The sky was a clear, vivid blue.

Tree trunks of various shapes grew wildly—twisted, straight, grayish-green trunks covered in moss and fuzz. In the treeless clearings the grass grew chaotically, and lush plants sprouted everywhere: wild celery, nettles, wild thistles running rampant.

Suddenly, crisp hoofbeats shattered the forest’s quiet like pebbles dropped into a lake, rippling outward at once.

A group’s silhouettes slowly emerged along the sun-dappled forest path.

“There’s a strange smell.” Serlandul’s snake-tongue flicked twice in the air as they spoke. “Are we setting camp here?”

“They’re just goblins.” Gauss cast a wary glance at the surroundings and said with certainty.

After all, no one understood goblins better than him.

He could even faintly sense where goblins had recently passed—like some mysterious psychic intuition whose cause he couldn’t explain.

“Those green-skins? Where? I don’t see them.” The dwarf Thorin glanced around left and right.

“The nest shouldn’t be nearby.”

Gauss scanned the area and made his judgment.

“Alright, then forget it.” Thorin dismounted and prepared to make camp.

If monsters were close, he didn’t mind stretching his legs;

but searching them out took effort. He was a bit lazy for that, especially for ordinary goblins that yielded little reward. Better to rest now and continue later in the afternoon.

“I’ll take a quick round to see if I can hunt something,” Gauss told Thorin, while his peripheral vision caught dried little footprints on the ground.

They were still in the outermost edge of the Emerald Forest;

overall danger was low.

“Fine.” Thorin waved while handling food.

Nancy and Elton exchanged a glance and then looked away.

But Aria and Serlandul looked at each other and both vaguely guessed where Gauss was headed.

“I’ll have Eck follow you.”

“Alright.” Gauss’s figure slipped into the tree line.

After a while—Thorin still hadn’t finished lunch—Gauss returned, casually tossing two pheasants onto the ground.

“I’m back.”

“Good job.” Thorin really thought Gauss had gone specifically to hunt;

he reached out to grab the birds.

Aria leaned in and asked quietly, “Gauss, those pheasants are edible, right?”

“Don’t worry, they’ve got nothing to do with those little green-skins.” Gauss sat down and cleaned his dagger with practiced movements.

By now he killed goblins with increasing ease—killing a few goblins was a trivial matter. The time spent striking them down was still less than the time walking.

“So you went after those little rodents?” Thorin raised an eyebrow.

“Mm. A small goblin outpost—seven of them. I ran into them while hunting and took care of them.” Gauss sheathed his dagger, speaking as calmly as if swatting a few mosquitoes.

After resting, the group resumed their journey.

The deeper they went into the Emerald Forest, the more cautious everyone became.

“We’ll need to detour.”

Nancy spread a map and stared at a monster camp in the distance, her pupils flashing bright.

After a moment the light in her eyes dimmed and she turned to the others.

“There’s an ascendant monster. We can’t handle it.”

An ascendant monster corresponded to the human professionals’ Master tier—Iron-rank adventurers. Their party of six had a highest level of only five, still within the elite range. Crossing tiers was far harder than crossing levels.

Moreover, ascendant monsters often had many lower-ranked minions;

if a fight started, escape would be difficult. Fortunately, Nancy seemed to possess a special long-range perception ability to sense monster strength, allowing them to avoid such monster strongholds before stumbling into them.

But occasionally a patrol would block the path;

if they could not detour, they had no choice but to act quickly.

Nancy studied the map and continued. “There’s a lizardfolk tribe here that’s a tributary of the Green Dragon Queen. We must avoid it.”

“This mine here, too. Although most guards are goblin-like creatures and goblins, there are also many elite gnolls stationed.”

...

Within the Emerald Forest, countless monster settlements were scattered like stars across the green sea.

Some required special caution—those were the monster tribes serving the Green Dragon Queen, also called the Green Dragon Army. These tribes were generally stronger than other monster groups. Even if their listed strengths looked similar, their real combat power was worlds apart.

Whether morale, organization, coordination, or equipment, the Green Dragon Army presented an entirely different appearance because they served a true dragon lord. Many monsters might never see that dragon in their lifetime, but the significance remained different. High-level monsters carried fear and worship of dragons deep in their bones.

Or perhaps it wasn’t a dragon-only privilege;

it was absolute submission to the strong. The Green Dragon didn’t even need to appear—her will, name, and prestige were enough to build a vast, terrifying system of rule.

They followed the map route for some distance.

“Look over there.” Nancy pointed to a monster camp nestled beneath a gnarled giant tree.

