I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 261: Rural Enlightenment, Teacher Gauss

Goat Village was situated beside a clear stream called Maple Creek. The village was quite sizable, with roughly a hundred households.Most villagers made their living by cultivating the fertile land along the creek and raising a hardy breed of wool-producing goats.

Gauss recalled the information about the village as he guided his Ostrich at a slow pace along the country road.

The village's condition seemed decent. Although the wooden fence showed some damage, there were no signs of large-scale destruction or recent repairs.

An elderly man with graying hair, accompanied by several strong young men, waited at the village entrance. They had likely been alerted by the shepherd boy Gauss encountered earlier.

"Are you the esteemed individuals sent by the Adventurers Guild?"

The elder noticed the neatly displayed badges worn by the group.

"Yes, Village Chief. I am Captain Gauss, and these are my teammates: Aria, Serlandul, and Shadow."

Gauss dismounted his bird politely, presenting the commission document stamped with the Adventurers Guild seal to verify their identity.

"We are here under the Guild's commission to assist your village in training self-defense forces and eliminating the monsters causing trouble in the surrounding area."

After confirming their identities, the elder relaxed and led the group into the village.

"Village Chief, what kinds of monsters are most common around here?"

Gauss inquired about the situation as they walked through the village.

"Goblins, Goblin-like creatures, and a group of skeletons. It's said that a war once took place on our village's land long ago, burying many bodies. Because of that, every now and then, a bony hand reaches out from the earth."

"I understand."

Gauss nodded, already formulating plans for the coming days.

Thanks to Serlandul's Fold House, Gauss and his team didn't need to lodge with villagers like before.

Considering they would be both eliminating monsters in the surrounding area and training villagers over the next few days, they didn't place the Fold House in a remote location. Instead, they chose an empty spot among the villagers' houses.

"Esteemed one, are you sure about this location?" the Village Chief asked Gauss curiously. "Should our village youths help you cut some wood?"

Having overheard Gauss mentioning something about a house, he assumed they planned to build a wooden hut on-site for temporary lodging.

"That won't be necessary."

Gauss shook his head.

Under the watchful eyes of the Village Chief and curious villagers who had gradually gathered, Serlandul placed the Fold House on the chosen spot and softly chanted the activation spell.

After the incantation ended.

The satchel rapidly expanded and unfolded.

In no time, an exquisite, spacious house stood firmly on the ground.

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"Is this magic?"

The villagers, who had never witnessed such a miraculous scene, gasped in astonishment, exclaiming that they had seen something extraordinary.

Time quietly slipped into the afternoon.

The settled Gauss squad arrived at the training ground.

This area was originally the village's central threshing ground, temporarily converted into a training area.

But calling it a conversion was generous;they had merely leveled the ground slightly, removed debris, and built a simple wooden platform.

When Gauss entered the area, nearly every able-bodied young person and adult in the village had gathered here.

A vast crowd of roughly a hundred people.

Most wore patched coarse cloth clothes, holding hay forks, hatchets, or wooden sticks they brought from home. A few occasionally carried bows or longswords.

Even though Gauss was here to train militiamen, the villagers weren't foolish. They wouldn't pass up this excellent training opportunity.

Even if it meant delaying some farm work.

Unfamiliar with Gauss and his team, the crowd's eyes flickered with nervous curiosity and a hint of longing for power.

Gauss stood on the platform, silently observing everyone without speaking.

No wonder he had seen the wooden fence in good condition before entering the village. Even though the crowd included many teenagers, children, and women, the number of able-bodied adults was still considerable.

Many hands make light work;ordinary small groups of monsters truly couldn't threaten this village.

"Hello everyone, I am Gauss, captain of the adventurer team commissioned by the Sena City Adventurers Guild to train you. I am a Mage, and these are my teammates..."

As usual, Gauss began by introducing their identities.

The crowd below remained relatively quiet throughout, aside from some hushed whispers, likely because the Village Chief had given them prior instructions.

"The courses we will teach you mainly include: swordsmanship, archery, simple testing for special powers like magic, and the making of basic tools, armor, and weapons..."

The crowd grew slightly restless only when they heard the specific teaching content.

