“I'll check again.”
“Meat, vegetables, fruits, compressed rations...”
“Water filter, folding tent, insulated sleeping bag, cooler box, medical kit, night vision potion, gas detection powder, whetstone...”
Before departure, Aria was doing a final check of the equipment and supplies.
“Aria, it should be about done, right?” Gauss stood nearby with his hands on his hips, a bit helpless. “This is already the third time you’ve checked.”
“I’ll take another look, hmm.” Aria squatted on the ground, pinching her chin, her gaze lingering continuously over the laid-out items.
Actually, it wasn’t her fault for being slow. After the first experience, she gained more understanding and respect for the Maze, so thorough preparation was necessary.
Who knew what unexpected things might occur inside the Maze?
If supplies ran short, going back out to resupply would be troublesome.
Arriving at the West DistrictThis time, the three of them followed the Golden Beak Trading Company to the Maze. However, the three were going inside, while the company staff stayed outside to set up fixed stalls, responsible for buying Maze loot and selling supplies adventurers needed.
Actually, there were many small merchant companies like the Golden Beak Trading Company, all starting to build commercial layouts centered around the Maze.
A Maze was like a precious mineral vein, continuously producing abundant resources. Every worker involved could carve out their own share of profits.
“Safe travels.”
Hayley, the young master’s daughter, also arrived on site to see off Gauss and the others.
She looked at the three dressed in elite gear, especially focusing on Gauss.
Her consciousness suddenly became a little hazy.
It was as if she saw the image of herself from another world line on Gauss.
Unfortunately, at least for now, the path to becoming an adventurer had completely drifted away from her.
Her current main task was to take over the family business and, within her capabilities, grow it as large and strong as possible.
Moreover, although she couldn’t become an adventurer, she could still maintain some contact with this magical and splendid fantasy world through other channels, which was somewhat comforting to her.
Next to Hayley was a middle-aged man dressed in an indigo suit, his face wearing a kind smile.
He was Hayley’s father, Quentin, the founder of the Golden Beak Trading Company.
As a self-made man who climbed from the bottom as a laborer, although the company was just a drop in the bucket in the vast Barry City, this porter was undoubtedly a legend in his own life story.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the adventurer badges worn by Gauss and the others.
Finally, it stopped on Gauss’s young cheek.
He finally understood why his daughter took such solemn care of a temporary teammate from an exploration trip.
Perhaps that impulsive runaway wasn’t a bad thing after all.
It not only completely severed the boy’s unrealistic fantasy of becoming an adventurer but also introduced him to a rising genius.
Could this be another opportunity for their family’s rise?
He keenly grasped this point.
“Hayley, be sure to keep in touch with your friend often.” Watching the caravan and Gauss’s group gradually disappear into the distance, Quentin spoke earnestly.
Hayley, who was waving continuously beside him, glanced oddly at her father.
“Of course.”
She was puzzled by how quickly her father’s attitude had changed.
Originally, when he heard she was coming specifically to see off a former male teammate, he had been worried, deliberately putting aside his affairs to come along, repeatedly reminding her to be careful with friends she met outside.
Unexpectedly, once they met, his attitude did a complete 180-degree turnaround.
Sunlight passed through the towering clock tower in the West District, shining down on Gauss and the others.
“Dong—”
The loud chimes echoed through the city.
Gauss and the other two quietly exchanged words at the front of the group.
“This time, our target is to enter the third level of the Maze.”
Before entering the Maze, it was necessary to set a small personal goal to improve efficiency.
At the same time, unlike last time, the three had also accepted some Maze commissions.
It was said that the Adventurers Guild was hotly building a permanent base inside the Maze, and in the future, picking up and submitting tasks would be much faster.
Gauss’s team was already a bronze two-star squad because he and Serlandul had accumulated enough tasks to raise their level.
However, their combat power was actually somewhat over the standard for a bronze two-star team.
Especially Gauss, who didn’t really know what level his combat strength had reached.
With all the buffs and enhancements stacked, no level 3 professional could match him. At least compared to the swordsman and warlock from the briefly encountered Iron Arms team, this was true.
But for level 4 adventurers, he hadn’t truly faced one yet, so he couldn’t make a hasty judgment.
Moreover, professionals of the same level could have significant combat fluctuations due to profession, skills, and their field of expertise, so the real situation would only become clear through actual combat.
“Clatter clatter clatter!”
The caravan entered the Maze surface camp.
Although not much time had passed since the last visit, various venues and facilities had changed drastically.
First was the road condition: the camp had abandoned muddy dirt paths and paved neat stone roads.
Several two- or three-story brick buildings sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
The number of active adventurers and other industry workers in the camp grew visibly fast.
