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

I decided to share some information with Aleon, raising my voice to ensure he heard me clearly. 

“Did you see the players on your way here? They’ve all turned into perverts! They’re groping people’s necks, trying to destroy the Stones of Aspiration!”

What I meant was that if you kill an opponent, the Stones of Aspiration they hold get destroyed. So, to steal a stone, you need to immobilize them and reach for the back of their neck. This has turned all players into weirdos, one hand always protecting their own neck while the other tries to grab their opponent’s neck.

The players we saw earlier on the coast were doing exactly that.

At that moment, a woman with short brown hair stepped out from among Aleon’s guild members. It was Ifrea, the vice-guild leader.

“What? Who touched you, Rudel? Did someone steal your Stone of Aspiration?” Ifrea asked, surprisingly joining in on my act. Then Aleon, not wanting to be outdone, glanced at her and shouted as well.

“Who dared to grope Rudel? Something even I haven’t done!”

“No, I wasn’t the victim; I just saw it happening…”

…Is that really your character?

Aleon laughed at my bewildered expression.

“Just joking. You seemed too tense, so I thought I’d help you relax a bit.”

“I’m not tense.”

“Really? You always have such great composure.”

There’s probably no one in the world, in this game or in reality, who can give compliments as naturally as Aleon.

“Anyway, that’s why everyone is holding their necks as if they’ve got honey smeared on them.”

“But you don’t do that, Rudel.”

“It wouldn’t look cool.”

Even if it means risking my neck getting grabbed in the next second, I’d rather keep it exposed. That’s what style is about. Seeing this, Aleon subtly removed his hand from his own neck, mimicking me with a sly smile.

“Stay safe, Aleon. Watch out for zombies and other players. You know we’re looking for the subordinates group button, right?”

I was about to turn away after giving him this advice, but a thought nagged at me, making me stop.

‘Next time we meet, it might not be so peaceful.’

Thinking such thoughts about this pure saint felt like a sneaky ambush. It didn’t sit well with me, so I decided to be honest.

“In the next round, we might end up facing each other. It’s the last round before the quarterly review.”

At that moment, Aleon opened his eyes wide, just like he did at the tea shop in the marketplace. Despite already being aware of the situation, he seemed to find it surprising each time he heard it. Ifrea furrowed her brow slightly but said nothing, likely because she had already been informed by Aleon. Meanwhile, their guild members were whispering fervently among themselves, with snippets like “Shouldn’t we attack now to prevent future trouble?” being audible.

Ignoring their reactions, I added, “Not now. The terrain is too advantageous for you. Plus, I don’t want to waste energy so early in the round.”

So brazen… The Ice Castle guild members hushed each other. Aleon merely chuckled. Seeing Aleon’s reaction, Ifrea relaxed her facial muscles a bit.

“You’re very straightforward.”

“Only with you. Ask the people behind you how cunning I can be.”

“That’s why I like you.”

Gulp.

I acted visibly startled by Aleon’s statement, though he just gave me a bright smile and a wave.

“Then we’ll see each other next time. Be prepared for it.”

***

While Rudel’s team had paused their search to talk with Ice Castle, the three men left behind continued their methodical search. Only the rustling of their boots through the underbrush broke the silence.

“……”

With Rudel and Lilith, the two who usually lifted the team’s spirits, in the other group, Unahar found himself with little to say to the remaining members. Kanel and Akata were naturally quiet, making idle chatter non-existent. Occasionally, players passing by noticed the tense atmosphere and speculated about potential discord within the guild.

‘Southwest B area, no button found.’

‘South C area, 2nd generation player conflict detected. Detouring to continue the search.’

Despite the silence, their search progressed quickly. The only issue was Akata lagging behind without Lilith’s buffs, requiring Unahar and Kanel to stop and wait for him occasionally. After much effort, they finally found their target.

“We found it… didn’t we?”

There, embedded in a small black panel, was a red buzzer—the subordinates group summon button! However, it was already in someone’s hand. The person holding it had unremarkable black hair, a decent appearance, and strikingly intense black eyes…

As soon as the three men saw him, they couldn’t help but think of their guild leader, Rudel, for some reason. Runehan, holding the subordinates group summon button, frowned when he noticed them. Although there had been a brief alliance between the two guild leaders during the warrior match, it no longer held any effect. They were currently adversaries.

