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

### Round 2: Death Run

– The field is in the shape of a floating island. You must run to avoid the ground collapsing from the edges. Falling below results in instant death and return to the guild.

– Stepping onto the circular platform at the center of the arena ensures first-stage survival. After all the ground collapses and only the platform remains, there will be an additional 10-minute countdown.

– Guild ranking is determined by the number of members remaining on the platform after 10 minutes. Guilds that do not achieve final survival will be ranked based on the distance to the platform just before falling.

“The more people, the better, and the subordinates group can’t participate,” Kanel quickly summarized.

As expected for the first round, both the method and the point calculation were straightforward.

However, since it’s largely a numbers game, we’re at a significant disadvantage with only five guild members.

As soon as the rules explanation ended, I decided on the participants.

“To determine who will participate in the first guild ranking match…”

I mimicked the announcement’s style, pausing for effect.

Lilith leaned over the table, dying of curiosity. When I chuckled at her eagerness, Unahar and Kanel seemed to relax a bit.

“…Gio, and me. The participants for Death Run will be the two of us.”

Despite my smile and attempt to lighten the mood, it didn’t seem to help much.

“We need more people to have an advantage, right?” Unahar unintentionally raised his voice.

“You know we need to perform stylishly to get high play points, right? Rather than sending all five out and risking some getting eliminated, wouldn’t it look cooler if just the two of us went out and survived till the end?”

While performance is important, prioritizing play points that leave an impression on the viewers is the key.

Performance in the match affects guild ranking, and outstanding performance boosts individual rankings and levels.

I need to somehow make up for my D-grade stats with my unique abilities.

And who said we’re giving up on round 2? Gio and I will just go out there and crush it all.

Although I suggested this with confidence, by the time I finished speaking, everyone was tense.

Except for Gio.

Gio, try to look a little nervous.

### Round 2: Death Run

And so, here we are, in the waiting room. Think of the waiting room as the place where you stay with your guild members before heading out onto the field.

Watching the countdown tick away, now less than five minutes, I sat on the sofa, fidgeting more than usual.

This nervous excitement is something I haven’t felt in a while.

It feels like waiting for the loading screen of a newly downloaded game.

The basic rule of the second round is that all participating guild members must be confirmed before the round starts.

Additionally, once eliminated (death in the round), reentry is not allowed.

Therefore, even if you think “Ah, it’s over…” while looking over the participant list of other guilds in the waiting room, it’s already impossible to change it.

I read the list of participants over and over again in the waiting room. I meticulously went over each name, but it was still hard to believe what I saw.

“I barely know any of these names.”

It was even more surprising because I didn’t expect it. My luck, I guess.

“Well, it’s not like the rankings will be immediately determined by this guild war…”

It seemed that, aside from our Agasa guild, most guilds chose to “play it safe” in this first guild war, Death Run. 

As evidence, neither the Ice Castle nor the Red Monarch sent any notable members.

I wondered why they insisted on holding a friendly match, but it seemed that neither Ifrea nor Shemarin had any intention of going all out in the later rounds. 

That’s probably why they were trying so hard to test each other’s strength.

Anyway, I wasn’t surprised that someone cunning like Shemarin did this, but I didn’t expect Aleon to stay back and only send weak guild members in the first round.

…If I had to guess, Ifrea must have had a hard time. I suspect there was a significant conflict.

In fact, unless you’re someone who is obsessed with ranking like me, there’s no need to risk your life every round.

After the guild war starts, the results of three rounds will be combined, and only those who finish last will be eliminated. 

(This refers to permanent data deletion, not revival after death.)

So, in the case of the Ice Castle, since their power isn’t lacking, Aleon is probably saving his strength for the future.

Ifrea is indeed smart. She’s seen through this and is observing the situation.

“Gio.”

Across the waiting room, a burly man with a rugged body was sitting with a bored expression. The spacious waiting room had only the two of us.

Gio, who was kneading the clay he used as a toy, glanced at me.

“Just don’t die.”

That was essentially my only request. Gio’s eyebrow twitched.

“Are you worried that you’ll get hurt if I die?”

“If you die, your stats will be reduced.”

Gio’s expression said, “Of course.”

I was surprised that Gio fully understood the significance of the stat reduction.

As I explained earlier, a certain percentage of stats is reduced each time you die in a round.

