Returning to the inn.

The interior remained unchanged from when he had left, somehow bringing him a sense of comfort.

It felt as though no matter how long he was away, he could always return to find memories of the past here.

"I'm back."

"Welcome back."

"Have you eaten? There's still food in the kitchen."

"I ate before returning."

"Little Gauss, you..." Sophia suddenly noticed something amiss, her bright eyes scanning him suspiciously.

Having not seen Gauss for many days, she now felt there was something subtly different about his appearance - he seemed more handsome than before.

Yet when pressed to specify the changes, she couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly had transformed.

His facial features appeared the same, yet somehow more harmonious, as if he'd suddenly grown into his looks.

Could it be some special treatment he received while exchanging knowledge with peers in Absinthe Town?

She recalled Absinthe Town was known for its herbal remedies and medicinal products.

But why suddenly care about appearance maintenance? This puzzled her.

Then a sudden guess flashed through her mind.

Could it be he's met a girl he likes? Hence the newfound attention to his looks?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Having privately reached her conclusion, Sophia chose not to voice it, instead smiling knowingly. "Did something good happen during your trip?"

"There was one significant development, but I'll keep the details secret for now. I'll tell you when there's official results."

Gauss had no intention yet of sharing his professional advancement with Sophia.

He thought it would have greater impact to casually mention it after officially becoming a Bronze-rank adventurer through the assessment.

Making a special announcement seemed too deliberate.

Almost like showing off.

Sophia's conviction about her guess only strengthened upon hearing this.

Yet for some reason, she felt a faint sourness in her heart.

Like when parents see their children start dating.

Though unmarried herself, she couldn't quite identify this complex emotion.

.......

Walking through the streets, Gauss moved with light steps.

The dungeon expedition had indeed replenished his resources considerably.

With over four gold coins in his pocket, he surveyed the shops with unprecedented confidence.

Before officially setting out, he needed to upgrade his equipment.

First priority was purchasing a quality hand crossbow with a quiver of specialized bolts.

During the dungeon's final battle, he'd realized the necessity of carrying a hand crossbow.

Though his Magic Missile spell provided ranged attack capability, spells consumed mana, whereas a hand crossbow simply required prepared bolts - with some practice, he could achieve decent accuracy.

And fired bolts could be retrieved for reuse.

Next were basic healing and mana potions, one each.

Better to have potions and not need them than need them and not have them - carrying both brought greater security.

In life-or-death moments, dead gold coins in your pocket won't help, but potions can - instantly restoring health and mana when every second counts.

Though Gauss possessed the Rapid Digestion talent allowing faster mana recovery through eating, this effect wasn't instantaneous - at least not yet.

Beyond these items, Gauss restocked basic adventuring supplies: waterproof tinderbox, salt blocks, climbing hook set for terrain traversal, snake/insect repellent, first aid kit, and a multi-purpose long hemp rope.

This shopping spree cost him over one gold coin total.

The hand crossbow and two potions accounted for most of the expenditure.

Packing all items into his backpack created a load nearly half his height.

Fortunately with his current 7-point stamina, carrying this weight posed no difficulty.

......

Two days passed in a blink.

During this time, he'd hoped to visit Andni to express gratitude, but she seemed to be away on business, not at Thorn Cottage.

Thus he could only proceed with his commissioned tasks.

After two restful days at full vitality, Gauss stood refreshed outside Grayrock Town.

His last trip to Emerald Forest had been right after transmigrating to this world.

Now months later, retracing the same journey.

Gauss's mindset had transformed completely, lacking that initial thrill after his first "equipment" purchases.

He remembered how, to calm his excitement and nerves back then, he'd splurged on a lavish meal at the tavern - a huge bowl of noodles with stewed meat and salted fish.

In hindsight, perhaps that decision hadn't been entirely prudent.

Luckily his body hadn't reacted poorly to the sudden rich meal.

At Grayrock Town's main road.

Gauss stood steadily with his neatly packed backpack, rapier at his waist, bone staff tucked inside his coat, and a pitch-black metal scepter in hand.

Young low-rank adventurers passed by in small groups.

They'd glance his way, but upon noticing the massive scepter, envy would flash in their eyes.

With such fine equipment plus that oversized metal scepter, he hardly seemed like a bottom-tier adventurer.

Gauss noticed these gazes but paid them little mind.

Somewhat absently, he now understood how that fully armored professional must have felt months ago when encountering his rookie self.

"Clatter clatter!"

The sound of carriage wheels announced its arrival before stopping before Gauss.

Gauss boarded.

Several others already occupied the compartment.

Emerald Forest's outskirts lay about half a day's walk from Grayrock Town.

Even with Gauss's stamina, the journey would take two to three hours.

To conserve energy, he'd reserved a carriage seat to the forest.

Apparently others shared this idea.

Finding the sole vacant seat, he began carefully observing his fellow passengers.

Like him, they seemed to conceal their professional auras, making strength assessment impossible - only their attire offered clues.

Directly across sat a lightly armored warrior couple.

A hooded, inconspicuous man huddled in a corner.

Beside Gauss sat a white-haired youth with a medium suitcase, engrossed in a finely-bound hardcover book.

Lastly, a blue-haired woman with quiet elegance leaned against the window, wooden staff nearby, gazing at passing scenery.

While Gauss observed others, they too sized him up with peripheral vision.

Even the seemingly absorbed white-haired youth stole glances.

Warrior? Mage?

The rapier showed clear use marks. That massive metal rod resembled a melee weapon, yet bore an embedded crystal - so a staff after all?

Tall frame with solid musculature.

Unfathomable...

After brief observation, the white-haired youth averted his gaze.

Elders had warned against unnecessary trouble, especially with unreadable individuals.

Aside from the whispering warrior couple and coachman's commands, silence dominated the rattling carriage.

Gauss closed his eyes to rest.

"Emerald Forest, everyone."

After some rest, the coachman's call roused Gauss.

Exiting the carriage.

Familiar verdant woodland filled Gauss's vision.

Morning's milky mist still clung to the trees like drifting ribbons.

Sunlight filtered through layered foliage into golden threads dappling moss-covered earth.

Deep breaths brought moist scents of vegetation and humus.

Only upon disembarking did Gauss realize the blue-haired woman and white-haired youth were teammates.

Thus their six passengers comprised two pairs plus lone wolves Gauss and the hooded man.

No pleasantries were exchanged - not even meaningful eye contact.

The hooded figure swiftly vanished down a forest path, dissolving into emerald shadows.

After adjusting his pack, Gauss briskly entered the woods.

"Screech screech!"

Unidentified birds shrieked overhead.

Gauss activated his armor spell while consulting his mission map along forest trails.

At forks, he'd pause to carefully compare routes, mentally marking paths before proceeding.

Soon he'd penetrated the outer region.

The Adventurers Guild's mission map roughly divided Emerald Forest into concentric zones by distance.

The outermost ring was relatively safe, with danger escalating inward. Rumor held that mature green dragons might lurk in the deepest reaches.

Fortunately, Gauss's mission only required venturing just beyond the periphery.

Still, compared to his past trap-setting in the outermost areas, this location carried greater "dangerous creature" encounter risks.