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

“Rudel?”

Before I knew it, Shemarin, having finished her discussion with Aleon and Ifrea, turned to look at me. At that moment, I was pretending to care for my guild member by massaging Gio’s shoulders while actually monitoring my rivals’ status windows. I naturally dismissed Gio and straightened up.

“No matter how instrumental you were in making this friendly match happen, I don’t like the idea of you just snacking while scouting our capabilities—,” Shemarin said.

“What are you getting at?” I asked.

“You should also have some stakes, right? How about paying some points from your guild as an admission fee?”

Points are a shorthand for play points, which are converted from match performance and sponsorship ratings. These points serve as currency.

They can be used to buy items from shops or spin for ‘special item random draws’, among other things. Guild leaders can also exchange points with other guilds.

I wondered how much Shemarin and Ifrea would demand. Just paying an admission fee would be boring, so I came up with an idea to make the friendly match more interesting.

“Then I’ll place a bet,” I said, imitating the viewers looking down on the PK arena from above.

“I’ll put up a risk that you’ll find acceptable. You said each guild will have one member compete in one-on-one matches, right?”

I narrowed my eyes and continued.

“How about this? If I correctly predict which guild will win each match, I receive 30% of the points the successful side earns. But if I fail, I pay 70% of the points the losing side owes.”

My mind raced at the part about the penalty points for failure.

If I set the penalty too high, I’d seem foolish; too low, and Shemarin and Ifrea would dismiss it. I had to propose an amount they would accept at once while securing my share as much as possible.

70% would be a significant loss, but I judged it to be the minimum amount Shemarin and Ifrea would agree to.

“Interesting. Deal accepted on my side—!” Shemarin said, crossing her legs, which emphasized the sleek, tight black combat suit she wore.

Ifrea exchanged glances with Aleon for about three seconds before replying.

“Aleon agrees. I also like it. Deal accepted.”

* * *

As the friendly match officially began, an NPC in a black robe appeared in the center of the arena as a referee.

It looked identical to the managers assigned to each guild.

“Set 1. Ice Fortress side, Kaya. Red Monarch side, Manon.”

Even though it was an exhibition match, it was being broadcasted. I liked how serious it felt.

Now that I looked, the Ice Fortress guild members, though not in matching outfits like Red Monarch, all wore blue badges on their chests.

Given the large number of members in Ice Fortress, they likely needed such identifiers to easily distinguish between guild members.

Kaya, representing Ice Fortress, was a petite girl, while Manon from Red Monarch, true to Shemarin’s taste, had a sturdy and tall figure.

The two opponents from each side soon entered a transparent barrier.

That was the PK arena’s ring.

It was designed to contain any unleashed unique abilities, preventing any external damage.

The entrance was structured to allow entry and exit only by pressing a button, ensuring no one could interfere midway.

[Guild leader of Agasa, please place your bet on the winner of the first set.]

Suddenly, the referee NPC extended his hand towards me.

At the same time, other guild members who heard the broadcast turned to look at me.

[Guild leader of Agasa, please place your bet on the winner of the first set. The match cannot proceed until the bet is placed.]

So, my bet would be broadcasted this publicly.

This placed a considerable responsibility on me.

I couldn’t even discuss this with the only companion I brought, Gio, who was already dozing off without the slightest interest.

…I didn’t expect much from him anyway.

Though it was infuriating, I let him sleep. I’d wake him when the match started.

So, between Kaya from Ice Fortress and Manon from Red Monarch, who would win?

In truth, seeing all their stats made this too easy for me.

“Ice Fortress.”

As soon as my declaration fell, I clearly saw the reactions from Shemarin and Muraul upon hearing my ‘loss’ prediction.

Shemarin let out a dismissive hum, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

Muraul, on the other hand, lacked his composure, immediately mouthing curses at me and showing his hostility.

Ah, my bet had a bigger impact than I thought, even on the match participants.

Kaya and Manon also flinched, visibly affected by my prediction.

Well, it’s not my fault. Even if my bet influences the outcome, so what?

If someone falters because of my words, it means they’re the inferior player.

[First set, begin.]

As the NPC in the black robe made a slicing motion with his hand, the starting bell rang.

“Gio.”

I nudged Gio as soon as the match began. He was deeply asleep, barely waking up.

“We agreed to watch the match. Focus from now on, okay?”

