novelhk Chapter 299: Gauss’s Marvelous Enlightenment Technique
Chapter 299: Gauss’s Marvelous Enlightenment Technique
After obtaining the "Draconic Language" talent, Gauss discovered that the cooldown time for breath spellcasting had been greatly reduced, while its usage also became much simpler.For the sake of practice and familiarity, he simply began using breath spellcasting extensively.
Dagger storms, azure magic bullets, and crimson flames swept through this Ettercap nest shrouded in webs.
The other two Ettercaps were quickly subdued by Gauss's teammates.
After Aria used control spells to temporarily restrain them, Albenia shouted and charged forward, hastily swinging her great axe to sever their tentacles and lower abdomens.
Only their upper torso main bodies remained, writhing and wailing in place.
Their agonized cries prevented the Ettercap Slave Spiders from developing any thoughts of escape.
Gauss stood firm in the sky like a magical artillery platform, precisely picking off numerous spiders.
....
"Magic Missile!"
Gauss spat out two blue spherical projectiles.
As magical energy erupted in dazzling splendor, the barely surviving Ettercap finally met its end amid a display of magical fireworks.
"It's over."
Gauss's figure slowly descended from the sky.
His breathing was slightly uneven.
Frequently casting spells over an extended period, even if most were just the simplest cantrips, still placed a certain burden on both mental energy and physical stamina.
Or perhaps even higher-level spellcasters might not necessarily achieve his level of combat effectiveness.
Advanced spellcasters might only master more powerful or specialized magic, but in terms of fluency with low-level spells, they might genuinely not compare to Gauss's current state.
As the saying goes, there's specialization in every trade - Gauss was a professional when it came to killing small monsters.
After all, his spellcasting proficiency was built upon mountains of monster corpses.
Knowing how to eliminate monsters using minimal effort, the least magic, and the fastest speed was itself a form of expertise.
It wasn't simply a matter of brute force solving everything.
If he really used one spell to melt all the monsters here, leaving not a single corpse behind, then how would he register the battle points without any trophies?
Therefore, he needed to kill rhythmically, employing strategies for systematic elimination.
"Next..."
Gauss looked toward Maggie, who sat dazed on Ulfen's back.
In his view, her physical constitution was actually quite exceptional among ordinary people.
Hunters typically had better physical foundations compared to professions like farmers and craftsmen. Additionally, since they frequently had to hunt in the wilderness and set traps, mental qualities like courage, attentiveness, and exploratory desire were more developed than in ordinary people. Consequently, a significant portion of hunters ultimately took up the path of adventuring.
Speaking of which, Gauss's original self had been a half-baked hunter.
At the very least, his original foundation definitely wasn't as good as this female hunter Maggie's.
Gauss hesitated for a moment but chose not to approach and speak with her.
Instead, he left her with time to quietly process this immense grief.
Parting through life and death, the loss of loved ones - any words would seem inadequate, but time would heal all wounds.
"Serlandul, please inspect this area and check for any remaining insect eggs."
....
After assigning tasks to his teammates, Gauss himself began the post-battle collection work.
There actually wasn't much worth collecting, mostly concentrated on those two Ettercaps.
Their silk-producing glands held some value.
Beyond that were some main organs.
When everything concluded.
Gauss's collected points had reached 1372.
In this commission, the three Ettercaps provided 50 points each, totaling 150 points.
Combined with the 315 points from the Ettercap Slave Spiders, they earned a total of 465 points.
His personal total monster kill count subsequently reached 8615.
Moreover, he had acquired the new racial talent Draconic Language - overall, it could truly be called a bountiful harvest.
Gauss used Prestidigitation to clean his companions, then examined the messy corpses scattered across the ground. Ultimately, he shook his head and dismissed the thought that had just arisen.
"Gauss, what are you thinking about?" Aria noticed Gauss's gaze and asked curiously.
"I was thinking if leaving them here is a bit wasteful - perhaps Hephaestus would eat them."
"But they're highly poisonous..."
"So I dismissed that idea."
Both Ettercaps and Ettercap Slave Spiders carried significant toxins, which served as their primary means of attack and survival.
If one wanted to consume these spiders' flesh and blood, it would require extensive time to remove their internal poisonous organs, clean the contaminated flesh, and properly handle subsequent washing and cooking processes.
