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

Lilith’s story made it impossible for me to just let it go.

Knock, knock.

I knocked on Akata’s door, then entered without waiting for an answer.

He was in the exact same position as when I last saw him.

Sitting blankly on the bed, his pupils dilated the moment he saw me enter.

“…!”

His red lips parted wide, and his marble-like face lit up.

“Hello, I came to see you.”

As I greeted him, Lilith followed me in and gasped at the sight inside.

She seemed extremely surprised to see Akata smiling.

Although Akata didn’t say anything, he pulled the blanket away and moved to the foot of the bed, trying to get closer to me.

I also approached the bed. When I extended a hand to him, he naturally placed his hand on top of mine.

Then, he rested his cheek and chin against my palm.

…I could feel Lilith’s shock behind me, but I didn’t withdraw my hand.

Even though I was also startled by Akata’s sudden action.

I felt his pulse fluttering beneath my palm.

Considering that Akata was still ill and generally hypotensive, it was a rather impressive change.

I naturally opened Akata’s guild member management window.

[Health] 87

His health was fluctuating… even though he had been resting comfortably in his room.

While it wasn’t at a life-threatening low, it was still concerning.

I then checked Akata’s emotional state.

[Emotional State] Loss

…The boy who was obviously overjoyed by my return was still feeling ‘loss’ deep inside.

Unlike the other guild members who displayed a range of emotions, Akata’s emotional state had never changed.

Even now, as he was beaming at me.

‘Am I just a substitute for the person in Akata’s heart?’

Whether that person was my past self or someone else, I had no idea.

What if his emotional state never changes for the rest of his life…?

I turned my gaze to the table beside the bed. There was a tray of food on it, which Lilith had probably left.

“Akata, when was the last time you ate?”

The food on the tray was cold. It looked almost untouched.

Akata didn’t answer. He glanced at Lilith standing behind me, seemingly aware of her presence.

Then, he wrote ‘15:00’ with his finger on my palm.

“…What are you doing?”

Why answer this way when you can speak just fine?

I felt a little guilty for speaking so sharply. However, the boy didn’t seem particularly startled.

Instead, he looked up at me with a calm expression, his smile slightly faded.

It seemed he didn’t want to speak in front of Lilith, almost as if he didn’t want her to hear his voice.

Even when I scolded him, he didn’t flinch.

For someone who looks so compliant, he’s surprisingly stubborn.

But I wasn’t about to be led by him.

“Akata, this is Lilith. She’s been looking after you all day today, hasn’t she? Say thank you.”

Finally, Akata lowered his head.

“…Thank you.”

Lilith’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpectedly beautiful voice. She soon brightened up.

“Your voice is really pretty. Thank you for letting me hear it.”

“…”

Seeing that Akata still didn’t respond to Lilith, I suppressed a sigh.

“Akata, answer Lilith.”

“…Yes.”

He did answer, but it wasn’t clear whether he was responding to me or Lilith. Most likely, it was the former.

‘What am I going to do with him?’

Forcing him to get close to others like before would only stress everyone out and wouldn’t solve the underlying problem.

Besides, a child who isolates himself because he can’t communicate easily won’t be much help in this game.

It’s not good for him either, basing his entire existence on me.

…There’s only one drastic measure I can take.

I knelt on one knee in front of Akata, meeting his gaze so he could look down at me.

“Akata, Lilith said you stared at the door all day, waiting for me. Is that true?”

I mentioned Lilith again, hoping he’d get used to her.

Akata nodded slightly at my question. His mannerisms were very gentle and obedient.

“Were you upset because I only came to see you late at night?”

This time, he shook his head. His red hair moved with the motion, scattering over his pale skin.

There was something subtly provocative about all his movements, almost as if designed to evoke a reaction.

It might seem inappropriate for a 15-year-old, but it’s a fact.

Viewers likely felt the same peculiar sensation I did, as Akata’s character was probably designed that way.

Akata blinked his chocolate-colored eyes a couple of times.

‘Ah, this is kind of cute… What was I thinking just now?’

Anyway, I retraced my thoughts to remember what I intended to say.

“I am very busy. As the guild master, I have to prepare for the upcoming rounds. It’s a matter of survival for all of us. If we don’t perform well over three rounds, the lowest-ranked guild will not survive. Do you understand?”