Especially upon hearing the word "magic," the commotion grew louder. At the grassroots level, particularly in villages, people held great awe and curiosity towards mysterious magic.

Everyone's eyes involuntarily burned with fervor.

For many, merely mastering one or two moves Gauss taught could be a life-changing moment, let alone completely grasping everything he imparted.

Sensing the crowd's burning enthusiasm, Gauss poured some cold water on them to temper their expectations.

"But you must understand that the skills we teach, especially magic-related ones, might be impossible for most people to even begin learning. So please prepare yourselves mentally beforehand," Gauss stated bluntly. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be so few successful adventurers."

Telling the truth in advance was beneficial for the villagers.

It prevented greater disappointment later from investing time and effort without results.

Skills, even those that sounded very simple like [Diagonal Slash]—an action that seemed like anyone should be able to perform—

The key points were actually simple: pivot on the ball of your front foot, rotate your body to the opposite side, and if holding the blade in your right hand, slash diagonally from top-right to bottom-left.

Just keep the blade and movement trajectory aligned, with eyes, hands, and body rotation coordinated.

But in reality, while mastering the movement might take some time, condensing it into an actual skill within the body was extremely difficult for most villagers without long-term training foundation.

Because [Diagonal Slash] as a skill, at the moment of execution, involved a burst of bodily strength reinforcing the blade-wielding arm and torso, granting significantly greater power.

Normally, only after mastering a basic skill could one be considered on the path to becoming a low-level adventurer. Otherwise, they wouldn't even qualify as low-level, merely ordinary people with some combat techniques.

Gauss looked at the sea of confused eyes below and sighed inwardly, saying nothing.

He quickly moved into formal teaching.

He first randomly called upon a strong young man at the front, then took a pre-prepared practice stake from his Storage Bag and placed it in the open area.

"Using your most comfortable method, perform a diagonal slash on that stake."

The young man paused, then nodded, walking to the stake and taking a deep breath.

With a loud shout, he twisted his waist and turned his body, the hatchet in his hand drawing a cold gleam as it struck the stake.

"Thud!"

After a dull sound, the hatchet embedded into the stake, wood chips flying.

The young man exerted some effort to pull the hatchet from the stake, leaving a deep chop mark behind.

He looked at Gauss with some pride.

Achieving this level indicated he already had some practice foundation.

But it was still too crude.

Gauss nodded without comment.

He simply walked to the young man's side and took the hatchet from him.

"I'll use the same strength as you, with the most basic skill, to demonstrate once for everyone."

After settling into position, Gauss didn't shout, his gaze locked on the stake. His waist naturally generated power, driving his shoulder and arm, the hatchet in his hand immediately swinging out.

It was precisely [Diagonal Slash], one of the basic skills he intended to teach.

"Swish!"

No intense collision sound emerged;instead, a soft sound completely different from the previous thud appeared.

The hatchet's edge precisely and smoothly sliced diagonally into the stake, then, as if encountering no resistance whatsoever, continued diagonally through the entire stake.

He withdrew the blade and stood straight. The stake, now cleanly sliced into two parts along a smooth, flat cut, slowly slid apart and fell to the ground.

"He cut through such a thick piece of wood just like that?"

"Did the hatchet not break?"

"How was that possible?"

The onlookers marveled at the scene.

Both were chopping, using the same hatchet, on the same stake. The young man's powerful strike only created a notch two or three fingers wide, yet Gauss completely severed the stake.

Did he really use the same strength?

But recalling Gauss's effortless, flowing movement, some villagers indeed sensed that he seemingly hadn't used much force.

"Do you see the difference?" Gauss's voice broke the silence and speculation. "What I used was the power of the skill [Diagonal Slash]. It's not just a standardized movement;at the moment the action completes, a deeper 'skill power' bursts forth. This allows me, using the same muscular strength, to achieve ten times the destructive effect you did."

Now, everyone understood the significance of skills.

"But honestly, it will be quite difficult for you to reach my level. Let me first teach you some basic movements."

"Later, I'll assess your progress and select those who grasp it better for further training."

Gauss spoke, looking at the pairs of focused, fervent eyes.

Talented individuals were always the minority.