Fortunately, the camp’s area expanded several times, so it didn’t feel crowded but instead even cleaner and more orderly than last time.
Now, calling it a camp was inappropriate; it was more like a well-ordered town.
“Such a big change.”
Gauss looked at the scene before him and sighed.
This construction speed was extremely fast, even by his previous life’s standards.
One could only say that the resources in this other world were extremely unevenly distributed.
All the power concentrated on adventure-related matters and places. Once you went to ordinary rural areas, it still looked backward.
He stepped on the smooth stone bricks beneath his feet, each cut perfectly tight. Considering the quantity, magic must have been used.
At the far edge outside, several mages in brown robes waved their staffs, compacting the soil into shape.
“I heard many professional construction mages are hired here.” Aria pointed to a tall tower under construction at the camp’s edge.
“The town hall, Adventurers Guild, and Spellcasters Association are jointly building a defense tower to guard against monsters that might invade anytime or break out from the Maze.”
As she spoke, her gaze scanned the surroundings.
As a level 2 druid, she could feel the land’s unnaturalness.
Too much magical energy was forcibly infused into the ground, like heavily fertilizing barren soil.
Besides prosperity and opportunity, too many outsiders also brought chaos.
On the streets and alleys, burly men wearing special gang badges could still be seen from time to time.
Of course, ordinary gangs wouldn’t dare mess with these official professionals. Their oppression targets were more often laborers and low-level workers trying to make a living here.
Gauss withdrew his gaze and sighed softly.
This phenomenon was inevitable anywhere.
“Let’s go, get ready to enter the Maze.”
The three-person team, now with a 3+2+2 level configuration, walked through the camp-town without too much trouble.
At least many people would instinctively avoid them when they saw the three.
At the Maze entrance, the number of professionals gradually increased.
The three descended the entrance stairs.
Upon reaching the first underground level, the entrance hall had also changed greatly.
Various shops lined the entrance hall, offering services like bathing, dining, lodging, and more, with prices much higher than outside.
However, considering the merchants bore greater risks and costs—if the Maze’s underground situation changed, their investment could be lost entirely—raising prices was reasonable.
Gauss opened the map.
The previous exploration progress was still saved, but since the Maze often changed and was still growing and expanding, with entrances to lower levels constantly shifting, the map information was only for reference.
“Let’s explore the first level for a day.” Gauss looked around and announced.
Though the goal was set to reach the third level before entering, Gauss wasn’t in a hurry to find the entrance.
Instead, he planned to stay in the safest first level for a day.
There were three reasons for this.
The first was personal: his total ordinary monster kills were at 1935, just a few short of another upgrade. He had just obtained the White Wand and needed real combat to get familiar with it.
The second was Aria had only recently reached level 2 and also needed time and real opponents to get familiar with her current strength.
The last was team coordination.
The low-level monsters on the first floor were the best practice targets.
Moreover, there were the goblins he was most familiar with.
Judging from his last exploration, the second floor seemed to have fewer goblins.
Aria and Serlandul had no objections to Gauss’s decision.
It was all agreed upon before entering.
“Gauss Celestial Being!”
Just as the three prepared to stroll around the hall to familiarize themselves and then officially start exploring the first floor, several young voices suddenly came from behind.
Gauss turned around.
“Do you still remember us?” The tallest young shieldbearer in the group said excitedly. “You saved us a while ago.”
“Oh, it’s you guys.” Gauss nodded.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the shieldbearer’s legs, which looked fully healed.
“You’re preparing to explore again?”
He had a good impression of them.
Though Gauss was already nearby with a god’s perspective, the others didn’t know this.
In a desperate situation, the other three could have abandoned the injured shieldbearer and escaped, but they didn’t. Instead, they tightly protected their wounded teammate in the middle.
“Yes, but this time we don’t plan to leave the hall too far. We intend to collect special plants, animals, and insects nearby. Sometimes the trading company temporarily hires us.” The team leader took over. “Though the income isn’t much, it’s still some earnings.”
“Not bad.” Gauss nodded, approving their clear-headedness.
If the strength wasn’t enough, earning steady small money around the Maze was a good strategy.
“Well, wish you all the best.”
After parting ways, the three officially began exploring the Maze.
...
“Gob, gob!”
Raven Eck flew back, repeatedly calling out.
After Aria rose from level 1 to level 2, her contracted wolf Urfen and raven Eck also improved considerably.
Urfen’s body became more robust and powerful, while Eck grew slightly smarter, now able to imitate simple human sounds and try basic words.
For example, the repeated “Gob” meant it had discovered goblins.
This way, even without Aria using Animal Communication, an ordinary person like Gauss could understand the intelligence it conveyed.
