Chapter 130: Incoming Letter and the Guild President

【To Gauss:

Having heard that you’ve ascended to Bronze-rank Adventurer, all members of the Night Owl Team are truly happy for you.

Though it was expected... it still happened faster than we anticipated.

Levin and Doyle both found it hard to believe when they heard. That night at the tavern, they each drank a few more cups—everyone was truly glad for you.

This path is never easy for any of us Adventurers. Congratulations.

We believe that Bronze-rank is merely the beginning of your long journey. In the future, you will witness sights that we may never be able to reach in this lifetime.

May your steps never cease, and may you continue to move forward.

As for us, we shall continue on this path, shouldering our own packs and striving ahead.

Our schedule is tight, so we couldn’t offer our congratulations in person—please forgive us. We’ve pooled together a small token and enclosed it with this letter. The gift is not heavy, but we hope it proves useful.

May your path ahead be bright.

Sincerely,

All members of the Night Owl Team】

The moment Gauss saw the letter, to be honest, he felt a warmth in his heart.

He immediately recognized the handwriting—it belonged to Meiva, the quiet yet thoughtful Ranger Apprentice of the Night Owl Team. Back when they had accepted commissions together, she had often written and drawn on maps while scouting enemy intelligence. Her handwriting was delicate and neat, just like her personality.

The content of the letter brought him back to the days of fighting side by side with the team.

Originally, he thought of finding some time to gather again, but upon second thought, Gauss dismissed the idea.

They were all still striving toward Professional advancement.

If he went now, it might unintentionally cause them to feel disheartened—

Just like the ordinary exam students from his previous life, watching the guaranteed-admission students.

「Forget it... let’s wait until they’ve ascended to Professional too.」

Gauss carefully stored the gift and letter back into his Small Storage Bag.

「Was it someone you know who sent it?」

「Mm. Former teammates.」

「Then that’s good. I’ll head to the kitchen and get busy now.」Sophia didn’t know Meiva and the others. Seeing that Gauss was fine, she turned and walked into the kitchen, continuing with her work.

Not long after, Arya also arrived.

「Why are you earlier than me again?」Arya looked at Gauss, already seated, a bit helplessly.

In truth, she wasn’t late, but Gauss always seemed to leave earlier than her.

Before, she could explain it away because Gauss lived at the inn—but now that he’d moved out, he was still this early?

「Just got here,」Gauss smiled.「Want breakfast? I ordered a portion for you too.」

「Then let’s eat together.」

While the two waited—

Gauss habitually flipped through the Adventurer’s Handbook.

Name: Gauss

Class: Mage

Strength: 7

Dexterity: 7

Constitution: 7

Intelligence: 9

Perception: 7

Charisma: 7

Core Skill: Tier 1 Spell Gauss Force Field lv4 (55/100)

Sub-core Skill: Tier 1 Spell Magic Missile lv3 (44/50)

Other Skills:

【Tier 0 Cantrips】

Mage Hand lv3 (46/50)

Prestidigitation lv3 (17/50)

Fire Bolt lv3 (15/50)

Light Spell lv3 (3/50)

Message lv2 (5/20)

Mending lv2 (2/20)

Dancing Wind lv2 (2/20)

Poison Spray lv1 (8/10)

Friendship lv1 (6/10)

【Other Skills】

Swordsmanship Basics lv3 (3/50)

Enhanced Jump lv2 (18/20)

Insight Technique lv1 (8/10)

Racial Talent: 【White】Energy Storage Gland (Elite-tier)

Class Traits: Magic Resistance, Spell Mastery

Gauss looked at the Interface.

Currently, he had a total of 14 skills. Among them, 3 were at lv1, 4 at lv2, 6 at lv3, and only 1 at lv4.

Based on feel, he mentally categorized proficiency levels: lv1 was Beginner, lv2 was Proficient, lv3 was Skilled, lv4 was Master, and lv5 remained unknown—he didn’t know what changes it would bring, only that it would require the Gauss Force Field to reach lv5 and show him a new horizon.

Unfortunately, it seemed that as proficiency increased, the difficulty of leveling up rose sharply. The first two levels advanced quickly,

but starting from lv3, the progress slowed.

Even for Gauss Force Field, which he used intensively, reaching lv5 in the short term would still be difficult.

The benefits of high proficiency were obvious—faster casting, smoother chaining, and stronger interference resistance. Take his highest-tier lv4 【Gauss Force Field】 for instance: as a Core Skill, it could now be almost instantly cast.

Gauss browsed the Interface, planning his next focus.

Magic Missile, Mage Hand, and Enhanced Jump were all close to leveling up—he needed to intensify their training and real combat application.

After finishing breakfast, Gauss and Arya headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.

While stepping onto the stairs leading to the second floor, the envious gazes and whisperings from below still followed.

