The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild

Chapter 28 The Count’s Choice

The workshop, which was forced to urgently change its production plans, had Ranju busily adjusting the kiln.

That day, they were planning to refine silver, so every setting on the kiln had to be changed.

Meanwhile, Arri was selecting the raw materials for the “Spirit Stones.”

She distributed the raw materials for the “Spirit Stones” according to each worker’s skill level.

She would take out one piece of the raw materials from their respective boxes, lightly heat it, or tap it with a hammer to check its texture.

(This is B class. This one only qualifies for C class. This is A class, so I have to handle it all myself.)

The sorted “Spirit Stones” were then distributed to each worker according to their level.

“Arri, the kiln is ready,”

Ranju, who had changed the kiln settings from silver to “Spirit Stones,” rushed into the room.

“We’re ready here too. Let’s start refining immediately.”

Arri directed the workers, and they refined fifty “Spirit Stones” that day.

The “Spirit Stones” were completed without losing any of their potential.

The next day, when Laurent and his team brought the “Spirit Stones” to the dungeon, the “Guardians of the Magic Tree” unit, who had already finished their preparations, were waiting.

“Laurent, I’ve heard the news. We’re ready for the dungeon exploration!”

“Everyone, I’m sorry. You’ve just returned from the dungeon.”

“No problem. If we can take two dungeons, it will deal a blow to the ‘Golden Hawk.’ This is a rare opportunity. Let’s give the ‘Golden Hawk’ a good thrashing.”

Shaqma said enthusiastically.

“Listen, Laurent. Those Savast guys tried to attack us directly!”

Euphene said indignantly, which was rare for her.

“We can’t let this slide. We need to teach them a lesson!”

“Haha, you’re right. …Oops.”

Even in such a moment, Laurent walked over to the quiet girl at the back and spoke to her.

“Monica, I heard you conquered the ‘Forest Dungeon.'”

“Yes, somehow.”

“No, I underestimated your abilities. To think you managed to conquer it before the Savast team. That’s incredible.”

“It’s not… we just got lucky.”

Monica blushed and looked embarrassed.

“Laurent, we’re ready.”

Euphene, having finished distributing the ‘Spirit Stones’ to the item holders, spoke up.

“Alright, I’ll explain the plan.”

Laurent held a meeting on the spot.

“This time, our goal is to support Lilianne’s team. Speed is everything. Therefore, we need to form a unit that can prioritize speed while protecting the item holders and still conquer the dungeon with the minimum necessary number of people. That’s why I’ve called this group here today. Ignore quests and monsters as much as possible, and take the shortest route to deliver these ‘Spirit Stones’ to Lilianne’s team.”

Laurent had pre-selected members who prioritized exploration speed over combat power.

This time, he based the team on the members who had excelled in the ‘Forest Dungeon,’ keeping key players like Monica, Shaqma, and Euphene, while excluding those with relatively low agility. He also added a support mage who could use ‘Agility Enhancement’ and Rosian from Lilianne’s team.

Their equipment was generally lightweight.

However, the balance was maintained.

This should allow for the fastest dungeon traversal.

Laurent had always kept a list of available adventurers, their skills, statuses, and equipment, and had several pre-planned formations ready for immediate deployment in case of emergencies.

“The basic tactics remain the same. Monica, use your ‘Hawkeye’ to choose the best path, with Shaqma and Euphene providing combat support. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, go on then. I’m counting on you.”

Monica and the others promptly dived into the ‘Mine Dungeon.’

“I’ll guide you. This way is the shortest route to the teleportation magic circle.”

Having previously explored the dungeon as part of Lilianne’s team, Rosian pointed to the path the unit had taken before.

The 21st floor was a ruins stage.

“No, this way is faster.”

Monica indicated a different path than Rosian.

Naturally, the unit followed Monica’s direction.

Rosian panicked.

“Wait, that’s an unexplored path. It’s dangerous to proceed based on intuition at a time like this. If we hit a dead end, we’ll lose valuable time.”

“Just trust Monica.”

Euphene said, trying to calm him.

The unit entered a complicated, winding path.

Rosian, confused, followed them and soon found themselves on a familiar path.

(Is there such a route? This is the power of the unique skill ‘Hawkeye’…)

In no time, Monica and her team had traversed a third of the 21st floor.

Several hours earlier, news had reached Lucius that the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ support unit had completed the procurement of ‘Spirit Stones’ and entered the dungeon.

Lucius was astonished.

“What? They’ve already completed their preparations?”

(Impossible. They finished their preparations before us?)

Upon hearing that ‘Spirit Stones’ were needed, Lucius had hastily ordered their preparation. However, none of the workshops could respond immediately to Lucius’s sudden demand and instead showed reluctance.

