Not much could be done about it.
Goblin gear—especially from small settlements —was always in rough shape.
Gauss didn’t know why this particular group of goblins had taken over the ruins, but most goblins preferred to live in caves or swamps. Damp, underground environments were just in their nature.
Unfortunately, those same environments were the perfect conditions for rust. With no anti-rust oils or maintenance materials, the metal weapons goblins used were always corroded, dull, and half-useless.
After the fight, Gauss and the rest of the Night Owl party began scavenging for loot around the ruins.
Before long, they had gathered a decent pile in the clearing.
Meva picked through it all with a sharp eye. Considering their wagon didn’t have unlimited space, she chucked out anything bulky and worthless.
“These should go for around 20–30 silver, maybe,” she estimated.
Not bad for a camp of 20 goblins—they had enough loot stashed away to make it worthwhile.
Gauss did a quick calculation in his head.
With the mission payout included, everyone would walk away with around 6 or 7 silver.
He was pretty satisfied with that.
Sure, it wasn’t as much as they got from the Birchwood Village job, but that had been pure luck—a one-in-a-hundred kind of payout.
In reality, adventuring rarely handed out magical loot.
If rare items dropped every time, they wouldn’t be “rare,” and prices wouldn’t be sky-high.
This kind of steady mission? Safe, manageable, and decently profitable.
Do ten more of these, and he could probably afford a house in Grayrock Town.
By the time they finished cleaning up, it was nearly noon.
As usual, wrapping up the job took longer than the battle itself.
But now that it was all over, everyone relaxed a bit.
While Daphne treated a small scrape on Doyle’s arm, the rest sat down to eat and recover some strength.
That’s when Gauss finally noticed something—
now that Meva had pulled her hood down, he realized her ears weren’t human. They were long and pointed.
She noticed him staring.
“Oh. Yeah. I’ve got a little bit of elf blood in me,” she said casually, then went back to rummaging through her bag for food.
That explains it, Gauss thought.
No wonder she moved so quietly—must be the elven bloodline.
Elves were known for being powerful: long-lived, attuned to magic, naturally stealthy, and incredible archers.
Their only real drawback was how slowly they reproduced.
Maybe that’s why humans—more average overall but with the advantage of numbers—ended up dominating the continent with their kingdoms.
That afternoon, the Night Owl decided not to head straight back.
Yeah, the battle had been easy, but it still took a toll.
And more importantly, even if they started now, they wouldn’t make it back to Grayrock before nightfall.
So they set up camp right there in the ruins, letting the horse rest and giving themselves a break.
After lunch, with nothing better to do, Gauss wandered around the broken-down village.
The place was full of collapsed walls and weed-filled ruins.
Judging by the overgrowth, the area had been abandoned for a long time.
Some buildings were mostly intact, but a lot of them looked like they’d been blasted open. Huge holes in the roofs, floors torn up as if something had smashed through from above.
The central plaza was cratered like the surface of the moon.
Was this place destroyed by a battle? Or maybe a meteor strike?
The more he looked, the more bizarre it felt.
If this was caused by a person…
That person would’ve had to be insanely powerful.
Leveling buildings like artillery fire? That kind of raw strength was terrifying.
Gauss swallowed hard.
But along with the fear, he felt a spark of longing.
He wanted to be that strong too.
The return trip to Grayrock was uneventful.
Just like that, Gauss had wrapped up his second real adventure.
He submitted the mission, got his payout, sold off the loot, and collected his share.
Once everyone had their cut, the squad immediately split up like clock-punching workers after a long shift.
Even though the job wasn’t hard, the constant travel had worn everyone down.
They hadn’t bathed in days, they smelled like hell, and no one wanted to linger.
Gauss glanced at the seven silver and fifteen copper in his pouch, nodded in satisfaction, and tucked it away.
Cash on hand: 19 silver, 30 copper.
He’d have to tighten his belt a little now.
He’d spent 10 silver on his rapier and 15 on his leather armor—both long-term investments for future safety, sure, but still, money didn’t grow on trees.
His plan was to keep working with Laevin’s team for a bit, do a few more jobs, and replenish his funds.
A magic staff’s base material alone started at 70 silver.
Of course, it wasn’t like he was just freeloading.
In fact, his Magic Missile was kind of the team’s nuke.
Same way Daphne’s healing spell brought peace of mind, his offensive magic gave them a serious edge.
After a long soak in the bathhouse, Gauss headed back to the inn.
As he reached the door, Sophia was just about to close up.
But when she spotted him in the streetlight, she paused, smiling warmly and reopened the door.
“You’re back, Gauss? Come in, come in!”
Looking up at the soft orange glow of the lamp above her head, Gauss felt something warm stir in his chest.
After several exhausting days, seeing a familiar face made him feel like he was home.
The original body’s memories told him he did have a real home… but thinking about that left his emotions tangled.
Maybe someday, he’d go back.
He took a breath to push the feeling down.
“Yeah. Just finished a job,” he said with a tired but content smile.
The adventure hadn’t been thrilling, but that was exactly how he liked it.
“No danger, right?” Sophia asked, brows furrowed with concern.
“Just some goblins. Nothing serious.”
Then, realizing how that might sound, he quickly added—“Well, for me it wasn’t dangerous.
If you ever run into goblins, please don’t take them lightly.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not nearly as brave—or reckless—as you adventurers.”
“You hungry? I’ve got some food left over. My treat.”
“You already ate, didn’t you?”
“…Fine. I’ll take a little.”
Technically it was his first real day off, so he figured it was okay to slack a bit.
It was nearly noon by the time he finally dragged himself downstairs.
Sophia sat at the front desk, chin in hand, staring out the window with a bored look.
The midday sun was warm.
The street outside bustled with people.
Shops were set up with open-air stalls, and clear stream water trickled through the gutters beside moss and wildflowers.
A breeze rustled the ivy growing up the buildings across the street.
Both he and Sophia yawned at the same time.
“Lunch is ready for you, by the way,” she added with a small smile.
Today, Gauss decided to eat at the inn.
Last night’s late-night snack had reminded him that Sophia’s vegetarian options just weren’t enough anymore—so he’d asked for meat.
Truth was, Sophia was a decent cook.
She just didn’t usually have good ingredients—
feeding broke travelers meant sticking to cheap food.
Until recently, someone like Gauss couldn’t afford meat either.
Now though? He could.
As Sophia headed back into the kitchen, Gauss stretched and yawned again.
After lunch, he planned to head to Widow’s Alley—a quiet little street where the shopkeeper that Master Gron had mentioned sold magic items.
He didn’t have enough cash for a staff yet, but no harm in doing some scouting, right?
Maybe he’d get lucky.
And even if he didn’t—it was good to set a target and work toward it.