The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 102

Chapter 102   Black Bow vs Blue Armor

Equipment to Face the Quartet!

Under Laurent’s command, the members of the “Spirits Workshop” immediately began to upgrade their skills and enhance their equipment.

As Aina hammered the iron, she recalled Laurent’s words.

“The Forest at the Foothills?”

“Yes.”

Laurent drew a simple diagram on the board. There was the “Barren Zone” near the volcano’s peak, the “Metal Line” at the midsection, and the forest at the foothills.

“I don’t think they’d use the deep dungeons, where the ‘Fire Dragon’ roams, as their battleground without ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest.’ It would be suicide to fight other guilds while exhausting themselves against the ‘Fire Breath’ of the ‘Fire Dragon.’ So, they’ll likely make their move in the forest at the foothills. We’ll need to confront the adventurer guilds loyal to ‘Dragon’s Embers’ there. That’s why I want everyone to develop equipment specialized for ground and anti-personnel combat in the forest.”

“Equipment suited for forest combat…”

“Yes. But the basics won’t change much. The main strategy will be to endure the enemy’s attacks with Aina’s armor reinforced with ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating.’ Wayne and Pat will need to enhance their unique skills. Lina will support everyone’s production with ‘Ore Refining’ and ‘Waste Recycling.'”

(To withstand attacks from the Quartet—’Black Bow,’ ‘Fire Spear,’ ‘Dragonhead Gauntlet’—mediocre defense won’t suffice. Should I try that?)

Aina decided to start developing a new product she had been contemplating. It was a double-layered Exterior Enhancement Coating.’ After consulting with Laurent, she began the development process, utilizing Rody’s “Product Design” and Aize’s agility to speed up the cycle.

Meanwhile, Wayne was getting anxious as he worked.

(Crap, seriously? The Quartet coming at us all together? Damn, I never thought it’d come to this. If it was just Edgar, I might have managed somehow. But if all four attack at once, I can’t hold them off. The equipment made in this small workshop won’t stand a chance. What should I do? Run?)

“Hey, Wayne. How’s it going?”

“Huh? Laurent?”

Wayne stopped working as Laurent spoke to him.

“Aina proposed the idea of a double-layered Exterior Enhancement Coating.’ I’ve given her the green light.”

“……”

“It’s a sound idea, but even this doesn’t guarantee we can withstand the Quartet’s attacks. Defeating them is a monumental task.”

“Of course it is. There’s no way we can easily defeat them.”

“That means you become our trump card this time.”

“……Trump card?”

Wayne’s eyebrow twitched.

“Yes, exactly. If your unique skill ‘Magic Stone Cutting’ can boost the firepower and support abilities of our backline mages, it will reduce the time our frontline is exposed to attacks. This ultimately helps us withstand the Quartet’s assault.”

“……”

“Use your power to save this workshop and the adventurers. We’re counting on you.”

With that, Laurent returned to Aina.

(Hmph. A trump card, huh? Well, it can’t be helped. This workshop really falls apart without me. I’ll quickly develop some A-class equipment and help these guys out.)

Wayne resumed his ‘Magic Stone Cutting’ work, the thought of fleeing long gone.

Pat watched Aina, who was deeply immersed in her work, with concern.

(Aina seems to be struggling. She’s been talking with Laurent for a while. Is there anything I can do?)

Pat shook his head, reprimanding himself.

(No, I need to focus on my own work. Aina may be having a hard time, but I have to complete my tasks. Improving the quality of ‘Dragon Tone’ is also a crucial support. It might not protect us from the Quartet’s attacks, but it can shield us from ‘Fire Dragon.’ That will help conserve energy for the battle against the Quartet.)

Thus, the alchemists of the ‘ Spirits Workshop ‘ devoted themselves to skill improvement and equipment enhancement, and time swiftly passed.

The next month came.

A geological shift (not caused by the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,’ but a periodic occurrence) altered the dungeon’s shape, revealing more ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest’ on the surface.

The volcano’s midsection glowed with a crimson, sparkling brilliance, luring adventurers into the depths of the dragon-infested dungeon.

Seeing this, the ‘Knights of Hail’ sprang into action.

Informed by ‘Dragon’s Embers’ about the ore shortage, they decided to procure ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest’ themselves.

