He’s an experienced person, and he knows that the power and endurance of a Level 1 Professional are limited, especially in a two-person team.
However, when he caught a glimpse of the figure maneuvering swiftly on the battlefield, he was slightly taken aback.
The scene he imagined, where they would be besieged by monsters and struggle to hold on, did not appear.
On the contrary, Gauss was chasing the monsters to kill them!
At least, the batch of monsters closest to him were already almost scared out of their wits.
"This kid... so fierce?"
Quik withdrew his gaze, murmuring to himself.
Since Gauss didn’t need their support over there, they had to focus all their energy on the ogre.
Although the ogre is recorded as a Level 2 challenge.
But the challenge level can only be used as a reference, and if you truly take it as an ultimate standard, sooner or later, you’ll make a big mistake.
In fact, the actual strength can only be accurately assessed after a real combat.
At least, looking at it now, the strength of this ogre is not low, at least it’s not one of the weakest ogres.
So, even though their team has two Level 3 Professionals and two Level 2 Professionals, they need to be on their guard.
"Boom!!!"
The ogre’s condition has returned to normal.
It roared deafeningly at its killed underlings, and charged towards the Iron Arm Squad with legs like giant pillars.
Its massive size and heavy weight caused the ground around them to tremble like a minor earthquake with each step.
"Prepare for battle!" Quik’s loud voice echoed across the battlefield.
...
"Prepare for battle!"
Gauss listened to the shout from the warrior Quik.
Seeing they had quickly cleared out several elite demons and a large number of lower-level monsters from the center of the camp, and two badly wounded captives had been rescued.
He thought to himself that he must also speed up.
He didn’t know what the outcome would be for the Iron Arm Squad against the pureblooded ogre.
If it ended quickly, the Iron Arm Squad would likely change direction to quickly clear out the subordinate monsters.
If they encountered trouble, they would need help or have to prepare to retreat, and he would also need to prepare in advance.
But in any case, he had to quickly end the battle.
Because more and more lower-level monsters noticed their leader being besieged and were rushing frantically towards the squad, leaving him with only about a hundred monsters left to reap.
"Kill!!!"
As the thought flashed through his mind, Gauss took advantage of his recovering magic power, chewed on jerky, and charged back into the enemy group with his sword!
In fact, he still had some magic power left inside him, and the energy in the energy storage glands had not yet been used, but Gauss never liked pushing his body to the limit during a fight.
Even if the worst-case scenario occurred and he had to notify Aaliyah to evacuate, he would still need to activate the Teleportation Scroll and needed to conserve enough magic power and activation time.
So alternating between Swordsmanship and Spells was very necessary.
"Total monsters killed: 963/1000"
"[Basic Swordsmanship] proficiency +1"
After killing another kobold, the Basic Swordsmanship proficiency increased by another point.
It had reached lv3 (18/50).
Compared to before, the Basic Swordsmanship proficiency had been increasing rapidly in the past two days.
Practice is the best teacher.
The foundational techniques of this fundamental skill, from before the winter hunt until now, had gained 13 points of experience.
Furthermore, it was after the Basic Swordsmanship proficiency reached level 3 that he gradually began to notice the exceptionality of this skill.
This skill, after all, isn’t complex at all; they’re just the simplest of actions: thrust, chop, swipe, block, guide, bind...all practiced swordsmen can grasp them.
But as the Basic Swordsmanship proficiency continued to rise, he felt these originally simple foundational moves were slowly integrating into his body’s reflexes, becoming extraordinary.
Sometimes, without even thinking, his body would instinctively react.
And upon later reflection, he realized that those instinctive actions were often very appropriate responses.
This also made him wonder that if lv3 Basic Swordsmanship was already so useful, what other surprises would this fundamental skill bring him if he reached lv4, lv5, or even higher, assuming such realms even existed?
