Gauss felt unprecedented power surging through his entire body.

In the activated state of the Scalehard Bloodline, his physical form seemed to have received comprehensive enhancement.

"Is this... the power of a dragon?"

The text that had just appeared flashed through Gauss's mind.

Dragon was a rather broad concept.

In this world, dragons weren't a single species but a vast and complex racial lineage.

Within this racial lineage, those at the apex were undoubtedly the most powerful and relatively rare true dragons.

Whether chromatic dragons, metallic dragons, or other special dragon breeds, they all possessed extremely high intelligence, long lifespans, and formidable power.

As they aged, their strength would continuously grow, with significant improvements in size, power, spellcasting ability, and armor, making them a race at the pinnacle of the pyramid.

Below true dragons were dragonkin, lesser dragons, and various dragon-blooded creatures.

As Gauss knew, even among humans, there existed bloodline inheritors like half-dragons, Dragonborn, or Dragonblood Warlocks.

It seemed his racial talent was developing in this direction too...

After sensing the changes in his body, Gauss surveyed his surroundings.

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. On the city wall before him, the flames of Burning Hands still roiled,

the air filled with the peculiar aroma of burnt protein.

Especially the elite monster bear monster in front of him - the meaty aroma emanating from its body was particularly rich.

The bear monster had first been roasted by fire, then bombarded by several Magic Missiles. Its flesh had exploded into fist-sized chunks that, baked by high temperatures, emitted a mix of charred and enticing meaty fragrance.

This scent drilled into Gauss's nostrils, actually making his throat unconsciously twitch twice as a strong urge to feed rose from his abdomen.

He stared fixedly at the scattered meat chunks.

Only when a violent explosion sounded by his ear did his thoughts snap back to reality.

He shook his head vigorously, startled by his abnormal state.

Gauss, oh Gauss, now is not the time to think about eating.

Looking at his energy dragon claws and the special bloodline power surging within him, he suddenly realized that the activated 【Scalehard Bloodline】 brought not just power, but also a hidden instinct belonging to a powerful predator behind this strength.

In simpler terms, in this state, his brain was starting to grow muscles.

Fortunately, his intelligence attribute was high enough. After a brief daze, rationality quickly overwhelmed that beastial instinct.

"ROAR!!"

A furious roar came from behind as another bear monster climbed onto the city wall and charged from the rear.

Its massive paw, wrapped in energy, carried a vicious gust that tore through the air as it slammed toward the back of Gauss's head.

Despite its bulky appearance, its grasp of combat timing was remarkably precise, accurately catching Gauss's momentary distraction.

However, it still underestimated Gauss's current reaction speed and combat intuition.

Previously, Gauss would have chosen to evade, creating distance before attacking.

But now he had a new option. The power surging within him and the hunting desire suppressed by rationality made him subconsciously take completely different action.

He didn't even fully turn around, just forcefully pushed off with his foot.

BOOM!

The packed earth beneath his feet shattered. The powerful explosive force from the 【Scalehard Bloodline】 allowed him to turn and meet the attack with nearly barbaric speed. The Gauss Field covered with dense energy scales, now twisted into dragon claw form, didn't dodge or evade but directly confronted the bear monster's massive paw head-on.

THUD!

A thunderous impact sounded as if two heavy rocks had collided.

Gauss's body didn't budge an inch, while the two-to-three-meter-tall bear monster let out a pained cry. Its paw, capable of shattering rocks, felt like it had struck solid hardened steel, vibrating through its arm bones and forcing it back several steps.

The originally rough, hard bear paw was directly pierced by the dragon claw, leaving a bloody gash.

Blood dripped from the dragon claw scales onto the ground.

"My power is really this strong!" Gauss himself was somewhat surprised by this transformed defense and strength.

Considering he was ambushed, his explosive power wasn't even fully utilized - he'd just hastily employed that combat instinct to meet the attack.

Was it because of mana enhancement?

Gauss sensed the continuous magical effects released by the 【Gauss Field】 and vaguely understood something.

This power of his didn't solely originate from muscle and physical explosion, but was also boosted by the integration of 【Gauss Field】 with magic.

