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

As expected, my right-hand man Kanel values loyalty to me over his friendship with Akata. He soon revealed everything he knew.

“So, Unahar took Akata, they had a huge fight, and when you arrived, Unahar was unconscious in his human form, and Akata was injured?”

Alright, so Akata is the reason Unahar’s defect disappeared. Akata caused an incident—a major one at that. But is it just a problem for me? By now, Akata has likely become a significant person of interest to the GMs as well.

For the first time, I felt a deep sense of fear. Akata had arbitrarily altered someone else’s unique ability. He likely hacked into the program and forcibly removed the rampage setting.

He willingly used a bug. A character within the game broke a taboo.

‘Why would that smart kid do such a thing…?’

I’ve tried so hard to stay out of the GMs’ crosshairs!

But no, if I had that kind of power, I might have done the same. I was deeply troubled by Unahar’s suffering, after all.

I took a deep breath and drank a glass of cold water, calming myself. My mind started working faster.

Right, let’s say the rampaging wolf was in front of me. And let’s say there’s a red button in my hand that could completely expel the wolf from Unahar.

I would have pressed it without a second thought.

This happened because Akata thinks of Unahar as family and empathized with his pain. So, I can’t blame Akata for this.

Moreover, Akata did it while being pinned under the wolf’s paw. It means there was also a survival instinct at play.

Ultimately, this was an ‘inevitable event.’ It was bound to happen eventually.

So, what now? The incident occurred, and it needs to be dealt with. But… is there any way to handle it?

‘Maybe we should just pray and hope the GMs decide to spare us.’

The GMs might be watching me even now. The thought sent chills down my spine, but I forced myself to remain composed.

Thus, the only thing I could do in this situation was to—

“You’re saying they just fought? But how did that happen to Unahar? Did my wish reach the heavens, and a miracle occurred?”

As foolish as it sounds, the best I could do was to feign surprise and marvel at the coincidence…

‘Hah, there really is no other way.’

I need to wake Akata and show him my clueless face, so the sharp-witted kid can understand my intentions and keep his mouth shut.

Ignoring Kanel’s attempt to stop me, I pushed my way into Akata’s room. I walked over and sat down next to Akata, who was sprawled on the bed.

‘So he wasn’t even asleep?’

Akata, who was peeking through slitted eyes, was startled when he met my sharp gaze.

“Rudel?”

A light sigh escaped my lips.

“Sigh… You troublemaker.”

I flicked Akata’s forehead. This time, I really meant it, and Akata winced, clutching his forehead. 

“Ouch, that hurts.”

Akata looked genuinely shocked. He wasn’t used to me actually hitting him, considering how I usually treated him with the utmost care to avoid breaking him. This kid, who doesn’t flinch in battle even if cut or slashed, was now whining over a flick on the forehead.

Then, Akata noticed Kanel standing beside me. Kanel shook his head as if to say, ‘Sorry, it’s all out now.’

“…!”

Akata’s face turned pale. He realized that I knew everything about what happened in the PK arena. 

His reaction showed he understood the gravity of his actions. I leaned closer, casting a shadow over him. Ignoring the nervous boy who worried about what I might say, I warned him with just my eyes.

‘Pretend you don’t know what you did. You know nothing. Nothing happened. Got it?’

Akata’s expression changed to one of tension as he slowly grasped the meaning behind my look. He carefully nodded a few times.

“I’m sorry, Rudel.”

“It’s fine.”

I ruffled his red hair and stood up. With this, my ‘thin’ attempt to cover up the incident was complete. But I wouldn’t let my guard down. If Akata and I were threatened with extinction by the GMs, we would have to escape, to flee.

The opportunity would come only during the Champion Challenge.

***

A circular arena, empty and devoid of any background for the sake of fairness. Gio stood there, ready to test himself one last time. Soon, he faced the dark champion, who exuded an aura of shadow.

[The Champion Challenge has begun. If the challenger manages to defeat the champion within the time limit and remove his mask, the challenger wins.]

Even if Gio couldn’t see them, every player was watching him as spectators at this moment. Not just me, his guild leader, but also the green-eyed girl who gave him life.

The champion lightly waved his hand, and a black smoke-like effect emanated from his fingertips.

