Chapter 20

Alik, leading the main force of the "Golden Eagle," was rushing towards the 10th floor of the "Dungeon of Mines."

"Hurry up! Don't fall behind the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree'!"

Alik, looking irritated, was barking orders while commanding his troops.

Usually, he commanded a unit composed solely of B-class and above individuals, but he was struggling with the unfamiliar mixed unit of C-class members.

"Don't dawdle. You don't need to kill all the monsters. Just open a path and leave the rest. A little damage can be healed later."

"Captain! Squad 3 is falling behind."

"Damn. Again?"

Alik turned back, looking irritated.

Squad 3 was a group made up entirely of C-class adventurers.

He had thought it would be easier to coordinate if the classes were unified, but so far, it had backfired.

The C-class adventurers preferred to improve their class rather than advance in the dungeon, often causing discord and conflicts within the unit.

Especially in the "Golden Eagle," where strict quotas were imposed, they prioritized their own convenience over the unit's.

From their perspective, even if they cleared the dungeon, their evaluation wouldn't improve if they didn't meet the quota.

The "Golden Eagle's" excessive focus on results was even hindering the operational level of the unit.

(Fuck. That bastard Lucius. To demand that I train them while clearing the dungeon is an impossible task. Lilianne's unit is composed entirely of B-class members. If we dawdle, we'll definitely be overtaken.)

Alik glared at the C-class adventurers who were holding him back, but he couldn't abandon them. He continued to command the slow progress of the dungeon exploration, gritting his teeth.

As Alik was instructing the rescue of the lagging Squad 3, he noticed a violent lightning strike ahead and was startled.

(That's Lilianne's lightning magic! Damn. We've definitely fallen behind.)

"Captain, that's Lilianne's..."

"I know! Hurry with the rescue of Squad 3. After the rescue, prioritize speed above all else. We must turn the tide!"

(But how...?)

Alik was a versatile mage with A-class skills in attack, support, and healing magic, but he didn't have the firepower of Lilianne.

Facing her, who could scatter over ten enemies with a single strike, he inevitably fell behind.

Alik could only watch as Lilianne advanced further while his unit was held back by internal conflicts.

At that moment, Jil from Alik's unit rushed out and began advancing alone.

"Jil!? What are you doing..."

"I will advance to the 10th floor of the dungeon alone and obtain the shortcut ring. Captain, prioritize the training of the C-class members and the acquisition of items. After preparing for a re-exploration of the dungeon, we will meet again at the entrance in 48 hours."

With that, Jil advanced into the dungeon alone.

"Damn. Indeed, there's no other way to clear the dungeon while carrying C-class adventurers."

"Is it alright, Captain? To leave the exploration of the dungeon to her alone?"

"It can't be helped. For the next 24 hours, we will focus on training the C-class adventurers, then return to the city to rest and regroup with Jil."

Free from the burden of the unit, Jil advanced through the dungeon at a rapid pace.

She pushed aside the orcs and mini golems that stood in her way and continued advancing.

The monsters, ignored by the heavily armored knight, showered her with spears, arrows, and attack magic, but none of it could even scratch her.

Jil ran for hours and soon approached Lilianne's unit, which was far ahead.

As they passed each other, Jil and Lilianne made eye contact.

(Lilianne. The witch who poached Roland.)

Jil looked at Lilianne with regret.

If only she weren't here, she might think.

Jil glanced at her and moved on.

(Now, clearing the dungeon is the top priority.)

Jil quickly overtook and distanced herself from Lilianne's unit.

"Damn. What a person. She's scattering the monster hordes all by herself. She's already that far ahead..."

One of the warriors in Lilianne's unit cursed with irritation.

"Let's calm down. There's nothing we can do now. It should be difficult for her to advance alone beyond the 10th floor. We can turn the tide then."

(Still, it's mentally draining to have our hard-earned lead overturned like this.)

Lilianne looked at Jil with a complex expression.

(Jil. A potential S-class adventurer with the ability to clear the dungeon solo. Probably the best among the adventurers Roland has trained...)

Lilianne bit her lip for a moment, then quickly regained her composure and focused on commanding her unit.

Meanwhile, Roland and his team, with Lucius's special unit following behind, were advancing through the dungeon.

Unable to know the quests Roland's team was targeting in advance, they followed closely behind to hinder their quest completion.

This close proximity often led to minor conflicts, but neither side escalated the issue.

If adventurers openly hindered each other's exploration, it could be considered obstruction and violate the adventurer's code.

Still, there were times when Shakuma went to complain.

"Hey, you guys! Cut it out. Sticking so close behind us is just annoying. Why don't you focus on improving your own skills instead of hindering us?"

"Relax, don't get so worked up. Miss."

One of the Coater brothers grinned.

"Right, right. You're ruining that pretty face of yours."

"We're not hindering you. We just happen to be going the same way. Let's get along, okay?"

"We'll take care of any enemies coming from behind."

Shakuma continued to complain, but they ignored her.

"Ugh. They're so arrogant. They're clearly trying to steal the quest from us."

"Be patient. Complaining to them is a waste of time. Ignore them."

Yufine said calmly.

(Still...)

Yufine glanced at their equipment.

