The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 150

Chapter 150   Search and Adapt

Aina was crafting two sets of armor.

One was for Jill.

The other was for someone dear to her.

The armor for Jill required only applying the “Exterior Enhancement Coating” to the silver that Lizetta had shaped.

In contrast, the armor for her beloved was made entirely by her own hands, from molding to the “Exterior Enhancement Coating.”

As she worked, thinking of the one who would wear it, she applied the coating with even more care and sincerity than she did for Jill’s armor.

(I wonder if Laurent will be pleased…)

Even if her feelings never reached him, she wanted, in any way possible, to be a support to Laurent.

Finally, Jill’s equipment was completed.

Laurent summoned the “Spirit Alliance.”

In response to his call, the guilds that had joined the “Spirit Alliance” began to gather in the plaza.

Wearing the “Flame Shield,” the armor with double “Exterior Enhancement Coating,” and the silver poison sword, Jill twisted her body lightly, swung her sword, and raised her shield to check how they felt.

“Hm, it’s light.”

“That’s important in this battle,” Laurent replied.

“The ‘Dragon-Slayer Hammer’ has the power to crush even the toughest, most durable monsters in a single blow, but against an enemy with high evasion ability, like the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,’ it’s not effective. Instead of a single powerful strike, the concept this time is to use agile footwork to land precise hits repeatedly.”

“I see. A war of attrition.”

“Exactly. So, it will be a prolonged battle. You should be prepared for a long period of receiving damage as well.”

“Y-yes!”

Jill’s cheeks blushed slightly as she answered.

After handing over Jill’s equipment, Laurent put on his new gear.

“How is it, Laurent?” Aina asked as she helped him don his armor.

“Yeah, it fits perfectly,” Laurent replied, testing the feel of the armor.

“I never expected you to make equipment for me too.”

“Well, since you’re fighting the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,’ I thought you might need armor with double ‘Exterior Enhancement Coating,’ too.”

“Haha, that’s true. I’ve been so focused on everyone else’s equipment that I completely forgot to think about my own.”

Laurent laughed wryly.

Aina gazed at Laurent intently.

(Good, it suits him perfectly.)

Seeing Laurent in his armor was just as she had imagined.

(Laurent looks so cool in his armor. I’m glad I worked so hard to make it.)

Suddenly, Laurent turned to Aina.

“Thank you, Aina. With this, I can help Jill explore the depths of the ‘Wasteland.’”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just happy to be of help to you, Laurent…”

“Well, if you need more enhanced equipment, my unique skill could—mmph!”

Just as Lizetta tried to make her case, Aina quickly silenced her, stopping her mid-sentence.

“Please be careful, Laurent,” Aina said.

“Yeah, I will. I’m off,” Laurent replied.

With all the new equipment checked, Laurent and his team headed straight into the dungeon.

Aina kept her eyes on Laurent’s back, watching until he disappeared from sight.

In the “Foot of the Mountain Forest,” they marched at a normal pace, without rushing.

The battles were left to the local novice adventurers and the outside adventurer guilds. Jill stood beside Laurent, watching over their combat.

“Hmm. So far, these monsters aren’t much different from the ones you see around the ‘Adventurer’s Town,’” Jill observed.

“Yeah. In this ‘Foot of the Mountain Forest,’ only the usual demon and wolf tribes appear. Things get tougher once we enter the ‘Metal Line.’ That’s when flying units like the ‘Fire Dragon’ and rock-type creatures such as the ‘Rock-Skinned Giant Ogre’ will show up,” Laurent replied.

“I see. So, my time to shine will be after we enter the ‘Metal Line,’ right?” Jill said, showing signs of eager anticipation.

Laurent noticed her excitement.

“Jill, once we get close to the ‘Metal Line,’ we’ll face monsters right away. Be ready.”

“Yes!” Jill answered energetically.

Before long, Laurent and his team reached the ‘Metal Line.’

They immediately sent out archers as scouts.

“You’re sending out scouts?” Jill asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah. We don’t want the highly mobile ‘Fire Dragon’ to get the upper hand by taking to the skies above our forces. To prevent that, we need to spot them first and take the initiative,” Laurent explained.

“Got it,” Jill nodded.

“Oh, speak of the devil… It looks like they’ve found the ‘Fire Dragon,’” Laurent remarked.

In the distance, they saw arrows being shot into the sky.

It was a signal that two ‘Fire Dragons’ had appeared.

“Jill, how about we get started?” Laurent asked.

“Yes!” Jill responded.

She darted forward like a bullet, knocking aside any ‘Goblins’ and ‘Clawed Wolves’ she encountered on her way, heading straight for the ‘Fire Dragons.’

Soon, Jill spotted the enormous creatures leisurely flapping their wings and soaring through the air.

(!? So that’s the ‘Fire Dragon’)

It was a creature that embodied both beauty and savagery.

Its shimmering, thick scales and the way it soared effortlessly through the sky gave it a majestic presence. At the same time, its sharp claws and fangs, along with its ferocious eyes searching for prey, made it clear that this was a vicious creature born to hunt and devour all living things on the ground.

Jill was rather captivated by the wicked sharpness of its claws.

Those claws could easily tear through her soft skin.

The ‘Fire Dragon’ also caught sight of Jill. Its eyes moved with the characteristic movements of a lizard, swiveling to glare at her from the corner of its eye.

Before the ‘Fire Dragon’ could assume a combat stance, Jill kicked off the ground and leapt into the air.

Like an arrow, she flew straight toward the dragon and drove her silver sword into its heart.

The ‘Fire Dragon’ coughed up blood and died instantly.

Jill hung from the hilt of her sword, drifting in mid-air for a moment.

