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

Kanel and Unahar, who couldn’t even cough comfortably for fear of a man’s voice being heard next door and couldn’t take a walk without a hat and mask, frowned as soon as I finished speaking.

“We’re going to reveal that we’ve become aware that we’re living in a game?”

“Yes, and we’ll also reveal that we’ve noticed the existence beyond the screen, the reality.”

Mijon had always maintained a precarious boundary on this issue. The characters had always been receiving something called ‘comments’. But what if we, the characters, were the ones to break this boundary first?

“What benefit do we gain from this?”

“We’ve risked our lives to be the entertainment of those beyond the screen. We’ll gain a reason to express our anger.”

“And then?”

“We’ll declare that we will no longer follow the game company’s instructions. We’ll demand the revival of the dead characters too.”

I sighed after saying that.

“There are various ways to shake the game company… But if we give the impression that we’re trying to be on par with humans, it would be problematic. People would be terrified just seeing us come out of the game. So, we have to approach this very cautiously.”

Han Nayeon, the homeowner who didn’t have work today, was also listening by our side. She raised her hand cautiously.

“Um, I don’t mind at all… I’m actually happy to be with everyone.”

“That’s because you’re a special case, Nayeon. Not everyone would think the same.”

Turning around, I met everyone’s eyes and concluded.

“So, the key is whether we can gain the recognition of the real people for our freedom within the game. So that only the content we approve can be broadcasted.”

The air grew heavy. Silence flowed without a stir.

As characters, we breathe, eat, think, and act just like them. Yet, whether we can guarantee the same rights, namely freedom, is another matter.

“I recognize your freedom…! How could I not?”

Han Nayeon, hesitating, raised her hand brightly. I nodded.

“We know. We appreciate it. But it can’t just be one person, Nayeon.”

“The whole world has to accept us.”

“Exactly. And also, we can’t do it with just the four of us. Four is too few; we might get wiped out.”

“Then…?”

I clasped my hands on my crossed knees and smiled.

“We need to go back into the game and bring everyone in, under the pretext I mentioned earlier.”

To atone for leaving my two people behind.

Han Nayeon seemed a bit disappointed at the thought of us going back, but she didn’t say anything since that’s where we truly belong.

“Yeah, we left Gio and Akata behind. We have to get them back.”

“Rudel has wide connections, so we can recruit other guilds too.”

Was there some credibility in my plan? One by one, they started to agree.

“But how do we go back into the game?”

Unahar, a beat late, asked the crucial question.

“Well, if we got out, we should be able to get back in, right?”

I said it lightly, but it didn’t seem to come across as such.

Despite this, the kids merely smacked their lips without raising any objections.

They seemed to think, ‘If Rudel takes charge, something will come up.’

“Anyway, for now, I’m thinking of trying to connect to the VR game device first. We might be able to gather some information from there. So, Nayeon, you recently bought a new VR set, right? Can I use your old one?”

“Rudel, use the new one!”

Han Nayeon tried to hand me the new one, but as a human, she couldn’t match the agility of a game character. I smoothly claimed the old one.

“Look, this is what people use to watch us.”

“It looks just like goggles.”

Everyone was amazed when I showed them the VR set that attaches to your head.

“But… only one person can use it? When the next round starts, we can’t watch the virtual reality like you, Rudel?”

Oh, right. I hadn’t considered that they might want to watch the next round through the VR game device as much as I did…

Then Han Nayeon offered to buy new VR sets for everyone. I quickly talked her out of it.

“Don’t do that. We can take turns using it, or just watch the broadcast on the screen.”

“Please, let me spend some money!”

In the end, we compromised and bought three used VR game sets cheaply.

* * *

A faint buzzing sound indicated the VR was working.

‘It’s been a while since I felt excited.’

For the first time, as a viewer, I lay down, put on the VR set, and connected to ‘Ranking of Soul.’

[Non-member access]

Non-members couldn’t chat, bet, or donate, but since we couldn’t provide any personal information to the game, we had to access as non-members.

I moved the controller in my hand.

[Welcome, ■■■■.]

‘Huh?’

Why did a member window appear if I was a non-member? And what’s with those broken black characters?

I paused for a moment and got up to ask Han Nayeon what she saw on her screen.

“When you first register, it starts with ‘Welcome, [member number].’ Later, you can change it to your nickname.”

Then… what was that black name box instead of a number for me?

I also checked with the others who were learning how to use the VR from Han Nayeon.

“We see the black box too. The member window appears, but we can’t set up personal information.”