Calling it a camp was generous—it was closer to village-scale. The perimeter was ringed with sharpened high palisades, with lookout towers and arrow platforms, and multiple guarded entrances. Outside, armored hobgoblins drilled a large squad of goblins, scolding and striking the little green-skins with sticks—this wasn’t merely for show.

Lizardfolk and gnolls could be seen as sentries and archers in the watchtowers and arrow platforms.

A green banner fluttered at the camp’s center.

Aria lowered her spyglass. “They’re training and on patrol?” She couldn’t help whispering.

This distant fortified monster stronghold was nothing like the scattered makeshift camps. Terrifying, Gauss thought inwardly.

Although he knew monsters’ intelligence rose with rank and humanoid monster camps developed something like human civilization, seeing such orderly organization up close was a shock. And he could only see the tip of the iceberg—the interior facilities and monster distribution were unclear.

“This is the difference between those who serve a dragon lord and wild monsters,” Thorin said with a complex expression when the dragon was mentioned. He then warned the others, “The dwarf workshop ruins we’re exploring are nearby. Act carefully—don’t alert that monster camp.”

That green-bannered monster camp was probably the strongest force Gauss had seen since coming to this world—far beyond the capacity of a small party like theirs.

Gauss noticed beast carts hauling supplies in and out;

the loads were covered with tarps—materials and provisions, presumably.

Suddenly Nancy folded the map and motioned for silence.

Her pupils flared again and she spoke low and fast, “A patrol’s coming.”

“Have they spotted us?”

“Not necessarily. Their steps are spread out—like routine patrols passing by.”

They scanned around, and their gazes landed on several huge collapsed rocks blanketed in thick moss.

“Hide.”

They slipped into the fissures between the boulders, using natural cover to conceal themselves completely.

“Elton—”

“Leave it to me.” Elton immediately raised his holy emblem. A soft light washed over them, and their auras seemed to be shielded and vanish. Their tracks and activity traces outside disappeared.

It helped that the group had earlier left their mounts in a quiet, secluded valley;

otherwise hiding the animals now would have been problematic.

No more than two minutes after they hid, a monster patrol appeared.

Leading them was a goblin wolf rider mounted on a massive ferocious wolf—compact but wiry, significantly more imposing than the regular hobgoblins Gauss had encountered before. Four lizardfolk hunters trailed behind, wearing leather armor and carrying poisoned steel spears;

their forked tongues flicked as they sensed heat and scent. Two gnoll sentries with crossbows brought up the rear, eyes sweeping like hawks.

The patrol looked well-equipped and coordinated, maintaining a combat formation and communicating silently with hand signals—trained troops.

Fortunately Elton’s divine spell held up. After scanning around and finding nothing, the patrol halted briefly;

the lead wolf rider signaled, and the group moved off at speed, patrolling another sector of the forest.

Only after the patrol faded into the trees did the party in the boulder crevice exhale in relief.

“That was close.” Aria wiped a non-existent sweat from her brow.

The patrol had been elite-level monsters. Their fear wasn’t of fighting them per se, but that a skirmish would alert the distant monster base.

This encounter made Gauss and the others realize that exploring the ruin might not be as straightforward as they’d thought.

After ensuring no second patrol would arrive soon, they proceeded.

After some searching—

“We’re here.” Nancy announced.

Here? Gauss looked around.

All he saw were dense shrubs, tangled vines, and a few half-buried, moss-covered ordinary rocks—no signs of artificial construction. If Nancy hadn’t spoken up, he might have missed it.

“The entrance collapsed and was completely concealed.” Thorin explained quietly. “If not for that, others would’ve found it first.”

Thorin stepped forward and pulled aside vines, revealing relatively regular stone blocks. He wiped thick dirt and moss from the stone faces and uncovered clear geometric chisel marks.

“This is it!” The dwarf’s voice held a little excitement and an almost imperceptible weight.

He produced a palm-sized hammer and gently tapped the rock surface.

Under Nancy’s silence spell, a barrier shrouded the area so no sound could leak out. Inside the barrier, light clinks echoed occasionally. When he hit a certain spot his eyes lit up.

“Found it. Stay back.” He signaled the others to spread out.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!” He raised his wrist and swung like a whip, hammer striking the same node in rapid, steady rhythm.

Strange ripples vibrated through the air;

a faint seam surfaced across the packed rock and spread quickly. After dozens of strikes it seemed the hammer reached a critical threshold. With a thunderous crash the rock collapsed and shattered, scattering chunks ranging in size from fist to head within a two- or three-meter radius.

“Phew—” Thorin exhaled deeply, his chest heaving.

