Chapter 149: Overflowing Talent

The battle ended, and a green signal flare symbolizing the completion of the cleanup rose into the sky.

Only then were the two captured adventurers helped out from the temporary shelter.

They bore injuries of varying degrees.

There were not only fresh wounds from the recent battle, but also bruises and cuts from being beaten by monsters after their capture.

The war between humans and monsters had dragged on for tens of thousands of years, and there had never been any sort of prisoner-of-war convention between the two sides.

Falling into the hands of monsters often meant becoming a slave with no hope of ever turning things around.

For low-level monsters, beating and torturing captives was the norm. This came not only from their brutal and violent nature but also from practical considerations.

First, they needed to ensure that captives could not resist. At the same time, in the social structures of low-level monster races, using violence to establish dominance was common. Physical torture was their most direct way to demonstrate control, and it could also break the captive’s will to resist through pain.

Of course, for higher-level monsters, the means of controlling captives were often more advanced—such as intimidation through aura, magical enthrallment, or mental corrosion.

So, in a way, it was a blessing in misfortune that the rescue had been timely enough; the monsters’ “domestication” was still at an early stage.

Had they come any later, the consequences would have been hard to predict.

The Iron Arm Team’s Druid, Cathy, took the initiative to step forward and drape clean coats over the two.

She raised her multi-knotted staff decorated with holly branches slightly, and a rich aura of life turned into a gentle green glow, flowing from the wand tip and softly enveloping the injured.

“Healing Spell!”

Under the soothing power of Nature’s Bind, the bruises on the two women faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and their bleeding wounds quickly closed and scabbed.

Their injuries had not crippled them; most of the damage was physical and mental torment. The blows had been deliberately aimed to avoid lethal areas.

From this, it was clear that the elite monster responsible was quite skilled at handling human captives—this was likely not its first time doing such work.

While Cathy was treating them, the other two teammates who had escaped also came over.

The man and woman both wore expressions of lingering shock and shame for having failed to protect their companions.

Perhaps it was because outsiders were present, or perhaps the trauma had yet to fade, but there was no quarrel within the small team—only a heavy and awkward silence.

The Iron Arm Team’s captain, Quake, perhaps sensing the awkwardness, broke the quiet.

“Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Quake, Tier 3 Swordsman. Our team is based in Graystone Town. If there’s a chance, let’s keep in touch in the future.”

Faced with the solemnly outstretched hand, Gauss’s gaze settled on the man before him.

This Tier 3 Swordsman looked about thirty years old. Like most melee human Professionals, he was tall and upright, with a broad, solid frame. His full steel plate armor shimmered with a restrained, strange light.

Beneath his dark brown brows, his gray-blue eyes were steady and sharp, radiating a dependable and reassuring strength.

Gauss was slightly surprised.

Hadn’t they already exchanged introductions the first time they met not long ago?

Even so, he politely extended his hand and clasped the other’s rough, powerful grip.

“Gauss, Tier 1 Mage.” He still used the standard mage identity he presented to outsiders.

Quake nodded amicably.

At first meeting, he had thought Gauss was just an ordinary, fresh-faced Professional. Although cautious, Gauss’s youthful appearance often made first-time acquaintances subconsciously underestimate his abilities.

But during the battle just now, while Gauss had been observing the Iron Arm Team—studying how a higher-tier team coordinated—Quake had also been secretly watching Gauss.

Partly out of vigilance, partly to ensure nothing unexpected happened on Gauss’s side, but the longer he watched, the more confused he became about Gauss’s true strength.

As for Gauss’s claim of being a mage, Quake wasn’t entirely convinced.

Smooth and precise melee swordsmanship, swift movements, strength and stamina far beyond ordinary men, rapid and accurate spellcasting, plus that mysterious protective force field—

He was more inclined to believe his eyes: Gauss was either a rare special class or had already begun developing toward a dual-class path.

What Tier 1 novice mage had such excellent close-combat abilities? And his spellcasting power also seemed far above what an ordinary Tier 1 spellcaster should possess.

With a decade-long adventuring career—from partnering with various teammates early on to later forming his own team—Quake had honed keen judgment.

