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

[Guild Return]

The triumphant return of the victors.

I could hardly contain my excitement as I returned to the fortress’s living room with Gio.

As soon as we arrived, I noticed a handsome blond man sitting on the sofa. The moment our eyes met, he sprang to his feet.

He must have been watching our match on the screen. His beautiful face was full of joy.

“Well done! You were amazing.”

Unahar came around the sofa with his arms outstretched, approaching us.

Huh?

Is it time for a hug? From Unahar? From this brightly smiling handsome man? …Isn’t the relationship between men and women different?

In the moment of my eyes shaking wildly in embarrassment,

Just before I was caught in Unahar’s embrace, I pushed Gio into his place.

“Ugh!”

“What the!”

At that moment, I noticed a familiar red-haired head poking out from the end of the sofa.

“Akata?”

Akata had come out of his room while I was away.

And he had been watching the match with Unahar, getting along well? What’s going on?

As soon as our eyes met, the boy tried to clamber over the back of the sofa.

But he tripped, and just as his head was about to hit the ground—

“Why do something you can’t manage!”

Unahar shouted as he caught Akata’s upper body.

I folded my arms and smiled.

“Have you two gotten a bit closer?”

“Not really.”

It was a bit surprising for the always kind and gentle man to respond so curtly, but since Akata didn’t seem to care about his answer, I considered it a draw between them.

Akata is so insignificant yet precious that, Unahar, you couldn’t just leave him alone.

Even if you particularly disapproved of Akata.

Once things settled down, Unahar approached and asked if he could give me a toss in celebration.

I barely managed to refuse and settled for a light shoulder hug as Unahar’s congratulatory gesture.

Still, receiving a more enthusiastic reaction than I expected made me feel pleased.

Come to think of it, Gio is the main contributor, but all he got was a “Well done” with no other reaction.

Of course, Gio didn’t seem to care much either…

Just then, after Unahar, Akata came running up to stand beside me.

I gestured to Unahar to wait a moment.

To encourage Akata’s expressive actions, I purposely bent down to meet his eye level and asked him directly.

“Akata, how did you find watching me play? Was it scary? But you still bravely kept watching me, didn’t you? Thank you.”

Akata’s brown eyes were as bright as if stars were about to fall from them.

“You were amazing.”

At first, I thought the boy would be flustered by my question, but it was I who was taken aback by his quiet reaction.

“I’ve never seen someone shine so brightly before. Even the sun isn’t brighter than you.”

He looked at me as if I were a hero of humanity.

Does this kid know how to flirt? It’s even scarier because it’s 100% genuine…

He wasn’t just enthusiastic about me; he was genuinely sharing in my victory. His once pale face now had a clear blush.

Feeling a bit dizzy, I gave an awkward, slight smile.

At that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs.

It must be Lilith and Kanel, the support team, returning after tidying up the observation deck.

Just as Gio and I had been outside during the round, they couldn’t leave the deck until the round was over.

Seeing Lilith, the angel, running towards me with a smile as if she owned the world, I felt a true sense of pride.

This is a reaction. Lilith, I live for moments like this.

“You worked so hard! Rudel! I could never have done what you did!”

Well, maybe you can’t do it like I did right now, but in the future, who knows?

“Soon, you’ll be out there fighting and experiencing the thrill of victory firsthand.”

Lilith’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t yet believed she could become a full-fledged combatant.

Though I knew she secretly admired me and wanted to support me.

Soon, a black-haired man stood beside me with his hands behind his back. Even the normally stern-faced Kanel had a gentle smile.

“Lilith and I didn’t do much. It wasn’t an overwhelming victory, but it was a splendid one because of that.”

“We were just lucky.”

“If that’s the case, then you’ll be lucky forever.”

Ah, is it a bit childish to say that as an adult?

Still, it feels great. My guild members praising me in their own ways.

But we can’t keep celebrating like this. This was just a small round.

I cleared my throat.

“You saw, right? We were lucky to take first place today, but this isn’t the final ranking. We need to perform well in rounds three and four to determine the final guild ranking. And, of course, the individual rankings will be added as well.”

After the fourth round, the guild rankings and individual rankings will be revealed.

