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Goblin Chapter 8: Mage's Effect
🕑 Added 2025-07-15 16:01:41 +0000 UTCThe sudden voice startled the trio.
Especially the short-haired girl—she visibly flinched from head to toe.
The archer girl immediately gave Gauss a scrutinizing look, wary of the unexpected stranger. She didn’t reply right away.
And judging from her expression, she was clearly on the verge of saying no.
In her eyes, Gauss didn’t look like someone strong.
Aside from a cheap little round shield, he wore nothing resembling proper armor—just a faded linen tunic that looked like it had been washed too many times, with the fraying corners revealing tiny holes. His only weapon appeared to be a battered dagger at his waist.
Rather than an adventurer, he looked more like a desperate kid who hadn’t eaten in days and was gambling everything on one last shot.
The only redeeming quality was his appearance—clean-cut with jet-black hair and emerald green eyes. He wasn’t stunningly handsome, but his sharp, clear gaze was striking enough to make people look twice.
She liked those green eyes.
But no way was she going to let a pretty face with no combat ability drag their party down.
She stayed quiet, still thinking of a polite excuse to reject him.
The silence dragged on awkwardly.
Just as things started to feel a bit tense, the boy leaning against the column—sword strapped to his side—finally spoke.
“We’re new too. If you’re looking to build experience, you might want to team up with more seasoned adventurers.”
His voice was low and lazy, but the words were honest, and there was a hint of kindness in them.
“It’s fine,” Gauss replied casually. “I’m also looking for goblin-related commissions, but I haven’t found one that’s suitable for soloing. Thought I’d try teaming up for a change.”
Truthfully, he wasn’t that keen on teaming with long-time bottom-tier adventurers.
The archer girl finally responded, her voice neutral.
“I’ll need to discuss it with my teammates.”
“No problem,” Gauss nodded.
He hadn’t expected much. He was just giving it a try. If they turned him down, he’d just go back and look for a solo mission.
But just as he turned to give them space, the archer girl suddenly stopped him.
“Wait.”
She seemed to recall something and asked, “Is that dagger your main weapon? Or do you have some kind of specialty?”
She didn’t really expect a useful answer. Usually, an adventurer’s visible weapon was also the one they relied on most.
She was just fishing for a follow-up, intending to politely decline by saying they already had someone specializing in daggers.
But Gauss’s reply caught her off guard.
“I use a dagger and a wooden spear in melee. But my specialty... I used to be a hunter. I’m good at navigation in the wild. And—I just learned a spell.”
“A... spell?”
All three turned to look at him, with expressions that clearly said: You? A spellcaster? Really?
“Are you a mage?”
“I’m not sure I’d call myself that yet, but I did learn a spell recently.” Gauss had no intention of hiding it.
He was the one asking to join their party, after all—no point holding anything back.
To prove it, he activated Mage Hand on the spot.
The air rippled slightly, and a spectral hand appeared, faint but clearly formed by magic.
He held up his dagger.
The phantom hand took it from him and swung it a couple of times through the air.
“That’s... actual magic!” the archer girl exclaimed, her eyes practically sparkling as she watched the floating dagger swish back and forth.
She stepped forward, clearly intrigued. “What spell is that?”
“Mage Hand,” Gauss replied simply. “It creates an invisible hand that I can control mentally.”
He didn’t go into detail. No point dumping explanations until he knew if they’d even let him join.
“Mage Hand... that sounds awesome,” the archer girl said, nodding enthusiastically. Her eyes still held a gleam of excitement—clearly she had a thing for magic.
“Alright, wait here. Let us talk it over real quick, okay? Don’t go anywhere!”
Before Gauss could respond, she pulled the other two aside to discuss in the corner.
They didn’t move far, and though Gauss had no intention of eavesdropping, he could still hear their conversation clearly.
“Are we really going to team up with some stranger?”
“But he’s a mage!”
“Having a spellcaster on the team could make things safer. This is our first mission—seven or eight goblins. Better to be cautious.”
After a short huddle, the trio returned.
The archer girl stepped forward and extended her hand with a friendly smile.
“We talked it over. We’re all fine with it. Welcome to the team! Let’s make this quest a success together.”
“Thanks. Looking forward to working with you.” Gauss shook her hand. “Mind if I ask your names?”
“I’m Hailier. I specialize in archery and provide long-range support. Oh—and I can cook, too.”
“Mia. I use daggers.”
“Bell. I use a longsword.”
Each of them had a distinct personality. Hailier, the archer, was clearly the leader and the most excited after hearing Gauss was a mage. Mia, the shy short-haired girl, kept quiet, while Bell, the sleepy-eyed swordsman, leaned back against a pillar with his arms folded.
Different vibes, but Gauss could tell right away: they weren’t bad people.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
Gauss had lived in town for over a year, but he had never seen them before.
“Nope. We’re all from Barry City. Grew up together.”
…
That night, after forming their temporary party, Hailier treated everyone to a celebratory feast at the tavern.
All three of them clearly came from decent families—not nobles, perhaps, but well off.
The table was loaded with food: grilled meats, malt ale, pickled sturgeon, and smoked venison sausages...
Gauss ate the best meal he’d had since arriving in this world.
The sizzling meat drizzled in the tavern’s secret sauce exploded with savory flavor the moment it hit his tongue.
The venison sausage had a bold, salty taste, slightly beefy but layered with a subtle, smoky fruitiness.
Turns out, the cooks in this world weren’t bad at all. And after days of hard black bread, oatmeal porridge, and pickled greens, this meal felt like heaven.
Of course, when the check came, Gauss nearly choked.
“That’ll be 3 silver and 40 copper.”
One meal had wiped out his entire net worth.
He almost spoke up to suggest splitting the bill—but after just paying his adventurer registration, he realized he didn’t have enough to cover even his share.
He looked a little awkward.
“Don’t worry about it,” Bell whispered to him. “Hailier’s family runs a business. She’s got money.”
Gauss nodded.
But inwardly, he couldn’t help but notice—the wealth gap in this world was just as brutal.
They were all young adventurers starting out… yet when the original Gauss had left home, he had just 30 copper, one change of clothes, and a single loaf of black bread.
He’d worked for over a year to save just over 3 silver, and now—he’d just eaten that in a single sitting.
He shook his head.
He wasn’t bitter. Just… aware.
This was temporary.
He’d earn it all back, and more.
One day, when he had the money, he’d return the favor.
Gauss patted his now-empty coin pouch and followed the trio out of the tavern.
