Cold, bloody water seeped into the scorched soil beneath Gauss’s feet.
With one boot planted firmly on the unmoving back of a giant rat, he drove his slender sword through its chest once more, the blade flashing cold and sharp.
He pulled the sword out. The tainted blood sprayed as he gave it a quick flick to clean the edge.
His eyes scanned the wrecked battlefield.
Sure, the Adventurer's Manual gave kill notifications, but mistakes could still slip through during...
[Title Earned: ‘Ratkin Hunter.’ This title will upgrade as kills increase.]
[Current Bonus: Bane – +10% damage against giant rats and ratmen.]
As the title activated, an invisible force surged through Gauss’s body. His attacks now hit even harder—especially against the rat-like creatures swarming ahead.
He watched the writhing black tide of rodents crumble under the blaze, turning to charred corpses and scattered embers. A subtle wave of relief passed through hi...
“That’s a fat rat—wouldn’t it be better dried as jerky?”
“Shh, just take it outside the manor and burn it. The steward gave strict orders. These rats might be carrying diseases—definitely not safe to eat.”
As Gauss and Alia arrived near the estate, they happened to overhear two servants walking by, carrying a sack and chatting as they passed.
Gauss withdrew his gaze, thoughtful.
He followed the merchant caravan further into the estate.
The ma...
Gauss met up with Alia on the second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild.
This druid girl was the same one who had accompanied him back from the Emerald Forest two weeks ago. At the time, she’d been followed by a majestic wolf, who helped carry Gauss’s luggage when he didn’t yet have a storage pouch.
Since then, the two had kept in touch—not exactly close, but familiar enough to count as acquaintances.
“Congratulations,” Alia said, her gaze lingering on the shin...
“You used magic, didn’t you, senior?”
Gauss put down his cup and stared straight at Andeni, eyes sharp with suspicion.
They were all drinking fairly—so why was she pulling tricks?
“Ma-Magic? What are you talking about?” Andeni’s cheeks were still a bit flushed, but she denied it flatly. “Who would seriously learn a spell just for sobering up, haha… ha… You don’t really think I cheated with magic, do you?”
“Yes,” Gauss said firmly.
After spending 4 gold and 65 copper on skills earlier, Gauss was left with 9 gold and 70 silver.
Even if he sold off all the miscellaneous items he had, he could only scrounge up about 19 gold and 20 silver—still short of the 25 gold he needed.
He hesitated, mentally preparing a polite way to turn down the purchase.
But before he could say anything, the store attendant gave him a small bow and said with a smile:
“If you're tight on funds at the moment, there's ...
As Gauss passed the warrior section, he glanced at the prices of apprentice-level sword techniques. The cheaper ones were around 20–30 silver coins, and even the pricier ones were just 50–60 silver.
Compared to cantrips and spells, warrior skills were surprisingly affordable.
The rogue section also had basic stealth, breath control, and tracking skills neatly displayed on the shelves.
"I wonder... could I learn skills from other classes too?" Gauss mused.
Norma...
"Excuse me, coming through."
"Ah—sorry."
Gauss blinked and quickly stepped aside, realizing he’d been standing in the middle of the staircase, completely blocking the way. A woman passed him with a polite smile.
He gave a sheepish smile back, a little embarrassed.
Guess that’s just part of the rookie experience.
It wasn’t really the scenery that had him frozen, but the emotions—raw, complex, overwhelming. This wasn’t just a new floor in a buildin...
"Come in."
Gauss and Petra stepped into the office.
Shirley glanced up and immediately recognized the rookie adventurer who had piqued her interest the last time. Her gaze lingered on him for a second longer than necessary—after all, regardless of gender, good-looking people tend to get noticed. And as a warlock with a magical bloodline, Shirley’s attraction to beauty was even stronger than most.
"Lady Shirley," Petra began, "Adventurer Gauss has completed all three p...
[Total Monsters Kills: 368]
[Total Goblins Kills: 241]
Gauss looked at the field littered with limbs and let out a long sigh.
He had to admit, wiping out an entire goblin village solo was exhausting.
Killing one or two wasn’t much—but once that number crossed into the fifties or sixties, the physical and mental toll became very real.
