sonovelo Chapter 376: Professional Level: 7
Chapter 376: Professional Level: 7
Time passed; he did not know how long.When Gauss opened his eyes in the dim training room, he knew his breakthrough was complete.
The breakthrough did not feel strenuous. Instead, for him it was as natural as water finding its channel, like waking up from a pleasant dream.
He rose from the ground.
Soon his body erupted with crisp, thunderous cracks, as if a great dragon were waking inside him.
"Feels good."
He moved his limbs, sensing the swelling power within.
Every level breakthrough for a professional is a metamorphosis and evolution; the difference lies only in how large or small that metamorphosis is.
Different people receive different improvements, and the directions of those improvements vary. Even the same person can gain different magnitudes of enhancement at different breakthroughs.
In Gauss's perception, this improvement was not as obvious as when he rose from level 5 to level 6,
that time he had gained a cumulative seven attribute points.
And all his attributes had seemed to fuse together, his whole body becoming more "integrated."
Although this upgrade was not as dramatic as the jump from level 5 to level 6, it still caused a significant surge in his strength.
"Main profession Magician level increased to: 7"
"Secondary profession Sword Soul level increased to: 5"
Both main and secondary professions each increased by one level.
"Agility +1"
"Intelligence +1"
"Perception +1"
This level-up granted one point each to Agility, Intelligence, and Perception.
After allocating points, his attribute panel showed the following values.
Strength: 15
Agility: 14-15
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 17-18
Perception: 14-15
Charisma: 15
A rather luxurious panel.
Every attribute had broken 15.
Intelligence, the highest stat, had reached a full 18 points.
He reasonably suspected that even those Transcendent spellcasters might not have higher Intelligence than he did now.
Moreover, he had a vague premonition.
When Intelligence reaches 20 points, some special change might occur.
But even now, an Intelligence of 18 was already formidable.
Of course, he did not get cocky.
He recalled the feeling when he broke from Elite to Master, that sense of being "whole."
It seemed different stages could not be judged purely by attribute numbers.
Beyond attributes, there appeared to be another dimension of integrative power.
That explained why a professional's strength could differ so dramatically between stages.
He remembered his brief battle with that Dragon Worshiper Transcendent Dragon Seeker back then. She had seemed to be enveloped in a very special field energy.
He later asked the tiefling paladin who rescued him about that power.
That was the "domain-shaped" power belonging to Transcendent professionals.
The gap between Transcendent and those below it is far larger than the gap between Master and Elite.
And disparities among Transcendent professionals are like chasms.
His greatest gap with Transcendent professionals lay precisely in that "domain-shaped" power.
But he also noted his own strengths.
He had an almost "hexagonal warrior" attribute panel—a bucket-shaped, well-rounded set of body and mental functions with nearly no weak points.
He also possessed many professional specializations and racial talents.
Even Transcendent professionals who managed to reach that stage often had their own hidden talents and gifts, but certainly not as powerful as his.
Gauss clenched his fist, feeling explosive power surge through his body.
He curled his lips into a slight smile.
Level 7 Magician, high attribute numbers, three purple-quality talents, Encountering Evil Hour, Second-Stage Ghostification and Dragon Breed, mastery over multiple categories of spells...
These advantages could offset part of the gap brought by domain-shaped powers.
He should now be able to face the weakest tier of Transcendent professionals head-on, right?
According to the tiefling paladin Praelius, the Transcendent Dragon Priestess Cecilia was the weakest among Transcendent spellcasters, barely crossing the Transcendent threshold.
She had probably used special means to forcefully break to level 11.
But in doing so she had completely overdrawn the limited potential she had. If nothing unexpected happened, her lifelong peak would be level 11, and once her physical functions declined, her strength would rapidly fall.
Still, Transcendent is Transcendent.
If she had not been overconfident and tried to capture Gauss alive, she actually had the power to easily kill him.
It wouldn't have been possible for her later carelessness to result in Gauss slashing off one of her arms when he released his full power.
