The D-Rank Guild Master of the No. 1 Guild

Akata’s gaze held me once again.

Though there was not a trace of moisture, his face seemed to carry a mysterious, almost wet, atmosphere.

The serene demeanor of the boy had deepened into something more profound now that he was a grown man.

“Rudel, there’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while.”

[Emotional State] Affection

You’re not about to confess to me, are you? No way!

‘I’m not ready to give a rejection right now!’

Despite my internal panic, he continued with a firm tone, as if to steady even the tremors within me.

“When I said you could use everything of mine, I meant it. Rudel, you have that right. Even if your choices put me in danger, if it’s necessary, don’t hesitate.”

Oh, thank goodness. It wasn’t a love confession.

But, in a way, his declaration was just as shocking.

Akata’s words, combined with the recent revelation, felt like he was saying, ‘If you understand the reality of our existence, feel free to research and use me however you need.’

He had no idea what my intentions were.

He was simply expressing his trust and willingness to devote himself entirely to me.

After making such a heavy declaration, Akata oddly lightened his expression, his effortless smile still strikingly handsome.

“It’s late. Aren’t you tired?”

He changed the subject at just the right moment.

“Stay here tonight.”

Grateful for the diversion, I was about to thank him when… what?

“Stay here tonight? What?”

As I stammered, Akata tilted his head curiously.

“Stay here. Like before.”

Replaying it for me, how considerate.

“Tonight, I promise I won’t kiss you in my sleep. Really.”

He leaned in slightly, speaking seriously. His red hair cascaded over his long neck and broad shoulders. He didn’t even seem to notice.

I was the only one embarrassed.

I was the only one who felt the heat rising inside!

“Hey!”

I finally yelled, clutching my head. Akata looked startled.

“Are you angry…?”

“No? I’m not angry at all.”

“Your face says otherwise.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. I’m feeling great. So just go back to sleep. I’m leaving now.”

I stormed out of the room, huffing, and moments later faced myself in the mirror, seeing my face flushed red.

Embarrassed by my reflection, I quickly splashed cold water on my face.

* * *

An artificial sun rose over the guild fortress.

At the same time, a man, his cheek pressed against the pillow, slowly opened his eyes.

Though he was awake, he lay in bed for a long time, trapped in dark thoughts.

It was a new affliction he’d acquired since the first-generation guild war ended.

No, it was an old affliction that had become distinctly worse after the territory battle in the fourth round.

Unahar vividly remembered lying on the fortress floor, suddenly waking up in the middle of the battle.

The delicate balance of control he’d maintained teetered precariously when faced with Yudirei’s murderous intent, shattering completely.

‘I hindered Rudel…’

He was angry at himself for being eliminated so easily.

Even the young Akata had performed spectacularly in the commander battle of the third round.

Afterward, Unahar watched his combat footage on the screen and was even more shocked.

Despite trying to prevent Rudel from seeing the footage, he found a way to secretly watch it.

He shouldn’t have. He should have deceived himself somehow.

Unahar wasn’t mentally prepared to handle it.

‘To think I looked so disgraceful.’

Since then, Unahar often dreamed of Rudel. Perhaps it was a protective instinct to prevent the madness of the wolf from consuming him.

“Unahar…”

The dream was always the same. Rudel, in comfortable clothing, whispered his name and crawled into bed with him.

A dream tailored entirely to his desires.

‘If Rudel knew, he wouldn’t even want to touch me.’

He discovered that his identity had been damaged by his wolf ability, making him more obsessed with Rudel.

He realized he was worse off than Akata.

Akata sought to move forward with Rudel, while he was stuck, needing Rudel’s care even more.

He wanted to skip meals and hide away, but he couldn’t, as it would worry Rudel and the guild members.

Emerging from his private room, Unahar forced a soft expression, conscious of the other guild members.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

Kanel, Lilith, and Gio were gathered, deciding who would go to the shop to buy interior decorations.

