Gauss had absolutely no doubt — in front of this man, he wouldn't last more than a few breaths. He might not even have the chance to draw a teleportation scroll, let alone channel magic to activate it.
And as for what level this man might be… Gauss couldn't even begin to guess.
After the Guildmaster's brief opening remarks, Shirley and the guild secretary took over, going through the Winter Hunt details point-by-point and answering questions.
By the time they were done, Gauss had a solid grasp of how the event worked.
Timing:
The Hunt was planned for roughly a month from now, though the exact date couldn't be pinned down yet. Scouts still needed to monitor monster activity along the Jade Forest's outskirts. Once they had reliable information, the Guild would give a one-week notice to every registered party.
That meant no one had to linger in Grayrock the entire month — but everyone had to stay close enough to make it back within a week of the announcement.
Once it started, the Hunt typically lasted a full week.
Perks & Pay:
Participants got a daily attendance stipend. For a 1-star Bronze like Gauss, that meant 50 silver a day — but only if he went out on hunts with the main force. Lazing around in town meant forfeiting that pay.
Bounties:
The Guild had set specific bounty rates for monsters, categorized by species and combat rating. Gauss focused on a few that mattered to him:
Goblin: 1 silver, 30 copper each (30–40 copper more than standard)
Kobold: 1 silver, 15 copper
Slime: 1 silver, 10 copper
Juveniles: half price
Elite monsters, as expected, were far more lucrative:
CR 1 Mantisfolk: 3 gold each
CR 1 Hobgoblin: 2.5 gold each
But with higher pay came higher risk — not only from the fight itself, but from external factors.
Elites were intelligent. They often had squads of lesser monsters under their command, adding layers of difficulty. And they would run if the tide turned against them. For mobile monsters especially, even if the adventurers had the upper hand, an unprepared party could watch their target slip away into the forest. Catching them would require coordination.
…
The Winter Hunt followed a hybrid model: large formations covering broad zones, while smaller teams operated flexibly within those areas.
For Bronze adventurers, it was like a major festival — some even called it the "Winter Hunt Festival." A typical Bronze could earn several gold coins in a week. Stronger, harder-working teams with good synergy could double that.
For Gauss, though, "several" wasn't enough.
He had 20 gold in debt to repay. He needed to budget for new spells and a mount — and good mounts weren't cheap. The better the mount, the greater its endurance, carrying capacity, and sometimes even combat ability. Some could fight alongside their riders, improving mobility and survivability.
Everything took money.
If he wanted to hit his goal, killing small fry alone wouldn't cut it. He'd have to go after elites — the real targets of the Hunt. Without their leaders, monster forces would collapse into chaos. Forget raiding villages — they'd turn on each other.
Different monster races already competed fiercely in the forest; "coexistence" wasn't in their vocabulary.
With his recent INT boost and increased combat power, Gauss felt nearly on par with a Level 2 professional. Taking down an elite head-on wasn't the issue — the challenge would be stopping them from fleeing. But with Alia and Ulfen controlling and blocking, they could handle it.
If each CR 1 elite yielded 2–4 gold, his share would be 1–2 gold after splitting. Two kills a day meant about 20 gold in a week — just from elite bounties.
And that was before loot sales. The Guild would handle processing and selling, then distribute profits after deducting fees. With an approximate 1:1 ratio between bounty and loot value, elite drops could bring in another ~20 gold.
Add incidental kills of smaller monsters, and the total could easily climb higher.
Fifty gold in a week?
Gauss sucked in a breath. That kind of money could change things fast. The Hunt was a rare opportunity, and the Guild and Town Hall were pouring resources into making it happen.
Adventurers like him just needed to kill. The Guild handled everything else: recon magic, recordkeeping, merchant coordination, loot sales, payouts.
If he played it right, this could be a payday unlike any other.
He and Alia exchanged a knowing glance — they were thinking the same thing.
Once the meeting ended and the Guild's leadership left, the floor erupted with activity. Some adventurers formed temporary teams, others discussed how to spend the next month.
Gauss pulled Alia aside. A month wasn't long, and with the early arrival of the cold this year, the Hunt might start ahead of schedule. The Guild had even warned everyone not to travel far in the meantime.
He needed targeted prep:
Train skills close to leveling up
Focus extra on Keen Insight
Stock some personal supplies — caravans would be present, but he wouldn't rely solely on them
He also glanced at Alia. Her Goodberry training, which they'd been working on in downtime, was visibly progressing. At this pace, she could master it before the Hunt.
"Alia, you should start your own preparations too."
"I know. I can already feel I'm close to finishing Goodberry," she said with a nod. Since teaming up with him, her progress had been oddly fast.
"See if you can contract a hawk or similar bird of prey," Gauss suggested. He'd thought of it before, but now was the time to say it.
Even if a bird added little to combat, its scouting value was enormous. Monsters in the forest weren't clustered together — just denser than usual. A hawk circling overhead was like having eyes hundreds of times sharper, spotting targets early and boosting hunt efficiency.
"Alright, I'll keep an eye out," she agreed.
As they talked quietly, Gauss's sharp hearing caught murmurs nearby:
"He's so young."
"And pretty good-looking."
"They call him the Goblin Slayer? Hah, interesting."
"Yeah, I heard that. Supposedly most of his kills are goblins?"
"Should we invite them? We're short a mage since Leon left. Even if he's the 'Goblin Slayer'—"
Their subtle glances landed on him. Gauss felt a vein throb in his forehead. Where did they even hear this? In reality, goblins made up only about half his kills — and yet somehow that had become "most" in the rumor mill.
Who's spreading crap about me?
Then he let it go. People could talk; he couldn't control that. It was just a few randoms repeating hearsay.
The group approached. Their leader, Pat, smiled warmly and invited Gauss and Alia to join their team to fill their mage slot.
Gauss refused. Even without overhearing them earlier, he wouldn't have joined. More people meant thinner splits, and right now, he only needed Alia and Ulfen. Joining an unfamiliar team — especially one with preloaded assumptions — was not appealing.
As they walked away, still chatting about goblins, Gauss shook his head.
He wouldn't let other people's opinions alter his path. Even if goblins were "trash mobs" to most, and the label "only bullies the weak" stuck to him, if hunting them made him stronger, he'd keep doing it.
Bronze, Black Iron, Silver, Gold — all the way to the top — he would never give up on hunting goblins.