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

The white phoenix moved as if it were Akata’s wings. The large and small birds glided along his path, creating a sight so beautiful it made one forget the battle. His red hair, reminiscent of the past phoenix, blended in perfectly, presenting a breathtaking spectacle.

‘Watching this in VR, I’m a legend.’

‘Adult Akata is a legend…’

The large white bird, having grown by defying the darkness, swooped down on Taggiros.

Boom! A thunderous sound echoed. The vibration seemed to extend beyond the screen.

Taggiros knelt on one knee. His masked head hung low.

Akata stood there, panting heavily, staring blankly as if he couldn’t believe it.

I watched intently, almost sucked into the screen, then glanced around me.

“…He won.”

Kanel, sitting beside me, said in disbelief.

Lilith, Unahar, and everyone else were mesmerized. No one could take their eyes off Akata on the screen.

Even though the current Akata wasn’t the person we knew, his victory still had a profound impact on us.

From above the victorious Akata, the broadcast voice rang out.

[“Akata of Redmonarch has succeeded in the Champion Challenge!”]

The viewers’ chat erupted in silent cheers. If there were an actual audience, they would have been screaming loud enough to make us deaf.

‘Wow!!!!!!!!!’

‘Insane, insane, insane!’

‘He did it!’

‘It was short, but it was genuinely impressive… the graphics aren’t even 21st century anymore.’

‘Akata is a god! Akata is a god!’

‘I showed this video to my dog, and it stood on two legs and clapped.’

[“Starting next quarter, Akata will succeed Taggiros as the ‘Champion’.”]

[“The defeated first Champion will transfer the mask to him.”]

[“Welcome the birth of the second Champion.”]

Akata, looking up at the sky and listening intently to the broadcast, suddenly turned to the kneeling Taggiros.

Taggiros, apparently having heard the broadcast, slowly rose with a heavy movement.

‘Whoa, is he going to remove the mask?’

‘I’ve always been curious about this.’

‘So Akata will wear that mask now? That’s a bit…’

His gloved hand slowly reached up to touch the mask covering his face.

‘Could it be a woman?’

‘It’s hard to tell because of the outfit.’

‘Definitely got those broad shoulders.’

‘Any face would be surprising at this point.’

With everyone watching intently,

‘Remove the mask!!’

‘Please take it off!!’

The first Champion’s face was finally revealed to the world.

Dark green hair cropped around the ears.

A man in his early twenties, despite his youth, had a refined and ancient air about him, with his straight, brow-line eyes and firmly closed lips.

The chat froze, not out of shock at seeing another handsome face—everyone had already seen various beauties, from Unahar to Akata.

Instead of praising Taggiros’s looks, the chat veered off in a different direction.

‘Guys, am I the only one who thinks Taggiros and Akata look alike…?’

It wasn’t just about their similar features. There were subtle differences when examined closely, but at a glance, except for the hair color, they resembled each other enough to give an eerie sense of familiarity.

Almost like they could be siblings.

Viewers, trying to dispel the unsettling feeling, started making various speculations.

‘Have the designers hit a limit with their designs?’

‘No, why? They could have made them look different! Akata is a slender, handsome type, so they could have made Taggiros with a more chiseled jaw and a broader forehead.’

‘They’ve created diverse faces all along, so why this similarity with Taggiros?’

‘Maybe the designers have a preference for Akata’s look?’

‘Or perhaps there’s a deeper meaning to their resemblance…?’

Akata wasn’t immune to the shock. Even as he stared wide-eyed, Taggiros turned and walked away.

The final angle captured him exiting through a door.

[From this moment, Akata and the entire Redmonarch guild are granted ‘Game Planner’ status and will withdraw from formal rounds.]

The chat, which had been abuzz about the resemblance between Taggiros and Akata, exploded at the system’s announcement.

‘Wait, what the hell?’

‘So Shemarin and the entire Redmonarch won’t appear in the game anymore…?’

Akata, now alone on screen, looked up at the source of the announcement, then turned his head to the left.

[“Huh.”]

A strange smile.

It looked like a bitter laugh, or perhaps a sardonic chuckle, drawing my attention.

In the next moment, Akata looked at the screen as if making eye contact with the viewers.

[“Now I have gained power equal to yours.”]

He stated clearly, addressing the viewers directly.

[‘Ranking of Soul’]

Soon, the ending title rolled up, as it always did when the video ended.

Since Akata lost his memory and re-entered the game, I could no longer predict his actions. But this time, I felt a sense of foreboding.

I feared Akata might never return.

* * *

“Phew.”

Before leaving Han Nayeon’s house, I stood alone in the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror and taking several deep breaths.

Once I stepped outside, I had to show a confident front to the others. This was the only time I could afford to feel anxious.

I steadied myself for a long time.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Lilith, Unahar, and Kanel were waiting, dressed in thick coats and fully geared up with hats and masks.

For what seemed like the tenth time, I repeated myself.

“You don’t have to follow me. You can stay hidden. It’s dangerous.”

I knew they wouldn’t listen, but I said it anyway, just in case.

As expected, none of them had any intention of staying behind.

Lilith smiled faintly. Kanel raised an eyebrow in silence. And Unahar’s eyes conveyed his insistence on accompanying me.

