The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 65

Chapter 65   The Shield Bearer in Anguish

Lizetta looked around Laurent’s workshop.

(Two workers. And that sword is B-class… I guess.)

She sighed and slumped her shoulders.

(Laurent… you really were a fake.)

Aina was irritated by Lizetta’s attitude.

(What’s with this girl? She’s blatantly disappointed. How rude to Laurent.)

“Um, Laurent, who is this girl? An acquaintance?” Rody asked.

“She’s a worker from ‘Dragon’s Ember.'”

“What? ‘Dragon’s Ember? The largest guild on this island?”

“Lizetta, what are you doing here? Our partnership with ‘Dragon’s Ember’ fell through, remember?”

“Laurent, I’m very disappointed in you.”

Lizetta exaggeratedly shrugged her shoulders.

“I was looking forward to working with you because I heard you were an executive of the major guild ‘Golden Hawk’ in the Adventurers’ City. But it turns out that was a lie.”

“It wasn’t a lie. I am indeed Laurent, an S-class appraiser and executive of ‘Golden Hawk.'”

“Then why are you here, in this rundown workshop, making such worthless pieces?”

“What did you just say? Worthless pieces? What do you mean by that…?”

Aina started to retort, but Lizetta took out a silver knife.

It was a dazzling piece, and its sharpness and craftsmanship were impeccable, truly a masterpiece.

“Ugh.”

【Silver Knife】

• • • • Power: 50

• • • • Durability: 50

• • • • Weight: 10

(The power and durability are on par with a C-class sword. But given its weight, those stats are impressive.)

Laurent scrutinized the intricate design of the knife.

(That complex design must play a role in housing a powerful spirit.)

“This is a knife I recently made as a prototype. Can any of you create something like this?”

“Guh…”

Aina stepped back, unable to say anything.

“This knife is still a prototype, but I made it entirely by myself. It embodies all the skills I’ve accumulated over the years—it’s a crystallization of my blood, sweat, tears, and soul! You two can only manage a B-class sword together, and you expect not to be called worthless? Even that B-class sword is just a mediocre product. There are plenty of people in ‘Dragon’s Ember’ who can make something of this level, not to mention in other alchemy guilds. A guild that can only produce such low-quality work will quickly go under on this island. And someone satisfied with such mediocrity could never lead a guild that conquered three dungeons, Laurent!”

Lizetta looked at Laurent accusingly.

“You said you would defeat the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.’ You claimed you wanted to team up with ‘Dragon’s Ember’ to take down an S-class monster. And this is what you’re doing for that? Was that just a lie?”

“I haven’t lied. I’ve simply changed my approach.”

“Your approach?”

“Yes. Initially, I planned to work with your guild to defeat the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.’ But I changed my mind. I’m going to build my own alchemy guild, train alchemists capable of crafting S-class weapons, and defeat the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’ myself.”

“Train them?”

“Yes, train them. Admittedly, our guild might currently seem inferior to yours in both scale and quality. But I guarantee that one day, we will surpass your guild in every aspect.”

“… I see.”

Lizetta slumped her shoulders again.

Laurent’s response did not satisfy her in the least.

(Anyone can say those words. Claiming you’ll surpass ‘Dragon’s Ember’ from here? That could take decades, even centuries. I thought this man could elevate me to a higher level.)

Despite her disappointment, Lizetta quickly composed herself. She had grand ambitions: to surpass Raoul, the absolute number one in ‘Dragon’s Ember,’ and create a weapon capable of defeating the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir.’

She had no time to dwell on her frustrations.

“Laurent, I understand your intentions. Though our paths have diverged, I wish your endeavors the best of luck. Farewell.”

Lizetta turned on her heel and headed for the exit.

“Wait a moment. Tell the guild leader of ‘Dragon’s Ember’ that rejecting our collaboration will be something they’ll deeply regret.”

Lizetta smirked.

“Oh? If you ever manage to create equipment that surpasses mine, I’ll gladly transfer to your guild. Do your best.”

“You too, Lizetta. Don’t disappoint me.”

“?”

Lizetta looked puzzled.

【Lizetta’s Skills】

• • • • Silver Crafting: A→A

• • • • Spirit Infusion: B→B

(Her ‘Silver Crafting A’ combined with ‘Spirit Infusion B’ is indeed a formidable skill set. However, her ‘Spirit Infusion’ won’t improve further. I know an even more talented silver craftsman.)

