The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 43

Chapter 43   The Power of the Versatile Mage

It had been 48 hours since the two squads had entered the dungeon.

Laurent’s group, having reached the fifth floor, bypassed the return magic circle and headed straight for the sixth floor.

However, Alric’s squad immediately pursued them.

Up to this point, Laurent’s squad had been leading, but Alric’s squad was always right behind them, following through the magic circles.

(Damn. So this is the pressure of being the lead squad.)

Monica grimaced under the unexpectedly heavy burden.

The pressure was even greater and lasted longer than when they were being chased by Savast, slowly wearing down their nerves.

That was the sensation.

“Alric’s squad doesn’t seem to be worn out at all,” Euphene whispered to Laurent.

“That’s because we’re in the lead. The further back Alric’s squad is, the fewer monsters they encounter.”

“Even so, their weapons show no signs of wear and tear.”

“It shows just how skillfully Alric’s squad is operating.”

(Still, it’s tough to keep being chased like this. I’d like to take a break somewhere.)

Euphene couldn’t help but voice her weakness in her mind.

The frustration and impatience were also growing for Alric’s squad.

“Damn. They really aren’t giving up the lead,” Alric’s lieutenant complained.

“We’re running at full speed here!”

“Calm down. We’re just done with the fifth floor,” Alric said, trying to pacify him.

“From here on the sixth floor, troublesome monsters will appear. Pure brute force won’t be enough to move quickly.”

(If it comes to that, our squad’s operational skills should make the difference.)

On the sixth floor, there were two paths to the sanctuary. Both were straight and of the same length.

(A single path. In that case, the ‘Hawkeye’ advantage disappears.)

Hearing Monica’s report, Laurent made this judgment.

“Laurent, there’s a fork in the road. Which way should we go?”

The path split into two: right and left.

“Alright, let’s take the left.”

Laurent’s group dashed into the left path.

Alric’s group chose the right path.

“They chose a different path than us,” Euphene whispered to Laurent.

“They plan to make their move on this floor.”

(As expected of Alric. He knows the critical point for the decisive battle.)

As they advanced through the dungeon, Monica’s ‘Hawkeye’ detected enemies.

“Enemy sighted. Thirty Skeleton Lancers and five Vampires!”

(From here on, we’ll need support magic to avoid heavy losses.)

“Shaqma, did you hear that?” Laurent asked Shaqma beside him.

“Yes. Attack mages, to the front!”

Before Laurent even finished speaking, Shaqma issued the command.

Currently, Laurent’s team was moving in a two-column formation optimal for fast travel through the dungeon. The warriors in front fell back, and the attack mages from the rear moved to the front.

(Alright. Shaqma knows. Skeletons are weak against attack magic! Normally, attack mages stay at the back, but against Skeletons, they need to be in front.)

Ahead, the Skeleton Lancers were waiting with their spears ready.

They were neatly arranged in fifteen rows.

“Archers to the rear. Handle the Vampires. Let’s go! ‘Attack Enhancement!'”

When Shaqma cast the spell, the attack mages were enveloped in a red glow.

“Take this, ‘Explosive Flame Magic’!”

“‘Blast Wind Magic’!”

Monica also unleashed her ‘Impaler’.

The enhanced attack magic hit the central five rows of Skeleton Lancers, blasting them away.

The skeletons struck by the magic shattered in the air, scattering in pieces.

Laurent’s team dashed through the gap in the formation, bypassing the Skeleton Lancer squad.

The Skeleton Lancers hurried to fill the gap, but their movements were sluggish.

Although the Skeleton Lancers were strong in close combat, their agility was low.

Lerio and the archers dealt with the incoming Vampires (as Vampires are flying units).

(Monica has been taking down enemies on her own. We need to handle at least the anti-air attacks ourselves.)

Lerio shot an arrow and took down one of the approaching Vampires.

“More enemies ahead. This time, twenty life-sized earth golems, Mini-Golems!”

“Shaqma!”

“Yes. Shield team, move to the front!”

Ahead, ten rows of Mini-Golems blocked the path.

As soon as they saw Laurent’s group, the Mini-Golems charged straight at them with flawless coordination.

Mini-Golems could be defeated by destroying the core in their heads, but even after the core was destroyed, they would continue moving. This meant that attacking them could lead to mutual destruction.

