Chapter 37

Jiru, who had just completed the fortress construction quest, returned to Roland, utterly exhausted.

The armor she wore was tattered, her clothes soaked with sweat, and her left arm, which had been overused and no longer responded, was cradled in her right hand. She staggered, her face contorted with pain.

However, there was a sense of satisfaction in her expression, as if she had accomplished something. Her cheeks were flushed red, not just from the intense physical exertion, but also from something else. Her breathing was heavy, and her sighs were tinged with a hint of frustration.

"Haa, haa. I'm back."

Despite her wobbly state, Jiru managed to stand at attention in front of Roland.

"Good work, Jiru. Let me check your 'Status Appraisal.'"

"Yes, please do."

(Sigh. I thought I wouldn't make it through the impossible task, but I somehow managed to complete it. If I pushed my body this hard, my stats must have improved. Roland should be satisfied... I hope.)

Roland appraised Jiru's status.

Strength: 90-100

Endurance: 110-120

Agility: 90-100

Health: 190-200

"Yep, all the status discrepancies are within 10."

"Thank you."

"But this is no good at all, is it?"

"Eh?"

Jiru was momentarily confused by Roland's words and looked at his face.

"The discrepancies must be within 5 at the very least. Anything more is unacceptable."

"Wh-Within 5...?"

"Yes, within 5. Is that a problem?"

Roland said this without anger or emphasis, in a completely normal tone.

It was as if he was saying that a discrepancy of 5 was nothing at all.

(A discrepancy of 5? It took daily, relentless training just to get within 10. And I managed to do it in a week, pushing myself to the limit...)

Jiru was stunned to realize that her efforts were not being recognized at all.

(This is just unreasonable harassment! But, that's what makes it good!)

"I understand. If Roland says I should do it, I have no choice but to try."

"Next, let's go on the bridge construction quest."

"Yes, sir!"

Jiru, whose efforts had not been acknowledged, showed a hint of frustration on her face but dashed back to the dungeon with surprising energy.

Roland and Arie watched her run off with blank expressions.

"Jiru seemed happy."

Arie said this almost to herself.

"Uh-huh."

"Why is she so happy about such a grueling task?"

"I'm not sure either. I don't really understand it myself."

"Is that so..."

Arie decided to stop thinking about it deeply.

Inside the workshop, Chial and Dowin were advancing their development.

"Alright, with 3 iron, 6 silver, and 1 Zianite (a material that enhances the properties of metals and strengthens their bonds), this new material that Arie refined and I forged, let's see how it performs."

Dowin brought down the 'Obsidian Hammer' (a hammer made of obsidian) onto the new material.

A loud, ringing sound echoed, and a strong force was transmitted to the new material on the anvil.

The new material, shaped like a rectangular brick, remained in place without a single fragment breaking or moving even a millimeter.

"Wow, it's a success."

Chial looked at the new material with sparkling eyes.

"Yep. We've cleared the hardness requirement. The biggest problem is..."

Chial tried to lift the new material with both hands.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Chial struggled to lift the material, but her strength was not enough.

"I can't lift it."

"Yep. We managed to achieve the highest hardness, but it's too heavy. Even if we make a weapon, no one will be able to use it..."

"Hey, how's the development of the S-class weapon going?"

As the two were deep in thought, Roland entered the workshop.

"Oh, Roland."

"Roland, we were just about to consult you about the wall. We need your advice."

"Sure. What's the problem?"

"Hmm, it's definitely too heavy."

Roland and Rang tried to lift it together, but even with two people, they could only hold it up for a few seconds.

"It's a real struggle just to process it."

Rang said with a grimace.

"Transporting it alone would require the strength of 4 or 5 people, which would be too costly."

"Mass production seems impossible."

"Even if it's custom-made, it's questionable whether we can make a profit."

"How much would it cost?"

"Let me see. Just a moment."

Rang spread out a calculation sheet and did some calculations on the spot.

"To make a profit, we'd need to sell it for about 10 million gold."

"Hmm, that's tough."

"It's not just the cost..."

Dowin interjected.

"Whether there are adventurers who can handle such a heavy weapon is also a question."

"True. A weapon made of such high-quality material would require a base stat of over 100."

"Indeed, it's a weapon for S-class adventurers."

"Even the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' might not buy it."

"It's not profitable."

"Unfortunately, this new material will have to be shelved."

"Aww, I wanted to make a weapon with this material."

Chial pouted.

"We can use it when we find a suitable application. There are other ideas for new materials."

Dowin said in a consoling tone.

"Boo."

Chial puffed out one cheek.

