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

“In preparation for moments like this, I kept this in my inventory. I’ll put Unahar in here.”

Kanel pulled out a large, loose sack from his inventory and opened the mouth wide.

It looked like a pitch-black beast opening its jaws.

“…You’re putting me in a sack? Like a corpse?”

“Do you expect Lilith to carry you like a prince? Keep dreaming.”

While Unahar and Kanel were bickering, Gio also did some thinking.

Gio glanced at Unahar’s tall, slender but sturdy frame of 180 cm, and then at the skinny boy lying on Kanel’s lap.

He pointed a finger at Akata.

“Why not the kid?”

It was a wise judgment that 50 kg would be easier for Lilith to carry than 70 kg, but it was dismissed within a second.

Akata was currently one of their main combat forces.

“Let’s try a simulation. Unahar, get in.”

“We can’t just drag the sack around… isn’t there something like a backpack?”

“Just drag it.”

While they argued over the sack, the somber mood caused by the guild leader’s loss quickly dissipated.

Once the Agasa guild members confirmed that Akata had woken up from his sleep and his body was recovered, they dove into the fierce battle on the beach.

“Hand over the stone!”

“What if I refuse?”

“Then die! If I can’t have it, no one else can!”

Meanwhile, the previously loose atmosphere of the ‘Sookwon’ archipelago had completely transformed.

Seeing the massacre along the coastline, Kanel furrowed his brows and quickly assessed the situation.

It was the “If I can’t have it, no one else can” type.

They had already lost their own Stones of Aspiration and, instead of stealing others’, decided to destroy both the enemy and the stones.

“Watch out for traps on the ground!”

Some powerful characters were rampaging, killing or incapacitating anyone they encountered.

The sandy beach was riddled with traps, and ambushes from hidden subordinates rained down from the trees.

Swish-!

Incoming trap arrows were easily deflected by Gio’s stone wall.

But the biggest threat wasn’t the conflict among players.

Kanel quickly aimed his rifle at a high lighthouse.

There, a figure with gray skin and blazing red eyes stood, hair billowing in the wind. It was a mutated zombie formed from a dead player.

Bang!

Even Kanel’s bullet, traveling at supersonic speed, was dodged by the zombie’s incredible reflexes, disappearing from sight in an instant.

Kanel immediately took a few steps back, and Akata’s phoenix rushed forward fiercely, temporarily blocking the incoming zombie attack.

[Unique Ability] Instantaneous Movement

With each step the boy took backward, flames erupted from the ground.

Akata nearly stumbled trying to evade the formidable zombie, but his back hit Gio’s sturdy thigh, preventing him from falling.

Boom!

Then, a boulder Gio summoned crushed the zombie completely, pulling them out of danger.

This ensured that Lilith and Unahar in the sack remained unharmed.

Now it truly felt like a zombie apocalypse.

As the battle reached its midpoint, the appearance of super zombies caused many to fall helplessly.

Yet, Agasa methodically defeated zombies and occasionally hunted for Stones of Aspiration.

Just before the halfway point of the zombie battle at 3 PM, Kanel activated the ‘subordinates group summon button’ he had secured.

“We’re here! What should we do first?”

The arrival of the well-trained soldiers, who also served as morale boosters, brought more stability to the group.

“Guild leader Rudel… has returned to the fortress?”

Even the subordinates were shocked to hear about Rudel’s absence, but their resolve strengthened as they united with the main guild members.

‘We have to work even harder without Rudel.’

‘Let’s fill the guild leader’s void!’

They seemed to be fighting even more fiercely and vigilantly than when Rudel was with them.

Watching from the fortress, Rudel couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Do I need to die more often for them to perform this well?’

Lilith, cradling the sack like a precious baby, waddled along with Gio providing protection.

Other guilds witnessing Agasa’s actions whispered among themselves.

“A pooling strategy? Is there really a guild crazy enough to do that?”

“Hey, that’s the number one guild from the first generation. Watch what you say…”

“Could it be the Agasa guild?”

“Then let’s follow their strategy! They must be doing it because it’s worth trying, right?”

Following Agasa’s strategy led to some guilds’ storage members dying from an excess of Stones of Aspiration or failing to protect their storage, resulting in all their stones being destroyed and utter failure.

Kanel opened the sack to check Unahar’s condition. They had even given all the Stones of Aspiration held by the subordinates to Unahar.