The first to charge was the man from Red Monarch.

Kaya from Ice Fortress was startled. But instead of crumbling under her delicate legs, she stretched both hands forward.

Ziiing-.

With a strange ringing sound, something changed within the barrier surrounding the two fighters.

Not only could I see their physical stats, but I could also identify the types of unique abilities of characters within a certain range.

As soon as Kaya from Ice Fortress was attacked, she closed her eyes tightly and released her unique ability, ‘Speed Reduction.’

Manon’s running movement slowed down as if he were moving at half speed.

Manon’s eyes widened in surprise, and even his eye movements seemed slightly delayed.

Thud-!

Feeling the urgency, Manon leapt back to create some distance.

I glanced to see if Gio was watching properly.

Surprisingly, Gio was fully awake, arms crossed, and intently observing the match.

His gaze closely followed the two combatants, and he even asked me a question.

“Why isn’t the man using any abilities? And why does he keep reaching out with his hands?”

Kaya and Manon clashed and separated in a few rapid exchanges.

Manon, despite his slowed speed, tried to close the gap, while Kaya spun and maintained a certain distance.

“It seems his ability only activates upon contact with the opponent.”

Discussing Gio rather than Manon, Gio is much more of a fool than people think.

He only takes things seriously when he directly witnesses a PK match, behaving like a delinquent among delinquents.

Training Gio’s unique ability wasn’t smooth sailing either.

“Ah, hot! I told you to stop!”

Only after persistently aggravating him to the point of anger did he start showing enthusiasm.

Fortunately, I managed to explain my reasons later.

“Watch closely. You need to get stronger for the guild to survive. Only then can Lilith enjoy peaceful days.”

At my words, Gio spread his legs wider and sat lower, focusing.

There was an unusual sense of gravity about Gio that was rarely seen.

He wasn’t just watching the match but watching it ‘earnestly.’ He was learning.

With his natural talent for physical tasks, Gio could probably grasp the essence of the match just by watching, as if he were participating himself.

It was indeed worth bringing him along.

Boom-!

At that moment, Kaya slid her left leg out with her hair flying. It was a tackle.

Although Manon’s speed was reduced, his physical energy wasn’t, so he stumbled ungracefully over her foot and fell, slamming his face into the ground.

Despite Manon having superior basic stats and a higher grade in unique abilities, the match’s outcome was determined by the compatibility of abilities.

[Ice Fortress wins. 1000 points from Red Monarch are transferred to Ice Fortress.]

Manon turned around, bowed his head to his lord with a contorted expression of shame.

“Forgive me, Shemarin. Please punish me.”

The deputy guild leader, Muraul, didn’t openly criticize Manon but clicked his tongue in frustration.

Shemarin, with a wave of her hand, signaled Muraul to restrain himself, and he immediately fell silent.

“Punishment—?”

The beautiful and authoritative guild leader raised an eyebrow. Her graceful yet sharp hand reached up to Manon’s face and gently caressed it, causing him to flinch.

“Ow.”

Manon let out an involuntary sound.

Shemarin’s hand wasn’t delivering a cruel punishment but simply tending to the wound on Manon’s face from his fall.

“This is your punishment. Don’t forget to get it treated. I’ll be really mad if your face gets scarred.”

Kaya was welcomed by Ice Fortress guild members with small cheers. Aleon smiled brightly and praised her.

Of course, Aleon would have maintained that smiling expression even if Kaya had returned defeated.

[Additionally, since Agasa’s prediction was correct, 300 points from the 1000 points Ice Fortress received are transferred to Agasa.]

That’s quite lucrative. If I successfully bet on all five sets, I’d receive a total of 1500 points.

I could end up earning more than the two guilds participating in the matches despite not competing.

I opened the status window to confirm if the points had indeed been transferred.

However, I noticed a familiar indicator in the guild management window.

[Live]

It was the live broadcast indicator that had appeared during the previous 1.5 rounds.

This meant that this PK arena was being broadcast to the viewers.

If this indicator was active, comments from the sky and play points would be separately allocated, something both Ifrea and Shemarin likely deduced.

Therefore, both must be inwardly determined to conduct the matches impressively.

Well, since I’m not the main player today, I just need to maintain a presence that doesn’t fall behind Ice Fortress and Red Monarch.

And as long as my mediocre unique ability isn’t exposed, everything should be fine.