But even so, she was effectively the winner of that encounter; if Praelius had not arrived later, he would have been dead.
Gauss analyzed that she probably wanted to capture him alive to study the dragon vein on his body to gain breakthrough power; otherwise she would not have been so restrained and allowed him to stall long enough for Praelius to arrive.
So in the end, she died because of her own greed.
One must always be cautious; when a lion fights a rabbit, give it everything you've got.
Gauss warned himself again not to lose his head just because he had grown stronger.
Returning to his current strength assessment, he felt he could now defeat Cecilia in combat.
Thus his "hard strength" should now officially be at the Transcendent threshold, rather than the previous "quasi-Transcendent" stage.
He could spar with opponents like Cecilia and even explode to kill them, but when facing higher-tier Transcendent professionals with stronger domain-shaped powers, he should avoid confrontation—his hard strength likely fell short of theirs.
There was a higher benchmark: the tiefling paladin Praelius.
Praelius could normally kill Cecilia quickly.
This meant that if Gauss fought Praelius at full power now, he might still be at a disadvantage.
And once his short burst wore off, Praelius could easily kill him.
"Ha—"
Gauss exhaled a long breath.
After organizing his thoughts, he had a clearer understanding of his current strength tier.
This process was important.
Only by knowing exactly what you can handle can you avoid enemies you cannot beat.
He needed to "bully the weak" to obtain power that led to greater strength.
As he grew stronger, he would raise the baseline of weaker enemies and bully a new batch.
"Now, the vast majority of level 6–10 boss-class monsters should no longer be my match."
Gauss thought his commission difficulty threshold could be raised a bit.
Of course, he did not say it absolutely; some especially powerful races possess cross-level strength—like Dragons, Mind Flayers, giants, colossals, special undead, demons, devils, and so on.
He was special compared to humans, but monsters could be special too.
He stowed away the two remaining mid-grade magic stones.
Gauss pushed open the training room door; fresh air rushed in.
He glanced at the neighboring room—Old Master Rigan's door was tightly shut; he seemed to still be meditating in training.
Several nearby training rooms were also in active use.
It seemed Falim had more Master-level spellcasters than he had imagined.
Retracting his gaze, he walked outside.
After asking a staff member, he learned only two days had passed since he entered the training room, so Gauss did not rush back to the Red Dragon Guild base.
Instead, he left Falim and found an uninhabited expanse outside the city.
He relentlessly released every spell and ability he currently mastered.
Spend mana, rest, repeat...
This process continued for three straight days.
Only when he felt he had fully integrated the power gains from the level breakthrough did he finally stop.
He looked at the hundreds of meters of ruined land around him.
Now it looked like a huge lunar crater; the center had a drop of over twenty meters, and the soil had become unusually compact from continuous magical bombardment.
He had no doubt that after several rains, this would slowly become a natural lake.
And water would foster more life.
So his "destruction" might instead bring more vitality.
Perhaps this was nature's "self-repair" ability?
Gauss suddenly thought of some canyons and valleys he had passed during his journey; maybe many of them were the handiwork of high-level professionals.
Even he now had preliminary terrain-altering capability; if Transcendent, Epic, or stronger beings acted, the effects would be even more extreme.
Back in Falim, Gauss's aura had calmed considerably.
"You've returned, Guild Leader."
Afternoon, Red Dragon Manor.
The receptionist who had been reading looked up and saw a figure slowly approaching the gate. She froze for a moment, then stood and greeted him.
"No need to be so nervous," Gauss said with mild curiosity. "What book are you reading?"
The receptionist looked guilty but still showed the storybook in her hands.
Gauss casually flipped through a few pages and returned the book.
Seeing her tense body, he smiled.
"It's okay, I wasn't reproaching you."
"As long as it doesn't affect work, you can read to pass the time."
"Your name is Danny, right?"
