The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 27

Chapter 27   Spirit stones

In the 17th floor of the Forest Dungeon, Savast was trying to charge into the deepest part of the dungeon, but his subordinates were desperately trying to stop him.

“Hey! Let go of me! Release me!”

“We can’t do that.”

“Please, calm down, Captain!”

“How can I be calm! They’ve beaten us to the dungeon’s conquest. By the likes of those ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’! Us, the Savast Squad! How can this be allowed? It cannot be tolerated!”

“But even so, what do you plan to do by going to the deepest part now?”

“It’s obvious. I’ll deliver divine punishment to those thieves who stole our achievement.”

“If you do that, the Quest Reception Office won’t stay silent.”

“It’s already forbidden for adventurers to have personal fights within the dungeon. If we add refusal to leave after a conquest and assaulting the conquerors, even we won’t escape severe punishment.”

“The death penalty could be possible.”

“Those guys are the conquerors? Don’t be ridiculous. Conquerors, my foot! Using such cowardly tricks to steal our credit! Them, conquerors? Even if heaven forgives them, I won’t!”

“If that’s how you feel, then you should return to town even more so.”

“Shouldn’t we first look for ways to expose their wrongdoing?”

“If you throw a tantrum here and pile up more charges, you’ll only worsen your own position.”

“Grr… grrr…”

Savast, his face bright red, remained silent for a while before shaking off his subordinates’ hands.

“Let go! Damn it, all of you!”

“Captain! Where are you planning to go?”

“I’m going back to town. I’m going to thoroughly investigate their fraud.”

With those words, Savast began stomping back through the dungeon.

His subordinates, relieved, followed him.

***

Monica and her team, having defeated the boss, were taking care of the aftermath.

As promised, they handed over the item “Turtle Dragon’s Shell” to Yugan.

The ownership rights were now to be held by the “Guardians of the Magic Tree.”

Yugan chanted a spell towards the crest of the “Crescent Knights” engraved on the wall.

The crest vanished in an instant.

Monica retrieved the “Dungeon Ring” from the treasure chest.

It was a ring that managed all entry and exit of the dungeon.

With this, the dungeon was now officially and practically the property of the “Guardians of the Magic Tree.”

“Is it really okay for me to take the ‘Turtle Dragon’s Shell’?”

“Yes. That was the original agreement.”

Without any doubt, Monica handed the item over to Yugan.

“…I see.”

The two of them exchanged and returned the crests they had swapped.

It was a symbol of the contract termination between their guilds.

“We did it! We conquered the dungeon!”

“Hooray! Hooray for the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’!”

Some of the members were already in a celebratory mood.

Some were even dancing with joy, holding hands or putting arms around shoulders.

“Monica, the return magic circle is ready!”

“Now we can go back to town.”

Euphene and Shaqma waved at Monica. At their feet, the return magic circle was already prepared.

“Well then, Mr. Yugan, we’re off.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yes, we’ve managed to conquer the dungeon, and there’s someone we need to report to immediately.”

“You mean… that appraiser?”

“Yes, the person who has always guided us. I think showing him how much we’ve grown is the best way to repay his kindness.”

Monica’s eyes held a pure, unclouded sincerity.

It was something Yugan had long since discarded.

“Hmph.”

(An appraiser admired by A-class adventurers, huh? I wonder what kind of person he is.)

Yugan couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Mr. Yugan?”

“No, it’s nothing. That appraiser must be quite skilled.”

“Yes, he is.”

“I’d like to receive his guidance as well.”

“How about this: after some rest, why don’t you come to the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’?”

“That’s a great idea. Since we’ve become acquainted like this, you should definitely come. The ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ will welcome you.”

Shaqma enthusiastically chimed in.

“No, I’ll pass. My work here is done. I need to head to the next town.”

“I see.”

Monica looked a bit disappointed.

“Ah, well, give my regards to that appraiser.”

“Yes, I’ll let him know that we managed to conquer the boss thanks to your help, Mr. Yugan.”

“Yeah, do that.”

“Monica, hurry up! We’ll leave you behind!”

“Ah, I’m coming. Well then, Mr. Yugan, until we meet again.”

“Yeah, see you.”

The group returned to the town, each heading to their respective homes or the guild headquarters.

Yugan headed out of the town.

As soon as Yugan reached the outskirts, a giant gyrfalcon landed nearby.

(Those guys had incredible skills, but their stats had flaws. If someone managed to train them to A-class in such a short period… What an incredible person must be living in this small town…)

“The world is vast,” Yugan muttered.

(Should I try forming a party again after a long time? Heh.)

Yugan mounted the gyrfalcon.

The gyrfalcon flew off to an unknown destination.

***

“Hello. How can I help you today?”

“I’d like to check the status of the dungeon…”

“Understood. Please proceed to the Astrology Department.”

Upon arriving at the Astrology Department, an astrologer checked the status of the dungeon.

Through the crystal, he could ascertain all the information about the dungeon: which quests had been completed, any newly generated quests, and whether the dungeon had been cleared.

