The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 20.1

Chapter 20.1   True talent

Alric, leading the main force of the “Golden Hawk,” hurriedly aimed for the 10th floor of the “Mine Dungeon.”

“Hurry up! Don’t fall behind the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’!”

Alric, with an impatient tone, commanded his troops.

Accustomed to leading squads composed only of Class B or higher individuals, he struggled leading a mixed squad with unfamiliar Class C members.

“Don’t dawdle. There’s no need to defeat all the monsters. Just open a path and leave the rest. You can recover from minor damage later.”

“Captain! Squad 3 is falling behind.”

“Tsk. Again?”

Alric turned back with irritation.

Squad 3 was a group comprised entirely of Class C adventurers.

Although the decision was made to unify the classes for better coordination, it had backfired so far.

The Class C adventurers prioritized improving their class rather than advancing into the dungeon, often causing discord and conflicts within the unit.

Especially in the demanding environment of the “Golden Hawk,” where stringent quotas were required, they preferred their own convenience over the unit’s needs.

From their perspective, even if they conquered the dungeon, failing to meet quotas wouldn’t elevate their status.

The excessive results-driven culture of the “Golden Hawk” was even causing operational issues within the unit.

(Damn it. That Lucius. He’s expecting us to conquer the dungeon while raising them. Lilianne’s unit is all Class B. If we keep dragging our feet, we’ll surely be left behind.)

Despite his annoyance at the Class C adventurers slowing him down, Alric couldn’t abandon them. He continued to lead, frustrated by the slow progress of dungeon exploration.

As Alric instructed the rescue of the lagging Squad 3, he suddenly noticed intense lightning ahead and was taken aback.

(That’s Lilianne’s lightning magic! Damn it. Have we completely fallen behind?)

“Captain, that’s Lilianne’s…”

“I know! Hurry with Squad 3’s rescue. After the rescue, speed takes top priority over everything else. We will definitely catch up!”

(But what can I do…)

Alric was a versatile mage with Class A skills in attack, support, and healing magic, but he lacked the firepower of Lilianne.

Facing someone who could scatter over ten enemies with a single blow inevitably put him at a disadvantage.

While Alric’s unit was held back by internal discord among its members, Lilianne was steadily advancing ahead.

At that moment, Jill emerged from Alric’s unit and began advancing solo ahead.

“Jill!? What on earth…”

“I will proceed alone to the 10th floor of the dungeon and obtain the shortcut ring. Captain, please prioritize the development of Class C members and item acquisition. After preparing for a dungeon revisit, let’s meet again at the dungeon entrance in 48 hours.”

With just those words, Jill ventured into the dungeon alone.

“Damn. Indeed, there’s no other way to conquer the dungeon while having Class C adventurers.”

“Are you sure about this, Captain? Entrusting dungeon exploration solely to her?”

“It’s unavoidable. For the next 24 hours, we’ll focus on developing Class C adventurers, then return to the city for rest, and reunite with Jill afterward.”

Freed from the care of the unit, Jill surged through the dungeon at breakneck speed.

She pushed back even the orcs and mini-golems blocking her path as she advanced.

Despite the heavily armored knights ignoring her, monsters showered her with spears, arrows, rocks, and attack magic, but none could inflict a single scratch on her.

After running for hours, Jill rapidly approached Lilianne’s unit, which was far ahead.

In the moment they passed each other, Jill and Lilianne locked eyes.

(Lilianne. The witch who recruited Laurent.)

Jill looked resentfully towards Lilianne.

If it weren’t for her, perhaps…

Jill glanced at her but passed by without a word.

(Right now, conquering the dungeon is top priority.)

In no time, Jill overtook and distanced herself from Lilianne’s unit.

“Damn it. What a person. Kicking away a horde of monsters all alone. She’s already…”

One of the warriors, a member of Lilianne’s unit, cursed with frustration.

“Let’s calm down. There’s nothing we can do now. It should be difficult even for her to advance alone beyond the 10th floor. We’ll make a comeback when the time comes.”

(However, psychologically, it’s quite taxing to have the lead we’ve painstakingly built up reversed like this.)

With complex emotions, Lilianne glanced towards Jill.

(Jill. Possessor of the potential to conquer dungeons alone, in other words, the qualities of an S-class adventurer. Probably the finest work among the adventurers Laurent raised…)

Lilianne briefly gritted her teeth, then quickly regained her composure and refocused on commanding her unit.

On another front, Laurent and his group, back in the dungeon, were advancing with Lucius’s special unit trailing behind them.

Unable to anticipate the quests Laurent’s group was aiming for, they tried to hinder their quest progress by sticking closely behind the unit.

As the two units proceeded side by side, skirmishes often occurred, but neither side escalated the issues further.

If adventurers blatantly obstructed each other’s exploration, it would be considered obstructing business and could violate adventurer’s code.

Still, there were moments when Shaqma, unable to contain her frustration, went to complain.

“Hey, you guys! Cut it out already. Stop following us so closely like that. Why don’t you focus on improving your own skills rather than getting in our way?”

“Yeah, chill out, missy.”

One of the Cotter brothers said with a smirk.

“Yeah, yeah. Your cute little face is going to waste.”

“We’re not trying to interfere with you. It just happens that we’re going in the same direction. Let’s get along, okay?”

“We’ll take care of any enemies coming from behind.”

Despite Shaqma’s continuous complaints, they paid her no heed.

“Ugh. They’re so shameless. Acting all innocent when they’re clearly aiming to snatch the quest right before us.”

Shaqma groaned with frustration.

“Just bear with it. It’s a waste of time to complain to them. Don’t let it bother you,” Euphene said with a calm demeanor.

(However…)

Euphene glanced at their equipment briefly.

(A squad centered around archers, support mages, and healers. And all of them are Class B or higher. Clearly, their formation is aimed at hindering our development strategy. This might be a bit troublesome.)

Despite the pressure of having the “Golden Hawk” behind them, Laurent’s unit continued through the dungeon.