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

A presence was felt behind him. Before he knew it, Taggiros had approached and placed a hand on Akata’s shoulder.

Akata, still weeping, pushed him away roughly. Taggiros softly asked him, “Why are you crying?”

“Go away.”

“Please, tell me.”

In the depths of his agony, there was no way Akata could take his words at face value.

“I said, don’t interfere!”

Despite this, the man in the black mask seemed intent on soothing Akata, hovering around him.

‘What if Rudel is truly dead?’ 

Losing was a familiar experience. Many had turned their backs on him before.

If this wasn’t the first time, shouldn’t he be more composed in accepting it than before?

However, the second blow was harsher. It lashed at his entire being like a whip.

‘I didn’t do well enough. It’s my fault. I should have done better.’

Without even knowing what he did wrong, he pleaded and cried alone.

Then he changed his thoughts.

Rage erupted from within, and if he couldn’t redirect it, he felt he might go insane.

‘If Rudel is truly dead, none of those involved deserve to live.’

Those who made Rudel lose. Those who dragged Rudel into the Champion Challenge.

Even those inferior and lower-ranked than Rudel, forcing her into the challenge.

Anyone remotely connected must pay for their sins.

…And finally, himself, who failed in the Champion Challenge.

His first target, right before him—

Akata turned around.

In an instant, he pounced on Taggiros, who was caught off guard and pressed him to the floor like prey to a raptor.

The sheer force was enough to make even the S-rank Taggiros groan.

Akata, above him, choked him with blind fury.

“Die!”

“…How about calming down with a cup of tea?”

Despite the harsh struggle, Akata soon realized he couldn’t kill such a strong opponent with his bare hands.

Exhausted, Akata collapsed on the floor.

Eventually, he sat at the table, his face marked by red streaks of tears.

Taggiros, showing no resentment despite Akata’s attempt to kill him, lifted him effortlessly and placed him on a chair.

Perhaps it was his indifference to being attacked, or the futility of his attempt, but Akata regained a bit of composure.

Even though they sat together as if to share a cup of tea, there was only one cup—Akata’s.

Taggiros, from behind his mask, watched Akata sip the tea.

“Have you cried it all out?”

The answer from Akata’s disheveled face was:

“I haven’t even started crying properly yet.”

But as he slowly sipped the herbal tea, his tears began to cease.

‘Crying children are of no use.’

He was no longer the boy who lay idle, waiting for a new Aria to appear. Not anymore.

Once, he had vowed to become like Rudel.

If Rudel truly no longer existed in this world, he would forever remain the possession of the deceased.

The moment he resolved not to cry, his ‘Superior Intelligence’ blossomed.

The true target for destruction wasn’t Taggiros.

For some time after, Akata stayed quietly, like a crouching beast.

Soon, this notification returned to him:

[Player Akata, join the first round of the third quarter.]

He was released earlier than Gio, but it was time nonetheless.

Akata gently touched the glass tube where Gio lay, eyes closed.

“Gio, I’m leaving. Stay asleep until I return.”

If Gio were to wake and see this new Akata, he’d likely be bewildered and even a bit disturbed.

But Akata didn’t care.

His reflection on the glass surface showed eyes that were unmistakably different from before.

The door that had been sealed opened silently. Akata immediately stepped outside.

The black-clad champion’s hand gently and respectfully grasped Akata’s arm.

“May I bid you farewell?”

“…Go ahead.”

He raised his gloved hand, feeling for Akata’s, and lightly clasped it.

Then he leaned in, closing the distance by a step.

“When you become the top rank, will you come challenge me again? If you succeed in defeating me, I’ll support your future endeavors.”

As he looked up and met the masked face directly, Akata’s expression hardened.

It was just a dark mask with indistinguishable features. One could never connect with someone hiding behind such a façade.

Yet, Akata felt as if the person before him had extracted his thoughts from his eyes, as if he had been read.

Despite his efforts to conceal his wavering eyes, the question slipped out.

“Why do you… care so much?”

“I’ve been waiting all along.”

Was this why he had not handed Akata over to the system administrators and instead kept him in his space?

Akata suddenly felt curious about his face, but he never showed it.

“When you meet me again, call me Gis.”

