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

“Lilith, I’d like you to manage the ‘lifestyle habits’ of our guild members.”

“How should I do that?” Lilith asked eagerly, her eyes wide with enthusiasm.

“It’s not difficult. Just keep track of when and how much they eat, make sure they’re getting enough sleep without oversleeping, and if you notice any irregular patterns or anything that might affect their health, encourage them to make better choices.”

Lilith wasn’t particularly strong in the brains department (or physically, for that matter). So, I assigned her a simple task that didn’t require much calculation. However, this was a task that Lilith could excel at.

“Giving advice like ‘go to bed early’ or ‘eat more vegetables’ can be tiresome for both parties. It might feel like meddling in their lives.”

I drew from faint memories before the game as I continued speaking.

“So, this requires a familial affection for others. And I think there’s no one better suited for this than you, Lilith.”

Who could find it annoying to have this cute and lovable girl following them around with a chart, gently nagging them? Even Kanel would reluctantly go along with it. I was sure of it.

Now, Lilith would help Kanel correct his nocturnal habits.

“And also…”

The next request was more personal, so I took Lilith’s hands and spoke softly.

“I’m going to be focusing on training the others’ unique abilities, which means I’ll be spending most of my time in the training room. So… could you look after Akata during that time?”

Thinking of Akata, with his chocolate-colored eyes, made me feel quite helpless. He rarely left his room except to use the bathroom and spent most of his time sleeping.

Lilith looked into my eyes earnestly.

“Akata worries you a lot, doesn’t he?”

Then, Lilith stood on tiptoe and, for a rare moment, patted my head. A gentle smile spread across her face.

“Don’t worry, Rudel. I’m curious about him too, and I care about him. I’ll go knock on his door right away. I’ll talk to him and try to become friends.”

It would be great if Lilith could be Akata’s first friend in the guild since there was no one kinder than her.

“Should I make sure Akata gets four meals a day and two snacks, right?”

“…Did you read the 1.5 round summary comments?”

I remembered seeing the same suggestion in the summary comments recently. It wasn’t purely meant as advice but more about maintaining his appearance.

“Hmm? Was I not supposed to? I’m sorry…”

“No, no. Of course, everyone can read them. It’s open to everyone.”

The comments from the viewers were really irritating. The idea of those inappropriate and frivolous words entering Lilith’s pure mind was unbearable. I decided I’d lock it so only the guild leader could see the comments.

With that, the division of roles within the guild was complete, except for one last person: Gio.

For fairness’ sake, I couldn’t let him slack off. I couldn’t leave one person idle while everyone else worked.

I wandered through the fortress looking for Gio and found him in the dining hall.

“How do you work this thing?”

[Please press the operation button.]

“Oh, who said that? Is there a person inside the toaster?”

Gio was banging on the toaster, seemingly trying to figure out how to use it.

“Lighting a fire directly would be faster,” Gio muttered. 

Then, deciding that wasn’t working, he uprooted a tree from a flowerpot and started a fire in the middle of the dining hall. 

I slapped my forehead and let out a groan. 

I tried to salvage the tree Gio had uprooted, but it was already too late. We would need a new flowerpot.

“Administrator,” I called out, summoning the AI within the fortress. A faceless figure cloaked in black appeared.

“Please bring a new flowerpot.”

[Understood.]

This was the fortress manager assigned to each guild. They would answer questions about the game. I privately referred to them as NPCs.

After resolving the broken flowerpot issue, I turned back to Gio.

“You… there’s no role for you. Whatever you do, you’re bound to mess it up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Instead, Gio, you get an additional 20% exercise.”

The muscle-bound fool whined, but I didn’t care.

“Your role is to be our guild mascot. I’m going to make you rank number one.”

Oops, I might have revealed my ambition too boldly there.

Fortunately, Gio didn’t catch the last part. Or even if he did, he likely didn’t care.

* * *

Finally, the status window had been updated.

While having breakfast—blood sausage soup—I kept my eyes on the status window.

(The dining hall provided anything you wanted within a reasonable price. In this restrained life, it was a great pleasure.)

[Name] Rudel / [Level] 48

* * *

[Stamina] 587 / ▲10 / C

[Strength] 624 / ▲13 / C+

[Agility] 755 / ▲18 / C+

Aside from the increases from our workouts, the basic stats remained unchanged.

