[Front Page Headlines]
[A Rising Supernova Returns Home — Crimson Dragon Knight Gauss Comes Back to Grayrock]
This paper has learned that Sir Gauss—known as the "Crimson Dragon Knight" and the "Dragon Cult's Bane," whose adventuring career began in our town and who has recently risen to fame across Barry City, Sena City, and the Longflute Fortress region—has returned to Grayrock in recent days along with his party. Sources say Sir Gauss and his companions are here to reconnect with family and rest through the winter.
Yesterday afternoon, Sir Gauss accepted an invitation to the Adventurers' Guild and met with Guildmaster Eberhard. His party members—Druid Lady Alia, the Serpentfolk Priest Mr. Serandur, the giant-blooded warrior Lady Albena, and the enigmatic scout Miss Shadow—were all seen in the guild hall, drawing widespread attention for the team's formidable strength.
…
[Border Situation Tightens — Guild Issues Warning]
Guildmaster Eberhard of the Grayrock Adventurers' Guild confirmed in an internal meeting last week that activity along the Jade Forest border has intensified. Monsters have been gathering more frequently near the forest edge, and their intentions remain unclear.
The Guild advises all adventurers and merchant caravans to heighten alertness, shorten travel routes, and closely monitor guild updates. The town guard has also increased wall patrols and heightened security at all four gates.
…
[Local Updates]
[Year-End Approaches — Winter Festival Preparations Proceed in Order]
The town hall announced that the central square bonfire gathering, church blessing ceremony, and fireworks display will proceed as scheduled. The market administration office reports that supplies of grain, meat, winter vegetables, and festival goods remain sufficient, with prices generally stable.
The mayor reminds residents to celebrate safely and recommends avoiding solo travel at night.
…
[Guild Notice Board]
[Urgent Recruitment]
The Guild is long-term collecting intelligence on monster activity along the Jade Forest border—especially the movements of troll and ogre tribes. Verified information will be rewarded with substantial gold and contribution points.
…
[Weekly Reminder]
[Beware Monster Flesh — Do Not Eat It!!!]
Several recent incidents have involved hunters accidentally consuming the flesh of monsters such as goblins, kobolds, or water ghoul, resulting in severe poisoning, hallucinations, and even life-threatening outcomes. The Adventurers' Guild and the town infirmary jointly issue this solemn reminder:
Most monsters' muscle, organs, and blood may contain unknown toxins, malignant parasites, lingering mana residue, or corrupt substances. They are extremely dangerous to humans and common livestock and must never be used as a food source.
When handling game in the wild, identify it carefully. If you cannot be absolutely certain it is safe, abandon it. If ingestion occurs and discomfort follows, seek purification and treatment at the church or infirmary immediately.
…
The weekly bulletin was posted on the notice board outside the Adventurers' Guild building.
A crowd had gathered in front of the board, craning their necks to read.
Some were ordinary townsfolk who came specifically to catch up on information. Others were apprentice bards—at least, that's what they called themselves. Their "job" was to collect all kinds of information and material, whether official news or back-alley rumors and strange tales, then rework it into stories or "news" to perform in taverns.
And thanks to people like that, news often spread through the common households as if it had grown wings.
"Hey—look at the front page!"
A young man bundled in thick clothes, cheeks red from the cold, pointed at the very top of the bulletin, his voice vibrating with barely contained excitement.
"Sir Gauss really came back! I'm telling you—my cousin used to work with him at the smithy. Back then Gauss was just a junior apprentice. My cousin says they still keep in touch."
It wasn't hard to see why he was thrilled. Over the past month or two, Gauss had become the hottest name in Grayrock.
Objectively, Gauss had lived in Grayrock long enough. He'd hunted for about a year—so of course he'd crossed paths with people. But at the time, most of them probably hadn't given him a second thought. It was only after he became famous that they suddenly realized they might've once spoken to that legendary name.
"For real? Your cousin actually worked with him?" someone immediately pressed, eyes sparkling with gossip.
"As if I'd lie!" The young man puffed out his chest, looking oddly proud. "My cousin said Gauss learned insanely fast even when he was young, and he was steady—didn't feel like an ordinary apprentice at all… I mean, who could've guessed he'd end up like this?"
