Chapter 46

"Hey! The vanguard is falling behind. Form the wall properly!"

Monica scolded and rushed to cover the gap in the vanguard with her bow.

Rick, who had fallen behind, could only watch the vanguard's battle with regret, panting heavily.

(Damn. What a bunch of people. Despite maintaining a high pace all this time, they don't even show signs of fatigue.)

Rick's arms were already trembling.

(Damn. I can't even lift my arms.)

Roland noticed Rick's unusual state.

(Rick's movements are slowing down...)

He checked Rick's status.

[Rick Dyer's Status]

Strength: 40-90

Agility: 10-40

(His strength is down to 40-90, and his agility is also dropping. He's trying to gain an advantage with his low agility, which is exhausting his strength.)

Rick had a habit of dodging enemy attacks with his agility and trying to flank or attack from behind during melee combat.

However, since he couldn't gain an advantage with his agility, he tended to waste his strength unnecessarily.

(Since he has high endurance, he should fight in a way that utilizes it more. It's not just his mental state; he lacks experience points. At this strength, he won't be able to handle anything above the 15th floor in the Netherworld. The only thing he can still use is...)

Roland looked at the other stats.

[Rick Dyer's Status]

Endurance: 70-80

(Just his endurance.)

"Ugh. I can't do it anymore."

Elsewhere, Marina collapsed.

Roland also checked Marina's status.

[Marina Fortuna's Status]

Magic: 10-90

(She really seems exhausted this time.)

Roland smiled wryly.

(Alright.)

"Rick!"

"Yes!"

"Change your equipment. Remove your sword."

"Eh? My sword?"

"Yes, your strength is at its limit. If you remove your sword and only keep your armor and shield, you should still be able to move. From now on, focus on defense and form the wall."

"Wait. I can still—"

"No, your strength isn't enough in the Netherworld."

Rick was taken aback by this.

(Right. The 16th floor is the Netherworld. It's said that only B-class adventurers and above can handle it. I've been struggling to keep up with the main force, and we've already reached this point.)

Experiencing the 16th floor would earn him recognition as a notable adventurer in the city.

"In the Netherworld, you need to maintain a status of 70 or higher to be effective. Your current strength is 40-90, which is too unstable."

"Ugh..."

"If you insist on continuing to fight with your sword, I'll have to remove you from the team. What do you want to do?"

"Alright, I understand."

"Marina, put away Rick's sword."

"Okay."

Marina used her skill 'Equipment Storage' to store Rick's sword.

Rick felt his body become lighter and easier to move.

"Marina, that's enough with the 'Skewer.' From now on, focus on supplying items to the team."

"Okay, I understand!"

Marina answered with a broad smile.

Yufine frowned at Marina's attitude.

(You're reducing your tasks, yet you're being so honest about it.)

Roland continued giving instructions.

"Monica, as I said, you can't use 'Skewer' anymore. From now on, focus on 'One-Hit Kill' tactics. If an enemy can't be taken down in one hit, the vanguard will weaken it, and then you'll finish it off with 'One-Hit Kill.' Remember the V-formation?"

"Yes."

"Shakuma, you'll take command of the entire team."

"Yes."

"Yufine, you'll be the team leader. If the team faces a fork and needs to make a decision, you'll be the one to decide."

"Yes, I understand."

Roland gave instructions to the others as well.

He called out to the most powerful swordsman.

"Freddie, you'll cover Rick's back."

"Using my attack power to cover for Rick's lack of strength, right?"

"Exactly. The tactic is for Rick to block enemy attacks with his shield and armor, and then you'll switch and attack the enemy from behind when they're off-balance."

"Got it."

"Sharon!"

Roland called out to the team's most agile archer.

"You'll support Marina's item supply. If a team member needs an item from a distance, you'll take it from Marina and deliver it."

"Understood."

"If Acid Slimes and Zombie Archers appear on both sides..."

Roland gave detailed instructions to each team member to cover each other's status depletion.

Rick, catching his breath, listened to Roland's instructions and felt a renewed sense of respect.

(Adjusting tasks based on each member's characteristics and depletion. This isn't something a mere appraiser can do. Really... who is this person...)

After giving all the instructions, Roland checked the team's status again.

"If we reach the 20th floor and the boss doesn't appear, return to the city."

(Well, that's as far as I can go.)

At the 15th floor, Roland left the team.

Monica and the others, having received new instructions from Roland, quickly advanced through the dungeon. By the time Arik's team reached the 15th floor, they had already reached the 17th floor.

At the quest reception office, an astrologer was monitoring the dungeon.