“Let’s go. ‘Defense Enhancement!'”

The shield team was enveloped in a blue light.

They braced themselves to intercept and push back the charging Mini-Golems.

(Alright. Looks like we’ll get through this without any injuries.)

“You’re on fire, Shaqma.”

“Yes, everything’s going well,” Shaqma said, drinking a mana recovery potion.

Laurent appraised Shaqma’s status.

Mana: 90/100

(Her stats are stable. She’s not losing her cool during combat anymore. She’s really grown.)

“Alright. Keep it up.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

After that, they encountered mixed squads of Ghouls, Goblins, Orcs, Zombie Archers, Skeleton Lancers, and Mini-Golems several times, but thanks to Shaqma’s command and support magic, they managed to break through with minimal losses without slowing down.

(So far, thanks to Shaqma’s support magic, we’ve been able to move almost without stopping. Even Alric’s squad shouldn’t be able to get ahead of us… right?)

Euphene reassured herself as they continued through the dungeon.

After a while, Lauremt and his group reached a high ground from which they could survey the area.

They saw another path of the dungeon below, and there, they spotted Alric’s squad marching.

“Is that… Alric’s squad!?” Monica exclaimed in shock.

“No way. They’re keeping pace with us,” Euphene said, equally surprised.

“How? We’ve been running at full speed without slowing down…”

“There shouldn’t be any difference in our marching speeds. So why is Alric advancing faster?” Shaqma wondered aloud, clearly puzzled.

(It’s time to show our true capabilities.)

Laurent glanced sideways at Alric.

“Everyone, no need for potions yet, right? We’ll keep pushing forward.”

Alric also noticed Laurent’s group.

(Finally caught up. Just a little more to overtake them.)

Eventually, the two paths diverged, and the squads lost sight of each other again.

Laurent’s group entered a tunnel.

Here, ghosts wearing hats, known as Ghost Hats, blocked the adventurers’ path.

Ghost Hats did not attack the physical body directly but targeted the soul instead.

Like physical health, soul damage could be healed, but it couldn’t be blocked by armor, and the ghosts appeared out of nowhere, making their attacks unavoidable.

This meant that healing magic was absolutely essential in this area.

“So it’s my turn,” Euphene said, gripping her new staff tightly.

“Everyone, if you take damage, raise your hand and shout immediately. Don’t hesitate. Call for Euphene’s healing,” Laurent instructed.

Immediately, one of the warriors cried out.

“Ahh, help me!”

“Single Target Heal!”

Euphene pointed her staff, and a magic circle appeared at the warrior’s feet.

He quickly regained his color and recovered.

They used attack magic to fend off the Ghost Hats (ghost types could not be defeated by swords or arrows, only magic worked).

But soon, another cry rang out.

“Over here! I need healing!”

“Help me too!”

Soon, cries for help were coming from all directions.

“Everyone! Form a circle around Euphene!”

“Wide Area Heal!”

Euphene chanted the spell, and thirty magic circles spread out in a circle around her.

This ensured that the adventurers’ feet were evenly covered.

(Ah, so with this staff, I can fix the location where the magic circles appear right from the start.)

Euphene looked at the healing magic circles and realized the effectiveness of her new staff.

(Indeed, if the squad forms a circular formation, I can adjust it slightly to heal the entire squad. This will also save mana.)

Under the protection of Euphene’s healing magic, the group proceeded through the Ghost’s nest.

Suddenly, Marina collapsed to the ground.

“Marina!? What’s wrong?” Laurent rushed to her side.

“Whimper… My feet hurt. I can’t walk anymore in this dark, damp place,” Marina whined.

“You’re an adventurer! Don’t give up over something like this,” Euphene chided, poking Marina with her staff as usual.

However, Marina remained curled up and unmoving.

“I’m exhausted. I’ve been continuously using Monica’s ‘Impaler.’ I’m at my limit. Let’s take a break.”

“Now’s not the time for that. You saw Alric’s squad catching up to us, didn’t you? If we don’t speed up, they’ll overtake us!”

“Even so, I can’t…”

“Fine. I’ll carry you. (I haven’t done much besides checking statuses anyway),” Laurent said.

“Really, Captain? You’ll carry me? Yay!” Marina gleefully hopped onto Laurent’s back.

