The adventure squad named Night Owl had a slightly cold attitude, except for the captain Levin.
After Gauss finished his self-introduction, the others briefly mentioned their names and preferred weapons, then fell into silence.
Some were shy; the priestess sneaked a few glances at Gauss, saw the others weren't speaking, hesitated for a moment, and chose silence too.
Some were perhaps naturally aloof. The wanderer, an assassin cloaked in a cape, greeted briefly and then resumed polishing their short sword.
Speaking of which, because the assassin was always hooded and had their head lowered, Gauss initially thought they were male, until they spoke and revealed they were female.
The remaining archer and swordsman were equally taciturn.
Gauss understood, one can't expect everyone to be extroverted and cheerful, especially when faced with a stranger suddenly joining the squad.
If Levin's words were true, and this squad was "elite," then a bit of aloofness from the members was normal.
Isn't this typical of experts?
Besides, Gauss quite adapted to this cold yet non-offensive demeanor; if strangers were overly enthusiastic right from the start, he would feel uncomfortable.
"If there are no issues, let's all rest this morning, and come afternoon, we'll practice together to get acquainted. The rendezvous is at the Guild's entrance."
"Tomorrow morning at the chime, we'll gather at the town's entrance for the mission departure."
"The mission's specific earnings will be distributed based on each one's efforts."
"Understood, captain."
"Then I'll take my leave now."
As soon as Levin finished talking, the cloaked girl waved her hand and turned to leave.
The others likewise said their farewells and departed.
"Don't find them cold." Levin looked at the remaining Gauss. "Once you've spent time, you'll realize they're good people."
"Of course, first you have to earn their approval."
Levin laughed heartily.
"I understand." Gauss nodded.
Likely some felt, with him being a temporary member, there's no need to invest energy in making acquaintances, thinking he'd leave soon, keeping their distance from the start was better.
"Then, Gauss, let's head to the front desk to register the mission; I'll add your name to the temporary list."
Upon completing the registration at the Adventurer's Guild counter, Gauss temporarily joined the squad due to the mission's commission.
A squad like Levin's Night Owl Squad is a levelless adventure squad certified and registered at the Adventurer's Guild.
In reality, anyone can register a squad for 50 Silver Coins.
Spending extra to register a squad has many benefits.
Firstly, some commissioners or institutions, when assigning tasks to the Guild, sometimes specify an adventure squad to carry out their mission.
Because most adventure squad members long-term cooperate, compared to temporary teams with similar strength, naturally a fixed squad with better synergy yields greater combat effectiveness.
Moreover, being willing to spend 50 Silver Coins for registration itself proves their strength.
Therefore, an adventure squad can take on more tasks than freelancers or temporary teams.
Secondly, adventure squads, like adventurer levels, can be promoted, registering early helps accumulate mission experience.
Lastly, registered squads attract recruits better; faced with invitations from different teams, a lone adventurer surely leans towards more capable registered squads.
After completing registration, Gauss bid goodbye to Levin and went to prepare his luggage.
The mission destination this time was near Mill Village.
The journey wasn't as far as Birch Village from Gray Rock Town but wasn't a day's travel either.
Adding in post-arrival rest, intelligence gathering, battles, loot retrieval, resting, and returning,
at least three days are needed to return to Gray Rock Town.
Thus, necessary provisions, water bags, clothing, and so forth must be purchased beforehand.
While buying basic supplies in town, Gauss thought and decided to buy a set of leather armor.
After all, whether sooner or later, it was bound to be purchased.
Though somewhat pricey at 15 Silver Coins, it was much more protective than cloth armor, yet similarly lightweight and flexible.
His old second-hand cloth armor was then bought back by the leather armor store owner for 50 Copper Coins.
Originally purchased for 1 Silver Coin, aside from the first incident with the solitary goblin, it was truly used once, and on resale, its price drastically dropped.
Leaving the store, Gauss even speculated that the squinting smiley middle-aged owner, after some simple handling, would again put his cloth armor on the shelf, still priced at 1 Silver Coin.
Wearing the bright leather armor, glancing back and forth, he saw the wax-treated hardened leather scales, feeling much lifted.
"The leather armor's defense is better, significantly lowering injury risks against goblins."
He wouldn't admit, part of the reason was also concern that during afternoon practice, when everyone was well-equipped, he'd be poorly posed in filthy second-hand cloth armor, feeling embarrassed.
Thus, the leather armor purchase was a must under practical considerations.
...
Afternoon squad first practice still took place on the field outside town.
Practices like these commonly occur when new members join.
Even regularly, a slightly strict captain would hold drills periodically.
This practice was like a basic technical exchange among members.
New members must demonstrate abilities, skills, roles, strengths, and weaknesses within the squad.
Meanwhile, other teammates must show their features to the newcomer.
In other words, the story of hiding skills, revealing them only in real battle to stun everyone, doesn't exist.
Such behavior treats their own and teammates' safety as trivial.
After all, in combat, you can't expect teammates to cooperate correctly without understanding your skills.
Lacking synergy, even your secret skills might mistakenly harm teammates.
Hence, practice is necessary.
Gathering at the Adventurer's Guild entrance.
Currently, the other five already arrived at the set location, uniformly armed and armored.
Among them, the captain Levin and swordsman Doyle's armors were most striking.
Both wore black metal light scale armor, protective parts covered by overlapping iron plates, the structure resembling fish scales, with gloves and greaves on the limbs, beneath was a leather coat.
Levin moreover wielded a dark brown oak great shield, edged with metal, exuding power.
A bit impressive.
Gauss had to admit, their gear added charm.
Scale armor hanging on shop walls and being worn looked entirely different.
As for the other three, archer Oliver, wanderer Medvedeva, and priestess Daphne wore relatively light leather armor.
Judging from the texture and appearance, theirs seemed more high-end than Gauss's newly bought ones.