“What kind of guild is this? Making us wait two weeks only to tell us to gather the materials for our equipment ourselves? We’ve had to pay for equipment deposits and lodging during this time!”

“It’s laughable that they call themselves the world’s greatest alchemy guild.”

“Complaining won’t help us now. We can’t delay the dungeon exploration any longer. Entering the dungeon without ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest’ is risky, but we have no choice. The first unit of the ‘Knights of Hail’ will proceed with the ‘Volcano Dungeon’ exploration. I trust all preparations, including summoning the team and notifying allied guilds, have been made?”

Sendrick and his team had spent their waiting time gathering information.

They had learned that the ‘ Crescent Knights ‘ had previously challenged the ‘Volcano Dungeon’ in three separate attempts. Following their lead, they planned to:

Gather ore on the first attempt.

Hunt the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’ on the second.

Reserve the third attempt as a backup.

It was puzzling why the ‘ Crescent Knights ‘ had not completed the third attempt, but they chose to follow this strategy anyway.

As the ‘Knights of Hail’ mobilized, so did Laurent and his team.

Through Dylan’s information gathering, the ‘ Spirits Workshop ‘ was well aware of the ‘Knights of Hail’s’ movements.

Laurent decided to have his team enter the dungeon on the same day as the ‘Knights of Hail.’

Facing the assembled adventurers, Laurent gave a speech.

“Thank you all for gathering here. Despite many adventurers siding with the ‘Knights of Hail,’ I appreciate you answering our call once again. This time, we will avoid direct competition with the ‘Knights of Hail.’ Instead, we will take a different route and target small to medium-sized mining sites. Of course, we will also focus on skill and status improvement whenever possible. I count on each of you to give your best.”

Laurent scanned the faces of the gathered adventurers.

In addition to ‘Dawn Shield’ and ‘Pegasus Archer,’ the guilds ‘Guardians of Ore,’ ‘Silver Eagle Alliance,’ and ‘Mountain cats’ had also joined.

The ‘Guardians of Ore’ consisted of four shield bearers, the ‘Silver Eagle Alliance’ had a healer, a shield bearer, and a swordsman, and the ‘Mountain cats’ had three female thieves.

This brought the total to six shield bearers, four archers, three thieves, one healer-thief, one healer, two swordsmen, two mages, one bard, and one appraiser.

With a total of twenty-one members, their unit was finally starting to take shape.

Their operational flexibility had increased as well.

With six shield bearers, they could form a six-row battle line and support the backline mages’ firepower.

(We’ve finally reached twenty adventurers partnered with the Arsenal of the Spirits.’ We’re getting there, but there’s still a bit more to go. If we can elevate all of them to B-class, we’ll have a formidable unit. Especially these four…)

Elio’s Skills

『Shield Defense』: B → A

『Shield Charge』: B → A

Hans Bergamot’s Skills

『Bow Shooting』: B → A

『Silent Footsteps』: B → A

『Magic Shooting』: B → A

Will Wombat’s Skills

『Explosion Magic』: B → A

Lana Wombat’s Skills

『GeoCrust Magic』: B → A

(All four of them have the potential for A-class. Once these four reach A-class, perceptions among the islanders will likely change.)

While Laurent pondered this, Aina arrived leading the members of the ” Spirits Workshop .”

“Laurent-san, we’ve brought the new equipment.”

“Good, then let the adventurers try them on.”

The adventurers equipped themselves with the new gear that matched their enhanced stats.

Pat distributed new arrows to Jeff.

“Is this my new equipment?”

“Yes, specially improved to match your stats, Jeff-san.”

Jeff’s Skills & Stats

『Bow Shooting』: B

『Long-range Vision』: B

Agility: 70-80

(Jeff-san is finally at a B-class level. He’s worked hard. That’s good to see.)

Pat glanced at the adventurers around him.

(Over these past few days, we’ve persistently gathered information, strengthened our equipment, and put in every effort to increase our chances of success. I hope all this effort pays off…)

Suddenly, Pat noticed the “Knights of Hail” preparing to enter the dungeon.

(They don’t have ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest.’ Perhaps ‘Dragon’s Ember’ is lacking in ‘Fire repellant Ore Fire Rest’ after all. Is it safe for them to enter the dungeon with such equipment?)

Pat felt weighed down thinking about how adventurers from outside were being manipulated by “Dragon’s Ember.”

