CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 91: RETURN

Gauss clenched his fist.

With every move, strength and magic power surged within his body. He felt that even if several of his previous selves stood before him, he should now be able to defeat them with relative ease.

It should be known that during his apprentice phase, his combat ability was already quite outstanding.

If it were an ordinary apprentice, the number they could face at once would be even more.

No wonder, when he faced those Professionals in the town before, he felt they were so terrifying.

Professionals possess stronger physical attributes than apprentices, and the condensed Profession Tier can further enhance the essence of power, helping each skill exert its deserved effect.

In contrast, the skills mastered at the apprentice stage are like truncated versions.

To an apprentice, a Professional is a crushing force in terms of life level and power essence.

"Finally advanced to a Professional."

Gauss opened the window.

The clamor from outside poured into the chamber, a clear and layered wave of sounds, the rumbling of wheels over cobblestones, vendors peddling, children playing...

Looking at the bustling street scene, he felt a flood of emotions in his heart.

It was mostly a feeling of awakening to a vast world.

To be honest, ever since he crossed into this world, he always had a sense of cautious unease.

Until today, stepping formally into the Professional level and leaving the ordinary crowd, he finally felt like he had a preliminary grasp of his destiny.

As a result, his mind is now at peace.

Even his aura became more tranquil and composed without him noticing.

After watching the street view for a long time, he finally withdrew his gaze.

He then turned to the chamber’s bathroom for a cold shower, changed into a set of fresh, clean clothes.

Pushing open the heavy chamber door.

A waiting staff member outside was startled.

Seeing Gauss emerge, the person was noticeably taken aback.

She had seen Gauss before.

But the Gauss before her seemed like a different person, his aura vastly changed, shedding the previous youth’s immaturity, suddenly becoming composed and reserved, with a calm demeanor akin to a polished jade.

"Mr. Gauss... You, you successfully advanced?" Her tone carried a hint of reverence.

"Yes." Gauss nodded with a peaceful smile.

The expression on the staff’s face grew more respectful.

"How long was I in there?"

"It’s been 5 days already."

Five days? Gauss was a bit surprised upon hearing this.

No wonder he felt like he had awoken from a long dream.

Sleeping for a full five days, that made sense.

"Is Lawrence here?"

"The vice president is here. He also instructed me to notify him as soon as you came out." With a bow, the staff quickly headed to Lawrence’s office.

Watching her cautious manner, Gauss couldn’t help but shake his head.

He didn’t think much of her drastically changed attitude.

After all, the status of a Professional is so significant.

Even a worker at a civilian institution is well aware of the power possessed by Professionals.

These individuals with great power must each be treated with caution.

Because ordinary people can never know what kind of personality a Professional has, though the chance is small, if they encounter a moody Professional, offending them could bring disaster.

While Gauss was thinking.

A hurried rush of footsteps approached.

The person coming was Lawrence.

The moment he saw Gauss, his pupils shrank suddenly.

As a Caster Apprentice, he could feel more than ordinary people the strong presence emitting from Gauss, a kind of High Tier mental pressure on Low Tier.

That upper-tier aura made his movements visibly stiff, becoming apprehensive without control.

Originally intending to step forward and pat Gauss on the shoulder, his hand ended up wringing the corner of his garment, unable to lift.

"It’s been a while, didn’t expect this cultivation to last five days." Gauss broke the silence first.

Seeing Gauss speak up, Lawrence subtly relaxed a bit.

"It’s not very long actually, some apprentices persist at this stage for several weeks or even months, it’s normal, Gauss, your speed is already very fast."

"Is that so... Oh, by the way, Lawrence, how much is the rent for this chamber? I’ll pay you." Gauss glanced back at the chamber behind him.

"No need, it’s a benefit our Mutual Aid Association members should enjoy, a public service, no fee." Lawrence shook his head repeatedly. "Besides, we are friends."

"Alright, then if there’s anything I can help with in the future, just ask."

Seeing this, Gauss knew he definitely wouldn’t accept his money, so he simply said.

During his time in Bitter Wormwood Town, Lawrence had helped him a lot, making his profession advancement smoother with his support.

