The Tactical Core

After Gauss had shown off his skills, especially Magic Missile,

the others' attitudes toward him changed subtly in a very short time.

They didn't say it outright, but there was a newfound seriousness in the way they looked at Gauss.

Everyone put extra effort into the individual demonstrations and the team's tactical drills that followed.

It seemed that after Gauss had set a good example, one by one, they worried their own abilities would be underestimated and pulled out all the stops to show what they could do.

Gauss noticed the shift in the team's atmosphere and shook his head.

He couldn't help but marvel.

Sure enough, no matter the world, the strong were always respected.

Even if the strong were quiet and reserved, the team wouldn't ignore their voices.

The road strewn with flowers and applause.

But Gauss also understood that strength was relative.

With the destructive power of Magic Missile, he could instantly claim the tactical core position in the team, the one responsible for delivering the killing blow.

That was because his burst damage was at least a whole tier above everyone else's.

But among professional adventurers, he might be nothing more than a nobody. Anyone could casually unleash an even stronger attack.

The 1st Circle Spell he cast as a Mage Apprentice without a Class Rank might not even be as powerful as a professional's 0th Ring cantrip.

Besides, he could only cast one full-power Magic Missile like the one he'd just demonstrated, while a professional's 0th Ring spells consumed less mana.

In other words, his ultimate was just a professional's basic attack.

He'd heard Shopkeeper Gron say that when mages officially advanced into a profession and formed their Class Rank, not only would their mana increase in quantity, its quality would also become purer. Casting the same spell would produce a more powerful effect than before.

Once he became a professional, he'd probably be able to cast the enhanced Magic Missile more times, instead of being able to cast only two weakened Magic Missiles in quick succession or one full-power one, as he could now.

"Gauss."

"Leave your front to me from now on."

"I can keep the enemy occupied for you."

Leven watched the others gather around Gauss after the drills ended and let out a sigh of relief.

Actually, he had a special ability he'd never mentioned to anyone else.

He had a strange intuition, one that had even saved his life several times.

That morning, at the Adventurer Hall, he'd been passing by Gauss when he suddenly felt an indescribable stirring inside him.

Gauss had stood among the crowd with an air of detachment, like a crane among chickens.

So Leven hadn't decided to approach Gauss only after he'd admitted to being a "mage." He'd realized Gauss was no ordinary person even before that.

That was why he'd immediately shown an interest in recruiting him.

Even though neither he nor the other squad members had been looking to recruit anyone new.

It was also why some members had been cold toward Gauss. That chill was probably partly his fault; after all, he'd suddenly brought someone in without discussing it with them first, so naturally, the others had some reservations.

He couldn't explain the reason to his companions.

But now Gauss had displayed strength beyond that of a low-level adventurer and had earned the other members' approval.

That made Leven feel a little better.

At least things had turned out well.

The only challenge now was getting Gauss to officially join the squad.

To be honest, after spending half a day together, Leven could vaguely sense what Gauss was thinking.

And come to think of it, Gauss might be the most aloof of them all.

From beginning to end, whether Doyle and the others had been cold or were now being friendly, Gauss had kept the same faint smile on his face.

As if he could accept his teammates no matter how they acted.

But that very attitude reflected a sense of detachment.

The next morning.

"Dong—"

"Dong—"

The melodious tolling of the bells woke Grayrock Town.

"You're up early today."

Sophia, in the lobby, looked curiously at Gauss as he came downstairs.

"We've got a job. I made plans with the squad." Before leaving, Gauss checked his gear and pack one more time.

Only after making sure he hadn't forgotten anything did he step outside.

"Sophia, I'm off. I'll probably be back in a few days."

"Have a safe trip. Be careful out there." Sophia watched Gauss leave.

She already knew that Gauss had officially become an adventurer.

She was worried about his decision.

Being an adventurer was dangerous. Any day, the young man who'd left home to make his way in the world might end up dead in the wilderness.

If something unfortunate happened,

aside from her, an innkeeper with no blood relation to him, no one might even know what had become of him.

The thought made her feel a little sad, and she couldn't help worrying about him.