He even suspected that aside from himself and the Tier 3 Warlock, Sanna, the other two Tier 2 members of his team might not be able to match Gauss. And even in a one-on-one, taking Gauss down would not be easy for him or Sanna.

In such a short time, he had not found many weaknesses in Gauss. This made him a dangerous opponent, especially in an encounter battle where information was lacking—

It would be hard to find an effective counter against him.

The more he thought about it, the stronger his desire to recruit Gauss became.

Even with someone as strong as Sanna already in his team, a young man with such immediate combat strength and enormous potential was still irresistible.

In his view, Gauss and Arya’s two-person team was most likely a temporary pairing.

If necessary, recruiting Arya along with Gauss—since she was also young and promising—wouldn’t be a bad move.

Quake had heard before that in large cities, some famous adventurer teams had already begun forming 1st, 2nd, and 3rd squads, even creating renowned adventurer groups with group crests, headquarters, tiered structures, auxiliary logistics, and clerical offices.

Normally, each small team would work on its own commissions, but when tackling large dungeons, labyrinths, or big commissions—

They would gather together and operate as a large unit.

As far as he knew, the nearby Forest Capital of Barry had two well-known adventurer groups: the Golden Company and Thorned Heart.

The advantages of forming a large group were many: first, building reputation; second, using numerical superiority in the wild to pressure scattered small teams; and third, stable large groups could, with good personnel allocation and outstanding logistical support, push deeper into large dungeons and earn greater rewards.

These were tangible benefits.

Although his “Iron Arm” was currently only an active small team in Graystone Town, with just a few field operatives outside of combat personnel, who didn’t have ambitions to grow their team bigger and stronger?

“Iron Arm Company”—what a resonant name.

Still, though the urge to recruit was strong, Quake understood that haste makes waste.

For now, building a good relationship was key.

He and Gauss exchanged a few more casual words.

Once the injured had been treated, night had fallen.

After a busy day, the somewhat weary group began heading back toward the assembly point.

  Gauss and Arya walked side by side, with Quake’s Iron Arm Team not far away alongside them.

“Somehow… that captain feels a bit overly enthusiastic.” Gauss spoke calmly, using Message to discreetly communicate with Arya.

“Indeed.” Since Message was one-way, Arya didn’t say much more—just gave a small nod.

She could also sense that Quake’s warmth toward Gauss was special, and by extension, he was very friendly to her as well, nothing like how one would treat strangers in a first-time cooperation.

Could he be trying to recruit us?

The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook her head.

They were just two Tier 1 Professionals, while the other party was a mature Bronze three-star team. From a combat strength perspective, they should naturally favor experienced Tier 2 or Tier 3 Professionals.

Back at the temporary camp.

Gauss and Arya both let out a breath of relief.

Especially Gauss.

Today he had reached the Adventurer’s Handbook milestone of 1,000 kills. He was in an excellent mood, filled with the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal.

He also needed to return to a relatively safe environment to digest the rewards obtained from the Adventurer’s Handbook.

“Keep in touch.”

Quake’s team and Gauss parted ways, each heading to their own tent.

Once they were far enough away—

The Warlock, Sanna, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke.

“Quake, you’re thinking of inviting that young mage into the team?”

Her face showed no expression.

Quake gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “I do have that idea.”

“Huh?” Ranger Dorian’s jaw dropped. “No way, Captain—since when has our Iron Arm Team’s entry bar been this low? Even a Tier 1 mage can join?”

He recalled when he had first joined the team. Back then, the only members were Quake and Sanna as Tier 3 Professionals. As a Tier 2 Ranger at the time, he had to put in some effort to gain their approval.

Even then, he could sense that Quake and Sanna preferred recruiting other Tier 3 Professionals. But since most Tier 3 Professionals active in Graystone Town already had teams, they lowered the standard and accepted him and Cathy.

After all, there was a definite power gap between Tier 2 and Tier 3 Professionals.

Later, when other Tier 2 Professionals sought to join, Quake had refused them for the sake of the team’s overall benefit.

And now, he suddenly says he wants to skip over those experienced Tier 2s and invite a young Tier 1 Professional?

