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

‘…Maybe standing out a bit isn’t such a bad idea. Should I just predict the results of the next four sets correctly too?’

I wavered for a moment but soon made a decision.

It’s better to be moderately wrong. It’s more important not to arouse suspicion about my cheat ability than to win a mere 300 extra points.

Some viewers might praise me for correctly predicting all five sets, but if they react with ‘How does she know everything? It’s rigged,’ I can’t afford that.

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

“Ice Fortress.”

Though I said this, I thought Red Monarch would win based on the unique abilities of the two fighters.

I could have gotten it right, but I deliberately got one wrong to appear more human.

Losing this bet cost me 700 points, but I let it slide.

The next time, I was genuinely wrong.

Despite Ice Fortress’s contestant having inferior stats, they managed to win by a surprise attack.

Thus, over four sets, I won twice and lost twice.

It was now the final set.

Whoosh-!

Yellow pollen-like particles spread out and adhered to the transparent barrier, revealing a giant spherical arena.

Gio’s eyes widened.

However, Gio wasn’t the type to be surprised because he found it beautiful.

He was astonished by the attack method, which involved yellow pollen sticking to the opponent and obstructing their vision.

“Gio, how would you dodge that ability?”

Ice Fortress’s contestant couldn’t avoid the pollen and thus lost.

I nudged Gio, prompting him to think.

“I’d go underground.”

[The fifth set has ended. Ice Fortress vs. Red Monarch, 2:3.]

As I predicted, the final victory went to Red Monarch. It was only fitting for Shemarin’s handpicked elite men.

Ice Fortress, having many members, managed to field specialized unique ability users for one-on-one matches, securing two wins.

However, in all five matches, Red Monarch’s guild members generally had superior stats.

There’s a downside, though. Shemarin’s guild consists of only 10 members. She just revealed the unique abilities of five of them.

Although the five might not have shown their true potential, outwardly, she exposed over half her forces.

‘It seems our guild is the only one that purely gained from this match.’

Thanks to my accurate prediction for the last match, our loss was only 500 points.

That’s very cheap for an admission fee. Plus, it served as excellent training material for Gio, making it even more worthwhile.

Finally, the friendly match ended. The two guild leaders met again in the center of the arena.

Aleon extended his right hand to Shemarin first.

“Your people were impressive and memorable. Thank you for creating an enjoyable match.”

“Your guys helped with our practical training. It was fun, Aleon.”

As the two leaders shook hands, Aleon suddenly glanced above his head.

This arena, being a circular stadium, also had a massive dome-shaped ceiling.

Above us, the vast space was filled with massive structures like lights and supports that illuminated the area.

Noticing Aleon’s strange reaction, Shemarin also looked up.

Suddenly, Shemarin smirked.

“Aleon, do you feel it too?”

Since using unique abilities outside of matches was prohibited in this arena, Shemarin instead pulled a large spear from her inventory.

“I sense someone else here aside from the 8 from Ice Fortress, 6 from Red Monarch, and 2 from Agasa—. There’s one more person.”

With a sharp whoosh, Shemarin’s spear sliced through the air upwards.

With a piercing sound, it embedded itself into one of the pipes on the ceiling. The loud clanging resonated unsettlingly within me.

Debris fell, and from the gap, a dark figure appeared, tilting along with the pipe and then plummeting down.

As everyone in the arena stared wide-eyed, I sprang to my feet.

“Gio! Catch Kanel!”

Kanel will get hurt if he falls from that height!

I trusted that Gio could catch Kanel and wouldn’t get seriously injured himself.

“Troublesome—.”

“Hurry!”

At my urgent shout, Gio finally moved.

He leaped across the stadium seats and reached the precise spot where Kanel was falling.

Even in such a dire moment, Gio’s reluctance annoyed me, but his incredible physical prowess made up for the delay as he successfully caught Kanel.

“Thanks.”

Kanel, using Gio as an air mattress, expressed his gratitude in a dry tone.

But it was too soon to feel relieved. The fierce gazes of 15 individuals (plus the NPC in the black robe) surrounded Kanel.

He was being treated like a petty thief who had secretly watched the PK match without permission.

“What a rogue…! Is he from Agasa’s guild? It speaks volumes about their level.”

Muraul looked ready to pounce and beat Kanel up, but a calm glance from Shemarin made him back down.

