The surging torrent of mana seemed to burst through an invisible sluice gate.
Power long held in reserve coursed again and again, scouring the channels within his body. The mana cup flared with bright white light.
Vmmm!
Centered on Gauss, a gust born of mana ripples suddenly rolled out. Blades of grass flattened; the once-gentle current of the stream broke into churning ripples.
The disturbance drew Alia and Cicero's attention where they were wading and scooping at the shallows.
"What's happening to Brother?"
Bewilderment filled Cicero's face; the white bait fish in her fingers slipped back into the water.
"Let's give him space." Alia's pupils tightened—she had a good guess—and she pulled Cicero along, waving Ulfen and Echo back as well so they wouldn't accidentally interrupt Gauss.
At the center of the mana vortex, Gauss's sea of consciousness shook violently. His power-core, the mana cup, was undergoing an earthshaking change; under ring after ring of mana's wash, its inner wall expanded and toughened.
Ordinarily, going from Level 2 to Level 3 isn't simple; it's a real little threshold. Gauss was different. He hadn't been at Level 2 long, but the experience he'd banked wasn't less than those who'd lingered there for years—and with stats far beyond his peers, he barely felt any real resistance.
Vmmm, vmmm, vmmm—
Mana in the cup spun, compressed, purified. At last, a small droplet coalesced within. The Level 2 mage's bottleneck shattered in an instant. In a few breaths the inner torrent boiled, thickening and deepening to a dark luster.
Streams of information flickered across his cortex, and at a certain moment all power converged into the mana cup. Every talent, spell, pool size, and flow speed—all strengthened.
"Class level Increased to: 3!"
Light sprang in Gauss's eyes.
The phenomena ebbed at last. The dust settled into solid power that sank into and became part of his body.
"Intelligence +1."
"Charisma +1."
"Agility +1."
Feeling the changes, he glanced at his attributes. His panel now read:
Strength: 10
Agility: 8 → 9
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 12 → 13
Perception: 9 (8)
Charisma: 9 (8) → 10 (9)
It was a handsome panel.
He stared a beat at that "Level 3." He remembered last winter, during the Winter Hunt in the Jade Forest—running into the Iron Arm squad—watching Quake, a Level 3 swordsman, and Sana, a Level 3 sorceress, with a twinge of envy. He hadn't expected to stand here himself so soon.
Level 3 is a small milestone. From 3 on, most classes can begin learning Level 2 Skills. It marks a clean break from the "rookie" stage. In an ordinary town, you're top-tier support. Recruiting gets easier—you can pick and choose among Level 1s and 2s, and most invitations get a yes.
And Gauss wasn't an ordinary 3. His combat power didn't just outstrip his peers; even rating 3 monsters wouldn't match him.
Against a rating 4, he likely could win. Even rating 5… well, that might be pushing it—but if the foe were a goblin elite, it might still be a fight.
His anti-goblin kit was just that stacked: [Bane] bonus damage, [Bloodthirst] stamina returns, and the chance to roll crits as he chained attacks.
One good crit under all his buffs, and even a rating 5 elite goblin would feel it.
Still, Gauss wasn't about to rush off and poke a rating 5 for fun. He didn't need edgy challenges to "find himself"; he needed steady forward motion, the way he'd always done it.
Flowing water doesn't rush to be first—it wins by running on without end.
"Heh." Standing by the stream, the breeze teasing his short hair, he couldn't help a laugh—sheer, settled satisfaction at the breakthrough.
Hitting Level 3 put new steel in him. He felt even surer of his path.
"Brother!" Cicero slipped free of Alia's hand and bounded over like a fawn, leaping into his arms. "You were glowing! So cool!" She sniffed. "Eh—Brother, you smell nice now!"
Gauss smiled and ruffled her hair. Alia came up, eyes bright with genuine joy. "Congratulations, Gauss. Level 3—how do you feel?"
She knew exactly what had just happened. He'd told them when he said he'd stay in the village two or three days—that this was his plan.