"Come on, Chial. It's time to get back to your main work."

Rang urged her.

"Aww, I want to keep working with Dowin."

"No can do. We're swamped with work."

"Ugh."

"Chial, I'll be here again tomorrow."

Dowin said in a consoling tone.

"Okay."

Chial reluctantly started working on silver crafts.

Roland continued to appraise the new material.

(S-class adventurers... Jiru might be a possibility. But even for Jiru, 10 million gold is a lot. Is there any way to make it work...?)

"Agility Boost."

As Rick cast the spell, a green light enveloped Rellio's body.

"Wow."

"How does it feel?"

"I'm not sure, but my body feels a bit lighter."

Rellio tried jumping and running on the spot.

"Yep, you're definitely faster than usual."

"Rick, can you do it for me too?"

Marina pleaded.

"Wait a moment. I need to recover my mana first."

"Here, take this."

Marina took out a Magic Cherry from her pouch.

"Thanks. ...Ugh, it's sour. I'm not really a fan of this flavor."

"Rick! Hurry up and cast 'Agility Boost'!"

"Just a moment. Don't rush. 'Agility Boost.'"

Rick cast the spell on Marina, and she was also affected by 'Agility Boost.'

"Wow. I feel so light. I could almost fly!"

Marina spread her arms like wings and ran around the area faster than usual.

Rellio used 'Status Appraisal' on Marina.

Marina Fortuna

Agility: 60 (↑10) - 70 (↑10)

(Interesting. Marina's usual agility of 50-60 has increased to 60-70. This must be the effect of 'Agility Boost.')

"Well, I never thought I'd be using support magic."

Rick chuckled as he looked at his support magic staff.

"You wanted to be a front-liner, didn't you?"

"Yeah, when Roland told me to become a magic swordsman, I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think I'd get this far so easily."

"True. Roland is amazing. At first, I wondered why a status appraiser would be the captain..."

"His training is different from what we had at the academy."

"Still, it's a big help. We can complete Roland's tasks much faster now."

"True. With this, we can easily complete the tasks."

"Well, not that easy, but..."

"I don't know. I'm growing rapidly. If I keep improving my 'Agility Boost' skill, maybe..."

Rick smiled confidently, gripping his staff with both hands.

He was now fully on board.

"Rick, can you cast support magic on yourself?"

"Hmm, good point. Let me try. ...!"

Rick felt a headache and held the back of his head.

"Rick?"

"What's wrong!?"

"I'm not sure. It's hard to release mana... That's strange. I just ate a Magic Cherry."

"Wait a moment. Let me check your status."

Rellio checked Rick's status.

Rick Dyer

Mana: 1 - 30

(Interesting. His minimum mana is 1. This is a sign that his status is worn down. No matter how much mana he recovers, it won't help until it naturally recovers... ...!)

While thinking this, Rellio also started to feel dizzy.

"What's wrong, Rellio? Do you want to eat a 'Magic Cherry'?"

"No, I think..."

"Rick, Rellio, Marina. There you are."

Roland appeared.

"Oh, Roland."

"Hmm, all three of you are running low on mana."

(Roland's 'Status Appraisal'... He's really fast.)

Rellio was impressed by how quickly Roland could appraise their statuses.

"Huh? Now that you mention it, I do feel weak."

Marina put her hand on the ground, and items like equipment, minerals, and potions spilled out of her item pouch.

Rellio and Rick hurried to pick up the items.

"Everyone, don't overuse your new skills until you get used to them."

Roland helped pick up the items.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine. This is nothing. Rellio, come to my tent when you're done here."

Rellio followed Roland to the captain's tent.

Rick and Marina watched the scene with curiosity.

"Isn't Rellio being called by Roland a lot lately?"

"Yeah, it seems like it. It might have something to do with his skills."

"Skills... What could it be?"

Rick and Marina scratched their heads in confusion.

"Here are the statuses I appraised today."

Rellio handed the paper with the statuses to Roland.

"Hmm, let's see."

Roland took it and checked the values of Rick and Marina.

(As expected, the areas they haven't focused on before are improving quickly. Everyone is showing exceptional growth.)

(Something feels a bit off. I'm doing this without telling them.)

Although Rellio was reluctantly following Roland's orders, he found this task unpleasant.

"Rick's mana has reached a maximum of 30, and Marina's has reached a maximum of 80. Hmm, it seems like it's time to move to the next stage."

After checking all the values, Roland turned to Rellio.

"Thanks. It's a lot of work for me to appraise everyone's statuses alone."

"Hmm."

(I hope I'm not just going to be a lackey. I want to be an adventurer.)

