After stopping the march, Roland was checking each adventurer''s level of wear and tear and the results of the battle.


    Rick appeared in front of Roland with a snide look on his face.


    He placed the head of "Fafnir" in front of Roland with a thud.


    How do you like it, Mr. Roland?　I killed two "Fafnir" dragons. It''s only our first day in the dungeon.


    ...... I see."


    Roland said, seemingly uninterested.


    Rick was puzzled by Roland''s attitude.


    Rick was perplexed by Roland''s attitude. Have you come up with any ideas on how to avoid wearing out in the first half of the dungeon?"


    What?　No, that''s the thing. ......"


    Rick was at a loss for words.


    Roland had informed him in advance that the battle with the "White Wolf" in the second half of the dungeon would be the real challenge in this exploration.


    He also told them to think about how they could minimize their exhaustion in the first half of the dungeon in preparation for the second half.


    However, most of the members were so busy competing with the local guilds that they had forgotten all about it.


    ''Well, all right.


    Roland stops his pursuit of Rick and looks around at the others.


    ''Anyone. Anyone else with a better idea?　Have you noticed or come up with anything after a day of exploring the dungeon with the addition of the ''Guardians of the Magical Tree''?"


    Can I have a word?"


    Leon stepped forward and spoke up.


    When Fafnir appears, adventurers seem to get into heated fights with each other. If this situation continues, we will be exhausted unnecessarily. I think it would be better to divide the group into morning and afternoon groups and have them take turns taking Fafnir.


    Roland''s eyes lit up at Leon''s statement.


    Oh," he said. Oh, Leon. That''s exactly what I was wondering too. I like the idea. Let''s adopt it right away. Anybody else want to weigh in?"


    May I?"


    Claire stepped forward.


    I saw during today''s search that there are a number of ''magic tree keepers'' who are able to use ''far-sightedness. If we can widen our search net with those who can use ''far-sightedness,'' we may be able to reduce our encounters with the ''fire dragon (Fafnir)'' to a minimum and reduce the amount of wear and tear on our forces."


    May I join you?"


    Will said.


    ''In today''s search, our ranks were stretched too thin to take full advantage of our rear guard. I think we need to devise a way to keep the vanguard from disrupting the line of battle in order to defeat the enemy more efficiently."


    Various other guilds suggested improvements, but none of them came from the local guilds, and none of the ideas came from the "Guardians of the Magic Tree.


    The next day, Roland ordered the participating guilds of the alliance to enter the mining site one by one.


    The first guild to enter was the Shield of Dawn, followed by the Arrow of the Heavenly Horse, Will and Lana, and the local guilds that had proposed some kind of idea yesterday.


    The other local guilds and the "Guardian of the Magic Tree" were last.


    Seeing this, the adventurers of the "Guardians of the Magic Tree" became impatient.


    Roland would not favor them just because they were old acquaintances or because there were A-class adventurers.


    It was clear that he was taking up the challenge he had in mind, how to reduce the wear and tear of the first half of the battle, starting with the guilds that could make a contribution.


    The adventurers of the "Guardians of the Magic Tree" were in a hurry to start thinking about what they could do to prevent attrition.


    After finishing the extraction of ore, the "Arsenal of Spirits" Alliance changed the formation of the troops, incorporating the ideas that had come up yesterday.


    They divided the troops into morning and afternoon groups, selected those who were good at "far-sighting" to extend the range of their search, and assigned one vanguard leader to each group to keep the line of battle moving.


    The "Arsenal of Spirits" Alliance, which had devised these measures, was moving up the volcano faster than it had done yesterday.


    A few hours after the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance left the mining site, the "Sage''s Crown" was finally about to reach the first mining site.


    Good. We have arrived at the mining site. We''ve closed the gap, haven''t we?


    Neil said, breathing on his shoulder.


    He worked vigorously, applying "agility" to the slowest members of his troop, "defense" to those under attack, and "attack" to those who were having trouble defeating the enemy.


