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

Akata had great abilities, but the biggest problem was that his body couldn’t keep up with them.

[Stamina] F

[Strength] F

[Agility] F

[Unique Ability] Flame

[Overall Rank] S

*[Output] S

*[Precision] F

*[Resistance] S

He’s a flamethrower, but once he emits flames, his body cracks and shatters, becoming a fragile child.

For now, Akata needs to train his basic stats to at least C-level.

Otherwise, he won’t be able to use his abilities at all.

Seeing it this way, I could really feel how unbalanced Akata’s stats were.

If his precision is F, it means he doesn’t know how to control his flames at all.

Was it because I was immune to flames that I wasn’t injured in the cave? 

If not, I would have just burned to death with him.

“Aria.”

I remembered the face of the boy crawling toward me in a mess.

…I’m truly glad that I’m immune to fire.

If not, you wouldn’t have smiled at me when we met again at the guild fortress.

* * *

Morning at the Agasa Guild fortress, also known as the ‘Pension.’

Except for the guild master, who was checking the status windows of the guild members at the dining table, everyone was in the basement.

The gym was filled with heavy breathing and heat from early in the morning. Each person diligently fulfilled their daily exercise quota.

And in the afternoon,

Only Unahar remained in the gym, while the other three moved on to their respective tasks.

Lilith and Kanel, who were confirmed to be absent from the next round, were supposed to go up to the observatory, but before that, Kanel tried to slip away to the second-floor private room corridor.

Seeing this, Lilith quickly followed and grabbed his sleeve.

“No, Kanel. Rudel told me to make sure you don’t take a nap.”

“If Rudel said so…”

Kanel, a nocturnal person, was practicing reversing day and night under Lilith’s watch.

Kanel yawned as he learned how to spectate games and distribute potions from the observatory.

“What should I do? Rudel taught me, but I’ve already forgotten which button is on the right…”

“Watch me do it.”

Though Kanel always had a stern and impassive expression, he wasn’t completely unsociable. He treated Lilith with caution and consideration, almost as if she were a small animal.

After mastering the use of the observatory, Lilith went looking for Rudel, eager to see her. Their guild master was usually found in the training grounds.

Since the unique ability stats window was revamped, the original training ground was split into two: the gym and the unique ability training hall.

The door to the training hall was slightly ajar. Lilith carefully tried to peek inside.

“Ah!”

She quickly pulled her head away from the door.

The air inside was so hot that she couldn’t even take a look. Even from a distance, she could feel the intense vibrations within the training hall. Through the small gap in the door, she could see red flames and swirling dust.

Boom, boom… Debris flew out through the crack along with loud explosions.

As Lilith stood there, startled, she heard a voice shouting from inside.

“Close the door!”

It was Rudel’s voice. She didn’t hear Gio’s voice.

Lilith quickly closed the door and left so she wouldn’t be a disturbance.

Evening at the Pension.

After dinner, the guild master summoned the four guild members to the study.

“To be prepared for future games, it’s not enough to just hone your unique abilities and stats. You need to wake up the cells in your brain to be ready for any unexpected situations.”

The book Rudel brought was ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’ There were three versions.

“Kanel, Unahar.”

To the two men, he handed the original version of the book, filled with classical Chinese and archaic phrases. Several thick volumes piled up on the table.

“This is for Lilith.”

She received a version with some illustrations and simplified language, titled ‘For Young Adults.’ Considering Lilith’s preferences, she was given the ‘Romance’ version, which included some fictionalized events rather than the strictly historical ‘Records.’

“And finally, Gio.”

His book was titled ‘The Three Kingdoms in Comics.’

“I will check your reading progress every day. You don’t have to finish it all today, but you must be able to answer the quizzes I’ll give based on what you’ve read.”

“Rudel, aren’t you going to read?”

Lilith, who wanted to do everything with Rudel, asked.

“I already know the contents inside out. I can distinguish between the ‘Historical’ route and the ‘Romance’ route, identify the branching points, and even recall all the detailed nuances.”

“As expected, Rudel is amazing.”

“Yes, you are indeed remarkable. But, when did you manage to read all of this? Did you even have the time?”

