Shirley, the red-haired warlock, stayed and chatted with them for a while longer—mostly about recent news in Grayrock Town and updates from the Adventurer's Guild.
After a bit, she rose gracefully to leave, her fiery hair swaying behind her like living flames.
The door closed softly behind her, and with it, the pressure in the room seemed to dissipate.
Gauss and Alia let out a breath at the same time and shared a quiet smile.
"Didn't expect to stumble into a windfall like that," Gauss said, amused.
"Yeah, luck really was on our side. Since becoming a Bronze-ranked adventurer, this is the first time I've come across something like this," Alia added.
"First time? Is it really that rare?"
"Very."
That put a bit of a damper on Gauss's brief fantasy of making a living hunting down dark cultists for bounties.
Then again, it made sense. If evidence of evil gods were common and each earned ten gold coins, the Adventurer's Guild would've gone bankrupt long ago. Plus, the danger such things posed was a much bigger concern.
So, it wasn't such a bad thing that this couldn't be turned into a regular money-making scheme.
After leaving the meeting room, they went to the guild's quest counter and received the 10 gold coins reward for their special intel—split evenly, just like their quest payout.
In the public rest area of the guild's central courtyard, Gauss noticed that the place was unusually crowded—and unusually quiet.
Many people were reading copies of the same special edition bulletin issued by the Kingdom.
The bold headline on the front page was almost blinding:
[The Sword Trial Begins!
Who Will Wield the Holy Blade and Succeed the Sword Saint!]
The two of them grabbed a copy and sat down at an empty table.
This kind of massive news shaking the entire human world... It'd be embarrassing to know nothing about it.
The paper was fresh off the press, still warm with that sharp, oily scent of ink. Gauss couldn't help but be drawn in by its contents.
The Kingdom had not only funded the printing of this emergency bulletin, but had distributed it—at no cost—to Adventurer Guild branches across the realm. That much was about spreading the news quickly, sure, but there was another goal: to encourage adventurers to head to the Holy Capital.
If, by some miracle, a citizen of the Kingdom pulled the Holy Sword, the monarchy could potentially claim a new legendary-class warrior of their own.
That said, the article was fairly grounded. It didn't just hype people up—it laid out the harsh realities too.
First, the journey: expensive and long.
To get from remote places like the outskirts of the Carlos Kingdom to Aureidian, the Empire's capital, you had to cross the entire kingdom and then a huge stretch of imperial territory. For most low-tier adventurers, the travel cost alone was an impossible hurdle.
Second, there was no guarantee of success.
There was no formula for being chosen by the Holy Sword. No application, no competition bracket.
It was, as they put it, entirely up to the sword's "intuition."
One day, some barefoot kid in tattered rags might pull it free and be celebrated across the continent.
Or maybe years—decades—would pass with no one earning the sword's favor.
Legend had it, when Roland pulled the sword, he was just an obscure farmer from the countryside. The day it happened was a rare public access day, where even commoners, if pre-approved, could try approaching the sword.
There weren't even many spectators. Just some hopeful applicants, a few guards maintaining order, and the usual vendors hawking snacks.
No one had succeeded for so long that people had lost interest.
Who could've imagined that, on such an ordinary morning, the Holy Sword would choose its wielder from a crowd of nobodies?
"Think you'll give it a try?" Alia asked, folding the newspaper and glancing at Gauss. "You use a sword, after all."
"Me?" Gauss chuckled and shook his head.
Even ignoring how far away the capital was—
The sword had a will of its own. It would choose someone who resonated with its essence. Probably a pure warrior or swordmaster.
"I'm a mage, remember?" He shrugged. If it were a Holy Staff, maybe he'd have a shot.
"I was just joking," Alia grinned, laughing at her own silly thought.
She couldn't picture it either—a legendary sword bypassing thousands of elite swordfighters to pick a magic-user instead.
Sure, some mages could handle a sword, but they'd never outmatch a proper swordsman.
If that ever actually happened, it'd be headline news. On par with Roland's death.
"Still," Gauss said, "if I ever pass through the capital, maybe I'll give it a tug—just for fun."
"Then good luck," Alia smiled, playing along.
Gauss set the paper down.
Truth be told, those kinds of grand stories were worlds away from two Level 1 professionals like them.
Even if he did want to see the Holy Sword in person, it wasn't something he could pursue right now.
For now, the only path was the steady one—expand his index, rack up kills, and gradually climb the ranks.
