The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 113

Chapter 113   The Secret of Strength

Aina, having finished her work for the day, was looking toward the “Volcano Dungeon” from the balcony on the second floor of her atelier.

She was absentmindedly thinking about Laurent, who was probably fighting the “White Wolf” in the dungeon by now.

While she was lost in thought, a witch dressed in black, riding a broomstick and floating in the air, suddenly appeared before her.

“Whoa!?”

“Hello. I am Lilianne Lushe, the guild master of ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree.’ You are from ‘Spirit Workshop,’ right? Is guild master Laurent here?”

Aina, startled by the sudden appearance, looked closely at Lilianne.

(Another beautiful woman has come to see Laurent.)

Just as Aina was about to speak, a loud noise came from the direction of the “Volcano Dungeon.”

The sounds of metal clashing, shouts, screams, and what seemed like magical explosions.

Lilianne turned around reflexively.

“What is this commotion? It seems much more intense than a battle between adventurers and monsters…”

“Oh, that’s because it’s adventurers fighting each other.”

“Adventurers fighting each other?”

“Yes. Everyone who comes to this island for the first time is surprised. On this island, battles between adventurers are permitted.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Lilianne placed a hand on her cheek and showed a refined expression of surprise.

“Yes, it is. So, Laurent might be in the midst of that noise right now…”

“What? Laurent is?”

Lilianne quickly looked toward the “Volcano Dungeon,” straining her eyes.

She could faintly make out two groups clashing and the glint of swords, but it was too far to see the details of the battle.

(Laurent is… fighting there.)

Lilianne felt a strong urge to rush to Laurent’s side immediately.

*

Laurent, having suffered a devastating blow from the “White Wolf,” was desperately trying to regroup his forces.

(Almost all the new recruits have been wiped out. But I will protect the existing forces at all costs! That said, in this condition, we can’t even think about fighting or marching.)

With renewed determination, Laurent glared in the direction the enemy had retreated and began issuing orders.

“Leon, today’s battle ends here. There’s a place ahead that looks suitable for fortification. Let’s hole up there for the night.”

“O-okay.”

Elio was stunned by Laurent’s resolute attitude.

(Laurent. What incredible determination. Even after being put at such a disadvantage, he hasn’t given up. This must be the power of an S-class.)

Elio clenched his eyes shut.

(I can’t do it. Being an A-class is way too much for me.)

That day, they managed to secure safety by fortifying their position, but the morale of the troops was plummeting.

A sense of defeat spread among the adventurers, with most thinking they should surrender to the “White Wolf.”

In such an atmosphere, Jeff finally snapped.

“You guys, talking like you’re useless! We’re here because we agreed to your selfish demands in the first place! Now that things are tough, you want to surrender? Cut the crap!”

“Calm down, Jeff,” Laurent intervened.

“Damn it, but Laurent…”

“If we argue among ourselves now, we’re just playing into the enemy’s hands. Hold it together.”

Jeff reluctantly backed down, though his face showed his bitterness.

Seeing Jeff’s attitude, the new adventurers began to voice their dissatisfaction.

“What’s his problem? Talking all high and mighty.”

“Who does he think he is? Acting like an ace when he’s not even an A-class adventurer.”

Karla sighed as she watched the scene unfold.

(Ah, here we go again. The internal conflict between the skilled group and the group dragging everyone down. This is what caused the downfall of both Sein and Yugan when they couldn’t manage it. Forming an alliance on this island always seems to end up this way. I thought Laurent was different from other adventurers, but is this the end?)

Will and Lana also looked anxious.

“The atmosphere is getting really bad, brother.”

“Yeah. Even Laurent can’t cover for this many inexperienced adventurers. And Laurent, too. Why did he push for such a reckless expedition?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have come along after all? Even now…”

“Lana, we owe Laurent. This is his crucial moment. We have to share the hardships of this alliance and support Laurent.”

“…Okay.”

