After having a simple lunch at a village near the mission location, the two of them and the wolf left the village and headed toward the habitat of the Rust Frogs.

“Rust Frogs... I haven’t encountered them before,” Aria said curiously as she flipped through the monster manual while walking. “According to the book, their spit can corrode iron.”

“No wonder the bounty is 1 silver and 30 copper per kill,” Gauss replied. “I guess many warriors don’t want to take on this kind of mission.”

Among low-level monsters, that’s already a relatively high bounty.

For example, the ratfolk in the last mission only paid 1 silver coin each.

Difficult tasks that no one wants to do usually come with higher payouts.

For melee professionals who rely on metal armor and weapons, monsters that accelerate equipment wear are nightmares.

Hard-earned commissions end up going straight to the blacksmith for repairs, which isn’t cost-effective.

But for Gauss and Aria, this isn’t a big issue.

Gauss has a variety of ranged attack options, and Aria is an excellent crowd control support.

More importantly, their core protection isn’t metal armor but mainly Gauss’s force field, so their equipment doesn’t suffer wear and tear.

Before setting out, Gauss had already put the upgraded Mage Armor called Gauss Field on both himself and Aria.

Gauss Field can last about six hours without any mana consumption.

For most battles, that’s more than enough preparation time.

Therefore, Gauss is used to activating his shield in a safe area before battle.

He then uses his Energy Storage Gland to restore mana, waiting until it’s fully replenished to face enemies at peak condition.

This allows them to get two additional rounds of force field protection mana.

Although they probably don’t lack mana for those two rounds, it’s wise to pay attention to details whenever possible.

As they neared the habitat, the two stopped talking and quietly approached.

Suddenly, Gauss perked up his ears.

A cold wind carried a strange noise from afar.

“Wah wah wah—!!!”

A bizarre, urgent croaking mixed with heavy stomping and some fearful shouts broke the wilderness silence!

Was that the Rust Frogs?

Gauss signaled Aria to stop and looked toward the distance.

Dust swirled as several young figures tumbled and scrambled wildly along a path, faces pale and gasping for breath.

Behind them, many round shapes bounced through the dust.

Each leap was clumsy but powerful, relentlessly chasing their prey.

Those were the Rust Frogs, the target of Gauss’s mission!

“Prepare for battle!”

Caught off guard by the Rust Frogs, Gauss and Aria didn’t have time to think much.

He instantly switched to combat mode while Aria gripped her oak staff tightly.

“Bro, bro! Run quickly!!!”

The young man leading the group shouted hoarsely at the two blocking the path, his eyes filled with exhaustion and confusion—why weren’t these two running?

He and his companions were already out of breath, faces and lips pale, but they dared not stop. If they did, the large frogs behind them, which looked deceptively clumsy, would devour them to the bone.

Rust Frogs are omnivores, normally about 50 centimeters to 1 meter long.

Their large size for frogs means they spend a lot of time eating daily. Like many monsters, they eat whatever they can.

Not only wild plants and animals, but mosquitoes, swimming fish, sparrows resting on branches, and even humans are on their menu.

To ordinary people, these unassuming creatures are actually very dangerous.

But Gauss and Aria stood firm like rocks.

The frightened youths rushed past them like startled rabbits, not daring to look back until they were some distance away, then slowing slightly to glance behind.

They just witnessed a shocking scene.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Zap!

Three dazzling azure magical energies formed almost simultaneously at the tip of Gauss’s Bone Staff.

They tore through the air, trailing comet-like brilliant tails, and with piercing whistles, precisely struck the front of the frog pack!

Boom!

Squelch!

A dull impact and flesh tearing sounded explosively!

Like a red-hot blade slicing through butter.

The blue magical energies shredded the Rust Frogs’ flesh in an instant.

The three hit Rust Frogs were blasted away like ragdolls by the tremendous force.

Their tough hides were no match for the magic, instantly ripped open with dirty blood and entrails splattering, halting the fierce charge of the frog pack.

Several youths stopped, gasping heavily and exchanging glances.

“Is that... a big shot??”

Gauss and Aria, meanwhile, paid no mind to the commotion behind, focusing entirely on the approaching frogs.

Though this was a sudden encounter, it didn’t unfold as planned. They hadn’t reached the Rust Frog habitat to scout, count numbers, choose battlegrounds, and make detailed plans.

Still, they were prepared for sudden combat.

After all, in the wild, even when things seem calm and casual one moment, the next can bring an ambush.

So Gauss reacted quickly, drawing his Bone Staff almost as the strangers passed, and fired several Magic Missiles, hitting enemies from afar.

This rapid response came from frequent practice.

Not just on missions, but even resting in town, he often trained for quick ambush battles.

Additionally, some bonuses helped.

The Bone Staff’s quick-attack attribute, a secondary core boost, Magic Missile level 3 (45/50), and near level 4 proficiency made his Magic Missiles fast and accurate.

“Kill Rust Frog *3”

The Monster Encyclopedia unlocked its 13th ordinary monster.

Gauss also earned the title effect for Rust Frogs.

“Title acquired: Rust Frog Hunter. This title upgrades as the kill count increases.”

“Current effect: Shock. Activating this ability causes a mental shock effect to Rust Frogs within 3 meters, controlling them for 0.5 to 1 second.”

By then, Aria, half a beat slower than Gauss, finished her spell preparation.

With her staff tapping the ground, a jade-green glow spread rapidly from it into the earth, rippling outward.

“Entangling Roots! Nature’s Bind!”

Her left hand made a gesture in front of her.

This was part of her fixed casting process;

she needed chanting and hand signs to assist her spells.