The rest? That could wait until he was strong enough to chase it.
The two got up and agreed to meet the next morning to deal with the loot from the ratmen lair.
Originally, Gauss had thought it'd be a nice bit of extra income. But after receiving that massive intelligence bounty, the leftover junk felt... underwhelming.
So they decided to rest for the day.
"Here's where I live. If anything urgent comes up, just find me here."
Before parting, Alia pointed out her home on the detailed map of Grayrock posted in the guild hall.
Gauss mentally cross-referenced it—and was surprised to realize her house was super close to his inn.
Barely a minute's walk away.
"Let's walk back together. I'm staying nearby too."
"Really?" Alia blinked. They'd only ever met at the guild, so she never noticed where he was staying.
"You know that inn with the pale yellow exterior?"
"Oh, yeah, I've seen it." Alia nodded. "Then let's just meet there tomorrow morning."
"Works for me."
With plans set, they descended the stairs together.
Gauss glanced at the quest board again out of habit. Nothing caught his eye, so he dropped it.
They stepped outside and walked down the familiar street, eventually reaching a fork.
"See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you." Gauss waved, watching Alia disappear down a side alley.
She walked lightly, boots tapping the stone rhythmically. Clearly in a great mood.
Probably because of the payout.
Gauss was in a good mood too.
He had 9 gold and 85 silver on him. Sure, he still owed 20 gold, but with half a year to repay it, there wasn't much pressure.
On the walk back, he even asked Alia if there were any properties for rent or sale nearby. He was considering buying a small place—nothing fancy, just a spot to rest from time to time.
To him, spending a gold coin or so wasn't a huge deal anymore.
Even without surprise windfalls, he figured each mission should net them around 0.7 to 1 gold per person from commissions and loot.
Two quests, and he could buy a little place in a quieter district.
Professional adventurers really did make bank compared to regular folks.
Then again, that made sense.
High risk, high reward. Many low-level adventurers spent years grinding before reaching the pro ranks. If the payoff were peanuts, no one would stick with it.
…
The Next Morning
Gauss rolled out of bed, bleary-eyed.
"Yawn—"
He stretched and sighed.
Yeah. He hadn't slept well.
Last night, for some reason, he'd had a nightmare—a rare thing for him.
He was trapped, unable to move, and watched helplessly as a massive dark green figure repeatedly hacked off his limbs with a blade. And each time, his limbs regenerated... only to be severed again.
On loop. Over and over.
It wasn't even painful. But watching himself get dismembered endlessly had messed with his head.
Thankfully, it was just a dream.
He'd woken up halfway through the night and slept fine after that—but the damage was done.
Now, he looked dead tired.
"Was it the evil god?" he wondered, rubbing his temples.
He wasn't sure. But if it was... why didn't the dream happen the night they first found it? Why the delay?
Compared to the night before, yesterday he'd done… what? Turned in the quest, read the paper?
Maybe it was all just coincidence. A psychological effect.
Better to wait and see. Or maybe ask someone later.
"Yaaawn..."
Aside from being groggy, he felt fine.
…
"Morning."
"Morning!"
Downstairs, Sophia was patiently training the new hire—Winnie, the girl who'd helped out the night Gauss got promoted.
She'd officially been hired as staff now.
Business at the inn had picked up a lot lately.
And honestly, Gauss probably played a role in that.
His presence as a Bronze-rank adventurer seemed to keep troublemakers away. Word had gotten around—enough that thugs and shady types gave the place a wide berth.
He wasn't a bully, but his presence carried weight. Calm, not arrogant. People felt safe around him.
It made the inn attractive to quiet, long-term guests.
Sophia had stepped up too—no more lazy management. The menu had improved, dishes expanded, and she was even considering hiring a real chef.
Gauss was genuinely happy to see her taking her business seriously.
"You look tired today."
"Didn't sleep well." He didn't bring up the nightmare.
"You should take it easy. Maybe ease up on the questing a bit?" Sophia offered gently.
"Yeah." Gauss replied casually. He knew she meant well.
Meanwhile, the new girl, Winnie, was polishing the counter while sneaking glances at him—particularly at the Bronze badge on his chest.
It was her first time being so close to a "big shot," and she couldn't help but be curious. What made adventurers so different from normal people?
After watching him for a while, her cheeks flushed as she reached a conclusion:
He's... really good-looking.