She just hadn't expected it to come so fast. One minute they were taking Cicero to the stream; the next he was done. Even she felt a little dazed. Not to mention, she herself had taken a full week to go from Level 1 to 2—that was considered quick. Some people take weeks or longer. Every level is a leap in life's quality; power and social standing both flip over.
"Great. We can loosen the team's schedule a bit," Gauss said, smiling. Unless they deliberately march into a monster kingdom, the odds of running into something beyond the elite tier are low.
Most foes run 1–5. Worst case, he could hold the rear and get his teammates out safely. That means they can widen their exploration, even start hunting elites on purpose. Still, don't neglect the small fry—total kill counts need goblin fodder.
There was a lot to do: hunt elites, stockpile Elite Points, evolve the [Reptilian Strain] trait from white tier to blue.
Keep developing Clay Shaping—gather more kinds of spirits, push them higher; the spell's potential was nowhere near capped.
Beyond that, he could look for other Level 2 spells to round out his current power—he could self-study Level 2 now. Then there was pushing total monster kills to four thousand, and finishing the index to fifty common entries…
"Mhm," Alia said—no objections.
After hitting 3, Gauss didn't go right back to training. He splashed along the shallows with them instead—and his "catch rate" made theirs look silly.
Even half-assing it, his already superhuman baseline made it hard for quick little fish to get away. Before long, the basket was heaped with small fish and shrimp, freshwater crabs, shellfish…
He couldn't help remembering past trips here, fishing the shoals, and how often he'd gone home empty. With this strength, he wouldn't have.
Back home they found Serandur returned from foraging, poulticing Horst's ankle. Sensing them, he looked up—his gaze lingered on Gauss. Hours had passed, but the change hadn't faded; the pressure Serandur felt was stronger.
"Captain, you leveled?"
"I did." Over the afternoon Gauss had cooled his head. Level 3 might be a lifelong dream for many adventurers; for him, it wasn't the end. Be glad, then look forward.
"Congratulations."
The rest of the family didn't really register it—just smiled hazily. To ordinary folk, Level 2 or 3 both mean the same: not someone you mess with.
…
For the next two days, Gauss and company stayed put. Some villagers—and even people from neighboring hamlets—came calling, trying to connect, asking him to teach their kids, hoping he'd take them on as apprentices.
He declined, gently. He was home to rest, not obligated or free to teach. If real danger threatened the village, he'd act; zero-to-one training for novices was another matter. Thankless work. They saw his success and thought, "If he can do it, so can we." But of those who become adventurers, how many ever go pro?
He did do a few practical things. Serandur cured Horst's leg, letting him walk like new. Gauss also left several apprentice-grade skill manuals with the family. When they had time, Hawk or Meilin—or even Horst and Rosa—could practice. Even without a Class, they'd toughen up and gain some self-defense.
Some households in some villages can scrape the money for apprentice manuals—but buying doesn't mean learning. And if they do learn, without depth there's no real combat power; it fades. Only a few—with resources, talent, and grind—hone a skill to usefulness.
Those few rarely stay in a village; they head to town, earn more than farming, and take a run at class. That young villager Gauss met scouting the goblin nest was one of those.
As for moving his own family to town, Gauss offered; they refused. Old folks don't want to leave the soil they've lived on for decades, and more to the point, here they have work they know—hunting, farming.
In town, with no trade, they'd just be living off Gauss. He thought it over and didn't push. Even if they came, he'd be gone most of the time on commissions—more so at Level 3, when the team would be ranging farther.
Better they stay in Stone Creek. As for safety: Grayrock has walls, sure, but it's a mixed crowd with lots of powerful adventurers; the village, north and deeper inland, might actually be safer.
"Let's head back to Grayrock first," Gauss said at last. He still had a job to submit. It was a side pick, but you finish what you start.
"We're still short quite a few for a 3-star party," Alia murmured.
"Yeah."
They'd overfulfilled ordinary quests. The sticking point was 3-stars: to upgrade to a 3-star party, they needed three 3-star commissions—meaning elite monsters with challenge rating at least 3.
And they needed to find Shirley. He'd run into her on his way out to take the Stone Creek job; she'd asked them to come see her once they wrapped it up.
~~~
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