“The status of the ‘Forest Dungeon’… Currently, the 17th layer is the furthest adventurers have reached.”

“So, that means…”

“It hasn’t been cleared yet.”

(Hmm. The dungeon hasn’t been cleared yet. I thought it would have been by now…)

“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

“No, thank you.”

Laurent left the quest reception office and headed to the Workshop.

(Now, it’s crunch time.)

When Laurent showed up at the workshop, as expected, Ranju was busily running around.

“Ah, Laurent, welcome back.”

“Ranju. What’s the situation?”

“We can hold out until the end of this week.”

Ranju answered immediately.

“…Right.”

“Today is the dinner with Count Elson, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Good luck.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

Laurent started to feel nervous. Meeting important people always made him anxious. However, this was something Laurent had to do himself.

(I am the representative of this workshop now. Idealistic words alone won’t suffice. I have to handle the dirty work for the sake of the workshop.)

When Laurent arrived at Count Elson’s mansion, he was shown to the guest room. It seemed they would be having dinner together.

“Ah, Laurent. It’s been a while.”

“Hello. It’s been a while.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Come, have a seat. We’ve got some good fish today. And wine too.”

Count Elson made small talk like a typical noble until the meal was ready. He talked about his daughter’s well-being and past hunting trips.

Laurent, unused to dining with clients, was tense. He wasn’t sure when to bring up the main topic. He lacked confidence in his ability to act appropriately in this situation.

After a while, wine and food were brought in. The wine was poured into silver goblets.

“Ah, this is…”

“This silverware just came from your guild recently. I always bring it out when we have guests, and the feedback has been excellent.”

“Thank you very much.”

“We nobles deal with a lot of social engagements. We want to have the best furnishings possible. By the end of this year, I plan to have all the silverware in this house made by the ‘Forest Workshop’.”

“That is truly an honor.”

“Has your silversmith been improving significantly? In the past, the quality mostly depended on the silver itself, but lately, the designs have become quite refined.”

Count Elson narrowed his eyes as he admired the silverware and the wine within it.

“You have a discerning eye, as always.”

The conversation turned to the food. Count Elson displayed his extensive knowledge, occasionally asking his butler about the wine.

After the meal, they finally addressed the main topic.

“So, about the silverware exhibition, you’ll be participating, right?”

“Well…”

***

“You’re short on silver?”

“Yes. It’s quite embarrassing…”

“Does that mean you can’t participate?”

“Yes, as it stands.”

Count Elson visibly looked disappointed.

“Um, I know this might be a strange question, but do you know of any suppliers who have silver ore, Count Elson?”

“Even if you ask me that… I don’t know anything about alchemy. That’s why I rely on people like you.”

“Right, of course.”

“Isn’t there any way you can manage?”

***

Count Elson sighed as he watched Laurent walk away dejectedly.

After that, the dinner had become quite awkward. Count Elson looked at Laurent with a pleading expression, while laurent looked apologetic. The silence persisted, and the conversation never picked up again.

The only saving grace was that this happened after they had finished the meal.

(Good grief. This is the hardship of a small guild. They lack any flexibility.)

Count Elson rang a bell to call his butler.

“You called for me, sir?”

“A letter.”

“Yes, to whom?”

“Lucius.”

While Laurent was having dinner with Count Elson, the competition between Lilianne and Alric over the “Dungeon of the Mine” was heating up.

As they continued their neck-and-neck race, they finally reached the 22nd floor.

However, this was still not the deepest part of the dungeon.

(Is it still going?)

Lilianne gulped down another potion, not even sure how many she had consumed by now.

Alric, feeling weary of the seemingly endless depth of the dungeon, continued to lead his squad forward.

(This is the longest dungeon I’ve ever been in.)

Even Alric, a seasoned adventurer, couldn’t hide his fatigue.

It had been over a week since they first delved into the dungeon.

Fatigue was catching up with them.

(Damn it. How much longer is this going to go on?)

However, Alric didn’t let his guard down.

Or rather, he couldn’t.

The difference in quality between Lilianne’s squad and Alric’s was too significant from the start.

Moreover, due to the weakening caused by Lucius (initially, Jill, who was assigned with him, was reassigned to another squad), the gap between Lilianne’s squad and Alric’s was only widening.

Alric resorted to a desperate strategy of sticking closely behind Lilianne, but even that was nearing its limit.

The distance between them was gradually widening.

(Is this it…)

But suddenly, the end came.

The anomaly occurred when they reached the 24th floor.

“The presence of monsters disappeared!?”

Lilianne used the skill “Levitation” and rose into the air to survey the area.

Indeed, there were no monsters.

Alric noticed it too.

(The monsters disappeared!?)

However, when he looked back at his squad, no one had any strength left.

It seemed impossible now to interrupt Lilianne’s squad and snatch the boss battle away from them.

(Is it hopeless?)

Alric began to give up.

However, after Lilianne looked beyond the hillside in the air, she showed no intention of challenging the boss battle.

She began to talk to her squad members about something.

