So hot.

When he first obtained the talent [Rapid Digestion], he hadn't experienced such intense sensations.

Yet now, despite standing in the biting winter wind, Gauss felt like he was inside a furnace, his entire body burning unbearably. He could clearly sense a surging energy coursing through him, transforming his body.

Subtle changes first occurred in his skin structure. An uncontrollable itching sensation swept over him, and when it passed, his skin seemed tougher and denser, as if an invisible protective net had been woven within.

Next, the heat flow penetrated inward—organs, muscle fibers, bone structures—all subjected to this scorching energy's baptism. From inside out, then outside in, cycling repeatedly.

"Ugh." Gauss groaned, exhaling sharply. His breath instantly condensed into mist in the frigid air.

Though the transformation affected a wide range, its effects manifested quickly. In reality, it only lasted about a dozen breaths.

Aria in the distance noticed nothing unusual, assuming he was simply observing the spell effects of his Burning Hands after casting it.

Only when the violent heat flow gradually subsided, finally transforming into a gentler warmth circulating through his body, did Gauss finally relax.

He opened his eyes.

An unprecedented new sensation flooded his senses.

The world seemed different now.

The most immediate change he noticed—the cold feeling had significantly diminished. Previously, he'd relied on his 8-point Constitution to endure, but now, without any change in environment or additional clothing, the chill had drastically reduced. Even inhaling the icy air brought a refreshing vitality.

His tolerance for extreme cold weather had dramatically increased!

Internal bodily parameters seemed refreshed, even his mana becoming unusually active.

Subconsciously, Gauss looked down at his hand.

At first glance, his skin showed no obvious changes.

But when he lightly scratched the back of his hand with a fingernail, he felt unusual resistance. Switching to rubbing with his fingertip, the resistance disappeared, replaced by an even smoother texture.

Was this the enhanced skin protection?

Though realistically, he probably wouldn't need this effect often.

After all, beyond his skin, there was still the protection of Gauss Field, and sometimes even an additional layer of leather armor.

But one never knew—perhaps enemies might have special methods to penetrate Gauss Field...

Regardless, stronger personal defense was always good.

Moreover, this talent's enhancements weren't limited to just this.

His bodily coordination had improved too.

During that brief finger movement just now, he'd felt his joints moving more fluidly than usual, with finer control over his fingertips.

Then there was the temporarily untestable recovery ability.

According to the description, actively consuming stamina could accelerate wound healing and tissue regeneration.

This effect paired perfectly with his [Energy Storage Gland] talent, which restored stamina and mana through eating.

Now stamina could also be converted into healing energy.

Did this mean simply consuming food could repair both external wounds and internal organ damage?

Of course, this elevated food's importance yet another level.

In the adventurer world, there was a saying: "Supplies are lifelines." But for Gauss, food's importance far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Beyond these changes, he could sense numerous other beneficial micro-adjustments within his body, though he couldn't yet articulate the specifics.

After examining his bodily changes, Gauss turned his attention back to the racial talent [Reptilian].

To enhance it, there were two paths.

First: By killing Goblins to increase its corresponding level—for example, raising it from Initial to Elite grade.

Assuming it followed his first racial talent's pattern, he might need to kill two hundred Goblins to reach Elite grade?

At that point, [Reptilian] might develop further abilities.

Second: Advancing its quality—upgrading it from white to blue quality.

In Gauss's understanding, both paths strengthened the talent, just differently.

An analogy: The first path was like a Mage advancing from level 1 to 5—with each professional level increase came significant power growth. This could be seen as the talent's [development degree].

The second path's quality advancement was like upgrading an ordinary level 5 Mage template to Gauss's ultra-high-intensity level 5 Magician template—the talent's [template upgrade].

At the same level, ordinary spellcasters' strength couldn't compare to his.

Similarly, [Reptilian] corresponded to reptilian creatures' abilities. If its quality advanced to blue, then purple, gold...

It meant upgrading to more powerful creature templates, granting him stronger talent bonuses.

Thus, to fully develop a talent, both paths must progress simultaneously.

However, he currently lacked information on quality advancement—perhaps he'd need to progress further in the previously unlocked [Elite Path] to learn?

For now, if he wanted to enhance [Reptilian], he could only continue killing Goblins.

Goblins held multiple significances for Gauss:

1. They could increase title levels.

2. They could level up talents [Energy Storage Gland] and [Reptilian].

3. Goblins were as numerous as stray dogs, perfect for accumulating total monster kills.

4. Goblins themselves offered Adventurers Guild mission rewards.

Truly, four benefits with one action.

Honestly, could anyone blame him?

While he admitted his impression of Goblins had always been poor, the current situation (Goblin kills consistently comprising about 50% of his total kills) was partly thanks to the Monster Encyclopedia's encouragement.

When an action aligning with one's values also brings continuous rich rewards, who could refuse?

"Let's go. Find a sheltered spot to eat, then head back," Gauss called to Aria, in excellent spirits. He felt his future growth potential was terrifying.

Since it was just a small group of about a dozen monsters, Gauss didn't light a signal flare. Instead, he and Aria quickly cleaned up the battlefield, collecting valuable Crowmen claws, beaks, and some exceptionally tough feathers from the charred, carbonized corpses left by Burning Hands.

After gathering loot, they found a wind-sheltered spot behind a massive rock.