Elite Squad

By the giant sword statue in the corner of the hall, a group of Adventurers gathered in small clusters.

"We're planning to team up and clear out the underground caves to collect Ooze Cores. Anyone want to join us?"

Oozes are the lowest-tier creatures in the well-known Mud Monster family.

They are also the monsters that novice Adventurers encounter most often.

They rely on their swamp-like bodies to engulf creatures, preventing escape, and torment enemies to death through constricting movements.

Like Goblins, their individual combat strength is relatively weak; in a one-on-one situation, most Adventurers can deal with them fairly easily.

The only thing to be careful of is not getting them stuck to your weapons or armor, as their mild corrosive properties might damage lower-quality equipment.

"Hey, black-haired kid, want to join our party?" Perhaps sensing Gauss's gaze, the red-haired youth who was recruiting teammates for the underground cave sweep turned and invited him.

Gauss was tempted, but quickly dismissed the idea.

The wild underground caves were too dangerous for novice Adventurers. Who knew what extremely dangerous monsters might be lurking within? If they encountered one, escaping would be difficult in an underground space.

"Sorry," Gauss shook his head, refusing the invitation.

"Kid, are you a Swordsman? Want to join our squad? We're just missing a Warrior for the front charge." Another Adventurer quickly approached him. Perhaps seeing the Rapier hanging from his waist, they assumed he was a Swordsman and proactively invited him.

"I'm not a Swordsman, I'm a Mage apprentice."

A Mage apprentice is someone striving towards the Mage profession.

But even if Gauss called himself a Mage, others wouldn't consider him a formal Professional.

Adventurers at the Professional level were all on the second floor, with very few lingering on the first floor and having nothing better to do than come to places like this to recruit.

Moreover, many low-tier Adventurers in their apprenticeship phase liked to call themselves Warriors, Rangers, Rogues, and so on.

Although Gauss added "apprentice" afterward, the more crucial word "Mage" at the beginning still attracted the attention of many Adventurers.

One by one, they turned their gazes towards him.

Many Mage apprentices often had their own fixed Adventurer squads.

Even freelancers would quickly be absorbed into relatively elite squads.

Among low-tier Adventurers, the proportion of preparatory professions like Mages, Priests, and Warlocks was smaller. In contrast, among formal Professionals, the distribution of professions was relatively balanced.

This was actually easy to understand.

Compared to Warriors, Rangers, and Rogues, Mages, Priests, and Warlocks had a higher threshold. Ordinary people without family backgrounds often had difficulty accessing related skills, naturally leading to a smaller number.

"Mage kid, join our squad!" A tall, strong, and burly young man, cutting ahead of many others, placed his hand on Gauss's shoulder. "Unlike these temporary teams of trash, our Night Owl Squad is an elite squad, and we're just missing a Mage. Want to give it a try?"

"Big guy! Who are you calling trash?"

"Forget it, forget it! He's one of ours, let's not provoke him!"

Amidst the man's boisterous voice, various reactions erupted from the crowd.

But the young man ignored the protests of others, focusing intently on Gauss, awaiting his reply.

"Sorry, I don't have any plans to join a squad long-term for now. I'm just looking to join a temporary team this time to hone my skills." Gauss spoke truthfully, while controlling Mage Hand to lift his Rapier, a move to prove his identity.

He currently only wanted to join a temporary team. Ideally, the other team members would assist him in getting kills on weaker monsters, practice the effect of Magic Missile, and earn some money. Once he saved up enough, he would inquire about the price of a Wand and see if he could afford one with a Life Magic Stone.

After buying a Wand, he would go all out to reach the Professional stage.

Only after formally advancing to a profession would he consider Adventurer squads, and he would most likely form his own team.

He would recruit trustworthy front-liners and support personnel to create opportunities for him to get kills, even if it meant giving up a portion of the commission rewards.

Alternatively, he could act alone; the lone wolf approach offered more freedom.

But either way, he didn't want to stay in a team led by someone else long-term, as it would be detrimental to his personal development. He wouldn't be able to decide the team's actions, accept commissions, manage mission progress, or effectively collect data for the Monster Codex.

If he weren't currently incapable of undertaking missions alone, he wouldn't be here at this temporary recruitment spot trying his luck.

"No problem. Temporary is fine too. Think of it as us getting to know each other," the young man laughed heartily, unbothered. As if to compensate, he added, "Even if you wanted to officially join our squad now, my teammates might not agree without assessing your strength and personality first."

"Oh, right. My name is Leven, and I'm a Shieldbearer. Among my companions, we also have an Archer, an Assassin, a Swordsman, and a Priest." Seeing that Gauss still hadn't reacted, he continued to introduce his squad's composition, intending to showcase their strength.

Gauss followed the direction of his finger and saw four male and female Adventurers.

Unlike the other Adventurers, this squad indeed exuded the "elite" aura of not being easily approached.

The Archer held a dark longbow in her hand. Seeing him look over, she remained unfazed. The Assassin was cloaked, and upon closer inspection, a small crossbow hung from his waist under his cape. The Swordsman fit Gauss's stereotypical image. The Priestess hugged a wooden staff, huddled by the wall, her eyes curiously observing Gauss.

Gauss was somewhat moved.

This team's lineup was indeed quite complete: an Archer for ranged support, an Assassin for flanking assaults, a Shieldbearer to tank damage, a Swordsman for frontal offense, and even a Priest for logistical support and healing.

In fact, even without him, they would be capable of undertaking most ordinary missions for low-tier Adventurers.

"What kind of mission are you taking?" Even though he was tempted, the cautious Gauss still didn't agree immediately.

He planned to first hear the details of the commission they had accepted.

If the mission wasn't suitable or too risky, he wouldn't join.

He was worried that because they were "strong," they would choose exceptionally difficult missions.

"Don't worry, it's just about 15 goblins," the man named Leven said, patting his chest. "Our party members are all aspiring Professionals aiming for their career goals, so we wouldn't take on a mission beyond our capabilities."

"In fact, missions like this are just daily training for us to hone our skills. We've completed similar tasks over a dozen times, so you can rest easy."

Leven clearly noticed Gauss's interest in joining, and his words became much more frequent.

Fifteen goblins... that felt manageable.

Last time in Birch Village, there were twenty goblins in total, and one of them was an unusual individual, but they managed to pull through in the end.

Although he didn't want to badmouth others behind their backs, this current party was clearly more than a level above Hailiel's trio in strength, and there were more members too.

Coupled with his own significantly increased strength, there shouldn't be any unexpected issues, and they should be able to complete the mission safely.

Gauss quickly weighed the options in his mind. Once he made up his decision, he proactively extended his hand.

"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate, Captain Leven. My name is Gauss."

"Welcome, Gauss," Leven replied, shaking his hand with a bright smile.

Gauss returned the smile.

Joining an elite-level newcomer Adventurer party and developing in secret for a while wasn't necessarily a bad choice.

Gauss needed to improve his skill proficiency, earn money, practice Sword Skills, and accumulate kill counts for the Monster Codex.

However, he couldn't mindlessly charge into the Emerald Forest alone to hunt monsters; that would be no different from seeking death.

A well-equipped party, even one with a healing Priest, could indeed provide him with a stable environment for development and leveling up for the time being.

Moreover, he felt that the others were quite sensible. Even with their decent strength, they didn't seem to have any intention of tackling high-difficulty missions.

For Adventurers aspiring to become Professionals, accepting commission quests that offer training value without exceeding their capabilities, while ensuring their own safety, was the most suitable pace.

His mindset and theirs were largely in agreement.

That is, develop steadily and don't take unnecessary risks!