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

Despite being scared of her friend’s dragon breath for the first time, Lilith clung to Rudel’s arm.

“No, don’t hit him! I was the one who wanted to kiss first!”

Rudel’s hand paused for a moment. Her dark eyes, twisted beyond their usual coldness, turned to Lilith.

“Lilith, don’t cover for this guy!”

Slap, slap. Rudel’s hand struck the man’s back repeatedly.

“The more you cover for him, the more he gets hit!”

“It’s true! I really was the one who wanted to do it!”

Lilith was on the verge of tears as she clung to Rudel, but Rudel didn’t believe her. Despite trying to stop her, there was no way to control the furious Agasa guild leader. To make matters worse, Gio, who would normally have fought back, was taking the blows quietly, making it seem like he was genuinely at fault.

“Ouch, my hand hurts!”

Hitting Gio’s rock-hard muscles hurt more for the hitter. Rudel bent down, took off her indoor slipper, and started a second round of hitting.

The commotion was loud enough to be heard downstairs. Soon, other men rushed up the stairs. 

As soon as they came out, they saw their formidable guild leader causing havoc in the narrow observatory.

Even upon seeing Kanel and Unahar, the Agasa guild leader didn’t regain her senses.

“What are you looking at? Get in! Stay out of this!”

Shouting and pointing at the men’s faces, Rudel’s gaze suddenly caught a clear face through the chaos.

A boy with big brown eyes peering around the doorway stared at Rudel’s pointing finger.

“Uh, um….”

Finally, the Agasa guild leader’s reason returned.

‘…What did I just do in front of a kid?’

However, still unable to suppress her anger, Rudel issued a ban for all guild members.

“No dating in our guild!”

As soon as she shouted this, Rudel’s gaze met Unahar’s trembling eyes. But Rudel turned away without noticing anything.

“Get down! Let’s have the after-party!”

She yelled one last time as she stomped away.

* * *

That damned beast touched our Lilith….

I couldn’t shake off the shock for a while. My mind was blank.

It wasn’t until I had a separate conversation with Lilith that I could finally calm down.

A few days later, I called Gio out one night.

“It’s about Lilith.”

As soon as Lilith’s name left my mouth, the brazen muscle beast suddenly became restless, his eyes darting around nervously. 

Despite my bad mood, his reaction was almost laughable.

“So Lilith said she wanted to kiss first, huh? I’m sorry I didn’t believe you and hit you that time. But why didn’t you defend yourself?”

It was obvious. He must have felt guilty too!

…He probably couldn’t believe that Lilith kissed him, his face turning red with joy, unable to distinguish if it was a dream or reality. Scratching his head, Gio’s neck turned slightly red, likely because he was thinking about Lilith rather than because of me. 

What am I going to do with this fool…?

Honestly, I am aware that I might be crossing some lines here. However, given that we are practically in a state of war, I believe the guild leader has the right to intervene in the romantic affairs of the guild members to some extent. Moreover, if this fool Gio wants to win over our Lilith, he must meet certain qualifications.

I had already finished discussing the matter with Lilith.

“I’m sorry, Lilith. You’re too kind to refuse my request, so this might feel like coercion….”

Despite my words, sweet Lilith smiled brightly without any hint of reluctance.

“It’s okay, Rudel. I cherish Gio, but I also cherish you. I share your desire to achieve your dream.”

“Gio, read the notice I sent to your status window.”

[Quarterly Final Victory Reward]

The guild that achieves both the final individual ranking 1st place and guild ranking 1st place in the three-round guild war will earn the right to challenge the Champion.

The Champion, who was the 1st place in the ranking after the end of Round 1, is Taggiros.

Defeating this mysterious Champion grants the ‘Game Designer’s Authority’.

Upon receiving this notice, I felt a surge of exhilaration and a smirk formed on my lips.

See? Reaching the top will bring us clues to uncovering the secrets of this game.

If there were no significant rewards for the characters who risked their lives in the game, wouldn’t the users lose interest?

I don’t know exactly what the ‘Game Designer’s Authority’ entails, but there’s no more attractive reward for me. I will get it no matter what it takes.

I can achieve the guild ranking 1st place through my leadership. In fact, we are already nearing the top in the first-generation rounds.

But the individual ranking 1st place?

