Chapter 15

"An archer... I can't do that."

The girl, dressed in warrior's gear, said hesitantly.

"That's not true. You have the skill 'Hawk's Eye,' which is suitable for an archer..."

"Just a moment, what are you saying so casually?"

As Roland tried to explain to the warrior girl, a young man interrupted.

"Monica has been raised as a warrior all along. We've finally come this far, and now you want to convert her to an archer? That's ridiculous."

"Um... who are you?"

"I'm Willick, the exclusive appraiser of the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree.'"

"An appraiser..."

"I heard about this special advisor and wondered what kind of person would come, but as expected, this is what happens. Monica, you're suddenly being converted to an archer. This is a joke. Mr. Roland, right? I don't care if you're a special advisor or not. We have our own way of doing things, and we can't just let someone from outside come in and mess everything up."

He said this in a rush.

It was as if he was implying that nothing would work without him in the guild.

"Willick, didn't I say that Roland is a special advisor? From now on, we need to prioritize his guidance."

As Roland was at a loss, Lilianna scolded him.

"Lilianna, but... all the hard work we've done so far..."

"Willick, I understand your thoughts. However, you've been in charge of Monica for three years now. If there's no more progress, she won't have any future."

When Lilianna said this, Monica shuddered.

"But... even if it's the appraiser of the Alchemy Guild..."

"If you insist, use your appraisal to check Roland's skills. You'll be convinced."

"His skills...?"

Willick appraised Roland's skills.

Skill Appraisal S

Talent Development A

(What! Skill Appraisal S and Talent Development A!? A skill set that seems to have poured everything into discovering and developing talent...)

Willick, who could only see the top four skills and their limits, understood that Roland was a far superior appraiser.

However, he quickly showed a sarcastic smile.

"Hmm. I'm impressed by your Skill Appraisal S. But even with such skills, if you choose the wrong aptitude, it's meaningless."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Lilianna asked, puzzled.

Willick explained the background of making Monica a warrior and why she wasn't suitable for an archer.

"Low Agility?"

"Yes, that's right. Monica's Agility is only average. Even if she trains, it will probably only reach C (average) at best."

"That's... terrible."

"In other words, she's not suitable for an archer. Archers need mobility to take advantageous positions. Without Agility, it's not suitable for her."

Willick said this firmly.

Monica looked down, dejected.

She had originally wanted to be an archer.

However, due to her low Agility, she couldn't take advantageous positions in combat, and was branded as unsuitable for an archer, forcing her to convert to a warrior.

(Indeed, Agility is the most important for an archer. Without it, it could be a significant handicap. What does Roland plan to do?)

"On the other hand, she excels in Strength and Endurance. So, her aptitude is for a front-line warrior, not an archer."

As Willick said this with a smug look, Roland had already appraised his skills.

Skill Appraisal C → C

Status Appraisal B → B

(I see. He compensates for his mediocre Skill Appraisal with Status Appraisal. But he doesn't see Monica's unique skill, 'Hawk's Eye.')

"It's okay, Monica. You have a skill that can compensate for your low Agility."

"Compensate for low Agility? I have such a skill?"

Monica looked at Roland, surprised.

Willick tried to say something, but Roland spoke first.

"Willick, I know it's difficult, but can you leave this to me? Having two instructors giving different advice will only confuse her."

"Did you hear that, Willick? Roland has a plan. Let's leave it to him. We'll only be in the way if we stay. Willick, I have something else to ask you, so can you come with me?"

Lilianna said this and tried to lead Willick away tactfully.

"... I don't care anymore. Whatever happens, it's on you."

Willick said this with dissatisfaction and roughly opened the door, leaving the training room.

(Thank you, Lilianna.)

Roland bowed slightly in gratitude to Lilianna, who winked at him and left through the door.

Once they were gone, Roland turned to the adventurers again.

"Okay, everyone else, come to me. I want to appraise each of you to see if there are any hidden skills or talents."

Roland lined everyone up and appraised each one, looking at their skills.

As a result, he found two more potential A-class candidates besides Monica.

One was a girl named Shakuma, an offensive mage.

She was a petite girl with short black hair and a mole under her left eye.

Fire Magic C → C

Lightning Magic D → C

Earth Magic C → C

(An offensive mage, but this isn't enough to match A-class firepower.)

Roland checked her other skills.

Crust Magic E → A

Illusion Magic E → A

Attack Buff D → A

Defense Buff D → A

"Hmm. It seems you're more suited to support magic. Why did you choose to be an offensive mage?"

"Well, I used to focus on support magic skills..."

Shakuma scratched her head, embarrassed, and explained why she converted to an offensive mage.

Support mages usually aid the team from the back, but she had a habit of moving to the front once combat started.

