I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 353: Second-Order Demon Transformation

The function of Commander Points is to advance blue-quality racial talents to purple quality.Gauss currently possessed quite a number of racial talents.

[Special Stomach], [Sturdy Scale Bloodline], [Ghost Form], [Proto-Hive Mind], [Intermediate Draconic Language], [Flight Instinct], [Encountering Evil Hour].

These racial talents covered various qualities.

Among them, [Encountering Evil Hour] was purple quality. It had played a key role in the recent battle to kill the Ogre Leader and was currently his strongest talent. It probably couldn't be advanced to a higher quality for the time being.

Among the many blue-quality talents, the ones he used most frequently were undoubtedly [Special Stomach] and [Sturdy Scale Bloodline]. He could barely count [Ghost Form] in as well.

Truth be told, Ghost Form wasn't actually used that many times, but each time it was used, it was extremely critical, achieving a reversal of the situation. That's why he also included this talent in his considerations.

65 Commander Points.

Deep down, he felt this number wasn't particularly large.

So, he had to use them selectively.

Gauss's attention wavered between these three.

Special Stomach could enhance his supply. Just last night, he relied on this talent to continuously consume magic stones, obtaining rapid energy replenishment. However, he could currently only rely on ingesting low-level magic stones. He had tried cutting up some mid-level ones to eat, but soon experienced physical discomfort and vomited them out. Consuming a large quantity of low-level magic stones in a short time would also place a burden on his body.

However...

Normally, unless it was a large-scale battle like last night, with Gauss's exceptionally gifted total mana pool, he wouldn't need to ingest such a massive amount of magic stones in a short period that it would damage his body.

So, its priority...

Gauss shifted his gaze away from it.

It wasn't that advancing it was useless, just that its priority wasn't that urgent for now.

[Sturdy Scale Bloodline] and [Ghost Form].

These two transformation-type enhancement talents were actually somewhat similar in purpose.

Except, the former trended towards a dragon-like form, while the latter trended towards a ghost-like transformation.

In terms of enhancement, [Sturdy Scale Bloodline] provided a weaker boost compared to [Ghost Form], but it excelled in stability and duration, focusing on strengthening power and physical fitness. [Ghost Form], on the other hand, emphasized speed and explosive power.

One excelled in stability, a broad and powerful type; the other was strong in burst, maximizing mobility.

This was indeed a difficult choice.

Gauss sank himself into the hot water of the soaking tub, quietly contemplating.

He really liked this feeling, as if the whole world had fallen silent.

But don't try to imitate this easily. After receiving the blessing of the lake god Mete, he had already mastered the ability to breathe underwater.

After a long period of thought, he finally made a decision.

He planned to invest the Commander Points into [Ghost Form] first. Once he obtained more Commander Points later, he would try to advance [Sturdy Scale Bloodline].

Actually, this wasn't too difficult. After all, not all Commander-level monsters were as strong as that ghostified Ogre Leader. As long as the opponent was suitable, killing them now was actually quite easy for him.

There was another reason for choosing [Ghost Form].

When he killed that ghostified Ogre Leader, he had absorbed part of its bloodline from its body.

Although it didn't advance his [Ghost Form] to purple quality at the time, it should have pushed the progress quite a bit.

Prioritizing the temporarily limited number of Commander Points into [Ghost Form] could ensure that this use of points would at least successfully advance one talent to purple quality.

If spending 65 Commander Points couldn't even complete the advancement of [Ghost Form], then the other talents would have even less hope.

He focused his attention on [Ghost Form], then slowly poured the points into it.

5 points, 10 points, 20 points... when he reached 45 points, an advancement prompt popped up.

"Conditions required for quality advancement have been met. Proceed with advancing the blue-quality racial talent [Ghost Form]?"

"Yes."

...

The "yin-cold" energy within Gauss's body continuously swelled.

In an instant, that energy multiplied several times over and kept becoming more refined.

Quietly, he entered that ghostified state once again.

Small curved horns sprouted from his forehead, and surging energy filled his body.

"Gauss, are you alright?"

In the kitchen, Aria, Shadow, and others who were handling ingredients sensed the commotion next door and knocked on the bathroom door.

"I'm fine."

Hearing Gauss's relatively stable voice from inside, even though they didn't know why such a powerful aura suddenly emanated from within, everyone still breathed a sigh of relief.

Gauss felt his entire body was extremely cold, not in the physical sense. This chill made him very comfortable, as if some intangible thing deep within his body was slowly awakening.

