The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 157

Chapter 157   Arrangement and Coordination

Jill was facing the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.”

After hours of pursuit, it seemed that the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” had finally resigned itself to fighting, seeing that Jill continued to chase it no matter how far it fled.

The dragon folded its wings and landed on the ground, taking a battle stance.

“Finally ready to fight? Here I come!”

Jill thrust his silver poison sword forward.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” leapt aside, dodging Jill’s sword.

Undeterred, Jill advanced further.

The dragon continued to retreat backward.

Jill made a bold move, leaping in close to the dragon’s chest and unleashing a flurry of thrusts.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,” seeing Jill’s aggressive approach, twisted its body in a fluid motion to dodge the barrage of attacks.

(Ugh… What a way to avoid an attack…)

Still in that twisted position, the dragon struck Jill.

“Guh…!”

Jill was sent flying, slamming into the trunk of a tree.

(That… must be the flexible body Laurent mentioned…)

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” did not attempt to chase further. Instead, it shook its body, watching Jill carefully.

Jill immediately stood up and readied her sword again.

(If I can just land a single hit, the poison will start to weaken the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” and slow it down.)

Jill sheathed her sword briefly, then drew it again, allowing the sheath’s concealed poison to coat the blade.

Seeing this, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” grew even more cautious.

The two opponents began to move again.

They ran through the barren terrain, measuring each other’s range and throwing in subtle feints.

Neither had a decisive way to corner the other, so they both waited for an attack, aiming for a counterstrike at the slightest opening.

After a while, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” changed its pattern of behavior.

While glaring at Jill, it started striking the cliff with its tail.

(What’s it doing?)

As Jill wondered, the cliff began to crumble.

Rocks and rubble tumbled down near the dragon’s feet, including some fairly large stones.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” picked up a suitably sized rock and held it like a shield.

Then, it charged at Jill.

“Tch…”

Jill hastily raised her shield to defend herself.

Her current sword was designed for thrusting.

Even with Jill’s extraordinary strength, the most she could do was embed the blade deep into the rock, but slicing or breaking it was out of the question.

Thus, she had no choice but to block it with her shield.

“Urgh…”

Seeing that it had found a way to defend against Jill’s poison sword, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” used the rock’s weight to try to crush Jill.

But Jill, using her sheer strength, forcefully shoved the rock aside and slipped into the dragon’s guard.

“Hah!”

She thrust her silver poison sword forward.

But once again, the dragon dodged with its flexible body.

Jill quickly stepped back to evade the dragon’s counterattack.

Once again, they created distance between them, glaring at each other intently.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” picked up another rock.

This one was even larger than the last.

(…This is bad.)

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” seemed to be finding a way to both defend against the silver poison sword and gradually wear Jill down.

It wouldn’t be an instant defeat, but Jill’s equipment would likely wear out.

If her “Fire Barrier Shield” was worn down, the damage from the “Tsunami-like Fire Breath, Grand Breath” would also increase significantly.

Up until now, they had been evenly matched, but if things continued like this, Jill would be at a disadvantage.

Jill marveled at the intelligence of the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.”

At the same time, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” was also astonished by Jill’s formidable stats.

Jill had managed to both withstand and shove aside a rock with the dragon’s full weight behind it—a feat of tremendous power.

Her agility allowed her to close the distance in an instant.

And despite enduring such a grueling battle, she still had stamina and endurance to spare.

One moment of carelessness, and either of them could be done for.

Both combatants were aware of this and began to maneuver even more cautiously, trying to gauge each other’s range.

It seemed like the battle was about to reach a stalemate, but a change came from an unexpected place.

A figure burst into the S-Class battlefield at incredible speed, a place where even the most ferocious monsters would fear to tread.

“I’m here to help, Jill!”

“Karla!?”

“Laurent sent me. He instructed us to take on the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’ together.”

(Laurent’s instructions…)

Upon seeing Karla, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” felt rather pleased.

This was an opportunity.

The newly arrived thief appeared to have high agility, but her endurance seemed low.

A heavily armored knight with extraordinary endurance paired with a thief specialized in agility…

There was no way they could coordinate effectively.

Decades had passed since the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” had become the master of the “Volcanic Dungeon.”

