"Total monster kills: 1022"
After clearing the small monsters around him, the total number of monster kills paused at this number.
Watching the other two Level 1 Professionals handling the last ten or so monsters around them, Gauss didn’t have any intention of stepping in.
Let others have a sense of participation.
Improving to the next stage is still quite distant in the short term.
He looked further afield.
The Iron Arm Squad and the ogres were locked in battle.
So much so that the ground was trembling slightly.
But overall, it was clear that the team led by Quik had the upper hand.
The ogres had the advantage of thick skin, a layer of outer hide that was difficult to penetrate by ordinary means, and tremendous strength—if they hit an attack, even a Level 2 or 3 Professional might be severely injured on the spot.
However, the mobility of Quik and his team was superior to the ogres’, and the elite subordinates it could use to pin down enemies and create attack opportunities had long since perished.
Only the surrounding, more numerous, but ultimately unhelpful lower-tier followers remained.
"Roar!!!"
The attack struck the ground again, creating a large pit instantly, accompanied by a burst of flying sand and stones, with dust billowing.
However, despite its grand appearance, such attacks were mostly impotent rage, a futile expenditure of energy.
Gauss withdrew his gaze.
The outcome had been decided.
Aaliyah rode up beside him on the Gray Wolf Ulfen and dismounted.
"Take a break?"
Neither of them intended to rush recklessly to help Quik and his team.
They weren’t part of the same squad in the first place; intervening suddenly might not help and could even backfire.
Moreover, it would be viewed as a violation of the prior agreement.
He accepted the magic berry Aaliyah handed over.
Gauss took out some dried frog meat, wrapped it around the magic berry, and tossed it into his mouth together.
It’s very tasty!
The mix of meat and vegetables was just right, avoiding monotony.
The berry was sweet and refreshing, while the frog meat was savory with a hint of tingling, making for a subtly perfect combination.
He was curious about how the frost snake’s meat tasted; if it was fine, turning the snake meat into a secondary product would add another high-energy supply item.
After resupplying, Gauss looked at the two 1st-level Spells he had just acquired; during the previous battle, he didn’t have much time to understand them thoroughly.
These two spells had already formed into spell models.
With careful sensing, he could clearly understand their effects.
The first was the "Alert Spell," a 1st Ring spell from the Protective school, more of an auxiliary function than a combat-related one.
It took several minutes to activate, and once successfully cast, it created an eight-hour alert range. When a threatening creature entered the range, an alarm would be triggered.
The alert mode could also be preset during casting. The first type was a mental alert mode, only the caster could feel the silent warning, making it discreet and avoiding detection by enemy intruders.
The second type was a sound alert mode, emitting a piercing noise to alert everyone present to the enemy’s intrusion.
While it seemed to offer little combat help, the spell was extremely practical.
Adventurers traveling outside often had to camp; during such times, the Alert Spell could replace the need for night watch rotations. Even if one wasn’t completely reassured and still arranged for alternating night watchers, its presence provided additional peace of mind.
Therefore, despite its seemingly mediocre function, it allowed adventurers to get more rest, preventing fatigue, and indirectly supporting future battles.
Next was the "Burning Hand," a 1st Ring Spell from the Evocation school. With its use, flames erupted in front of the caster, enveloping a 5 to 6-meter area with a wave of heat.
It could synergize with tools, other spells, or terrain to create impressive area damage, striking grouped enemies in one go.
Flame attacks were particularly effective against low-tier monsters, especially those with fur, and also worked well on certain plant-based creatures.
Mastering this spell somewhat compensated for Gauss’s deficiency in AOE spells, as the spells he currently possessed were either auxiliary magic or spells focused on single-target attacks.
Even though Magic Missile could release three missiles at once, compared to true area-of-effect spells, its efficiency was slightly lower.
Of course, it’s not that Magic Missile was inferior to Burning Hand; each had its strengths and weaknesses.
For example, Burning Hand was ineffective against distant enemies and struggled to hit fast-moving enemies accurately, unlike Magic Missile.
Nevertheless, Burning Hand should indeed be Gauss’s primary practice focus for the next stage.
Even if he advanced to Level 2 or Level 3, this spell remained highly useful, which was why many Warlocks usually learned it.
Speaking of Level 2...
Gauss’s thoughts wandered a little.
His Tier Vessel seemed particularly active recently.
Coupled with these two First Ring spells that needed practice, perhaps the "experience" needed for Tier advancement could be accumulated during their practice?
After advancing to Level 2, his magic power quality would also improve.
At that time, even without intensive research, the spells would naturally become more powerful due to the refined magic power.
Of course, to achieve a qualitative leap in spell effects, conducting corresponding research into spell upgrading was necessary, but spell upgrades had limits and couldn’t be increased indefinitely.
This highlighted the significance of core skills.
As a core skill, it could advance with the caster’s Tier level. After reaching a certain stage, it could naturally upgrade to a higher level.
For instance, most Mages, upon reaching Level 3, found that their core skill spells naturally upgraded to 2nd Ring power, and using them was easier and more magic-efficient than other general 2nd Ring spells.
While Gauss and his companions were resting, the battle in the distance drew to a close.
With a "boom," the ogres, under the relentless assault of knife-like sharp energy fields, fell to the ground.
They took their last breath.
"Was it the Warlock who finished it?" Gauss blinked, watching the battle.
He initially thought the final blow would be struck by Captain Quik, but it was the female Warlock instead.
Moreover, during the fight, the damage the female Warlock inflicted seemed to eclipse the others’.
Perhaps the core of their team was that Warlock.
Sometimes the leader of an adventuring team and its combat core didn’t have to be the same person.