[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 Energy Storage Glands seemed to sense his state and suddenly became very active—like they were just waiting for a signal to kick in.
Gauss decided to give it a try.
He wasn't completely drained yet, but this was the perfect chance to test the upgraded trait.
With a single thought, the Energy Storage Glands released a flood of warm energy, like a dam being opened.
Gauss chose to split the energy evenly—half to restore stamina, half for mana.
A soothing wave of heat rushed through his body, like he was submerged in a comfortably warm hot spring. It felt amazing.
In just a few deep breaths, his ragged breathing calmed.
His mana, previously drained, was now restored to just over a quarter.
Reflecting on the experience, Gauss estimated that if he had directed the full amount into mana, it would've restored nearly half his pool.
In other words—his effective mana pool was now 1.5x the original.
And the trait would only continue to improve with future upgrades.
He nodded in satisfaction.
This trait was very useful. The ability to bounce back when others thought you were exhausted? That was a tactical advantage.
And as the trait leveled up, that invisible "blue bar" would only grow.
Back in the goblin village, Kevin and the others were obediently hiding inside a warehouse. Not a single one of them had dared to step outside.
Only when they heard Gauss's voice calling out did they finally creep out of the ramshackle wooden building.
"You're safe now."
As the sunlight warmed their faces, the three men exhaled in relief—like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
It truly felt like they had been reborn.
After the horrors of the past day, their minds were still a bit dazed.
Such was life: full of extreme highs and lows. You never knew what the next moment might bring.
Just hours ago, they had resigned themselves to death. Now they were alive and well.
They looked at Gauss with a mix of gratitude and awe.
This man—clearly younger than them—had shown such overwhelming strength against monsters that they couldn't even fathom.
Even now, standing beside him made it hard to breathe.
Gauss, as usual, began looting the battlefield.
This time, though, he had help—Kevin and the others pitched in without needing to be asked. They collected scattered arrows, swords, and other usable weapons.
They had nothing of value to offer Gauss in return for saving their lives, so they helped in the only way they could: packing and sorting.
With the extra help, Gauss was able to finish sweeping the goblin village in record time.
He wrapped up all the loot and stashed it in his pack.
Some crude wooden weapons were too bulky to take and had to be left behind.
Kevin and his friends picked out a few spare wooden spears, bows, and arrows. For brand-new adventurers, starting with ranged weapons was a wise choice.
They were beginner-friendly… with training.
Bows required practice to become effective, but it was a start.
The three donned basic vine armor woven by goblins and looked… well, more like big goblins than human adventurers. Even Gauss found their gear more ragged than what he had started with.
Feeling a bit sympathetic, he offered to let them each pick out an iron weapon from the loot pile.
But the three of them politely declined, firmly stating that the wooden gear was already more than enough.
Crude or not, with practice, it could get the job done.
"It's time for us to part ways."
Gauss escorted the trio out of the woods and onto the open plains.
Kevin and the others planned to return to their village to rest for a few days, then head to Grayrock Town to officially begin their adventuring careers.
"Take care, Sir Gauss."
"You too. See you around Grayrock—if fate allows."
Gauss watched them wave and walk off, their ragtag team slowly fading into the distance.
He turned away.
Though there might still be danger on their journey back, none of them had suggested traveling together—and rightly so.
Their paths weren't aligned, and Gauss wasn't their babysitter.
If they truly wanted to be adventurers, they'd have to learn to survive on their own.
That's just life.
With a deep breath, Gauss adjusted his pack and began the journey back to Grayrock Town.
He had now completed all three Bronze-rank promotion quests.
When he got back and submitted his results, he'd finally leave behind the label of bottom-tier adventurer and officially rise to the status of a Bronze-ranked adventurer—a proper professional.
That thought alone made his steps feel lighter, as if the heavy pack on his back had lost weight.
Though that was just psychological.
After walking a bit, reality set in and the fatigue returned.
That's when Gauss noticed one drawback of his upgraded trait:
His appetite had grown.
He now had to eat not just enough to stay full, but also enough to feed the Energy Storage Glands.
On top of that, he had shared some of his rations with Kevin and the others, so his supply was running low.
Thankfully, he'd hunted a few small animals with his crossbow on the way, restocking his meat supply and avoiding starvation.
Still, he reminded himself that when he got back, he'd need to look for higher-calorie travel food.
…
Finally, he arrived at the Adventurers' Guild.
Looking up at the flag bearing the sword, shield, and staff symbols fluttering above, Gauss took a deep breath and stepped confidently through the entrance.
The guild hall was as lively as ever.
No matter when you came, this place was never quiet. New faces were everywhere.
They weren't all newbies—many were adventurers from other towns, rotating between locations to complete quests.
It was a normal part of the job.
Sometimes, one town would enter a "quest drought," where most of the tasks were low-reward and high-risk, prompting adventurers to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
"Next."
After a short wait in line, Gauss arrived at the counter where Petra was stationed.
Seeing him, Petra's eyes lit up in surprise.
"You again? Didn't the other clerks tell you? You don't need to wait in line anymore with your current status."
"They did," Gauss replied with a faint smile. "But I figured this might be the last time I wait in line like this, so I wanted to experience it one more time."
Petra instantly understood.
"You completed the task?"
"Yup."
"Congratulations!"
"Thanks."
Her bright smile was completely genuine.
For most adventurers, rising from the lowest tier to Bronze rank was one of the most meaningful milestones.
It meant you were no longer just cannon fodder—you'd become someone respected wherever you went. A real player in the world.
You could even call it a kind of class leap.
Petra waved over a coworker to take her place at the counter, then led Gauss toward the inner offices.
They stopped at the familiar door of the female warlock's office.
Petra raised her hand and knocked.