I can’t do that alone. Even if I could, it would take a long time.

So, I decided to bet on Gio, who has the S-grade earth ability.

“If it’s difficult now, when you eventually defeat formidable players like Aleon and achieve the individual 1st place, we’ll earn the right to challenge the Champion.”

I decided to place my bet on Gio. With his S-grade abilities, he had the potential.

“Bring me that. Then I’ll allow you to date Lilith.”

The extent of the impact this conditional promise would have on this man’s future remains to be seen.

* * *

Returning to the moment just after the third round of the guild war ended.

The array of exotic dishes spread lavishly on the table caught the eyes of the muscle Tarzan who used to hunt pigs in the forest.

Gio has become a civilized person now.

Despite being on the verge of sweeping the table with his hands immediately, he waited with those desperate eyes until I said, “You can eat.”

I deliberately moved slowly, distributing portions onto a large plate for each guild member, making Gio almost lose his mind with anticipation. I chose a variety of dishes, from sous vide lamb to oil pasta and seafood. I paid special attention to Akata’s plate, knowing he still needed to grow.

“Let’s sit at this empty table,” I said, guiding the others to a vacant table. Finally, I released the beast on the verge of madness.

“You can eat now.”

Let the beast feast ravenously… 

The rest of us gathered around and clinked our soda glasses in a refined celebration.

“Lilith, Akata, you did great in the third round! Well done!”

“And you and Gio in the second round too!” Unahar, in high spirits, kept leaning in and chatting with me. What I enjoyed most was hearing Lilith, having shed her self-doubt from the third round, chatter away happily.

While the good food and atmosphere reached their peak, Kanel was the only one to raise an objection, frowning slightly.

“Shouldn’t we be popping champagne for this?”

Was that his complaint? A twenty-year-old, younger than me, clamoring for alcohol?

“Let’s save that for when we win the fourth round. For now, settle for soda.”

Kanel reluctantly nodded, clearly still dissatisfied, and took a bite of the meat on his plate.

“Come to think of it, I wonder if any of us have a drinking habit.”

Seeing the characters get drunk would be a new appeal for the viewers. Since drinking inside the guild fortress wouldn’t be visible to the audience, maybe we should head to the PK arena or the marketplace…

“Alcohol? Is it tasty?”

“Depends on the person. Anyway, Lilith, you can’t drink. You’re still a minor at eighteen. Akata, definitely not for you either…”

Clatter. The next moment, the boy beside me put down his spoon and stood up.

“Can I stop eating now?”

That startled me.

At first, I wondered if Akata was offended by something, given his unusually low tone. But upon closer inspection, it seemed he was just full and didn’t want to waste the food.

“Already?”

Most of his plate was still full. I had prepared all this nutritious food just for him. I looked at him as if he were a date wanting to leave right after the movie. He hesitated a little, then looked at me with sorrowful eyes, clearly uncomfortable.

Is he feeling unwell? Now that I think about it, he does look paler than usual…

“Then go ask Gio if he wants what you’re leaving. Bring it to him and just sit next to him. Is that okay?”

Akata picked up his plate and approached the other table. Gio was still busy devouring the mountain of food in front of him. Akata seemed a bit intimidated by the scene and carefully placed his plate at the edge of the table.

“Akata, you need to speak directly to Gio.”

Akata’s social skills training is still ongoing. 

Then again, even I wouldn’t want to chat with a beast so engrossed in eating… 

As I turned back, Akata suddenly swayed, his body tilting sharply. It happened in an instant. I quickly threw my chair aside and reached out, but I was too far to catch him.

But then, incredibly,

Unbelievably,

Gio, who had been solely focused on stuffing his face, caught the falling Akata. It was a reflexive reaction.

“Hey, kid! Be careful.”

Gio responded to Akata’s fall, leaving his delicious food aside? And it wasn’t even for Lilith? I was purely moved.

Maybe Gio was just repaying the favor for the food Akata gave him, but it was still a moment worth celebrating.

In Gio’s muscular arms, Akata looked incredibly thin and fragile, almost like a matchstick.

Still…

“Have you not learned Akata’s name yet?” I muttered as I approached quickly.

“Kid’s name is hard.”

I took the boy from Gio’s arms, almost snatching him away. I brushed back Akata’s red hair and gently rubbed his pale cheek.