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

Lilith was quite different from her friend, Rudel, in many ways. Unlike Agasa, the guild leader who relished the rivalry as the destiny of a champion, Rudel could remain composed thanks to her resilient companions. However, this third round had brought weak players, who had benefited from the guild’s protection, into the spotlight.

At least Akata, who had accompanied them, had the courage to kill when necessary. Physical limitations were the only reason for their participation in the round. But what about Lilith?

“…Our guild would be perfect without me.”

Asking her to mutter to herself for the viewers’ amusement had ultimately led Lilith to say unimaginable things. The viewers watching were momentarily stunned. Rudel, who should have noticed her muttering first, had coincidentally moved away to scout ahead.

Rustle.

“Ah!”

At that moment, Lilith was startled by a sudden presence behind her, causing her to fall to the ground, hitting her leg against a hard rock.

“Gasp…”

Without time to check her injury, Lilith, on the verge of tears, had to aim the staff Rudel had given her at the approaching figures. Fortunately, the two people before her did not appear hostile.

“Calm down! We’re not enemies. Relax. If you don’t believe me, listen to us.”

“Listen to my introduction too.”

One person raised their hands, showing they were harmless, while the other had a clearly bewildered expression. They didn’t seem to be part of the same group but appeared to share a common goal.

“I’m Zaet from Redmonarch.”

“I’m Kanji from the Ice Castle.”

Lilith lowered the staff she had held up in confusion and struggled to her feet. They were from Aleon’s Ice Castle and Shemarin’s Redmonarch, Agasa’s allies. They were the only people Lilith had met who did not show malice toward her.

“Lady Shemarin wants a good relationship with Rudel’s guild. That’s why we came to help you.”

“Indeed, Lord Aleon is yelling beside me, ‘We can’t just watch while Rudel’s person is in danger-.'”

“You too?”

“Me too.”

Lilith found herself wanting to trust their gentle faces, feeling a surge of emotion that almost made her smile. She glanced at Rudel’s doppelganger, who had returned by her side. Through her ranking battle training with Rudel, Lilith had learned that she should not trust people unconditionally; she should always harbor a bit of doubt.

Rudel’s replica scrutinized Zaet and Kanji carefully before nodding slightly at Lilith, indicating that it was safe to trust them for now. Understanding this, Lilith’s expression brightened.

“Thank you for your kindness. It’s not easy when everyone is fighting for rankings…”

The beautiful girl lowered her eyes slightly, her cheeks blushing. Though Zaet and Kanji were not particularly close, they both felt a sense of awkwardness and embarrassment, glancing at each other.

“So, we cooperate for now. It’s not difficult to go to the cave entrance together.”

“Lord Aleon told us to help, so we will. I’m not someone who can bring good results anyway, so I should at least follow his orders.”

Lilith turned to Rudel’s doppelganger and smiled brightly. She was a fragile yet resilient girl who could easily smile again despite her earlier sadness.

‘Thank you, Rudel. It’s thanks to you maintaining good relationships with Aleon and Shemarin!’

With companions to accompany her to the entrance where the tentacle monster was, Lilith felt a surprising sense of calm. Taking a moment to breathe, Lilith’s thoughts shifted to others who might be in danger.

She thought of the frail boy, alone in the cave teeming with hostile individuals, just like her.

“Akata is weaker than I am. I’m grateful you came to help me, but it would have been better if you had helped Akata.”

She muttered this absentmindedly, but upon hearing it, Kanji’s expression changed drastically.

“Do you really think so? You have a strange way of looking at your guild members. That kid is an S-class ability user.”

Kanji’s displeased tone made Lilith gasp.

“Other players will be upset if they hear that, so be careful.”

Zaet’s murmured words further shocked her. Lilith stiffened.

“You benefit from Akata’s S-class abilities, so it’s easy for you to worry about him. Others see his participation as unfair, suspecting it might be a trick by Guild Leader Rudel because his body is only D-class.”

Lilith was so surprised she couldn’t even refute.

No, that’s not true.

She had countless reasons to deny the misunderstanding, but the words stuck in her throat.

