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

She possessed both the brilliant mind and the fanatical passion for games that made her a perfect ally for my dream. However, getting her to join my fledgling company in Korea, which lagged behind the U.S. in the gaming industry, was a significant gamble. So, when I proposed the idea, I didn’t actually expect her to accept.

“Your graphics are amazing!”

Surprisingly, she was instantly captivated by the world I had created, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

“You’re incredible. What’s your secret? It feels like I should be asking you to let me work with you!”

For someone who was hailed as the “Asian prodigy” at our university to praise my virtual reality game this much, it felt like my success was all but guaranteed.

She joined the company in a position just below mine and immediately made substantial contributions to the implementation of virtual reality. As expected, she was an even better programmer than I was. Unlike me, she had a sociable nature and quickly became a central figure in the company, earning the respect and affection of our staff.

“The first selection round of 500 characters, are they all secured?”

“Oh, about 20 of them are still being personally verified by the CEO.”

Before the game’s release, I was putting the finishing touches on my plan. Around this time, I told the employees that I would create a character identical to myself ‘just for fun.’

“Wow, so it’s like the CEO’s own character?”

“That sounds fun! I’d like to make one too, but I’m too clumsy to handle it. It’d be a disgrace to the character.”

“But isn’t it kind of creepy? These characters are so realistic… It might look like a doppelgänger…”

“Let it be. Honestly, the CEO’s always been a bit eccentric. Besides, if the CEO doesn’t go out much and doesn’t reveal their face after the launch, it should be fine. No one knows their face since they’ve been abroad.”

“If the CEO wants to do something, it’s best to let them. There’s always a reason behind it.”

Since the employees were buzzing too much, I had to set the groundwork properly.

“It’s just for fun. The stats will be set to the lowest. If it dies on the first day, so be it. And remember this.”

This part was crucial. I repeatedly reminded my subordinates.

“The planning team joins meetings with the CEO remotely and doesn’t know my face. If they find out that the Rudel character looks exactly like me, they might intervene to prevent the character from dying out of shock. So, keep it absolutely confidential from them.”

In this way, only a very select few in the company knew that a character identical to me existed in the game.

‘Now-’

I glanced at my university peer, who was on the other side, looking at the monitors with the other employees. It was time to embed a beautiful and intelligent soul into the Rudel character.

In truth, contrary to what the employees knew, the Rudel character had not been designed at all yet. The creation… she would handle it.

Late at night, after everyone had gone home, I stayed behind with her for an all-nighter. Inviting her for a cup of coffee, I led her to the rooftop in the cool night air, and she followed me innocently.

Just like with that first boy, pushing her over the edge was easy. She clung desperately to the railing, a look of betrayal quickly turning to hatred as she began to curse me through her tears.

Even in the face of death, her boldness remained. As expected, she was perfect for becoming ‘Rudel.’

“What did I do wrong… Why are you doing this to me out of nowhere?”

“You did nothing wrong,” I replied calmly, gazing down at her struggling form. “I simply need a soul as brilliant as yours.”

She continued to curse me until the strength in her hands gave out, and she fell to her death.

“I’m too valuable to die for something like this. I’ll get my revenge even if it’s from beyond the grave.”

Looking down at her broken body on the ground below, I watched as it vanished without a trace, another missing person in Korea.

“‘I’m too valuable to die for something like this,’ huh… That’ll make a great awakening line for Rudel.”

Back in the lab, I meticulously crafted the Rudel character. Despite not altering her core personality or intelligence, there were many details to consider.

‘Rudel needs to come into reality for me, to achieve everything I can’t and bring it back to me.’

I laid the groundwork for her to climb her way back up to me. Secretly, I granted Rudel special privileges. Cheats to view other players’ status screens and memories of the game manual on the website to help her adapt quickly. With these advantages, she would overcome her low stats and become an exceptional ranker, garnering support from other users.

I left some memory of her real-world origin intact, enough for her to trace it back and ultimately return to me. Lastly, I imbued her with a bit of my power, making it easier to eventually take over her body.

I also ensured that during the first selection round, she wouldn’t encounter the killer, Yudirei, by placing her far away. Surrounding her with potential allies, I pre-placed characters she could easily recruit: a beautiful, pitiable girl to attract attention, a highly capable but dim-witted comedic male character for her to manipulate, and a forlorn, love-starved handsome man to spark a romance.

