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

I was purely in awe of the woman at the forefront, admiring her as a human before thinking of her as a game character.

‘The viewers’ eyes would pop out if they saw her.’

Shemarin’s body was smoothly encased in black leather combat gear. A red decoration, befitting the guild name, adorned her chest.

If there were thousands of spectators here, they would have cheered loudly and welcomed her enthusiastically.

But unfortunately, the only spectators here were Gio and me, and Gio wasn’t interested in any woman other than Lilith.

Shemarin wasn’t the only one wearing a striking outfit.

The five men following in formation behind her were also dressed in the same attire.

‘Do they always dress up like that for every match?’

I hadn’t even thought about such a presentation; in this respect, I seemed to lack effort.

But those outfits looked rather embarrassing. Wearing such tight clothes would constantly be on my mind during the round.

Of course, I can’t say their choice is wrong.

In a way, we are like idols to the viewers. Those are like stage outfits for idols.

And what idol in the world would be embarrassed by their stage outfit?

I casually complimented Shemarin on her outfit as we exchanged greetings.

After all, a combat suit like a black puma isn’t something just anyone can pull off.

Not to mention, it wasn’t just Shemarin but also the five men who matched her outfit. It was amazing how well it suited them.

“It’s just a light exhibition match, so I came in the simplest outfit. I’ll never wear the same outfit twice.”

This is the simplest outfit?

I don’t know how much Shemarin is conscious of viewer comments, but she’s definitely a pro comparable to me.

How much would the various outfits worn by a beautiful character resonate with users?

It’s a weapon that ordinary me could never attempt.

“Rudel, your outfit today is charming too.”

I thought it was a formal compliment returned, but Shemarin seemed sincere.

“I didn’t choose this outfit to receive compliments. I just picked it without much thought.”

I lied, saying I just threw something on. In truth, I chose this outfit carefully.

I wore a flowing blouse and a long skirt to show my resolve not to be swayed by anyone trying to draw me into a match.

While conversing with Shemarin, I glanced at the five men standing behind her.

They stood stiffly, not speaking to Gio or me, nor chatting among themselves.

They probably don’t act like this inside the fortress, but their disciplined appearance was pleasing to the eye.

‘Shemarin’s personally raised harem… I mean, male characters.’

I looked at Muraul, known as Shemarin’s right-hand man and the deputy guild leader. Checking his status window, I saw he was a Soul-type ability user.

Our eyes met. The handsome man with fierce eyes and a scar on his mouth let out a small “hmph.”

Is he trying to intimidate me? His personality seems just as intense.

And behind Shemarin, the final guild participating in this friendly match appeared.

Ziiing.

The doors of the arena opened, and seven guild members led by the Saint entered one after another.

The most prominent among them was, of course, Saint Aleon.

Just gazing upon him made people feel a refreshing sensation, as if they had ice in their mouths.

The man who exuded a chilling aura with his mere presence suddenly broke into a radiant smile.

For him to smile like a blooming rose before a match of guild rivalry…

“Rudel!”

Was it just because he met me in person?

“How long has it been!”

“Um, a week?”

Not long at all.

I don’t know how much time has passed in reality, but the break time given to game characters is short.

When the Saint in his white robe pulled me into an embrace, I nearly buckled under his weight.

Aleon quickly released me and took in my appearance.

“How I’ve missed you… This is enough. You are so kind to accept my unseemly hug without hesitation.”

Even for me, it was a bit hard to remain calm in the face of Aleon’s straightforward expressions.

It seemed Shemarin’s sharp eyes caught the moment my gaze wavered.

“Hmmm, I see.”

“What?”

Shemarin suddenly smirked as if she understood everything. It was somewhat annoying.

“I heard that Aleon talks about Rudel all day after the first round. It seems his feelings are quite clear.”

At that moment, Ifrea, the deputy guild leader of the Ice Fortress, approached Shemarin.

She immediately chimed in as if she had been part of the conversation from the start.

“What nonsense. It’s telling of Red Monarch’s level to believe such baseless rumors.”

“Ifrea, you’re desperate to protect your guild leader’s reputation.”

However, Ifrea possessed a poker face well-suited for ignoring others.

She completely disregarded Shemarin in an elegant manner.

