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 shiny new bronze badge pinned to Gauss's chest. She silently admired the speed of his promotion.
Thinking back to when she took the test herself, she'd prepared thoroughly for each of the assessment tasks. She couldn't remember exactly how long it had taken to complete three, but it had definitely been longer than Gauss.
And that was with her advantage—contracted with a powerful animal companion, the formidable wolf by her side. Among new professionals, she was already considered exceptional.
The fact that Gauss, a spellcaster, could rise in rank so quickly was a clear sign that his strength was anything but ordinary.
That's also why, despite having recently been screwed over by a white-haired mage in her last party, she didn't turn Gauss down when he asked about teaming up.
Alia's eyes quietly scanned his face.
Her first impression of him had been very good—he didn't look like the type who would abandon teammates or flee a fight.
So... maybe it was worth giving it a shot.
If it didn't work out, she could always find another team later.
Alia mused to herself. She had high standards when it came to teammates.
She knew this mindset might be why it was hard for her to find stable party members.
Most newly minted professionals were pretty self-centered, and finding a compatible partner to team up with for any meaningful amount of time was no easy feat.
At least for now, Gauss seemed promising.
"Have you already picked out a quest?"
"Mm." Alia nodded. "If you hadn't reached out, I was planning to recruit someone from the mission board in a day or two."
"Mind showing me the request?"
Alia handed him a piece of parchment containing the mission details.
Gauss skimmed through it.
The objective was to exterminate a group of ratmen holed up in an abandoned cellar—estimated to be over seventy of them.
Ratmen: cunning, greedy humanoid monsters often accompanied by normal or giant rats. They were jittery in temperament, lean in frame, and preferred ambush tactics with light weapons. Low-level ratmen tribes often nested near wilderness or rural villages, stealing food and spreading disease. More advanced clans could infiltrate cities, establish networks in sewers, and even grow into massive underground societies.
This mission involved clearing out a manor overrun by such a group.
The reward was seventy silver coins.
"Want to team up for it?" Alia asked. She knew many adventurers avoided dealing with ratmen and giant rats when they had a choice. It wasn't that the creatures were overly dangerous, but there was little to gain—few decent drops, little loot.
Plus, people instinctively disliked plague-bearing rodents. Over time, exterminating them became an unpopular job.
"No problem," Gauss replied readily, surprising her a little.
In her experience, even those who agreed usually showed at least a little distaste. But Gauss didn't seem fazed at all.
"I think it's a good quest," Gauss said as he handed back the parchment.
He wasn't just trying to be agreeable—he genuinely thought it was a good fit.
First, he'd never fought ratmen before. This would help fill in his monster encyclopedia.
Second, the mission said there were more than seventy of them. For someone like Gauss, who prioritized harvesting EXP, the more small fry, the better.
Also, the giant rats that followed the ratmen—those might count as separate monster species.
If so, the experience boost would be even better.
And the payout—about one silver per rat—was fair market value.
Unless you were taking on elite monsters, this was the going rate for common grunt extermination.
They registered Gauss onto the mission at the guild's front desk.
"We'll need to prep supplies for this one," Alia said.
They headed for the general store.
While ratmen weren't strong in head-to-head combat, they weren't harmless either—not for first-rank professionals.
Both the Adventurer's Handbook and Monster Guide warned: any swarm-type monsters, when in large enough numbers, could become deadly.
Ratmen and their kin used claws and fangs, which often carried disease. Adequate protection was a must.
A full-coverage leather suit, especially guarding the neck, wrists, and ankles, was essential.
"I've got a protection spell that can block physical attacks like that. You sure you need to buy armor?" Gauss asked as he watched Alia pick through leatherwear.
"Thanks for the offer," she replied, shaking her head. "Your spell is powerful, but battles change in a blink. You might not always be able to cover me. Having my own gear is extra insurance—and saves you the hassle."
Seeing her reasoning, Gauss agreed and didn't push further.
His upgraded Mage Armor—now the core skill "Gauss Omni-Armor"—was powerful, but casting it on others still required direct contact. It wasn't nearly as convenient as self-casting.
Besides armor, gas masks and air filters were also necessary.
The Gauss Omni-Armor was great for blocking physical and magical damage, but didn't help against toxins or noxious fumes.
So Gauss bought a set for himself as well.
Then came firestarters, purification potions, basic medicine, food, and water.
They split the shared supplies evenly, spending around six silver coins each.
With prep done, they returned to make final arrangements before departure.
Back at the inn, Gauss triple-checked his gear and stashed everything safely in his storage pouch.
He gave himself the rest of the day off to rest up.
The next morning—
"Be careful out there," Sophia reminded him.
"Got it." Gauss waved and left the inn.
He met Alia by the roadside on the main avenue.
They were traveling with a merchant caravan again, but this time was different.
Now that he was a Bronze adventurer, he wasn't begging for a ride—the merchants came to him.
Not only would they get free transport and meals, but if the trip was long enough, the caravan might even pay them an escort fee.
Of course, if trouble came up, they were expected to help. That was the unspoken deal.
"Adventurers, this is your assigned carriage. Water and food are inside. If you need anything, just let us know."
The caravan steward respectfully led them to a clean, passenger-designated wagon.
It had been prepped in advance—clean seats, barely any smell.
Nice.
Gauss was pleased, though a little amused.
The world was indeed pragmatic. Becoming Bronze-tier had immediately changed the way people treated him. He hadn't spent a coin, yet the benefits were already showing—no more sitting on crates next to the cargo.
And perks like this? Just the tip of the iceberg.
As the carriage rolled on, Gauss lifted the canvas flap to watch the scenery drift by.
Somewhere along the way, Alia's wolf companion silently trotted up alongside the cart.
Alia leaned out and tossed it a hunk of fresh meat from her pack.
Gauss took the ride time to continue reading his Meditation Manual.
The book's contents were deep—far from something he could finish in a few days.
The caravan stopped briefly midway after encountering a few amateur bandits wielding pitchforks.
But the guards handled them easily—no need for Gauss or Alia to lift a finger.
During the break, Gauss brought up a question that had been on his mind for a while.
"Alia, mind if I ask you something about druids?"
In town, druid apprentices were rare. Getting to talk to a full-fledged druid was even rarer.
Most of what Gauss knew about druids came from rumors.
"Sure, ask away," Alia said, turning from the window.
"I heard druids are all about peace and nature, and don't like killing. Is that true?"
"How could it be?" Alia laughed, shaking her head. "First off, 'druid' is a broad term. We've got lots of factions, each with its own beliefs. Generally speaking, we're divided into conservatives, radicals, and aberrants. Most druids are conservatives who follow the doctrine of balance—but that doesn't mean we oppose killing."
She paused, then added, "In fact, a lot of druids believe in exterminating monsters. Killing can be a way of preserving ecological balance."
"Goblins, kobolds, ratmen—these kinds of creatures are inherently warped and reproduce insanely fast. Left unchecked, they overrun entire areas, pushing out other life and destroying the ecosystem. Eliminating them is a form of protection."
"Plus," she added with a wink, "before we're druids, we're humans. We have emotions, preferences—we can't just turn that off."
"I see." Gauss felt a weight lift off his chest.
He was well aware of his own "wipe-them-all-out" attitude toward monsters, and he'd been worried that might clash with Alia's beliefs. This question was a preemptive probe.
Turns out—for now at least—their goals aligned.
Alia fought to uphold her druidic ideal of balance.
Gauss fought because he needed to kill as many monsters as possible for his encyclopedia.
Different reasons, same destination.