The convoy passed through the woods and arrived at the monster nest deep in the forest.
The members of the Red Dragon Team were quickly stunned by the sight before their eyes.
All over the towering, decayed giant tree, broken and incomplete corpses could be seen everywhere.
On the heads of each corpse were eyes with pupils wide open.
The depths of those gazes were filled with terror, as if even now the owners of those bodies still had not escaped from the fear they’d experienced.
Many members of the Red Dragon Team swallowed in unison.
Although they had already dealt with plenty of monster corpses and materials before this, that had all been back at the Red Dragon estate.
Compared to that, this reeking battlefield, with blood not yet fully dried, was an entirely different matter.
The only ones who seemed to be handling it a little better were the old hands who had retired from the Adventurer trade.
Their strength wasn’t anything special either, but they had at least dealt with plenty of goblin corpses.
After all, that had been the source of most of their livelihood back then; in a way, it had been their bread and butter.
So these people were more shocked than anything. Over two thousand goblin corpses scattered across the ground really was a spectacular sight.
Especially when they thought of how Gauss and the others had entered the forest, the battle erupted, and not long after it was already over.
It’s harder to butcher a pig back in the village than that, isn’t it?
"Let’s get to work."
Gauss cleared his throat lightly, cutting off their wild thoughts.
Compared to the battle, looting the spoils was actually the larger project.
Everyone glanced at him as if waking from a dream, then quickly started moving corpses and collecting supplies under the lead of several squad leaders.
Gauss didn’t join in. He only had the clay creatures act as porters, helping move corpses and goods down from the high places, then handed them over to the other members for the next stage of sorting.
Aside from lacking independent thought, as tools the clay creatures really didn’t have many flaws.
With their help, the entire cleanup process sped up considerably.
Gauss sat up high, watching the busy scene below, and his expression suddenly turned a little distant.
"What are you thinking about?"
Aaliyah came over and sat beside him. After a brief rest, she had recovered again.
"Nothing..."
"It’s just that seeing all this, I couldn’t help thinking of two years ago."
"Two years ago, there was nothing like this, with a whole group at my back."
As he spoke, his body relaxed, letting the breeze atop the wooded rise play with his hair.
The first time he killed a goblin, it had just been him alone, running on hot blood.
Now he had dozens of people running around before and after him, handling all the chores outside of combat.
That kind of lone-wolf adventuring, always on edge, had its own kind of thrill, but he still preferred this sense of security that came with moving in a group.
Hearing Gauss’s words, Aaliyah didn’t say anything, merely froze for a moment as well.
Perhaps she was thinking of when the two of them had first teamed up.
It had clearly only been two years, yet it felt like they’d gone through a very long stretch of time together.
The two simply sat there in silence, watching the members below as they busied themselves.
The sorting work continued all the way until nightfall and still wasn’t finished.
Gauss and the others cleared out a dozen or so houses in the Tree City, planning to stay overnight here at the goblin nest.
In front of the bonfires, the cooks were busy, using the provisions they’d brought to prepare dinner for the Red Dragon Team’s members.
Gauss looked at his panel.
He only now noticed that both [Energy Storage Glands] and [Hardened Scale Bloodline] had risen from Elite Level to Commander Level.
And the Racial Talent [Controller] he had just obtained not long ago had also risen from Initial Level to Elite Level.
Among the many Racial Talents, these three had all been extracted from goblins, so their specific levels were tied to the number of goblins killed.
He sat by the bonfire and quietly activated [Hardened Scale Bloodline].
Although the talent’s quality hadn’t changed, after the level up his control of the Hardened Scale Bloodline had become far more proficient.
That alien energy carrying a draconic aura had also swelled significantly.
And now he could perform subtle, localized control.
For example, he could have the power of the Hardened Scale Bloodline cover only his right arm, or other specific body parts, instead of the full-body coverage it had at the beginning whenever he activated it.
After a brief bit of practice, Gauss dispersed the power.
The night passed without incident.
The members of the Red Dragon Team enjoyed an utterly satisfying, deep sleep in the monster nest.
The next morning when they woke, many members had a slightly surprised look on their faces.
They had clearly worked for most of the day yesterday, and then spent the night lodging in buildings inside a monster nest. Just when they thought they’d wake up sore all over, they felt no discomfort at all when they got up.
On the contrary, they all felt clear-headed and refreshed, their bodies brimming with strength.
"What’s going on?"
"This is the first time I’ve slept this well."
"I slept better than I do in my own bed at home. Really strange."
"Let’s eat breakfast and get back to work."
"The sooner we work, the sooner we can head back."
"..."
The ordinary members of the Red Dragon Team compared notes and all felt it was a bit odd.
But no one actually went to ask Gauss.
Gauss listened to their chatter, thought for a moment, then a look of realization appeared on his face.
Aside from the effect of the group Healing Word provided by Serdur, it was probably also related to the effect of the Proof of Leadership.
It seemed that with him, the holder of the Proof of Leadership, sitting in command, he could provide his affiliated members with various temporary buffs in all sorts of aspects.