Near the doorway, the drunken man who had been dozing off suddenly sobered up. A chill ran down his spine in an instant. As fear took hold of his mind, the color drained from his face.
Gauss was still holding the man's wrist, not letting go.
He didn't particularly hate the drunk—he was completely wasted after all. You couldn't really expect anything rational from someone in that state.
The only reason Gauss hadn't let go was because the guy had lost all strength in his legs. He was trembling like overcooked noodles—if Gauss released his grip, he'd collapse.
"Stand still. I'm letting go now," Gauss said flatly.
"Yes, sir!"
The drunk shivered under the gaze of Gauss's emerald eyes, as if an electric shock had run through his body.
Gauss let go and silently shook his head at the sight of the quivering man in front of him.
Did he really look that intimidating?
He thought his face was fairly decent-looking when he'd checked the mirror earlier.
The tavern was dead silent.
But the members of the Night Owl party didn't have time to care about the tension in the room. After a full day of work—and narrowly escaping from a ghoul—they were utterly exhausted. Even though there was no actual fight, the stress alone had wrung them dry.
Right now, all they wanted was to report the incident and go take a bath, then sleep.
"Honored adventurers—what happened?"
Harvey, the tavern owner, came out after being summoned and wrinkled his nose at the sight of them covered in blood and grime—but he quickly forced a polite smile.
"Let's talk inside."
The tavern was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Practically everyone was watching them.
It obviously wasn't a good idea to describe what just happened in public—it would only cause unnecessary panic.
So the group followed Harvey into the private lounge again.
Once they left, murmurs and whispers slowly resumed in the main hall.
"Scary…"
"They look like a gang of murderers."
"Shhh! Quiet, they might hear you…"
…
Inside the lounge—
Laevin and the others had just finished recounting the entire incident from beginning to end.
"Wait, you're saying there's a ghoul roaming near the village?!" Harvey gasped, sucking in a breath through his teeth.
Regular monsters were already a serious threat for ordinary people. Sure, if you were willing to take some losses, a village might barely fend one off without professional help.
But ghouls? That was a whole different story.
Even if the village had a trained militia, they wouldn't stand a chance against something that powerful.
The only slight relief was that, according to the party, there was only one ghoul.
If it was acting alone, the risk to the village might still be manageable. Creatures like that rarely attacked settlements without reason.
"That's right," Laevin nodded.
"So… can your team handle it?" Harvey asked tentatively.
Even if the odds of an attack were low, knowing something that dangerous was lurking nearby made it hard to sleep at night.
"Do we look like we can handle a ghoul? We're lucky we made it back alive," Laevin replied with a bitter smile.
And honestly, there was no shame in that.
Harvey scanned the group again.
As someone who worked for a major merchant guild, he'd seen a lot. He could tell they were exhausted and genuinely worn out.
If this had been a routine mission, they would've cleaned up first before coming back. Instead, they were covered in gore and hurried back like their lives depended on it.
"Right. That was presumptuous of me," Harvey sighed, feeling a bit foolish. These adventurers may have looked tough, but no rookie team could be expected to take on a ghoul.
"I'll call a meeting with the other officials tomorrow. If your report checks out, we'll likely file a new request with the guild for the ghoul."
"As for the water ghoul mission—you'll receive full confirmation after we verify the area tomorrow. I'll have someone draft an official report for you."
Harvey stood up.
"You've all had a rough day. Why not rest and clean up here at the tavern?"
His face had darkened slightly. Being cooped up in a small room with this stench was nearly unbearable. This offer was as much about courtesy as it was a desperate excuse to open a window.
He didn't even wait for a reply. With a hurried step, he opened the door.
"The baths are in the back. I'll have the staff prepare hot water for you."
The group looked at each other. They didn't really have the energy to decline, and honestly, now that they were finally safe, the stink on their clothes was getting unbearable.
After a moment's pause, they got up and followed Harvey out.
…
The next morning—
The tavern's stone walls were gray and soot-stained, the oil lamps had long since burned out, and sunlight peeked through the wooden slats of the narrow window, scattering beams of light across the floor.
Gauss lay on the soft bed for a while, slowly blinking awake.
Only after he was fully alert did he sit up and stretch.
"Man, I haven't slept this well in ages."
He pressed down on the wool blanket under him.
Even though the edges were frayed and the stuffing showed yellow with age, it was still way more comfortable than his usual straw-stuffed mattress.
"Luxury really is easy to get used to," he muttered.
He stood up and began putting on his gear.
While adjusting his clothing and armor, he noticed how much smoother his movements had become. Even tricky back-fastening straps were no problem now.
Once again, he was reminded just how impactful that last agility boost had been—it wasn't just about combat. It improved everything.
Even his training efficiency would likely get better from here on out.
…
The others were slowly waking up and gathering in the main hall.
They exchanged greetings, and the innkeeper quickly brought out breakfast.
"I wonder how much reward we'll actually get this time?"
"Yeah... we didn't even get to collect all the water ghoul materials. We only grabbed what we could."
"We got robbed by a ghoul. First time for everything."
They chatted casually over breakfast.
After a good night's rest, their anxiety had mostly faded—and now, they were starting to feel the sting of lost loot.
"As long as Harvey provides a signed statement with the merchant guild's seal, we should still get full pay," Laevin reassured them.
"The real loss is all those monster parts."
"Not to mention the bonus pay we were promised. Wonder if we'll still get it," Daphne sighed.
She had been saving up to buy a mana stone for her wand core. Missing out on those extra coins stung more than she wanted to admit.