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

His eyes were filled with anger, his breath was heavy, but his mouth was twisted into a sinister grin. It was the same character who had used the shockwave to eliminate the first person earlier.

…So who is this guy? I have no idea. Gio seems clueless too.

“Do you remember now? I’m the guy whose eye got blackened when you threw me out of the forest!”

The man covered one eye with his hand while he shouted.

‘Ah.’

Only then did a memory from the past flash in my mind.

A guy who wandered around the eastern forest, claiming there was a monster, with his face and arms bruised. No wonder Gio didn’t remember. Why would he bother to remember every single one of these guys?

“So even a blockhead like Tarzan thinks he can do something once the guild war starts? Listen up, the game isn’t that easy. I’m not the same as before! I’ll show you what level you’re at!”

In summary, this was the dramatic entry of an attention-seeking extra character.

The man spread his palms towards Gio and me.

Is it another shockwave?

He used something like a shockwave earlier. He thinks he’s going to teach ‘blockhead Tarzan’ a lesson?

Teaching us that the outside world isn’t easy? Is that what he said?

Gio listened to the man’s words but had a blank expression as if he couldn’t understand the speaker’s intent or purpose.

So in the end, he effectively ignored him.

I looked at Gio with a pitying expression.

“Gio, you’re always so oblivious to your surroundings… No matter how much people ridicule you, you never argue back. That’s why there are still idiots who talk trash about you.”

It’s like dogs barking at a bear, unaware of how dangerous it is…

“What should we do?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s unfair to other players.”

I watched the backs of the characters running ahead of us, smiling half-pityingly, half-mocking.

“This round is practically a stage set for you, Gio.”

Gio pondered my words, trying to grasp my meaning.

“I don’t care what happens to the others.”

Hmm, a truly ideal and excellent answer. I’m so grateful Gio is on my side.

The man with his palms outstretched, ready to shoot a shockwave, and the players running forward to avoid the area.

The grand desert surrounding us, with sand crumbling from the edges.

And the tens of thousands of spectators probably watching us from above.

Realizing how perfectly crafted this stage is, I turned to Gio.

“Gio, as big and powerful as you can. Use all your strength and blow them away.”

Gio looked back at me.

“But you said to save my strength before? To use it sparingly?”

Look at Gio being so smart, remembering even that. I guess the special training to make him read the “Three Kingdoms” was successful.

“It’s okay. This isn’t the end of what you can show today.”

The shockwave guy stomped his foot, seemingly unable to listen anymore.

“I can’t stand you liars! Take this and snap out of it!” 

He wasn’t saying it for our benefit. It was meant for the viewers. The audience loves it when game characters show off like this.

Whoosh!

A sharp gust of wind rushed toward Gio and me. The man’s triumphant face momentarily twisted as the shockwave spread. 

Despite the predictability of his words, the shockwave attack was quite impressive.

Even with the impending attack, I didn’t think about dodging. Instead, I leisurely curled my lips into a smile. 

Just as confusion began to spread across the man’s face, Gio lifted one leg to waist height and then slammed it down onto the sand.

Thunk.

As his foot sank into the sand,

Boom!

A tremendous sound of destruction echoed through the desert. 

The ground in front of us split in two as if a giant had stomped on it. 

This massive floating island’s edge tore apart like thin paper.

In an instant, a canyon with a wide-open bottom formed, and sand started pouring into it. 

The characters running ahead screamed, “Aaaah!” as they fell one by one into the chasm. 

The character who had threatened us moments ago, along with the desert’s sand grains, were all sucked into the canyon.

The immense shock caused my hair and clothes to flutter wildly. 

“……”

Did I look scared for a moment there? 

I tried to keep my lips from parting and nodded as if I were impressed, but a bead of sweat trickled down inside.

“Is this enough?” 

Gio turned to me with a calm expression. 

He looked as if he had merely broken a toy made of clay, indifferent to the chaos he had caused. 

I gave him a slight smile and gestured ahead with my eyes.

“If I slip and fall, you have to save me.”

I warned him half-jokingly but with genuine intent. In response, Gio quickly drew his hand back to his waist and then thrust it forward.

