The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 101

Chapter 101   War Information

The quartet stared intently at the armor placed on the workbench, all of them wearing serious expressions.

This armor had been sourced from a retail store and bore the emblem of the ‘Spirits Workshop.’

“So, this is the armor crafted by Aina Burke, the A-class alchemist from the Spirits Workshop.”

“At first glance, it looks like an ordinary piece of armor… Hey, appraise it.”

“Understood.”

The appraiser used ‘Item Appraisal’ on the armor.

[Armor Status]

Defense: 70

Durability: 70

Weight: 50

Special Effect: ‘Flexibility’

“Hmm. Defense 70, durability 70.”

“That’s B-class equipment.”

“With this thickness and weight, B-class? It seems like C-class at best,” Charles questioned.

“Enough talk. Let’s test it,” Edgar said, raising a hammer and striking the armor.

However, the armor remained unscathed. Edgar grimaced in pain from the recoil.

“…Damn, that hurt.”

The other three looked shocked.

“This is impossible. This hammer should have a power of 70. For it to leave no mark on such armor…”

“Lizetta, try attacking it with your ‘Fire Spear.'”

“Got it.”

Lizetta grasped the ‘Fire Spear’ and took her stance.

As she thrust the glowing red spear into the armor, it began to sizzle and melt. However, a thick green liquid started oozing from inside.

“What is this?”

“Is this… paint?”

“Hmm. I don’t understand the exact mechanism, but it seems that this paint is the secret to enhancing the armor’s stats. Probably a unique skill,” Raoul analyzed.

“Lightweight like C-class but with B-class stats. I’ve never seen such equipment before…”

“That’s the power of an S-class appraiser, finding such unique skills,” Raoul stated.

“And this is just a commercially available item. Equipment meant for adventurers partnered with the ‘Spirits Workshop’ might have even higher performance.”

“According to the ‘White Wolf’ folks, every adventurer allied with the ‘Spirits Workshop’ wore blue armor,” another added.

“In short, destroying Aina Burke’s armor requires at least A-class power or some special attack. Lizetta, you’ll lead the operation to take down the ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ this time.”

“Understood.”

“Wait a minute. I can craft A-class equipment too!” Edgar protested.

“You saw the experiment. This armor is more susceptible to heat-based attacks like Lizetta’s ‘Fire Spear’ than regular attacks. Just let her handle it this time,” Raoul reasoned.

“Ugh,” Edgar grumbled but couldn’t argue further.

As they discussed, the door opened, and Medes walked in.

“Hey. Are you all doing your jobs properly?”

The quartet gave Medes a cold stare.

To them, Medes, who had failed to procure the Fire Repellant Ore (Fire Rest), was now a burden. They had already agreed among themselves that Medes would have no say in the current operation.

“How’s the plan to crush the ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ going? Everything progressing smoothly? Make sure that arrogant youngster learns his place. Huh? What’s with those looks? Got something to say? Hey, why aren’t you answering? Where are you all going? Wait! Why are you ignoring me? Say something, all of you!”

*

Seagulls glided over the sea, landing on the pier.

Laurent had come to the port to see Monica off.

Her vacation was ending soon, and she needed to catch a ship back to the ‘Adventurers’ Town’ by the end of the day.

“Well then, Laurent,” she said.

“Take care,” he replied.

“When will we meet again?” Monica asked, looking sad.

“I’m not sure. The work here might take a while. It could be some time before I can return to the ‘Adventurers’ Town’.”

“…I see.”

“Stay well. Keep honing your skills in the ‘Adventurers’ Town’. Don’t let them get dull.”

“I will.”

They embraced.

As they were saying their goodbyes, the ship arrived at the port.

Monica had already completed the boarding procedures, so all that was left was for her to get on the ship. She boarded, then leaned over the railing and waved at Laurent.

Laurent waved back until the ship disappeared over the horizon.

“…Now,” he said.

There was no time to linger in sentiment. Laurent returned to the city to prepare for the new challenges ahead.