Just as Ifrea was determined to protect her guild leader’s authority, I didn’t want other characters to think there was something between Aleon and me.

So I tried to explain.

“Aleon is trying to disrupt my mental state with his confessions. It’s a sophisticated distraction tactic…”

“Really? Aleon isn’t that cunning.”

At this point, Aleon, amused for some reason, squinted his eyes and looked at me.

“Did I shake you even a little?”

“Sorry, but I don’t think so.”

I accidentally blurted out my true feelings too directly. But Aleon just smiled gently and didn’t seem too affected.

“Well… if it’s Rudel, I could acknowledge her as Aleon’s match.”

“Ifrea, what are you talking about now?”

“I just thought a marriage alliance between guild leaders would be quite a good strategy.”

“What? Marriage alliance? Then what about Unahar? The second husband?”

Thinking that continuing the conversation would only be disadvantageous for me, I took the yawning Gio and discreetly slipped to a corner.

When Shemarin was left alone with Aleon, she snapped her fingers as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, by the way.”

She continued with a captivating smile.

“I heard you almost died in the first round—? Sorry about that.”

Her sudden apology to Aleon seemed more like teasing than genuine concern.

Aleon’s expression darkened as he recalled the unpleasant memory.

“It’s true I almost died, but why are you apologizing…?”

Shemarin’s smile deepened at his question.

“Do you remember the rumor, ‘If you kill someone with a unique ability, you can steal that ability—’? I started that. Hoping someone would get killed for it.”

Ignoring the shock in Aleon’s blue eyes, Shemarin continued nonchalantly.

“I thought it was a bust because there weren’t many deaths, but to think I almost managed to kill the Saint of Ice, I’d say that’s a huge success—?”

“…….”

Aleon couldn’t respond any further and turned away silently. He walked towards the group of guild members and stood beside Ifrea.

Soon, bits of a low conversation could be heard.

“Stop crying. Are you going to shed tears over something as petty as this? More vicious enemies will come in droves. If you can’t stop, shall I pinch you to make you stop?”

“Wouldn’t that make me cry more…?”

Having seemingly learned a sense of responsibility, Aleon barely managed to regain his composure and returned to his original spot.

To discuss the format of the friendly match with Shemarin.

While Red Monarch and Ice Fortress agreed on the detailed rules of the one-on-one match, I quietly observed the situation.

Even if Aleon didn’t, Shemarin would surely notice that I had brought Gio here.

She might think he’s one of my hidden cards, even if he looks a bit simple.

Ifrea would likely make a similar guess.

Given how much she seems to care about aligning with our guild, she might even see me as a high ranker on par with Aleon.

‘That marriage alliance thing earlier might not have been a joke…’

This is exactly why I forced myself into this friendly match despite the risks.

To use my possessed cheat ability to check the status windows of all characters.

“Since it would be boring otherwise, how about the losing side gives the winning side 1,000 points for each of the five matches—?”

“Let’s do that.”

While Aleon and Shemarin were talking, I was busy opening status windows.

I turned on the memo pad in the status window to take notes, thoroughly investigating all 14 members who weren’t in our guild.

I focused particularly on the guild leaders.

I quickly scanned their unique abilities, knowing I couldn’t spend too much time on this. Basic stats like health/strength/agility wouldn’t have changed much anyway.

The reason I was so sure, even before checking, was because the gap between ranks tends to widen as the rank increases.

Even if I worked out like crazy all day, my stamina would only increase by a few dozen points. There’s no way the ranks of A-grade or higher characters would have increased already.

Name: Aleon / Level: 9  

Average Stats: Stamina, Strength, Agility – A  

Ability Group: Pure Nature  

Unique Ability: Ice  

Overall Grade: S  

Output: S  

Precision: A+  

Resistance: A  

Name: Shemarin / Level: 47  

Average Stats: Stamina, Strength, Agility – A+  

Ability Group: Soul  

Unique Ability: Poison Vine  

Overall Grade: A+  

Output: B  

Precision: A+  

Resistance: A+  

I sighed inwardly after checking the status windows.

Of course, they’d come out for a friendly match with such confidence. I’m the only one here whose unique ability had dropped to a D grade.

No one must ever find out that I don’t deserve to be in this position.

I need to keep maintaining this facade of confidence and composure, as if I’m just hiding my true power.