"Crack, crack—"

The white air currents swirling around his body's surface continuously compressed, even faintly revealing a profound black hue.

He could feel that this enhancement energy was much more stable than before, like a giant beast that had been brought under control.

"Blue-quality racial talent [Ghost Form] successfully advanced!"

"Advanced to purple-quality racial talent [Second-Stage Ghostification]."

Once everything stabilized.

Gauss sat up from the now somewhat cooled bathwater.

He was still maintaining the ghostified state.

Clenching his fist, feeling the abundant strength and mana within his body, he understood the improvements brought by the advancement of Ghost Form.

Compared to before, [Ghost Form] was more like an incomplete transformation state. Its instability also caused Gauss to continuously consume a large amount of energy after entering this form.

But now, [Second-Stage Ghostification] had further optimized the adaptation to his body, making this burst state significantly more stable. In other words, the energy consumption wasn't as high as before.

He was no longer a "three-second true man," but had become more enduring.

The ghostly energy of black and white swirling around his body's surface had also strengthened considerably. This energy could be integrated into magic, amplifying the magical effects.

Besides magic amplification, physical attributes like strength, agility, and speed had also received a significant boost.

His six-dimensional attributes were already outstanding, and now after ghostification, they had increased even more, making him feel terrifyingly strong.

He didn't dare move his body casually.

Because he felt he hadn't fully mastered this power yet. If his control was improper, he might accidentally demolish his own house.

He had a premonition that [Second-Stage Ghostification] had more abilities, but this place wasn't convenient for testing them for now.

Gauss deactivated the ghostification.

The ghostly energy retracted into his body, and all the physical changes of the ghost form disappeared, restoring him to his human state.

Perhaps because he had only activated it briefly and hadn't taken any action, this activation felt almost costless.

"Not bad."

After sensing the improvements from the advancement, a satisfied smile appeared on Gauss's face.

However, for now, [Sturdy Scale Bloodline] would have to be shelved.

Although both were transformation-type talents with different emphasis on enhancements, the difference in quality meant that for a period of time, [Second-Stage Ghostification] would temporarily overshadow [Sturdy Scale Bloodline] in terms of usage.

It might have to wait until [Sturdy Scale Bloodline] also advanced to purple quality before it could reclaim its position.

The [Sturdy Scale Bloodline] line of talents still had its unique aspects. It was more comprehensive and could exert a bloodline suppression effect on common monsters like Goblins, Goblin-like creatures, and Gnolls.

He invested the remaining 20 Commander Points into [Sturdy Scale Bloodline]. As expected, it didn't meet the advancement requirements.

After the battle ended, no one came to disturb Gauss for the entire day.

Allowing him and his companions to get plenty of rest.

Besides Gauss benefiting greatly from last night's battle, his teammates also gained many rewards.

Serlandul already sensed he was about to advance from level 4 to level 5.

Albenia was also about to experience an advancement.

Although the others didn't have a level increase, if there were a progress bar for this process, it should have advanced by a day and a half.

This was the rich experience brought by a single battle.

The next day.

Gauss received an invitation from Eberhard and went to the Adventurers Guild with his teammates.

The streets of Grayrock Town were gradually returning to order.

Although potholes were still visible on the roads, the large boulders had been cleared away.

Some street-side shops had already begun repairing damaged doors and windows, with the clanging sounds of hammering rising and falling.

Seeing Gauss and the others walking on the street, the residents all gestured in greeting, showing respect to the great heroes of the just-concluded Grayrock Town defense battle.

After a full day of spreading, the details of yesterday's battlefield situation had been communicated to all residents of Grayrock Town through official announcements from the town hall.

Most people had heard that it was Gauss who killed the monster leader that launched the war against Grayrock Town.

Knowing the news of the monster leader's death instantly lifted the spirits of Grayrock Town's residents, which had been gloomy, and settled their anxious and uneasy hearts.

Gauss was now like a stabilizing pillar for Grayrock Town.

This was also the reason Eberhard requested him to walk the streets today.

"I heard Lord Gauss isn't married yet."

"Don't even think about it."

"How do you know without trying?"

Several young girls carrying baskets stopped on the street, their faces showing shyness.

Gauss and the others deliberately walked along the streets of Grayrock Town, taking a long detour before finally arriving at the Adventurers Guild.

Today, the Adventurers Guild was bustling with people.

