The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 155

Chapter 155   Fire Dragon Attack

Leon looked back at his unit with a sense of pride.

(“Ike, Liz, and Archie have all reached A-Class. One S-Class and seven A-Class members… We’ve become quite the formidable squad.”)

Never before had he felt so confident in his companions, and there wasn’t even a hint of the usual infighting that was common on this island.

Despite being such a large unit, they continued through the dungeon with calm determination.

(“At this rate, we might actually be able to defeat the ‘Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir.’ And it’s all thanks to you, Laurent. You’ve really strengthened us from that sorry state to where we are now.”)

Leon felt a renewed sense of gratitude toward Laurent, along with a swelling of pride.

Just then, he felt the ground tremble.

“Hmm? What’s that?”

The disturbance quickly spread throughout the entire unit.

“What’s causing this shaking?”

“Could it be?!”

Leon looked up toward the summit of the volcano.

Sure enough, magma was beginning to erupt from the crater.

(“Oh, no way, are you serious?!”)

“Leon! We need to evacuate, quickly!”

Laurent, who had been scouting ahead, hurried back and shouted.

“Yeah, I know! I know, but this sudden eruption… This has to be—”

“Most likely the work of the ‘Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir.'”

“Yeah, figured as much!”

“Prioritize the evacuation! After that… prepare for battle!”

The “Spirit Alliance” quickly began their evacuation in a flurry of activity.

Fortunately, the “Spirit Alliance” included many local adventurers who were accustomed to volcanic disasters. They guided the external adventurers, allowing for a swift evacuation.

They predicted the paths where lava and ash clouds might flow by considering the terrain and wind direction of the mountain.

To protect themselves from falling rocks, they moved while shielding themselves with rocks or holding shields overhead.

To avoid the gases and smoke generated by the eruption, they avoided staying in valleys or depressions.

By the time the lava and pyroclastic flow had passed through the “Barren zone,” the entire unit had managed to reach a safe location.

However, due to prioritizing evacuation, the unit had inevitably become scattered.

Leon looked at the glowing red river of lava and the thick black smoke hanging heavily in the air, all moving toward the town, and felt a sense of dread.

(“Another disaster… If we fail to defeat the ‘Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir,’ the town is going to be furious.”)

While Leon was thinking this, screams and shouts erupted from the edge of the unit.

“Now what?!”

Looking in the direction of the noise, Leon saw an isolated unit being attacked by monsters with dragon scales and wolf fangs.

(“That’s a ‘Fang Dragon’… a minion of the ‘Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir’…”)

Leon had already heard from Laurent that the “Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir” possessed the ability to create monsters, and that the “Fang Dragon” was one such creation.

The “Fang Dragon” was attacking the adventurers with incredible speed, striking and retreating in a hit-and-run tactic, just as it had done against Monica.

(“Damn, they targeted us when we were scattered.”)

“Karla, help those guys out, quickly… ugh…”

Just as Leon was about to give the order, countless shadows covered the ground.

A swarm of “Fire Dragons” flew across the sky, casting a vast shadow over the entire unit.

And then, a massive shadow loomed over Leon, as if enveloping everything.

“The ‘Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir’…”

Leon stood in stunned silence at the sight.

Its wings were so vast they seemed to block out the sky, and its jaws were large enough to swallow an elephant whole.

The reptilian eye movements were the same as when it had fought with Sein, but its once shiny, newly-shed skin—like that of a snake—had been exposed to the elements, becoming rough and rugged like stone.

The “Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir” gazed down at the adventurers from the sky for a moment, then suddenly unleashed a “Grand Breath,” a wave of fire like a tsunami.

The ground was consumed by a sea of flames.

Once it confirmed that all the adventurers on the ground were engulfed in fire, the “Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir” finally ceased its breath attack.

By now, most of the adventurers would likely be incapacitated.

For “Grand Fafnir,” it was beneficial to have a large number of adventurers coming all at once.

When they arrived in such a large group, there would inevitably be some weak point within their ranks.

That allowed for an easy disruption with a wide-area attack like the “Grand Breath,” a wave of fire.

Most of the adventurers would be in a critical state after the “Grand Breath,” and even the S-class heavy knight wouldn’t emerge unscathed.

All that was left was to have the subordinate “Fire Dragons” chase down the weaker adventurers while “Grand Fafnir” himself took care of the S-class and a few other top-tier adventurers…

Just as “Grand Fafnir” was thinking this, the flames writhing on the ground began to dissipate in the wind.

The scene that emerged from the flames, cutting through them, was beyond anything the “Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir” could have imagined.

Underneath shields called “Fire Shields,” groups of two or three adventurers had huddled together, withstanding the intense fire.

Such scenes were scattered all over.

Shield-bearers had stepped forward to protect those with weaker defenses, such as archers, thieves, and swordsmen, shielding them behind their backs.

The archers, thieves, and swordsmen, trusting in the shield-bearers, stood firm without moving an inch, patiently enduring behind the shields.

They had also remembered to prepare against the dangers of hot air and oxygen deprivation.

They avoided places that retained heat or where the air stagnated, choosing instead well-ventilated locations to form their defensive positions.

They managed to accomplish all of this without delay, in just that brief moment.

There were no adventurers panicking, running in fear, dragging each other down, or writhing in pain from the damage.

Through their dungeon explorations, Laurent had rigorously prepared the adventurers to counter the “Fire Breath” of the “Fire Dragons.”

As a result, every adventurer in the “Spirit Alliance,” no matter how low their status, had learned how to withstand a “Fire Breath” and respond calmly.

This remained true even against the “Grand Breath,” a tsunami of fire.

The “Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir” could not help but be astonished.

Had there ever been a time when adventurers appearing before him were so united, so courageously coordinated with each other?

As “Grand Fafnir” doubted his own eyes, momentarily frozen in shock, a red shadow sprang out from the still-blazing area, slashing toward him.

It was an attack from Jill Irwin, the S-class heavy knight.

The “Giant Fire Dragon, Grand Fafnir” barely managed to block the tip of the sword with his wing, so fast was the assault.

The first thrust was somehow deflected, but the second thrust pierced deep into the wing.

Just as the third strike was about to land, “Grand Fafnir” finally succeeded in knocking Jill away.

Jill plummeted headfirst toward the ground.

However, she had already accomplished her goal.

(Got it!)

The spot where Jill’s sword had pierced—an area on “Grand Fafnir’s” wing with a hole—began to rapidly turn purple. It swelled up like a blister, and the inflammation spread from the wound across the entire wing, moving toward his heart.