In other words, his current state wasn't pure physical combat, but more like a prototype of magic-body technique.

Thoughts flashed rapidly before returning to reality.

The bear monster's attack had been interrupted, its massive body now revealing the disadvantage of size as the recoil made it difficult to control, leaving huge openings.

Gauss quickly made judgments, utilizing combat instinct to subconsciously continue taking action.

Power exploded at his feet as he instantly charged forward, giving the bear monster no chance to readjust its posture.

Under the bear monster's terrified gaze, his lightning-fast right hand shot out, fingers slightly curved, claw tips shimmering with sharp edge.

"SHREEEK!!!"

Gauss's hand directly pierced the bear monster's chest cavity as effortlessly as a triangular dagger stabbing through tofu.

SQUELCH!

He withdrew his arm, a massive bear monster heart brutally torn out still beating vividly in his claw.

Feeling the warm, sticky sensation on his hand, Gauss pursed his lips and stored the heart in his Storage Bag.

The bear monster's roar abruptly ceased, the unbelievable terror in its huge eyes slowly fading as the light within them extinguished before it crashed backward.

"Elite monster bear monster eliminated*1"

Another elite point gained.

Looking at the bear monster slain within breaths, Gauss felt the strength of 【Scalehard Bloodline】 even more keenly.

Compared to Ghost Form, both blue-quality racial talents, this form had much lower speed and mana amplification, but greater physical strength and stamina. Overall, its consumption was relatively less, and in "standby" state it didn't continuously drain energy like Ghost Form.

His gaze turned toward the distance.

Some soldiers were engaged in frontal combat with monsters that had scaled the walls.

After some thought, his left hand holding the White Wand cast spells, shooting several Fire Bolts that precisely eliminated those minor monsters.

Though mana amplification wasn't as good as Ghost Form, when 【Scalehard Bloodline】 was activated, his spellcasting became much more proficient.

Simultaneously, the Clay Spiders also hopped forward.

Together they quickly cleaned up the remaining monsters.

Exhausted soldiers leaned against the battlements, glancing toward his direction, curious about who had helped them.

Just as they turned their heads, they saw in the roaring flames a figure covered in glowing energy scales with a single dragon-clawed hand slowly approaching them.

He emitted a savage aura like a fierce beast.

Those caught by his gaze would subconsciously avert their eyes, not daring to meet his stare.

As if...

As if what approached wasn't human, but a humanoid lesser dragon.

With each step, he left shallow impressions on the ground, fresh blood on his dragon claws dripping from the scales onto the charred earth with audible "tap-tap" sounds, particularly clear in the brief combat lull.

Several low-level adventurers and soldiers he'd just saved subconsciously tightened their grips on weapons, bodies slightly tense - an instinctive vigilance when facing powerful creatures.

"Anyone injured?"

Only when Gauss spoke, hearing that clear human voice, did everyone's tension slightly ease, replaced by deeper awe and gratitude.

"Th-thank you for your assistance, sir." A soldier who appeared to be a squad leader mustered courage to thank him, voice still somewhat hoarse.

Gauss slightly nodded, his gaze passing over the soldiers to survey inside and outside the city walls.

Monsters had completely flooded into the camp.

Adventurers arriving from other areas were engaged in bloody battle with monsters among the burning shantytowns.

Outside the walls, those elite monsters from the rear were also battling several figures.

Though the night was dark, the Scalehard Bloodline granted him special vision to perceive creatures in darkness, so he could clearly see the surrounding situation.

Overall, the outlook wasn't optimistic.

Among this siege's monsters, the proportion of elite monsters wasn't small.

Under their leadership, those ordinarily unremarkable low-level monsters could also erupt with astonishing power.

"Can you still fight?" Gauss's voice became somewhat deeper, even carrying a barely perceptible resonant hum.

"We can, sir!" Exhausted soldiers struggled to stand straight, tightening their grip on weapons again.

"Then follow me." Gauss said solemnly.

In such chaotic situations, every additional person meant additional strength. Moreover, these soldiers themselves had undergone rigorous training and could provide help when effectively organized.