“…I read a little each night. Anyway, let’s start reading! I’ll give you a quiz in two hours.”

For some reason, the guild master hastily wrapped up the cheerful conversation.

The reading time in the study was conducted in each member’s unique way.

Kanel immediately took out a notebook and pen, and, with the book beside him, started taking meticulous notes with neat handwriting.

Unahar, on the other hand, read in a comfortable position on the study’s sofa, with his feet up. His eyes quickly scanned the names, situations, and factions, indicating his sharp perception.

Diagonal from Kanel sat Lilith.

She read eagerly with sparkling eyes, though at certain points, she grew tense, quickly turning the page or tearing up slightly.

Thud!

After ten minutes, the large man beside Lilith dropped his forehead onto the comic book.

Seeing this, Lilith patted his back, and Gio’s eyes brightened again.

Two hours later, Rudel gathered everyone for the quiz.

“Kanel, this is about the time when Dong Zhuo seized control of the Han dynasty, and Liu Yu was proposed as the new emperor. Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao clashed at Jieqiao, and although Gongsun Zan was an extraordinary general, he was defeated by Yuan Shao. Why?”

“It was thanks to Yuan Shao’s general, Qu Yi, who led the crossbow troops. The crossbow, more powerful than traditional bows, allowed them to defeat Gongsun Zan’s larger army with fewer soldiers.”

“Right, Unahar, do you have anything to add?”

“Yuan Shao intentionally deployed a smaller force first. Gongsun Zan, seeing their numbers, became overconfident and careless, leading to his troops being caught off guard by the crossbowmen’s ambush.”

“Well done.”

Rudel emphasized to Kanel and Unahar that it’s ‘tactics’ that can turn the tide of battle. By exploring ancient military strategies, they would learn to devise their own tactics.

“Now it’s Lilith’s turn. When Dong Zhuo first seized control of the Han dynasty, how did Cao Cao, who would later found Wei, respond?”

“Ah, he acted friendly and became Dong Zhuo’s subordinate!”

“Why?”

“To lower his guard and then… secretly kill him.”

“That’s right, well done.”

Lilith realized that the world (the game) wasn’t solely peaceful, and that she needed to mentally prepare herself to become a warrior one day.

“Gio, what was Liu Bei’s courtesy name?”

“Uh… Yide?”

“You get an additional 30 minutes of reading. But you were pretty close. Not bad at all.”

Lastly, Gio needed to boost his IQ.

* * *

Today was incredibly busy. It felt like two days had passed.

We planned future training schedules, did personal workouts, sparred with Gio, and even had reading time in the evening.

If we live like this every day, my comrades might burn out, even if I don’t.

I pulled out the schedule and marked one of the four days as a ‘rest day.’

During the round preparation period, we needed at least one day for entertainment and bonding with the team.

An hour and a half remained until bedtime.

As I exited the study with Lilith, I casually inquired about another guild member.

“How was Akata today?”

Considering that Akata required delicate training, we hadn’t given him any specific tasks yet.

I entrusted Lilith with his health management for this reason. He needed to recover his stamina first.

“Well… I couldn’t do what you asked me to. I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean? Tell me in detail.”

“Akata…”

Lilith had faithfully provided meals and snacks as instructed, but Akata had only touched a couple of meals.

She also tried to talk to him, as I had asked.

“I’m Lilith. Hey, are you listening to me?”

It felt like talking to a doll.

“No matter how hard I tried to change the topic or even grabbed his hand, he didn’t respond. He wouldn’t even look at me. When I grabbed his shoulders and shook him, he just hid under the blanket.”

Lilith spoke with some frustration, but she didn’t seem hurt by Akata’s behavior. She was just worried about his endless emptiness.

I murmured with a serious expression.

“It seems he can’t interact with anyone else at all…”

Now I understood.

Why he didn’t resist when Ispan hit him.

He likely perceived others, except me, as mere stones.

“What did Akata do all day?”

“Nothing. He didn’t even use the desk. I don’t think he left the bed even when I wasn’t there.”

“So, he just spaced out the whole time?”

“Oh! He wasn’t just spacing out.”

Lilith’s next words left me momentarily speechless.

“He kept staring at the door. I think… he was just waiting for you to come.”