"Yes, Guild Leader, I'm Danny." The receptionist Danny did not expect the Guild Leader to remember her small name. Surprise and delight showed on her face, and an indescribable satisfaction warmed her heart.
"Then I won't disturb you. Continue."
Gauss waved and walked toward the manor.
Danny watched his back, dazed for a long while.
The Guild Leader was simply too kind!
Her sense of belonging to the Red Dragon Guild quietly deepened.
What she did not know was that this psychological change was also related to Gauss's Proof of Leadership specialization.
Once someone joined the Red Dragon Guild, over time their identification with the guild, or with Gauss's personal charisma, would steadily grow.
Like a sweet "slow poison."
It subtly influenced every member.
Inside the alchemy room.
Ivan, concentrating on dosing, heard a soft knock and a flash of irritation crossed his eyes.
He hated being disturbed while working.
But he quickly suppressed the annoyance.
He knew his apprentice would not knock for no reason. He had told his apprentices many times not to knock unless it mattered, waiting until he finished to report.
Recently, the Red Dragon Manor's operations had gradually normalized.
He had delegated many trivial tasks to responsible section leaders, leaving him more time to study alchemy.
He knew Gauss most needed him for his potion-making skills.
He opened the door.
"What's the matter?" he asked evenly.
"The Guild Leader has returned."
At the apprentice's low reply, Ivan's previously somber face brightened like sunlight after rain.
"Good job. From now on, notify me immediately."
"Keep an eye on the devices in the room. Don't let anyone come in and mess them up."
After the brief orders, he grabbed a stack of prearranged report files from his office and hurried downstairs.
Walking along the clean white courtyard path, his steps became noticeably lighter.
Hearing that Guild Leader Gauss had returned lifted his spirits in a way even he had not realized.
"Guild Leader, I'll report the guild's situation over this period."
Gauss looked up at Ivan across the dining table, a bit surprised.
But he thought little of it—it's always good for subordinates to be proactive.
"Alright."
"Ivan, sit and have something too."
Right then the kitchen brought out steaming food.
Ivan thanked him and carefully sat in the chair beside Gauss.
Ivan felt Gauss's strength had become even more unfathomable.
Compared to when they first met, the Guild Leader might have become gentler in demeanor, but in reality he was like a fathomless lake.
As a Dragonblood Warlock of only level 3, Ivan had attended banquets and been close to some powerful figures because of his potionist status.
But none impressed him like the current Guild Leader.
That faint dragon vein told him the man's power was terrifyingly strong; the bloodline gap between them was not slight but hundreds or thousands of times.
Yet he did not fear Gauss; he felt admiration and aspiration.
After a pause he began his report.
"Miss Aria has already gone out to prepare for her breakthrough; Miss Shadow also took Lord Hephaestus with her."
"They left you the exact coordinates."
"Additionally, Karkesa Magic Academy has invited the Guild Leader to see if you have time to give a lecture at the academy."
"Karkesa Magic Academy?" Gauss asked as he chewed his food.
"It's Falim's best spellcaster academy. Many families send magically gifted children there to study. Many of the city's powerful spellcasters have ties to it—either they were educated there, teach there, or hold honorary positions."
"I also received my warlock education there."
Ivan quickly explained to Gauss.
Gauss nodded.
He was self-taught, not classically trained, but that did not mean all spellcasters in the world were like him.
In fact, among professional spellcasters, his path was rare. The vast majority of leveled spellcasters had formal mentorship.
To solidify foundations and maximize potential, spellcasters typically need more advanced teachers to pass on knowledge and frameworks—guidance for mana direction, spell selection, structural modeling, casting techniques, and various academic research cannot easily be done alone.
Regarding spell mastery, beyond the simplest unranked cantrips, higher-grade spells have increasingly complex models; those structures are like precise instruments. Without a tutor to break them down step by step and correct mistakes, entering such spells quickly is difficult.
If you stray and cause mana chaos, you might even endanger your life.
Magic has never been an easy path; many spellcasters die pursuing magical research.
Gauss himself was an exception.