That’s probably why most guilds excluded their guild/guild leader from the first round.

No matter how strong the character, they wouldn’t survive unscathed if they suffered multiple death penalties. It makes the game a bit more interesting.

Although it’s unlikely, if we face a crisis in this round, I would rather save Gio and die in his place.

The amount of stats reduced would be different.

“It’s actually helpful that my rank is something to be ashamed of.”

That’s why I chose to participate in this round.

The protagonist usually appears later, but I plan to show up both at the beginning and the end. Of course, I’ll play the role of someone hiding their true strength.

I’m still struggling. It’s hard to jump from D-rank to A-rank with just a few days of training during the refresh time. So, I have to participate in the rounds to level up at least.

Upon inspection, I noticed a few other guild leaders participating besides me.

Participants List

Yudirei (Guild Leader)

What’s with that terrifying guild name?

Participants List

Lesia (Guild Leader)

Siakan (Vice Guild Leader)

Did only the two higher-ups come out? They’re even more extreme than our guild!

Including our guild, there are three guilds where both the guild leader and vice guild leader are participating. 

None of them seem to be nobodies. They might be strong opponents I haven’t encountered yet.

The field for the first round was wide, and since I only wandered around a certain area, I’m still a frog in a well.

I assumed Aleon was the top-ranked player, but I might have passed by another character of comparable strength without realizing it.

But the situation is the same for everyone. Yudirei and Lesia haven’t seen me or Gio either.

Winning against them is the only way to achieve significant results in this round.

[Countdown is approaching.]

[60, 59, 58…….]

“Gio.”

At my signal, Gio got up from his chair. He lightly stretched his muscles. I did the same.

[Round 2 is starting.]

Flash-!

As the broadcast sounded, the background changed.

My surroundings transformed brilliantly. The empty waiting room was now filled with vivid colors and an overwhelming amount of visual information.

This stifling hot air, the blazing sun, and the golden shimmering sand dunes.

“It’s a desert.”

No terrain seems more fitting for the game Death Run.

Even if you try to sprint towards the center, your feet sink into the sand, and the ground crumbles, intensifying the competition among players.

Everyone is busy climbing over each other to avoid getting trapped in the sandpit.

Swish-!

Sure enough, from just about 100 meters away, the sand dunes began to disappear below.

Like a suspended swamp, the sand swirled downwards from the edges. Below that, I assume, is the path to the ‘Fortress Return.’

“…!”

Since all characters start running from a fixed starting line, other characters were randomly mixed around me.

The fight had already begun.

A man was pushed back by another character’s palm hitting his chest. A heavy vibration followed, causing the surrounding sand to burst out like a storm, and the pushed man flew backward, all the way to where the sand dunes were collapsing.

“Aaaah!”

[First elimination!]

The death notifications from the first round had now turned into elimination alerts. That man was the first to experience the fall into the sand pit. We will likely never see him again, as re-entry is not allowed.

I don’t know what it’s like down there, but there’s no need to imagine. It’s probably just darkness. After experiencing a dizzying fall, he’d find himself sitting in his guild’s fortress when he opens his eyes.

Gio wasn’t frightened by the sight of a character getting eliminated within 10 seconds. He wasn’t the type to have a weak mental state like Lilith.

However, Gio isn’t capable of figuring out how the field works from observing the scene like I can. Nor can he analyze the abilities of the character who just used the shockwave, like Kanel or Unahar might.

Gio simply observes. He focuses deeply on what he can do, digging into it like no one else.

Gio has changed a lot by my side.

“Can you control this sand too?”

After all, sand is part of the ground, and the ground is Gio’s domain. When Gio raised his palm, countless grains of sand floated into the air. The grains soon formed a dense tray-like shape, almost as if they had turned into a stone slab.

“Like this?” Gio asked, looking at me.

It wasn’t precise control. Even for me, it would be difficult to fluidly manipulate tens of thousands of sand grains like a stream. Gio’s ‘precision’ stat is one of his lowest.

Just then, a loud, rough shout came from behind us.

“You idiot from the forest!”

I hurriedly slapped Gio’s arm. The sand grains that had floated up fell back to the ground and mixed with the other sand.

“Do you remember me?”

The character that suddenly appeared in front of us glared at us with a face full of anger, as if he held a grudge.