Throughout those years, the dragon had witnessed countless humans challenge this dungeon, only to fail time and again.

Most of them hadn’t been defeated directly by the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.”

They had self-destructed.

Humans, as creatures, had too many differing values and interests to act cohesively as a group.

On this island, where adventurers had to cooperate between locals and outsiders to explore, they constantly undermined each other.

There had never been a human able to reconcile those conflicts.

Many powerful warriors had come to this island in groups, seeking to defeat the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,” but no matter how strong they were, the stronger they were, the more fiercely they clashed with each other.

Thus, if the dragon could exploit the gap in combat styles between these two, the underlying conflicts among them would quickly surface.

Thinking this, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” smiled to itself.

First, it would start with the “Tsunami-like Fire Breath, Grand Breath.”

A high-powered attack that covered a wide area—surely the fragile thief would be unable to withstand it.

If that happened, the heavily armored knight would inevitably have to protect her.

Instead of receiving support, the knight would be burdened by a weak partner, spending more time on defense. Frustration would build between them, and eventually, their cooperation would fall apart.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” feigned throwing the rock it held, only to suddenly release the “Tsunami-like Fire Breath, Grand Breath.”

(A “Tsunami-like Fire Breath, Grand Breath”?!)

(It’s targeting Karla’s low endurance!)

The surroundings were engulfed in flames.

“Karla, get behind my shield!”

“Tch!”

Jill quickly moved to merge with Karla, raising her shield to protect them.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” smiled to itself, pleased to see its plan unfolding as expected.

Now, it just had to continue its one-sided assault.

But things did not go as planned.

“Haaah!”

Jill advanced, shielding herself from the flames.

Behind her, Karla moved in perfect sync, staying just one meter behind, within the narrow safe zone created by Jill’s shield deflecting the flames. She matched her speed flawlessly, without missing a single step.

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” was stunned.

Impossible.

Were they not afraid?

Faced with this river of fire, if their movement speed were even slightly out of sync, Karla, positioned behind, would be swallowed by the flames.

Such a feat was impossible without deep mutual trust.

Panicking, the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” ceased the “Tsunami-like Fire Breath, Grand Breath,” and picked up a rock.

If fire didn’t work, it would crush them with the rock.

The dragon pressed the rock towards Jill, in a manner meant to scare Karla into retreating, as if to say, “Stay behind Jill, and you’ll be caught in this.”

However, Karla stayed right behind Jill.

Jill focused entirely on blocking the rock instead of trying to force it away.

(I don’t need to attack because…)

Suddenly, a mysterious slash struck the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.”

It was Karla’s “Shadow Strike.”

The blow transmitted through Jill, the shield, and the rock, startling the dragon enough to make it recoil backward.

Seizing the moment, Jill and Karla pursued the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.”

Karla, still behind Jill, created illusions, further confusing the dragon.

(Laurent taught me… Right behind a powerful shield-bearer, that’s where I fight!)

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” could do nothing but marvel at their coordinated teamwork.

Every adventurer it had seen before, the stronger they were, the more they asserted their individuality and clashed with each other.

But these two, this team…

The “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir” still didn’t know.

It was unaware that even the strongest individual personalities, through careful arrangement and fine-tuned coordination, could be brought together in a way that allows each of their intense traits to shine even more brightly. This is the power of an S-Rank Appraiser!

Jill moved in close, entering the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’s” range.

She thrust forward with her silver venom sword.

The dragon dodged with its fluid movements.

But it failed to notice Karla, who had stealthily moved to its side while its attention was on Jill.

“Haaah!”

Karla unleashed her “Spinning Sword Dance.”

The slashing attack from the “Spinning Sword Dance” extended far beyond the range of an ordinary blade, making it impossible for the dragon to evade with its fluid movements.

Though the dragon managed to avoid a fatal blow, it felt its body grow heavier.

This was the effect of the “Dragon Burial Dance,” a special ability granted by the S-Rank “Spinning Sword Dance,” which weakened dragon-type creatures.

Jill didn’t miss the moment when the “Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’s” movements slowed. She plunged her silver poison sword deep into the dragon’s enormous heart.

The deadly venom quickly spread through the giant dragon’s heart muscle, stopping its breath for good.