After the adrenaline faded, he was left with a dull numbness in both body and mind.
Thankfully, his newly upgraded Ener...
Gauss looked at his Adventurer’s Manual. As expected.
The racial trait he had stolen from the goblins—Quicm Digestion—had officially been upgraded from Basic to Elite. (Changed)
Reading through the description…
Energy Storage Glands appeared to be a more advanced evolution, similar in function to a camel’s hump, capable of storing excess energy in the body ahead of time and converting it on demand into stamina or mana.
Basically, a hidden emergency backup...
After easily taking out the nearest goblin, Gauss darted behind the warehouse, sticking to the shadows.
His strike had been clean—silent and precise. No one else noticed.
He glanced toward the bonfire.
Four goblins were crouched there, sharpening their blades against stones.
A communal feast after a successful hunt—turns out that’s a cross-species tradition. Every goblin in the village wore an expression of joyful anticipation.
“Better save the capti...
In the lush green sea of trees…
Perched atop a towering tree, Gauss carefully used his dagger to slice off a patch of vibrant green moss nearby.
Inside the sponge-like mass were dozens of tiny, plump, berry-like beads.
[Berry Moss]
An edible ingredient, sweet in flavor. When simmered or roasted with meat, it gave the dish a fruity, aromatic undertone.
Unfortunately, it spoiled quickly—once detached, it began to rot within hours. It had to be used during ...
“You're the one who offered to treat me. I didn’t force you,” Andeni said casually.
“Of course. You’ve given up a lot of your time today, senior. I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least treat you to a meal.”
“It’s no big deal. I don’t get many visitors anyway.”
Andeni closed the door of the Thorn Cottage.
Unlike her usual loungewear around the house, she was now dressed in a deep green, elegant dress. The hem stopped just above her knees, revealin...
"Looks like your magical talent is even better than I expected," Andeni said, her voice tinged with a bit of envy.
She couldn’t help but recall her own past—how hard she had worked after leaving her village. The struggle of going from a clueless novice to an apprentice who could finally cast cantrips, and only after countless quests, experiences, and saving enough coin, did she finally advance to become a full-fledged mage.
Even with her naturally heightened mana sensitivity...
Gauss continued quietly observing the druid girl, Alia.
At last, during sunset, they reached the edge of the Jade Forest.
Both let out a breath of relief at the same time.
Outside the forest was a small temporary adventurers’ camp. It was a hub where low-rank adventurers, hunters, and herbalists gathered—occasionally, even Bronze-ranked adventurers could be seen.
The camp was surrounded by a wooden fence, with several wagons parked inside.
Stepping in, t...
"Drip. Drip."
A dewdrop landed on Gauss’s forehead, bursting into cold splashes.
It was early morning in the Jade Forest. The air was chilly and damp, and Gauss shivered slightly as he drifted between sleep and wakefulness.
Groggily, he opened his eyes and instinctively tried to roll out of bed—only to find he couldn’t move.
For a moment, he was confused.
Then his brain caught up.
"Right... I’m in a sleeping bag... tied to a tree branch."
<...
Gauss drew his dagger and began cutting off the left ears of all the fallen goblins, casually delivering a finishing blow to any that might still be breathing.
Many ears were already blasted to pieces by his Magic Missiles, but thankfully, this quest was a flat-rate commission—he just needed to turn in enough proof to complete the formalities.
The sun continued to bake the land, and the goblin village became utterly unbearable.
The stench of excrement, blood, intestinal...
"Yaaaahhh!"
The Redcap Goblin drew its short blade and slashed down the neck of a fellow goblin who was trying to flee.
Its bloodshot eyes glared at the remaining tribe members.
No retreat. Fight.
Unlike ordinary goblins, this Redcap’s bloodlust only intensified with the gore.
Its latent combat instinct surged. The craving for human blood overpowered its fear of death.
After executing two cowards, it managed to temporarily stabilize the crumbling mo...
After killing the last two goblins needed to hit his milestone, Gauss made a few quick leaps and swiftly put distance between himself and the rest of the goblin horde.
He drew his staff, hopped cleanly over the crude stone wall, and disappeared from sight behind the village's low defenses.
