The Night Owl Adventuring Party—aside from their leader Laevin—was a bit on the reserved side.
After Gauss introduced himself and the others briefly stated their names and preferred weapons, the conversation quickly died off.
Some were just shy. The cleric girl, for example, snuck a few glances at Gauss but hesitated when she saw no one else speaking. She chose to stay quiet too.
Others just seemed naturally distant. The rogue, cloaked head to toe, gave a quick greeting before going back to polishing her dagger in silence.
Gauss had actually assumed the rogue was a guy—until she spoke. Her voice made it clear she wasn’t.
The archer and swordsman weren’t the chatty types either.
Still, Gauss didn’t mind. Not everyone’s going to be warm and outgoing, especially with a new person who just joined the squad. If what Laevin said about their squad being "elite" was true, then a little aloofness made sense.
Pros tend to act that way.
And honestly, Gauss preferred it to the kind of forced, overenthusiastic energy strangers sometimes put on. He could handle quiet—it was better than fake.
“Alright, if there are no issues, everyone rest up this morning. We’ll meet back this afternoon for a light training session—get to know each other’s styles. Meet at the guild entrance.”
“We head out tomorrow at dawn. Meet at the town gate.”
“Mission rewards will be split based on each person’s contribution.”
“I’m heading out then.”
As soon as Laevin finished speaking, the cloaked rogue gave a small wave and walked off. The rest followed, quietly saying their goodbyes.
Laevin turned to Gauss.
“Don’t let the cold vibes get to you. Once you’ve been around a while, you’ll see they’re all good people. But first, you’ll have to earn their trust.”
“I get it,” Gauss nodded.
Most of them were probably thinking he was a short-term teammate, not worth investing in. Keep it professional, keep your distance.
“Anyway, let’s head to the front desk and get you officially added to the mission roster.”
They walked over to the guild counter and completed the necessary paperwork. Gauss was officially registered as a temporary member of the Night Owl party.
Laevin’s team was a guild-recognized, unranked adventuring squad.
Technically, anyone could register a team—as long as they could cough up 50 silver coins.
But that fee wasn’t for nothing.
For one, certain quests were only available to registered parties. Clients often preferred teams that had trained together and could function as a unit—better coordination, better results.
Also, if a team could afford to pay 50 silver just for registration, they were likely more serious and better equipped than some random group of freelancing nobodies.
On top of that, registered parties were allowed to level up, just like individual adventurers. Starting early meant they could begin building their track record right away.
And finally, having a team name made recruitment easier. Lone adventurers would almost always prefer joining a squad with a name and reputation.
After finishing the paperwork, Gauss said goodbye to Laevin and headed off to prep for the mission.
This one would take them to a village called Millstone.
It wasn’t as far as Birchwood, but it still wasn’t a day trip.
With travel time, rest stops, recon, battle, loot recovery, more rest, and the return journey... the entire trip would take at least three days.
So Gauss needed to stock up on supplies: food, water, extra clothes—essentials.
While he was at it, he decided to bite the bullet and buy a set of leather armor.
He was going to need it eventually anyway.
The price stung a little—15 silver coins—but it was way more protective than his old cloth armor and just as flexible.
He sold the cloth armor back to the shop for 50 copper coins.
He’d paid 1 silver for it originally, and aside from that first goblin ambush, he’d only used it once in actual combat.
The resale price was a joke, and Gauss couldn’t help but wonder if that smiling, squinty-eyed shopkeeper was going to dust it off and resell it for 1 silver again like nothing happened.
Still, he had to admit—strapped into his new leather gear, admiring the polished hardened hide and overlapping plates—he felt pretty damn good.
“Better armor, fewer injuries. Goblins shouldn’t be much of a problem now.”
Not that he’d say it out loud, but part of the reason he bought it was to avoid looking out of place during group practice.
He couldn’t be the guy showing up in scruffy secondhand gear while everyone else looked like professionals.
Totally a practical purchase.
The team’s first practice session happened that afternoon, just outside town.
Training was standard, especially when a new member joined the party.
Even under normal circumstances, any decent party leader would organize occasional drills.
This kind of training served as a baseline assessment—everyone demonstrated their core skills, abilities, combat role, and how they fit into the team.
No “surprise, I’ve been hiding my OP power this whole time!” nonsense.
That might work in cheesy stories, but in real combat, it was a death sentence.
You can’t expect your teammates to back you up properly if they don’t know what you’re capable of.
Worse, unknown abilities could even put allies at risk.
So yeah—training? Absolutely necessary.
They gathered in front of the adventurer’s guild.
Everyone was already there, fully geared up.
Laevin and the swordsman Doyle were especially eye-catching.
Both wore black metal-scaled armor, overlapping iron plates layered like fish scales, with leather coats underneath and extra bracers and greaves strapped to their limbs.
Laevin had a massive round shield made of dark oak, rimmed with metal. The thing looked like it could stop a charging boar.
Gauss had to admit, seeing them in full gear made an impression.
It was one thing to see that kind of equipment hanging on a shop wall.
Wearing it in the field?
A whole different story.
The others—archer Oliver, rogue Meva, and cleric Daphne—wore lighter leather gear.
Still, judging from the material and craftsmanship, even their armor looked way more expensive than the fresh set Gauss had just picked up.