He then warned Lilith,

“From now on, if your warmth cuts off for even a second, Unahar will die. Lilith, can you handle that?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Lilith nodded resolutely, knowing that Unahar’s life and the outcome of the entire round depended on her. Her eyes shone with the determination of someone who trusted herself and her comrades.

The number of regular zombies around Agasa increased. As player zombies appeared, Kanel checked their escape routes.

If enemies got too close and entered Lilith’s buff range, it would be problematic.

Lilith’s warmth also strengthened the enemies, which was a critical flaw.

“It’s dangerous. We’ll fall back first. Can you cover us and follow slowly?”

“Yes, sir! All personnel, this way!”

Captain Nahean of the subordinates group, a well-grown adult with A-rank stats, responded and took the lead.

Swish!

Suddenly, the zombies were bound and lifted by greenish vines. A woman emerged from the vines.

“Oh, it’s Rudel’s kids. If I mess with you, Rudel will get mad.”

It was Shemarin, the guild leader of Redmonach. Their paths must have crossed by chance while actively hunting for stones.

“Well, it’s just a game, right? I can soothe Rudel later.”

The message from the woman was a clear threat. The subordinates gritted their teeth and glanced back to see how far Lilith had retreated.

“Will you give me the stones? If you do, I’ll let you go.”

The most elegant and beautiful thug in the world blocked their way, demanding tribute.

“Captain, what do we do?”

However, Nahean, who was at the front, was trembling upon facing her. His cat-like pupils widened in fear.

Shemarin was the one who had caused Nahean’s character to be deleted in the first round.

The one who had killed him for points.

But in the next moment, Nahean shouted out to no one in particular.

“So what! So what if that happened! I’m alive here now! That’s what matters!”

If it were Rudel, she would have scoffed and sought revenge instead of being scared by old memories.

Nahean, who had grown taller than Rudel and even received compliments from her, had to live up to at least half of those expectations.

In the next moment, the timidity disappeared from his eyes. Nahean raised his spear confidently towards the opponent.

“I’m not scared at all!”

“Captain Nahean, your voice is shaking!”

“Instead of saying that, hurry up and retreat!”

Nahean’s spear stabbed rapidly at the vines extending from various angles.

Shemarin’s lips curved into a sly smile as she increased the number and speed of the vines.

“Hyaah!”

Nahean kept up with the speed, ensuring the vines didn’t entangle him.

His intense focus paid off when Shemarin finally admitted, “Impressive.”

Nahean seemed to have successfully bought them some time. Kanel, noticing this, instructed Akata.

“Send the phoenix over there.”

“Got it.”

A fiery bird, full of intense heat, flew towards Nahean’s side.

Knowing his friend’s unique ability, Nahean didn’t panic and stepped back accordingly.

“Hm-.”

From a distance, Akata and Shemarin locked eyes.

Shemarin winked and retreated willingly, sensing that Akata might actually set her on fire.

Thanks to the determination of the subordinates and the guild’s efforts, Unahar in the sack and the Stones of Aspiration were kept safe until the end.

The longest and largest zombie battle began to wind down.

***

I had successfully created the command code in secret while being left alone at the fortress, and our team had also returned after completing the round well.

With anticipation, the rankings for the seventh round were announced:

1st: Ice Castle

2nd: Agasa

3rd: …

4th: …

5th: Redmonach

6th: Meadow

“Aleon’s guild took first place?”

While it was good that we had successfully countered Shemarin’s guild, a strong contender for first place below us, the outcome was so unexpected that I almost spat out my drink.

Well, Ice Castle had a significant advantage this time. The more guild members there are, the more Stones of Aspiration they start with.

‘Ifrea must have strategized well. They managed to protect all those stones. They probably concentrated the stones on high-stat guild members and had Aleon guard them. Considering this, this round was quite suitable for them.’

Even so, our guild still had a high chance of taking the overall first place.

Because Ice Castle’s performance in previous rounds hadn’t been good. Just because they ranked higher than us this time doesn’t mean the final rankings will change.

Curious about what strategy Ifrea had used, I searched through the replay feature provided at the fortress for the previous rounds.

And I was shocked. Not because of Ifrea, but for another reason.

“Really? Yudirei and Lesia had a one-on-one fight that decimated Island 6? And Aleon, enraged by their guild members’ deaths, blew up Island 1 along with the zombies?”

It’s a relief that our members were on different islands at that time. Otherwise, we might not have even secured second place.

‘What the heck happened in the zombie battle without me?’