Gabriel was curious about what his advancement quest would be like.
Thanks to his experience from his past life, he wasn’t entirely clueless and knew what to expect.
"However, even with that, it’s quite hard to guess what type of quest I’ll have," he mumbled to himself.
In his past life, the objective of his advancement quest had been to complete a set of requirements, and immediately after fulfilling them, he was able to advance forward once more.
But this varied a lot. He had learned that some people were teleported to difficult secret areas, while others were tasked with achieving a specific kill count.
It was random.
Either way, there was no benefit in thinking about it now. The only way to activate the quest was to head towards the Association.
Some time later, after his mana regenerated, Gabriel stepped out of the tent. As he did, all eyes immediately turned to him, and adventurers began whispering amongst themselves.
Ignoring them, Gabriel moved towards the entrance of their makeshift camp, where Scarlet was standing, gazing into the distance with a dazed expression.
She sensed his presence but didn’t spare him a glance.
Gabriel quietly walked up and stood beside her.
"I’ll take it from here. You can head inside and rest," he said.
Scarlet didn’t respond for some time, simply staring into the wilderness. After what felt like several seconds, she gave a simple nod and went inside.
Gabriel was long used to Scarlet’s attitude, so he didn’t take offense.
If it had been anyone else, she would have refused outright and continued her watch. But because it was him, she relented.
After Scarlet entered her tent and zipped it closed, Gabriel called out, "Grizzlenaught!"
Immediately, the crimson Grizzlenaught rose from the ground and looked at its master excitedly.
’Right, it’s been a while since this guy came out,’ he thought, stroking its fur.
One could almost see the eagerness in its eyes to battle, but unfortunately there were no nearby monsters.
Even then, Gabriel wasn’t comfortable sending Grizzlenaught too far into the wilderness—especially with dozens of adventurers nearby.
Furthermore, there was the risk it might encounter that dark entity capable of devouring monsters and growing stronger.
Since Grizzlenaught had been summoned, one might wonder why. The reason was simple.
Grizzlenaught would act as the watch guard.
After instructing his summon, Gabriel quickly headed deeper into the dark wilderness, his destination unknown.
"Where is he going?" murmured Sophie, who had been watching from her tent.
She had been absentmindedly gazing outside when she saw Gabriel step out and head toward the camp’s entrance.
"Where are you going?" Casiee asked as she abruptly noticed her friend standing.
"Stay here. I’ll be back." Sophie replied sharply before dashing out of her tent.
Casiee watched her go with a confused look.
"What’s she up to now?" she muttered.
Outside, Sophie quickly approached the entrance, but a massive shadow blocked her path.
Grizzlenaught’s slit-like crimson eyes bore into hers.
Sophie didn’t flinch. Instead, she raised her hand and stroked the beast’s fur.
"Long time no see, big guy," she said with a soft chuckle. "It seems you’ve grown more feisty since the last time we met."
At her words, Grizzlenaught’s gaze flickered, softening into something more docile.
The bear recognized her.
They had been together on two expeditions—the Skeleton Paradise dungeon raid and the Ruins exploration.
Both times, Sophie had interacted with the beast, so it was safe to say that after Gabriel, Grizzlenaught was most familiar with her.
"Good boy," she said gently. "Now, all you have to do is let me through. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I just want to make sure your master is fine."
There was reluctance in the creature’s eyes, but after some coaxing, it stepped aside.
"Thanks!" Sophie said as she quickly slipped past and headed down the path Gabriel had taken.
"What are you up to..." she whispered under her breath.
Some time later, she came to a stop, eyes narrowing as she failed to find the silhouette she had been chasing.
"Did he notice me?" she muttered, glancing around with a confused look.
She was now in a dying forest within the wilderness. She took a random path, but found nothing. She tried another, only to meet the same result.
In the end, she gave up and traced her steps back toward camp. But before stepping inside, she glanced once more at the wilderness.
"I’ll figure you out sooner or later," she murmured.
Meanwhile, further ahead, Gabriel suddenly stopped in his tracks and glanced back before calmly resuming his walk.
A few seconds ago, he had sensed someone tailing him. Although he was curious how they managed to sneak past Grizzlenaught, he wasn’t too concerned.
He had already shaken them off with a few clever detours.
Gabriel had an idea of who it might have been, but wasn’t entirely sure.
Pushing the thought aside, he continued onward.
By now, he was far from camp.
Along the way, a few monsters appeared, but they were one-shotted before they could even attack.
This continued for several minutes.
Eventually, Gabriel finally arrived at his destination.
His gaze swept across the scene.
He was back at the battlefield.
The same place where he had slain the three goblin generals and Ken of Crimson Star.
The corpses were still there—both goblins and Crimson Star members.
The scene should have been repulsing, but Gabriel’s expression didn’t change.
He walked forward slowly. A repulsive smell filled the air, heavy enough to make any ordinary man gag.
Bodies were scattered everywhere, their twisted faces frozen in death. Flies buzzed in the air, yet he looked at it all with the same calm gaze as if this was routine.
"Let’s get to work," he said, cracking his neck as he began moving from corpse to corpse, using his Extraction Talent on them.
***
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