It was simply too troublesome.
Although dragon bodies were superior to ordinary creatures - monsters like Goblins and Goblin-like creatures that normally weren't suitable for human consumption were merely slightly off-tasting rations for them - there was no need to deliberately test with poisonous substances.
Ultimately, Hephaestus was now his mount.
If it developed health issues from eating, he would be the one dealing with the consequences.
"Let's take Maggie home first?"
Gauss approached Maggie, who had temporarily calmed her emotions.
She had borrowed cloth from Aria, bundled the remains and belongings of her fellow villagers, and now sat on the ground staring blankly.
Only when Gauss stood before her and spoke did she emerge from her own world as if awakened, responding to Gauss.
Maggie's village wasn't particularly close to this location.
Before departing, Gauss didn't forget about teaching her skills.
"Maggie, are you literate?"
"I, I know a little."
Seeing she still appeared dazed, Gauss didn't beat around the bush.
He took out a basic archery skill book [Rapid Shot] from his Storage Bag.
"Here's a basic ranger skill, Rapid Shot. You can browse through it and see if you can understand it."
"This..."
Maggie, who had been in a dazed state, immediately widened her eyes and looked at the brand-new booklet in Gauss's hand.
Even without encountering this tragedy, saving money to purchase skill books had been her goal. Now seeing something she had long yearned for suddenly appearing before her, she felt overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
"Take it. You need this, don't you?"
Gauss knew the flames of hatred toward monsters had already been ignited in her heart.
Even without his "sponsorship," she would find ways to gain power and launch her revenge against monsters.
To be honest, until he took out this skill book, he had been contemplating whether this was truly good or bad for Maggie.
Ultimately, he felt that compared to the dangers of becoming an adventurer, she probably needed power more.
Anyway, the purpose of his outing today was originally "enlightening the people," helping more potential adventurers embark on the path toward professional advancement.
Maggie hesitated for a moment, then decisively accepted the skill booklet from Gauss's hand.
The experiences of these past two days had completely altered the trajectory of her life.
She had never craved power so intensely before.
If she possessed even one-tenth of the power of the man before her, she could have saved her family and friends, instead of trembling behind tree trunks, praying the monsters in the mist wouldn't discover her.
That bone-deep feeling of powerlessness, leaving everything to fate - she truly never wanted to experience it a second time.
"Thank you so much! Lord Gauss."
Her gaze toward Gauss overflowed with gratitude.
He had not only saved her life but also given her this skill, providing her with the power for future revenge.
"How can I repay you?"
She asked.
"Repayment?"
Gauss shook his head.
Since becoming an adventurer, he had helped many people, and naturally, some like Maggie before him had asked this same question.
"I don't need any repayment."
"If possible, please use this power wisely."
Upon hearing this, Maggie tightly gripped the skill book.
"I understand. I'll follow your example and strive to eliminate more monsters."
Maggie's gaze toward Gauss carried a trace of admiration.
She had noticed earlier that Gauss's monster-slaying techniques were incredibly proficient.
The scene of monsters falling like wheat with mere waves of his hand was truly breathtaking.
Moreover, he seemed quite enthusiastic about slaughtering monsters.
So, did Lord Gauss have similar experiences to hers?
Seeing her burning gaze and mission-sworn determination, Gauss fell into brief silence.
Although he had anticipated this beforehand, he didn't think ordinary people needed to be like him, nor could they be like him.
Ultimately, if someone in this world had to bear the mission of being a monster slayer, it should be him, not these ordinary people.
Seeing Maggie already showing tendencies of becoming a devoted admirer.
Gauss sighed.
"I hope you master this skill as proficiently as possible before embarking on the adventurer's path."
"Life only comes once."
"Even I underwent extensive training before becoming an adventurer."
Of course, this was a well-intentioned lie.
For the sake of Maggie's life safety.
Although he had been reckless at the beginning too, venturing into the forest with just a small oak shield and wooden spear, from his current perspective, it had indeed been very dangerous.
It could only be called newborn calves not fearing tigers, combined with the temptation of rewards from the Adventurer's Manual, which made him inadequately prepared.
Aria's gaze toward him now was full of suspicion.
But she actually didn't know about Gauss's initial circumstances either.
