The moment Gaosi focused and entered the adventurer's handbook, several notifications immediately popped up.
At the same time, a peculiar power surged through his entire body, finally flowing back and converging in his brain.
It was a warm current that coursed through his entire being, his brain, spinal cord, and limbs felt as if they were immersed in a hot spring, countless invisible small hands kneaded and massaged every part of his body, an indescribable sense of comfort making him lose himself.
His brain constantly buzzed.
Opening his eyes, he suddenly saw clearly, the entire world in his eyes was renewed, as if some veil that had previously covered his mental consciousness had been lifted.
A special energy was also imprinted in his consciousness.
That was the spell called Mage Hand.
Having just experienced a short but intense battle, his body and mind, which were originally a little tired, were revitalized by this wave of cleansing.
Name: Gaosi
Strength: 5 (kinetic output such as physical strength, carrying capacity, explosive power)
Agility: 5 (body flexibility, dynamic coordination)
Constitution: 5 (stamina, physical fitness, trauma recovery, cardiopulmonary metabolism)
Intelligence: 7 (memory, thinking, mental power)
Perception: 5 (senses, intuition, judgment)
Charm: 5 (temperament, appearance, demeanor)
Skills:
0-level Cantrip: Mage Hand lv1 (1/10)
Gaosi examined the changes in the handbook's attributes.
His Intelligence attribute, which was originally 6 points, now reached a far superior 7 points.
The most intuitive benefit brought by these 7 points of Intelligence was that the memories of his original body, which he had to recall from time to time for most of the day, were thoroughly digested and absorbed in a short instant; Gaosi felt his memory was better than ever before.
However, this Intelligence should not be entirely equivalent to intelligence quotient in his previous life, although he felt his mind did become a little sharper after adding points to Intelligence, the increase was not particularly significant; it was more about memory and a power at the mental level.
And...
The weak magic power that flowed within his body, born from this change!
Yes, a magical power that excited him greatly was now flowing within his body.
The nascent magic power was still very weak, but it was truly present, seemingly like a child who had just arrived at a new home, scurrying all over the house.
Coupled with the newly acquired Mage Hand spell, with magic power, he should be able to try practicing magic.
However, considering that it was not the right time, he dismissed this fleeting thought.
The main quest of the Monster Compendium was now very clear: one was the total number of monsters killed; as long as he accumulated a certain number of kills, he would receive some rewards, and the next stage was 10 monsters.
And killing a single race also seemed to allow him to obtain corresponding rewards by accumulating quantity.
After feeling the changes in his body and the handbook, his attention returned to the real world.
The Goblin was completely dead.
Now it was time for him to collect the spoils of war.
He picked up the stone spear he had kicked away from a distance, holding it in his hand and sizing it up.
Not bad, although not made of metal, its texture was sturdier than he had imagined.
Take it!
He currently only had a small dagger as equipment, and even stone weapons were welcome; he just didn't know how durable they would be.
Speaking of which, although his original body was a novice hunter, he actually didn't have weapons like a hunting bow or a spear, because the wilderness was a habitat for monsters, and compared to direct hunting, simply setting traps was much safer and more efficient, and also reduced the time spent in the wild.
Perhaps it was because of his cautious hunting strategy that he managed to survive safely until now, without losing any limbs.
His original body had also tried to make wooden weapons, but they broke after only a few uses for various reasons, so he simply stopped bothering with them.
His gaze fell on the Goblin; apart from a small piece of ragged cloth covering its lower body, it had no other clothing, and that small piece of cloth emitted a strong, pungent odor.
Gaosi hesitated for a moment and did not reach out to strip it, thinking that taking it would probably not fetch any price anyway, so it was better to leave it on the Goblin to cover its remains.
The Goblin's body itself had nothing valuable, and since he wasn't killing Goblins in a specific commissioned area, he couldn't take any body materials to claim a bounty. After a thorough search, he took the beast tooth ornament hanging around its neck.
The Goblin's corpse didn't need to be specially buried; the natural primeval forest would digest it cleanly.
After quickly tidying up his personal belongings, fearing that the scent of blood would attract other magical beasts and wild animals in the forest, he quickly left.
