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

As Yudirei lost her composure, gravity returned to normal, allowing Gio to land safely. I immediately ran to him.

“Are you healing?”

“Yeah.”

We were not alone in this fight. From the watchtower, Kanel and Lilith were providing ‘potion support’ to ensure we were well taken care of. Any wounds from the recent battle could be healed without issue.

You might wonder why we needed potion support from the watchtower instead of just carrying potions ourselves. Here’s why: The inventory space in this game is determined by the weight of the items. Potions, being light, could easily fill up the space otherwise occupied by heavy weapons. If someone carried hundreds of health potions and survived every round like a cockroach, the game would become incredibly boring.

So, the policy was to limit the potion supply from the fortress and set a cooldown on potion use, making it difficult to recover from critical injuries.

Realizing this, it was clear Yudirei must have also quickly recovered from her recent injury. When I turned to look at the slaughter-obsessed girl again, I saw her tear her clothing to bind and stop the bleeding on her right shoulder. She then switched her axe to her uninjured left arm.

“Huh?”

My curiosity got the better of me, and I blurted out, “Don’t your guild members provide potion support from the watchtower?”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

What was this reaction? Did she not know about the watchtower support, or did her guild members simply not help her? Either way, it was a significant disadvantage.

The reason for supplying potions from the fortress was also to involve guild members who weren’t participating directly and to prevent a powerful individual from dominating the battlefield alone. No matter how strong a guild leader or member was, they couldn’t recover their health without timely support from their guildmates. Thus, even the strongest character needed to maintain goodwill with their guild members.

I had gathered valuable information about the Slaughterer’ guild leader, Yudirei. She might be an excellent combatant, but she was definitely not a competent leader.

“Haa…”

For the first time, the once-confident reaper showed irritation. Gio and I tensed up in response.

In the next moment, Yudirei charged at us with blinding speed, and once again, Gio and I were lifted into the air.

However, this time, we were prepared. Having experienced it once, we had learned the trick.

Gio manipulated the sand to raise pillars from the ground, using them to anchor himself and brace for Yudirei’s attack.

And then I…

Oh.

By observing the positions where the sand floated and Yudirei’s charging direction, I finally understood the relationship between her abilities and her actions.

Shhraaak—Gio’s blood splattered in the air once again.

Even though Gio was holding onto the pillar and exerting his strength, Yudirei’s swordsmanship was incredible. How could she swing such a large axe so swiftly that it was almost invisible?

Clang!

Eventually, Gio lost his grip on his sword and dropped it.

A swordsman losing his sword is disgraceful… Forget that old-fashioned nonsense! Here, the one who loses last is the disgrace!

Yudirei, it was a mistake to ignore me because you found me less interesting than Gio!

“Gio, abandon the pillar and aim for her eyes!”

At my command, Gio immediately let go of the sand pillar and launched it directly at Yudirei’s face.

As Gio lost his support and momentarily wavered under the influence of gravity, he began to fall rapidly.

If I wasn’t certain that this strike would completely neutralize Yudirei, it would have been risky to give such an order.

“Yudirei can’t use her abilities in areas she can’t see!”

Yudirei’s ability range changed constantly as she moved. Specifically, it affected only the 160 degrees in front of her, leaving the rest of the space outside her control.

This was a detail I wouldn’t have noticed without careful and persistent observation.

Sand entered Yudirei’s eyes, causing her to bend over. She finally lost her composure and growled, but it was too late. Gravity had already returned to normal.

Gio had enough time to regroup.

Gio landed just outside the disc.

As he extended his finger, the sand shifted, creating a gaping hole in an instant.

“……!”

In her attempt to clear her vision, Yudirei squinted and hesitated upon seeing the hole. 

Seizing the opportunity, Gio, who had been wary of Yudirei’s abilities, swiftly moved to her blind spot. Without her unique ability, Gio’s speed surpassed Yudirei’s, allowing him to get behind her easily.

Thud!

The moment Gio’s foot connected with Yudirei’s back, she was kicked out of the disc.

