As a hastily assembled team, they lacked coordination and their strength varied greatly.

The eight members didn't fight cooperatively but operated in their original small groups.

Once everything was prepared, they boldly charged toward the monster stronghold.

"So fast!"

Gauss caught a glimpse of the Iron Arms team from the corner of his eye, only managing to see their fleeting afterimages as they sped away.

At the forefront was their leader Quick.

His longsword drew a cold silver arc before him, instantly decapitating any low-level monsters like goblins or dog-headed creatures blocking their path with precise strikes.

Gauss knew he could also one-shot these low-level monsters, but the ease with which Quick did it was on another level.

Not once did Quick's charging speed falter from swinging his sword.

Under his leadership, the entire team advanced like a sharp wedge, driving straight into the heart of the ogre camp.

The female warlock had clearly already cast her spell.

The ogre had just gotten up from the ground, its massive body looking around wildly. Strangely, it ignored the team slaughtering through the monster horde, instead pounding the ground in rage as if consumed by unease and fury.

Meanwhile, the half-ogre and gnolls assaulting two captured female adventurers nearby noticed the intruders.

Grabbing their weapons, they roared and charged at the team.

Gauss averted his gaze.

His priority now was racking up kills.

Quick hadn't even bothered specifically targeting the low-level monsters, just casually clearing those in his path - yet he'd already slaughtered about thirty.

Meanwhile, the ranger Dorien's arrows rained down in rapid succession, each shot taking out at least one or two monsters.

Casey's previously unseen contracted giant python finally appeared - a fifteen-meter-long behemoth as thick as an ostrich egg, rolling through the monster ranks and wreaking havoc with its sheer size.

Gauss realized he'd miscalculated.

The rest of Iron Arms showed no mercy either, thoroughly clearing out the small fry.

He hurriedly took out his bone staff suitable for rapid casting, stuffing some jerky in his mouth to replenish stamina while channeling mana.

The staff's tip instantly glowed with a blue aura as three magic missiles shot out in triangular formation!

Just then, several elite monsters engaged Iron Arms. Though clearly outmatched, they bought Gauss precious "farming" time - at Iron Arms' slaughter speed, he might not have gotten seventy kills otherwise.

"Goblin x2 killed"

"Dog-headed creature x3 killed"

"Quasit x2 killed"

Gauss's spells showed no mercy. Under his precise magical bombardment, the monsters rapidly fell.

Aria had already prepared her Entangling Roots.

Vines burst from the ground, coiling around enemies like serpents.

Seizing the opportunity, Gauss stowed his staff and drew his rapier.

Against immobilized targets, spells were overkill - better conserve mana.

Chewing jerky, he lightly stepped forward and leaped into the enemy ranks.

His rapier flashed through the air with blinding speed, leaving afterimages as it stabbed repeatedly.

"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"

The blade's tip became a constellation of cold stars, elegantly piercing each monster's weak points.

Crimson plum blossoms of blood bloomed where the rapier struck.

"Grahh!!"

Entangled monsters struggled futilely as their life force drained away from fatal wounds, each death adding to Gauss's growing kill count.

Nearby, the newly joined Level 1 adventurers who'd just regrouped after fleeing earlier now stared dumbfounded.

To their right, Iron Arms carved through enemies like a hot knife through butter, swiftly eliminating elite monsters.

To their left, Gauss efficiently massacred low-level creatures.

Did they... even need to be here?

What confused them more - while the Level 2-3 professionals dominating made sense, how could this black-haired, green-eyed Level 1 peer be so strong?

At least when it came to slaughtering low-level monsters, his casual proficiency surpassed any other Level 1, even rivaling Iron Arms' performance.

"Should we... join in?"

Only when a companion spoke up did they snap out of it, gripping their weapons and entering the fray.

From Iron Arms' direction, Quick effortlessly parried a gnoll's slash. As the creature staggered back, Quick's sword somehow instantly reset its momentum mid-swing.

With a shout of "Step Slash!", he lunged forward like lightning, his blade sheathed in condensed white energy.

"Schlick—SPLURT!"

A clean cut split the unarmored gnoll's abdomen wide open, blood gushing forth.

The powerful horizontal slash had bisected its muscular torso!

Quick straightened up, breathing evenly.

Glancing at his teammates, they'd already cleanly dispatched the other elite monsters.

For their team, ordinary Level 1 elites posed little threat. The main concern was conserving stamina - eliminating enemies with minimal effort while avoiding injury.

His gaze turned toward Gauss's duo.

Since Casey knew them, he'd planned to send help if needed.

As someone who'd been there, he knew Level 1 professionals had limited power and endurance, especially in a two-person team.

But when he glimpsed Gauss maneuvering through battle, he paused.

Instead of being overwhelmed as expected, Gauss was chasing down monsters!

At least the ones nearest him were nearly scared to death already.

"This kid... is fierce?"

Quick withdrew his gaze, musing silently.

Since Gauss needed no help, they'd focus on the ogre.

Though records listed ogres as Challenge Rating 2, that was just a reference. Taking it as gospel would get you killed someday.

True strength could only be measured in actual combat.

This one seemed stronger than the weakest ogres.

