Gauss hadn't been to the Adventurers' Guild hall in a while.
For the small commissions, he'd had Red Dragon Company staff handle both picking them up and turning them in. With an adventuring company, commission submission didn't require him to show up in person—and that saved him a lot of time for private magic practice.
With his current eye, he could tell that some of the "idle" figures in the hall were clearly adventuring company runners. They wore light civilian clothes, their gazes drifting across the notice boards and the crowds.
The guild hall was as lively as ever today.
"We've killed enough goblins! It's time to challenge something harder!"
"Derek, if you want to gamble with your life, count me out."
"How about that toxic spore mission?"
"We don't have a dedicated archer—let's look at something else."
…
Gauss watched the young men and women clustering in small groups to study commissions, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Let's go, Shadow."
After pausing for a moment, he and Shadow headed deeper into the hall.
The South District guild in Falrim had a special layout: just one floor, but massive—like an exhibition hall or civic center from Gauss's previous life. The farther you went in, the higher the commission difficulty became, arranged like rings.
"Derek, what is it?"
"Nothing… that person standing at the entrance just felt… different."
"Quit spacing out and keep picking. We're on a schedule."
"Got it."
…
The deeper they went, the higher the average level of the adventurers became.
Some relatively familiar adventuring squads even teamed up, taking on larger missions together.
So in a way, the hall was also a platform for socializing and information sharing.
"Did you hear? The dungeon near Barry might reopen. I'm thinking of leaving early—if we wait until it opens, we'll be too late."
"We can pick up a few commissions around there."
"Same."
…
It wasn't only Gauss who kept up with weekly news. Adventurers in general lived and died by information.
From bottom-tier adventurers to elites, masters, and even transcendent ranks, everyone had to gather intel—whether to reach opportunities first, or to evacuate before disasters they couldn't fight.
Gauss also wanted to take a commission that was farther away.
For one thing, big nests were rarer close to Falrim. For another, he was also thinking about the dungeon—he could head south first.
Red Dragon Company's headquarters were in Falrim, but that didn't mean he and his members were chained there.
The stronger the company, the wider its operating range. Plenty of companies hunted across cities and provinces—some even had footprints all over the kingdom.
As for his destination, he'd already decided.
He planned to head toward Blackwater Town.
Blackwater Town—the small town that had fallen months ago. After Grayrock's defense victory, he'd personally escorted many Blackwater refugees back to safety.
That area would have a lot of monsters and nests.
There was danger, sure—but compared to the chaos right after it fell, things had started to stabilize. Monsters had carved up the region into clan territories.
The Green Dragon Queen had dispatched subordinates to try to permanently hold the land that had once belonged to humans.
So lately, more and more adventurers and companies had begun marching toward Blackwater's vicinity to fight.
Gauss had wanted to leave earlier, but Red Dragon Company was still new. Taking his people into a higher-intensity zone right away felt reckless—so he'd kept operations near Falrim, letting his subordinates build experience.
Now the timing felt right.
Whether the donkey or the horse, it was time to take them out and see what they could do.
A healthy, steadily growing adventuring company could never stay tucked in one corner forever—it had to go where the risk and profit were.
In the VIP room, after he told the duty officer what he wanted, she quickly brought over a stack of commissions.
"Captain Gauss, these are all commissions around Blackwater Town. Would you like to look through them?"
Her tone was very respectful.
Duty officers who handled important adventurers were trained to memorize the faces of powerful people—especially company captains. It was part of their professionalism.
And this one, in particular, was hard to forget.
Black hair, emerald eyes, a white robe—young, and strikingly handsome.
Some adventurers did grow more attractive as their strength rose, but not many were the sort you could recognize instantly on sight.
"Alright."
Gauss browsed the list.
Most were marked six stars or higher, with bright red "HIGH RISK" notes.
In team commissions, the star rating was like a monster's challenge rating—sometimes even harsher.
A monster's challenge rating of "2" meant you needed a reasonably balanced party of level-2 adventurers to hunt it at a manageable cost.
A 2-star team commission, though, usually meant there was at least a level-2 monster in the area plus companions—mates, guards, or weaker allies—and almost always a larger number of underlings.
"Since Blackwater fell and monsters poured in from the Jade Forest, the region's monster variety has become much richer," the officer explained.
Gauss nodded.
The list really did include many commander-class monsters he'd never fought before.
That was exactly why he'd set his sights on Blackwater—more species, more numbers, without being as suicidal as diving deep into the Jade Forest.
"How many commissions can our company accept at once?"
"At this difficulty level, three at a time."
"Good."
After a quick scan, Gauss chose three:
Purge the Marsh Orc clan in Whiteground River Valley outside Blackwater Town — Difficulty: 7 stars
Purge the Kobold clan at the Hotstone Mine outside Blackwater Town — Difficulty: 7 stars
Purge the Goblin clan in Wolfwood outside Blackwater Town — Difficulty: 7 stars
Now that Blackwater's surroundings were occupied by monster clans of varying sizes, most commissions were "clan exterminations."
"Let's head back."
Gauss didn't waste time.
After his second lesson at the academy two days ago, he'd already told the vice principal he might be leaving the region soon, and Ivan had begun departure prep.
Back at the estate, Gauss issued the mobilization notice to everyone.
Ivan—warlock and apothecary—looked especially excited.
