Chapter 146: We Unite!

I was exposed?

Gauss’s heart skipped a beat at first.

But after clearly hearing the commotion from afar, he felt that wasn’t the case.

Moreover, the strange cry from the sky just now did not come from right above their heads.

Either way… run!

Arya flipped onto the back of the gray wolf, Ulfen.

Gauss also activated the 【Enhanced Jump】 skill, and with a surge of power flooding into his legs, the two figures flickered rapidly through the forest, distancing themselves from the monster stronghold.

During their sprint, he vaguely heard a few terrified shouts that clearly belonged to humans, carried on the wind.

Sure enough, it had nothing to do with them—another group had been exposed.

A black line appeared on Gauss’s forehead.

However, since their position had already been some distance from the monster stronghold, they weren’t in immediate danger.

As for stopping to help the few people behind them, Gauss and Arya had no such thought for now.

Those people could only rely on themselves.

At most, they could light a distress signal from a safe distance.

“Boom!!!”

From far behind came a deafening roar.

Gauss knew that the Ogre had begun to move.

The two of them dared not linger any longer.

After running several kilometers in one go, they finally stopped in a relatively concealed clearing within the forest.

“Hah—” Gauss braced his hands on his knees,

panting heavily.

“That was really close,” Gauss wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The experience just now was like a bucket of ice water, making him even more cautious.

Reality wasn’t a game—he had to be extra careful.

This was exactly where the importance of scouting came in: the earlier you discovered the enemy, the easier it was to withdraw safely.

Creatures like Ogres weren’t too bad. While they were powerful, their heavy bodies made them relatively less agile, and their massive size meant they were more restricted by terrain.

But if it were some high-level, swift-type monsters above his rank, even a single one could be extremely troublesome.

Even if you focused solely on running, you might still have to pay a terrible price.

“Let’s set off the signal for them.”

Gauss lit a red smoke signal, indicating Tier 3.

The red column of smoke slowly rose, exceptionally eye-catching against the gray sky.

That monster stronghold earlier—he judged—even Tier 2 Professionals wouldn’t have much luck there.

The pure-blood Ogre leading them had a Challenge Rating of at least above Tier 2; just looking from afar had given him a strange sense of oppression.

There were also three Tier 1 monsters guarding its side, an unidentified flying monster of unknown strength, plus two to three hundred “small soldiers” who were clearly much more elite than ordinary low-level monsters. Definitely not an easy target to take on.

The two of them put some distance between themselves and the smoke, but not too far—staying within a range where they could see anyone arriving.

Once Adventurer teams spotted this distress signal, they would decide whether to come after assessing their own strength and potential gains.

After all, danger also meant profit.

What was a crisis to some might be nothing to others.

Before long, a few figures emerged from the shadows of the trees.

Gauss and Arya lay low at a high vantage point to observe. When Arya got a clear look at the newcomers, her face immediately lit up with joy.

“Friends of yours?”

“Mm, it’s Iron Arm, a resident elite team from Graystone Town. The captain, Quake, is a strong Tier 3 Warrior. I know their team’s Tier 2 Druid, Cathy,” Arya said quickly.

In fact, Gauss had already felt a little reassured when she mentioned “resident.”

In this situation, “locals” were generally more reliable than outsiders.

Because with outsiders, you never knew their background or what they might do—if things went bad, they could just run off.

But locals had to protect their reputation and acted with more bottom line. They had been operating here for years—property, information networks, prestige, ties to the local branch—all forming a relatively stable setup. Unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn’t easily ruin their own reputation.

Reputation was an important form of intangible asset that required long-term upkeep.

Gauss’s nickname of “Goblin Killer” and his “Goblin Killer Squad” were themselves a reflection of reputation. While some Professionals took it with a hint of mockery, to civilians it was a reassuring title—especially when facing the threat of Goblin attacks.

Ordinary Tier 1 Professionals might not even have that kind of reputation.

A Tier 3 Warrior, a Tier 2 Druid… they seemed quite strong.

Just as Gauss was thinking this,

a shout came from afar.

“Come out, friends.”

The arriving team had in fact been on guard all along. Even upon approaching the signal flare’s location, they had first conducted reconnaissance. Their experience allowed them to roughly pinpoint where Gauss and Arya were, and without that certainty, they wouldn’t have revealed themselves so readily.

Gauss and Arya exchanged a glance, confirmed with each other, then headed toward the flare.

“We’re coming out.”

Before emerging from the bushes, Gauss deliberately called out in advance.

When the two finally stepped out,

the green long-curled-haired female Druid, Cathy, fixed her gaze on Arya, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She then leaned in to whisper a few words to the Warrior beside her.

The entire Iron Arm team’s guarded stance noticeably eased.

In a society where everyone knew each other, familiarity had its perks.