Euphene looked on bitterly.

(Damn it. This rookie is taking advantage of the situation and getting carried by the captain… I’ll have to discipline her later.)

Laurent checked Marina’s status.

(She’s not out of stamina. She’s just being stubborn.)

Laurent felt a bit relieved.

Then, he shifted his gaze to Rick and Lerio.

(Marina’s involvement in the use of ‘Impaler’ is understandable, but Rick has yet to score a single kill, and Lerio has only taken down one Vampire Baby…)

Laurent checked Rick and Lerio’s statuses as well.

He noticed slight irregularities in their statuses.

(Considering this is their first dungeon exploration, they’re doing well to keep up. However, their movements are still stiff. Compared to the more experienced members, their mental states are understandably less stable.)

Laurent analyzed the trio’s condition.

Rick felt increasingly anxious as they marched.

(Damn, I’m the only one who hasn’t killed a single monster. Marina is managing ‘Impaler,’ and Lerio took down a Vampire. I need to show some results soon, or the commander’s impression of me will worsen.)

“An exit!” one of the squad members shouted.

Laurent quickly saw the blue sky coming into view.

Having cleared the tunnel and safely navigated the Ghost’s nest, Laurent and his group emerged into an open area once again.

From this vantage point, they could see another path below and Alric’s squad.

Alric and his team were significantly ahead of them.

“What? They passed us?” Monica exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.

“No way… We’ve been moving at full speed too… How is this possible?” Euphene muttered, still unable to comprehend.

In this level, Alric’s team reached the teleportation magic circle first.

On the seventh level, Laurent and his team found themselves for the first time in the position of pursuers rather than the pursued.

However, this allowed them to closely observe Alric’s fighting style.

While Laurent’s team changed their formations based on the type of monsters and the dungeon, Alric’s team maintained a constant formation.

Alric always led at the front, casting attack magic against skeletons and ghouls, using support magic against mini-golems, and covering the rear with healing magic when ghosts appeared.

By avoiding the time lost in changing formations, they progressed much faster than Laurent’s team.

“I can’t believe it. That man handles everything from attack to support and healing all by himself?” Euphene said in amazement.

“Ugh, so this is the power of the versatile mage Alric…” Shaqma groaned.

“Laurent, what should we do?” Monica asked, nearly in tears.

“Everyone, stay calm. There’s still a long way to go. Even Alric must feel the pressure of leading. Moreover, if he continues to handle all the magic by himself, he’ll eventually deplete his mana. Our chance will come,” Laurent reassured them.

As Alric’s team advanced through the dungeon, they heard a thunderous rumble shaking the ground.

“This tremor… it can’t be!?” Alric’s second-in-command exclaimed in surprise.

Looking in the direction of the rumbling, they saw five towering earth golems, Tower Golems, waiting on the path ahead of Laurent’s team.

“What!? We haven’t even reached the tenth level yet, and we’re already facing Tower Golems!”

(This is our chance!)

While his subordinates panicked, Alric smirked to himself.

(No matter how capable Laurent’s team is, they won’t be able to maintain their marching formation against Tower Golems. They’ll have to spread out and engage, which will take time and cause significant delays. If we play this right, we can put a lot of distance between us and them.)

“Everyone, don’t panic. This is actually an opportunity. We can use this to pull ahead…”

“Captain Alric… look, Laurent’s team is…”

“What!?”

Laurent’s team, in their usual two-column marching formation, charged straight at the Tower Golems.

(Foolish. Charging at the golems without deploying their formation is suicidal. Has Laurent lost his mind?)

From Laurent’s team, a warrior clad in armor leaped forward.

It was Rick.

Rick not only braced himself against the Tower Golem’s torso but also pushed back against it.

“Aaaaaah!”

The Tower Golem attempted to grab Rick with its massive palm, but its fingers slipped, failing to grasp him.

(Ah, so this is the effect of the “Lizard Armor” oil.)

Rick kept pushing with all his might.

Eventually, the Tower Golem stumbled and fell.

With one Tower Golem down, a gap opened up in the enemy’s formation.

Seizing the opportunity, Laurent’s team swiftly passed through the gap, bypassing the Tower Golems, and once again surged ahead, overtaking Alric’s team.