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

The escape exit was right in front of him, yet why did Unahar think it would be hard to shake off Blance? The ghost didn’t follow or try to catch him, nor did he respond to Unahar’s words. He just stood there.

Finally, Unahar reached the factory zone of Area 2. Rudel must have been waiting for him! He scanned the area frantically and ran toward their rendezvous point. As he recalled the ghost’s indifferent expression, he felt a pang of anxiety. He had rejected the proposal, which should have disrupted Blance’s plan, yet his calm demeanor made Unahar uneasy. Was it just a poker face, or did he have another scheme?

All of this might have been a ploy to stall for time. Time was crucial in a territory battle. But if the guild leader himself wasted time on a single player, it would ultimately harm his own guild…

“Rudel!”

Just seeing her face cleared away all his troubling thoughts, brightening his mind. Rudel was standing in front of a capture spot, clenching her fist in quiet triumph after knocking a man unconscious.

“Blance, a guild master from another guild, tried to seduce me!”

So excited and thrilled to see her, Unahar couldn’t help but blurt out what was essentially tattling the moment he saw her. Rudel’s eyes widened.

“Blance tried to seduce you because of your looks?”

There were players with those preferences, though the age difference was significant. More importantly, she didn’t approve of romantic relationships with members of other guilds…

Hearing her mutter to herself, Unahar panicked. “No, he tried to persuade me!”

He almost shouted, “I’m only attracted to you! How can you say that about anyone else?” but managed to hold it back. Instead, he explained Blance’s proposal in detail, his face flushed with embarrassment. Since the explanation was long, he had to fight back-to-back with Rudel using his bazooka instead of transforming into a wolf.

After listening to everything, Rudel said, “He didn’t propose a merger to me as the guild master.”

So, was Blance’s proposal a scam after all?

At that moment, Rudel received a communication from the vice guild leader.

[“Sender: Kanel. Entered Area 2. Found a sniper spot and waiting at Capture Spot 44.”]

Kanel, who currently had vice guild leader privileges, was the only one who could communicate back to the guild leader, yet he still identified himself and reported his status.

[“Our subordinate group’s first battle is about to begin.”]

Rudel exchanged a quick glance with Unahar and gave a faint smile. It was all coming together. With Gio isolated and securing one spot, Unahar transforming into a wolf to secure another, and Kanel assisting the subordinate group to secure a third, victory seemed within reach. If one guild could hold three out of twenty-five capture spots, the gap would widen significantly.

As expected, the battle was progressing favorably, and Rudel was satisfied. However, Kanel paused before bringing up another topic.

[“Rudel, have you ever met someone named Blance?”]

It seemed that after failing to persuade Unahar, Blance had approached Kanel as well.

***

As soon as the round started, Blance immediately stabbed himself in the neck, ending his life. In the game, death leads to instant return to the fortress, but Blance had a unique exception.

—

[Name] Blance  

[Health • Strength • Agility Average] A+  

[Ability Type] Soul  

[Unique Ability] Phantom  

[Overall Rank] A+

—

His unique ability, Phantom, had ranked first in rarity among Soul-type abilities in the preliminary rankings of the first round. Even after dying, he did not return to the fortress; instead, he remained in a ghost-like state and continued the round. He was recognized as the same entity as before death and could fully participate in the game, though he couldn’t exert physical force. Despite not having actually lived for over 40 years, he exuded a worn-out aura because he lacked the human traits of fear and pain.

Using this ability, Blance, the guild master of Blue Monday, approached the Agasa guild. Taking advantage of Agasa guild members scattering to reach Area 2, he met with them one-on-one in the single-person passage.

The event happened when he approached the next guild member after Unahar.

“I am Blance—”

Bang! 

A character with black hair suddenly fired a gun.

[“I will always make the right choice.”]

This was Kanel, a player with a character designed to embody meticulousness, making each shot count. He was a peculiar one, exercising such cautious judgment.

It was quite prudent to shoot first without even trying to identify the mysterious figure. However, the bullet passed right through the ghostly Blance. Only then did Kanel, who had been about to pull the trigger again, narrow his eyes and stop.

“I propose a merger between our guilds.”