After that, Laurent went around to each guild, trying to persuade them to continue fighting instead of surrendering.

However, convincing adventurers who were feeling disheartened and had low morale was no easy task.

In the end, they couldn’t come to a consensus that day, and the decision was postponed until the next day.

The next day, the “Spirit Workshop” alliance stayed within their fortified position, hiding behind earthen walls.

Jamil blocked the path down the mountain to ensure that Laurent and his group couldn’t escape, waiting for them to make a move.

“Hey, Jamil, shouldn’t we attack them?” Rodo suggested.

“No. Their defense is strong. If a surprise attack fails and our formation collapses, we could lose the advantage we’ve built up. That would play right into their hands.”

“But we won’t get anywhere like this.”

“No.”

Although they had cornered the enemy, the “White Wolf” also faced a difficult situation.

The numerous prisoners taken in the previous battle were slowing their march, and they couldn’t treat the prisoners poorly.

If negotiated properly, the prisoners could serve as hostages to extract ransom from the “Spirit Workshop.”

Therefore, they had to continue supplying the prisoners with potions, but if the battle dragged on, they might run out of potions first.

Meanwhile, despite their losses, the alliance still retained their main forces and elite members, making it easier to move without the burden of the inexperienced adventurers.

In such a delicate situation, making a rash move could lead to a disastrous mistake.

The “White Wolf” needed to proceed with caution.

(“The final move is crucial. One mistake here, and everything goes down the drain.”)

Jamil noticed Rodo’s continued scowl and chuckled.

“Don’t worry. The enemy is the one cornered. They’ll make a move first, and when they do, that’ll be their end. We just have to wait and strike when the time is right.”

Leon, standing guard, was relieved that there were no signs of an enemy attack.

(The enemy isn’t attacking. That’s a relief. If they had launched a surprise attack now, when we’re divided, it could have been the end for us. But we’re still at a disadvantage. We’re running low on potions. Whether Laurent can convince those wanting to surrender today will be the deciding factor.)

Laurent gathered the leaders of the guilds who wanted to surrender for a meeting.

“So, you all want to surrender to the ‘White Wolf’. Why? You’ve come this far, let’s see it through to the end.”

“…It’s just impossible now.”

“Yeah, we couldn’t do anything in the last battle.”

“This is it for us.”

“Is that so? I don’t think we’re in that bad of a position.”

“Or maybe we should all just scatter and run. If we all split up at once, some will get caught, but some might escape. Let’s leave it to fate…”

“No. Even if we escape the ‘White Wolf’, we could still get caught by a monster pack.”

One of the leaders got angry.

“So, what are you saying? That we should just get cornered and slaughtered?”

“Isn’t there a problem with the ‘Spirit Workshop’s’ equipment? Our gear broke so easily. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not just a matter of bad luck.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Are you hiding the true specs of the equipment?”

“Alright. How about this: give it three more days. Let’s fight for three more days, and if it doesn’t look good, we’ll surrender.”

“What…! You’re changing the subject.”

“Yeah. You need to be accountable for…”

“Okay, how about one more day? Just fight with us for one more day. If we need to surrender, we want the best terms possible. I think one more day could change the situation to our advantage.”

“…”

The guild leaders looked at each other in silence.

After persuading the guild representatives, Laurent couldn’t hide his exhaustion. Pat hesitantly approached him.

“Uh, Laurent, how did the persuasion go?”

“Ah, I managed to convince them not to surrender. They’ve agreed to fight for just one more day.”

“One more day…”

(The town is still far away. One day just isn’t enough…)

“I’m sorry, Pat. I’m really tired. Let me rest for today.”

“…Okay.”

Pat couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.

(Even Laurent can’t hide his fatigue. It’s times like these that we need to support him, but…)

Pat glanced over at Wayne, who was skulking in a corner. Since his shoddy equipment had been exposed, he had been trying to avoid attention, fearing he would be held accountable.