[Unique Ability] Dark World

As the name suggested, he tried to overlay all that was good in the world with his darkness. The deep shadows resembled a black belly, ready to swallow anything.

Gio’s gray hair trembled slightly. He silently moved the ground beneath his feet.

The mysterious champion, Taggiros, had his abilities revealed to our Agasa guild earlier. Detailed stats were provided, as if daring our guild to strategize against him. 

It was disconcerting, but as someone who welcomed any scrap of information, I had no time for complaints.

[Name] Taggiros

[Gender] ? / [Age] ?

[Intelligence] ? / [Killing Intent] ?

* * *

[Stamina, Strength, Agility Average] S

* * *

[Ability Type] Soul

[Unique Ability] Dark World

[Overall Grade] S

* [Output] 100,000 / S

* [Precision] 100,000 / S

* [Resistance] 100,000 / S

A champion with all stats precisely at S-level. To inflict damage on Taggiros, whose unique ability and physical stats are all S-grade, one must significantly surpass the S-grade stats in their unique ability.

Currently, Gio’s output exceeds the 100,000 mark, but his precision and resistance fall short. Averaging out, he’s also an S-grade, but with strengths and weaknesses in specific areas. In short, I can’t predict the outcome. Gio has a chance, but how likely it is remains uncertain.

The black, ink-like figure repeatedly pushed Gio back. Watching him carefully maneuver on the rocky terrain through the screen, I recalled the days of preparation we had together.

“This isn’t a foolproof strategy. I’ve never seen Taggiros and, of course, couldn’t experiment with him.”

I had been consumed with finding Taggiros’s weakness, spending days and nights on it. Aside from my worries about Unahar and Akata, all my time was invested in this. I stayed up for several nights.

“But it seems like a viable strategy. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you, Gio. It’s an extension of what we’ve been doing in the training ground. I’ll walk you through it step by step. Got it?”

Gio, following my training, navigated carefully, stepping only on the solid ground while evading the pervasive darkness of the Dark World. The exploding rocks were powerful even through the screen.

“It’s called Dark World, right? It means Taggiros makes the space his world. So, you need to create your own world within it.”

“How?”

“Think simply. Expand your territory within the space. I found out that you can carry soil in your inventory. Use it to transform the arena into a land environment.”

Gio was doing well. However, Taggiros’s domain was gradually expanding. Gio’s expression was becoming more tense. Despite his increasing output and quicker movements, a clear solution to overcome the challenge wasn’t evident.

Soon, the black darkness seemed to reach Gio’s feet.

「……」

Taggiros was cloaked in a billowing black robe that covered his entire body. Aside from his towering height and broad build suggesting he was male, there were no distinctive features. He didn’t speak, nor was there any sound of breathing. Honestly, it was questionable if he was even a character. If not for the black leather-gloved fingers and the occasional glimpse of his legs through the robe, I might have believed he was an administrator NPC.

Kanel, who was sitting with me watching the screen, let out a low sigh and leaned back, rubbing his face in frustration. I, too, wished I could express my despair like Kanel if only I weren’t their leader.

Taggiros was designed to be a thoroughly villainous figure, almost to an absurd degree. The intent was clear: to make it appear as if the challenger player was struggling against a malevolent overlord.

「Graaah!」

Gio exploded the ground in a desperate attempt. Lilith’s eyes, filled with tears, were now bloodshot, yet she kept her gaze fixed on Gio’s faltering form, as if to witness every moment of his fall.

「Ugh…」

Unahar, half groaning, nearly forgot himself and tried to jump up. 

“No.”

If I hadn’t blocked him with my arm, he would have rushed into the screen. I did my best to calm the guild members.

“I understand how you feel. I want to jump in more than anyone.”

My face must have looked colder than ever. Was this a mistake? Had we reached too far, aiming for something beyond our grasp? Was ‘Game Planner’ just a pipe dream? Were we characters daring to challenge our creators, attempting to build a Tower of Babel?

‘I refuse to accept that!’

Countless thoughts echoed in my mind, but I kept silent, fearing I might further unsettle our guild members. Instead, I just stroked Lilith’s head.

In the end, Gio couldn’t move any further on the screen. Our strongest member, Gio, knelt before Taggiros.

[Gio player has been defeated.]

[The following are the penalties for failing the Champion Challenge.]