Why are all your skill bars full of weird moves?

The flames drew closer, the sound of horses' hooves grew louder, and the ground trembled slightly.

Before Gauss could determine the identity of the newcomer, the air around him suddenly churned.

Tilia's body transformed into a black bat under the moonlight, fluttering to Gauss's ear and speaking in a human voice.

"The people coming are quite strong; I'd better find a place to hide."

"If we get into a fight with them, I'm afraid it will affect you."

The bat immediately flapped its wings and flew away, disappearing into the night.

What's intriguing is that Tilia consistently said "it will affect you" rather than "it will affect all of you".

As for why, Gauss has no answer yet.

Mia also helped Balk over, the afterglow of her healing spell still faintly flickering in the gaps of the kobold's broken armor.

"With a flag... they're most likely regular armed forces."

Gauss also took note of what Balk said.

The flag has a dark blue background with a silver eagle spreading its wings in the center. Judging from the design, it seems to be the emblem of the "Silver Eagle Knights" of Maple Leaf City.

Gauss was no stranger to this order of knights.

Maple Leaf City, a strategic city in the western border of the Kingdom of Odin, is garrisoned year-round by three knightly orders. The Silver Vulture Knights are one of them, primarily responsible for perimeter patrols and expeditions to eliminate threats.

Two months ago, Gauss encountered the Silver Eagles' leader returning with his team on the street. Out of habit, Gauss used the Eye of Destiny to glance at the other party's stats.

Cedric Horn, a level 20 Oath of Conquest, possesses combat skills primarily composed of damage reflection and high defense, making him an extremely imposing battlefield controller.

Strength 21, Constitution 19, and none of the other attributes are below 14.

In the mainland's measurement system, Cedric has already stood at the top of the "master" level, and the next step is legend.

When it comes to measurement systems, there is no ranking panel in this world; that's Gauss's exclusive domain.

However, power is ultimately divided into different levels, and a "rank system" was established through the Adventurers' Guild, the Mercenary Guild, and the Knights' Councils of various kingdoms.

It is divided into five levels: Apprentice, Veteran, Elite, Master, and Legend.

Going further up, one could establish their own school of thought.

However, the journey from apprentice to expert relies on the accumulation of experience and practical experience, and most professionals can only reach the elite level in their entire lives.

To reach the Master level, there are strict requirements regarding talent, combat skills, and magical affinity.

For those above the elite rank, they need to pass an advancement trial held by an official organization. Their strength must be assessed by at least three judges of the same or higher rank before they can be awarded the corresponding badge.

Legendary tier is even rarer; as the saying goes in the tavern, there are no living legends on the continent of Vivana.

The so-called legend is not a simple definition of level.

It is more like the spirit and deeds of the deceased strongmen being sung by the world, ultimately becoming an immortal mark in the era.

In a hurry, the cavalry lined up and stopped in front of the squad, then spread out into two wings in a well-trained manner.

Cedric, leading the way, rode his horse forward.

He was tall, half a shoulder wider than Balk. His entire body was covered in silver eagle armor, and the family crest on his chest was exceptionally conspicuous in the firelight.

After the mask was pushed up, Cedric revealed a angular, rugged face and a pair of dark gray eyes—a typical redneck.

He first glanced at the still-smoking monster on the ground, frowned, and looked at Ula.

"This destructive power, this fifth-circle fire magic, was it your doing?"

In Cedric's mind, only mages could cause this kind of AOE damage.

Warriors can't do it, priests are even less likely to, and as for rangers...

He glanced at Gauss out of the corner of his eye, his gaze lingering on the short bow for less than a second.

The reputation of the "Ranger" profession on the mainland is, to put it nicely, that they are "all-rounders in the wilderness," but to put it bluntly, that they are "sycophantic entertainers."

It can track, set traps, and occasionally fire a couple of arrows, but in terms of lethality, it always ranks last in the regular combat order.

Due to stereotypes, Cedric didn't even consider Gauss.

Ula noticed the look in the commander's eyes when he looked at Gauss.

She was too familiar with him; at least she had looked at Gauss with the same gaze before.

Ula gripped her staff tightly, feeling she had to do something.

If it weren't for Gauss, I wouldn't have been able to complete the mission, let alone escape unscathed.

"Commander."

Ula took half a step forward and pointed at Gauss.

"He did everything in the square."

Cedric tilted his head, his gray eyes falling once again on the wolf-tailed boy.

"A wandering knight?"

"That's right."