Nearby, Jeff watched in astonishment.

(W-What speed and power… But…)

Jeff turned his attention to the other ‘Fire Dragon.’

(If she stays like that, the other one’s going to attack her!)

Just as Jeff feared, the second ‘Fire Dragon,’ noticing its fallen companion, became enraged and charged toward Jill.

Despite this, Jill continued to hang from the floating carcass of the ‘Fire Dragon’ with its wings spread.

(Hey, what’s she doing? Is she planning to take the attack on purpose!?)

Laurent had instructed Jill to familiarize herself with the new equipment and increase its compatibility rate.

To raise the compatibility rate of the shield and armor, the quickest way was to deliberately take hits.

(Come on, ‘Fire Dragon.’ Attack me! Come on! Hurry up!)

The furious ‘Fire Dragon’ rapidly closed the distance between them.

Just before the enemy’s attack struck, Jill pulled out her sword.

Jill took the full force of the ‘Fire Dragon’s’ wing against her body.

“Guh!”

For a moment, Jill was dragged through the air by the force of the wing, then she flipped and began to plummet straight downward.

But the ‘Fire Dragon’s’ attack didn’t stop there.

As Jill was falling, the dragon unleashed a ‘Breath of Fire’ in her direction.

In mid-air, Jill adjusted her posture and raised the ‘Flame Shield’ that she had strapped to her back.

The flames struck the shield and scattered, but the ‘Fire Dragon ‘ continued to unleash its ‘Breath of Fire’ without pause.

Unable to take evasive action in mid-air, Jill was battered by the intense heat and pressure of the ‘Breath of Fire’ as she was slammed into the ground.

Even after she landed, the ‘Fire Dragon’ kept spewing its ‘Breath of Fire.’

The surrounding vegetation was reduced to ash.

(Ugh. So this is the ‘Breath of Fire’ of a ‘Fire Dragon.’ What an intense heat. I had no idea the ‘Breath of Fire’ could be this fierce. If an ordinary ‘Fire Dragon’ has this much power… then the ‘Breath of Fire’ of the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’ must be even more terrifying, right?)

After experiencing the searing heat of the ‘Breath of Fire,’ Jill leaped up again, bursting out from within the flames.

She reached the ‘Fire Dragon’ in an instant and drove her silver sword into its head, slaying it with a single blow.

She then moved onto the dragon’s back and rode it down to the ground.

“Jill, are you okay?”

Jeff came running over.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jill replied, looking somewhat satisfied.

“…Are you really okay? It looked like you took that attack directly while in the air…”

“Yeah. In fact, I feel like I’m starting to hit my stride.”

“O-Oh, I see. Well, that’s good then.”

As the two of them were talking, the sounds of battle and a commotion could be heard.

It was coming from the direction where Laurent and the others were.

It seemed they were being attacked by a ground force of monsters.

Among the enemies, even from this distance, the massive figure of a ‘Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’ could be seen.

“Is that a ‘Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’? Hey, wait—”

Before Jeff could even assess the enemy, Jill had already started running toward them.

The “Spirit Alliance,” under attack by a group of monsters that included a “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre,” was thrown into a bit of confusion.

Despite having many high-rank adventurers, there were also newly joined external adventurer guilds, and their coordination was still clumsy.

There were no clear rules yet on who should respond, how, and under what circumstances.

Elio, struggling more than usual, somehow managed to jump in front of the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre.”

“Leave this to me!”

(Damn, the ‘Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’… It’s as huge as always.)

However, retreating wasn’t an option.

The threat of the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre” wasn’t just in its tough body and powerful attacks.

Its long reach was also a formidable danger.

With its towering height and rock club, it could easily bypass the front lines and inflict damage on the rear guard.

The poorly coordinated group was taking time to retreat.

If they took a hit deep within their ranks in such a situation, it could result in significant damage.

To save the unit from danger, Elio had no choice but to push the enemy back with his “Shield Charge.”

(I don’t like pain, but if it’s to protect everyone, I…)

The “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre” began the motion of swinging down its club.

There was no time to waste.

Elio got into position for the “Shield Charge.”

But then, suddenly, a red shadow cut in.

“Huh? Jill?”

Elio slammed on the brakes.

The “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’s” club struck Jill.

“J-Jill, what are you…?”

“Phew. Made it in time.”

Jill, with the rock club still pressing against her armor, turned to look back at Elio.

“Leave this to me.”

“What? No, but…”

“It’s fine. You go and push back the enemies on the other side.”

“But, still…”

If they didn’t push back the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre” with the “Shield Charge” right now, the unit would suffer damage.

To prevent that, Jill would have to take the brunt of the attack herself.

(If you do that, Jill, you’ll just wear yourself out for no reason!)

Elio glanced over at Laurent, looking for support.

Laurent gestured, indicating, “It’s fine. Leave it to Jill.”

“O-okay, Jill. I’ll leave this to you, then?”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

As Elio moved away, sure enough, the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’s” club attacked the rear guard of the unit, and Jill was left to take the full force of the blows.

(Damn, this is the ‘Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’s’ attack. What power! It’s several times stronger than a regular ‘Ogre’s’ attack. But can’t you hit me just a bit harder? I can still take it, you know?)

Despite Jill’s internal encouragement, the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre” jumped back.

It was wary of Jill’s unyielding endurance, as no matter how much it attacked, she remained unfazed.

Having no choice, Jill pursued.

Closing the distance in an instant, she pierced the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre’s” heart.

She wasn’t the type to miss such an opportunity.

The adventurers, who had been flustered by the “Rock-Skinned Giant Rock Ogre” behind Jill, were left dumbfounded.

They had no idea what had just happened.