When she truly teamed up with Gauss, he was already a Level 1 professional.
But judging from Gauss's level-up speed, she felt Gauss probably hadn't stayed long at the lower adventurer stages.
"I understand." Maggie nodded seriously. "I'll definitely practice the skill sufficiently before setting out."
In her eyes, Gauss might be a senior who had similar experiences, as well as her lifesaver and object of admiration. She would naturally take Gauss's advice to heart.
She began scanning through the skill book's contents.
Although she claimed to know some characters, Gauss could roughly gauge her actual literacy level from her occasionally furrowed brows.
He didn't find this strange.
Knowing some characters was already remarkable for ordinary people.
Based on his experiences during this "rural education" period, even self-proclaimed literate rural "intellectuals" were basically half-baked.
The language involved in skill books was generally quite obscure.
For this situation, Gauss naturally had a solution.
"Having trouble understanding?"
"Y...yes." Maggie's cheeks slightly reddened.
"It's fine, I'll teach you."
So, after having Maggie pause, he no longer restrained the changes brought by the "Draconic Language" talent, allowing magical energy to naturally flow into his throat.
"Tongue of Languages."
Formless, intangible magical energy emerged from his mouth, attaching to Maggie's body.
Instantly, Maggie's head was swept by a wave of cool clarity.
The previously difficult, headache-inducing characters suddenly became approachable in her eyes.
She certainly didn't think this was sudden enlightenment on her part, but immediately realized this was the help Gauss had mentioned.
Seeing her astonished expression, Gauss nodded inwardly.
Indeed, just as his vague premonition had suggested.
The Draconic Language racial talent combined with this "Tongue of Languages" spell produced excellent results.
The enhancement was greater than with other offensive spells.
Perhaps it was the so-called specialization in every trade.
Talents had their own "sweet spots."
He could clearly feel that this "Tongue of Languages" effect was more than twice as effective as before.
"Let's take you home first. You can continue reading on the way."
"Okay."
Without further delay.
Gauss's group mounted their steeds and headed toward Maggie's village.
As an adult, Maggie already had some literacy foundation and basic archery skills. The only trouble was some difficult concepts and principles in the skill book.
But the Tongue of Languages cast through Draconic Language-enhanced breath spellcasting seemed not only to make her understand the text during the spell's duration but also provided a special auxiliary function.
During the journey, she actually managed to grasp the general content of the skill book.
Although Gauss wasn't a ranger, with his professional level, he could naturally understand the key aspects of this archery skill.
After brief communication with her, he knew she had basically understood.
Now she only needed to train according to the skill book's content and methods - mastering this skill might not be too difficult.
While this involved Maggie's personal talent and hunter foundation - even without his help, she might have managed to study this skill book through self-learning and master the "Rapid Shot" skill - his spell clearly accelerated this process and reflected the special nature of his "Tongue of Languages" casting.
Perhaps, combined with Draconic Language, Tongue of Languages had somewhat deviated from its original foundation, becoming a new spell?
Gauss's Enlightenment Technique?
Maybe he was well-suited to be a teacher?
Shaking his head.
Gauss temporarily set aside this thought.
In his perception, this version of Tongue of Languages only served as a catalyst, accelerating the process.
If the material was fundamentally rotten wood, it probably couldn't achieve miraculous transformation.
"We're here."
Gauss's group stopped before a village.
Maggie's village wasn't particularly special, just like most villages.
Neither exceptionally impoverished nor particularly wealthy.
Under the astonished gazes of the villagers, Gauss returned the "missing" Maggie to her home.
He chose not to enter.
"We'll be going now, Maggie."
Maggie knew that "celestial beings" like Gauss were certainly very busy. She had already delayed him considerably, and further wasting his time would be impolite, so she didn't presumptuously attempt to persuade Gauss to stay.
"Okay, thank you so much. May you travel safely, honored sirs."
She bowed deeply.
"Take care. We'll meet again if fate allows, Maggie."
Gauss waved his hand.
Under Maggie's watchful gaze, they followed the village road and departed from the village.
He still had plenty of matters to attend to back in town.
Submitting the commission, fully absorbing the "information streams" accompanying Draconic Language, then using elite points to advance the Draconic Language talent.
He felt the Draconic Language talent might have more development potential, just like the situation with Tongue of Languages.