(Wayne, Laurent is desperately trying to cover for your mistakes. Don’t you feel anything? Are you really that kind of person, Wayne?)

The members of ‘White Wolf’ were on edge, waiting for the alliance to make a move. They noticed someone approaching from the alliance’s camp. Tension ran high, thinking the decisive battle was upon them. However, they saw it was just one person, and he was someone who had been captured by the alliance. The person was carrying a white flag.

Jamil, puzzled, called out to him.

“Stop! Hey, you, weren’t you captured by the alliance? What happened? Did you escape?”

“Captain Jamil! I have come as an emissary of surrender.”

“What?”

Jamil welcomed him in and listened to his story.

According to him, there was growing discontent within the alliance, with opinions split between those wanting to surrender and those insisting on fighting to the end. Laurent was adamant about continuing the fight, but the majority of the alliance was fed up with their leader’s stubborn stance.

The man with the white flag was a secret emissary from the surrender faction. This group had already lost the will to fight and planned to defect from the alliance. They intended to escape at the right moment. They were asking ‘White Wolf’ to attack the militant faction, promising that they wouldn’t interfere, and in return, asking ‘White Wolf’ to let them go.

“Are you kidding me?” Rodo exclaimed angrily.

“Surrendering now and asking us to let you off the hook? You must be dreaming. We hold all the cards! There’s no way we can agree to such terms at this point.”

“Hold on, Rodo,” Jamil intervened.

“You’re not seriously considering this, are you?” Rodo asked.

“On the surface, yes,” Jamil replied.

“What?” Rodo was puzzled.

“We’ll pretend to accept their terms and let the alliance crumble from within. We’ll sow discord and, once they’re in disarray, we’ll strike. If we deal with the militant faction, the rest are spineless cowards. We can deal with them however we want. We can fabricate any excuse, betray them, and pick them off one by one.”

“I see. If that’s the plan, then fine.”

“Hey, you,” Jamil addressed the emissary. “Tell the surrender faction this: Tomorrow at dawn, create chaos within the camp—set fires, sabotage supplies, steal equipment, and disrupt the alliance as much as possible before you withdraw. At the right moment, ‘White Wolf’ will launch an attack on the alliance’s camp. If they can carry out these terms, we’ll spare them.”

Jamil sent the emissary back with this message.

However, Laurent didn’t wait until morning. Under the cover of darkness, he and his forces abandoned their camp. When Jamil found the empty camp the next day, he realized that Laurent had deceived him.

The emissary from the previous day was part of Laurent’s elaborate ruse.

“That bastard.”

“You dirty trickster. Fine! If you want to die so badly, I’ll grant your wish and kill you!”

‘White Wolf’ hurriedly pursued the alliance.

However, the alliance managed to evade ‘White Wolf’ that day and set up camp in a defensible location. They carefully chose a spot where they could block any paths and avoid being flanked.

‘White Wolf’ stayed close behind, pressuring the alliance from the rear.

“Alright, we managed to end today’s march unscathed. Let’s push through for another day!” Laurent said at a meeting with the leaders of the allied guilds.

The alliance members were surprised by their commander’s sudden change of heart, but they decided to go along with Laurent’s plan for now. It had been a day since their defeat, and they were starting to recover and feel optimistic.

Karla was astonished.

“No way. Is he really bouncing back from that state?”

“Today, we managed to easily shake off ‘White Wolf’.”

“Yeah, we’ve still got it.”

The newcomers chatted amiably, while Jeff grew increasingly frustrated with their constantly shifting attitudes.

“Don’t lose your cool, Jeff. We can’t put any more burden on Laurent,” Leon said.

“Yeah, I know.”

Jeff tried to control himself. Seeing this, Leon felt a bit relieved.

(Laurent is already straining his nerves in this standoff with ‘White Wolf’. At the very least, we need to support him.)

The next day, the chase resumed.

While pursuing the alliance, Jamil looked for an opening.