(The Zombie Wizard has appeared on the 17th floor.)

The astrologer confirmed the appearance of the quest target monster through the crystal and spoke to the nearby scribe.

"The Zombie Wizard has appeared on the 17th floor, 32-41."

"Yes. The Zombie Wizard on the 17th floor, 32-41."

The scribe added the map and the Zombie Wizard to the blank paper.

This map would be taken to the quest department, where the reward would be decided and the quest would be officially announced.

The scribe took the map and letter and left the room.

(Well, it's probably meaningless anyway.)

The astrologer sighed.

Roland's team was heading towards the Zombie Wizard.

Sure enough, within an hour, the Zombie Wizard was defeated with Shakuma's support magic.

(Now Shakuma is an A-class adventurer too.)

"You, add a note about the Zombie Wizard."

The astrologer gave instructions to a different scribe.

"Yes. What's the content?"

"It's been defeated. The Zombie Wizard is no longer in the dungeon."

Her eyebrows twitched, and for a moment, surprise showed on her face, but she quickly remembered her duty, signed the letter, stood up, and ran to the quest department.

(Still, that's an incredible speed. Roland's team.)

Despite A-class and B-class monsters repeatedly blocking their path, their pace of clearing the dungeon didn't slow down at all.

The gap between Arik's team and Roland's team was only widening.

(At this rate, in three days... huh?)

The astrologer frowned at a sudden black shadow that appeared in the crystal.

(A black shadow, and it's large.)

It was a sign of a powerful monster appearing, but he had never seen such a large shadow in all his years of service.

(This... the 12th floor? No way!)

He squinted and zoomed in on that part, and there he saw a giant dragon with all its skin and flesh stripped away, still walking.

(Skull Dragon. Just as I thought! An S-class monster!!)

"Hey!"

The astrologer called out to the remaining scribe.

"Yes?"

"A Skull Dragon has appeared."

"Eh? That's—"

"It's an S-class monster."

Tension filled the room.

"This matter can't be handled by me alone. We need to contact the director. Hurry up!"

The scribe rushed out of the room.

Immediately, a meeting was held with the director to discuss the situation.

The quest reception office announced the appearance of the S-class monster and recruited adventurers for the quest.

However, strict conditions were attached to accepting the quest.

Adventurers below C-class were not allowed to participate.

Only top-level B-class adventurers were eligible.

A-class adventurers could not participate alone.

Only S-class adventurers could accept the quest unconditionally.

"Everyone! An S-class monster has appeared. We are urgently recruiting adventurers to accept the quest to defeat it. However, do not approach the S-class monster lightly. Ordinary adventurers will be defeated. C-class and below adventurers must not approach the 12th floor of the 'Mine Dungeon.' B-class adventurers should also be cautious and have their status and skills appraised at the quest reception office. From now on, only high-ranking adventurers certified by us will be allowed to enter the 'Mine Dungeon.' Please inform other adventurers of this information. Understand? Absolutely..."

"Hey, an S-class monster, huh. What are you going to do?"

"Are you stupid? It's beyond our capabilities."

Adventurers were discussing the news among themselves.

Diana was listening to the quest reception office's announcement, mixed in with the crowd.

(I thought it was something special when the quest reception office made a special report. An S-class monster appearing...)

However, what she was more concerned about was the battle between Arik's team and Roland's team in the 'Mine Dungeon.'

The difference between the two teams, as shown on the bulletin board, was two floors.

(Tch. Arik is in a bad position. The difference is two floors.)

Diana bit her nails in frustration.

"Wow. Monica and the others have already reached the 17th floor."

Diana was startled by the familiar voice.

"You... Clarissa."

"Oh, Diana. We meet again."

"Did you come to check the bulletin board too?"

"Yes. As a lowly errand runner, I have to do any odd job."

Clarissa sighed.

"I have a lot of work to do after this. It's really tiring. If I slack off even a little, I'll be fired."

Diana looked a bit puzzled.

"You became Roland's lover, didn't you? You could at least get some work exemption."

"What are you talking about? I'm not."

"Really? As a secretary, you must have plenty of moments alone with him, right?"

"But it's not like that at all. Roland is very guarded, and the competition is fierce."

"Hmm. I see."

"Maybe I can just slip in as one of the many, right?"

Clarissa said with a slightly jaded tone.

"Oh, I see. That's a shame. Your plan didn't work out."

Diana smiled pleasantly.

"By the way, Diana. Isn't it about time?"

"About time? For what?"

"Time to dump Lucius."