After quickly skimming through the basic stats, I looked down to the newly updated unique ability status window I had been eagerly anticipating.

[Ability Class]

[Unique Ability]

[Overall Grade]

*[Output]

*[Precision]

*[Resistance]

According to the information, unique abilities were divided into three stats, and the overall grade was calculated by combining these three stats.

‘Output’ refers to the amount of natural energy. It can be increased through training.

‘Precision’ indicates the level of control over the ability. This can also be improved through training and is linked to the character’s intelligence.

‘Resistance’ represents the degree to which the ability can defend against attacks from other unique abilities. This is largely innate.

The higher all three stats are, the better.

My heart, ever the gamer’s heart, began to beat with pure excitement.

The actual stats of my abilities, as seen for the first time with my own eyes:

[Ability Class] Pure Nature

[Unique Ability] Fire

[Overall Grade] B

*[Output] 197 / D

*[Precision] 7699 / B

*[Resistance] 477 / C

…Huh?

What is this, an error? I turned it off and on again. I checked the stats of my guild members too.

It’s not an error…? This is actually my stat?

What’s with that D? Why is my output like that? I thought I was a flamethrower, but I’m just a lighter?

[Output] 197 / D

That familiar alphabet that brought me back to the first day of round one made me snap to attention.

‘Hmm… well, if it starts low, there’s more room to grow. It can only go up from here.’

I tried to laugh it off and control my mindset, but inside I was boiling. This doesn’t look good for my reputation as a guild leader. I’ve become the first-ever D-grade guild leader.

‘No wonder I couldn’t burn Shemarin’s vines or seriously harm Unahar when he turned into a wolf.’

Was I just a weakling all along?

It seems the previous ‘S-grade’ designation was due to the rarity of my fire ability. And now, even that rarity doesn’t count. The appearance of Akata with a similar ability must have affected it.

I had been hiding my ‘strength’ to become a hidden powerhouse, but it turns out I was just hiding my ‘mediocrity.’

What a ridiculous delusion…

Suddenly, I felt incredibly unfair and embarrassed about my past.

‘No, on the bright side, my acting has prevented others from noticing my weaknesses, right?’

From now on, it’s going to be nothing but hellish training! All stats can be improved with hard work in the training room. As long as the developers don’t delete me on a whim, I can overcome these problems.

I continued to check the unique abilities of my comrades.

[Name] Lilith

* * *

[Ability Class] Soul

[Unique Ability] Warmth

[Overall Grade] C

*[Output] B

*[Precision] D

*[Resistance] D

[Name] Gio

* * *

[Ability Class] Pure Nature

[Unique Ability] Earth

[Overall Grade] A+

*[Output] S

*[Precision] A

*[Resistance] A+

Lilith’s grade actually improved after the update.

Gio’s overall grade dropped to A+, but his stats are still close to S-grade. The outlook is good.

[Name] Unahar

* * *

[Ability Class] Switch

[Unique Ability] Wolf

[Overall Grade] A

*[Output] A+

*[Precision] E

*[Resistance] A+

Unahar, this poor runaway wolf… 

No wonder it was because his precision is so low. That seems like something difficult to fix through effort alone.

[Name] Kanel

* * *

[Ability Class] Soul

[Unique Ability] Bullet Acceleration

[Overall Grade] B

*[Output] B

*[Precision] B

*[Resistance] C

Kanel is perfectly balanced, not excelling or lagging in any area, which is quite commendable in terms of balance.

No one else seems to need immediate and urgent attention.

Feeling lighter, I opened the page for the last guild member.

Immediately, my lips clamped shut.

[Name] Akata

* * *

[Ability Class] Pure Nature

[Unique Ability] Flame

[Overall Grade] S

*[Output] S

*[Precision] F

*[Resistance] S

Akata… surpasses Gio?

This is Akata’s current state without any training for his unique ability.

While Gio’s overall (average) grade is A+, Akata is already S-grade.

For resistance to others’ abilities, Gio is A+, but Akata is S.

This means that the flame from Akata’s small body could inflict more lethal damage than even the most world-shattering abilities.

Should I aim for the number one ranking with Akata instead of Gio?

Suddenly, my appetite vanished. I pushed the half-eaten gukbap aside.

Lilith would probably nag me for this. But what can I do if I lose my appetite from all this thinking?

I propped my chin on my hand, lost in thought.