These concerns added to Pat’s heavy thoughts.

“Hey, you guys alright?”

“Oh, Dylan-san.”

“Well, I’m worried about them.”

“I see.”

“However, we don’t have the luxury to help others right now. Let’s focus on our own tasks.”

“Understood.”

Pat offered a prayer for Laurent and the others as they entered the dungeon.

(May their adventure be blessed.)

In the “Volcano Dungeon,” there were broadly two main routes.

One was the “Crater Route to the Volcano,” and the other was the “Lake Route to the Lake.”

Both routes had the same entrance and endpoint (where the giant dragon Grand Fafnir resided), but the paths to the endpoint differed significantly.

The “Crater Route to the Volcano” concentrated on the largest mining sites within the “Metal Line,” and adventurers from major guilds outside the island almost always used this route.

On the other hand, the “Lake Route to the Lake” focused on medium to small-scale mining sites, yielding relatively fewer ores for the distance covered. Therefore, it attracted local small to medium-sized guilds rather than major alliances.

While there was a road connecting the two routes, using it meant a significant detour and loss of time.

This time, knowing that the “Knights of Hail” would take the “Crater Route to the Volcano,” Laurent’s group decided to explore the “Lake Route to the Lake” to avoid direct competition.

The members of the “White Wolves” looked on with bitterness.

“Tch. They’ve perfectly timed their dungeon exploration with the ‘Knights of Hail.'”

Rodo spoke irritably.

“Indeed, seems like they’ve got someone sharp leading them. A calm one.”

Zain also wore a grim expression.

Jamil gritted his teeth.

(We really want to strike at the ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’ somehow… but we don’t have the luxury to split our forces into two. Between them and ‘Knights of Hail,’ attacking the ‘Knights of Hail’ would yield greater results.)

“You guys. This time, we’re skipping the ‘Arsenal of the Spirits.’ Priority is taking down the ‘Knights of Hail.'”

“Jamil, are you sure about this? Just letting them go?”

“We’ll settle our score eventually. Right now, focus on the ‘Knights of Hail.'”

“Damn it.”

Rodo watched with frustration as the “Arsenal of the SPirits” entered the dungeon.

Jamil glanced briefly at the group standing behind the “Arsenal of the Spirits.”

It was the guild “Dragon Knights’ Haven,” affiliated with “Dragon’s Ember.”

(According to Edgar, the Quartet is also moving to crush the “Arsenal of the Spirits.” We’ll have to leave it to them.)

Countermeasures against the “Arsenal of the Spirits” were centered around Lizetta.

Despite Raoul’s clear instructions, Edgar secretly moved on his own to take credit, progressing with countermeasures against the “Arsenal of the Spirits.”

Using his robust stamina, he quickly assembled a weapon to break through Aina’s blue armor in a workshop studio away from the Quartet’s room.

With Edgar’s vigorous stamina, the equipment was assembled in no time, just in time for laurent and the others to enter the dungeon.

Now, he observed alongside the “Dragon Knights’ Haven,” as Laurent and his team prepared to enter the dungeon.

(They’ve really timed their dungeon exploration with the “Knights of Hail.” Heh. It’s just a strategy for the weak after all. We see right through your actions.)

“Alright. Bring out that thing.”

Edgar had his underlings bring the equipment, hidden with cloth and a crowd of people, out to display to the adventurers of the “Dragon Knights’ Haven.”

“That’s impressive. I didn’t expect you could prepare it in such a short time.”

Charles gazed at Edgar’s specialty equipment, the “Black Bow,” with some amazement.

“Of course. There’s no way I’d let Lizetta take all the credit.”

Charles sighed.

(He’s truly a powerhouse. Handling requests from both the ‘Knights of Hail’ and ‘White Wolves,’ while advancing countermeasures against the Arsenal of the Spirits.’)

Charles always found himself impressed by Edgar’s initiative and physical strength.

Thus, he always reminded himself that it wouldn’t be wise to make an enemy out of him.

“Alright. Everything’s going according to plan, Floyd.”

When Edgar called, Floyd, the B-class archer of the “Dragon Knights’ Haven,” stepped forward.

“This is the bow and arrows we’ll use for the ‘Arsenal of Spirits’ countermeasures.”

“Sigh…”

Floyd looked at the “Black Bow” with reluctance.

