The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 78

Chapter 78   The Fire Dragon’s Wrath

Leon compared Hans and his group to the ‘Fire Dragon’ that had fallen to the ground.

“The guild ‘Pegasus Archers’… They took down a B-class monster like ‘Fire Dragon’ so easily. Judging by their numbers, they must be a small guild like us. Is this Laurent’s training ability?”

“Are you alright? That person seems to be seriously injured…” Claire said, looking at Jeff.

“He needs healing magic or should be treated back in the city,” Alice added, examining Jeff’s wounds.

“Hey, more importantly!” Cecil interrupted.

“Elio, our companion, is still fighting ‘Fire Dragon’ alone!”

Even without Cecil’s prompting, the deafening roar of ‘Fire Dragon’ could be heard from the distance.

“There’s another ‘Fire Dragon’ over there. Alice, Claire, let’s go. We need to help the guy in blue armor.”

Elio stood his ground, shield raised, staring down ‘Fire Dragon.’

“Damn, I need to get to Leon and the others.”

‘Fire Dragon’ circled in the sky, relentlessly attacking Elio with its fiery breath. Elio couldn’t afford to turn his back and run, leaving them both in a tense standoff.

(Is the coating on my armor starting to fail?)

Elio could feel the reflective function of his armor weakening. It signaled that both his shield and armor were nearing their limits.

At that moment, three red arrows struck the ‘Fire Dragon.’

(What?!)

Elio turned to see where the arrows had come from and saw a man and two women with bows.

The ‘Fire Dragon,’ finding a new target, shifted its attention from Elio to Hans and his group.

(Those red arrows… Could they have shot them?)

“Darn, it didn’t go down with one hit,” Hans muttered.

“This one seems to be a level higher than the previous ‘Fire Dragon,'” Alice observed.

“Then we’ll just have to deal more damage. Let’s go,” Alice said, running to flank the dragon.

The ‘Fire Dragon’ tried to incinerate her with its fiery breath, but she was too fast.

(She’s quick! Even against the flying ‘Fire Dragon,’ her agility is superior. Who are these three?)

Alice not only dodged the fiery breath with her speed but also nocked an arrow and prepared to shoot.

(Skill: ‘Rapid Fire’!)

Alice’s arrow hit the ‘Fire Dragon,’ causing it to screech in pain.

“Graaaah!”

The dragon glared at Alice. Ideally, it should have been aware of the other two as well, but her continuous evasion and attacks kept its focus on her.

(Alice’s skill ‘Rapid Fire’ reduces the power of her arrows to half, but she can shoot with only half the usual preparation time. With her exceptional agility, she can effectively distract the enemy. She’s perfect as a decoy to draw aggro. Now then…)

Thanks to Alice drawing the dragon’s attention, Hans was able to stealthily move into the ‘Fire Dragon’s’ blind spot using his ‘Silent Step’ skill without being noticed.

(Now all that’s left is to finish it off with a regular shot.)

Hans loosed an arrow, but the ‘Fire Dragon’ noticed it at the last moment and dodged.

(Darn, I missed.)

The ‘Fire Dragon’ turned its long neck, directing its mouth toward Hans.

“‘Fire Breath’ is coming! Run!” Elio shouted desperately.

However, Hans couldn’t move quickly while in shooting position.

The ‘Fire Breath’ surged toward Hans. At that moment, the red gem embedded in Hans’ bow glowed.

The ‘Fire Breath’ was sucked into the gem.

(Is that… ‘Fire-Absorbing Ore’ that absorbs flames?!)

“Now, I’ve set the stage. The rest is up to you, sisters,” Hans said.

Claire nocked three arrows at once.

(Skill: ‘Volley’!)

Caught mid-attack, the ‘Fire Dragon’ couldn’t react to Claire’s shots.

All three of Claire’s arrows struck the dragon.

To ensure the kill, Alice used ‘Rapid Fire.’

Despite the barrage, the ‘Fire Dragon’ was still alive, charging at Hans.

“What a magnificent beast you are, ‘Fire Dragon.’ But this is the end!”

Hans drew his bowstring, the red gem on his bow glowing brighter, ready to deliver the final blow.