Upon hearing “goblin,” Gauss’s previously calm face immediately showed a hint of excitement.
“Eck, lead the way.”
Aria and Serlandul exchanged looks.
They didn’t want to say it, but Gauss’s inexplicable enthusiasm for goblins was puzzling.
They observed and felt Gauss bore no deep hatred toward the goblin race.
It seemed more like... a hobby or interest.
Though strange to say, that was their genuine impression.
This shared discovery brought a slight sense of mutual recognition between the two originally somewhat unfamiliar companions.
Soon, Eck led them to a ruin.
About a dozen goblins sat around a campfire, roasting several face-sized armored insects.
These insects resembled large whole bugs with many thin legs but moved slowly, considered the lowest creatures in the Maze world, eaten by many monsters.
Gauss had killed them before but didn’t get any entries in the compendium.
After Serlandul cast a blessing spell on Gauss, he charged at the goblins.
Facing about a dozen goblins now required little preparation.
A symbolic blessing spell was already the team showing respect.
“Whoosh!”
Gauss’s figure approached the goblins.
The goblins noticed him, panicked, grabbed their weapons, and stood up.
Gauss gripped the White Wand tightly.
“Magic Missile!”
Five azure spheres appeared neatly arranged in a circle in front of him.
“Boom!”
The missiles instantly locked onto the goblins.
All five fired simultaneously.
“Thud!”
Magic Missiles pierced the goblins’ fragile bodies. Before they could react, half of the goblin group was eliminated.
Aria, watching from afar, blinked repeatedly.
Though Gauss had roughly mentioned the White Wand, seeing the magical missiles with her own eyes surprised her.
She originally thought the biggest change this time would be herself upgrading to level 2.
Now it seemed she was too confident; Gauss’s strengthening speed was even faster.
After two rounds, only the last two goblins remained.
Gauss drew a steel longsword from his storage bag and chased after them.
A bright blade flash streaked by.
Two goblins fleeing with their backs to him suddenly had bloodlines appear and splatter blood. They died painlessly.
Gauss shook the blood drops off the sword.
“Total monster kills: 1947.”
One step closer.
Aria and Serlandul came closer.
“So this is your White Wand? It’s so beautiful.” Aria curiously looked at the wand in Gauss’s hand. “Can I hold it?”
Everyone loved beauty, Aria included.
“Sorry.”
Hearing Gauss’s answer, Aria hesitated but soon showed a trace of disappointment.
“Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that this guy refuses.” Gauss smiled helplessly.
Aria followed his gaze to the wand.
“The wand refuses?”
“Yes.” Gauss nodded.
His White Wand inexplicably rejected others. Anyone who tried to hold it would be repelled by an invisible force, never able to touch it.
Saying so, he handed the wand to a surprised Aria.
Aria held it with both hands.
Sure enough, the moment the wand was about to touch her palm, it suddenly bounced up.
Then it floated back toward Gauss.
Aria tried to reach for it again, but an invisible force pushed her hand away, and she could never grasp it.
It was real.
Although “rejected” by a wand, Aria felt an inexplicable joy.
Gauss hadn’t lied to her.
“Could this be the legendary artifact spirit?” Aria looked at Gauss’s wand, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
An artifact spirit was a precious existence.
Legend had it that only some high-level magical items could give birth to one.
Only owners recognized by the artifact spirit could use these advanced magical items.
“I’m not too sure.” Gauss shook his head.
Currently, the White Wand only resisted others, but had no communication with him. It looked like a powerful ordinary weapon.
“Then you can’t let anyone else know.” Aria warned, glancing nervously at Serlandul.
Though he was a good person...
Sigh, she could guarantee she wouldn’t betray Gauss, but with a third person in the team, she was a bit uneasy.
Serlandul noticed Aria’s gaze and sighed at the same time.
Actually, when Aria asked to “borrow” the White Wand, he wanted to casually interrupt the topic.
After all, this was a result he and Gauss had tested. He believed that such potentially dangerous information was best kept as few people knowing as possible. Even though Aria was an old teammate, they hadn’t spent much time together.
People’s hearts were hard to read. He had seen too much human adventurer treachery.
Often, even blood brothers clashed over treasure.
Their eyes met across the space.
This guy...
This guy...
“Alright, let’s start collecting the loot! You’re not going to make me, the captain, do all the work, right?”
Nearby, Gauss crouched down and waved at the two.
His voice broke their thoughts.
“Coming.”
“This is all money.” Gauss looked at the goblin corpses on the ground and sighed.
Unlike the first time entering the Maze, this time Barry’s Adventurers Guild set limited-time bounties on all monsters inside the Maze.
Each monster had designated body parts to collect.
The purchase price was market price; for goblins, the bounty was 50 copper coins.
