Gauss and the others encountered their first group of monsters.

A small group of Lizard People.

They are common primitive reptilian humanoid monsters, fond of lurking in swamps and shaded jungles.

They lack traditional moral values, hunting any creature entering their territory, killing them to use as food.

To them, humanoids, humans, beasts, and monsters are indistinguishable.

Similar to goblins, Kobolds, and Jackal-Wolf People, Lizard People are also natural devotees of the Giant Dragon.

Some advanced Lizard People can even speak simple Dragon language, rumored to have been taught to their ancestors by ancient Giant Dragons, something they take pride in.

Lizard People living in territories of Giant Dragons regularly offer tributes to the Dragon Lord, such as slaves, gems, metals, food, and more, hoping to win the favor of the Giant Dragon.

Therefore, to ordinary humans, Lizard People are often attackers and plunderers.

When Gauss approached the Lizard People, he noticed these creatures holding wooden spears and turtle shell shields, covered in dark green scale armor, standing upright, trembling in fear before him.

Before he could attack, most Lizard People knelt down, prostrate on the ground.

Muttering something indiscernible?

A few other Lizard People turned to flee, seeming both respectful and fearful of him.

Gauss frowned slightly.

Initially unsure of the reason, but soon he guessed why.

Is it the [Sturdy Scale Bloodline]?

The Sturdy Scale Bloodline evolved from a reptilian innate talent, theoretically superior in hierarchy compared to other reptilian bloodlines.

The future direction clearly involves gradual evolution toward the Giant Dragon.

Submission and fear toward Giant Dragons are almost genetically imprinted in Lizard People, so fearing one with the Sturdy Scale Bloodline might be understandable.

Lizard People are perhaps the most devout among the many evil followers of the Giant Dragon.

Of course, it’s primarily due to the vast difference in strength between them.

Moreover, this group of only ten or so Lizard People was not significant enough to form an organized threat. If there were a whole Lizard People tribe, led by a chieftain, it might be a different situation.

Facing the Lizard People bowing down to him like he was a Giant Dragon, Gauss remained unmoved.

Whether they did so out of reverence for dragon blood, worship, or fear of death, it was irrelevant to him.

He wasn’t going to spare them just because they knelt before him.

In the past, a goblin whelp once begged for mercy incessantly, but he hadn’t softened then either.

He didn’t have the time to guess a monster’s thoughts.

He was merely a ruthless Monster Slayer.

”Swish!”

In the terrified and puzzled eyes of the Lizard People, a flash of white sword light sliced across their thick-necked scales.

”Gah~”

A large green head fell to the ground, rolling a couple of times.

Then, several more sword flashes swept through, leaving several headless corpses on the ground.

”Slain Lizard People*7”

”Obtained title [Lizard People Hunter], which will upgrade with more kills.”

”Current effect: Nemesis. Lizard People and related advanced species facing you will experience a certain degree of power decline.”

Interestingly, this was the first time Gauss had slain Lizard People.

Although during past Demon Wars, they were a common monster troop type as well, unlike goblins, their occurrences in human territories were relatively rare.

Most of the time, they remained within demon territories, devoutly serving their masters, Sub-dragons, Giant Dragons, or other dragon-blooded creatures.

Only when their masters waged war against humans did they invade the human world en masse.

The several Lizard People who attempted to escape were forcefully subdued by Ying using the Shadow Binding Technique.

”Rose, pick up your weapons and try to battle them,” Gauss said to a young man.

While ordinary Lizard People are somewhat stronger in combat than goblins, Gauss’s presence weakened them further, making them a suitable opponent for these trained villagers.

Perhaps spurred by Gauss’s courage or awakened by their first encounter with bandits, the village youth showed little hesitation in quickly rushing forward with their weapons.

Ying timely released the Shadow Binding Technique and stood behind the Lizard People to prevent their escape.

Gauss stood behind the youth, his gaze locked on the cowering Lizard People.

For these Lizard People, this scenario was akin to being caught between a rock and a hard place.

Especially Gauss’s threatening gaze exerted tremendous pressure on them.

Their overall abilities seemed almost entirely suppressed.

And under these circumstances, the opportunistic youth managed to suppress these equally numbered monsters despite being novices.

Even better than Gauss had anticipated.

He had prepared to intervene, as Lizard People were not much of a challenge for him, being typically too strong for ordinary newcomers to handle.

But unexpectedly, his suppressive effect was too effective.

”Crunch!”

A spray of hot, crimson blood splattered across the excited face of a young man.

Soon, the other Lizard People were slain by other comrades.

Staring at the enemy’s blood in their hands, they were amazed, seemingly surprised at the battle’s simplicity.

”Congratulations, you’ve completed the first battle of your lives.”

”However, the monsters earlier were already terrified, exhibiting little of their true strength; should you encounter them again, be extra cautious,” Gauss advised.

Although Gauss provided a favorable environment, the youth’s ability to kill Lizard People also indicated their diligent training.

Otherwise, the Lizard People’s necks wouldn’t voluntarily meet their blades, nor would their scale armor’s defense be diminished due to Gauss’s title effect.

Having successfully subdued the first monster group, Gauss and others continued exploring other directions around the village.

Soon, they came upon other monster tribes.

After letting villagers kill a few monsters and observing their breathless state, Gauss didn’t let them continue to fight.

The following act was almost entirely his solo performance.