People you knew were always easier to deal with than complete strangers.

“Arya, was it you who set the signal?” Cathy was the first to speak.

“Yes, Cathy.” Arya nodded casually, then turned to Gauss. “For the details, I’ll let our captain, Gauss, explain.”

Even though there were acquaintances in the other team, she didn’t try to steal the lead—Gauss was still the captain of this team.

While Gauss probably wouldn’t have minded, she still avoided overstepping.

"Hello everyone, I’m Gauss, captain of the 23rd Small Team."

"Iron Arm Team, captain Quake."

The burly Warrior spoke with a steady voice, his gray eyes sizing up Gauss.

"I’m Cathy, Tier 2 Druid."

"Dorian, Tier 2 Ranger."

"Sana, Tier 3 Warrior."

The beautiful woman in a purple robe, holding a staff and with sharp eyes, gave a slight nod.

Judging from her level, she seemed to be the team’s second-strongest member—perhaps even the strongest.

Because she was also a spellcaster, Gauss paid her a bit more attention.

After the introductions, Gauss quickly described what had just happened.

"One Ogre, two Half-Ogres, one Elite Gnoll, and an unidentified flying creature overhead. Nearly three hundred low-tier vassals..."

Quake’s team exchanged a few quick words in low voices.

"If there’s no unexpected twist, we’ll take this job!" Quake grinned. "But if things go beyond expectations, we’ll withdraw immediately. You should also be ready to pull out at any time."

"So, you two interested in lending a temporary hand?"

"More than happy to."

Gauss and Arya glanced at each other and spoke in unison.

This was exactly why they had been waiting for reinforcements.

Such a massive stronghold—even if another team was willing to take it on, they likely wouldn’t refuse extra help.

Not to mention, just those three hundred low-tier monsters alone were no small number.

The two teams quickly settled the cooperation details: the Elite Monsters would go to Iron Arm, while the rest would be fair game for everyone—whoever killed them would claim the reward.

The Adventurer’s Guild would later tally the profits.

With goals and profit-sharing clearly defined, the six of them set out toward the Ogre’s stronghold.

Halfway there,

two disheveled Adventurers suddenly stumbled out from the roadside, about to ignite a signal flare.

"Did you just escape from that monster stronghold up ahead?" Quake interrupted them.

The two panting Tier 1 Adventurers swept their eyes over the group, lingering the longest on the three shining six-pointed bronze badges on Quake’s chest.

Three, three, two, two, one, one.

Seeing such a "luxurious" team composition, the confusion in their eyes instantly turned to hope.

"Yes, please! Save our companions! Two of them were captured!"

Thinking back to what they had just faced, sweat beaded on their foreheads again.

Two Half-Ogres, one swift-moving Gnoll, and a menacing Fearcrow circling above, refusing to leave.

Thanks to their captured companions buying them time, the two had barely escaped.

If it were this team—especially with two Tier 3 Professionals—they surely could rescue their friends.

"No problem." Quake’s smile was hearty. "Can you show us the way?"

"Please let us come too! We don’t want any reward—just save them!" the two quickly added.

Faced with such free manpower, Quake didn’t refuse. He nodded and allowed the two to join.

However, the Ranger Dorian did remind them that they had to follow orders.

After all, unlike Gauss and Arya’s composed state, these people had been in danger and had lost companions—proof enough that their team’s mission skills were somewhat lacking.

A liability was sometimes worse than no teammate at all.

"Rest assured! We’ll follow orders!"

Their faces flushed hotly; clearly, they realized the man was questioning their competence.

Fortunately, the leading captain didn’t show any overt rejection—his casual, cheerful demeanor eased some of their awkwardness.

In any case, they had to rescue their teammates.

The captured female companions should be in no immediate physical danger.

The two took the lead, guiding the group onward.

When they neared the monster stronghold, the eight-member team finally stopped.

Through the gaps in the treetops, they looked toward the open clearing of the monster camp.

"As we agreed earlier—Ogre, Half-Ogres, and Gnoll are ours. The rest is up to you," Dorian said.

Gauss nodded.

The profits from Elite Monsters were the real prize.

But without the Iron Arm Team taking the lead, Tier 1 Professionals like them couldn’t have even touched this stronghold, so harvesting some small monsters was already a good deal.

After all, he currently needed to kill small monsters to raise his count.

"Monster Kill Count: 922/1000."

Only seventy-eight left.

Even with several unfamiliar Adventurers competing, he was confident that with his efficiency, he could easily secure seventy-eight kills out of two to three hundred small monsters—especially since Iron Arm’s focus would be on the Elites.

Dorian’s figure vanished into the shadows to conduct final reconnaissance.

After a while, he returned, nodded to Captain Quake and the others.

The group prepared to launch their assault on the Ogre stronghold.

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