Taggiros, or Gis, stepped aside and let Akata pass through the door he had been the sole user of. He stood by to see him off.

As he exited, an intangible space appeared. Automatically freed from confinement, Akata notified the system of his presence.

In the narrow space, a reddish light scanned his entire body.

He wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t his first experience.

When he was abandoned by Aria and sent to various places, he underwent similar inspections and procedures while becoming a character.

[Memory erasure completed for this player.]

The words that defined him sent chills down his spine, but he managed to keep a calm expression.

[You were a first-generation player, but after your defeat, you were eliminated and reincarnated as a third-generation player. Do you understand?]

“I understand.”

Thus freed from confinement, he became the protagonist of the ninth round.

The round was called ‘Chase.’

As a hidden player, existing guilds would compete to capture him and claim him as their own.

Akata carefully prepared for his first round as a new character.

* * *

He never stopped thinking, never allowed himself to be overwhelmed by sadness. He constantly refined himself.

‘Remember. I’m going to be like Rudel. Follow Rudel. Like when Rudel made our guild number one.’

However, he couldn’t establish a new guild.

The ninth round, his first, was designed to determine his affiliation.

‘I should join Shemarin’s guild, the strongest candidate for first place. That would make it easier to meet the conditions for the Champion Challenge.’

But being the top-ranked player required more than just strength.

It also required the interest of the viewers.

How much popularity a character garnered from the audience greatly influenced their fate.

Therefore, he had to rebrand the character ‘Akata’ into someone people would love.

‘If we’re talking about guild rankings, I have to be in Shemarin’s harem. But what if I become the only person in it who isn’t swayed by Shemarin? Pretend to long for someone forgotten…’

That might be the easiest path for him, one that wouldn’t require much acting.

But it could arouse suspicion from the game managers. They would assume he had completely erased Rudel from his memory.

‘Besides, how do I make the viewers understand my sudden intent to join Shemarin’s guild? It would look suspicious if someone with no memory or background knowledge chose a guild so strategically from the start.’

Akata, hitting a mental wall, scrapped all his assumptions and returned to the basics.

He studied the comments.

‘In the end, it’s all about this.’

Throughout history, characters in love have always been fundamental to creating charm.

‘My popularity reset the moment it became clear I forgot Rudel. So instead, I need to build a lovable image. It might be more effective to portray a man who falls for Shemarin at first sight.’

Body? Mind? Emotions?

They ceased to matter when Rudel disappeared. He was willing to do anything for revenge.

Pretending to love another woman to achieve his goal was a small price to pay.

As the ninth round chase began, he donned his helmet and reappeared before the viewers.

From that moment on, everything that made up Akata—his smallest gestures, glances, and even his breaths—was meticulously controlled and regulated.

“Please take me with you.”

Thus, he successfully made his debut, kissing the back of another woman’s hand.

* * *

Late at night, right after the chase ended.

The queen had a private meeting with a man.

Uncharacteristically losing her composure, she had dragged the man, who had just joined the guild that day, into her personal space, ensuring the other men couldn’t eavesdrop.

“You…”

Shemarin bit her lower lip, struggling to find her words.

It was clear she wasn’t pleased with Akata’s sudden appearance and unexpected advances.

“What are you thinking?”

Instead of answering, Akata quietly knelt and pondered for a moment.

‘To gain Shemarin’s cooperation here, I need to convince not just her but also the game managers who are likely watching us right now. Otherwise, they might become suspicious of me and uncover my true intentions.’

Such as his plan or the fact that he hadn’t forgotten Rudel.

Both scenarios were dangerous if revealed.

To avoid being silently eliminated, he needed a more plausible reason.

After careful consideration, Akata spoke without hesitation.

“I heard this guild was second place last quarter. That means, with the first-place guild gone, you’re the most likely candidate for the top spot now.”

He decided to use the intense competitive drive that young Akata had once shown as his reason for choosing this guild.

“To be honest, I want to be the best in this game. So Shemarin, please pretend to be my lover. It doesn’t have to be genuine. Just act like you chose me over your other men.”

His voice lacked any warmth, filled only with cynical calculation, which he showed to Shemarin without any filter.

“If you grant my request, I’ll make you the game planner. I’ll help you reach the top.”