Seeing Unahar, they cheered and included him in their game.

Soon, Unahar, who had thrown scissors, was selected for the errand.

“Unahar, hurry up and get going!”

Lilith grinned as she pushed Unahar forward. Reluctantly, he moved, knowing that he had lost fair and square.

‘At least thanks to the others, my condition isn’t that noticeable. This is better than being alone…’

The marketplace was growing larger by the day.

It seemed the system was expanding it in anticipation of the second-generation characters’ arrival.

As a result, any character stepping into the marketplace would find their eyes widening and heads turning to take in the sights.

“…”

But the blond handsome man, Unahar, showed no interest. He walked with dead eyes, staring straight ahead.

[Live]

He didn’t even think that being in a ‘comment-enabled area’ meant viewers might comment on his sickly, chicken-like state.

His focus was solely on the shopping list, mechanically moving to the kiosk and picking out items.

Tap, tap-tap.

Someone tapped Unahar’s back with a finger.

He didn’t notice at first, but then turned around a beat later.

Behind him stood a small character with vibrant green hair cascading down, wearing flowing long tops over jeans, looking like a fairy from a storybook.

She smiled brightly at Unahar, waving her half-raised hand.

“…!”

Recognizing the person, Unahar instinctively ignored her and tried to move past.

But she grabbed his shoulder firmly.

“Oh, why the cold shoulder? Pretending not to know me?”

The person, with a voice that was almost androgynous, made a half-grimacing, half-smiling face.

At the same time, Unahar’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. He silently cursed his luck, feeling incredibly vexed. This was someone he never wanted to meet again.

This was Hon, a character who had ranked 10th in the temporary rankings of the first round.

“Manners, manners, my dear ex.”

Hon had been someone Unahar briefly teamed up with during the early parts of the first round, before he met Rudel.

The lively character with dew-like green hair just kept smiling. Unahar, who had been momentarily stunned, clenched his teeth quietly.

Yes, this character, Hon, had a connection with him from the first round.

If one could consider it a connection that Unahar, who was ranked number one in male character appearance, had tried to seduce Hon with the intention of stealing items.

If even such a bad connection could be turned into a bond.

Gritting his teeth, Unahar’s words came out muffled as he tried to suppress his irritation.

“You have some nerve calling yourself an ex. Do you have no shame?”

Unahar recalled old memories vividly. It was a moment from the first round that he could never forget.

After seducing this little fairy with sweet words and lips, Hon, who was gazing at him with half-closed eyes, said the first words.

“I’m a man.”

Not only Unahar, but all the characters who met Hon were fooled, and even the users were deceived until they checked Hon’s status window revealed early on.

This cute and lively fairy-like beauty was actually a man.

Their first encounter was still famous as a comedic meme on the reality homepage.

Of course, Unahar had no idea that his video was a big joke in another world, but even without that, this was his darkest memory.

So, he wished Hon would just disappear from his sight.

Ignoring Unahar’s feelings, Hon continued to hover around him. Unable to stand it any longer, Unahar turned sharply and snapped.

“What do you want?”

It was a veiled way of saying ‘If you don’t have a reason, get lost.’

Hon’s usually sweet and demure eyes suddenly gleamed mischievously as he saw Unahar’s frustration.

“You’ve made quite a name for yourself with a good woman, haven’t you? Wow, the number one guild. Someone like me from a mid-tier guild wouldn’t even dare speak to you?”

Who was the one who spoke first?

Unahar’s head was pounding. He was on the verge of using the status window to activate [Guild Return] and escape.

If it weren’t for Hon’s next words.

“Even without Akata in your guild, you’re still overwhelmingly number one, aren’t you?”

It was a statement laden with obvious intent.

Unahar, whose mood had turned sharp, looked back at Hon.

“Our guild has a healer and a solid tank, but we lack a powerful strike. I want him.”

It wasn’t whining to a lover, but it was incredibly reckless.