(A unit centered around archers, support mages, and healers, all B-class and above. Clearly designed to hinder our training strategy. This could be a bit troublesome.)

Roland's team, under the pressure of the "Golden Eagle" behind them, continued to advance through the dungeon.

After a few hours, they reached the nest of the "Steel Eagle."

This was a new Steel Eagle, different from the one in the previous quest.

The nest was at the top of a tall tree, surrounded by stone buildings.

The buildings, barely processed from the decayed structures, were reinforced with rocks and wood.

There were likely orcs and other monsters hiding inside.

Steel Eagles typically have a symbiotic relationship with the surrounding monsters, so those who accept the Steel Eagle quest must fight the surrounding monsters while targeting the Steel Eagle.

(To bring down the Steel Eagle, securing a shooting position is crucial. Using 'Hawk Eye,' I can easily secure a position to bring down the Steel Eagle. The problem is...)

Roland glanced at Monica.

(Whether she can withstand the pressure from the "Golden Eagle.")

Monica had been biting her lip and looking anxious for a while.

The quest began.

Monica's long-range arrows attacked the "Steel Eagle's" tree.

The arrow, fired from the "Silver Iron-Breaking Bow," despite its thinness, gouged the trunk of the tree and shook the nest at the top.

The Coater brothers were amazed by the power and range of the "Silver Iron-Breaking Bow."

"What is that power and range!?"

"An 'Iron-Breaking Bow'? No, it's different. Could it be a custom original equipment!?"

"Tch. That woman, who isn't even C-class, is so arrogant!"

Roland's attack triggered a response, and monsters emerged from the surrounding buildings and cellars, charging with war cries.

The battle quickly turned into close combat, with the sound of swords and shields clashing echoing throughout.

Rolan left the close combat to Shakuma and Yufine and instructed Monica to take a shooting position.

(There won't be many chances. The moment the Steel Eagle leaves the nest, either to attack or to escape. It will be too late if we wait until the ground forces are eliminated.)

"Monica, use 'Hawk Eye.' Calculate the flight and escape routes of the 'Steel Eagle' and secure a shooting position!"

"Y-Yes."

Monica's eyes glowed gold.

Her perspective shifted to an overhead view.

(There it is. The Steel Eagle on the nest, hiding in the shadow and observing us. Is it waiting for the right moment to attack?)

Monica visualized several flight paths based on the Steel Eagle's range and their position, and determined the optimal shooting position and range.

(There it is. That building. It's the highest.)

Monica immediately started running to the optimal shooting position.

At that moment, the "Golden Eagle" unit began to move.

They attacked the side of the close combat unit Roland's team was engaged with.

(What!? Why? How?)

While Monica was shaken, they continued to defeat the Armored Orcs and Armored Wolves.

Roland's team, to prevent the Steel Eagle from escaping, deliberately focused on defense, prolonging the battle. However, they seemed to want to end the battle quickly.

Their intention was to let the Steel Eagle escape.

"You guys..."

Yufine glared at the healer among the Coater brothers.

"What? We're just helping because you're taking too long."

"We're not hindering you. We're supporting you. It's common for guilds to cooperate (under the guise of stealing the prey)."

They laughed and said it casually.

"Damn."

Yufine gritted her teeth but couldn't say anything more, as it wasn't a criminal act.

(Still, with Monica's current skills, she should be able to take down the Steel Eagle with one shot using the "Silver Iron-Breaking Bow" and the 'One-Shot Kill' skill.)

Roland glanced at Monica again.

Monica was rushing to the shooting position, trying to suppress her anxiety.

(Faster. I have to get there before the Steel Eagle flies away.)

As she ran, five archers, including Coater, passed by, equipped with bows.

(They're fast!)

They were all archers with much higher agility than Monica.

(Proper archers. Unlike me, they have high agility...)

The complex she had almost forgotten resurfaced in her mind.

They gathered near a nearby rock and began preparing to shoot.

(What!? From there?)

According to Monica's calculations, the position where they were now aiming their bows was out of range for the "Silver Iron-Breaking Bow" to reach the Steel Eagle.

However, Monica, under the pressure and the shock of their agility, lost her confidence and could no longer make a proper judgment.

(Did I miscalculate? Even if I didn't, my speed might not be enough to reach the Steel Eagle before it flies away.)

After hesitating, Monica decided to follow them.

(I shouldn't overestimate myself. Besides, they are B-class archers with more experience than me.)

She positioned herself near the small rock where they were climbing and prepared to shoot.

Meanwhile, the close combat unit had eliminated the ground forces and began cutting down the tree.

The "Steel Eagle" spread its wings and took off.

The archers, who had been waiting, fired their arrows simultaneously.

However, none of the arrows reached the "Steel Eagle" and fell short.

The Steel Eagle flew away into the distance.

(Failed...)

Monica stared at the direction the "Steel Eagle" had flown away.

"Well, well. We missed it."

"But we achieved our goal, so let's call it a day."

The "Golden Eagle" special unit's archers relaxed and chatted.

Monica trudged back to Roland.

"I'm sorry, Roland."

"No, it's fine. But Monica, when you were heading to the position, you changed your course halfway. Why didn't you follow the position