In the middle of the chattering crowd, a tall man looked dazed.
"Let's go, Captain Laevin," the woman beside him reminded.
"Yeah."
Last night, Gauss had met up with a few members of their old team again and shared a meal.
Before going, Laevin had been genuinely torn up—he'd even pictured awkward scenes at the table.
But once dinner started, he realized all those worries were pointless.
Gauss wasn't cold or distant because of the gap in status. At the table, he mostly asked how they'd been doing lately—what their day-to-day adventuring looked like, how the departed swordsman and cleric were doing, and so on.
They also reminisced about things that happened back when they were still a team.
Laevin could tell Gauss had been paying attention to everyone's mood on purpose, so he didn't spend much time talking about his own "grand adventures" outside.
Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they went their separate ways.
Laevin pulled his eyes away from the bulletin.
Like it or not, Gauss really had become a big deal.
And it was easy to predict he'd only grow more dazzling—maybe even become a legend of mankind.
Oddly, that thought made Laevin feel relieved.
Their lives had intersected briefly because of chance, then split into completely different roads. He didn't need to envy Gauss for that. Compared to most people, he was already fortunate to have stepped onto the path of becoming a professional.
And his own adventurer life still needed to be walked by his own feet.
"Let's go," he said. "See what commissions are good today."
This winter, Grayrock's Adventurers' Guild had released many extra jobs—helping repair and reinforce defenses, patrolling major roads outside the town, escorting lumber crews going out to cut wood, and so on. The pay was noticeably higher than usual.
So a lot of adventurers stayed in Grayrock for the winter, planning to use the opportunity to save up, improve gear, and raise their strength.
…
After returning to Grayrock, Gauss felt steadier.
Maybe because deep down, he really treated this place as home.
But before the New Year Festival, he still needed to take one more trip out.
After explaining things to Alia and the others, he left Grayrock, mounted the red drake Hephaestus, and set off toward Stone Creek Village.
He planned to bring his family from the village to live in Grayrock for the time being.
To prepare, he'd already asked Alia to help buy another property nearby.
It sounded strange at first—Grayrock might soon face a monster wave, yet he was moving his family into "danger." It almost sounded like dragging them into a fire pit.
But in reality, it wasn't that simple.
First: if monsters truly attacked the town, surrounding villages would inevitably be affected too. The attacks might not be as intense as a full siege—and because villages are scattered across the wilderness, they might even avoid direct assault—but villages have far less ability to absorb risk. If even a small monster squad showed up, it could become deadly. The villagers would have to either rally the able-bodied to fight, or hide in cellars, or flee into mountain caves and pray they weren't found.
Second: Grayrock's baseline safety level was actually higher. Tall walls and defensive mechanisms were a real barrier, plus the town had soldiers, adventurers, and even powerful teams like Gauss's. A monster wave breaking in would not be easy. And even if the worst happened, with Gauss right there, it would be much easier to execute an organized evacuation.
The route used to feel impossibly long to Gauss. When he left home the first time, he'd walked and asked directions the whole way—taking a full month to reach Grayrock.
Now, with Hephaestus, travel time was brutally compressed.
When he arrived in his hometown, Stone Creek Village, his family was stunned.
Like most remote places, Gauss's fame hadn't reached Stone Creek.
But even without "great deeds" attached, his status as a professional mattered immensely to his family—especially his parents.
Once he emphasized that staying in the village could become dangerous, his parents—putting safety first—immediately accepted their youngest son's advice and started packing.
Gauss thought they didn't need to bring much, but his storage space was huge, so he didn't stop them from packing clothes and keepsakes.
While they packed, he went to the village chief to warn them to be prepared.
Even though Stone Creek was north of Grayrock and less likely to be hit, it still wasn't a guarantee.
After giving his warnings, Gauss led his family away.
The return trip took longer than the trip there.
Hephaestus maintained low-speed flight the whole way. Gauss activated the saddle's wind barrier, and built a small campfire on the dragon's back for warmth.
Gauss's parents, brother and sister-in-law, and little sister were experiencing "dragon" and "flying" for the first time in their lives. They were ecstatic the whole way.