Although not as much as specific extermination tasks, the volume was large and continuous, so it was still a considerable income.
After collecting loot, the three continued onward.
Raven Eck, covered by Gauss Field, kept exploring the first floor.
Sometimes adventurers mistakenly attacked it as a Maze monster, but the Gauss Field quickly blocked it, giving Eck time to escape.
Besides Gauss getting familiar with the White Wand,
level 2 Aria was testing an important new ability—Wild Shape.
Wild Shape, also called Beast Form, was a special transformation ability for level 2 druids.
She could use nature’s power to transform into beasts she had seen before and maintain it for several hours.
For example, turning into a wolf, dog, horse, bird, fish, pangolin, or other common animals.
For now, Aria’s transformations were all basic creatures, but as she got used to the ability and leveled up, the animals would grow stronger.
Currently, Aria had transformed into a one-meter-long wolf.
Her fur was soft and glossy—a very beautiful silver wolf.
The wolf was her most familiar animal, so the transformation was easiest.
Unfortunately, in terms of combat power, her wolf form was still weaker than Urfen.
Considering she could still cast spells in human form but lost that ability when transformed, her combat power actually dropped.
However, the significance of Wild Shape for druids was not combat power but adaptability.
With Wild Shape, druids could transform into corresponding animals based on situations, gaining abilities such as flying, burrowing, long-distance running, swimming, diving, climbing, and more.
These were the true values of beast forms.
“Phew phew!” The silver wolf bit into the core of a Shime, spitting saliva continuously on the side.
After a while, she slowly stopped.
“Seems... seems not that bad-smelling.” The wolf spoke human words.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, it muttered.
“Right, this is just a temporary form made of natural energy, not a real body...”
The wolf padded over to Gauss, raised her head, and looked at him.
“Gauss, you’ve really grown tall now.”
Gauss looked down at her and smiled without saying anything.
Well, seeing a familiar companion transformed into an animal was pretty strange.
Especially when the animal could speak human words—it was even more surreal.
“Forget it, next time I’ll turn into a raven.” Aria, in wolf form, felt looking up at Gauss was too tiring.
This feeling of being suddenly lower than someone else wasn’t comfortable.
Maybe turning into a raven would be a good experience—enjoying flying, looking down on the world from above.
The three-person team tested their abilities while clearing Maze monsters.
Gauss’s compendium kill count slowly climbed.
“Total monster kills: 1970.”
“Total monster kills: 1985.”
...
“Total monster kills: 1999.”
“Total monster kills: 2000.”
With the last Gray Ooze dying under Gauss’s sword,
the compendium count finally reached the long-awaited milestone of 2000.
After clearing the remaining Gray Oozes,
Gauss finally had time to look at the rapidly passing text.
“Total monster kills: 2000/2000, achievement for reaching 2000 kills milestone completed.”
“Reward obtained: Level 2 spell [Shaping Magic: Clay].”
“Reward obtained: Strength +1.”
“Next stage: accumulate a total of 4000 monster kills.”
“Current strength: 9.”
A familiar heat flow surged inside Gauss.
Closing his eyes for two seconds,
his muscles quickly strengthened again in a short time.
Though the external change wasn’t obvious, anyone able to see beneath his skin would notice his muscle fibers became denser, twisted together, longer, and tougher.
Muscles also started growing in areas where ordinary people never developed muscle.
His tendons and bones changed a lot too.
Heat flow infused his bones, making them sturdier and harder within a few breaths, nearly as hard as steel.
After all this, Gauss accepted the physical attribute enhancement.
But what caught his attention more was the other reward—a level 2 spell!
Almost the moment he saw it, his heart rate accelerated.
The reason was simple: because his current profession level was still 2, the highest spell he could master was level 1.
On one hand, it was extremely difficult, almost impossible, for level 2 spellcasters to use level 2 spells. On the other hand, without selling his high-value equipment, he couldn’t afford to buy level 2 spells.
He even doubted that when he reached level 3 and could start learning level 2 spells, he might not have enough money, mainly because his upgrade speed was too fast compared to other adventurers.
Moreover, he could learn more spells than ordinary spellcasters, so even though he kept earning money, the financial pressure remained.
Now, the compendium generously rewarded him with a level 2 spell, undoubtedly a godsend.
It was important to know system reward spells were unconditionally mastered.
In other words, once rewarded, no matter what, after some practice, he could use it.
Now, having obtained the compendium’s level 2 spell [Shaping Magic: Clay],
the gap between him and level 3 spellcasters was shrinking.
The greatest advantage level 3 spellcasters had over level 2 was the ability to use level 2 spells.
Moreover, feeling the spell model of the clay shaping magic in his body, he suddenly recalled a previous gain.