While the "Arsenal of Spirits" Alliance was finishing procuring ore and heading down the mountain, Aina was having dinner in the cafeteria.


    (Roland-san should have finished procuring the ore by now.)


    That meant the battle with the bandits was about to begin.


    (Mr. Roland, are you okay?)


    As Aina was pecking her beans while looking out the window at the "volcanic dungeon", a newcomer, Roullier, sat across the table from her.


    (Oops. The night shift is here.)


    Good evening, Miss Aina."


    Good evening. Lurie. What''s ......, eh?"


    Aina''s eyes fluttered as she looked at Roullier, who was sitting across from her.


    Aina''s eyes fluttered as she looked at Roullier, who was sitting in the seat across from her.


    Before, she was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, and you could tell at a glance that she was in poor health.


    But now, in front of Aina''s eyes, the dark circles under her eyes had completely disappeared, her shaggy hair was shiny, her skin was fresh and moist, and she looked like a different person, full of life.


    Roulier. What''s wrong?　Is your skin looking a lot better?"


    Yes, I am. Since I started working the night shift and was able to sleep well until noon, I have been feeling better and my skin has even come back to normal.


    I''m not sure I''m going to be able to do that. That''s great.


    Yes. It''s really been a good thing since I came here.


    (I can''t believe I feel better if I stay up late at night. Weird girl.


    While Aina is talking with Lurie, Melinda comes to the same table with a tray.


    "Excuse me."


    She, too, was looking much better.


    Her eyes, which had always been bloodshot and glaring due to lack of sleep, were now covered with appropriate eye lids and blinking repeatedly.


    The dry eyeballs had become moist again, and the red lines that had been like cobwebs around the whites of the eyes had completely disappeared.


    She is now a calm and beautiful woman with well-groomed eyelashes and slit eyes.


    She sat down at the table, brought a platter of food to her mouth with her right hand, and began manipulating papers with her left.


    Melinda. The redness in your eyes is gone. You must have gotten rid of the lack of sleep.


    Yes, thanks to you.


    Melinda replies as she runs her pen over the document.


    Hey, Melinda. Why don''t you at least relax at mealtime?　We''re past the busy season, and there''s no need to rush to get the work done, okay?"


    No," he said. I have to work this hard to sleep."


    Yeah. Yeah.


    I get lightheaded late at night. I have to work all hours."


    (They are both strange children. (They are both strange kids, and I''m glad they work the night shift. I don''t know...)


    Aina let out a sigh and looked out the window again.


    (Mr. Roland, I can''t wait for you to come home.)


    After completing the ore extraction quest for 100 people, Roland decided to descend the mountain and return to town.


    (Now, here comes the problem. On the way back, the bandits would be waiting for him. If he did not successfully pass through this dungeon, he would not have completed his quest. The "White Wolves" will be bent on revenge for what they did to us last time. And they are a large group. This is the perfect opportunity for them to deal us a blow. They will surely make a move.)


    Roland checked the status of the troops again.


    In Roland''s mind, the troops were divided into four groups.


    The first was the "B" skill group.


    These are the mainstay members whose skills and status are equivalent to B class, and who are well adapted to troop behavior.


    The "Shield of Dawn" and the "Arrow of Heavenly Horse" are the mainstay of this group.


    The second group is the "C" skill group.


    Although their skills are still in the development stage and their use is limited, their status is equivalent to that of B class. They are also adapted to troop activities.


    The "Guardian of Ore," "Silver Eagle Alliance," "Wildcat," "Mage Sisters," "Nicola the Bard," and about 20 others fall into this category.


    The third group is the "D" group.


    They are equivalent to status C and are still unfamiliar with troop behavior.


    About 30 of the newly recruited adventurers, who have trained intensively, fall into this group.


    The fourth group is the "E" group.


    This group consists of about 40 newly recruited adventurers who have received almost no training and have not even adjusted their status.


    （The core of this group is the "B" and "C" skill level group, and the "D" and "E" skill level group is the follow-up group. That''s the theme of this year''s event. The rest can be found at ......)


    When Roland felt a gaze and turned around, his eyes met those of Carla, who was staring at him.