"I tried to break this habit, but it didn't work. When I hear battle cries and the sound of weapons, I can't help but move forward. This always made me a target for enemies and slowed down the team."

"I see. That is a problem."

(But it's impossible to not develop skills that can be improved.)

"Shakuma, you don't dislike support magic, do you?"

"No, I love support magic!"

Shakuma said this with a carefree smile.

"Your habit can be fixed. Let's try to develop your support magic skills again."

"Yes, please."

The other candidate was also a girl in warrior gear, like Monica.

She, like Monica, had average warrior aptitude but was made a tank.

It seemed that Willick, when unable to find a suitable job, would simply make them tanks.

Single-target Healing Magic B → A

Area Healing Magic C → A

(Area Healing Magic C, potentially A, and yet a warrior? Why...?)

"You have Area Healing Magic, yet you're not a healer. Why? You've developed your skills, and there doesn't seem to be a problem with your stats."

When Roland checked her stats, her Agility and Magic Power were fine, and she seemed suitable for a healer.

"I was told I lacked accuracy, so I wasn't suitable for a healer."

(Ah, that's it.)

When Roland quickly appraised her stats, her accuracy was indeed terrible.

In this world, healers also required accuracy.

When casting healing magic, you had to specify the area where the target was, and high accuracy was necessary to correctly align the area with your allies.

"Once, I tried to heal an ally, but I ended up healing a monster instead. This put the team in danger, and since then, I've been banned from entering dungeons as a healer."

Yufine said this matter-of-factly, not showing much emotion.

She seemed to be the type who didn't show her feelings easily.

"I understand. But it's a waste not to use such a powerful skill. Let's find a way to make use of it. I'll convert you to a healer."

"Yes, I understand."

Roland decided to focus on developing Monica, Shakuma, and Yufine as potential A-class candidates.

For the others, he would only give some advice without major conversions.

"Let's call it a day for today. Good work. Make sure to complete the tasks I mentioned by next week."

After appraising and advising everyone, Roland dismissed the group.

After appraising nearly thirty adventurers, Roland sat down and slumped.

(Phew. I'm exhausted.)

Even as an S-class appraiser, appraising so many people at once was a daunting task.

However, Roland still had work to do.

(Converting them isn't enough. To make them A-class adventurers, they need the right equipment and the right quests.)

After leaving the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree,' Roland headed to the quest reception office.

"Is this really okay? Lilianna, he's being unreasonable."

Willick, holding Roland's submitted training plan, complained to Lilianna.

"Monica, Shakuma, and Yufine are useless in their current jobs, so he converted them. But now, all the progress we've made is undone."

"Don't worry. Roland has successfully trained many people with difficult aptitudes before. Besides..."

(This bold approach is necessary to beat the 'Golden Eagle.' We have no choice but to rely on Roland's skills. Let's trust his instincts as an appraiser.)

While Roland was appointed as a special advisor at the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree,' a general meeting for investors was being held at the 'Golden Eagle' headquarters.

The room was filled with prominent figures, including the city's largest landowner, bankers, and representatives from various guilds.

These investors were the driving force behind the 'Golden Eagle's' rise to the top guild in the city.

Thanks to their financial support, the guild could pay high salaries to its members and dominate the Alchemy Guild, establishing the current 'Golden Eagle' monopoly.

Despite this generous funding, the guild's representative, Lucius, had to report the guild's performance to the investors every month.

As Lucius began his usual report, the investors immediately bombarded him with harsh questions.

"What happened? Losing a dungeon?"

"A serious mistake."

"You said the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' were on their last legs and practically under our control. How could you fall behind a guild that's practically under your control? This is unacceptable."

"If you lose another dungeon next month, it will be a matter of your responsibility."

"Please rest assured. We have already identified the cause and taken action."

Lucius suppressed his frustration and maintained a calm demeanor.

"The reason we didn't secure a dungeon this month is due to a mistake by our squad leader, Marco. He retreated when we were about to face the dungeon boss. This was a result of his overly cautious judgment. We have already demoted him and are selecting a new squad leader."

"Selecting? Hasn't a decision been made yet?"

One of the investors frowned.

"Our guild has many talented people, as you all know."

Lucius maintained his composure.

"What about Jil, the heavy cavalry, and Dowin, the alchemist? You said they had the potential to be A-class. Isn't it time to appoint them as squad leaders?"

At this, Lucius's eyebrow twitched.

This was a sign of his growing frustration.

"They are too young. Now is the time for them to focus on individual performance."

"How long will they stay at B-class? What is the training department doing?"

"Yes, it's truly disappointing. I plan to push the training department to do better."

"Let's put the dungeon loss aside. How do you plan to explain the failure at the Count Elsen's exhibition?"

Lucius's eyebrow twitched again.

