The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 127

Chapter 127   Ian’s Proposal

The three members of the “Crown of the Sage” guild, Neil, Ian, and Glen, arrived at the “Dragon’s Ember” and were greeted by Medes, Edgar, and Raoul. Without wasting any time, the six of them moved on to business discussions.

“This time, not only do we have the pleasure of serving the ‘Crown of the Sage,’ but the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ are also present. If you wish to have priority access to the Quartet, we’ll need to discuss additional charges for that,” Medes said with a sly grin.

(Hehe, who would’ve thought two major guilds would come around this time? This is a golden opportunity to squeeze them for all they’re worth…) Medes thought.

“Hey, the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ just announced that they’re joining the ‘Spirits Workshop’ alliance,” Neil mentioned.

“Wha—?” Medes responded with a weird noise.

“They’re joining the ‘Spirits Workshop’ alliance? Why would they do that?” Edgar asked, genuinely puzzled.

“It seems the leader of the ‘Spirits Workshop’ has a connection with the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree,'” Ian added.

“Really? I had no idea,” Edgar responded, surprised.

“Yeah, I found out after doing some digging at the plaza. Didn’t you know?” Ian asked.

“Uh, well, I mean, not really…” Medes stammered, clearly flustered.

“So? What’s it going to be? Are you going to accept our terms or not?” Neil pressed.

“Of course, we’ll accept! There’s no way we would turn down a request from a prestigious guild like yours,” Medes quickly replied.

Medes hastily tried to cover up his mistake. Neil frowned at this.

(Seriously, are these guys reliable? They should at least gather information on their local rival guilds. I’ve had my doubts for a while now, but it seems the leadership here is a bit lacking. The only one worth anything in this guild is Raoul.)

“Well, whatever. Raoul, we’re counting on you. Make sure to craft the equipment as usual,” Neil said.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Raoul replied, sounding somewhat deflated.

Seeing this, Neil was even more frustrated.

(Come on, Raoul. What’s with that half-hearted response?)

“Raoul, is something wrong? You don’t look well,” Ian asked with concern.

“No, it’s nothing,” Raoul responded, but his mind was troubled.

(I can’t believe Lizetta quit. She was such a skilled silversmith. Should I have tried harder to keep her? But I’m barely managing my own issues right now…)

Meanwhile, Euphene and her team reached the “Spirits Workshop” and underwent Laurent’s inspection. Laurent quickly checked everyone’s condition.

“Hmm. Your skill levels haven’t dropped. Well done. I’m counting on you all to perform well in the ‘Fire Dragon Dungeon.'”

“Thank you. Alright, everyone, hand your gear over to the alchemists. After that, you can relax in the dining hall outside,” Euphene instructed.

The team members sighed with relief and began removing their equipment.

“Now then, ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree,’ please follow me outside. The dining hall is reserved just for you today~,” Saki said, subtly appearing to guide and entertain the group.

“Euphene, Shaqma, Rick, Lerio, Marina—you all stay here. We’ll get started on our strategy meeting for the dungeon right away,” Laurent said.

Local adventurers like Leon, Hans, and Will, who had been waiting, also joined the meeting.

“We’ll go over the dungeon details on-site, but our immediate concern is how to deal with the ‘Crown of the Sage,'” Laurent said, writing the names of the three A-Class mages from the “Crown of the Sage” on the blackboard.

“Attack Mage Glen Ross, Support Mage Neil Dioclea, and Healer Ian Yugberk—all of them are typical A-Class mages, both in skills and stats. They’ve gone through standard training and standard quests, naturally developing their talents along the way. That’s the impression I got,” Laurent explained.

“Elites, huh?” Leon commented with a wry smile. Having been self-made his entire life, he was far removed from that world.

“But I’ve found their weakness,” Laurent continued.

“You already figured that out?” Leon was surprised.

(In that short amount of time, he’s already assessed their tendencies and countermeasures? This guy’s definitely not your average appraiser. He’s reliable.)