“Hmmm…”

Shemarin, one of the best at maintaining a poker face among the characters I knew, scanned Kanel with a subtle gaze.

“He’s under Rudel, right? Sneaking a peek at the PK match without an invitation—. Didn’t he know this would disgrace not just your name, but your entire guild and even your master—?”

Ice Fortress guild members pointed at Kanel and whispered amongst themselves, seemingly discussing his punishment.

Ifrea furrowed her nose slightly, deep in thought, while Aleon was the first to speak, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

“What’s his story? Climbing up to that high ceiling is quite impressive. I had my doubts, but to think there really was someone up there.”

Aleon’s keen sense of detecting presence seemed almost as sharp as Gio’s.

After all, he had found me hidden in a crowd using a stealth potion during our first encounter.

“What trouble did this person face to hide in such a perilous place?”

“That’s not it! That guy was secretly watching the PK match!” one of Aleon’s guild members shouted in frustration.

However, Kanel remained unfazed by the insults directed at him. He responded nonchalantly, displaying the poker face I knew so well.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I thought any guild member was allowed since Agasa was permitted to participate.”

“Do you call that an excuse? What about hiding in the ceiling? If you truly thought that, you would have entered through the front door! Your actions don’t match your words!”

Someone from Ice Fortress shouted angrily, but Kanel barely paid attention.

The Ice Fortress guild member, grinding their teeth in frustration, suddenly glared at me.

“How do you manage your guild members? They say the fish rots from the head, so does Agasa only teach spying? The guild leader must take full responsibility for this.”

As they started to insult me, Kanel’s eyes grew cold.

“I acted on my own. If you speak ill of Rudel—”

“Kanel, enough.”

I cut Kanel off lightly, stepping down a few steps from the stadium stands, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Yes, I instructed Kanel to do it. I wasn’t pleased with being allowed only one companion, so I had him sneak in.”

“Rudel.”

Kanel looked at me in surprise as I descended to his level. I gave him a small smile.

Ice Fortress members whispered among themselves.

“How brazen…”

“That guild leader has always been cunning and shameless. We should have known from the first round…”

“How different she is from our Aleon. She’s even worse than Shemarin. How did someone so petty become a guild leader?”

Clap!

Suddenly, a loud clap echoed, silencing the murmurs from Ice Fortress. They gasped when they saw who had clapped.

It was none other than Aleon, the symbol of justice and fairness they admired.

He smiled brightly at me, who had just defended the so-called thief.

“To cover for your subordinate and take the blame yourself… you truly are a complete person.”

My eyes narrowed.

“No, I really did order him.”

“I’m impressed by your sense of responsibility.”

“I’m telling you, I really did.”

“I always find something to learn from you.”

Forget it.

With Aleon speaking this way, no one could continue to slander me or Kanel. Silence fell over the arena.

“May I handle this?”

Shemarin’s voice broke the silence.

“This wasn’t an official match, but a friendly guild match, right? That man must have been bold enough to sneak in because he believed that, as allies, we would consider the circumstances.”

Shemarin spoke as if she had read Kanel’s mind.

For a moment, her black irises seemed to flash like a predator’s, as she stared at Kanel.

“No matter how friendly our relations are compared to other guilds, we must still uphold certain standards, right? Don’t you realize that your actions could jeopardize the trust between our guilds? Are you prepared to risk losing our alliance over your behavior?”

“…”

Kanel remained silent.

Seeing Shemarin’s expression, I realized she wasn’t actually looking to break the alliance but was simply trying to scare Kanel.

(Of course, it’s also worth noting that Shemarin tends to be more lenient towards handsome men.)

Still, the fact that rules had been broken was irksome.

Shemarin signaled to Aleon with her hand. Specifically, she included Ifrea in the signal, and the three of them moved to a corner.

“Guild members, hold your positions. Rudel, wait here as well. We need to discuss your guild member’s punishment.”

“Understood.”

“You’ll accept any minor disadvantages caused by your guild member’s actions, right?”

“Of course.”

I responded calmly without changing my expression, and Shemarin’s sharp eyes softened slightly.

The more arrogantly I behaved, the more Shemarin seemed to find it both annoying and somewhat endearing.

Soon, the three of them huddled together, ensuring their conversation couldn’t be overheard.