"Understood, sir!" Their tones became somewhat uplifted.

They could tell Gauss's strength was clearly extraordinary - following him would definitely be safer than small groups sticking together.

The soldiers consciously followed Gauss's footsteps, obeying his commands.

Powerful strength was always the best guarantee of authority on the battlefield.

Gauss led at the front, rampaging across the battlefield with the destructive power of his field-enhanced dragon claws, while his left hand holding the White Wand occasionally instantly cast Magic Missiles or Fire Bolts to precisely eliminate distant enemies, instantly rescuing some soldiers or adventurers in difficult fights.

Before long, he reunited with Aria and Serlandul.

Thanks to the pre-applied 【Gauss Field】, they weren't injured, though they inevitably had some bloodstains on them.

Ulfen and Eck were the same.

"Gauss, what is this?" Aria looked at Gauss's energy scales and obviously abnormal right arm dragon claw, momentarily stunned.

They'd been separated for less than a few minutes, yet Gauss had completely changed appearance.

"You can understand it as a special kind of spell." Gauss briefly explained.

Nearby, Serlandul flicked his snake tongue, capturing the scent molecules around him.

An expression of understanding appeared on his face.

No wonder he'd vaguely detected a familiar yet unfamiliar scent during combat earlier - turns out the captain's bloodline power had achieved another breakthrough.

No matter how Gauss explained it, Serlandul already had answers in his heart.

The aura emanating from Gauss made him feel somewhat contradictory - both familiar and subtly oppressive.

As if under some kind of suppression, the half-snake person bloodline within him was feeling uneasy.

"Let's leave the city walls first."

Gauss said to his two companions.

As time passed, quite a few people had unknowingly gathered behind him.

Among them were ordinary soldiers, adventurers, and some who'd joined the group out of herd mentality, seeing others follow him.

"Alright."

As soon as the words were spoken.

Andni, who had been floating outside the city wall earlier, slowly descended from above him.

Her chest rose and fell slightly as she panted heavily.

Clearly, the previous combat had been quite draining for her too.

Her gaze paused briefly on Gauss's dragon claw before moving away.

"Let's regroup with the main force first."

Currently, everyone was at the city wall corner, separated from the main force. Other adventurers, soldiers, and cavalry had all contracted their defense lines inward.

Staying here would only make them like an isolated island in the ocean, quickly overwhelmed by numerous monsters.

Even Gauss, who needed to kill monsters to improve himself, didn't want that situation.

Killing monsters was for becoming stronger, and becoming stronger was for better survival in this world - not to satisfy simple killing desires.

Soon, under the leadership of Gauss and Andni, this temporary team tore through monster obstructions.

Andni took to the air to attract those level five and above monsters.

Nearby monsters were handled by Gauss and others.

Especially Gauss as the main force - facing those monstrous creatures, even some elite monsters, he could quickly break through situations with his dragon claws. Some monsters were even torn in half by him.

He continuously charged forward - monsters blocking his path would either retreat or die.

This scene of extreme violent aesthetics left the temporary members firing arrows to suppress distant monsters along the route utterly stunned.

Compared to those monsters, Gauss in this state seemed more like the real monster!

So much so that even knowing Gauss was on their side, everyone still averted their gazes, not daring to meet his eyes.

Those blazing bright eyes shimmered brilliantly in the dark night, giving off an intensely strong oppressive feeling.

One, two... Gauss lost count of how many monsters he'd killed.

Under his ferocious slaughter, the team successfully tore open a path through the shantytown, eventually returning to the camp center and regrouping with others.

As they rejoined the main force, the defense line continued to retreat.

In the distance, figures of laborers, merchants, and caravans carrying light packages could be seen moving away.

Gauss mounted his Ostrich.

Andni descended from the sky, sitting in front of him as she surveyed their surroundings.

She quietly said to the three of them.

"We need to prepare to retreat too."

Flying in the sky gave her a clearer view - she knew monsters were continuously pouring toward Outpost 11 from the forest.

Though she didn't understand why the stationed forces here were so depleted while monster numbers clearly exceeded normal standards, now wasn't the time to consider this.

