I walked through the rift and returned to the first floor square.
The surviving scout had now awoken, sitting on a bench while being surrounded by the Chief Administrator and the Chief Instructor.
Several first floor trainees and instructors had also realized what had happened and had gathered around the square.
"What can you tell me about him, Chief Rashgon?"
I asked the Chief Administrator.
The short man then pulled up a document which recorded the scout's history.
"Ahsan Pnarrie, 1-star at summoning, arrived after the clearance of the fifteenth floor trial. A commoner from Tsahanam with no detected relation with any of the enemy faction.
"He was a traveling stage performer back in the sultanate. His only weapon training before arriving to the forged land was through his performance act which involved a stunt with a bow and arrows, as well as a minor act with throwing knives.
"After his summoning, Sir Pnarrie underwent Basic Training until its Second Phase, which promoted him to 2-star.
"In the climb from the first to the ninth floor, the man managed to attain 14 MVP titles out of 32 trial clearances. He already reached level 3 in Basic Archery by then and was projected to attain level 4 or 5 in the Third Phase of Basic Training."
I nodded to the report.
"Quite a talent. Why exactly did he end up in the Evaluation Center?"
"Despite his combat abilities, Sir Pnarrie had expressed his intent on becoming a gatherer. A combatant escort, to be exact. So he had been working in the Weekday Dungeons to develop gathering skills as he trained as a potential raider."
"The job did not suit him?"
"Sir Pnarrie was caught eating while on duty. As he was still a first floor resident at the time and not an official gatherer yet, he was still banned to consume certain bounties from the Weekday Dungeons."
The Tsahanam scout quickly rose from the bench and shouted in defense.
"I ONLY ATE A FEW APPLES!"
The Chief Administrator shook his head immediately.
"To be precise, it was nine apples, five oranges, three peaches, and a dozen wild berries."
"BUT—"
"No matter the amount, Sir Pnarrie committed violation of Master's rules and therefore sent to the Evaluation Center."
Upon the chief's full report, the Tsahanam scout fell back to his bench, defeated.
I proceeded to observe him.
[Ahsan Pnarrie (★★) Lv.13 (Exp 8/115)]
[Class: Novice]
[Strength: 20/20]
[Intelligence: 10/10]
[Stamina: 25/25]
[Agility: 25/25]
[Skills: Basic Archery Lv.5, Eagle Eye Lv.3, Basic Dagger Technique Lv.4, Dagger Throwing Lv.2, Rapid Fire Lv. 3, Trail Tracking Lv.2, Hunter of the Forest Lv.1, Basic Spearmanship Lv.1, Spear Throwing Lv.2, Basic Sword-Shield Technique Lv.3, Nimble Movement Lv.2, Stealthy Movement Lv.1, Switching Lv.1, Pain Resistance Lv. 1]
As Trudy mentioned, the man tried to learn everything.
But he simply was not that talented to master all of the techniques.
Even so, the man showed promise. Otherwise he would not survive the nineteenth floor.
The fact that he was able to clear that trial while only being level 12 at the time proved something of his stock.
"You have done well by clearing the nineteenth floor."
I told the survivor.
The ragged man quickly fell to his knees and bowed his head.
"Th-thank you, Your Excellency! Your words honor me!"
"Given your deeds to the Raid Team in furthering our climb, I don't see why you'll have to remain in the Evaluation Center."
The scout raised his face in excitement.
"Why thank you, Your Exc—"
"However,"
I cut him off.
"It is still a fact that you were sent there because you violated Master's orders. Not because you were not talented enough."
I then turned to Trudy and the other instructors standing nearby.
"You will return to the first floor trainee lodging and resume your training. You are not allowed to pursue supporting jobs in the lobby. You will aim to become a raider and a raider only."
The scout stared me in horror and disbelief.
But then he casted his eyes to the synthesis chamber and the rift of space-time, mulling the consequences if he still disobeyed my order.
The man finally nodded in acceptance.
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
The man simply had too much talent to be working as a supporter.
The Raid Team could not afford to sideline such combatant. Especially since we had done so for the instructor candidates.
"Chief Rashgon, arrange his transfer from the Evaluation Center. He shall resume his training tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
As the Tsahanam man was being escorted by the Chief Administrator, I turned to Trudy.
"Given his low level, I doubt he will be ready in time for the twentieth floor climb. But still give him extra attention. He should become a reliable raider if we pair him up with other dependable members later on, like the next batch of 3-star heroes."
"It will be as you say, Serafina."
The Chief Instructor nodded.
She then turned to the rift of space-time.
"So, the twentieth floor is now open to us. How soon do you think Master will make the Raid Team attempt it?"
"We still need to frequent the eighteenth and the nineteenth floor, which might take a couple of weeks. And another four to five weeks to fully prepare for the real climb."
I told her.
My eyes shifted to Alam that just appeared above the first floor square and continued.
"But Master will definitely scout the twentieth floor right away."
[When I call your name, come to the first floor square!]
Time to find out how many heroes would be needed for the fourth Quintal Trial.
[Johnlan, Refall, Emilya, Kharis, Shegia, Harfold, Mareese, …]
The fairy's voice echoed throughout the forged land.
Name after name were rapidly called out.
Terrified people started streaming out of the Evaluation Center and poured into the first floor square.
Trudy immediately turned to me once Alam stopped announcing names.
"Twenty-five people, Serafina. It's almost half of the heroes in the Evaluation Center."
[Forming 'Raid Squad 1' (small).]
[Renaming 'Raid Squad 1' into 'Scout Squad'.]
[Party Configuration – Party 36, Party 37, Party 38, Party 39, Party 40]
[Total Heroes – 25]
[Raid Leader – 'Johnlan (★★)']
"Fina!"
As the large number of scouts were gathering at the first floor square, Jonah and members of Party 1 descended from the upper lobby.
The other party leaders and some members of Party 2 till 11 were with them as well.
"What's going on? Why is Master calling for so many people?"
Jonah asked me.
"The nineteenth floor has been cleared."
I told him directly.
He and the other raiders shared considering look with one another.
"Some of the administrators did say a scout just returned from a trial. But if the nineteenth floor has been cleared, then that means these people are…"
I nodded to the shepherd.
"Master is sending them to the twentieth floor. To the fourth Quintal Trial."
[※Caution!]
[This mission requires five parties. If there aren't enough party members, use summoning to fill in the ranks!]
[The parties will be divided into vanguard and rearguard roles. If certain conditions are met or a certain amount of time has passed, the rearguard can join the battle!]
[Master can choose when each party will attack. Your choice will have a lot of impact, so think wisely!]