While Adelle was still thinking for the briefest instant,

Gauss pushed off with his feet.

In a flash, his figure vanished from where he stood.

The next moment, he was already standing in front of Adelle.

"So fast!"

Adelle was a little surprised.

"Boom!"

Gauss had slipped into a serious state.

His burnished-gold pupils locked tightly on Adelle with no flashy movements.

The energy dragon claw condensed in his right hand released its full force, tearing through the air with a thunderous roar.

At the claw’s tip, the air seemed to be blown outward in shockwaves, rippling in concentric circles across the surface.

A plain, unadorned straight thrust!

Faced with that attack, Adelle's pupils constricted sharply.

But as a Master-level professional, her reflexes still made her react instinctively in that first instant.

That response came from countless drills and discipline;

it had become a combat instinct.

If it had been any adventurer below Master level, timely reaction would have been impossible!

She raised her sword to block in front of her.

Just barely intercepting the direction of Gauss’s thrust.

"Clang!!"

A crisp collision rang out!

The recoil up the blade sent numbness racing through Adelle’s wrist in an instant.

The thing opposite her felt less like flesh and blood and more like a block of impossibly hard steel.

"What force!"

Adelle grunted.

Having withstood Gauss’s first wave of impact, the next instant her whole body was flung backward,

elegantly flipping through the air a few times.

Using that momentum to create distance, she landed back on the ground.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a streak of azure light slowly coalescing around Gauss.

In that brief lapse of time, it had already been launched.

"It's a spell!"

She hurriedly swung her sword toward the ground;

the rebound steadied her landing and she leapt up again.

But a sapphire orb had already locked on to the spot in midair where she would be after evasion.

"Whoosh!"

The rapier traced a silver semicircular crescent through the air in front of her!

"Boom!!"

The Magic Missile was cleaved by her rapier, blown into two halves.

Riding the shockwave from the explosion, she barely managed to open more distance from Gauss and touch down back on safe ground.

"A Magic Missile, huh?"

Adelle raised an eyebrow.

Its power didn’t exceed what she could handle completely, but it was troublesome—far beyond what a normal fourth-level spellcaster could normally produce.

At this moment,

her once-neat work uniform had been blasted to shreds by the brief combat,

revealing a silver form-fitting soft armor and a battle skirt beneath it.

She cast a quick glance at the scattered pieces of clothing on the ground and twitched the corner of her mouth.

This round had ended with her clothing ruined—indeed she had been overconfident.

Still...

this was a bit tricky.

She clicked her tongue.

From a cautious distance she watched Gauss carefully,

preventing him from launching another Magic Missile.

Her mind quickly analyzed Gauss’s fighting style and methods just displayed:

First, some kind of special dragon bloodline? A warlock?

Second, exceptional close-combat ability—so good he doesn’t even need much armor;

his innate defense can resist most attacks, though the degree of protection still needed testing.

Third, his ranged casting was excellent—fast, accurate, lethal—and its power far exceeded peers, and he could freely switch between the two combat styles.

And until now, one of her earlier puzzles had been resolved.

Why would a spellcaster like Gauss learn a sword technique that normally only warrior professions needed?

At first she thought it was some common genius affectation—overreaching.

But now she understood it wasn’t that.

He learned swordsmanship for one reason: because he could make use of that skill.

Still, do not underestimate a Master-level professional.

She drew in a long breath.

The next moment, her aura shifted.

A stream of white energy flowed from within outward, enveloping her body.

"What is that?"

Gauss watched warily.

He did feel Adelle change.

Is this the power of a Master swordsman?

He had encountered other swordsmen before, but had never felt such a transformation up close.

Curious, he tried casting Heat Metal.

Gazing at Adelle’s soft armor and long sword, the metal weapons began to redden slightly.

Adelle frowned instinctively.

But beyond that, there was no other reaction.

Was her constitution so high that the spell failed? Or was Heat Metal weakened, leaving it only mildly uncomfortable?

Gauss knew naturally that a spell being cast successfully did not guarantee it would have the expected effect.

Whether a spell’s power takes hold depends heavily on the target.

Still, causing some discomfort meant the spell had at least some effect.

He pushed off again, sprinting toward Adelle.

Prepared, Adelle flashed several strikes with her long sword in the blink of an eye,

each attack tracing a silver arc through the air.

This time, however, it was different from before.

Each silver arc did not vanish like an ordinary slash;

instead they hung in the air like tangible blades, radiating an icy edge.

