When Gauss went out, he happened to overhear some townsfolk chatting. They mentioned that several knights riding griffins had recently landed in Grayrock Town.
At first, he thought it was just a country rumor and didn't believe it.
After all, you couldn't take roadside gossip at face value. He often heard people bragging that they'd seen a dragon.
It wasn't until he saw the griffins with his own eyes in the stables outside the Adventurer's Guild, their armor and tack gleaming, that he came to his senses. The casual rumor he'd just heard had actually been true.
As wild monsters, griffins had a Challenge Level of 2 or higher. That didn't sound particularly high, but they could fly and were remarkably agile. Unless adventurers could hold their attention, once the creatures spread their wings and took to the sky, most could only gaze upward and sigh.
Griffins carefully bred by humans and raised with abundant resources were often far more powerful than their wild counterparts.
At least, as far as Gauss could vaguely tell, the several eagle-lion hybrids lying down to rest exuded an extraordinarily powerful presence.
They reminded him of the Ghoul he'd encountered at the docks back when he was still a low-level adventurer—a powerful enemy he still couldn't take on.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. Just as he could probably now easily kill the Ghoul that had once sent them fleeing, he believed that with a little more time, his strength would surpass these griffins too.
He paused beside the stables and took a few more looks.
It was a rare chance to get close to monsters like these, so he might as well satisfy his curiosity.
There were plenty of other "spectators" nearby, watching the imposing creatures from a distance.
The griffins kept their eyes