    Thanks to his efforts, the speed of the search for the "Grand Alliance" had dramatically increased.


    （The composition of the local guilds, which are piggybacked by us, the "Wise Man''s Crown," has become clearer.)


    Glenn was bitterly disappointed.


    He wanted the local guilds to participate and contribute to the dungeon attack.


    (Neil had also been drained of much of his magical power. This left us with a big problem for the second half of our search.)


    All right," he said. We''re going into the mining area. You guys should start picking ore as soon as you can. If I see anyone slacking off, I''ll be all over you.


    One moment, Captain.


    Whoa. What?"


    Neil stopped in his tracks, startled by the man who suddenly stepped forward and kneeled down.


    He was a man who had participated in the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance before.


    He was a man who had joined the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance before. How about we decide the order in which the guilds enter the diggings according to their contribution level? This way, the Alliance will be able to clearly show its appreciation for each guild, and when guilds see that they are appreciated, they will be more motivated to contribute to the Alliance, which will lead to friendly competition, which in turn will lead to a quicker dungeon attack. It will also make it easier for the members of the "Wise Man''s Crown" to lead their alliances, which will lead to a greater sense of solidarity within the alliance.


    (I see. I didn''t know there was such a way.)


    Ian was honestly impressed by the man''s suggestion.


    Neil, however, did not have the presence of mind.


    All he could think about was catching up with the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance that was ahead of him.


    According to the contribution level, huh?　You guys are currently riding roughshod over us, and you haven''t even killed a single "Fafnir" dragon. If you have time to talk in your sleep, get your hands and feet moving and get to work on the extraction of ore as soon as possible. Hora. Let''s get on with the mining site.


    The man who proposed the idea was disappointed that his offer was not accepted.


    Ian looked at the man with pity.


    Deep down inside, he agreed with his proposal, but he did not actually act on it.


    If he meddled too much in matters that were beyond his scope, he could be held responsible if he made a mistake.


    Ian had shown great skill in gathering and processing information, but he was out of the loop when it came to methods for evaluating contributions.


    In the end, the "Grand Alliance" entered the mining site in a disorderly manner, in no particular order.


    There was not the slightest hint of an attitude of evaluation based on contribution.


    Neil and his team entered the mining site, but they did not get any positive results.


    (Tsk. Nothing but junk ore left.)


    All the ore of interest had already been extracted by the "Spirit Arsenal.


    （What the heck. Get on with the next mining site (......)


    At that moment, the sounds of battle could be heard from the mountain tops.


    It was the sound of the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance fighting monsters.


    Hey, look. Those are the guys from the Arsenal of Spirits.


    They''ve already gone that far?"


    Glenn and Ian couldn''t believe their eyes.


    （This is ridiculous. They''re searching faster than yesterday?)


    (We also sacrificed Neil''s magic power to increase our pace. (We also increased our pace at the expense of Neil''s magic.)


    Neil gritted his teeth.


    We''re leaving in a hurry," he said. We''ve got until the end of the day to catch up!"


    However, despite Neil''s pep talk, the morale of the local guild was visibly low.


    It was obvious from the earlier exchange that there was little room for the local guild to be appreciated.


    The local guild members were particularly reluctant to engage in battle, with some even refusing to report monsters when they saw them approaching.


    The monsters were getting stronger, and not only Neil, but also Glenn and Ian were forced to wear themselves out.


    The next day, and the day after that, the "Wise Man''s Crown of Treasures" could not keep up with the "Arsenal of Spirits," and the second, third, and fourth mining sites were also seized by Roland and his team.


    Rick was fighting Rock Fang and trying not to get too far ahead.


    He said, "Hold the line. Wait for the rearguard cover to arrive."


    Soon after, Will and Lana rushed in and drove away the enemy with "blast magic" and "crust magic".


    Rick was not satisfied while driving away the enemy.


