Chapter 1050 - 502: Warren Castle

Back at the camp, Gauss shared his arrangements with his companions. This commission wasn’t mandatory; if anyone didn’t want to make the trek, a portion of the team could stay behind at the frontlines. However, almost everyone chose to follow, even the members who had just joined the team a few days ago. They had chosen the Red Dragon Team because of Gauss’s sterling reputation. This was especially true recently, after they had experienced the boost in combat power that came with joining the team.

Do not underestimate this team buff. It effectively increased survival rates and post-battle growth. The simplest reason behind this could be summarized in one sentence: with this buff, you could defeat an enemy you previously couldn’t. Winning against stronger opponents often brought massive benefits on a Profession level.

As for the veteran members, they were even more supportive, raising both hands in favor of Gauss’s decision. The Leader’s Token had quietly raised their loyalty to Gauss and the team to a very high level. Some had even begun to treat the Red Dragon Team as their home.

"Then pack your bags and purchase some supplies in advance.

"We are scheduled to officially depart in three days."

A team of up to 500 people naturally couldn’t just pack up and leave on a whim like a five-person squad. They needed some time for pre-departure preparations. Route planning, supply procurement, intelligence gathering, personnel mobilization, and coordination... A scale of 500 people had already crossed the initial threshold of a large adventure group. Of course, "large adventure group" wasn’t a strictly defined category; anything from a few hundred to tens of thousands of members could be considered a large adventure group in the eyes of others.

After Gauss announced the operation, the members quickly threw themselves into enthusiastic preparations. A newly rising adventure group might have its fair share of problems, but a lack of drive and passion was definitely not one of them. Many people had joined the Red Dragon Team with the sole intention of doing something big alongside the famous Gauss. Time passed quickly amidst the intense and busy preparations.

The third day arrived in a flash.

Gauss looked at the latest intelligence on Warren Castle sent by the Adventurer’s Guild in his hands, his expression completely unreadable. Even the best intelligence couldn’t compare to actually seeing the place in person. Accessing this information beforehand was just to ensure he wouldn’t be completely in the dark upon arrival. He valued the importance of intelligence, but he wouldn’t blindly trust information gathered by others.

In the distance, Aaliyah, Ying, Albena, and Serdur were currently battling Slime Eden. Fighting against multiple opponents, Eden was not at a disadvantage in the slightest. Its body flickered at high speeds, swiftly leaving Ying’s clones and Aaliyah’s Moonlight Magic Attacks in the dust. It moved so fast that several afterimages condensed in the air simultaneously. Of course, Gauss wouldn’t mention that Eden was actually holding back tremendously.

"Alright, take a break.

"It’s time to prepare for departure."

Gauss clapped his hands lightly, calling them to a halt.

The four of them were panting slightly.

"Have you gotten a handle on your increased strength?" Gauss asked, looking at Serdur, who had only recently returned.

He had originally thought that if Serdur couldn’t make it in time, he would leave a portion of the team behind with him, heading to Warren Castle in two batches. However, Serdur made it back at the last minute. His breakthrough this time was even smoother than Aaliyah’s and the others’. It was just that his improvements had gone a bit off-track—despite being a healing-oriented Priest, his physical strength had received a noticeable boost after leveling up.

"Yeah, I’ve basically got it," Serdur nodded. "Eden’s strength is truly impressive."

He looked at the little guy who had resettled on Gauss’s shoulder, sighing in genuine awe. Slime Eden’s appearance was highly deceptive. Unless it wanted you to, you wouldn’t sense any threatening aura from it. It seemed like a harmless little creature, but it was only when you actually sparred with it that you could feel the massive, objective gap in strength between yourself and this adorable thing.

The Red Dragon Team did not deliberately hide the commotion of their departure from the frontlines. Any organization with over a hundred people wouldn’t be able to leave quietly anyway. Even if they had chosen to depart late at night, people would quickly realize they were gone based on the state of their camp. It was better to reveal their movements openly, which might instead cause those with ulterior motives to become suspicious.

However, none of this concerned Gauss anymore.

Having left the densely populated frontlines, the lush, green scenery of the wilderness slowly unfolded before Gauss’s eyes like a scroll. The Red Dragon Team’s caravan formed a long line, heading east along the dirt road. Any caravans they encountered along the way would instinctively pull over to the side upon seeing such a massive procession.

Gauss sat on the roof of a carriage, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding wilderness. To his disappointment, no blind, foolish monsters or organizations tried to deliberately provoke their caravan. Come to think of it, with his current strength, taking him down was no simple task. If there were an Epic Level powerhouse, they wouldn’t need to sneakily wait for him to leave the frontlines; they could have easily blitzed the frontline military camp. As for non-Epic Level powerhouses, even if it were a level 15 Demon—and even if it wasn’t severely countered by him like the dead Goblin Lord—it wouldn’t be hard for him to at least escape with his life.

A Druid who had transformed into a dark brown falcon called out from the sky, "Commander, there is an abandoned village ahead. Do we need to lodge there for the night?

"I have checked, and there are only a few scattered, small monster settlements within a ten-kilometer radius."

This was also one of the Master Level Professionals the Red Dragon Team had recruited over the past week.