Gauss could feel the effects of this plain, unadorned tal staff with its dull black finish.
That effect was extre durability!
Yes, this was an extrely peculiar staff.
Other staves either enhanced spell power, increased casting speed, or extended attack range - this staff had none of those.
All it offered was a slight boost to protective spells and an exceptionally sturdy construction.
This seed utterly un-magical.
Clumsy and heavy, its only advantage being a durability more suited to lee weapons.
It would only be suitable for a spellcaster with considerable lee capabilities, outstanding physical attributes, and the ability to cast spells.
The others sensed the staff's properties and unanimously looked at Gauss.
There were only two spellcasters present.
Given Lawrence's physical condition, he clearly couldn't wield this nearly two-ter-long tal staff.
Gauss was perfectly suited - and coincidentally, he specialized in protective magic too, as if this were tailor-made for him.
"Gauss, this staff suits you well. Take it," Lawrence said after so thought.
The others exchanged glances.
"Right, give it a try."
They all knew perfectly well who had contributed most in the recent battle.
Even if this were so universally useful item, they wouldn't dream of competing with Gauss for it, let alone a staff they couldn't use.
Seeing his teammates' unanimous agreent, Gauss nodded gratefully.
He leaped onto the platform and gripped the staff's only slightly matte-textured handle with both hands.
Applying so force, he pulled the scepter from the stone pedestal.
His first impression: it was sowhat heavy.
Fortunately, his physique was robust enough to handle it.
He swung it a couple tis before him.
The staff gave him an incredibly reassuring sense of stability.
But the crucial question remained - could it channel magic?
If he couldn't cast spells through it, then it would rely serve as a blunt lee weapon, drastically reducing its effectiveness.
Gauss hadn't forgotten how picky his magic was - back when testing wands with Andni, it had taken considerable ti to find a match.
"So, will it work?"
Gauss channeled his magic through the tal shaft.
After a brief pause, he discovered - surprisingly smooth compatibility.
With minimal resistance, his magic flowed effortlessly through the staff's body.
Could it be that my magic rejects ordinary mass-produced wands, only accepting unconventional ones like the Bone Staff and this tal scepter?
Gauss found this theory uncomfortably plausible.
With his only two compatible implents both being highly unconventional staff types, he couldn't help but wonder.
"Light Cantrip!"
Due to his currently depleted magic reserves, Gauss cast a simple illumination spell.
As magical waves emanated, pure white light radiated from the tal staff.
Successful spellcasting.
Gauss exhaled in relief.
While the tal scepter didn't offer the smooth casting sensation of the Bone Staff, nor any spell enhancent, its value as a lee weapon compensated significantly.
Thus it still had nurous applications.
Behind him, Lawrence looked up at Gauss standing on the pedestal, holding the illuminated staff aloft, his envy mingled with an involuntary sigh.
Though unsure of the tal staff's exact value, judging by the mantis man's strength, it might well be the dungeon's most valuable find.
But what could he say beyond envy?
Gauss had saved all their lives, his included.
Moreover, this staff clearly wasn't suited for him - only for an unusual spellcaster apprentice like Gauss.
This realization reminded Lawrence of a rumor he'd once heard - possibly true.
That the dungeons and ruins left by lost civilizations would adjust their challenges and rewards based on the adventurers entering them.
This reward seemingly custom-made for Gauss suggested that in the dungeon's logic, only Gauss had perford aningfully against the mantis man while the others contributed little.
The thought left Lawrence sowhat resigned.
"Boom! Boom!" While the group rested,
the entire dungeon began shaking violently.
"Let's get out first."
The dungeon seed on the verge of collapse.
The others hastily gathered their belongings, helping the injured Liam and carrying Bianca's remains as they rushed from the crumbling space.
Erging through the exit tunnel to the surface, they had barely moved away when—
"CRASH!!"
The ground above the dungeon shook even more violently.
Like sinking quicksand, the towering stone pillars visible on the surface visibly descended.