Blance’s motivation in this fourth round was simple. 

‘After three rounds, the guild rankings are determined, and the lowest-ranking guild will all be killed.’

In a game where lives were at stake, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to win. No matter how disgraceful or shameful, deceiving the Agasa guild members to create discord was a small price to pay.

However, Kanel’s response was immediate and decisive.

“You may not know me, but I have known you for a long time.”

Kanel’s eyes swept over the cynical, semi-transparent middle-aged man. The current guild leaders were mostly those who had already stood out in the preliminary selection of the first round. They had already taken their places as leaders of their followers from the beginning.

Kanel had decided to follow Rudel in that first round, having seen through the characteristics of the other candidates. Thus, he quickly deduced what kind of scheme Blance might be plotting. He voiced his suspicion.

“The merger proposal is a trick. You plan to destroy Rudel’s guild, don’t you?”

Rudel’s guild had few members. If just two members left, it would fall below the minimum number required to sustain the guild. If Rudel accepted the merger proposal, Blance would likely try to absorb her guild into his larger one. During this process, if roughly half of Rudel’s guild joined Blue Monday, Blance could use trickery to sever the connection.

[Agasa Guild, disqualified due to insufficient members.]

He intended to show Rudel this message right before her eyes. Kanel quickly realized this was a ploy to eliminate a competitor with a few smooth words.

“….”

Blance was a shameless opportunist who would do anything to secure his place in the guild rankings.

“All your plans have been exposed,” Kanel growled.

Blance remained surprisingly calm, even as his schemes were laid bare. Instead of clinging to his failed plan, he immediately switched tactics, revealing his true nature.

“Why would someone like you follow Rudel? If you call me wicked, then does that make Rudel noble?”

This was Blance’s true self.

“Rudel is the darkest of all. She touches people with her little family act and then makes them dedicate their lives to her. But she’s neither as calculated as me nor genuinely good like Aleon. She’s just a mediocre leader—”

Bang!

Another bullet passed through Blance’s semi-transparent head. While it didn’t cause actual harm, it served as a sufficient warning.

“Leave,” Kanel commanded, maintaining his stern expression and raising his middle finger as if warding off an evil spirit.

The ghostly Blance vanished quickly without a hint of agitation. Kanel fired a few more shots at the vanishing ghost, using the moment for target practice.

Then a thought struck him.

‘Did he assume that I, being the most distant from the concept of family within the guild, would fall for his nonsense?’

His eyebrows furrowed.

‘I also have a… family.’

Kanel quickly dismissed the thought and sprinted towards Area 2.

Blending seamlessly into the background, every movement Kanel made was meticulous and precise, reminiscent of a masked thief in the night. His years of rigorous training with his guildmates had paid off. Moving stealthily among the container boxes and machinery, he carefully scouted spots 26 through 50. Spot 44 appeared to be an ideal location for a sniper to infiltrate, given its advantageous terrain.

The factory was filled with machinery, high ceilings, vents, and lights scattered about in disarray. After drinking an invisibility potion, Kanel slung the sniper rifle over his shoulder and climbed up the duct without hesitation. This was a skill his guild leader had personally ensured he mastered, stating that a sniper must be able to ascend to any height. He had undergone various training exercises, from climbing trees without ropes to scaling slippery surfaces with friction gloves.

“You’re doing well.”

“When I ask you to do one thing, you accomplish ten… You’re good at everything.”

Kanel recalled the serious praise from the woman with black eyes. Though his face remained expressionless, his grip tightened slightly as he climbed the duct.

“You’re trying too hard. If you try to outdo me, you’ll end up overexerting yourself. Take breaks.”

“I won’t become a poor leader who forces my guild members to struggle just to move forward.”

You don’t need to make an effort to encourage me. I share your mindset and am willing to push myself endlessly for my ideals. But who encourages you, Rudel?

“Rudel, please take it easy!”

“Let’s stop exercising and eat cake, okay?”

‘The guild members all do,’ he realized.

Kanel felt a bit foolish for momentarily thinking Rudel might be lonely. Shortly after, he secured his sniper position and sent a brief communication.

[“Our subordinate group’s first battle is about to begin.”]