Runehan quickly realized his side was outnumbered. Moreover, the player beside him, Sabi, was too weak to be of much help. He made a swift decision.

“Sabi, take this and run. I’ll hold them off.”

Without hesitation, he handed the subordinates group button to Sabi. Resolutely, Sabi nodded and backed away, disappearing into the forest. However, none of the three were willing to let their enemy escape with the button.

Unahar immediately tried to bypass Runehan and sprint after Sabi, while Kanel raised his gun to his shoulder. Through the sights, he clearly saw Sabi’s back receding into the distance.

“……!”

The next moment, Kanel was forced to pull back his gun, his eyes threatened by the flashing sunlight. Unahar also retreated rapidly. A fiery bird roared towards them, threatening to scorch the entire forest.

Though its form was slightly distorted and seemed imperfect compared to the original, it was undeniably effective.

‘To think Runehan can replicate even Akata’s S-rank unique ability…’

Akata, visibly shocked, couldn’t take his eyes off the phoenix that wasn’t his. Runehan’s unique ability allowed him to replicate the abilities of opponents within a certain range, except for those in the switch category. Once he had copied an ability, he could use it for about 10 minutes even if the original user moved out of range.

Thus, only Akata could effectively counter Runehan’s copied ability.

Kanel turned to Akata. “You keep Runehan occupied. You can handle it alone, right?”

It seemed like a harsh demand for the young boy, but Kanel’s tone was unwavering, and Akata’s response was similarly resolute. “Yes, I’ll leave the button to you two.”

Immediately, a complete phoenix emerged from Akata, ready to clash with the opposing fiery bird. Even though Sabi was a weak player, the vast and open forest made it easy to lose track of him. Therefore, Kanel and Unahar needed to go together to corner him and increase their chances of capturing him.

Just before they set off, Unahar voiced a warning. “Even if we catch up, it might be for nothing. If they get desperate, Sabi could just use the subordinates group button, summon their subordinates, and leave us chasing our tails.”

Akata nodded confidently. “I know. But we still have to try. Be prepared for a surprise attack from their subordinates.”

Runehan gritted his teeth, trying to keep an eye on Kanel and Unahar as well, but Akata’s phoenix blocked his view. The two had already disappeared from sight.

“Ugh-!”

Runehan groaned in pain. The red-haired boy’s eyes seemed to hold an almost omnipotent power. Within Akata’s eyes, the fiery phoenix grew larger and larger, setting the forest ablaze. Meanwhile, Runehan’s phoenix struggled to match its power.

It wasn’t an ability Runehan could handle. Akata crushed him with the overwhelming difference in their power, making it clear.

Finally, as Akata’s phoenix engulfed the fake one in flames, the boy spoke.

“Don’t you dare try to mimic Rudel.”

He had transformed from a passive child into someone capable of harboring personal grudges and acting on them. ‘You can never truly imitate Rudel,’ he seemed to say.

Even though Runehan never chose to mimic Rudel, the boy’s threat was relentless and fierce. Yet, even in this moment of despair, Runehan’s dark eyes didn’t waver.

Thud!

Runehan seized an opportunity and tried to escape. 

“…….”

For some reason, Akata didn’t pursue him, even though he saw him clearly. He just let Runehan go. Soon, his phoenix vanished back into his body.

Moments later, Kanel’s voice came through the sub-leader communication channel.

[“We lost him. As expected, he used the button just before we could catch him, ruining our plan.”]

When the subordinates from the Meadow guild attacked, Kanel and Unahar retreated as planned and returned to Akata’s location. The area was charred black, as if it had been engulfed in flames.

They quickly gathered information from Akata.

“Why did you let him go? You could have killed him. At the very least, you should have destroyed the Stones of Aspiration he had,” Unahar pressed.

Akata’s response was clear and thoughtful. “Runehan is their Rudel.”

Although it sounded cryptic at first, he continued to explain.

“If Rudel were killed, we wouldn’t just sit idly by, would we? The same goes for them. If Tian or Junias decides to seek revenge, it would become a hassle.”