The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 132

Chapter 132   Silent Pursuit

The “Grand Alliance,” having successfully outmaneuvered the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance and taken the lead, saw their pace significantly slow down once they entered the “Metal Line.”

Even now, the local adventurers were struggling excessively to defeat a single “Fire Dragon.”

Neil watched this with growing irritation.

“How long are they going to take to take down just one ‘Fire Dragon’?!”

“Neil, calm down,” Glen said in a soothing manner.

“We need the cooperation of the local adventurers in this dungeon. They need to be able to take down a ‘Fire Dragon’ on their own.”

“I know that, but…”

The leadership of “Crown of the Sage” tried various methods to boost the morale of the local adventurers: setting rewards, revising the command structure, and increasing supervision.

However, none of these measures had much effect; in fact, they only made the operation more cumbersome.

At one point, Neil even suggested imposing fines on the lazy local adventurers, but Glen wisely stopped him.

Doing such a thing would almost certainly lead to a mass exodus of allied guilds.

(Damn it. What’s wrong with these guys? If they have complaints, they should just say so.)

As Neil suppressed the urge to shout at the local adventurers’ unsatisfactory performance, he suddenly became alert to the faint sound of footsteps behind him.

It wasn’t the sound of a monster.

It was the sound of someone climbing the mountain in shoes.

And it was getting closer and closer.

(Could it be…)

When Neil turned around, he saw the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance below.

(Those guys… they’ve already caught up?)

“Glen, change of plans. We’re picking up the pace.”

The “Grand Alliance” hurriedly finished off the “Fire Dragon” they were fighting and began to move faster to widen the gap.

Meanwhile, the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance had also spotted the “Grand Alliance.”

The two alliances were now within bowshot distance of each other.

If they continued at this rate, the two forces would inevitably clash.

Tension rose as hostility and caution filled the air.

“Glen, fire some magic as a warning,” Neil ordered.

“Very well. It can’t be helped. ‘Explosive Flame Magic!'”

A burst of flames erupted right in front of the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance’s vanguard.

The intense “Explosive Flame Magic,” as if intent on scorching the earth, made the front lines of the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance hesitate and stop in their tracks.

(This ‘Explosive Flame Magic’… It must be Glen Ross, the lead attack mage of ‘Crown of the Sage.’)

Rick, who was part of the vanguard, felt his fighting spirit surge at the encounter with such a formidable opponent, tightening his grip on the sword on his back.

(No better opponent to face!)

However, a magic circle cast by Euphene flashed underfoot, signaling him to retreat.

(Tch, retreating without a fight again.)

Despite his frustration, Rick obediently followed the order.

Meanwhile, in the center, where Laurent was, they noticed their proximity to the “Crown of the Sage” and that “Explosive Flame Magic” had been fired as a warning.

“Euphene, tell Rick to fall back. Leon, take over as the vanguard commander from Rick and maintain pursuit at a distance just out of their bow range.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

Leon, having switched with Rick as the vanguard commander, maintained a precise distance from the “Grand Alliance” as they advanced through the dungeon.

The rest of the day passed without further incident, and evening arrived.

(Alright, it seems the warning shot worked for now.)

Seeing that the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance didn’t make any moves, Neil made that assessment. He then called Ian and Glen to discuss their plans for the next day.

“About tomorrow,” Neil began, “Glen, you’ll stay at the rear of the unit like today and keep an eye on them. If they come within range of your magic, don’t hesitate to fire.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll lead the front. If there’s an opportunity to put some distance between us and the ‘Spirit Workshop’ Alliance, I’ll use support magic without hesitation. Ian, you’ll be in the center. Manage the information between the front and rear, and balance things out. If they request healing magic, respond as needed.”

“Understood.”

“And you already know this, but if they try to engage us in combat or attempt to overtake us, we’ll initiate combat without hesitation,” Neil said with a fierce determination.

“The key to winning this is whether we can gather the ore and descend the mountain before the ‘Spirit Workshop’ Alliance. If we can do that, we’ll be able to shift the burden to the ‘White Wolves’ and return safely. We can’t afford to back down here. We must hold the lead.”

While Neil and his group were having their meeting, Laurent was also organizing his thoughts based on the information he received from Leon in the camp of the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance, which was set up a short distance away from the “Grand Alliance’s” camp.

(The ‘Grand Alliance’ hasn’t made any moves since then. That ‘Explosive Flame Magic’ was indeed just a warning. It seems they don’t want to fight recklessly either. In that case, it’s what we want as well. We’ll keep an eye on them for now.)

Laurent decided that they would maintain their distance from the “Grand Alliance,” wait for the right moment, and instructed all units not to initiate any combat until further orders were given.