Because of this, her casting speed couldn’t match Gauss’s specialized magic use.

Fortunately, Gauss’s Magic Missiles bought her plenty of time.

Boom!

In an instant, tough vines burst from the ground along the path.

Unlike the last time facing giant rodents, she used Entangling Roots more conservatively this time.

Nearly ten vines stretched across the path between them and the frog pack.

They precisely blocked the frogs’ advance like a deadly net.

The Rust Frogs, enraged by their fallen comrades and pushed by those behind, charged heedlessly into the trap.

“Whoosh!”

The flexible vines moved like living creatures, tightly wrapping around the frogs’ thick hind legs and yanking!

“Grr!”

Ulfen, lurking in the nearby grass, pounced like a gray lightning bolt, biting hard into a Rust Frog’s neck trapped in the vines.

Sharp wolf teeth instantly tore through the tough skin, pulling away chunks of flesh.

Gauss didn’t pause, swinging his staff again.

“Fire Bolt!”

The air at the staff’s tip twisted as orange-red fire elements rapidly gathered, forming a blazing small fire arrow that shot out!

Whoosh!

The arrow precisely pierced another Rust Frog restrained by vines.

The high temperature instantly seared its flesh, making sizzling sounds and a burnt smell.

That Rust Frog twitched violently a few times before dying in the flames.

The level 3 proficiency Fire Bolt cast smoothly with considerable power.

This was why Gauss chose Fire Bolt.

On one hand, to test its practical effect at level 3 proficiency, and on the other, because Fire Bolt consumed slightly less mana than downgraded Magic Missiles.

Against numerous but individually weak enemies, Magic Missiles would be a waste.

Using Fire Bolt was more economical.

Of course, besides power, Magic Missiles’ triple-shot effect is irreplaceable for quickly clearing mobs.

But with Entangling Roots creating vine barriers, there was no urgent need to rapidly kill enemies, so Gauss used Fire Bolt for battle practice.

“Fire Bolt!”

One fire arrow after another cut down monsters as if the Grim Reaper was marking them.

A strange aroma of roasted meat filled the air...

Gauss smacked his lips. It was a scent he loved.

He couldn’t help swallowing his saliva.

So delicious...

Normally, after using mana, the Energy Storage Gland would release a slight hunger to remind him to eat.

Now, smelling the fresh roasted aroma, different from dry jerky, his subtle hunger intensified several times over.

If he remembered correctly, the “Emerald Forest Surrounding Ingredients Compendium” mentioned that Rust Frog thigh meat was edible...?

That thought flashed through his mind, and he silently fired Fire Bolts faster.

A stronger Rust Frog broke through the vines and lunged at Aria.

Aria reacted swiftly, channeling nature’s power into her oak staff and striking the frog’s forehead with a wind-breaking sound.

“Bang!”

A muffled thud stunned the Rust Frog.

Aria quickly retreated, clearing space, and Gauss’s Fire Bolts seamlessly finished off the dazed monster.

This was their prearranged tactic.

Aria’s killing ability was weaker;

whether using oak staff techniques, Animal Communication, Entangling Roots, or the Divine Berry Spell she was still learning, none were instant killing moves.

But that was fine. As long as she could stun, Gauss would handle the follow-up kills.

Their frequent practice had built strong tacit understanding.

Moreover, seeing Gauss’s impressive kill efficiency, Aria no longer had other thoughts.

She focused on her role, leaving the kills to Gauss.

Though Druids don’t avoid killing, judging from her skills, she wasn’t eager for direct combat.

Cooperating with Gauss eased her mind considerably.

Soon, with smooth coordination, they stopped all the chasing Rust Frogs.

The ground was covered with pits burned by corrosive liquid and marks from whipping vines.

“Twenty-five,” Aria quickly counted the corpses.

“Not all.”

“Mission intel said this group has about seventy Rust Frogs;

the rest should still be in their lair.”

“Okay, let’s rest first,” Gauss nodded, glancing at his status panel.

“Total monsters killed: 458.”

Excluding the goblins “wild respawned” from the bushes during the journey, he had killed 23 in that brief encounter.

Ulfen injured many Rust Frogs and killed two outright.

In fact, if Gauss hadn’t killed so quickly with spells, with Ulfen’s agility and bite force plus Aria’s control, taking down twenty or so Rust Frogs was only a matter of time.

But with Gauss around, the battle ended faster.

That fight probably lasted less than three minutes.

If they were a bit more careful in the next fights, this mission would likely push the total monster kills past the 500 milestone.

He still needed 42 kills, and nearly fifty Rust Frogs remained at their nest.

Looks like he’d have to tell Aria to let Ulfen “take it easy” in the next battle.

Gauss looked at the frog corpses scattered on the ground, calculating in his mind.

Putting his thoughts aside, he and Aria began finishing off and collecting mission tokens, the Rust Frogs’ long tongues.

Gauss neatly cut the frog tongues at the base with his dagger but couldn’t help staring at the thick, muscular thighs with defined muscle fibers.

The swollen leg meat gleamed with a healthy color in the sunlight, making him involuntarily imagine the delicious bullfrog hot pot from his past life...

He was curious about the texture of giant frog meat in this other world.

“Aria, are you hungry?”

“Huh?”

Aria, struggling to open a Rust Frog’s mouth to cut out the tongue, turned her head in disbelief.

If she remembered correctly, they had left the village that provided lunch not long ago, right?

Already hungry again so soon?

Seeing Gauss’s gaze fixed on the frog carcasses on the ground, a suspicion formed in her mind.

Could he possibly be thinking...

...