    Carla hurriedly looked away.


    (She could be our trump card this time.)


    In Roland''s mind, she was a special case.


    She might even reach a proficiency level of A during this search.


    She still left a great deal of room for development and was an inconclusive figure to be placed in any of the four groups.


    As Roland had predicted, the bandits set up as soon as they started down the mountain.


    On the narrow, winding road, they sprayed arrows at Roland and his group from the cliff tops.


    Roland and his men immediately took up defensive positions with their shields at the ready.


    Jamil peeked out from the shadows on the cliff and "status appraised" the adventurers of the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance.


    Status of one adventurer


    Arm strength (power): 30-60


    Endurance (toughness): 30-50


    Agility: 40-50


    Physical strength (stamina): 40-80


    （Kukk. It seems that even the quintessential S-class appraiser couldn''t adjust the stats of the entire troop. (I can see variations in skill levels among the adventurers.)


    Jamil "appraises the status" of each adventurer and identifies those with low skill levels.


    (Status disorder leads to performance disorder, which eventually leads to mental disorder. If we attack those with poor status adjustment first, they will naturally cause panic and self-destruct.


    Jamil had already set a trap.


    There is only one side road that can take you down the mountain to escape this "bow shooting" rain.


    At the end of that road, Rodo with a pack of "Fire Dragons (Fafnir)" was waiting for them.


    If Fafnir and a squad of warriors swooped down on Roland and his men as they fled from a hail of arrows, the alliance would easily collapse.


    But Roland saw that there was an ambush ahead down the road.


    He ordered his archers to fire a warning shot with their bows, and then ordered his troops to turn back the way they had come, aiming for the moment when the enemy stopped firing their bows.


    Under Roland''s command, the members of the unit evacuated out of range, starting with those with the weakest status.


    The retreat was carried out swiftly and in an orderly fashion rarely seen.


    （What?)


    Jamil''s eyes widened.


    Hey, they''re pulling up."


    Zain said impatiently.


    （Did they see through our plan?)


    Zain unleashed his "dragon-headed cage" on the retreating alliance, but they did not panic in the slightest.


    "Tsk. Send out the white army. But don''t start a fight. It''s just a check. If they start to attack, fight them appropriately and retreat.


    The "White Wolf" White Guard, which had been hiding in plain sight, comes out and closes in behind the retreating alliance.


    Roland, noticing this, reverses his troops and prepares to meet them in battle.


    The two sides stared at each other and came to a standoff.


    Roland watches his opponent closely, trying to read the enemy''s next move.


    (Will he make a move?) Roland was looking at his opponent to see what his opponent''s next move would be. (Will they make a move?) However, if we make a move, a trap will surely be waiting for us. (On the other hand, if we continue to watch, the enemy will only get ready to attack.)


    We already know that among the enemies there are those who manipulate the "dragon sound.


    If we continue to wait, they will make the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" go around and pincer attack us.


    We also have a bard who can use "Ryuon", but I am sure they are aware of that.


    There is no doubt that they are taking some kind of countermeasure.


    Roland ordered Lana to fortify their defenses with "crust magic.


    A wall of earth separates us from them.


    Jamil, who had climbed down from the cliff and joined the white army, frowned when he saw the situation.


    (Is that ...... fortifying defenses and forming a position?　But this will make it impossible for them to attack from the other side, too. (No, wait.)


    Jamil realized what Roland was after.


    （He was preparing for an attack from behind by Fafnir, the fire dragon. ) "If you build a wall and separate yourself from the enemy, you can prevent a pincer attack even if Fafnir comes from behind," Jamil said.


    Hey," he said. Jamil. Shouldn''t we attack with Fafnir?　Anytime you''re ready, man."


    (In fact, Jamil was going to order Rodo to make the "Fire Dragon (Fafnir)" go around if Loran did not build an earthen wall.)


    No," Jamil said. If we attack now, we will only wear out Fafnir, which we have already tamed.


    But the more I watch, the more defenses they are putting up," he said. At this rate, we will have nothing left to attack with.


    Relax. The enemy must not be able to spare more potions than we do. They will surely make a move on us. Instead, we need to fortify our defenses.