“You think your guild is unbeatable, but your methods have weaknesses. You can’t fool my eyes. When you inevitably end up working here, make sure you’ve honed your skills so you won’t be a burden.”

(How confident. I might actually like someone like him.)

Lizetta felt a slight thrill in her chest.

“Heh. Impressive. I look forward to it.”

With a confident smile, Lizetta left the workshop.

While Lizetta was venting her frustrations in the workshop of the ‘Arsenal of the Spirit’s’ branch, a certain party was struggling against monsters in the island’s dungeon.

“A large ogre is coming! And a ‘Winged Pteranodon’ too!”

“What are you doing, Elio? Hurry up and make a wall!”

“I know, I know. Damn it, this armor is so heavy…”

The warrior Elio, wielding a large shield, stumbled awkwardly but managed to stand in front of the large ogre, protecting his comrades in the rear.

The ogre’s club struck his shield, producing a dull metallic sound. Simultaneously, the ‘Winged Pteranodon’ breathed fire, scorching the surface of his armor.

“Ugh!”

However, the shield withstood the attack, and the armor repelled the flames.

(This armor and shield from ‘Dragon’s Ember’ are incredibly durable. But still…)

“Ugh, Cecil! Give me some healing magic!”

“Got it. ‘Healing Magic!'”

Cecil, the thief who could also cast healing spells, chanted, and the wounds on Elio quickly healed.

(Alright, I can still hold out.)

Elio continued to take the brunt of the attacks, allowing the archer Jeff to secure a better position and the swordsman Leon, the leader of the party, to flank the enemy.

“Alright, now!”

“Let’s finish them off!”

The adventurers managed to defeat the monsters.

“Phew, we somehow repelled the enemies.”

“Once we get through here, we’ll reach the ‘Metal Line.'”

“Great, let’s get there before sunset…”

“What’s wrong, Elio?”

“Sorry, my strength seems to be waning.”

Elio slung his heavy shield over his back and grimaced in pain.

“Damn it,” Leon said, unable to hide his disappointment.

When strength is diminished and one wears heavy gear, it puts a strain on the body, reducing toughness. As toughness decreases, the overall stats decline more rapidly. This makes it difficult to move efficiently within the dungeon.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll give you a hand from here. Take potions frequently and don’t push yourself,” Leon advised.

“Yeah, sorry,” Elio responded.

“But what are we going to do? If Elio’s like this, we can’t stand up to the large ogre.”

“Don’t worry, we’re almost at the ‘Metal Line.’ Oh, look, there it is,” Leon said.

Ahead of them lay a vast expanse of exposed mineral deposits. The brown rock surface was dotted with large, colorful gemstones, protruding from the ground like vegetables in a field.

The group cheered and began harvesting.

“There’s a ton of this stuff,” one of them said.

“Yeah, with this much, we won’t be in trouble for a while,” another added.

“Start with the most valuable ores. First, ‘Fire-Absorbing Ore (Firefrut)’ and ‘Fire-Repelling Ore (Firerest).’ Next, ‘Wind-Absorbing Ore (Windfrut)’ and ‘Wind-Repelling Ore (Windrest),'” Leon instructed.

They sheathed their weapons, pulled out their pickaxes, and began mining the ores.

“Alright, let’s call it here. We’re pulling out,” the leader, Leon, instructed at an appropriate stopping point.

Everyone ceased their activities and began to prepare for the retreat.

“Ugh,” Elio groaned.

“Elio? What’s wrong?” someone asked.

“…It’s no good. My ‘Item Storage’ isn’t activating,” Elio said as he tried to put the ores into his item bag, only for them to spill out onto the ground.

Unlike large guilds like ‘The Golden Hawk’ or ‘The Guardians of the Magic Tree,’ their small guild couldn’t afford to hire a dedicated item storage specialist. Each member had to learn a low-rank ‘Item Storage’ skill and manage the collected resources themselves.

Elio had the ‘Item Storage C’ skill, but his depleted stats meant he couldn’t maintain it any longer.

(I’ve used up too much stamina. I can’t even keep my ‘Item Storage’ active. Damn it.)

“It can’t be helped. Elio, you don’t need to carry the ores. Just focus on conserving your stats and getting down the mountain,” Leon instructed.