The next day, it was officially announced at the quest reception that Monica had defeated an A-class monster. The townspeople, hoping to be saved by an A-class adventurer from outside the island, searched for her. But when they learned that she had already left the city, they were disappointed and slumped their shoulders.

After parting ways with Monica, Laurent headed to his meeting with Leon.

When he arrived at the tavern, Leon, who was already sipping his drink, waved at him.

“Thanks for your help with the recent ‘Fire Repellant Ore Fire Rest’ acquisition quest. I owe you one.”

“I’m glad it went well. So, how is everyone doing now?”

“Thanks to you, everyone’s doing well. The guild members who joined the alliance are thriving and can continue their work. Some have even improved their skills.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“But I was surprised to find out you had experience leading a team.”

“Haha, I’m still learning.”

“Well, you’re reliable. I’m counting on you from now on.”

“By the way…”

Laurent glanced around before continuing.

“I heard the ‘Knights of Hail’ have arrived on this island.”

“Yeah, and it’s their first unit. Every one of them is a tough guy trained in the northern lands. Especially a man named Sendrick, he’s an A-class adventurer. In terms of individual strength, there’s no one on this island who can match him. The locals are already scrambling to form alliances with the ‘Knights of Hail’.”

“And what about the ‘Dawn Shield’? What’s your plan?”

“Of course, we’ll prioritize the ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ quests. Knowing you, you must already have a plan for what’s next, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I thought so. So, what’s the ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ going to do?”

“Face the ‘Knights of Hail’ head-on.”

“What…?”

“How would you react if I said that?”

Laurent grinned mischievously.

“Don’t joke about that. You scared me for a second… Seriously…”

Leon quickly checked to see if any adventurers from the ‘Knights of Hail’ were nearby, then relaxed and took another sip of his drink.

“Haha. Well, it’s not a joke at all.”

“Ugh. Cough, cough.”

Leon choked unexpectedly.

“Leon, are you okay?”

“Am I okay? I should be asking you that. Are you serious about facing the ‘Knights of Hail’ head-on?”

“Of course, I’m serious. I believe we can stand up to the ‘Knights of Hail,’ especially if we team up.”

(This guy… where does this confidence come from?)

“So? What about you? Do you have the guts to take on the ‘Knights of Hail’ directly?”

“Well, I think it’s a bit too soon for that, to be honest.”

“Hmm. I see…”

Laurent later asked the same question to ‘Pegasus Archer,’ but the response was similar.

Most of the guilds in the ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’ alliance seemed eager to join the ‘Knights of Hail’ alliance, making it impossible to form a large-scale force like before.

Though they had some trust in the equipment from the ‘Arsenal of the Spirits,’ they still saw more benefits in teaming up with adventurers from outside the island.

Only three guilds, ‘Guardians of the Ore,’ ‘Silver Eagle Alliance,’ and ‘Mountain Cats,’ decided to form a partnership with the ‘Arsenal of the Spirits.’

Realizing the island’s adventurers still heavily relied on outsiders, Laurent decided to send letters to Lilianne and Ranju, requesting assistance.

Meanwhile, Laurent returned to the ‘Spririt’s Workshop’ to gather information.

He thought about Medes, who had visited recently.

If Medes’ visit was to purchase ‘Fire Repellant Ore Fire Rest,’ it indicated that ‘Dragon’s Embers’ might be struggling with a shortage of the ore more than he initially thought.

Laurent wanted to know how desperate they were.

At the ‘Spirit’s Workshop,’ Laurent sought Pat’s opinion. He had already ordered Pat to investigate the activities of ‘Dragon’s Embers’ and the ‘Knights of Hail.’

“Pat, tell me the results of your investigation.”

“Yes. As suspected, ‘Dragon’s Embers’ is facing a significant shortage of ore.”

“Just as I thought.”

“Yes. It’s been a week since the ‘Knights of Hail’ entrusted their equipment to ‘Dragon’s Embers,’ but there’s no sign of them receiving it back. I spoke to several adventurers from the ‘Knights of Hail,’ and they were furious about the prolonged delay.”