    Warriors of "White Wolf" also put up shields on the ground and piled up soil to fortify their defenses.


    Roland could see this from his side as well.


    （Despite the fact that we were on the defensive, they did not attack us. Rather, they were fortifying their defenses. Did the enemy commander see through our aim?)


    (If they are going to remain locked up until nightfall, Roland''s goal is probably to retreat tomorrow morning at sunrise, scatter us, and make a detour down the mountain. (If so, we should also position ourselves for a night camp, and then set up a chase position for a chase tomorrow morning.)


    In these few exchanges of moves, Roland and Jamil read each other''s strength.


    ((There is no gap. (You''re gonna do it.))


    The next morning, the alliance rushed out as the sun rose.


    Retracing their steps back the way they had come, they made a detour, dodged the bandits, and descended the mountain.


    The "White Wolf" bandits soon followed, destroying the mud wall made by "crust magic.


    Hey, Jamil. The bandits of the Alliance are running away from us.


    Rodo said in an irritated tone as he ran.


    Don''t panic. We haven''t lost the enemy yet.


    But this wasn''t part of the plan. You''re already into Roland''s pace, aren''t you?"


    I''m not. They have an element of insecurity. Status anxiety.


    Status?"


    Yes. Not a few of their troopers are in a state of disarray. If they run like this, they will soon run out of breath and ...... status?"


    (Wait a minute. (Come to think of it, their agility items were the only ones that didn''t seem to fluctuate much?)


    After deciding that it would be impossible to train all the alliance participants, Roland decided to adjust them all, at least agility-wise.


    Therefore, he requested them to move through the dungeon at the same speed as usual in terms of marching, let alone fighting, and succeeded in adjusting their agility to within a margin of error of 10.


    Therefore, they were able to march without running out of breath as long as they were running around like this.


    （Tsk. So that''s what I''ve been trained to do with agility? (......) in anticipation of this situation.


    In addition, Roland used his archers and thieves to set up traps and fire bows at the "White Wolves" chasing after him from behind, making it extremely difficult for the "White Wolves" to pursue them.


    The "White Wolves" were frustrated and had to chase after Roland and the others.


    Even Jamil, who had been the rock of the game, began to feel impatient.


    （This is not good. If we keep going like this, we''ll be cut down slowly and miss the enemy.)


    Hey, what are you going to do? Jamil. We can''t catch up with the enemy."


    The enemy archers and thieves are powerful, and that''s a nuisance. It''s not a good idea to go chasing after them.


    Jamil bites his back teeth when Rod and Zain say so.


    （Jamil bit his teeth. We have to do something.)


    There is a limit to how far we can go in restraining Rod and Zain.


    The only reason they follow Jamil is because he lets them earn the war.


    If they are unable to catch Roland at this point, Rodo and Zain may leave Jamil''s leadership and act on their own.


    If that happens, the chances of winning against Lorang will become even smaller.


    ...... sacrifice to stop the enemy in their tracks?"


    Loran. The ambush was successful.


    Alice, returning from the ambush, said.


    I cut down two of the enemy bandits (Thief).


    Jeff, who came back with us, says.


    ''All right. Good job.


    What do we do now?"　Shall we ambush them one more time?"


    Jeff said.


    ''Ummm.''


    Roland glanced at the road ahead and the position of the sun as he drove across the plateau.


    No, let''s not. There is a place up ahead where we can camp for the night. Let''s continue on to that point and rest for the day."


    All right."


    Roger that."


    (but still ......)


    Jeff looks at the new adventurers.


    (Can''t these guys run any faster?)


    Although their agility had been adjusted by Roland, the newcomers, who were not yet accustomed to Roland''s methods, were slowing down and dragging their feet at every turn of the march.


    (If only they hadn''t been so slow, we would have gotten further ahead and had more chances to set up an ambush.)


    Jeff, too, did not express his frustration in words, but inwardly he was frustrated.


    Meanwhile, Jeff''s "far-sightedness" caught sight of an enemy approaching from behind.


    The enemy is coming!　Fifteen Thief!


    Jeff shouted.


    （Fifteen?)