“Got it,” Elio replied, being helped by his teammates as they descended.

“Elio, are you okay?” Cecil, the thief, asked while supporting Elio’s shoulder.

“Yeah. Sorry for being so useless,” Elio responded.

“Don’t worry about it. We all help each other out when times are tough. Just focus on getting out of the dungeon,” Cecil reassured.

“Right, got it,” Elio agreed.

“…This is bad,” Jeff, the archer, muttered.

“What’s wrong?” Leon asked.

“It’s the ‘White Wolves’,” Jeff responded, staring intently down the mountain path. His ‘Farsight’ skill allowed him to see further than an ordinary person.

“They’re coming this way. They’re going to attack us.”

“What? How far are they?”

“Almost here. We can’t escape!”

As they spoke, a group of thieves drew closer.

“Damn it. We have no choice. Prepare for battle,” Leon ordered.

The team hurriedly readied themselves for combat.

“Elio, can you stand on your own?” Cecil asked.

“Yeah, I’ll manage somehow,” Elio replied. (Our guild can’t afford to have any member idle. Even if I can barely move, just standing with my shield and armor might be enough to bluff them!)

Elio positioned himself in front of his teammates, holding up his shield.

In no time, the ‘White Wolves’ approached.

Leon spotted a man with an eye patch among the ‘White Wolves.’

(Damn, Jamil is here. Just our luck today.)

Jamil used his status appraisal on Elio.

“Heh. That shield bearer’s stats are all over the place,” Jamil sneered.

“Seems like he’s wearing gear that’s way out of his league,” another thief remarked.

“With those stats, he can barely move. We’ll use our agility to our advantage and finish this quickly,” Jamil said.

Using his swift movements, Jamil maneuvered around Elio’s side and knocked him down with a body slam.

“Ugh,” Elio groaned as he fell.

With the only shield-bearer incapacitated, the ‘White Wolves’ quickly moved in to engage the rear guard in melee combat, breaking their defenses.

The ‘Dawn Shield’ guild had no choice but to surrender to the ‘White Wolves,’ handing over most of their collected ores.

“Alright, that’s today’s quota done,” Edgar, one of the quartet at ‘Dragon’s Ember,’ was preparing to head home after finishing his work for the day.

“Edgar!” a voice called out.

“Huh? What is it?” he replied.

“Elio from ‘Dawn Shield’ wants to discuss his equipment. Can you handle it?”

“Damn, him again,” Edgar muttered.

“Should we tell him to come back another day?” the colleague asked.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll deal with it quickly,” Edgar said, stopping his preparations to leave and heading towards the customer service area.

“Hey, Edgar. Can you make this armor a bit lighter?” Elio asked, almost pleading.

“You’re planning to go to ‘Metal Line,’ right?” Edgar inquired.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Elio confirmed.

“In that case, it’s too risky to reduce the defense any further. ‘Wyverns’ and ‘Fire Dragons’ also appear there,” Edgar explained.

“I know, but still…” Elio trailed off.

“Well, we could downgrade to C-class armor. It’s not as strong, but it’s lighter,” Edgar suggested, pulling out a catalog.

“No, that’s not going to work. The defense will be too low. We’re already being targeted by the ‘White Wolves,'” Elio insisted.

“Then you’ll just have to manage with your current armor,” Edgar replied.

“But…” Elio hesitated.

“Elio, give me a break. I’m dealing with you after hours here. Or are you saying you don’t like our equipment? If that’s the case, why don’t you try another alchemy guild?” Edgar’s tone grew sharp.

“…”

Seeing Elio fall silent, Edgar smirked nastily.

“Alright then, keep trying with your current gear. Come on, Elio. You’ll be fine. If you train your strength or toughness, you can handle this weight,” Edgar said dismissively.

When Elio left ‘Dragon’s Ember,’ his waiting comrades hurried over.

“How did it go?”

“No good. They said if I don’t like the armor, I should downgrade,” Elio replied.

“I see.”

“They really don’t care about us, do they?”

“The quality is good, but they’re so inflexible.”

“At this rate, our guild won’t survive,” they all sighed in unison.

“Looks like Elio just has to boost his stats,” one of them suggested.

“Hang in there. It’s all on you,” another encouraged.

“Yeah,” Elio agreed reluctantly.

(Sigh. I wish there was an alchemy guild that could make equipment better suited to me.)