Still, she had no grounds to interfere with the young man's choices in life.

Even if she didn't approve, all she could do was wish him well.

But she could see that Gauss's physical and mental condition had been improving lately, changing almost day by day.

He was completely different from the way he'd been over the past year.

"Maybe little Gauss has found his true purpose in life."

He bought some meat pies from a street vendor.

Eating as he walked, he headed toward the town gate.

"Morning!"

Doyle's voice came from behind him.

"Morning."

"Want some jerky?"

"No, thanks. I just bought some meat pies." Gauss chewed heartily as he mumbled his reply.

Before they reached the town gate, he spotted the tall Leven waiting by the roadside in the distance.

Beside him stood a horse hitched to a flatbed cart.

Doyle naturally put his pack, armor, and weapons on the cart.

"What's this?" Gauss blinked.

"This is the packhorse cart that carries our squad's luggage. Gauss, put your pack and gear in here too." Leven beckoned him over.

Gauss put his pack and leather armor on the cart as well.

Leven's greatshield and scale armor, Doyle's greatsword and armor, plus a cooking pot, cookware, food, tents, and other supplies were all on the cart.

They were pretty well prepared, Gauss thought to himself.

But when he thought about it, it made sense. There were six of them, and they couldn't count on finding a suitable merchant caravan to travel with at the last minute.

Even if they got lucky and found a caravan going their way, what would they do on the return trip?

Without a horse, even with Leven and Doyle's stamina, they couldn't spend all day traveling through the wilderness in heavy armor.

That might be why the Night Owl Squad had their own packhorse cart.

He just didn't know whether they'd bought or rented it.

Before long, the others arrived at the meeting point too.

Everyone took off their packs and other burdens and loaded them onto the flatbed cart.

After making sure they had everyone and all their supplies, Leven called out, and they set off from Grayrock Town, traveling light.

"Creak, creak—"

The wooden wheels rolled over the ground as the squad made steady progress.

Now and then, anyone who got tired would hop onto the flatbed cart and rest for a while.

Overall, the experience was much better than Gauss had expected.

I should buy a horse too. It can carry my own luggage and, later on, my teammates' as well, Gauss thought.

Last time, he'd walked all the way back from Birch Village to Grayrock Town with a heavy load, and he'd nearly exhausted himself.

At first, it had been fine. But after an hour or two, he'd regretted it. Carrying packs and all kinds of spoils, he'd had to stop and rest every so often. Otherwise, he simply couldn't keep going.

In the end, it had taken him more than two whole days to get back to Grayrock Town, and he'd developed blisters on his feet.

And that was with his Constitution raised to 6.

Traveling light now felt like a completely different experience.

All along the way, Gauss felt he was constantly learning from Leven's experience as an adventurer.

Adventuring wasn't like a game in his previous life, where you could teleport straight to the mission destination and get to work.

In reality, low-level adventurers spent most of their time on the road, so preparation was crucial.

Of course, higher-level professionals might have it differently, but Gauss couldn't yet get close to those powerhouses.

He was steadily absorbing knowledge, quietly building his strength and growing.

By the way, he'd already asked Daphne about the price of the base material for a Wand, and it was much more expensive than he'd expected.

The materials varied in quality and included holly, elder, lightning-struck wood, peach, and hawthorn. But not just any piece of wood from these plants would do. Only a tiny number of branches were suitable for channeling mana, and those had to be carefully selected and processed. As a result, the price started at 70 silver coins.

Some of the more expensive ones cost over 10 gold coins, more than the magic stone used as the core of a Wand.

Thanks to "新的肥肥阿风" for the 5,000 coins! Why do you keep tipping me? I feel a little undeserving.

A quick side note: I just checked the stats backstage, and nearly half of the readers currently following this book are between 18 and 24. Everyone feels so young.

In the blink of an eye, I'm almost 26 and about to hit 30—an old man. It's terrifying.

One more side note: this Sunday, the book will be featured in its first round of recommendations. Thank you all for your support so far. I'm also shamelessly asking you to keep reading every day, especially the chapters released on Tuesday; the next round of promotion will focus heavily on that day's stats.

Thank you, everyone!