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

The wave had just ended. There was a brief respite before the next monster explosion.

Unahar suddenly set his bazooka aside and stood upright. He looked around at me and all the guild members. He placed one hand on his chest, his golden eyes filled with deep resolve.

“I, Unahar, swear to the guild I belong to here and now. I will believe in myself one last time. As a wolf, I vow not to harm my guild members, and I will fight to ensure that the wolf cannot destroy my mind while I allow it to take over.”

He then turned to me.

“If I put down the bazooka and transform into a wolf, we can defend ourselves adequately. Rudel, go with Gio. Go and achieve your dream.”

“……”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. It was hard to believe that Unahar, whom I had rejected to the point of making him cry, had given me such an overwhelming gift.

“Thank you, Unahar. Truly, thank you.”

For the first time in a long while, Unahar smiled a graceful and beautiful smile, as if he was pleased with his current self.

* * *

The scene was set at ‘Winter Lakeshore,’ with cold winds blowing and an icy lake in the background. 

The Blue Saint’s ice crystals forcefully sliced through the monsters. To boost the guild members’ morale, he climbed the highest hill by the lakeshore to showcase his prowess to everyone.

‘With the title of Magic of Destiny, I will reassure my people and lead this round to stability!’

How many monsters had he defeated? The awaited announcement came.

[Magic of Destiny-.]

[……Heaven’s will is now yours.]

At the end of the solemn voice, the name of the titleholder was mentioned.

[Gio, Agasa Guild.]

“……?”

The title of Magic of Destiny that was right in front of his eyes was taken. It must have been by a narrow margin.

At this moment, Aleon looked up at the ceiling in despair, a sight that starkly contrasted with a past event during the selection battle.

Back then, Rudel’s party had the title of ‘First Monster Slayer’ snatched away by Aleon right in front of them, though at that time they didn’t even know Aleon’s face.

Bang-!

At that moment, a shock was felt from outside the territory.

Aleon, who sensed it first, increased the output of the ice defensively, almost reflexively.

“Aleon-nim! What is this-!”

The alert came even before the Saint could grasp the situation.

[Agasa Guild is invading. The invaders are guild member Gio and guild master Rudel!]

As the Ice Fortress faced the invasion, the guild members, who had hastily organized themselves in the confusion, were furious.

“Rudel, that traitor!”

“All this time, Aleon-nim has been too lenient!”

Ifrea, leading the guild members from below the hill, sharply silenced them. Then she looked up. Their revered guild master seemed to have already accepted the situation, showing a peculiar expression.

“Yes, I knew this day would come. The confrontation between Rudel and me was already predetermined.”

As he muttered to himself, one side of the territory collapsed. From the rubble of the shattered boundary, a figure walked out.

Without any greeting, Aleon smiled at her, opening his arms.

“Come, come and take the first place.”

His tone was tender, as if he was about to embrace Rudel.

“…….”

It was hard to read Rudel’s expression as she looked into the eyes of the Saint. Soon, she approached with calm, steady steps.

However.

“Handing it over easily….”

“…should never happen.”

The anticipated warm embrace between them did not occur. Through their muttered words and the look in each other’s eyes, they clearly understood each other’s resolve.

Soon, flames rose from one side and a stream of water from the other. As they swiftly distanced themselves from each other, red and blue graphics melted the area between them.

* * *

[The invasion of the Ice Fortress Guild has begun.]

There was no turning back now. This battle would only end with a victor and a loser.

Behind Rudel, the one who had broken through the boundary between territories, Gio, emerged. Once referred to as the ‘God of the Underworld, Hades,’ he leapt up the hill and, together with Rudel, pressed Aleon in a 2:1 fight.

Watching this, Ifrea furrowed her brow more seriously than ever before.

‘As the one Aleon cherishes most, I resolved never to show any intention of attack first. …But now there’s no choice!’

Having made up her mind, Ifrea quickly jumped up and blocked Rudel’s path. Simultaneously, another figure landed heavily behind, naturally surrounding Rudel from both sides.

Her name was Naaldean, an exceptional Pure Nature user who ranked 9th in the first round. Though she wasn’t the type to take the lead, she had willingly ceded the vice-guild master position to Ifrea.