(What’s going on?)

Suspicious, Alric caught up with Lilianne.

There, he could see beyond the hillside.

At the foot of the hill, he saw floating armor, helmets, shields, and swords.

They floated as if worn by humans, with the armor at the center, gauntlets on the arms, a sword in the right hand, and a shield in the left, wandering the plains, but there was no body within.

They were Armored Ghosts, spirits inhabiting armor.

“Those are… Armored Ghosts! Wearing armor!?”

“About fifty of them, I’d say.”

(Armored Ghosts wearing armor are immune to normal attacks. So that’s why Lilianne hesitated.)

Armored Ghosts could only be damaged by weapons imbued with spiritual attributes.

Unfortunately, neither squad had items to change their weapons into spiritual attributes.

(Have we been saved…?)

Alric realized he had been granted a reprieve from what seemed like an inevitable defeat.

However, there was no time to relax.

Alric faced the same problem of being unable to defeat the Armored Ghosts.

He needed to hurry and procure “Spirit Stones” (items that temporarily imbue weapons with spiritual attributes).

But for that, they had to return to town for the time being.

“Rosian, please deliver this to Laurent.”

Lilianne entrusted a message along with the “Shortcut Ring” to Rosian, an archer who had learned the skill “Silent Footsteps”.

“Please explain to Laurent. The final boss is an ‘Armored Ghost.’ To defeat it, we urgently need over 50 ‘Spirit Stones.’ So, please hurry and bring them here.”

“Yes, understood.”

Rosian, now with the ring in hand, immediately utilized “Silent Footsteps” to avoid encountering any monsters, swiftly retracing the path they had just taken.

Alric’s squad quickly caught wind of this movement.

“Captain Alric, look!”

“That’s Rosian. Using ‘Silent Footsteps’!”

Most monsters in this dungeon rely more on hearing than sight to detect enemies.

Thus, by using “Silent Footsteps,” one could return to the teleportation circle without being detected by monsters.

(I see. The plan is to send one person ahead to quickly retrieve the Spirit Light Stones. It’s indeed a faster way to obtain them. Waiting inside the dungeon also saves time on rebound sleep. A bold move indeed.)

After some hesitation, Alric made his decision.

(There’s no time to waste. If no better ideas come up, we’ll have to go along with their plan.)

Alric instructed those who could use “Silent Footsteps” to be selected and quickly return.

Seeing Rosian ahead of his own dispatched member frustrated Alric.

(Enough of this. If we keep being reactive like this… Even if we’re the largest guild in town, it’s meaningless if we can’t function!)

* * *

The day after the dinner with Count Elson, Laurent went to work at the “Guardians of the Magic Tree.”

Upon hearing from the receptionist that Monica and the others had conquered the “Forest Dungeon,” he was amazed.

“Monica’s team conquered the dungeon!? And Lilianne still hasn’t returned?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The guild is buzzing with that topic.”

(Impressive. I never thought they’d conquer the dungeon.)

“I assumed Savast would beat them this time… Did something happen with ‘Golden Hawks’?”

“Where are Monica’s team now?”

“They’re sleeping in the temporary rest area of the Guardians of the Magic Tree. They just returned from the dungeon, so I don’t think they’ll wake up for a while.”

At that moment, a guild member rushed in, barely catching his breath.

“Laurent, I’m glad I found you so quickly.”

“You are… from Lilianne’s team, right?”

“I’m Rosian. Due to certain circumstances…”

He explained what had happened in the dungeon.

That the boss was an ‘Armored Ghost.’

That they needed 50 Spirit Light Stones.

That Lilianne’s team was still in the dungeon.

“50 Spirit Light Stones…”

Laurent dashed off.

After conveying the message to Laurent, Rosian collapsed on the spot, falling into a deep sleep.

(There probably aren’t 50 Spirit Light Stones stocked in town. If that’s the case… there’s no time! I have to hurry and make them.)

Fortunately, the best alchemist in town worked at the “Spirit Factory.”

Meanwhile, news of the events in the two dungeons had reached the room of the ‘Golden Hawks’ guild leader.

“What!? The Guardians of the Magic Tree conquered the Forest Dungeon!?”

Lucius was furious.

“What is Savast doing?! And what about Cotter’s team!?”

Despite summoning representatives from both squads for questioning, they only blamed each other, and the truth remained elusive.

“Enough! For now, it’s the ‘Mine Dungeon’! I won’t tolerate any more failures. We’ll gather the full strength of the Golden Hawks and go get that dungeon!”

Lucius ordered both squads to prepare for deployment and called the alchemy guild to procure and refine the Spirit Light Stones.

Simultaneously, arrangements were made to tighten control over the distribution of Spirit Light Stones and their materials at the ‘Spirit Factory.’

However, Laurent was quicker this time.

By the time Lucius’s orders reached, Laurent had already procured the necessary materials for over 50 Spirit Light Stones and rushed into the workshop.

“Sorry, Ranju. It’s an urgent matter. I need over 50 Spirit Light Stones as soon as possible!”