Every adventurer who participated in last night's battle could receive a merit subsidy. If they unfortunately died in battle, the guild would send personnel to transfer this money to their registered relatives or beneficiaries at the guild.

Stepping into the guild hall, the originally lively crowd soon quieted down. At their companions' signals, many adventurers collectively looked towards Gauss and the others who had entered the hall.

For a moment, various emotions focused on Gauss.

Some were extremely excited, viewing Gauss as their role model, yearning to one day save a town single-handedly and turn the tide of battle like Gauss. Others, while admiring him, realized they could never possibly reach his level of strength. Daring to charge towards tens of thousands of monsters with just a few people was unimaginable to them. After all, relying on the city walls to fight those monsters was already very strenuous for them.

Going up to the second floor, Gauss saw the Night Owl Squad.

They had also participated in the battle on the walls last night. Fortunately, everyone was out of mortal danger.

However...

His gaze fell on the archer Oliver. Where his right hand used to be was now empty, with only a small section of upper arm remaining.

Noticing Gauss's gaze, Oliver's face was quite calm.

"My right hand was eaten by an Ogre. Luckily, I kept my life."

He stated the reason for his severed arm in a flat tone.

If his right arm hadn't been bitten off by an Ogre, but severed by other means, there might have been a possibility of reattachment if he quickly took the severed limb to a priest.

Gauss remained silent for a long moment before asking.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"With this war subsidy added, I've saved up some money, enough for me to live a decent life after retirement." Oliver had clearly discussed this with the others.

Having lost his right arm, he could no longer perform the duties of an archer. If he were a swordsman, he might retain some combat ability after later training, but for an archer, losing their dominant hand was fatal.

"However, I'll probably leave Grayrock Town, find a small inland town, get married, have children, and do some business."

"That's good too."

Gauss nodded.

Although he lost an arm, when many people embarked on the path of an adventurer, they were prepared for sacrifice.

Being able to retire alive was already luckier than some adventurers.

However, he couldn't help but sigh. Adventuring was indeed the profession with the highest unpredictability.

His former teammates, Bell and Mia from the first squad, had both retired due to injuries. The swordsman Doyle from the second squad was whereabouts unknown. Daphne had transitioned to being a physician. And now, the archer Oliver had to give up his professional path due to a severed arm.

But just like that, while some left, others scrambled to join in.

"You go ahead with your business."

"Let's have a drink when we have time."

With complex emotions, Gauss bid farewell to the Night Owl Squad.

Eberhard, Vice President Sherry, and several other staff members were already working on the third floor.

For the next few days, the entire Adventurers Guild would be extremely busy.

"Gauss, you're here. Please have a seat first."

"You go ahead."

After fighting side by side that night, Eberhard had become much more familiar with Gauss's team.

After waiting for a while, Eberhard finally found time to receive Gauss and the others.

"Sorry for the wait."

"You're this busy even as the chairman?"

Gauss couldn't help but ask an extra question.

He originally thought that with so many staff at the Adventurers Guild, the chairman would be relatively idle, at least able to delegate many document-related tasks to others.

Facing Gauss's inquiry, Eberhard just sighed and gave Gauss a helpless look.

"You'll understand this feeling when you have to manage a guild."

He rubbed his temples.

Compared to fighting, this kind of guild work made him feel more mentally exhausted.

Eberhard's gaze fell on Gauss.

Although his level was slightly on the lower side, theoretically, after breaking through to Master level, one could serve as the chairman of a town-level Adventurers Guild branch.

Not to mention Gauss's strength was far beyond what his level suggested. If he wanted to take this position, he would definitely be qualified.

"We'll see."

Seeing this level 9 swordsman, a powerhouse whose physique was already approaching inhuman levels, showing such a weary appearance, Gauss became even more firm in his thoughts.

He had no plans to leave the front lines of adventuring for now.

Compared to becoming a leader in one place, he needed to charge at the front lines and kill monsters.

Eberhard obviously thought the same, so he didn't expand on the topic.

"By the way, regarding your spoils of war, find time to collect them from the warehouse out back." Eberhard steered the conversation back to business.

The spoils he referred to were the monsters Gauss killed during the Grayrock Town defense battle.

Although the destruction from Fireball spells had damaged many spoils under high temperature and impact, the most precious spoils from the high-level monsters were relatively intact.

The bodies of the two Wyverns and that Ogre Leader.

Also, because of your squad's outstanding contributions in this battle, here is a reward list. See if there's anything your squad needs.