Lucius, leveraging his authority and scale, ordered all current operations in his affiliated guilds to stop and directed all resources toward refining ‘Spirit Stones.’ Despite this, he lagged behind the ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ in terms of agility.

“Damn it! None of you are any use! How can we fall behind a newly formed guild!”

Lucius roared in the meeting room.

(If it comes to this, we have no choice but to overwhelm them with our dungeon exploration speed!)

“This is a battle we cannot lose. If we fall behind the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ here, it will disgrace the name of the ‘Golden Hawk’! Assemble the strongest members and ensure that we are the first to conquer it!”

Lucius’s idea of the strongest members was straightforward.

He selected thirty members in order of their adventurer rank.

This lineup included A-class adventurer Savast, Jill who had just returned from the ‘Demon Dungeon’ after an outstanding performance, Daevin who usually hammered metal in a corner of the headquarters, and the three Cotter siblings.

It was truly an all-star cast, but considerations of speed, compatibility, and equipment balance were completely ignored.

Thus, with great fanfare, the ‘Golden Hawk’s strongest unit plunged into the dungeon, but their progress was unbearably slow.

In addition to being a hastily assembled mixed unit with no coordination, the animosity between Savast and the Cotter siblings, which had originated in the ‘Forest Dungeon,’ flared up again.

The members quarreled over everything from marching order and path selection to tactics and the distribution of items.

Jill felt frustrated and impatient.

(We’re being outpaced by the enemy, yet these guys keep squabbling among themselves. At this rate, we won’t catch up, let alone overtake them.)

Jill glared ahead into the dungeon.

The ruins stage was filled with numerous buildings, and a tall structure loomed directly in front of her.

“Hey, what are you doing, Jill?”

Daevin looked at her suspiciously.

Savast also noticed her.

“Jill! What are you doing outside the formation? The path is this way. Stop acting on your own!”

“I’ll make a path.”

(Don’t be deceived by appearances. It’s just a pile of earth. If I can cut it down, it’s no different from a golem!)

Jill raised her sword towards the building.

“Wait, no way…”

“Everyone, follow me! Uooooo!”

Jill’s sword came crashing down.

With a deafening roar, the wall of the building shattered into pieces.

Jill charged forward through the dungeon, unperturbed by the falling rubble.

Every time a wall blocked her path, she destroyed it and continued on.

“Ah, geez. Who do you think has to repair all this? This is why muscle-heads are a pain…”

Daevin, disheartened, muttered complaints as he walked through the path Jill had created.

“Whoa!”

“Everyone, follow Jill!”

The suddenly energized unit began to eagerly follow Jill.

“Tch. How annoying.”

Savast, who had his own reasons for not wanting to advance too quickly, wore a bitter expression as he chased after Jill and Daevin.

As Monica advanced, she sensed something rapidly approaching from behind.

(Is the wind changing direction? No, it’s the buildings behind us?)

Using ‘Hawkeye,’ she saw heavily armored knights literally smashing through the buildings and advancing straight through the dungeon.

Nothing stood in their way.

Faced with Jill’s raging advance, the dungeon’s monsters fled in terror.

Even the undead from the land of the dead, the soulless golems, and the orcs were startled by the sounds of destruction and moved away.

(What is this? This person is smashing through buildings as they go… Is this even possible?)

In no time, Jill caught up with Monica and her team.

Monica and Jill ran parallel to each other on a wide path, recognizing each other’s presence.

The “Guardians of the Magic Tree” were shocked.

“That’s Jill Irwin from the ‘Golden Hawk’!”

“An S-Class potential heavy knight!”

As Jill overtook the “Guardians of the Magic Tree” unit, she climbed to the second floor of a nearby building, destroyed a spire, and scattered rubble onto Monica and her team’s path.

“Ugh, she’s blocking our route!”

Euphene grimaced.

“What should we do? Clear the rubble or go around?” Shaqma asked Monica.

“Let’s go around. There’s a small path beside us that the unit can take.”

(The path isn’t limited to this one. But… they’re faster. How can we compete with this…)

“Oh, blatantly blocking the way like this. You know interfering with other adventurers’ exploration is illegal, right?” Daevin, who had followed Jill, said with exasperation.

“I merely destroyed a building. I had no intention of obstructing other adventurers.”

“Always with the excuses…”

“My sword broke. Fix it.”

“Yes, yes. I knew this would happen.” Daevin took out a small forge and used fire magic to repair the sword on the spot.

Monica and her team maneuvered through the narrow path.

(Got it! There’s an ambush hidden up ahead.)

From her high vantage point, Jill could see undead zombie archers with bows rushing into the buildings flanking the narrow path.

As expected, arrows rained down on Monica’s team as they moved through the path.

“Euphene! Please!”

