The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 16.2: Archer Training
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- The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild
- Chapter 16.2: Archer Training
Laurent led a battalion of Guardians of the Magical Tree’s to the entrance of the Forest Dungeon.
The battalion included his ace candidates, Monica, Shaqma and Euphene.
He had the three of them arrive before the rest, however.
Seeing that all three of them were there, Laurent began to explain. “Alright, listen up. Our goal today isn’t to conquer the dungeon, but just to give you all some training. Especially you three.”
The three of them had identical expressions of nervousness.
“I believe that you three have the qualities to become A-rank adventurers. Of course, at this stage, there is only unfulfilled potential.”
They still looked a bit worried.
Can’t be helped. They’ve been D-rank until now. I can only work on their self-confidence little by little.
Laurent started by trying to get them motivated. “In any case, you haven’t worked in your current roles for a while, so let’s review your responsibilities, shall we? Monica, what is an archer’s role?”
“Archers have primarily three responsibilities: whittle down the enemies’ strength by taking down the enemies in front of the vanguard; counter incoming attacks from flying enemies; and provide cover fire for the front-lines,” she said, offering a perfect answer smoothly. Her sudden job change had barely fazed her.
It was almost as if she had been preparing and reviewing for this day all along.
A very diligent person, indeed.
But I won’t be able to provide much cover fire, Monica thought gloomily. My lack of Agility means that I can’t get a good position, and…
“Precisely. However, your Agility is low. So don’t bother with providing cover fire, and just take down enemies in the vanguard and the sky. I want you to be laser-focused on only those two responsibilities.”
“Eh?!”
“I’ve also prepared some equipment for you with that in mind. Here,” Laurent said, handing her a bow and a quiver of arrows.
The bow was a massive, iron weapon as long as she was tall.
“That’s an [Iron Piercer]! It’s a limited model designed by Daevin—how…?”
“It was a bit of a hassle to get my hands on it.”
Laurent had combed through the city’s stores again and again to find the [Iron Piercer].
It’s heavy.
After grasping hold of it, Monica could feel that it was significantly sturdier than a standard bow.
Even with her high Power stat, it felt heavy.
“In direct ranged combat and sniping flying enemies, Agility is of no concern. Conversely, your firepower, range and firing efficiency means everything. The [Iron Piercer] is the best weapon to maximise those attributes.”
Monica stared at Laurent, amazed.
Don’t bother with cover fire. Nobody has ever told me such a thing before.
While he had been speaking, the rest of the battalion members arrived.
Apart from members of Guardians of the Magical Tree, there were also some provisional adventurers who had been commissioned for the day.
“Looks like everyone is here. Guess we’re out of time. Well, then, let’s not dawdle and enter the dungeon.”
——
Monica entered the dungeon, flanked on both sides by tanks whose job was to protect her.
Even if monsters appeared from the sides and ambushed them, her guards would fend them off.
She didn’t even have to be worried about her disadvantageous Agility, and could focus entirely on the enemies in front of her.
As Monica advanced deeper into the forest, she thought of Laurent’s words.
“Aim true and strike down the enemies before you. That’s all you need to do.”
Laurent had first made Monica improve her Archery skill. Other than that, he had not allowed her to consume her Stamina.
He can’t be serious? An archer that does not provide cover fire…
Monica advanced into the dungeon, still somewhat skeptical.
A group of monsters appeared before them.
Three goblins.
Probably about fifty metres ahead.
They seemed to have noticed Monica as well.
They hefted their weapons and charged over.
The warriors on either side of her raised their swords.
Monica nocked an arrow and aimed it at the goblins.
She grunted. It’s stiff.
Monica drew the bowstring taut, relishing in its familiar stiffness and its powerful recoil.
She aimed and fired.
It missed.
The arrow whistled harmlessly past one of the goblins.
The next shot.
This time, it was a hit.
