Leather Armor

The "Night Owl" adventurer team, with the exception of their captain Leven, had rather cold attitudes towards everyone else.

After Gauss finished introducing himself, the others each stated their names and preferred weapons before falling silent again.

Some were shy; the Priest girl, after stealing a few glances at Gauss, saw that no one else was speaking and chose to remain silent after a moment's hesitation.

Others were likely naturally aloof. The Rogue, cloaked and acting as an assassin, simply lowered her head to continue polishing her short sword after a brief greeting.

Speaking of which, because the assassin was entirely covered by her cloak and kept her head down, Gauss initially thought she was a boy. It wasn't until she spoke that he realized she was female.

The remaining Archer and Swordsman were also the quiet type.

Gauss could understand. After all, one couldn't expect everyone to be outgoing and cheerful, especially when facing a stranger who had suddenly joined their team.

If this team was truly as "elite" as Leven claimed, it was normal for the other members to have a bit of an air about them.

Weren't all masters like this?

Moreover, Gauss was quite used to this kind of distant yet not offensive attitude. If a stranger were overly enthusiastic from the start, he would actually feel uncomfortable.

"If there are no other issues, everyone can go back and rest this morning. We'll have a joint practice this afternoon to get acquainted. Our meeting spot will be outside the guild hall."

"Tomorrow morning, when the bell rings, we'll gather at the town entrance and depart for the mission destination."

"The specific rewards for the mission will be distributed based on individual contributions."

"Understood, Captain."

"Then I'll be heading back."

As soon as Leven finished speaking, the cloaked woman waved her hand and turned to leave.

The rest of them also departed after bidding farewell.

"Don't let their coldness get to you," Leven said to Gauss, who had stayed behind. "If you spend more time with them, you'll find they're all good people."

"Of course, that's assuming you can earn their approval."

Leven chuckled.

"I understand," Gauss nodded.

He suspected they might have thought of him as a temporary member, someone not worth investing too much effort in getting to know, perhaps believing he would leave soon and it was better to keep their distance from the start.

"Well then, Gauss, come with me to the front desk to register for the mission. I'll add your name to the temporary roster."

After completing the registration at the Adventurer's Guild counter, Gauss was temporarily added to the team for the mission.

Leven's "Night Owl" team was an unranked adventurer team registered with the Adventurer's Guild.

In reality, anyone could register an adventurer team for 50 Silver Coins, as long as they could afford it.

There were many benefits to paying extra to register a team.

Firstly, some clients and organizations, when assigning missions through the Adventurer's Guild, sometimes specified that adventurer teams should execute their tasks.

Because most members of adventurer teams had long-term cooperative experience, and their strength was similar to that of temporary team members, a coordinated fixed team would naturally perform better and be stronger in combat.

Furthermore, being able to afford the 50 Silver Coin registration fee was proof of strength in itself.

Therefore, adventurer teams could accept more missions than solo adventurers or temporary teams.

Secondly, adventurer teams, like adventurer ranks, could be promoted. Registering a team early in the novice stage helped accumulate mission volume sooner.

Finally, it was easier to recruit members for a registered team. A solo adventurer facing recruitment offers from different teams would naturally lean towards a more established, registered team.

After finishing the registration, Gauss greeted Leven and also headed back to prepare his luggage.

The location of this mission was near Mill Village.

The journey from Grayrock Town was not as far as Birch Village, but it wasn't a one-day trip either.

Considering the time needed for rest, information gathering, combat, collecting spoils, and the return journey after arrival, it would take at least 3 days to return to Grayrock Town.

Therefore, necessary supplies such as rations, water bags, and clothing had to be purchased and packed in advance.

While purchasing basic supplies in town, Gauss thought about it and decided to buy a set of Leather Armor.

After all, he would have to buy Leather Armor sooner or later.

Although the price was a bit steep at 15 Silver Coins, its defense was much better than Cloth Armor, while its lightness and flexibility were similar.

His old, second-hand Cloth Armor was bought back by the Leather Armor shop owner for 50 Copper Coins.

He had paid 1 Silver Coin for it, and aside from the first time he assassinated a lone Goblin, he had only truly used it once, yet its resale value had plummeted.

Walking out of the shop, Gauss couldn't help but suspect that the squinting, smiling middle-aged owner would put his Cloth Armor back on the shelf and sell it for 1 Silver Coin again after a simple cleaning.

Wearing the bright Leather Armor, looking left and right at the hardened, waxed leather plates, Gauss felt much better.

"The Leather Armor offers better defense, significantly reducing the risk of injury against Goblins."

He would never admit that a small part of his motivation was also the fear of being embarrassed during the afternoon practice, standing alongside everyone else who was well-equipped while he wore dirty, second-hand Cloth Armor.

So, this Leather Armor was, and had to be, purchased out of practicality.

The team's first joint practice in the afternoon was held in an open space outside the town.

These joint training sessions, like this one, are often held when new members join.

Even normally, any moderately strict captain will hold drills regularly.

The nature of this joint training is somewhat like an exchange of basic technical skills among members.

The abilities and skills the new members have mastered, their roles and positions within the team, their strengths and weaknesses – all must be demonstrated.

At the same time, the other teammates must also showcase their own characteristics to the newcomers.

In other words, those kinds of "cool story" plot points where someone hides their true abilities and only reveals them to amaze everyone during actual combat simply don't exist.

Such behavior treats both your own life and your teammates' lives as child's play.

After all, in actual combat, you can't expect your teammates to cooperate with you correctly if they have no understanding of your abilities.

Without cooperation, even if you truly have a hidden trump card skill, you might end up accidentally harming your teammates.

Therefore, drills are necessary.

We gathered at the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild.

At this moment, the other five people had already arrived at the agreed location, all clad in armor and armed.

Among them, the captain Leven and the Swordsman Doyle's armor were the most conspicuous.

Both were wearing black metal Light Scale Armor, with the protective parts covered by overlapping iron plates, structured like layered fish scales. They wore vambraces and greaves on their limbs, with a leather jacket underneath the scale armor.

Leven even had a dark brown, oak greatshield propped up beside him, its edges wrapped in metal, giving it a very powerful appearance.

Kind of cool.

Gauss had to admit, their equipment was a significant plus.

Scale armor hanging on a shop wall looks completely different from wearing it.

As for the other three, the Archer Oliver, the Rogue Meva, and the Priest Daphne, they wore relatively lighter Leather Armor.

However, judging by the quality and appearance, it should also be considerably more high-end than the brand-new set Gauss had just purchased.