Chapter 30: Tactical Core
After Gauss showcased his abilities, especially the Magic Missile.
The others' attitude toward him subtly changed in a very short amount of time.
Although they didn’t say it outright, their gazes toward Gauss became noticeably more respectful.
In the following personal demonstrations and team tactical drills, everyone also put in extra effort.
It seemed that after Gauss set a good example, each person feared their own strength would be looked down upon and tried their hardest to prove themselves.
Sensing the shift in the team atmosphere, Gauss shook his head.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Sure enough, in any world, the strong are always respected.
Even if the strong are silent and reserved, the team would never ignore their voice because of it.
A path full of flowers and applause...
But Gauss also understood that strength was relative.
He relied on the destructive power of Magic Missile to instantly occupy the tactical core position responsible for the finishing blow in the team.
This was because, at least in terms of burst damage, he was a tier above the others.
But if placed among Professionals, he might just be a nobody, easily outclassed by others who could casually unleash stronger attacks.
The Tier 1 Spell cast by a mage apprentice without a class rank like him might not even match the power of a Tier 0 Cantrip used by a Professional.
Moreover, he could only cast one fully powered Magic Missile, whereas Professionals could cast Tier 0 spells with even less magical energy consumption.
In other words, his ultimate move was just a Professional’s basic attack.
He had heard from Shopkeeper Groln that once one officially advanced into a class and condensed a Class Rank, a mage's magical energy would not only increase in quantity but also become purer in quality, making spells more powerful than before.
Once he advanced into a Professional, he would probably be able to use the enhanced version of Magic Missile more frequently, rather than only being able to fire two weakened versions or one full-power version in a short time like now.
"Gauss..."
"From now on, leave the front line to me."
"I can help you restrain the enemy."
Levin looked at the people still surrounding Gauss after the drill ended and let out a sigh of relief.
Actually, he had a special ability he had never mentioned to anyone else.
It was a kind of mysterious intuition, and it had saved his life more than once.
That morning, at the Adventurer’s Guild, when he passed by Gauss, he suddenly felt a strange tremor in his heart.
It felt like Gauss stood out from the crowd, like a crane among chickens.
So it wasn’t after Gauss admitted to being a “mage” that Levin chose to approach him—it was before that when he already sensed Gauss was extraordinary.
That was also why he immediately showed interest in recruiting him.
Even though he and his team had never considered adding more members before.
This also explained why some members were cold to Gauss; perhaps it was partially his fault, as he brought Gauss in without prior discussion, naturally causing others to feel uneasy.
He couldn’t explain the reason to his companions.
But now that Gauss had demonstrated strength beyond a low-level adventurer and had gained the others’ recognition.
He also felt more at ease in his heart.
At least the outcome was good.
Now the only difficulty was how to officially recruit Gauss into the team.
To be honest, after spending most of the day together, Levin had started to vaguely sense some of Gauss’s thoughts.
And come to think of it, maybe this guy was actually the coldest one of them all.
Because from start to finish, whether Doyle and the others were cold at first or now were showing friendliness, Gauss’s face always wore that unchanging faint smile.
As if, no matter how his teammates behaved, he could accept it all.
But it was precisely this kind of attitude that reflected a sense of detachment.
...
The next morning.
“Dong—”
“Dong—”
The melodious sound of the bell woke up Graystone Town.
“So early today?”
Sophia in the hall looked at Gauss coming down the stairs and asked curiously.
“There’s a mission today, I’ve made an appointment with the team.” Before heading out, Gauss checked his gear and backpack once more.
Only after confirming nothing was missing did he step out the door.
“Sophia, I’m leaving now, I’ll probably be back in a few days.”
“Safe travels, and be careful on your mission.” Sophia watched Gauss leave.
She already knew that Gauss had officially changed paths to become an adventurer.
She was a bit worried about his decision.
Being an adventurer was a very dangerous profession; any day, this young man working far from home could end up dead in the wilderness.
If an accident were to happen.
Perhaps aside from her, the innkeeper with no blood relation, no one else would even know what had become of him.
Just thinking about it made her feel a bit bitter and uneasy.
But she had no standing to interfere with this young man’s life choices.
Even if she didn’t approve, all she could do was offer her blessings.
However, she could tell that lately, Gauss’s physical and mental state had been improving, changing noticeably day by day.
Completely different from how he was the past year.
“Maybe Little Gauss has found his true life goal...”
He bought some meat pies from a street vendor.
Eating as he walked toward the town’s exit.
“Morning!”
The voice of the swordsman Doyle came from behind.
“Morning.”
“Want some jerky?”
“No thanks, I just bought these meat pies.” Gauss replied through mouthfuls.
Before reaching the town’s exit, he saw the tall figure of Levin by the roadside.
Beside him was a horse pulling a flatbed cart.
Doyle naturally placed his bag, armor, and weapons onto the flatbed.
“What’s this?” Gauss blinked.
“This is our team’s packhorse cart for transporting luggage. Gauss, you can put your gear in here too.” Levin waved him over.
So Gauss placed his pack and leather armor onto the cart as well.
Levin’s large shield, scale armor, Doyle’s greatsword and armor, as well as a boiler, cooking gear, food, tents, and other supplies were all on the cart.
Pretty well prepared, Gauss thought to himself.
Then again, it made sense—there were six of them in total, and it wouldn’t be easy to find a suitable caravan to ride with on short notice.
Even if they were lucky enough to find one going the same way, what about the return trip?
Without a horse, no matter how fit Levin and Doyle were, it would be impossible to wear heavy armor and travel through the wilderness for a whole day.
That was probably why the Night Owl Team was equipped with their own packhorse cart.
Though whether they bought it or rented it, he wasn’t sure.
Before long, the rest of the team arrived at the meeting point as well.
Everyone unloaded their burdens and placed them onto the flatbed cart.
After confirming that no one and nothing was missing, Levin gave the signal, and the group set off from Graystone Town, traveling light.
“Squeak, squeak—”
The sound of wooden wheels grinding against the ground echoed as the team marched in an orderly fashion.
Anyone who got tired during the journey could sit in the cart and rest for a while.
Overall, the experience was much better than Gauss had expected.
“In the future, I’m going to buy a horse too—whether for my own gear or for my future teammates’ baggage,” Gauss thought to himself.
Last time, when he returned on foot with a heavy load from Birch Village to Graystone Town, he nearly died from exhaustion.
It was fine at first, but after walking for an hour or two, he began to regret it—carrying all those bags and spoils, he had to stop and rest frequently or he simply wouldn’t have made it.
In the end, it took him over two days to make it back, with blisters on the soles of his feet.
And that was even with his Constitution stat raised to 6.
Now, traveling light felt like a completely different experience.
Along the way, Gauss felt like he was continuously absorbing the experience of being an adventurer from Levin.
Adventuring wasn’t like games in his previous life, where you could teleport to the mission site and then begin the quest.
In reality, low-level adventurers spent most of their time on the road, so preparation in the early stages was crucial.
Of course, higher-ranking Professionals might be different, but Gauss had yet to come into contact with such powerful individuals.
He was still absorbing nutrients and quietly storing energy to grow and develop.
Speaking of which, he had already inquired about the base materials for wands from Daphne, and they were much more expensive than he had imagined.
The quality of the base material varied and included types like holly, elder, lightning-struck wood, peach wood, hawthorn, and so on—not all branches from these trees could be used, only carefully selected segments that allowed magical energy to flow smoothly could be processed, so the price started at no less than 70 silver coins.
Some of the more expensive ones even cost more than the magic stones used as wand cores, reaching over 10 gold coins.