“Their weakness is that none of them have strong leadership skills. They’re all average at best. This is common in most guilds; it’s hard to find someone who excels both in combat and command. Likely, the ‘Crown of the Sage’ suffers from the same problem. They’re probably overconfident in their abilities due to their strength, and I expect they’ll try to brute-force their way through the dungeon, just like ‘The Guardians of the Magic Institute’ did.”

Laurent added the words “Brute Force” and “Muscle-Brained” to the blackboard.

“We have another advantage: we’ve already secured ‘Earthcraft’ supplies,” Laurent noted.

“So we can handle some forced marches without a problem,” Lerio added.

“Exactly. I think we’ve covered enough about their weaknesses and our analysis. Now, we need to decide which route to take,” Laurent said, drawing two paths on the blackboard: the “Crater Route” and the “Lake Route.”

“‘Crown of the Sage’ will almost certainly take the Crater Route. Last time, when the ‘Knights of Hail’ came, we avoided competition with outside guilds by taking the Lake Route. But this time, we’ll also choose the Crater Route. We’ll face the ‘Crown of the Sage’ head-on,” Laurent declared.

“With the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ here as reinforcements, we’d be crazy not to take this chance,” Leon remarked.

“That’s not it, Leon. Even if the ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ hadn’t come, I still planned to compete directly with the ‘Crown of the Sage’,” Laurent corrected him.

The local adventurers gulped, impressed by Laurent’s resolve. Euphene and her team remained unfazed.

“First, we’ll strip the Crater Route of all its ‘Earthcraft’ resources. By doing so, we’ll weaken their competitiveness and force ‘Crown of the Sage’ out of the Crater Route,” Laurent concluded.

*

A new month began, and new ores were exposed in the dungeon.

The “Spirit Workshop” alliance and the “Grand Alliance,” led by “Crown of the Sage,” started preparing for their exploration in the square in front of the dungeon.

Meanwhile, Elio and his team were receiving their equipment for A-Class monster hunting.

“Here’s your new gear, Elio. Let’s lift this up,” Aina and Rody said as they brought over the armor to Elio. The armor, which already had blue “Exterior Enhancement Coating,” now gleamed with a silver finish.

The armor was made with silver craftsmanship by Charl and coated with blue “Exterior Enhancement Coating.”

When Elio donned the new armor, he immediately felt a significant difference in weight.

(It feels heavy. This must be the weight of an A-Class.)

“It’s more powerful and durable than your previous one, but it’s also heavier. How does it feel? Is the weight manageable?” they asked.

“Yeah, it’s heavier than what I’m used to, but I’ll get the hang of it,” Elio replied with determination.

Hans also received his new bow and arrows, which were similarly crafted in silver.

“Based on your previous shooting records, we’ve enhanced the power and accuracy of your ‘Magic Shot’ as much as possible,” Aina explained.

Hans, holding the bow, recalled Laurent’s advice.

(It’s about the mental aspect. I’m the one most concerned about this challenge. In the last battle with the ‘White Wolves,’ I was powerless after Alice and Claire were captured.)

“Thanks, Aina. I’ll give it a try,” Hans said, determined to find answers in the upcoming battle against “Crown of the Sage.”

Will and Karla were handed a staff and a sword by Wayne.

Will touched the magic stone at the tip of the staff. The cut, multi-faceted stone emanated immense magical power.

“I’m impressed, Wayne. You’ve really improved your skills in such a short time. This staff is nothing like the one you gave me before,” Will said, clearly impressed.

Karla swung the sword she received, feeling its lightness.

(Is it okay for it to be this light?)

Wayne noticed her skepticism and explained, “That sword has been refined to A-Class standards and then further lightened through ‘Magic Stone Cutting.’ By honing the blade to its limit, it’s both lighter and sharper.”

As Karla still seemed unsure, Wayne continued, “That sword should enhance the power of your ‘Shadow Strike’ and ‘Spinning Sword Dance.'”

He grabbed both of their shoulders firmly. “I’m counting on you. Master this equipment. I don’t want to burden Laurent any more than I already have.”

Will and Karla exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what was troubling Wayne.

