[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-not-a-goblin-slayer":3,"chapter-i-am-not-a-goblin-slayer-i-am-not-a-goblin-slayer-chapter-123":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am Not A Goblin Slayer",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1311225,1741,"Chapter 123 - 115: Church, Cellar, Ratman (Part 2)","i-am-not-a-goblin-slayer-chapter-123",123,"\u003Cp>The bark of that tree is marred by rodent gnaw marks, and the roots are sprinkled with a few black droppings the size of fingernails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their range of activity is quite large,\" Gauss whispered. \"We’re still nearly two hundred meters from the church.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s the work of the rat swarm,\" Aaliyah’s voice sounded somewhat muffled through the gas mask. \"They greedily plunder surrounding resources to sustain themselves and breed their accompanying creatures.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were fully armed before setting out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Aaliyah wearing protective gear, Gauss also cast [Gauss’s Defense Guard] on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid startling the rats, her wolf companion was positioned at a distance, on standby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, it seems they’ve occupied this area for a while now,\" Gauss nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Perception of 7, fully utilized under the [Insight Skill], even allowed him to judge the size of the rats from their paw prints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant rat in the paw prints, not counting the tail, was almost half a meter long, comparable to a small dog! The number of other rats wouldn’t be small either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Demon Introduction Manual’s records about ratmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s likely the ratmen couldn’t provide enough food, so they let the trained rats forage on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also explains why the manor several kilometers away suffered a rat infestation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two were talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large rat, over thirty centimeters long, suddenly darted out from the pile of fallen leaves, holding a stiff bird carcass in its mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Gauss and Aaliyah blocking its way, it was clearly stunned, staring at them while holding the bird, puzzled by these unwelcome guests intruding on its territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Squeak squeak squeak!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A series of sharp cries rang out, not from the rat but from Aaliyah’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gauss knew she was adept at [Animal Communication], a spell for easy interaction with wild animals, and was gathering information at the moment, so he kept quiet to await the outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Squeak squeak squeak!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Squeak! Squeak—squeak!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaliyah tried to communicate again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the rat showed no response, turning to flee with the bird carcass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Failed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the rat preparing to scamper away nearby, Gauss fired his One-Handed Crossbow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whizz!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gauss’s crossbow arrow broke through the air, pinning it to the ground with precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can’t communicate with rats using Animal Communication?\" Gauss curiously inquired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, this spell can establish contact with almost all animals; the response varies based on the target’s intelligence. But this rat... as if it’s a block of wood, showed no response. This might be some modification method of the ratmen,\" Aaliyah’s tone was grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two continued towards the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The closer they got, the denser the traces of rodent activity became. The air was filled with a pungent stench, increasingly withered plants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it intentional root gnawing, or some kind of toxin pollution?\" Gauss was on alert internally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ratmen might lack goblins’ strength, but their wisdom is much higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excessive destruction of vegetation would prematurely expose the existence of their nest, clearly not aligning with their habits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after covering more ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abandoned church appeared before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With tiles falling off the spire and mottled walls, the building bore the marks of time’s passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the church surroundings, it was covered with rats’ trails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dug-out hole entrances were everywhere, animal bones gnawed to the core scattered on the ground, and the soil even oozed eerie dark green slime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But most hair-raising, was the gray-black \"empty space\" in front of the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On closer inspection, it wasn’t any empty space, but a \"carpet\" of hundreds of thousands of writhing rats! They crowded tightly together, their gray-black fur forming a chill-inducing \"wave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, several giant rats nearly seventy centimeters long stood out, perched like leaders within the swarm, their scarlet eyes gleaming fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Gauss’s heart skipped a beat, a sensation of being secretly watched pricked like a thorn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squinted slightly, his sharp gaze followed the hunch, scanning toward a broken window missing stained glass high on the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fleeting scarlet glimmer vanished into the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Been discovered?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ve been discovered,\" Aaliyah also spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her perception was equally sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course,\" Gauss gripped the White Bone Staff tight. \"With so many eyes, sneaking close is almost impossible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since stealth was out of the question, only one path remained—direct assault!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised the staff, its tip pointing toward the densest area of rats, muttering softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Flaming Arrow!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air at the staff’s tip began to warp, orange-red fiery energy rapidly converging, in the not-so-long chanting time, forming a Flaming Arrow the length of a forearm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow’s heart was scorching white, edges flickering with crimson flames, sparks sprayed out continually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely the Trick Gauss recently mastered, unexpectedly getting quick use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whizz—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Flaming Arrow left the bowstring, dragging a dazzling orange trail through the air, precisely hitting the rat swarm!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow fiercely struck a giant rat, instantly exploding! Scorching flames accompanied by flying sparks, igniting the surrounding crowded rats like sparks in boiling oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dry fur became the best fuel, flames spreading at an astonishing speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Squeak squeak squeak—!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silent church ruins were instantly drowned by piercing shrieks, the stench of scorched flesh and burning flesh filling the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Giant rat killed*1\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Total Monster Kills: 369\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, giant rats are viewed as a separate species in the Monster Atlas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gauss nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Counting these giant rats, the total number of \"monsters\" involved in this mission might be close to a hundred!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching flames triggering chain combustion in the dense rat swarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless rats rolled and screamed in the blaze, Gauss felt deeply moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Flaming Arrow indeed proved to be useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although not as powerful as a 1st Ring Magic Missile, in front of these gathered weak creatures, its effect is even better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fur being vulnerable to fire, an eternal truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the outstanding effect of the Flaming Arrow, Gauss’s hands didn’t pause for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The White Bone Staff repeatedly pointed towards the densest areas in the rat swarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flaming arrows roared out one by one, dragging fiery tails, fiercely stabbing into that heaving black \"carpet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound notifications of giant rat kills kept echoing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before confronting the main ratmen patrons, he didn’t mind clearing their claws in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beside him, Aaliyah started throwing Molotov cocktails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her solid arms traced a powerful arc, hurling the ignited bottles fiercely towards areas not yet touched by flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang! Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crackling bottles and the \"whoosh\" of rising flames intertwined, grease carried by flames spread quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding vegetation long devastated by the rat swarm, turned into barren scorched earth, which instead let Aaliyah throw without any psychological burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In no time, the church ruins turned into a fiery scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless small rats were devoured by flames amidst desperate and \"squeak\" screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those large-bodied, more resilient giant rats survived, relying on their thick fur and fierce instincts, forcefully breaking from the blaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rolling madly on the ground, using mud-covered bodies to extinguish flames on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their scarlet eyes, burning with pain from the fire, stared fiercely at the arson culprit, Gauss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While in the depths of the church, the dark entrance leading to the damp cellar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the sharp, crowded squeaking of the carpet of rats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a dozen ratmen, more agile than ordinary counterparts, clad in armor, holding rusty yet still sharp scimitars, Wooden Spears, and mauls, mounted giant ratbacks.\u003C\u002Fp>",1229,"2026-06-05T18:36:35.127Z",1,"novelbin.me","864922da83f8410198e66c10c54e38ac959ce66cc137a04b1e7b1e520e21c0c0","i-am-not-a-goblin-slayer-chapter-124","i-am-not-a-goblin-slayer-chapter-122",640,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-not-a-goblin-slayer-cover.jpg"]