He isn’t someone who forgets kindness.

"Look at you saying that, I’m not helping you for this kind of reason..." Lawrence complained verbally, but inside he was smiling.

In fact, he didn’t really need such a promise from Gauss.

After all, if something really happens, he would definitely prioritize spending money to commission the Adventurer’s Guild. If money can solve it, then it’s better to use money.

But with Gauss having such an attitude, he still felt a sense of being valued.

It warmed his heart.

This was a friendship from a gifted Caster.

Something money couldn’t buy.

"Shall we go eat first, Parker Tavern? Let’s go?"

"Let’s go."

....

Inside the gently swaying carriage.

Gauss opened the curtain and glanced at the scenery outside the carriage.

Gray Rock Town had arrived.

When the carriage slowly came to a stop, he jumped out and followed the crowd, waiting for the gate guards to inspect.

He wondered if it was just his illusion.

He felt that this time the inspection on him seemed faster than usual.

After pondering for a moment.

Logically speaking, ordinary guards shouldn’t be able to perceive his identity.

These days, he had completely restrained his aura.

So, could it be the effect brought by his charisma that increased to 7 points?

After all, humans are always visual creatures, creatures of perception.

Which is more dangerous and requires more scrutiny—a good-looking, charismatic young man or a fierce, intimidating brute? It’s obvious at a glance.

So having high charisma does have its advantages.

Gauss walked into Gray Rock Town.

Gray Rock Town was the place where his adventure journey began, and even though he had now advanced his profession, he was far from considering it the end point, just a new starting point.

Many exciting adventures and journeys awaited him in the future.

Of course, the most crucial thing is, to be evaluated as a Bronze-level adventurer, he needed to return to the registration place to proceed.

The Identity Badge endorsed by the Adventurer Association was not insignificant.

On one hand, it is the most direct proof of one’s professional level. As long as you show it, even an ordinary person can immediately know your professional identity, sparing many troubles.

On the other hand, only after obtaining the Bronze Adventurer’s Badge could he access a greater variety of tasks.

Moreover, the exchange store inside the Adventurer Association and its welfare policies would then open up to him.

Gauss had no intention of hiding his talents; he simply wanted to quickly obtain an identity that matched his strength.

Besides, the tasks that ordinary Bottom Adventurers could undertake were too "simple and trivial".

Although in the short term, he might still take on these "simple" tasks to fill his codex, it didn’t mean he wasn’t curious about higher-level missions.

If a single commission allowed him to kill forty or fifty goblins, the efficiency would undoubtedly be higher than taking them on ten or twenty at a time.

After all, one must consider the significant travel time spent on the road, which is not a small time cost.

At the Adventurer’s Guild in Gray Rock Town.

Gauss stood in the hall and glanced around.

Among several counters, he found a familiar figure; Petra was on duty today.

After choosing her counter and patiently queuing.

It wasn’t long before it was Gauss’s turn.

"Next, please."

Gauss stepped forward.

Petra looked up and saw a young man with black hair and bright green eyes, charming in appearance.

Both unfamiliar and familiar.

She paused for a moment before recalling who the person in front of her was.

With a slight probing intent, she spoke.

"Is it you, Gauss?"

"Long time no see, Petra."

Petra, upon hearing his response, breathed a sigh of relief, as she hadn’t seen Gauss for quite some time.

She even thought he might have had an accident.

"It’s been a while indeed."

"Because I recently went to Bitter Wormwood Town," Gauss said with a faint smile.

However, Petra increasingly felt something was off about him. Her golden eyes scanned Gauss up and down, sensing an indescribable change in him.

As if... as if he was just like those professionals she had encountered.

But she quickly chuckled at her own unrealistic thought.

How could that be possible?

It was Petra herself who had been responsible for registering Gauss as an adventurer, so she had some understanding of his situation.

A newbie who registered as an adventurer only a few months ago advancing directly to a professional was simply unrealistic.

At such a speed, even a young hunter from a remote little town like him would be on par with the talent and resources of those genius professionals in the Royal Capital, wouldn’t it?