I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 419: Professional Level: 8

Around the Magic Frog Lord's lair camp, aside from a portion of battle-ready members who remained armored and vigilant, the rest had taken off their armor and weapons and changed into relatively lightweight clothing while moving about the area.A blond youth held a small dissection knife designed for specimen collection; after finding the right spot, he stabbed into the Magic Frog's relatively soft belly. Then another hand wearing a thick leather glove skillfully probed into the still-warm corpse's abdomen. After groping around and locating the exact part, he tugged out the mana gland with a little force.

The youth inspected the gland for a moment, making sure he hadn't damaged the material before wrapping it in cloth and placing it into the basket on his back. He repeated the process, and soon the basket was piled high with glands.

Although most Red Dragon Guild members were leveled professionals, they handled this kind of routine collection work very deftly.

After all, being an adventurer is this kind of job. When you first set out and became a low-tier adventurer, there weren't many logistics staff to help collect spoils. Back then you had to do it yourself after the fight, hands-on.

Now it was just returning to old skills.

Compared to members of other adventuring parties, they were fortunate.

Although none of them understood precisely how the guild leader could possess such terrifying, instrument-like, unceasing endurance, they had to admit that because of that reassuring leader, ordinary members' lives were far better protected. That gave them the courage to fight back against enemies that outnumbered them by the hundreds.

Aria, who still didn't have the strength to move, had received a great deal of help from the guild leader during the opening stages of the battle.

I always appeared behind members at the brink of death after situations arose, using my meager magic to kill off those enemies,

“Shh, brothers over here, keep your voices down, don't disturb the guild leader.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Very few members dared to make noise when they noticed Gauss was in a "resting" state recovering mana; they instinctively lowered their voices, afraid their conversation might affect the figure sitting cross-legged.

Only a handful of core members knew Gauss was in the middle of a breakthrough.

We didn't say much to other members about it; sometimes saying less is better.

If other members knew Gauss was breaking through a level, half of us might feel less pressure. After all, breakthroughs are rare events that many low-tier adventurers may never experience in their lives.

Albenia stood close beside Gauss, arms crossed over her chest, like a door deity guarding him.

The several core members who seemed to be doing their own things were actually positioned so casually that, on closer inspection, they formed a protective ring around Gauss, their peripheral glances never leaving him.

It couldn't be denied that Gauss's every move gripped the entire team's attention.

Luna and the spellcasters sat on a rock, talking in low, urgent voices.

“Is this really necessary?”

Although Gauss had told them not to worry and that he could generally handle it, they still found themselves anxiously concerned about his breakthrough. The Red Dragon Guild's professional structure was delicate, especially during a level-breaking phase; any ripple could have unpredictable consequences.

That was why, after a breakthrough, a small number of Red Dragon members deliberately chose a quiet chamber to avoid being disturbed, lowering external influence so they could fully immerse in their own change.

But Gauss simply sat there, swaying a little, and started his seclusion right next to a Magic Frog Lord whose corpse was still warm.

Does that really matter?

Luna, who shared the same profession as Gauss, couldn't help muttering inwardly.

But considering they were in the maze, it truly was hard to find a better place, so she did not voice any strong objections.

"Worry if you must, no one knows Gauss better than Gauss himself."

Alongside Luna's worried expression, another member looked even more nervous, unable to relax as he squatted and absently rubbed the wolf head of Ulfen beside him.

You knew Gauss was not a careless man. Since he chose to do this, he must have some level of confidence that any external influence could be managed.

While the two exchanged low words, level-7 Infiltrator Ethan appeared before them.

“Captain Luna, members from another adventuring guild are here. They want to visit Guild Leader Gauss.”

Hearing Ethan, Luna slightly furrowed her brow.

She wasn't surprised that other adventuring parties could find them here.

Though the fourth-level maze was large, this place was the storm center and naturally attracted other adventurers' attention.

For them to send people only now was actually later than she had expected.

“Tell them to come tomorrow... no, I’ll go myself.” Luna decided, but then felt uneasy. She glanced at Gauss, who was still in seclusion, thought for a moment, and stood up.

She had to know what intentions those guilds who sent envoys really held.

Especially given Gauss was currently secluded for a breakthrough, any visit from other guilds needed to be handled with extreme caution. At the very least, they couldn't let anyone affect the guild leader.

“Want me to come with you?”

Aria looked up and asked.

“No, Aria, you stay and watch over the guild leader.” Luna shook her head.

As the former second-in-command of the Fang of the Pale Wolf guild, she had plenty of experience dealing with other adventuring parties.

Whether they came with honest intentions or to probe for weaknesses, she could tell it most of the time.

Led by Infiltrator Ethan, Luna called over a few subordinates and headed toward the woods.

After walking some distance, they saw the group blocked outside by Red Dragon members.

Two men and a woman.

Luna scanned their equipment and stance and instantly assessed the team's situation.

This was a typical scouting squad sent out by an adventuring guild to gather intelligence; their horses were tied to a nearby tree.

According to Ethan's report, they had shown themselves proactively, which was a fairly honest and orderly move; they had not rashly tried to pry into Red Dragon secrets without permission.

When they saw Luna, the three wore somewhat restrained expressions.

Scouts, above all, relied on stealth and intelligence gathering; they naturally sensed the unabashedly strong mana surrounding Luna.

She was obviously a powerful spellcaster.

