Gauss also felt the effect of this simple and unadorned, entirely dark metallic Magic Staff.
That is extreme hardness!
Yes, this is a very peculiar Magic Staff.
Other Magic Staffs either enhance casting power, speed up casting, or extend attack range, but this staff has none of that.
All it has is a slight enhancement to Protective Series Spells and exceptional toughness.
This looks very un-magical.
Clumsy and heavy, its only advantage is some kind of sturdiness akin to a melee weapon.
If it were in the hands of a Caster with formidable melee abilities, outstanding physical qualities, and the ability to cast spells, it would be quite suitable.
The others perceived the effect of the staff and all looked at Gauss simultaneously.
There are only two Casters present.
Obviously, with Lawrence’s physical ability, he won’t be able to use this nearly 1.8-meter metallic staff.
Gauss is very suitable, and coincidentally he is also skilled in Protective Series Spells, which seem like they were made for him.
"Gauss, this staff is a perfect fit for you, take it," Lawrence thought for a moment and then spoke.
The others exchanged glances.
"Yeah, give it a try."
They are also fully aware of who made the greatest contribution in the battle just now.
Not to mention a staff that they can’t use, even for some common items, they felt embarrassed to compete with Gauss.
Seeing his teammates saying so, Gauss nodded and expressed his gratitude.
He also jumped onto the platform, gripping the only part of the staff with a slightly matte finish.
With a slight exertion, he pulled the Metallic Staff from the stone platform.
The first feeling was, a bit heavy.
Luckily, his body is quite strong, so he should be able to use it.
He waved it twice in front of him.
Feeling a sense of reassuring stability from the staff.
However, the most important thing is whether it can be compatible with magic power.
If magic can’t be cast through it, then it can only be used as a pure melee blunt weapon, and that effectiveness would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.
Gauss didn’t forget how picky his magic power is; back then, when he was adapting a Magic Wand at Andri’s place, he was delayed for quite a while.
"So, can it be compatible?"
Gauss’s magic power flowed into the interior through the metallic shaft.
After a brief moment of anxiety, he found that unexpectedly, it was smooth.
Without much obstruction, his magic power smoothly circulated within the shaft.
Could it be that my magic power looks down on the common Magic Wand and only wants to adapt to unusual wands like the White Bone Staff and Metallic Staff?
Gauss found it hard to say.
Indeed, now the only suitable ones are these unusual staffs, which can’t help but make one think more.
"Light Spell!"
Due to the current shortage of magic power, Gauss used a Light Spell.
As the magic power emanated, the metallic shaft began to emit pure white light.
Successfully cast the spell.
Gauss breathed a sigh of relief.
Though in terms of feel, the casting of this Metallic Staff is not as smooth as the White Bone Staff, and the spell effect released also doesn’t have a bonus, but it can be used as a melee weapon after all.
So there are still many usage scenarios.
Behind him, Lawrence looked up at Gauss standing on the stone platform, raising the staff, with the Light Spell illuminating the space, and couldn’t help but sigh in envy.
Although it’s unclear how much this metallic Magic Staff is worth, judging from the strength of the Mantis People just now, perhaps its value is the highest of this dungeon exploration trip; but besides envy, what else can be said?
His and the others’ lives were all saved by Gauss.
Moreover, this Magic Staff is clearly not suitable for him, only for someone like Gauss, a special Caster Apprentice.
Thinking of this, he suddenly recalled an hearsay perspective he heard before, which might be right.
That in the Lost Realm’s preserved dungeon, underground city it arranges suitable enemies and rewards based on the adventurers entering.
And now, this clearance reward almost custom-made for Gauss, doesn’t it mean in the dungeon’s judging logic, others hardly performed against the Mantis People, only Gauss had value for reward?
Thinking of this, Lawrence felt a bit helpless.
"Boom boom!" While everyone was still resting.
The whole dungeon started to shake.
"Let’s leave first."
The dungeon seems about to collapse.
The others could only quickly take their items, the injured Liam and the body of the already deceased Bianca, and hastily leave the dungeon space.
Following the exit passage to the surface, after walking a distance.
"Bang!!"
The surface where the dungeon is located shook even more violently.
It was as if everything was collapsing, and the tall stone pillars that had originally been exposed on the surface were sinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the end, they completely disappeared.
It’s over.
Seeing that the entrance had completely disappeared, everyone was a bit dazed.
This six-day dungeon exploration finally ended with one person injured and one dead.
....
The loot collected in the dungeon took a full two days to process.
The value was quite a bit more than Gauss had imagined.
The total was worth 27 Gold Coins.
According to the prior agreement, Lawrence took away more than 5 Gold Coins. After all, he was the initiator of this expedition. He had spent a lot of money beforehand purchasing intelligence, and he also covered some organizational and transportation costs during the process. Everyone had no objections to him taking this amount.