Though the hammer strikes looked small and he used a modest tool, the effort was considerable. Technique and control were crucial—only by harnessing the shockwaves from the blows could such a blasting effect be achieved.

“Good work.” Gauss watched, impressed.

One shouldn’t underestimate local heroes. It would be tough for him to shatter such a large rock area quickly;

Thorin’s storm of strikes relied more on skill than brute force.

“Let’s clear this together.”

After hauling away debris and tidying the area, they revealed a narrow, downward-sloping fissure thick with plant roots. It looked more like a natural crack than an entrance, barely wide enough for a single person to crouch through.

The fissure was pitch-black, exuding a damp chill and a faint metallic smell of rust.

They didn’t rush inside. Instead they cleaned up the stone piles and traces outside before looking into the crack again.

After all, they were within the patrol range of a nearby monster camp;

caution was necessary.

“I’ll go first.” Thorin stepped up without hesitation.

He patted his heavy breastplate: “If anything rushes out I can hold it.”

“I’ll go second.” Gauss said.

But before entering, they arranged a series of protective spells.

Gauss’s Gauss Field wasn’t necessary—he had already cast it on everyone before coming here. While the field’s protection was stronger on him than on others, the automatic upgrade to two layers was still helpful.

Serlandul and Elton followed with buffing spells focused on Thorin and Gauss.

When everything was ready, Gauss and Thorin, weapons coated in Light Cantrip glow, led the team into the fissure. Aria brought up the rear and cast Entangling Roots to grow vines and seal the exit.

...

“Drip, drip!” Water droplets striking cold stone echoed through the passage, startlingly clear.

The Light Cantrip banished the darkness and revealed their surroundings—a manmade tunnel, the walls square and sturdy in typical dwarven workmanship, now covered in slippery fungi that squelched with each step.

Gauss followed Thorin.

Although Thorin volunteered to lead, in effect Gauss was just as much at the front and actually exposed to more potential hits than Thorin. That, perhaps, was a dwarven advantage.

The passage extended dozens of meters before branching into a Y-shaped fork. Deeper darkness swallowed the farther corridors.

“Which way?” Thorin asked in his gruff voice, his stocky body blocking the front with his warhammer never lowered.

Gauss’s gaze flicked between the two paths. He recalled Thorin’s earlier descriptions of this workshop ruin. The dwarven record suggested the site wasn’t abandoned naturally but suddenly cut off. Centuries had passed—time could erase strangeness—but they couldn’t be careless.

“Let’s go left?” Thorin scratched the back of his head and proposed when no one spoke.

“Okay.” Gauss nodded.

His light swept the right corridor;

faint traces on the floor were barely noticeable. The left passage had more airflow, suggesting more room for activity. Crucially, the right felt too quiet—unnaturally so.

Although Gauss arrived at the same conclusion by careful observation, he was slightly surprised Thorin made the same quick decision. Thorin had shown a repeated knack for decisive judgment during the trip. Gauss wondered if he had a natural talent.

They proceeded down the left corridor.

Soon they entered a much larger chamber.

“Wow!!”

“So many weapons.”

It appeared to be a workshop and temporary armory. Weapon racks and workbenches held numerous arms. Unfortunately, as they approached the items, they saw many iron pieces were heavily rusted—irreversible decay. A thick layer of reddish-brown rust scabbed over the surfaces;

many weapons had cracked and broken into segments. The brittle rust peeled like layers of dried pastry;

the cores still held a little metal, but structural strength was gone.

“What a shame.”

“There are a few elite-grade weapons in relatively good condition.” Thorin, true to his dwarf instincts, leapt onto a stone platform and scanned. In a few glances he spotted the scarce elite-grade pieces.

Elite weapons surpassed common arms in craftsmanship and materials. Though dusty and oxidized, their core structures could still be intact;

a skilled smith could polish them back to sharpness. Master-tier weapons might not show exterior change even after centuries.

“Everyone pick what they can use.” Thorin generously motioned toward Gauss and the others.

“Thanks.” Gauss didn’t refuse.

After days together, although Thorin and company hadn’t revealed full identities, Gauss sensed their status. Weapons ordinary people prized might not be as valuable to them.

Gauss first selected a longsword.

His current steel longsword was only a common-grade weapon that glowed white under Identify Spell—mostly just slightly reduced wind resistance and no other effects. It was time to upgrade. A good longsword would greatly enhance his melee capability.

He lifted the blade.

