Late at night, by the campfire, Gauss was tallying up the gains from the past two days.
He'd come specifically to hunt centaurs—but in practice, he'd killed far more other monsters than centaurs.
Total Monsters Kills: 36,315
He'd killed nearly a thousand monsters in two days. Of those, 180 were centaurs, which was enough to successfully upgrade his Centaur Hunter title to the Centaur Slayer tier.
But he was still a long way from the next tier—Centaur Butcher—which required a thousand centaur kills.
"Good enough for now."
At the moment, the Centaur Slayer title had two effects:
1. Paralysis — When facing him, a centaur's nervous signals had a chance to scramble, causing paralysis or sluggish movement.
2. Armor Break — His attacks could more easily pierce a centaur's tough hide or any armor they wore.
Since there was no realistic way to push the title to the next tier in the short term, Gauss decided to end the monster-hunting trip here.
It was also one of his habits: when he went out alone, he rarely stayed in one place for long. The longer he lingered, the higher the chance of something unexpected happening—because the longer he stayed, the more likely it was that someone (or something) would realize he was active in the area.
Once he'd made up his mind, he rode Hephaestus out of the Longwind Grasslands the next morning.
…
When he returned to the Red Dragon Company's estate, he'd barely finished soaking in the bath before the butler came to tell him everyone was looking for him.
Gauss knew his teammates—Alia included. If it wasn't urgent, they would never bother him the moment he got back to rest.
So after changing, he closed his eyes and sensed their location.
In the next instant, Any Door activated, and Gauss appeared inside a room.
"Everyone's here."
He lifted a hand in greeting.
"Captain, your timing is perfect." Ivan, the chief steward, stepped forward respectfully and handed him a newspaper.
Gauss took it, skimmed a few lines, and immediately understood why everyone had been in a hurry.
Yesterday, the dungeon outside Barry—closed for a while—had finally reopened.
In an instant, countless adventurers' attention snapped back to it. Compared to the outside world, dungeons were packed with monsters—but also packed with treasures. Of course people would swarm in.
"Captain Gauss," Ivan asked, the anticipation in his eyes barely hidden, "should the Red Dragon Company mobilize to Barry and explore the dungeon?"
Over a year ago, when the dungeon opened the first time, Ivan had heard the news quickly—but back then he'd been in a different team. Their leader reacted too slowly. By the time they finished packing and were ready to depart, they got the bad news: the dungeon had closed again.
Now he was part of the far stronger Red Dragon Company. With their strength, they could absolutely carve out a share of the profit.
And even earlier—when rumors surfaced that the dungeon might reopen—Red Dragon Company had already begun preparing.
Now it was confirmed.
"Of course."
Gauss nodded.
He had explored it during the first opening. Back then he was too weak and only made it as far as the second underground level.
Compared to stronger adventurers, he'd basically been there to "participate."
But more than a year had passed. Everything had changed.
He'd gone from a Level 2 mage to a Level 7 mage, and the Company was now packed with capable hands. Even if the dungeon's second opening attracted more top-tier adventurers, Gauss was confident he belonged in the first echelon.
No one argued.
A free adventurer company went wherever the opportunities were. No one in their right mind would pass up a dungeon near a major city.
Selandur even wore a nostalgic expression—after all, he'd first met Captain Gauss and Alia inside that dungeon.
Once the plan was confirmed, the entire Company began moving at full speed.
Ironically, most of the preparation work fell to everyone else. As the Captain, Gauss suddenly had less to do.
…
At an outdoor table in a street-side restaurant, Gauss sipped red tea.
He found himself thinking about something he'd been planning recently: his first "transcendent-class monster" kill.
Then it hit him—this dungeon reopening might bring a new opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, it was extremely hard to find a transcendent-class monster near human territory. The only one he'd confirmed—a transcendent centaur—was still an enemy he couldn't beat.
But a dungeon was different.
Compared to the surface world, it was practically an underground "otherworld." It was full of monsters, which meant transcendent individuals were bound to exist down there.
He pulled his thoughts back and glanced at the bustling street.
Carriages were lined up, waiting to leave the city. Clearly, plenty of adventurers and companies had already heard the news. It wasn't just them.
But Gauss wasn't in a rush anymore.
At his level, he no longer obsessed over being a day faster or slower.
For low-tier adventurers, arriving one or two weeks early still meant they'd mostly be stuck on the first floor. The benefit was simply getting information earlier and scooping up early, shallow resources.
For Gauss, first-floor loot wasn't worth his time.
Digging around for items worth a few silver or a few gold was a terrible return on investment.
And suddenly, he understood something:
Why, during the first opening, most of the dungeon explorers he'd seen were low-tier adventurers and low-level professionals—and why true master-class adventurers were rare.
They'd judged the early-stage dungeon returns as not worth it.
Dungeons "grow" over time. Later stages tend to produce higher-value resources and treasures.
He glanced at a booklet in his hand.
It was material the Adventurers' Guild had delivered to his estate—rare information that only an adventurer-company Captain like him could receive.
According to the Guild, dungeons could be classified by "life stage" into: infant, youth, mature, and late.
They were also classified by size and difficulty into: small, medium, large, and super-large.
Barry's dungeon had been officially named Timber, meaning "Forest Labyrinth."
Its current stage was youth, and its size was tentatively rated between medium and large—with a chance of upgrading if it reached maturity.
The Guild's notes warned that transcendent-level powerhouses were not recommended to enter a youth-stage medium-to-large dungeon.
"Should be fine for me, right?"