Unfortunately, perhaps because it’s too foundational, the speed at which Basic Swordsmanship improved was not fast. Even though it was evidently his most frequently used skill, it hadn’t even reached half of lv3’s proficiency, a testament to how slow its growth rate was.
Fortunately, lv3 Basic Swordsmanship was already sufficient in most cases. Against familiar foes, Gauss knew exactly where their weaknesses were: heart, throat, brain side, core, each weak spot being precisely pierced through by the rapier.
As for attacks from lower-level monsters, Gauss would decide whether to dodge based on the situation.
Some attacks were insignificant but would affect his next offensive rhythm, and he would often resist them with the Gauss Force Field before continuing his unrelenting wave-like onslaught.
"Killed..."
"Killed..."
...
The prompt messages flashed across his vision.
Finally...
"Total monsters killed: 1000/1000, milestone achievement: Thousand Kills completed."
"Gained rewards: 1st-level Spell [Burning Hand], 1st-level Spell [Alarm Spell]"
"Gained rewards: Strength +1, Constitution +1"
"Next phase: total monster kill count to reach 2000"
"Current Strength: 8"
"Constitution: 8"
Perhaps the thousand-kill milestone was a special stage, and the rewards this time were particularly generous.
Not only did his Strength and Constitution each increase by one point, but he also got two 1st-level spells.
One being [Burning Hand], a spell with some area attack capability, which slightly compensated for his shortcomings.
The other being a practical spell [Alarm Spell], suitable for camping outdoors.
According to market value, each 1st-level spell costs above 10 Gold Coins.
But the market value was the least significant aspect; more importantly, spells rewarded by the Adventurer’s Handbook didn’t burden him mentally.
This meant that each new burden-free spell acquired gave him a permanent advantage over other Casters. Moreover, given his extraordinary Spiritual Power, in the future, he could master far more spells than other Casters could.
After a brief moment of thought.
A surging warm current swept through his entire being instantaneously.
The dual enhancement of Strength and Constitution brought an indescribable comfort, like every cell in his body was jubilant.
The exhaustion from a whole day of continuous combat was swept away, and explosive energy filled his entire body.
The monsters around him had been cleared in a ring, and the remaining monsters retreated in fear, none daring to approach for the moment.
Gauss could have kept fighting, but since the monsters hesitated, he stopped and carefully savored the strange feeling of his entire body undergoing metamorphosis.
"Buzzing!"
The short metamorphosis ended, and Gauss’ muscles didn’t swell; instead, they slightly "shrunk."
But he could clearly feel that the increase in his Strength attribute significantly enhanced the density and strength of his muscles, making them more flexible and resilient, with more potent explosive power inside.
The improved Constitution made his breathing deeper and more regulated, also implying stronger recovery ability and more enduring stamina.
He found it even harder to feel fatigued in battles.
Gauss gripped his rapier, his gaze sweeping over the trembling monsters around him, and a strong itch for action surged in his heart.
He took a step forward!
The movement was as fast as lightning, far beyond what it had been before.
The fibers of his arm muscles instantly coordinated in exerting force, swinging out a sword smoothly like a flowing stream.
"Swish!!"
The blade sliced through the air with a sharp blast!
The sensation of the blade cutting into flesh was like slicing through thin paper, with a soft "scuff" sound resonating.
"So smooth!" Gauss marveled in his heart. "But it’s a bit light, time to upgrade the weapon."
The effects of the Strength and Constitution gains were immediate.
He moved like a shadow, with pinpoint strikes from his rapier, instantly felling several more monsters, his breathing still steady.
Feeling the changes in his body, Gauss was overjoyed.
Now, even without using any spells, with 8 points of Strength and the combination of [Super Strength Skill], [Enhanced Jump], [lv3 Basic Swordsmanship], if the opponent was goblins, with the 20% basic bonus from the exclusive title [Star Destruction] along with an additional critical effect, could he directly one-hit a Level 1 Big Goblin?
Gauss was really curious about this.
If only a Big Goblin would come along for him to test with.