Could it be… My expression turned peculiar. Kanel and Unahar gradually mirrored my look.

The game ‘Ranking of Soul,’ recognizing us as departed characters, treated us differently, as hidden secret members.

‘Hold on. Let’s check the member window once.’

The user member windows had the same design as the status windows for players in the game, providing functions like turning chat on and off, accessing the betting section, and a notepad function for taking notes during viewing.

Notepad?

Feeling compelled, I immediately activated the notepad function. What I saw left me stunned.

The command code that had freed us from the game was still saved in the notepad of member ■■■■.

It seemed it hadn’t been erased after being entered.

‘So, could this member notepad perform the same function? If I input the command code to enter the game and hit save, would it execute just like before?’

Things were falling into place quite easily. To return to the game, I just needed to tweak the previous command code slightly and enter it. 

Lilith, Unahar, and Kanel had the same member window, so it would work the same for them.

I removed the VR headset and looked around at the others, who were practicing the movements in Rank of Soul as taught by Han Nayeon. Although they weren’t actual players, they needed to familiarize themselves with screen controls to move freely as cameras within the game.

“Doesn’t it make you dizzy? It must be hard to adjust at first.”

“Not really.”

“Should it make me dizzy? I’m fine.”

Even Lilith, the weakest among us, was doing well. Han Nayeon was quite impressed by the game characters’ vestibular senses.

Suddenly, a sense of unease struck me.

‘What if the GMs detect the secret member window? What if they discover our existence?’

I hurriedly turned off the VR device and told the others to come out.

“Uh, Nayeon, I’m really sorry. Please understand.”

Then, with the help of Kanel and Unahar, I physically destroyed the four VR game devices. Metal parts scattered across the veranda. 

Even though I had explained the reason beforehand, Han Nayeon, being an ordinary person, covered her mouth in shock at the sight of the wrecked machines.

“Nayeon, are you okay?”

“I was a bit startled, but I’m okay.”

“I’ll repay you somehow later…”

“It’s really fine.”

Assuming the GM didn’t detect our suspicious access, we had achieved a significant breakthrough.

‘As I said, once we got out, we could find a way back in.’

Later, we could buy old VR sets, connect, and input the command code before the GM tracked us.

With the method found, we just needed to plan precisely when to return and what to do once inside. 

For now, we ended up watching the next quarterly round through the boring broadcast.

…Actually, considering the sense of disconnection we would feel, watching on a screen might have been better than the 3D virtual reality.

[Thank you for waiting, users.

The first content to open the third quarter is a special video.

-GM Naye]

The third quarter game began without the Agasa guild.

**Broadcast Time: December 9, 10:00 AM**

The theme of this guild interview is ‘Mourning’.

After the Agasa guild’s defeat, we covered the guild’s remaining characters.

Even I couldn’t speak for a while.

‘How could they release such content while my comrades and I are watching with open eyes…?’

The admins of the Rank of Soul game didn’t hesitate to exploit the death of my guild members, making the most out of the biggest issue. They’re squeezing more tears out of fans who are already mourning. Sure, sometimes a sad ending leaves a deeper impression than a happy one.

The sense of estrangement, knowing the game characters we lived with are now on screen, was overwhelmed by this heavy feeling.

[“Sorry. I have no appetite today either.”]

The first scene of the special feature showed Aleon, with swollen eyes, forcing a smile as he turned away guild members who were lined up with food. Since my death, Aleon had stopped eating…

‘I expected this, which is why I visited Aleon before the Champion Challenge…’

I had deliberately visited Aleon before the Champion Challenge started.

I knew that if we successfully escaped the game, Aleon would worry about my disappearance.

“Aleon, listen to me. If anything happens to me in the future, it’s all part of my plan. So don’t be too shocked.”

At that time, Aleon probably didn’t grasp the full meaning of my words, but after my defeat, he would have realized, ‘So this is what he meant.’ He must have understood it more deeply than anyone.

But that understanding wouldn’t have lessened his sorrow…

The interview screen soon changed to show Aleon’s subordinates.

Familiar faces staying at the Ice Fortress.

After the Agasa guild’s defeat, our subordinates, who had lost their affiliation, were absorbed into the Ice Fortress under Aleon’s command.

This was the result of the system considering the friendship between guild leaders.

It was undoubtedly the best outcome, as they had gained a strong and kind protector.

“Ha…”

Kanel, who cherished the subordinates most as an instructor, sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair several times.

Lilith and Unahar, who often mingled with the subordinates, also looked somber.

“…”

The screen showed Nahean, the leader of our subordinates, who had lost his smile.