Rumble.

This time, the sand rose up. The grains bonded firmly together. 

After a moment, a bridge wide enough for two people stretched straight across the desert.

With this sand bridge, we could reach the center without wasting energy by sinking into the sand.

I was genuinely impressed by Gio’s creativity.

“Is this what it feels like to see a naive son grow up?” 

“What?”

“Let’s go!”

I started running first, but Gio quickly caught up with me.

Our footsteps echoed loudly on the sand, naturally drawing the attention of all the characters.

“Who are you?”

Several characters shouted and blocked our path on the sand bridge, each with a menacing expression and unique abilities.

However.

“?”

Soon, with a rumbling sound, they disappeared from sight along with the crumbling sand bridge.

“Sorry, it’s only for two!”

Gio didn’t have the precise skill to drop everyone except us. The bridge’s durability was just too low to support more than two people’s weight.

Whoosh.

At that moment, an arrow shot precisely towards Gio’s neck from the 11 o’clock direction. Luckily, Gio’s reinforced sand hand clutched the arrow firmly.

How fortunate that I didn’t let another guild have Gio.

“……!”

Suddenly, my vision flashed. The arrow had been a distraction, and a character leaped at me, swinging a sword.

Swoosh.

I quickly slashed the side with my hand, igniting a burst of flame.

Clang—the sword was deflected as if it had struck another blade.

The man’s face lit up with a burning glow, and he retreated with a cry.

Did he think I’d just use Gio as my bodyguard? I also wanted to fight alongside Gio, back to back.

Though my unique ability wasn’t powerful in terms of output, my ‘resistance’ stat was decent.

In other words, I could adeptly block incoming attacks.

A lucky break, but one that wouldn’t be exposed.

“I can see the disc.”

Having just thrown two more characters off the sand bridge, Gio caught up to me and spoke quietly. Gio’s vision was practically 20/5.

As we ran, a striking yellow circular disc came into view.

To summarize, this was a floating island-like field. The sand gradually fell from the edges inward, narrowing the circle.

Players would converge on the central, unbreakable circular disc to avoid elimination.

Then, the survivors of Death Run would fight atop the sky-high disc.

However, when we arrived, it seemed we hadn’t arrived particularly early. My guess was we were in the top 20%.

While others ran through the sinking sand, we essentially ran on an asphalt path, but we drew attention and kept getting challenged.

[46th elimination!]

[Agasa Guild is causing a surge in eliminations!]

Instead, we likely had the highest contribution to the game. The broadcast had been repeatedly mentioning our guild name.

The plan was to push our way to the disc, then use Gio’s ability to knock off the front runners and start a siege.

“Gio, how many are on the disc?”

“One person.”

“Just one?”

I regulated my breathing to keep my running pace steady and strained my eyes to see further. However, it was too far for me to confirm.

“What is that one person doing?”

“Seems like they’re just sitting.”

The more I imagined based on Gio’s words, the more serious I became.

Someone had already occupied the disc and started a siege. Gio and I, arriving late, would have to be the attackers, not the defenders. Yet, this person was relaxed enough to be sitting?

“Do you see anything else?”

“There’s a bloodbath around them.”

Finally, the bright yellow disc came into clearer view. I could now make out its outline.

Several players had arrived before us but were hesitating to approach the disc, wary of the lone figure.

Screech, clank.

A small hand dragged an axe blade, soaked in blood, leaving a scratch on the disc.

The figure seated in the center of the disc was so small I initially thought they were crouching. A young girl sat cross-legged in a combat uniform drenched in blood.

Of course, it wasn’t her own blood but that of other characters, splattered all around.

The crumbling edge was still distant, giving us some time. We didn’t need to rush onto the disc immediately. But when only the disc remained?

Players circling nearby would have to make a choice: fall to their deaths or courageously face the bloody scene.

Ping.

At that moment, Gio and I received a ‘Vice Guild Leader Communication’ notification. It was a message from the watchtower to the participants on the field.

[“Be careful. That girl is the guild leader of the Slaughterer.”]

Kanel, who had been watching multiple cams from the watchtower, gave us a discreet warning.