"Now—"

Accompanied by a sharp, birdlike cry,

in an instant several silver arcs crossed to form a simple but lethal sword-net that spread toward the approaching Gauss.

Sword qi?

Adelle timed her offensive perfectly.

Gauss kept charging forward quickly;

in that instant there was no time to dodge.

He raised his dragon claw in front to block.

"Shreee!"

The white arcs slashed and rubbed violently against the energy dragon scales, creating a teeth-grating cutting sound.

"Boom!"

The dragon scales quickly dulled.

That solid sword qi actually pierced the outer layer of his energy dragon scales, leaving several shallow white streaks on Gauss’s arm.

A sting of pain came through.

White marks opened delicate cuts on his fair skin, fine threads of blood oozing from the wounds.

Gauss's heart jolted.

He was injured?

He immediately leapt back several paces, opened distance from Adelle, and hurriedly refreshed his Protective Field.

While keeping his gaze fixed on Adelle, he also glanced at his arm.

The slender wounds were slowly healing.

The blood stopped flowing.

Only a faint pink line remained to prove the injury had existed.

His expression grew considerably more serious.

It had been a long time since he’d been hurt at all, even lightly.

Because regular attacks rarely pierced the dragon-scale defense formed by his Sturdy Scale Bloodline combined with his Field.

Once an enemy’s repeated attacks wore down his protection, he would, upon sensing the protection weakening, refresh another layer without regard for mana cost.

Indeed, Master-level professionals are extraordinary.

A single face-to-face sword move could tear his defenses.

This was despite his Sturdy Scale Bloodline having recently been strengthened.

Before that upgrade, the wound might not have been a minor cut—it could have been a deep gash.

Opposite him, Adelle kept a calm exterior while inwardly exclaiming at how unreal this was.

Her White Sparrow slash earlier—though she hesitated a split second at first—was not held back.

There was a powerful priest overhead, so she wasn't worried about causing irreparable injury to Gauss;

and the first clash had already given her a rough measure of his defenses.

Still, she didn’t expect those energy dragon scales to be so resilient.

Her nearly unrestrained White Sparrow slash had only left a few barely visible cuts on the surface of his skin.

And moreover, the wounds had healed in the time it took to blow on them.

Watching Gauss’s solemn, warily-respectful expression, she found it hard to suppress amusement.

Although the White Sparrow slash wasn’t her absolute strongest move,

she was a Master swordsman, while Gauss after all was just a level-four professional.

Also, what was this perverse healing ability of his?

Real recovery by breathing?

Is he even human?

"Clang!"

On the open battlefield,

two figures flickered rapidly.

Air roiled with blades and flashes.

At times aerial slashes cleaved the sky, at times dragon claws and sword tips met in sparks.

A moment earlier Gauss’s Magic Missile had struck Adelle’s white energy-covered soft armor, launching her dozens of meters back.

The next moment, Adelle’s flying slash tore through Gauss’s defense, forcing him to retreat and rely on his Sturdy Scale Bloodline’s self-healing to recover his wounds.

After a while,

Adelle leapt back to open distance.

"No, that’s enough."

"Stop. I know enough about your strength."

She glanced at the magic condensing again on Gauss’s wand and hurriedly called a halt.

After a period of intense fighting, Adelle no longer looked as composed as she had at first;

her cheeks were slightly flushed, her forehead and neck dotted with fine sweat.

Damp bangs clung to her rose-tinted fair cheeks.

Her chest rose and fell as she panted to recover her stamina.

Gauss was tired too.

His mana and physical strength had been drained significantly.

When Adelle called a stop, he let go of his dragon claw and the spell’s light on him faded;

his burnished-gold pupils returned to emerald.

He exhaled and fell into thought—he felt the Master professional’s strength more keenly than before.

In the close-quarters fight he had just experienced the difference between Master and Elite tiers.

It was a matter of "wholeness."

Hard to put into words.

It felt like an intuitive realization.

Against a Master professional, the powers an Elite held seemed scattered.

An Elite’s strengths—be they physical, mental, magical, or martial—were like pearls strewn on the ground: some parts very valuable, but lacking connection and unable to form a cohesive whole.

A Master was like an artisan threading many pearls perfectly on a string, creating a naturally flawless necklace.

Was it a fundamental change in Rank?

This was why Gauss, who had many abilities and overlapping racial and profession talents with nearly no weak points, and attributes far stronger than a typical level-four spellcaster, could stand toe-to-toe with her.