Recognizing Luna's strength, the middle-aged rogue who led them stepped forward half a pace and bowed to introduce himself.

“I am Corin, captain of the third scouting squad from the Wildfire Guild.”

“These two are my teammates.”

Wildfire Guild?

Luna thought for a moment, quickly matching the memory in her mind to the information. This was an adventuring guild from Barry City, whose guild leader was a level-10 Warlock specializing in destructive fire magic.

Like their leader's style, many of the guild's spellcasters favored fire-based magic.

Such an adventuring team composition was not uncommon. Many joined a guild hoping the leader could guide their cultivation in a specific direction, which gradually produced a specialized style.

Of course, that didn't mean every member was a spellcaster. Even in such a specialty team, mages often remained a minority, serving as the tactical core, while Warriors, Rangers, Rogues, Priests, and the like were still essential.

Luna was not one to dally. After a brief introduction, she inquired about the trio's purpose, her pretty eyes fixed on them to ensure they weren't lying.

She soon learned their reason for coming.

Actually, during the battle, members from other guilds had noticed the commotion here.

But because those who appeared nearby were mostly scout squads, they watched the battlefield from a distance and had not approached, fearing aftershocks of the fight.

After the battle, most scout squads returned to their guilds.

The Wildfire Guild leadership was among the first to decide. To avoid misunderstandings, they only sent these three scouts who had observed the fight to collect details: whether the fourth-level lord monster had been killed, and when the fifth level would open, and so on.

Luna could clearly feel their extreme caution during the conversation.

Moreover, she sensed that their careful demeanor stemmed from more than just her being a level-9 spellcaster; even when facing other ordinary Red Dragon members, these scouts had been extremely polite, almost humble.

But when they mentioned Guild Leader Gauss, they swallowed and flashed a look of reverence. Luna soon connected the dots.

They must have personally witnessed Gauss's rampant slaughter of monsters on the battlefield, shocked by a destructive power far beyond a typical Master-level professional.

So they dared not act rashly in front of the Red Dragon Guild.

After all, if someone could butcher monsters as if they were insects, facing a smaller adventuring party would be even easier.

And the truth matched Luna’s speculation. The three scouts were frightened by that incomprehensible combat strength; when they reported back to their superiors, they described Gauss's abnormal power in vivid detail.

When they viewed the Memory Sphere recordings, they shivered at one previously overlooked detail:

Gauss had glanced in their direction during the fight.

That indicated Gauss had already noticed them. If he had wanted to make a move then, they would never have returned.

After carefully analyzing the combat footage, the Wildfire Guild concluded this was an enemy not to be provoked. They quickly decided on a unified stance toward the Red Dragon Guild.

Do not take advantage of the situation. Even if they gathered all the fourth-level guild forces outside, they might not be able to defeat such a terrifying opponent.

The Red Dragon Guild leader in the footage exhibited absolute Transcendent-level combat power, and in some respects surpassed what ordinary Transcendents could compare to.

In the outside world this leader might have adversaries, but within the Timberbell Maze at this moment he was a ravenous tiger among flocks of sheep, with no equal to be found.

Guild leadership is not foolish. Once they clearly understood the massive gap in combat power, they decisively abandoned unrealistic ambitions.

The reward for killing the lord monster and the early access to the fifth level were tempting, but only for those willing to risk their lives.

That scouting team later reported only lower-tier offers of assistance: that the Wildfire Guild would be happy to help recover low-value loot.

Luna offered little in reply but did not shut the door. She told them to wait; Aria needed to finish collecting the first batch of low-value spoils before contacting other guilds.

Given Luna's response, the three left the area quickly, disappearing into the forest.

Over the next half day, other adventuring parties trickled in.

Like Wildfire's scouts, these visitors acted with tact.

Strength is the best business card in the adventuring world.

Although many Barry City guilds had previously known nothing of the unfamiliar Red Dragon Guild and their leader Gauss, they had now witnessed his terrifying power firsthand. In short order, Gauss's name would spread throughout Barry's adventurer circles.

After handling all that, Luna returned to Gauss's side.

Gauss's external aura was still steady. If he hadn't told them beforehand, it would be hard to connect his state with a breakthrough; most would assume he was simply meditating to recover mana.

Feeling Gauss's calm, Luna let out an unconscious breath of relief.

What she didn't know was that inside Gauss's seemingly tranquil body, mana surged violently.

That terrifying mana, if present within another Master-level spellcaster, could kill them in a very short time simply from the pressure.

But Gauss's body was excessively resilient.

His physique was like a vessel forged from the toughest material; no matter how the mana battered it, he remained composed.

Especially this time, his experience was so abundant that the breakthrough felt inevitable.

Mana churned through his body naturally; with every circulation, his mana visibly expanded.

If he weren't worried about frightening others, he might even stand and move about freely.

At a certain moment, the mana circulating inside reached its apex.

“Crack!”

A crisp sound rang within Gauss.

The bottleneck, stubborn and tenacious for ordinary professionals, shattered with a roar. The frenzied mana formed a stable cycle inside Gauss, and the mana in the Mana Cup had reached a highly concentrated state; each drop of golden mana liquid could release a vast amount of energy.

Gauss opened his eyes.

This breakthrough was the easiest he had ever experienced, like waking up from sleep, his whole body refreshed, yet when feeling his body closely, he could sense a terrifying power surging.

“Main profession Magician level increased to: 8”