Gauss wasn't the only one torn; the others were quietly weighing their options too.
Picking spells is neither a trivial choice nor a life-or-death one—but it matters. First, you may never again see such a complete list. Plenty of spells can't be bought on demand even if you have the money—some spellbooks and skillbooks are low-stock, niche, or simply not commonly available.
And ideally, you want spells that actually fit you. Choosing skills isn't just about cost; you have to weigh the time investment too. If you sink hours into something only to find it doesn't suit you or your party—or you can't learn it at all—you've just wasted precious time and energy.
Gauss hesitated for a long while, then finally made up his mind.
"My picks are…"
Adèle looked over.
"Fireball and Fly."
Tons of spells tempted him, but after a lot of thought he still went with those two.
Fireball is famous—he'd heard about it often even before becoming a full-fledged mage. You can never have too many strong offensive spells, especially when you level up by killing monsters through that Monster Index of his.
As for Fly, the last run-in with the Goblin Bat Rider left too deep an impression. That night, Gauss only drove it off because Shadow bought them time while he wiped out its partners—but the shine of that victory hid a real risk.
If the rider hadn't chickened out and had just circled overhead in the dark harassing them with attacks, they would've had no real answer and might've been forced into a desperate corner.
As levels rise, enemies will get stronger, and flyers will show up more and more. If the enemy can fly and you can't, you're naturally stuck on the back foot. Most magic has limited range; even if you can reach, long distance makes dodging easy or cuts damage hard. And even putting that aside, Fly massively boosts team mobility. If you can't win and the enemy can't fly, you've at least got a way to run. Whether you actually get away is another matter—Fly has limits on speed and duration—but first you solve "can we" before "is it enough."
He'd considered Counterspell, but dropped it: he's facing monsters more than mages, not every monster casts, and his Omni-Armor plus his Magic Resistance trait already gives him good confidence against spell attacks.
"Confirming—those two are both Level 3 Spells?" Adèle's gaze paused for a beat on the three-star adventurer's badge on his chest as she reminded him. The meaning was obvious: he isn't a Level 5 caster yet, so two Level 3 spells won't be usable for a while. He could have bridged things with one Level 2 and one Level 3.
"Are we not allowed to choose two Level 3 spells?" Gauss scratched his head.
"That's not it," Adèle shook her head. The guild designed these rewards with some training value in mind. Since Gauss performed exceptionally, the Adventurers' Guild isn't stingy about a little expense.
"Good." Gauss let out a breath and moved on to the rest of the list.
Besides two skills of your choice, everyone had 100 points to spend. Each other reward had a points price listed next to it.
For example, a mount: a well-trained, ordinary Tier 2 griffon cost 80 points—and that didn't include griffon-specific tack (sold separately). Feeding a griffon was also a huge ongoing cost.
Griffons were pricier than Gauss had imagined. He really couldn't afford one—which explained why he rarely saw them around. So far he'd only seen the Grayrock Guildmaster Eberhard and a handful of knights from the provincial capital at New Year riding griffons. Either you're a local authority backed by the guild, or a retainer of a great noble house. Ordinary adventurers can't maintain them—just like those luxury cars in his past life.
Gauss shelved the "noble griffon knight" dream for later. Someday.
His eyes kept scanning the list.
"Huh?"
He spotted a special magical item that made his eyes light up: mana-infused clay!
It came from a Tier 3 Elite Ochre Jelly's drop. Regular ochre jellies are Tier 2; the stronger they are, the higher the material quality tends to be.
Thirty points bought 400 pounds (about 180 kg) of magic clay—barely enough to mold three goblin-sized bodies, or one fairly large goblin. It didn't sound like a lot, but higher-grade material would mean a stronger construct. If he could craft a Level 3 clay construct… from an enemy's point of view, that would be a nightmare: no pain, no fear of death, and as long as you feed it mana it comes back. Even Tier 4 or Tier 5 monsters wouldn't want to meet one.
A bit on the low side, sure—but considering how many jellies you'd need to yield that much, he could live with it. Not all monsters drop materials at the quality you want.
Gauss quietly ticked that box, then looked on.
He didn't need a wand—nothing he could access right now would beat the one in his hand, and maybe nothing later either. Armor, especially full plate, was also a pass. As a bottom-tier adventurer he used to envy full plate, thinking being a tin can felt safe and most weapons couldn't get through. But as a professional, the charm faded. For now he values mobility; heavy armor drags him down and lowers his combat effectiveness. On defense, protection spells will do for the time being.
[Medium Storage Pouch] — 30 points. (Limit 1)
Capacity: ~10 cubic meters (non-rigid)
Weight limit: 7,000 lbs (≈ 3,180 kg)
Notes:
1. The pouch cannot hold more than its rated volume/weight; overloading will damage it. Use with care.
2. Regardless of load, the pouch's own weight is a constant 10 lbs (≈ 4.5 kg).
Gauss thought it over. This looked like a solid pick. Compared to his current small pouch, the medium one had over 6× the volume and a whopping 14× the weight capacity. Big storage is always a hard need. Even if he didn't need it later, it would be easy to resell and would basically hold its value—unlike many items that get a lot cheaper after changing hands.
