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

The passage to Area 2 was dark and narrow. Far ahead, the light from the escape exit appeared as a tiny dot. Unahar ran with his head bowed low, feeling a twisted sensation in his stomach.

‘I’m going to have bad thoughts.’

It wasn’t just a feeling; the thoughts had already started. Gradually, an unpleasant sensation he despised but couldn’t shake off crawled up from his feet. The psychological shock of transforming back from a wolf earlier had been significant. It was fortunate that he had managed to hide his nausea and smile calmly in front of Rudel.

He needed to run faster to prevent these negative emotions from consuming his mind. Fortunately, the light from the exit was steadily getting closer. He had been worried that there might be more traps set by the players, causing the path to seem endless no matter how far he ran, but thankfully, this wasn’t the case. As soon as he had these thoughts, guilt followed.

‘…Pathetic, worrying about things that haven’t even happened. Lowering your own morale like this.’

The truth was, there was something else that darkened Unahar’s heart. 

“…”

Rudel’s eyes, looking up at him as if unsure how to respond to his revealed feelings, haunted him. After facing those eyes head-on, he could no longer lean his cheek against Rudel’s hand as she stroked him. It’s fine. I expected this. At least she doesn’t hate me. Things might change in the future. Unless something extraordinary happens, like Akata, whom Rudel especially cares for, suddenly growing into an adult…

He forced his thoughts to shift. Today’s wolf had truly excelled. He felt immense satisfaction in being able to serve as Rudel’s loyal subordinate once again. Of course, there had been embarrassing trial and error, like losing his mind and rubbing against Rudel, but still.

Unahar’s nape reddened as he recalled those moments. What would Rudel think if she knew that, sprawled out on the training room floor together, he had thought it wouldn’t be so bad if something had happened between them? Would she be horrified? Probably not just Rudel, but the entire guild would be shocked. His face might be bright and flawless, but how could his insides be so sinister, cowardly, and despicable?

As the exit grew completely near, Unahar managed to shake off his thoughts. Rudel’s most earnest desire was victory. He had resolved to embrace the wolf persona solely for her sake, and he couldn’t let distracting thoughts cause him to miss fulfilling her wish.

Unahar, who was diligently running while worrying about the guild master being alone, suddenly noticed something blocking his path. Amid the pouring light, a semi-transparent figure had been standing there for who knows how long.

Was it a field administrator?

Without slowing down, he squinted to identify the figure, and simultaneously, its voice echoed.

“My name is Blance.”

‘…!’

Startled by the clear, low voice, Unahar came to an abrupt halt, his feet scraping against the passageway. If it were a field administrator, there should have been a distinctive mechanical tone, but this was undeniably a human voice.

“Let’s have a brief conversation.”

Time was of the essence, but despite wanting to ignore him and run past, Unahar found himself unable to move. He couldn’t bring himself to turn his back on this ghostly figure. Though unlikely, the figure looked exactly like a ghost out of a book—a semi-transparent form that seemed like it would pass through his hand if he tried to touch it.

‘If I die, I’ll return straight to the fortress… Is this just an illusion? But I haven’t even encountered this person’s main body, so how could I be under an illusion already?’

Even if characters didn’t have a concept of the afterlife, the aura emitted by the dead was instinctively off-putting. Unahar took a couple of steps back, sweating, while glancing sideways at the remaining length of the passageway behind the ghost.

“I once met your guild master at the shop.”

It certainly seemed like this wasn’t a real ghost or some bizarre creature but an ordinary player. Was this ghostly appearance part of some unique ability? With this thought, his fear subsided slightly. 

But he met Rudel? This guy dared to?

Caught up in these thoughts, Unahar forgot he should be wary of the enemy’s words and ended up listening to everything the ghost had to say.

“Let me be blunt. Blance, the guild master of Blue Monday, proposes a merger with the Agasa guild.”

Unahar’s eyes widened at the proposal. It was such an outlandish suggestion that he couldn’t even think to refuse or question it. He just stared at the ghost, bewildered, as if doubting his own ears.

“Your guild master seems to greatly respect the opinions of the guild members. So, instead of convincing just the guild master, I thought it would be more trustworthy to meet each member and ask for their opinion politely.”

Blance, the ghost, continued speaking regardless of Unahar’s shock. His deep, pleasant voice echoed heavily in the narrow passageway, almost coaxing Unahar to open his heart.

