Chapter 19

When Roland woke up, it had been exactly 24 hours since he returned to the town.

This was always how it felt when he came back from the dungeon.

He would sleep soundly for a whole day.

Roland got out of bed, stretching his stiff body from oversleeping.

He had to hurry and take care of his business.

There was no time before he had to dive into the dungeon again.

After leaving his house, Roland decided to stop by the workshop first.

He was worried about how well Ranju and the others were managing without him.

When Roland showed up at the workshop, the day's production activities were already underway.

The workers were diligently working at their assigned stations.

It had been three days since he last visited the workshop, but everything looked the same as before.

Roland checked the inventory, equipment, and documents, but found nothing suspicious.

The raw materials and product inventory were neatly organized, and all the equipment was stored in appropriate places for easy access.

There was no waste in any of the processes, and everything from receiving, manufacturing, to shipping was carried out systematically.

(As expected of Ranju. The management is thorough.)

Just as Roland finished his checks, Ranju arrived.

"Mr. Roland, welcome back."

"Thanks. It seems the workshop is running smoothly."

The two of them quickly exchanged greetings and entered the break room to start their meeting.

"Was anything unusual while I was away?"

"No, everything is going according to plan."

"How about Chial?"

"Everything is going well. The item should be completed by tomorrow."

"I see."

"By the way, a letter from Clarice at the quest reception office has arrived."

"! It's here. Let me see it."

Roland opened the envelope from Clarice and took out the documents inside.

They contained information about quests for archers, support mages, and healers.

(Good. This is exactly what I ordered. Completing these quests will further their growth.)

The next day, the second dungeon exploration arrived.

When Roland reached the entrance of the dungeon, the team members were already gathered.

"Mr. Roland, the team is all assembled."

Roland, seeing Monica, said, "Alright. Everyone, listen up. I'll explain the plan for this dungeon exploration. This time, we aim to complete a quest."

When Roland said this, Monica, Shakma, and Yufine all tensed up.

This was different from their usual team actions, as each member's individual skills would be put to the test.

"Also, I'll set individual goals and tasks for Monica, Shakma, and Yufine. First, Monica."

"Yes!"

"Last time, your tasks were to reduce the enemy's numbers before close combat and intercept aerial threats. This time, I have additional requests."

"Additional requests...?"

"Whenever you encounter enemies, always take down the strongest one first. And you must take down at least ten enemies each time."

Monica felt a tight grip on her heart.

(The pressure has increased.)

The other team members also swallowed hard at Roland's high demands.

Taking down more than ten enemies in one encounter, and specifically the strongest ones, was something no other archer in the town could do.

"Next, Shakma. Your goal is to use three or more support spells in a single battle."

"Three or more...?"

"Of course, you must not prolong the battle or exhaust the team."

(To use three or more, my current speed won't be enough. It requires a high level of judgment speed.)

Shakma's face showed difficulty.

"Lastly, Yufine. Your goal is to ensure the team uses no healing items during combat."

"...Zero?"

Currently, Yufine could only heal individual members with single-target healing spells, which were insufficient to cover all injured members during combat.

Those who couldn't be healed by Yufine's single-target spells had to drink potions during breaks in the battle.

(To cover the entire team without using potions... I need to use area-of-effect healing spells. But my hit rate with area-of-effect healing spells is still unstable.)

"Of course, I know these are very high and challenging goals. They won't be easy to achieve. But I believe you can do it."

Roland also set brief goals and tasks for the other members, though not as strict as for the three of them, still requiring higher quality and improvement.

For the melee team, he equipped those with higher defense with shields, as the team mainly relied on archers' shooting and support magic for attacks.

By the time Roland finished assigning tasks and goals to the entire team, Ranju and Chial, accompanied by an item holder, arrived.

"Oh, it's here. Monica, Shakma, Yufine, you have special gifts."

"Gifts?"

The item holder took out a silver bow, silver armor, and a silver staff from a bag.

"Monica, this is the 'Silver Iron-Breaking Bow.' It's your personal weapon."

"My personal equipment..."

It was a silver bow and arrow crafted with silverwork.

The design was similar to the 'Iron-Breaking Bow,' but the craftsmanship was incomparably more intricate due to the material.

"Try it on."

Monica took the 'Silver Iron-Breaking Bow' and aimed it, testing its feel.

(The 'Iron-Breaking Bow' was heavy, but this feels just right.)

"How does it feel? The 'Silver Iron-Breaking Bow'?"

"Yes, it feels very comfortable and fits me well."

"Good. Chial."

Roland turned to Chial, who blushed and smiled.

"Did you make this?"

"Yes. I adjusted it to fit Monica's height and arm length down to the millimeter."

"Thank you. I'll take good care of it."

Monica bent down to Chial's eye level and thanked her.

Chial's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"Monica, the 'Silver Iron-Breaking Bow' has significantly improved power, range, rate of fire, and durability compared to the 'Iron-Breaking Bow.' It will be a strong ally in completing quests."

"Yes, thank you."

Shakma was wearing the silver armor.

"Oh? This armor is much lighter than the previous one."

"Yes, but when you use support magic, the spirit within the armor will make it heavier."

"Ugh. It gets heavier, huh."

After confirming and equipping the items, Roland and the team entered the dungeon again.

Using the shortcut ring, they teleported the team to the fifth floor.

"Alright. Let's go. First, we'll tackle the 'Steel Eagle' quest on the eighth floor."

From the sixth floor onward, the monsters were significantly stronger.

The ogres on the sixth floor were mostly large ogres in armor.

Up to the fifth floor, small ogres with bows handled the ranged attacks, but from here on, large ogres took over.