A goblin took the arrow to its shoulder and toppled backwards, writhing in agony on the floor.
With just one strike, she had stopped the goblins’ advance. The [Iron Piercer] and her strength was an overwhelming combination.
Monica fired her arrows in succession.
It hit the second goblin in the knee.
It crouched, clutching at its knee.
The third goblin was almost upon them.
There was no time for her to nock another arrow.
She lowered her bow and backed up.
The rest was up to the warriors.
The warriors waiting behind her moved forward, took up her previous position and swung into action.
They easily beat back the goblin and defeated it.
Then they finished off the two goblins taken down by Monica’s arrows, too.
Now that the hard part was done, Monica let herself relax.
“Good work, Monica.”
“Laurent-san.”
“Two out of four shots hit. It’s been a while since you’ve practiced, but you did well, didn’t you?”
“Thank you.” Monica let out a breath of relief at Laurent’s words.
I was wondering what kind of standards he would expect of me to become an A-rank archer, but he’s actually pretty reasonable. If I keep this up, I should be able to manage. Thank goodness; he’s quite sensible, I see.
Monica, who had been very uneasy about her future prospects, felt better now that she knew she would be able to handle Laurent’s training.
“But as we move forward, you’ll need to improve your accuracy rate, firing rate and range.”
“Yes.”
“We’ll be using this formation for now, so focus on re-familiarising yourself with how combat feels as an archer, as well as getting used to the [Iron Piercer].”
“Yes.”
They continued in a single-file line until a group of ten goblins appeared.
“Vanguard, move into position! Don’t let us get surrounded,” Laurent shouted.
The vanguard spread horizontally across, preventing the enemy from advancing on either side.
Monica drew her bow.
She fired her arrows, which struck two goblins and incapacitated them.
This time, she managed it with three arrows, but it seemed that was the best she could do for now.
The goblins closed the distance.
Monica retreated to the rear guard.
There wasn’t much she could do except for leaving the rest of the fighting to the vanguard.
Because an archer’s attacks were linear, there was nothing more she could do after falling back to the rear guard.
If her hand slipped, she could end up shooting an ally in the vanguard instead.
Because of that, archers usually moved around to the side and provided cover fire, but…
“Um, Laurent-san, is it really okay if I don’t do anything?” Monica said as she watched the warriors’ fight with Laurent from the back.
“Yup, just leave it to them.”
“But…”
“The idea of this expedition is for you guys to work on your skills. Other than honing your Archery skill, you’re not permitted to expend your stamina in any other way. Okay?”
“Um, okay.”
“Your archery still has room for improvement. For example…” Laurent continued to give her several pieces of advice.
Take down the closest enemies before her. Practice the initial movement of nocking her arrow until it was second nature (and thus, to move forward while keeping her centre of gravity in mind), and to remember to nock the next arrow as soon as she’d released the first one.
“That’s about it for now.”
“Got it. I’ll give it a try.”
“Currently, your goal is to strike down four goblins before the vanguard needs to engage.”
“Yes.”
In the meantime, the vanguard had taken down all of the goblins.
Once again, they advanced into the dungeon with Monica taking point.
Monica continued to shoot down enemies up ahead.
The only thing I’m doing is shooting arrows. Focusing solely on marksmanship like this is a first, but…
Monica nocked an arrow and aimed at a goblin.
This time, it was another group of ten goblins.
But three of them had already fallen prey to Monica’s arrows.
There was still some distance before they would clash with the enemy.
This should be easy. I can definitely do it.
Monica’s arrow hit the goblin right into his face.
The goblin fell back, facing upwards.
I did it. I took down four goblins before contact. But… is becoming an A-rank archer truly possible for me, of all people?
For a moment, she had believed it wholly.
Nah, no way. I just got a bit of an equipment upgrade and now I’m buying into my own fantasies. I’d be useless if we go any further into the dungeon.
They continued on in one line into the dungeon’s depths, with Monica leading them.