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

“Ah!”

Startled awake, Nahean blinked rapidly, his cat-like, slit pupils focusing on me.

“Oh, um… Being alone in such a big and quiet place was a bit, well, just a little bit scary, so I started playing a game… It was fun, so…”

When I first met him, he was strangling someone to death and rummaging through their pockets.

Now, he looked like a high schooler who stayed up all night gaming.

In a way, he seemed more multi-dimensional than a real person.

Anyway, although Nahean felt awkward around me, he didn’t seem upset about being forcibly brought into our guild.

He quietly waited for me to speak, his eyes fixed on mine.

‘Right? I’m the one with something to say here, after all.’

But if I directly expressed what I expected from Nahean, it might scare him off completely.

Instead of ruining the atmosphere by diving straight into the point, I picked up another game controller from the box he had left out.

I held it up and wiggled it, looking at Nahean.

“Want to play a round together?”

* * *

“Oh no! I died.”

The boy, furiously mashing buttons, tossed the controller aside as soon as the ‘LOSE’ screen flashed on the left.

Instead of celebrating my victory, I gently put down my controller and subtly observed Nahean.

He’s sixteen, so will he get annoyed if he loses? Should I let him win?

“How are you so good at this game? Have you played it before?”

“Um, no.”

“…? This is your first time and you’re this good? That’s amazing.”

Luckily, he didn’t seem like the type to get mad about losing a game. Instead, he looked at me with sparkling admiration.

“Your hand movements were so cool. Your hands barely moved, but the character was zipping around everywhere…”

Right. Maybe my hands remember the feel of it from the real world.

Watching him, I suddenly had a good idea.

These kinds of games usually have a mode where you can team up.

I fiddled with the settings, found what I was looking for, and pointed at the screen with feigned surprise.

“Look at this. We can play together. Want to try a team mode?”

It was a mission mode where a pair of shooters infiltrated a factory filled with enemies.

Nahean nodded resolutely at my suggestion and got into position.

Mission Start.

With a grand sound, the two characters on the screen rolled into the front gate.

A game within a game.

To me, Nahean is a game character, and that means the character in the game is a game character’s game character?

…No need to overthink it.

I have to successfully complete this infiltration mission to gain Nahean’s trust.

“Nahean, let’s move behind the container box on the right!”

He squinted as I, without knowing the enemy’s location, gave him a specific direction.

His questioning gaze met mine, but I just gave a quiet, crooked smile.

How sophisticated could a game within a game be? Enemy ambush points are all predictable.

“Let’s split up here. Hide where the blue-uniformed enemy just died, and come in a time delay after I move.”

“Will that work…?”

One minute passed, and Nahean was still skeptical.

“Stop! There’s likely an armed enemy around the corner.”

“You didn’t even see. Are you sure about that?”

But three minutes in, he followed my lead, despite his confusion.

“Shoot! Shoot like crazy!”

“Aren’t you worried about running out of bullets?”

“The game will give us ammo items soon! Don’t worry!”

“Alright! Woohoo!”

After five minutes, he started trusting me more, sticking close.

And by the seven-minute mark…

“Rudel! What should we do next? Huh?”

Now, he eagerly awaited my instructions, excited at the prospect of completing the mission.

In just ten minutes, we were face-to-face with the boss at the top of the factory.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the boss! I kept dying before reaching this point…”

“Really? Nahean! You finish him off! Go for the headshot!”

“Here I go!”

Matching Nahean’s excitement, I raised my voice in encouragement.

Nahean’s bullets hit the boss’s head, ending the game.

Mission Complete.

“Wow!”

The boy punched the air in triumph, shouting with joy.

“…”

Realizing I was watching him with a soft smile, he quickly lowered his arm in embarrassment.

Trying to play it cool now, huh?

“That was fun. Thanks to you.”

“I had fun too.”

So, Nahean, feeling relaxed and good now?

Can I bring up the main topic?

Seeing me look at him in silence, Nahean’s face turned serious, sensing the shift in my demeanor.

