Chapter 133: Two Paths in the Forest

「That guy is a Bronze-rank Adventurer！」  

Upon hearing this, the teammates all exclaimed in astonishment, their gazes landing on Marin, eyes full of disbelief.

Worked together at the Black Anvil Workshop? That meant the other party hadn't become an adventurer much earlier than Marin himself.

「You guys must have seen wrong, right？」Marin said in disbelief. Though he was new to the trade, he still understood what Bronze-rank meant, and instinctively refuted.

「How could we see wrong! Didn’t you notice the green badge hanging on their chests?

Only then did Marin hazily recall, in that fleeting glance just now, there really had been a flash of green on Gauss's chest. It was just that at the time, he had been overwhelmed with embarrassment, wishing nothing more than for him to leave quickly. How could he have spared the mind to look closely?

Bronze-rank Adventurer...

Was it real or fake?

Moreover... how could it be this fast?

A sense of indescribable confusion and envy welled up in Marin’s heart. In his understanding, the most untouchable group in town was that of the Professionals—and now Gauss had become one of them too?

Thinking back to over a year ago, the other was just a temp worker at the workshop, without support or reliance.

Even someone like himself, an ordinary townsfolk, could find a sense of superiority from him—bragging about eating meat today, casually revealing he got more allowance from home tomorrow...

At the time, seeing that unhideable envy in the other’s eyes, he had indeed felt a considerable sense of satisfaction.

But now—

The contrast in their situations only made him feel overwhelmingly bitter.

The only consolation was that Gauss didn’t seem to have any intention of flaunting himself like he once did.

Otherwise, he really wouldn’t know where to hide his face.

「Ma... Marin, do you think maybe... you could ask that friend of yours to take us along？」

Marin turned his head and saw the very squad leader who had just been scolding him so arrogantly now wearing a flattering smile he had never seen before.

Marin’s throat moved a few times.

A wave of nausea surged up from within his body.

Why... was there such a huge difference between him and that guy?

「An acquaintance？」

After walking further away, Arya asked. Gauss's social circle was even smaller than hers—aside from the inn, he was rarely seen forming close ties with anyone.

Gauss paused in silence for a moment, then briefly explained his connection with Marin.

「He’s not cut out to be an adventurer.」Arya said sharply.

She wasn’t just referring to skill, but also mindset and presence. Just from how Marin had cowered when reprimanded by the squad leader, one could see what his usual standing was in the team.

Adventurers needed a certain fierceness—not just towards enemies, but also teammates, and especially towards oneself.

If one couldn’t force themselves to become tougher, unless they had extraordinary talent, it was extremely difficult to struggle out from the bottom mud.

「That’s his choice.」Gauss said calmly.

He and Marin were mere acquaintances. Even with close friends, one had no right to dictate the life choices of others.

Two paths in the forest—walk one, and you’ll long for the other.

But in truth, both paths would bring pain.

Marin might seem unsuited now, but if persuaded to quit, he might regret not holding on when looking back someday.

By then, a well-meaning suggestion might instead draw resentment.

「Sigh, it's just too hard for Low-level Adventurers to rise up—」Arya said with a sigh, seemingly reminded of something.

They walked in silence.

The two of them passed through the gate into Graystone Town. It was noticeably warmer inside the town than outside.

First, they went to the Adventurer’s Guild to submit the commission.

Though it was just a bunch of 「trivial」 Normal Commissions, it still amounted to thirty Silver Coins. With nearly no losses or weapon wear, they could cover their daily expenses and still save a bit.

Gauss had never expected much profit from these small tasks anyway—they were merely warmups before the Winter Hunt, useful for magic practice and kill count accumulation.

As he walked down the main street, Gauss noticed the number of Low-level Adventurers had decreased significantly.

Many had already returned to their hometowns for the winter.

Contrarily, due to the gathering for the Winter Hunt, the number of Bronze-rank Adventurers increased, visible throughout the streets and alleys.

This led to a noticeable restraint in the behavior and speech of shop owners and townsfolk walking along the roads.

As Gauss and Arya walked through the streets, they occasionally encountered other Bronze-rank Adventurers who would nod and greet them.

「We should go pick up the dried meat.」Arya reminded.

It had been over a week since they commissioned the food workshop for processing.

They wove through the streets and alleys, arriving at an inconspicuous courtyard.

After knocking and entering, the workshop owner was absent, only a few workers leisurely basking in the last thin sunlight of autumn.

Seeing two imposing individuals enter, the workers visibly tensed up.

Only after Gauss showed the commission contract did they breathe a sigh of relief and led them to the drying rack.

「As requested, they’ve been separated into three flavors—original, savory, and spicy—each about seventy pounds.」

Gauss inspected the dried meat on the rack for a while.

At this moment, the frog meat had already been processed through a complex set of procedures, turned into strips of tough, dark-colored dried meat. When slightly leaning in, one could still smell the rich, savory scent of the meat itself.

After confirming it was indeed the frog meat he had provided, with no unrelated meats mixed in, he nodded.

He had the staff help bag and pack it, then stored it into the Storage Space.

「I'll use Prestidigitation to thoroughly clean it again once we’re back,」Gauss thought.

Though the workshop looked clean, being dried products, they inevitably picked up some dust and impurities.

Prestidigitation could remove those residues.

「The first type of supplies is now secured.」Gauss looked at Arya.

If all went smoothly, Arya should be able to master the Divine Berry Technique within these few days.

By then, with the combination of magic frog jerky and magical berries—meat and vegetable pairing—he wouldn't need to worry about his provisions for a while.

With the Energy Storage Gland in play, he could exert significantly superior endurance compared to other adventurers in prolonged battles.

This was also why he wasn’t in a hurry to recruit new members.

Other teams needed headcount coordination to make up for the deficiencies in stamina and magical power at lower ranks.

But he was different—as long as supplies kept up, he alone could equal several others.

Especially after fully mastering the Meditation Method, he had been consistently meditating every night.

His magical energy was growing at a considerable pace.

In just over a week, it had increased by the equivalent of almost ten downgraded Magic Missile reserves.

On top of that, the hidden mana bar of the Energy Storage Gland was also slowly improving as the number of Goblins killed increased.

Now, his "mana pool" could support casting Tier 1 Spells more comfortably.

The next day.

Gauss got up early.

Leaving the bed, he instinctively shivered.

Outside the cold window, under the gray-black sky, light snowflakes silently fluttered down, as if a layer of crystalline salt grains had been scattered.

It’s snowing already?

Staring at the gloomy sky and the first snow veiling the world, a vague sense of foreboding arose in Gauss's heart.

Although the last meeting had already warned of an early Winter Hunt, this sudden cold wave might bring unpredictable changes.

Dressing in thick winter clothing, Gauss left home and quickly headed toward the inn while mulling over these thoughts.

Inside the inn lobby, the fire in the fireplace was blazing fiercely, greedily dispelling the cold air that had crept indoors.

And this time, Arya had finally arrived earlier than him.

She was wrapped in a warm, plush coat, wearing a playful fur cap on her head. Upon seeing him arrive, she smiled and waved in greeting.

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