When the viewers finally get to see the individual rankings they’ve been eagerly awaiting, I shouldn’t be ashamed, right?

We’ve secured a very advantageous early lead by taking first place in the first round of the guild competition.

However, you never know what might happen; we must stay vigilant to avoid being overtaken later.

“We were really just lucky. Death Run was a game that favored us. So we shouldn’t think we’re amazing. Of course, I appreciate you all praising me.”

I glanced at Akata as I continued.

“Never let your guard down. Because of this win, we’ve drawn significant attention from other guilds. In other words, other guilds might form alliances and try to target us, the first-place guild.”

So, the conclusion of this grand speech?

“Everyone, go train.”

[Name] Unahar

[Emotional State] Deflated

[Name] Kanel

[Emotional State] Doused with cold water

As my guild members’ emotional states visibly shifted one after another, a tense silence fell over us, as if they were about to boo me.

Fine, you can call me a tyrannical guild leader. I won’t back down.

However, Unahar soon regained his smile and playfully saluted.

“Yes, understood, Guild Leader!”

This man can really be cheerful when he wants to be.

“For you.”

Even Kanel gave a slight, stylish nod with a faint smile on his lips before following Unahar down to the basement.

In the now emptier living room, there was one unsightly fool left.

“Did I do well…?”

“Yes! You were amazing!”

Gio, the fool who lived only to hear those words from Lilith, grinned widely. He needed no praise from anyone else.

If there’s anyone who can humble Gio, it’s that small girl who barely reaches his shoulder.

“Gio, you can rest until dinner.”

At that moment, Gio froze, mid-chew on the fruit Lilith had handed him.

Chew, chew.

He chewed a couple more times, still with his mouth full, and said,

“This isn’t dinner.”

Right, fruit isn’t a meal… I let it slide.

But if he keeps snacking and saying, “This is just a snack, not dinner,” I’ll work him to the bone during his unique ability training.

Softly, someone tugged at my sleeve from behind.

Akata was looking up at me with bright, sparkling eyes.

His eyes seemed more lively now. Had something changed in him while I was away participating in the second round?

“I… I want to train too.”

A broad smile spread across my face.

“Alright, go change your clothes and wait for me in the underground gym.”

* * *

As usual, the training ground was sweltering.

Everyone had gotten so accustomed to it that they could complete their daily workout in just a few hours.

Should I talk to Unahar about significantly increasing the workout load? To boost our stats even more?

But today, there was a bit of a distraction.

Lilith, glancing over at me while running on the treadmill, almost tripped with a startled “Ah!”

She vigorously shook her head at me, as I extended my hand in surprise, indicating that it was nothing.

“Don’t get distracted. It’s dangerous.”

“Yes, sorry!”

She glanced at me again.

Under the bright lights of the gym, the boy’s red hair shone even more brilliantly, as if it were on fire.

His pale arms, exposed by the loose workout clothes, looked so fragile that they seemed like they might crumble under the lights.

I didn’t show it, but I was nervously twitching my fingers.

[Name] Akata

[Health] 92 / [Emotional State] Sense of Loss

“Why is your health down?”

He hadn’t been sick with a fever last night, so why was his health in this state?

Akata had finally declared he would train, skipping his usual nap for the first time and starting his workout in the training area.

He was taking it just as seriously as the other guild members, so what was the issue?

Akata, checking his status window, seemed puzzled and stared into the air. Then he lowered his brown eyes.

“I don’t know.”

“Then tell me what you suspect. Did anything feel off when you woke up today?”

“I’m sleepy. My eyes want to close…”

This kid used to sleep about 18 hours a day.

To improve his habits quickly in preparation for the next round, I made him sleep only 12 hours today and get out of bed.

Now, here he was, dozing off in the middle of the gym.

Once he admitted he was sleepy, he couldn’t stop. His eyes were drooping, and he kept rubbing them.

[Health] 92

[Health] 91

Startled.

Seeing Akata’s health decrease by one point in real-time, I silently panicked. Akata didn’t see my reaction.

Stats… We need to increase his basic stats quickly. Since he’s an F-rank, he should move up to the higher ranks soon, right?

Then this health decline phenomenon will stop. Quickly!

“Let’s finish the assigned amount, then you can rest right away, okay?”