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

Kanel positioned the landing zone for the subordinate group near Spot 44. With the deployment time imminent, he barely managed to send one last message to Rudel.

“Blance is using treacherous tactics. Be wary; his schemes aim to divide our guild.”

For the first time, he referred to it as “our guild” in front of others.

***

Kanel, the training instructor of the Agasa Guild, thought once again that the temperament of the trainees didn’t match his own.

“Let’s go! Fighting!”

Where else would you find an enthusiastic group of 30 members forming a circle, cheering together before a sortie? At the center, of course, was an energetic young man, wearing a swift combat suit and proudly bearing a captain’s badge—Nahean, the youthful commander of the subordinate group, whom Rudel had appointed.

“Don’t get hurt! But if you do, don’t be scared!”

“How am I supposed to respond to that?”

Laughter rippled through the group. Nahean just smiled.

It felt like a scene out of a sports manga, full of youthful exuberance. At that moment, Kanel experienced an inexplicable, slightly cringing sensation, known formally as “cringe.”

Nahean, too soft-hearted to be a commander, had surprisingly managed to unify and energize the subordinate group. Kanel watched Nahean at the center of the group from a distance.

‘Everyone drawn to Rudel…’

As time passed, the first deployment of the subordinate group in the fourth round was decided. The drop timing, designated by Rudel, was for the opening of the second capture zone, Area 2, which fell in the middle phase of the round.

Hidden in the ceiling, Kanel aimed his sniper rifle.

Waaah—!

Soon, dozens of members, clad in the Agasa Guild’s distinctive sunlit colors, poured into Spot 44 within his sniper range. Dust rose throughout the factory as the ground echoed with the pounding of feet.

Thwack!

The leading man successfully speared an enemy player. The Agasa subordinate group was trained primarily in spear techniques. Red dots appeared on the square capture spot as they took more than half of it, engaging in fierce combat.

Pff, pshh—.

At regular intervals, Kanel’s sniper rifle fired silently.

Kanel’s gaze remained steady as he systematically targeted and eliminated the enemy soldiers from above, sending them back to the fortress with each precise shot. Initially, he had anticipated the subordinate group’s defeat. Objectively speaking, it seemed inevitable.

After all, he had trained them himself and was well aware of their basic stats. Most of them were C-rank fighters who couldn’t take him down even if three of them attacked at once. Could Nahean and Rudel’s plan really work? Could combining three C-ranks truly form a B-rank?

The answer lay below him.

“…”

His dark eyes widened in surprise.

“Hiyah!”

“Yah!”

The subordinate group steadily thrust their spears. Individually, their strength was lacking; in a one-on-one fight, many would end up injured. Moreover, their other issue was a lack of confidence—a trait that was not advantageous in a combat game. However, their perfect teamwork stemmed from this very mindset.

None of them rushed out alone, driven by the thought, ‘I’ll kill that enemy and achieve glory!’ Even if they felt like a single thrust would finish an opponent, they didn’t act recklessly. Instead, they worked together, cautiously overwhelming the enemy with a coordinated effort.

‘Each one is a small fish. But as long as they stay together, they combine to form a large fish…’

As Kanel recalled Rudel’s speech from the first day of training the subordinate group, he was suddenly alerted by a shout from below.

“There’s a sniper!”

Some enemy player had astutely noticed the pattern of their comrades falling before the spears even reached them.

Thanks to his ‘Bullet Acceleration’ ability, his shots were undetectable, but Kanel prepared to move just in case.

“I don’t know where he is!”

“Use your ability to find him!”

Ability? Kanel was caught off guard as his vision turned slightly yellow. He stifled a groan, quickly covering his mouth.

What kind of ability is this? A long-range attack triggered by the condition of ‘target not in line of sight’?

Despite his swift action to cover his mouth, it was too late. Blood trickled from his lips as if his insides were twisting. Amid the pain, Kanel sharply scanned the scene below.

There, amidst the chaos, stood a player who had momentarily paused, clearly the one using the ability.

Even in the midst of the turmoil, Kanel’s aim was steady. He fired.

Bang!

However, the bullet did not pierce the enemy’s head. It must have been deflected by another attack from a comrade. The enemy sharply looked up, seemingly locking eyes with Kanel.