He only breathed a sigh of relief when he returned to the oak tree where he had buried his package.
His first monster kill went much smoother than he expected.
It was also time to return to town for a rest.
Killing ten monsters was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
The reason he was able to catch this lone Goblin was entirely due to the information left by his original body, coupled with a well-planned ambush, which made it seem so smooth.
In reality, low-level monsters encountered by adventurers in the wild often fight in groups, and it's hard for two fists to contend with four hands; even if there is a difference in individual strength, attacks from all directions are quite tricky.
He currently did not have the ability to fight multiple monsters without taking damage; he needed to go back and first digest his current gains and improve his strength.
He returned along the same path, looking at the map.
When he walked out of the forest and returned to the main road, he finally saw people again.
From then on, he continued to return along the same path he had come.
By the time he reached the town's checkpoint, it was almost dusk.
The setting sun hung over the distant mountain peaks.
The last rays of twilight spilled onto the gray stone rooftops of the town, bathing the originally unadorned town in a golden glow.
He recalled that most of his time on this trip was spent traveling, and the actual combat time was not long.
After being checked and allowed to enter the town, Gaosi made a firm decision: he must acquire a mount.
Otherwise, every time he went out, just walking on two legs, he would be exhausted before even reaching the mission location.
Especially since it currently seemed he was developing in the direction of a mage, with attributes like constitution and strength no different from ordinary people, he needed to pay even more attention to his stamina distribution.
...
He came out of a hot bath at a local bathhouse.
Shedding his cloth armor and changing back into loose linen clothes, Gaosi felt refreshed.
The hot water made his skin red all over, and the fatigue in his body and mind seemed to be carried away by the steam.
After combat, moderate enjoyment and relaxation of the nerves are also necessary; one cannot remain constantly tense, or they will eventually break down.
The summer night in Gray Rock Town flowed with a pleasant evening breeze like clear spring water, and the night sky sparkled with stars, presenting a special deep blue hue.
The market square in the town center was lit by pine resin torches, and open-air stalls with canvas awnings supported by bamboo poles lined the streets; wind chimes swayed in the breeze, making crisp sounds, and ceramic pots filled with delicious food emitted rich aromas.
Fearing he couldn't control himself and would overspend, his original body rarely had the habit of going out at night.
Walking through this exotic night market for the first time, Gaosi found everything new and fascinating.
Most of the market stalls were food vendors, but there were also a few fortune-telling stalls that came out at night, cheap jewelry stalls, and the puppet show stage with string puppets attracted the most people.
Night watch guards, with long swords at their waists, stood around maintaining order.
Overall, it was a very lively small town, especially after nightfall.
“How much is this worth?”
Gaosi pulled out the beast tooth ornament he had plundered from the Goblin and squatted in front of a sundry goods stall , asking for the price.
“Is this plundered from a Goblin?” The stall owner was an elderly man; he leaned closer and examined it carefully, then said.
Although it was a question, his tone revealed certainty.
Clearly, he often dealt with similar primitive ornaments.
“Yes, I killed a Goblin in the Emerald Forest this afternoon and took it from him.”
“I can offer 1 silver coin. You know, there aren't many customers who like this kind of primitive and wild style, and besides, this type of ornament isn't exactly rare.” The old man gave his price, and seemingly noticing Gaosi's hesitation, he added.
“This is the market price; you can inquire about prices at other merchants in town who buy these materials; it shouldn't be too different.”
Gaosi was generally satisfied with this price; a string of beast tooth ornaments selling for 1 silver coin, nearly a quarter of his previous savings.
However, since he was not clear about the market price, he was not in a hurry to sell and planned to ask a few more places for quotes, then sell to the one with the highest price.
It would be good to sell for a few more copper coins anyway, as it wouldn't take him much time.
Money is very important for adventurers: equipment, weapons, potions, guidance from famous masters, skill instruction.
As long as you have money, you can get it all.
Being armed to the teeth also provides better safety when fighting low-level monsters.
He walked around the surrounding stalls and shops.
He found that the old man from the beginning had not cheated him; the quotes from the other few places all fluctuated around 1 silver coin.
Ultimately, Gaosi sold this spoil of war for 1 silver coin and 8 copper coins.