Gauss rubbed his chin.
He was "only" a Level 7 mage. Even though his peak combat strength touched transcendent levels, he wasn't technically a Level 11 transcendent professional.
And besides—if the Guild sent him the materials, then it wasn't forbidden.
If it's not forbidden, it's allowed.
He read on.
The Guild's dungeon notes were very detailed.
Then he paused at a section header.
Dungeon Lords.
He stopped breathing for a moment as his eyes flickered.
"Starting from the fourth underground floor, each floor of the Timber Labyrinth will contain a Dungeon Lord creature."
"It is more dangerous than ordinary monsters and can continuously command surrounding dungeon monsters in battle."
"Although killing a Dungeon Lord yields dungeon rewards and treasures…"
"The Guild advises most adventurers: do not fight. Hide immediately, wait for a chance, and withdraw."
"Dangerous," Gauss murmured.
But his eyes slowly lit up.
A monster like that…?
Endlessly commanding dungeon monsters?
If you could trap it…
Wouldn't that mean an endless supply of monsters—maybe not truly infinite, but far more efficient than hunting them manually?
For him, the Dungeon Lord might be the real prize.
The dungeon was looking better and better.
…
This time, Gauss didn't rush ahead alone.
A lot of adventurers had already left, yes—but most were small parties or lone wolves.
Among established companies, Red Dragon Company was actually moving fast.
In the early morning mist, the caravan rolled forward. Hooves beat a steady rhythm on the dirt road.
Far ahead, the massive silhouette of a great city—built around a towering, sky-piercing tree—gradually sharpened into view.
But Red Dragon Company didn't enter the city.
They stayed on the outer road and continued forward.
Their destination was Whorlmark Town, the settlement built around the Timber Labyrinth entrance, where they'd use as their base.
This time the Red Dragon Company brought 142 people.
The vehicles stretched into a long serpent of wagons.
63 were combat personnel. The rest were logistics and support.
Not massive by major-company standards, but far from small.
Even if you ignored Gauss's transcendent-tier combat strength, it was still a force no one could dismiss.
On the road, other adventurer groups—seeing their red dragon banner from far away—made way without hesitation.
As they rolled along the highway, farmland slowly gave way to wildland again.
Within several dozen miles of Barry, it was relatively safe—patrols passed often.
Beyond that, it was true wilderness.
"Captain Gauss," Knight Dante rode back from the front and bowed slightly from the saddle. "At this pace, we should reach the labyrinth by around ten in the morning."
Dante was one of Luna's trusted people—former Fang of the Gray Wolf, now Red Dragon Company. A Level 6 Knight, very capable.
"Keep scouting the surroundings," Gauss reminded.
Even close to the labyrinth, they couldn't relax.
As they drew near, the members riding in wagons grew more excited—part nervous, part eager.
"This is my first dungeon expedition… I heard it's dangerous."
"Relax, we've got Captain Gauss."
"We've got this many people—what monster is going to scare us?"
With a hundred-plus bodies behind them, even the non-combat logistics staff looked calm.
Team scale did that: more people meant more confidence. Night watch could rotate. Everyone got real rest.
A small party would've been mentally exhausted after a week in the wild.
At last, Whorlmark Town appeared on the horizon.
A ring-shaped settlement built around the labyrinth's surface entrance—bustling, crowded.
Compared to Gauss's first visit, it was transformed.
Back then, everything was muddy, buildings were mostly wood.
Now the town was clean and orderly.
Outside town, open ground was packed with wagons and tents. Flags of every color flapped in the wind—adventurer companies, merchant guilds, and private banners you couldn't identify.
Inside, stone roads had been laid, and rows of stone buildings lined the streets.
Gauss even spotted a huge Adventurers' Guild building in the most prominent district.
"It's way cleaner than last year," Alia said with feeling. "And there are way more people."
"First opening was the first wave," Gauss said. "Not many knew. This is the second wave—anyone with ambition shows up."
The caravan parked outside town, claimed a section of open space, and left a portion behind to watch supplies.
Then Gauss led a large group into town.
First priority: register at the Adventurers' Guild.
Unlike the first opening, entry this time required official registration.
Inside the hall, other adventurers instinctively stepped aside.
Gauss reached the counter, set down the Company's company crest and his own adventurer badge.
"Red Dragon Company. We're entering the Timber Labyrinth."
"Yes, sir. Please wait." The receptionist didn't dare be slow.
They'd already handled plenty of adventurers these days—but she knew the true main force probably arrived now.
Everything checked out.
In moments, the paperwork was done.
"This is your company's Timber Labyrinth exploration permit. Please keep it safe."
She added kindly, "One reminder: transcendent-level professionals should be extremely cautious entering this stage of the Timber Labyrinth. It's best not to go in."
"Thank you," Gauss nodded.
A bit ironically, the closest person in the Company to transcendent was not him—it was Luna, a Level 9 warlock.
They had no true Level 11 transcendent professionals.
Permit secured, the Company began settling into town.
Gauss waved a hand and booked three adjacent inns for their temporary use.
"Everyone gets one full day of rest today."
"I've already ordered food and alcohol for the hall. Eat as much as you want."
"Tomorrow, we begin exploring the labyrinth."
"Long live the Captain!"
"I love you, Captain!"
Leaving the roar of the hall behind, Gauss climbed to the second-floor corridor and looked out the window toward the labyrinth entrance.
His fingers brushed the key in his pocket.
Tomorrow, the moment they entered, he would head straight for the second underground level and test whether his universal key could open that locked green pavilion entrance.