Instead of persuading them further, I chuckled.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here now.”

In the bulky bag I carried, there were four portable old-model VR devices, procured with Han Nayeon’s help.

Before closing the front door, I took one last look around the empty house.

I might never return to this house. I might never see Han Nayeon again.

After making eye contact with my three companions, I firmly closed the door. The door lock clicked shut.

Han Nayeon is not here right now. By the time she returns, any trace of game characters having lived here for the past few weeks will have vanished.

We are returning to the game.

However, we are not fleeing in the dead of night. I said my goodbyes to Han Nayeon last night.

“Nayeon, you are an honorary guild member of Agasa. And, you are my friend.”

Han Nayeon’s face, looking at me with tearful eyes, still lingered in my mind.

“I will do my best. I hope to return and have joyful conversations with you again. And just in case, if we appear in the game live, please don’t engage in chat or do anything that stands out.”

It made me anxious.

The game company might track her down, or viewers might discover her identity and cause her harm.

“But I am an honorary guild member too, right?”

Contrary to my expectations, Han Nayeon was as resolute and serious as we were.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll stay quiet as if I were dead. Staying still, no matter what happens, is the way I can help you. Oh, and Lunar New Year is coming up, right? I’ll just go down to my family’s home in the countryside for a while. If necessary, I’ll take some leave and stay longer.”

“That’s a good idea. …But I’m sorry for asking such a difficult favor.”

“No, I’m actually grateful that you asked. If things get truly dangerous for you, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Han Nayeon packed the materials I handed over into her suitcase for the countryside.

These were materials we had created together with her consent.

Videos, photos, and CCTV evidence of me, Kanel, Lilith, and Unahar staying at Han Nayeon’s house.

We even made sure to be captured on external CCTV on purpose.

In case we failed and died in the game, I entrusted Han Nayeon with this last resort.

If worst comes to worst, she will spread these materials on the internet.

Although they might be suspected as doctored, well, I hadn’t prepared them carelessly.

And if I successfully confront the game company from within the game, these materials can be used for blackmail.

Of course, the plan should proceed in a way that Han Nayeon never has to resort to such dangerous actions.

Currently, the game is on a major break after the third quarter. It’s much longer than the breaks between rounds.

Moreover, the Lunar New Year holiday overlaps in reality.

With this, even the reclusive Mijon company staff would mostly have left to enjoy the holiday, right? Only a minimal number would remain?

“Rudel, could you hint at a few scenarios?”

As we headed to the secluded park I had chosen to activate the VR equipment, Kanel, perhaps feeling restless, finally asked.

Should I tell them just the best and worst scenarios?

“The worst scenario is… getting detected by the GM as foreign matter without achieving anything.”

We are like computer viruses that have suddenly intruded into a perfect game.

The three others immediately frowned.

Lilith shivered. Kanel muttered bitterly.

“That absolutely must not happen.”

“That’s why I said it’s the worst. We have to risk our lives.”

“Then, what’s the best scenario?”

Just then, Unahar asked, looking back at me from the park stairs.

“Meeting the game planner character first, whoever it may be.”

I had already checked the website in advance.

The character who gains the game planner’s authority through the Champion Challenge can perform various actions within the game.

Thus, meeting one of them would make things much easier.

The tasks I would normally have to solve myself could be executed instantly using the ‘authority’ they possess.

The park in January was quite cold, so we easily occupied one of the empty smoking rooms and set up the VR equipment inside.

“Everyone knows their positions, right?”

When we enter the game, two will stay behind to guard the entrance of the smoking room, while two will go inside.

In other words, only two people will input the ‘reality->game’ code into the membership status window to enter.

The remaining two will stay in spectator mode, monitoring the situation and joining later if variables arise or guarding our escape route.

I wrote down all the useful command codes I could think of for those two.

Of course, one of the two entering the game first is me, Rudel.

And the only partner I chose to stay by my side is…

“I’m ready.”

Lilith.

Why I chose the weakest Lilith will be understood later.

Kanel grabbed my hand as if making a final farewell before I put on the VR headset.

His breath escaped in a small puff as he spoke.

“It has been an honor to serve you. No matter the outcome today, you were the right choice for me.”

Unahar also looked at me with an unfathomable gaze.

“I’m grateful it was you that I loved. Even if I live a lifetime, I won’t find anyone more amazing than you.”

I almost collapsed in a fit of laughter at his words.

“Stop raising death flags!”

I know it doesn’t set the mood… but I screamed out of genuine fear.

However, Kanel confidently shook his head.

“Don’t worry. If you explicitly mention a death flag, it becomes a survival flag. I read it in a book.”

“What book is that…?”

Anyway, Lilith and I were the first to put on the VR headsets.

[Welcome, ■■■■.]

Fortunately, we still appeared as secret members.

I briefly removed the headset to help Lilith enter the command code in her membership window.

After a moment, holding Lilith’s hand tightly, I pressed ‘execute.’

* * *

The spinning world gradually returned to its place.

While Lilith held her dizzy head, I waited for my eyes to focus to figure out where we were.

The scenery that came into view was surprisingly the place where we last stayed before leaving the game.

How did we end up back in the pension living room? Wasn’t our stronghold deleted?

“…Rudel?”

Suddenly, a surprised voice came from behind us.