Because this time, he didn't have to stay behind and run the estate. He would finally go out on a purge.
Even the ordinary field staff had already gone on two runs. Only he had stayed home every time.
Until now he'd only heard about Gauss's strength from other mouths. This time he could witness it—and fight beside him.
After all, Ivan was still a Level 3 caster with an academy background and solid fundamentals.
At the meeting table, Gauss circled three areas on a large map.
Around him sat Red Dragon Company's core: his four original teammates, Torga's dwarf squad, and the "chief steward" Ivan.
"Grayrock is the nearest human town to the fallen Blackwater region."
"We can stop by on the way," Alia said with a grin.
In a way, it was a triumphant return.
They'd left at the start of the year as five people. A few months later, they were a real company.
And more than that—they were practically locals in Grayrock.
Compared to bustling Falrim, Alia still preferred Grayrock. It was where the dream started.
"Ivan and Torga—you'll take the others by ship on the river route," Gauss said.
"We'll go ahead first and scout Blackwater."
After brief discussion, he split the forces.
Hephaestus's back couldn't hold everyone, and they also needed to carry supplies. The best option was ship travel first, then roads.
Ivan and Torga's team would be the security backbone.
Torga might have once been the one needing rescue, but in the wider world she was still terrifying—an elite Level 6 dwarf warrior. With several other professionals beside her, most troublemakers would think twice.
The meeting ended, and Red Dragon Company's machine kicked into motion.
Supplies were packed—food, medical resources, equipment, weapons.
Teams were rallied; group leaders read out travel rules and warnings.
Many of the people going weren't combatants, but once you left the city, you had to be cautious.
Rules like: if conflict happens, contact the lead immediately—notify Torga and Ivan. Don't wander off alone. Report issues first. That kind of thing.
Two days passed in a blink.
At the riverside shipping dock outside the city, Gauss watched his members board a large vessel.
Then, in the astonished gazes of passengers and bystanders, he summoned the red drake Hephaestus. His small squad climbed onto the dragon's back with practiced ease.
Once everyone was steady, Hephaestus beat his wings hard and shot up into the sky, rising hundreds of meters in seconds.
With a turn of its head to the south and another powerful wingbeat, it streaked away like a red afterimage—vanishing from sight not long after.
"Having a dragon is really something," Torga muttered.
Flying anywhere, coming and going freely—ridiculously convenient.
The only consolation was that this dragon belonged to their boss, so she could enjoy the convenience sometimes.
As long as Bruno wasn't along.
For some reason, the captain's dragon really didn't like her fiancé. When they'd done a job together, Bruno had been carried in the dragon's claws instead of riding its back.
The rest of the members finally lowered their heads from staring upward.
They looked at the awestruck crowd—random passersby gawking and gasping—and many of them unconsciously puffed up their chests with pride.
That was the confidence Red Dragon Company gave them.
Those people were freaking out just from seeing the dragon once.
If only they knew—Red Dragon Company members saw the dragon's immense silhouette in the trees every day. Some had even delivered food to it.
If those clueless outsiders tried to feed it, they'd probably wet themselves before they reached it. Hah.
That said, if you looked closely, there really was a clear boundary around Red Dragon Company's section of the deck—other passengers instinctively kept their distance.
…
After a little over a day of flight, Grayrock came into view.
"Roaaar—!"
Hephaestus let out a happy roar when it spotted the familiar town.
"Prepare to land."
It was early April now, sunny and bright. Green shoots were pushing up from the earth.
After a winter and a war, the plains outside Grayrock looked especially lush this year.
Gauss and his squad landed quietly on an open patch outside town.
"There are a lot more people than when we left," Selandur remarked, watching the lines at the gate.
"Grayrock is one of the closest towns to Blackwater's region," Gauss said. "Adventurers heading into Blackwater need a foothold."
He even spotted an adventuring company banner—a wolf-beast emblem—flapping in the wind.
Clearly, Red Dragon Company wasn't the only company arriving.
"Let's go in."
Maybe because the war had ended only recently—and because so many outsiders had been flooding in—gate inspections were tighter than before.
Gauss's group walked up to the gate.
The soldiers who'd been barking orders to keep discipline turned, saw them, and froze.
After blinking in disbelief, the captain broke into a jog and hurried over.
"You're back! Sir Gauss!"
No Grayrock defender could fail to recognize him.
Months ago, he'd saved countless lives.
And the fact they were still standing here breathing fresh air was because he'd turned the tide by killing the enemy commander in the middle of an army.
"Yeah. Took a few commissions nearby."
The captain visibly relaxed. "Good. We've had a mess of trouble lately. Just having you back makes us feel safer."
Then, as if remembering himself, he stepped aside.
"Go on in. The sun's brutal out here."
Nearby, adventurers from other towns were being searched. When they saw Gauss's group waved through with no checks, they immediately bristled and started complaining.
"Why don't you check them? I saw them get waved right in!"
"Yeah, we have to wait forever? How is that fair?"
"How do you know they're not a threat? We demand equal treatment!"
The soldier glanced at them and chuckled.
"That man saved Grayrock a few months ago. If he had to be searched, that would be unfair."
"Now quit whining. Show your packs and badges and stop holding up the line. If you still have a problem, feel free to complain at the town hall."
~~~
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