Cold blood seeped into the charred soil underfoot.
Gauss steadied one foot on the unmoving back of the giant rat, a cold glint flashing from the rapier in his hand as he once more precisely penetrated its chest.
Withdrawing the sword, he flicked off the dirty blood.
His gaze swept across the wrecked battlefield.
Although the Adventurer’s Handbook provides kill notifications, in the heat of battle, he inevitably missed some demons that weren’t fully dead.
Therefore, he had developed the habit of delivering a coup de grâce after the battle.
Occasionally, a kill notification would appear, becoming a small surprise while cleaning the battlefield.
Aaliyah and her big wolf silently watched Gauss calmly deliver finishing blows.
She took out a towel to wipe the sticky bloodstains from her cheeks.
Recalling the brief but fierce battle moments ago, she still looked at Gauss with some amazement.
This close combat performance was even more like a swordsman than an actual swordsman.
If she hadn’t seen Gauss use a spell earlier, she would have assumed her partner was originally a warrior.
"But... this protective spell is indeed effective."
She subconsciously reached out, gently pressing the side of her waist through the tough leather armor.
Earlier, a ratman’s spear had indeed struck here.
Even without the resilient protective field Gauss had applied beforehand, her armor alone would have been enough to withstand the damage, but there was no way she could have finished the battle without a single scratch or bruise like now.
"Actually, partnering with him seems quite comfortable..." this thought quietly surfaced in her mind.
Even though it was just a two-person team, it felt easier than the four or five-person teams she had been part of before.
All she had to do was cast control spells and occasionally intercept any that slipped through to close range; Gauss would handle the rest.
Whether it was precisely sniping distant archers with Magic Missile or wading through enemy lines with his sword, his efficiency was astonishing.
How could this be a newly promoted bronze-rank adventurer?
Even when she occasionally had a moment to spare and tried to help with the task of killing demons, Gauss reminded her not to advance and to focus on using the Entanglement Technique instead.
The subtle thoughtfulness left her somewhat at a loss.
What kind of mage charges ahead like that?
Who knows whether it’s a deliberate performance for their first-time partnership or just his nature.
But regardless, Aaliyah was indeed touched by Gauss’s "gentlemanly" demeanor.
This person seemed like a good teammate to entrust your back to.
"Are those ratmen too scared to come out now?"
Gauss went through all the ratmen and giant rats on the ground to deliver the final blows.
His gaze turned toward the abandoned church.
From start to finish, aside from the cavalry squad they’ve annihilated and the archers on the church roof shattered and scattered by Magic Missile, no other ratmen emerged from the church cellar as reinforcements.
It was as if they were like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, believing as long as they didn’t come out, Gauss wouldn’t detect their presence.
In reality.
He just wanted to rest a little longer.
But he couldn’t take too long; the possibility of other escape tunnels existing under the church couldn’t be ruled out.
"Aaliyah, how’s your condition now?"
"No problem. Ready to continue anytime." Aaliyah gathered her thoughts, her tone firm.
Gauss sensed the protective field surrounding her, still brimming with more than half its energy, and nodded slightly.
In truth, he was also fine.
Despite how fiercely they had just fought, not even the reserved hidden energy within his energy storage glands had been activated.
After all, this was merely a group of well-equipped ratman cavalry; apart from consuming some time and stamina, they posed no real threat.
After a brief rest, replenishing water and rations, they felt their strength and magic power slowly trickling back like a gentle stream.
Only then did Gauss gesture to Aaliyah to cautiously approach the decrepit, bone-like abandoned church.
"Why are you going so far ahead?"
Aaliyah, who was a few steps ahead, prompted Gauss to speak up.
"I can’t let you do everything."
A subtle sense of guilt arose in Aaliyah’s heart, as if she had been slacking off during the whole battle.
"Besides, we Druids are more suited to taking the lead than you Casters, right?"
"..."
Gauss was at a loss for words.
Common sense dictated she wasn’t wrong.
Though druids and mages aren’t pure frontline tank professions, generally speaking, druids typically surpass mages in perception and constitution, which indeed makes them more suitable for temporary frontline roles.
But... that’s for an average mage.
At least in this team, his "tankiness" likely surpassed Aaliyah by more than one tier.
As for her earlier remark about him doing everything, that was sheer nonsense.
Had it not been for her precise Entanglement Technique repeatedly tripping the charging giant rats and restricting the ratman cavalry’s mobility, he couldn’t have concluded the battle so effortlessly.
Forget it. Gauss shook his head internally. Let her be.
A few steps’ distance was still within control.
Aaliyah left her great wolf outside the church to stand guard, preventing any enemy from flanking for a sneak attack.
The two of them then jointly pushed open the heavy, decayed wooden door riddled with holes.
After pushing open the door, a nauseating stench immediately hit them.
Amidst the pungent base notes of fermented rodent excrement, mixed in were the waxy scent of old candle tears, the damp mustiness of cold stone, and the sour, rotten smell of decaying food.
The air was thick and oppressive, even through a gas mask, the murkiness of the outside air was palpable.
The stone benches on either side were in ruins, and the crumbling blocks, just like the floor, were covered with a dry layer of grime that made a faint "pfft" sound underfoot.