Gauss similarly took home 4 Gold Coins, not including the Metallic Staff he gained, making him the actual biggest gainer of this trip.
Everyone else was able to take away about three and a half Gold Coins, which could be considered a huge windfall.
Gold Coins were also the largest amount Gauss had ever earned in his life.
At the tavern they departed from, the 6-member party reconvened.
Gauss sipped on a glass of apple cider, his eyes on Lawrence in front of him.
"How are we handling Bianca’s money? I remember he left behind the address and information of his beneficiary," Gauss casually asked out of concern.
Bianca’s death was unexpected, but after he passed, the team still had to help take care of the aftermath.
Although it was a temporary team, apart from Gauss, the others were acquaintances, so it wasn’t exactly a random group.
"Yes, my family’s convoy happens to be passing through the village where Bianca’s family is located in the next two days. I will personally oversee the transfer of his body and inheritance," Lawrence said heavily after taking a swig of wine.
Probably unsure of how to face Bianca’s parents and family.
"Tough job," Gauss, who was not familiar with Bianca, inquired merely out of concern. Seeing that Lawrence had arrangements in place, he didn’t want to interfere further.
"These three and a half Gold Coins, as long as they’re not spent wastefully, could support a family for a long time," Edith sighed.
This could be seen as a silver lining amidst the misfortune.
Though Bianca has passed, he left a substantial inheritance for his family, unlike other bottom adventurers who die nameless and expose their bodies to the wilderness while their families endure economic hardships on top of the pain of loss.
Edith turned to look at Gauss, a certain indescribable emotion flickering in her heavily shadowed eyes.
"Gauss, you should be close to becoming a Professional, right?" Thinking back to two days ago when Gauss took down the Mantis People that only Professionals could handle, she still found it unbelievable.
For the past two nights, her nightmares were filled with horrifying scenes of being decapitated by those mantis claws, and the frequent nightmares made her momentarily doubt whether surviving was just her last dying fantasy.
"Yes."
Gauss nodded.
Mage Armor Level 3 (49/50)
He glanced at the Attribute Panel in the Adventurer’s Handbook.
In the past two days since returning, he didn’t idle around but used his free time to train intensively at the Mutual Aid Association.
Hearing this, the faces of the others displayed expressions of sudden realization mixed with extreme envy.
For all apprentice adventurers, the greatest dream is probably to consolidate their Profession Tier and formally advance to a Professional level.
An apprentice and a Professional are two vastly different worlds.
Strictly speaking, at the inception of the Adventurer Association, bottom adventurers like them didn’t even exist; back then, only Professionals could register as Adventurers.
To the upper echelons of the Adventurer Association at that time, apprentices were just weapon-savvy amateurs, essentially no different from ordinary people—a bunch of useless trash with no value in recruitment.
The destructive power of one Professional with extraordinary abilities far exceeds that of dozens of apprentices.
If not for the rising frequency of monsters and extraordinary incidents and professionals often unwilling to handle trivial commissions, resulting in accumulated low-level tasks, the Adventurer Association might not have relaxed the registration restrictions even now.
Of course, they just changed their approach now.
They moved some welfare policies originally for all adventurers to bronze level adventurers and higher.
While bottom adventurers without a level still remain as non-members, enjoying fewer rights and benefits from the Guild.
"I really envy you." Warrior Apprentice Liam, whose injuries hadn’t fully healed, refrained from drinking and concentrated on his meal. Upon hearing Gauss’s acknowledgment, he couldn’t help but express his envy.
"Aren’t you all close too?" Gauss shook his head. "If necessary, why not spend a little money hiring a professional to tutor for a while?"
Three and a half Gold Coins is indeed no small amount, enough to hire a professional instructor for guidance and assistance.
"Hehe," Liam chuckled heartily, evidently already having this idea.
However, as he laughed, he suddenly took a sharp breath, probably pulling at his wound.
"I’ll wait until I fully recover. Besides, advancing to a Profession isn’t solely about spending money; it also requires luck, effort, and personal talent," Liam didn’t let himself get carried away.
"That’s only because your money isn’t enough. True scions of prestigious families can forcibly rise through considerable purchases of potions and treasures," Edith shook her head, pointing out the flaw in his words.
"..."
Edith’s words led to an awkward silence at the table, including herself.
Among them, even the "wealthiest" Lawrence was far from coming from that background, let alone the others.
The thought that they’d struggled for so many years without advancing while some were destined to become Professionals the moment they were born stirred intense feelings of imbalance.
Why should those scions of prestigious families, upon reaching a certain age and physical maturity, have their path paved by their family, provided with expert guidance, expensive medicinal materials, treasures, and precious instruments to tell the tale of a promising young professional?
Thinking along those lines, they couldn’t help but feel envious to the point of grinding their teeth.
"Oh, by the way, Gauss," Lawrence suddenly said, as if remembering something, looking at Gauss.