Thinking of his own experience, Dorian couldn’t help feeling a bit sour inside.

Although Cathy didn’t speak, her face showed the same confusion.

“I don’t object. That person… is indeed pretty good.”

Before Quake could explain, Sanna’s words made the two even more astonished.

They turned to look at Sanna together.

After all, while Quake was the captain, in many major decisions, Sanna’s opinion was the deciding factor. The earlier refusals to admit more Tier 2 members had mainly been her stance.

“However, he may not be willing to join,” Sanna added calmly.

“That’s true, I felt that as well—he seemed a bit… distant toward me. But there’s time. We’re all adventurers active around Graystone Town, so there’ll be plenty of chances to meet. I can be patient for a year or two.” Quake smiled.

“Huh?”

Dorian and Cathy both blinked.

Was this really the attitude of their Tier 3 team inviting a Tier 1 mage, and not the other way around?

Since when were Tier 1 Professionals in such demand? Wasn’t it normal for newcomers to stick together for warmth until they gained enough adventuring and combat experience to reach Tier 2, before getting accepted into a relatively stable team?

Listening to their exchange, Dorian felt the world had suddenly become unfamiliar to him.

At the far edge of the camp—

Gauss was holding that magical “cookbook,” preparing to cook today’s spoils—frost serpent meat dishes.

The raw frost serpent meat was a translucent icy blue, cold in nature, and needed high heat to break down the freezing toxins within.

The method was to slice it, drizzle it with moonlight herb dew to neutralize the trace cold poison, then wash it once blue blood seeped out. Lay the slices flat on the iron pan, sprinkle with salt, and sear over high heat for 20 seconds until slightly charred.

By the time Arya returned with moonlight herb dew bought from a caravan wagon, Gauss had already prepared the ingredients.

Soon, smoke rose from the cast iron pan. The icy-blue slices deepened in color, and a unique roasted aroma drifted up, drawing curious glances from nearby adventurers in other tents.

“Smells pretty good.” Even Arya, usually wary of monster ingredients, had to admit the aroma was tempting.

Still, she glanced at Gauss cautiously, waiting for him to take the first bite.

Gauss had no such hesitation. The moment the scent hit his nose, the Energy Storage Gland in his body sent a strong craving through him.

He speared a sizzling slice and popped it into his mouth, chewing noisily.

A rich meaty flavor burst instantly, the frost serpent’s unique chill blending wonderfully with the charred sear. Compared to the frog meat he often ate, this was even better.

“You have to try this—it’s really good,” Gauss urged.

“Then I… I’ll try it.” Arya finally gave in to temptation, spearing a slice, blowing it cool, and slipping it into her mouth.

“Mmm!” Her eyes widened in surprise.

An unexpectedly delicious taste!

“It’s… delicious!”

“See? I told you I wasn’t lying.”

Arya gave an embarrassed smile at that.

Soon, the two stopped talking and simply dug in.

“Burp.”

When the roasted meat in the pan was gone—

Gauss let out a satisfied belch.

Monster ingredients were full of energy. While they had side effects, Professionals could handle them.

Arya, however, was stuffed, muttering “Cold… cold…” as she shivered, teeth chattering, and went back to her tent to rest.

It seemed she’d eaten a bit too much, her body slightly chilled—but it wasn’t serious.

This might also be why monster ingredients couldn’t be widely promoted. Even with the strong physiques of Professionals, mild discomfort could occur, and ordinary people couldn’t eat them at all.

Gauss sat on the ground, looking at the bright moon climbing into the night sky.

Not wasting time, he began practicing the newly acquired Alarm Spell.

Tomorrow, the Winter Hunt would enter its second stage, shifting to clearing scattered small monster settlements.

Although the numbers might not be as high as the first two days, he was satisfied for now.

His goal was to complete the last three ordinary monster entries in the Monster Encyclopedia and unlock a new talent.

Once he obtained that talent, he would fully push for Tier 2 class rank.

After advancing to Tier 2—with improved physical stats, two class talents, two racial talents, and an ever-growing arsenal of spells and abilities—his combat power should reach a whole new level.

By then, even the young of those famed higher races might not match his strength.

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