[To Gauss:]
Hearing that you've advanced to Bronze Adventurer, all of us in Night Owl are genuinely happy for you.
It's no surprise… but it still happened faster than we expected.
Laevin and Doyle were in disbelief when they heard. That night at the tavern, they both drank a few extra rounds. Everyone's happy for you.
This path is never easy for any adventurer—congratulations.
We believe Bronze rank is just the beginning for you. In the future, you'll see sights the rest of us may never reach.
May your steps never stop.
We'll keep carrying our own packs, continuing forward on this road.
Our schedule's tight, so we couldn't congratulate you in person—please forgive us. Enclosed is a small gift from all of us. It's not heavy, but we hope you'll find it useful.
Wishing you a bright road ahead.
—From all of Night Owl.
…
When Gauss read the letter, he felt a small warmth in his chest.
He immediately recognized the handwriting as Meva's—the quiet but sharp-minded rogue apprentice from Night Owl. Back when they'd done quests together, she'd often sketched and taken notes on maps for scouting. Her delicate, neat script matched her personality perfectly.
The words carried him back to those days fighting alongside them.
He had thought of meeting up sometime, but changed his mind. They were all working hard to advance to professional rank. Showing up now might make them feel left behind—like in his past life, regular students watching the gifted ones who'd been guaranteed admission.
"Forget it… I'll wait until they advance too."
He carefully stored the gift and letter in his pack.
"Was it someone you know?"
"Yeah, an old teammate."
"Good. I'll get back to the kitchen," Sophia said, not knowing Meva or the others, and went back to work.
Before long, Alia arrived.
"How are you here before me again?" she asked, a little exasperated.
She hadn't been late—but Gauss somehow always got there first. When he'd lived at the inn, she could blame it on proximity, but now? He'd moved out and still beat her.
"Just got here," Gauss smiled. "Breakfast? I already ordered for you."
"Alright, let's eat together."
While waiting, Gauss absentmindedly flipped open his Adventurer's Manual:
…
Name: Gauss
Class: Mage
STR: 7
DEX: 7
CON: 7
INT: 9
WIS: 7
CHA: 7
Core Skill: Lv4 Gauss Omni-Armor (55/100)
Secondary Core: Lv3 Magic Missile (44/50)
Cantrips: Mage Hand Lv3 (46/50), Prestidigitation Lv3 (17/50), Firebolt Lv3 (15/50), Light Lv3 (3/50), Message Lv2 (5/20), Mending Lv2 (2/20), Gust Lv2 (2/20), Poison Spray Lv1 (8/10), Friends Lv1 (6/10)
Other Skills: Swordsmanship Basics Lv3 (3/50), Enhanced Leap Lv2 (18/20), Keen Insight Lv1 (8/10)
Racial Trait: [White] Energy Gland (Elite)
Class Traits: Magic Resistance, Spell Proficiency
…
Fourteen total skills: three at Lv1, four at Lv2, six at Lv3, and only one—his Omni-Armor—at Lv4.
He thought of skill levels like this: Lv1 = Novice, Lv2 = Proficient, Lv3 = Expert, Lv4 = Master, Lv5 = Unknown. He had no idea what Lv5 might unlock—only that he hoped Omni-Armor would get there soon so he could find out.
Unfortunately, leveling got harder the higher you went. The first two tiers went quickly, but from Lv3 onward, progress slowed. Even heavy use of Omni-Armor wouldn't push it to Lv5 anytime soon.
The benefits of high proficiency were clear—faster casting, smoother chaining, stronger resistance to interference. At Lv4, Omni-Armor was nearly instant-cast for himself.
He reviewed his priorities: Magic Missile, Mage Hand, and Enhanced Leap were close to leveling. He'd focus on practicing those.
After breakfast, they headed to the Adventurer's Guild.
As they climbed to the second floor, the envious stares and whispers from below followed them:
"Another team going up…"
"Why so many Bronze adventurers upstairs today?"
"Must be something big."
"Who cares—it's not our business. Let's just pick a quest."
"It's getting colder… two more weeks, and I'm heading home for the winter."
"Yeah, once it snows, the roads get bad. Gotta plan ahead."
The second floor was nothing like usual.
Normally, at this time of day, maybe a dozen Bronze adventurers lingered there. Today, the place was packed—close to a hundred. Many faces Gauss had never seen.
A group of halflings in dark leather armor clustered in a corner, tools hanging from their belts, eyes scanning the room as they spoke quietly. Gauss only noticed because he'd met a halfling mage before—otherwise they blended into the crowd.
The largest contingent were warriors—well-equipped in medium to heavy armor, swords, axes, and spears at their backs. Most small teams had at least one, sometimes two or three.
Some stood out: burly half-orc warriors with beastlike features—tails, ears, fangs, or partially animal limbs. They carried massive two-handed weapons but wore thick leather rather than heavy plate.
Next came rangers, both human and possibly half-elven, dressed for the woods with bows or crossbows and short blades. Their eyes were sharp as hawks.
Mages and clerics weren't as rare here as in the lower ranks; many were mixed into other squads.
Gauss even spotted some unusual classes, though he couldn't be certain without asking.
…
They went to the front desk, picked up a form, then found a quiet corner.
The reason for the crowd was clear: the Guild was holding a briefing for the upcoming Winter Hunt.
"Recognize anyone?" Gauss asked. On the way over, they'd run into a few parties that greeted Alia—probably people she'd teamed up with before.
"Not all," Alia murmured, leaning closer to explain.
"Every year around this time, adventurers from inland towns come for the Hunt…"
It made sense: after autumn, many adventurers traveled to border towns. Some came for training, others to make quick money before the cold months.
Winter was harsh—most adventurers preferred to stay put. Earning a big sum beforehand meant they could rest comfortably all winter and head out again come spring.
In that way, adventurers and monsters weren't so different—both stockpiled resources before the cold.
Gauss's eyes swept the room again. No wonder some carried themselves differently, with better gear and even bodyguards—likely inland nobles here to "train."
Once everyone had arrived, they entered the meeting hall.
The speaker was a man Gauss had never seen before—the Guildmaster of Grayrock. Short brown hair, striking red eyes, handsome but cold and severe.
Vice Guildmaster Shirley the warlock sat to one side, the guild secretary to the other.
When the adventurers settled, the man coughed lightly.
"Ahem."
"Thank you all for coming. I am Eberhard, Guildmaster of Grayrock."
His voice echoed unnaturally clearly in everyone's ears. At the same time, an invisible, powerful presence filled the hall, silencing every whisper.
Gauss listened, but inside, he stiffened.
That aura—it was like a domain, a force that commanded attention and compliance.
If that's magic… isn't it illegal? he wondered. There'd been no consent—but with his status, no one would dare complain.
In Gauss's senses, Eberhard's presence was the strongest he had ever encountered.