Even with their team's composition - two Level 3s and two Level 2s - they couldn't let their guard down.

"BOOM!!!"

The ogre regained its senses.

Seeing its dead subordinates, it roared deafeningly and charged Iron Arms on tree-trunk legs.

Each thunderous step made the ground tremble like a minor earthquake.

"Prepare for battle!" Quick's booming voice echoed across the battlefield.

Hearing the warrior's shout, Gauss noticed Iron Arms had cleared the camp center of elites and rescued the battered captives.

He mentally urged himself to hurry.

He didn't know how Iron Arms would fare against the pureblood ogre.

If they won quickly, they'd turn to clear the remaining monsters.

If they struggled and needed help or planned to retreat, he needed to be ready.

Either way, he had to finish fast - more low-level monsters were swarming toward their besieged leader, leaving him only about a hundred left to kill.

"Kill!!!"

With this thought, Gauss chewed his jerky and charged back into battle while his mana recovered.

He still had some mana and unused Energy Storage Gland reserves, but Gauss disliked pushing himself to the limit in combat.

Even in worst-case scenarios, after signaling Aria to retreat, he'd need enough mana and time to activate a teleportation scroll.

Thus alternating between swordplay and spells was essential.

"Total monsters killed: 963/1000"

"[Basic Swordsmanship] proficiency +1"

After killing another dog-headed creature, his swordsmanship rose to Lv3 (18/50).

Compared to before, its proficiency had grown rapidly these past two days.

Practice was the best teacher.

Since before the Winter Hunt, this fundamental skill had gained 13 experience points.

At Lv3, he began sensing something extraordinary about this basic skill.

Its moves were simple - thrust, slash, deflect, guide, entangle - any swordsman could master them.

But as proficiency increased, these basics seemed to integrate into his muscle memory, becoming something more.

Sometimes his body reacted instinctively before his mind processed the situation.

Later analysis showed these instincts often provided perfect responses.

It made him wonder - if Lv3 was this effective, what wonders might Lv4, Lv5 or higher bring?

Unfortunately, being so fundamental, Basic Swordsmanship leveled slowly. Despite being his most-used skill, it hadn't even reached half of Lv3's requirements yet.

Still, Lv3 sufficed for most situations. Against familiar foes, Gauss knew all their weak points - heart, throat, temple, core - each precisely pierced by his rapier.

For minor attacks, he'd decide whether to dodge based on circumstance.

For inconsequential blows that might disrupt his rhythm, he'd tank them with Gauss Field while maintaining his relentless assault.

"Killed..."

"Killed..."

......

Notifications flashed before his eyes.

Finally...

"Total monsters killed: 1000/1000. Thousand Kill Milestone achieved."

"Rewards: 1st-circle spell [Burning Hands], 1st-circle spell [Alarm]"

"Rewards: Strength +1, Constitution +1"

"Next stage: Accumulate 2000 monster kills"

"Current Strength: 8"

"Constitution: 8"

Perhaps the 1000-kill milestone was special - the rewards were exceptionally generous.

Besides the stat boosts, he gained two 1st-circle spells:

[Burning Hands] offered some AoE capability, patching a weakness.

[Alarm] was practical for outdoor camps.

Market value aside (each 1st-circle spell cost 10+ gold), the Adventurer's Manual's spells didn't increase mental burden.

This meant every additional burden-free spell gave him a permanent advantage over other casters. Combined with his exceptional mental power, he'd eventually far surpass them in spell repertoire.

Brief thoughts aside, a surging warmth flooded his body.

The dual stat increase brought indescribable comfort, as if every cell rejoiced.

A day of battle fatigue vanished, replaced by explosive energy coursing through his limbs.

The monsters around him had cleared a space, the survivors shrinking back fearfully.

Gauss could've continued, but with enemies hesitating, he paused to savor this transformation.

"Chew chew chew!"

The brief metamorphosis complete, Gauss's muscles appeared slightly leaner rather than bulkier.

But he clearly felt these "shrunk" muscles held greater power - denser, stronger, more flexible and injury-resistant.

His movements and attacks would flow smoother now.

The constitution boost deepened his breathing, enhancing recovery and endurance.

He'd tire less easily in battle.

Gripping his rapier, Gauss scanned the cowering monsters, itching to test his new limits.

He stepped forward!

His movement was lightning-fast, surpassing his previous speed.

Muscle fibers coordinated perfectly as he swung his sword with flawless fluidity.

"WHOOSH!!"

The blade tore through air with a sharp shriek!

It sliced through flesh like paper, passing through with a soft "snick."

"So smooth!" Gauss marveled inwardly. "But feels too light now - time for a weapon upgrade."

The stat boosts showed immediate effect.

Darting about, his rapier flashed, felling several more monsters while his breathing remained steady.

Feeling his body's changes filled Gauss with excitement.

Even without spells, with 8 Strength plus [Monstrous Strength], [Enhanced Jump], and [Lv3 Basic Swordsmanship], against a goblin with his [Bane] title's 20% bonus plus a critical hit... could he one-shot a Level 1 hobgoblin?

Gauss was genuinely curious.

If only a hobgoblin would show up to test this...