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

[Once a character is released, it is never altered.]

This is the policy of “Ranking of Soul.”

No matter how suspicious Mijon Company might be, this policy has always been strictly adhered to.

Therefore, our characters have always been able to live according to their own will. The GMs didn’t interfere with our minds.

But today, an exception has appeared.

A remodeled version of an existing character, Akata.

‘Did it have to be Akata?’

Well, if not Akata, there would be no other character needing such mental remodeling.

After I disappeared, he became the only bug in the game.

But this was something I couldn’t tell the others.

Moreover, with Akata’s memories altered, it is possible that all his memories related to reality have been transferred to the GMs.

The only solace is that Akata faced the Champion Challenge without knowing my plan.

‘I kept that fact a secret from him, leading him to the Champion Challenge without any explanation…’

Anyway, Akata lost all his memories because of me.

‘Akata, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for making you forget even Aria.’

I closed my eyes, fearing that my heart might rot from guilt.

‘I should only feel sorry for you, but why do I…’

It should be enough that he’s alive. I was prepared for him to be different after losing his memories.

No matter how Gio and Akata changed, I had vowed to save them and take responsibility for them for life.

Why is this so hard?

…I shouldn’t think about it anymore. I really don’t know what to do. There’s nothing more I can do about it anyway.

I should work.

I should focus on destroying the game company.

After that, I ate and talked with the others as usual, but I behaved as if my mind was somewhere else.

I sat in front of the computer as if my life depended on it, researching, organizing, planning, and revising all the information I could find.

Whenever I felt I had been looking at the screen for too long, I stretched and looked at the distant mountains, then immediately went back to my notes.

I also reviewed and practiced programming languages during my breaks.

The others seemed to watch me with concern, but not knowing how to comfort me, they just observed.

Time passed by bit by bit.

‘Is the trailer for the 10th round real…?’

It was the first time since Akata entered Red Monarch that the next episode’s preview was revealed.

The homepage buzzed once again.

‘What’s happening? Why the fuss?’

‘Looks like Akata became Shemarin’s consort.’

What are they talking about…?

* * *

<10th Round: Racing Battle>

The track was littered with shiny sports cars, each modeled after various luxury brands. A peculiar feature of all these cars was that they were two-seater convertibles with the back modified into truck beds capable of carrying more than ten people.

[“Each guild’s driver, please take your seat in the vehicle.”]

The rules for the 10th round were quite simple. Each guild would have one driver who, along with their guild members in the truck bed, would race to the finish line along a designated route. If a vehicle flipped due to poor driving, the team would be eliminated. Naturally, guild members in the truck bed could attack other guilds.

Sparks flew from wheels scraping the road.

Cars weaved through sharp curves on the asphalt, drifting in succession.

Thanks to the drivers’ pre-practice, most guilds navigated the turns with ease.

However, because the speed was at its maximum, the characters’ hair flew wildly in the wind.

From their hands, various attacks were launched.

Not only were there long-range attacks using Pure Nature abilities, but there were also snipers ducking low and targeting the wheels of rival vehicles.

‘I’m so thrilled right now that I’m getting motion sickness.’

‘How to create virtual reality 4D: Open all the windows in your room and watch the 10th round. Wow, the wind is amazing.’

‘↑ You’re going to catch a cold, it’s winter wind, so cold;;’

‘LOL.’

Leading the pack was a car with a bright red personal color, the Redmonarch.

Thanks to Zaet’s daring steering, the wheels were harshly exploited, yet they managed to stay in the lead.

Amidst the barrage of bullets aimed at them, someone in the back of the Redmonarch raised their head.

A white phoenix blossomed from his hands.

In contrast to its angelic appearance, the bird’s temperature was transcendent.

Incandescence, the heat at which molten metal is at its hottest, or the heat of a burning star.

Boom!

One of the cars behind couldn’t avoid it and was engulfed in flames. The characters were forced to return to their guild en masse.

He had tied up his long red hair to prepare for the strong winds, but even then, the tied hair came loose.

Gathering his fluttering hair with his hands, Akata nearly got thrown out of the car due to a drift.

If it weren’t for the smooth arms that grabbed his waist from behind, holding him in a back hug, Akata might have been eliminated right then.

[“Thank you.”]

Despite the sudden contact, Akata only smiled shyly. It was his guild master, Shemarin, who helped him regain his balance.

[“Bend down. I’ll tie your hair again.”]

[“Okay.”]

The men riding in the same truck bed as Shemarin watched the scene quietly.

[“…”]

Known for their unique and unmatched concept, they were often referred to as the queen and her ten consorts. Their usual atmosphere was…

In truth, it wasn’t bad. Their teamwork and camaraderie were excellent. There were no internal conflicts among the consorts. Even in a harem, they knew that getting along well would make Shemarin favor them, so they wisely avoided any behavior that would cause tension.