And for the first time, they truly understood what kind of strength Gauss now possessed.
After landing outside the town wall, helping them down, and transferring to a carriage into the city, Gauss finally brought his family into town.
…
"Cicero, that was great—just like that."
Next to nine-year-old Cicero, Albena—the giant-blooded warrior—looked like a mountain.
But right now, that "mountain" was crouched beside the little girl, clapping as she swung a wooden sword and chopped at a cloth-wrapped practice post.
Cicero didn't have magical talent. But her physical base was decent, and this year—thanks to Gauss sending money home now and then—her diet had improved. Becoming a professional warrior in the future wouldn't be hard.
Albena enthusiastically took on the role of her "starter teacher." Out of affection for Gauss, she doted on Cicero.
"Sir Gauss, Cicero will definitely become an outstanding warrior someday!"
Gauss, noticing her praise, sighed. "If you keep praising her, her tail's going to stick up to the sky."
Cicero looked like she'd been injected with pure motivation.
Gauss wiped the sweat from her forehead, then looked at Albena.
"Albena, I'm leaving Cicero with you."
"I'm going out on a commission with Shadow."
"Of course! Don't worry, Sir Gauss," Albena said, making a dramatic "mission guaranteed" gesture.
"Bye-bye, big brother! Bye-bye, Sister Shadow!"
Cicero waved happily.
Gauss and Shadow stepped outside.
Alia was busy buying furniture for the family's new house. After moving from a village into town, they needed help settling in.
So Gauss brought Shadow—the fastest mover—out to handle their task.
They wanted to do one last patrol near the Jade Forest on Grayrock's south side before the year-end festival—and warm up in the process.
As they neared the forest edge, he had Hephaestus land.
The dragon was simply too eye-catching.
Even if nothing here could threaten Hephaestus, it was better not to invite trouble.
They switched to ground mounts, checked their route, and entered the forest.
Winter forests were nearly deserted.
On the snow-covered path, the only signs were animal tracks and monster footprints. The forest's original residents walked these same roads often.
Sometimes you couldn't even say whether these roads were made by adventurers—or worn down by beasts.
Slash.
A few drops of "blood plum blossoms" splashed into the snow.
A handful of goblins ahead collapsed instantly—shadow spikes pierced through them from below, killing them in one beat.
They continued forward without stopping.
"Goblin Slain ×5."
Scenes like this happened constantly on their patrol.
Gauss didn't even bother moving.
First, Shadow's kills at close range could be shared with him—her killing and his killing weren't much different in the handbook's tally.
Second, her methods were quiet and fast—she erased monsters without a sound.
That was exactly why he brought her along.
In short: she was convenient.
Gauss, meanwhile, watched the forest's condition carefully, occasionally glancing at the spellbook in his hands.
It was the Level 4 spell Control Water, gifted by Prayaos—or rather, by Longflute Fortress's Governor, Noah.
Idle hands were wasteful, so he decided to study it.
Normally, a Level 4 Spell requires a Level 7 Caster.
But… Gauss wasn't normal.
He'd been practicing it here and there. It was difficult, sure, but not impossible.
He'd made real progress.
Maybe it was the lake goddess's blessing—his affinity with water was absurdly high.
A small puddle of water on his palm flowed and curled into a tiny vortex.
He had a feeling this spell fit him perfectly.
Because he carried a very special kind of water: the sacred water of Moterra, the Lake Goddess.
He could already imagine it—Control Water combined with his water-forged weapon would become a brutal, reliable everyday killing method… maybe even threatening the top spot currently held by Magic Missile as his go-to attack.
Soon, they moved deeper into the forest.
"Gauss—something's off ahead," Shadow warned.
Gauss stopped practicing and looked forward.
In the snowy woods, there was a bald clearing filled with wooden stumps.
Sweeping snow off the tops revealed clean axe marks.
Grayrock's lumber crews only worked near town. They wouldn't come this deep.
That left only one possibility: the forest's monsters.
"That's… a hell of a project," Gauss muttered.
Thousands upon thousands of trees had been cut down.
Deep wheel ruts scarred the ground.
This had to be the ogre tribe's handiwork.
And it meant they were ramping up production for a coming war.