    Roland checks the approaching enemies, and sure enough, 15 bandits (Thief) equipped for melee combat are approaching.


    Roland became suspicious.


    (Are just 15 people challenging our nearly 100 adventurers to melee combat?　Do they want to stop us in our tracks?　(Or is there something else you''re after?)


    Roland once again checks their position and the distance to their destination.


    （We are almost to the planned encampment. (It doesn''t matter if we take some time here.)


    Roland decided to fight.


    It was also with a group of skill level D.


    (From what I saw of the enemy''s skills and stats, even newcomers can beat them. (From what I saw of the enemy''s skills and stats, even newcomers to the group can beat them. It might also help the adventurers on the island to overcome their fear of the "White Wolf.


    When Roland gave the order to intercept the group, the D-skilled group leaped forward as if they had been waiting for it.


    They, too, were looking for an opportunity to test their skills.


    When they intercepted the enemy bandit (Thief) force, they easily gained the upper hand.


    On the other hand, the enemy thieves did not retreat even when they were at a disadvantage.


    They took a defensive posture and blatantly tried to prolong the battle.


    （The enemy''s aim, after all, was to stall them.)


    Roland was relieved that his reading was correct.


    He would be able to get away with the enemy''s pursuit by quickly retreating to his position after defeating the enemy.


    With this in mind, Roland was about to watch the battle unfold when suddenly the armor of one of his allies was wrecked.


    (What?)


    One more person''s armor is wrecked.


    The adventurers with broken armor were on their butts on the ground with a pout.


    In fact, there was no attack from the enemy that could do any serious damage.


    (That''s ridiculous. What in the world?　No way!)


    [Status of wrecked armor


    Power: 0 (↓60)


    Durability: 0 (↓30)


    (Durability 30!　There are shoddy products in the mix. I''m pretty sure that was the armor Wayne was in charge of ......)


    Roland stared at Wayne with a jittery look.


    (Yuck.)


    Wayne hurriedly looks away.


    Roland looked bitter.


    (I thought Wayne''s guy was strangely quick to make it, is that what you mean?)


    Unrest was already beginning to spread among the troops engaged in the battle.


    Everyone begins to float away and be pushed by the enemy.


    Roland quickly appraised the situation and found that there were still a number of shoddy products.


    (d*mn. Now is not the time to blame Wayne.)


    Roland ordered reinforcements to be brought out and quickly subdue the enemy.


    The enemy, sensing the newcomers, decided it was time to move on and fled.


    (Did they escape?)


    If the enemy sees that our equipment is inadequate, please contact us at .......


    （That''s not good.)


    Nearby, an adventurer who has wrecked his armor is being helped up by his companions.


    Itete."


    Hey, you okay?


    Yeah.


    What the hell happened all of a sudden?


    I don''t know. I don''t know why my armor broke all of a sudden."


    Roland. Roland, take a look at this. It looks like his armor suddenly broke.


    Information quickly spread around.


    "My armor is broken?"


    What do you mean?


    "Are you sure it''s defective?"


    Roland noticed that the eyes of the adventurers around him were fixed on him.


    Sweat broke out on his forehead.


    Let''s see... ......"


    The surrounding adventurers waited with bated breath for Roland''s next words.


    With his heart racing, Roland pretended to be examining his broken armor.


    Then he turned around and smiled at everyone.


    It looks like I hit it wrong," Roland said. Unlucky, I guess.


    Hearing this, the adventurers looked as if their shoulders had relaxed.


    What, you just got a bad shot?"


    You really put me on the spot.


    ''Well, I''m glad to hear it, though. There''s nothing wrong with your equipment, is there?"


    I guess so." If there are any flaws in the manufacture of the equipment, it will hinder us in the battles to come.


    Roland tried his best to hide the paleness of his face as he listened to everyone''s words.


    (It was a close call. If it became known that a large number of defective products were mixed in, it would be a credibility problem. But what to do?　(Somehow we managed to fake the situation, but if the "White Wolf" takes advantage of us, there will be no shame.)


    Roland''s head was spinning at high speed as he tried to get the situation under control.


    (We have to do something. ......)


    <>