But if he could unearth a few, or even a dozen villagers with skill aptitude, it would still be considered his contribution to this world.

On a small scale, they could change their own destinies, gaining the power to protect family, friends, and loved ones.

On a larger scale, among them might emerge the next professional, becoming backbone forces for villages, towns, or even cities. A single person might save dozens or hundreds of lives.

For this trip, he had acquired several skills: [Vertical Chop], [Diagonal Slash], and [Horizontal Sweep].

These three skills were quite universal, applicable to various weapons.

Demonstrating the process was simple for Gauss.

After unlocking his second professional advancement [Sword Soul], his familiarity and understanding of swords had greatly increased. His comprehension of other weapons had also improved by extension.

In theory, he was more than qualified to teach the villagers.

But the actual training process proved much more troublesome than he anticipated.

The movement essentials that seemed incredibly simple to him were extremely difficult for the vast majority of villagers. Their ability to control their bodies and limbs was uncoordinated.

Their brains couldn't comprehend it, and even if they understood, their bodies couldn't execute it.

They were all thumbs, their force application postures a complete mess. Some even lost grip of their weapons, nearly injuring bystanders. Fortunately, he and his teammates were vigilant, intercepting the flying weapons.

However, Gauss had mentally prepared himself before coming, so he didn't grow impatient.

He simply kept walking among the crowd, continuously offering guidance.

He could only do his best.

During his rounds, he also spotted a few seedlings who seemed to have some close-combat talent, both boys and girls, mostly younger teenagers and youths.

Conversely, the stronger adults who engaged in year-round farming and labor instead had stiffer, more sluggish movements.

He mentally noted them down.

After letting everyone train for a while longer.

He then selected, based on his observation, several promising individuals suitable for training the three basic skills, offering them targeted advice.

The Village Chief nearby also noticed them and took note. He understood clearly that only those personally named by Gauss had any real chance of achieving something.

Time was limited, so Gauss didn't waste any.

He and his teammates subsequently conducted tests and training in other areas for the crowd.

Archery aptitude, sensing magic, priest and Druid aptitudes, methods for making traps and tools...

When dusk fell.

Many people in the training ground were already sitting on the ground, breathing heavily.

The entire regimen was exhausting.

Those named by Gauss, though tired, wore barely suppressed excitement on their faces. The majority who went unnamed from start to finish were rather dejected.

Although Gauss had said that with diligent practice, everyone had the potential to master skills, the probability was certainly not as high as for those with innate talent.

The next day, Gauss and the others proceeded with further in-depth training.

They had also brought many basic skill books for this trip.

Although [Vertical Chop], [Horizontal Sweep], and [Diagonal Slash] could theoretically be learned through extensive practice after his instruction, skill books were still best for ordinary people. These books, costing between one to over a dozen silver coins each, were provided by the Adventurers Guild.

Aria also had basic skills corresponding to her own profession.

Although the quantity was substantial, considering the many villages they needed to visit, supplies were still relatively limited.

This was also why Gauss had conducted preliminary screening the previous day.

Although the commission intensity was light for Gauss, time was still quite tight. He couldn't stay in one village for long.

Deducting the time for screening talented individuals, teaching skills, his own practice time, leading people to eliminate monsters, and practical teaching...

He could only stay in each village for a few days, a week at most.

Advanced training continued.

Gauss didn't stop those villagers who wanted to learn more from actively observing.

However, the number of people noticeably decreased on the second day.

But as Gauss made his announcements, the training ground soon buzzed with energetic training.

"Ha!"

They struck the stakes with their training weapons.

The glaring sunlight beat down on their faces, beads of sweat constantly forming, yet no one complained. On the contrary, everyone was highly motivated.

Among those receiving skill training, the number practicing close-combat skills was the highest, a full six people.

The rest included archery trainees, one attempting magic practice, and one attempting Druid divine spells practice. As for priests, this village seemingly didn't have any correspondingly talented seedlings.

Of course, this was only a rough test;Gauss and the others couldn't achieve perfect accuracy either.

They simply infused their respective professional powers into the villagers' bodies, sensing their affinity for the corresponding energies.

This method wasn't highly accurate, but it was the best they could do.