And he genuinely needed more capacity. Everyone in the team was still on small pouches. As he kept adding clay, the small pouch's space had become a huge bottleneck, forcing them to cut essential supplies. He was about to redeem nearly 200 more kilos of clay; that would put the total in the several-hundred-kilo range, and the number would only grow.
Storage needs would only go up.
After a moment, he firmly ticked the medium pouch. Over three tons of carrying capacity should last him a long time.
Forty points left.
Gauss mulled it over at length, matched it to his situation, and made his final picks: a professional swordsmanship skillbook plus instruction from a Level 5-or-higher swordsman. He suspected his attributes might already meet the threshold for a second class. Why no progress then? Thinking it through, he was probably missing high-tier skills and a real mentor. His fundamentals were solid, but he was still a half-trained stray. He'd only ever received guidance from one apprentice-level swordsman. Maybe this course would let him break through.
Alia finished her exchange as well. She took a special wondrous item—the Creature Pouch—for a hefty 70 points. That was her main spend. It had an internal space, and unlike a storage pouch, it could hold living beings.
Gauss's chocobo mount or her companions—Ulfen, Echo, and the Powderwing Butterfly—could all go in voluntarily. The pouch exchanges air freely with the outside; as long as it's not for too long, staying inside isn't dangerous.
From now on, they wouldn't have to leave mounts in a village or some "safe" spot in the wild. Alia hoped to save the team travel time. She also spent 30 points on a new druidic oaken staff—her current one had seen better days. For spells, she didn't go as aggressive as Gauss with two Level 3 picks; she chose Enhance Attribute Level 2 and Plant Growth Level 3.
Their other teammate, Serandur, was Level 4, so for divine magic he also redeemed two Level 3 spells—more as preparation for Level 5 than Gauss's plan to overreach early. He chose Create Food and Mass Healing Word.
The former conjures clean food and water for a whole party; it tastes bland but is nutritious, cures some diseases, and grants brief immunity to most basic poisons and illnesses. His reason was obvious: the captain eats too much—and likely more and more in the future—so better prepare. Tasteless or not, you don't nitpick when supplies run short.
For points, Serandur took one special wondrous item: the Folding House. It looks like a canvas-bag-sized bundle, but once activated it quickly unfolds into a spacious, sturdy magical house.
The interior is expanded and comfortably fits the whole party, and it comes inscribed with protective and detection runes. It keeps out wind and rain, wards and warns against low-tier monsters or beasts, and maintains a pleasant temperature and lodging conditions.
Pack it up and it returns to a bundle. (You can't store creatures inside it while it's in bundle form.) It was also the priciest thing the team picked—100 points for that one item.
"You sure about this one?" Gauss asked when he saw Serandur tick it.
It would help the team a lot: no more sleeping rough. A house is a world apart from a tent—better rest means better bodies and sharper minds for adventuring. But it was a lifestyle item; it wouldn't add a shred of combat power or survivability for Serandur himself.
"This one. It suits us," Serandur nodded, satisfied and unrepentant.
"Alright then." Since he was decided, Gauss didn't press. He was a little moved, though. Even if they were all support types, putting the team first like that was rare and precious.
Gauss looked to Shadow. Unlike their crisp decisions, she frowned, clearly conflicted. When she noticed the three of them had stopped, she glanced at Adèle and asked softly, "Can I think for two more days? I'll come back then."
Adèle hesitated, took in all four faces, seemed to put the pieces together, and nodded. "Alright—just don't leave it too long."
Soon, she put the list away and brought out the items they had redeemed.
"Mr. Gauss, I'm free most days. If you want to learn that sword art, come by the guild anytime and ask any receptionist to send a word—I'll come coach you," Adèle said at the door as if suddenly remembering.
"O-okay." Gauss blinked, then answered. He hadn't expected the mentor for his random pick to be the very receptionist who'd been handling them. But recalling the fleeting edge he'd sensed from her before, he wasn't that surprised. He'd been right: Adèle was a fairly high-tier professional.
The group left the VIP room. With the commission wrapped and rewards redeemed, a practical issue landed on Gauss's plate: whether Shadow would stay.
They stepped out of the Adventurers' Guild. Alia and Serandur were still basking in their shiny new rewards; Gauss was thinking. He did want to recruit Shadow—but he didn't know what she wanted. Until this informal commission, she'd been a loner; if the guild hadn't forced a "party" this time, she'd probably still be roaming solo.
That said a lot about her attitude toward long-term parties. And the way she'd chosen not to redeem in front of them—was that part of it too? Since they were only temporary teammates, maybe she didn't want them to know what items or spells she'd taken.
…
Gauss drew a deep breath, clapped his hands, and got everyone's attention. "Let's hit a tavern tonight and celebrate a job well done. I've also got something I want to bring up."
"Yes please! I want a proper feast," Alia said cheerfully, breaking into a grin. After grinding so long, she was tired. Time to relax for a few days.
Shadow nodded her agreement.
They found an inn near the guild and took four rooms. When night fell, the four of them—washed up and changed into their everyday clothes—met on the lamplit street.