Although the efficiency of killing isn’t as fast as direct combat, it is safe and effortless. If he remains undetected, he even entertains the thought of stealthily eliminating them one by one.
1, 2, 3...
However, an unexpected incident occurred when he reached the 11th frog.
Despite having aimed in advance, the Flaming Arrow ended up hitting its sturdy back when the originally stationary rust frog suddenly lowered its head, extending its long tongue to catch a passing beetle on the ground.
"Croak, croak, croak!!!"
The shrill, ear-piercing croak echoed like sudden thunder in the clear sky.
The entire colony of rust frogs was alarmed by the unexpected scream, and many swollen eyes turned towards the source of the sound, instantly realizing their companion was under attack!
"Croak!"
"Croak!"
Furious croaks erupted successively, and the whole group was immediately in chaos!
Gauss saw that his secret attack had been exposed, but he didn’t feel too much regret.
Managing to silently take down eleven was already a pleasant surprise.
Since he had been discovered.
Gauss decided to stop pretending and began openly firing Flaming Arrows.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
The Flaming Arrows flew amidst the angry croaks of the rust frogs.
Precariously nailing three of the largest frogs at the front.
Amidst the wave of green fury rushing towards him, Gauss calmly signaled Aaliyah with a glance.
Upon receiving her response, he activated the "Enhanced Jump", his steps becoming light as he dashed towards another direction.
The main force of the rust frogs angrily followed closely behind.
Gauss led the rust frogs in circles around the lake, occasionally pausing to fire a Flaming Arrow, randomly picking off the one at the forefront.
Always maintaining a teasing distance at the front, allowing the rust frogs behind to spit no slime, yet always staying just within a tantalizing reach.
The rust frogs remained agitated without realizing their numbers were steadily declining.
In a fight where the few battle the many, it’s critical to avoid being surrounded—even if there’s not much threat, conserving energy is preferable.
Meanwhile, during the precious time where the frog group was wholly fixated on chasing Gauss, Aaliyah from afar also began her actions.
Constantly utilizing the power of nature, deploying the Entanglement Technique by planting vine seeds in the clearing.
When Gauss led the half-diminished group of pursuers back around once more, he heard Aaliyah’s shout from afar and understood her intentions.
Then, with the rust frogs raising a dust cloud behind him, he headed towards the ambush point laced with vines.
"Croak, croak, croak!"
Gauss dashed over what appeared to be ordinary flat grassland.
Not long after, the rust frogs hopped over as well.
But as they passed by, countless resilient dark green vines burst from the earth like awakened serpents!
The vines swiftly entangled many rust frogs, causing the following ones to crash into their ensnared companions.
The scene was utter chaos!
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Gauss was waiting for this moment.
He waved the White Bone Staff, rapidly firing Flaming Arrows. The fixed targets drastically reduced aiming time, allowing him to cast spells faster.
"Sizzle sizzle!"
In a brief moment, the number of rust frogs diminished rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
When the remaining rust frog cluster realized things weren’t looking good and began to scatter, a commanding wolf howl rang out, as the hidden Gray Wolf Ulfen emerged to intercept the remaining frogs.
Aaliyah also joined the final battle.
...
Finally, with two people and a wolf encircling them, the few remaining rust frogs were thoroughly cleared.
The dust settled.
Gauss let out a long breath, filled with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, as he summoned the interface in his mind.
By now, it had accumulated a lot of information.
"You’ve successfully killed 50 rust frogs. Title [Rust Frog Hunter] upgraded to [Rust Frog Slayer]."
"Current effect: Intimidation. When activated, it creates a mental shock effect on rust frogs within a 10-meter radius, causing a 2-second forced paralysis. This ability requires a cooldown period between uses."
With the title upgrade, the effect was significantly enhanced.
Previously covering a mere 3-meter range with only 0.5-1 second of control time, it was barely useful in battle for Gauss.
Yet after the upgrade, the range extended from the initial 3 meters to 10 meters, and the control time increased to 2 seconds, substantially enhancing its effectiveness.
"Total monsters killed reached 500."
"Reward obtained: Intelligence +1"
"Intelligence: 8→9"
The increase this time was actually in the highest stat, Intelligence? Why?
Just as the thought swirled in Gauss’s mind, a fresh, icy stream of energy surged into his consciousness without warning!