‘I, I didn’t mean to boast. I really worry about Akata because he’s often sick and struggling. I don’t want a child to go through such hardships…’

However, Lilith would later realize that her worries about Akata were indeed unnecessary.

Rudel, who had been silently following alongside, suddenly appeared unsettled. Her eyes lacked focus, as if she were seeing a different place entirely.

“Akata…!”

With a grimace, Rudel disappeared without a second thought. Just before she left, Lilith barely caught the prearranged hand signal for “Akata.”

‘What happened to Akata? What if he’s surrounded by dangerous people like I was? What if he’s hurt-!’

Lilith felt her mind going blank with worry. However, the live broadcast revealed a situation entirely opposite to her fears.

[Player Akata has recorded a total damage of 1,897,384!]

Lilith’s eyes widened.

[Currently ranked first by a wide margin, Agasa Guild!]

Lilith would never forget the way Zaet and Kanji, who were walking ahead, turned to look at her upon hearing this. They gave her strange looks upon realizing her guild was now guaranteed first place.

She feared they might change their minds about helping her and turn hostile instead. Fortunately, they were not so petty.

“This is why small guilds are great. Even if you pick the weakest member, they turn out to be incredibly strong compared to the overall average.”

Kanji from the Ice Castle, though somewhat sharp, let the matter of Akata slide rather nonchalantly. Still, his comment sounded like a sneer, making Lilith flinch slightly.

“Redmonarch is also small… but in this case, I’m just not very capable.”

Zaet, as Redmonarch grew, had focused more on guild management and strategy rather than combat, making him one of the least physically capable members. Yet, he didn’t particularly scorn Akata either.

However, Lilith could no longer comfortably follow these two. Her shoulders slumped, and she began to lose confidence. She started to become more self-conscious.

She, who longed to give and receive love and was kind beyond words, had ultimately learned about the harsh world.

‘I am the only one causing trouble in our guild.’

* * *

The damage Akata inflicted on the tentacle monster at the escape route was nearly 500 times the average of other participants. From that moment, the ranking did not change.

[Currently ranked first by a wide margin, Agasa Guild!]

The winner of the third round was virtually decided.

‘…I didn’t contribute anything.’

Lilith thought blankly.

‘And I haven’t even reached the escape route for the third round yet…’

Akata carried the third round. Whether Lilith reached the exit safely or not no longer mattered. They were already in first place. Regardless of what Lilith did for the remainder of the third round, the outcome would be the same. Even Rudel seemed to have gone to check on Akata, leaving Lilith alone.

“Akata needs your unique ability. He’s weaker than you…” Rudel had emphasized this to her before the round started. That’s why Lilith had tried so hard to match her pace so they could both escape together. But even Rudel couldn’t have anticipated the current situation. 

Well, since they secured first place, it all worked out in the end.

‘Akata is amazing. It’s only natural, given how hard he’s worked,’ Lilith thought, trying to send her admiration silently. But a small, timid voice escaped her lips.

“I wanted to help…”

Once, when Lilith was reading a letter from the sky, Rudel had hastily hidden it from her.

“Don’t read it.”

“Why?”

“The way they talk is too crude. Only I need to read it. None of our guild members read those.”

Rudel had locked the comments, feeling it was inappropriate for the guild members to read them. But the words Lilith had read before were still etched in her memory. ‘Gio’s girl,’ or ‘Gio’s awakening button.’ 

Without her pretty appearance and gentle personality, no one saw Lilith as valuable in combat. Everyone viewed her as a player who wasn’t even worth one person. Initially, Lilith accepted this humbly. But gradually, she lost confidence and became more withdrawn. 

She worried that she seemed useless to the guild members. Lilith knew Gio liked her. She also knew he was participating in this game because of her.

“…Am I just a motivator for Gio and nothing more?”

“Huh? What did you say?” Kanji, walking ahead, turned back. Lilith kept her mouth shut. However, those in the sky had certainly heard her muttering. 

Even Rudel’s efforts to protect Lilith’s pure spirit couldn’t stop the dark curtain gradually descending over her.