Characters from guilds that rank last or fail to gain a certain number of popularity votes will be permanently deleted.

Unlike humans, who leave behind graves and memories when they die, we leave nothing if our data is erased.

“I’m not just aiming to survive. I intend to seize the top guild ranking.”

Achieving first place would be thrilling and fun, but more than that, I believe there’s a clue to unraveling the secrets of this game at the top.

“So, here’s the main point. Akata, I won’t be coming to your room anymore. Actually, I don’t have the time.”

To soften the blow, I took Akata’s hands in mine and squeezed them gently.

“If you want to see me, you need to leave this room.”

Once I was sure he understood, I released his hands and left the room.

However, Lilith hesitated and didn’t immediately follow me.

“Lilith.”

I called her, prompting her to leave the room with me.

“Will he be okay?”

Lilith asked, worried about the boy, her face filled with concern.

I couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t be hurt, but there was something Lilith didn’t know.

That quiet, withdrawn boy actually had a high level of intelligence.

Perhaps because of that, just before I closed the door, Akata’s face didn’t look like someone who had just received devastating news.

Instead, he seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes somber.

‘Now, the rest is up to him.’

When I looked up, I saw the darkening sky through the window. The artificial sun had already set.

But my long day wasn’t over yet.

Instead of returning to my private room, I went down the stairs. It felt like I had climbed these stairs more than 57 times today.

I descended to the underground training area and opened the door to the unique ability training hall.

Clunk.

I locked the door securely to prevent any sound from escaping.

“Have you been waiting long?”

A handsome man with golden hair and honey-colored eyes stood up from the long bench upon seeing me.

“Not really. I’m glad you came.”

Unahar’s face lit up and he blushed slightly, like a man meeting a date.

I looked him up and down as he stood, now even taller.

“It really does feel like a date.”

“What?”

“I mean… you’ll be transforming soon, so it doesn’t matter what you wear. But still, why are you dressed in a shirt and jacket for training?”

Unahar hesitated before answering my question.

“It’s because I wanted to look good for you—”

“Hmm? Oh, because you’re grateful that I’m helping with your ability training? Got it. And the shirt and jacket look great on you. Very stylish.”

Unahar opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again.

I realized I might have cut him off.

“Sorry, were you going to say something else?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Hmm… Anyway, I decided to get straight to the point.

“Today, we’re going to test your ability to transform into a wolf, just as I suggested last time. This is the perfect space for training since no one can see us here.”

The previous conversation was intended to ease Unahar’s tension before the training, but it seemed to have little effect.

His dilated pupils and trembling hands showed just how nervous he was.

‘Yeah, it would be strange if he overcame it easily.’

I pulled out a contingency plan I had prepared to ensure my guild member’s mental stamina wasn’t overly depleted.

“This is an anesthetic. If it becomes too overwhelming for you in your wolf form, we’ll use this to stop the situation.”

We could purchase such consumable items using points from the guild’s support. Though they weren’t very useful in actual rounds due to restrictions, they were very beneficial in our current situation.

“Is it okay to use such a rare item on me?”

“Now is the time to use it. I should be the one asking for your permission to knock you out with this.”

“Along with the permission to tame me, it’s alright.”

Given that he was an independent person with free will, it was understandable for him to feel insulted and uncomfortable about being tamed by someone else…

And yet, he accepted it so readily?

Trusting me like this, I’m grateful.

Just before transforming into a wolf, Unahar paused and suddenly asked me a question.

“Can I pray for a moment? Can I borrow your hand?”

“What kind of prayer?”

“A prayer that you won’t get hurt.”

“Who are you praying to?”

“There are no gods in this world. The closest thing to a god for me is you, so I’ll pray to you.”

Without saying a word, I extended one hand to Unahar, and he took it with both of his.

Then he brought it to his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment.

Seeing this reminded me of when Akata placed my hand on his cheek earlier.

…I’m not sure why it came to mind now.

Unahar then stepped back five paces, giving me a weak smile as if bidding a final farewell, and closed his eyes.

Soon, his body was enveloped in mist.

Grrr-.

The handsome man with striking eyes was gone, replaced by a hungry wolf with glowing red eyes baring its teeth at me.

‘As expected… it won’t be easy to achieve meaningful results right away.’

I gripped the anesthetic tightly in my hand.