Gio quickly closed the sand hole over her, like someone sorting recyclables, and dusted off his hands.

“Is it finally over?” I sighed in relief—just for a moment.

Thunk!

At that moment, the sudden appearance of an axe blade from the sand pit was enough to make both Gio and me flinch.

“I’m going to kill you! Rudel!!”

…Not Gio, but me?

However, as her screaming voice grew fainter and fainter, descending further, I allowed myself to relax.

[The guild leader of the Slaughterer has been eliminated!]  

[A victory for the Agasa Guild!]  

[The current occupant of the disc is the Agasa Guild!]

Even though it was a monotone mechanical voice broadcasting the results, the thrill of being the ones in the spotlight was undeniable. 

Although the round wasn’t over yet, I glanced at Gio for a brief moment of celebration. But Gio wore a dissatisfied expression.

We had just taken down a significant boss, so why the sour face?

“I don’t want to use a sword anymore.”

He looked like a sulking child, upset despite winning.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Are you upset because you lost to the axe?”

It seemed being disarmed by a small girl had left a significant impression on him. Even though he usually seemed only interested in food, he was still just a kid.

“You can learn.”

From what I heard, after the first round of the guild war, all guilds would be assigned art and physical education instructors (NPCs). The idea was to observe the guild members’ combat performance in the first round and then quickly build up professional combat skills.

“I was planning to train you in martial arts like Taekwondo or boxing, making you a martial artist since you fight as if the earth is part of your body. But if you want to learn swordsmanship, you can do that too.”

After saying that, I sharpened my gaze, scanning our surroundings. The characters who had kept their distance during our fight with Yudirei were now slowly approaching the disc.

“Why, do we look easier to handle compared to Yudirei?”

I exchanged a look with Gio, and surprisingly, that was enough for us to communicate our thoughts.

Turning my back to Gio, I ignited flames in my palms while Gio turned to face the approaching enemies from the opposite direction.

The sand under Gio’s feet seemed to move as one, ready to act.

This disc now belonged to Agasa. We weren’t about to let anyone else take it.

Boom!

A tiger, using a switch ability, leaped into the fray, setting off an explosion of colorful unique abilities. The area quickly turned into a chaotic battlefield.

In the midst of dodging attacks, finding openings, and throwing enemies off the disc, I found myself deep in thought, reminiscing.

Unexpectedly, Gio had understood my commands perfectly and followed my lead flawlessly. We worked together seamlessly.

In truth, your clash with Yudirei, using your sword, was incredibly majestic.

Even though I was floating helplessly due to the gravity manipulation, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of awe amidst the chaos.

Is there anyone else who looks this good on camera?

Even though he usually seems a bit lacking, Gio looks incredibly handsome when he’s fighting. A gap character, looking clumsy most of the time but transforming during battles? Yudirei is likely very popular with the audience, but Gio’s visuals turning her into the villain are just perfect.

Gio, you’re really protagonist material, even more than me.

[5 minutes remaining until the final 10 minutes!]

If we remain on this disc after five more minutes, we’ll be among the final survivors vying for the last spot.

The desert outside the disc had almost completely disappeared. Once the remaining few steps of land crumble away, only this disc will remain, floating in endless space.

When that happens, all the remaining characters will inevitably converge on this disc.

The characters who had survived until now were not the main forces of their guilds, but they were all skilled in their own right.

Boom!

Even characters that Gio had knocked down were tenaciously climbing back up. Their survival instincts were strong.

“……!”

In the meantime, I dodged a bullet aimed at my head by rolling away. I quickly retreated to Gio’s back, and he instinctively launched a counterattack in the direction of the sniper.

I was trying to avoid using fire too often to hide the fact that my output was weak, focusing on evasion and tackling instead. Does it make me look a bit cunning for a guild leader?

Still, with Gio dominating the disc like a true owner, maybe that’s enough.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew from one direction, making me stagger backward.

“What the…!”

I wasn’t the only one affected. Most characters wobbled or fell over. Those who had been making larger movements lost their balance and rolled away.

Whoosh.

Instinctively, I looked up and saw a large figure in the sky.