(One of the Quartet, Edgar Rogue’s equipment, the “Black Bow.” It’s certainly a powerful equipment, but…)

“Hn, damn.”

Floyd frowned as he lifted the bow and arrows.

“It’s heavy.”

[Black Bow’s Stats]

Power: 100

Durability: 100

Weight: 100

[Floyd’s Stats]

Arm Strength Power: 50-60

Agile Agility: 70-80

“Try to endure it a bit.”

“However, it’s difficult to handle like this.”

“You guys need to figure out how to make it work. Listen. Your job is to pierce through the armor with these arrows. Once you hit, you can definitely pierce through B-class armor.”

“Hah.”

(Aina Burke. I don’t know what kind of unique skills she has, but I won’t let her do as she pleases any longer.)

“Hey. Is there an A-class archer among the enemies?”

“No, I don’t see any. It seems true that Monica Velmare left the island.”

“I see. Alright, alright, alright. The information seems to be correct. Then we definitely have a good chance.”

(Without Monica Velmare, the quality of adventurers is almost evenly matched. If that’s the case, the quality of equipment will decide the outcome. I may have underestimated until now, but with my serious equipment, I won’t lose to some unknown alchemist’s equipment.)

“The ‘Arsenal of Spirits’ alliance has finished entering the dungeon.”

“Alright. Hurry up and chase after them to crush them. Settle the score while they’re in the Lake Route to the Lake ”

The “Dragon Knights’ Haven” entered the dungeon with an unwilling attitude.

They were fed up with this mission.

Having already lost multiple battles and unable to join the “Knights of Hail” alliance.

However, they couldn’t defy “Dragon’s Ember” because they were under the thumb of the loan for their equipment.

Laurent and his party dashed into the dungeon as soon as they entered.

They anticipated that the Quartet would set something up.

(Now, Dragon’s Ember doesn’t have Fire Rest Stones to deflect flames. If they’re setting something up, it’s in this Lake Route to the Lake where the Fire Dragon rarely appears. If we can get through this forest, we can shake off the pursuing enemies for now.)

Laurent’s group tried to avoid combat with monsters as much as possible.

They intimidated them to drive them away or fled when necessary, advancing through the dungeon. (If they couldn’t avoid combat, Elio’s Shield Charge would knock out the enemies, creating an opportunity to escape.)

After running through the forest for several tens of minutes, Jeff, who was bringing up the rear, noticed something unusual and raised his voice.

“Enemies incoming! It’s the Dragon Knights’ Haven!”

“What’s their formation?”

“10 Shield Users, 5 Swordsmen, 2 Healer Healers, and 3 Archers. One of the Archers is carrying the ‘Black Bow’.”

“Huh? What about ‘Fire Spear’ or ‘Dragon Head Gauntlet?”

“…No, I don’t see them at the moment.”

Laurent tilted his head.

(I thought they’d come crashing down with the full force of the Quartet… Oh well. Fine by me if they’re underestimating us.)

As Laurent pondered this, an arrow flew in with a slicing sound.

The arrow hit a large tree right next to Laurent.

The trunk, more than half its thickness, was gouged out and snapped cleanly in half.

“What the…?”

“It’s the ‘Black Bow’!”

The unit was thrown into disarray.

Jeff paled as well.

“Seriously? It gouged out the tree trunk. That’s not just the power of any ordinary bow and arrow.”

“Everyone, calm down. They just shot blindly. They won’t hit us. Let’s keep running and wear down their stamina.”

With Laurent’s reassurance, the unit managed to calm down and continue marching, suppressing their agitation.

(It certainly packs a punch. But this…)

As Laurent advanced through the dungeon, he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling about the enemy’s shooting.

The adventurers from Dragon Knight’s Haven desperately ran to catch up with the Spirit Workshop Alliance.

However, no matter how hard they ran, they couldn’t catch sight of their enemies.

“Damn it. We still can’t catch up to them?”

(Is intimidation through shooting not effective either…?)

Floyd gritted his teeth as Laurent’s group maintained their relentless pace without slowing down at all.

As Laurent had predicted, the earlier shot was just a blind one.

It was a move hoping to unsettle the enemy and provoke them into combat.

(But damn, this bow is heavy. Is there no way around this?)

Floyd felt the strain on his shoulders but managed to push through the forest somehow.