In the “Volcano Dungeon,” fifty mining sites of various sizes appear each month.

During their first dungeon expedition, the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance and the “Grand Alliance” completely extracted rare metals from 15 of these mining sites. This leaves 35 sites remaining.

On this island, no matter how many adventurers are gathered, the maximum number of mining sites that can be fully exploited in one expedition is 15. Therefore, the two alliances should, in theory, be able to split the remaining sites without any issue.

So, what exactly are they fighting over?

They are vying for the right to avoid an attack from the “White Wolves.” To secure this right, they must collect the ores and descend the mountain before the other group.

The same pattern continued the next day and the day after that.

The “Spirit Workshop” Alliance maintained a consistent distance behind the “Grand Alliance” as they advanced through the dungeon. Whenever the “Grand Alliance” began setting up camp, the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance would immediately follow suit and set up camp just behind them.

Glen, tasked with guarding the rear of the “Grand Alliance” and keeping the enemy in check, was astonished by the coordinated movements of the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance.

(What incredible discipline. Even after witnessing my ‘Explosive Flame Magic,’ they don’t seem the least bit shaken. I’ve never seen a unit so well-organized, not even in the ‘City of Mages.’ Is this enemy really just an alliance of various groups?)

Neil and Ian also felt an underlying fear of the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance. Normally, when such a large force marches in close proximity like this, you’d expect some skirmishes to break out, but there were no signs of such disturbances. The enemy behind them simply maintained a quiet, steady pursuit, keeping a consistent distance.

This remarkable coordination was thanks to Leon’s exceptional command abilities.

[Leon’s Stats]

Command: 90-100

(Leon has become someone truly dependable. I can entrust the unit to him without a word.)

As time passed, Neil and Ian began to grow anxious.

Neil was frustrated by their inability to shake off the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance, while Ian was concerned that the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance showed no signs of wearing down.

(Damn it! Why? We’re moving as fast as we possibly can, so why can’t we lose them?)

(This is bad. With them sticking so closely behind us, we’re the ones burning more energy. At this rate, even if we manage to gather the ores first, there’s a high chance we’ll be targeted by the ‘White Wolves’…)

Amidst these concerns, the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance found the perfect opportunity.

That day, the “Grand Alliance” failed to reach their planned destination and was forced to set up camp in a less-than-ideal location. It was a flat plateau, with nothing around to serve as a natural barrier except for a few scattered rocky mountains.

(This is it. If we’re going to make a move, it has to be here.)

Laurent and his team set up camp just at the edge of bow range, reinforcing their defenses as if they were preparing for an impending battle.

Tension spread throughout the “Grand Alliance.”

Neil ordered them to strengthen their defenses, but progress was slow.

The next morning, fully expecting an all-out war, the “Grand Alliance” braced themselves. But contrary to their expectations, the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance remained holed up behind their fortifications, showing no sign of emerging. The only sound was that of a harp echoing through the air.

As Neil and his team puzzled over this, a powerful sound of wings flapping reached them from behind.

It was a group of “Fire Dragons.”

Just as the “Fire Dragons” attacked the “Grand Alliance,” the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance launched an offensive from their fortified position. With covering fire from archers, shield-bearers charged a vulnerable point in the “Grand Alliance’s” defenses.

Forced into a two-front battle, the “Grand Alliance” had no choice but to allow the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance to break through.

Ian sensed something was amiss.

(What the…? Just as the ‘Fire Dragons’ attacked, the ‘Spirit workshop’ Alliance came out as if they were coordinating? Could that harp sound earlier have been ‘Dragon’s Tone’!? Damn it. They still had an ace up their sleeve.)

The “Spirit Workshop” Alliance, after breaking through the “Grand Alliance,” picked up speed and ascended the mountain with incredible swiftness.

Neil, eager to overtake them again, was left behind as the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance, using ‘Earthcraft’ to its fullest extent, advanced through the dungeon without worrying about their equipment wearing out, quickly disappearing from sight.

(Damn it. What are these guys? We’re running with everything we’ve got, and they’re treating us like it’s nothing. Is there really that much of a gap in skill between us? That can’t be. There’s no way we’d lose to these nobodies.)

However, despite Neil’s thoughts, the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance continued to widen the gap.

Neil and his team were forced to reconsider their strategy.

(Damn it. What do we do? We can’t catch up with the enemy. Morale is dropping. At this rate, we’re going to have our ores stolen by the ‘White Wolves’ on the way back again.)

“Neil, can I talk to you for a minute?”

As the race with the “Spirit Workshop” Alliance became increasingly hopeless, Glen began to speak in a serious tone.

“Can you entrust the troops to me?”

“Entrust the troops? What for…?”

“To ambush the ‘White Wolves’ here and take them down.”