(Though they’re on defensive, they’re still running away. Their morale must be low. It might be true that part of the alliance is leaning towards surrender. In any case, if we shake them a little, they’re bound to show cracks.)

Jamil organized a swift strike force and ordered them to go ahead and stop the alliance.

“The enemy’s blocking force is coming! Fifteen thieves!” Jeff reported.

(They’re trying to shake us up, seeing that our morale is low. What should we do?)

While Laurent was pondering, Will stopped.

“Brother?”

Will used ‘Wind Blast Magic’ to create a tornado on the narrow path, blocking the enemy’s advance.

“Will? What are you doing?”

“It’s bad if ‘White Wolf’ attacks us now, right? Go on ahead. I’ll hold them off here.”

“No! Brother…”

“If I keep using magic like this, I’ll soon run out of mana. So, go quickly.”

“I can’t leave you behind, Brother.”

“Lana. If you get captured by ‘White Wolf’ too, there’ll be no one left to pay the ransom for me. You need to escape.”

“But…”

“Go on, be a good girl.”

With a heavy heart, Lana left Will.

“Laurent, take care of my sister.”

“Will… I owe you one.”

Laurent and the others left Will behind.

Eventually, the tornado stopped, and Will was captured by ‘White Wolf’.

Upon hearing that the blocking attempt had failed, Jamil clicked his tongue in frustration.

(So, the enemy has a combat mage. But to think they’d use a mage as a sacrificial pawn.)

Determined to shake the alliance once more, Jamil decided on a new strategy.

(Up ahead is a winding path. Shooting from high ground will be effective.)

Jamil ordered Zain and the archer unit to take the high ground and target the alliance to stop their advance.

Zain led the archer unit to the high ground. Though a bit distant, they could see the alliance moving along the narrow path. Zain fired a warning shot with his “Dragonhead Gauntlet” at their path.

Laurent ordered his unit to keep moving, but they hesitated, scared by the “Dragonhead Gauntlet” attack.

(At this rate, ‘White Wolf’s’ main force will catch up. Damn, what do we do?)

Pat looked up at the enemies on the high ground.

(It’s tough to send warriors up there, and a ranged fight isn’t favorable.)

After glaring at the enemy’s position for a moment, Pat made up his mind and started unpacking his bag.

(Maybe I should try that.)

Pat took out his harp and began to play. Nicola sensed something strange in Pat’s melody.

(…This ominous sound? It’s different from ‘Dragon’s Tone’?)

Laurent noticed as well.

(Could it be? Pat, are you going to use that?)

[Harp Status]

Special Effect: “Demonic Tone” C

(“Demonic Tone” is still underdeveloped. At best, it can only drive demons berserk. But in this situation…)

Fortunately, a group of goblins was hiding near the high ground where Zain’s team had positioned themselves.

Driven by Pat’s “Demonic Tone,” the goblins attacked Zain’s team. Unprepared for melee combat, Zain’s team struggled against the goblins.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Laurent and his team continued their advance.

“What? A sound that controls goblins?” Jamil scowled upon hearing the report from Zain.

“Yes, as soon as the mysterious harp music started, the goblins went berserk and attacked us. It must be controlling the goblins with sound, just like the ‘Dragon Tone’ controls dragons.”

Jamil staggered slightly.

(What is this? All our plans are being thwarted. More importantly, why does Laurent’s camp have so many unique skills and new equipment? …Skills. Could it be Laurent’s skill?)

Jamil summoned someone capable of ‘Skill Appraisal’ and farsight to assess Laurent, who was commanding below.

The person with ‘Skill Appraisal’ looked at Laurent’s skill set and was speechless.

[Laurent Gill’s Skills]

Skill Appraisal: S

Status Appraisal: A

Item Appraisal: A

Nurturing: A

“What a guy…”

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“His skills, Laurent’s skills, include three appraisal skills rated A or higher. ‘Skill Appraisal’ is S class. Plus, he has ‘Nurturing’ at A.”

“What… did you say?”