From there, Rudel would take the lead.

After the game’s launch, the employees celebrated the overwhelming success of ‘Ranking of Soul.’ During the festive gathering, she was absent, fighting her battles as Rudel in the game world. Though the staff mourned her disappearance, time inevitably led them to forget their sorrow.

[“Agasa Guild, exclusive first place!”]

She always acted as I intended. Even with Akata, the virtual reality and real-world intermediary I created, she showed affection and care, just as I had planned. Akata quickly fell for her, seeing in her the resemblance to me.

Akata indirectly provided Rudel with clues about how to return to the real world, and Rudel quickly became absorbed in the pursuit. Everything was proceeding smoothly. But around the time of the second-generation round, I began to feel a vague unease.

Rudel’s soul once belonged to the only student who had surpassed me in university. If someone as intelligent as her found a way to exploit a flaw in my plan, it could be disastrous.

This irrational fear gnawed at me. Driven by my growing anxiety, I made a rash decision during the second-generation round. I created another character resembling me, named Runehan.

However, unlike Rudel, Runehan was an artificial soul manipulated in every aspect, and he failed to meet my expectations. He was utterly inadequate to replace Rudel. Although I had hoped he might become my proxy, he ended up merely serving as a counterbalance to Rudel.

Despite this, Rudel, utilizing the Gio character, achieved first place in the individual rankings and secured the top guild position as well. The planning team attempted to delete Rudel, considering her a bug, but I managed to resolve that issue smoothly.

Rudel had already discovered how to exit into the real world. Although I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she and her companions escaped, I had a good idea of where they emerged—likely the same spot where she had fallen to her death from the company rooftop. There was a wall there now, but it made no difference.

Though it was difficult to track her actions once she reentered reality, she returned to the game well-prepared. As I anticipated, she carried out the final scenario flawlessly.

The ‘Last Round’ was spectacular. Even from the perspective of the game company’s CEO, it was a perfect show, with AI characters moving with lifelike precision.

‘I never imagined Rudel would gain system control capabilities comparable to mine in such a short time.’

But it was over now. She had become the pivotal leader, uniting and enlightening all the characters. She stood at the pinnacle of their hierarchy.

All I needed to do now was take over her body, and I would rule over these intelligent beings in her place. With their abilities, they could easily reshape the real world.

At this moment, I close my eyes. I am about to become the new god of the reality I created.

This is my victory.

* * *

Rudel, who had been unconscious, opened her eyes.

“Ah…”

Tears flowed uncontrollably. Just before death, all her past life memories resurfaced. She vividly recalled who she was, how she ended up at Mijon Corporation, and how she was killed by Aria.

‘In the final moments of my life, I vowed revenge against Aria.’

Rudel slowly got up. Her head felt hot, and her limbs tingled with the sting of betrayal.

I wanted to destroy everything. If I could trample all of Aria’s achievements, I would sell my soul to do it.

‘Aria. In my previous life, you were the friend and colleague I trusted and followed so deeply, yet you killed me.’

As I swallowed my sorrow and shock, I looked around and saw a woman sitting across from me, mirroring my position. In front of her lay a knife, the same knife Aria had used to threaten Akata.

‘Yes, Aria is someone who would stop at nothing.’

I quickly snatched up the knife and raised it toward Aria. At that moment, the words that had driven me here filled my mind.

“I will get my revenge, even from beyond the grave.”

I wanted to see that face twisted in defeat. I gripped the handle so tightly it bent under my strength. It was simple: run forward and stab her. The sequence of movements played out clearly in my mind.

“……”

But even as I threatened her with the knife, the woman across from me remained calm. My heart pounded in a bad way.

‘Why, can’t I stab her?’

I stood there, unmoving, puzzled at my hesitation despite the burning hatred consuming me. Faces flashed before my eyes—Akata’s, Lilith’s, Unahar’s, Aleon’s, and many others.

‘…Why is Aria just standing there, as if she’s resigned to die?’

Her expression didn’t match that of someone about to die. A master of expressions from her time as a popular game character, I noticed a slight twitch at the corner of Aria’s mouth.

Something felt off. It wasn’t just the anger from my past life; it was a feeling that had anchored me through both lives.

‘If I kill Aria with my own hands, will everything really be over?’