Gauss had heard that the green dragon queen's tribes had their own smelting and forging. Not as refined as humans—certainly not like dwarves—but enough to make weapons that could kill.
For many low-tier monsters, refined weapons were wasted anyway. Better to mass-produce crude gear—short-lived, but good enough for fodder.
Then, from the distance, a monster convoy arrived, escorting beast-drawn wagons and dragging flatbeds.
It was a mixed unit: ogres, trolls, outer-ring gnoll scouts, and goblin laborers.
Shadow tilted her head toward him.
"Kill?" she asked with her eyes.
"Kill," Gauss agreed.
Not only was he going to wipe them out—he planned to follow their tracks back to their camp and gather intel.
This patrol wasn't just a routine walk.
Knowing the size and composition of the coming monster wave mattered.
In the clearing, the convoy began work.
Their roles were clear.
Gnolls with short swords guarded the perimeter.
Goblins—by far the most numerous—did the chopping, felling trees and trimming branches.
Then the bigger, stronger ogres hauled logs onto the flatbeds.
The strongest were three trolls.
They barked orders in garbled snarls, wearing crude beastman armor, steaming thick white breath from their nostrils.
"Move it, you little runts!"
They didn't do the labor—these trolls were the temporary bosses, all around level five and above.
Just as they were shouting and posing, black spikes exploded up from the ground.
"RAAAH!"
In an instant, a spike pierced through the bare foot of a troll, punching through its calf. Blood sprayed.
The pain made it howl—but its monstrous vitality kept it moving.
It tore itself free.
And in the next breath, a figure holding a blue-and-gold water blade appeared in front of them like a blink.
Splash—
Troll hide was tough—some parts even deliberately thickened and hardened. Ordinary weapons struggled to leave a mark.
But Gauss's weapon wasn't ordinary.
Blue light flashed.
The water blade slid across the troll's throat.
Combined with the shadow spike's restraint, the strike became instant decapitation.
"First one."
Gauss's gaze passed the headless body to the remaining two trolls.
"Troll Slain ×1."
A new monster type unlocked in his handbook.
With a few rapid steps, Gauss reached the other two.
At this point—Level 6 Mage, Level 4 Sword Soul—killing CR5 trolls wasn't hard.
The nearer troll grabbed a massive axe taller than a person and swung with all its might.
"Too slow."
Their reaction speed was fast—but to Gauss, it was slow motion.
He exploded forward.
With brute strength empowered and haste boosting him, his body blurred into a ghost.
"Did it hit?!" The troll's eyes flashed with hope.
Then the "target" shattered—just a fading afterimage.
Rip—
A blade swept across its neck.
A huge head dropped and thudded into the snow.
The last troll stumbled back, suddenly wanting to run.
Not cowardice—just survival.
Two comrades had died without lasting even a single exchange. The blood-soaked reality snapped its overheated brain into clarity.
It roared, trying to intimidate Gauss.
But Gauss didn't blink.
He lunged again.
Clang!
The water blade struck the troll's raised shield, carving a deep scar into it.
A troll famed for raw strength and regeneration was forced back several steps—shoved by Gauss's power alone.
Using the rebound, Gauss leapt high and landed behind it.
One slash. One clean motion.
The troll's torso was cut in half at the waist.
"Whew…"
Gauss exhaled hard.
Even for him, killing three trolls in rapid succession cost a bit of effort.
He had other options—flashier ones.
But he wanted this fast and quiet.
He'd used the Lake Goddess's sword, and it didn't disappoint—absurdly sharp, even sharper in real combat than he'd imagined.
Satisfied, he switched to his white staff and entered Turret Mage mode.
Shadow was already weaving through the ranks, killing stragglers, but mass-clearing was still Gauss's domain.
He drifted up about ten meters and held perfectly still in the air.
Then he raised his staff.
One missile. Two. Three…
Magic Missiles poured out around him, slamming into the monster convoy like a storm.
Some elite leaders sensed danger and lifted their heads—
And a beautiful, lethal blue missile filled their vision.
BOOM!
Bodies flew like rag dolls.
In the blink of an eye, the quiet lumber clearing became a slaughterhouse, the snow turning red.