However, she had now fallen to the 30th rank, placing her below Rudel, who was ranked 16th.

Surrounded from front and back, Rudel exchanged a glance with Gio. Gio gave a slight nod.

Without looking back, Gio advanced further, finally facing the Blue Saint one-on-one.

Rank 1 and Rank 2 had met in a position where neither could retreat any further.

Below, the guild members of the Ice Fortress grew increasingly uneasy and murmured among themselves. Ifrea bellowed down at them like a thunderclap.

“Do not be swayed! Whatever happens from now on, do not look up. Defend against the monster wave in your original formations!”

Even during an invasion, the monster wave continues.

Failing to suppress the wave while fending off an invasion would result in point deductions for the guild that owns the territory.

Ifrea pointed this out sharply.

“If we fail to stop the wave, Aleon won’t be able to focus on the fight because he’ll be worried about you. Gio is a formidable enemy. …We must at least not hinder Aleon’s concentration!”

Her words made the guild members flinch. They soon nodded resolutely.

The sound of weapons clashing filled the flat land by the lakeshore, but a tense silence continued to hang over the hill.

It was a moment where anyone could pounce on the other at any time.

To the left, Gio began to channel his power into the ground beneath him. Similarly, blue cold energy emanated from Aleon’s hands.

Even in the midst of the standoff, Naaldean glanced anxiously at Aleon from afar, her face clearly worried.

‘If only I was confident that Ifrea could handle Rudel one-on-one, I would go and help Aleon.’

But it was impossible. Rudel was no longer an easy opponent.

She had become an entirely different person from the one during the first-round selection battle. Both her combat skills and the flames that roared from her hands had evolved.

Bang-!

At that moment, Gio lunged at Aleon, starting the battle of earth and ice.

Naaldean clenched her teeth. She turned sharply to face Rudel.

‘We need to quickly team up and defeat Rudel, then assist Aleon-nim-!’

But then she paused for a moment.

Despite being in a combat stance, their vice guild master, Ifrea, was just standing there, quietly facing Rudel.

What was more, she was even speaking to her enemy!

“Rudel, you… are enjoying this.”

Naaldean couldn’t see Rudel’s face, as her back was turned to her.

Thus, she couldn’t fully understand Ifrea’s words… 

Their vice guild master seemed unusually dazed.

The woman before her had already delivered a psychological blow, even though the fight had not yet begun.

Ifrea noticed that Rudel’s face showed no fear of failure. It wasn’t arrogance, as if she believed she couldn’t fail. Rather, it was that the burden of victory or defeat didn’t affect her enjoyment of the moment.

Unconsciously, Ifrea muttered, “I envy that personality.”

Perhaps from always being at Aleon’s side, Ifrea realized she had unknowingly developed an affection for Rudel.

“…Very well, let’s go.”

Feeling lighter, Ifrea lifted the corners of her mouth. The worries and thoughts that had been weighing her down momentarily washed away in front of Rudel. She wanted to throw herself into battle wholeheartedly, just once, without the responsibilities of leading a large guild alone.

[Name] Ifrea

* * *

[Health • Strength • Agility Average] B

* * *

[Ability Group] Switch

[Unique Ability] Beast Form

[Overall Rank] B+

It was Rudel’s first time seeing Ifrea transform directly. Two horns sprouted from her head, her left hand became covered in thick fur, taking on a beastly shape, and dark markings appeared around her eyes. Her claws alone were threatening enough, but Ifrea also wielded a sharp dagger in her remaining hand.

Rudel felt a cold sweat trickle down her back.

There was a rumor that Ifrea disliked her transformed state and avoided using her ability unless absolutely necessary.

‘…This must mean she’s really serious.’

“I’m glad you’re my opponent. Then, I’ll go first.”

Whoosh-!

Dodging Ifrea’s claws by leaning back, Rudel ignited a flame in her hand, exploding it towards her. Ifrea used her beastly left arm to guard against the blast.

Boom! A series of explosions erupted around Rudel.

The battle began in earnest, with the guild master of Agasa fighting to keep Ifrea and Naaldean from interfering with Gio and Aleon.