Relying on the camp's forces and unfinished defenses, holding this isolated Outpost 11 was fundamentally impossible.

Perhaps if all adventurers and soldiers in the camp fought fearlessly, there might be some possibility of holding this camp.

But reality was, facing endless monster tides and continuously appearing elite monsters, defender morale was collapsing at a visibly rapid pace.

Unless surpassing levels, individual bravery in war ultimately had limited effect.

Especially since many adventurers suspected that the missing Guild Leader Richie and cavalry stationed outside had received advance intelligence about the beast tide siege and retreated, making them even less inclined to fight.

Adventurers were essentially just mercenaries working for money - leaderless, they couldn't form effective combat strength.

"Knight Captain Filen has issued orders for everyone to retreat toward the northwest gate in alternating phases!" A messenger rode a fast horse through the chaotic camp, delivering commands with a hoarse, strained voice.

Confirmed - they were abandoning Outpost 11.

Gauss and his companions exchanged glances, surprised by the decisiveness of this command.

Though adventurers had already begun spontaneously retreating even without orders, at least with local commander's instructions, everyone's "escape" had nominal legality.

Though afterwards, this commander would likely face punishment for this - making this decision required considerable courage.

"WOOO!!!"

As human defenses actively retreated, wave-like monsters continuously advanced while gnawing away,

Throughout the camp, figures of Goblins, Goblin-like creatures, and Gnolls were everywhere, holding torches, setting buildings ablaze. The entire camp had become an inferno and slaughterhouse hell.

Building construction required countless effort, but destruction was simple.

Within sight, shacks, stables, warehouses, and the Adventurers Guild signboard all burned fiercely.

Scorching heat waves distorted the air, reflecting the dark night sky into an ominous crimson.

The crackling of burning wood and crashing of collapsing buildings echoed incessantly.

The flames, blood, and skyward screaming stirred Gauss's blood instinct again, forcing him to refocus and suppress his body's restless heat.

"Retreat!"

He and his companions followed the team rapidly toward the northwest gate.

Along the way, chaos unfolded everywhere in the camp.

Some adventurers fell behind, lost in monster waves, crying as monsters pounced on them, sharp claws and weapons repeatedly piercing their bodies.

Goblins screamed like overly excited maniacs, waving rusted swords and torches while hunting prey.

They not only wanted to kill but also were enthusiastic about destruction, smashing wine barrels, igniting fabrics, even wrestling and biting each other over shiny leather armor stripped from corpses.

There were too many monsters.

The only fortunate thing was that most people in the camp had evacuated.

While Gauss and others were resisting on the city walls initially, other non-combat personnel had already begun evacuating under soldier command,

As for some unlucky ones who didn't receive messages or got lost, they could only blame their fate.

The monsters didn't seem inclined to chase outside, instead busy looting camp supplies and destroying buildings, as if executing some command.

Because of this, the group could quickly evacuate along the opened west gate.

Gauss lowered his wand, expression somewhat grave.

Along the way, he'd been using Fire Bolts to eliminate monsters, but compared to the total numbers, his kills were merely a drop in the ocean.

"Total monsters eliminated: 2875"

During the beast tide defense and subsequent retreat, he'd eliminated over four hundred monsters, a considerable portion being the result of four Clay Spiders tirelessly attacking.

This elimination efficiency was undoubtedly impressive, but currently, he couldn't say he was particularly happy.

Strictly speaking, this should count as the first setback in his adventurer career.

But upon reflection, retreat seemed inevitable. Even with his mastered 【Scalehard Bloodline】 power, the beast tide depths contained monsters beyond elite level - none of which he could currently handle.

In fact, if not for several master-level knight captains staying behind as rear guard, their retreat wouldn't have been so smooth.

He once again realized his strength was still insufficient.

The only fortunate thing was...

He looked at his shaken but safe companions and breathed a sigh of relief.

At least everyone was okay.

He looked back toward the distant firelight reflecting on the night sky, taking a deep breath of cold air.

Temporary setbacks didn't need to dwell on his mind.

He still had time to grow stronger.