Large ogres had much higher power, making their bow range significantly longer.

In Roland's team, only the archers equipped with the 'Silver Iron-Breaking Bow' and 'Iron-Breaking Bow' could match the range of the large ogres in armor.

This meant all the ranged combat fell on Monica's shoulders.

The team advanced with Monica and the archer equipped with the 'Iron-Breaking Bow' at the front.

As Roland's team moved through the forest dungeon to complete the quest, a monstrous roar echoed through the forest.

It was much louder and more ominous than any they had heard before.

This was the signal for a horde of monsters to appear.

The vanguard of the monsters was, of course, large ogres in armor equipped with bows.

Five orcs tried to get within range to shoot arrows at Roland's team.

However, Monica fired her arrows first.

The 'Silver Iron-Breaking Bow' had a much longer range than the large ogres' bows, allowing her to take them down before they could even draw their bows.

Monica's arrows pierced the sturdy armor of the large ogres and activated the 'One-Hit Kill' skill, quickly eliminating all five orcs.

Next came the armored wolves.

The armored wolves were different from the usual wolves, being not only fast but also having high attack and defense.

The armored wolves split into two groups of five on either side and flanked the team, followed by twenty large ogres with great axes and great swords.

However, Roland's team was well-prepared.

The number of shield-equipped warriors had increased from five to fifteen, significantly boosting the team's defense.

The faster shield warriors deployed on the flanks, while the more defensive ones held the center.

Monica continued shooting until the last moment, taking down five more large ogres before retreating to the rear.

The melee combat began.

The clash of armor and weapons produced a loud metallic sound.

Intense battles broke out on all fronts, but the left flank, where the shield warriors were still getting used to their roles, began to struggle and gradually fall back.

Yufine used her newly equipped silver staff to cast healing spells.

The staff had a spirit that increased her hit rate, significantly improving her performance.

(I can't heal everyone, but I can cover one flank.)

"Let's go. 'Area-of-Effect Healing Spell'!"

When Yufine cast the spell, light emitted from the tip of her staff, and a magic circle appeared on the ground.

Most of the magic circles appeared in the wrong places, but the ones at the feet of the shield warriors on the left flank were perfectly positioned.

Their wounds quickly healed, and their health was restored, allowing them to push back the wolves.

(I can barely cover one flank.)

Roland observed Yufine's missed magic circles to check her hit rate.

Meanwhile, Shakma felt frustrated by the weight of her armor.

She had already cast the 'Defense Boost' spell on the central shield warriors, but her own armor had become heavier, preventing her from casting the 'Attack Boost' spell on the attack team.

(Ugh. If I could cast 'Attack Boost' on the right flank now, we could win this.)

In fact, the wolves attacking the right flank had been struggling and were exhausted from repeated failed charges.

If 'Attack Boost' could be cast on the right flank, it would be easy to break through.

"Attack team, go to Shakma. Receive the 'Attack Boost' spell!"

When Roland gave the order, the longsword-equipped warriors in the rear rushed to Shakma.

(I see. If I can't move, I can have them come to me.)

Shakma, who had assumed that support mages should move around in the rear, felt enlightened by this simple fact.

"Thank you, Mr. Roland. I'll do it. 'Attack Boost'!"

When Shakma cast the 'Attack Boost' spell, the five attack team members were enveloped in a red glow.

They then reinforced the right flank, receiving support from the shield warriors and driving back the enemies.

The enemy's battle line collapsed, and they eventually turned and fled.

Roland's team pursued the fleeing enemies to a reasonable extent and then returned to exploring the dungeon.

The main goal this time was to complete quests rather than level up skills.

Roland praised Monica and Yufine for successfully completing their tasks and gave advice to Shakma, who had not.

He then had the three of them discuss and deepen their understanding of team coordination before resuming the dungeon exploration.

"Alright, we're almost at the 'Steel Eagle's' nest on the eighth floor."

The 'Steel Eagle' was a different kind of flying monster.

Its wings shone silver and were as hard as steel.

Moreover, the 'Steel Eagle' could launch its individual feathers as projectiles.

Unlike previous flying monsters, which only attacked from the air with claws and beaks, the 'Steel Eagle' could launch long-range attacks from high above.

Therefore, it could only be taken down by archers, as swords and spears were ineffective.

If the 'Steel Eagle' could be defeated and its feathers brought to the quest reception office, Monica would be recognized as a C-class archer and eligible for A-class quests.

(Actually, B-class quests would be fine, but...)

Roland evaluated Monica's skill composition.

'Bow Shooting' B → A

'One-Hit Kill' B → A

'Hawk Eye' B → S

'Silent Run' C → A

Technically, she was already on par with a B-class archer.

(However, she is the type who steadily gains experience. With her potential, I really want her to excel as an ace, but she's not the type to carry the entire team alone. Patience is key. I'll wait for her to grow.)

Roland and his team improved their coordination and tactics while defeating enemies, quickly reaching the 'Steel Eagle's' nest on the eighth floor.

However, when they arrived, the nest was empty.

At this point, Roland and his team decided to tackle other quests, heading to the 'Red Orc' and 'Great Serpent' nests, but found that both had already been hunted.

(What? All the quests we were targeting have been preempted by other guilds? What's going on here...)

"Mr. Roland, isn't this a bit strange?"

Yufine looked puzzled.

"Everywhere we go, the monsters we were targeting have already been hunted. It's as if they knew we were after these quests and preempted us."

Roland looked at Yufine.

She was also looking back at him intently.

"Being preempted like this can only be the work of a high-level guild, like the 'Golden Eagle'..."

One week earlier, in the 'Golden Eagle,' the final decisions on team formations had