Until they disappeared completely.
It was over.
Watching the entrance vanish entirely left the group dazed.
Their six-day dungeon exploration had concluded with one mber injured and another dead.
...
Processing the dungeon's loot took two full days.
The total value exceeded Gauss's expectations considerably.
Twenty-seven gold coins in total.
Per their prior agreent, Lawrence took slightly over five coins - as the expedition's organizer who had invested in intelligence gathering and covered organizational and transportation costs, this amount raised no objections.
Gauss received four gold coins, not including the tal scepter he'd acquired, making him the expedition's true biggest beneficiary.
The remaining mbers each received about three and a half coins - an exceptionally lucrative haul.
Four gold coins also represented the largest sum Gauss had ever earned.
Back at their starting tavern, the six-mber team reconvened.
Gauss sipped apple cider while looking at Lawrence across the table.
"What about Bianca's share? I recall he left beneficiary information," Gauss asked casually.
Bianca's death had been unexpected, but the team needed to handle his affairs.
Though a temporary party, everyone except Gauss had been acquaintances - not truly strangers.
"Yes, my family's caravan happens to pass Bianca's village soon. I'll personally oversee delivering his remains and inheritance," Lawrence said heavily between gulps of ale,
likely dreading facing Bianca's family.
"You've got it handled then." Having barely known Bianca, Gauss only asked out of courtesy and didn't press further.
"Three and a half gold coins could support a family for years if spent wisely," Edith sighed.
A small consolation in their tragedy.
Though Bianca died, he left his family substantial ans - unlike many struggling low-level adventurers who perish anonymously in the wilds, leaving grieving families both bereft and destitute.
Edith turned to Gauss, her dark-circled eyes shimring with complex emotions.
"Gauss... you're close to becoming a professional, aren't you?" Rembering how Gauss had slain the mantis man - a foe only professionals should handle - still seed unreal.
Her recent nightmares kept replaying the mantis man's claws decapitating her, sotis making her wonder if their survival was just death's final illusion.
"Yes."
Gauss nodded.
Mage Armor lv3 (49/50)
He glanced at his Adventurer's Manual status panel.
These past two days hadn't been idle - he'd squeezed in training sessions at the apprentice association whenever possible.
The others' faces showed dawning comprehension mixed with intense envy.
For all apprentices, becoming a ranked professional represented the ultimate dream.
Apprentices and professionals inhabited entirely different worlds.
Technically, when the Adventurer's Association first ford, low-level adventurers like them didn't exist - only professionals could register.
The association's founders considered apprentices rely weapon-proficient commoners, unworthy of mbership.
A single professional's destructive power eclipsed dozens of apprentices.
Only the rising tide of monsters and minor incidents that professionals disdained handling forced the association to lower its standards.
Of course, they simply shifted privileges to bronze rank and above instead.
Unofficial low-level adventurers still enjoyed few benefits.
"Truly enviable," said warrior apprentice Liam, still healing and thus avoiding alcohol, his voice muffled by food. Hearing Gauss's confirmation, he couldn't suppress his jealousy.
"You'll get there soon too," Gauss countered. "If stuck, hire a professional tutor for guidance."
Three and a half gold could indeed secure professional instruction.
Liam chuckled sheepishly, clearly having considered this. His laughter abruptly turned into a pained hiss as he aggravated his injuries.
"After I heal... though promotion isn't just about money. It takes luck, effort, and talent too." He remained grounded.
"That's only if you're not rich enough. Noble scions absolutely buy their way up with expensive elixirs and artifacts," Edith pointed out.
Silence fell across the table, Edith included.
Even the "wealthiest" among them, Lawrence, was lightyears from such privilege.
The injustice stung - years of struggle versus those born with professional status guaranteed.
Why should noble youths have their paths paved with elite tutors, precious dicines, and custom equipnt while others languished?
The thought made their teeth ache with resentnt.
"Oh, Gauss," Lawrence suddenly said, as if rembering sothing important.
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