The number of other onlookers learning various crafting techniques was quite large.

After briefly instructing the villagers learning close-combat skills, teaching them how to understand the skill books, and letting them train freely, Gauss approached the village's only potential seedling who might possess magic aptitude.

It was a very young girl named Rhine.

Probably only around ten years old.

Blonde hair, very pale skin, even pale to a somewhat sickly degree.

She wore a washed-out, stiff linen dress, clearly from an ordinary family.

But Gauss had given her a simple check and didn't detect any pathological condition within her body.

At most, her qi and blood were somewhat weak, but for a child, that obviously wasn't considered an illness.

Noticing Gauss approaching, the little girl lifted a pair of bright, large eyes to look at him.

"Hello, Rhine."

"G-Gauss... Teacher, hello." Rhine spoke timidly.

Clearly, her family had probably emphasized the importance of Gauss's teaching after she returned home last night.

Gauss was a Mage, the leader of this team, and his appearance was rather strikingly handsome. To many villagers, he gave off the feeling of an unattainably important figure.

The girl Rhine was naturally no exception.

Teacher, huh...

Gauss shook his head slightly.

This was the first time someone had addressed him that way.

He initially wanted to say something—that he was merely here to impart skills, would leave in a few days at most, and didn't deserve the title of teacher.

But looking at the nervous gaze of the girl whose height only reached his waist, he reconsidered and didn't correct her.

Objectively speaking, he indeed was changing the destiny of this little mushroom-haired girl before him.

If he hadn't come, or hadn't chosen her, years later, she might have simply married someone within the village or a nearby village, living an ordinary village woman's life.

But now, everything had changed.

This was fate's arrangement.

The only problem was her age—she was a bit too young, making it early for skill learning.

He smiled and nodded, reaching out to pat her head.

"Shall we begin trying to learn magic?"

"Okay, please guide me."

He took out some 0th-level Cantrips.

[Mage Hand], [Acid Splash], [Fire Bolt], [Shocking Grasp], [Message]...

"You need to choose one from these."

"Teacher... I can't read this." Rhine hesitated for a moment, then looked up and admitted honestly.

The content was somewhat complex.

"That's alright, I'll teach you. This is Mage Hand, its effect is..." Gauss patiently explained to her.

Perhaps remembering his own beginnings on the adventurer path, he felt a mix of emotions.

"Teacher, which one did you choose first?" Sensing Gauss's gentleness, Rhine's speech became slightly more fluent.

"Mage Hand."

To be precise, it wasn't so much a choice, but it indeed was his first Cantrip.

"Then, I want to choose this one too." The girl Rhine mustered her courage.

Gauss hesitated for a moment, then looked at Rhine again.

According to procedure, he should leave the choice to the trainee. But as an instructor, he inevitably had his own thoughts.

Mage Hand was highly versatile, but for a girl who wouldn't have sufficient ability to protect herself for a considerable time, was it truly suitable?

In a life-or-death situation, Mage Hand couldn't enable her to take a Goblin's life, whereas other offensive Cantrips could.

Moreover, considering her likely resources, she probably wouldn't have the means or energy to master a second Cantrip for a long time. Thus, the choice of the first Cantrip was crucial.

Not everyone possessed talent as strong as his.

"But this spell isn't suitable for you. I suggest you choose an offensive-type Cantrip." Gauss thus offered his advice.

"Then I'll choose... Fire Bolt." Rhine hesitated a bit but ultimately made her selection.

This time, quite coincidentally, she chose a Cantrip Gauss originally knew.

Although Gauss had temporarily learned the other offensive Cantrips for this teaching mission, his proficiency certainly couldn't compare to his mastery of Fire Bolt.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course it is." Gauss smiled. "Let's begin."

"Okay, Teacher."

Under the morning sun, Gauss began explaining the contents of Fire Bolt to Rhine, word by word.

Perhaps due to Gauss's excessively profound understanding of Fire Bolt, or perhaps because Rhine herself possessed some innate talent, the explanation process went more smoothly than Gauss had anticipated.

Soon, the girl, seemingly in a state of vague comprehension, grasped the essentials of Fire Bolt.