“I see.”

Hearing Pat’s report, Laurent grew more confident in his hypothesis and decided to test ‘Dragon’s Embers.’ He asked Dylan to extract information using ‘Fire Repellant Ore Fire Rest’ as bait.

Dylan found the ore procurement officer from ‘Dragon’s Embers’ looking dejected at a tavern one night and approached him with the following offer:

“A supplier is stuck with a large stock of ‘Fire Repellant Ore Fire Rest.’ They can’t find a buyer and are in trouble. They’re looking for a guild to buy it…”

The officer took the bait easily.

“What!? Really? That’s perfect timing. We’re currently in dire need of ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest.’ We would love to buy it.”

While negotiating the price and quantity, Dylan managed to gather accurate information about the quantity needed and the amount the officer already had.

The next day, the hopeful procurement officer arrived, expecting to buy the ore. Dylan, wearing an apologetic expression, said:

“About the ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest’… I’m sorry, but it seems the supplier found another buyer. There’s not a single piece left. I apologize, but we have to cancel our previous discussion.”

The officer left, disappointed.

With these investigations and reports, Laurent began to solidify his strategy, considering the situation and the disparity in their forces.

“So, I’ve decided to avoid a direct confrontation with the ‘Knights of Hail’ this time,” Laurent announced at a meeting with the ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ members.

“O-Oh,” Wayne replied awkwardly.

(He was seriously planning a direct confrontation with the ‘Knights of Hail’? There’s no way we could win against a major external guild with a ragtag bunch of small island guilds.)

“However, just because we’re avoiding a direct confrontation with the ‘Knights of Hail’ doesn’t mean we can escape the clash with ‘Dragon’s Embers.'”

The relief in the room was short-lived as the atmosphere grew tense again.

“We made quite a splash with the alliance last time. They’ll definitely come at us seriously now. But they have their weaknesses too. Pat, Dylan, give your report.”

“Yes. We investigated the ‘Knights of Hail,’ who have entrusted ‘Dragon’s Embers’ with their equipment maintenance and manufacturing…”

Pat began to deliver the same report he had given Laurent.

“…From these findings, it is clear that ‘Dragon’s Embers’ is currently struggling with a significant shortage of ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest,'” concluded Pat.

“I also probed into the situation with ‘Dragon’s Embers’ ore procurement officer and found out the same,” Dylan reported his findings.

“Thank you both for your thorough investigation. As evident from the information gathered, ‘Dragon’s Embers’ is undoubtedly facing a shortage of ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest.’ Therefore, ‘Spirit’s Workshop’ will leverage this advantage and support our partnered guilds, including ‘Dawn’s Sheild,’ to strategize our next move.”

“What do our allied adventurers have to say about this?” Aina asked.

“They also believe that a direct confrontation with ‘Knights of Hail’ is premature. They have requested us to issue quests that do not compete directly with ‘Knights of Hail,'” Laurent responded.

“Ah, I see.” (He’s still talking about direct confrontations… Laurent is quite combative.)

“Our main concern now should be the ‘Quartet’ of ‘Dragon’s Embers’ and their loyal adventurer guilds. ‘Dragon’s Embers’ is not foolish; they will seriously attempt to crush us. We need everyone to produce even better equipment than before. Especially you, Aina. Your A-class title is no secret to ‘Dragon’s Embers.’ They are undoubtedly researching ways to counter your armor. It’s possible that the Quartet will come after you with everything they’ve got.”

“The Quartet coming after me…” Aina gulped.

This was an unprecedented pressure. Although she had previously crafted armor with better stats than Edgar Rogue’s equipment, those were merely catalog specifications. This would be her first serious battle against a prepared and vigilant opponent.

“Aina, you need to create the strongest equipment you’ve ever made. Something that can withstand Edgar Rogue’s ‘Black Bow,’ Lizetta Roane’s ‘Fire Spear,’ and Raoul Bartley’s ‘Dragonhead Gauntlet.’ You need to craft equipment that can endure all these attacks!”