Cedric's previously casual expression suddenly turned serious and surprised.

"He wiped out all the Darkin in the plaza single-handedly." Ura's voice was clear and crisp, like reciting an academic report. "He triggered a large-scale immobilization spell with his arrows, and then unleashed a rain of fire arrows..."

Upon hearing this, Cedric looked at Gauss again, his previously casual expression suddenly turning serious.

Black soft armor, an unremarkable shortbow, a simple quiver, no rank badges—there was nothing on his body that could match the "mass annihilation battle."

He might not believe it if others told him, but Ula was different. After all, they were a prestigious family in Maple Leaf City, with extremely high standards. They would never exaggerate, much less lie for unrelated people.

"What's your name?"

"Gauss".

Cedric paused for a moment, then did something that surprised none of the knights present.

He clenched his right fist, held it upright in the center of his breastplate, and bowed slightly.

This is the Silver Vulture Knights' salute to those of equal or higher combat power.

"Gauss, you and your squad did a great thing."

"I will report this achievement to Your Lordship in full."

Gauss did not return the greeting.

It wasn't that he was putting on airs, but rather that he didn't know how to respond.

In my past life, the only way to return a greeting was to salute or bow. But in a fantasy world, would the other person see me as an oddball?

As for the original body, what taught Gauss more was how to watch widows bathe, or how to steal elves' underwear.

You're too kind.

Cedric straightened up, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, his scrutinizing expression carrying a hint of intrigue.

"The difficulty of this mission far exceeded the overall level of your squad. Not only did you complete it, but you're also standing here alive. This is beyond my expectations."

Gauss wasn't used to being praised, so he simply nodded in response to that comment.

Cedric changed the subject, glancing at the huddled children.

"My people will take care of these children and bring them back to Maple Leaf City to settle them in."

"Bring it up," Cedric gestured, turning around.

Soon, a knight led a man with his hands bound by a rope out from the back of the line and threw him in front of Gauss.

The man was kneeling on the ground, his mouth was tied with a strip of cloth, his face was bruised and purple, and his nose was obviously deformed.

Gauss quickly recognized the face as Stanley, the sheriff from Carl's memory.

"The sheriff's monthly salary is twelve silver coins." Cedric drew his longsword, aimed it at Stanley's nape, and spoke in a very cold tone.

"After receiving a tip, my men found four hundred gold coins in his house."

"For him, it would take nearly three hundred years of saving without eating or drinking."

"They only confessed under torture," Cedric continued, "the story behind Bullhorn."

Gauss looked at Stanley, who was kneeling on the ground.

The sheriff trembled, tears streaming down his face, and struggled to remove the remaining rag from his mouth, shouting hoarsely.

"I was forced into it... They... They threatened my whole family..."

Cedric turned his head to look at Gauss.

"We rushed here overnight, intending to try the cult members."

"I didn't expect you to be faster and more thorough than the Knights."

"We just did what we could within our capabilities."

Cedric nodded; he hadn't expected the young man to speak so humbly and confidently when he met the Knights.

Other adventurers would have wanted to emphasize their heroic deeds three times and then flatter the leader for half an hour in this situation.

Cedric is indeed somewhat arrogant, or more accurately, proud, a confidence earned through twenty years of fighting on the battlefield.

He had seen too many adventurers bow down to power, so Gauss's reaction actually made him feel comfortable.

"Get rid of it."

Two knights lifted Stanley and carried him toward the still-burning pile of charred corpses in the center of the square.

Stanley's pupils dilated suddenly, and his legs began to kick wildly.

"No...no! I know more! I have more information!"

"The mines in Bullhorn Town... there's something else in the mines!"

The moment Stanley was thrown into the fire, he made the most awful sound Gauss had ever heard.

Sharp, drawn-out, squeezed from the throat, it was no different from that of a slaughtered animal.

But Gauss didn't say a word for Stanley; in this world, showing mercy to the guilty is an overreach.

Cedric looked away and turned back to Gauss.

"I'm going to the mine to investigate the cause of the townspeople's mutation. Do you want to come with me?"

Gauss shook his head. For him, he would never touch anything that was not closely related to himself before he had absolute power.

"This is not a task that our team can handle."

Cedric did not press the matter further, and then took out an iron plaque with a silver eagle emblem from his waist and handed it to Gauss.

"Go back to Maple Leaf City and rest well. I will send someone to find you after the mine investigation is completed."

"What are you doing?"

"Greetings, Lord."