Thus, even when Akata suddenly joined them, none of them opposed it.

Except for the vice guild master.

[“Take this item I’m handing out and put it on the soles of your shoes. It’s an anti-slip insole.”]

The grimly handsome man, who had a Soul-type ability called “Life Absorption,” was known to viewers as “King of Hell” and “King of Personality,” Muraul.

Before the game started, Muraul had distributed an item to each of the men. Despite Akata being at the front, Muraul brusquely passed him over to give the items to the other men first.

After distributing to everyone else, he finally tossed Akata’s item onto the ground.

And that wasn’t all—during the strategy meeting earlier, Akata had been completely excluded, with Muraul subtly leading the ostracism.

Zaet was the only one who treated Akata well, but since Zaet was the driver now, it didn’t help much.

Despite the blatant mistreatment, Akata remained unruffled and pretended not to notice.

[“Thank you.”]

After the 9th round, Akata had chosen to join Redmonarch as his victory reward for being the hidden player.

Whatever had transpired inside, in the next round, Shemarin stood next to Akata instead of Muraul.

When another guild master asked what had happened, Shemarin replied,

“Isn’t it rude to keep clinging to someone who doesn’t want you?”

She didn’t specify who it was, but everyone speculated it was Zaet.

* * *

When we were in the game, we didn’t realize it, but from the perspective of real-life viewers, it was harder to keep track of the characters’ every move than we thought.

Unless it was a ‘Guild Coverage Special,’ it was impossible to know what they ate or how they spent their time.

Considering that even those specials might have been staged by the characters themselves…

In the end, viewers had to fill in the gaps about the characters’ private lives with their imagination, which only fueled more fan creations.

Anyway, Akata’s appearance in the rounds was—

Even more dazzling. He became an outstanding high-ranker, matching his impressive stats.

As the number of pictures of him with Shemarin on the website increased, unofficial couple merchandise began to be released.

Their faces complemented each other well. Very well.

‘Cute and sexy all in one…’

‘Who knew Akata would grow up this much?’

‘Quirky charisma…? Cold-hearted when expressionless but soft and gentle when showing affection.’

‘The best respectful younger man…’

‘But Rudel ㅠㅠㅠㅠ’

‘We just have to think of Rudel x Akata and Shemarin x Akata as different people… That’s the right way.’

‘Honestly, it’s a good thing Akata can’t remember… After losing Agasa and all his family, how could he live sanely?’

As Akata’s popularity grew, sympathy for him also spread. Supporters of the pairing with Shemarin popped up like mushrooms.

‘So, for viewer comments to Akata, they filter out any chat mentioning Rudel or Agasa.’

‘They’ve always done that. If someone mentions too much about the game, they’ve quietly excluded them from the draws for a while now.’

‘They have to censor. Players shouldn’t know they’re game characters, so we have to be careful about what we say.’

‘Wow, this conversation feels weird… It’s like the characters are real people living in another world.’

Regardless, those who supported other pairings were shaken.

‘What about Zaet?’

‘Wasn’t it platonic with Zaet? Now, Shemarin won’t write letters to Zaet anymore?’

‘She said she wrote daily letters, even if there was no reply…’

‘Zaet read all the letters when they arrived…’

‘But what’s the use if he doesn’t accept her feelings?’

‘Wasn’t Zaet giving her hope?’

‘Is Shemarin someone who would cling to anyone? Honestly, a younger guy like Akata flirting with her is more suitable for Shemarin.’

Despite their confusion, they eventually started supporting Shemarin x Akata, seeing it as a sequel where the main couple couldn’t get together.

I read through the internet posts mechanically, then turned off my phone.

‘I don’t want to see this.’

My heart was a storm of emotions, wanting to tear the system apart.

As I ruffled my hair and sighed deeply, Lilith gently pulled me out with a playful gesture.

She made me cover my face with a hat and mask, and we took a walk around the neighborhood.

As I looked at the moon in the sky and walked slowly, my mind started to calm down.

After a while, I confided for the first time since becoming a character, in Lilith’s arms.

“I’ve been really harsh these past few days, haven’t I? To the point where you all were wary of me.”

I felt ashamed and unworthy of my behavior—

But I was too depressed to care about that.

“I’m sorry. I just felt weird seeing Akata. It’s my fault he’s like that…”

When Akata kissed Shemarin’s hand, it felt like I had hit the ground after falling from the rooftop.

It might have been more shocking than when I actually died.

Lilith was surprised by my weakened state. But she gently comforted me.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

She didn’t add any opinions about the changed Akata, just warmly consoled me.