    (Hmmm. I guess the way to attack a dungeon is different when the town changes. I never thought such a passive way of fighting would be appreciated.)


    Rick. Good job on the wall."


    Oh, Mr. Roland.


    I''m glad you liked it. "Good move. You''re getting used to this dungeon, aren''t you?"


    Thank you very much. No, but is this really the way to go?　Anyway, I don''t really feel like I''m contributing to the project because I''m just fighting to save energy. ......"


    That energy conservation is important in this dungeon," he said. After all, a battle with the Thieves'' Guild awaits us on the way back.


    Huh.


    Hmm?　This must be a signal from Euphine."


    Roland said, looking at the magic circle that appeared beneath his feet.


    ''Is this a signal to ''back off''?


    ''I think I went a little too far forward,'' he said. Let''s lower the formation."


    This time, Yuffine was playing more of a control tower than a recovery role.


    She would use her magic to signal the battle lines so that they would not spread out too far.


    She would signal with her magic circle to prevent the battle lines from spreading too far. This time it was a signal from the scouting party.


    Three arrows are shot up into the sky.


    Three "Fire Dragons (Fafnir)" are approaching us. ...... I''ll send a strongbow unit and an attack mage to ...... drive them away.


    The adventurers of the "Guardians of the Magic Tree" were also adapting to the ways of the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance.


    Rick was playing the role of a wall, Yuffine was in the control tower, Shakuma was in charge of the formation, Lelio was in the scouting party, and Marina was in possession of the ore, although her role was slightly different from that of the "adventurers'' town.


    (So far, things are going frighteningly well. The only thing left to worry about is the return home and the "Wise Man''s Crown.)


    Roland looks back behind him.


    An explosion rings out with a bang.


    It was the sound of powerful attack magic being released.


    (I''ve been firing high-ranked magic at them since a while ago, but there''s no sign of them catching up at all. I thought it was about time for them to catch up. ...... What''s going on with "The Philosopher''s Crown" right now?　(Why haven''t they done anything?)


    It was up to "The Wise Man''s Crown" to determine whether the return trip would be successful.


    If they put up a fight, we had to be prepared for a three-way fight with the "White Wolf" as well.


    In that case, we were reaching the limit of our search.


    (Would they or would they not? Which is it?)


    Roland stared downward, but could not see the "Philosopher''s Crown of Wisdom.


    (There is only one more mining site for "Earthcraft," but it is a little far away. What do we do?)


    Lelio was scouting behind him, looking for opportunities to take credit.


    (You''ve lost the last few days with the dungeon and adapting to the alliance. It''s time to take some credit around here. ...... Hmm?　(That''s ......)


    Lelio recognized the "Wise Man''s Crown" from a distance.


    Moreover, three A-class mages, Neil, Ian, and Glen, were just in sight.


    (Those are the three aces of ...... "The Wise Man''s Treasure Crown". I''ll have ...... appraise them.)


    [Neil DiClaire''s status.


    Magic: 20-130


    (!　(This is ......)


    Lelio hurried back to the main camp of the "Arsenal of Spirits" alliance.


    Mr. Roland."


    Lelio. What''s wrong?　You were supposed to be scouting ......"


    That''s when I saw ...... ''The Wise Man''s Crown of Wisdom'' and appraised it. ......


    Lelio reported what he saw.


    ''Well done, Lelio. That''s exactly the kind of information I wanted. Gather around a minute, everyone.


    As Roland said this, his friends who were nearby gathered around.


    Lelio has brought back some good news," Roland said. The three aces of "The Wise Man''s Crown" are severely depleted in status. This will make our return trip home much easier."


    A cheer went up among the troops.


    (No need to worry about "The Wise Man''s Crown" on the way home. Then we can explore further. We''ll pick up all the "Earthcraft" we can and call it a day!)


    Roland, appreciating Lelio''s contribution, awarded the honor of being the first "Guardian of the Magic Tree" at the fifth mining site.


    <>