“How about it? Do you trust me a little more now after that game? As the leader of the subordinates, I mean.”

I know it’s premature to appoint him as the leader when we haven’t even met the other characters who will join our subordinates.

But sometimes, I just want to follow my instincts.

Anyway, I will be the actual leader of the subordinates.

Not only because of his actions in the past but also because of what happened today, I’ve already grown fond of him.

Nahean feels like a responsible yet pure younger brother.

Nahean hesitated a bit before opening his mouth.

“Judging your capability in real situations based on a game is a bit unreasonable…”

Just a moment ago, he was so excited, but when it comes to important matters, he becomes cautious.

The character I chose isn’t foolish. He’s smart. And he isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

To such a person, my response is:

“Give me a chance to prove myself.”

Watch me.

See how I regain my enthusiasm and climb up the ranks quickly. Not just me, but all our guild members will rise to the top.

Nahean stared at me intently.

Suddenly, his index finger came up near my face.

Poke.

He unexpectedly poked my left cheek, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry. You looked so cool, almost godlike… I wanted to check if you were real.”

He spoke honestly and blushed in embarrassment. It was funny, but I didn’t laugh.

“Actually, I saw the whole process of you saving Akata.”

…Uh, that wasn’t exactly a ‘godlike’ display.

Is my image as a guild leader okay?

At that moment, Nahean’s cat-like pupils widened slightly.

“I realized something from watching that. Once you set a goal, you always achieve it. And you’d rather sacrifice yourself than make your comrades suffer.”

The boy who was once pessimistic about the game didn’t reject or shy away from my proposal.

Instead, he smiled smoothly.

“How could I possibly refuse someone like you?”

The interior of the guild fortress is set as a private area for game characters, inaccessible to viewers for privacy protection.

Unless there’s a special event like ‘In-depth Coverage of the Fortress Interior!’, basic privacy is guaranteed.

Of course, the GMs are always watching.

It’s a pity that the viewers can’t peek in here at moments like this.

The interaction between Nahean and me would have been something the fans would really enjoy.

Nahean continued speaking.

“Round 1 was a survival game to determine who would qualify for the upcoming ranking battles. It was truly life or death.”

Considering the fear that must linger from the previous round, Nahean mentioned it rather casually.

“But from now on, it’s really a ‘game’, right? In the ranking competition, even if we die, we’ll return here to the fortress, right?”

I nodded. As long as we didn’t get eliminated by finishing last in any of the three rounds each quarter, yes.

And I wouldn’t let our guild fall to that point.

“Thank you for giving me a chance to live again. Just like Unahar said before, I believe good things will happen if I live under your protection.”

Nahean extended his right hand to me. I reached out and shook his hand.

I had succeeded in gaining the trust of our subordinate leader.

* * *

“So, when will you bring in my comrades?”

Nahean asked, looking around the vast, empty quarters.

“About that, we’re currently in the second day of Round 1.5.”

“I know.”

“So, I’m going to head to the fortress to see how my guild members are doing.”

“Right, you can’t spend all your time with just me. Take care!”

We parted on good terms.

As I entered the passageway leading to the main fortress, Nahean came out to see me off, waving his hand.

As soon as I returned to the main fortress, I activated the communication system with my guild leader privileges.

“Kanel, sorry I’m late. I successfully talked with our subordinate leader. How are Gio and Unahar doing in the field?”

I couldn’t wait and connected with Kanel immediately, even before reaching the lookout.

[“Ah, Rudel… As for their situation, well, they’re being chased.”]

“What? By whom?”

Could it be that one of the lower players is attacking Gio and Unahar?

No, could those two really be chased by anyone?

Even if they can’t use their unique abilities, they should be able to handle the situation with their basic stats…

[“There are just too many of them. They’re being pursued in a way that they can’t fight back. They’re desperately running right now.”]

Kanel’s voice was remarkably calm despite the urgency of the situation. Was it really that serious?

At this moment, I reached the lookout.