Otherwise, an ordinary level-five professional would have been defeated in a single round.

"No wonder you finished that last Blackfang expedition commission," Adelle produced a towel from somewhere and wiped the sweat from her body. "Your strength is a bit excessive."

She was still shaken by the encounter.

As she spoke she tossed the towel to Gauss.

"Actually, most of the kills in that last mission were opportunistic. I wasn’t as strong then as I am now." Gauss accepted the towel and answered honestly.

"That’s still impressive." Adelle shook her head. "Ordinary Elite professionals simply couldn’t withstand a few of your attacks."

Only a few days had passed since that commission;

such rapid progress in power was unlikely.

That could only mean Gauss had already been impressive during that commission.

Adelle, letting her single ponytail fall loose, rubbed her hair with the towel as she walked over to Gauss.

"I just used a high-level technique of the White Sparrow Sword Method. Want to learn it?"

She said cheerfully.

"Although I could only fight you to a draw just now, the technique’s power is solid. Its strength ties to physique;

once you understand the principle, you can apply it to other close-combat methods."

She didn’t mention that the sword art she had used wasn’t her strongest saving move.

They had both held back earlier.

She had stronger finishing moves, but she didn’t think Gauss lacked other tricks.

When lives are on the line, everyone keeps contingencies.

"Yes."

Gauss nodded.

He had suspected during the fight that the sword technique Adelle used was something he should learn.

So he had paid attention during the battle.

After observing, he realized that the flying slash actually derived from a high-frequency resonant sword-control technique.

The high-frequency-vibrating blade itself also possessed great power—likely stronger than the flying slash.

Of course, in very close combat it might leave openings that a "close-combat mage" like him could exploit.

"Good."

Adelle smiled, and a set of table and chairs rose up beside them.

"But before I formally teach it, let’s rest and chat a bit."

Adelle relaxed into a seat.

Gauss sensed she wanted to tell him something and nodded, sitting down.

"Gauss, your talent and potential are stronger than I expected. No wonder the Adventurers Guild has listed you as a focus for cultivation," Adelle began, her tone carrying an equal-footed appreciation.

Although Gauss was not yet a Master professional, the fight had proven his strength and earned her respect.

"A focus for cultivation?" Gauss had suspected, but hearing it from Adelle made him concentrate.

"Yes." Adelle nodded.

"This isn’t a secret. The Adventurers Guild has its own evaluation system. Newcomers like you—with talents beyond the ordinary and astonishing growth—naturally catch the attention of higher-ups."

"Simply put, the guild thinks people like you could become pillars supporting the guild and humanity’s forces."

"You may have started the professional path later, Gauss, but your progress has been extraordinary. The guild’s interest in you might have begun earlier than you imagine."

Gauss nodded calmly.

That made sense.

It would be absurd for such a massive organization as the guild—aware of so many monster attack commissions—to ignore an outstanding adventurer right under its nose.

"But I don’t feel anything special," Gauss said tactfully.

He meant that if his talent was recognized, why hadn’t resources been steered his way.

"Heh, the guild has already been trying to give preferential treatment where possible," Adelle said, understanding the implication behind Gauss’s words.

"Really?" Gauss’s face grew more puzzled.

He didn’t need many resources, but he wondered: for an organization the size of the guild, a little help would make a big difference for a normal adventurer like him.

"The Adventurers Guild cannot intervene recklessly in your careers;

that would be devastating," Adelle explained. "It’s a lesson the guild has learned over many years."

"Hastening growth can only exhaust the future and make it hard to reach real heights."

"What about those noble offspring who rely on family resources?" Gauss asked curiously. He had heard nobles used family clout to level up fast.

"The same principle applies. Those who rush often plateau and can’t progress further—like water without source." Adelle added. "But some farsighted nobles who want their family to thrive will throw their children into the adventuring world to harden them."

"My clan in Vives, the Bailang family, uses that strategy."

Oh?

Gauss looked at her.

He hadn’t expected Adelle to be of noble birth.

He really hadn’t seen it coming.

Although that was a stereotype—nobles he’d met around Lincrest Town earlier fit his expectation: proud, arrogant, self-centered.

But Adelle, since meeting her yesterday, had treated the reward-collecting group with respect.

When dealing with official business she had addressed him as Mr. Gauss the whole time;

only today, while teaching sword technique, had she switched to using his given name—but still without any sense of superiority.

Where’s the haughtiness?