“Okay. ‘Wide-Area Healing Magic!'”

As Euphene chanted, a magical path formed, allowing the unit to advance while being healed amidst the barrage of arrows.

The magic circle moved forward in sync with the unit’s progress.

“What, what is that magic circle? It’s moving!”

Jill and Daevin’s eyes widened.

(Is that the healer’s skill? To develop such a skill…)

(It’s not just the skill. The unit is optimized for the mission, considering both stats and equipment. There’s no doubt about it. The one who put together that unit is…)

(Both) Laurent-san!

Both of them sharply sensed Laurent’s influence.

“Damn it. What is Savast doing! I went to the trouble of making a path for him, and he still can’t catch up?”

Jill turned back, irritated.

Savast was still lagging far behind, advancing sluggishly.

(This mission is about getting the item bearers to the deepest part! No matter how far ahead I go, if the whole unit doesn’t move forward, it’s pointless. At this rate, the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ will outpace us again!)

“Daevin! You hurry up too…”

“Here, it’s fixed.”

“Whoa.”

Daevin handed Jill the sword he had repaired.

“I made it easier to destroy buildings too.”

“Why the sudden enthusiasm? You seem more motivated than usual.”

“Nothing special. It’s just the mission. And besides…”

(I don’t want to look like I’ve lost my edge, especially in front of Laurent-san’s unit.)

“Alright, let’s go!”

Jill brushed the dust from her hair, readied her sword, and prepared to carve a path forward again.

“Wait, you two!!”

Just as Jill was about to swing her sword to destroy the wall, a voice called out from behind.

Jill turned abruptly, startled, and saw a ghostly figure.

“Is that… the skill ‘Astral Projection’?”

Daevin muttered, eyeing the ghostly figure suspiciously.

The figure was a person summoned into the dungeon in spirit form via the ‘Astral Projection’ skill.

‘Astral Projection’ is a skill that allows one to access acquaintances within the dungeon under certain conditions.

It can only be activated when conditions such as “knowing the general location of the person within the dungeon” and “having had over 100 conversations with the person” are met.

Jill frowned as she looked at the spirit.

“You… you’re the guild master’s aide… Why are you here?”

“I have a message from Lucius-sama. Jill and Daevin, you are both ordered to return to the ‘Golden Hawk’ headquarters immediately.”

“What?”

Jill’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Why on earth?”

“I don’t know the reason. However, this is an urgent command! You both must prioritize returning at once.”

“But…”

“What are you arguing about?”

As Jill was about to voice her objections, Savast, who had caught up from behind, joined the conversation.

“Hmm? Aren’t you the guild master’s aide? What are you doing here?”

“Actually, Lucius-sama has ordered me to bring Jill and Daevin back…”

“What!? Is that so? Then you should return immediately. Jill! Daevin! What are you waiting for?”

“But we have a mission to deliver the Spirit Stones to Alric’s team…”

“What are you talking about? If the guild master himself is ordering you to return, that should be your top priority. Disobeying this order could jeopardize the organization’s unity. Return at once.”

“But…”

“Enough! While you’re dithering, the Guardians of the Magical Tree are advancing. If you don’t want to compromise the mission, there’s no time for this pointless argument. Hurry back immediately!”

Reluctantly, Jill and Daevin turned back and returned to the city.

* * *

Monica, progressing through the dungeon, noticed something amiss.

“Monica? What’s wrong?”

“It feels like the pressure from behind has weakened…”

With Jill and Daevin’s departure, Savast, not wanting Alric to take credit, saw this as an opportunity and deliberately slowed the unit’s progress.

The distance between the two groups began to widen again.

Jill and Daevin, upon returning from the dungeon, were given no time to rest. They were dressed in formal attire and packed into a carriage.

It was only after the carriage had been traveling for a while that they were told they were going to meet Count Elson.

Lucius, holding a letter from Count Elson in his pocket, grinned to himself in the carriage.

The letter mentioned a consultation regarding the Silvercraft and Alchemy Guild.

(So they’ve finally decided to rely on us. If that’s the case, Laurent is no longer needed. Once we secure Count Elson’s support, those meddlesome investors will be unnecessary as well.)

The thought of no longer having to accommodate the controlling investors filled Lucius with joy.

As soon as the carriage arrived at the mansion, they were invited to a banquet.

Lucius ensured that both Jill and Daevin were present at the table.

Count Elson, upon seeing Jill for the first time, gasped at her beauty.

“Now, let me ask you again.”

“Yes. Whatever you need.”

“I want you to support the ‘Spirit Workshop.’ Supply them with silver.”

“Yes, leave it to us… Wait, what!?”

“Oh, will you do it?”

“Uh… wait a moment. Did you say supply silver to the ‘Spirit Workshop’?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And you want us to do that?”