"Alright, Rellio. Gather everyone at the entrance to the city wall."

Following Roland's order, Rellio ran around to the 'Guardians of the Magic Tree' members and delivered the gathering order.

The members, puzzled by the sudden call, stopped their work and gathered around Roland.

"From today, we'll be training in unit operations instead of individual tasks."

(Unit operations...)

Rick and the others were tense.

They were finally going to participate in dungeon exploration training as part of the main force.

Although the dungeon management didn't involve any monster-related quests, there was one quest that included unit operation training.

The Ghoul Elimination Quest.

Ghouls are creatures that feed on the dead flesh of humans, animals, and monsters. They don't harm living humans if left alone, so there are no elimination requests from the quest office. However, they are perfect for unit operation training.

They usually move in groups of five, making them ideal opponents for a team of five, which is the basic unit for squad actions.

They have a habit of collecting shiny objects, so their nests are filled with treasures.

"The city walls and roads are almost complete, and the alchemists' support is mostly done. From now on, we'll be doing the Ghoul Elimination Quest. Ghouls move in groups, so they can only be eliminated by a squad. Show your abilities and improve your teamwork."

The participants in the dungeon management were tense.

They understood that this quest was to select the main force for the next dungeon exploration, unlike the previous training.

"First, we'll divide into squads. Squad 1 will be led by Monica, with Ryan, Gareth... Squad 2 will be led by Shakma, with Rick, Elmo... Squad 3 will be led by Yufine, with Marina..."

Yufine was keenly observing the meaning behind Roland's squad assignments.

(He's putting the new members in the ace squads. I see. He's pairing the new members with the aces to stimulate each other. But... where's Rellio?)

"Um, Roland, where am I...?"

Rellio, who had not been called, timidly asked.

"Rellio, you'll be the squad leader. You'll command Squad 6."

"Wh-What!?"

(Commander? Rellio?)

Yufine's eyebrows twitched.

Rick was also stunned.

(What? Rellio as a commander? When did he...?)

There was a murmur among the squad members.

"Wow, he's a squad leader, even though it's just a squad."

"But is it okay to make a new member a commander?"

"Um, Roland, isn't it a bit risky to make a new member a commander?"

Monica spoke up, representing everyone's concerns.

"Why not?"

"Rellio just graduated from the academy and isn't used to actual dungeon squad actions..."

"Monica, I'm not giving Rellio special treatment. I'm assigning based on each person's suitability."

"Hmm."

"Rellio will be the squad leader. That's final. Got it?"

"U-Um, if you say so..."

Monica reluctantly backed down.

"Alright, prepare for the quest. Let me know when you're ready."

Rellio cautiously looked at the others.

As expected, he was met with hostile gazes.

(Ugh, the gazes are painful.)

Rick looked dissatisfied.

Yufine looked at Rellio with displeasure.

Shakma was burning with rivalry.

All three of them had aspired to be squad leaders.

(What a headache. To be put under such pressure right away. Roland could have been a bit more considerate.)

"The goal for each squad is to clear five Ghoul nests. Try your best to obtain items. Alright, go!"

At Roland's command, each squad hurried to the Ghoul nests.

(Really, Roland is so mean.)

Yufine grumbled to herself as she hurried ahead.

(He said I and Shakma could be squad leaders, but then he openly favors a new member. Fine, I'll prove that I'm more suitable as a squad leader in this quest.)

Rick was also struggling with his thoughts as he participated in the squad actions.

(Damn it. Why? Why is Rellio the only one chosen as a squad leader? I've also completed Roland's tasks, just like Rellio. No, in terms of pure status growth, I should be higher.)

Shakma was burning with determination.

(This is a trial to narrow down the candidates for the new squad leader. I understand, Roland.)

Thus, the Ghoul Elimination Quest began.

When the squad struck their weapons at the entrance of the nest, a group of Ghouls emerged.

Rellio activated his 'Status Appraisal' as soon as he saw the enemies.

('Status Appraisal' activated!)

To Rellio's eyes, the statuses of the monsters appeared along with their appearances.

Even though the monsters looked the same, each individual had different statuses.

Some had high power, some had high toughness, and some had high agility.

Conversely, some had low power, low toughness, or low agility, which became clear with the use of 'Status Appraisal.'

(Interesting. 'Status Appraisal' can be used like this.)

"Marcus, take the enemy on the far right. Nicola, the one in the middle. Ceres, the second from the left. I'll take the one on the far left."

Rellio assigned the shield-bearer to the enemy with high attack power, the high-attack member to the enemy with