“At this rate, the enemy will clear the forest ahead of us.”

“Calm down. Ahead, there’s a place with many ‘Great Ogre.’ There, they’ll have no choice but to slow down when facing so many monsters.”

Following the man’s advice, Laurent’s group approached an area teeming with ‘Great Ogre,’ slowing their marching speed.

It would be dangerous to rush through this area while being pursued by enemies, so they decided to set up a defensive formation and await the enemy’s approach.

Soon, the enemies began to appear in the distance, and the skirmish turned into a shooting battle.

Floyd aimed his ‘Black Bow’ at enemies within range.

“Eat this!”

The arrow released from the ‘Black Bow’ made a loud swooshing sound as usual, but it missed the targeted enemy significantly to the upper right, flying far off.

(Damn… I missed.)

Meanwhile, arrows fired by Hans, Alice, Claire, and Jeff, though still distant, flew accurately towards Floyd.

“Ah…!”

Floyd hurriedly switched positions with the shield bearer.

The shield bearer was struck by the arrow, reducing both their stats and equipment durability.

(Damn it. The enemy’s shooting is too accurate. Here I am struggling just to shoot this heavy bow and arrows.)

Roland appraised Floyd’s stats from behind.

Floyd’s Stats:

Accuracy Rate: 40 (↓40)

(Accuracy rate has significantly decreased. It could be due to exhaustion from running continuously, but that alone doesn’t explain it. Likely…)

Black Bow’ Stats:

Power: 100

Durability: 100

Weight: 100

Adaptation Rate: 40%

(Indeed, the adaptation rate is very low. Coupled with the burden of this heavy equipment during long-distance marching, it’s unrealistic to maintain these stats. It seems they’ve equipped a high-spec weapon regardless of practical use. That sounds like something the brute-force Edgar would think of.)

Despite already slipping into dysfunction, Dragon Knight’s Haven decided to rely on the ‘Black Bow’ for a single strike.

Their goal was simply to land a shot with the ‘Black Bow’.

They didn’t know what would happen next, but they believed something would.

With this belief, they formed a shield unit, advancing while enduring arrows, closing the distance where even an archer with reduced accuracy could hit with the ‘Black Bow’.

Gradually, they closed in on the distance where the ‘Black Bow’ could land a hit, despite the reduced accuracy.

Tension mounted among Laurent’s group.

Recognizing their strategy to sacrifice shield bearers and close the distance to land a hit with the ‘Black Bow’, laurent prepared for a counterattack.

“Elio.”

“What is it?”

“When the enemy reaches that tree (about 50 meters from my position), switch with Jeff and use ‘Shield Charge’ towards the ‘Black Bow’. Can you do it?”

“Got it.”

Following Laurent’s instructions, Elio tapped Jeff’s shoulder as the enemy approached the designated tree.

“Jeff, switch!”

“What? Alright.”

The two switched seamlessly, changing positions.

At the same time, Floyd moved forward.

Elio directed ‘Shield Charge’ towards Floyd.

“Foolish to come so close on your own. Like a moth to the flame!”

Floyd aimed his arrow at Elio.

Everyone present expected Floyd’s arrow to pierce through Elio’s shield and armor.

However, contrary to expectations, not only did the arrow leave a mark on Elio’s blue armor, but it was also deflected back due to the ‘Reflection’ effect.

“What!?”

The deflected arrow flew straight and struck Floyd’s shoulder guard, piercing through and lodging into it.

“Ugh…!”

Floyd staggered backwards and fell down.

Dragon Knight’s Haven was thrown into disarray.

Elio’s Armor:

Power: 140 (Enhanced by ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating’ ↑40)

Durability: 100

Weight: 80

Special Effects: ‘Reflection’, ‘Flexibility’

Adaptation Rate: 90%

Laurent was satisfied with Elio’s performance and the strength of his armor.

(‘Reflection’ and ‘Flexibility’ – two special effects combined in the ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating’, double-layered to surpass 140 power! Aina’s blue armor had completely surpassed Edgar’s ‘Black Bow’.)

“Uoooooh!”

Elio continued with ‘Shield Charge’, breaking through the enemy’s formation.

Immediately behind Elio, shield bearers and swordsmen rushed in, overwhelming Dragon Knight’s Haven in disarray.