The Count Elsen's exhibition was the last thing he wanted to discuss.

This time, his face contorted, involving not just his eyes but his cheeks as well.

"Oh, right. I remember you said you were going to bring Count Elsen on board as an investor. What happened with that?"

"Through Count Elsen's financial support, we planned to poach the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree's' top adventurers and crush them. That was the plan, right?"

"But it seems another guild won the top prize at the exhibition."

"Exhibition? What are you talking about?"

"The Count Elsen's silverware exhibition. The guild that submitted the best silverware was to be honored, but it seems the 'Spirit Workshop' won."

"The 'Spirit Workshop'? I've never heard of it."

"It's not one of our affiliated guilds, is it?"

"Are you telling me that some unknown guild stole the prize from us, despite having the city's alchemy guilds under our control? Lucius! What are you doing!?"

Lucius bowed his head for a moment, looking dejected and angry.

The investors watched his reaction.

Finally, he looked up, his usual calm smile restored.

"Please rest assured. The 'Spirit Workshop' is a minor guild. We have already taken steps to cut off their ore supply and apply pressure to our affiliated guilds. It's only a matter of time before they dry up and beg to join us."

"Well, if you say so. But you understand, don't you? If you fall behind the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' again next month, it will affect your position."

"I understand."

The investors still looked unsatisfied but had no more questions and fell silent.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief.

(A bit of a tough questioning, but I think I can handle it. Phew.)

"Are there any more questions? If not, I'll conclude the meeting..."

"Wait a moment."

A nervous-looking man with glasses raised his hand.

"Here, it says you expelled an appraiser...?"

Lucius's expression turned serious.

This was the last thing he wanted to be pointed out.

"The severance pay given at the time of expulsion. Isn't that a bit wasteful?"

He pointed to the financial documents in his hand.

Lucius relaxed, realizing that the expulsion itself was not being questioned.

"Yes, about the appraiser. His mistakes were too severe. Keeping him would have lowered the guild's morale. So, we had no choice but to expel him."

"Still, you didn't have to expel him. You could have kept him until his contract expired or converted him to a tank and used him up. This kind of unnecessary expense weakens the organization..."

He then lectured Lucius at length about the importance of cost-cutting.

His attitude was as if he was teaching Lucius from scratch.

Lucius had to listen to his endless lecture for a while.

"Thank you all for your hard work. We have prepared carriages and souvenirs for your return."

After the meeting, Diana escorted the investors to the exit.

She greeted them warmly and saw them off.

The investors walked down the hallway with a haughty air, as if to say, "We are the investors."

Lucius was left alone in the conference room.

Once everyone was gone, he took a sword from the shelf and slashed at the chairs where the investors had sat, venting his frustration.

"Damn those pigs! Criticizing everything I do over a single dungeon failure!"

After slashing all the chairs, he finally sheathed the sword and threw it at the shelf.

"This is all Roland's fault! A mere appraiser, and he's getting in my way!"

Lucius kicked the chairs he had just slashed, but his anger still hadn't subsided.

"Just wait, Roland. I'll make sure to avenge this humiliation."

"Ah, Mr. Roland. Welcome."

At the quest reception office, the receptionist Clarissa greeted Roland with a smile.

She had been timid around Roland at first, but once she got to know him (and he told her she didn't need to be so formal), she became very comfortable with him and now treated him like a regular customer.

"Hello. Good afternoon, Clarissa."

"Thank you for always coming. What brings you here today?"

"Well, I have a bit of a complicated request today..."

"Understood. Please, follow me to the private room."

She stood up and led Roland to the private room.

Once inside, Roland immediately began explaining his request.

"I have a request for an adventurer's quest."

"An adventurer's quest? Is it related to alchemy items?"

"No, it's for archers, support mages, and healers."

"Really? So, Mr. Roland, you're an adventurer now?"

"Not exactly. I'm a trainer."

Roland said this with a slight embarrassment.

"I've been appointed as a special advisor to the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree.'"

"Oh, congratulations! That's a promotion."

"Hehe, thank you. So, if you have any quests for archers, support mages, or healers, please let me know."

Roland gave her his contact information.

"Of course, I'll inform you immediately."

After the meeting, Clarissa escorted Roland to the exit politely.

(Now, with the quest preparations in place, I need to get the right equipment. I need to prepare custom items for them.)

After Roland left, Clarissa wrote down his request and placed it at the top of her to-do list.

(Phew. Roland is a good person. I need to prepare for the new dungeon and make up for my previous rudeness.)

As Clarissa was organizing her documents, someone else came to the reception.

"Welcome. ...Oh!?"

"Hello, Clarissa. Still charming everyone, I see."

"Diana, Diana!"

"It's been a while."

"Um