“There you are?” he sneered as if he could see everything.

“…!”

At that moment, Nahean, amid the subordinate group, looked up. Even amidst the chaos, he raised his bloodied hand and shouted instructions.

Kanel, who had been catching his breath with the sniper rifle in hand, saw the scene unfold. Suddenly, like a school of fish changing direction, the red-clad contingent surged towards the 5 o’clock direction where Nahean had signaled. It was where the player who had dispersed the yellow mist with their abilities was located.

The Agasa subordinate group swiftly surrounded the player by the dozen and brought him down. The yellow mist disappeared instantly. Kanel, hidden in his vantage point, stifled his coughing as he regained his composure.

Even without Kanel’s sniper support, the subordinate group managed to eliminate nearly all enemies on the spot. Soon, the spot glowed orange, indicating that only one guild remained, attempting to secure the capture.

“Sir, are you okay?” someone tried to look up and ask, but Nahean quickly shushed them, turning their head away.

“Pretend you don’t know! Even if the fight is over, the sniper must remain hidden! The round isn’t over yet!”

“Oh, sorry. I was careless.”

As a training instructor and senior player, Kanel found himself being helped by the subordinate group he had trained. It was a positive shock, making his head buzz.

Rudel, what kind of power do you possess to uplift everyone around you?

“Maintain formation! Don’t let your guard down until the capture is confirmed!”

Individually, the subordinate group members were weak and frail, but in this battle, they managed their injuries without breaking down. They maintained discipline and didn’t relax their vigilance. Occasionally, they exchanged warm glances with each other.

Well done. You did well. We all did well. Those were the messages conveyed through their eyes.

“Well done.”

Rudel often gave such praise too.

In this brief lull where no shooting was necessary, Kanel couldn’t help but think of Rudel. She was a guild leader who might appear shrewd and cold on the outside, but she was, in fact, someone who knew how to warmly embrace her guild members better than anyone.

Especially the determined look in her eyes, as if she’s resolute in raising her people into outstanding individuals. Rudel’s followers call it the look of ’embrace’ or ‘trust.’ That’s why they follow her without doubt. Yet sometimes, in those bright and steadfast eyes, there seemed to be a hint of murky fervor.

Kanel, usually terrible at understanding others’ hearts, made a special effort to understand Rudel. Over time, he learned a few things about his guild leader.

‘She’s cheerful, yet sometimes she seems deeply lost in thought, as if engulfed in darkness.’

‘Besides enjoying victory and surviving, is there something else she desperately wants? Anger? Hatred? …Personal desire?’

If it’s personal desire, what could it be directed at?

“Didn’t she touch people with her little family act and make them dedicate their lives to her? She’s not as calculated as me, nor genuinely good like Aleon…”

Blance’s words, meant to disrupt them, unexpectedly held a crucial context. He put into words the vague unease Kanel had felt about Rudel for a long time.

‘Is Rudel hiding a personal goal?’

Could it be that her devoted care for her people was driven by an ulterior motive?

For the first time among the Agasa guild members, Kanel noticed the shadow cast over Rudel’s otherwise reliable demeanor.

‘If Rudel has a plan that’s solely for herself, unrelated to her people…’

Then she wouldn’t align with Kanel’s idea of the ‘most ideal leader and complete individual.’ He might have misjudged her. However…

Facing the truth that he might have made a wrong choice, he smiled faintly.

‘Even if Rudel harbors a personal ideal, it’s too late to turn back now. I can only continue to be her hands and feet and follow her.’

Now, even the idea that she had personal ambitions made Rudel seem even more special to him, as if she possessed a passion others lacked. But what was this ‘passion that others lacked’?

Kanel tried to form a vague idea in his mind but quickly gave up and dismissed the thought.

‘A decision once made does not change.’

He had always vowed to make the right choices, and if that choice was ever proven wrong, he thought his head wouldn’t be worth keeping. It was a mission given to him from the moment his character was created.

Moreover, he learned from Rudel that making the right choice was important, but once a path was chosen, it was also crucial to proceed without looking back.

‘The Agasa Guild is now an inseparable part of my identity.’