It was a slim, slightly curved swift sword. Even beneath dust and rust the metal looked extraordinary—not ordinary steel but blended with a silvery special alloy that gave the blade a cold sheen even in dim light. The guard was crafted into a delicate winged wrap. Though rusted, the structure remained intact and strength nearly unimpaired—clearly superb workmanship.

Gauss wiped dust and rust from the sword’s guard with a soft cloth. Fleeting dwarf-forged runes briefly glimmered before vanishing.

When he gripped the hilt bound in rotten leather cord, a peculiar resonance traveled from his palm through his body. The length and balance felt perfect. He didn’t want to put it down.

Compared to his steel longsword, the new grip felt more supple;

the old blade now seemed too rigid.

“Huh?” Thorin noticed Gauss’s pick and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got an eye, Gauss. If I’m not mistaken, that’s made from windspeed steel—the ‘Windchaser.’ Didn’t expect to find one here. These aren’t mass-produced;

they were custom-forged by dwarves for the kingdom—made for agile officers and special scouts.”

“Later, the windspeed steel’s main source was overrun by monsters and supplies dwindled, so forging declined. But in quality it ranks among the best of elite-grade arms—especially the earliest batch without any cutting corners.”

Thorin admired it.

“This weapon greatly increases swing speed. Judging by the forging runes...hm, it should have Combo and Wind Pressure.”

“Combo” and “Wind Pressure” roughly matched the runes’ faint marks. Thorin explained professionally.

Even though he talked knowledgeably, Thorin admitted he didn’t actually forge weapons—his understanding came from family lore and study. Still, his analysis was accurate.

As Thorin said, Gauss flicked the sword in a flourish. It flowed silky-smooth and was much easier to wield than his standard longsword.

As he focused, a bit of his stamina drained, and the blade emitted a faint tremor. The air around the edge seemed to warp—the invisible airflow swirling around the blade.

Is that Wind Pressure? Gauss wondered.

The hidden wind pressure was deceptive. While the visible seam along the blade was thin, before activating the active effect it subtly increased the weapon’s reach for strikes and parries. If he wasn’t mistaken, Wind Pressure and Combo could be used together.

Gauss tried to trigger both runes simultaneously.

At once he felt his stamina dip again. Using two runes at once consumed more than a single rune. The Windchaser emitted a clearer hum;

the previously invisible airflow around the blade solidified into pale turquoise, high-speed rotating cutting winds—like a miniature whirlwind wrapped around the sword!

He also felt his arm become strangely light, pushed by the wind as if it enabled an explosive increase in attack speed.

“This can do that?” Gauss grinned with excitement.

He slashed toward a half-height discarded stone chunk in the clearing.

The instant the blade moved, Wind Pressure and Combo both activated at once!!

A rapid serried cutting sound reverberated.

Though he intentionally grazed the stone’s edge, the turquoise wind blades around the sword seemed to possess life, rapidly gouging the rock into many intersecting razor lines. Dozens of deep slashes scored the stone’s near side, stone dust spilling down!

An attack of extreme speed and sharpness!

That result was Wind Pressure acting on stone. If such a strike hit flesh, the effect would be truly devastating.

Gripping the Windchaser, Gauss felt a power in him ready to burst out. His already-developed Basic Swordsmanship seemed to brim with new inspiration.

Basic Swordsmanship +1

[Basic Swordsmanship] lv4 (13-25/100)

In a short time his Basic Swordsmanship gained 12 experience.

Unfortunately, that surging feeling lasted only a moment before receding.

Gauss wasn’t disappointed—one step leads to another, and progress is endless.

“Woah—” Thorin let out a sharp intake and widened his eyes. “You combined rune effects??”

He scratched his head in puzzlement.

Normally, even if a weapon had multiple effects, only one could be used at a time. At best, with enough practice you could switch between them seamlessly. Combination was rare—and required deep affinity with the weapon and massive practice. Very few achieved it;

those gifted often advanced beyond that training phase quickly and moved to better weapons.

Gauss clearly didn’t fit that profile—he’d just gotten the weapon. Yet the power was outrageous.

Thorin was baffled.

Elsewhere, others found weapons that suited them. Aria picked a golden dagger, Serlandul a small silver round shield. Nancy and Elton also found items.

Just as their joy peaked, a clear noise rang out.

In the dark recesses, statues that had blended with walls, corners, and ceilings—nearly indistinguishable from stone—suddenly flared with cold red light in their eye sockets.

“Click... click... click...” The grinding of gears echoed from all directions. Many statues began to tremble violently;

stone dust and flakes tumbled off. Their stiff bodies made dull, cog-like sounds as they slowly broke free from the walls—awakening!

“Not good!”