As Euphene was doing a final check on her team, someone from “Crown of the Sage” approached her and spoke up.

“Hey, Reyes.”

“You are… Ian, right?”

“I’m honored you remember,” Ian replied with a smile.

“Of course. You’re the ace of a rival guild. I always keep tabs. So, what do you want?”

Instead of answering, Ian looked around at the adventurers who were preparing themselves.

“This atmosphere is unique to this island. Champions from different continents stand side by side as they enter the dungeon. But this time, the scene is even stranger. The local adventurers are split in half, forming alliances with external adventurers. We ‘Crown of the Sage’ gathered as many local guilds as we could, but you’ve got just as many on your side. With such a large group, it seems your goal is the ‘Crater Route,’ isn’t it?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’s confidential.”

“…”

“If you’re just here to chat, I’ll be going now. As you can see, I’m quite busy,” Euphene said, turning to leave.

“Laurent Gill.”

Hearing that name from Ian’s mouth made Euphene stop in her tracks and turn back around.

“Guildmaster of ‘Arsenal of the Spirit,’ an S-Class appraiser known by those in the know for raising countless alchemists and adventurers. He’s said to have played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in the power struggle between ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ and ‘Golden Hawk’ in the ‘Adventurer’s Town.’ He’s also the one who discovered you, the ‘Wide-Range Healer,’ isn’t he?”

“…I’m surprised. You knew about Laurent?”

“No, I looked into him after arriving on this island. I’d heard rumors about an S-Class appraiser before, but I didn’t believe them. I couldn’t imagine a mere appraiser pulling off such feats. It was only after investigating the connection between you and ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’ in the past few days that I confirmed it.”

“…Impressive investigative skills.”

(If that guy Neil is the public leader of ‘Crown of the Sage,’ then this one must be the real power behind the scenes.)

“So, what’s your deal? Why have you been snooping around about me and Laurent?”

“Alright, I’ll be direct. Let’s stop competing and join forces.”

“What did you say?”

“Think about it. If we keep going like this, ‘Guardians of the Magic Tree’ and ‘Crown of the Sage’ will end up destroying each other. And who benefits from that? ‘White Wolf.'”

“…”

“The last time we came to this island, we ended up competing with a major guild as well. That time, our opponent was ‘Guardians of the Magic Institute,’ a guild based in the same city as us. Since we were from the same place, our rivalry was intense, and we kept getting in each other’s way. As a result, neither of us achieved anything noteworthy. Both ‘Crown of the Sage’ and ‘Guardians of the Magic Institute’ blamed each other, but in reality, it was the local guild, ‘White Wolf,’ that reaped the benefits. Looking back, I think we were manipulated into making moves that worked to their advantage.”

“…”

“‘Crown of the Sage’ and ‘Guardians of the Magic Institute’ are natural rival guilds, so there was no room for compromise. But that’s not the case with us. It’s not too late. If we can negotiate, join forces, and tackle the quest together…”

“Sorry, but that’s not possible.”

“…Why not?”

“Our mission is to support Laurent. And if Laurent tells us to fight you, then we’ll follow those orders. It’s nothing personal against you.”

“You might not know this since you just arrived on the island, but ‘White Wolf’ is dangerous. They’re cunning and won’t miss any chance to exploit a weakness. But if we team up…”

“We’re aware of the danger posed by ‘White Wolf.’ But Laurent isn’t only concerned about them. He’s also wary of ‘Dragon’s Ember.’ It seems Laurent sees them as a problem too. You’ve entrusted your equipment to ‘Dragon’s Ember,’ right? If we were to join forces now, could you really cut ties with them?”

“That’s…”

“So, as I said, we can’t team up with you. Sorry.”

“I see,” Ian sighed, shaking his head.

“It’s a shame. I thought you were someone who understood. But fighting ‘Dragon’s Ember’? That Laurent of yours must be out of his mind. You’ll regret trusting the judgment of a mere appraiser so much.”

“You might be the ones who regret it later.”

“? What do you mean?”

“There are people in this world that your standards can’t measure.”