When Hans nocked an arrow, the ‘Fire-Absorbing Ore’ embedded in his bow reacted. This wasn’t a regular shot; it was Hans’s skill, ‘Magic Shot.’ The arrow, now cloaked in the absorbed flames, flew straight at the ‘Fire Dragon’s’ forehead. Hit by its own ‘Fire Breath,’ the dragon fell to the ground, defeated.

Elio watched their battle in stunned silence.

(These three, they took down the ‘Fire Dragon’ so effortlessly. Such agility and anti-air firepower, and their coordination is incredible.)

“Whew. We managed to bring it down,” Hans said, exhaling.

“Hans, are you hurt?” Claire asked worriedly.

“I’m fine. The ‘Fire absorbing ore’ did a great job absorbing the flames. But what about him… wait,” Hans said, suddenly alert.

“What’s wrong?” Claire asked.

“I sense someone beyond the bushes,” Hans replied, squinting towards the thicket.

A group equipped with swords and shields emerged from the foliage.

“Is that… ‘White Wolf’!?” Alice said, her face tense.

“A melee battle, then,” Hans said, his expression serious.

(Our strategy is hit-and-run. If it comes to melee combat, we’re supposed to retreat, according to Laurent orders. But with Elio and his group lacking the agility to escape from the Thieves, what do we do? Abandon them? No, after saying we’d help, leaving them now would be too disgraceful…)

While Hans wrestled with his uncool dilemma, the ‘Sword Thieves’ of ‘White Wolf’ closed in, moving through the shadows of the trees.

As Hans hesitated, Elio sprang into action.

“Elio!?” Alice exclaimed.

“Leave the ground battle to me!” Elio shouted, charging into the midst of the approaching ‘Sword Thieves.’ With the reflective effect of his blue shield and armor, he shattered their weapons one by one.

The ‘Sword Thieves’ of ‘White Wolf’ were swiftly defeated and fled.

“That guy’s impressive. He drove off several Sword Thieves by himself,” Alice said in admiration.

“His defense is incredible,” Claire added.

Hans ran up to Elio, offering his hand. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Your defense was amazing. Nice fight,” Hans praised.

“No, you guys were incredible for taking down the ‘Fire Dragon’. But still…” Elio’s eyes moved to their equipment. Besides their anti-air gear, they wore only the bare minimum. Could they really survive in a dungeon with such gear?

Hans noticed Elio’s gaze and explained, “We focus on hit-and-run tactics and retreat quickly in non-anti-air battles. So, we only hunt flying monsters. But if we combine your ground combat skills with our abilities… things could get interesting.”

Hans smiled warmly.

“Yeah, um, who are you guys exactly…?” Elio began.

“Elio! Are you okay?” called out Cecil, approaching with Leon supporting Jeff.

“Leader. Everyone. You’re safe,” Elio responded.

“Yeah, and you look alright too,” Leon said.

“Leader, these people are…” Elio started.

“Yeah, they happened to pass by. They’re from a partner guild of ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’ and helped us out,” Leon explained.

“What? From ‘Arsenal of the Spirits’?” Elio echoed in surprise.

“Yeah, but we can catch up later. Let’s head back to town first. The archer is badly injured, right?” Hans said.

“Right, we should move,” Leon agreed.

“Wait, what’s that rumbling?” Clare suddenly asked, looking around.

Claire spoke with a puzzled expression.

Now that she mentioned it, the seven people present became suspicious of the subtle vibrations they had been feeling for a while.

It wasn’t just the tremors.

Birds were flying away from the trees in the forest, and dragons, including the ‘Fire Dragon,’ were raising loud cries.

It was as if it were a precursor to some natural disaster.

Meanwhile, the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir,’ who had repelled the Grand Alliance, was now furious at the adventurers who had disturbed its comfortable sleep.

Near the volcano’s crater, it jumped and stomped on the ground, relentlessly agitating the volcano.

As it did so, magma began to rise from the crater, eventually leading to an eruption.

The magma flowed out as lava, descending the mountain, melting rocks, and forming new deposits.

The dungeon’s terrain changed, with the lava spreading beyond the volcano’s surrounding forest, encroaching even into the town.

Seeing the disaster it had caused threatening the human world, the ‘Giant Fire Dragon Grand Fafnir’ felt satisfied and went back into a deep sleep.