Clarissa whispered in Diana's ear, lowering her voice.

Diana's face tensed for a moment.

"Lucius is clearly on the decline. Isn't it time to switch?"

"..."

"Will you join our side? Roland is generous. He'll surely forgive your rudeness."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Diana said with a calm demeanor.

"Don't underestimate me. I admit we're at a slight disadvantage, but the 'Golden Eagle' isn't so easily shaken by this..."

"Oh, I see. Then that's fine. I'll look for someone else."

With that, Clarissa quickly left.

(Damn. This brat...)

A few hours after the S-class monster quest was announced, a man was summoned to the 'Golden Eagle' headquarters.

Lucius welcomed the man with unusual politeness.

"Thank you for coming, Ugan."

In front of Lucius, Ugan, the S-class adventurer of the 'Crescent Knight,' was lounging on a sofa, legs crossed, leaning back and resting his arms.

Despite being invited to the 'Golden Eagle,' he didn't seem particularly honored, rather he looked reluctant.

Lucius felt annoyed by Ugan's attitude but managed to keep his composure.

(With Arik not being reliable, I have no choice but to rely on this guy.)

Realizing the disadvantage in dungeon exploration, Lucius decided to target the S-class monster.

Defeating an S-class monster would bring benefits equivalent to clearing a dungeon.

It might also appease the investors.

While planning the quest, he heard that Ugan had appeared in the city after hearing about the S-class monster.

Lucius immediately offered Ugan a deal and brought him to the guild.

"You would be a great asset to our guild. For now, let's—"

"Don't get the wrong idea."

"Eh?"

"I'm only doing this for the money. I have no intention of joining you. I'll participate under the name of the 'Crescent Knight,' not the 'Golden Eagle.'"

Lucius felt dissatisfied but managed to keep smiling.

"20 million gold."

"Eh?"

"I'll take 20 million gold as a down payment. The success reward will be 100 million gold."

(Damn. 20 million gold and 100 million gold.)

"Isn't that a bit excessive?"

"If you don't like it, that's fine. I'll just decline the job."

"…I understand. I'll find a way to arrange it."

At that moment, someone rushed into the guild leader's room.

"Guild leader! It's bad. Jill Arwin has taken on the S-class monster... Ah, I'm sorry."

The messenger turned pale upon seeing Lucius and Ugan in the middle of negotiations.

(Damn, this fool, saying unnecessary things in front of Ugan...)

Lucius glared at the messenger.

However, Ugan seemed amused and spoke to the messenger.

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. I was just talking about the S-class monster with the guild leader. So, what about Jill Arwin?"

"Eh, well, she..."

The messenger glanced at Lucius for approval.

"Go on. It's fine."

Lucius said with a resigned tone.

"Jill Arwin has taken on the S-class monster quest under the name of the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree.' She has already received approval from the quest reception office and is heading to the dungeon."

Lucius clenched his fists in anger.

(You, Jill. Are you going to hinder me until the end?)

"Hey, wasn't Jill Arwin the promising new recruit of the 'Golden Eagle'? I heard she was a candidate for S-class. If she's going after the S-class monster... and under the name of the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree'? Is that okay? If I proceed with the S-class monster quest..."

"It's fine. Legal measures against Jill's rebellion are already in progress. Besides, hehe, I have other plans for her."

"Hmm? Is that so?"

Ugan said with feigned disinterest but was inwardly appalled.

(The guild is in shambles. The guild leader and the ace are openly at odds, and I can even hear what sounds like a protest.)

The protest was calling for Lucius's resignation.

(This guild won't last long. It's best to take what I can and leave as soon as possible.)

"Anyway, I can proceed with the S-class monster quest, right? I'll head out now."

"Hehe. I'm not to blame. The blame lies with that woman."

Lucius looked down with a dark smile.

(What is this guy thinking? He's been acting strange. It's creepy.)

Meanwhile, Jill had arrived at the dungeon entrance with only a few supporters.

"Alright. Let's go. To defeat the S-class monster, the Skull Dragon!"

(At this point, I don't care about the guild's ties or even my own fate. I will prove Roland's strength. For that, I...)

Jill entered the dungeon with determination.

When Jill entered the 'Mine Dungeon,' Roland had returned from the dungeon and, after a 24-hour sleep, was awake.

He got into the carriage prepared by Clarissa and headed to the 'Guardian of the Magic Tree' headquarters.

"The 'Mine Dungeon' team has reached the 17th floor. Arik's team is still on the 15th floor."

"I see."

Roland felt relieved.

(Good. Monica