「Another team just went up....」

「Why are there so many Bronze-rank Adventurers heading to the second floor today?」

「Could something big be happening?」

「Eh, who cares. It’s got nothing to do with us regular Adventurers. Better pick a proper commission quickly instead.」

「It’s getting colder by the day. After another two weeks of work, I should probably pack up and head home to hibernate.」

「Yeah, once it snows, the roads will be tough. Gotta plan ahead.」

As the two ascended to the second floor, the scene before them was indeed very different from usual.

Normally, during this time of day, there would only be a sparse group of a dozen or so Bronze-rank Adventurers in the second-floor hall. But now, the place was packed, with likely no fewer than a hundred gathered.

Many of the faces, Gauss had never seen before.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of short and nimble Halflings clustered in one corner. They wore dark, flexible leather armor suited for movement, their belts packed with tools of various functions, eyes sharp as they scanned the surroundings, conversing in hushed tones.

If it weren’t for Gauss’s prior acquaintance with a certain Halfling Mage, and his intentional awareness of them, this group of short individuals would have blended into the crowd, barely noticeable.

The largest group present were Warriors. Most of them were well-equipped, donned in medium to heavy armor, and carried greatswords, battleaxes, or spears.

Most small teams of two or three had at least one such reassuring Warrior figure among them—sometimes even two or three.

Among them were the distinctively fearsome Half-Orc Warriors, radiating an aura that warned others to keep their distance. Compared to others, they were bulkier and bore visible signs of beast-like traits—one of the main ways to identify them.

Tails, beast ears, protruding fangs, even partially beastified limbs—the degree of transformation varied. Their weapons tended to be large, two-handed axes or warhammers, and they mostly wore thick leather armor rather than heavy iron plating.

Next came some Human Rangers and possibly Half-Elven Rangers, dressed in hunting gear more suited for the forest, equipped with longbows or heavy crossbows, short swords at their waists. Their gazes were piercing, sharp as hawks.

Mages and Priests were no longer as rare as they were in the lower ranks—one could now often spot them in various small teams.

Gauss also vaguely noticed some figures who seemed to belong to more unconventional Classes, though he was only guessing and didn’t make any firm conclusions.

Withdrawing his gaze,

Gauss and Arya headed to the counter to collect a form.

Afterward, they found a relatively quiet corner and sat down.

The reason so many Bronze-rank Adventurers had gathered today was that the Adventurer’s Guild was holding a briefing session for the upcoming Winter Hunt event.

「So many people I’ve never seen before. Do you know them?」

On the way over, they had run into a few teams who greeted Arya—it seemed they were temporary collaborators from past commissions.

Arya shook her head, then lowered her voice and leaned closer to Gauss to explain briefly.

「I don’t know most of them either. Every year around this time, some inland Adventurers come to participate in the Winter Hunt...」

After Arya’s quiet explanation, Gauss understood the situation.

Roughly, after autumn began, some Adventurers from inland would start heading to the Borderlands towns.

Some came to train themselves and hone their skills,

Others simply came at this time to make quick money and then spend the winter in comfort.

Because the cold in winter made most Adventurers unwilling to move, earning a good sum before winter set in would allow them to relax throughout the cold season.

Come next spring, when the snow melted and the weather warmed, they would reemerge.

So in essence, Adventurers and monsters weren’t so different in their seasonal activities—both prepared "supplies" in advance for winter rest.

Gauss’s eyes scanned several locations in the hall.

No wonder some individuals had a markedly unusual air, wore high-grade gear, and were guarded by seasoned Adventurers—it turned out they were inland Adventurers, possibly even family scions sent here for training.

After a short wait, the attendees were complete, and everyone entered the conference hall.

The host was the Guild President of the Graystone Town Adventurer’s Guild—a red-eyed man Gauss had never seen before, with short brown hair, handsome yet stern and serious features.

Vice President Warlock Shirley and the scribe sat on either side.

Once everyone was seated, the red-eyed man gave a light cough.

「Ahem!」

「Thank you all for attending. I am the Guild President of the Graystone Town Adventurer’s Guild, Eberhard.」

His voice strangely echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.

At the same time, an invisible yet overwhelming aura swept through the entire hall, silencing all murmurs and whispers instantly—the place fell completely quiet.

Once order was established, he began to speak.

Gauss listened with his ears, but his heart skipped a beat.

He could keenly sense the peculiar energy in the air—a powerful biological aura, almost like a domain, compelling one to obey his direction and focus entirely on him.

If this... was magic, wouldn’t that be illegal? The thought suddenly popped into Gauss’s mind.

After all, no prior notice had been given to those present. But considering the man’s identity, no one was likely to pursue such an offense.

In Gauss’s perception, the aura of this red-eyed man was without a doubt the strongest he had ever encountered.

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