As Unahar stared at him, a question arose. This passage was supposed to allow only one person through, so how was Blance standing here with him? If more than one person entered, the passage was supposed to explode, wasn’t it?

…Maybe, since he’s a ghost, he doesn’t count as an ‘individual.’

“You’re wondering why I’m making this proposal, aren’t you? It’s simple. I do whatever it takes for survival and victory. A merger between guilds is nothing special. It’s an easy and healthy path.”

Unlike most players, he was of a mature age, and his manner of speaking was different. He spoke with a commanding presence, like an orator, breaking off just enough to captivate the listener. At the same time, he skillfully probed at his opponent’s vulnerabilities.

While Unahar pondered why someone he had never met would make such a proposal to the Agasa guild, Blance continued speaking smoothly as if he could see right through him.

“I mentioned earlier that I met Rudel at the shop. The Rudel I saw… seemed to be struggling alone.”

The pointed observation made Unahar clench his fists. He was furious at Blance for prying into his guild’s affairs, but at the same time, he felt guilty for burdening Rudel.

“If the guilds merge, only one of us—either Rudel or I—will have the formal title of guild master, but the other will still wield significant authority.”

Blance spoke convincingly, suggesting that this would lighten Rudel’s load. It was infuriating, but he wasn’t wrong. Unahar wanted to shout at him to mind his own business, but knowing how much Rudel was suffering, he couldn’t just lash out recklessly.

“The reason Rudel isn’t accepting you is because she’s carrying too much on her shoulders.”

Unahar’s eyes widened for the second time at these words. Then, his face flushed—not out of embarrassment but out of humiliation. How did this man know about his feelings for the guild master? It wasn’t as if he had peeked inside the guild fortress.

Could it be…?

“Have you been following us around in ghost form, eavesdropping? Able to pass through any restricted area?”

Unahar’s voice grew sharp as a blade. Wondering if physical attacks could even affect a ghost, he raised his bazooka, readying himself for an attack. As Blance said, the core of the Agasa guild was Rudel. Without her, the five guild members would scatter. They were all drawn to Rudel. Among them, Unahar particularly admired her.

How did Blance understand all this?

Had he spied on them using his ghost abilities, stealing both battle information and personal details? Standing in front of the exit to Area 2, Unahar glared at the ghost with his yellow eyes shrouded in a thick veil of hostility.

But the ghost, Blance, firmly shook his head. As he did, blood trickled down from a line across his neck, as if he were a ghost that had died by decapitation.

“No. How could a player betray the system? I inferred it all from the available information.”

Upon hearing this, Unahar reconsidered. Indeed, Blance’s statements could be deduced with just a bit of observation. Hadn’t Rudel and he just had a significant conversation in Area 1? If Blance had secretly watched that, understanding the dynamics between Rudel and himself wouldn’t have been impossible. He must have seen Unahar’s flushed eyes and Rudel’s troubled gaze.

‘Even just reviewing past round footage would have given him a good sense of the relationships, overall strength, and tendencies within the Agasa guild. Blance must have thoroughly researched and approached me with confidence.’

However, this issue was not something a mere guild member should discuss. Unahar’s role would end by deferring the decision to Rudel, claiming he had no authority to decide.

‘But I don’t like it.’

Even if there was the slightest chance that Rudel might consider accepting Blance’s proposal, Unahar couldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t allow Rudel to get involved with someone so calculating and meticulous. 

The reason Unahar felt such aversion towards this stranger was simple: he shared the same disposition. Both he and Blance were the type of people who were different on the inside than they appeared on the outside, determined to relentlessly pursue what they wanted.

Finally making up his mind, Unahar spoke, “No.”

Why had he hesitated until now? Refusing was so easy. Feeling a newfound sense of confidence, he boldly walked past Blance.

Blance’s mistake was bringing up the idea that a guild merger would give Rudel the breathing room to consider Unahar’s unrequited feelings. 

“If Rudel is struggling, I’ll just try harder. We’ll solve it ourselves.”

Moreover, Unahar hated the idea of outsiders joining Agasa. Was it because the current six members were enough? Because he didn’t want to disrupt the family-like harmony? The current guild atmosphere was indeed comfortable, so those reasons held some truth. But his more honest feelings were these:

‘I can’t stand the thought of another man getting close to Rudel.’

Just before leaving the passage, he turned back once more.

“And stay out of others’ love lives. It makes me want to kill.”