Back in the square, the goblins—who had just been rallying their courage and shouting battle cries—now stared blankly at the vanishing enemy, confused.
All eyes turned to their lead...
Gauss’s Mage Hand successfully delivered the poison pouch to the water source.
Everything after that went smoothly.
The pouch was submerged into the spring, and under the gentle pressure of Mage Hand, it ruptured. Streams of toxic liquid slowly seeped out, blending silently into the water.
Mission complete.
Gauss sank the pouch to the bottom, weighed it down with a rock to hide any signs, and ended the spell.
Now it was just a matter of time.
He ret...
It was the first time Gauss had ever seen a goblin tribe of this size.
Obviously, he had to observe for a while and gather enough intel before planning his next move.
He climbed up a massive tree, using the trunk—thick as a wall—for cover, and peeked out carefully to observe the goblin village below.
With his Perception now at 7, his five senses had essentially been "hardware-upgraded."
Under normal conditions, spotting something even a hundred meters away was ...
SPLAT!
A slimy, dark green creature landed right in the middle of the path, blocking Gauss’s way.
He stopped, looked down, and recognized an old “friend.”
A Slime. Sticky-type.
While not very common near human settlements, they were apparently everywhere in the Jade Forest. He’d seen several so far.
And this one had just jumped out of nowhere.
“Squelch!”
The slime, noticing the intruder, compressed its gelatinous body against the gr...
Gauss returned to the inn.
Nothing about the place had changed since he’d left. That in itself was oddly comforting.
It felt like no matter how far he went, this place would always be here—holding onto his memories.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back.”
“Want something to eat? There’s food in the kitchen.”
“Already ate before coming back.”
“Gauss, you…” Sophia’s eyes narrowed as she gave him a closer look.
It had be...
Once they left Shirley’s office, Gauss finally let out a breath.
That warlock, Shirley, had been intense.
It felt like her aura alone had suppressed everything around him.
The sudden encounter with such a powerful and mysterious figure humbled him. He’d been riding high on his recent advancement, but that reminded him—there’s always someone stronger out there.
Becoming a professional was just the beginning.
They walked a bit further down the hallway ...
So… is he here to submit a commission?
Petra wondered as she saw Gauss approach.
She was already getting ready to accept his quest materials and badge—but Gauss didn’t hand anything over.
…?
She blinked, unsure what was going on.
Still, she quickly slipped into work mode, a professional smile on her face.
“How can I help you today?”
“I’m here to ask about the process for being promoted to Bronze-rank Adventurer.” Gauss got str...
Gauss clenched his fists.
With every slight movement, he could feel both strength and mana surging through his body. If a few of his past selves were standing in front of him now, he was confident he could take them all down with ease.
And that said a lot—he’d already been exceptionally strong for a trainee.
If it were any regular apprentice, he could probably take on even more than a few.
No wonder those professionals he’d met back in town had felt so intimi...
Sunlight streamed in through the window, filling the room with a peaceful, quiet warmth.
Gauss opened his eyes.
It felt like he’d just woken up from the longest dream.
He raised a hand to block the light. Maybe it was because he had just woken up, but the sunlight felt unusually bright.
Where am I…?
He sat up slowly, dazed, until his memories caught up with him.
Right.
I was in the Mutual Aid Association’s private chamber—locked in for ...
“What is it?” Gauss asked, confused.
“Nothing major,” Lawrence replied. “Just wanted to say—when you start forming your class core, if you need any supplements or alchemy-grade ingredients, I can help you get them.”
“Wait, you need potions to form a class?” Gauss raised an eyebrow, curious.
“You can do it without them, but the right supplements speed up the process—and can improve the quality of the results too,” Lawrence explained. “For caster-t...
Gauss could clearly feel the weight of the staff—simple, solid black metal, completely unadorned.
And its defining trait? Pure hardness.
Yeah, this was one weird staff.
While most staffs enhanced spell power, sped up casting, or extended magic range, this one? None of that.
It only slightly boosted defensive spells—and was absurdly durable.
It honestly didn’t feel magical at all.
Bulky, heavy, and the only real "advantage" was how much it resemb...